METER HOUSING

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention falls within the technical field of housings for devices for recording the consumption of utilities; it relates in this case to a meter housing according to claim 1. State of the art

[0002] Housings for devices used to measure the consumption of utilities, such as electricity, water, heat, cooling, or gas, are well known in the prior art as meter housings; such meter housings are disclosed in documents EP 1 789 809 B1, EP 1 731 914 B1 and WO 2007 / 056878 A1. These meter housings have in common that, in their operational state, they comprise the following: namely, a number of connections for a utility, which connections lead from the outside to a number of measuring units in an interior space of the meter housing, wherein the interior space of this meter housing is completely closed by means of fastening means and, furthermore, the measuring units—which are usually calibrated—in this interior space are sealed by means of an external seal on the meter housing for fraud detection.In particular, EP 1 731 914 B1 discloses that in an electrical and / or electronic device, a functional unit is permanently attached to the device in an operating state. The functional unit can be moved from an operating position to a service position and back for the purpose of handling a number of components arranged on the functional unit. These components have an operative connection in the device when the functional unit is in its operating position, and are free of an operative connection when the functional unit is in its service position. Specifically, WO 2007 / 056878 A1 discloses that a meter platform for the installation of an electricity meter includes a single- or multi-phase, remotely controlled disconnect switch, which is arranged between one or more terminals of a power supply network and a load connected downstream of the electricity meter.German patent DE 100 22 532 A1 discloses an electricity meter device comprising an electronic electricity meter with a meter housing and a sealable meter cover, and an integrated ripple control receiver. WO 2014 / 051619 A1 discloses an intelligent electronic device for measuring a property of electricity, having a rear opening and a side opening in the device's housing for receiving a connector of an expansion module through one or the other opening. WO 2006 / 021119 A1 discloses an intelligent electronic device for measuring a property of electricity, having a rear opening and a side opening in the device's housing for receiving a connector of an expansion module through one or the other opening.

[0003] Nowadays, it is common for meter housings of the type described above to offer the option of expansion using one or more additional modules. Depending on the conditions at the installation site, these modules provide communication options such as mobile networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), Ethernet, fiber optics, mesh networks, M-Bus, or RS-485, or a relay control module. At the request of a utility company or end consumer, meter housings can be equipped with one or more additional modules during initial installation or retrofitted at a later date. Regardless of the function of an additional module, the calibrated measuring units within the meter housing remain completely unaffected by it during normal operation.unaffected, although these additional modules can still be operated either wired or plug-in and / or wirelessly for signal acquisition, their own power supply or communication to the interior of the meter housing or on the output side.

[0004] The previously cited EP 1 789 809 B1 demonstrates how an additional module is conventionally arranged in a recess of a meter housing and connected internally via plug-in or spring contacts, with a number of terminal connections available on the output side for wired transmission. This example clearly illustrates that the number of usable additional modules for known meter housings must be considered during their design, and that the necessary wiring to and from an additional module, or to and from a meter housing at its mounting location, must be planned in advance to allow for future additions or retrofitting, not only during initial installation but also if required at a later date.However, in spatially limited installation locations and possibly immediately adjacent meter housings, which may be equipped with or without additional modules, laying cables between meter housings, between meter housings and additional modules, or between additional modules themselves can pose a challenge. Description of the invention

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop a meter housing for a device for recording the consumption of a utility in such a way that, compared to the prior art, a simplified mechanical and electrical installation at a meter mounting location is made possible, even if several meter housings are arranged adjacent to each other at the meter mounting location and, in addition, an additional module or several additional modules are used for the one device or several devices for recording consumption, and lines provide wired connections between adjacent meter housings, or between meter housings and additional modules, or between additional modules themselves.

[0006] The problem underlying the invention for the meter housing is solved by the features of claim 1; the features further developing this inventive concept are the subject of dependent claims 2 to 5.

