IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0395997
(2009-03-02)
|
등록번호 |
US-8176936
(2012-05-15)
|
우선권정보 |
JP-P. 2008-272764 (2008-10-23); JP-P. 2008-279443 (2008-10-30); JP-P. 2009-029803 (2009-02-12) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Naganuma, Naoto
- Yamaguchi, Masaki
- Shigeoka, Takehiko
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
14 |
초록
▼
By removably disposing a fluid cutoff device in a gas piping, a gas cutoff management function for remote cutting-off/return, etc., can be added to an existing flow measuring unit, and a communicating portion can make bidirectional communications, so that by transmitting an acceptance state of a rem
By removably disposing a fluid cutoff device in a gas piping, a gas cutoff management function for remote cutting-off/return, etc., can be added to an existing flow measuring unit, and a communicating portion can make bidirectional communications, so that by transmitting an acceptance state of a remote operation from the external device to the external device, higher reliability and safety can be realized, and by detecting use with the fluid cutoff device removed, safety can be further improved while unauthorized use is prevented.
대표청구항
▼
1. A fluid shutoff device which is provided separately from a flow measuring unit which measures a flow amount of fluid, comprising: an inlet connector and an outlet connector removably connectable in series to a piping for delivering the fluid, one of which is connectable to one of an inlet and an
1. A fluid shutoff device which is provided separately from a flow measuring unit which measures a flow amount of fluid, comprising: an inlet connector and an outlet connector removably connectable in series to a piping for delivering the fluid, one of which is connectable to one of an inlet and an outlet of the flow measuring unit;a fluid passage that extends from the inlet connector to the outlet connector to flow the fluid therethrough;a cutoff valve that is disposed in the fluid passage and comprises a valve body and a valve seat configured to cooperate with each other to open and close the fluid passage;a cutoff valve driving device configured to electrically drive the cutoff valve to open and close the fluid passage, wherein the cutoff valve driving device has a conducting portion disposed outside the fluid passage;a communicating portion configured to conduct bidirectional radio communications with an external device;a controller responsive to a cutoff/return command received from the external device via the communicating portion to operate the cutoff valve driving device to open or close the fluid passage and output, in response to the command, a response signal to the external device via the communicating portion;a battery that supplies electric power to the controller, the communicating portion, and the cutoff valve driving device via the controller; anda piping disconnection detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, wherein when the piping disconnection detector detects disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, the controller outputs a signal to the external device via the communicating portion to notify disconnection of the fluid cutoff device. 2. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising a dummy passage which is connectable to the piping, wherein the dummy passage has first and second ends which extend respectively in directions of the inlet and outlet connectors at heights substantially equal to those of the corresponding connectors in order to facilitate piping to the fluid cutoff device. 3. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein the piping disconnection detector comprises a pressure detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect a pressure in the fluid passage, and the controller compares a detected pressure with a first predetermined pressure which is smaller than a fluid supply pressure in the fluid passage and higher than an atmospheric pressure, and when the detected pressure is lower than the first predetermined pressure, outputs the signal notifying disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping to the external device via the communicating portion. 4. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 3, wherein if the detected pressure does not return to the fluid supply pressure within a predetermined time after the controller operates the cutoff valve driving device to open the fluid passage, the controller operates the cutoff valve driving device to close the fluid passage and outputs an abnormality call request or an inquiry response to the external device via the communicating portion. 5. A fluid cutoff device which is provided separately from a flow measuring unit which measures a usage amount of fluid, comprising: a housing that constitutes an enclosure of the fluid cutoff device independently from an enclosure of the flow measuring unit;an inlet connector and an outlet connector removably connectable in series to a piping for delivering the fluid, one of which is connectable to one of an inlet and an outlet of the flow measuring unit;a fluid passage that extends from the inlet connector to the outlet connector to flow the fluid therethrough;a cutoff valve that is disposed in the fluid passage and comprises a valve seat and a valve body configured to cooperate with each other to open and close fluid passage;a cutoff valve driving device configured to electrically drive the cutoff valve to open and close the fluid passage, wherein the cutoff valve driving device has a conducting portion disposed outside the fluid passage;a communicating