Gas meter

Abstract

To provide a gas meter capable of stably holding a communication device and improving workability when mounting the communication device.SOLUTION: The gas meter comprises a radio 9, a gas meter housing 2 having a holding part 20, and a terminal block cover 3 covering the front of the gas meter housing 2, the radio 9 has a mounting part 41 attached to the holding part 20, a plurality of protrusions 40 are formed on the back of the mounting part 41, the mounting part 41 has an upper through-hole 42a, the holding part 20 has a snap-fit part 21 capable of receiving the plurality of protrusions 40 formed at the lower part of the gas meter housing 2, a recessed part 24 communicating with the plurality of protrusions 40 through the snap-fit part 21, and a female screw part 26a communicating with the upper through-hole 42a, and the terminal block cover 3 is configured to cover the holding part 20, and further has a second through-hole 51 communicating with the upper through-hole 42a and a cylindrical rib 53 provided around the second through-hole 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas meter. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology relating to a wireless device connected to a meter reading meter (gas meter). The wireless device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a functional device that acquires meter reading values ​​from a meter reading meter. A mesh-type wireless network including a wired communication interface and a gateway device and a wireless communication interface unit that communicates with the gateway device through multi-stage relay. When attaching such communication equipment (external terminal) such as a radio to a gas meter, Generally, the communication device is attached to the side surface of the gas meter housing using screws. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-46139 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As mentioned above, when installing communication equipment on the side of the gas meter housing, the size of the communication equipment It is necessary to leave a distance equivalent to the distance between adjacent gas meters. Depending on the location, it may not be possible to install communication equipment. Although there are some that can be attached to the underside of the device, this makes it difficult to install the communication device. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the structure for attaching the communication device to the gas meter housing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a gas meter that can stably hold a communication device and improve the workability when installing the communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A gas meter of the present invention includes a communication device that communicates with an external device, a gas meter housing having a holding part to which the communication device is attached, and a housing cover that covers a part of the front surface of the gas meter housing, wherein the communication device has a main body part and an attachment part that extends upward from the main body part and is attached to the holding part, and a rear surface of the attachment part has a plurality of protrusions formed along the up-down direction, the attachment part has a first through-hole that penetrates from the front surface to the rear surface, and the holding part has a snap that is formed in a lower part of the front surface of the gas meter housing and can receive the plurality of protrusions from below toward above the gas meter housing. the housing cover is configured to cover the retaining portion, and further comprises a second through hole that penetrates the front and back of the housing cover and communicates with the first through hole when the mounting portion is attached to the retaining portion, and a cylindrical rib provided around the second through hole on the back of the housing cover. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gas meter that can stably hold a communication device and improve the workability when installing the communication device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing an example of a gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing an example of a gas meter according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing an example of a gas meter according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a partially perspective front view showing an enlarged view of a main part of the gas meter according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the terminal block cover as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing a holding portion of the gas meter housing. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view of the gas meter showing the wireless device attached to the boss portion on the left side of the gas meter housing. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of the gas meter showing the wireless device removed from the boss portion on the left side of the gas meter housing. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a front view of the gas meter showing the state before the wireless device is attached to the holder of the gas meter housing. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a front view of the gas meter showing a state in which the wireless device is being attached to the holder of the gas meter housing. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the gas meter showing the state after the wireless device has been attached to the holder of the gas meter housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The gas meter according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a gas meter according to this embodiment as seen from the front side, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the gas meter according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a side view of the gas meter according to this embodiment as seen from the right side when viewed from the front side, and Fig. 4 is a side view of the gas meter according to this embodiment as seen from the left side when viewed from the front side. Fig. 5 is a partially see-through front view of the gas meter showing an enlarged view of essential parts including a holding portion of a gas meter housing, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the terminal block cover showing an enlarged view of essential parts including a rib formed on the back surface of the terminal block cover.

[0011] In the drawings, arrow X indicates the width direction (left-right direction) of the gas meter and gas meter housing, arrow Y indicates the depth direction (front-back direction) of the gas meter and gas meter housing, and arrow Z indicates the height direction (up-down direction) of the gas meter and gas meter housing.

[0012] 1 to 4, the gas meter 1 includes a gas meter housing 2 and a terminal block cover 3 (housing cover). The gas meter housing 2 has a substantially rectangular box-like outer shape formed by a front cover 4 and a main body case 5. The front cover 4 is fixed to the main body case 5 using screws 6.

[0013] The gas meter housing 2 has a front surface 2a, a back surface 2b, a top surface 2c, a bottom surface 2d, a left side surface 2e on the left side when viewed from the front, and a right side surface 2f on the right side when viewed from the front. The gas meter 1 is installed so that the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2 faces the front side and the back surface 2b of the gas meter housing 2 faces the gas user's house or the like.

[0014] An inlet 10 to which a gas pipe leading to a gas supply source side is connected and an outlet 11 to which a gas pipe leading to a gas consumption side is connected are formed on the top surface 2c of the gas meter housing 2. A flow path (not shown) through which gas flows is formed inside the gas meter housing 2, and the gas that flows in from the inlet 10 passes through the flow path formed inside the gas meter housing 2 and flows out from the outlet 11.

[0015] A display unit 12 that displays information such as gas usage, a reset switch 13, and a terminal block 14 are arranged on the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2. Furthermore, screw holes (not shown) are formed on the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, and a terminal block cover 3 that covers the terminal block 14 is fixed using screws 8.

