JP2008039652A - Fluid measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid measuring device capable of reducing man-hours and the number of components in an assembly process. <P>SOLUTION: This fluid measuring device 1 having a casing 10 storing a channel wherein fluid flows is characterized by having a cover 30 comprising a synthetic resin mounted on the casing 10, and a sealing member 40 formed integrally with an abutting part of the cover 30 abutting on the casing 10 to seal the casing 10 inside when the cover 30 is mounted on the casing 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid measuring device in which a cover is attached to a housing that houses a flow path through which a fluid such as gas or water flows.

Conventionally, a membrane type gas meter that mechanically measures the amount of gas used has been known, but in recent years, an electronic type gas meter that electrically measures the amount of gas used has become widespread from the viewpoint of weight reduction and the like. This electronic gas meter accommodates various electronic devices such as a flow sensor for measuring the amount used, a shut-off valve drive device for shutting off the flow path, and a display device for displaying an alarm in a housing chamber in the housing and closed with a cover. Has been. As a gas meter having such a structure, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-135820

  Since the current electronic gas meter has a cover formed by aluminum die casting, when using an exterior packing that closes the gap formed between the metal housing and the cover for the purpose of waterproofing, the exterior packing is a separate part. Was configured as. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a packing mounting process in the assembly process of the electronic gas meter, and there is a problem that it takes a lot of work. In addition, there is a problem that the number of parts increases due to the exterior packing. In addition, such a problem is a problem similarly generated also about various fluid measuring devices which measure fluids, such as a tap water.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid measuring device capable of reducing the number of man-hours and the number of parts in the assembly process.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the fluid measuring device according to claim 1 according to the present invention is a fluid measuring device having a casing that houses a flow path through which a fluid flows, and a cover made of a synthetic resin attached to the casing. And a sealing member formed integrally with the abutting portion of the cover that abuts on the casing so that the inside of the casing is sealed when the cover is attached to the casing. And

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the fluid measuring device according to the first aspect, the sealing member is formed integrally with the cover by two-color molding or multicolor molding.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the fluid measuring device according to the first or second aspect, a synthetic resin formed integrally with the cover so as to prevent insects from entering from the hole of the cover into the housing. It has the insect-control member which consists of.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the fluid measurement device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cover has an opening that exposes a display device accommodated in the housing, and the cover includes It has a protective member that is integrally formed to protect the display device.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fluid measuring device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the return button that is integrally formed with the cover and requests opening of a shut-off valve that shuts off the flow path. It is characterized by having.

  As described above, according to the fluid measuring device of the present invention described in claim 1, the cover is formed of synthetic resin, and the sealing member is integrally formed at the contact portion of the cover with the housing. As a result, the mounting process of the sealing member in the assembly process becomes unnecessary, and the number of assembly steps can be reduced. Moreover, since the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the fluid measuring device does not become a metal box by forming the cover with synthetic resin, it is possible to accommodate the wireless communication device in the housing, and it is possible to cope with wireless communication. . Therefore, by forming the sealing member integrally with the cover, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the assembly work and reduce the number of parts, thereby contributing to the cost reduction of the fluid measuring device.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, since the cover and the sealing member are integrally formed by two-color molding, the sealing member is part of the cover. In addition, since the cover manufacturing apparatus is not complicated, the cost of the component parts can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, an insect repellent member for preventing insects from entering through the holes of the cover into the housing is integrated with the cover by insert molding or the like. Therefore, the step of attaching the insect repellent member in the assembling process becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of any one of claims 1 to 3, the protective member for protecting the display device exposed from the opening of the cover is formed by two-color molding, insert Since the cover is integrally formed with the cover by molding or the like, the step of attaching the protective member to the opening of the cover with an adhesive in the conventional assembly process becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the return button for requesting opening of the shut-off valve is integrated with the cover by two-color molding or the like. Since the molding is performed, the return button attaching step in the assembling step becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a fluid measuring device according to the present invention is applied to a gas meter will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS.

  A gas meter 1 shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated in a gas pipe of a gas supply facility, and measures a flow rate of a gas (fluid) supplied to a consumer's gas equipment. Then, the alarm state is displayed on the display device 2 in accordance with detection of an abnormal flow rate or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the gas meter 1 includes a metallic housing 10, a synthetic resin cover 30, and an exterior packing 40 as a sealing member formed integrally with the cover 30. is doing.

