Shell assembly of electricity meter and electricity meter

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of electricity meters, and particularly relates to an electricity meter shell assembly and an electricity meter, the electricity meter shell assembly comprises a first shell, a second shell and a shielding structure, the first shell is provided with a communication hole communicating an inner cavity of the first shell with the outside, and the second shell is arranged on the inner side of the first shell; the surface, facing the communicating hole, of the second shell makes contact with the inner surface of the first shell so as to seal the end, located on the inner surface of the first shell, of the communicating hole, the second shell is in hot melting connection with the first shell, and the shielding structure surrounds a hole opening, located on the inner surface of the first shell, of the communicating hole. The shielding structure is in contact with the inner wall of the communication hole and the partial surface, facing the communication hole, of the second shell. Because the height and the ring width of the shielding structure are small, the stress generated by the shielding structure can be ignored, the shielding structure can shield the stress area, the stress area is prevented from being exposed in the air, and the problem that the shell assembly of the electric meter is easy to crack is solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the field of electric meters, and particularly relates to a housing assembly of an electric meter and the electric meter. BACKGROUND

[0002] The housing of an electric meter is an important component for protecting the electric energy metering device in the housing, and has the functions of dustproof, waterproof, impact resistance, and flame resistance.

[0003] In the prior art, the housing of an electric meter is composed of a first housing and a second housing. The first housing can be made of light-tight engineering plastic, and the second housing can be made of light-transmitting engineering plastic. The first housing is provided with a communication hole for communicating the inside and outside of the first housing. The second housing is located on the inside of the first housing to seal the communication hole on the first housing. The second housing and the first housing are connected by ultrasonic welding, bonding, hot melting connection or other processes to ensure that the first housing and the second housing are tightly connected.

[0004] When the first housing and the second housing are connected by the hot melting connection process, because the materials or thicknesses of the first housing and the second housing are different, the shrinkage rates of the first housing and the second housing are also different. After the housing is formed, the internal residual stress cannot be released, and the one with weaker strength in the first housing and the second housing is prone to cracking. SUMMARY

[0005] The application aims to provide a housing assembly of an electric meter and the electric meter to solve the problem that the housing assembly of an electric meter is prone to cracking.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the application provides a housing assembly of an electric meter, which comprises: a first housing, the first housing being provided with a communication hole for communicating the inner cavity and the outside of the first housing; a second housing, the second housing being arranged on the inside of the first housing, the surface of the second housing facing the communication hole being in contact with the inner surface of the first housing to seal the communication hole on one end of the inner surface of the first housing, and the second housing being hot-melt connected with the first housing; a shielding structure, the shielding structure being arranged around the hole opening of the communication hole on the inner surface of the first housing, the shielding structure being in contact with the inner wall of the communication hole and the part of the surface of the second housing facing the communication hole, the shielding structure being connected with the first housing and the second housing, the height of the shielding structure being less than the depth of the communication hole, the height of the shielding structure being less than or equal to 1.5 mm, and the ring width of the shielding structure being less than or equal to 1.5 mm.

[0007] Optionally, the shielding structure and the first housing are integrally connected, and the shielding structure is hot-melt connected with the second housing.

[0008] Optionally, the cross section of the shielding structure through the center line of the communication hole is triangular.

[0009] Optionally, the cross section of the shielding structure through the center line of the communication hole includes two straight angle sides and a curved side, the curved side connects the end points of the straight angle sides away from the hole of the inner surface of the first shell, and the curved side is concave towards the hole of the inner surface of the first shell.

[0010] Optionally, the curved side is a circular arc.

[0011] Optionally, the shrinkage rate of the first shell and the shrinkage rate of the second shell are different.

[0012] Optionally, the first shell and the shielding structure are made of light-proof material, and the second shell is made of light-transmitting material.

[0013] Optionally, the material of the first shell includes a base material and a light-shielding agent uniformly distributed in the base material, the material of the shielding structure is the same as the material of the first shell, and the material of the second shell includes the base material.

[0014] Optionally, the base material includes polycarbonate.

[0015] The application also provides an electric meter, comprising: a housing assembly of the electric meter; an electric quantity metering device arranged in the inner cavity of the housing assembly of the electric meter.

