Temporary holding structure for communication part

Abstract

To provide a temporary holding structure for a communication part capable of temporarily holding a communication part so as to expose a terminal part, without requiring another holding tool.SOLUTION: A temporary holding structure 1 for a communication part is configured to, when normal arrangement in which a communication part 14 covers a terminal part 12 is released to a released arrangement, temporarily hold the communication part 14 in a watt-hour meter 10 having: a body 11; the terminal part 12 provided on the body 11; and the flat communication unit 14 held on the body 11 via a locking part 13 provided on the body 11. In the temporary holding structure, a second claw part 2 is formed on at least one of an inside surface 14c and an outside surface 14d1 of the communication part 14, and the second claw part 2 is locked to the locking part 13 in the released arrangement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a temporary holding structure for temporarily holding a communication unit when the communication unit constituting a watt-hour meter is removed. In particular, the present invention relates to a temporary holding structure for a communication unit in which the communication unit is temporarily held without the need for a separate holding tool.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a watt-hour meter has a structure in which a communication unit is attached to the main body of the watt-hour meter so as to cover a terminal unit having a plurality of terminals. Therefore, in order to perform wiring work for handling the power supply side and load side wirings of the watt-hour meter, an operator has to remove the communication unit once to expose the terminal unit. After that, the operator simply temporarily holds the removed communication unit by attaching it to the main body of the watt-hour meter or surrounding structures using, for example, vinyl tape. However, since insects and dust are likely to adhere to the adhesive surface of the vinyl tape, when the vinyl tape is peeled off from the communication unit, the attached insects or the like are likely to adhere to the communication unit. Therefore, if the communication unit is returned to its original position without noticing this, a short circuit may occur between the terminals. In order to solve such problems, in recent years, technologies for temporarily holding a communication unit have been developed, and several inventions have already been disclosed regarding this.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention related to a holding tool capable of temporarily fixing a communication unit at a position where a terminal unit is exposed, named "holding tool for smart meter". The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a fixing portion having a suction cup detachable from the main body of the smart meter, a locking portion for locking the communication unit at an exposure position where the terminal unit of the smart meter is exposed, and a support portion for supporting the locking portion so as to be positionally changeable with respect to the fixing portion. In the invention with such a configuration, since the communication part locked to the locking part at the exposed position is supported by the support part on the fixed part attached to the main body, the communication part can be temporarily fixed at the position where the terminal part is exposed. That is, the communication part can be temporarily fixed without using vinyl tape, so that the occurrence of the above short circuit can be prevented.

[0004] Next, Patent Document 2 discloses an invention related to a holder capable of holding a communication unit adjacent to a smart meter under the name of "housing holder". The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a housing holder used for a smart meter including a first housing in which a measurement part is accommodated, a second housing in which a communication part is accommodated, and a terminal part to which a power cable is connected. This housing holder is characterized by including a hook piece hooked on the top surface of the first housing, a holding piece extending away from the peripheral surface intervening between the top surface and the bottom surface of the first housing to hold the second housing, and a flat plate provided along the peripheral surface of the first housing so as to connect the hook piece and the holding piece. In the invention with such a configuration, since the second housing is suspended from the top surface of the first housing by the housing holder, the communication part removed from the smart meter is held adjacent to this smart meter. Therefore, in addition to preventing the occurrence of the above short circuit, wiring work can be safely carried out while maintaining the communication state between the smart meter and the communication part.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a holder that is detachable from the main body of the smart meter and is separate from this smart meter. Therefore, each time wiring work is performed, there is an additional hassle of carrying around the holder for the smart meter, which increases the burden on the operator. Furthermore, there is also a possibility that the operator may forget to take out the holder for the smart meter. In this case, the communication unit will be temporarily held using vinyl tape as before. Therefore, due to the human error problem of forgetting to take it out, there is still a risk of the above short circuit occurring even with the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1. And since the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is also a holder separate from the smart meter, it is considered to have the same problems as the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0007] The present invention has been made in response to such conventional circumstances. Without the need for a separate holder, the communication unit can be temporarily held so as to expose the terminal portion, thereby reliably solving the problems of increased burden on the operator and short circuit between terminals. The purpose is to provide a temporary holding structure for the communication unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] To achieve the above object, a first invention is an electricity meter including a main body, a terminal portion provided on the main body, and a flat communication unit held on the main body via a locking portion provided on the main body. When the normal arrangement in which the communication unit covers the terminal portion is released and becomes a release arrangement, it is a temporary holding structure for the communication unit that temporarily holds the communication unit. The locking portion is provided on the inner surface of the main body that is orthogonal to the terminal portion and is disposed above the terminal portion. The communication unit, in the normal arrangement, has an upper surface facing the inner surface of the main body, a lower surface on the opposite side of the upper surface, an inner surface orthogonal to the upper surface and facing the terminal portion, and an outer surface on the opposite side of the inner surface. The communication unit also has a first claw portion formed on the upper surface and locked to the locking portion in the normal arrangement. The temporary holding structure for the communication unit is a second claw portion formed on at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface, and the second claw portion is locked to the locking portion in the release arrangement.

