Gas meter

Abstract

To provide a gas meter that can prevent damage to an inner case unit due to distortion of a gas pipe connected to a drain side mouthpiece caused by an earthquake, land subsidence, etc.SOLUTION: A gas meter 1 according to the present invention has an inner case unit 30 formed of resin, and the inner case unit 30 has an exhaust pipe 33 to be inserted into a drain side mouthpiece 60. The end of the exhaust pipe 33 has an upstream O-ring stopper 35 and a downstream O-ring stopper 36. The upstream O-ring stopper 35 and the downstream O-ring stopper 36 form an O-ring groove 38 in which an O-ring 37 is placed. The upstream O-ring stopper 35 has an upstream tapered surface 35u on an upstream outer peripheral edge thereof, and the downstream O-ring stopper 36 has a downstream tapered surface 36d on a downstream outer peripheral edge thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas meter having a gas flow rate measuring unit therein. [Background technology]

[0002] If the internal unit case, which directs the gas measured by the gas flow measuring unit to the outlet nozzle, is made of resin, if the gas piping connected to the outlet nozzle is distorted due to an earthquake or subsidence, the internal unit case can be damaged by this distortion. Incidentally, Patent Document 1 proposes absorbing misalignment between components by providing a cylindrical bellows member in a communication member that guides gas measured by a gas flow rate measuring unit to an outlet-side nozzle. Patent Document 2 proposes providing a bellows to absorb any misalignment between the base and the meter body that occurs when replacing a gas meter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-124653 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-169958 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The use of the bellows members and bellows proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can also mitigate the transmission of distortion from the gas piping connected to the nozzle to the inner unit case unit, but the inner unit case unit is not made of a resin material.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a gas meter that, when the indoor unit case unit is made of a resin material, can prevent damage to the indoor unit case unit due to distortion even if the gas piping connected to the outlet nozzle is distorted due to an earthquake, land subsidence, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gas meter 1 of the present invention described in claim 1 is a gas meter 1 having a housing 40 made of iron material and having therein a gas flow measurement unit 20 and an internal unit case unit 30 that guides gas measured by the gas flow measurement unit 20 to an outlet side nozzle 60, the internal unit case unit 30 being made of a resin material, the internal unit case unit 30 being formed with an exhaust pipe 33 that is inserted into the outlet side nozzle 60, an upstream O-ring stopper 35 and a downstream O-ring stopper 36 being formed at an end of the exhaust pipe 33, the upstream O-ring stopper 35 and the downstream O-ring stopper 36 forming an O-ring groove 38 in which an O-ring 37 is disposed, an upstream tapered surface 35u being formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper 35, and a downstream tapered surface 36d being formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper 36. The present invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the gas meter 1 described in claim 1, an inner unit fixing plate 80 is provided inside the housing 40 and attached to the housing 40, and the inner unit case unit 30 is attached to the inner unit fixing plate 80 by a rubber bushing 90. The present invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the gas meter 1 described in claim 1 or claim 2, the downstream end 20d of the gas flow measurement unit 20 is fixed to the indoor unit case unit 30, and the upstream end 20u of the gas flow measurement unit 20 is made displaceable. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, since an upstream tapered surface is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper and a downstream tapered surface is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper, the virtual nozzle axis of the outlet nozzle can be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the virtual exhaust pipe axis of the exhaust pipe. Therefore, even if the gas piping connected to the outlet nozzle is distorted due to an earthquake or land subsidence, damage to the inner unit case unit due to this distortion can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] An enlarged view of the main part of the gas meter showing the outlet cap and exhaust pipe. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the outlet-side nozzle and the exhaust pipe shown in FIG. 2 are inclined. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A gas meter according to a first embodiment of the present invention has an indoor unit case unit made of a resin material, an exhaust pipe that is inserted into the outlet nozzle, an upstream O-ring stopper and a downstream O-ring stopper formed at the end of the exhaust pipe, an O-ring groove in which an O-ring is placed is formed by the upstream O-ring stopper and the downstream O-ring stopper, an upstream tapered surface is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper, and a downstream tapered surface is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper. According to this embodiment, since an upstream tapered surface is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper and a downstream tapered surface is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper, the virtual nozzle axis of the outlet nozzle can be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the virtual exhaust pipe axis of the exhaust pipe. Therefore, even if the gas piping connected to the outlet nozzle is distorted due to an earthquake or subsidence, damage to the inner unit case unit caused by this distortion can be prevented.

