JP2021043053A - Gas meter - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a gas meter that reduces an influence on flow rate measurement due to water immersion in the gas meter.SOLUTION: A gas meter 10A according to the present invention has a reservoir part 40 which reserves water flown in from a gas pipe 90 within a range in which a flow rate of a gas can be measured. Since the reservoir part 40 is sectioned by a partition wall 44 into a plurality of second storage rooms, the water flown in the reservoir part 40 can be divided and stored in the second storage rooms respectively. Consequently, if the water in the reservoir part 40 is frozen, the water is respectively frozen in respective second storage rooms 42 and expansion is dispersed in the respective second storage rooms 42. Therefore, a load on an upper and lower section wall 21 and a rear lid 14 surrounding the reservoir part 40 due to the expansion is suppressed, which reduces risks of deformation and breakage of the upper and lower section wall 21 and rear lid 14 and thereby enables a normal measurement of the flow rate of the gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a gas meter connected to a gas pipe to measure a gas flow rate.

When gas pipes are buried underground, water pipes are often buried in the vicinity. Then, it is assumed that a slight crack will occur between the water pipe and the gas pipe due to the earthquake or ground subsidence, and the water that seeps into the ground from the water pipe will seep into the gas pipe, and it will become water droplets and flow into the gas meter. Will be done. Based on this assumption, a conventional gas meter developed is known to have a storage unit for storing water flowing from a gas pipe within a range in which the flow rate of gas can be measured (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 6443902 (paragraphs [0003], [0034], FIGS. 4, 7-9).

However, as compared with the conventional gas meter described above, it is required to reduce the influence on the flow rate measurement due to the inundation in the storage portion.

The invention of claim 1 made to solve the above problem is a gas meter having a storage unit for storing water flowing from a gas pipe within a range in which the flow rate of gas can be measured, and a plurality of storage units are stored in the storage unit. It is a gas meter having a partition wall for partitioning a room and distributing the pressure when the water in the storage section becomes ice and expands.

The invention of claim 2 is the gas meter according to claim 1, further comprising a communication path connecting the lower ends of the plurality of accommodation rooms.

The invention of claim 3 relates to a first circuit including a sensor for measuring the flow rate of the gas, a second circuit for communicating between the first circuit via a communication line, and the communication line. An abnormality that is provided and is arranged below the sensor to make the communication line incommunicable due to submersion, and an abnormality that is provided in the second circuit and cannot communicate with the first circuit. The gas meter according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an abnormality notification means for detecting and notifying.

According to the invention of claim 4, the communication line includes at least one pair of communication cables connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and causes a potential difference between the pair of communication cables. According to claim 3, communication is performed between the first circuit and the second circuit by utilizing the inundation detection unit, and the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the pair of communication cables due to submersion. The gas meter described.

The invention of claim 5 has a metal housing including the storage portion, and the communication line includes at least one communication cable connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and the communication cable. A ground line connected to the ground is included in the housing, and communication is performed between the first circuit and the second circuit by utilizing the potential difference between the communication cable and the ground line, and the flooding occurs. The gas meter according to claim 3, wherein the detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the communication cable and the housing due to submersion in water.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the inundation detection unit is a relay connector that relays an electrical connection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and the relay connector is connected to the communication line and is conductive. The gas meter according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a substantially rod-shaped terminal member made of a material and a support base made of an insulating material fixed to the wall portion of the gas meter to support the terminal member.

The invention of claim 7 relates to a first circuit including a sensor for measuring the flow rate of the gas, a second circuit for supplying electric power to the first circuit via an electric power line, and the electric power line. An inundation detection unit provided and arranged below the sensor to make it impossible to supply electric power by the electric power line due to submersion, and an inundation detection unit provided in the second circuit and unable to supply electric power to the first circuit. The gas meter according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an abnormality notification means for detecting and notifying an abnormality.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the power line includes at least one pair of power cables connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and creates a potential difference between the pair of power cables. 7. A claim 7 in which power is supplied to the first circuit from the second circuit, and the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the pair of power cables due to submersion. It is a gas meter described in.