[0009] In the invention having such a configuration, the shape of the second claw portion, which is a communication unit temporarily holding structure, may or may not be the same as the shape of the first claw portion as long as it can be locked to the locking portion. Further, the second claw portion may be provided on any of only the inner surface, only the outer surface, and both the inner surface and the outer surface.

[0010] Furthermore, the communication unit does not necessarily have to be in an exact cubic shape. That is, the communication unit may have a substantially flat plate shape. Note that the first claw portion is not limited to the surface of the upper surface, but is formed in a region near the corner formed by the upper surface and the inner surface. Similarly, the second claw portion is not limited to the surface of the inner surface, but is formed in a region including the corner formed by the inner surface and the lower surface, or is not limited to the surface of the outer surface, but is formed in a region near the corner formed by the upper surface and the outer surface.

[0011] In the invention having the above configuration, the first claw portion formed on the upper surface and the second claw portion formed on at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface are locked to the same locking portion in the normal arrangement and the release arrangement, respectively. Further, since the inner surface and the outer surface are orthogonal to the upper surface, depending on which of the first claw portion and the second claw portion is locked to the locking portion, the posture of the communication unit is changed to two states that are 90 degrees different from each other in side view.

[0012] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the area of the upper surface is configured to be smaller than the area of each of the inner surface and the outer surface, and the communication unit is held by the main body such that the inner surface covers the terminal portion in the normal arrangement, and the upper surface or the lower surface exposes the terminal portion in the release arrangement.

[0013] In the invention having such a configuration, in addition to the action of the first invention, in the normal arrangement, since the upper surface faces the inner surface of the main body, the inner surface having a large area faces the terminal portion. Therefore, the communication unit is held such that the inner surface covers the terminal portion by the first claw portion being locked to the locking portion.

[0014] In the release arrangement, since the inner surface or the outer surface faces the inner surface of the main body, the narrow lower surface or upper surface faces the terminal portion, respectively. Therefore, the communication unit is held such that the upper surface or the lower surface exposes the terminal portion when the second claw portion is locked to the locking portion.

[0015] According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the locking portion has a sliding surface along the depth direction of the inner surface of the main body, the second claw portion includes a tongue portion locked to the sliding surface, and the tongue portion slides along the sliding surface so as to approach or separate from the terminal portion.

[0016] In the invention having such a configuration, in addition to the operation of the first or second invention, since the tongue portion provided in the second claw portion is configured to be slidable to approach or separate from the terminal portion, the operator slides the communication unit along the depth direction of the inner surface of the main body, whereby the communication unit is attached to and detached from the main body. Further, the first claw portion may have the same configuration and operation as the second claw portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the first invention, since the second claw portion is formed in the communication unit, the posture of the communication unit can be changed without the need for a separate holder. Therefore, it is possible to surely solve the conventional problems of an increase in the burden on the operator due to the necessity of taking out the holder and forgetting to take out the holder. Specifically, since the posture of the communication unit is changed to two states that are 90 degrees different from each other in side view depending on which of the first claw portion and the second claw portion is locked to the locking portion, the release arrangement can be easily realized.