[0016] The housing assembly of the electric meter and the electric meter disclosed in the application have the following beneficial effects: In the application, the housing assembly of the electric meter includes a first shell, a second shell, and a shielding structure, the first shell is provided with a communication hole for communicating the inner cavity of the first shell and the outside, the second shell is arranged on the inner side of the first shell, the surface of the second shell facing the communication hole is in contact with the inner surface of the first shell to seal the end of the communication hole on the inner surface of the first shell, the second shell is heat-welded with the first shell, and the shielding structure is arranged around the hole of the inner surface of the first shell of the communication hole, and the shielding structure is in contact with the inner wall of the communication hole and the part of the surface of the second shell facing the communication hole. Since the height and the ring width of the shielding structure are small, the stress generated by the shielding structure can be ignored, the shielding structure can shield the stress area, and the stress area is prevented from being exposed to the air, thereby solving the problem that the housing assembly of the electric meter is prone to cracking.

[0017] Other characteristics and advantages of the application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or will be learned by practice of the application.

[0018] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the application, as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the application. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration to be used in conjunction with the description in

[0020] Figure 1 is a structural schematic view of a shell assembly of an electric meter in embodiments of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 is a partial enlarged view of position A in Figure 1

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 100, first shell; 110, communication hole; 200, second shell; 300, shielding structure; 310, right-angle side; 320, curved side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Example implementations are now described with reference to the drawings; however, these implementations are merely examples of implementations of the application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the application, as claimed. Rather, the example implementations are intended to explain the principles of the application to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0024] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of the application. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the

[0025] The application is further described by the following examples and accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are merely illustrative and explanatory of the application and that changes in form or details can be made without departing from the spirit of the application. Embodiments described below are exemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the application, and are not to be understood as limiting the application.

[0026] Reference will now be made to the drawings and embodiments illustrated in the drawings. There can be many variations made to the Figure 1 and Figure 2 ​As shown, in this embodiment, the outer casing assembly of the electricity meter includes: a first casing 100, a second casing 200, and a shielding structure 300. The first casing 100 has an inner cavity for mounting an electricity metering device. A connecting hole 110 is provided on the first casing 100, connecting the inner cavity of the first casing 100 to the outside. The second casing 200 is disposed inside the first casing 100, and the surface of the second casing 200 facing the connecting hole 110 contacts the inner surface of the first casing 100 to seal the connecting hole 110 at one end of the inner surface of the first casing 100. The second casing 200 is thermally fused with the first casing 100, that is, at least the contact surfaces of the first casing 100 and the second casing 200 are heated to a molten state, so that the first casing 100 and the second casing 200 are joined together after cooling. Alternatively, at least the contact surfaces of the second casing 200 and the first casing 100 are heated to a molten state, so that the first casing 100 and the second casing 200 are joined together after cooling.

[0027] A shielding structure 300 is disposed within the connecting hole 110, surrounding the opening of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100. The shielding structure 300 contacts the inner wall of the connecting hole 110 and the portion of the second housing 200 facing the connecting hole 110, and is connected to both the first housing 100 and the second housing 200. The connecting hole 110 can be a circular hole, a rectangular hole, a rounded rectangular hole, etc., and the shape of the shielding structure 300 is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the connecting hole 110. The height of the shielding structure 300 is less than the depth of the connecting hole 110, the height of the shielding structure 300 is less than or equal to 1.5 mm, and the circumferential width of the shielding structure 300 is less than or equal to 1.5 mm. For example, the shielding structure 300 can be 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 1.5 mm, etc., and the depth of the connecting hole 110 can be 2.2 mm, 2.7 mm, 3.2 mm, etc.

[0028] In the prior art, the outer casing of the electricity meter is composed of a first casing 100 and a second casing 200. When the first casing 100 and the second casing 200 are connected by a thermoforming process, due to the different materials or thicknesses of the first casing 100 and the second casing 200, their shrinkage rates are also different. As a result, the residual stress inside the casing cannot be released after molding. Assuming the second casing 200 has lower strength, the internal residual stress will be roughly distributed in... Figure 1 In region B, the area near the opening of the connecting hole 110 in the second housing 200 is prone to cracking.

[0029] The applicant discovered that, with the stress area exposed to air, both the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 will age over time. Assuming the second housing 200 has lower strength, its strength will first reach a point where it cannot withstand stress, at which point the second housing 200 will crack near the opening of the connecting hole 110.

