JP6177547B2 - Alarm system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an alarm system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an alarm device that detects an alarm target such as a gas leak such as city gas or LP gas, and further an alarm target such as a carbon monoxide leak or a fire accompanying an incomplete fuel of a gas combustor (for example, a patent) Reference 1). When this alarm device detects an alarm target by the detection means, for example, by operating a display unit configured by a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, a bulb, a lamp, or a speaker that outputs a voice message or an alarm sound, The occurrence of gas leaks is reported to the surroundings. For this type of alarm device, for example, a valid period (verification period) determined by the certification, such as 5 years, is set. When it is determined that the verification period has expired, the alarm operates the display unit to notify the user that the verification period has expired.

  On the other hand, a gas meter that measures the flow rate of the fuel gas flowing through the gas pipe is provided in the gas pipe leading to the gas combustor. Also for this gas meter, a verification period is set, for example, 10 years. When the gas meter determines that the verification period has expired, the gas meter operates the display unit to notify the surroundings that the verification period has expired. Since the gas meter is regularly read by a meter operator of the gas company, an indication of the expiration of the verification period will be found by the meter reader and will be replaced with a new one.

JP 2010-33517 A

  By the way, even if the alarm is notified of the expiration of the verification period by the display unit, the alarm may not be noticed by the user or may not be recognized from the outdoors if the user is installed indoors. Therefore, unless the user notices that the certification period has expired and the gas company is contacted by telephone or other means, there are not a few cases in which it will continue to be used with an expiry date or the outlet will be unplugged. Yes.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable the gas company to appropriately grasp the expiration of the verification period of the alarm device.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides a gas meter for measuring the flow rate of fuel gas flowing through a gas flow path to which a gas combustor is connected, and an alarm for detecting and notifying an ambient environmental abnormality installed by a detection means. And an alarm system comprising: Here, the alarm device has an interface means for communicating with the gas meter, an informing means for informing the user of information, and an expiration signal to the gas meter at a timing preceding the expiration date of a predetermined effective period for the alarm device. And a control means for notifying the user that the validity period has expired by controlling the alarm means of the alarm device when it is determined that the validity period has expired , and the gas meter communicates with the alarm device Interface means for performing notification, information means for notifying the surroundings, control means for controlling that the expiration date of the alarm device has expired by controlling the notification means of the gas meter when an expiration signal is received from the alarm device, Have.

  Here, in the present invention, the gas meter further includes a shut-off valve that shuts off the gas flow path, and the control means of the gas meter determines that the alarm is left for a predetermined period in a state where the valid period has expired. In this case, it is preferable to shut off the gas flow path by controlling the shutoff valve.

  In the present invention, the gas meter further includes a monitoring center device that monitors the gas meter, the gas meter has communication means that communicates with the monitoring center device, and the gas meter control means receives the expiration signal from the alarm device. It is preferable to notify the monitoring center device that the valid period of the alarm has expired.

  According to the present invention, since the expiration of the valid period of the alarm device is notified to the gas meter, the gas meter can notify this by the notification means. Since the meter reader regularly visits the gas meter, it is possible to know the expiration of the valid period of the alarm. As a result, the replacement of the alarm device by the gas company will be promoted, so the occurrence of a situation in which the alarm device continues to be used without being noticed or the outlet is unplugged without the user's knowledge is suppressed. be able to.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the alarm system concerning 1st Embodiment. Block diagram showing operation of alarm system The block diagram which shows the structure of the alarm system concerning 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment. The alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment detects and reports fuel gas such as LP gas and city gas, carbon monoxide generated by incomplete combustion of the fuel gas, and a fire generated in the indoor 5. is there. The alarm system 1 includes an alarm device 10 and a gas meter 20.

  The alarm device 10 is provided in an indoor 5 where a plurality of gas combustors 6 such as a gas water heater, a gas stove, and a gas fan heater are installed. The alarm device 10 includes a carbon monoxide sensor (CO sensor) 11, a gas sensor 12, a fire sensor 13, a microcomputer 14, a display unit 15, a speaker 16, and an I / F unit 17.

