JP2008107321A - Flowmeter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flowmeter capable of greatly reducing the manufacturing cost of a product. <P>SOLUTION: In the flowmeter, an insertion method using a case 35 is adopted for a coupling structure between a body 31 and attachments instead of a conventional screw-in method; a recessed part of an adaptor 32 is inserted and fixed to a projecting part of each of an inlet opening 41 and an outlet opening 42 of the body 31; the case 35 is slid from the back side of the body 31; an insertion hole 35b of the case is aligned and engaged with each of the adaptors 32; and the adaptor 32 is press-fitted to the body 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flowmeter that measures the flow rate of a fluid such as pure water or a chemical solution used in the manufacturing process of semiconductors, liquid crystals, medicines, foods and the like.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional flow meter disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 below. The illustrated flow meter 50 is an area type flow meter and includes a body 51, an adapter 52, a needle valve 53, a cylinder 54, a guide pole 55, a float 56, a stopper 57, a cap 58, and a packing 59. Has been.

  An inlet 61 connected to the upstream pipe and an outlet 62 connected to the downstream pipe are opened on the side surface of the body 51, and the inlet 61 and the outlet 62 are connected to the pipe via packings 59, respectively. An adapter 52 is screwed and connected. Further, a valve hole 63 is opened on the opposite surface of the introduction port 61, and the needle valve 53 inserted into the valve hole 63 is mounted by screwing the cylinder 54 through the packing 59.

  A fluid passage 64 for communicating the inlet 61 and the outlet 62 is provided inside the body 51. The fluid passage 64 is formed in a tapered shape with an inner diameter gradually increasing from the upstream side toward the downstream side. Yes. A guide pole 55 is erected at the center of the fluid passage 64, and a float 56 is mounted along the guide pole 55 so as to be movable up and down. The float 56 is removed by stoppers 57, 57 fixed to the top and bottom of the body 51. It has been stopped. The upper and lower end surfaces of the body 51 have processing holes 65 and 65 when the fluid passage 64 is processed. The processing holes 65 are also sealed by screwing the cap 58 through the packing 59. .

  According to this flow meter 50, the fluid introduced from the inlet 61 into the fluid passage 64 is throttled when passing through the gap between the float 56 and the body 51, so that the upstream side and the downstream side around the float 56 are centered. There is a pressure difference between them. For this reason, the float 56 moves up and down along the guide pole 55 according to the differential pressure of the fluid passing through the fluid passage 64, and stops when the differential pressure is balanced. Therefore, the flow rate can be measured by reading the flow rate scale (not shown) displayed on the body 51 at the position where the float 56 is stopped.

  By the way, such a conventional flow meter has the following problems.

  First, in the component molding stage, the inlet 51, the outlet 62, the valve hole 63, and the machining hole 65 are formed in the body 51, and it is necessary to machine a female thread portion for screwing an accessory part into these holes. It is necessary to form a male thread portion for connection also in the adapter 52, the cylinder 54, and the cap 58, which are accessory parts. That is, since it is necessary to perform special threading processing on the body 51 and other accessory parts, a special worker must be assigned to a machine tool such as a lathe, which increases labor costs and increases the unit price of the parts. At the same time, it was an obstacle to automatic production.

  In addition, in the product assembly stage, since the operator manually performs the operation of connecting the accessory parts to the body 51, the tightening torque value of the screw portion must be managed appropriately, and the skilled worker I needed skill.

  Thus, according to the conventional flowmeter 50, since the structure in which the body 51 and the attached parts are assembled by screwing connection is adopted, the unit price of the parts is high, and the skill required for assembling work is required, resulting in an increase in man-hours. As a result, there has been a problem that the manufacturing cost of the product is greatly increased.

Incidentally, Patent Document 1 below, as in the flow meter shown in FIG. 7, flowmeter structure is disclosed by screwing connection method.

Issued by Tohflo Corporation, flow meter catalog “PRODUCTS GUIDE 2006” P132-133

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-4998

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to eliminate the assembly structure based on the conventional screw-in connection method and greatly reduce the manufacturing cost of the product. To provide a flow meter.

