Dry battery external power supply split type intelligent water meter

Abstract

The utility model discloses a dry battery external power supply's split type intelligent water meter, including the outer hanging controller lower box and outer hanging controller upper box, the outer hanging controller upper box downside is equipped with ring protrusion, and inside top part is equipped with the installation slot, the installation slot is installed with the mainboard through bolt, the outer hanging controller lower box is equipped with the combination battery compartment. Through above -mentioned structure, in the use, when battery power is insufficient, will close valve alarm and stop water supply, and after the user replaces new battery, can restore water supply, fundamentally solved the problem of battery service life, and the combination battery compartment adopts the full seal design, has the waterproof, the damp proof function and the anti -insertion function, and the combination battery compartment is equipped with first rubber ring and second rubber ring still, solved the problem of battery liquid leakage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of smart water meter technology, and in particular to a split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry cell battery. Background Technology

[0002] The battery is the heart of a smart water meter and is fundamental to its lifecycle operation. Smart water meters are classified into two types based on their power supply: external battery and internal battery. Internal battery water meters use built-in lithium batteries and are an earlier type of product, which has consistently faced unresolved challenges in the market. From the perspective of smart water meter development trends, external battery smart meters, powered by ordinary dry-cell batteries, align with the development trend of smart water meters and are more suitable for my country's national conditions.

[0003] The mainstream smart water meter today is the IoT smart water meter, which applies IoT communication technology to smart water meters. In the agricultural drinking water projects and urban tap water supply in northern my country, the vast majority are installed in water meter wells. As IoT smart water meters powered by built-in lithium batteries, their performance in the water meter well installation mode is very poor. The only advantage of IoT smart water meters with built-in lithium batteries is that the battery has a large rated capacity and long lifespan, but in practical applications, built-in lithium battery power supply has four major hidden dangers:

[0004] 1. Water meter manufacturers generally use cheaper domestic lithium batteries, as imported lithium batteries are too expensive to use. The quality of domestic lithium batteries is difficult to guarantee; the testing equipment and methods used in the entire lithium battery industry are insufficient to completely screen out defective products. During production, transportation, and use, battery quality problems of varying degrees occur from time to time. Even branded lithium batteries have a defect rate of approximately 1‰-3‰, and the defect rate from unknown manufacturers is even higher. Theoretically, their lifespan can reach more than six years, but they generally run out of power after two or three years of use, and some of the lower quality ones even run out of power within one or six months.

[0005] 2. The harsh environment in which water meter wells are installed and used has a significant impact on lithium batteries. Meter wells are generally 2 to 3 meters deep, where IoT signals are generally poor. Even with an external antenna installed under the well cover, the transmission effect is not very noticeable, communication power consumption increases, and the working time is longer, which generally affects battery life. Deep meter wells often accumulate water when it rains, and water meters are used in a humid environment all year round. The increased power consumption of the battery due to moisture directly affects its lifespan.

[0006] 3. The installation and use environment of water meter wells is complex, making after-sales maintenance difficult. Replacing a water meter on-site after a power outage is extremely difficult, increasing maintenance costs for manufacturers and causing inconvenience to users. Furthermore, incidents of old batteries exploding and causing injuries have occurred during battery replacements, posing a significant risk to personal safety.

[0007] 4. Built-in lithium batteries pose a risk of spontaneous combustion and explosion in high temperature and high humidity environments. In extremely low temperature environments, the batteries are prone to passivation, causing the water meter's electronic screen to go black and freeze, losing the basic functions of a smart water meter. There have been reported cases in China. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a split-type smart water meter with external dry cell battery power supply, which solves the problems mentioned above.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, a split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply is provided, comprising a lower external controller box and an upper external controller box. The upper external controller box has an annular protrusion on its lower side and a mounting groove on its inner top, in which a main board is installed by bolts. The lower external controller box contains a combined battery compartment. The lower external controller box on the left side of the combined battery compartment has a lithium battery reserved slot and a capacitor slot, while the lower external controller box on the right side of the combined battery compartment has an antenna mounting slot. The combined battery compartment consists of a fixed box and a movable box. The bottom of the fixed box is fixedly connected to the lower external controller box, and the movable box is slidably connected to the lower external controller box and the fixed box. The fixed box and the movable box have threaded holes and rotating grooves on their adjacent sides, respectively. A compartment screw is installed on the front side of the movable box, and the compartment screw is located in the rotating groove, with its inner end threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

[0010] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply, a first rubber ring is fixedly connected to the side of the movable box near the lower box of the external controller, and a second rubber ring is fixedly connected to the end of the fixed box near the movable box.

[0011] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter with external dry cell battery power supply, positive and negative terminals are installed in the fixed box and the movable box, and dry cell batteries are slidably connected therein.

[0012] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply, a supercapacitor is snapped into the capacitor slot.

[0013] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry battery, a metering valve control connection socket is fixedly connected to the front side of the lower box of the external controller.

[0014] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry battery, the upper side of the lower box of the external controller is provided with an annular groove that matches the annular protrusion, and a sealing ring is installed in the annular groove.

