JP3301017B2 - Gas meter circuit waterproof structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention particularly relates to a gas meter having a processing circuit for converting a measured gas flow rate into an electric signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of gas meters, the amount of gas consumed by a gas consuming terminal is measured, for example, based on the propagation time of ultrasonic waves, or based on the movement of a film that repeatedly moves in a room with the transfer of gas. The measured gas consumption is converted into an electric signal, the measured gas consumption is displayed by an electric display element, a gas leak alarm is output, and the gas is shut off as necessary. 2. Description of the Related Art A microcomputer equipped with a microcomputer called a microcomputer gas meter is generally known.

[0003] The housing of this type of microcomputer gas meter is provided with a gas inlet and a gas outlet provided in a gas pipe regardless of whether the measuring section is of an ultrasonic type or a film type. It also has an upper case and a lower case whose upper opening is closed by the upper case.

[0004] Regardless of the ultrasonic type or the membrane type, the measuring unit does not function properly unless it is provided in a closed space where gas does not leak to the outside. The electric element defines an independent closed space inside the circuit cover which is attached to the side of the upper case and the lower case via a sealing member such as rubber packing, and is housed in the closed space. Was.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the circuit portion cover may be attached to the upper case, the lower case, or both. A joint portion with the upper case and the lower case is exposed at the upper end of the cover together with the end surface of the seal member.

[0006] Therefore, in the case of a gas meter which is generally placed outdoors, water such as rainwater infiltrates through a gap from a joint between the upper end of the circuit cover and the upper case or the lower case. In particular, when the seal member is fatigued due to aging or the like, the degree of the fatigue increases, and there is a possibility that the electric element housed therein may be damaged.

Although it is conceivable to change the arrangement of the electric elements to a more internal side of the housing having a high shielding property from the outside, the above-mentioned microcomputer gas meter has a terminal portion for making an electric connection with the outside. In order to perform the work of connecting the terminals to the outside of the gas meter, at least the terminals must be arranged on the front side of the gas meter having good workability.

Therefore, it is conceivable to adopt a structure in which only the terminal portion is arranged on the front side of the gas meter, and other electric elements are dispersedly arranged inside the housing. Since it is necessary to consider the handling and the like, and there is a disadvantage that the space for the arrangement is wasted and the size of the gas meter is increased, it is hardly realistic.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide a gas meter having a processing circuit section that converts a measured gas consumption amount into an electric signal in order to provide the processing section with an electric signal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas meter circuit waterproof structure capable of reliably preventing water from entering.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas meter waterproof structure for a gas meter, comprising: a hollow lower case; and an upper case for closing an upper opening of the lower case. A housing for housing a measuring part for measuring a gas flow rate is provided inside the housing having the gas consumption terminal through the gas inlet of the upper case and the gas flowing into the measuring part from the gas inlet of the upper case. In a gas meter that discharges gas toward and measures the gas consumption by the gas consuming terminal by the measuring unit, a processing circuit that converts the gas consumption measured by the measuring unit into an electric signal and performs a required process And a housing for housing the part in a waterproof state inside the housing, the part being integrally connected to one side of the upper case and the lower case, and Provided circuit housing portion of the hollow extending laterally to the housing, only the lower surface of the circuit housing,
An opening for communicating the inside of the circuit housing with the outside is provided, and the processing circuit is housed in the circuit housing through the opening.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the opening of the circuit accommodating portion accommodating the processing circuit portion is sealed by an opening cover.

Further, in the gas-meter waterproof structure of the gas meter according to the present invention, the lower case further has an opening on a side portion of the lower case, and the housing has a side portion of the lower case. The measuring device further includes a belly plate closing the opening, and the measuring unit repeatedly displaces the membrane in a direction approaching and separating from the belly plate, thereby forming a capacity of the measuring chamber formed inside the lower case. A film-type measuring unit that measures a gas transfer amount while transferring gas by changing the pressure, wherein the circuit accommodating unit is the belly plate, and a side opening of the lower case is closed by the belly plate. Thus, it is provided integrally with the abdominal plate surface located outside the housing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproofing structure for a circuit portion of a gas meter according to the present invention, further comprising: And housed inside the circuit housing section.