In order to achieve the above object, in the flowmeter of the present invention, an introduction port for introducing a fluid and a discharge port for discharging the introduced fluid are opened, and a fluid passage that connects the introduction port and the discharge port is formed. A body, flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the fluid passage of the body, adapters for connecting pipes respectively fitted to the inlet and the outlet of the body, and crimping the adapter to the body Fixing means for fixing, and the fixing means includes a case surrounding the outer shape of the body, and the case has an insertion hole for inserting the adapter, and the adapter is inserted into the insertion hole of the case. It is a structure which inserts and the said case is engage | inserted and fixed to the said body .

  Further, in the present invention, the fixing means has a front rear circular key hole formed in a part of the case, and a flat elliptical stopper composed of a straight portion and an arc portion rotates at a corresponding portion of the body. When the straight portion of the stopper is inserted into the rear circle portion along the front portion of the key hole and the stopper is turned, the arc portion is rotated along the rear circle portion of the key hole. It is preferable that the stopper includes a lock mechanism that is locked in the key hole because the fitted case is securely fixed to the body.

  The flowmeter of the present invention further includes a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fluid introduced from the inlet of the body into the fluid passage, and a cylinder integrated with the valve, and a retaining ring is provided at the rear of the cylinder. The cylinder is crimped and fixed to the body by fitting.

  Furthermore, in the flowmeter of the present invention, the flow rate measuring means is a tapered tube in which the body expands the inner diameter of the fluid passage from the introduction port toward the discharge port, and the float accommodated in the fluid passage is made of a fluid. The flow rate can be measured by reciprocating according to the differential pressure.

  When the float type flow rate measuring means is employed as described above, a configuration is adopted in which a magnet is incorporated in the float and a magnetic sensor for detecting the position of the float from the outside of the body is attached. It is also possible.

According to the flowmeter of the present invention, the conventional screwing method is abolished as a connection structure between the body and the accessory, and a fitting method using a case is adopted. This eliminates the need for special threading on the body and accessory parts at the part molding stage, enabling automatic production when molding the parts and reducing the unit cost of the parts. In addition, in the product assembly stage, no skill is required for managing the tightening torque value of the screw portion, the structure is simplified and the number of man-hours is reduced. Therefore, the effect that the manufacturing cost of a product can be reduced significantly is acquired.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of the flow meter of the present invention , FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the flow meter, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory views showing the state of the flow meter when assembled. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the flow meter 30 of the present embodiment is an area type flow meter, and includes a body 31, an adapter 32, a needle valve 33, a cylinder 34, a case 35, a float 36, and a bottom cap 37. The upper cap 38, the packing 39, and the CR-type retaining ring 40 are provided.

  The body 31 is made of a transparent acrylic resin, and an inlet 41 for introducing fluid from the upstream pipe and an outlet 42 for discharging the fluid to the downstream pipe are opened on the side surface. The outlet 42 is not formed with a conventional internal thread portion. A pipe connection adapter 32 is connected to the introduction port 41 and the discharge port 42 by a connection structure described later. Further, a valve hole 43 is opened on the opposite surface of the introduction port 41, but the conventional female screw part is not formed in the valve hole 43. A needle valve 33 is attached to the valve hole 43 so that the flow rate of the fluid introduced from the introduction port 41 can be adjusted.

A fluid passage 44 for communicating the inlet 41 and the outlet 42 is formed inside the body 31. The fluid passage 44 is visible from the outside, and the flow rate of the fluid passing through the fluid passage 44. A flow rate measuring means for measuring is provided. As this flow rate measuring means, in this embodiment, the body 31 has a tapered tube structure in which the inner diameter of the fluid passage 44 is gradually enlarged from the introduction port 41 toward the discharge port 42, and the inside of the fluid passage 44 is a conical shape made of stainless steel. The float 36 is accommodated. The float 36 is retained by an upper cap 38 mounted integrally molded current plate 31c and the downstream side of the body 31 on the upstream side of the fluid passage 44, a stopper in comparison with the conventional one shown in FIG. 7 The number of parts 57 is reduced and the number of parts is reduced by omitting the guide pole 55.

