A smart water meter box

Abstract

This utility model provides an intelligent water meter box, relating to the field of water supply metering equipment technology. It includes a box body, a main inlet pipe, a main valve, and at least one prefabricated water meter unit. The prefabricated water meter unit integrates segmented water distribution branch pipes, a gate valve, and an electronic water meter. The inlet end of the water distribution branch pipe is connected downstream of the main valve. The gate valve and the electronic water meter are connected in series between two adjacent water distribution branch pipes. Both ends of the gate valve and the electronic water meter are sealed to the adjacent water distribution branch pipes via a clamp-type structure. A display screen is integrated on the box door, and the display screen has a built-in controller. The controller is electrically connected to the electronic water meter via wiring terminals. This design improves space utilization, enhances installation and maintenance convenience, and increases the level of intelligence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of water supply metering equipment technology, specifically to an intelligent water meter box. Background Technology

[0002] In building water supply systems, multiple water meters are typically housed in a meter box for ease of metering and management. However, existing traditional meter box structures have several drawbacks. First, the large number and irregular shapes of water meters, valves, and their connecting accessories result in a large installation space requirement, cluttered layout, and difficulty in support and fixation, significantly increasing the floor space occupied by the meter box. Second, the common threaded connection between water meters and valves not only makes on-site assembly time-consuming and labor-intensive, leading to high labor costs, but also makes subsequent maintenance, replacement, or disassembly extremely inconvenient and inefficient. Furthermore, traditional meter boxes have limited functionality, unable to remotely read meter data or control valve openings, relying on manual periodic on-site meter readings, which is inefficient and prone to errors. They also lack effective means to monitor water usage in real time, making it difficult to proactively identify whether downstream pipes are using water normally or experiencing leaks, resulting in high leakage rates. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of water meter box with high integration, convenient installation and maintenance, and intelligent monitoring and management functions to solve problems such as large space occupation, cumbersome assembly and disassembly, high reliance on manual labor, and lack of intelligent monitoring. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this utility model is to provide an intelligent water meter box to solve the problems of large space occupation, cumbersome disassembly and assembly, strong reliance on manual labor and lack of intelligent monitoring.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an intelligent water meter box using the following technical solution:

[0005] An intelligent water meter box includes a box body, a main inlet pipe, a main valve, and at least one prefabricated water meter unit. The prefabricated water meter unit integrates segmented water distribution branch pipes, gate valves, and electronic water meters. The inlet end of the water distribution branch pipe is connected downstream of the main valve. The gate valve and the electronic water meter are connected in series between two adjacent water distribution branch pipes. Both ends of the gate valve and both ends of the electronic water meter are sealed to the adjacent water distribution branch pipes via a clamp-type structure. A display screen is integrated on the box door, and the display screen has a built-in controller. The controller is electrically connected to the electronic water meter via wiring terminals.

[0006] As an optimization of the intelligent water meter box, a water distributor is fixedly connected to the main valve. The water distributor has multiple ports, each of which is connected to a water distribution branch pipe.

[0007] As an optimization of the intelligent water meter box, the assembled water meter unit also includes a water collection box, which is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the box. A drain pipe is provided on the water collection box and connected to an external drainage system. A liquid level sensor is provided inside the water collection box, and the liquid level sensor signal is connected to the display screen. A solenoid valve is connected in series on the drain pipe and is controlled by a controller in the display screen.

[0008] As an optimization of intelligent water meter box, the inner wall of the box is fixedly connected to a guide rail, and the gate valve and the electronic water meter are both fixedly connected to a snap-fit ​​boss. The snap-fit ​​boss is embedded and slides on the inner wall of the guide rail, and a locking element is provided on the snap-fit ​​boss.

[0009] As an optimization of intelligent water meter box, the side wall of the box is detachably equipped with a cover plate. When the cover plate is removed, the gate valve or the electronic water meter can be pulled out of the box laterally along the guide rail.

[0010] As an optimization of intelligent water meter boxes, the box body is equipped with an electronic lock, and the electronic lock signal is connected to the display screen.