Further, the circuit part waterproof structure of the gas meter according to the present invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that:
A shutoff valve that shuts off gas flowing from the measuring section toward the gas consuming terminal via the gas outlet is housed, and based on the amount of gas consumed as an electric signal by the processing circuit section. A drive control unit that operates the shutoff valve,
It is housed inside the circuit housing part together with the processing circuit part.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the circuit housing of the gas meter has a circuit housing integrally provided on one side of the upper case and the lower case. Since the opening for communicating the inside and the outside of the housing portion is provided only on the lower surface of the circuit housing portion, a joining portion is formed between the circuit housing portion and the upper case or the lower case on the upper surface and the side surface thereof. It is not exposed, and therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent water such as rainwater from entering the inside of the circuit accommodating portion from the outside of the housing and causing the processing circuit portion to break down due to the entered water.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the opening on the lower surface of the circuit housing is sealed by the opening cover, the opening cover and the lower surface of the circuit housing are formed. The joint with the opening is not exposed on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion, and therefore, rainwater splashed on the ground or the like intrudes into the circuit accommodating portion from the joint between the opening cover and the opening on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion, It is possible to reliably prevent the processing circuit unit from breaking down due to the water that has entered.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the side opening of the lower case is closed by the abdominal plate, and the inside of the lower case is provided with a film in the lower case. In the gas meter of the type in which the film-type measuring unit that transfers gas by repeating displacement and measures the transfer amount is housed, there is no need to change the design of the entire upper case and lower case when providing the circuit housing unit, Since it is only necessary to change the design of the abdominal plate, it is possible to realize the protection of the processing circuit portion from moisture without increasing the cost.

Further, according to the waterproof structure of the circuit part of the gas meter according to the present invention, the electric consumption of the gas converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit part can be electrically displayed irrespective of the analog type or the digital type. When the electric display is performed by the element, the electric display element can be protected from moisture together with the processing circuit section.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drive control unit controls the gas flow from the metering unit based on the gas consumption amount converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit unit. When the gas flowing out to the gas consuming terminal via the outlet is shut off by the shut-off valve, this control unit can be protected from moisture together with the processing circuit unit.

[0020]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

First, referring to FIG. 1, a description will be given of a waterproof structure of a circuit part of a gas meter according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away side view of a gas meter adopting a circuit-part waterproof structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The gas meter according to the first embodiment indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. The housing 3 includes a hollow lower case 5 having an opening 5 a and a hollow upper case 7 having an opening 7 a at a lower portion and closing the opening 5 a of the lower case 5.

Inside the lower case 5, for example, an ultrasonic gas measuring unit 9 for measuring a gas flow rate by emitting ultrasonic waves and measuring the propagation time is housed in a unitized state. At the upper end of the lower case 5, a flange portion 5b for joining with the upper case 7 is formed.

A gas inlet 7 is provided above the upper case 7.
b and a gas outlet 7c are formed side by side, and a flange 7d for joining with the lower case 5 is formed at the lower end of the upper case 7 corresponding to the flange 5b of the lower case 5. . In FIG. 1, since the gas inlet 7b overlaps the gas outlet 7c and is hidden, the gas inlet 7b is indicated by only the reference numeral.

The housing 3 is assembled by overlapping the flange portions 7d and 5b of the upper and lower cases 7, 5 via a ring-shaped sealing member (not shown) and connecting the two by screws or the like. In this state, a gas measuring path (not shown) is formed in the upper and lower cases 7, 5 from the gas inlet 7b of the upper case 7 to the gas outlet 7c through the gas measuring section 9. Have been.

The upper case 7 has an electromagnetic shut-off valve 1 inside.
1 (corresponding to a shut-off valve) is accommodated. The electromagnetic shut-off valve 11 opens and closes the gas metering path (not shown) by switching the energized state, and connects the gas inlet 7b to the gas outlet 7c. It is configured to allow and shut off the flow of the incoming gas.

The housing 3 is provided with a lower case 5
Further has a hollow circuit accommodating portion 13 integrally formed on the front surface of the circuit accommodating portion and having an opening 13a at a lower portion thereof. The transmission window 13b is fitted.

As shown in the bottom view of the main part of the gas meter 1 in FIG. 2, two corners near the front surface of the lower case 5 on the inner wall of the circuit accommodating portion 13 have columnar protrusions except for the lower part. As shown in FIG. 1, the gas flow rate measured by the gas measuring unit 9 is provided inside the circuit accommodating unit 13, and the gas consumption terminal such as an indoor gas water heater or a bath kettle is provided inside the circuit accommodating unit 13. A display unit 17 (corresponding to an electric display element), which is displayed as a gas consumption by a (not shown), a relay 19 (corresponding to a drive control unit) for switching an energized state to the electromagnetic shut-off valve 11, and a control box 21. Are mounted side by side on the surface 15a of the substrate 15.

