JPH0762878B2 - Gas leak transmission mechanism for in-home information communication system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention provides meter reading information such as gas, water, or power consumption, as well as safety and medical information such as disaster prevention, crime prevention, and emergency in each home through a telephone line or the like. The present invention relates to a gas leakage transmission mechanism of an in-home information communication system that reports to a management center.

[Prior Art and its Problems] In a home information communication device, as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 61-143502, a transmitter / receiver unit is installed in the home, and safety medical information such as disaster prevention, crime prevention, or emergency, In addition, information obtained by automatic meter reading of gas, water, or power consumption is transmitted to the management center using a telephone line.

Such in-home information communication devices are relatively new in appearance, and are usually not installed in ordinary households. To secure safety information, for example, ringing or lamp display at the time of gas leak is dealt with. .

Therefore, it is rational to use the existing gas leak sensor at a low cost in a home where a new home information communication device is installed in the future. It is conceivable that the system will be required to appear.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in order to meet the above-described demands. The object of the present invention is to use an existing gas leak sensor in a cost-effective manner and reduce the burden on the purchaser when newly installed at home. It is to provide a rational gas leak transmission mechanism for a home information communication system.

[Means for Solving Problems] The present invention provides a communication unit for transmitting various information in a house to an administration center via an information cable such as a conductive wire, when the communication unit is installed in a house. It is compatible with existing gas leak sensors in the home and receives the output voltage from the gas leak sensor at the time of gas leak.
It is configured to have an adapter with a current sensor that boosts voltage from 6V to 12V.

[Operation and Effect of the Invention] According to the present invention configured as described above, when the unit is installed in a home, an adapter compatible with an existing gas leak sensor in the home is provided, so that the existing gas leak sensor is An excellent gas leak transmission mechanism for in-home information communication systems that can be effectively used and that only the burden of installing an adapter is required, the burden on the user can be reduced, the user can easily purchase, and the high penetration rate can be expected. Can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, when a gas leak occurs, the voltage of the current sensor is increased from 6V to 12V as specified in the standard, so that the gas leak can be reliably notified to the management center via the information cable.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, FIGS. 1 to 8 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Among them, FIG. 1 shows an adapter 1 of the present invention, and this adapter 1 has a current sensor 2 arranged therein. .
This adapter 1 has plug-in blades 1a, 1a connected to a power outlet 3, and an existing gas leak sensor 5 is connected via a connector 4.

On the other hand, the current sensor 2 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, 6 is a field forming body, which is a doughnut-shaped case 10 in which a coil 8 is wound around an annular iron core 7 and further an electric insulator 9 is interposed therebetween.
It is housed inside. As the adapter 1 is connected to the power outlet 3, a current (I) passes through the field forming body 6 of the current sensor 2 as shown in FIG. 3, and the output terminal a through the rectifier 11 having a full waveform, A voltage (V0) is generated between b. Further, when the adapter 1 is connected to the power outlet 2, the voltage between the output terminals a and b of the power sensor 2 is 6V as shown in FIG.
When the sensor 5 is connected to the adapter 1 and gas leakage is detected by the sensor 5, the sensor 5 outputs the current I through the field forming body 6 so that the voltage between the output terminals a and b rises to 12V. Has become.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a home information communication system incorporating the adapter 1.

In FIG. 5, 12 is a communication unit provided in each house, 13 is a general telephone, 14 is a general subscriber telephone network including an exchange system (telephone office), 15 is a communication unit 12 and a telephone network 14.
At the management center of the gas supply company connected via the, a monitoring panel with a display according to the number of subscribing households is installed to monitor the amount of gas used from the cylinder.

As shown in FIG. 6, the communication unit 12 is provided with an electric circuit 17 for inputting the output of the meter 16 with pulse transmission, the reset switch 18, and the current sensor 2 and transmitting these information to the management center 15. Further, the meter 16 with pulse transmission is, for example, one in which a magnet is attached to the rotating body of a gas metering and integrating meter (not shown) that rotates in proportion to the flow rate of gas, and the reed switch is contacted by the magnetic force of the magnet to generate a pulse. is there. The reset switch 18 is, for example, a push button switch, and is operated by a person who replaces the gas cylinder when replacing the gas cylinder. Furthermore, the current sensor 2 of the adapter 1 has a plug 19 extending from the output terminals a and b.
Is connected to the communication unit 12 for output.

The electric circuit 17 includes a telephone 13 and a telephone line network as shown in FIG.
A communication connector 20 for connecting with the telephone 14, a line use detection circuit 21 for detecting the call state of the telephone 13, a ringing tone detection circuit 22 for detecting the ringing state of the telephone 13, and a circuit switching for switching the telephone network 14. Signals transmitted from the relay 23 and the computer of the management center 15 (for example, push button signals)
A center signal detection circuit 24 for detecting the dial signal, a dial signal generation circuit 25 for generating a dial signal, a microprocessor (CPU) 26, and a power supply unit 27 for these.

The circuit switching relay 23 has relay contacts 23a and 23b, and switches the telephone network 14 between the telephone 13 and the electric circuit 17.

