Gas Meter Mode Switching to Prevent Vibration-Driven Battery Drain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas meters located outdoors experience frequent mode changes due to external vibrations, leading to increased power consumption and potential battery depletion, rendering them inoperative.
Innovation Solution
A gas meter equipped with an acceleration sensor that switches to a higher power consumption calculation mode when vibrations exceed a threshold, integrating operating time to trigger a warning signal when a predetermined value is reached, preventing unexpected battery depletion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gas meter switches to calculation mode when acceleration exceeds a threshold, then earthquake detection capability is improved, but power consumption increases due to frequent mode changes from external vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by integrating acceleration values over time and comparing against a threshold before triggering mode change. This preliminary integration step filters out short-term vibrations from external sources while capturing sustained acceleration patterns characteristic of earthquakes, thereby reducing unnecessary mode transitions and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its response based on the integrated acceleration value. Instead of reacting immediately to any threshold exceedment, the controller evaluates the cumulative effect of acceleration over time, enabling adaptive decision-making that distinguishes between transient vibrations and genuine earthquake events, thus optimizing power consumption while maintaining detection reliability.
2Measurement precision
If the controller frequently switches to calculation mode due to external vibrations, then vibration sensitivity is improved, but battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary integration of acceleration values before triggering mode changes. This preliminary processing step ensures that only sustained vibration patterns exceeding the integrated threshold trigger calculation mode, filtering out transient vibrations and significantly reducing unnecessary battery consumption while preserving sensitivity to genuine seismic events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring integrated acceleration values and adjusting mode transitions accordingly. The controller uses the integrated value as feedback to determine when switching to calculation mode is appropriate, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes battery usage while maintaining accurate vibration detection capability.
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
Prevents gas meters from becoming inoperative by early detection of excessive power consumption, allowing timely intervention to maintain functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration
Data Source
AI summary
A gas meter is a gas meter located at each of consumer's places. The gas meter includes: an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration; a controller; and a battery that supplies electric power to the acceleration sensor and the controller. Based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, the controller changes from a normal mode to at least one calculation mode in which power consumption of the battery is larger than power consumption of the battery in the normal mode. When an integrated value of a value related to the power consumption exceeds a predetermined assumed integrated value, the controller outputs a warning signal.