[0010] A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a gas meter according to the first embodiment, and has an indoor unit fixing plate attached to the housing inside the housing, and an indoor unit case unit is attached to the indoor unit fixing plate by a rubber bushing. According to this embodiment, when the distortion occurring in the outlet side nozzle is even larger and a load is applied to the inner unit case unit, since the inner unit case unit is attached to the inner unit fixing plate by a rubber bushing, the rubber bushing deforms, thereby preventing damage to the inner unit case unit.

[0011] A third embodiment of the present invention is a gas meter according to the first or second embodiment, in which a downstream end of a gas flow measurement unit is fixed to an indoor unit case unit and an upstream end of the gas flow measurement unit is made displaceable. According to this embodiment, the distortion occurring in the outlet nozzle is even larger, and when a load is applied to the inner unit case unit, the upstream end of the gas flow measurement unit is able to be displaced, thereby preventing damage to the fixing point between the gas flow measurement unit and the inner unit case unit and suppressing the occurrence of gas leakage from the fixing point between the gas flow measurement unit and the inner unit case unit. EXAMPLES

[0012] A gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a gas meter according to this embodiment, in which FIG. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view of the gas meter, FIG. 1(b) is a partially cross-sectional perspective view of part B shown in FIG. 1(a), FIG. 1(c) is a partially cross-sectional perspective view of part C shown in FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1(d) is a partially cross-sectional perspective view of part D shown in FIG. 1(a).

[0013] 1(a), the gas meter 1 has therein a gas flow path shutoff mechanism 10, a gas flow measurement unit 20, and an indoor unit case unit 30, and a housing 40 is provided with an inlet side nozzle 50 and an outlet side nozzle 60. The gas flow path shutoff mechanism 10 is disposed downstream of the inlet side nozzle 50, and is provided with a shutoff valve (not shown). When the shutoff valve of the gas flow path shutoff mechanism 10 is in an open state, gas is introduced into the housing 40 from the inlet side nozzle 50. The gas introduced into the housing 40 passes through the gas flow rate measurement unit 20 and is guided to the inner case unit 30 . The inner case unit 30 guides the gas measured by the gas flow rate measuring unit 20 to the outlet side nozzle 60 . The indoor unit case 30 is formed by an indoor unit case 31 and an exhaust pipe 32 . An inner machine case flange 31d is formed at the downstream end of the inner machine case 31. An exhaust pipe flange 32u is formed at the upstream end of the exhaust pipe 32. The inner unit case flange 31d and the exhaust pipe flange 32u are abutted against each other and fixed together by fasteners.

[0014] 1(a) and 1(b), an exhaust tube 33 is formed on the downstream side of the exhaust pipe 32. The downstream end of the exhaust tube 33 is inserted into the outlet-side nozzle 60. The outlet nozzle 60 is formed with a flange portion 61, and a thread groove is formed on the outer periphery of a tubular portion 62 located upstream of the flange portion 61. The flange portion 61 abuts against the outer surface of the housing 40, the tubular portion 62 is inserted into the housing 40, and a nut 63 is screwed into the tubular portion 62, whereby the outlet nozzle 60 is fixed to the housing 40. A thread groove is formed on the outer periphery of a cylindrical portion 64 located downstream of the flange portion 61, and a gas pipe (not shown) is connected to the thread groove of the cylindrical portion 64.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(c), an internal unit fixing plate 80 attached to the housing 40 is provided inside the housing 40. As shown in FIG. The indoor unit case unit 30 is attached to the indoor unit fixing plate 80 by a rubber bushing 90. The rubber bushing 90 has two enlarged sections formed with a predetermined gap in the axial direction, and the leg plate 34 of the indoor unit case unit 30 and the indoor unit fixing plate 80 are sandwiched between the enlarged sections. The rubber bushing 90 has a hollow shaft portion where the enlarged sections are formed. The hollow portion makes the two enlarged sections easily deformable. According to this embodiment, if the distortion occurring in the outflow side mouthpiece 60 becomes even larger and a load is applied to the inner unit case unit 30, since the inner unit case unit 30 is attached to the inner unit fixing plate 80 by the rubber bushing 90, the rubber bushing 90 deforms, thereby preventing damage to the inner unit case unit 30. Furthermore, if a larger load is applied to the inner unit case unit 30, the rubber bushing 90 comes off, thereby preventing damage to the inner unit case unit 30.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(c), the downstream end 20d of the gas flow measurement unit 20 is fitted into the upstream side surface 31u of the inner unit case 31 via a seal packing 70, thereby fixing the downstream end 20d of the gas flow measurement unit 20 to the inner unit case unit 30. The upstream end 20u of the gas flow measuring unit 20 is capable of being displaced simply by being supported from below by the mounting table 71. The mounting table 71 may be omitted. According to this embodiment, the distortion occurring in the outlet side nozzle 60 is even larger, and when a load is applied to the inner unit case unit 30, the upstream end 20u of the gas flow measurement unit 20 is able to be displaced. This prevents misalignment of the packing at the fixed point between the gas flow measurement unit 20 and the inner unit case unit 30, and suppresses the occurrence of gas leakage from the fixed point between the gas flow measurement unit 20 and the inner unit case unit 30.