[0015] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry battery, a water meter antenna is installed in the antenna mounting slot, and a card reader is fixedly connected to the lower box of the external controller located outside the antenna mounting slot.

[0016] According to the aforementioned split-type smart water meter powered by external dry batteries, the lower box and upper box of the external controller are provided with hanging ears on both the left and right sides, and fixing parts are provided on both the front and rear sides.

[0017] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. Compared with existing technologies, by having an independent battery compartment with replaceable batteries inside the battery box, the operation is convenient during battery replacement, without the need to disassemble the entire external controller box.

[0019] 2. Compared with the existing technology, by providing an antenna mounting slot inside the lower box of the external controller and a card reader on the outside, the battery box can be installed externally in conjunction with the metering valve control connection socket and cable, which facilitates signal transmission and reduces the impact on battery power consumption.

[0020] 3. Compared with existing technologies, the circuit board and electrical appliances are connected in the battery box via a connector, eliminating the need for soldering wires and allowing for plug-and-play operation. This simplifies the production process and improves efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0022] Figure 1 Structural diagram of the split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 Side view of the split-type smart water meter with external dry cell battery power supply according to this utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the split-type smart water meter with external dry cell battery power supply according to this utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 Another cross-sectional view of the split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to this utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 Another cross-sectional view of the split-type smart water meter with external dry cell battery power supply of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0028] Legend:

[0029] 1. Lower box of external controller; 2. Upper box of external controller; 21. Annular protrusion; 22. Mounting slot; 221. Main board; 3. Combined battery compartment; 31. Fixing box; 311. Threaded hole; 32. Movable box; 321. Rotary groove; 33. Positive and negative terminals; 34. First rubber ring; 35. Second rubber ring; 4. Metering valve control connection socket; 5. Compartment screw; 6. Lithium battery reserved slot; 7. Capacitor slot; 71. Farad capacitor; 8. Dry cell battery; 9. Annular groove; 10. Antenna mounting slot; 11. Water meter antenna; 12. Fixing piece; 13. Card reader; 14. Hanging ear. Detailed Implementation

[0030] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present utility model. The preferred embodiments of the present utility model are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to supplement the textual description with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present utility model, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0031] Reference Figure 1-6 This utility model embodiment of a split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry battery includes a lower external controller box 1 and an upper external controller box 2, which are fixed by six fixing screws; copper wire caps are pre-embedded in the plastic body for convenient and safe fixing; the upper external controller box 2 is a fully transparent shell with frosted inner walls on all four sides, and the front appearance is designed according to the size and position of the controller's function display screen, as well as the positions of the buttons and indicator lights;

[0032] Both the lower box 1 and the upper box 2 of the external controller have hanging ears 14 on the left and right sides, and fixing parts 12 on the front and back sides. The upper box 2 of the external controller has an annular protrusion 21 on the lower side and a mounting groove 22 on the inner top. The lower box 1 of the external controller has an annular groove 9 on the upper side that matches the annular protrusion 21. A sealing ring is installed in the annular groove 9 to ensure that the moisture and water resistance level reaches IP65. The main board 221 is installed in the mounting groove 22 by bolts. The upper box 2 of the external controller has six fixing screw positions inside, which can be used for different main boards 221. Three-hole installation, four-hole installation, and six-hole installation can all be adapted. The circuit board inside the upper box 2 of the external controller is connected to the electrical components inside the lower box 1 of the external controller through a connector, which can be used immediately without soldering wires, simplifying the production process and improving efficiency.

[0033] The front side of the lower box 1 of the external controller is fixedly connected to a metering valve control connection socket 4. The metering valve control connection socket 4 consists of an adapter circuit and a plug. One end of the adapter circuit and the plug are rigidly connected to the lower box 1 of the external controller, forming an internal IoT smart water meter main controller circuit board (main board 221) and an external base meter cable plug interface. The controller circuit is designed with a cable connector that can be manually unplugged and separated. The main control circuit has an intelligent alarm function. The controller circuit has a movement tilt chip. The water meter has an anti-disassembly alarm function. The controller circuit is located on the main board 221.

[0034] The lower box 1 of the external controller has a combined battery compartment 3. The lower box 1 of the external controller located on the left side of the combined battery compartment 3 has a lithium battery reserved slot 6 and a capacitor slot 7. A supercapacitor 71 is snapped into the capacitor slot 7. The capacitor slot 7 facilitates the installation and fixation of the supercapacitor 71. The lithium battery reserved slot 6 can be used to install a built-in lithium thionyl chloride battery, which is very practical.

[0035] An antenna mounting slot 10 is provided in the lower box 1 of the external controller located on the right side of the combined battery compartment 3. A water meter antenna 11 is installed in the antenna mounting slot 10. The antenna mounting slot 10 facilitates the installation and fixation of the water meter antenna 11. A card swiping part 13 is fixedly connected to the lower box 1 of the external controller located outside the antenna mounting slot 10.