The invention according to claim 9 has a metal housing including the storage portion, and the power line includes at least one power cable connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and the power cable. A ground line connected to the ground is included in the housing, and power is supplied from the second circuit to the first circuit by utilizing the potential difference between the power cable and the ground line. The gas meter according to claim 7, wherein the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the power cable and the housing due to submersion in water.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the inundation detection unit is a relay connector that relays an electrical connection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and the relay connector is connected to the power line and is conductive. The gas meter according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a substantially rod-shaped terminal member made of a material and a support base made of an insulating material fixed to the wall portion of the gas meter to support the terminal member.

The invention according to claim 11 is the gas meter according to claim 1, wherein the inundation detection unit is arranged in the storage unit.

In the gas meter of claim 1, since the storage unit is divided into a plurality of storage rooms by a partition wall, the water flowing into the storage unit can be divided and stored in each storage room. Generally, when water is cooled, it freezes from the periphery, and finally the central part freezes and expands. The larger the volume, the larger the amount of expansion and the larger the pressure. In the gas meter of the present disclosure, the water flowing into the storage unit is divided and frozen in each storage room, so that the expansion is dispersed in each storage room and the pressure is also dispersed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the central portion of the storage portion is greatly expanded and the pressure is concentrated, and the housing is deformed or damaged.

Since the gas meter of claim 2 is provided with a communication path connecting the lower ends of a plurality of accommodation rooms, even a small amount of water flowing into the storage unit can be efficiently dispersed in each accommodation room. , The pressure due to freeze expansion can be dispersed.

The gas meter according to claim 3 includes a first circuit including a sensor for measuring a gas flow rate and a second circuit for communicating with the first circuit via a communication line, and communicates with each other. When the line becomes incommunicable, the abnormality is notified by the abnormality notification means provided in the second circuit. The communication line is provided with a flood detection unit at a position below the sensor for measuring the flow rate, which is submerged and makes communication between the first circuit and the second circuit impossible. Therefore, the flow rate is measured. Before water flows into the sensor for performing the above, the inundation detection unit is submerged and an abnormality is notified. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk that the sensor for measuring the flow rate will be flooded and the flow rate will be erroneously measured.

Further, the inundation detection unit may be provided in a power line for the second circuit to supply power to the first circuit as in the configuration of claim 7.

Then, the inundation detection unit is short-circuited between at least one pair of communication cables or one pair of power cables connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, as in the gas meter of claim 4 or 8. It may be formed, and as in the gas meter of claim 5 or 9, it is made of a metal ground-connected with at least one communication cable or one power cable connecting between the first circuit and the second circuit. It may be formed so as to short-circuit with the housing of the.

That is, in the gas meter of the present disclosure, since it is possible to detect that water has accumulated in the storage unit by using the communication line or the power line for flow rate measurement, a new inundation detection sensor is provided for inundation detection. It is not necessary to provide the electric circuit of the above, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

Further, as in the gas meter of claim 6 or 10, a relay connector that relays the electrical connection between the first circuit and the second circuit is used as a flood detection unit for detecting flooding, and the terminal member of the relay connector is submerged. It may be configured to make the communication line or the power line in a state in which communication is not possible. According to this configuration, the relay connector that facilitates the connection work between the first circuit and the second circuit can also be used as a sensor for detecting that water has accumulated in the storage unit. As a result, it is not necessary to additionally process or change the design of the communication line or the power line for inundation detection, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the labor of assembling.

Then, the inundation detection unit may be arranged in the storage unit as in claim 11.

Perspective view of the gas meter of the first embodiment (A) Rear view of the housing body in which water is stored, (B) Rear view of the housing body in which the stored water is frozen. Rear view of the housing body in a frozen state when the stored water is not provided with a partition wall Block diagram of the first circuit and the second circuit in the gas meter of the second embodiment Rear view of the housing body of the second embodiment (A) perspective view of the relay member, (B) side sectional view of the housing body to which the relay member is attached. Enlarged front view of the relay member mounted on the housing body Enlarged front view of the relay member mounted on the housing body of the third embodiment

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the gas meter 10A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The gas meter 10A of the present embodiment is a so-called ultrasonic flow meter that measures the flow rate of gas by using ultrasonic waves. The housing 11 of the gas meter 10A is, for example, a cast aluminum part, which is long in the lateral direction H1 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape flat in the front-rear direction H2. Further, the housing 11 is divided into a housing main body 12, a front lid 13, and a rear lid 14 in the front-rear direction H2.