[0018] According to the second invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, in the release arrangement, the communication unit is held such that the narrow lower surface or upper surface exposes the terminal portion, respectively. Therefore, it is not necessary to use vinyl tape, and the conventional problem of short circuit between terminals in this case can be surely solved.

[0019] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second invention, by sliding the communication unit along the depth direction of the inner surface of the main body, the communication unit is detachably attached to the main body via the second claw portion. Therefore, it is possible to easily switch between the normal arrangement and the release arrangement, and the usability is good.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Example

[0021] First, the configuration of the power meter according to the prior art will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1(a) is a front view of the power meter in the normal arrangement, and FIG. 1(b) is a front view of the power meter when the communication unit is removed from the main body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the locking portion provided on the main body of the power meter as viewed obliquely from above. As shown in FIG. 1, the power meter 10 according to the prior art includes a main body 11 in which a measuring means (not shown) for measuring current and power is housed, a terminal portion 12 provided below the main body 11, and a flat communication unit 14 held on the main body 11 via a locking portion 13 provided on the main body 11. Here, when the power meter 10 is viewed from the front, the width direction is defined as the X direction, the height direction as the Y direction, and the depth direction as the Z direction.

[0022] Among these, the terminal portion 12 includes a plurality of terminals 12a to 12f arranged in parallel along the X direction. When the measuring means is in an operating state of measuring current or the like, as shown in Fig. 1(a), the entire terminal portion 12 is covered by the communication portion 14. The state in which the communication portion 14 covers the terminal portion 12 like this is called the normal arrangement. On the other hand, when performing the wiring work of the power meter, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the communication portion 14 is removed from the locking portion 13, and the terminal portion 12 is exposed. This state is called the release arrangement. This release arrangement will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 5.

[0023] Next, as shown in Fig. 2, the locking portion 13 is provided on the inner surface 11a of the main body 11, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (i.e., the Y direction) of the terminals 12a to 12f and is disposed above the terminal portion 12. Specifically, the locking portion 13 includes a box-shaped box body portion 13a and an opening portion 13b that opens on the side opposite to the terminal portion 12 (i.e., the front side in the figure) of the box body portion 13a. Further, the box body portion 13a has a slide surface 13c inside thereof along the depth direction (Z direction) of the inner surface 11a of the main body.

[0024] Furthermore, the configuration of the communication portion will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a) is a front view of the communication portion, Fig. 3(b) is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 3(a), and Fig. 3(c) is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in Fig. 3(a). For the components shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the same reference numerals are used in Fig. 3, and the description thereof is omitted. As shown in Fig. 3(a), in the normal arrangement shown in Fig. 1(a), the communication portion 14 has an upper surface 14a facing the inner surface 11a of the main body 11, a lower surface 14b on the opposite side of the upper surface 14a, an inner side surface 14c orthogonal to the upper surface 14a and facing the terminal portion 12, and an outer side surface 14d on the opposite side of the inner side surface 14c.

[0025] Of the peripheral surface of the communication unit 14, the area of the upper surface 14a and the area of the lower surface 14b are both smaller than the area of the inner surface 14c. Similarly, the area of the upper surface 14a and the area of the lower surface 14b are both smaller than the area of the outer surface 14d. Further, the area of the lower surface 14b is smaller than the area of the upper surface 14a. Note that, as shown in FIG. 4(b), since the communication unit 14 has a substantially L shape in side view, the outer surface 14d has a step. Therefore, the area of the outer surface 14d means the outer surface 14d continuous with the upper surface 14a 1 and the outer surface 14d continuous with the lower surface 14b 2 and is the total area thereof.

[0026] Next, as shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c), the communication unit 14 has a first claw portion 15 that is locked to the locking portion 13 in the normal arrangement. This first claw portion 15 is formed on the upper surface 14a. More precisely, the first claw portion 15 is formed in a region near the corner K 1 (see FIG. 4(b)) formed by the upper surface 14a and the inner surface 14c. The first claw portion 15 includes a tongue portion 15a that is locked to the sliding surface 13c (see FIG. 2) of the locking portion 13, and locking spaces 15b (hatched portions) formed below and on both the left and right sides of the tongue portion 15a. The locking space 15b opens to the inner surface 14c of the communication unit 14, and the depth direction thereof is parallel to the Z direction.

