Water meter

Abstract

This water meter comprises: a flow rate measurement unit for measuring the flow rate of water; a pattern information acquisition unit for acquiring use pattern information that is information indicating a usage flow rate of water for each time band on the basis of a measurement result obtained by the flow rate measurement unit; a zero time band information acquisition unit for acquiring, as zero time band information, information pertaining to a time band in which the flow rate becomes zero on each day constituting a prescribed period on the basis of the use pattern information; a zero continuation period information acquisition unit for acquiring, as zero continuation period information, information pertaining to a time band in which the flow rate becomes zero over all days in the prescribed period from the acquired zero time band information; a determination unit that determines a water leakage assessment time band on a day on the basis of the zero continuation period information; and a discernment unit that identifies whether the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit in the water leakage assessment time band is zero, and discerns that there is water leakage in cases where the flow rate is not zero.

Description

Water meter

[0001] The present disclosure relates to water meters.

[0002] A water leak monitoring system has been known that includes a monitoring unit that monitors the flow rate obtained by a flow meter and sets the lowest flow rate value in a day as the daily minimum flow rate value, a data processing unit that calculates a water leak determination value from the daily minimum flow rate value, and a water leak determination unit that determines the occurrence of a water leak when the daily minimum flow rate value exceeds the water leak determination value (Patent Document 1). In this water leak monitoring system, the data processing unit calculates the water leak determination value based on the first quartile (the value in the 1 / 4th place) and third quartile (the value in the 3 / 4th place) of the daily minimum flow rate values ​​within a predetermined period, when the values ​​are arranged in ascending order.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-128140

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the data processing unit calculates the leak determination value as described above, extremely large daily minimum flow rates as well as extremely small daily minimum flow rates are excluded. As a result, there was a problem that leak determination could not be performed unless the daily minimum flow rate value became large. For this reason, it was desired to be able to determine that there is a leak even when the flow rate is small.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a water meter that can determine that a water leak has occurred even when the flow rate is small.

[0006] The water meter of the present disclosure comprises a flow measurement unit that is provided in a flow path through which water flows and measures the flow rate of water flowing through the flow path; a pattern information acquisition unit that acquires usage pattern information, which is information indicating the water usage flow rate for each time period, based on the measurement results by the flow meter unit; a zero time period information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the usage pattern information, information on time periods when the flow rate is zero on each day that constitutes a specified period as zero time period information; a zero continuous period information acquisition unit that acquires, from the acquired zero time period information, information on time periods when the flow rate is zero for all days in the specified period as zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines a water leak determination time period for a day based on the zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit during the water leak determination time period is zero or not, and determines that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero; and a display unit that displays an indication of the existence of a water leak if the determination unit determines that a water leak exists.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit acquires, from the zero time zone information, information on time zones in which the flow rate is zero for all days of a predetermined period as zero continuous period information. The determination unit then determines a water leak determination time zone for each day based on the zero continuous period information. The determination unit then determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit is zero during the water leak determination time zone, and determines that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero. In this way, by focusing on time zones with no history of water usage, it is determined that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero during the water leak determination time zone. This allows for accurate determination of a water leak even when the flow rate is small.

[0008] In the above disclosure, when there are multiple pieces of zero consecutive period information acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit, the zero time zone information acquisition unit may acquire the zero time zone information for each day that constitutes a period obtained by extending the specified period.

[0009] According to the above configuration, if the predetermined period is extended to obtain zero consecutive period information, the likelihood that the water usage by the customer's home is zero during that time period increases, thereby improving the accuracy of water leakage determination.

[0010] In the above disclosure, the pattern information acquisition unit may have an artificial intelligence function and acquire the usage pattern information by using the artificial intelligence function with a measurement result from the flow meter unit as an input.

[0011] According to the above configuration, highly reliable usage pattern information can be obtained by having the artificial intelligence continue machine learning or deep learning.

