Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

The High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan

Youichi Itou

Hajime Miyata

Kenichi Kamon

Ryuji Iwamoto

Daisuke Bessyo

Mitsuo Yokohata

Kouichi Ueki

Kazutaka Asano

Takuhisa Ootani

Yasuhiro Umekage

Detecting a leak, or the like, with high accuracy on the basis of pressure and a flow volume acquired during use of fluid is made possible. A volume of gas flowing through a flow pathis measured by a flow volume measurement unit, and pressure is measured by a pressure measurement unit. Measured flow data and measured pressure data are input to an analysis unit, to thus analyze following of a pressure change by a flow volume change. An amount of flow volume change responsive to an amount of pressure change of a predetermined level or more is classified into a plurality of ranges by means of a predetermined threshold value, and a following flow value change is determined on the basis of determination conditions of the respective ranges of amounts of flow volume changes.

Flowmeter

A flow rate measuring device simplifies calculation, reduces memory required for calculation, absorbs variations due to manual operation and, depending on the state of ignition, improves the accuracy of appliance identification by extracting features of appliances. The flow rate measuring device includes: a difference value conversion unit that converts into codes difference values of the flow rate measured at constant time intervals by an ultrasonic flowmeter; an appliance feature extraction unit creates an appliance feature code string indicating a feature of each appliance by, for example, making comparison and judgment using a third last code, a second last code, a last code and a current code of the codes obtained at constant time intervals, and by performing code deletion; and an identification unit performs appliance identification by comparing the appliance feature code string with an appliance inherent feature code string indicating the feature code string inherent in each appliance.

Flow rate measuring device

An ultrasonic flowmeter that measures flow velocity of a measured fluid by propagating ultrasonic waves through a measuring flow path with a rectangular cross section through which the measured fluid flows and the measured fluid that flows through the measuring flow path. The measuring flow path is provided with partition plates so that they are in parallel with the flow direction of the measured fluid. Simultaneously, the partition plates are placed in parallel with wall surfaces such that flow velocity distribution between opposing wall surfaces of the measuring flow path is more symmetrical with respect to the center of the flow direction of the measured fluid.

Ultrasonic flowmeter

A newly-purchased gas appliance is detected and reported to a gas administrator. There are provided a flow rate detection portion, a flow rate calculation portion, a code extraction portion, an initial code learning portion, a code maintaining portion, a code judging portion, an additional code learning portion, and an external communication portion. The code extraction portion extracts a code pattern E. The initial code learning portion gathers similar code patterns E as a gas appliance code pattern F. The code judging portion judges whether or not the code pattern E matches any of gas appliance code patterns F held by the code maintaining portion within a predetermined range. The code patterns E that have failed to match are subjected to additional identification of a gas appliance in the additional code learning portion. The gas cut-off device can thereby let the additional code learning portion detect whether or not a new gas appliance has emerged and the external communication portion send a report to the gas administrator.

Gas blocking device

A gas meter device is provided which is configured in a manner that even if a user takes an unauthorized action such as the removal of a gas meter device in order to use gas without authorization, since the generation of a particular flow-rate change profile different from a normal flow-rate change profile of a gas appliance is detected, the sign of the tamper of the gas can be detected, whereby the tamper of the gas can be prevented. The gas meter device includes an appliance determining unitfor determining a gas appliance being used and a tamper determining unitwhich determines that the gas is used without authorization in the case where the particular flow-rate change profile different from an appliance determining value registered in a registration storage unitis generated.

Gas meter device and gas supply system using the device

Detecting a leak, or the like, with high accuracy on the basis of pressure and a flow volume acquired during use of fluid is made possible. A volume of gas flowing through a flow pathis measured by a flow volume measurement unit, and pressure is measured by a pressure measurement unit. Measured flow data and measured pressure data are input to an analysis unit, to thus analyze following of a pressure change by a flow volume change. A determination showing that a following flow volume change is present, that a following flow volume change is not present, or that a following flow volume change is uncertain is made according to a magnitude correlation between an amount of pressure change of a predetermined level or more and an amount of flow volume change.

A fluid measurement apparatus capable of accurately determining an activated appliance is provided. A flow measurement apparatushas a flow measurement unitthat measures an amount of fluid flowing through a passageway, a determination zone storage unitthat allocates and stores a flow measured by the flow measurement unitinto determination zones classified by combination of a plurality of conditions; a grouping unitthat groups determination zones according to appliances to be used on the basis of determination-zone-specific storage values stored in the determination zone storage unitand that registers the grouped determination zones; and an integration unitthat integrates a flow value for each of the determination zones registered by the grouping unit. Thus, a flow is integrated for each determination zone grouped according to an appliance. An appliance is determined by reference to a database including the integrated data.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Youichi Itou