[0011] As an optimization of intelligent water meter boxes, the clamp-type structure includes a compression fitting or a ring fitting for radial locking and sealing along the pipeline.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: (1) High integration and space optimization: The prefabricated water meter unit design integrates the water distribution branch pipe, gate valve and electronic water meter into a compact structure; the gate valve and water meter are horizontally fixed to the inner wall of the box through the guide rail and snap-fit ​​boss structure to form a continuous load-bearing structure, which reduces the requirements for pipe rigidity and the use of additional U-shaped pipe clamps, hangers and other auxiliary support components; the integrated design of the water distributor replaces the traditional multiple sets of tee joints, which simplifies the layout of the downstream pipeline of the main valve; the above designs significantly reduce the overall size of the water meter box, improve the space utilization and assembly density, and effectively solve the problem of large space occupation of traditional water meter boxes.

[0013] (2) Improved ease of installation and maintenance: The gate valve, electronic water meter, and water distribution branch pipe are connected by a clamp-type structure for radial sealing, completely eliminating the traditional time-consuming and laborious method of threaded sealing tape and multi-turn tightening. During installation, only radial pressing or ring pressing is required, greatly shortening the installation time; during disassembly and maintenance, no rotation operation is required, significantly improving maintenance efficiency. The design of the guide rail and the snap-fit ​​boss combined with the detachable side cover plate allows the gate valve or electronic water meter to be pulled out of the box laterally for maintenance or replacement, making the operation extremely simple and solving the pain points of difficult disassembly and low efficiency in the traditional method. The modular prefabricated water meter unit design facilitates mass production and rapid installation and commissioning.

[0014] (3) Significantly enhanced intelligent monitoring and management capabilities: The integrated display screen on the cabinet door connects to the electronic water meter, enabling real-time local display of water usage data and remote automatic meter reading, completely eliminating the need for manual on-site meter reading and effectively reducing error rates and management costs. The water collection box, together with a liquid level sensor and a solenoid valve, constitutes an intelligent leakage monitoring and handling system. It can monitor the water accumulation in the cabinet in real time, and when leakage is detected, it automatically starts the solenoid valve to drain water and sends a leakage warning to the display screen and remote terminal, achieving proactive leakage prevention and effectively reducing leakage rates. The electronic lock supports remote authorization and touch unlocking, solving the problems of easy loss and cumbersome management of traditional keys, and improving the level of intelligence in equipment access control. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an intelligent water meter box according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the box according to an embodiment of this application.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Housing; 11. Door; 12. Cover plate; 2. Main inlet pipe; 3. Main valve; 4. Prefabricated water meter unit; 41. Branch pipe; 42. Gate valve; 43. Electronic water meter; 44. Water collection box; 45. Drain pipe; 5. Clamp-type structure; 6. Display screen; 61. Wiring terminal; 7. Diverter; 8. Guide rail; 81. Snap-fit ​​boss; 82. Locking element; 9. Electronic lock. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the technical solution and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model and its beneficial effects will be described in further detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of this utility model are not limited thereto.

[0019] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" 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 utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0020] All standard parts used in this utility model can be purchased from the market, and irregular parts can be customized according to the description and drawings. The specific connection methods of each part adopt conventional methods such as bolts, rivets, and welding that are mature in the prior art. The machinery, parts and equipment adopt conventional models in the prior art, and the circuit connection adopts conventional connection methods in the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0021] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-2 This application will be described in further detail below.