[0012] In the above disclosure, the zero time zone information acquisition unit acquires the zero time zone information based on the usage pattern information acquired by the artificial intelligence function of the pattern information acquisition unit, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit acquires the zero continuous period information from the acquired zero time zone information, and the determination unit may determine the central time zone of the time zone as the water leak determination time zone when the time zone related to the acquired zero continuous period information is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

[0013] According to the above configuration, when a time period related to the zero consecutive period information is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the central time period within the time period is determined as the water leak detection time period. This makes it possible to avoid determining that there is a water leak when irregular water usage occurs near the start or end of the time period.

[0014] The water meter of the present disclosure is a water meter configured to be capable of wireless communication with a center server and other water meters installed upstream, and includes a flow measurement unit that is installed in a flow path through which water flows and measures the flow rate of water flowing through the flow path, a pattern information acquisition unit that acquires usage pattern information that indicates the water usage flow rate for each time period based on the measurement results from the flow meter unit, a zero time period information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the usage pattern information, information on time periods during which the flow rate is zero on each day that constitutes a predetermined period as zero time period information, and a zero time period information acquisition unit that acquires, from the acquired zero time period information, information on time periods during which the flow rate is zero on each day that constitutes a predetermined period The water meter comprises: a zero continuous period information acquisition unit that acquires information on time periods when the flow rate is zero as zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines a water leak determination time period in a day based on the zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit during the water leak determination time period is zero or not, and determines that there is a water leak if the flow rate is not zero; a display unit that displays an indication that there is a water leak if the determination unit determines that there is a water leak; and a notification unit that notifies the center server or another water meter located upstream of the presence of a water leak if the determination unit determines that there is a water leak.

[0015] According to the present disclosure, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit acquires, from the zero time zone information, information on time zones in which the flow rate is zero for all days of a predetermined period as zero continuous period information. The determination unit determines a water leak determination time zone for each day based on the zero continuous period information. The determination unit then determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit is zero during the water leak determination time zone, and determines that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero. In this way, by focusing on time zones with no water usage, a water leak is determined to exist if the flow rate is not zero during the water leak determination time zone. This allows accurate determination of a water leak even when the flow rate is small. Furthermore, when the determination unit determines that a water leak exists, the notification unit notifies the center server or another water meter located upstream that a water leak exists. This allows the center server or another water meter located upstream to recognize the occurrence of a water leak.

[0016] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a water meter that can determine that a water leak has occurred even when the flow rate is small.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water meter according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of usage pattern information. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of usage pattern information. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in a water meter. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a water leakage detection system including a water meter and a center server. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an upstream water meter and multiple downstream water meters. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining water leakage determination between an upstream water meter and multiple downstream water meters.

[0018] A water meter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The water meter described below is merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and additions, deletions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water meter 13 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of usage pattern information UP. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of usage pattern information UP.

[0020] A water meter 13 is provided for each consumer home 20. Examples of consumer homes 20 include, but are not limited to, ordinary homes, hospitals, schools, municipal facilities, nursing homes, single-family homes, multi-generational homes, elderly housing, university dormitories, and commercial facilities, as long as the consumer home 20 can be a building that uses water.

[0021] 1 , the water meter 13 includes a flow meter unit 11, a communication unit 12, a display unit 22, a memory unit 14, a pattern information acquisition unit 15, a zero time zone information acquisition unit 16, a zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17, a judgment unit 18, a decision unit 19, and an alarm unit 21. Of the components of the water meter 13, the pattern information acquisition unit 15, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16, the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17, the judgment unit 18, the decision unit 19, and the alarm unit 21 are functionally realized by a microcontroller including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory (ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory)) that stores a program, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like.

[0022] Examples of methods for acquiring data on the flow rate used from the water meter 13 are given below. As a first example, as shown in FIG. 1 , data is acquired from a water meter 13 having a flow meter side unit 11 and a communication unit 12 via the communication unit 12. In this case, a message related to the flow rate value (indicator value) measured by the flow meter side unit 11 is transmitted to the center server 10 ( FIG. 5 ), which will be described later, via the communication unit 12. As a second example, data is acquired from a water meter 13 that has a flow meter side unit 11 but does not have a communication unit 12. In this case, the communication unit 12 is provided independently outside the water meter 13. The flow meter side unit 11 in the first and second examples is, for example, an impeller type, an electromagnetic type, or an ultrasonic type.

