GB2152718A - Counter mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A readily adjustable drum-type counter mechanism has a drive (3) which is engageable with a figure wheel assembly (2) over which a face plate (4) is removably disposed. The count displayed on the figure wheel assembly (2) is viewed through the face plate (4). The drive (3) is mounted at one end (6a) of a pivotable two arm lever (6), on the other end of which a locking member (8) operates either to hold the lever (6) in a position whereby the drive (3) is in operable connection with the wheel assembly (2), or to release the drive (3) from the wheel assembly (2) permitting adjustment of the individual wheel positions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Counter mechanism The present invention relates to drum-type counter mechanisms and more specifically to such mechanisms suitable for use in water meters.

Water meters have counter mechanisms including figure wheels rotatably mounted in the housing of the water meter. Each figure wheel is mounted so that it can be driven through a rotatably mounted indexing drive. A display window is separably connected to the housing over the figure wheels.

Counter mechanisms of this type must be safeguarded against outside intervention. During rota-based maintenance of the water meters, it is necessary to re-set the meters to zero. This process is expensive if the water meter has to be dismantled for the purpose, and is also time-consuming if the individual figure wheels have to be re-set to zero. These jobs are typically carried out either by the manufacturers of the water meters or by skilled personnel in the repair workshops of the water works.

It would be desirable to improve existing drum-type counter mechanisms so that it is possible to move all the figure wheels to a predetermined position e.g. the zero position, in an extremely simple and also rapid manner, with no need for trained personnel to perform the function.

The present invention provides a drum-type counter mechanism comprising a housing, a figure wheel assembly rotatably mounted in said housing, a rotatably mounted indexing drive adapted to drive said figure wheel assembly, a face plate separably connected to said housing, bearings for the indexing drive, a two-armed pivot lever carrying on one arm said drive bearings, and a locking member acting on the other arm of said two-armed lever and movable between a locking position in which said lever maintains said indexing drive in operable connection with said figure wheel assembly. and an unlocked position, in which it allows the indexing drive to be moved out of operable connection with said figure wheel assembly.

Advantageously, the locking member is constructed as an angled lever which is pivotally mounted in the meter housing and carries an abutment which, when the locking member is in the locking position. bears against the other arm of the pivot lever.

Moreover it is preferable that, when the locking member is in the locking position, one arm of the angle lever is in contact with the face plate.

It is also desirable that the pivot axes of the pivot lever and of the angle lever respectively and the axes of rotation of the figure wheel and of the indexing drive should be disposed parallel with one another.

It is advantageous for there to be in the housing of the drum-type counter mechanism an abutment which limits the pivoting motion of the indexing drive when this latter is released.

The invention further provides a water meter comprising a housing, indexing drive means rotatably mounted in said housing and adapted to be driven at a rate dependent on water flow through the meter, a figure wheel assembly including a plurality of adjacently disposed rotatable wheels carrying numbers marked on their periphery, said wheels being driven by said drive means, a face plate removably disposed over said figure wheel assembly and defining windows through each of which a single number on a respective one of said wheels can be viewed so that a numerical display seen through said windows represents an amount of water passed through said meter, two parallel shafts disposed across said housing parallel to the rotation axes of said drive means and said wheels, a twoarmed lever pivotably mounted on one said shaft one arm of said lever carrying said drive means, and an angled locking lever mounted on the other said shaft and including an abutment acting on the other arm of said twoarmed lever in a first position of said locking member, in which position the drive means is operable connected to said wheel assembly, said locking lever being movable to another position in which said two-armed lever is free to pivot said drive means out of operable connection with said wheel assembly.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a drum-type counter mechanism of a water meter in an operative position; and Figure 2 is an isometric view of the drumtype counter mechanism of Fig. 1, in the inoperative position.

A water meter has a housing 1 in which there is disposed a drum-type counter mechanism which consists of an assembly of figure wheels 2 each rotatably mounted in the housing 1 and each of which is adapted to be driven by a respective gear of a rotatable indexing drive 3. The figure wheel assembly is composed in a known manner of a plurality of adjacently disposed wheels on which appear the figures zero to nine. On the periphery of each individual wheel is a gear ring which is engaged by the corresponding gear of the adjacently disposed elements of the indexing drive 3. In the case of conventional mechanisms the drive gear engages the associated wheel of the drum-type counter mechanism 2 in an inseparable manner. The first figure wheel of the assembly 2 is driven by the first gear element of the indexing drive 3 which is itself driven by transmission wheels (not shown).The first wheel after it has completed a complete revolution through each of its ten figures, indexes the next adjacent figure wheel which in turn engages a gear element of the indexing drive 3. In this interaction between the gear elements of the indexing drive 3 and the wheels of the figure wheel assembly 2, the drum-type counter mechanism is capable of totalling any desired number. Since counter mechanisms consisting of a figure wheel assembly and indexing drive are already known to those skilled in the art, further details are not given here.

