JP2008267932A - Insect-proof structure and gas meter with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent intrusion of insects into an electronic control part provided in a gas meter, with simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: The gas meter includes a connection cable lead-in hole 2 for leading in a connection cable for connecting to the internal electronic control part. A rubber packing 1 includes a connection cable lead-in hole sealing part 5 for sealing a connection cable lead-in hole 2 in a state of the connection cable 3 being led into the connection cable lead-in hole 2, and a connection cable storage part 6 storing a part of the connection cable 3 led out of the connection cable lead-in hole 2. The rubber packing 1 further has a pin holding part engaged with a pin 4 protrusively provided near the connection cable lead-in hole 2 to hold the rubber packing 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an insect-proof structure and a gas meter having the insect-proof structure, and more particularly to an insect-proof structure that prevents insects from entering an electronic control unit of a gas meter installed outdoors, and a gas meter having the insect-proof structure. .

Most gas meters installed outdoors are equipped with an electronic control unit, and an insect-proof structure is applied to protect the electronic control unit. If the purpose is only to protect the electronic control unit, it is possible to prevent insects from entering the electronic control unit by attaching an elastic member such as rubber to the case unit in which the electronic control unit is housed.
However, usually, a connection cable is used to connect an external device and the electronic control unit, or to connect a component or the like and the electronic control unit inside the gas meter. It is necessary to take measures against insects by another method for the cable introduction part that introduces the connection cable to the electronic control part.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a prior art that discloses a waterproof and insect-proof structure for a cable introduction portion that introduces a connection cable into an electronic device casing.
In the waterproof and insect-proof structure of Patent Document 1, a waterproof and insect-proof structure is given to each of the plurality of connection cables. And the connection cable introducing | transducing part which is not used is sealed with another member. Further, as another structure of Patent Document 1, there is a structure in which a slit is provided in a rubber thin film, and a plurality of connection cables are simultaneously subjected to insect repellent treatment by the thin film.

  Regarding the insect-proofing structure of the cable introduction part that introduces the connection cable into the electronic control part etc., there is one in which insect-proofing measures are taken at a plurality of locations for each connection cable as in Patent Document 1 described above. Problems such as hindering space saving and increasing assembly man-hours are undesirable. Moreover, even when insecticidal measures are taken simultaneously for a plurality of connection cables with a thin film provided with slits, insects may enter from the gap between the slits and the connection cables, which is not sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an insect control structure that can reliably prevent insects from entering an electronic control unit included in a gas meter with a simple configuration, and a gas meter having the insect control structure. The purpose is to provide.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an insect-proof structure of a gas meter provided with a connection cable introduction hole for introducing a connection cable to be connected to an internal electronic control unit, and a rubber packing is disposed in the connection cable introduction hole. It is characterized by being.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the rubber packing includes a connection cable introduction hole sealing portion that seals the connection cable introduction hole in a state where the connection cable is introduced into the connection cable introduction hole, and a connection And a connection cable storage portion for storing a part of the connection cable drawn from the cable introduction hole.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the rubber packing has a pin holding portion for holding the rubber packing by engaging with a pin protruding in the vicinity of the connection cable introduction hole.

  The invention of claim 4 is a gas meter comprising the insect-proof structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the insect control structure which can prevent the insect invasion to the electronic control part with which a gas meter is equipped reliably with a simple structure, and the gas meter provided with the insect control structure can be provided.
According to the present invention, instead of individually sealing the plurality of connection cables, the connection cable introduction hole for introducing the connection cable to the electronic control unit side even if the plurality of connection cables are connected to the connector. And a plurality of connection cables can be simultaneously sealed with rubber packing.

  Further, according to the present invention, the rubber packing includes a connection cable introduction hole sealing portion that seals the connection cable introduction hole in a state where the connection cable is introduced, and a part of the connection cable drawn out from the connection cable introduction hole. Since it is equipped with a connection cable storage part for storage, attaching the rubber packing to the connection cable introduction hole allows the rubber packing to be in close contact with the connection cable introduction hole and the connection cable, ensuring that there are no gaps. Can prevent intrusion.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the pin provided in the vicinity of the connection cable introduction hole and the pin holding portion of the rubber packing are engaged with each other, so that the rubber packing is not pushed up or expanded by the elasticity of the connection cable. In addition, it is possible to prevent the insect from entering by reliably preventing a gap from being generated in the mounting portion of the rubber packing.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective schematic view for explaining a configuration example of a gas meter having an insect-proof structure according to the present invention, in which 10 is a gas meter, 11 is a gas meter body, 12 is a spacer, 13 is a display case, Is an electronic unit case, 15 is a counter case, and 16 is a connector insertion portion.
The gas meter 10 incorporates an electronic control unit that executes various predetermined functions. A plurality of connection cables are used to connect the gas meter 10 and an external device, or to connect the electronic control unit and other circuits and components inside the gas meter 10.

  In this case, in order to protect the electronic control unit, it is necessary to seal a portion where the connection cable is introduced toward the electronic control unit. In particular, since a gas meter is generally installed outdoors, it is necessary to provide an insect control structure to the electronic control unit. With respect to the connection with the electronic control unit, the connector of the connection cable is inserted from the connector insertion portion 16 of the gas meter, the connection cable is wrapped with rubber, and the rubber is pressed with a member with packing from above, thereby waterproofing and insectproofing The structure is realized.

  In the embodiment according to the present invention, an insect can easily enter the electronic control unit in the introduction portion of the connection cable for connecting the electronic control unit and other circuits and components inside the gas meter 10. It is characterized by an insect repellent structure that can be surely prevented.

  For example, in the gas meter shown in FIG. 1, a flow sensor for detecting a gas flow rate, a pressure sensor for detecting a gas pressure, or a gas shut-off when a gas abnormality is detected, is provided in a housing behind the display unit case 13. Parts such as a shut-off valve are installed to shut off the gas flow during operation. The connection cable 3 connected to these components is drawn from the rear of the display unit case 13 to the front side of the spacer 12 through the connection cable introduction hole 2 provided in the spacer 12. The drawn connection cable 3 is connected to an electronic control unit built in the electronic unit case 14 with a connector.

The electronic control unit built in the electronic unit case 14 has a function of monitoring the signals of the above three components (flow rate sensor, pressure sensor, shut-off valve) and controlling the operation of these components. For example, it has a function of controlling the opening and closing of the shutoff valve, a function of monitoring a flow signal by a flow sensor, and a function of monitoring a pressure detection signal by a pressure sensor.
In addition, the electronic control unit built in the electronic unit case 14 has a display function for displaying the shut-off valve open / close state and abnormality information, a function for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device, and a gas alarm signal. A function for monitoring, a function for detecting earthquakes, a switch function for opening and closing a shut-off valve, and the like are provided.

  With the configuration described above, the electronic control unit built in the electronic unit case 14 and the components (flow sensor, pressure sensor, shut-off valve) mounted in the housing behind the display unit case 13 are connected with a connection cable. Must be connected. At this time, by introducing the connection cable into the cable introduction hole 2 provided in the spacer 12, the electronic control unit and the components are connected by the connection cable.

As described above, a plurality of connection cables are used to connect the gas meter 10 and an external device, and to connect the electronic control unit and other circuits and components inside the gas meter 10. At this time, in order to realize an insect-proof structure that protects the electronic control unit, it is necessary to seal the introduction portion of the connection cable.
In the embodiment according to the present invention, instead of sealing a plurality of connection cables individually, a connection cable introduction for introducing the connection cables to the electronic control unit side even when the plurality of connection cables are connected to the connector. The gap between the hole and the plurality of connection cables can be simultaneously sealed with rubber packing.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part showing the rubber packing attached to the connection cable introduction hole shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rubber packing shown in FIG. In each figure, 1 is a rubber packing, 2 is a connection cable introduction hole, 3 is a connection cable, 4 is a pin, 5 is a connection cable introduction hole sealing part, 6 is a connection cable storage part, and 7 is a pin holding part.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the connection cable 3 connected to the component attached to the housing behind the display unit case is pulled out to the front side of the spacer 12 through the connection cable introduction hole 2 provided in the spacer 12. It is. At this time, in order to improve workability at the time of manufacture, a connector is connected to the connection cable 3 in advance. For this reason, the connection cable introduction hole 2 is formed with a size that allows the connector of the connection cable 3 to pass therethrough.

At this time, the rubber packing 1 is attached to the connection cable introduction hole 2 in order to provide an insect-proof structure for the electronic control unit in the electronic unit case 14.
As shown in the figure, the rubber packing 1 is provided with a connection cable introduction hole sealing portion 5 for being inserted into the connection cable introduction hole 2 and sealing the opening. The connection cable introduction hole sealing portion 5 does not seal the entire area of the connection cable introduction hole 2 but has a size such that a region through which the connection cable 3 can pass is left in a part of the connection cable introduction hole 2. It is formed in a shape such that no gap is formed between the connection cable 3 and the rubber packing 1. Thereby, the connection cable introduction hole sealing part 5 can seal the connection cable introduction hole 2 in a state where the connection cable 3 is introduced into the connection cable introduction hole 2.

  A connection cable storage 6 for storing the connection cable 3 is provided on the side of the connection cable introduction hole sealing portion 5 of the rubber packing 1. The connection cable storage 6 stores a part of the connection cable 3 drawn out from the connection cable introduction hole 2, and the connection cable 3 can be led out from the opening on the side surface of the rubber packing 1. When the rubber packing 1 is attached to the connection cable introduction hole 2, the rubber packing 1 is in close contact with the connection cable introduction hole 2 and the connection cable 3, so that insects can be prevented from entering without causing a gap.

  Further, a pin 4 protrudes in the vicinity of the connection cable introduction hole 2 of the spacer 12 and engages with a pin holding portion 7 provided in the rubber packing 1. The pin holding part 7 is a cylindrical non-through hole, and the rubber packing 1 is held by inserting the pin 4 into the non-through hole. By such a configuration in which the pin 4 and the pin holding portion 7 are engaged, the connection cable introduction hole in which the rubber packing 1 is mounted without the rubber packing 1 being pushed up or expanded by the elasticity of the connection cable 3. No gap is generated in 2.

  When the connection cable introduction hole 2 is sealed using the rubber packing 1 having the shape as described above, the connection cable introduction hole sealing portion of the rubber packing 1 with the connection cable 3 passed through the connection cable introduction hole 2. 5 is inserted into the cable introduction hole 2. At the same time, the pins 4 are inserted into the pin holding portions 7 of the rubber packing 1. Then, the connection cable 3 is stored in the connection cable storage portion 6 of the rubber packing, and the connection cable 3 is pulled out from the opening on the side surface of the rubber packing 1.

  By attaching the rubber packing 1 to the connection cable introduction hole 2 in this way, the connection cable 3 drawn out from the connection cable introduction hole 2 is housed and drawn out by the rubber packing 1, and the connection cable 3 and There is no gap between the rubber packing 1 and insects can be prevented from entering from the outside.

It is a disassembled perspective schematic diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the gas meter provided with the insect-proof structure by this invention. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view which shows the rubber packing attached to the connection cable introduction hole shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the rubber packing shown in FIG. 2 from diagonally downward.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rubber packing, 2 ... Connection cable introduction hole, 3 ... Connection cable, 4 ... Pin, 5 ... Connection cable introduction hole sealing part, 6 ... Connection cable storage part, 7 ... Pin holding part, 10 ... Gas meter, 11 ... Gas meter body, 12 ... spacer, 13 ... display case, 14 ... electronic unit case, 15 ... counter case, 16 ... connector insertion part.

Claims (4)

A gas meter insect-proof structure provided with a connection cable introduction hole for introducing a connection cable to be connected to an internal electronic control unit,
An insect repellent structure, wherein a rubber packing is disposed in the connection cable introduction hole.   The insect-proof structure according to claim 1, wherein the rubber packing has a connection cable introduction hole sealing portion that seals the connection cable introduction hole in a state where the connection cable is introduced into the connection cable introduction hole, and An insect-repellent structure, comprising: a connection cable storage portion that stores a part of the connection cable drawn from the connection cable introduction hole.   The insect-proof structure, wherein the rubber packing has a pin holding portion for holding the rubber packing by engaging with a pin protruding in the vicinity of the connection cable introduction hole.   The gas meter provided with the insect-proof structure of any one of Claims 1-3.

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