Water gate control system, water gate control device, water gate control program

Abstract

To provide a floodgate control system that uses a storage battery to control a floodgate, avoiding flashing during floods and reducing power consumption. [Solution] A system for controlling a floodgate powered by electricity supplied from a storage battery is composed of a gate 12, water level sensors 17, 19 that detect the water level in the waterway, and a control panel 11 that controls the floodgate based on the water level detected by the water level sensors 17, 19. The control panel 11 decides whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold, flushes the waterway when the water level reaches or exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, and opens the floodgate after flushing is complete.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water gate control system, a water gate control device, and a water gate control program for controlling water gates, and more particularly to a water gate control system, a water gate control device, and a water gate control program for controlling water gates using a storage battery. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a trend toward more frequent flood disasters due to factors such as increased rainfall caused by climate change. During the 2019 East Japan Typhoon (Typhoon Hagibis), floodgate gates were not closed, causing swollen river water to backflow into sewer systems and overflow into urban areas, resulting in flooding damage. Furthermore, because gates and other equipment must be operated during storms, safety measures for operators are also necessary. Furthermore, as the aging of such operators is currently an issue, there is a demand for automatic control of floodgates to reduce the workload associated with operation.

[0003] In addition, small gates with a gate area of ​​10m 2 Many sluice gates smaller than this size are installed in locations where it is difficult to use commercial power sources. In light of this, it is desirable to use a storage battery to drive and control the sluice gate when controlling small gates. An electric drive device for a sluice gate opening and closing machine using a storage battery is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses that a solar cell is used as a power source and the electric motor is operated wirelessly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-266172 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-336057 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when river water levels rise, the control towers of floodgates consume a lot of power due to the processing required, such as acquiring information from images, receiving alarms, and driving the gates to close. In such cases, it is desirable for floodgate control systems that use storage batteries to store more power than usual and to minimize power consumption as much as possible.

[0006] In particular, small gates with a gate area of ​​10m 2 In sluice gates and the like smaller than this, there is a possibility that foreign objects may get caught near the gate of the sluice gate (water gate), or that sand or the like may accumulate, preventing the gate from closing. In such cases, an operation called flushing is performed, in which the gate breaks up the sediment and uses the difference in water level between the inside and outside of the gate to flush it away, allowing the gate to close. The flushing operation is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 2. If the gate cannot be closed due to sediment during high water levels and flushing becomes necessary, the flushing operation requires electricity, which is undesirable from the perspective of power saving.

[0007] Furthermore, if flushing is performed in an emergency, the closing of the gate may be delayed depending on whether it can be opened or closed, whether deposits are present, and the flushing operation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and relates to a floodgate control system, a floodgate control device, and a floodgate control program that, in a mechanism that uses a storage battery to control a floodgate, can ensure sufficient storage capacity during times of flooding and can quickly close the floodgate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one form of the floodgate control system of the present invention is a system for controlling a floodgate powered by power supplied from a storage battery, and includes a floodgate that opens and closes on a waterway and divides the waterway into an outside and an inside, a water level detection unit that detects the water level of the waterway, and a floodgate control unit that controls the floodgate based on the water level detected by the water level detection unit, wherein the floodgate control unit determines whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold, flushes the waterway when the water level reaches or exceeds a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, and opens the floodgate after the flushing is completed.

[0010] One form of the present invention is a floodgate control device that controls a floodgate that opens and closes using power supplied from a storage battery and divides a waterway into an outside and an inside, and includes a water level acquisition unit that acquires the water level of the waterway, and a floodgate control unit that controls the floodgate based on the water level acquired by the water level acquisition unit, and the floodgate control unit determines whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold, flushes the waterway when the water level reaches a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, and opens the floodgate after the flushing is completed.

[0011] One form of the floodgate control program of the present invention is a floodgate control program that controls a floodgate that opens and closes using power supplied from a storage battery and divides the waterway into an outside and an inside, and has a computer realize a water level acquisition function that acquires the water level of the waterway, and a floodgate control function that controls the floodgate based on the water level acquired by the water level acquisition function, and the floodgate control function determines whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold or higher, flushes the waterway when the water level reaches a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, and opens the floodgate after the flushing is completed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above-described embodiment, a floodgate control system, a floodgate control device, and a floodgate control program can be provided that can ensure sufficient storage capacity during floods and quickly close floodgates in a mechanism that uses a storage battery to control floodgates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a water gate control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control panel shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of determining the presence or absence of a foreign substance from an image according to [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a water gate control program according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in this embodiment are intended to explain the configuration, arrangement of each element, function, action, effect, and technical concept of the invention, and are not intended to specifically limit the invention. Furthermore, in the drawings, some parts may be enlarged, reduced, emphasized, or omitted for the purpose of explanation.