The housing main body 12 includes an outer frame wall 15 and a front-rear partition wall 16 which is arranged at a front position in the outer frame wall 15 and divides the inside of the outer frame wall 15 back and forth. The front opening 31 of the housing body 12, which is also the front opening of the outer frame wall 15, is closed by the front lid 13, while the rear opening 32 of the housing body 12, which is also the rear opening of the outer frame wall 15, is closed. Is closed by the rear lid 14.

The front lid 13 and the rear lid 14 are fixed to the housing body 12 by screws (not shown). The rear lid 14 has a substantially flat plate shape, while the front lid 13 has a flat container shape in the front-rear direction H2 and houses a second circuit (not shown) inside. Further, a display window (not shown) is formed on the front surface of the front lid 13, and the display included in the second circuit faces forward through the display window.

A pair of tubular pipe connecting portions 17A and 17B connected to the gas pipe 90 project from both ends of the upper wall 15A of the outer frame wall 15 in the lateral direction H1, and the front and rear partition walls in the outer frame wall 15 It communicates with the space 18 in the housing on the rear side of 16. Then, the gas pipe 90 is connected to the pair of pipe connection portions 17A and 17B, gas flows from one pipe connection portion 17A shown on the right side in FIG. 1 into the housing inner space 18, and the other pipe connection portion is connected. Gas is discharged from 17B.

In the housing inner space 18, a first horizontal partition wall 19 is provided at a position closer to one of the pipe connection portions 17A. The first horizontal partition wall 19 has a plate shape connecting between the upper wall 15A of the outer frame wall 15 and the lower wall 15B of the frame, and the entire housing inner space 18 is divided into two in the horizontal direction H1.

The upper and lower partition walls 21 are provided at a position closer to the lower end of the housing inner space 18 on the other side of the first horizontal partition wall 19 on the pipe connection portion 17B side. The upper and lower partition walls 21 form a horizontal plate shape and communicate between the first horizontal partition wall 19 and the position near the lower end of the side wall 15D of the outer frame wall 15, and the first horizontal partition wall 19 of the housing inner space 18 is connected. The other pipe connection portion 17B side is divided into two in the vertical direction.

A second horizontal partition wall 20 is provided above the upper and lower partition walls 21 of the housing inner space 18 at a position closer to the other pipe connection portion 17B. The second horizontal partition wall 20 has a plate shape that connects the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the upper wall 15A of the outer frame wall 15.

Further, notches 19A and 20A are formed on the first and second horizontal partition walls 19 and 20 so as to face each other. The cutouts 19A and 20A form a substantially quadrangular shape, and the rear end sides of the first and second lateral partition walls 19 and 20 are open. Further, the cutout portions 19A and 20A are fitted with positions near both ends of the square tubular measuring tube 25. Further, these fitting portions are sealed by a sealing member (not shown). Then, the opening edge of the rear opening 32 of the housing body 12 is such that all the gas that has flowed from one pipe connecting portion 17A into the housing inner space 18 passes through the measuring pipe 25 and heads toward the other pipe connecting portion 17B. A packing (not shown) is sandwiched between the rear lid 14 and the rear lid 14.

Further, among the rear surfaces of the housing main body 12, the sealing surface 12S to which the packing is pressed by the rear surface lid 14 is the first surface excluding the entire rear end surface of the outer frame wall 15, the entire rear end surface of the upper and lower partition walls 21, and the notch 20A. 2 The entire rear end surface of the horizontal partition wall 20 and the entire rear end surface of the first horizontal partition wall 19 above the upper and lower partition walls 21 excluding the notch 19A are included. Further, a sealing surface 12S is slightly extended to the rear end surface of the first horizontal partition wall 19 below the upper and lower partition walls 21, and the portion below the sealing surface 12S is slightly forward of the sealing surface 12S. Is located in. Then, in a state where the rear surface opening 32 is closed by the rear surface lid 14, a slit-shaped communication hole 43 extending vertically is formed between the first lateral partition wall 19 and the rear surface lid 14. The communication hole 43 corresponds to the "communication path" in the claims.