[0023] A third example involves acquiring data from a water meter 13 that has a flow meter unit 11 capable of pulse output, a communication unit 12, and no battery. In this case, the communication unit 12 is provided external to the water meter 13, converts the pulse output value from the flow meter unit 11 into a pointer value, etc., and transmits it to the center server 10 described below. A fourth example involves attaching an attachment to a water meter 13 that does not have a communication unit 12 or a battery. In this case, the pointer value displayed on the water meter 13 is photographed by a camera provided on the attachment, and the captured image is digitized using the OCR (Optical Character Reader) function of the attachment. This digitized data is transmitted to the center server 10 described below via the communication function of the attachment. The flow meter unit 11 according to the third and fourth examples is, for example, an impeller type.

[0024] The flow meter unit 11 is, for example, an ultrasonic flow meter. The flow measurement unit 11 is provided in a flow path 11a through which water flows and measures the flow rate of water flowing through the flow path 11a. Specifically, the flow meter unit 11 measures the flow rate of water based on a propagation time calculated based on an ultrasonic signal transmitted from one of two ultrasonic transmitter-receivers and received by the other ultrasonic transmitter-receiver.

[0025] The communication unit 12 is not an essential component. If the communication unit 12 is provided in the water meter 13, the communication unit 12 communicates wirelessly with the center server 10 or the communication unit 12 in another water meter 13. A communication network such as the Internet, LAN, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), or WI-SUN can be used as a wireless communication method between the communication unit 12 and the center server 10, etc. The communication unit 12 periodically (e.g., once a day) transmits information related to a guideline value, which is information about the water usage flow rate (consumption amount) at the consumer's home 20, to the center server 10, etc., along with date information indicating whether the water usage flow rate is zero, an ID identifying the consumer's home 20, and location information for the consumer's home 20. The information related to the guideline value transmitted from the communication unit 12 to the center server 10, etc., includes, for example, 24 pieces of information. Each of these 24 pieces of information represents the water usage flow rate for each hour of the day. The location information may be provided in the center server 10.

[0026] An example of the display unit 22 is a light-emitting diode (LED). The display unit 22, for example, blinks when the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak. Alternatively, the display unit 22 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel. In this case, the display unit 22 displays, for example, a dot when the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak. By displaying an indication of the presence of a water leak on the display unit 22 in this way, for example, a water meter reader can visually recognize the occurrence of a water leak when checking the meter reading. Furthermore, by having the display unit 22 blink or display a dot, battery consumption can be reduced.

[0027] The storage unit 14 is made up of various types of memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 14 stores various types of information such as the water flow rate measured by the flow meter unit 11.

[0028] The pattern information acquisition unit 15 acquires usage pattern information UP, which is information indicating the water usage flow rate for each time period, based on past measurement results by the flowmeter unit 11. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the usage pattern information UP is information indicating the water usage flow rate for each time period of a day, for example, at each consumer home 20. In other words, the usage pattern information UP indicates the usage flow rate for 24 time periods.

[0029] The pattern information acquisition unit 15 may have artificial intelligence 15a. In this case, the pattern information acquisition unit 15 acquires the above-mentioned usage pattern information UP using the function of the artificial intelligence 15a, with the measurement results from the flowmeter unit 11 as input. This makes it possible to acquire usage pattern information UP that accurately reflects the tendency of flow rate usage in the customer's home 20.

[0030] Based on the usage pattern information UP acquired by the pattern information acquisition unit 15, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 acquires information on time zones during which the water usage flow rate is zero for each day constituting a predetermined period (e.g., one week) as zero time zone information Tz. This zero time zone information Tz can be set to any time zone of one hour or more, and is information on time zones during which the water usage flow rate is zero for, for example, three or more consecutive hours. Specifically, in FIG. 2, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 acquires the time zone from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM as zero time zone information Tz1. In addition, in FIG. 3, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 acquires the time zone from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM as zero time zone information Tz2 and the time zone from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM as zero time zone information Tz3.