[0007] The core of the present invention for meter housings for a device for recording the consumption of a utility is that this meter housing comprises a front housing part and a rear housing part and, on the one hand, thereby inaccessibly encompasses an interior space with a consumption recording device and an associated evaluation unit, and, on the other hand, the rear housing part faces a meter mounting location on its side opposite the front housing part, wherein a connection unit for the consumption is arranged on a first housing wall of this rear housing part, projecting into the interior space, and wherein the rear housing part has a second housing wall opposite the first housing wall, and the first housing wall is connected to the second housing wall via a third housing wall and a fourth housing wall, and the rear housing part has a first,The inventive meter housing has a recess open to the meter mounting location, designed to accommodate one or more cables, which cable(s) can be covered externally by the meter housing at the mounting location. It is advantageous that cables running from the meter mounting location to the meter housing or vice versa can be routed through the recess open to the meter mounting location and are concealed by the meter housing when installed. Thus, the inventive meter housing with the recess enables advantageous, space-saving installation of the meter housing itself, along with the protected installation of incoming or outgoing cables. Such a cable serves, for example, for wired communication. Such wired communication is not subject to the restrictions that...strict regulations such as the contents of the sealed interior, which includes an access-protected, usually calibrated, consumer goods recording device with associated evaluation unit.

[0008] In the meter housing according to the invention, the rear housing part and the front housing part can be sealed by means of a terminal cover, thereby closing off the connection unit, which remains open towards the meter mounting location. The first housing wall of the rear housing part has a first opening or a first recess for this first opening next to the connection unit. When this first opening is open, the first recess can be connected to a second recess under the terminal cover. This allows cables arranged in the first recess to also be routed into the second recess under the terminal cover and consequently to the vicinity of the connection unit, where an interface for wired communication can optionally be located.

[0009] Another embodiment of the meter housing according to the invention has a second opening or a second housing recess for this second opening towards the first recess, namely on the second housing wall opposite the first housing wall of the rear housing part, wherein this second opening can be closed by means of a first additional module for the device for recording the consumption of the supplied goods; thus, cables of wired additional modules can also be led into the first recess or through the first recess into the second recess, which, for example, also enables a power supply of such an additional module from the second recess.

[0010] In a further advantageous embodiment of the meter housing according to the invention, the third housing wall of the rear housing part is designed as a first side wall and / or the fourth housing wall of the rear housing part is designed as a second side wall, wherein this first or second side wall has a first or second side wall opening or a fourth or fifth housing cutout for this first or second side wall opening. These side wall openings allow a wired connection between adjacent meter housings and / or a wired connection also between additional modules of adjacent meter housings. Brief description of the drawings

[0011] The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to figures. Identical objects in the figures are generally designated by the same reference numerals. They show, purely schematically, the Fig. 1 a perspective view of a front side of a meter housing according to the invention from below; Fig. 2 a rear perspective view of one side of the meter housing according to the invention. Fig. 1 with a first recess in a rear housing part, which faces a meter mounting position (not shown), and a second recess under a connection cover; Fig. 3 shows a further rear, perspective view from above of the meter housing according to Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 another perspective view of the front according to Fig. 1 Fig. 5 shows casing breakouts of the meter casing according to Fig. 1Fig. 6: Conduits in the first and second recesses; Fig. 7: A perspective front view of the inventive meter housing from above onto an additional module; Fig. 8: A perspective side exploded view of the inventive meter housing; Fig. 9: A further perspective view of the front from below of the inventive meter housing. Ways to implement the invention

[0012] Fig. 1Figure 1 shows the meter housing 1 according to the invention, which in this case is designed as an electricity meter housing 1 for an electricity meter for measuring consumed or, if applicable, fed-back electrical energy; this meter housing 1 is also suitable for meter housings 1 that can be used, for example, with consumption meters for recording other utilities such as water, heat, cooling, or gas. In a perspective front view from a low angle, the meter housing 1 comprises a front housing part 2a and a rear housing part 2b, both of which, in the ready-to-use assembly state of the meter housing 1, are connected at the top by a housing cover 17 and at the bottom by a connection cover 8 or a terminal cover 8. A locking slide 16 secures the housing cover 17 to the front and rear housing parts 2a and 2b.

[0013] As is known, meter housings 1 for recording the consumption of utilities are closed with a number of fastening elements 20 and further sealed with a number of seals 21. In the example shown, a fastening element 20 is designed as a screw 20 with a cross recess, and the seal 21 comprises, for example, a sealing pin at the top left of the meter housing.

