Gas Meter Valve Control for Appliance-Specific Consumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas meters lack the capability to efficiently control and optimize gas consumption, leading to potential overuse and increased bills, especially in scenarios where users fail to pay their gas bills.
Innovation Solution
A gas counter equipped with a measurement system, a valve, and a processing unit that analyzes gas consumption data to detect operating phases of predetermined systems, such as boilers and water heaters, and cuts the gas supply when cumulative consumption exceeds predetermined thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If gas consumption is monitored and controlled by cutting off gas supply when thresholds are exceeded, then gas consumption is reduced and bills are optimized, but user convenience is reduced due to gas cut-offs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the gas cut-off selective rather than universal. The system identifies specific appliances (predetermined systems) and applies cut-off only to them when their individual consumption exceeds thresholds, while leaving other appliances unaffected. This localized approach reduces overall gas consumption without completely disrupting user convenience, as users can still operate non-targeted appliances normally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts gas supply based on real-time consumption patterns. Rather than a static cut-off approach, the processing unit continuously monitors gas consumption, detects operating phases of specific appliances, and dynamically controls the valve to cut-off gas only when and where thresholds are exceeded. This dynamic control optimizes energy reduction while adapting to user needs throughout the day.
2Reliability
If traditional motorized valve cut-off is used, then gas supply can be stopped for non-payment, but the system lacks capability to optimize consumption for individual appliances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the processing unit to continuously monitor gas consumption measurements from the measuring device, compare actual consumption against predetermined thresholds for specific appliances, and automatically adjust the valve control accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system ensures reliable cut-off execution while providing the adaptability to optimize consumption for individual appliances based on their specific usage patterns and thresholds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting operating phases of predetermined appliances and autonomously controlling gas supply without requiring manual intervention. The processing unit analyzes consumption data, identifies when specific appliances are operating, and automatically triggers cut-off decisions, making the system both reliable in execution and adaptable to different consumption scenarios.
3Productivity
If gas cut-off is applied universally when daily thresholds are exceeded, then payment compliance is enforced, but user purchasing power is reduced without targeted optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the gas consumption monitoring into separate tracks for different predetermined appliances. Instead of treating all gas consumption uniformly, the system segments monitoring by appliance type, applies specific thresholds to each segment, and controls cut-off on a per-appliance basis. This segmented approach enforces payment compliance through targeted cut-offs while preserving user purchasing power by allowing continued operation of non-targeted appliances and providing granular control over consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces gas consumption and associated bills by cutting the gas supply only during specific use cases, thereby helping users limit their gas usage without penalizing them.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic measuring device comprising an upstream transducer (network side) and a downstream transducer (installation side). Each transducer successively acts as an emitter and a receiver of ultrasonic signals. The upstream transducer thus emits an ultrasonic signal into the internal conduit, which is received by the downstream transducer after having traveled a predefined path (of perfectly controlled length) in the gas.
Data Source
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AI summary
Gas meter (1) comprising a valve (15), or means of communication (13) with a valve, and a processing unit (7) arranged to: analyze gas consumption measurements to produce measurements of predefined parameters relating to gas consumption, and detect, from said measurements of predefined parameters, one or more operating phases of at least one predetermined system (20, 21) of the installation; for each predetermined system, following each operating phase of said predetermined system, if a cumulative gas consumption during the current period of said predetermined system exceeds a predetermined threshold associated with said predetermined system, close the valve (15) until the end of said current period.