JP6803634B1 - Holder for water meter flow reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a holder of a flow rate reading device capable of reliably mounting a flow rate reading device at an appropriate position on an existing water meter. SOLUTION: This is a holder 2 of a flow rate reading device 1 mounted on a transparent plate covering a display portion of a water meter M, and a ring-shaped lower cover 21 attached to the outer periphery of an upper case 4 of the water meter M. The lower cover 21 has a locking claw 28 that engages with the upper case 4, and the upper cover 22 is fixed to the lower cover 21 with the flow rate reading device 1 interposed therebetween. 22 has a pressing piece 37 that brings the flow rate reading device 1 into close contact with the transparent plate. [Selection diagram] Fig. 2

Description

The present invention relates to a holder of a flow rate reading device mounted on a water meter for reading the integrated flow rate of water in the water meter.

The meter reader of the water meter reads the number on the number wheel on the display of the water meter to calculate the amount of water used for a predetermined period. However, when the water meter is located in the locked area, the meter reader may not be able to read the number on the display of the water meter. In order to solve this problem, there is known a flow rate detecting device that photographs the display unit of a water meter with a camera and transmits the acquired image data to the outside (Patent Document 1).

The flow rate detecting device described in Patent Document 1 includes a translucent portion arranged on a transparent plate covering a flow rate display unit of the water meter, and the translucent portion is between the lid of the water meter and the transparent plate. It is located in. Further, the flow rate detecting device includes a camera housed in a case having an integral structure with the translucent part, and the image data of the flow rate display unit taken by the camera through the translucent part is converted into numerical data of the integrated flow rate of water. It is converted and the converted numerical data is transmitted to the outside.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-12734

However, in the flow rate detecting device described in Patent Document 1, the translucent part having an integral structure with the case is arranged on the transparent plate covering the flow rate display part of the water meter, and in particular, fixing means and the like are provided. Since it does not have it, it was difficult to firmly attach it to an existing water meter whose size and shape differ depending on the manufacturer and the type of water meter at an appropriate position.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a flow rate reading device capable of reliably mounting a flow rate reading device at an appropriate position on an existing water meter. ..

Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a flow rate reader that can be mounted in close contact with a transparent plate that covers a display unit of a water meter.

The holder of the flow rate reading device of the present invention is a holder of the flow rate reading device mounted on a transparent plate covering the display portion of the water meter, and is a ring-shaped lower mounted on the outer periphery of the upper case of the water meter. The lower cover includes a cover and an upper cover fixed to the lower cover with the flow rate reading device interposed therebetween, the lower cover has a locking claw that engages with the upper case, and the upper cover is attached to the transparent plate. It has a pressing part that brings the flow rate reader into close contact.

Further, the holder of the flow rate reading device of the present invention is provided with a male screw on the outer peripheral surface of the lower cover, and a female screw screwed with the male screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover. Both are fixed by screwing the female screw of the upper cover into the male screw of the cover, and at the time of fixing, the flow reading device is brought into close contact with the transparent plate by the pressing portion of the upper cover, and the locking claw of the lower cover is the lower end of the upper case. Engage in the part.

According to the holder of the flow rate reading device of the present invention, the flow rate reading device can be securely attached to the existing water meter at an appropriate position by fixing the upper cover to the lower cover while sandwiching the flow rate reading device. Can be done.

Further, according to the holder of the flow rate reading device of the present invention, the lower cover has a locking claw that engages with the upper case, and the upper cover has a pressing portion that brings the flow rate reading device into close contact with the transparent plate. Therefore, the flow rate reading device can be reliably brought into close contact with the transparent plate, and the transparent plate is not contaminated with muddy water or the like.

Further, according to the holder of the flow rate reading device of the present invention, both are fixed by screwing the female screw of the upper cover into the male screw of the lower cover, so that the flow rate reading device is surely adhered to the transparent plate. It is attached to the water meter in the state of being.

