A remote water meter counter

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of remote water meter counter, it includes word wheel box, word wheel assembly and the dial wheel assembly for dialing the rotation of word wheel assembly are equipped in the word wheel box, the word wheel assembly includes word wheel shaft and the multiple word wheels of being installed on the word wheel shaft, the end of the word wheel is uniformly distributed with cylindrical convex and forms transmission tooth, the transmission tooth side wall on the same word wheel is coated with color or gray scale different optical coating, the side wall of the word wheel box is equipped with sensing device towards the word wheel, the sensing device is used to sense the color or gray scale value of transmission tooth side wall optical coating on corresponding word wheel, and it is transmitted to controller to be identified and realizes remote counting.The present application remote water meter counter, compact structure, can realize local and remote reading, and counting is accurate, service life is long.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a water meter, and more particularly to a remote water meter counter. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing scarcity of freshwater resources globally, accurate measurement and management of water consumption are of paramount importance. As a crucial instrument for measuring water consumption, the accuracy, range, reliability, lifespan, functionality, and manufacturing cost of water meters all affect water measurement, water billing, and their value in water control, conservation, and management.

[0003] A standard mechanical water meter counter is a device used to record water consumption. Existing standard mechanical water meter counters work by using gears to drive a worm gear and worm wheel, which in turn drives a head digit wheel. This head digit wheel, in turn, drives a digit wheel via a four-eight toothed gear, thus measuring water consumption. While existing standard mechanical water meter counters can transmit data remotely by adding a camera to read the counter's data, the camera can obstruct the digit wheel, hindering manual reading. Currently, there is no readily available technical solution to create a universal, unobstructed counter for both standard and remote-reading mechanical water meters through simple modifications to the counter. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical problems to be solved

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a compact remote water meter counter that can achieve fast and accurate reading.

[0006] Technical solutions to the problem

[0007] This invention provides a remote water meter counter, which includes a wheel housing 15. The wheel housing 15 contains a wheel assembly 4 and a dial assembly 3 for rotating the wheel assembly 4. The wheel assembly 3 includes a wheel shaft 43 and multiple wheels mounted on the wheel shaft 43. The ends of the wheels are circumferentially distributed with cylindrical protrusions forming transmission teeth 41. The sidewalls of the transmission teeth 41 on the same wheel are coated with optical coatings of different colors or grayscale. The sidewalls of the wheel housing 15 are provided with sensing devices facing the wheels. The sensing devices are used to sense the color or grayscale value of the optical coating on the sidewalls of the transmission teeth on the corresponding wheels and transmit it to the controller for identification, thereby realizing direct positioning of the rotation angle of the wheels and achieving direct-reading remote counting of each wheel.

[0008] Furthermore, the type wheel assembly includes a type wheel shaft 43, a head type wheel, and ordinary type wheels. The type wheel shaft 43 is horizontally arranged and rotatably mounted inside the type wheel housing 15, with its end extending outside the type wheel housing 15 and serving as an input end. The head type wheel is fixed on the type wheel shaft 43. Multiple ordinary type wheels are sequentially sleeved on the type wheel shaft 43. The rear end edge of the head type wheel is provided with a first groove. The transmission tooth is provided at the front end of the ordinary type wheel. The rear end edge of the ordinary type wheel is provided with a second groove 42.

[0009] Furthermore, the number of transmission teeth is n*10, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

[0010] Furthermore, the transmission tooth 41 is cylindrical.

[0011] Furthermore, the grayscale value of the optical coating on the transmission tooth 41 increases or decreases sequentially along the forward direction of the letter wheel.

[0012] Furthermore, the body of the character wheel box 15 is transparent, and the side wall of the character wheel is provided with counting marks for counting identification.

[0013] Furthermore, the dial assembly includes a dial shaft 51 parallel to the digit wheel shaft 43 and a dial wheel 52 rotatably mounted on the dial shaft 51. The dial wheel 52 is located between two adjacent digit wheels and is used to rotate the digit wheels.

