An embedded valve ball positioning structure suitable for an ultrasonic valve control water meter

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of flow metering and control equipment, and particularly relates to an embedded valve ball positioning structure suitable for an ultrasonic valve control water meter, and aims to solve the problem of the embedded valve ball positioning structure suitable for the ultrasonic valve control water meter. In the application, the valve ball has a through hole in the middle, a rotating driving rod is inserted in the upper part, and a valve ball positioning pin is embedded in the lower part; the rotating positioning pin is embedded in the lower groove of the valve ball, the rotating positioning pin is positioned in the special-shaped positioning groove in the positioning pin in the necked flow tube, the rotating positioning pin of the valve ball is limited to rotate by 90 degrees in the positive and negative directions for stop positioning; the necked flow tube is composed of two asymmetric parts, and the valve ball is wrapped and fixed by the cylindrical valve ball metal clasp and the gasket. The application realizes the accurate positioning effect of the opening and closing of the ball valve while ensuring the invariance of the ultrasonic water meter measurement accuracy characteristics, the maximization of the measurement range ratio, and the minimization of the initial flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of flow metering and control equipment, and specifically relates to an embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters. Background Technology

[0002] In the era of the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and industrial automation, the trend of replacing mechanical or electromechanical combined flow meters with valve control systems in the metering of water, heat, and gas supply for industrial and residential use is irreversible.

[0003] Ultrasonic flow meters combined with valve control are already being used in water metering and control. For ordinary ball valves, the outer tube is typically composed of two parts joined together by threads. For ultrasonic flow meters, the range ratio R is a crucial measurement indicator. For flow meter base meters with limited meter length, to avoid the valve body's influence on flow measurement, this two-part, threaded valve body structure is usually placed outside the ultrasonic measurement path. This shortens the effective sound path between the two ultrasonic transducers, resulting in a lower range ratio for the flow meter.

[0004] In recent years, with the significant improvement in the calculation accuracy of ultrasonic time difference circuit chips, the upgrading and improvement of valve-controlled ultrasonic water meters has also accelerated.

[0005] For valve-controlled water meters using ultrasonic flow meters and valve control, ensuring the valve body is within the ultrasonic measurement range without affecting flow measurement is a pressing problem. This application, combining research on ultrasonic propagation laws and incremental range ratio calculations with the structural laws of valve opening and closing, summarizes the technological development direction of ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters and the principles of its optimal solution, as follows:

[0006] (1) Principle of maximizing sound path: In order to make the ultrasonic water meter have a large range ratio, for the meter length size specified in the standard, the mode of maximizing the sound path between the ultrasonic transducers should be adopted as much as possible. Because for water meters, the large range ratio is an extremely important indicator for trade settlement and is also the most important technical indicator of water meters. To make the ultrasonic water meter have a large range ratio, the projection distance of the line connecting the two transducers of the ultrasonic water meter in the direction of water flow in the main pipe should be maximized to obtain a large range ratio and a small starting flow rate (for water meters, the national standard increased the maximum value of the range ratio or flow ratio to R=1000 in 2018).

[0007] The main performance indicators of a flow meter are metering accuracy and range ratio. Metering accuracy is the ratio of the flow meter's measured flow rate to the actual flow rate. Improving fluid flow stability and batch production consistency are important conditions for determining accuracy. The range ratio is the ratio of the commonly used flow rate to the minimum flow rate while ensuring the flow meter's metering accuracy. It reflects the range that can be accurately measured. Increasing the effective distance between ultrasonic transducers is a necessary condition for improving the range ratio. Obviously, the higher the metering accuracy and the larger the range ratio, the better the flow meter's metering performance.

[0008] Through theoretical deduction and analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn regarding the metering quality of ultrasonic flow meters:

[0009] In the field of water metering, the range ratio R is defined as R = Q3 / Q1, where Q3 is the common flow rate corresponding to a certain pipe diameter, which is a given value; Q1 is the minimum flow rate that meets certain metering accuracy requirements (for example, the metering accuracy of a two-stage flow meter is ±5%).

[0010] Through in-depth analysis and derivation, this paper arrives at an important conclusion: For fluid passing through the flow meter pipeline, the measured starting flow rate (i.e., the minimum flow rate that the flow meter can sense and measure) Q q The lower (corresponding to its flow velocity V) q The lower the value, the lower the V. q (This is related to the resolution of the time-of-flight chip in the ultrasonic flow meter and the pipeline structure of the flow meter). Correspondingly, Q1 will also decrease proportionally (i.e., the corresponding minimum flow velocity V1 will decrease). Typically, in practical applications, its empirical value is Q1 = (5~10)Q q (Q1 varies depending on the ultrasonic flowmeter circuit and transducer, resulting in overall zero drift, and the water resistance design of the flowmeter pipeline.) Therefore, for a given flowmeter diameter (where the time interval between Q3 and Q1 flowing through the flowmeter pipeline is equal), the relationship between the range ratio R and the distance L between the two transducers can be derived as follows:

[0011]

[0012] In the above formula, Q3 is the commonly used flow rate of a certain diameter flow meter, V3 is the flow velocity of the fluid in the flow meter pipeline corresponding to Q3, Q1 is the minimum flow rate to meet certain measurement accuracy requirements, and V1 is the flow velocity of the fluid in the flow meter pipeline corresponding to Q1. For a certain diameter flow meter, Q3 and V3 are constants (selected values), π is pi, r is the inner radius of the flow meter pipeline, t is the measurement time, L is the distance between the opposing surfaces of the two transducers in the ultrasonic flow meter pipeline, α is the angle between the line connecting the two transducers in the direction of water flow in the flow meter pipeline (α is an acute angle; when α = 0, the line connecting the two transducers is in the same direction as the water flow, cos(α) = 1), k is a known quantity related to the measurement time difference and sound velocity of the flow meter, and β is a known quantity related to the measurement time difference and sound velocity of the flow meter. Let β = V3 / 10k, which is a constant, and V1 is calculated using the ultrasonic flow meter time difference formula. q The conclusion is that Therefore, in specific calculations, V1 is calculated as V1 = 10V q Substituting the values, we can draw the following conclusions from the above formula for R:

[0013] Increasing the projected distance L·cos(α) between the two transducers in the direction of water flow in the flowmeter pipeline can effectively improve the flowmeter's range ratio R.

[0014] Based on the above theoretical analysis and reasoning, this paper draws an important and crucial conclusion: For length-constrained ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters, considering the valve required for valve control, and the valve's definite length and volume, if placed outside the sound path, it will inevitably occupy a portion of the ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter's length. This shortens the distance between the two transducers, significantly reducing the meter's range ratio. Therefore, to maximize the sound path between transducers and thus the range ratio for length-constrained ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters, the only solution is to place the valve between the sound paths of the two ultrasonic transducers, while also avoiding any obstruction of ultrasonic wave transmission between the two transducers or impact on flow characteristics.

[0015] (2) Principle of through-beam installation between a pair of transducers: In through-beam installation, the acoustic signal is directly transmitted and received between a pair of transducers, thus the effective signal amplitude is the highest. Reflective installations, due to one or more reflecting surfaces, result in energy loss during acoustic wave reflection (ideally, when the reflecting surface is large enough, the energy loss is 10-20%, which generally does not affect measurement). Especially when the reflecting surface has an angular deviation or scale buildup after use, the energy loss can reach 40-60%, severely affecting normal measurement. Furthermore, the presence of reflecting surfaces complicates the installation structure, and improper handling of water resistance distribution on the reflecting surface can also affect measurement accuracy.

[0016] (3) Principle of consistent sealing safety and valve ball rotation resistance: The valve ball seal must ensure the valve body sealing safety, the smoothness of the sealing components, the constant elasticity of the sealing ring (constant compression of the sealing ring), and the same clamping force on the valve ball after installation, in order to meet the consistency principle of batch products. This clamping force should not be too tight or too loose; the former will affect the rotation torque, and the latter will cause water leakage and loss of valve function. That is, after the valve ball is installed, under the same test conditions, the no-load torque of batch products should be the same, with good consistency, which is convenient for the geared motor to drive.