It is a perspective view of the water meter with the flow rate reading device attached by the holding tool of 1st Embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the state before the holder and the flow rate reading device of 1st Embodiment are attached to a water meter. It is an enlarged perspective view of the lower cover of the holder of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the water meter with the flow rate reading device attached by the holder of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the process of attaching the holder of 1st Embodiment to a water meter in the order of (a) to (d). It is sectional drawing of the main part when the upper cover is screwed into the lower cover of the holder of 1st Embodiment, (a) shows the state in the process of screwing, and (b) shows the state at the time of screwing completion. It is sectional drawing of the water meter with the flow rate reading device attached by the holding tool of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the flow rate reading device holder of the present invention will be described based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings. In addition, the drawing schematically shows the water meter, the flow rate reading device mounted on the upper surface thereof, the constituent members of the holder for mounting the flow rate reading device on the water meter, and the peripheral members of the holder. The dimensions and dimensional ratios of these physical objects do not always match the dimensions and dimensional ratios on the drawings. In addition, duplicate explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 shows a water meter M, a flow rate reading device 1 mounted on the upper surface of the water meter M, and a holder 2 for mounting the flow rate reading device 1 on the water meter M. 2 and 3 show the components of the holder 2 in detail. Further, FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the water meter M in a state where the flow rate reading device 1 is attached by the holder 2.

The water meter M includes a lower case 3 and an upper case 4. Water inlets 3a and outlets 3b are provided on both sides of the lower case 3, and three ribs 4a are provided at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the upper case 4. These ribs 4a have a quadrangular shape and are used when the upper case 4 is screwed into and fixed to the lower case 3. An impeller 6 is provided in the measuring unit 5 in the lower case 3. The measuring unit 5 is a flow path for tap water and communicates with the inflow port 3a and the outflow port 3b. The rotation speed of the impeller 6 also increases or decreases according to the increase or decrease in the flow rate of tap water passing through the measuring unit 5. A magnet 8 is provided above the rotation shaft 7 of the impeller 6, and the magnet 8 rotates according to the rotation of the impeller 7.

Inside the upper case 4, a magnet 9 that rotates in response to the rotation of the magnet 8, a gear train 10 that is interlocked with the rotation, a display unit (hereinafter referred to as a flow rate display unit) 11 that displays the flow rate, and a transparent plate 12 And a plurality of number wheels 13 are provided. When the impeller 6 rotates due to the passage of tap water through the measuring unit 5 in the lower case 3, the gear train 10 also rotates in accordance with this rotation. Numbers 0 to 9 are displayed on the peripheral side surface of the number wheel 13, and the numerical value of the number car 13 displayed on the flow rate display unit 11 changes as the number car 13 rotates. That is, the flow rate display unit 11 displays the integrated flow rate of water numerically based on the rotation of the impeller 6 when tap water passes through the measuring unit 5. The transparent plate 12 is a transparent plate-shaped member that covers the flow rate display unit 11, and is made of glass, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of disks 14a and 14b are arranged adjacent to the flow rate display unit 11. The disks 14a and 14b rotate according to the flow rate of water based on the rotation of the impeller 6 when tap water passes through the measuring unit 5.

That is, the rotational movement of the impeller 6 is transmitted to the number wheel 13 via the magnets 8 and 9 and the gear train 10. Therefore, the flow rate display unit 11 can display the integrated flow rate of water by the number of the numerical wheel 13 based on the rotation of the impeller 6 when tap water passes through the measuring unit 5.

The flow rate reading device 1 is placed on the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. The flow rate reading device 1 includes a disk-shaped container 15 having substantially the same shape as the transparent plate 12, and the camera 16 is housed in the sealed container 15. The camera 16 is set so that the number wheel 13 of the flow rate display unit 11 can be photographed from diagonally above through the transparent bottom plate 15a of the container 15 and the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. The container 15 is provided with a conversion unit (not shown) that converts the numerical image data of the numerical wheel 13 acquired by the camera 16 into the numerical data of the integrated flow rate of water. A lighting device (not shown) for illuminating the flow rate display unit 11 is arranged in the vicinity of the camera 16. As the light source of the lighting device, for example, an LED or the like is used. In addition, instead of the lighting device, a lighting lamp may be provided inside the camera 16.

On the upper surface of the container 15, a transmission unit 17 for transmitting numerical data converted by the conversion unit to the outside is provided. The transmission to the outside may be, for example, a case of wireless transmission to the outside using a radio, or a case of wired transmission to the outside using a wired cable 18. The wired cable 18 is connected to, for example, a flow rate display device arranged on an outer wall of a building, and visually recognizes a numerical value displayed on the flow rate display device to grasp the integrated flow rate of water.