[0017] The housing 40 is made of an iron material, the inner case unit 30 is made of a resin material, and the inlet side cap 50, the outlet side cap 60, and the gas piping (not shown) are made of metal materials.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main parts showing the outlet side cap and the exhaust pipe of the gas meter according to this embodiment. FIG. 2( a ) shows a state in which the exhaust tube 33 is inserted into the outlet-side nozzle 60 , and FIG. 2( b ) shows an end of the exhaust tube 33 .

[0019] An upstream O-ring stopper 35 and a downstream O-ring stopper 36 are formed at the end of the exhaust pipe 33. The upstream O-ring stopper 35 and the downstream O-ring stopper 36 form an O-ring groove 38 in which an O-ring 37 is disposed. An upstream tapered surface 35u is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper 35, and a downstream tapered surface 36d is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper 36. The upstream tapered surface 35u and the downstream tapered surface 36d may be inclined surfaces as shown in the figure, but may also be curved surfaces.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a state in which the outlet-side nozzle and the exhaust stack shown in FIG. 2 are inclined. Figure 3(a) shows a state in which the imaginary nozzle axis 60s of the outlet side nozzle 60 is inclined by 2 degrees relative to the imaginary exhaust stack axis 33s of the exhaust stack 33, Figure 3(b) shows a state in which the imaginary nozzle axis 60s of the outlet side nozzle 60 is inclined by 4 degrees relative to the imaginary exhaust stack axis 33s of the exhaust stack 33, and Figure 3(c) shows a state in which the imaginary nozzle axis 60s of the outlet side nozzle 60 is inclined by 5 degrees relative to the imaginary exhaust stack axis 33s of the exhaust stack 33.

[0021] Thus, according to this embodiment, the upstream tapered surface 35u is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper 35, and the downstream tapered surface 36d is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper 36, so that the imaginary nozzle axis 60s of the outlet nozzle 60 can be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the imaginary exhaust pipe axis 33s of the exhaust pipe 33. Therefore, even if the gas piping connected to the outlet nozzle 60 is distorted due to an earthquake, land subsidence, or the like, damage to the inner case unit 30 caused by this distortion can be prevented. [Industrial Applicability]

[0022] The present invention is particularly suitable for ultrasonic gas meters for commercial use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1 Gas meter 10 Gas flow path cutoff mechanism 20 Gas flow measurement unit 20d Downstream end 20u upstream end 30 Indoor case unit 31 Inner engine case 31d Inner unit case flange 31u side 32 Exhaust pipe 32u exhaust pipe flange 33 Exhaust stack 33s Virtual exhaust pipe axis 34 Leg plate 35 Upstream O-ring stopper 35u upstream taper surface 36 Downstream O-ring stopper 36d Downstream tapered surface 37 O-ring 38 O-ring groove 40 Case 50 Inflow side cap 60 Outlet side cap 60s Virtual cap axis 61 Flange 62 Cylinder part 63 Nut 64 Cylinder part 70 Seal packing 71 Placement table 80 Indoor unit fixing plate 90 Rubber bush

Claims

1. A gas flow measurement unit; an inner case unit that guides the gas measured by the gas flow rate measuring unit to an outlet side nozzle; A gas meter having a housing made of iron material, The inner unit case is made of a resin material, an exhaust pipe is formed in the inner unit case unit and is inserted into the outlet-side nozzle; An upstream O-ring stopper and a downstream O-ring stopper are formed at the end of the exhaust pipe, an O-ring groove for disposing an O-ring therein is formed by the upstream O-ring stopper and the downstream O-ring stopper; an upstream tapered surface is formed on the upstream outer periphery of the upstream O-ring stopper; A downstream tapered surface is formed on the downstream outer periphery of the downstream O-ring stopper. A gas meter comprising:

2. an internal unit fixing plate attached to the housing, the internal unit fixing plate being disposed inside the housing; The inner unit case unit is attached to the inner unit fixing plate by a rubber bush.

2. The gas meter according to claim 1 .

3. a downstream end of the gas flow rate measuring unit is fixed to the inner unit case unit; The upstream end of the gas flow rate measuring unit is made displaceable.

3. The gas meter according to claim 1 or 2.

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