[0017] (4) The principle that the valve should not affect the metering performance after it is opened: According to principle (1), if the valve is set in the sound channel (flow channel), when the valve is fully open, the valve hole must be smoothly connected with the flow channel and there should be no tilting or obstruction. Otherwise, firstly, it will affect the sound wave transmission rate, that is, reduce the sound wave amplitude and affect the sound wave reception; secondly, it will directly cause the flow velocity in the flow channel to change and deviate from the set standard fluid flow characteristic curve, which will seriously affect the metering accuracy of the water meter flow meter.

[0018] (5) Principle of consistency of flow channel structure parameters; The flow channel forming and processing technology of ultrasonic water meter base has high component installation accuracy and consistency requirements, which determines the accuracy and quality of mass production of flow meters. In particular, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the two transducer emitting surfaces is fixed and not affected by differences in pipe section processing and transducer installation. Improving this level can reduce the range of error compensation and accuracy correction due to individual differences in base meters, and reduce the complicated workload of manually correcting individual errors later.

[0019] (6) Pipe body sealing safety principle: In the case of an inner liner, in order to ensure sealing safety, local sealing should be used as much as possible rather than overall sealing to ensure the reliability and durability of the seal.

[0020] (7) Adaptability principle: The ultrasonic valve control meter should be easy to install temperature sensor to meet the needs of heat energy metering.

[0021] (8) Simple structure and easy assembly principle: The ultrasonic water meter has a simplified structure and unique determination, which makes it easy to assemble as a whole and ensures that the flow meter has a high degree of consistency.

[0022] Based on the above eight principles, the most effective way for small-diameter ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters is to process and manufacture the base meter using a metal outer tube of equal diameter, satisfying the requirements of built-in through-beam transducer structure, valve ball placed in the sound channel between two transducers, and high consistency of batch products, i.e., the same valve torque.

[0023] According to the standards of the above principles, the existing technology still has defects or deficiencies.

[0024] Patent application CN 107356298 A discloses a valve-controlled ultrasonic water meter. In this application, ultrasonic transmission is carried out by reflection; the control valve is placed outside the sound channel; the valve ball is fixed to the main pipe by a threaded connector with external threads; and the valve ball has no opening positioning. It can be seen that the use of reflection for ultrasonic transmission is inconsistent with principle (2); the placement of the control valve outside the sound channel is inconsistent with principle (1); when the valve ball is fixed to the main pipe by a threaded connector with external threads, it is impossible to guarantee that the valve ball has the same tightening force during batch installation, which is inconsistent with (3); and the lack of opening positioning for the valve ball is inconsistent with (4).

[0025] Patent application publication number CN 202903255 U proposes an ultrasonic meter with an integrated valve. In this application, the ultrasonic wave transmission adopts a reflective method. Unlike patent CN 107356298 A, this patent recognizes the importance of increasing the range ratio and places the control valve inside the sound channel to increase the sound path. The valve ball is fixed by connecting the valve ball to the inside of the main pipe through a threaded tube with external threads. The valve ball does not have an opening positioning. It can be seen that the use of reflective ultrasonic wave transmission is inconsistent with principle (2). When the valve ball is fixed by connecting the valve ball to the main pipe through a threaded joint with external threads, it is impossible to guarantee that the valve ball has the same tightening force during batch installation, which is inconsistent with (3). The lack of opening positioning for the valve ball is inconsistent with (4).

[0026] Patent authorization announcement number CN 211317424 U proposes an integrated ultrasonic flow meter with valve. In this application, the ultrasonic transmission adopts a through-beam type; the control valve is placed inside the sound channel; the valve ball is pressed and fixed by the metal rings with external threads at both ends of the tube through the butt joint of the inner lining at both ends; the valve ball has no opening positioning; it can be seen that since the inner lining tube is fixed by the metal rings with external threads at both ends of the tube for overall sealing, it does not match (6); when the overall sealing is used, it is not easy to install a temperature sensor if heat metering is required, which does not match (7); the valve ball has no opening positioning, which does not match (4); although the valve ball is pressed and fixed by the middle flow tube to ensure that the pressing force remains unchanged, if the pressing force of the pressure rings on both sides of the tube is insufficient or loosens after long-term use, the valve ball will leak water seriously and lose its valve function, which does not match (3); in addition, as the patent Figure 1 As shown, the valve ball is fixed by the butt joint of two inner liner tubes, with the butt joint line located in the middle of the valve ball. If there is a gap between the inner liner rectifier tube and the inner side of the metal outer tube, the joint of the two inner liner tubes will be uneven (skewed), which will cause uneven pressure on the valve ball and lead to liquid leakage.

[0027] In summary, for ultrasonic flow meters that integrate meter and valve, if the sound path is to be increased, thereby increasing the range ratio R, then a valve ball needs to be installed in the middle of the ultrasonic flow meter of a given length to form a valve. This structure is very different from that of ordinary valves.

[0028] According to the GB / T 8464-2008 standard, when the valve is fully open, the angular deviation between the axis of the ball's through-hole and the axis of the valve body's through-hole should not exceed 3°. Therefore, based on this standard, almost all ordinary ball valves do not have a rotational shut-off positioning of the valve ball inside the valve, because from the perspective of the conventional application requirements of ordinary ball valves, there is no such requirement. However, for ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters, placing the valve ball on the ultrasonic circuit for metering, an angular deviation of 1 to 3° between the axis of the ball's through-hole and the axis of the valve body's through-hole will seriously affect the fluid flow state (i.e., affect the fluid flow velocity and flow stability, deviating from the calibrated value), block the transmission amplitude of the sound waves, and thus affect the metering signal and metering characteristics. Therefore, positioning the valve ball is essential.

[0029] Currently, the opening and closing control of various electric ball valves is located outside the valve body, driven and positioned by a geared motor. Water meters using this method inevitably suffer from the problem of the valve ball not opening and closing precisely. This is due to two reasons: firstly, the geared motor itself needs positioning; secondly, because the geared motor and the valve ball are connected via a valve stem, issues with positioning and clearance at both ends mean that the opening and closing positions of the two separate parts—the geared motor and the valve ball—cannot be precisely synchronized.

[0030] For mass-produced products, this angular deviation is more severe and unavoidable, making it impossible to accurately synchronize the axis of the ball through hole with the axis of the valve body through hole. Therefore, it is essential to propose direct positioning on the valve ball.

[0031] Therefore, for an ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter of a given length, if it is to maximize the acoustic path between transducers, i.e., maximize the range ratio, thereby increasing the range ratio R, then a valve ball needs to be installed in the middle of the ultrasonic flow meter of the given length to form a valve. This special valve must meet the following requirements:

[0032] (1) When the valve is fully open, the axis of the ball through hole must be exactly the same as the axis of the flow meter tube through hole; when the valve is fully closed, the axis of the ball through hole must be at 90° to the axis of the flow meter tube through hole.

[0033] (2) When setting and fixing the valve ball in the flow tube, the clamping force or sealing state of the valve ball should not be changed due to the assembly and installation of the valve ball and its seals.

[0034] (3) The valve ball installed in the flow meter tube should not have its clamping force or sealing state changed due to the assembly or installation of the flow meter tube section.

[0035] (4) A valve ball is installed and fixed in the flow tube. The clamping force of the valve ball can be manually controlled and set. Once set, it cannot be changed.

[0036] (5) The rotational torque of the sphere should be small.

[0037] Therefore, in order to adapt the ball valve to the ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter, the above five requirements must be met so that when the ball is opened, the axis of the through hole and the axis of the flow channel through hole are completely aligned and coincident; that is, the ball can accurately complete the positioning of 90° full opening and full closing in the pipe without affecting the fluid flow, the sound wave of measurement and the measurement accuracy in the ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter. This is a major problem that the industry urgently needs to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0038] To address the aforementioned challenges, this application, adhering to the eight principles for ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters and the five constraints on the built-in valve ball, proposes an embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters. The technical solution involves installing a transducer and control valve within the straight-through pipe of the ultrasonic water meter. This embedded valve positioning structure ensures the ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter has a maximized range ratio R in the transducer's horizontally opposed mode, positioning and fixing the valve ball within the acoustic channel between a pair of transducers in the straight-through pipe. This not only ensures smooth valve ball rotation and maintains the same valve ball driving torque under identical conditions in mass production, but also precisely positions the valve ball's opening and closing stroke cutoff, guaranteeing that the valve ball's through-hole coincides with the flow channel's through-hole axis when the valve is fully open. The particular benefit of this substantial improvement is that it solves the fatal flaws of existing ball valves, such as incomplete closure and leakage; incomplete opening affecting the amplitude of ultrasonic signal transmission and reception, thus affecting time difference calculation; and furthermore, the water flow velocity change caused by the misalignment of the valve ball through hole and the flow channel through hole directly alters the flow state originally set by the flow meter, leading to the inability to perform metering normally or serious accuracy deviation.