A pair of ultrasonic sensors (not shown) are attached to the measuring tube 25. Then, the flow rate of the gas passing through the measuring tube 25 is measured by the same principle as the known ultrasonic flow meter. Specifically, a pair of ultrasonic sensors are arranged along the axial direction of the measuring tube 25 and transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to each other. Then, the flow velocity of the gas specified based on the difference between the propagation time of ultrasonic waves from one to the other ultrasonic flowmeter and the propagation time of ultrasonic waves from the other to one ultrasonic sensor, and the measuring tube 25. The flow rate of the gas is calculated from the cross-sectional area of the passing portion of the gas. The pair of ultrasonic flowmeters is described above by a communication line passed through a through hole 16A penetrating a portion of the front and rear partition walls 16 sandwiched between the first horizontal partition wall 19 and the second horizontal partition wall 20. It is connected to the second circuit of.

The gas meter 10A is provided with a storage unit 40 for storing water within a range in which the flow rate of gas can be measured. Specifically, the storage unit 40 includes a first storage room 41 arranged in a portion of the housing 11 below the measuring pipe 25 on the pipe connection portion 17A side of the first horizontal partition wall 19, and the housing 11. Of these, a plurality of second accommodation rooms 42 arranged below the upper and lower partition walls 21 are provided, and the first accommodation room 41 and the second accommodation room 42 adjacent to the first accommodation room 41 are provided by the communication holes 43 described above. Have been contacted.

The plurality of second accommodation rooms 42 are partitioned by a partition wall 44. The partition wall 44 has a flat rectangular plate shape in the lateral direction H1 and is integrally formed with the frame lower wall 15B, and is arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction H2. The front end surface of the partition wall 44 is flush with the rear surface of the front and rear partition walls 16. On the other hand, the rear end surface of the partition wall 44 is located slightly forward of the opening edge of the rear surface opening 32 of the housing body 12, and when the rear surface opening 32 is closed by the rear surface lid 14, the partition wall 44 and the rear surface lid 14 A connecting path 45 through which the stored water can communicate is formed between the two. The partition wall 44 has a height of 1/2 to 2/3 of the height between the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the frame lower wall 15B. The portion of the partition wall 44 and the first horizontal partition wall 19 below the upper and lower partition walls 21 corresponds to the "partition wall" in the claims.

This concludes the description of the configuration of the gas meter 10A of the present embodiment. Next, the operation and effect of the gas meter 10A of the present embodiment will be described.

When a crack occurs in the gas pipe 90 and an abnormality occurs such that water soaks into the gas pipe 90, the water soaked into the gas pipe 90 becomes, for example, water droplets and becomes water droplets together with the gas at one of the pipe connection portions 17A. Flows into the gas meter 10A little by little.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2A, the water droplets that have flowed into the gas meter 10A travel along the inner surface of the housing body 12 below the pipe connection portion 17A, do not enter the measuring pipe 25, and are stored below the water droplets. Head to part 40. Further, the water stored in the storage unit 40 flows from the first storage room 41 directly below the pipe connection portion 17A of the storage unit 40 to the adjacent second storage room 42 through the communication hole 43. Subsequently, the rooms are divided and housed in each of the second storage rooms 42 via a connecting path 45 formed between the partition wall 44 and the rear lid 14.

By the way, when the gas meter 10A is in a sub-zero environment, the water in the storage unit 40 freezes. Water has the property of expanding while freezing, and in freezing, the central part expands because the central part freezes at the end. The larger the volume of water, the larger the expansion of the central portion and the greater the pressure toward the outside. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the central portion of the storage portion 40 expands significantly, pressure is applied to the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14, which may cause deformation or damage. When the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14 are deformed or damaged, a part of the gas flowing from the pipe connection portion 17A does not pass through the measuring pipe 25 but passes through the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14. It may reach the outside or the pipe connection portion 17B, which makes it impossible to measure the flow rate accurately.

On the other hand, in the gas meter 10A of the present embodiment, the gas meter 10A is divided and accommodated in each of the second accommodating rooms 42 via the connecting path 45 of the partition wall 44. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), the divided water freezes in each of the second storage rooms 42, so that the expansion is dispersed in each of the second storage rooms 42. As a result, the load due to expansion on the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14 surrounding the storage portion 40 is suppressed, the risk of the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14 being deformed or damaged is reduced, and the gas flow rate can be measured. It can be done normally.