The board 15 is inserted into the circuit accommodating section 13 through the opening 13 a with the display section 17 side ahead of the control box 21 side. Projecting bifurcated support 1
3c, and as shown in FIG.
By attaching the two mounting pieces 15c fixed to b to the lower surfaces of the corresponding protruding portions 5c of the inner wall of the circuit accommodating portion 13 and connecting them by screws or the like, the display is made as shown in FIG. The portion 17 is configured to be positioned and held at a position facing the transmission window 13b.

Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the control box 21 is replaced with a microcomputer (corresponding to a processing circuit unit, hereinafter abbreviated as a microcomputer) for supplying power to the microcomputer for operation. It has a possible battery and a terminal block for enabling connection of various wirings to the microcomputer.

The microcomputer is connected to a gas meter 9 via a lead wire (not shown). The microcomputer converts the gas flow rate measured by the gas meter 9 into an electric signal and displays the gas consumption amount on the display 17. The display and the switching of the energization state to the electromagnetic shutoff valve 11 by the relay 19 are controlled.

Further, the opening 13a of the circuit
Around the rubber seal packing 25,
A flange 23a of the lid 23 (corresponding to an opening cover) is applied from below, and the opening 13a is sealed with the lid 23 by screwing the flange 23a to the peripheral edge of the opening 13a. It is closed.

The cover 23 has a rubber grommet 2.
3b is fitted, the wiring 27 passing through the grommet 23b is connected to the terminal block of the control box 21, and the circuit housing portion after the wiring 27 is passed through the lid 23 by the grommet 23b. Thirteen watertight states are ensured.

Next, the operation of the housing 3 of the gas meter 1 according to the first embodiment configured as described above, particularly, the function of the circuit housing 13 will be described.

In the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment,
Since the circuit housing 13 is integrally formed on the front surface of the lower case 7, and the inside and the outside of the circuit housing 13 communicate only through the lower opening 13a, the upper and lower cases 7, 5 are connected. In a state where the housing 3 is assembled, the lower case 7 and the circuit accommodating portion 13 are provided at least on the upper surface and the side surface of the circuit accommodating portion 13 with a joining portion that communicates from outside to inside the circuit accommodating portion 13. Does not occur.

Therefore, even if the gas meter 1 is placed outdoors and the housing 3 is exposed to rain or the like, the rainwater flows down the housing 3 along the top and side surfaces of the circuit housing 13 and falls down. Does not penetrate inside.

Further, the only opening 13a for communicating the inside and the outside of the circuit accommodating portion 13 is formed on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion 13 and is sealed and closed by the lid 23.
In addition, the flange 23 a of the lid 23 is
Is applied to the peripheral edge of the opening 13a from below, so that the joint between the lid 23 and the circuit accommodating portion 13 is not exposed below the circuit accommodating portion 13, and therefore, rebounds on the ground or the like. Rainwater or the like does not enter the inside of the circuit housing 13 from the joint between the lid 23 and the circuit housing 13.

As described above, according to the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment, the circuit housing 13 having the opening 13a at the bottom is integrally formed from the front of the lower case 5 of the housing 3,
The display unit 17 mounted on the board 15, the relay 19, and the control box 21 are accommodated in the circuit accommodation unit 13, and then the opening 13 a is sealed with the lid 23.
It was configured to be closed.

Therefore, even if the gas meter 1 is placed outdoors and the housing 3 is exposed to rain or the like, the rainwater enters the inside of the circuit accommodating section 13 and the display section 17, the relay 19, and the control box It is possible to reliably prevent the failure of the 21 due to the flooding.

Next, a waterproof structure of a circuit part of a gas meter according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view showing a main part of a gas meter employing a circuit waterproofing structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The gas meter according to the second embodiment indicated by reference numeral 31 in FIG. Is characterized in that the lower case 5 is composed of a lower case main body 5e having openings 5a and 5d at an upper portion and a front portion, respectively, and an abdominal plate 5f closing the front opening 5d of the lower case main body 5e. The configuration is different from the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment.

The gas meter 31 of the second embodiment is
The gas meter 9 accommodated inside the lower case 5
f, the front opening 5d of the lower case main body 5e is closed, and the membrane (not shown) is repeatedly displaced in a direction of separating and approaching the abdominal plate 5f, so that the not-shown membrane and the abdominal plate 5f and the volume of a measuring chamber (not shown) defined by the lower case body 5e,
The gas meter 1 according to the first embodiment is different from the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment in that it is a film-type measuring unit that measures a gas transfer amount while transferring gas from b to a gas outlet 7c.

