Gas Shutoff Device Bypass Detection via Pressure Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas shutoff devices are ineffective in preventing tampering and gas leakage due to pipe bypassing, as they allow restoration of gas supply after initial shutoff, enabling unauthorized gas procurement and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A gas shutoff device with a control unit that monitors gas pressure and flow rate, shutting off gas supply and prohibiting restoration unless pre-defined pressure conditions are met for a predetermined number of times, ensuring secure operation and detection of bypassing attempts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If gas shutoff device allows automatic restoration after pressure recovery, then gas supply can be automatically restored after temporary pressure drops, but tampering and gas leakage cannot be prevented as bypassing can be detected and restored
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors pressure conditions and uses feedback loops to determine whether restoration should be permitted. By counting the number of times pressure recovery conditions are met and comparing against a predetermined threshold, the system intelligently decides whether to allow restoration or maintain shutoff, thus preventing tampering while enabling legitimate automatic restoration.
Solution Approach 2:
The restoration permission state is dynamically changed based on monitored pressure conditions. The control unit transitions the restoration permission state between permitted and prohibited based on whether the pressure recovery event count exceeds the threshold, making the system adaptive to detect and respond to bypassing attempts.
2Reliability
If control unit monitors pressure conditions and prohibits restoration after multiple bypassing detections, then tampering prevention is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is pre-configured with a predetermined threshold value for the number of pressure recovery events. This preliminary setting allows the system to automatically detect tampering without requiring complex real-time analysis, as the decision logic is established in advance through the threshold comparison mechanism.
3Reliability
If sealing device is used to prevent unauthorized opening, then meter security is improved, but pipe bypassing cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it manages normal pressure monitoring, detects bypassing attempts through pressure recovery event counting, controls the restoration permission state, and communicates with external devices. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain meter security while simultaneously detecting pipe bypassing without requiring separate dedicated systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a gas shutoff, device that prevents tampering procurement of gas or tamper due to stealing of the gas shutoff device. When an event, in which a gas pressure value of a pressure measuring unit 32 after a predetermined operation performed by a provider in installation is kept equal to or less than a first predetermined pressure value for a first predetermined time or longer and then the gas pressure value is kept equal to or more than a second predetermined pressure value for a second predetermined time or longer, happens at a predetermined number of times, the gas is shut off by a shutoff unit 39, communication with the outside is performed by an external communication unit 34, restoration is permitted by a restoring unit 38 while when there is a predetermined operation by the provider after the shutoff, the restoration permission state implemented by communicating with the outside by the predetermined operation by the provider and inputting communication of a response from the outside.