A face plate 4 containing windows, through which a portion containing one figure of each figure wheel can be viewed as a numerical display, is separably connected to the housing 1, for example via screws or like connectors which are not shown in detail in the drawing.

The face plate is shown in its normal fixed position in Fig. 1, while Fig. 2 shows the released or unlocked position of the face plate.

The indexing drive 3 is rotatably mounted in bearings 5, oniy one of the two bearings being shown in the drawings for reasons of clariy. The two bearings 5 are disposed on one end of one arm 6a of a two-armed pivot lever 6 mounted to pivot about an axis shaft 7. The two ends of the shaft 7 are anchored in a suitable manner in the housing 1. The other arm 6b of the pivot lever 6 is associated with a locking member 8 which is movable between a locking position (Fig. 1) in which the pivot lever 6 maintains the indexing drive 3 in operable connection with the figure wheel assembly and a released or unlocked position (Fig. 2) in which movement of the indexing drive 3 out of operable connection with the figure wheel assembly is permitted.

The locking member is constructed as an angle lever 8 mounted in the meter housing 1 so that it is pivotable about an axis shaft 9.

The angle lever carries an abutment 8a which, in the locking position (Fig. 1) of the locking member, bears on the arm 6b of the pivot lever 6.

As Fig. 1 of the drawings clearly shows, one arm 8b of the angle lever 8 is in contact with the face plate 4 when the locking member is in the locking position.

The pivot axes 7, 9 of the pivot lever 6 and of the angle lever 8 respectively and the axes of rotation 10, 11 of the figure wheel 2 and the indexing drive 3 respectively are disposed parallel with one another.

Disposed in the housing 1 of the drum-type counter mechanism is an abutment la which limits the pivoting movement of the arm 6a carrying the indexing drive 3 in the clockwise direction when this is in its released or unlocked position out of operable connection with the figure wheel assembly 2.

If it is necessary to adjust the setting of the figure wheel assembly 2, then the face plate 4 must be removed from the housing 1 by undoing the screws or other connectors. This state is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Then, the angle lever 8 is pivoted in a clockwise direction about its axis 9 Into the position shown in Fig. 1. so that the pivot lever 6 can be moved into the released position in which there is no longer any operable connection between the figure wheel assembly and the indexing drive 3. The Individual wheels of the figure wheel assembly 2 can then be turned independently of one another into the desired position, for example.

the zero position. When the desired setting has been achieved. then the pivot lever 6 and the angle lever 8 will be pivoted back by hand into the position shown in Fig. 1 and the face plate 4 can be connected to the housing by screwing In the screws or replacing the other connectors used. The face plate then holds the locking member in its locking position by abutment with the arm 8b.

Claims (7)

1. A drum-type counter mechanism comprising a housing. a figure wheel assembly rotatably mounted in said housing. a rotatably mounted indexing drive adapted to drive said figure wheel assembly, a face plate separably connected to said housing, bearings for the indexing drive, a two-armed pivot lever carrying on one arm said drive bearings, and a locking member acting on the other arm of said two-armed lever and movable between a locking position in which said lever maintains said indexing drive in operable connection with said figure wheel assembly, and an unlocked position, in which it allows the indexing drive to be moved out of operable connection with said figure wheel assembly.

2. A drum-type counter mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking member is constructed as an angled lever having two arms, which said angled lever is pivotally mounted in the meter housing and carries an abutment which, when the locking member is in the locking position, bears against said other arm of said pivot lever.

3. A drum-type counter mechanism as claimed in Claim 2, wherein, when the locking member is in the locking position, one arm of said angled lever is in contact with the face plate.

4. A drum-type counter mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot axes of said pivot lever and of said angled lever and the axes of rotation of said figure wheel assembly and of said indexing drive are disposed parallel with one another.

5. A drum-type counter mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said housing includes an abutment which limits the pivoting motion of the index ing drive when said locking member is in its unlocked position.

6. A water meter comprising a housing, indexing drive means rotatably mounted in said housing and adapted to be driven at a rate dependent on water flow through the meter, a figure wheel assembly including a plurality of adjacently disposed rotatable wheels carrying numbers marked on their periphery, said wheels being driven by said drive means, a face plate removably disposed over said figure wheel assembly and defining windows through each of which a single number on a respective one of said wheels can be viewed so that a numerical display seen through said windows represents an amount of water passed through said meter, two parallel shafts disposed across said housing parallel to the rotation axes of said drive means and said wheels, a two-armed lever pivotably mounted on one said shaft one arm of said lever carrying said drive means, and an angled locking lever mounted on the other said shaft and including an abutment acting on the other arm of said two-armed lever in a first position of said locking member, in which position the drive means is operable connected to said wheel assembly, said locking lever being movable to another position in which said two-armed lever is free to pivot said drive means out of operable connection with said wheel assembly.

7. A drum-type counter mechanism substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.