[0039] This invention relates to an embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to ultrasonic valve-controlled water meters. Its features include: a constant-diameter metal outer tube for the flowmeter base, a shaped transducer, a valve ball and a valve ball rotation positioning pin, a necked rectifier tube, a cylindrical valve ball metal buckle, a transducer lead wire fixing seat, a valve stem fixing seat, a rectifier tube fixing seat, a water meter instrument circuit box, and a lead wire fixing cap; the embedded valve-controlled positioning structure for the straight pipe water meter has a constant-diameter metal outer tube for its base; the shaped transducer consists of a shaped transducer structural component and a transducer flow guide cap, installed at both ends inside the constant-diameter metal outer tube; the valve ball has a through hole in the middle, a rotation drive rod is inserted at the upper part, and a valve ball positioning pin is embedded at the lower part; the rotation positioning pin is embedded in a groove in the lower part of the valve ball, and the rotation positioning pin is placed in a shaped positioning groove inside the necked rectifier tube, restricting... The valve ball and rotating positioning pin are rotated 90° in both directions for stop positioning. The necked rectifier tube consists of two asymmetrical sections, which are wrapped and fixed by a cylindrical valve ball metal buckle and a PTFE ring gasket. The two transducer structural components are respectively glued or laser-welded to the two necked rectifier tubes, and then positioned, wrapped, and fixed by the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle to form an integral inner lining structure. With the equal-diameter metal outer tube as the central framework, and the transducer lead wire fixing seat, valve stem fixing seat, rectifier tube fixing seat, water meter instrument circuit box, and lead wire fixing cap working together, an embedded valve ball positioning structure for ultrasonic straight pipe valve-controlled water meter flowmeter is formed. This achieves precise positioning of the ball valve opening and closing while ensuring that the water meter's metering accuracy characteristics remain unchanged, the metering range ratio is maximized, and the starting flow is minimized.

[0040] The above solution can perfectly solve the problem of precise opening and closing of the valve ball and synchronization with the geared motor, making the valve-controlled ultrasonic water meter more accurate.

[0041] The flow meter base tube is a uniform diameter metal tube with pipe threads on both ends. The uniform diameter metal tube has lead wire fixing seat, valve stem fixing seat, rectifier tube fixing seat and temperature sensor mounting seat.

[0042] The irregularly shaped transducer consists of a flow guide cap and an irregularly shaped transducer structural component, installed at both ends inside the equal-diameter metal outer tube, and respectively connected to the necked rectifier tubes; the two necked rectifier tubes have an asymmetrical structure, with their openings positioned and connected by convex and concave surfaces; the valve ball is located inside one of the necked rectifier tubes, and the valve ball is held tightly on both sides by PTFE ring gaskets, with elastic sealing rings on the outside of the PTFE ring gaskets, all embedded in the grooves of the necked rectifier tubes; a rotating positioning pin is embedded in the groove at the bottom of the valve ball, and the rotating positioning pin is positioned on one side of the necked rectifier tube. The positioning pin inside the necked rectifier tube is located in a shaped positioning groove, which restricts the rotation of the valve ball by 90° rotation in both directions. The valve ball drive shaft and sealing ring are installed in the upper drive groove of the valve ball. The cylindrical valve ball metal buckle is composed of two symmetrical parts. Its inner edge is inserted into the external groove of the two necked rectifier tubes after docking, and the two are fastened together. It is placed in the metal outer tube of equal diameter to form a whole. The above structure forms a pair of through-beam transducer inner liner valve ball rotation positioning tube structure.

[0043] The irregularly shaped transducer has a flow guide cap at the front and its main body is a transducer structural component. The transducer ceramic plate assembly is assembled in a blind hole in the middle of the transducer structural component. The middle of the irregularly shaped transducer structural component is connected to the inner side of the outer ring by an upper support column and a lower support column, respectively. The inner hole of the upper support column is a slanted hole for the transducer lead wire, one end of which communicates with the inside of the transducer, and the other end communicates with the central through hole of the transducer lead wire fixing head. The transducer lead wire is led out from the inside of the transducer through the slanted hole and the central hole of the lead wire fixing head to the totalizing circuit PCB. After the transducer lead wire is led out from the central hole of the transducer lead wire fixing head, the flow guide cap is then attached, and high-strength two-component A and B adhesive is injected into the transducer through the slanted hole from the central hole of the lead wire fixing head to fill, cure, and waterproof the inner cavity of the transducer.

[0044] The transducer lead wire fixing seat is located outside the flow meter base metal outer tube of equal diameter and inside the metal outer tube thread; the transducer lead wire fixing head is located at the lower end inside the transducer lead wire fixing seat, and its height is positioned by the positioning platform; the elastic washer is located above the transducer lead wire fixing head, and the lead wire fixing nut is located above the elastic washer.

[0045] The water meter instrument circuit box is located outside the equal-diameter metal outer tube of the flow meter base meter, and consists of a lower casing and an upper casing of the instrument circuit box; the totalizing circuit board, the instrument display screen, the geared motor and the battery are located inside the instrument circuit box, and the lower casing of the instrument circuit box is pressed and fixed by the lead wire fixing nut; a temperature sensor mounting base can be installed on the outside of the water outlet end of the base meter metal outer casing, and the temperature sensor is installed in the temperature sensor mounting base.

[0046] The following is a further description of the assembly process and working principle of the embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to an ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter proposed in this invention:

[0047] The flowmeter base tube is a constant-diameter metal tube with threads on both ends for easy connection to external pipelines via unions. On the outside of the constant-diameter metal tube, lead wire fixing seats, valve stem fixing seats, rectifier tube fixing seats, and temperature sensor mounting seats are welded using laser welding. The irregularly shaped transducer structural components are installed at both ends inside the constant-diameter metal tube, and the flow guide caps are finally installed on the irregularly shaped transducer structural components. The inner sides of the two transducer structural components are respectively aligned with the protrusions and recesses of the two necked rectifier tubes, and after positioning, they are laser welded into a single unit. Thus, the overall inner liner can be divided into two parts, with a valve ball placed in the middle.

[0048] Valve ball and accessory installation procedure: In the groove between the two necked rectifier tubes, first place the rubber ring, then the PTFE ring gasket. Then, rotate the valve ball and insert the locating pin into the irregularly shaped locating groove of the right-side necked rectifier tube. Note that, as shown in the attached... Figure 4 As shown, the straight locating pin should be placed along the flow channel direction. Align the groove at the bottom of the valve ball with the straight locating pin, push the valve ball into the constricted flow tube, so that the locating pin is embedded in the groove at the bottom of the valve ball, and then connect the two constricted flow tubes. Fasten the inner flange of the two symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal buckles into the grooves on the outside of the two constricted flow tubes. The width of the groove is consistent with the metal thickness of the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle. Tightly fit to complete the assembly of the valve ball and its fixing parts.

[0049] After the valve ball is assembled, as follows Figure 2 As shown, the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle fastens and positions the two necked rectifier tubes in the middle, forming an inner liner connector in conjunction with the irregularly shaped transducer structure and the necked rectifier tubes. The inner liner connector, together with the sealing ring in the outer groove of the necked rectifier tube, is inserted into a metal outer tube of equal diameter. The outer rubber ring serves to prevent water from flowing between the necked rectifier tube and the inner side of the metal outer tube, ensuring a tight fit. Thus, an integral inner liner is formed inside the metal outer tube, completing the installation of the inner liner valve control body structure for a pair of through-beam transducers.

