JP2024053600A - Underground hydrant with port - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an underground hydrant with a port that can perform measurement and firefighting operations simultaneously and can be miniaturized.SOLUTION: An underground hydrant with a port comprises: a port 10 with a riser pipe 11 and a branch pipe 12 extending vertically from the riser pipe 11; a water discharge part 20 extending in a vertical direction to discharge water; a ball valve 30 provided between the branch pipe 12 and the water discharge part 20 to open and close a flow channel; a speed reduction mechanism part 40 to open and close the ball valve 30 by external force input; and a measuring part 50 with a sensor 53 inserted into the riser pipe 11, wherein the valve body 32 of the ball valve 30 has a substantially L-shaped flow channel formed therein.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an underground fire hydrant with a port.

For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose underground fire hydrants that discharge water from water pipes. The measurement sensor can be inserted into the standpipe and main short pipe of these fire hydrants. This makes it possible to perform various measurements with the sensor while discharging water.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-140625 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 02-89053

However, the fire hydrant in Patent Document 1 has the problem of being large in height because it uses a lift valve. Meanwhile, the fire hydrant in Patent Document 2 uses a lift valve and is provided with a connection nozzle that extends horizontally. This causes the overall size of the fire hydrant to increase. When a fire hydrant becomes larger, the work of burying it becomes more complicated, and construction costs also increase.

In light of these issues, the present invention aims to provide an underground fire hydrant with a port that can perform measurement and fire extinguishing operations simultaneously and can be made compact.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by having a port equipped with a riser pipe and a branch pipe extending vertically from the riser pipe, a water discharge section extending vertically from which water is discharged, a ball valve provided between the branch pipe and the water discharge section for opening and closing a flow path, a speed reducing mechanism section for opening and closing the ball valve in response to input of an external force, and a measuring section equipped with a sensor inserted into the riser pipe, and a valve body of the ball valve having an approximately L-shaped flow path.

According to the present invention, the flow path can be bent within the ball valve, which reduces the size in the vertical and horizontal directions and allows for miniaturization. In addition, the sensor can be inserted into the port riser, allowing the measurement unit to be permanently installed, and measurement and fire-fighting operations to be performed simultaneously.

The ball valve preferably has a valve box with a first opening that opens to the branch pipe side and a second opening that opens to the water discharge section side, and the valve body that is approximately spherical and accommodated in the valve box, and when the valve is closed, the second opening is blocked by the valve body, and when the valve is open, the flow path of the valve body and the first and second openings of the valve box are connected.

According to the present invention, the valve can be closed or opened with a simple configuration.

The underground fire hydrant with port of the present invention allows measurement and fire extinguishing operations to be performed simultaneously, and can be made compact.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an underground port-type fire hydrant according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an underground fire hydrant with a port according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an underground port-type fire hydrant according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2, showing the open state of the port-equipped underground fire hydrant according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2, showing the closed state of the port-equipped underground fire hydrant according to the present embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the port-equipped underground fire hydrant of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ported underground fire hydrant 1 is a fire hydrant that is attached to a water pipe S via a repair valve H and is installed underground. The ported underground fire hydrant 1 can perform various measurements of the water flowing through the water pipe S while simultaneously discharging water. The water pipe S comprises a main pipe S1 and a branch pipe S2 rising from the main pipe S1. The repair valve H is connected between the branch pipe S2 and a riser pipe 11, which will be described later. The repair valve H is, for example, a ball valve, and is a device that closes during repairs to prevent water from leaking out of the water pipe S.

The port-equipped underground fire hydrant 1 comprises a port 10, a water discharge section 20, a ball valve 30, a speed reducing mechanism section 40, and a measuring section 50. The port 10 comprises a riser pipe 11 and a branch pipe 12. The riser pipe 11 is a short pipe extending in the height direction (vertical direction). The branch pipe 12 is a short pipe extending perpendicularly (horizontally) to the riser pipe 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water discharge section 20 comprises a connection fitting 21 and a cover 22. The connection fitting 21 is a metallic cylindrical member to which a hose is connected at its tip. The lower end of the connection fitting 21 opens into the ball valve 30, and the upper end opens upward. The cover 22 is a member that covers the opening (water discharge port) on the upper end side of the connection fitting 21. When discharging water, the cover 22 is removed and a hose is connected.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the ball valve 30 comprises a valve box 31, a valve body 32, and a number of seal members 33. As shown in Figure 4, the valve box 31 is a housing that houses the valve body 32. The valve box 31 comprises a first opening 34 that opens to the branch pipe 12 side (laterally) and a second opening 35 that opens to the connecting fitting 21 side (upward).

As shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 32 is generally spherical and has an internal flow path 32a that is generally L-shaped. The flow path 32a is formed so that the direction of water flow inside the valve body 32 turns by approximately 90 degrees.

The flow path 32a has a first opening 32b that opens on one end side and a second opening 32c that opens on the other end side. When discharging water, the first opening 32b is connected to the first opening 34, and the second opening 32c is connected to the second opening 35, resulting in an open valve state.

On the other hand, when water is not to be discharged, as shown in FIG. 5, the second opening 35 is entirely blocked by the valve body 32, resulting in a closed valve state. At this time, the second opening 32c and the first opening 34 are connected, but the first opening 32b is located at the bottom of the valve box 31 and is entirely blocked. This results in a state in which water is not discharged. Note that in the closed valve state, the first opening 32b and the second opening 32c may be located anywhere, as long as the second opening 35 is entirely blocked by the valve body 32 and water is not discharged.

As shown in FIG. 3, multiple sealing members 33 are arranged between the valve box 31 and the valve body 32. The sealing members 33 are members that seal to prevent water leakage while allowing the valve body 32 to rotate smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reduction mechanism 40 includes a cap 41, an operating shaft 42, a connecting portion 43, and a stem 44. The cap 41 is a prismatic portion that engages with a cap opener (not shown). The operating shaft 42 is an axial member that rotates about a vertical axis as the cap 41 rotates. The connecting portion 43 is a portion that converts rotation about the vertical axis into rotation about a horizontal axis. The stem 44 is a member that rotates the valve body 32 to an open or closed position based on rotation about the horizontal axis.

In other words, when the cap 41 is rotated using a cap opener (not shown), the speed reducing mechanism 40 reduces the rotational speed, and when it is rotated to one side, the valve body 32 rotates to open the valve, and when it is rotated to the other side, the valve is closed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the measuring unit 50 includes a cover member 51, a measuring device main body 52, and a sensor 53. The cover member 51 is plate-shaped and covers the upper part of the riser pipe 11. The measuring device main body 52 is disposed on the cover member 51 and is an instrument capable of various measurements. The sensor 53 is inserted from the measuring device main body 52 through the riser pipe 11, the repair valve H, and the branch pipe S2, and is disposed so as to reach the main pipe S1. The measuring unit 50 can measure, for example, flow rate, water pressure, water quality, etc.

According to the above-described underground fire hydrant with port 1 of this embodiment, the flow path 32a is curved within the ball valve 30, so that the size in the vertical and horizontal directions can be reduced while still achieving compactness. In other words, in conventional technology, separate piping or the like was installed to change the flow direction, but in this embodiment, such piping is omitted and the water flow direction can be changed within the valve body 32, making it possible to make it compact. As a result, according to this embodiment, the underground fire hydrant with port 1 can be installed even when the soil covering is small.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the sensor 53 can be inserted into the riser pipe 11 of the port 10, so the measurement unit 50 can be permanently installed and measurement work can be performed at all times. This allows measurement work and fire extinguishing work to be performed simultaneously.

The ball valve 30 also has a valve box 31 with a first opening 34 opening to the branch pipe 12 side and a second opening 35 opening to the water discharge section 20 side, and a substantially spherical valve body 32 housed in the valve box 31. When the valve is closed, the second opening 35 is blocked by the valve body 32, and when the valve is open, it is preferable that the flow path 32a of the valve body 32 communicates with the first opening 34 and second opening 35 of the valve box 31. This allows the valve to be closed or opened with a simple configuration.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the design can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Underground fire hydrant with port 10 Port 11 Riser pipe 12 Branch pipe 20 Discharge section 21 Connection fitting 22 Cover 30 Ball valve 31 Valve box 32 Valve body 33 Seal member 40 Reduction mechanism section 50 Measurement section

Claims (2)

a port including a riser pipe and a branch pipe extending vertically from the riser pipe;
A water discharge section extending vertically and discharging water;
a ball valve provided between the branch pipe and the water discharge portion for opening and closing a flow path;
a speed reducing mechanism that opens and closes the ball valve in response to an input of an external force;
A measuring unit having a sensor inserted into the riser pipe,
1. An underground fire hydrant with a port, comprising: a valve body of the ball valve having a substantially L-shaped flow passage formed therein. The ball valve has a valve box having a first opening opening to the branch pipe side and a second opening opening to the water discharge part side, and the valve body having a substantially spherical shape accommodated in the valve box,
When the valve is closed, the second opening is closed by the valve body,
The port-equipped underground fire hydrant according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the valve is open, the flow path of the valve body, the first opening, and the second opening of the valve body are in communication with each other.

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