Further, since the second accommodation rooms 42 are communicated with each other by the connecting path 45, even a small amount of water flowing from the first accommodation room 41 can be efficiently dispersed in each of the second accommodation rooms 42. The pressure due to freeze expansion can be dispersed.

[Second Embodiment]
The gas meter 10B of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. In the gas meter 10A of the above embodiment, the position of the through hole 16A through which the communication line is passed is arranged between the notches 19A and 20A of the front and rear partition walls 16 of the housing main body 12 (FIG. 1). (See), in the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the position of the through hole 16B is lower than between the notches 19A and 20A of the front and rear partition walls 16 of the housing main body 12 (that is, the measuring tube 25). There is a big difference in that it is (lower). Hereinafter, only the differences between the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment and the gas meter 10A of the first embodiment will be described.

In the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a first circuit 70 electrically connected to a pair of ultrasonic flow meters is provided with a second circuit 71 installed outside the housing body 12 and two. It is connected to the communication line 60 by two power lines 61. The two power lines 61 are power supply lines from the second circuit 71 to the first circuit 70, and the two communication lines 60 transmit and receive signals related to flow rate measurement between the second circuit 71 and the first circuit 70. It is a signal line. The two communication lines 60 communicate using the potential difference between the second circuit 71 and the first circuit 70, and the first circuit 70 outputs the propagation time measured by a pair of ultrasonic sensors to the second circuit 71. Then, the second circuit 71 calculates the flow rate of the gas based on the propagation time.

The communication line 60 is formed by a first communication cable 60A, a relay connector 50, and a second communication cable 60B. The first communication cable 60A is arranged inside the housing body 12, one end of which is connected to the first circuit 70, and the other end of which is connected to the connector 62 shown in FIG. 6B, and the relay connector 50 described later. It is connected to the terminal member 52 of. The second communication cable 60B is arranged outside the housing body 12, one end is connected to the second circuit 71, and the other end is connected to a connector (not shown) and connected to the terminal member 52 of the relay connector 50. .. The relay connector 50 is attached to a through hole 16B formed in the housing body 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 16B is formed in the front and rear partition walls 16 of the housing main body 12. Specifically, it is formed below the measuring tube 25 and above the upper and lower partition walls 21. Unlike the first embodiment, the upper and lower partition walls 21 of the present embodiment communicate with each other in the housing inner space 18 between the second horizontal partition wall 20 and the side wall 15D of the outer frame wall 15. There is no communication between the first horizontal partition wall 19 and the second horizontal partition wall 20.

The power line 61 is formed by a first power cable 61A, a relay connector 50, and a second power cable 61B. One end side of the first power cable 61A is connected to the first circuit 70, and the other end side is connected to the terminal member 52 of the relay connector 50 by the connector 62.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment includes a known pressure sensor 80, measures the pressure of the gas flowing in the measuring tube 25, and gas based on a command from the second circuit 71. The pressure is output to the second circuit 71. The second circuit 71 calculates and integrates the gas flow rate based on the measured values of the first circuit 70 and the pressure sensor 80. When there is an abnormality in the gas pressure, the second circuit 71 issues a command to operate and close the shutoff valve 81 to stop the gas supply.

Then, when communication between the first circuit 70 and the second circuit 71 becomes impossible, the second circuit 71 operates the shutoff valve 81 to stop the gas supply and, for example, an alarm. The occurrence of inundation is notified to the gas user by a buzzer, a lamp, or the like via the abnormality notification means 82. Further, a communication means may be provided to notify a gas company, a management company, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the relay connector 50 has four metal rod-shaped terminal members 52 penetrating the support base 51 made of a flat fan-shaped electrically insulating synthetic resin, and the support base 51. It protrudes from both sides of. As shown in FIG. 6B, one surface of the support base 51 is overlapped from the front side of the front and rear partition walls 16 of the housing body 12, and the terminal member 52 is passed through the inside of the through hole 16B to form the housing. It is exposed in space 18. Then, the relay connector 50 is fixed to the housing main body 12 through screws (not shown) through screw holes 51A formed at both ends of the support base 51. At this time, the terminal member 52 protruding from the other surface of the support base 51 is arranged inside the front lid 13. A packing (not shown) is sandwiched between the front and rear partition walls 16 and the front surface. Then, the connector terminal 62 described above is inserted into the terminal member 52 arranged inside the through hole 16B, and the first communication cable 60A and the first power cable 61A are electrically connected to the terminal member 52. To.