[0050] The injection molding of the valve ball opening and closing irregular positioning groove at the lower part of the valve stem hole of the necked rectifier tube is formed by: the plastic mold is formed by pulling the irregular positioning groove from the top through the valve stem hole of the necked rectifier tube, and the inside is formed by pulling the mold from the left and right sides of the inner hole of the necked rectifier tube.

[0051] The length of the valve control tube structure of the pair of through-beam transducers is 0.3mm shorter on one side than the equal-diameter metal outer tube. Its function is to ensure that the pressure on the sealing gasket is mainly borne by the metal pipe opening of the interface when the flow meter is installed. This can effectively protect the inner liner tube and prevent it from deforming due to less stress during long-term use.

[0052] The positioning and fixing structure of the embedded ball valve provided above has the following advantages:

[0053] (1) The embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for water meter flowmeters of the present invention includes a valve ball with a straight rotating positioning pin, an irregularly shaped positioning groove, a valve ball, a necked rectifier tube, a polytetrafluoroethylene ring gasket, and an O-ring seal. With the two symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal fasteners tightly fastened to the necked rectifier tube and the outer groove, an embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter flowmeters is formed. This structure ensures that when the valve is open, the axis of the valve ball through-hole coincides with the axis of the flow channel through-hole. The significant benefit of this substantial structural improvement is that it solves the problems of existing ball valves not closing properly, causing leakage; not opening properly affecting the amplitude of ultrasonic signal transmission and reception, thus affecting time difference calculation; furthermore, the change in water flow velocity caused by the misalignment of the valve ball through-hole and the flow channel through-hole will directly change the flow state originally set by the flowmeter, leading to fatal defects such as measurement failure or serious accuracy deviation.

[0054] (2) PTFE ring gaskets and O-rings are installed on both sides of the valve ball: the O-rings provide sealing and elasticity; the PTFE ring gaskets provide the valve ball with suitable sealing clamping force and low coefficient of friction. This combination forms a watertight structure with low coefficient of friction for the valve ball.

[0055] (3) Figure 4 As shown, the two necked rectifier tubes are positioned by upper and lower fittings and have hard contact on the sides. The cylindrical valve ball is then positioned and secured by a metal clamp. This metal clamp ensures that the force pressing the valve ball is not altered by external pressure or tension, thus guaranteeing that the valve ball's driving force adheres to the set value. Therefore, the clamping force on the valve ball is primarily determined by the compression provided by the O-ring seal. According to valve sealing ring standards and considering the driving force of the geared motor, the compression of a single-sided sealing ring can be controlled between 0.2 and 0.5 mm to fully guarantee the ball's watertightness and low frictional resistance during rotation.

[0056] (4) Since the accessories are produced in a standardized manner, the clamping force on the valve ball is constant during mass production. This is because the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle is stuck in the narrow groove of the front and rear necked rectifier tubes, forming a very stable valve body structure under the wrapping of the metal outer tube.

[0057] (5) The valve ball rotation positioning pin and the corresponding positioning groove on the valve ball are tightly fitted without gap. The rotation positioning pin is placed in the irregular positioning groove of the stop pin in the necked rectifier tube. This structure can restrict the valve ball rotation positioning pin to rotate and stop positioning in both directions by 90°. This effectively ensures the accurate opening of the valve ball and the metering characteristics of the flow meter fluid are not affected by the valve ball opening deviation caused by the positional deviation and rotational positioning deviation of the geared motor.

[0058] (6) The valve ball fixing method in this invention is different from the valve ball in patent authorization announcement number CN 211317424 U, which is fixed by the joint of two inner liner tubes. The valve ball in this invention is installed in the necked rectifier tube on one side, which avoids the situation where the joint of the two inner liner tubes will be uneven (skewed) when there is a gap between the inner liner tube and the outer tube, resulting in uneven pressure on different positions of the valve ball and thus causing liquid leakage.

[0059] Because of the PTFE gasket, the valve ball experiences less resistance to rotation. (Patent authorization announcement number CN)

[0060] The valve ball in 211317424U only has a sealing ring. This structure has relatively large rotational friction, and the durability of the sealing ring is also poor due to direct friction, which poses a risk of leakage.

[0061] The rectifier tube positioning nut and sealing ring are located in the rectifier tube fixing seat, and their protruding parts extend into the corresponding blind hole of the rectifier tube to position and fix the two rectifier tubes.

[0062] After the valve ball drive shaft and sealing ring are inserted into the drive groove on the valve ball through the hole in the valve stem fixing seat, a reduction motor is installed in the lower box of the instrument circuit box to complete the installation of the electric control valve.

[0063] The irregularly shaped transducer structure has a blind hole in the middle. A ceramic plate assembly is encapsulated in the blind hole, and lead wires are welded in. At this stage, do not install the flow guide cap. Instead, insert the integral inner liner sleeve into the metal tube and install and secure the integral inner liner sleeve. Then, pass the transducer lead wire through the lead wire oblique hole from the lead wire fixing head. Afterward, fasten the flow guide cap, completing the transducer installation and lead wire exit. Further, using a flat-headed fine needle, inject two-component A and B adhesive into the transducer through the lead wire fixing head's central hole and the lead wire oblique hole. This ensures a tight bond between the irregularly shaped transducer structure and the transducer flow guide cap. The end of the flow guide cap has a groove, which participates in the securing connection of the A and B adhesives.

[0064] The lead wire fixing head is located below the through hole of the lead wire fixing seat and is positioned by a positioning platform. Its functions are twofold: first, its lower protrusion embeds into the groove of the transducer structural component, positioning and fixing the outlet of the irregularly shaped transducer structural component; second, because the lead wire fixing head has a positioning platform, its compression of the sealing ring can remain constant. Furthermore, the sealing ring below the lead wire fixing head is used to seal the transducer structural component; the side sealing ring is used to seal the inner side of the lead wire fixing seat.

[0065] The lead wire fixing head is positioned by a positioning surface, and there is an elastic washer above it. The lead wire fixing cap is located above the elastic washer, which plays the role of pressing the elastic washer with a constant force to press the lead wire fixing head.

[0066] The transducer lead wires are led out from the ceramic plate assembly through an oblique hole, through the lead wire fixing head, spring washer, and the center hole of the lead wire fixing nut, and into the instrument circuit box.

[0067] The water meter instrument circuit box is located outside the equal-diameter metal outer tube of the flow meter base, and consists of a lower casing and an upper casing. The totalizing circuit board, instrument display screen, geared motor, and battery are located inside the instrument circuit box. The lead wire fixing nut has a hexagonal screw hole in its center, which allows the lead wire fixing nut to be tightened, thereby pressing and fixing the lower casing of the instrument circuit box. The lower casing of the instrument circuit box and the outer ring of the transducer lead wire fixing seat are cylindrically fitted, and a sealing ring seals between them. The lead wire fixing nut has two functions: firstly, it applies force to the elastic washer to press the transducer lead wire fixing head; secondly, it is used to press the lower casing of the instrument box. Thus, the bottom casing of the instrument box is fixed using a very simple method. According to actual needs, waterproof glue can be potted inside the instrument circuit box to achieve an IP68 protection rating.

[0068] The rectifier tube fixing seat and the valve stem fixing seat are located on both sides of the outer end of the equal-diameter metal outer tube, and the clamping screw and sealing ring are located inside the rectifier tube fixing seat to position and fix the two necked rectifier tubes.

[0069] The inner tube of the flowmeter is fixed as follows: the upper part is pressed and fixed from both ends by two lead wire fixing heads; the lower part is pressed and fixed in the middle by two necked rectifier tubes and clamping screws, forming a stable fixed integral structure.

[0070] The retaining nut housing is connected to the bayonet hole in the lower shell of the instrument circuit box to protect the retaining nut of the rectifier tube.

[0071] In meeting the requirements of heat metering, this invention greatly facilitates the placement of the temperature sensor because the integral inner liner and the metal outer tube of the flow meter do not require integral waterproof sealing at both ends. The temperature sensor mounting base is located at the outer end of the equal-diameter metal outer tube, and the temperature sensor is installed inside the mounting base. The temperature measuring rod can pass through the inner liner and be obliquely inserted into the outside of the transducer guide cap without requiring special waterproofing, thus achieving temperature measurement without affecting the flow metering characteristics.