In this embodiment, a brim portion 19 and a positioning gear 20 are provided on the circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the container 15. The brim 19 is located above the outer peripheral surface, and the positioning gear 20 is located below the outer peripheral surface. Also, both are parallel to each other. The brim portion 19 is a flat plate-shaped protrusion slightly protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the case, and has a flat upper surface 19a. On the other hand, the positioning gear 20 has a large number of small uneven portions 20a continuously provided on the outer peripheral surface of the container 15 in a saw blade shape. The positioning gear 20 is useful for positioning when the flow rate reading device 1 is mounted on the water meter M.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 2 according to this embodiment is placed on the lower cover 21 mounted on the outer periphery of the upper case 4 of the water meter M and the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. It includes an upper cover 22 fixed to the lower cover 21 with the flow rate reading device 1 interposed therebetween.

The lower cover 21 is formed of a resin material in a ring shape. It has a height width larger than that of the upper case 4 of the water meter M, and when attached, it protrudes upward from the transparent plate 12 of the upper case 4. A male screw 23 is provided on the outer peripheral surface on the upper side of the lower cover 21. Further, on the upper side of the lower cover 21, notches 24a and 24b are provided at two opposite positions on the circumference. One notch portion 24a is provided at a position corresponding to the hinge portion 26 of the lid 25 that covers the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. The other notch 24b is provided at a position corresponding to the tongue piece 25a for opening and closing the lid 25. Due to the presence of these notches 24a and 24b, the lower cover 21 can be attached to the outer periphery of the upper case 4 of the water meter M with the lid 25 closed, and after the lower cover 21 is attached. The lid 25 can be opened.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the lower side of the lower cover 21, accommodating portions 27 for fitting the ribs 4a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper case 4 are provided at three places on the circumference. The accommodating portion 27 is formed by recessing the inner peripheral surface of the lower cover 21. The outer peripheral surface of the lower cover 21 corresponding to the accommodating portion 27 is projected. The accommodating portion 27 corresponds to the position and shape of the three ribs 4a provided in the upper case 4, respectively. When the lower cover 21 is fitted on the outer periphery of the upper case 4, the lower cover 21 is set to a horizontal rotation position by fitting the rib 4a into the accommodating portion 27. Since the rib 4a is fitted from the lower side of the accommodating portion 27, the lower surface of the accommodating portion 27 is open.

Further, on the inner peripheral surface on the lower side of the lower cover 21, locking claws 28 are provided at four locations on the circumference. The locking claw 28 projects inside the inner peripheral surface and is formed at the lower end of the elastic piece 30 having vertical slits 29 on both sides. As shown in FIG. 6, the locking claw 28 engages with the lower end 4b of the upper case 4 of the water meter M in a state where the upper cover 22 is finally fixed to the lower cover 21 and lower. It positions the cover 21 in the vertical direction. The four locking claws 28 are provided at equal intervals on the circumference.

Further, positioning protrusions 31 are provided at two opposing positions on the inner peripheral surface on the upper side of the lower cover 21. The positioning protrusion 31 is a positioning unit used to set the horizontal rotation position of the flow rate reading device 1 when the flow rate reading device 1 is placed on the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. The flow rate reading device 1 is positioned by engaging one uneven portion 20a of the positioning gear 20 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the flow rate reading device 1 with the positioning protrusion 31. As a result, the camera 16 of the flow rate reading device 1 can be directed in a more appropriate direction to take a picture of the numbers on the number wheel 13. The position and number of the positioning protrusions 31 on the circumference are not particularly limited.

Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the lower cover 21, a pair of projecting pieces 32 protruding inward on both sides of the recessed portion 27 are provided. The projecting piece 32 is provided at the upper left and right sides of the projecting piece 32 and the upper end of the elastic piece 34 surrounded by the slit 33 on the upper side, and elastically bends outward together with the elastic piece 34. When the lower cover 21 is attached to the outer circumference of the upper case 4 of the water meter M, the elastic piece 34 and the projecting piece 32 are displaced in the radial direction, so that the difference in the outer diameter dimension of the upper case 4 of the water meter M can be seen. It can be absorbed by the projecting piece 32 and the elastic piece 34. In this embodiment, a pair of projecting pieces 32 are provided at two positions facing each other.