As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal members 52 are arranged so as to be arranged two by two in the horizontal direction and two in the vertical direction. In the connector 62, the two terminal members 52U arranged above are connected to the two first power cables 61A, and the two terminal members 52S arranged below are connected to the two first communication cables 60A. It is plugged in. Similarly, for the terminal member 52 protruding from the other surface of the support base 51, the two terminal members 52U arranged above are connected to the two second power cables 61B, and the two terminal members arranged below are connected. The 52S is connected to the two second communication cables 60B.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first communication cable 60A and the first power cable 61A connected to the terminal member 52 of the relay connector 50 are led out from the front and rear partition walls 16 of the housing body 12 to the housing space 18. Then, it is led out to a portion of the housing space 18 sandwiched between the first horizontal partition wall 19 and the second horizontal partition wall 20, and is connected to the first circuit 70 arranged on the measuring tube 25.

This concludes the description of the configuration of the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment. Next, the operation and effect of the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, the water that has flowed into the gas meter 10B is stored in the first storage room 41 and the second storage room 42 in the storage unit 40 as in the above embodiment. Then, when the water level rises further and the storage portion 40 becomes full, the water level rises above the upper and lower partition walls 21 and eventually reaches the measuring pipe 25. In the meantime, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 2A, the gas flows normally in the measuring tube 25, and the gas flow rate can be measured normally. Here, when water flows into the measuring tube 25, the cross-sectional area of the flow path through which the gas can actually pass becomes smaller than the original cross-sectional area of the flow path, and the flow rate may be erroneously measured. Before water flows into 25, it is necessary to detect that water has accumulated.

In the present embodiment, the relay connector 50 is arranged below the measuring tube 25, and when the water level rises above the upper surface of the upper and lower partition walls 21, the relay connector 50 is submerged. When the terminal members 52 are not immersed in water, the terminal members 52 are in an insulated state. However, when the water level exceeds the upper surface of the upper and lower partition walls 21 and rises to W1 shown in FIG. 7, the two terminal members 52S arranged below are immersed in water and electrically connected, and are connected to the terminal member 52S. Short circuit between the two first communication cables 60A. As a result, communication becomes impossible between the first circuit 70 and the second circuit 71, and the abnormality notification means 82 notifies that communication is impossible, so that water is accumulated beyond the upper surface of the upper and lower partition walls 21. It can be detected. Therefore, it is possible to take measures such as replacing the gas meter 10B before the measuring tube 25 is flooded and erroneous measurement occurs. That is, it is possible to prevent the gas meter from being used unknowingly as an inaccurate gas meter and to measure the gas flow rate normally.

In this way, the communication line 60 for flow rate measurement and the abnormality notification means 82 for notifying the inability to communicate can be used to detect that water has accumulated before the measuring pipe 25 is flooded. It is not necessary to provide a detection sensor and an electric circuit for detecting inundation, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

Moreover, in the gas meter 10B of the present embodiment, the relay connector 50 for easily connecting the first circuit inside the housing body 12 and the second circuit outside is provided, and the position of the relay connector 50 is located below the measuring tube 25. By arranging it, it is also used as a sensor to detect that water has accumulated. As a result, it is not necessary to additionally process or change the design of the communication line 60 for inundation detection, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the labor of assembling.

[Third Embodiment]
The gas meter 10C of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8. In the gas meter 10C of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the arrangement of the terminal member 52 in the relay connector 50 fixed to the housing main body 12 is arranged so as to be rotated by 90 degrees from the arrangement of the second embodiment. It is very different from the second embodiment. Hereinafter, only the differences between the gas meters 10C of the present embodiment and the gas meters 10A and 10B of the first and second embodiments will be described.