[0014] As in a perspective, side rear view in Fig. 2As shown, the meter housing 1 according to the invention has a first recess 6 in the rear housing part 2b. This first recess 6 is enclosed on the one hand by housing walls of the meter housing 1 or the rear housing part 2b, and on the other hand, this recess 6 is closed in the operational state of the meter housing 1 at a meter mounting location (not shown here). As will be shown below, this first recess 6 is designed to accommodate cables – which will be shown below based on the Fig. 6 and 7 The document will show which lines are to be supplied when the meter housing 1 is mounted at the meter mounting location.

[0015] An interior space 3 of the meter housing 1 is shown "here quasi from the outside," which interior space 3 can be completely closed off by the front housing part 2a and the rear housing part 2b. A consumption metering device with an associated evaluation unit is normally housed inaccessibly within this interior space 3 (not shown in detail here). The front and rear housing parts 2a and 2b are closed at the bottom by means of the connection cover 8, which also closes off a second recess 11 below the interior space 3, leading to the meter mounting location (not shown here). Furthermore, the housing parts 2a and 2b are—as already described— Fig. 1 explained- closed at the top by means of a housing cover 17, whereby this housing cover 17 can also be designed as a first additional module 12a.

[0016] The rear housing part 2b has a first housing wall 4a, which is designed as a first housing breakout 10a or as a first housing breakout point 10a; it should be noted that the terms "housing breakout" and "housing breakout point" are synonymous and used interchangeably. Such first housing breakouts 10a are optionally breakable, resulting in a first opening 9a between the first recess 6 and the second recess 11, thus connecting the two.

[0017] Fig. 3Figure 1 shows another perspective rear view of the meter housing 1 according to the invention, looking at the first housing wall 4a mentioned above, which is designed as the first housing recess 10a and, when removed, forms the first opening 9a of the first recess 6. This first recess 6 is further bounded, in addition to the first housing wall 4a, by a second, opposing housing wall 4b and a third and fourth housing wall 4c and 4d, respectively, which connect the first and second housing walls 4a and 4b. The second housing wall 4b is in this Fig. 3 visible because - here not like in Fig. 2- the housing cover 17 or the first additional module 12a closes the meter housing 1 at the top. The rear housing part 2b has a first fastening eyelet 22 next to the second housing wall 4b and a second and third fastening eyelet 22 on both sides of the interior 3, with which fastening eyelets 22 the meter housing 1 can be attached to a meter mounting location (not shown here), so that the first recess 6 in the meter housing 1 arranged at the meter mounting location can be closed from the rear.

[0018] The second housing wall 4b is designed as a second housing breakout 10b, which, when removed, provides a second opening 9b to the first recess 6. With an additional view of the Fig. 2 It becomes clear that this second opening 9b faces the first additional module 12a, which is located in the present case. Fig. 3 not shown.

[0019] The third and fourth housing walls 4c and 4d, respectively, represent a first and second side wall 13a and 13b of the rear housing part 2b, which have side walls 13a, 13b, fourth and fifth housing cutouts 10d and 10e, respectively, which, when removed, result in a first and a second side wall opening 14a, 14b; such side wall openings 14a, 14b enable a connection between first recesses 6 of adjacent meter housings 1.

[0020] Fig. 4 shows a similar perspective front view of the inventive meter housing 1 as the Fig. 1 , however, without the connection cover / terminal cover 8 shown there. Thus, in this Fig. 4 A connection unit 5 is visible, which, in the meter housing 1 described here as an example, is designed as a terminal block 5 for an electricity meter. Next to this terminal block, the first opening 9a is shown, which connects the area around the terminal block 5 with the -in Fig. 3shown - first recess 6 connects and wherein this area around the terminal block 5 the -in Fig. 2 The second recess shown is number 11. Fig. 5 shows a further representation of the meter housing 1 according to the invention. Fig. 4 from its rear side, from which it becomes clear that the terminal block 5 closes off the interior 3, which is closed off by means of the front and rear housing parts 2a, 2b, at the bottom.

[0021] In Fig. 6The inventive meter housing 1 is shown in a rear top view, with a number of conductors 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and 7e arranged within the first recess 6, wherein these conductors 7a - 7e can be single-core or multi-core. For the installation of all conductors 7a - 7e shown here as an example, the first and second openings 9a, 9b and the first and second side wall openings 14a, 14b are necessary; conductor 7a connects the first auxiliary module 12a through the first and second openings 9a, 9b and via the first recess 6 to connections in the second recess 11 (not shown here), which can be, for example, a power supply or a communication connection or both. The conductors 7b, 7c lead from the first auxiliary module 12a through the second opening 9b into the first recess 6 and then laterally through the second side wall opening 14b and 14b, respectively.The first side wall opening 14a leads out of the meter housing 1, for example to adjacent, further meter housings (not shown here). The conductor 7d is shown here as an example to be a through conductor from the second side wall opening 14b via the first recess 6 in the meter housing 1 according to the invention to the first side wall opening 14a, and the conductor 7e connects the second recess 11 with the first recess 6 via the first opening 9a and is then led out of the second side wall opening 14b of this meter housing.