  The housing 10 is formed in a hollow box shape by aluminum die casting. A gas inlet 11 and a gas outlet 12 are provided on the top surface of the housing 10. In the casing body 10, a gas flow path communicated between the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12, a metering mechanism (not shown) for the gas flowing in the gas flow path, and the display described above. A substrate on which various electronic components such as the apparatus 2 are mounted is accommodated. Although the present embodiment describes a case where the casing 10 is made of metal, the present invention is not limited to this, and the casing 10 can also be formed of synthetic resin or the like.

  A substantially rectangular opening 14 for inserting the above-described various electronic devices and the like is formed in the front surface 13 of the housing 10, and is integrally formed on the inner surface side of the cover 30 along the entire periphery of the opening. A contact portion 15 that contacts the formed exterior packing 40 is provided upright.

  A screw thread is formed on the projecting outer peripheral surfaces of the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12, and the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12 are connected to the gas pipe. That is, the gas flow path accommodated in the housing 10 is incorporated as a part of the gas piping outside the gas.

  The cover 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the front surface 13 of the housing 10 with a non-translucent synthetic resin or the like. An opening 31 that exposes the display surface of the display device 2 is formed in the cover 30. A protective member 50 that protects the display surface of the display device 2 is formed on the inner periphery of the opening 31.

  The protection member 50 is formed of a light-transmitting synthetic resin or the like that is different from the cover 30 in a plate shape having substantially the same size as the opening 31 of the cover 30. The molding method can be integrally formed with the cover 30 by two-color molding or insert molding, and the method can be arbitrarily selected. Thus, since the protection member 50 is integrally formed with the cover 30, it becomes a part of the cover 30 and contributes to the reduction of the number of parts.

  Further, the cover 30 is positioned so that the receiving portion 34 protruding from the back surface 33 of the cover 30 in a substantially rectangular ring shape corresponding to the contact portion 15 of the housing 10 and the contact portion 15 of the housing 10 abut. And a groove 35 for forming the exterior packing 40.

  The exterior packing 40 is formed in the groove portion 35 of the cover 30 by two-color formation using an elastomer such as vulcanized rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, elastic fiber, or elastic foam. That is, since the exterior packing 40 is formed integrally with the cover 30, it becomes a part of the cover 30 and contributes to a reduction in the number of parts.

  Therefore, since the cover 30 of the gas meter 1 of the present invention has the exterior packing 40 and the protection member 50, conventionally, the cover 30, the exterior packing 40, and the protection member 50 require three components. In the gas meter 30 of the present invention, the cover 30 can be a single component.

  Next, an example of a molding method in the case where the cover 30, the exterior packing 40, and the protection member 50 are integrally formed will be described below. In the present invention, since the cover 30, the exterior packing 40, and the protection member 50 are formed of different members, three sets of injection devices are used.

  First, the cover 30 is formed by the cylinder of the first injection device, the mold is opened once, the mold is moved while the cover 30 is attached to the core, and the exterior packing 40 is moved by the cylinder of the second injection device. The mold is moved while the cover 30 and the outer packing 40 are attached to the core, the protective member 50 is molded by the cylinder of the third injection device, and the mold is opened again. The cover 30 is completed by projecting the molded product from the mold. Thus, the exterior packing 40 and the protection member 50 are formed integrally with the cover 30.

  In the best mode, the case where the cover 30, the outer packing 40, and the protective member 50 are integrally formed by multicolor molding will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two-color molding and insert Various embodiments can be made, for example, a combination of molding and molding. Moreover, only the exterior packing 40 is integrally formed with the cover 30 by two-color molding, and the protective member 50 is configured to be bonded to the cover 30 with an adhesive as in the prior art. It is not necessary to form it integrally.

Next, an example of the assembly work of the cover 30 to the housing 10 will be described below.
First, when various electronic components are housed inside the opening 14 of the housing 10, the cover 30 is attached to the front surface 13 of the housing 10 so as to close the opening 14. Then, the abutting portion 15 of the housing 10 abuts on the exterior packing 40 formed integrally with the groove portion 35 of the receiving portion 34 of the cover 30, so that the inside of the opening 14 of the housing 10 is sealed. Further, the display device 2 is positioned behind the opening 31 of the cover 30, and the display device 2 is protected by the protection member 50.