The dial signal generation circuit 25 is called (management center)
And a signal for transmitting information to the computer of the management center 15 and each of the two frequency groups of the high group and the low group within the voice band.
Generate pushbutton signals combined by frequency.

The microprocessor 26 controls the entire system, the user code, the date and time when automatic meter reading starts, the call signal of the computer of the management center 15 connected to the telephone network 14 (the telephone number of the telephone connected to the computer), the gas is out. Set value of flow rate (for example, gas consumption is 70% of gas cylinder)
85% of the gas cylinders and the amount of gas equivalent to
Meter with pulse transmission 16
In addition to counting the number of pulses sent from it, it also has a timer inside.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the function of detecting the replacement time of the gas cylinder by the microprocessor 26, the automatic meter reading function, and the gas leak information function.

In this block diagram, the automatic meter-reading function includes a gas usage amount calculation process 28 that counts the number of pulses output by the pulse transmission meter 16 and calculates the gas usage amount based on this count number. The total gas consumption calculated by the gas consumption calculation processing 28 is accumulated in the total accumulation processing 29. On the other hand, the date and time set in the meter reading date and time setting section 30 and the date and time counted by the timer 31 are compared with the meter reading date and time detection processing 32.
When the date and time counted by the timer 31 reaches the date and time set in the meter reading date and time setting section 30, the total cumulative processing is performed.
The accumulated numerical value of 29 is encoded by the gas usage encoding process 33, and the transmission process 34 notifies the monitoring panel of the management center 15.

The reset switch has a function to detect when to replace the gas cylinder.
The cumulative amount of gas used after the reset is accumulated by the trip accumulation process 35 which is set (reset) to the initial value by the trigger of the rising when closing 18. The number accumulated in the trip accumulation process 35 is compared with the number stored in the first out-of-gas setting unit 36, which corresponds to the usage amount of 70%,
As a result, when it is determined that the accumulated value of the trip accumulation process 35 is larger than the value stored in the first out-of-gas setting unit 36, the first comparison process 37 issues a first alarm signal. In addition, the value accumulated in the trip accumulation process 35 is the second
The gas stored in the out-of-gas setting unit 38 is compared with the value corresponding to the usage amount of 85%, and as a result, the cumulative trip processing 35
When it is determined that the accumulated numerical value of is larger than the numerical value stored in the second out-of-gas setting unit 38, the second alarm signal is generated from the second comparison processing 39. When the first comparison process 37 generates the first alarm signal, the first out-of-gas coding process 40 codes that the remaining amount in the gas cylinder is 30%, and the transmission process 34 monitors the management center 15. Report to the board. Also,
If the second comparison processing 39 generates the second alarm signal, the second
15% remaining in the gas cylinder due to out-of-gas coding process 41
Is encoded and the transmission process 34 notifies the monitoring panel of the management center 15.

Next, the gas leak reporting function is performed as follows.
That is, when the gas leak sensor 5 detects gas, a predetermined alarm is sounded and an output voltage of 12 V is generated between the output terminals a and b of the current sensor 2 in the adapter 1, and this output voltage causes the microprocessor 26 to operate. The fact that a gas leak is detected is coded in the gas leak coding process 42, and the transmission process 34 notifies the monitoring panel of the management center 15 via the circuit switching relay 23 and the telephone line network 14. As a result, the management center 15 can inform the home where the gas leak has occurred by telephone or the like.

In this way, when the communication unit 12 is purchased and installed in the house by preparing the adapter 1, the existing gas leak sensor 5 used at home can be effectively used, reducing the burden on the user and purchasing. It can be expected that the penetration rate will be improved and the penetration rate will be improved.

Further, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, when the adapter 1 is accidentally detached from the power outlet 3, the output from the current sensor 2 changes, and this output change is sent to the management center 15 as a signal. . In the case of a power failure, the change in output from the current sensor 2 becomes zero, so the management center 15 can determine whether the power is out or the adapter 1 is inadvertently detached, and an appropriate value can be determined. Measures can be reported to the household.

Next, FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this second embodiment, household electric power lines 58 and 59 are used instead of telephone lines. Then, in the management center 50, a monitoring board 50a having a display according to the number of subscribing homes is provided.
The monitoring panel 50a is connected to the power lines 58 and 59, the interface 52, and the computer 53 in this order.

On the other hand, a transmission / reception unit 54 is installed in each of the subscribing homes N1 to Nn, and the transmission / reception unit 54 is connected to power lines 58 and 59 via an interface 55.
The transmitting / receiving unit 54 is connected to the adapter 1 to which the connector 4 with the gas leak sensor 5 is connected, as in the first embodiment.

When a gas leak occurs in any one of the homes, the gas leak sensor 5 operates and sounds an alarm, and the current sensor 2 produces an output voltage between the output terminals a and b. This output voltage is received by the transmission / reception unit 54, converted into a gas leak signal and sent to the interface 52 of the management center 50 via the interface 55 and the electric power lines 58 and 59, and the gas leak home is identified by the computer and displayed on the monitoring panel 50a. Let This allows the management center 50 to take appropriate measures such as reporting by telephone.