FIG. 2 shows the upper cover 22 of the holder 2. Like the lower cover 21, the upper cover 22 is formed of a resin material in a ring shape. Vertical ribs 35 for preventing slipping are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 22 all around. Further, a female screw 36 screwed into the male screw 23 of the lower cover 21 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 22. Further, at the upper end of the upper cover 22, a pressing portion 37 protruding in the inner horizontal direction is provided over the entire circumference. When the upper cover 22 is attached, the pressing portion 37 presses the upper surface 19a of the brim portion 19 of the flow rate reading device 1, so that the lower surface of the flow rate reading device 1 can be reliably brought into close contact with the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. ..

5 (a) to 5 (d) show a procedure for mounting the flow rate reading device 1 and the holder 2 on the water meter M. First, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a ring-shaped lower cover 21 is attached to the outer periphery of the upper case 4 of the water meter M. At that time, the lid 25 of the water meter M is closed. The lower cover 21 is aligned with the accommodating portion 27 of the lower cover 21 so that the rib 4a of the upper case 4 is fitted, and the notches 24a and 24b of the lower cover 21 are fitted to the hinge portion 26 and the tongue piece 25a of the lid 25. After aligning each of them, the lower cover 21 is attached to the upper case 4 to position the rotation direction of the lower cover 21.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the lid 25 of the water meter M is opened, and then the flow rate reading / reading device 1 is placed on the transparent plate 12. At that time, as described above, the direction of the camera 16 is adjusted to the optimum position while rotating the flow rate reading device 1 on the transparent plate 12. When the rotation position of the flow rate reading device 1 is determined, the positioning protrusion 31 is engaged with one uneven portion 20a of the positioning gear 20 to complete the positioning of the flow rate reading device 1.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 5D, the upper cover 22 is attached to the lower cover 21 with the flow rate reading device 1 interposed therebetween, and the female screw 36 of the upper cover 22 is screwed into the male screw 23 of the lower cover 21. At that time, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the pressing portion 37 of the upper cover 22 is screwed in while pressing the upper surface 19a of the brim portion 19 of the flow rate reading device 1, and the lower surface of the flow rate reading device 1 is tapped. Securely adhere to the transparent plate 12 of the meter M. When the upper cover 22 is further screwed in after being brought into close contact, the lower cover 21 is pulled up, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the locking claw 28 of the lower cover 21 is attached to the lower end portion 4b of the upper case 4. At the time of engagement, the screwing of the upper cover 22 is completed. As a result, the lower cover 21 is positioned in the vertical direction, and at the same time, the lower cover 21 and the upper cover 22 are firmly fixed. In this way, the flow rate reading device 1 is held in a state where the lower surface is in close contact with the transparent plate 12 and is sandwiched between the fixed lower cover 21 and the upper cover 22, and is at an appropriate position for the water meter M. It will be surely installed.

FIG. 7 shows the holder 2'according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The holder 2'is composed of a lower cover 21'and an upper cover 22's like the holder 2 of the above embodiment, but the upper cover 22'is integrally formed with the flow rate reader 1'. The present invention is different from the holder according to the first embodiment, and is the same as the first embodiment in other respects. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Also in the flow rate reading device 1'according to this embodiment, the camera 16 is housed in the sealed disk-shaped container 15, but the camera 16 is in a state of facing straight down at the substantially central portion of the container 15. is set up. By slightly increasing the height and width of the container 15 and making the distance between the camera 16 and the flow rate display unit 11 larger than that of the embodiment, the entire flow rate display unit 11 can be photographed from anywhere. Inside the container 15, there is a conversion unit (not shown) that converts the numerical image data of the number wheel 13 on the flow rate display unit 11 acquired by the camera 16 into numerical data of the integrated flow rate of water, and the numerical value converted by the conversion unit. A transmission unit (not shown) for transmitting data to the outside is provided. Since the transmission to the outside is wirelessly transmitted to the outside using a radio, the transmission unit provided with the wired cable as in the first embodiment is not provided. Further, the flow rate reading device 1'does not have a brim portion 19 or a positioning gear 20 as in the first embodiment on the outer peripheral surface of the container 15. Therefore, the lower cover 21'of the holder 2'does not need to include the positioning protrusion 31 as in the first embodiment.