[0022] Fig. 7Figure 1 shows a further perspective view of the meter housing 1 according to the invention, showing how the conductors 7a and 7b project through the second opening 9b into the first additional module 12a and are connected there. Furthermore, this view reveals a third opening 9c in the first additional module 12a, which is closed before its removal by means of a third housing cutout (not shown here). Fig. 8 is shown in a perspective exploded view, showing how the first additional module 12a in Fig. 7 can be closed by means of the housing cover 17 or by means of a further additional module 12 b, whereby the third opening 9c in the first additional module 12a can be used for a connection with the second additional module 12b.

[0023] The Fig. 9 discloses that the inventive meter housing 1 with the first recess 6 - see also Fig. 6 and 8- can be extended by means of several stacked additional modules 12a, 12b, ..., whereby these additional modules can be connected by means of cables through the first recess 6 in such a way that these cables can be completely covered by the meter housings in the ready state at the meter mounting location.

Claims

1. Meter housing (1) for a device for measuring the consumption of a utility, such as electricity, water, heat, cooling or gas, comprising a front housing part (2a) which completely encloses an interior space (3) of the meter housing (1) together with a rear housing part (2b) intended for attachment to a meter mounting location, wherein this interior space (3) contains a utility consumption measurement device with an associated evaluation unit in a manner that is inaccessible, the rear housing part (2b) facing the meter installation site on its side facing away from the front housing part (2a), wherein on this rear housing part (2b) a connection unit (5) for the consumable, projecting into the interior space (3), is arranged on a first housing wall (4a), and wherein the rear housing part (2b) has a second housing wall (4b) opposite the first housing wall (4a), and the first housing wall (4a) is connected to the second housing wall (4b) via a third housing wall (4c) and a fourth housing wall (4d), wherein the rear housing part (2b) has, on its side facing the meter mounting location, a first recess (6) open towards this meter mounting location, which first recess (6) is configured such that a cable (7a, b, c, d, e) or several cables (7a, b, c, d, e) can be arranged therein, which cable (7a, b, c, d, e) or which cables (7a, b, c, d, e) can be covered meter housing (1) in such a way that they are inaccessible from the outside at the meter mounting location in a manner that renders them inaccessible from the outside, wherein the rear housing part (2b) and the front housing part (2a) can be connected in a sealed manner by means of a connection cover (8) of the meter housing (1), thereby allowing the connection unit (5), which is open towards the meter installation site, can be sealed off from the outside, wherein the first housing wall (4a) on the rear housing section (2b) adjacent to the connection unit (5) comprises a first opening (9a) or a first break-out point (10a) for this first opening (9a), wherein, when this first opening (9a) is open, the first recess (6) can be connected to a second recess (11) beneath the connection cover (8).

2. A meter housing (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the second housing wall (4b), which lies opposite the first housing wall (4a) of the rear housing part (2b), comprises a second opening (9b), or a second break-out point (10b) for this second opening (9b) towards the first recess (6), wherein this second opening (9b) can be closed by means of a first additional module (12a) for the device for recording the consumption of the utility.

3. Meter housing (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the first additional module (12a) comprises a third opening (9c), or a third break-out point (10c) for this third opening (9c), wherein this third opening (9c) can be closed by means of a further additional module (12b) for the device for recording the consumption of the utility.

4. Meter housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the third housing wall (4c) of the rear housing part (2b) is formed as a first side wall (13a) which has a first side wall opening (14a), or a fourth break-out point (10d) for this first side wall opening (14a) to the first recess (6) of the rear housing part (2b).

5. Meter housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the fourth housing wall (4d) of the rear housing part (2b) is formed as a second side wall (13b), which has a second side wall opening (14b) or a fifth break-out point (10e) for this second side wall opening (14b) to the first recess (6) of the rear housing part (2b).