  Next, the connection structure between the body 31 and the accessory will be described. The flow meter 30 employs a fitting type fixing means using a case 35 as described below as a connection structure between the body 31 and the accessory.

  A pipe connection adapter 32 is connected to the introduction port 41 and the discharge port 42. The adapter 32 is made of POM resin having excellent strength and elastic modulus, and has a recess formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical main body. Yes. On the other hand, each of the introduction port 41 and the discharge port 42 is formed with a convex portion that fits into the concave portion of the adapter 32, and a packing 39 is attached to the outer periphery of the convex portion.

  A needle valve 33 is attached to the valve hole 43, and a cylinder 34 is fixed to the outer periphery of the needle valve 33. The cylinder 34 is made of stainless steel having excellent durability, and includes a large-diameter main body portion and a small-diameter insertion portion. A groove portion is formed on the outer periphery of the main body portion of the cylinder 34, and a packing 39 is attached to the groove portion.

Processing holes 45 and 45 are formed in the upper and lower end surfaces of the body 31 when the fluid passage 44 is processed. The processing holes 45 are closed by a bottom cap 37 and an upper cap 38 made of POM resin. . The above adapter 32, the cylinder 34, bottom cap 37, each connecting part of the upper cap 38, the conventional adapter 52 shown in FIG. 7, the cylinder 54, the internal thread portion, such as a cap 58 is not formed.

  On the other hand, the case 35 is made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin having excellent mechanical strength so as to surround the outer shape of the body 31 by injection molding or extrusion molding. , And has a box shape covering all surfaces of the bottom surface, the back surface, and the left and right side surfaces. A sensor mounting hole 35a for mounting a Hall IC sensor is provided on the back surface of the case 35, and an adapter insertion hole 35b that matches the main body of the adapter 32 is opened at an adapter-corresponding portion. Further, a front rear circular key hole 35c as shown in the figure is formed in the cap corresponding portion on the bottom surface.

When the product is assembled, as shown in FIG. 3 , the concave portions of the adapters 32 and 32 are first fitted and fixed to the convex portions of the introduction port 41 and the discharge port 42 of the body 31, and the needle valve 33 is inserted into the valve hole 43. After the insertion, the cylinder 34 is inserted and fixed. Here, when the insertion portion of the cylinder 34 is viewed from the back surface (in the direction of arrow B), a vertical cutout portion 34a is provided as shown in the figure, and a parallel mounting portion provided in the valve hole 43 corresponding thereto. The cylinder 34 is prevented from rotating by fitting the notch 34a to 43a. Further, a metal CR-type retaining ring 40 is inserted from the rear of the cylinder 34 and is pushed by a dedicated tool so that the cylinder 34 is prevented from coming off by the retaining ring, and a knob 33a is attached to the needle valve 33 to the valve hole 43. A needle valve 33 is mounted.

  Next, the bottom cap 37 is inserted and sealed in the processing hole 45 on the bottom surface of the body 31, and the float 36 is inserted into the fluid passage 44 from the processing hole 45 on the top surface of the body 31, and the top cap 38 is inserted into the processing hole 45. Insert and seal. Here, the upper cap 38 has a double disc structure in which the upper and lower discs are integrated with the shaft portion. When the lower disc is viewed from the back (arrow D direction), the circumferential direction is as shown in the figure. Are formed at equal intervals in the rectification holes 38a, 38a,. Further, the rectifying holes 31a, 31a,... Are also formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the rectifying plate 31c formed integrally with the body 31. Thereby, the fluid flowing from the inlet 41 to the outlet 42 flows evenly without causing turbulence.