[0014] Furthermore, the sensing device includes a light emitting receiver 8 disposed on the side wall of the character wheel box 15 and a controller 9 connected to the light emitting receiver 8 via an optical fiber. The light emitting receiver is provided with light emitting receiving heads 82, which are the same number as the character wheels and face the drive teeth on the character wheels. The controller 9 controls the light emitting receiver to emit light toward the drive teeth 41 and receive the light emitted by the optical coating on the side wall of the drive teeth. The controller 9 obtains grayscale values ​​or color values ​​based on the feedback light, compares them with the set values, and obtains the value on the character wheel.

[0015] Furthermore, the axis of the light emitting and receiving head is perpendicular to and intersects the rotation axis of the character wheel.

[0016] Furthermore, a baffle is provided between two adjacent character wheels and / or two adjacent light transmitting and receiving heads to prevent light interference.

[0017] Furthermore, the optical transmitter and receiver is provided with a male connector 84 connected to the optical transmitter and receiver head, the optical fiber on the controller is connected to the male connector 84 through a female connector 91, and a positioning part for radial positioning is provided between the male connector and the female connector.

[0018] Beneficial effects

[0019] This invention relates to a remote water meter counter. By adding an optical coating to the drive teeth of the digit wheel, and using optical coatings with different grayscale gradients or colors applied to each tooth, light is projected onto the optical coatings using a light transmitter / receiver and optical fiber. The different intensities of the reflected light are then received, enabling accurate positioning of the drive teeth and long-distance transmission of the angular position of the digit wheel. This facilitates rapid and automatic reading of water meter flow without obstructing the readings. A baffle is placed between adjacent digit wheels or adjacent light transmitter / receiver heads to prevent light interference and improve sensing accuracy. A transparent coating is applied to the outer surface of the drive teeth. The transparent protective layer prevents coating wear from affecting detection accuracy, protecting the optical coating and extending its service life and accuracy. The dial wheel adopts a dial-type structure, which is small in size, compact in structure, and stable and reliable in operation. The cylindrical transmission teeth are set to ensure stable transmission without impact. The transparent dial wheel box facilitates mechanical reading and sensor reading without the need for additional structures. Fiber optic transmission results in low loss, low dispersion, convenient wiring, high reliability, and low cost. The plug-in connection realizes a split structure, which is small in size, easy to install and maintain, and reduces production costs. This invention is a remote water meter counter with a compact structure, capable of local and remote reading, accurate counting, and long service life. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the counter body of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the remote water meter counter of the present invention from another angle;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the sensing device of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the digit wheel assembly of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the dial assembly of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the dial assembly of the remote water meter counter of the present invention from another angle;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the digit wheel structure of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the digit wheel structure of the remote water meter counter of the present invention from another angle;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the light transmitter and receiver of the remote water meter counter of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the female connector of the remote water meter counter of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] See Figures 1-13 This invention provides a remote water meter counter, comprising a cylindrical housing 1, with an installation cavity formed within the housing 1. A mechanism assembly 2 and a digit wheel box 15 are disposed within the installation cavity. Specifically, a lower clamping plate 17 and an upper clamping plate 12 are provided parallel to each other within the housing. The mechanism assembly 2 is disposed between the upper and lower clamping plates. The mechanism assembly 2 includes a main gear, a counting gear set, and a transmission gear set. The rotation axes of each gear or gear set are parallel to the axis of the housing. The main gear includes a main shaft rotatably mounted between the upper and lower clamping plates, serving as the gear shaft of the main gear. A main gear is mounted on this gear shaft. The lower end of the main shaft extends downwards to the outside of the housing 1 and serves as the input end of the counter. An input gear 21 is provided on this input end. Further details include a cylindrical protrusion 111 at the lower end of the housing. (See reference...) Figure 4 The protrusion 111 is hollow and forms a mounting chamber. The lower end of the main shaft extends into the mounting chamber and is connected to the input gear 21 located in the mounting chamber. A hole 180 is provided at the bottom of the mounting chamber. The hole 180 is used to allow the drive gear to pass through and mesh with the input gear to realize power input. In order to facilitate assembly, in this embodiment, an annular protrusion is provided at the lower end of the housing to form a cylindrical structure. The lower open end of the annular protrusion is provided with a cover 18, and the mounting chamber is formed inside the annular protrusion. The hole 180 is opened on the cover 18.

