JP7248450B2 - housing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a housing in which a water meter and wireless communication means capable of transmitting its value are installed.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a water meter that indicates the amount of tap water used in a building is buried in a site floor in the vicinity of the building while being covered with a housing, and installed in various locations.

For example, it is difficult for a meter reader to visually read a water meter installed in a relatively narrow place such as between a building and a fence, or in a place where the burial depth is relatively deep such as in a cold region. .

In order to facilitate meter reading in places where such meter reading is difficult, for example, as shown in Patent Literature 1, technology for reading water meter values using a wireless communication device is being developed.

The meter reading device of Patent Document 1 transmits a water volume data signal indicating the amount of water used by the water meter from the slave station transmitter/receiver to the master station transmitter via an antenna arranged in the cavity of the lid as radio waves, thereby obtaining a predetermined It is configured to display the amount of water used on the display device.

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when a lot of rain falls, the inside of the housing buried in the floor of the site is flooded, and the wireless communication device is submerged, causing equipment failure and wiring trouble. , there was a possibility that radio waves could not be transmitted normally.

Therefore, as a configuration that can prevent a wireless communication device from being submerged in water, in Patent Document 2, wireless communication means including a wireless circuit, a control circuit, a battery, and an antenna are hermetically covered with a waterproof cover, and the specific gravity is lighter than that of water. there is

In Patent Document 2, the wireless communication means is waterproofed by a waterproof cover, and radio waves are transmitted from the wireless communication means while floating on the surface of the water when the housing is submerged in water.

JP-A-11-86173 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-341680

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 2 described above, when the inside of the housing is flooded, the wireless communication means covered with the waterproof cover floats and moves within the housing.

Therefore, there is a possibility that the antenna in the wireless communication means will not stay at a predetermined position and that radio waves cannot be stably transmitted.

Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that can prevent the wireless communication means from coming into contact with water even when the housing is flooded, and that allows the wireless communication means to perform stable communication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a housing that can prevent wireless communication means from coming into contact with water and that allows the wireless communication means to communicate stably.

A housing according to the present invention comprises a housing body having at least side portions and an opening facing upward, and a lid capable of opening and closing the opening of the housing body, wherein the housing body comprises: In a housing in which a wireless communication means capable of transmitting the amount of water used is installed, at least one of the lid and the housing body has a space that is open at least on the lower side and constitutes an air reservoir, and It has a holding part capable of holding the wireless communication means.

In the housing according to the present invention , the side portion of the housing body is provided with an upper edge portion extending from the side portion toward the center and a wall portion extending downward from the upper edge portion. , a portion of the side portion of the housing body, the upper edge portion, and the wall portion .

Further, in the housing according to the present invention , the holding portion may be provided on the side portion of the housing body, and arranged so as not to protrude from the opening toward the center in a plan view.

Further, in the housing according to the present invention , the lid has a lid body having a shape corresponding to the opening, and a wall portion extending downward from the lower surface of the lid body. It may be configured by a portion of the main body and the wall portion.

Further, in the housing according to the present invention , when the opening is closed by the lid, there is a gap between the opening and the lid, and the wireless communication means directs the radio wave transmission direction to the gap. It may be installed as follows.

Further, in the housing according to the present invention , the wireless communication means has a cover body corresponding to the holding part, and the cover body is installed on the holding part and is capable of ventilating the air pool of the holding part. It may have a suitable ventilation means.

According to the present invention, at least one of the lid body and the housing body has a holding portion that has a space that is open on the lower side to form an air reservoir and that can hold the wireless communication means. Contact can be prevented, and wireless communication means can communicate stably.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a housing according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of a housing body in the same housing;

A configuration of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a housing, and this housing 1 is installed in the ground such as the site floor near the building with a water meter (not shown) installed inside to measure the amount of water used in the building. Buried. That is, the housing 1 protects a contained object such as a water meter in the ground.

Such a housing 1 includes a box-shaped housing body 2 buried in the ground, and a lid 4 for opening and closing an opening 3 is attached to the housing body 2 .

The housing body 2 is composed of a bottom plate 5 and a rectangular tubular frame 6 provided above the bottom plate 5 . The housing body 2 configured in this manner has a bottom portion 7 and side portions 8 arranged in four directions of front, rear, left, and right. is.

A water meter (not shown) is installed inside the box-shaped housing body 2 . The frame body 6 has a pair of opposing side portions 8 each provided with an insertion opening 9, through which a water pipe (not shown) connected to a water meter installed in the housing body 2 is inserted. 9 to the outside of the housing 1 .

The housing main body 2 is integrally provided so that the upper edge portion 11 extends from the upper end portion of the side portion 8 toward the inner side, which is the central side. A first rib 12 as a wall portion is integrally provided at the inner end portion of the upper edge portion 11 so as to face the downward extending side portion 8 .

The upper edge portion 11 and the first ribs 12 are provided over substantially the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the frame 6 . The upper edge portion 11 and the first rib 12 constitute the opening portion 3 .

