KR101712152B1 - Flowmeter having with frost protection function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flow meter capable of freeze protection comprising: a case having an inner accommodation space; a flow measuring unit located in the case measuring an amount of flow passing through the flow meter (215); and a buffering member (251) installed between the flow measuring unit (215) and an inner side of the case, shrinking when a fluid freezes and the volume thereof expands. The buffering member (251) is made of a silicone rubber having an elastic restoring force and a plurality of holes for shrinkage which has a certain depth in a thickness direction of the case formed on a side of the buffering member (251) facing the case.

Description

[0001] FLOWMETER HAVING WITH FROST PROTECTION FUNCTION [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flow meter, and more particularly, to a flow meter having a freeze preventing function capable of preventing the flow meter from being damaged by expansion of a volume due to freezing of a fluid remaining in the flow meter.

A conventional flow meter having a freeze prevention function is disclosed in Patent Document 1. [ 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional flow meter disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional flow meter having an anti-freeze function includes a hollow outer housing 102, A first inner housing 108 and a second inner housing 112 which are in turn installed in the flowmeter and a second inner housing 108 between the inlet 104 through which the fluid flows into the flowmeter and the outlet 106 through which the fluid flows out of the flowmeter. An impeller 126 for detecting a flow rate is installed in the housing 112 while being rotated by the fluid flowing in the flowmeter and installed inside the first inner housing 108 between the impeller 126 and the display window 124 And an air buffer tube 114 fixedly supported by the fixing plate 118.

In the conventional flowmeter having such a constitution, when the volume of the fluid inside the flowmeter is frozen due to a decrease in temperature, the air buffer tube 114 contracts and absorbs the expanded portion of the flowmeter, thereby preventing the flowmeter from freezing.

However, in the conventional flow meter disclosed in Patent Document 1, air is injected through an air inlet (not shown) while the air buffer tube 114 is inserted into the first inner housing 108 in the assembling process, When the injection is completed, the air inlet must be sealed again. Therefore, the assembly process is complicated, and the structure for performing the anti-frost function is complicated and the number of parts is increased, which leads to an increase in the price.

In addition, since the air injected into the air buffer tube 114 is naturally discharged little by little as time elapses, there is a problem that it is impossible to perform the function of preventing the freezing of the air if it is discharged over a certain amount.

In addition, in the conventional flow meter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the air buffer tube 114 may be damaged during use. In this case, unless the air buffer tube 114 is exchanged, the entire flow meter can not be used, A separate space for accommodating the tube 114 is required.

Patent Document 1: Published Patent Application No. 2009-0028175 (published on Mar. 18, 2009)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a flow meter that has a simple structure and a simple assembling process, and has a freeze prevention function that does not require a separate space for installing an air buffer tube.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow meter having a frost protection function, comprising: a case having a housing space therein; a case accommodated in the case and measuring a flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter And a cushioning member provided between the flow measuring unit and the inner surface of the case and contracting when the volume of the fluid expands due to freezing, wherein the cushioning member has an elastic restoring force And the thickness of the buffer member is 12 mm or more and 16 mm or less.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a flow meter having a simple structure, a simple assembling process, and a freeze prevention function capable of performing a freeze prevention function without requiring a separate space for installing an air buffer tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a flow meter having a frost protection function of the prior art,
2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a flow meter having a frost preventing function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line AA of FIG. 1,
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the buffer member of Fig. 3;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a flow meter having a freeze prevention function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the so-called fluid oscillation type flow meter in which the flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter is measured by the electromotive force generated by the vibration of the fluid flowing in the chamber will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the fluid oscillation type flow meter, and the present invention is equally applicable to other types of flow meters such as a wing flow meter as in Patent Document 1 and a differential pressure meter.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a flow meter having a frost preventing function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line A-A of Fig.

2 and 3, a flow meter 200 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "flow meter") having a freeze prevention function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a case body 210 and an upper cover 230 And a lower cover 250. The case 210 is housed in the case body 210 and has an inlet 211 through which fluid flows into the flow meter 200 and an outlet 213 through which the fluid flows out of the flow meter 200 And a flow rate measuring unit 215 for measuring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter 200. [

The signal processing and display unit 231 is accommodated in the upper cover 230 so that the user can visually confirm the signal processing and the flow rate displayed on the display unit 231 through the display window 233.

A buffer member 251 and an inner cover 253 are accommodated in the lower cover 250.

Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flow rate measuring unit 215 accommodated in the case body 210 may have any one of various known configurations.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2013-0105567, the flow rate measuring unit 215 includes a chamber having a predetermined width and a height, and a through hole formed in the chamber, A fluid inlet communicating with the fluid inlet and a fluid outlet communicating with the outlet 213 formed on the opposite side of the fluid inlet from the fluid inlet, a jet flow forming portion formed between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, Left and right flow path walls that are spaced apart from the inner wall of the chamber at both sides of the line connecting the left and right flow path walls 150 and 150 so that fluid can flow between the inner walls of the chamber, Left and right fluid guide portions for guiding the flow of the fluid, left and right electrodes and magnet portions provided adjacent to the left and right flow path walls .