[0035] See Figures 5-7The counting gear set is connected to the main gear and is used for counting. The main gear serves as the power input to the counter. The counting gear set includes multiple sequentially meshing counting gears. The gear shafts of the counting gears extend upwards beyond the upper clamping plate, and pointers are provided at their ends. Corresponding markings are also provided on the top surface of the upper clamping plate. The rotational speed ratio of each pointer is 10. n A transparent glass or plastic plate is provided on the top of the casing to achieve a sealed protection while allowing the internal pointer to be observed.

[0036] The type wheel box 15 is connected to the main gear via a transmission gear set, see reference. Figures 5-7 The transmission gear set includes several meshing transmission gears. The transmission gear at the input end is meshed with the main gear. The transmission gear at the output end of the transmission gear set is provided with a screw part 22. The side wall of the screw part 22 is provided with a spiral groove. The screw part 22 meshes with the character wheel drive gear 44 on the character wheel box 15 and inputs power to the character wheel box 15.

[0037] An opening is made in the upper clamping plate, and the type wheel box is installed in the opening. The top surface of the type wheel box is higher than the top surface of the upper clamping plate. The type wheel box includes a transparent type wheel box body. Inside the type wheel box 15, there is a type wheel assembly 4 and a dial assembly 3. The type wheel assembly 3 includes a type wheel axle 43 and multiple type wheels installed on the type wheel axle 43. For details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 7-11 The character wheel assembly includes a character wheel shaft 43, a head character wheel, and ordinary character wheels. The character wheel shaft 43 is horizontally arranged and rotatably mounted inside the character wheel housing 15. The end of the character wheel shaft extends outside the character wheel housing 15 and serves as an input end. A character wheel drive gear 44 is provided on this input end. The head character wheel is fixed on the character wheel shaft 43 and is located near the end of the character wheel drive gear 44. The head character wheel can rotate with the character wheel shaft 43. Multiple ordinary character wheels are sequentially sleeved on the character wheel shaft 43. The ordinary character wheels can rotate freely. Both the head character wheel and the ordinary character wheels are cylindrical, and their arc-shaped sidewalls are provided with counting marks for counting recognition. The counting represents the ten digits 0-9. The head character wheel represents the last count (lowest digit). The rear edge of the character wheel is provided with a first groove. Cylindrical protrusions are evenly distributed around the front end of the ordinary character wheel, forming transmission teeth 41. In this embodiment, the transmission teeth 41 are cylindrical, and the number of transmission teeth is n*10, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3. Preferably, there are 20 pressure rollers, which are located near the edge of the ordinary character wheel. The sidewalls of the transmission teeth 41 on the same character wheel are coated with optical coatings of different colors or grayscale values. To improve detection accuracy, the grayscale value of each optical coating is greater than or equal to 20. In this embodiment, the grayscale value of the optical coating on the transmission teeth 41 increases or decreases sequentially along the forward direction of the character wheel. A second groove 42 is provided at the rear edge of the ordinary character wheel.