[0027] Therefore, by inserting the tongue portion 15a into the inside of the box body portion 13a through the opening 13b of the locking portion 13, the first claw portion 15 is locked to the locking portion 13 and becomes the normal arrangement. In this normal arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the communication unit 14 is held by the main body 11 such that the inner surface 14c covers the terminal portion 12. Further, since the back surface of the tongue portion 15a (the surface on the side forming the locking space 15b) is in contact with the sliding surface 13c, the tongue portion 15a can slide along the sliding surface 13c so as to approach or separate from the terminal portion 12.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the communication unit temporary holding structure according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the communication unit temporary holding structure according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4(b) is a view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 4(a). Note that, for the components shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are given in FIG. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the communication unit temporary holding structure 1 is intended to temporarily hold the communication unit 14 when the normal arrangement is released and becomes the release arrangement. Specifically, the communication unit temporary holding structure 1 is the second claw portion 2 formed on the outer surface 14d of the communication unit 14. Hereinafter, the second claw portion 2 will be described.

[0029] More precisely, the second claw portion 2 is formed in a region near the corner K formed by the upper surface 14a and the outer surface 14d. 1 formed by the upper surface 14a and the outer surface 14d 2 in the vicinity of the corner K. And the second claw portion 2 has the same configuration as the first claw portion 15. Therefore, the second claw portion 2 includes a tongue portion 2a that is locked to the slide surface 13c of the locking portion 13 (see FIG. 2), and locking spaces 2b (hatched portions) formed below and on both the left and right sides of the tongue portion 2a. This locking space 2b opens to the upper surface 14a of the communication unit 14, and its depth direction is parallel to the Y direction.

[0030] Therefore, by inserting the tongue portion 2a into the inside of the box portion 13a through the opening 13b of the locking portion 13, the second claw portion 2 is locked to the locking portion 13. At this time, since the back surface of the tongue portion 2a (the surface on the side forming the locking space 2b) is in contact with the slide surface 13c, the tongue portion 15a can slide along the slide surface 13c so as to approach or separate from the terminal portion 12.

[0031] Next, the release arrangement when using the communication unit temporary holding structure will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5(a) is a side view showing the posture of the communication unit for the release arrangement using the communication unit temporary holding structure according to the embodiment, and FIG. 5(b) is a front view of the power meter in the release arrangement. Note that the components shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. 5, and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, in FIG. 5(b), the illustration of terminals 12a to 12f is also omitted. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in order to make the release arrangement, the upper surface 14a of the communication unit 14 is brought close to the terminal portion 12, and the outer surface 14d 1 is brought close to the inner surface 11a of the main body 11 of the main body 11, and the tongue portion 2a of the second claw portion 2 is inserted into the box portion 13a of the locking portion 13.

[0032] As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the second claw portion 2 is locked to the locking portion 13. At this time, since the upper surface 14a having an area smaller than the area of the inner surface 14c faces the terminal portion 12, the communication unit 14 is held by the main body 11 so as to expose the terminal portion 12.

[0033] In the communication unit temporary holding structure 1 having the above configuration, depending on whether the first claw portion 15 or the second claw portion 2 is locked to the locking portion 13, the posture of the communication unit 14 is changed to two states that are 90 degrees different from each other in side view. That is, when the first claw portion 15 is locked to the locking portion 13, the terminal portion 12 is covered by the inner surface 14c having a large area, and the normal arrangement shown in FIG. 1(a) is obtained. On the other hand, when the second claw portion 2 is locked to the locking portion 13, the upper surface 14a having an area smaller than the inner surface 14c faces the terminal portion 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a part of the terminal portion 12 is exposed, and a release arrangement enabling wiring work is obtained.