[0022] This application provides an intelligent water meter box, which adopts the following technical solution: Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The intelligent water meter box includes a box body 1, a main inlet pipe 2, a main valve 3, and at least one prefabricated water meter unit 4. The size of the box body 1 is customized according to the needs of the residents, and a corresponding number of prefabricated water meter units 4 are configured. Water flows sequentially through the main inlet pipe 2, the main valve 3, and the prefabricated water meter units 4 into the user's usage scenario. The prefabricated water meter unit 4 includes a water distribution branch pipe 41, a gate valve 42, and an electronic water meter 43. The water distribution branch pipe 41 consists of multiple pipes arranged in sections. The inlet end of the water distribution branch pipe 41 is connected to the downstream of the main valve 3. The gate valve 42 and the electronic water meter 43 are installed in series between two adjacent sections of the water distribution branch pipe 41. The gate valve 42 is used to control the flow of water in the branch, and the electronic water meter 43 is used to count the flow rate of the branch and generate a signal. Both ends of the gate valve 42 and both ends of the electronic water meter 43 are sealed to the adjacent water distribution branch pipe 41 via a clamp-type structure 5. Furthermore, the clamp-type structure 5 includes a compression fitting or a ring compression fitting. By radially locking and contracting along the pipe, the sealing ring is compressed to achieve a sealed connection. The radial locking design ensures uniform force on the sealing ring, extending the sealing life to more than three times that of traditional threaded connections, and significantly enhancing vibration resistance. Compared to the traditional installation method of threaded connections that involves manually wrapping sealing tape and rotating and tightening multiple turns, the clamp-type structure 5 of this application achieves sealing through radial mechanical compression or ring compression, significantly shortening installation time. Furthermore, disassembly requires no rotation, significantly improving maintenance efficiency. A display screen 6 is fixedly installed on the door 11 of the enclosure 1. The display screen 6 integrates a touch panel, an internal controller, and a 4G communication module. The controller can be a PLC or an MCU. The controller is electrically connected to the electronic water meter 43 via a communication cable through the terminal block 61. The data in the electronic water meter 43 is transmitted to the controller for processing and then displayed on the outside of the enclosure 1 through the display screen 6, making it convenient to read the water meter data intuitively. At the same time, the display screen 6 can also be connected to a remote terminal through the 4G communication module, enabling remote reading of water meter data and meter reading, realizing automatic meter reading, eliminating manual on-site operation, and reducing error rate and management costs.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of this application, reference is made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 A distributor 7 is fixedly connected to the main valve 3. The distributor 7 is fixedly connected to the downstream of the main valve 3. The side of the distributor 7 is integrally formed with multiple ports, each port corresponding to an assembled water meter unit 4. The ports of the distributor 7 are paired with the inlet end of the water distribution branch pipe 41 through threaded connection. Compared with traditional technology, the integrally formed distributor 7 replaces multiple sets of tee joints, simplifies the downstream pipeline structure of the main valve 3, reduces leakage risk points, improves system sealing reliability, and reduces installation complexity and leakage probability.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of this application, reference is made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The prefabricated water meter unit 4 also includes a water collection box 44, which is a hollow cube without a lid. One side wall of the water collection box 44 is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1. The water collection box 44 is located below the electronic water meter 43. Each prefabricated water meter unit 4 is independently equipped with a water collection box 44. A drain pipe 45 is installed at the bottom of each water collection box 44, and the drain pipe 45 is connected to the external drainage system through a flexible hose. A liquid level sensor is provided on the side wall of the water collection box 44. The liquid level sensor signal is connected to the display screen 6, which can provide real-time feedback of the liquid level in the water collection box 44 to the display screen 6. A solenoid valve is connected in series on the drain pipe 45, and the solenoid valve is controlled by the controller in the display screen 6. When the liquid level in the water collection box 44 reaches the preset value, the liquid level sensor transmits the signal to the controller in the display screen 6. The controller drives the solenoid valve to open, draining the water in the water collection box 44 through the drain pipe 45 to the external drainage system, and sending a leak warning to the remote terminal to remind maintenance personnel to repair in time. The liquid level sensor monitors the water accumulation in real time and works with the solenoid valve to automatically drain the water, detects faults and leaks in the water meter box, and effectively prevents flooding inside the box, which helps to reduce the leakage rate.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of this application, reference is made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The inner wall of the housing 1 is fixedly connected to a guide rail 8. Both the gate valve 42 and the bottom of the water meter are fixedly connected to a snap-fit ​​boss 81. The snap-fit ​​boss 81 is embedded and slides within the inner wall of the guide rail 8. A locking element 82 is installed on the snap-fit ​​boss 81. The locking element 82 can be a tightening bolt, a brake pawl, etc. In this embodiment, the locking element 82 is a tightening bolt. Furthermore, a cover plate 12 is detachably provided on the side wall of the housing 1. When the cover plate 12 is removed, the gate valve 42 or the water meter can be laterally pulled away from the housing 1 along the guide rail 8 for convenient maintenance.