[0038] A sensing device is provided on the side wall of the character wheel box 15, facing the character wheel. This sensing device senses the color or grayscale value of the optical coating on the sidewall of the corresponding drive tooth on the character wheel and transmits it to the controller for identification and remote counting. Specifically, the sensing device includes a light emitter / receiver 8 and a controller 9 disposed on the side wall of the character wheel box 15. The controller 9 is connected to the light emitter / receiver 8 via an optical fiber. The light emitter / receiver has the same number of light emitter / receiver heads 82 as a normal character wheel; in this embodiment, there are five. These light emitter / receiver heads 82 face the drive tooth on the character wheel. Specifically, the axis of the light emitter / receiver head is perpendicular to and intersects the rotation axis of the character wheel. The controller 9 controls the light emitter / receiver to emit light towards the drive tooth 41 and receives the light emitted by the optical coating on the sidewall of the drive tooth. Based on the feedback light, a grayscale value or color value is obtained and compared with a set value to obtain the numerical value on the character wheel. For details, see [link to documentation]. Figures 12-13 The light-emitting receiver includes a rectangular (strip-shaped) substrate 81, the length of which is parallel to the rotation axis of the ordinary type wheel. The number of light-emitting receiver heads is the same as that of the ordinary type wheel, and they are equidistantly arranged on the substrate along its length. A connecting rod 83 is vertically arranged on the substrate, and a male plug 84 is provided at the top of the connecting rod 83. This male plug is located on the top surface of the housing, and optical fibers, respectively connected to each light-emitting receiver head, are provided inside the male plug. The optical fiber on the controller is connected to the male plug 84 via a female plug 91, and a positioning part is provided between the male and female plugs. This positioning part is used for radial positioning to achieve fast and accurate insertion, thereby achieving precise reading. In this embodiment, the side wall of the male plug has a strip-shaped positioning groove 841, and correspondingly, the inner wall of the female plug has a positioning protrusion that can be inserted precisely into the positioning groove. A light-emitting... The device emits light and transmits it via optical fiber to a light-emitting and receiving head. The light-emitting and receiving head directs the light onto the optical coating on the corresponding drive teeth of the digit wheel. Simultaneously, it receives light rays with different intensities reflected by the optical coating and transmits them via optical fiber to a controller. The controller reads the emitted light, identifies its specific intensity (grayscale value) or color, and compares it with a preset value to obtain a specific value. This allows for direct positioning of the rotation angle of the digit wheel, thereby enabling direct reading of the water meter counter data. The controller includes a communication module for wireless communication, achieving remote reading functionality. This invention provides a remote water meter counter where the angle of each digit wheel is directly sensed and positioned using grayscale value or color, enabling direct data reading rather than calculating specific values ​​based on rotation angle. This allows for direct reading of the values ​​from each digit wheel.

[0039] To improve sensing accuracy and avoid interference, in this embodiment, a baffle is provided between two adjacent character wheels or two adjacent light transmitting and receiving heads to prevent light interference from causing errors and improve sensing accuracy.

[0040] To improve service life and prevent the coating from wearing down due to friction from the dial wheel, which would affect detection accuracy, a transparent protective layer is applied to the outside of the transmission teeth. This protects the optical coating and extends its service life.

[0041] See Figures 8-9 The dial assembly includes a dial shaft 51 and a dial 52. The dial shaft 51 is parallel to the character wheel shaft 43. The dial 52 is rotatably mounted on the dial shaft 51 and is located between two adjacent character wheels (first character wheel or ordinary character wheel), and is used to rotate the character wheels. Specifically, the dial 52 includes a circular dial body. First and second actuating portions are evenly distributed circumferentially on the side wall of the dial body, with the same thickness. The axial length of the first actuating portion is less than the axial length of the second actuating portion. The tails of the first and second actuating portions are flush and located at the end furthest from the first character wheel. In this embodiment, there are four first and four second actuating portions. During operation, the drive gear 44 drives... The digit wheel shaft 43 rotates, driving the head digit wheel to rotate. When the head digit wheel rotates one revolution, specifically, during the gap when the number at the top of the head digit wheel changes from 9 to 0, the second actuating part of the dial wheel at the rear end of the head digit wheel engages with the first dial groove at its rear end. The rotation of the head digit wheel drives the dial wheel to rotate, and the dial wheel 52 actuates the transmission teeth on the ordinary digit wheel at its rear end, causing the digit wheel to rotate and turn one position. During this process, the first actuating part on the dial wheel cannot contact the first dial groove. After the ordinary digit wheel rotates one revolution, it drives the ordinary digit wheel at its rear end to rotate one position, and so on. That is, when the front digit wheel rotates one revolution, the rear digit wheel rotates one position (1 / 10 revolution), thus realizing mechanical counting.