Further, the gas meter 31 of the second embodiment
The circuit housing portion is provided on the surface 5g of the abdominal plate 5f located outside the lower case 5 (corresponding to the abdominal plate surface located outside the housing) with the front opening 5d of the lower case body 5e closed. The configuration is different from the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment in that the gas meter 13 is formed integrally.

In the gas meter 31 according to the second embodiment, the lower case 5 is completed by closing the front opening 5d of the lower case main body 5e with the abdominal plate 5f. The housing 3 is assembled by overlapping the flange portions 7c and 5b with each other via a ring-shaped seal member (not shown) and connecting them by screws or the like.

When the housing 3 is assembled in this manner, a gas measuring path (from the gas inlet 7c of the upper case 7 to the gas outlet 7c via the gas measuring section 9) is provided inside the upper and lower cases 7,5. (Not shown) is formed, and this gas metering path is opened and closed by switching the state of energization to the electromagnetic shut-off valve 11 housed inside the upper case 7.

According to the gas meter 31 of the second embodiment having the above-described configuration, the same operation and effect as the gas meter 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained by the configuration of the circuit accommodating portion 13.

In the above-described first embodiment, the lower case 5 is formed of a single component, and the gas metering section 9 accommodated in the lower case 5 is of an ultrasonic type. In the second embodiment, the case where the lower case 5 is composed of a plurality of parts of the lower case main body 5e and the abdominal plate 5f, and the gas measuring unit 9 housed inside the lower case 5 is a film type is described. This is explained using an example.

However, for example, the membrane type gas measuring unit 9 is accommodated in the lower case 5 composed of a single part, or the ultrasonic gas measuring unit 9 is accommodated in the lower case 5 composed of a plurality of parts.
The combination of the structure of the lower case 5 and the type of the gas metering section 9 is not limited to the combination described in the first and second embodiments.

Further, the type of the gas metering section 9 is not limited to the ultrasonic type of the first embodiment or the film type of the second embodiment, and is arbitrary. The space for accommodating the electromagnetic shut-off valve 11 in the upper case 7 is also provided. Whether or not exists is arbitrary.

Further, in both the first and second embodiments,
Although each of the housings 3 in which the circuit housing 13 is formed integrally with the lower case 5 has been described, it is needless to say that the circuit housing may be formed integrally with the upper case 7.

If the display unit 17 is controlled by the microcomputer of the control box 21 to display the gas consumption, its specific configuration is to perform digital display by liquid crystal or LED. Alternatively, an analog display using a number wheel rotated by a motor or the like may be performed.

[0052]

As described above, according to the gas meter circuit waterproof structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the housing having the hollow lower case and the upper case closing the upper opening of the lower case is provided. A measuring unit for measuring a gas flow rate is accommodated therein, and gas flows into the measuring unit from the gas inlet of the upper case, and from the measuring unit toward the gas consuming terminal via the gas outlet of the upper case. In a gas meter that discharges gas and measures the gas consumption by the gas consuming terminal by the measuring unit, the processing circuit unit that performs a required process by converting the gas consumption measured by the measuring unit into an electric signal. A structure for housing in a waterproof state inside the housing, the structure being integrally connected to one side of the upper case and the lower case, and extending laterally from the one. A hollow circuit accommodating portion is provided in the housing, and an opening is provided only on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion to allow communication between the inside and the outside of the circuit accommodating portion. It is configured to house the circuit unit.

For this reason, a circuit accommodating portion is integrally provided on one side of the upper case and the lower case, and an opening for communicating the inside of the circuit accommodating portion with the outside is provided in the circuit accommodating portion. Since it is provided only on the lower surface, the joining portion is not exposed between the circuit housing portion and the upper case or the lower case on the upper surface and the side surface, and therefore, from the outside of the housing to the inside of the circuit housing portion. It is possible to reliably prevent the water, such as rainwater, from entering and the processing circuit unit from being broken by the entered water.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the opening of the circuit housing in which the processing circuit is housed is sealed by an opening cover.

Since the opening on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion is sealed by the opening cover, the joint between the opening cover and the opening on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion is not exposed on the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion. To surely prevent rainwater, etc., which has bounced off the ground, from entering the inside of the circuit housing from the joint between the opening cover and the opening on the lower surface of the circuit housing, and causing the water entering the circuit to break down the processing circuit. Can be.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lower case further has an opening on a side portion of the lower case, and the housing is formed of the lower case. A measuring chamber formed inside the lower case by further displacing the membrane in a direction in which the measuring section is spaced apart from and close to the abdominal plate; Is a membrane-type measuring unit that measures the gas transfer amount while transferring gas by changing the volume of the gas, wherein the circuit accommodating unit is the belly plate, and a side opening of the lower case is closed by the belly plate. In this state, it is configured to be integrally connected to the abdominal plate surface located outside the housing.