  According to the gas meter 1 of the invention described above, the cover 30 is formed of synthetic resin, and the exterior packing (sealing member) 40 is integrally formed on the receiving portion 34 of the cover 30 with which the housing 10 abuts. Thus, the mounting process of the exterior packing 40 in the assembly process is not necessary, and the number of assembly steps can be reduced. Moreover, since the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, by forming the cover 30 from a synthetic resin, the gas meter 1 does not become a metal box as in the conventional case, so that a wireless communication device can be accommodated in the housing, and the communication can be made wireless. can do. Therefore, by forming the exterior packing 40 integrally with the cover 30, it is possible to improve the efficiency of assembling work and reduce the number of parts, thereby contributing to the cost reduction of the gas meter 1.

  Further, since the cover 30 and the exterior packing 40 are integrally formed by multicolor molding, the exterior packing 40 can be a part of the cover 30 and the manufacturing apparatus of the cover 30 can be complicated. Therefore, the cost of the component parts can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the protective member 50 that protects the display surface of the display device 2 exposed from the opening 31 of the cover 30 is formed integrally with the cover 30 by two-color molding, the protective member 50 in the conventional assembly process. The step of attaching the cover 30 to the opening 31 of the cover 30 with an adhesive becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, when the ventilation structure 60 is provided below the cover 30 of the gas meter 1 having the above-described configuration, the ventilation structure 60 is formed so as to penetrate the receiving portion 34 of the cover 30 as shown in FIGS. And an insect repellent member 62 for preventing insects from entering the housing 10 from the vent hole 61.

  The insect repellent member 62 has a mesh portion having the same shape as the cross-sectional shape intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the vent hole 61, and an extending portion extending from the edge is embedded in the receiving portion 34. That is, the insect repellent member 62 is integrally formed with the cover 30 by insert molding.

  In the ventilation structure 60, air from the slit 36 of the cover 30 flows into the opening 14 of the housing 10 only from the ventilation hole 61, and an insect repellent member 62 is provided in the ventilation hole 61. Therefore, insects and the like can be prevented from entering the opening 14. Since the insect repellent member 62 is formed integrally with the cover 30 by insert molding, the step of attaching the insect repellent member in the assembling process becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  The gas meter 1 has a shut-off mechanism that shuts off the gas flow path when detecting an abnormal gas flow rate. When the shut-off valve shuts off the gas flow path, an operator or the like operates the return button to open the shut-off valve.

  Therefore, when the return button 70 is provided on the cover 30 as shown in FIG. 7, the return button 70 can be formed integrally with the cover 30 by two-color molding using an elastomer. Thus, when the present invention is applied, the return button attaching step in the assembling step becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  In the above-described best mode, the case where the cover 30 of the present invention is a front cover has been described. However, all covers attached to the housing 10 so as to be sealed, for example, a flow path unit in the gas meter 1 and the like. Can be applied to an under cover, a rear cover, etc.

  Moreover, the gas meter 1 which concerns on this invention mentioned above showed only the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  Further, in the above-described best mode, the case where the fluid measuring device of the present invention is applied to the gas meter 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the flow rate of fluid such as tap water and medicine is measured. It can be applied to various devices.

It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the gas meter which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the gas meter which concerns on this invention. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the gas meter which concerns on this invention. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the part A in FIG. It is a reverse view of the cover for demonstrating other embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the cover of FIG. 5, (a) has shown the whole, (b) has shown the part B in (a), respectively. It is sectional drawing of a synthetic resin cover when a return button is formed integrally.

Explanation of symbols

1 Fluid measuring device (gas meter)
2 Display device 10 Housing 14 Opening 15 Abutting part 30 Cover 31 Opening part 34 Receiving part 35 Groove part 40 Sealing member (exterior packing)
50 Protection member 61 Hole (vent hole)
62 Insect repellent member 70 Return button

Claims (5)

In a fluid measuring device having a housing that houses a flow path through which fluid flows,
A cover made of synthetic resin attached to the housing;
A sealing member formed integrally with the abutting portion of the cover that abuts the housing so that the inside of the housing is sealed when the cover is attached to the housing;
A fluid measuring device comprising:   The fluid measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is formed integrally with the cover by two-color molding or multicolor molding.   3. The fluid measurement according to claim 1, further comprising an insect repellent member made of a synthetic resin integrally formed on the cover so as to prevent insects from entering the housing from the hole of the cover. apparatus. The cover has an opening that exposes a display device accommodated in the housing;
The fluid measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a protective member that is integrally formed with the cover and protects the display device.   The fluid measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a return button that is integrally formed with the cover and requests opening of a shut-off valve that shuts off the flow path.

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