JP2010071785A - Gas meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas meter that reduces the number of fixing screws for fixing a front case to a measurement section of the gas meter, reduces the cost, improves the assembling property, and improves the appearance of the front surface of the gas meter. <P>SOLUTION: This gas meter 100 comprises the measurement section case 5a that has a gas inflow port 1a and gas outflow port 1b and stores a mechanism for measuring the flow rate of gas passing the inside, an electronic control unit 2 disposed in front of the measurement section case 5a, and a front case 3 that is fixed to the front surface of the measurement section case 5a and stores the electronic control unit 2. An engaging nail 4 disposed on the rear side of the upper surface section of the front case is engaged with an engaging wall 6 disposed at an front end of the upper surface section of the measurement section case 5a, and the lower part of the front case 3 is screwed with the measurement section case 5a inside a terminal cover 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas meter, and more particularly, to a gas meter including a front case that is easy to mount and has a small number of mounting parts.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a conventional gas meter, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view thereof.
The conventional gas meter 200 is arranged behind the gas meter 200 and configured to integrate the flow rate or volume of the gas that has passed through the measuring unit 5 having the gas inflow portion 1a and the outflow portion 1b that can be connected to the gas pipe. .

  For example, in the case of a membrane gas meter, a plurality of measuring chambers partitioned by a diaphragm are provided below the measuring unit 5, and the diaphragm is reciprocated by the flow of gas flowing inside the measuring unit 5. Yes. In addition to a link mechanism that converts this reciprocating motion into a rotational motion and a valve that switches the gas in and out of the measuring chamber by this rotational motion, a pressure sensor, a shut-off valve, and the like are provided on the upper part of the measuring unit 5. ing.

  The rotational motion by the link mechanism is also transmitted to a mechanical counter provided at the upper front portion of the measuring unit 5, and the integrated value of the gas flow rate is displayed on the display 11 of the mechanical counter. In addition, an electronic control unit 2 having a board on which a microcomputer for realizing various functions in the gas meter 200 is provided at the front lower part or the central part of the measuring part 5 to detect an abnormality in the gas flow rate value. It functions as an abnormality detection circuit for closing the shut-off valve. At the lower part of the electronic control unit 2, there is a connection part 8 for electrical connection with an external device such as a gas leak alarm.

  The gas meter 200 is often installed outdoors, and a front case 3 is disposed and fixed on the front surface of the gas meter 200 in order to protect the display 11 and the electronic control unit 2 from moisture and dust from the outside. The display 11 and the electronic control unit 2 are housed in the front case 3. In addition, in order to enable wiring from the connection portion 8 provided at the lower portion of the electronic control unit 2 to the outside, a connection opening portion 12 is provided at the lower portion of the front case 3, and the connection portion 8 is connected to moisture from the outside. In order to protect against dust, a terminal cover 9 that closes the connection opening 12 of the front case 3 is provided.

In order to fix the front case 3 of the gas meter covering the electronic control unit 2 to the measuring unit 5, the conventional gas meter 200 is screwed to the case of the measuring unit 5 with a plurality of fixing screws 10 from the front side of the gas meter. It was fixed.
As a gas meter having such a front case mounting structure, there is one described in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP 2003-31533 A

  In the conventional gas meter, in order to securely fix the front case 3 to the measuring unit 5, it is necessary to fix a large number of screws at the four corners of the front case 3, and the number of fixing screws 10 cannot be reduced. The workability of attaching the front case 3 also took time. Further, when the gas meter is viewed from the front, the fixing screw 10 is exposed, which is a cause of deteriorating the aesthetic appearance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the number of fixing screws for fixing the front case to the measurement part of the gas meter is reduced, the cost is reduced, the assembling property is improved, and the gas meter is further improved. The object is to provide a gas meter with improved front aesthetics.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a measuring unit case having a gas inlet and a gas outlet and housing a mechanism for measuring the amount of gas passing through the interior, and an electronic control unit provided in front of the measuring unit case A gas meter having a front case fixed to the front surface of the measurement unit case and housing the electronic control unit, the fitting claw provided on the rear side of the upper surface of the front case, and the front of the upper surface of the measurement unit case The front case is fixed to the measurement unit case by fitting with a fitting wall provided at an edge and screwing the lower part of the front case to the measurement unit case.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the front case at a position facing the connection portion has a connection portion for making an electrical connection with an external device below the electronic control unit. A terminal cover having a connection opening and detachably covering the connection opening is provided, and a lower portion of the front case is screwed to the measurement unit case inside the terminal cover. It is a thing.

According to the gas meter of the present invention, the front case is fixed to the measurement unit by fitting a fitting claw provided on the rear side of the upper surface of the front case with a fitting wall protruding from the front edge of the upper surface of the measurement unit case of the gas meter. Therefore, if only the lower part of the front case is screwed with a fixing screw, the front case can be securely fixed to the measuring unit, and the front case can be prevented from falling off the measuring unit. Furthermore, the number of fixing screws can be reduced, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts, and the assemblability is improved.
Further, since the fixing screw screwed to the lower side of the front case is concealed by the terminal cover disposed on the front surface thereof, it is possible to improve the aesthetics of the gas meter front side.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view seen from the side thereof. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view thereof.
In addition, in the gas meter 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, about the same structural member as the conventional gas meter 100, the same code | symbol is used.