[0031] The zero continuous period information acquisition unit 17 acquires, from the zero time period information Tz acquired by the zero time period information acquisition unit 16, information on time periods in which the flow rate is zero for all days in a predetermined period (e.g., one week), as zero continuous period information Tc. Regarding this point, although not all days in the week, for convenience, using the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3 , the zero continuous period information acquisition unit 17 acquires, as zero continuous period information Tc, the time period from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, which is a time period common to the zero time period information Tz1 in FIG. 2 and the zero time period information Tz2 and Tz3 in FIG. 3 . In this way, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit 17 acquires, for example, from the zero time period information Tz for each day in a week, the time period common to all days in the week, as zero continuous period information Tc. Note that the predetermined period is one week, but is not limited to this and may be, for example, one month.

[0032] Here, when there are multiple pieces of zero consecutive period information Tc acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 may acquire zero time zone information Tz for each day constituting the extended period of the predetermined period. In this case, for example, the zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 acquires zero time zone information Tz for each day of two weeks or one month as the extended period of the predetermined period. Then, the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17 acquires, from the zero time zone information Tz for each day of the two weeks or one month, a time zone that is common to all days of the two weeks or one month as zero consecutive period information Tc.

[0033] The determination unit 19 determines the water leak detection time period for a day based on the zero consecutive period information Tc acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17. In this case, the determination unit 19 may determine the same time period as the time period related to the zero consecutive period information Tc as the water leak detection time period. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the determination unit 19 determines the time period from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM as the water leak detection time period. Note that the water leak detection time period is not limited to being the same time period as the time period related to the zero consecutive period information Tc, and the water leak detection time period may be a combination of the time period related to the zero consecutive period information Tc and time periods obtained by adding several hours before and after the time period. In addition, the water leak detection time period is changed based on changes in the usage pattern information UP at each consumer's home 20.

[0034] Here, the following modification may be adopted. The zero time zone information acquisition unit 16 acquires zero time zone information Tz based on the usage pattern information UP acquired by the artificial intelligence 15a of the pattern information acquisition unit 15. The zero continuous period information acquisition unit 17 acquires zero continuous period information Tc from the acquired zero time zone information Tz. Then, when a time zone related to the acquired zero continuous period information Tc is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the determination unit 19 may determine the central time zone (e.g., one hour) of the time zone as the water leak detection time zone.

[0035] The determination unit 18 determines whether the flow rate measured by the flowmeter unit 11 is zero during the water leakage determination time period determined by the determination unit 19 (in the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the time period from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM). If the flow rate is not zero, the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak downstream. On the other hand, if the flow rate is zero, the determination unit 18 determines that there is no water leakage.

[0036] The notification unit 21 is not an essential component. If the notification unit 21 is provided in the water meter 13, the notification unit 21 issues a notification when the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the water meter 13.

[0038] 4, first, the flow rate used is measured by the flow meter unit 11 (step S1), and information about the flow rate used is stored in the storage unit 14 by the flow meter unit 11 (step S2).

[0039] Next, the pattern information acquiring unit 15 acquires the usage pattern information UP based on the measurement results by the flowmeter unit 11 (step S3). Then, the zero time zone information acquiring unit 16 acquires the zero time zone information Tz based on the usage pattern information UP acquired by the pattern information acquiring unit 15 (step S4).

[0040] Next, the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17 acquires zero consecutive period information Tc from the zero consecutive period information Tz acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 16 (step S5). Then, the determination unit 19 determines the water leakage determination period for the day based on the zero consecutive period information Tc acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 17 (step S6).

[0041] Next, the determination unit 18 determines whether the flow rate measured by the flowmeter unit 11 is zero during the water leak determination time period determined by the determination unit 19 (step S7). If the flow rate measured by the flowmeter unit 11 during the water leak determination time period is zero (Yes in step S7), the process returns to the above-mentioned step S1, and the subsequent processes are repeated. On the other hand, if the flow rate measured by the flowmeter unit 11 during the water leak determination time period is not zero (No in step S7), the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak (step S8). Thereafter, the display unit 22 displays an indication that there is a water leak (step S9). Note that the notification unit 21 may issue a notification in addition to the display by the display unit 22.