[0042] This invention relates to a remote water meter counter. By adding an optical coating to the drive teeth of the digit wheel, and using optical coatings with different grayscale gradients or colors applied to each tooth, light is projected onto the optical coatings using a light transmitter / receiver and optical fiber. The different intensities of the reflected light are then received, enabling accurate positioning of the drive teeth and long-distance transmission of the angular position of the digit wheel. This facilitates rapid and automatic reading of water meter flow without obstructing the readings. A baffle is placed between adjacent digit wheels or adjacent light transmitter / receiver heads to prevent light interference and improve sensing accuracy. A transparent coating is applied to the outer surface of the drive teeth. The transparent protective layer prevents coating wear from affecting detection accuracy, protecting the optical coating and extending its service life and accuracy. The dial wheel adopts a dial-type structure, which is small in size, compact in structure, and stable and reliable in operation. The cylindrical transmission teeth are set to ensure stable transmission without impact. The transparent dial wheel box facilitates mechanical reading and sensor reading without the need for additional structures. Fiber optic transmission results in low loss, low dispersion, convenient wiring, high reliability, and low cost. The plug-in connection realizes a split structure, which is small in size, easy to install and maintain, and reduces production costs. This invention is a remote water meter counter with a compact structure, capable of local and remote reading, accurate counting, and long service life.

[0043] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A remote water meter counter, characterized in that: The device includes a character wheel housing, which contains a character wheel assembly and a dial assembly for rotating the character wheel assembly. The character wheel assembly includes a character wheel shaft and multiple character wheels mounted on the character wheel shaft. The ends of the character wheels are circumferentially distributed with cylindrical protrusions that form drive teeth. The sidewalls of the drive teeth on the same character wheel are coated with optical coatings of different colors or grayscale. The sidewalls of the character wheel housing are provided with sensing devices facing the character wheels. The sensing devices are used to sense the color or grayscale value of the optical coating on the sidewalls of the drive teeth on the corresponding character wheels and transmit it to the controller for identification, thereby realizing direct positioning of the rotation angle of the character wheels and achieving direct-reading remote counting of each character wheel. The grayscale value of the optical coating on the transmission tooth increases or decreases sequentially along the forward direction of the character wheel; The sensing device includes a light emitting receiver disposed on the side wall of the digit wheel box and a controller connected to the light emitting receiver via an optical fiber. The light emitting receiver is provided with light emitting receiving heads that are the same number as the digit wheels and face the drive teeth on the digit wheels. The controller controls the light emitting receiver to emit light toward the drive teeth and receive the light emitted by the optical coating on the side wall of the drive teeth. The controller obtains grayscale values ​​or color values ​​based on the feedback light, compares them with the set values, and obtains the value on the digit wheel.

2. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The type wheel assembly includes a type wheel shaft, a head type wheel, and ordinary type wheels. The type wheel shaft is horizontally arranged and rotatably mounted inside the type wheel housing, with its end extending outside the type wheel housing and serving as an input end. The head type wheel is fixed on the type wheel shaft. Multiple ordinary type wheels are sequentially sleeved on the type wheel shaft. The rear end edge of the head type wheel is provided with a first groove. The transmission tooth is provided at the front end of the ordinary type wheel. The rear end edge of the ordinary type wheel is provided with a second groove.

3. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The number of transmission teeth is n*10, where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

4. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission teeth are cylindrical.

5. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The body of the character wheel box is transparent, and the side wall of the character wheel is provided with counting marks for counting identification.

6. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The dial assembly includes a dial shaft parallel to the digit wheel shaft and a dial wheel rotatably mounted on the dial shaft. The dial wheel is located between two adjacent digit wheels and is used to rotate the digit wheels.

7. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A baffle is provided between two adjacent character wheels and / or two adjacent light transmitting and receiving heads to prevent light interference.

8. The remote water meter counter as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The optical transmitter and receiver is provided with a male connector that connects to the optical transmitter and receiver head. The optical fiber on the controller is connected to the male connector through a female connector, and a positioning part for radial positioning is provided between the male connector and the female connector.

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