[0034] Further, since the tongue portion 15a provided in the first claw portion 15 and the tongue portion 2a provided in the second claw portion 2 are both configured to be slidable along the slide surface 13c of the locking portion 13 so as to approach or separate from the terminal portion 12, when the operator slides the communication portion 14 along the depth direction (Z direction) of the inner surface 11a of the main body, the communication portion 14 is attached to and detached from the main body 11.

[0035] As described above, since the communication portion temporary holding structure 1 is the second claw portion 2 added to the communication portion 14 provided with the first claw portion 15, the posture of the communication portion 14 can be changed without the need for a separate holding tool. Therefore, the problems of increasing the burden on the operator due to the necessity of taking out the holding tool and forgetting to take out the holding tool in the conventional art can be surely solved. Further, according to the communication portion temporary holding structure 1, in the release arrangement in which the second claw portion 2 is locked to the locking portion 13, a part of the terminal portion 12 is exposed, so that vinyl tape is not required, and the conventional problem of short - circuit generation between terminals can be surely solved.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the communication portion temporary holding structure 1, since the communication portion 14 is attached to and detached from the main body 11 by the operator sliding the communication portion 14, the normal arrangement and the release arrangement can be switched to each other by a simple operation, and the usability is good.

[0037] Note that the communication portion temporary holding structure 1 according to the present invention is not limited to that shown in the embodiment. For example, the second claw portion 2 may be provided only on the inner surface 14c, or on the inner surface 14c and the outer surface 14d. Also, when the second claw portion 2 is provided on the inner surface 14c, the tongue portion 2a of the second claw portion 2 is arranged in parallel with the inner surface 14c and near the corner formed by the inner surface 14c and the lower surface 14b. And the locking space 2b of the second claw portion 2 opens to the lower surface 14b. In this case, another release arrangement of the communication portion 14 is such that the inner surface 14c faces the inner surface 11a of the main body and the lower surface 14b faces the terminal portion 12, and is locked to the main body 11.

Industrial Applicability

[0038] The present invention can be used as a communication unit temporary holding structure that temporarily holds the communication unit when the communication unit constituting the watt-hour meter is removed.

Explanation of Signs

[0039] 1... Communication unit temporary holding structure 2... Second claw portion 2a... Tongue portion 2b... Locking space 10... Watt-hour meter 11... Main body 11a... Inner surface of the main body 12... Terminal portion 12a to 12f... Terminals 13... Locking portion 13a... Box portion 13b... Opening 13c... Slide surface 14... Communication unit 14a... Upper surface 14b... Lower surface 14c... Inner side surface 14d, 14d 1 ,14d 2 ... Outer side surface 15... First claw portion 15a... Tongue portion 15b... Locking space

Claims

1. In a power meter including a main body, a terminal portion provided on the main body, and a flat communication portion held on the main body via a locking portion provided on the main body, when a normal arrangement in which the communication portion covers the terminal portion is released to become a release arrangement, a communication portion temporary holding structure that temporarily holds the communication portion, the locking portion is provided on an inner surface of the main body that is orthogonal to the terminal portion and is disposed above the terminal portion, the communication portion, in the normal arrangement, has an upper surface facing the inner surface of the main body, a lower surface on the opposite side of the upper surface, an inner surface orthogonal to the upper surface and facing the terminal portion, and an outer surface on the opposite side of the inner surface, and is formed on the upper surface and has a first claw portion that is locked to the locking portion in the normal arrangement, the communication portion temporary holding structure is a second claw portion formed on at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface, the second claw portion is locked to the locking portion in the release arrangement, and is characterized by the communication portion temporary holding structure.

2. The area of the upper surface is configured to be smaller than the areas of the inner surface and the outer surface, the communication portion, in the normal arrangement, is held on the main body such that the inner surface covers the terminal portion, and in the release arrangement, is held on the main body such that the upper surface or the lower surface exposes the terminal portion, and is characterized by the communication portion temporary holding structure according to Claim 1.

3. The locking portion has a sliding surface along the depth direction of the inner surface of the main body, the second claw portion includes a tongue portion that is locked to the sliding surface, and the tongue portion slides along the sliding surface so as to approach or separate from the terminal portion, and is characterized by the communication portion temporary holding structure according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

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