  Further, a guide pole insertion hole 38b is formed at the center position of the back surface of the upper cap 38, and a guide pole insertion hole 31b is similarly formed at the center position of the rectifying plate 31c opposite to the guide pole insertion hole 38b. Therefore, the float 36 can be supported by the guide pole by inserting both end portions of the guide pole into the guide pole insertion holes 38b and 31b.

Then, after connecting each attachment to the body 31 as described above, mounting the case 35 on the body 31 as shown in FIG. First, the case 35 is slid from the back side of the body 31, and the adapter insertion holes 35b and 35b are positioned and fitted into the adapters 32 and 32, respectively, as shown in FIG. . Further, the fitted case 35 is securely fixed to the body 31 by the following rotary lock mechanism.

  That is, a stopper 38c having a flat oval shape composed of a straight portion and an arc portion is rotatably provided on the upper surface of the upper cap 38, and a similar stopper 37c is also provided on the bottom surface of the bottom cap 37. Then, by fitting the case 35 into the body 31 as described above, the straight part of the stopper 38c is guided and slid to the front part of the key hole 35c as shown in FIG. enter in. Here, when the hexagonal hole provided in the stopper 38c is turned with a hexagonal wrench, the arc portion of the stopper 38c rotates around the axis along the rear circular portion of the key hole 35c. Then, as shown in the figure, when the stopper 38c rotates 90 °, it is locked inside the keyhole 35c, and the case 35 is fixed to the upper cap 38. As shown in FIG. 5C, the stopper 37c of the bottom cap is locked in the key hole 35c on the bottom surface of the case by performing the same operation.

  The flow meter 30 of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2 , according to the flow meter 30, the float 36 has a conical shape and the fluid passage 44 is formed in a tapered shape, so that the float 36 is located on the inlet 41 side in the fluid passage 44. When located, the gap between the float 36 and the body 31 is narrow, and conversely, when located at the discharge port 42 side, the gap between the float 36 and the body 31 is widened. Then, the fluid introduced from the inlet 41 is throttled when passing through the gap, so that a pressure difference occurs between the upstream side and the downstream side around the float 36. Therefore, the float 36 moves up and down in the fluid passage 44 according to the differential pressure of the fluid passing through the fluid passage 44, and stops when the differential pressure is balanced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the flow rate can be measured by reading the flow rate scale 47 displayed on the front surface of the body 31 at the position where the float 36 is stopped.

  As described above, according to the flow meter 30 of the present embodiment, the fitting method using the case 35 is adopted as the connection structure of the body 31 and the accessory parts, and the body 31, the adapter 32, the cylinder 34, the bottom cap 37, and the top cap. The screw structure was completely abolished in each of the 38 connecting parts. This eliminates the need for special processing such as threading when forming the component at the component forming stage, enables automatic production, and reduces the cost of the component. In addition, the skill of managing the tightening torque value of the screw portion is not required even at the product assembly stage, the structure is simplified and the number of man-hours is reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the flow meter 30 can be significantly reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case 35 can be firmly coupled to the body 31 by adopting a rotary lock mechanism including the stoppers 37c and 38c and the key hole 35c. For this reason, since case 35 which consists of cheap ABS resin can be used, there exists an advantage that it can manufacture at low cost.

  By the way, the flow meter 30 of the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows.

The shape of the float 36 constituting the flow rate measuring means is not particularly limited. Flowmeter 30A shown in FIGS. 5 (a) for example is an example in which the float 36 conically flowmeter 30B shown in FIG. 5 (b) is an example in which the float 36 into a spherical shape.

Further, the needle valve 33 is attached to the valve hole 43 so that the introduction flow rate can be adjusted. However, such a valve is not necessarily required. For example, for Fig. 5 (c) flow meters 30C float 36 conical shown in a flow meter 30D shown in FIG. 5 (d) for the float 36 spherical, an example of omitting the valve, respectively. In this case, the cap 46 is inserted into the valve hole 43, and the CR-type retaining ring 40 is fitted from behind to cap the valve hole 43 with the cap 46.