[0030] In this embodiment, the meter's outer casing assembly includes a first housing 100, a second housing 200, and a shielding structure 300. The first housing 100 has a connecting hole 110 that connects the inner cavity of the first housing 100 to the outside. The second housing 200 is disposed inside the first housing 100, and the surface of the second housing 200 facing the connecting hole 110 contacts the inner surface of the first housing 100 to seal the end of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100. The second housing 200 and the first housing 100 are thermally fused together. The shielding structure 300 is arranged around the opening of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100, and the shielding structure 300 contacts the inner wall of the connecting hole 110 and a portion of the surface of the second housing 200 facing the connecting hole 110. Because the height and circumference of the shielding structure 300 are relatively small, the stress generated by the shielding structure 300 can be ignored. The shielding structure 300 can shield the stress area, preventing the stress area from being exposed to the air, thus solving the problem of easy cracking of the meter's outer casing assembly.

[0031] Furthermore, by shielding the stress area with the shielding structure 300, the stress area is prevented from being exposed to the air. Compared with the solution of preventing the stress area from cracking by increasing the strength of the first housing 100 and the second housing 200, the material requirements for the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 are reduced, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of the meter's casing components and the meter itself.

[0032] In some embodiments, the shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are integrally connected, the first housing 100 is thermally fused to the second housing 200, and the shielding structure 300 is also thermally fused to the second housing 200. That is, the shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are manufactured as a whole, and then the entire shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are thermally fused to the second housing 200.

[0033] The shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are integrally connected, and the shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are thermally fused together with the second housing 200 as a whole. This can reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the meter's housing components and reduce the manufacturing cost of the meter's housing components and the meter itself.

[0034] It should be noted that the shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are integrally connected, and the shielding structure 300 and the first housing 100 are thermally fused together with the second housing 200 as a whole. However, it is not limited to this. The shielding structure 300 can also be integrally connected with the second housing 200, and the shielding structure 300 and the second housing 200 can be thermally fused together with the first housing 100 as a whole. The specific arrangement depends on the circumstances.

[0035] In some embodiments, the cross section of the shielding structure 300 through the center line of the connecting hole 110 is triangular or approximately triangular.

[0036] The shielding structure 300 has a triangular cross-section through the center line of the connecting hole 110, which can shield the stress area and prevent the stress area from being exposed to the air. At the same time, it ensures that the thickness of the shielding structure 300 is not too large, and the stress generated by the shielding structure 300 can be ignored.

[0037] In some embodiments, the cross section of the shielding structure 300 through the center line of the connecting hole 110 includes two right-angled sides 310 and a curved side 320. The curved side 320 connects the endpoint of the right-angled side 310 away from the opening of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100, and the curved side 320 is recessed toward the opening of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100.

[0038] The curved edge 320 is recessed towards the orifice of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100. Compared with the scheme where the cross section of the shielding structure 300 through the center line of the connecting hole 110 is triangular, the thickness of the shielding structure 300 is further reduced, and the stress generated by the shielding structure 300 is further reduced.

[0039] In some embodiments, the cross section of the shielding structure 300 through the center line of the connecting hole 110 includes two right-angled sides 310 and a curved side 320. The curved side 320 connects the endpoint of the right-angled side 310 away from the opening of the connecting hole 110 on the inner surface of the first housing 100. The curved side 320 is recessed towards the opening of the connecting hole 110 on the inner surface of the first housing 100, and the curved side 320 is an arc.

[0040] The curved edge 320 of the cross section of the shielding structure 300 through the center line of the connecting hole 110 is an arc, which can reduce the thickness of the shielding structure 300, further reduce the stress generated by the shielding structure 300, and reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the meter casing assembly, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the meter casing assembly and the meter.

[0041] In some embodiments, the shrinkage rate of the first housing 100 is different from that of the second housing 200. Specifically, the materials used to manufacture the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 are different, therefore the shrinkage rates of the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 are different; or the thicknesses of the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 are different, therefore the shrinkage rates of the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 are different.

[0042] The shielding structure 300 shields the stress area and prevents the stress area from being exposed to the air, thus solving the problem that the outer casing of the meter is prone to cracking. The first housing 100 and the second housing 200 in the outer casing of the meter can be made of different materials, and the thickness of the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 can also be different.

[0043] In some embodiments, the first housing 100 and the shielding structure 300 are both made of opaque material, while the second housing 200 is made of translucent material.

[0044] The first housing 100 is made of opaque material. The connecting hole 110 of the first housing 100 is sealed by the light-transmitting second housing 200. The outer casing of the meter can protect the power metering device inside its cavity, and the power and other parameters can be read through the light-transmitting second housing 200.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first housing 100 is made of a substrate and a light-blocking agent uniformly distributed in the substrate, the light-blocking agent including carbon black, titanium dioxide, etc. The shielding structure 300 is made of the same material as the first housing 100. The second housing 200 is made of a substrate, that is, no light-blocking agent is added to the material of the second housing 200.