[0072] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present invention has outstanding substantive features and significant progress in the placement and opening positioning of the valve ball, and has been verified to be effective in practice, possessing novelty, inventiveness and practicality.

[0073] Specifically, this manifests as follows:

[0074] First, for small-diameter ultrasonic flowmeter bases with limited length, this invention, by changing the lead wires and sealing structure of the built-in irregularly shaped transducers, allows the two built-in irregularly shaped transducer structural components to be placed close to the two ends of the inner side of a straight metal pipe of equal diameter. Since the lead wires can be led out through the oblique holes, the irregularly shaped transducer structural components can be installed as close as possible to the inner sides of both ends of the outer metal pipe of equal diameter without considering the positional misalignment caused by the transducer lead wire fixing seat being located inside the pipe thread. Therefore, the distance between the two transducer emitting surfaces can be increased as effectively as possible, i.e., the sound path can be increased, and the range ratio R can be improved, thus achieving the goal of maximizing the range ratio and minimizing the starting flow.

[0075] Secondly, because the gap and cross-sectional area for fluid passage are minimized in the central part of the irregularly shaped transducer structure, the central part of the irregularly shaped transducer structure in this invention is connected to the inner side of the outer ring using two upper and lower support columns, instead of multiple columns. Furthermore, by modifying the lead-out wire and sealing structure of the built-in irregularly shaped transducer, a minimum water flow gap of greater than 3mm can be maintained within a DN15 diameter straight pipe, facilitating the safe passage of impurities. These features reduce obstruction to water flow, increase the cross-sectional area for water passage, reduce pressure loss, and ensure the safe passage of impurities in the water.

[0076] Third, the embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for the water meter flow meter described in this invention includes a valve ball with a straight rotating positioning pin, an irregularly shaped positioning groove, a valve ball, two asymmetrical necked rectifier tubes, a PTFE ring gasket, and an O-ring seal. With the two symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal clamps tightly fastened to the grooves on the outer sides of the front and rear necked rectifier tubes, an embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for the ultrasonic straight-pipe valve-controlled water meter flow meter is formed. This structure ensures that when the valve is open, the axis of the valve ball through-hole coincides with the axis of the flow channel through-hole. The significant benefit of this substantial structural improvement is that it solves the problems of existing ball valves not closing properly, causing leakage; not opening properly affecting the amplitude of ultrasonic signal transmission and reception, thus affecting time difference calculation; and furthermore, the water flow velocity change caused by the misalignment of the valve ball through-hole and the flow channel through-hole axes directly alters the flow state originally set by the flow meter, leading to fatal defects such as measurement failure or serious accuracy deviation.

[0077] Fourth, such as Figure 4As shown, the two necked rectifier tubes are positioned by upper and lower fittings and have hard contact on their sides. The valve ball is located inside one of the necked rectifier tubes and is positioned and secured by a cylindrical valve ball metal clamp. This special structure and the characteristics of the cylindrical valve ball metal clamp ensure that the two necked rectifier tubes are not affected by external pressure or tension, thus preventing changes in the force pressing the valve ball and ensuring that the driving force of the valve ball follows the set value. Therefore, the clamping force on the valve ball is mainly provided by the compression of the O-ring seal. According to valve sealing ring standards, based on the driving force of the geared motor, controlling the compression of the single-sided sealing ring between 0.2 and 0.5 mm can completely guarantee the watertightness of the ball and the frictional resistance of the valve ball rotation.

[0078] Fifth, furthermore, the valve ball rotation positioning pin and the corresponding positioning groove on the valve ball are tightly fitted without any gap. The rotation positioning pin is placed in the irregular positioning groove of the stop pin inside the necked rectifier tube on one side. This structure can restrict the rotation positioning pin of the valve ball to rotate and stop positioning by 90° in both directions. This effectively ensures the accurate opening of the valve ball and the metering characteristics of the flow meter fluid are not affected by the valve ball opening deviation caused by the positional deviation and rotational positioning deviation of the geared motor.

[0079] Sixth, the valve ball fixing method in this invention is different from the valve ball in patent authorization announcement number CN 211317424 U, which is fixed by the joint of two inner liner tubes. The valve ball is installed in the necked rectifier tube on one side, which avoids the situation where the joint of the two inner liner tubes will be uneven (skewed) when there is a gap with the outer tube, resulting in uneven pressure on different positions of the valve ball and thus causing liquid leakage.

[0080] Seventh, the fixing of the integral inner liner tube of the flow meter described in this invention: the upper part is pressed and fixed from both ends of the tube by two lead wire fixing heads; the lower part is pressed and fixed in the middle by two necked rectifier tube fixing bolts, forming a stable fixed whole.

[0081] Eighth, the transducer lead wire fixing head of the present invention is height-positioned by the positioning platform inside the lead wire fixing seat. This ensures that the sealing ring at the lower end of the lead wire fixing head has a reasonable amount of compression, and also allows the lower part of the lead wire fixing head to be embedded inside the irregular transducer structural component, thereby playing the role of positioning and fixing the irregular transducer structural component.

[0082] Ninth, the lead wire fixing nut of the present invention achieves two functions in one: it presses the transducer lead wire fixing head by applying force to the elastic washer; at the same time, it is used to press and fix the lower shell of the circuit instrument box, reducing the number of fixing devices for the lower shell.

[0083] Tenth, the connection between the two necked rectifier tubes and the corresponding transducer structural components at both ends of the present invention is completed by adhesive bonding or laser welding at the joint, forming an integral structure of an inner liner tube. One purpose of this structure is to ensure that the fluid flows smoothly and continuously from the metal outer tube opening of the base surface through the guide cap into the rectifier tube, without any breaks in the inner liner tube wall, thus stabilizing the fluid flow characteristics. The second purpose is to ensure that the distance between the emitting surfaces of the two transducers remains consistent during mass production, thereby achieving consistency in flow meter parameters, improving measurement accuracy, and greatly facilitating the testing and calibration of the flow meter.

[0084] Eleventh, the overall length of the inner liner tube of the dual-beam transducer described in this invention is 0.3mm shorter on one side than the equal-diameter metal outer tube. Its function is that when installing the flow meter union, the pressure on the sealing gasket is mainly borne by the metal pipe opening of the interface, which can effectively protect the inner liner tube and prevent it from deforming due to less stress during long-term use.

[0085] Twelfth, the inner lining of the small-diameter direct-through ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter of the present invention is not integrally sealed with the inner side of the metal outer tube, so it is convenient to install a temperature sensor and can be used for heat energy measurement.

[0086] This invention achieves the entire process from proposing a complete technical solution to its implementation: from the irregularly shaped transducer pipeline structure, the accurate positioning of the valves inside the pipe and their opening and closing rotation, to the highly secure local multi-stage sealing, convenient lead-out of transducer signal lines, positioning and fixing of the inner liner tube, and the fixing structure of the integrated circuit housing, etc. Attached Figure Description

[0087] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional diagram of an embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to an ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter.

[0088] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the lining structure, which consists of an embedded valve ball and a shaped transducer.

[0089] Figure 3 This is a side view of an embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to an ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter.

[0090] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rectifier tube connection and embedded valve ball positioning pin structure of the ultrasonic straight pipe valve controlled water meter.

[0091] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic straight-pipe valve-controlled water meter with an embedded rectifier tube and a cylindrical valve ball metal buckle.

[0092] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a temperature sensor base and rectifier tube fixing cover for an ultrasonic straight pipe valve-controlled water meter.

