GB2225641A - A water meter with bayonet mounting - Google Patents
A water meter with bayonet mounting Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2225641A GB2225641A GB8828042A GB8828042A GB2225641A GB 2225641 A GB2225641 A GB 2225641A GB 8828042 A GB8828042 A GB 8828042A GB 8828042 A GB8828042 A GB 8828042A GB 2225641 A GB2225641 A GB 2225641A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- water
- meter
- mounting member
- port
- case
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F15/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
- G01F15/18—Supports or connecting means for meters
- G01F15/185—Connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
Abstract
A water meter is detachably connected to a water pipe (60) by a bayonet coupling. A male portion (12) at one end of the meter casing is inserted into a female portion in a fitting (34) in the pipe. The coupling includes outward protrusions (22) on the meter and inward protrusions on the fitting which engage and ensure that flow passages are aligned. The meter case further has engaging parts (32) for rotating the case to achieve the bayonet connection between the case and the mounting member. A special tool (66) can be used to insert or remove the meter from a below ground location. <IMAGE>
Description
"A WATER METER"
This invention relates to a water meter, and more particularly to a water meter installed in the ground to prevent it from being freezed.
In the districts where outdoor water pipes are likely to freeze, water meters are installed in the ground together with the water pipes. In the ground, the water meters are covered with protective boxes which have guide pipes leading to the surface of the ground.
The protective boxes having guide pipes are used for ease of mounting, dismounting, inspection and maintenance of the water meters. The lower the minimum temperature of the ground surface of the district where water meters are installed, the longer the guide pipes become (in other words, the water meters are installed at greater depths). This length (namely, the depth) is decided so as to be greater than the freezing depth of the ground in the district where water meters are installed. In some districts, this length is longer than 1 m.
Normally, the diameters of guide pipes are a little larger than those of water meters, and the water meters are screwed into the water-meter connecting pipe connected to the water pipe inside the protective box. Therefore, the longer the abovementioned length of the guide pipe, the more it becomes difficult to mount or dismount the water meter located in the protective box in the ground to or from the water pipe for inspection, maintenance or replacement.
When the above-mentioned length of the guide pipe is greater than that of the arm of the water service inspector or the waterworks worker, the protective boxes with guide pipes are often dug out in mounting or dismounting water meters. This digging work requires lots of time and effort. Another factor making it difficult to mount or dismount the water meter to or from the water-meter connecting pipe is a heavy weight of the water meter and a large number of painstaking turning of the water meter required in connecting or disconnecting the water meter.
This present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation and has as its object to provide a water meter, which obviates the necessity to dig out the protective box with the guide pipe to maintain, inspect or replace a water meter even when the meter is installed deep in the ground, and which can be connected or disconnected to or from the water pipe in the protective box.
In order to achieve the above object, a water meter, which can be detachably connected to the watermeter connection port of a water-meter mounting member connected to a water pipe, comprises: a case having an inflow port, an outflow port, means for measuring the quantity of water flowing into the inflow port and out of the outflow port and displaying the measured quantity of water; bayonet-connection means provided both on the water-meter mounting member and said case and being capable of detachably connecting said case to water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member and letting the inflow port and the outflow port of said case communicate with the incoming canal and the outgoing canal of the water-meter mounting member; and engaging parts provided on said case to protrude in the radially outward direction from a number of locations on the outer periphery of said case.
In the above constructed water meter, the bayonetconnect ion means provided both on the water-meter mounting member and the case facilitate mounting and dismounting of the case to and from the water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member. A plurality of engaging parts protruding outwards from the outer periphery of the case facilitate introducing and withdrawing of the case to and from the protective box buried in the ground when a water-meter mounting/ dismounting rod is used which has at its extending end means for detachably engaging with the plurality of outwardly protruding engaging parts.
In the above constructed water meter according to this invention, the bayonet-connection means on the water-meter mounting member may be directly formed at the water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member, and may be formed on an adapter which is detachably connectable to the water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member and which has an auxiliary inflow port and an auxiliary outflow port communicable with the incoming canal and the outgoing canal of the water-meter mounting member.
This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. l is a side view of the main body case of the water meter according to an embodiment of this invention;
Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the main body case of
Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a top view showing the water-meter mounting member which is to be connected to the water pipe and to which the main body case of Fig. 1 is directly connected;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the water-meter mounting member of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a top view showing an adapter for indirectly connecting the main body case of Fig. 1 to the conventional water-meter mounting member into which the conventional water meter would be screwed;
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the adapter of
Fig. 5;;
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section schematically showing the main body case of Fig. 1 connected to the water-meter mounting member in the protective box buried in the ground and also showing the water-meter mounting/dismounting rod introduced into the guide pipe of the box; and
Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing on an enlarged scale the engaging means at the extending end of the water-meter mounting/dismounting rod of
Fig. 7.