[0042] As described above, according to the water meter 13 of this embodiment, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit 17 acquires, from the zero time period information Tz, information on time periods in which the flow rate is zero for all days of a predetermined period as zero continuous period information Tc. The determination unit 19 then determines a water leak determination time period for each day based on the zero continuous period information Tc. The determination unit 18 then determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit 11 is zero during the water leak determination time period, and determines that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero. In this way, by focusing on time periods in which there is no record of water usage, it is determined that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero during the water leak determination time period. This allows for accurate determination of a water leak even when the flow rate is small.

[0043] Here, Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a water leakage detection system 100 including a water meter 13 and a center server 10. As shown in Fig. 5, in the water leakage detection system 100, each water meter 13 is configured to be able to communicate with the center server 10. Note that, although Fig. 5 illustrates four consumer homes 20, the water leakage detection system 100 may have three or fewer consumer homes 20, or may have five or more consumer homes 20.

[0044] As described above, if the water meter 13 is provided with the notification unit 21, the notification unit 21 issues a notification when the determination unit 18 determines that there is a water leak. In this case, the notification unit 21 may issue a notification to, for example, the center server 10. Alternatively, the notification unit 21 may issue a notification to another water meter 13. Alternatively, the notification unit 21 may issue a notification to, for example, a water utility company. In addition, the display unit 22 may display a message indicating that there is a water leak.

[0045] Next, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an upstream water meter 13 (hereinafter referred to as water meter 131) and a plurality of downstream water meters 13 (hereinafter referred to as water meters 130). Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining water leakage detection between the upstream water meter 131 and a plurality of downstream water meters 130a, 130b, and 130c.

[0046] The water meter 13 in FIG. 1 is a water meter installed at each consumer's home 20, i.e., a water meter connected to the end of a water flow path. However, as shown in FIG. 6 , it is also possible to perform water leak detection in a configuration in which an upstream water meter 131 and each of multiple downstream water meters 130 are connected by a flow path 132. Each water meter 130, 131 in FIG. 6 does not need to be provided with a communication unit 12. In this case, the flow meter unit 11 of the upstream water meter 131 measures the flow rate of water flowing toward each downstream water meter 130. The determination unit 19 in this upstream water meter 131 determines the water leak detection time period. In this regard, the more downstream water meters 130 there are, the fewer time periods during which the water usage flow rate in the flow path 132 is zero. In this situation, a water leak detection time period can be determined, and when a leak is determined to exist during the determined water leak detection time period, it can be inferred that there is a potential leak location. In this case, possible leak locations include the portion of the flow path 132 between the upstream water meter 131 and each downstream water meter 130, as shown by the x mark in Figure 6, and the flow path further downstream of each downstream water meter 130.

[0047] 7, it is also possible to perform water leakage detection in a configuration in which an upstream water meter 131 having a communication unit 12 and downstream water meters 130a, 130b, and 130c also having a communication unit 12 are connected by a flow path 132. A common water leakage detection time period is determined for the upstream water meter 131 and the downstream water meters 130a, 130b, and 130c, and each determination unit 18 performs water leakage detection during this water leakage detection time period. In this configuration, when the downstream water meters 130a, 130b, and 130c determine that there is no water leakage and the upstream water meter 131 determines that there is a water leakage, the results of the downstream water meters 130a, 130b, and 130c determining that there is no water leakage are transmitted to the upstream water meter 131 by each communication unit 12. This allows for estimation of the presence of a water leakage location in a portion of the flow path 132. In this aspect, the display unit 22 of the upstream water meter 131 that has been determined to have a leak may be caused to blink, etc. Note that, as described above, the result of the determination that there is no leak in the downstream water meters 130a, 130b, 130c may be transmitted directly to the upstream water meter 131, or may be transmitted via the center server 10 to the upstream water meter 131.