For this reason, the side opening of the lower case is closed with an abdominal plate, and the gas is transferred into the lower case by repetitive displacement of the film in the lower case, and the film-type measuring section for measuring the transfer amount. In the gas meter of the type that accommodates the circuit housing, it is not necessary to change the design of the entire upper case and lower case when providing the circuit housing part, and it is only necessary to change the design of the abdominal plate, so processing is not costly. The circuit section can be protected from moisture.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the gas meter circuit waterproof structure according to the present invention, wherein the electric display element for electrically displaying the consumption of the gas, which has been converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit, is provided. It is configured to be housed inside the circuit housing part together with the circuit part.

For this reason, when the consumption of gas converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit section is electrically displayed by the motorized display element regardless of whether it is an analog type or a digital type, the motorized display element and the processing circuit section are used to display the gas consumption from the water. Can be protected.

Further, according to the gas meter circuit waterproof structure of the present invention described in claim 5, the gas is discharged from the measuring section through the gas outlet to the gas consuming terminal into the housing. A shutoff valve for shutting off gas is accommodated, and a drive control unit that operates the shutoff valve based on the consumption of the gas converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit unit is included in the circuit housing unit together with the processing circuit unit. It was configured to be housed inside.

For this reason, the drive control unit shuts off the gas flowing out of the metering unit via the gas outlet to the gas consuming terminal by the shutoff valve based on the gas consumption amount converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit unit. In this case, the control unit can be protected from moisture together with the processing circuit unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away side view of a gas meter employing a circuit-part waterproof structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a main part of the gas meter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view showing a main part of a gas meter adopting a circuit-part waterproof structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 31 Gas meter 3 Housing 5 Lower case 5a Opening (lower case upper opening) 5d Opening (lower case side opening) 5f Abdominal plate 7 Upper case 7b Gas inlet 7c Gas outlet 9 Metering unit 11 Shutoff valve 13 Circuit housing unit 13a Opening (lower opening of circuit housing section) 17 Display section (motor display element) 19 Relay (drive control section) 21 Control box (processing circuit section) 23 Lid (opening cover)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01F 1/00-9/02 G01F 15/14

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A measuring unit for measuring a gas flow rate is housed inside a housing having a hollow lower case and an upper case for closing an upper opening of the lower case, and the measuring unit is provided from a gas inlet of the upper case. A gas meter that causes gas to flow into the gas consumption terminal via the gas outlet of the upper case toward the gas consumption terminal from the measurement unit, and measures the gas consumption by the gas consumption terminal by the measurement unit.
A structure for accommodating a processing circuit unit for performing a required process by converting an amount of consumption of the gas measured by the measuring unit into an electric signal in a waterproof state inside the housing, wherein the upper case and the lower case A hollow circuit accommodating portion integrally provided continuously with one of the side portions and extending laterally from the one side is provided in the housing, and only the lower surface of the circuit accommodating portion is provided inside the circuit accommodating portion. A circuit part waterproof structure for a gas meter, characterized in that an opening is provided for communication between the processing circuit part and the outside, and the processing circuit part is housed inside the circuit housing part through the opening. 2. The waterproof structure for a gas meter circuit according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the circuit housing in which the processing circuit is housed is sealed by an opening cover. 3. The lower case further has an opening on a side portion of the lower case, the housing further has a belly plate closing a side opening of the lower case, and the weighing unit is By repeatedly displacing the membrane in a direction approaching and separating from the abdominal plate, the volume of a measuring chamber formed inside the lower case is changed, and the membrane type that measures the gas transfer amount while transferring the gas. A measuring section, wherein the circuit accommodating section is the bellows plate, and is integrally connected to a belly plate surface located outside the housing in a state where a side opening of the lower case is closed by the belly plate. 3. The waterproof structure for a circuit part of a gas meter according to claim 1, wherein 4. An electric display element for electrically displaying an amount of consumption of the gas converted into an electric signal by the processing circuit section is housed in the circuit housing section together with the processing circuit section. The waterproof structure of the circuit part of the gas meter described. 5. A shut-off valve for shutting off gas flowing from the measuring section through the gas outlet toward the gas consuming terminal is housed inside the housing, and the cut-off valve is electrically operated by the processing circuit section. A drive controller for operating the shut-off valve based on the signalized consumption of the gas is housed inside the circuit housing together with the processing circuit.
A waterproof structure for a circuit part of the gas meter according to 2, 3, or 4.