Since the configuration of the flow rate measuring unit 215 is a well-known configuration, detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The signal processing and display section 231 is connected to the left and right electrodes of the flow rate measuring section 215 to calculate the flow rate from the output signals of the right and left electrodes and displays the calculated flow rate so that the calculated flow rate can be visually confirmed.

The display window 233 is a window for confirming the flow rate displayed on the signal processing and display unit 231 and a known technique can be used for both the signal processing and display unit 231 and the display window 233, It is omitted.

The buffer member 251 is a core component of the present invention for performing the function of preventing the freezing of the frozen matter and includes a sealing member 251 for preventing fluid from leaking between the flow rate measuring unit 215 and the lower cover 250 housed in the case body 210, When the fluid remaining in the flow meter 200, particularly the flow measuring unit 215, is frozen due to a decrease in the temperature of the fluid and is expanded in its volume, the fluid contracts in accordance with the volume expansion, ) Is prevented from being damaged.

The inner cover 253 is provided between the cushioning member 251 and the inner surface of the lower cover 250 and fixes the position of the buffer member 251 so that the gap between the flow measuring unit 215 and the lower cover 250 Thereby preventing the buffer member 251 from flowing.

Next, the buffer member 251 will be described in detail.

The cushioning member 251 is made of a material having an elastic restoring force which is a property of restoring to its original shape when the force applied from the outside is contracted and the force externally applied is removed. Among them, silicone rubber is more preferable.

As is well known, silicone rubber is excellent in heat resistance and weatherability, and can be used in a wide temperature range of -50 to 200 ° C. Also, since it is excellent in low temperature stretchability, a special silicone rubber not only maintains its physical properties at -100 ° C., Particularly, since it is harmless to human body and added to foods and cosmetics, there is an advantage that the flowmeter of the present invention is harmless to the human body even when it is used for weighing human drinking water such as water meter.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the shape of the buffer member of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 (a) is a view seen from the side of the flow measuring unit 215 in contact with the chamber, a), that is, a shape seen from a surface in contact with the lower cover 250, respectively.

4, the buffer member 251 has a shape similar to the bottom surface of the chamber of the flow rate measuring unit 215 as a whole. The buffer member 251 is disposed in the circumferential direction along the edge of the flow rate measuring unit 215 Ribs 2511 having a thickness smaller than the total thickness of the ribs 2511 are formed. The rib 2511 contributes to maintenance of the airtightness between the flow rate measuring portion 215 and the lower cover 250.

4A, the surface of the flow measuring portion 215 which is in contact with the chamber (the surface opposite to the lower cover 250) has a planar shape in a basically flat shape, (Not shown) provided at the central portion of the flow path of the vortex generating unit 215 to prevent the jet of the jetted jet from being advanced straightly is provided at a position corresponding to the vortex generator insertion hole 2515 are formed to a certain depth in the thickness direction of the cushioning member 251.

At the positions corresponding to the left and right flow path walls of the flow rate measuring portion 215 at both ends of the vortex generator insertion hole 2515, flow path wall insertion holes 2513 into which the ends of the left and right flow path walls are inserted are respectively inserted into buffer members 251 in the thickness direction.

The vortex generator insertion hole 2515 and the flow path wall insertion hole 2513 contribute to the maintenance of the airtightness between the flow rate measuring portion 215 and the lower cover 250 as well as the rib 2511, And is not necessarily a component to be provided. The vortex generator insertion hole 2515 and the flow path wall insertion hole 2513 and the rib 2511 may not be provided so long as only airtightness between the flow rate measuring portion 215 and the lower cover 250 can be maintained. The entire surface on the side of the flow rate measuring unit 215 of the flow channel 251 may be formed as a flat surface.

4 (b), the surface of the buffer member 251 facing the lower cover 250 (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the flow rate measuring unit 215 and the chamber) And a plurality of shrinkage grooves 251a are formed in a direction perpendicular to the surface in contact with the cover 250. [

The number of the plurality of shrinking grooves 251a is not particularly limited, but the number of the plurality of shrinking grooves 251a is preferably set so that the number of the plurality of shrinking grooves 251a is the more the better. However, since the thickness of the cushioning member 251 is limited as described later, the vortex generator insertion hole 2515 and the flow path wall insertion hole 2513 are formed in one side of the cushioning member 251 as shown in Fig. 4 (a) The grooves 251a for shrinkage can not be formed in the portions where the vortex generator insertion holes 2515 and the flow path wall insertion holes 2513 are formed and therefore the number of the shrinkage grooves 251a is limited I can not help it.