[0015] (Floodgate control system, floodgate control device) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a floodgate control system according to this embodiment. A floodgate (hereinafter referred to as "gate") 12 is installed in a control tower 100, which is located across a levee 1 from an urban area where buildings B and other structures are located. The gate 12 opens and closes on a waterway R, dividing the waterway R into an outside and an inside section. The waterway R is a channel for discharging sewerage water into rivers and other systems. Under normal circumstances, water flows through the waterway R in the direction of arrow F. The starting end of arrow F is upstream of the ending end. Water flowing upstream of the gate 12 is referred to as inland water Wi, and water flowing downstream of the gate 12 is referred to as outside water Wo. Water level sensors 17 and 19 are installed on the waterway R, and the water level sensor 17 detects the water level of the outside water Wo. The water level sensor 19 detects the water level of the inland water Wi. Furthermore, the waterway R is equipped with a flow velocity sensor 18 that detects the flow velocity of the inland water Wi.

[0016] Of the waterway R, the inner waterway section Ri, through which inner water Wi flows, is higher than the outer waterway section Ro, through which outer water Wo flows, and a slope 14 is formed between the inner waterway section Ri and the outer waterway section Ro. In the example shown in Figure 1, sediment S has accumulated on the slope 14. The sediment S is wood, leaves, sand, mud, etc. that have been washed away by the water, and these will hereinafter be referred to as "foreign matter."

[0017] The floodgate control tower 100 is equipped with a control panel 11. The control panel 11 controls all the operations related to opening and closing the gate 12, and controls the gate drive device 10. The control panel 11 functions as the floodgate control device of this embodiment. However, in this embodiment, all processing may be performed by the control panel 11, or processing may be performed in cooperation with other processing devices in the control tower or a server device on a network. When processing is performed using a network, for example, a small server device (AIBOX: registered trademark) dedicated to AI processing that works in conjunction with IoT or a cloud environment may be used.

[0018] The control panel 11 and the drive unit 10 are driven by power supplied from a storage battery 13. The storage battery 13 may be a battery brought in and pre-charged from a commercial power source, or may be an electric vehicle. Alternatively, the storage battery 13 may be a battery charged by sunlight or the like in the management tower 100.

[0019] The control tower 100 further includes a camera 15 (image capturing unit). The camera 15 captures an image including an area that contacts the gate 12 in a closed state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the gate 12 contacts the slope 14 in a closed state, and the camera 15 captures an image of an area A that includes the slope 14.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control panel 11. The control panel 11 includes an input / output (I / O) unit 111 and a calculation unit 113. The input / output unit 111 includes a communication device that transmits and receives signals wirelessly, a switch that manually inputs instructions, and a display unit such as a lamp that displays output results. The input / output unit 111 inputs a sensor signal Ss, an alarm signal Sa, and an image signal Sp. The sensor signal Ss is a signal that indicates the water level or flow velocity output by the water level sensors 17, 19 and the flow velocity sensor 18. The alarm signal Sa is an alarm signal issued by an administrative agency such as a national government. The alarm signal may be received via a receiving device (not shown) provided in the control tower 100.

[0021] The image signal Sp may be an image captured by the camera 15. In such a case, the image is processed in the control panel 11 to generate a control signal for the gate 12. When the AIBOX (registered trademark) is used as described above, the image signal Sp is sent to the AIBOX (registered trademark). The AIBOX (registered trademark) processes the image signal Sp and sends the processing result to the control panel 11. The processing result is information indicating the presence or absence of a foreign object below the gate 12, as will be described later.

[0022] The calculation unit 113 generates a control signal for controlling the gate 12 based on the sensor signal Ss received by the input / output unit 111, and outputs the control signal to the drive device 10. When the water level signal Ss detected by the water level sensor 17 that detects the outside water level reaches a first threshold, the calculation unit 113 determines whether to close the gate 12. The decision to close the gate 12 is made based on whether an alarm state is entered due to a situation such as a typhoon or flood, for example.

[0023] When the water level signal Ss reaches or exceeds a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the waterway is flushed. After flushing is complete, the calculation unit 113 outputs a control signal to the drive device 10 to open the gate 12. Here, flushing refers to the operation of flushing and removing foreign matter with a water current. Flushing may also include the operation of moving the gate 12 up and down to crush the foreign matter.

[0024] The first threshold value is the water level of the external water Wo at which there is a possibility that the external water Wo will flow into the inner channel portion Ri. The second threshold value is the water level of the external water Wo required to flush and remove foreign matter. The first and second threshold values ​​may be determined by further considering the internal water Wi detected by the water level sensor 19 and the flow velocity detected by the flow velocity sensor 18. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a flow direction sensor may be used instead of the water level sensor 19 to determine the possibility that the external water Wo will flow into the inner channel portion Ri. Even in this case, this embodiment can be said to indirectly detect whether the water level of the external water Wo at which there is a possibility that the external water Wo will flow into the inner channel portion Ri has reached the first threshold value.