  The CO sensor 11 is a sensor that reacts with carbon monoxide as incomplete combustion gas contained in the atmosphere of the indoor 5 and detects its concentration. The CO sensor 11 is a known sensor such as a catalytic combustion type, and detects the concentration of CO gas and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the concentration to the microcomputer 14.

  The gas sensor 12 is a sensor that reacts with a component gas of a fuel gas such as propane or methane contained in the atmosphere of the indoor 5 and detects its concentration. The gas sensor 12 is, for example, a known sensor such as a semiconductor gas sensor or a catalytic combustion gas sensor, detects the concentration of the fuel gas, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the concentration to the microcomputer 14.

  The fire sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a fire based on the smoke in the atmosphere of the indoor 5 or the temperature of the atmosphere of the indoor 5. The fire sensor 13 is a well-known fire sensor such as a heat sensor or a smoke sensor, and outputs a detection signal to the microcomputer 14 regarding the presence or absence of the heat and smoke associated with the fire.

  In the microcomputer 14, a CO sensor 11, a gas sensor 12, and a fire sensor 13 are connected by wire or wirelessly. Further, the microcomputer 14 is connected to the gas meter 20 by wire or wirelessly via an I / F unit 17 which is an interface means for communicating with the gas meter 20. The microcomputer 14 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer.

  The microcomputer 14 calculates the concentration of carbon monoxide contained in the atmosphere of the indoor 5 based on the output of the CO sensor 11 and compares it with a predetermined reference value. The calculated concentration of carbon monoxide determines the reference value. When it exceeds, it is judged that carbon monoxide was detected from the atmosphere. Then, the microcomputer 14 turns on the display unit 15 such as an LED and outputs a message (for example, “carbon monoxide is generated”) informing the generation of carbon monoxide from the speaker 16.

  The microcomputer 14 calculates the concentration of the fuel gas contained in the atmosphere of the indoor 5 based on the output of the gas sensor 12 and compares it with a predetermined reference value, and the calculated concentration of the fuel gas exceeds the reference value. In this case, it is determined that the fuel gas is detected from the atmosphere. The microcomputer 14 turns on the display unit 15 and outputs a message (for example, “gas is leaking”) from the speaker 16 informing the occurrence of gas leakage.

  When the microcomputer 14 determines the occurrence of a fire in the indoor 5 based on the fire sensor 13, the microcomputer 14 turns on the display unit 15 and informs that a fire has occurred (for example, “a fire has occurred”). Etc.) from the speaker 16.

  Further, the microcomputer 14 is notified of usage state information indicating “in use” or “unused” for each of the plurality of gas combustors 6 from the gas meter 20. When the microcomputer 14 detects carbon monoxide based on the output of the CO sensor 11, the microcomputer 14 informs the type of the gas combustor 6 whose use state information is “in use” (for example, “the gas water heater is in use”). Is output from the speaker 16, or “carbon monoxide is generated from the gas water heater”.

  As one of the features of this embodiment, the microcomputer 14 has a timer function, and when the alarm device 10 is installed in the indoor 5, the count until the expiration date of the valid period (the verification period) determined by the verification is obtained. Be started. When the microcomputer 14 determines that the test period has expired, the microcomputer 14 outputs a test expiration signal to the gas meter 20. Further, the microcomputer 14 controls the display unit 15 (in some cases, the speaker 16) together with the output of the test expiration signal to notify the user that the test period has expired.

  The gas meter 20 is a device that measures the flow rate of the fuel gas flowing through the gas pipe 7 serving as a gas flow path that communicates the gas source and each gas combustor 6, and displays the gas consumption amount calculated based on the measured flow rate. is there. The gas meter 20 includes a microcomputer 21, a flow rate detection unit 22, a cutoff valve 23, a display unit 24, and an I / F unit 25.