In the gas meter 10C of the present embodiment, the first communication cable 60A is connected to one terminal member 52T arranged below the terminal member 52. As shown in FIG. 8, when the water level in the storage unit 40 rises, only this terminal member 52T is first immersed in water. Here, the housing body 12 is a cast aluminum part as described above, and is ground-connected to the ground line 63 as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the water level reaches W2, the terminal member 52T and the housing body 12 are electrically connected, and the first communication cable 60A connected to the terminal member 52T and the ground line 63 are short-circuited to form a first. Communication between the circuit 70 and the second circuit 71 becomes impossible.

Further, in the gas meter 10C of the present embodiment, communication between the first circuit 70 and the second circuit 71 is impossible when the water level (W2) is lower than the water level (W1) of the water stored in the gas meter 10B of the second embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to detect that water has accumulated in the storage unit 40 at an earlier stage than the gas meter 10B of the second embodiment. Therefore, when it takes time to replace the gas meter 10C, the amount of gas used cannot be measured. Can be eliminated or reduced.

[Other Embodiments]

(1) The gas meters 10A to 10C of each of the above-described embodiments are all ultrasonic flow meters, but gas meters that measure the flow rate of gas by a principle different from that of ultrasonic flow meters, such as a membrane gas meter. May be provided with the above-mentioned storage unit 40.

(2) Further, the gas meters 10A to 10C of each of the above-described embodiments have a structure in which only the water flowing from one of the pipe connecting portions 17A is stored, but the water flowing from both the pipe connecting portions 17A and 17B is stored. May be a structure in which is stored. Specifically, for example, the storage portions 40 may be formed substantially symmetrically, and a partition wall may be provided at the center thereof so that the water flowing from both the pipe connection portions 17A and 17B can be stored. Good.

(3) The partition wall 44 is not limited to the above-mentioned shape and arrangement. Further, although the partition wall 44 is integrally formed with the frame lower wall 15B of the housing main body 12, it may be formed on the rear lid 14, or it is formed so as to hang down from the upper and lower partition walls 21 of the housing main body 12. You may be.

(4) In the gas meters 10A to 10C of each of the above-described embodiments, a connecting path 45 is formed between the rear end surface of the partition wall 44 and the front surface of the rear surface lid 14, but the rear end surface of the partition wall 44 and the rear surface lid 14 The front surface of the partition wall 44 may be flush with each other, and a communication hole for communicating with the adjacent second storage rooms 42 may be formed at the lower end of the partition wall 44. Even with this configuration, water can be efficiently divided and stored in each of the second storage rooms 42.

(5) Further, the rear end surface of the partition wall 44 and the front surface of the rear surface lid 14 may not be communicated with each other by the communication path 45 and the communication hole. In the case of this configuration, the water flowing from the first accommodation room 41 into the adjacent second accommodation room 42 gets over from the upper surface of the partition wall 44 when it exceeds the capacity accommodated in the second accommodation room 42. Since it can flow into the next second storage room 42, it can be sequentially distributed and stored in the second storage room 42.

(6) In the gas meters 10B and 10C of each of the above-described embodiments, when the first communication cable 60A is connected to the terminal members 52S or 52T arranged below the relay connector 50 and the relay connector 50 is submerged. The communication line was short-circuited, but when the first power cable 61A was connected to the terminal member 52S or 52T and the relay connector 50 was submerged, the power line was short-circuited and the second circuit 71 to the first When the power supply to the circuit 70 becomes impossible, the second circuit 71 operates the shutoff valve 81 to stop the gas supply, and the abnormality may be notified via the abnormality notification means 82. ..

(7) In the gas meters 10B and 10C of each of the above-described embodiments, the through hole 16B is configured to be arranged above the upper and lower partition walls 21, but is arranged below the upper and lower partition walls 21 and is inside the storage unit 40. The relay connector 50 may be submerged when the water is stored. Further, by adjusting the arrangement of the relay connector 50 in the storage unit 40, it is possible to detect that water has accumulated in the storage unit 40 at an early stage. For example, when it takes time to replace the gas meter or the like. , The period during which gas usage cannot be measured can be eliminated or reduced.

At this time, the through hole 16B may be arranged above the partition wall 44 in the storage portion 40. Here, when the water level exceeds the upper surface of the partition wall 44, the water divided and stored by the second storage room 42 merges upward, and when frozen, the expansion becomes large at the center of the storage unit 40. There is a risk that the pressure on the upper and lower partition walls 21 and the rear lid 14 surrounding the storage portion 40 will be concentrated and deformed or damaged. In the present embodiment, since the relay connector 50 is submerged when the water level exceeds the upper surface of the partition wall 44, it can be detected and dealt with before the water merges upward. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the housing body 12 is deformed or damaged due to expansion when frozen.