With reference to these drawings, an embodiment of this invention will be described in the following.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, main body case 10 of the water meter according to an embodiment of this invention is in a substantially cylindrical shape outer periphery of which swells at the top. Cylindrical 12 having a diameter smaller than that of main body case 10 is continuously formed at the center of the bottom end of case 10. Water meter mechanism 13 is housed in the upper part of the inner space of main body case 10. Flow indicator 14 provided at the top end face of flow meter mechanism 13 is exposed from the top end face of main body case 10 and is covered with protective cover 16 which is openable. The inner space of connector 12 and main body case 10 is partitioned into inflow port 20 and outflow port 18 to be concentrically arranged with each other.Water flows through inflow port 20 into the inner space of main body case 10 and passes through flow meter mechanism 13 which measures the flow of water.
Then, the water is discharged from the inner space of main body case 10 through outflow port 18 to the outside.
Formed at the bottom end portion of the outer periphery of connector 12 are three bayonet-connecting outward protrusions 22. These outward protrusions 22 are spaced apart each other at substantially regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery, and are identical in shape and dimensions, and constitute bayonet-connection means. The upper end faces of bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 are flat and located in the same horizontal plane. The bottom end faces of bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 are inclined upward so that connector 12 can be easily connected to the water-meter mounting member, which will be described later, or to the adapter attached to the conventional water-meter mounting member. The leading end surfaces 24 of bayonetconnection outward protrusions 22, which are located at the leading end side when main body case 10 is rotated clockwise as viewed from above, are inclined rearward, so that the leading end portions can easily engage with three corresponding bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 formed on the water-meter connection port or the inner hole of the adapter.
O-ring retainer 28 having a ring shape is formed at the base end of the outer periphery of connector 12 to hold O-ring 26.
An O-ring retaining groove (not shown) is formed at the bottom end face of partition wall 30 between inflow port 20 and outflow port 18 in the inner space of connector 12 to hold a small-diameter O-ring (not shown).
The object of this groove is to prevent a water leak between those two ports.
Four engaging protrusions 32 are formed on the outer periphery of the upper expanded portion of main body case 10. Protrusions 32 are spaced apart each other at substantially regular intervals in the circumferential direction and protrude in the radially outward direction from the outer periphery.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, water-meter mounting member 34, to which main body case 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is directly connected without using an adapter, has at its central portion water-meter connection port 38 into which connector 12 of main body case 10 is inserted. The lower area of the inner space of watermeter connection port 38 is partitioned concentrically into incoming canal 42 and outgoing canal 40 both of which extend linearly from water-meter connection port 38 in the mutually-opposite diametrical directions.
Connecting thread 44 is formed on the outer periphery of one end portion of water-meter connecting member 34, one end portion corresponding to the diametrically extended end of outgoing canal 40, to connect this one end portion watertightly to the water pipe (not shown) of the down stream side. On the other hand, connecting thread 46 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end portion of water-meter connecting member 34, the other end portion corresponding to the diametrically extended end of incoming canal 42, to connect the other end portion watertightly to the water pipe (not shown) of the upper stream side.
Three bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 are formed on the upper half of the inner periphery of water-meter connection port 38. Protrusions 48 are located in the same horizontal plane and are spaced apart at substantially regular intervals in the circumferential direction and constitute bayonet-connection means which cooperate with the bayonet-connection means comprising three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 of connection 12 of main body case 10. The spaces between three bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 in the peripheral direction are greater than lengths of three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 of connector 12 of main body case 10 in the peripheral direction.The peripheral-directional lengths of two bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 are the same but that of the remaining one bayonet-connection inward protrusion 48 is shorter than those of the two bayonetconnection inward protrusions 48. Rotation stop protrusion 50 is formed at a position near to short bayonet-connection inward protrusion 48 on the upper half of the inner periphery of the inner space of watermeter connection port 38.
To connect connector 12 of main body case 10 to water-meter connection port 38 of water-meter mounting member 34 constructed as described above, connector 12 is at first inserted into water-meter connection port 38 to move three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 through the spaces between three bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 to a more deeper position than bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48. Then, main body case 10 is rotated clockwise as viewed from above until leading end surface 24 of one of three bayonetconnection outward protrusions 22 comes into contact with rotation stop protrusion 50, so that the upper end faces of three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 slide on the lower end faces of three bayonetconnection inward protrusions 48 and finally they engage with one another in the axial direction.