[0046] The first housing 100, the second housing 200, and the shielding structure 300 are made of the same base material. The difference in shrinkage rate between the first housing 100 and the second housing 200 is smaller, resulting in less stress in the contact area between the first housing 100 and the second housing 200. Furthermore, the first housing 100, the second housing 200, and the shielding structure 300 are connected to each other using the same material, which can improve the structural strength of the connection between the first housing 100, the second housing 200, and the shielding structure 300.

[0047] In some embodiments, the substrate includes polycarbonate. It should be noted that the substrate includes polycarbonate (PC), but is not limited to this. The substrate can be a transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or other engineering plastic materials, depending on the specific circumstances.

[0048] The base material of the first housing 100, the second housing 200 and the shielding structure 300 is made of transparent engineering plastic, which reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the meter's outer casing components, reduces the manufacturing cost of the meter's outer casing components and the meter, and also makes it easier to make the first housing 100 an opaque part and the second housing 200 a light-transmitting part.

[0049] This application also provides an electricity meter, which includes an electricity metering device and a housing assembly of the electricity meter disclosed above, wherein the electricity metering device is disposed in the inner cavity of the housing assembly of the electricity meter.

[0050] The electricity meter includes a housing assembly comprising a first housing 100, a second housing 200, and a shielding structure 300. The first housing 100 has a connecting hole 110 that connects its inner cavity to the outside. The second housing 200 is disposed inside the first housing 100, and the surface of the second housing 200 facing the connecting hole 110 contacts the inner surface of the first housing 100 to seal the end of the connecting hole 110 located on the inner surface of the first housing 100. The second housing 200 and the first housing 100 are thermally fused together. The shielding structure 300 surrounds the opening of the connecting hole 110 on the inner surface of the first housing 100, and contacts the inner wall of the connecting hole 110 and the portion of the second housing 200 facing the connecting hole 110. Because the height and circumference of the shielding structure 300 are relatively small, the stress generated by the shielding structure 300 is negligible. The shielding structure 300 can shield stress areas, preventing stress areas from being exposed to air, thus solving the problem of easy cracking of the electricity meter's housing assembly.

[0051] The terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0052] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "assembly," "connection," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "some embodiments," "exemplarily," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. The illustrative expressions of the above terms in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0054] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application. Therefore, any changes or modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of this application should fall within the scope of this patent application.

Claims

1. A housing assembly for an electricity meter, characterized in that, include: A first housing, wherein the first housing has a connecting hole that connects the inner cavity of the first housing to the outside; The second housing is disposed inside the first housing. The surface of the second housing facing the connecting hole contacts the inner surface of the first housing to seal the connecting hole at one end of the inner surface of the first housing. The second housing and the first housing are thermally fused together. A shielding structure is provided around the opening of the connecting hole located on the inner surface of the first housing. The shielding structure is in contact with the inner wall of the connecting hole and the part of the second housing facing the connecting hole. The shielding structure is connected to the first housing and the second housing. The height of the shielding structure is less than the depth of the connecting hole. The height of the shielding structure is less than or equal to 1.5 mm. The ring width of the shielding structure is less than or equal to 1.5 mm.

2. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shielding structure is integrally connected to the first housing, and the shielding structure is thermally fused to the second housing.

3. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the shielding structure through the center line of the connecting hole is triangular.

4. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shielding structure has a cross-section through the center line of the connecting hole, which includes two right-angled sides and a curved side. The curved side connects the endpoint of the right-angled side away from the opening of the connecting hole on the inner surface of the first housing, and the curved side is recessed towards the opening of the connecting hole on the inner surface of the first housing.

5. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 4, characterized in that, The curved edge is an arc.

6. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shrinkage rate of the first shell is different from that of the second shell.

7. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first housing and the shielding structure are made of opaque material, while the second housing is made of translucent material.

8. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first housing is made of a substrate and a light-blocking agent uniformly distributed in the substrate. The shielding structure is made of the same material as the first housing. The second housing is made of the same material as the substrate.

9. The housing assembly of the electricity meter according to claim 8, characterized in that, The substrate includes polycarbonate.

10. An electricity meter, characterized in that, include: The housing assembly of the electricity meter as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; The electricity metering device is disposed in the inner cavity of the outer casing assembly of the electricity meter.

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