[0093] In the picture:

[0094] 11. Equal-diameter metal outer tube; 111. Pipe thread; 13. Lead wire fixing seat; 131. Positioning platform; 132. Sealing ring 1; 251. Lower sealing ring; 252. Side sealing ring; 24. Ceramic plate assembly; 25. Lead wire fixing head; 26. Elastic washer; 27. Fixing nut; 22. Transducer structural component; 221. Single-sided difference between inner liner and outer tube; 222. Lead wire oblique hole; 223. Upper support column; 224. Lower support column; 23. Flow guide cap; 231. Lower groove of flow guide cap; 28. Transducer signal line; 14. Valve stem fixing seat; 37. Valve drive rod; 371. Sealing ring 2; 40. Concave-convex structure; 41. Gear motor; 12. Rectifier tube fixing seat; 121. Rectifier tube fixing bolt; 122. Sealing ring 3; 31. Necked rectifier tube A; 32. Necked rectifier tube B; 311. Sealing ring groove; 3111. Sealing ring 4; 312. First groove; 33. Valve ball; 321. Valve stem insertion hole; 34. Valve ball rotation positioning pin; 323. Irregular positioning groove; 322. Second groove; 35. PTFE ring gasket; 39. Sealing ring 5; 36. Cylindrical valve ball metal buckle; 361. Inward flange; 15. Temperature sensor mounting base; 151. Temperature sensor; 55. Instrument box; 55A. Instrument box bottom shell; 55B. Instrument box top shell; 55C. Protective shell; 553. Battery; 551. Circuit board; 552. Display screen; Detailed Implementation

[0095] The implementation of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0096] Example:

[0097] This embodiment describes a positioning structure for an embedded valve ball in a DN15 small-diameter ultrasonic straight-pipe valve-controlled water meter used for measuring hot water flow and heat metering.

[0098] Overall appearance Figure 6 As shown, the main internal components are the same Figure 1 As shown. In this embodiment, the outer tube of the flow meter base is a constant diameter metal outer tube 11. The outer sides of both ends of the constant diameter metal outer tube have pipe threads 111. The constant diameter metal outer tube 11 has a lead wire fixing seat 13, a valve stem fixing seat 14, a rectifier tube fixing seat 12, and a temperature sensor mounting seat 15.

[0099] The irregularly shaped transducer consists of a flow guide cap 23 and an irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22, installed at both ends inside the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11, and respectively docking with the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. The tube openings of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32 are positioned and docked by convex and concave surfaces. The valve ball 33 is located inside the necked rectifier tube 32, and the two sides of the valve ball are held tightly by polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) ring gaskets 35. The outer side of the PTFE ring gaskets 35 has an elastic sealing ring 39, all of which are embedded in the grooves 312 in the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. The lower groove of the valve ball is embedded with a rotating positioning pin 34, which is placed in the irregularly shaped positioning groove 323 of the positioning pin inside the necked rectifier tube 32, restricting the rotation of the valve ball by 90° in both directions for shut-off positioning. The valve ball drive shaft 37 and sealing ring 371 are installed in the upper drive groove of the valve ball 33. The cylindrical valve ball metal buckle 36 is composed of two symmetrical parts. Its inward flange 361 fastens the inserted and mated necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32 with the central groove 322, and forms a whole inside the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11. The above structure forms a pair of through-beam transducer liner valve ball rotation positioning tube structures.

[0100] The irregularly shaped transducer has a flow guide cap 23 at its front and a transducer structural component 22 as its main body. The transducer ceramic plate assembly 24 is assembled in a blind hole in the middle of the transducer structural component 22. The middle of the irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22 is connected to the inner side of the outer ring by an upper support column 223 and a lower support column 224, respectively. The inner hole of the upper support column 223 is a transducer lead wire oblique hole 222, one end of which communicates with the inside of the transducer, and the other end communicates with the central through hole of the transducer lead wire fixing head 25. The transducer signal lead wire 28 is led out from the inside of the transducer through the lead wire oblique hole 222 and the central hole of the lead wire fixing head 25. After the transducer lead wire 28 is led out from the center hole of the transducer lead wire fixing head 25, the flow guide cap 23 is then fastened. Afterwards, high-strength two-component A and B adhesive is injected into the transducer through the center hole of the lead wire fixing head 25 and the oblique hole 222, filling, curing, and waterproofing the transducer cavity. The groove 231 at the bottom of the flow guide cap serves to bond with the A and B adhesives, and after curing, ensures a stable connection between the flow guide cap 23 and the transducer structural component 22.

[0101] The transducer lead wire fixing seat 13 is located outside the flowmeter base metal outer tube 11 of the same diameter and inside the thread 111 of the metal outer tube 11. The transducer lead wire fixing head 25 is located at the lower end inside the transducer lead wire fixing seat 12, and its height is positioned by the positioning platform 131. The elastic washer 26 is located above the transducer lead wire fixing head 25, and the lead wire fixing nut 27 is located above the elastic washer 26.

[0102] The water meter instrument circuit box 55 is located outside the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11 of the flow meter base meter, and consists of a lower casing 55A and an upper casing 55B. The totalizing circuit board 551, the instrument display screen 552, the geared motor 41, and the battery 553 are located inside the instrument circuit box 55. The lower casing 55A is secured by lead wire fixing nuts 27. A temperature sensor mounting base 15 is located on the outside of the water outlet end of the base meter metal outer casing 11, and the temperature sensor 151 is installed in the temperature sensor mounting base 15.

[0103] The following is a further description of the assembly process and working principle of the embedded valve ball positioning structure adapted to an ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter proposed in this application:

[0104] The flowmeter base tube is a uniform diameter metal tube 11. The uniform diameter metal tube 11 has pipe threads 111 on both sides for easy connection to the external pipeline via a union. On the outside of the uniform diameter metal tube 11, the lead wire fixing seat 13, valve stem fixing seat 14, rectifier tube fixing seat 12 and temperature sensor mounting seat 15 are welded by laser welding. The irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22 is installed at both ends of the inner side of the uniform diameter metal tube 11, and the flow guide cap 23 is finally installed on the irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22. The inner sides of the two transducer structural components 22 are respectively connected to the concave-convex and concave joints (40) of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. After positioning, they are laser welded into one piece, that is, the overall inner lining can be divided into two parts, and a valve ball 33 can be set in the middle.

[0105] Valve ball and accessory installation procedure: In the groove 312 between the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32, first place the rubber ring 39, then place the PTFE gasket 35. Then, rotate the valve ball and place the positioning pin 34 into the irregularly shaped positioning groove 323. Note that... Figure 4 As shown, the straight positioning pin 34 should be placed along the flow channel direction. Align the groove at the bottom of the valve ball 33 with the straight positioning pin 34, push the valve ball 33 into the necked rectifier tube 32, so that the positioning pin 34 is embedded in the groove at the bottom of the valve ball 33. Then, connect the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32, and fasten the inner flange 361 of the two symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal buckles 36 into the groove 322 on the outside of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. The width of the groove 322 is consistent with the metal thickness of the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle 36. The assembly of the valve ball and its fixing parts is completed by tight fitting.

[0106] After the valve ball is assembled, as follows Figure 2As shown, following the above process, the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle 36 fastens and positions the middle of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32, forming an inner liner connector with the cooperation of the irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22 and the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. The inner liner connector, together with the sealing ring 3111 in the outer groove 311 of the necked rectifier tube, is inserted into the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11. The sealing ring 3111 serves to prevent water from flowing between the necked rectifier tube and the inner side of the metal outer tube, ensuring a tight fit. Thus, an integral inner liner is formed inside the metal outer tube 11, completing the installation of the inner liner valve control body structure for a pair of through-beam transducers.

[0107] The injection molding of the valve ball opening and closing stop irregular positioning groove 323 at the lower part of the valve stem insertion hole 321 of the necked rectifier tube 32 is formed by: the plastic mold is formed by pulling the irregular positioning groove 323 from the top through the valve stem insertion hole 321 of the necked rectifier tube 32, and the interior is formed by pulling the mold from the left and right sides through the inner hole of the necked rectifier tube 32.

[0108] The length 221 of the inner liner valve control tube structure of the pair of through-beam transducers is 0.3mm shorter on one side than the equal-diameter outer metal tube. Its function is to ensure that the pressure on the sealing gasket is mainly borne by the metal tube opening of the interface when installing the flow meter union. This can effectively protect the inner liner tube and reduce the stress on it during long-term use so that it will not deform.