[0036] The combined battery compartment 3 consists of a fixed box 31 and a movable box 32. Positive and negative terminals 33 are installed inside both the fixed box 31 and the movable box 32, and dry cell batteries 8 are slidably connected to them. The dry cell batteries 8 are four AA 1.5V high-performance alkaline batteries. The bottom of the fixed box 31 is fixedly connected to the lower box 1 of the external controller. The movable box 32 is slidably connected to the lower box 1 of the external controller and the fixed box 31. A first rubber ring 34, which is waterproof, is fixedly connected to the side of the movable box 32 closest to the lower box 1 of the external controller. A second rubber ring 35 is fixedly connected to the end of the fixed box 31 closest to the movable box 32. The front of the movable box 32 has markings indicating the positive and negative battery installation directions, and there are anti-misinsertion markings on the front and at the entrance of the fixed box 31. The front of the movable box 32 also has markings indicating rotation tightness.

[0037] The fixed box 31 and the movable box 32 are respectively provided with a threaded hole 311 and a rotating groove 321 on the side close to each other. The threaded hole 311 is a lead-sealed hole and is adapted to the housing screw 5. The housing screw 5 is installed on the front side of the movable box 32. The housing screw 5 is located in the rotating groove 321 and its inner end is threaded to the threaded hole 311. A large plastic cap is fixedly connected to the outer end of the housing screw 5.

[0038] Working principle: During installation, first fix the main board 221 to the upper box 2 of the external controller with screws, then connect the wires on the combined battery compartment 3 to the main board 221, and then connect the adapter circuit on the metering valve control connection socket 4 through the ribbon cable. After the connection is completed, close the lower box 1 and the upper box 2 of the external controller and fix them with screws. Under the action of the sealing ring in the annular groove 9, the moisture-proof and waterproof level reaches IP65.

[0039] When replacing the battery, turn the housing screw 5 to separate the movable box 32 from the fixed box 31, and install 4 AA 1.5V brand high-performance alkaline batteries. Then, use the housing screw 5 to reinstall the movable box 32 and the fixed box 31. At this time, the combined battery compartment 3 can be further waterproofed by the first rubber ring 34 and the second rubber ring 35. The operation is convenient and does not require disassembling the entire external controller box.

[0040] During use, when the battery power is low, the valve will shut off and alarm to stop the water supply. After the user replaces the battery, the water supply will be restored, which fundamentally solves the problem of battery life. In addition, the combined battery compartment 3 adopts a fully sealed design, which has waterproof, moisture-proof and anti-reverse insertion functions. At the same time, the combined battery compartment 3 is also equipped with a first rubber ring 34 and a second rubber ring 35, which solves the problem of battery leakage.

[0041] The embodiments of the present utility model have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A split-type smart water meter powered by an external dry cell battery, characterized in that, It includes a lower box (1) for an external controller and an upper box (2) for an external controller. The upper box (2) for an external controller has an annular protrusion (21) on its lower side and an installation groove (22) on its inner top. The motherboard (221) is installed in the installation groove (22) by bolts. The lower box (1) of the external controller is provided with a combined battery compartment (3). The lower box (1) of the external controller located on the left side of the combined battery compartment (3) is provided with a lithium battery reserved slot (6) and a capacitor slot (7). The lower box (1) of the external controller located on the right side of the combined battery compartment (3) is provided with an antenna mounting slot (10). The combined battery compartment (3) is composed of a fixed box (31) and a movable box (32). The bottom of the fixed box (31) is fixedly connected to the lower box (1) of the external controller. The movable box (32) is slidably connected to the lower box (1) of the external controller and the fixed box (31). The fixed box (31) and the movable box (32) are respectively provided with a threaded hole (311) and a rotating groove (321) on the side close to each other. The front side of the movable box (32) is equipped with a compartment screw (5). The compartment screw (5) is located in the rotating groove (321) and its inner end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole (311).

2. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that, The active box (32) is fixedly connected to a first rubber ring (34) on the side near the lower box (1) of the external controller, and the fixed box (31) is fixedly connected to a second rubber ring (35) on the end near the active box (32).

3. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 2, characterized in that, Positive and negative terminals (33) are installed in the fixed box (31) and the movable box (32), and a dry cell battery (8) is slidably connected thereto.

4. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 3, characterized in that, A supercapacitor (71) is snapped into the capacitor slot (7).

5. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 4, characterized in that, The front side of the lower box (1) of the external controller is fixedly connected to a metering valve control connection socket (4).

6. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper side of the lower box (1) of the external controller is provided with an annular groove (9) that matches the annular protrusion (21), and a sealing ring is installed in the annular groove (9).

7. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 6, characterized in that, A water meter antenna (11) is installed in the antenna mounting slot (10), and a card swiping part (13) is fixedly connected to the external controller lower box (1) located outside the antenna mounting slot (10).

8. The split-type smart water meter with external dry battery power supply according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lower box (1) and upper box (2) of the external controller are provided with hanging ears (14) on both the left and right sides, and are provided with fixing parts (12) on both the front and rear sides.

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