The first rib 12 includes a vertical portion 13 connected to the upper edge portion 11 and substantially parallel to the side portion 8 and provided substantially vertically, and a lower end portion of the vertical portion 13 connected to the housing body 2 . It has an inclined portion 14 that is inclined toward the inner side, which is the central side.

The side portion 8 has a plurality of second ribs projecting toward the center of the housing body 2 substantially perpendicularly to the side portion 8 and integrally connected to the upper edge portion 11 and the first ribs 12 as wall portions. 15 are provided. These second ribs 15 are arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the frame 6 at predetermined intervals.

A portion of the side portion 8, the upper edge portion 11, the first rib 12, and the second rib 15 constitute a pocket-shaped holding portion 16. As shown in FIG. That is, the holding part 16 has a space with an open bottom and closed sides and top.

As the upper edge portion 11, the first rib 12 and the second rib 15, an existing edge provided in an existing housing or a reinforcing rib may be used.

A wireless communication means 17 is fixed to the holding portion 16 so as to be inserted from below. That is, the wireless communication means 17 is inserted into the holding portion 16 from below, and is internally fitted so as to be sandwiched between two adjacent second ribs 15, so that the wireless communication means 17 is attached to the housing body 2. fixed state is maintained.

Further, the wireless communication means 17, which is internally fitted so as to be sandwiched between the two second ribs 15, contacts only the second ribs 15 in the holding portion 16, and is held by the side portion 8, the upper edge portion 11 and It is not in contact with the first rib 12. That is, there are gaps between the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 and the side portion 8, the upper edge portion 11 and the first rib 12, respectively.

Since there are gaps between the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 and the side portion 8, the upper edge portion 11, and the first rib 12, an external pressure such as an impact is applied. In this case, the pressure does not directly act on the wireless communication means 17, and the state held in the holding portion 16 is easily maintained.

In order to achieve the same impact interference effect even when no gap is generated, for example, a structure in which the rigidity of the member itself constituting the holding portion 16 is further improved, or a structure having an impact interference effect such as a sponge or the like is used. A member may be provided between the holding portion 16 and the wireless communication means 17 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 16 is arranged so that the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 and the holding portion 16 itself do not protrude from the opening 3 toward the central side in plan view. .

The wireless communication means 17 includes a communication device (not shown) capable of transmitting a signal corresponding to the value of the water meter in the housing 1 as a radio wave, an amplifier (not shown) for amplifying the radio wave of the communication device, and a power supply. A communication module having components necessary for wireless communication is provided, and this communication module is covered with a cover body 18 formed of a liquid-impermeable material so as to correspond to the internal shape of the holding part 16 . That is, the radio communication means 17 has a communication module housed in a cover body 18 formed in a shape that can be fitted to the holding portion 16 .

Moreover, it is preferable that the cover body 18 has ventilation means (not shown) such as a slit or a filter that can ventilate the air pool of the holding portion 16 in the state held by the holding portion 16 .

The lid 4 has a lid body 21 that is rectangular in plan view and corresponds to the opening 3 of the housing body 2 .

The cover main body 21 is provided with shaft support portions (not shown) in the vicinity of both corner portions serving as one end portion in the width direction at both ends in the longitudinal direction. It is

In addition, the lid body 21 is provided with a handle portion 20 cut out in a substantially rectangular shape at the center portion of the other end portion in the short direction.

Then, when the lid 4 rotates in one direction around the shaft support portion with respect to the housing main body 2, that is, in a direction in which the handle portion 20 approaches the housing main body 2, the lid 4 becomes the first rib. The opening 3 is closed so as to be placed on the twelve inclined portions 14 . On the other hand, the lid 4 rotates in the other direction with respect to the housing body 2, that is, in a direction away from the housing body 2 so as to pull up the handle portion 20 around the shaft support, so that the lid 4 is moved to the first position. The opening 3 is opened away from the inclined portion 14 of the rib 12 of .

A plurality of third ribs 22 as walls extending substantially vertically downward are integrally provided on the lower surface of the lid body 21 that is the lower side when the opening 3 is closed.

These third ribs 22 are arranged apart from each other, and the lid main body 21 and these third ribs 22 form a holding portion 23 having a space with an open bottom.

The third ribs 22 may not only be provided substantially parallel to each other, but may also be provided in the crossing direction and arranged in a so-called grid pattern.

As the third rib 22, an existing reinforcing rib provided on an existing housing may be used.

The holding portion 23 can hold the wireless communication means 17 with respect to the lid body 21, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

That is, the wireless communication means 17 can be selectively fixed to and held by either the holding portion 16 of the housing body 2 or the holding portion 23 of the lid 4 .

In addition, in the holding portion 23, the state in which the wireless communication means 17 is held can be fixed by screws 24 as fixing means. That is, the wireless communication means 17 can be fixed by screws 24 to a portion of the wireless communication means 17 and the tip portion of the third rib 22 in a state where the wireless communication means 17 is inserted between the third ribs 22. is.