[0109] The positioning and fixing structure of the ball valve provided above has the following advantages:

[0110] (1) The embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for the water meter flow meter described in this application includes a valve ball I-shaped rotating positioning pin 34, an irregularly shaped positioning groove 323, a valve ball 33, a necked rectifier tube 32, a polytetrafluoroethylene gasket 35, and an O-ring seal 39. With the cooperation of two symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal buckles 36 fastened in the grooves 322 on the outside of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32, an embedded valve ball opening and closing accurate positioning structure for the ultrasonic straight pipe valve controlled water meter flow meter is formed. This structure can ensure that when the valve is opened, the axis of the valve ball through hole coincides with the axis of the flow channel through hole. The special benefit of this substantial structural improvement is that it solves the existing problems of ball valve not closing properly, ball valve leakage; not opening properly affecting the amplitude of ultrasonic signal transmission and reception, thus affecting the time difference calculation; furthermore, the change in water flow velocity caused by the misalignment of the axis of the valve ball through hole and the flow channel through hole will directly change the flow state originally set by the flow meter, thus leading to the fatal defects of the meter not being able to perform the measurement normally or the accuracy being seriously deviated.

[0111] (2) Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaskets 35 and O-rings 39 are installed on both sides of the valve ball: O-rings 39 provide sealing and elasticity; PTFE gaskets 35 provide the valve ball with suitable sealing clamping force and low coefficient of friction. This combination forms a watertight structure with low coefficient of friction for the valve ball.

[0112] (3) Figure 4 As shown, the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32 have upper and lower mating positioning and hard contact on the sides, and are further positioned and secured by the cylindrical valve ball metal clamp 36. The characteristic of this cylindrical valve ball metal clamp is that it ensures that the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32 will not be affected by external pressure or tension, thus ensuring that the valve ball's driving force follows the set value without change. Therefore, the clamping force on the valve ball is mainly determined by the compression provided by the O-ring seal 39. According to valve sealing ring standards and referring to the driving force designed for the geared motor, adjusting and controlling the compression of the single-sided sealing ring 39 to between 0.2 and 0.5 mm completely ensures the ball's watertightness and low friction driving resistance during valve ball rotation.

[0113] (4) Since the accessories are produced in a standardized manner, the clamping force on the valve ball is constant during mass production. This is because the cylindrical valve ball metal buckle 36 is stuck in the tight fitting groove 322 of the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32, and under the wrapping of the metal outer tube 11, a very stable valve body structure is formed.

[0114] (5) The valve ball rotation positioning pin 34 and the corresponding positioning groove on the valve ball 33 are tightly fitted without gap. The rotation positioning pin 34 is placed in the positioning pin irregular positioning groove 323 inside the necked rectifier tube 32. This structure can restrict the valve ball rotation positioning pin 34 to rotate and stop positioning in both directions by 90°. This effectively ensures the accurate opening of the valve ball and the metering characteristics of the flow meter fluid are not affected by the valve ball opening deviation caused by the position fixing deviation and rotation positioning deviation of the geared motor.

[0115] (6) The valve ball fixing method in this invention is different from the valve ball in patent authorization announcement number CN 211317424 U, which is fixed by the joint of two inner liner tubes. The valve ball 33 in this invention is installed in the necked rectifier tube 32 on one side, which avoids the situation where the joint of the two inner liner tubes will be uneven (skewed) when there is a gap with the outer tube, resulting in uneven pressure on the valve ball and thus causing liquid leakage.

[0116] Because of the PTFE gasket 35, the rotational resistance of the valve ball 33 is relatively low. The valve ball in patent publication number CN211317424U only has a sealing ring; this structure results in relatively high rotational friction, poor durability of the friction sealing ring, and a risk of leakage.

[0117] The rectifier tube positioning nut 121 and sealing ring 122 are located in the rectifier tube fixing seat 12, and their protruding parts extend into the corresponding blind holes of the rectifier tubes 31 and 32 to position and fix the rectifier tubes 31 and 32.

[0118] After the valve ball drive shaft 37 and sealing ring 371 are inserted into the drive groove on the valve ball through the hole in the valve stem fixing seat 14, the reduction motor 41 is installed in the lower shell 55A of the instrument circuit box to complete the installation of the electric control valve.

[0119] The irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22 has blind holes. A ceramic plate assembly 24 is encapsulated within these blind holes, and a lead wire 28 is welded in. At this stage, the flow guide cap 23 is not installed. Instead, the entire inner liner sleeve is inserted into the metal tube 11, and the transducer lead wire 28 is then passed through the lead wire oblique hole 222 and exited from the lead wire fixing head 25. Afterward, the flow guide cap 23 is fastened, completing the transducer installation and lead wire exit. Further, using a flat-headed fine needle tube, through the hole in the lead wire fixing head 25 and the lead wire oblique hole 222, two-component A and B adhesive is injected into the transducer to tightly bond the irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22 and the transducer flow guide cap 23 together. The end of the flow guide cap 23 has a groove 231, which participates in the fastening connection of the A and B adhesives.

[0120] The lead wire fixing head 25 is located below the through hole of the lead wire fixing seat 13 and is positioned by the positioning platform 131. Its functions are: firstly, its lower protrusion is embedded in the groove of the transducer structural component 22, positioning and fixing the outlet of the irregularly shaped transducer structural component 22; secondly, because the lead wire fixing head 25 has a positioning platform, the compression of the sealing ring 251 can remain constant. Furthermore, the sealing ring 251 below the lead wire fixing head 25 is used to seal the transducer structural component 22; the sealing ring 252 is used to seal the inner side of the lead wire fixing seat 13.

[0121] The lead wire fixing head 25 is positioned by the positioning surface 131, and there is an elastic washer 26 above it. The lead wire fixing cap 27 is located above the elastic washer 26 and plays the role of pressing the elastic washer 26 with a constant force to fix the lead wire fixing head 25.

[0122] The transducer lead wire 28 is led out from the ceramic plate assembly 24 through the oblique hole 222, through the lead wire fixing head 25, the spring washer 26 and the center hole of the lead wire fixing nut 27, and to the totalizing circuit board 551 in the instrument circuit box 55.

[0123] The water meter instrument circuit box 55 is located outside the flow meter base metal outer tube 11 of the same diameter, and consists of a lower casing 55A and an upper casing 55B. The totalizing circuit board 551, the instrument display screen 552, the geared motor 41, and the battery 553 are located inside the instrument circuit box. The lead wire fixing nut 27 has a hexagonal screw hole in the center, through which the lead wire fixing nut 27 can be tightened to press and fix the lower casing 55A of the instrument circuit box.

[0124] The lower housing 55A of the instrument circuit box and the outer ring of the transducer lead wire fixing seat 13 are cylindrically fitted together, and a sealing ring 132 seals between them. The lead wire fixing nut 27 has two functions: first, it presses the transducer lead wire fixing head 25 by applying force to the elastic washer 26; second, it presses the lower housing 55A of the instrument circuit box. In this way, the bottom housing 55A of the instrument circuit box is fixed in a very simple way. According to actual needs, waterproof glue can be potted inside the instrument circuit box 55 to achieve an IP68 protection level.

[0125] The rectifier tube fixing seat 12 and the valve stem fixing seat 14 are respectively located on both sides of the outer end of the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11. The clamping screw 121 and the sealing ring 122 are located inside the rectifier tube fixing seat 12 to position and fix the necked rectifier tubes 31 and 32. The valve drive rod 37 and its sealing ring 371 are installed inside the valve stem fixing seat 14, with one end connected to the valve ball groove and the other end connected to the reduction motor 41.

[0126] The inner tube of the flowmeter is fixed as follows: the upper part is pressed and fixed from both ends by two lead wire fixing heads 13, and the lower part is pressed and fixed in the middle by two necked rectifier tube clamping screws 121, forming a stable fixed overall structure.

[0127] The fixing nut housing 55C is connected to the lower box hole 55A1 of the instrument circuit box via a bayonet, and is used to protect the fixing nut 121 of the rectifier tube.

[0128] For the hot water metering requirements of this embodiment, since the integral inner lining and the flow meter's metal outer tube 11 do not require overall waterproofing at both ends, it greatly facilitates the placement of the temperature sensor 151. The temperature sensor mounting base 15 is located at the outer end of the equal-diameter metal outer tube 11, and the temperature sensor 151 is installed inside the temperature sensor mounting base 15. The temperature measuring rod can pass through the inner lining and be obliquely inserted into the outside of the transducer guide cap 23 without requiring special waterproofing, thus achieving temperature measurement without affecting the flow metering characteristics.