Further, the upper and lower partition walls 21 may communicate between the first horizontal partition wall 19 and the second horizontal partition wall 20 as in the gas meter 10A of the first embodiment. In this case, an insertion hole penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the upper and lower partition walls 21, and the first communication cable 60A and the first power cable 61A connected to the terminal member 52 of the relay connector 50 are inserted into the insertion hole. This makes it possible to connect to the first circuit 70.

(8) In the gas meters 10B and 10C of each of the above-described embodiments, the relay connector 50 arranged in the storage unit 40 is submerged, but the two first communication cables 60A are branched in the middle and connected to the conductive members, respectively. However, the conductive members may be arranged at predetermined positions in the storage unit 40 and submerged in water.

10A, 10B, 10C Gas meter 40 Storage unit 41 1st storage room 42 2nd storage room 44 Partition wall 90 Gas pipe

Claims (11)

A gas meter that has a storage unit that stores the water flowing from the gas pipe within the range where the gas flow rate can be measured.
A gas meter having a partition wall that partitions the inside of the storage section into a plurality of storage rooms and disperses the pressure when the water in the storage section becomes ice and expands. The gas meter according to claim 1, further comprising a communication path connecting the lower ends of the plurality of accommodation rooms. A first circuit including a sensor for measuring the flow rate of the gas, and
A second circuit that communicates with the first circuit via a communication line, and
An inundation detection unit provided on the communication line and arranged below the sensor to make the communication line in a state where communication is not possible due to submersion.
The gas meter according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided in the second circuit and includes an abnormality notification means for detecting and notifying an abnormality that cannot communicate with the first circuit. The communication line includes at least one pair of communication cables connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and the first circuit using a potential difference between the pair of communication cables. Communication is performed between the second circuit and the second circuit.
The gas meter according to claim 3, wherein the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the pair of communication cables due to submersion. It has a metal housing containing the reservoir and has
The communication line includes at least one communication cable that connects the first circuit and the second circuit, and a ground line that is ground-connected to the housing, and the communication cable and the ground line. Communication is performed between the first circuit and the second circuit by using the potential difference between the first circuit and the second circuit.
The gas meter according to claim 3, wherein the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the communication cable and the housing due to submersion. The inundation detection unit is a relay connector that relays an electrical connection between the first circuit and the second circuit.
The relay connector is connected to the communication line and has a substantially rod-shaped terminal member made of a conductive material.
The gas meter according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a support base made of an insulating material that is fixed to the wall portion of the gas meter and supports the terminal member. A first circuit including a sensor for measuring the flow rate of the gas, and
A second circuit that supplies power to the first circuit via a power line, and
An inundation detection unit provided in the power line and arranged below the sensor to make it impossible to supply power by the power line due to submersion.
The gas meter according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided in the second circuit and includes an abnormality notification means for detecting and notifying an abnormality in which power cannot be supplied to the first circuit. The power line includes at least one pair of power cables connecting the first circuit and the second circuit, and the first circuit utilizes a potential difference between the pair of power cables. Power is supplied from the second circuit to the above.
The gas meter according to claim 7, wherein the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the pair of power cables due to submersion. It has a metal housing containing the reservoir and has
The power line includes at least one power cable that connects the first circuit and the second circuit, and a ground line that is ground-connected to the housing, and the power cable and the ground line. Power is supplied from the second circuit to the first circuit by using the potential difference between the two and the first circuit.
The gas meter according to claim 7, wherein the inundation detection unit is formed so as to short-circuit between the power cable and the housing due to submersion. The inundation detection unit is a relay connector that relays an electrical connection between the first circuit and the second circuit.
The relay connector is connected to the power line and has a substantially rod-shaped terminal member made of a conductive material.
The gas meter according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a support base made of an insulating material that is fixed to the wall portion of the gas meter and supports the terminal member. The gas meter according to claim 1, wherein the inundation detection unit is arranged in the storage unit.

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