In the holder 2'of this embodiment, the outer peripheral edge 22'a of the upper end of the upper cover 22'is integrally connected to the side wall portion 15b of the container 15 of the flow rate reading device 1'. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the female screw 36 of the upper cover 22'is screwed into the male screw 23 of the lower cover 21', the outer peripheral edge 22'a of the upper end of the upper cover 22' is integrally formed with the upper cover 22'. The flow rate reading device 1'is pushed down so that the lower surface of the flow rate reading device 1'is brought into close contact with the transparent plate 12. That is, the outer peripheral edge 22'a at the upper end of the upper cover 22'acts in the same manner as the pressing portion 37 of the first embodiment to push down the flow rate reading device 1'.

In this embodiment, the lower cover 21'of the holder 2'is attached to the outer periphery of the upper case 4 of the water meter M, and then the upper cover 22'integrated with the flow rate reading device 1'is covered on the lower cover 21'. The female screw 36 of the upper cover 22'is screwed into the male screw 23 of 21'. At this time, the flow rate reading device 1'rotates on the transparent plate 12 together with the rotation of the upper cover 22', but since the camera 16 is installed in the center of the container 15 and faces directly below, the camera 16 takes a picture. The number of the number wheel 13 of the flow rate display unit 11 can always be included in the range. The flow rate reading device 1'is also pushed down by screwing the upper cover 22', and the lower surface of the flow rate reading device 1'is positioned by being in close contact with the transparent plate 12 of the water meter M. When the upper cover 22'is further screwed in even after the close contact, the lower cover 21'is pulled up, and when the locking claw 28 of the lower cover 21' engages with the lower end portion 4b of the upper case 4, the upper cover is covered. The screwing of 22'is completed. As a result, the lower cover 21 is positioned in the vertical direction, and at the same time, the lower cover 21 and the upper cover 22 are firmly fixed. Similar to the first embodiment, the flow rate reading device 1'is held in a state where the lower surface is in close contact with the transparent plate 12 and is sandwiched between the fixed lower cover 21'and the upper cover 22', and is a water meter. It will be securely attached to the M at an appropriate position.

1,1'Flow reader 2,2' Holder 3 Lower case 3a Inlet 3b Outlet 4 Upper case 4a Rib 4b Lower end of upper case 5 Weighing part 6 Impeller 7 Rotating shaft 8, 9 Magnet 10 Gear train 11 Flow rate display (display)
12 Transparent plate 13 Number wheel 14a, 14b Disk 15 Container 15a Bottom plate 15b Side wall 16 Camera 17 Transmission 18 Wired cable 19 Brim 19a Top of brim 20 Positioning gear 20a Concavo-convex 21, 21'Lower cover 22, 22 'Upper cover 22'a Outer peripheral edge of the upper end of the upper cover 23 Male screw 24a, 24b Notch 25 Lid 25a Lid tongue piece 26 Hinge part 27 Housing part 28 Locking claw 29,33 Slit 30,34 Elastic piece 31 Positioning protrusion 32 Projection piece 35 Vertical rib 36 Female screw 37 Pressing part M Water meter

Claims (6)

A holder for a flow reader mounted on a transparent plate that covers the display of a water meter.
A ring-shaped lower cover attached to the outer circumference of the upper case of the water meter,
An upper cover that is fixed to the lower cover with the flow rate reading device interposed therebetween is provided.
The lower cover has a locking claw that engages with the upper case.
The upper cover is a holder for the flow rate reader of a water meter having a pressing portion for bringing the flow rate reader into close contact with the transparent plate. A male screw is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower cover, a female screw to be screwed into the male screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover, and the female screw of the upper cover is screwed into the male screw of the lower cover. Both are fixed with
The flow rate reading device for a water meter according to claim 1, wherein at the time of fixing, the flow rate reading device is brought into close contact with the transparent plate by the pressing portion of the upper cover, and the locking claw of the lower cover is engaged with the lower end portion of the upper case. Holder. The holder of the flow rate reading device for a water meter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower cover has a housing portion in which a rib provided on an outer peripheral surface of the upper case is fitted. The lower cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower cover has an elastic piece that is displaced in the radial direction when attached to the outer periphery of the upper case of the water meter and a projecting piece that protrudes inside the elastic piece. Holder for the flow reader of the water meter. The holder of the flow rate reading device of a water meter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower cover has a positioning unit for setting a horizontal rotation position of the flow rate reading device mounted on the transparent plate. The holder of a flow rate reading device for a water meter according to claim 5, wherein the positioning portion of the lower cover is a positioning projection that engages with the uneven portion of the positioning gear provided on the outer periphery of the flow rate reading unit.

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