  The flow rate detection unit 22 is a flow meter that generates a flow rate signal according to the gas flow flowing through the gas passage, and the flow rate signal is output to the microcomputer 21. The shutoff valve 23 is provided in the gas pipe 7 and shuts off the gas supply by closing the valve. The shut-off valve 23 can switch between a valve closing state and a valve opening state in accordance with a valve closing signal or a valve opening signal from the microcomputer 21. The display unit 24 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an LED indicator, or the like, and displays the gas usage amount accumulated by the microcomputer 21. The display unit 24 is controlled by the microcomputer 21 and displays various messages.

  The microcomputer 21 performs calculations such as measuring the gas flow rate based on the flow rate signal from the flow rate detection unit 22 and integrating the gas usage. The microcomputer 21 outputs a valve closing signal and a valve opening signal to the shutoff valve 23. The microcomputer 21 is connected to the alarm device 10 in a wired or wireless manner via an I / F unit 25 that is an interface means for communicating with the alarm device 10. A microcomputer can be used as the microcomputer 21.

  In addition, as one of the features of the present embodiment, the microcomputer 21 controls that the verification period of the alarm device 10 has expired by controlling the display unit 24 when the verification expiration signal from the alarm device 10 is input. Inform.

  FIG. 2 is a series of flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the alarm system 1. Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the alarm system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, in step 10 (S10), the microcomputer 14 of the alarm device 10 determines whether or not the test period has expired. The verification period is, for example, 5 years, and the microcomputer 14 makes such a determination with reference to the count value by the timer function. If an affirmative determination is made in step 10, that is, if the test period has expired, the process proceeds to step 11 (S11). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 10, that is, if the test period has not expired, the process returns to step 10.

  In step 11, the microcomputer 14 notifies the user that the verification period has expired. For example, the microcomputer 14 controls the display unit 15 to display, turn on or blink, indicating that the test period has expired. In some cases, the microcomputer 14 outputs from the speaker 16 a message indicating that the verification period has expired (for example, “the verification period has expired”).

  In step 12 (S12), the microcomputer 14 outputs a test expiration signal to the gas meter 20.

  In step 13 (S 13), the microcomputer 21 of the gas meter 20 receives a test expiration signal from the alarm device 10.

  In step 14 (S14), the microcomputer 21 controls the display unit 24 to display, turn on or blink, indicating that the test period has expired.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the alarm system 1 includes the alarm device 10 and the gas meter 20. Here, the alarm device 10 includes an I / F unit 17 that communicates with the gas meter 20 and a microcomputer 14 that outputs an expiration signal to the gas meter 20 when it is determined that the verification period of the alarm device 10 has expired. 20, an I / F unit 25 that communicates with the alarm device 10, a display unit 24 that displays information in the surroundings, and a control unit 24 that controls the display unit 24 when an expiration signal is received from the alarm device 10. And a microcomputer 21 for informing that the expiration date has expired.

  According to such a configuration, since the expiration of the verification period of the alarm device 10 is notified to the gas meter 20, the gas meter 20 can display this on the display unit 24. Since the meter reader regularly visits the gas meter 20, it is possible to know the expiration of the verification period of the alarm device 10. As a result, the replacement of the alarm device 10 by the gas company is promoted, so that the user may not be aware that the alarm device 10 continues to be used with its expiration date, or the outlet is unplugged. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the meter reading of the gas meter is performed about once a month, it may be troublesome that the output of the sound is continued from the expiration of the verification period to the next meter reading, but the notification mode by the gas meter 20 As an example, not only display by the display unit 15 but also output of sound (voice message or alarm sound) by a speaker (not shown) provided in the gas meter 20 may be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the notification of the expiration of the verification period by the alarm device 10 and the output of the verification expiration signal to the gas meter 20 are performed at the same time, but the output of the period expiration signal is greater than the expiration date. It may be output at a preceding timing. For example, considering that the meter reading cycle of the meter reader is about one month, the alarm device 10 outputs a period expiration signal when the expiration date is reached within a predetermined period within one month. .

  Further, when the microcomputer 21 of the gas meter 20 determines that the alarm device 10 has been left for a predetermined period in a state where the effective period has expired, the microcomputer 21 controls the shutoff valve 23 to shut off the gas flow path 7. Good. As a result, the user can be notified that the alarm device 10 has been informed of the state in which the verification period has expired.