[0025] According to the above operation, flushing can be performed before there is a possibility of backflow of the external water W0, i.e., during normal times. This eliminates the need to consume power by flushing in an emergency, and is advantageous in ensuring sufficient storage capacity for emergencies.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, prior to flushing, the gate may be controlled to maintain a slightly open state with a smaller opening area than when opened. This prevents water from flowing between the inner water channel portion Ri and the outer water channel portion Ro, creating a difference in water level between the outer water Wo and the inner water Wi, thereby increasing the flow rate of water flowing between the inner water channel portion Ri and the outer water channel portion Ro when the gate 12 is opened. This improves the flushing effect, which flushes and removes foreign matter.

[0027] Furthermore, this embodiment can limit the number of flushing operations to further secure the amount of stored power. To do this, this embodiment may, for example, determine whether the outside water level has reached a second threshold value at a predetermined date and time, and perform flushing only if the second threshold value has been reached. This embodiment may also acquire an image captured by the camera 15 at a predetermined timing. Then, flushing may be performed only if a foreign object is captured in the image. In this case, this embodiment may set the timing of flushing to avoid nighttime, so that foreign objects are more likely to be captured in the image.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining the presence or absence of a foreign object from an image. In the example shown in Fig. 3, markers 21 are formed on the slope 14 below the gate 12, and the camera 15 is configured to capture an image of an area including the markers 21. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of markers 21 are formed within a rectangular area formed by the width d of the gate 12 (the length in the direction perpendicular to the water flow direction) and the width H of the waterway R (the length in the direction perpendicular to the water flow direction). The camera 15 captures an image of the markers 21 from above.

[0029] The control panel 11 determines that no foreign matter is present if the entire marker 21 is visible in the captured image. If part of the marker 21 is not visible, i.e., part of the marker 21 is hidden by deposit S (foreign matter), it determines that a foreign matter is present under the gate 12. If it is determined that a foreign matter is present, flushing may be performed. Note that if the entire marker 21 is not visible, it may be assumed that the cause is something other than a foreign matter, and the presence of a foreign matter may not be determined. Note that this determination can be made, for example, by using an image in which the entire marker 21 is visible as a reference and obtaining the difference between the captured image and the reference image.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the degree of foreign matter presence can be determined based on the state of the markers 21. In the process of opening the gate 12 slightly to increase the flow rate, the control panel 11 may change the period for which the slightly open state is maintained based on the state of the markers in the captured image. That is, if the number of visible markers 21 is small, it may be determined that many foreign matters are present below the gate 12. The gate 12 may then be maintained in the slightly open state for a long period of time, thereby further increasing the flow rate after the gate is opened. Conversely, if the number of visible markers 21 is large, the period for which the gate 12 is slightly open may be shortened, thereby shortening the processing time.

[0031] The marker 21 of this embodiment is not limited to a circle containing an "X" mark inside, as shown in Figure 3. The marker does not have to be circular, is not limited to containing a figure inside, and may contain other figures. Furthermore, the marker may protrude from the bottom surface of the waterway, and in such a case, the protrusion may have a shape that follows the direction of the water flow so as not to interfere with the flow of water in the waterway.

[0032] (Floodgate control program) Figure 4 is a flowchart for explaining the floodgate control program of this embodiment. The flowchart is applied to the floodgate control system shown in Figure 1 and is executed by the control panel 11. The flowchart causes a computer to realize a water level acquisition function that acquires the water level of a waterway and a floodgate control function that controls the floodgate based on the water level acquired by the water level acquisition function. The floodgate control function determines whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold value or higher, flushes the waterway when the water level reaches a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, and opens the floodgate after flushing is completed.

[0033] The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 starts in sleep mode (before processing begins). Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the control panel 11 determines whether an alarm signal Sa has been received (step S101). If it is determined that an alarm signal Sa has been received (step S101: YES), emergency response begins, and the flowchart is completed. Even if the alarm signal Sa has not been received, the control panel 11 determines whether the water level signal Ss has reached a predetermined high water level, i.e., a first threshold (step S102). If it is determined that the first threshold has been reached (step S102: YES), emergency response begins. The emergency response includes both closing the gate 12 and not closing it. Therefore, the control panel 11 of this embodiment determines whether to close the gate 12 when the outside water level reaches the first threshold.

[0034] If the outside water level has not reached the first threshold (step S102: NO), it is determined whether the outside water level has reached or exceeded the second threshold (step S103). If the result of this determination is that the outside water level is below the second threshold (step S103: NO), this flowchart maintains the sleep mode until the next operation timing (step S104).