At this time, large-diameter O-ring 26 held at the base end portion of the outer periphery of connector 12 of main body case 10 is pressed against the upper end of the inner periphery of water-meter connection port 38 of water-meter mounting member 34, thereby preventing water from leaking out through the gap between the outer periphery of connector 12 and the inner periphery of water-meter connection port 38.The small-diameter 0ring, which has been described but is not shown, held at the bottom end face of partition wall 30 in the inner space of connector 12 is pressed against cylindrical partition wall 54 between incoming canal 42 and outgoing canal 40, thereby preventing a water leak between inflow port 20 of connector 12 and incoming canal 42 of watermeter mounting member 34, on one hand, and outflow port 18 of connector 12 and outgoing canal 40 of water-meter mounting member 34, on the other.
Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, adapter 52 has a substantially cylindrical body at the center of which water-meter connection port 38' of the same construction as water-meter connection port 38 of water-meter mounting member 34 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is formed. In adapter-52, extending ends of incoming canal 42 and outgoing canal 40 are open at the bottom surface thereof. When adapter 52 is inserted into the water-meter connection port of the conventional water-meter mounting member which has been described but is not shown, these extending ends of two canals are connected with the incoming and outgoing canals of the water-meter connection port. Adapter 52 holds O-ring at the periphery of the extending end of outgoing canal 40 on the bottom surface thereof.
Adapter 52 can be detachably connected to the water-meter connection port of the conventional watermeter mounting member when an annular cap with an O-ring
(not shown) at its bottom surface is fitted over the outer periphery of adapter 52 to press at its O-ring outer flange 58 formed on the outer periphery of adapter 52 on the end face around the water-meter connection port of the conventional water-meter mounting member, and is screwed on the outer periphery of the conventional water-meter mounting member. Connector 12 of main body case 10 can be connected detachably to watermeter connection port 38' of adapter 52 just as connector 12 can be connected detachably to water-meter connection port 38 of water-meter mounting member 34 shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
Fig. 7 illustrates water-meter mounting member 34 connected to water pipes 60 in the ground, main body case 10 connected to water-meter mounting member 34, and protective box 62 enclosing water-meter mounting member 34 and main body case 10 in the ground. Protective box 62 has guide pipe 64 larger in diameter than main body case 10 and open at the ground surface. The above-open end of guide pipe 64 is covered with an openable cover (not shown).
Fig. 7 also shows water meter-mounting/dismounting rod used to mount and dismount main body case 10 to and from mounting member 34 in protective case 62.
Water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 has handle 68 at its base end and cylindrical holding cap 70 at its extending end. An inner periphery of holding cap 70 has a larger diameter than that of the largest-diameter portion of main body case 10. As clearly illustrated in
Fig. 8, four engaging members 72 as engaging means to engage with four engaging protrusions 32 of main body case 10 are fixed at the opening end of the inner periphery of holding cap 70.
Four engaging members 72 are placed on four engaging protrusions 32 of main body case 10, and come to engage with four engaging protrusions 32 in the axial and peripheral directions by rotating water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 clockwise as viewed from above.
Main body case 10, introduced by water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 into guide pipe 64 under the above condition, is inserted at connector 12 into watermeter connection port 38 of water-meter mounting member 34, and is rotated by water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 in clockwise direction as viewed from above, so that three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 of connector 12 of Fig. 1 can be connected in a bayonet manner to three bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 of water-meter connection port 38 of Fig. 4.
To release this bayonet connection and to take out main body case 10 from protective box 62 through guide pipe 64 to the ground, at first, water-meter mounting/ dismounting rod 66 is introduced into guide pipe 64 to place four engaging members 72 of holding cap 70 on four engaging protrusions 32 of main body case 10 and, then, water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 is rotated in counterclockwise direction as viewed from above to engage four engaging members 72 with four engaging protrusions 32 in the axial and peripheral directions.
If, under the above condition, water-meter mounting/ dismounting rod 66 is further rotated in counterclockwise direction as viewed from above, this will release the bayonet connection between three bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 of connector 12 of Fig. 1 and three bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 of watermeter connection port 38 of Fig. 4. After this, if water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 is taken out of guide pipe 64, main body case 10 engaged with holding cap 70 of water-meter mounting/dismounting rod 66 is also taken out of protective box 62 through guide pipe 64 and to above the ground.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein, by one skilled in the art, without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
For example, bayonet-connection outward protrusions 22 and bayonet-connection inward protrusions 48 may be provided on the inner periphery of connection port 38 of connecting member 34 or of connection port 38' of adapter 52 and the outer periphery of connector 12 of main body case 10.