[0048] Although several modifications have been given in the above-described embodiment, the following modifications can also be adopted without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the water leakage determination time period may be linked not only to the time period of a day but also to the day of the week. In this case, it is desirable to use a day of the week on which the usage pattern information UP is relatively stable.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, information on a time period in which the flow rate is zero for every day in a predetermined period (e.g., one week) is acquired as the continuous zero period information Tc from the zero period information Tz, but this is not limited to this. A time period in which the flow rate usage is zero between (e.g., the middle) one time period in which there is a flow rate usage and another time period after the one time period in which there is a flow rate usage in the past measurement results by the flowmeter side unit 11 may be set as the continuous zero period information Tc, and the same time period as the time period related to the continuous zero period information Tc may be determined as the water leakage detection time period.

[0051] In the above embodiment, after it has been determined that there is a water leak for a number of days, a final determination of whether there is a water leak may be made.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if the usage flow rate becomes zero before the flashing operation by the display unit 22 or the notification by the notification unit 21 is performed, the flashing operation or notification may not be performed.

[0053] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Center server 11 Flow meter side unit 13 Water meter 15 Pattern information acquisition unit 16 Zero time zone information acquisition unit 17 Zero consecutive period information acquisition unit 18 Determination unit 19 Decision unit 20 Customer's home 21 Notification unit 100 Water leak detection system Tc Zero consecutive period information Tz, Tz1, Tz2, Tz3 Zero time zone information

Claims

1. A water meter comprising: a flow measurement unit that is provided in a flow path through which water flows and measures the flow rate of water flowing through the flow path; a pattern information acquisition unit that acquires usage pattern information, which is information indicating the water usage flow rate for each time period, based on the measurement results by the flow meter unit; a zero time period information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the usage pattern information, information on time periods when the flow rate is zero on each day that constitutes a specified period as zero time period information; a zero continuous period information acquisition unit that acquires, from the acquired zero time period information, information on time periods when the flow rate is zero for all days in the specified period as zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines a water leak determination time period on a day based on the zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit during the water leak determination time period is zero, and determines that a water leak has occurred if the flow rate is not zero; and a display unit that displays an indication of the presence of a water leak if the determination unit determines that a water leak has occurred.

2. The water meter of claim 1, wherein, when there are multiple pieces of zero consecutive period information acquired by the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit, the zero consecutive period information acquisition unit acquires the zero consecutive period information for each day that constitutes the period obtained by extending the specified period.

3. A water meter as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the pattern information acquisition unit has an artificial intelligence function and acquires the usage pattern information using the artificial intelligence function with the measurement results from the flow meter side unit as input.

4. The water meter of claim 3, wherein the zero time zone information acquisition unit acquires the zero time zone information based on the usage pattern information acquired by the artificial intelligence function of the pattern information acquisition unit, the zero continuous period information acquisition unit acquires the zero continuous period information from the acquired zero time zone information, and the determination unit determines the central time zone of the time zone as the water leak detection time zone when the time zone related to the acquired zero continuous period information is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

5. A water meter configured to be capable of wireless communication with a center server and other water meters installed upstream, comprising: a flow measurement unit installed in a flow path through which water flows and measuring the flow rate of water flowing through said flow path; a pattern information acquisition unit that acquires usage pattern information which is information indicating the water usage flow rate for each time period based on the measurement results from the flow meter unit; a zero time period information acquisition unit that acquires information on time periods when the flow rate is zero on each day constituting a specified period based on the usage pattern information as zero time period information; a zero continuous period information acquisition unit that acquires information on time periods when the flow rate is zero for all days of the specified period from the acquired zero time period information as zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines a water leak determination time period on a day based on the zero continuous period information; a determination unit that determines whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter unit during the water leak determination time period is zero or not, and determines that a water leak exists if the flow rate is not zero; and a display unit that displays an indication of the existence of a water leak if the determination unit determines that a water leak exists. a notification unit that notifies the center server or another water meter located upstream of the occurrence of a water leak when the determination unit determines that a water leak has occurred.

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