[0129] The present invention has been described above using a valve-controlled hot water meter as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Any modifications or variations made based on the present invention are within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. An in-line valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic wave valve-regulated water meter, characterized by : Including the equal diameter metal outer tube (11) of the flowmeter base table, the special-shaped transducer, the flow guide cap (23), the valve ball (33) and the valve ball rotation positioning pin (34), the necked flow regulating tube A (31) and the necked flow regulating tube B (32), the cylindrical valve ball metal clasp (36), the lead-out line fixing seat (13), the valve rod fixing seat (14), the flow regulating tube fixing seat (12), the instrument box (55), the lead-out line fixing head (25); The embedded valve control positioning structure for the ultrasonic water meter flowmeter, the base table outer tube is the equal diameter metal outer tube (11), and the outer sides of the two ends have pipe threads (111); The special-shaped transducer is composed of a special-shaped transducer structural member (22) and a flow guide cap (23), and is installed on the inner sides of the two ends of the equal diameter metal outer tube (11); The valve ball (33) has a through hole in the middle part, the upper part is inserted with a valve driving rod (37), and the lower part is inlaid with a valve ball rotation positioning pin (34); The valve ball rotation positioning pin (34) is arranged in the special-shaped positioning groove (323) in the necked flow regulating tube, and the positioning of the valve ball rotation positioning pin (34) is limited to rotate by 90 degrees in the positive direction and the reverse direction; The necked flow regulating tube A (31) and the necked flow regulating tube B (32) are composed of two asymmetric sections, and the valve ball (33) is wrapped and fixed by the cylindrical valve ball metal clasp (36) and the polytetrafluoroethylene ring pad (35); The special-shaped transducer structural member (22) is connected with the necked flow regulating tube A (31) and the necked flow regulating tube B (32) through adhesion or laser welding; The necked flow regulating tube A (31) and the necked flow regulating tube B (32) are further positioned, wrapped and fixed by the cylindrical valve ball metal clasp (36), and form an inner lining pipe body integral structure; Under the cooperation of the equal diameter metal outer tube (11) as the center structure, the lead-out line fixing seat (13), the valve rod fixing seat (14), the flow regulating tube fixing seat (12), the instrument box (55) and the lead-out line fixing head (25), an embedded valve ball positioning structure suitable for the ultrasonic valve control water meter is formed, and the precise positioning target of the ball valve opening and closing is achieved while the water meter measurement accuracy characteristics remain unchanged, the measurement range ratio is maximized, and the initial flow is minimized.

2. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 1, characterized by: For the ultrasonic flowmeter base table of the small-diameter ultrasonic valve control water meter with limited length, the built-in special-shaped transducer structural member (22) is arranged close to the inner end of the equal diameter metal outer tube (11); Since the transducer lead-out line (28) can be led out through the lead-out line inclined hole (222), the special-shaped transducer structural member (22) can be installed as close as possible to the inner sides of the two ends of the equal diameter metal outer tube (11) without considering the influence of the position displacement caused by the lead-out line fixing seat (13) located on the inner side of the pipe thread (111); Therefore, the distance between the two transducer emitting surfaces can be effectively increased as much as possible.

3. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The profiled transducer has a flow guide cap (23) at the front part; a ceramic sheet assembly (24) is assembled in the blind hole at the middle part of the profiled transducer structure (22); the middle part of the profiled transducer structure (22) is connected with the inner side of the outer ring by upper support column (223) and lower support column (224) respectively; the inner hole of the upper support column (223) is a lead-out wire inclined hole (222), one end of which is communicated with the inner part of the transducer structure, and the other end is communicated with the center through hole of the lead-out wire fixed head (25); the transducer lead-out wire (28) is led out from the inner part of the profiled transducer structure (22) through the lead-out wire inclined hole (222) and the center hole of the lead-out wire fixed head (25); after the transducer lead-out wire (28) is led out from the center hole of the lead-out wire fixed head (25), the flow guide cap (23) is buckled; the high-strength two-component A and B glue is injected into the inner part of the transducer structure through the lead-out wire inclined hole (222) from the center hole of the lead-out wire fixed head (25), and the inner cavity of the transducer structure is filled and solidified.

4. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: Since the gap in the middle part of the profiled transducer structure (22) and the minimum cross-sectional area of the fluid passing through are the smallest, the middle part of the profiled transducer structure (22) and the inner side of the outer ring are connected by two support columns of upper support column (223) and lower support column (224) instead of multiple support columns, so that the minimum water flow gap in the DN15 caliber straight-through pipe can be ensured to be greater than 3mm.

5. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 1, wherein: In the first groove (312) between the necked flow regulating pipe A (31) and the necked flow regulating pipe B (32), the sealing ring 5 (39) is placed first, and then the polytetrafluoroethylene ring pad (35) is placed; then, the valve ball rotating positioning pin (34) is placed in the profiled positioning groove (323), the valve ball rotating positioning pin (34) should be placed along the flow direction, the groove at the lower part of the valve ball (33) is aligned with the valve ball rotating positioning pin (34), the valve ball (33) is pushed into the necked flow regulating pipe B (32), so that the valve ball rotating positioning pin (34) is embedded in the groove at the lower part of the valve ball (33), and there is no gap between the valve ball rotating positioning pin (34) and the corresponding groove on the valve ball (33); finally, the necked flow regulating pipe A (31) is butted with the necked flow regulating pipe B (32), the inner turning edge (361) of the two-part symmetrical cylindrical valve ball metal clamping buckle (36) is buckled in the second groove (322) on the outer side of the necked flow regulating pipe A (31) and the necked flow regulating pipe B (32), the width of the second groove (322) is consistent with the metal thickness of the cylindrical valve ball metal clamping buckle (36), and the assembly of the valve ball and its fixing parts is completed.

6. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 2, wherein: The equal-diameter metal outer pipe (11) is welded with the lead-out wire fixed seat (13), the valve stem fixed seat (14), the flow regulating pipe fixed seat (12) and the temperature sensor mounting seat (15) by laser welding.

7. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 5, characterized by: The valve ball (33) is installed in the necked flow regulating pipe B (32) on one side, which avoids the unevenness of the joint of the two inner lining pipes when there is a gap between the inner lining pipe and the inner side of the equal-diameter metal outer pipe (11), and causes the uneven pressure on different positions of the valve ball, which leads to the liquid leakage.

8. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 5, characterized by: The necked rectifier tube A (31) and the necked rectifier tube B (32) have upper and lower mating positioning parts and are positioned and fastened by a cylindrical valve ball metal buckle (36). The feature of this cylindrical valve ball metal buckle is to ensure that the necked rectifier tube A (31) and the necked rectifier tube B (32) will not be affected by external pressure or tension, thereby ensuring that the driving force of the valve ball follows the set value.

9. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 1, wherein: The inner liner tube body is fixed as follows: the upper part is pressed and fixed from both ends of the equal-diameter metal outer tube by the lead wire fixing head (25); the lower part is pressed and fixed in the middle by the rectifier tube fixing bolt (121), forming a stable fixed whole.

10. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 1, characterized by: The connection between the necked rectifier tube A (31) and the necked rectifier tube B (32) and the corresponding irregular transducer structural component (22) is completed by adhesive bonding or laser welding at the joint, forming an integral inner liner tube structure.

11. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 1, wherein: The lead wire fixing head (25) is positioned at a height by the positioning platform (131) inside the lead wire fixing seat (13). This ensures that the lower sealing ring (251) on the lead wire fixing head (25) has a reasonable amount of compression, and also allows the lower part of the lead wire fixing head (25) to be embedded inside the irregular transducer structure (22), thus playing the role of positioning and fixing the irregular transducer structure (22).

12. The inline valve ball positioning structure for an ultrasonic valve-regulated water meter according to claim 6, characterized by: The inner lining of the small-diameter ultrasonic valve-controlled water meter is not completely sealed to the inside of the equal-diameter metal outer tube (11), so it is convenient to install the temperature sensor mounting base (15) and the temperature sensor (151).

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