Further, the float 36 may be guided by a guide pole. For example, the flow meter 30E shown in FIG. 6 (e) has a configuration in which the needle valve 33 is mounted, and the flow meter 30F shown in FIG. 6 (f) has a configuration in which the needle valve 33 is omitted. In this example, both ends of the guide pole 48 are inserted into the insertion hole 38b and the guide pole insertion hole 31b of the rectifying plate 31c to support the float 36 along the guide pole 48 so as to be movable up and down.

Further, when the float 36 is supported by the guide pole 48, the position of the float 36 can be detected by a magnetic sensor or the like. For example, the flow meter 30G shown in FIG. 6 (g) has a configuration in which a needle valve 33 is mounted, and the flow meter 30H in FIG. 6 (h) has a configuration in which the needle valve 33 is omitted. In this example, the Hall IC sensor 49 is inserted from the sensor mounting hole 35a of the case 35 and fixed to the case 35, thereby detecting the position of the float 36 from the outside of the body 31 in a non-contact manner.

  In the present embodiment, the area type flow rate measuring means using the float 36 is adopted, but instead of this, other types of flow rate measuring means such as an impeller type and a screw type may be adopted.

The front view which showed the external appearance of the flowmeter of this invention . Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the flowmeter of this invention . Explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of the assembly of the flowmeter of this invention . FIG. 3A is a top view and a cross-sectional view showing a state of the flow meter according to the present invention , FIG. 3B is a top view of the lock mechanism, and FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the flowmeter of this invention . Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the flowmeter of this invention . Sectional drawing which showed the internal structure of the conventional flowmeter.

Explanation of symbols

30 Flowmeter 31 Body 31a Rectifying hole 31b Guide pole insertion hole 31c Rectifying plate 32 Adapter 33 Needle valve 33a Knob part 34 Cylinder 34a Notch part 35 Case 35a Sensor mounting hole 35b Adapter insertion hole 35c Key hole 36 Float 37 Bottom cap 37c Stopper 38 Upper cap 38a Rectifying hole 38b Guide pole insertion hole 38c Stopper 39 Packing 40 CR retaining ring 41 Inlet port 42 Outlet port 43 Valve hole 43a Mounting portion 44 Fluid passage 45 Processing hole 46 Cap 47 Fluid scale 48 Guide pole 49 Hall IC sensor

Claims (5)

A body in which an introduction port for introducing a fluid, a discharge port for discharging the introduced fluid is opened, and a fluid passage that connects the introduction port and the discharge port is formed;
Flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of fluid passing through the fluid passage of the body;
An adapter for pipe connection fitted into the inlet and outlet of the body,
Fixing means for crimping and fixing the adapter to the body ,
The fixing means is
A case surrounding the outer shape of the body,
The case has an insertion hole for inserting the adapter,
A flowmeter characterized by having a structure in which the adapter is inserted into an insertion hole of the case and the case is fitted and fixed to the body . The fixing means is
A front rear circular key hole is formed in a part of the case, and a flat oval stopper composed of a straight portion and an arc portion is rotatably provided at a corresponding portion of the body,
When the linear portion of the stopper enters the rear circle portion along the front portion of the key hole, and the arc portion is rotated along the rear circle portion of the key hole by turning the stopper, the stopper is moved into the key hole. The flowmeter according to claim 1 , further comprising: a lock mechanism that is locked to the flowmeter. The valve further includes a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fluid introduced from the inlet of the body into the fluid passage, and a cylinder integrated with the valve. A retaining ring is fitted into a rear portion of the cylinder so that the cylinder is fitted to the body. The flowmeter according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the flowmeter is fixed by crimping. The flow rate measuring means is a taper tube in which the body expands the inner diameter of the fluid passage from the inlet to the outlet, and the float accommodated in the fluid passage reciprocates according to the differential pressure of the fluid. The flowmeter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the flow rate is measured by the method. The flowmeter according to claim 4 , wherein a magnet is built in the float, and a magnetic sensor for detecting a position of the float from the outside of the body is attached.

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