  Further, when the alarm device 10 is in failure, the microcomputer 14 of the alarm device 10 outputs a failure signal to the gas meter 10, and when the microcomputer 21 of the gas meter 20 receives the failure signal, the alarm device 10 is displayed on the display unit 24. You may display that it is a failure. Thereby, the gas company can grasp | ascertain the failure of the alarm device 10 appropriately similarly to the expiration of the verification period.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the alarm system 1 according to the second embodiment. The alarm system 1 according to this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that a monitoring center device 30 is provided. Hereinafter, the description overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences.

  The monitoring center device 30 monitors the state of the gas meter 2 based on meter reading information and a cutoff notification signal transmitted from the gas meter 20, and is configured by a computer managed by a gas company.

  The gas meter 20 includes a communication unit 26 for communicating with the monitoring center device 30. The communication unit 26 incorporates an NCU (Network Control Unit) and a radio unit for controlling communication with the monitoring center device 30 of the gas company through a communication line such as a telephone line. The microcomputer 21 of the gas meter 20 can communicate with the monitoring center device 30 via the communication unit 26.

  In the present embodiment, when a test expiration signal is input from the alarm device 10, the microcomputer 21 controls the display unit 24 to notify that the test period has expired and that the test period of the alarm device 10 has expired. Is output to the monitoring center device 30.

  According to such a configuration, the gas company can appropriately grasp that the verification period of the alarm device 10 has expired. As a result, the replacement of the alarm device 10 by the gas company is promoted, so that the user may not be aware that the alarm device 10 continues to be used with its expiration date, or the outlet is unplugged. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the microcomputer 21 of the gas meter 20 determines that the alarm device 10 has been left for a predetermined period in a state where the effective period has expired, the microcomputer 21 controls the shutoff valve 23 to shut off the gas flow path 7, A message to that effect may be output to the monitoring center device 30. Thereby, it is possible to notify the gas company that the alarm device 10 is in a state where the verification period has expired.

  The alarm device according to this embodiment has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. The alarm device of the present embodiment is provided with a fire detection unit, a gas detection unit, and a CO detection unit in combination, but the alarm device has at least one of these detection means. It ’s enough. Moreover, the detection means of an alarm device should just be able to detect the surrounding environmental abnormality which installed the alarm device. Furthermore, the gas detection unit is not limited to propane and methane, but can be, for example, butane, hydrogen, or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Alarm system 5 Indoor 6 Gas combustor 7 Gas pipe 10 Alarm 11 CO gas sensor 12 Gas sensor 13 Fire sensor 14 Microcomputer 15 Display part 16 Speaker 17 I / F part 20 Gas meter 21 Microcomputer 22 Flow rate detection part 23 Shut-off valve 24 Display part 25 I / F unit 26 communication unit 30 monitoring center device

Claims (3)

A gas meter for measuring the flow rate of the fuel gas flowing through the gas flow path to which the gas combustor is connected;
An alarm device for detecting and notifying the surrounding environmental abnormality installed by the detection means,
The alarm is
Interface means for communicating with the gas meter;
An informing means for informing the user of information;
An expiration signal is output to the gas meter at a timing that precedes the expiration date of a predetermined effective period for the alarm device, and when the expiration of the effective period is determined, the notification means of the alarm device is controlled. Control means for notifying the user that the validity period has expired ,
The gas meter is
Interface means for communicating with the alarm;
A notification means for reporting information to the surroundings;
An alarm system comprising: control means for notifying that an expiration date of the alarm device has expired by controlling the notification device of the gas meter when the expiration signal is received from the alarm device. The gas meter further includes a shut-off valve that shuts off the gas flow path,
The control means of the gas meter controls the shutoff valve to shut off the gas flow path when it is determined that the alarm has been left for a predetermined period with the valid period expired. The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein A monitoring center device for monitoring the gas meter;
The gas meter has communication means for communicating with the monitoring center device,
The said control means of the said gas meter notifies the said monitoring center apparatus that the effective period of the said alarm device expired, when the said expiration signal is received from the said alarm device. Listed alarm system.

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