Next, FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the third embodiment, a bus line 66 extended from a telephone line outside the home is used instead of the telephone line, and is applied to a so-called home bus system.

In FIG. 9, 67 is a network terminal,
The telephone line 68 outside the house and the bus line 66 are connected. Reference numerals 69 to 73 are information outlets for inputting and outputting signals to and from the bus line 66, and 74 and 78 are master devices connected to the bus line 66 via the information outlets 69 and 73. Reference numerals 75, 76 and 77 are terminal devices with built-in computers which are connected to the bus line 66 through the information outlets 70, 71 and 72, and although not shown, they are equipped with a character display device and an alarm device. Reference numerals 79 and 80 denote wireless slave units having a transmitting / receiving unit, and the slave units 79 and 80 are connected to the adapter 1 to which the connector 4 and the gas leak sensor 5 are connected, as in the first embodiment.

If a gas leak occurs at the place where the child device 79 is placed, the sensor 5 causes the output terminals a and b of the current sensor 2 to be released.
A voltage is generated between them, and the transmitter / receiver of the child device 79 sends a signal to the parent device 74 by this voltage. From the signal received by the master device 74, an individual identification code determined for each of the terminal devices 75 to 77 is determined, and the terminal device (for example, 75) corresponding to the identification code is received and gas leak display is performed by the character display device. At the same time, the alarm device is activated. On the other hand, when you want to make a call to the outside, the telephone number is transmitted from the child device 79 through the parent device 74, the information outlet 69 and the network terminal 67,
After that, a sequence for making a telephone call is performed to enable the call. Further, the child device 80 also operates similarly to the child device 79 described above.

Next, FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the fourth embodiment, the adapter 1 of the present invention is applied to a so-called home telephone instead of the telephone line. That is, in FIG. 10, 91 is a home exchange installed in the home, 92 to 94 are telephones placed in each room, and these telephones are home exchanges via wirings 92a, 93a, 94a. Connected to 91. Reference numerals 95 and 96 are relay units connected to wirings 93a and 94a, and these are connected to a heating / cooling machine and lighting equipment in the home. Reference numerals 97 and 98 are display devices connected to the wirings 92a and 94a, respectively, for the telephones 92 to 94.
The usage status and the on / off status of air conditioners and lighting equipment are displayed. Adapter 1 in this state
Is the wiring 94a connecting the connector 4 and the gas leak sensor 5.
It is connected to the.

Then, for example, when the handset of the telephone 92 is lifted and a specific code number is dialed, a DC circuit is formed in all extensions. Furthermore, when a predetermined number or symbol is commanded by a dial, it becomes possible to talk to other telephone sets 93 and 94, or the relay units 95 and 96 can be operated to turn on the air conditioner and lighting equipment. Then, the on-states of the call, the air conditioner and the lighting equipment are displayed on the display devices 97 and 98.

At this time, when the gas leak sensor 5 senses gas, the home-use exchanger 91 receives a gas leak signal by the output voltage from the sensor 5, sounds each telephone 92 to 94 to give an alarm, and displays 97, 98. To that effect and prompt prompt action.

If you want to make a call from outside your home,
Turn on and dial the home telephone number. Then, if the ringing tone sounds a predetermined number of times and the handset cannot be picked up by that time, line connection is made. After that, the same operation as in the case of the home can be performed thereafter. In the case of the fourth embodiment, the number of telephones is not limited to three, but can be set to an appropriate number according to the number of rooms, and two or more relay units can be installed to provide an air conditioner and a lighting device. You may make it control household equipment other than an appliance.

In each of the above embodiments, the adapter 1 and the gas leak sensor 5
The connector 4 and the connector 4 are separately provided.
May be incorporated in the connector 4. In addition to gas leak detection, home security functions such as crime prevention and fire detection may be provided.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the meter reading is automatically performed by the management center at a preset date and time, but the meter reading may be performed by receiving a transmission instruction from the management center.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, various kinds of conductive wires such as a telephone line are used, but an optical fiber or the like may be used, and the point is that it is an information cable for transmitting information.

In addition, various modifications may be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part, FIG. 2 is a front view and a side view of a current sensor, FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram of the current sensor, and FIG. 4 is an output voltage value from the current sensor. Graph, fifth
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a home information communication system, FIG. 6 is an electric circuit diagram of a communication unit, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication unit, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 ... adapter, 2 ... current sensor, 3 ... power outlet, 4 ... connector, 5 ... gas leak sensor,
14 …… Telephone line network (information cable), 58,59 …… Light line (information cable), 66 …… Bus line (information cable)

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A gas discharge sensor, which is provided with a communication unit for transmitting various information in a house to a management center through an information cable such as an electric wire, when the communication unit is installed in the house, and is installed in the house. A gas leak transmission mechanism for a home information communication system, characterized in that an adapter having a current sensor that receives the output voltage from the gas leak sensor and increases the voltage from 6 V to 12 V is provided .