[0026] In conventional water meter boxes, to overcome the bending stress caused by the pipe's own weight and the impact of water flow vibration, U-shaped pipe clamps or hangers need to be added in the middle of the long-span water distribution branch pipe 41, and flange bolts or independent brackets are used to fix the valve or water meter at both ends. This method not only increases the number of pipe fittings, such as screws and hook-shaped brackets, but also leads to complex installation layers and large space occupation. This application uses the cooperation between the guide rail 8 and the snap-fit ​​boss 81 to install the gate valve 42 and water meter laterally on the inner wall of the box 1, forming a continuous linear load-bearing structure. Compared with the traditional method, it reduces the requirement for water pipe rigidity, reduces the amount of auxiliary fasteners used, supports higher density prefabricated water meter unit 4 arrangement, and improves space utilization.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of this application, reference is made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 An electronic lock 9 is installed on the housing 1. The electronic lock 9 is connected to the display screen 6 via a signal. The electronic lock 9 supports remote authorization and touch unlocking on the display screen 6, which solves the problems of easy loss and cumbersome management of traditional keys and improves the level of intelligence in inspection and maintenance.

[0028] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows: Water flow is regulated by the main valve 3 after entering the main water pipe 2, and then distributed to each prefabricated water meter unit 4 through the distributor 7. In each prefabricated water meter unit 4, the electronic water meter 43 measures the branch flow in real time and transmits the data to the built-in controller on the display screen 6, realizing local and remote dual-mode monitoring of water consumption. If a pipeline leak occurs, the water collection box 44 collects the seepage and triggers the liquid level sensor. The controller then opens the solenoid valve to automatically drain the water and issues a leak warning. During installation and maintenance, after removing the side wall cover plate 12, the gate valve 42 or electronic water meter 43 is pulled laterally along the guide rail 8 to connect to the water distribution branch pipe 41 at the designated position. The operator opens the electronic lock 9 authorized by the display screen 6, and the radial sealing gate valve 42 and electronic water meter 43 are connected to the modular assembly unit at the position of the guide rail 8 through the clamp-type structure 5, which quickly completes the replacement and significantly simplifies the disassembly and assembly process.

[0029] Based on the disclosure and teachings of the above specification, those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to the above embodiments. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and any obvious improvements, substitutions, or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on this utility model are within the protection scope of this utility model. Furthermore, although some specific terms are used in this specification, these terms are only for convenience of explanation and do not constitute any limitation on this utility model.

Claims

1. An intelligent water meter cabinet, characterized in that, The system includes a housing (1), a main inlet pipe (2), a main valve (3), and at least one assembled water meter unit (4). The assembled water meter unit (4) integrates a segmented water distribution branch pipe (41), a gate valve (42), and an electronic water meter (43). The inlet end of the water distribution branch pipe (41) is connected downstream of the main valve (3). The gate valve (42) and the electronic water meter (43) are connected in series between two adjacent water distribution branch pipes (41). The two ends of the gate valve (42) and the two ends of the electronic water meter (43) are sealed to the adjacent water distribution branch pipes (41) through a clamp structure (5). A display screen (6) is integrated on the door (11) of the housing (1). The display screen (6) has a built-in controller, which is electrically connected to the electronic water meter (43) through a wiring terminal (61).

2. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, A water distributor (7) is fixedly connected to the main valve (3). The water distributor (7) has multiple ports, each of which is connected to a water distribution branch pipe (41).

3. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, The assembled water meter unit (4) also includes a water collection box (44), which is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the housing (1). A drain pipe (45) is provided on the water collection box (44), and the drain pipe (45) is connected to the external drainage system. A liquid level sensor is provided inside the water collection box (44), and the liquid level sensor signal is connected to the display screen (6). A solenoid valve is connected in series on the drain pipe (45), and the solenoid valve is controlled by the controller in the display screen (6).

4. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the housing (1) is fixedly connected to a guide rail (8), and the gate valve (42) and the electronic water meter (43) are both fixedly connected to a snap-fit ​​boss (81). The snap-fit ​​boss (81) is embedded and slides on the inner wall of the guide rail (8), and a locking element (82) is provided on the snap-fit ​​boss (81).

5. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that, The side wall of the housing (1) is detachably provided with a cover plate (12). When the cover plate (12) is removed, the gate valve (42) or the electronic water meter (43) can be pulled out of the housing (1) laterally along the guide rail (8).

6. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, An electronic lock (9) is provided on the housing (1), and the electronic lock (9) is signal-connected to the display screen (6).

7. The intelligent water meter cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamp-type structure (5) includes a compression fitting or a ring fitting, used for radial locking and sealing along the pipeline.

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