In addition, the holding portion 16 is preferably configured to correspond to the handle portion 20 of the lid body 21, and the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 is arranged so that the radio wave transmission direction of the holding portion 16 is the same as that of the holding portion 16. and the lid 4, it is more preferable to install so as to face the gap forming the handle portion 20 in particular.

Next, the effects of the above embodiment will be described.

According to the case 1, the lid 4 and the case main body 2 have the holding portions 16 and 23 capable of holding the wireless communication means 17, so that the wireless communication can be performed by either the holding portion 16 or the holding portion 23. The means 17 can be held and the wireless communication means 17 can be fixed in place. Therefore, the wireless communication means 17 can stably communicate with an external receiving device.

In addition, since the holding portions 16 and 23 holding the wireless communication means 17 are open at the lower side, if water enters the housing 1 and the water level rises, the space inside the holding portions 16 and 23 will be closed. acts as an air pocket. Therefore, water does not flow into the holding portions 16 and 23, which are air pockets, and the wireless communication means 17 in the holding portions 16 and 23 can be effectively prevented from coming into contact with water.

As described above, the housing 1 has a space with an open bottom side and has the holding portions 16 and 23 capable of holding the wireless communication means 17, so that the wireless communication means 17 can be prevented from coming into contact with water, and The wireless communication means 17 can communicate stably.

The holding portion 16 is arranged corresponding to the handle portion 20 of the lid body 21, and the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 is configured such that the radio wave transmission direction is between the holding portion 16 and the lid body 4. In particular, by arranging so as to face the gap that constitutes the handle portion 20, the radio waves emitted from the wireless communication means 17 in the housing 1 can be transmitted to the external receiving device. , the attenuation of radio waves due to transmission through objects can be suppressed.

In addition, since the holding portions 16 and 23 have a watertight structure other than the opened lower side, the holding portions 16 and 23 can more reliably act as an air reservoir, and can more reliably prevent contact between the wireless communication means 17 and water.

On the other hand, in the case where the holding portions 16 and 23 are configured to have ventilation means capable of ventilating with the outside air, the occurrence of dew condensation inside the holding portion 16 and in the wireless communication means 17 can be prevented.

In addition, since the wireless communication means 17 held by the holding portion 16 is separated from the side portion 8, the upper edge portion 11 and the first rib 12, even if the housing 1 is subjected to an impact, for example, However, since the gap exerts a cushioning effect, the shock is not directly transmitted to the wireless communication means 17 and the held state can be easily maintained.

By arranging the holding part 16 so as not to protrude toward the center from the opening 3 , for example, maintenance or replacement of the water meter is less likely to interfere with work from the opening 3 .

In the above embodiment, both the housing main body 2 and the lid 4 are provided with the holding portions 16, but the holding portions 16 are provided on at least one of the housing main body 2 and the lid 4. It is good if it is

The holding portion 16 includes a portion of the side portion 8 of the housing body 2, the upper edge portion 11, the first rib 12, and the second rib 15, and the lid body 21 and the second rib 15. 3 ribs 22, but the structure is not limited to such a structure, and any structure that has at least an open space on the lower side and can hold the wireless communication means 17 may be used.

Further, the holding portion 16 provided in the housing body 2 is configured so as not to protrude from the opening 3 toward the center in a plan view, but is not limited to such a configuration. The arrangement state of the portion 16 can be changed as appropriate.

The fixing means for fixing the state in which the wireless communication means 17 is held in the holding portion 23 is not limited to the configuration in which the wireless communication means 17 is held by the screws 24, and any configuration that can fix and maintain the state in which the wireless communication means 17 is held is acceptable. Just do it. It is preferable that such a fixing means has a detachable configuration such as a hook-and-loop fastener or a detachable attachment mechanism, because maintenance work such as battery replacement in the wireless communication means 17 is easy.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 housing 2 housing body 3 opening 4 lid 8 side
11 Upper edge
12 First rib as wall
15 Second rib as wall
16 Holding part
17 Wireless communication means
18 cover body
21 Cover body
22 Third rib as wall
23 Holding part

Claims (2)

A housing body having at least a side portion and an opening facing upward, and a lid body capable of opening and closing the opening of the housing body, and transmitting water consumption into the housing body. In the enclosure in which the possible wireless communication means are installed,
The housing body has a holding portion that has a space that is open at least on the lower side to form an air reservoir and that can hold the wireless communication means,
A side portion of the housing body is provided with an upper edge portion extending from the side portion toward the center, and a wall portion extending downward from the upper edge portion,
The holding portion is configured by a portion of the side portion of the housing body, the upper edge portion, and the wall portion.
A housing characterized by: A housing body having at least a side portion and an opening facing upward, and a lid body capable of opening and closing the opening of the housing body, and transmitting water consumption into the housing body. In the enclosure in which the possible wireless communication means are installed,
A plurality of downwardly extending ribs are provided on the lower surface of the lid body, and a space for forming an air pool is provided between adjacent ribs,
A holding portion capable of holding the wireless communication means is configured by the plurality of ribs.
A housing characterized by:

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