Claims (4)
1. A water meter, which can be detachably connected to a water-meter connection port of a water-meter mounting member connected to a water pipe, comprising:
a case having an inflow port, an outflow port, and means for measuring the quantity of water flowing into the inflow port and out of the outflow port and displaying the measured quantity of water;
bayonet-connection means provided both on the water-meter mounting member and said case and being capable of detachably connecting said case to watermeter connection port of the water-meter mounting member and letting the inflow port and the outflow port of said case communicate with the incoming canal and the outgoing canal of the water-meter mounting member; and
engaging parts provided on said case to protrude in the radially outward direction from a number of locations on the outer periphery of said case.
2. A water meter according to claim 1, wherein said bayonet-connection means provided on the watermeter mounting member is formed at the water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member.
3. A water meter according to claim 1, further comprising an adapter which is detachably connectable to the water-meter connection port of the water-meter mounting member and which has an auxiliary inflow port and an auxiliary outflow port communicatable with the inflow port and the outflow port of the water-meter mounting member, wherein said bayonet-connection means provided on the water-meter mounting member is formed at said adapter, and said auxiliary inflow and outflow ports are communicatable with the inflow and outflow ports of said case when said bayonet-connection means on said adapter is connected detachably with said bayonetconnection means of said case.
4. A water meter, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8828042A GB2225641A (en) | 1988-12-01 | 1988-12-01 | A water meter with bayonet mounting |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8828042A GB2225641A (en) | 1988-12-01 | 1988-12-01 | A water meter with bayonet mounting |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8828042D0 GB8828042D0 (en) | 1989-01-05 |
| GB2225641A true GB2225641A (en) | 1990-06-06 |
Family
ID=10647776
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8828042A Withdrawn GB2225641A (en) | 1988-12-01 | 1988-12-01 | A water meter with bayonet mounting |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2225641A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2005098368A2 (en) * | 2004-04-06 | 2005-10-20 | Bartec Gmbh | Device for replacing a measuring probe during continuous operation |
| EP3822592A1 (en) * | 2019-11-14 | 2021-05-19 | WHC Hire Services Ltd | Device for installing or removing water meters |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0210933A2 (en) * | 1985-07-26 | 1987-02-04 | Jean-Claude Bonnet | Equipment pole for the remote reading of water consumption |
-
1988
- 1988-12-01 GB GB8828042A patent/GB2225641A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0210933A2 (en) * | 1985-07-26 | 1987-02-04 | Jean-Claude Bonnet | Equipment pole for the remote reading of water consumption |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2005098368A2 (en) * | 2004-04-06 | 2005-10-20 | Bartec Gmbh | Device for replacing a measuring probe during continuous operation |
| WO2005098368A3 (en) * | 2004-04-06 | 2006-03-30 | Bartec Gmbh | Device for replacing a measuring probe during continuous operation |
| EP3822592A1 (en) * | 2019-11-14 | 2021-05-19 | WHC Hire Services Ltd | Device for installing or removing water meters |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8828042D0 (en) | 1989-01-05 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US6000278A (en) | Device for detecting leakage in flange joints | |
| US4557296A (en) | Meter tube insert and adapter ring | |
| US4631961A (en) | Sampling device for determining conditions on the interior surface of a water main | |
| US9095883B2 (en) | Inline jet-sonde | |
| US5052721A (en) | Water meter service coupling | |
| JPH09505876A (en) | Pipe fitting assembly, system and method | |
| CA1237961A (en) | Water meter service installation | |
| EP0145752A1 (en) | Pipe coupling. | |
| US6263903B1 (en) | Arrangement for underground stop valve | |
| GB2225641A (en) | A water meter with bayonet mounting | |
| RU2350820C2 (en) | Pipeline system | |
| US4932241A (en) | Reusable plumbing test pipe | |
| US2812641A (en) | Submarine pipe line repair bell | |
| JPH11131538A (en) | Supporting device for water meter | |
| US4615545A (en) | Connect-disconnect coupling for a plural-passage fluid line | |
| JP3658456B2 (en) | Water meter unit | |
| JP3268333B2 (en) | Meter installation device | |
| WO1982002240A1 (en) | A quick coupling device | |
| EP0730138A1 (en) | Water meter | |
| US5161294A (en) | Tool device for use in replacing an instrument disposed in a normally inaccesible or dangerous environment | |
| GB2246158A (en) | Boundary box | |
| US20040061334A1 (en) | Plug-in connector for plumbing fixtures | |
| KR100842771B1 (en) | Apparatus for pumping groundwater | |
| JPH0330828Y2 (en) | ||
| KR102481430B1 (en) | Groundwater well assembly groundwater observation network water level sensor guide pipe |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |