JP2009092598A - Water mater - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an operator's burden by dispensing with a cover body opening/closing work for every meter inspection, and by improving visibility on a meter display part or the like, without leaving soil such as mud on the surface of a cover body. <P>SOLUTION: The whole or a part of the cover body 6 mounted to an upper case 3 is formed to be transparent (translucent) so that the inside is clearly visible even in the closed state, thus securing visibility of an indicating display part 15 and a unique information engraved part 17. The cover body 6 is formed in gentle convex shape, and meter unique information consisting of characters, figures, marks, or the like are engraved on the rear face of the cover body 6 so that a pollutant such as dust does not remain or accumulate. A catalyst layer 18, e.g., titanium dioxide (a photocatalyst) or a titanium phosphate compound (an air catalyst), is formed on the upper face of the cover body 6 to enhance antifouling action. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water meter, and more particularly, to a water meter in which unique information such as a model name for meter identification and a caliber serial number is engraved on the surface of a lid or the upper surface of an upper case.

  Conventionally, this type of water meter is generally provided with a lid on the upper part of a case in which a lower case and an upper case are integrally assembled with each other, and the case has a metering unit, an indicator, etc. Functional parts are built in. Further, an impeller is rotatably provided in the measuring unit, and a magnet is fixed to the upper head of the impeller.

  Therefore, when the tap water passes through the measuring section, the impeller and the magnet rotate according to the flow rate of the tap water, the rotation of the magnet is transmitted by the magnetic coupling, and the rotation is integrated by the instruction section. At the same time, it is configured to be displayed by a meter display unit (for a similar structure, see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The lid of a conventional water meter is protected so that the meter display unit is not contaminated by contaminants such as dust or mud. Thus, at the time of meter reading, a series of operations of opening the lid and reading and recording the pointer value on the meter display unit and closing the lid of the water meter after the recording is repeated for each periodic meter reading.

  Further, it is stipulated by law that the meter display unit is easy to read and that the measurement value of the meter display unit can be clearly and clearly recognized.

Furthermore, as identification means for each water meter, a model name, a diameter, a municipality mark, and a designated serial number, which are unique information (identification information), are engraved on the surface of the lid or the upper surface of the upper case. This serial number is used as unique information when managing the water meter even after the water meter is installed in the market (such as a house of the user of the water meter).
(Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-361301)

  In the above-described series of meter reading operations, contaminants such as dust or mud remain and accumulate on the upper surface side of the meter display unit, so that the meter display unit becomes difficult to visually recognize due to the remaining and deposit during meter reading. In order to avoid such a situation, the lid of the water meter was opened and closed each time the meter was read. However, performing the opening / closing operation of the lid for each meter reading has a problem that the work load on the meter reading person becomes heavy.

  Further, the surface shape of the lid is formed to be substantially flat, and the unique information of the water meter made up of letters, numbers, marks or the like is engraved on the top surface of the lid in an uneven shape. Accordingly, contaminants such as dust or mud remain and accumulate in the recesses on the surface of the lid body, and the surface of the lid body is conspicuous, and there is a problem of giving an unsanitary impression to the water meter.

  In addition, the serial number for identifying the water meter is used when the water meter is manufactured, when the water meter is stocked at the Waterworks Bureau, after the water meter is installed in the market, and when the water meter is collected from the market. Is confirmed by visual inspection only.

  In this case, since the serial number has a small number and a large number of digits, considerable labor is imposed on the operator in the confirmation work at the time of inspection of the serial number necessary for management or data input. Therefore, the mental or physical work burden on the worker increases, and the serial number inspection error and input error may increase.

  This eliminates the need to open and close the lid during meter reading, so that dirt such as mud does not remain or accumulate on the lid surface, making it easier to see the meter display section and the unique information marking section, which burdens the operator. A technical problem to be solved in order to alleviate arises, and the present invention aims to solve this problem.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 is a meter for displaying a measuring section through which tap water passes in a case, an amount of tap water passing through the measuring section, and the like. A water meter provided with a display unit and a lid attached to the upper part of the case, wherein the cover is curved so that the upper part is convex, and at least the meter display unit in the cover And a portion corresponding to the transparent body is formed transparent or semi-transparent, and unique information of a water meter made of letters is engraved on the back surface or upper case upper surface of the lid body, and at least the unique section of the lid body A portion corresponding to the information engraving portion also provides a water meter that is formed to be transparent or translucent.

  According to this configuration, the display unit of the water meter and the unique information engraved on the back surface of the lid body or the upper surface of the upper case can be directly viewed via the transparent or translucent portion of the lid body, and the lid Since the body is curved so that the upper side is convex, rainwater or pollutants that adhere to the surface of the lid body naturally fall down to the periphery.

  The invention according to claim 2 provides a water meter in which a catalyst layer made of titanium dioxide or the like is formed on the upper surface of the transparent or translucent portion of the lid.

  According to this configuration, when a contaminant such as dust or mud adheres to the upper surface of the transparent or translucent portion of the lid, the contaminant is titanium dioxide (photocatalyst) or titanium phosphate compound (air catalyst). It is decomposed and removed by chemical catalytic reaction (antibacterial and antifouling action).

  Further, the contaminants adhering to the upper surface of the lid corresponding to the unique information engraving portion in the invention of claim 1 are also quickly decomposed and removed by the catalyst layer in the same manner as described above.

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 provides a water meter in which an IC tag or a barcode as a storage medium in which unique information of the water meter is described on the back surface side of the lid.

  According to this configuration, the IC tag or the barcode is built in the back side of the lid as an information storage medium storing unique information of the water meter. When the IC tag or barcode is actually built in the lid, the IC tag or barcode is printed on a sheet, the printed sheet is inserted and fixed on the back side of the plate-like lid, and then the lid Is fixed to the case by welding.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the meter reader can easily visually recognize the indicator value on the meter display unit from the top of the water meter lid through the transparent or translucent portion of the lid. Further, since the meter reader does not need to open and close the lid of the water meter each time the meter is read, the workload of the meter meter during meter reading is significantly reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pollutant decomposed and removed by the catalyst layer such as titanium dioxide does not remain or accumulate on the upper surface of the lid corresponding to the meter display unit or the specific information engraving unit. In addition to the effect of the present invention, there is no possibility that the visibility to the meter display unit or the unique information engraving unit is deteriorated over a long period of time due to the decomposed and removed contaminants.

  Since the invention described in claim 3 incorporates an IC tag or a barcode as a storage medium in which unique information of the water meter is stored, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, for example, If the unique information is a serial number for water meter identification, the serial number is visually checked when the water meter is manufactured, stocked at the Waterworks Bureau, after installing the water meter in the market, or when the water meter is collected from the market. When the inspection or input is performed, the inspection operation or the input operation can be easily performed, and the burden on the operator is reduced.

  The present invention makes it unnecessary to open and close the lid for each meter reading, dirt such as dust does not remain on the lid surface, and facilitates visual confirmation of unique information (such as a serial number) when collecting a water meter, In order to achieve the purpose of lightening the burden on the operator, a measuring unit through which tap water passes in the case and a meter display unit for displaying the amount of tap water passing through the measuring unit are provided, and the case In the water meter in which a lid is attached to the upper part of the lid, the lid is curved so that the upper side is convex, and at least a portion corresponding to the meter display portion of the lid is transparent or translucent Formed, the unique information of the water meter consisting of letters is engraved on the back surface or upper case upper surface of the lid, and at least the portion corresponding to the unique information engraving portion in the lid, Transparent or It was achieved by providing a water meter being transparent formed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the whole or a part of the lid is made transparent or colored and translucent so that the meter display section can be clearly seen with the lid closed, and the lid is gently convex. In addition, a character or the like, which is unique information for the meter, is formed on the back surface of the lid so that contaminants such as dust do not accumulate on the surface of the lid.

  In addition, by forming a catalyst layer (titanium oxide or titanium phosphate compound) on the lid surface and exhibiting antibacterial and antifouling effects, it is configured so that the visibility of the lid can be maintained permanently. It is. The present invention can be applied to either an electronic water meter or a mechanical water meter.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a water meter according to the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a water meter, and the water meter 1 includes a lower case 2 and an upper case 3 assembled together. The lower case 2 is formed with a measuring section 5 through which tap water passes, and an impeller 4 is rotatably provided in the measuring section 5.

  A lid 6 made of transparent resin or translucent resin is mounted on the upper case 3 so as to be openable and closable. The configuration of the lid 6 will be described later.

  The impeller 4 provided in the measuring unit 5 increases or decreases in rotation speed according to the flow rate of tap water. A driving magnet 7 is attached to the upper head of the impeller 4, and the driving magnet 7 is magnetically coupled to a driven magnet 9 with a gear 8.

  Therefore, when tap water passes through the measuring unit 5 and the impeller 4 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the drive-side magnet 7 and the gear 8 rotates. Further, a register box 10 is fixed in the lower case 2, and the driven magnet 9 is rotatably provided in the register box 10.

  A number wheel 11 is arranged on the other side (left side in FIG. 1) in the register box 10, and a reduction gear train (not shown) composed of a plurality of gears is driven between the number wheel 11 and the gear 8. It is provided so that it can be transmitted. The rotation of the impeller 4 is transmitted to the numeral wheel 11 through a reduction gear train.

  A lower base plate 12 is fixed to the other side (the right side in FIG. 1) in the register box 10, and a gear shaft 13 is integrally provided on the lower base plate 12. A gear 14 is rotatably attached to the gear shaft 13, and the gear 14 constitutes one of the aforementioned reduction gear trains.

  Now, when the tap water passes through the measuring unit 5 of the water meter 1, the impeller 4 and the drive side magnet 7 rotate according to the flow rate of the tap water. The rotational speed of the drive side magnet 7 is transmitted to the number wheel 11 via the driven side magnet 9 and displayed on the instruction display unit 15 provided at the upper part of the upper case 3.

  In this embodiment, the upper part of the upper case 3 is covered with a lid body 6. On the back surface of the lid 6, meter specific information made up of letters, numbers, marks or the like is engraved. In addition, a serial number is engraved on the upper surface of the upper case. These unique information includes, for example, unique information (serial number) given during the manufacturing process of the water meter 1, unique information used when the water meter is stocked, and unique information after the water meter 1 is installed in the market. It is used as information or recycling information after collecting the water meter 1 from the market.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, characters, numbers, or marks (unique information engraving unit 17) that display the diameter of the water meter 1 are formed on the back surface of one side of the lid body 6 by watermark engraving. .

  Further, in the illustrated example, the entire lid body 6 is colorless / colored so that the indication display section 15 (see FIG. 1) and the like in the upper case 3 can be clearly seen from the outside when the lid body 6 is closed. It is formed transparently. In this case, if the indication display part 15 etc. in the upper case 3 can be clearly visually recognized, the lid 6 can be formed to be colorless / colored and translucent even if it is not transparent.

  When a part of the lid 6 is formed to be transparent or translucent, the instruction display unit 15 and the unique information marking unit 17 in the upper case 3 and the serial number or the like engraved on the upper surface of the upper case are visually checked. In order to enable easy recognition, at least the instruction display unit 15, the unique information marking unit 17, and the portion of the lid 6 corresponding to the serial number marking unit on the upper case upper surface are transparent or translucent so that they can be seen through Form.

  The longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the cover body 6 is formed in the curved shape which becomes convex upward so that the code | symbol F in FIG. 3 may illustrate. That is, it is formed so as to be gradually inclined downward from the center portion on the upper surface of the lid body 6 toward the outer peripheral edge portion.

  Further, a catalyst layer 18 having antifouling performance (including antibacterial performance) is formed on the entire upper surface of the lid 6. As the catalyst layer 18, for example, titanium dioxide (photocatalyst) or a titanium phosphate compound (air catalyst) is coated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the entire upper surface of the lid body 6 is formed transparent, and a catalyst layer 18 such as titanium dioxide having antifouling performance is formed on the upper surface of the lid body 6. ing. For this reason, when a contaminant such as dust or mud adheres to the upper surface of the lid 6, the contaminant is quickly decomposed and removed by a chemical catalytic reaction by the catalyst layer 18 (antibacterial / antifouling action).

  Therefore, there is no possibility that contaminants remain or accumulate on the upper surface of the lid 6. Thus, at the time of periodic meter reading, the meter reader can easily visually recognize the pointer value of the instruction display unit 15 or the characters of the unique information marking unit 17 from the top of the lid 6. Further, since the meter reader does not need to open and close the lid 6 every time the meter is read, the burden on the meter reader in a series of meter reading operations is significantly reduced.

  Furthermore, when unique information for the meter is formed on the back surface of the lid body 6, for example, when letters, numbers, or marks are engraved as the unique information, dust or mud is formed in the recesses at the location where the unique information is engraved as in the past. Contaminants such as do not remain or accumulate.

  Therefore, the visibility with respect to the unique information is further improved, the appearance of the water meter 1 is improved, and a very hygienic impression can be given to the viewer.

  In addition, when the worker confirms the serial number in the inspection process or input process necessary for the management of the water meter 1, the confirmation work of the serial number can be performed easily and quickly, and the burden on the worker is reduced. The occurrence of inspection errors and input errors can be prevented in advance.

  Visually check the identification number used when stocked at the Waterworks Bureau, the identification data used after installing the water meter 1 in the market, or the recycling information used after collecting the water meter 1 from the market In this case, as in the case described above, the burden on the operator is reduced, so that the work efficiency is improved as compared with the conventional case.

  Furthermore, the upper surface of the lid 6 is formed in a gently curved shape that is convex upward. Therefore, for example, the contaminants decomposed and removed by the catalyst layer 18 at the central portion or the radial intermediate portion of the lid body 6 move in the direction from the central portion of the lid body 6 toward the outer peripheral end. Accordingly, no contaminants are accumulated on the upper surface of the lid 6, and thus the visibility with respect to the indication display unit 15 and the unique information marking unit 17 is stably maintained over a long period of time.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a storage medium 19 in which unique information of the water meter 1 is stored or described, that is, an IC tag or a barcode is built in the back surface on the other side of the lid body 6. Yes. Specifically, the IC tag or the barcode is formed on a sheet or double-sided printed on the sheet, and the circuit-formed or double-sided printed sheet is inserted into a carved portion formed on the back surface of the lid 6.

  Therefore, by fixing the seat cover 20 to the engraved portion of the lid 6 in a watertight manner, the IC tag or the barcode can be protected in a watertight manner on the back side of the lid 6. Deterioration of function is surely prevented.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Example which concerns on this invention, and demonstrates schematic structure of a water meter. The top view which shows the cover body of the water meter of FIG. Sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Water meter
2 Lower case 3 Upper case 5 Weighing section 6 Lid 15 Instruction display section (meter display section)
17 Unique information marking part 18 Catalyst layer 19 Storage medium 20 Seat cover

Claims (3)

  In a water meter provided with a metering unit through which tap water passes in a case and a meter display unit for displaying the amount of tap water that has passed through the metering unit, and a lid attached to the upper part of the case, The lid is curved so that the upper side is convex, and at least a portion corresponding to the meter display portion of the lid is formed to be transparent or translucent, and the back surface of the lid or the upper surface of the upper case The unique information of the water meter consisting of letters is engraved on the lid, and at least the portion corresponding to the unique information engraving portion of the lid is also formed to be transparent or translucent Meter.   2. A water meter according to claim 1, wherein a catalyst layer made of titanium dioxide or the like is formed on the upper surface of the transparent or translucent portion of the lid. The water meter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an IC tag or a bar code as a storage medium in which unique information of the water meter is written on the back side of the lid is incorporated.

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