  As with the conventional gas meter 200, the gas meter 100 is arranged behind the gas meter 100 and integrates the flow rate or volume of the gas that has passed through the measuring unit 5 having the gas inflow portion 1a and the outflow portion 1b that can be connected to the gas pipe. It is configured to

  In the lower part of the measuring unit 5, for example, in the case of a membrane gas meter, a plurality of measuring chambers partitioned by a diaphragm are provided, and in the upper part of the measuring unit 5, the reciprocating motion of the diaphragm is converted into a rotational motion. In addition to the link mechanism that performs this rotation and the valve that switches the gas in and out of the measuring chamber by this rotational movement, a pressure sensor, a shutoff valve, and the like are provided. Thus, the case 5a of the measurement unit 5 houses a mechanism for measuring the amount of gas passing through the inside.

  The rotational motion by the link mechanism is also transmitted to a mechanical counter provided at the upper front portion of the measuring unit 5, and the integrated value of the gas flow rate is displayed on the display 11 of the mechanical counter. In addition, an electronic control unit 2 having a substrate on which a microcomputer for realizing various functions in the gas meter 100 is provided is provided at the lower front portion or the central portion of the measurement unit 5. At the lower part of the electronic control unit 2, there is a connection part 8 for electrical connection with an external device such as a gas leak alarm.

A front case 3 made of a material such as resin is disposed and fixed on the front surface of the gas meter 100 in order to protect the display 11 and the electronic control unit 2 from external moisture and dust. A connection opening 12 is provided at a position facing the connection portion 8, and a terminal cover 9 that closes the connection opening 12 of the front case 3 is detachably attached.
Although these structures of the gas meter 100 are the same as those of the conventional gas meter 200, the gas meter 100 is not limited to a membrane gas meter, and may be another type of gas meter such as an ultrasonic gas meter.

  Here, the front case 3 is located in front of the gas meter 100 and includes a front portion having a window 15 for viewing the display 11 and a window 16 for viewing the liquid crystal display provided in the electronic control unit 2. The front and rear side portions of the front case 3 are provided with fitting claws 4 protruding downward by integral molding. Further, a through hole 13 for penetrating the fixing screw 7 is provided in a portion inside the terminal cover 9 below the front case 3 and hidden from the outside. On the other hand, on the front edge of the upper surface portion of the case 5 a that houses the measuring unit 5 of the gas meter 100, a fitting wall 6 that protrudes upward to be fitted with the fitting claw 4 of the front case 5 is provided. A screw hole 14 is provided at a position facing the hole 13.

  When attaching and fixing the front case 3 to the measuring unit 5, first, measure both side surfaces of the front case 3 so that the fitting claws 4 of the front case 3 are located above the fitting wall 6 of the measuring unit case 5a. After contacting the front surface of the case 5a of the portion 5, the front case 3 is moved downward to engage the fitting claws 4 of the front case 3 and the fitting wall 6 of the measuring unit case 5a. The fixing screw 7 is passed through the through hole 13 below, and the fixing screw 7 is screwed into the screw hole 14 provided below the measuring unit case 5a.

Thereby, the front case 3 can be reliably fixed to the measurement unit case 5a, and the front case 3 can be prevented from falling off.
And since the terminal cover 9 which closes the connection opening part 12 of the front case 3 is detachably attached to the front side of the location where the fixing screw 7 is screwed, the fixing screw 7 is concealed.

In this embodiment, one fixing screw 7 is used, but a plurality of fixing screws 7 may be used. Further, the windows 15 and 16 provided in the front case 3 may be provided with glass for preventing moisture and dust from entering from the outside.
Further, for example, in the case where a storage case that covers the display device is already provided on the front surface of the display device 11 and glass is provided on the front surface of the storage case, the window 15 serves as an opening, and the inside of the window 15 It is also possible to attach the front case 3 to the measuring unit case 5a via a packing between the peripheral part and the glass outer peripheral part on the front surface of the display case.

In addition, the display 11 may be housed in a display housing case that is a separate component from the front case 3 as described above. In this case, the fitting wall 6 may be provided in the display housing case.
In the present embodiment, the case 5a of the measuring unit 5 is composed of one, but it may be composed of two upper and lower cases.

It is a front view of the gas meter concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing seen from the side surface of the gas meter which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the gas meter which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the conventional gas meter. It is a disassembled perspective view of the conventional gas meter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a ... Inflow part, 1b ... Extraction part, 2 ... Electronic control unit, 3 ... Front case, 4 ... Mating claw, 5 ... Measuring part, 5a ... Measuring part case, 6 ... Mating wall, 7, 10 ... Fixing screw, 8 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Connection part, 9 ... Terminal cover, 11 ... Display, 12 ... Opening for connection, 13 ... Through-hole, 14 ... Screw hole, 15, 16 ... Window, 100, 200 ... Gas meter.

Claims (2)

A measurement unit case having a gas inlet and a gas outlet and containing a mechanism for measuring the amount of gas passing through the inside, an electronic control unit provided in front of the measurement unit case, and a front surface of the measurement unit case A gas meter having a front case which is fixed to the electronic control unit and accommodates the electronic control unit,
The fitting claw provided on the rear side of the upper surface of the front case and the fitting wall provided on the front edge of the upper surface of the measurement unit case are fitted together, and the lower part of the front case is screwed to the measurement unit case. The gas meter, wherein the front case is fixed to the measurement unit case.   2. The gas meter according to claim 1, further comprising a connection portion for making an electrical connection with an external device below the electronic control unit, and a connection opening formed in the front case at a position facing the connection portion. And a terminal cover that detachably covers the connection opening, and a lower part of the front case is screwed to the measurement unit case inside the terminal cover.

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