portion configured to conduct bidirectional radio communications with an external device;a controller responsive to a cutoff/return command received via the communicating portion from the external device to operate the cutoff valve driving device to close or open the fluid passage;a battery that supplies electric power to the controller, the communicating portion, and the cutoff valve driving device via the controller;a converter configured to convert a signal from the flow measuring unit indicative of a measured usage of fluid into a signal readable by the controller, wherein the controller receives the signal from the converter and outputs information indicative of the measured usage of fluid to the external device via the communicating portion; anda piping disconnection detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, wherein when the piping disconnection detector detects disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, the controller outputs a signal to the external device via the communicating portion to notify disconnection of the fluid cutoff device. 6. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 5, wherein in response to the cutoff/return command, the controller outputs a response signal to the external device via the communicating portion. 7. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 5, further comprising a dummy passage which is connectable to the piping, wherein the dummy passage has first and second ends which extends respectively in directions of the inlet and outlet connectors at heights substantially equal to those of the corresponding connectors in order to facilitate piping to the fluid cutoff device. 8. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 5, further comprising a piping disconnection detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, wherein when the piping disconnection detector detects disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, the controller outputs a signal to the external device via the communicating portion to notify disconnection of the fluid cutoff device. 9. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 8, wherein the piping disconnection detector comprises a pressure detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect a pressure in the fluid passage, and the controller compares a detected pressure with a first predetermined pressure which is smaller than a fluid supply pressure in the fluid passage and higher than an atmospheric pressure, and when the detected pressure is lower than the first predetermined pressure, outputs the signal notifying disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping to the external device via the communicating portion. 10. The fluid cutoff device according to claim 9, wherein if the detected pressure does not return to the fluid supply pressure within a predetermined time, the controller operates the cutoff valve driving device to close the fluid passage and outputs an abnormality call request or an inquiry response to the external device via the communicating portion. 11. A combination of a gas meter and a fluid cutoff device, comprising: a flow measuring unit configured to measure an amount of gas usage and has a housing that constitutes an enclosure of the flow measuring unit; anda fluid cutoff device that has a housing that constitutes an enclosure of the fluid cutoff device independently from the housing of the flow measuring unit,the fluid cutoff device comprising: an inlet connector and an outlet connector removably connectable in series to a piping for delivering gas, one of which is connectable to one of an inlet and an outlet of the flow measuring unit;a fluid passage that extends from the inlet connector to the outlet connector to flow the gas therethrough;a cutoff valve that is disposed in the fluid passage and comprises a valve seat and a valve body configured to cooperate with each other to open and close the fluid passage;a cutoff valve driving device configured to electrically drive the cutoff valve to open and close the fluid passage, wherein the cutoff valve driving device has a conducting portion disposed outside the fluid passage;a communicating portion configured to conduct bidirectional radio communications with an external device;a battery that supplies electric power to the cutoff valve driving device via the controller;a controller responsive to a cutoff/return command received from the external device via the communicating portion to operate the cutoff valve driving device to open or close the fluid passage; anda piping disconnection detector disposed in the fluid passage to detect disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, wherein when the piping disconnection detector detects disconnection of the fluid cutoff device from the piping, the controller outputs a signal to the external device via the communicating portion to notify disconnection of the fluid cutoff device. 12. The gas meter with a fluid cutoff device according to claim 11, further comprising: a converter configured to convert a signal from the flow measuring unit indicative of a measured amount of gas usage into a signal readable by the controller,wherein the controller receives the signal from the converter and outputs information indicative of the measured amount of gas usage to the external device via the communicating portion. 13. The gas meter with a fluid cutoff device according to claim 11, wherein in response to the cutoff/return command, the controller outputs a response signal to the external device via the communicating portion.
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