[0035] Furthermore, if the result of the determination in step S103 indicates that the external water level has reached or exceeded the second threshold (step S103: YES), the flowchart switches to standby mode in preparation for flushing (step S105). Upon entering standby mode, the control panel 11 determines whether a foreign object has been detected from the image captured by the camera 15 (step S106). If no foreign object has been detected (step S106: NO), the flowchart switches from standby mode to sleep mode (step S104).

[0036] If a foreign object is detected in step S106 (step S106: YES), the control panel 11 prepares for the foreign object removal operation and opens the gate 12 slightly (step S107). The control panel 11 detects the water level difference between the outside water level and the inside water level from the sensor signals Ss of the water level sensors 17 and 19 (step S108). If the water level difference is less than a predetermined value (step S108: NO), the control panel 11 waits until a predetermined time has elapsed or until the determination of the water level difference has been repeated a predetermined number of times (step S108: NO). Then, when the water level difference reaches a certain value (step S108: YES), the control panel 11 executes the foreign object removal operation, i.e., flushing (step S109).

[0037] This embodiment is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, in this embodiment, in addition to the determination based on the water level or an alarm, when determining whether to switch to standby mode, if the remaining charge of the storage battery 13 is below a certain level, the system may not switch to standby mode. Furthermore, the detection of foreign objects by the camera 15 may be performed automatically, or an observer may take an image using a terminal device.

[0038] After flushing is completed, the waterway is not in an emergency state, i.e., is in normal state, so the control panel 11 opens the gate 12 (step S110). After the gate 12 is opened, the flow chart switches back to sleep mode (step S104).

[0039] As explained above, this embodiment flushes the gates in advance under normal circumstances, eliminating the need for power consumption during flushing when the water level rises, and is advantageous in ensuring sufficient power reserves for emergencies. This embodiment also allows the floodgates to be quickly closed when the water level rises. Furthermore, this embodiment opens the gate 12 slightly during flushing, increasing the flow rate during flushing and enhancing the effectiveness of the flushing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Embankment 10 Drive unit 11 Control Panel 12 Gates 13 Storage battery 14 Slope 15 Camera 17,19 Water level sensor 18 Flow velocity sensor 21 Marker 100 Management Tower 111 Input / output section 113 Arithmetic section

Claims

1. A water gate control system for controlling a water gate driven by power supplied from a storage battery, a water gate that opens and closes on the waterway and divides the waterway into an outer waterway and an inner waterway that is located higher than the outer waterway; a water level detection unit that detects the water level of the outer water channel; a water gate control device that controls the water gate based on the water level detected by the water level detection unit, The water gate control device includes: determining whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold; flushing the waterway when the water level reaches or exceeds a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value; a floodgate control system that opens the floodgates after the flushing is completed;

2. 2. The floodgate control system according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm receiving unit that receives alarm information transmitted from an external source, wherein the floodgate control device determines whether or not to close the floodgate based on the alarm information.

3. A water gate control device that controls a water gate that opens and closes using power supplied from a storage battery and divides a waterway into an outer waterway and an inner waterway that is located higher than the outer waterway, a water level acquisition unit that acquires the water level of the outer water channel; a water gate control unit that controls the water gate based on the water level acquired by the water level acquisition unit, The water gate control unit determining whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches a first threshold; flushing the waterway when the water level reaches a second threshold that is less than the first threshold; A floodgate control device that opens the floodgate after the flushing is completed.

4. The water gate control device according to claim 3, wherein the water gate control device determines whether or not to close the water gate based on alarm information transmitted from an external device.

5. A floodgate control device as described in claim 3, further comprising an image acquisition unit that acquires an image from an image capture unit that captures an image of a range including the part in contact with the floodgate in a closed state, and the floodgate control unit flushes the waterway if the image indicates the presence of a foreign object.

6. The water gate control device according to claim 3, wherein the water gate control unit controls the water gate to maintain a slightly open state in which the opening area is smaller than when the water gate is opened, prior to the flushing.

7. The water gate control device according to claim 5 , wherein the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit includes a marker formed below the water gate in the waterway.

8. The floodgate control device described in claim 7, wherein the floodgate control unit controls the floodgate to maintain a slightly open state in which the opening area is smaller than when the floodgate is open prior to the flushing, and changes the period for which the slightly open state is maintained depending on the state of the marker in the captured image.

9. A water gate control program that controls a water gate that opens and closes using power supplied from a storage battery and divides a waterway into an outer waterway and an inner waterway that is located higher than the outer waterway, On the computer, a water level acquisition function for acquiring the water level of the outer waterway; a water gate control function that controls the water gate based on the water level acquired by the water level acquisition function; The floodgate control function is determining whether to close the floodgate when the water level reaches or exceeds a first threshold; flushing the waterway when the water level reaches a second threshold that is less than the first threshold; a floodgate control program that opens the floodgate after the flushing is completed;

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