The depth in the thickness direction of the cushioning member 251 of each of the plurality of shrinking grooves 251a should be as deep as possible in order to maximize the area contracted by the cushioning member 251 at the time of freezing the fluid, In order to also serve as a sealing member between the flow measuring unit 215 and the lower cover 250, a plurality of shrinking grooves 251a penetrate the surface of the buffer member 251 toward the flow rate measuring unit 215 There is no number. The depth of the cushioning member 251 in the thickness direction of each of the plurality of shrinking grooves 251a is set such that the surface of the cushioning member 251 on the side of the flow rate measuring unit 215 It is better to deepen it unless you penetrate it.

The shape of the plurality of shrinkage grooves 251a is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape or a polygonal shape within a range in which a shrinking area of the buffer member 251 can be secured as shown in FIG. 4 Shape.

The thickness of the cushioning member 251 should be as thick as possible in order to maximize the area contracted by the cushioning member 251 at the time of freezing of the fluid, but it is determined within a proper range in consideration of the size of the entire flowmeter. According to the study results of the present inventors, the results as shown in Table 1 were obtained with respect to the thickness of the buffer member 251.

Thickness (mm) 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 35cc 15.7 26.3 34.4 41.0 46.4 50.8 54.6 57.9 60.7 63.1 45cc 0.0 12.5 22.2 30.0 36.4 41.7 46.2 50.0 53.3 56.3 55cc -14.3 0.0 11.1 20.0 27.3 33.3 38.5 42.9 46.7 50.0

The results of Table 1 show that the amount of fluid (the area of the fluid accommodation space in the chamber) inside the flow meter 200 (inside the chamber) is 35 cc, 45 cc, and 55 cc, respectively, while the thickness of the inner cover 253 is fixed to 1.5 mm When the fluid is expanded to 10% of the area of the fluid accommodation space at a pressure of 5 kg / cm 2 (the pressure of 5 kg / cm 2), the cushioning member 251 reaches 10 %) Of the cushioning member 251, that is, the space (the ratio (%) of the remaining space with respect to the area of the fluid containing space).

It is clear from the results of Table 1 that the flowmeter having the fluid accommodating space of 35 cc in the chamber of the flowmeter 200 has a buffer member 251 The thickness of the buffer member 251 is preferably at least 10 mm or more and 16 mm or less, and the flowmeter having the fluid accommodating space of 55 cc is preferably at least 10 mm to 16 mm, The thickness of the buffer member 251 is preferably at least 12 mm and not more than 16 mm.

If the thickness of the buffer member 251 of each of the flowmeters having the fluid accommodating spaces of 35 cc, 45 cc, and 55 cc in the chamber of the flowmeter 200 is less than the thickness, there is a possibility that the flowmeter having the buffer member 251 is freezing in winter, If the thickness of each of the members 251 exceeds 16 mm, the entire thickness of the flowmeter becomes thick, which is inappropriate.

Therefore, if it is generalized, it is preferable that the thickness of the buffer member 251 is at least 12 mm or more and 16 mm or less.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention.

Although the fluid oscillation type flow meter is described as an example in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the fluid oscillation type flow meter. The present invention is equally applicable to other types of flow meters such as a wing flow meter as in Patent Document 1 and other differential pressure meter have. In this case as well, the cushioning member may be provided between any one of the flow rate measuring portion for measuring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter and the inner surface of the case.

Although the case has been described as being divided into the three parts of the case body 210, the upper cover 230 and the lower cover 250 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, And the lower cover may be integrally formed. In this case as well, the cushioning member may be provided between any one of the flow rate measuring portion for measuring the flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter and the inner surface of the case.

The inner cover 253 is provided between the cushioning member 251 and the lower cover 250. However, if there is no problem in the airtightness between the chamber and the lower cover 250, the inner cover 253 may be omitted good.

200 flowmeter
210 Case body
230 upper cover
250 bottom cover
215 Flow measuring unit
251 buffer member
251a Retraction groove
253 Inner cover

Claims (5)

A flowmeter with a frost protection function,
A case body having a receiving space therein,
A flow rate measuring unit accommodated in the case body for measuring a flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow meter,
A lower cover,
A buffer member provided between the flow measuring unit and the lower cover and contracting when the volume of the fluid expands due to freezing;
And an inner cover installed between the buffer member and the inner surface of the lower cover to fix the position of the buffer member,
The area of the fluid containing space in the flow meter is not less than 35 cc and not more than 55 cc,
The cushioning member,
And is made of a material having elastic restoring force,
The thickness is 12 mm or more and 16 mm or less,
A rib having a thickness smaller than the entire thickness of the buffer member is formed in the circumferential direction along the edge of the flow rate measuring portion,
And a hermetic seal is maintained by the rib to prevent the fluid from leaking between the flow measuring portion and the lower cover. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the buffer member is made of silicone rubber. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a plurality of shrinking grooves having a predetermined depth in the thickness direction of the buffer member are formed on the case side surface of the buffer member. delete

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