[0016] 1, 2, and 4, a boss portion 15 is formed on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2 for mounting a communication device such as a radio 9 that communicates with an external device. This boss portion 15 has a screw hole 16 formed therein, as shown in FIG. 4, so that the radio 9 can be fixed using a screw 17 (see FIG. 9). The boss portion 15 also has a positioning recess 18 that engages with a protrusion 43, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the screw holes 16 and the positioning recess 18 are formed in pairs, one above the other, on the boss portion 15 on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2. Furthermore, these screw holes 16 and positioning recess 18 are arranged at a predetermined pitch that complies with a predetermined standard. Therefore, other communication devices that comply with the predetermined standard can also be fixed to the boss portion 15 of the gas meter housing 2.

[0017] On the other hand, the radio 9 has a box-shaped main body 40, which has built-in communication devices for communicating with external devices, for example. A plate-shaped mounting part 41 extending upward from the main body 40 is disposed on the top of the main body 40. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the mounting part 41 has at least a front surface 41a and a rear surface 41b. The mounting part 41 has a through-hole 42 penetrating the front surface 41a and the rear surface 41b, and a protrusion 43 that engages with the positioning recess 18 described above is formed on the rear surface 41b of the mounting part 41.

[0018] In this embodiment, the through holes 42 and the protrusions 43 are formed in pairs, one above the other, on the back surface 41b of the mounting portion 41. In this embodiment, the protrusions 43 are formed in a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the mounting portion 41 is provided with an upper through hole 42a (first through hole), an upper protrusion 43, a lower through hole 42b, and a lower protrusion 43, arranged in this order from the top in the vertical direction Z. Furthermore, these through holes 42 and protrusions 43 are arranged at a predetermined pitch that complies with a predetermined standard. Therefore, other communication devices that comply with the predetermined standard can also be fixed to the boss portion 15 of the gas meter housing 2.

[0019] Furthermore, a holder 20 is provided at the bottom of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, to which communication equipment such as a wireless device 9 for communicating with external devices is attached. An attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is held by this holder 20, and a main body 40 of the wireless device 9 is located below the gas meter 1. The main body 40 of the wireless device 9 and the terminal block 14 are connected to each other by a communication line (not shown).

[0020] 1 and 2, the terminal block cover 3 is configured to cover an engagement portion between the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2 (described later) and the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9. The terminal block cover 3 has a front surface 3a, a back surface 3b (shown in FIG. 6), a bottom surface 3d, a left side surface 3e (shown in FIG. 2) on the left side as viewed from the front, and a right side surface 3f (shown in FIG. 2) on the right side as viewed from the front. The terminal block cover 3 also has a second through hole 51. The second through hole 51 is a hole that penetrates the front surface 3a and the back surface 3b of the terminal block cover 3, and communicates with the upper through hole 42a when the mounting portion 41 is attached to the holding portion 20 (see FIG. 8). The inner diameter of the second through hole 51 is larger than the inner diameter of the upper through hole 42a. The terminal block cover 3 also has a cylindrical rib 53 provided around the second through hole 51 on the back surface 3b as shown in FIG. 6. The cylindrical rib 53 is a member for preventing the attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 from coming off from the front side to hold it in place relative to the gas meter housing 2, and is located in front of the attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 when the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2. In addition, a rib 30 for preventing the attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 from coming off and for pressing it in from the front side to hold it in place relative to the gas meter housing 2 is provided on the back surface 3b of the terminal block cover 3. This rib 30 is located in front of the attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 when the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2.

[0021] The rib 30 formed on the back surface 3b of the terminal block cover 3 also serves to reinforce the terminal block cover 3 itself. The rib 30 is configured to have a vertical rib 31 extending in the height direction (up-down direction Z) of the gas meter housing 2, and multiple horizontal ribs 32, 33, 34 extending in the width direction (left-right direction X) of the gas meter housing 2. In this embodiment, the multiple horizontal ribs 32, 33, 34 are arranged at intervals in the height direction (up-down direction Z) of the gas meter housing 2, and each horizontal rib 32, 33, 34 extends from the inside of the right side surface 3f of the terminal block cover 3 toward the inside in the left-right direction X.

[0022] Of these multiple horizontal ribs 32, 33, 34, the upper horizontal rib 32 and the middle horizontal rib 33 intersect the vertical rib 31 and extend further inward in the left-right direction X. On the other hand, the lower horizontal rib 34 does not intersect the vertical rib 31 and has a shorter length in the extension direction (left-right direction X) than the other horizontal ribs 32, 33. The reason why the lower horizontal rib 34 has a shorter length in the extension direction than the other horizontal ribs 32, 33 is to avoid interference with a rib (not shown) that may be provided on the mounting portion 41 side of the radio device 9 depending on the specifications.

[0023] 5 , in this embodiment, the vertical rib 31 extends parallel to the pitch of a pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 provided on the back surface 41b of the mounting portion 41 of the radio device 9. In other words, when the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2, the vertical rib 31 is located in front of the pair of upper and lower protrusions 43.

[0024] In this embodiment, at least a part of the intersection between the upper horizontal rib 32 and the vertical rib 31 overlaps with the upper protrusion 43 of the pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 in a front view (perspective view). In other words, when the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2, the intersection between the upper horizontal rib 32 and the vertical rib 31 is located in front of the upper protrusion 43 of the pair of upper and lower protrusions 43.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at least a part of the intersection between the intermediate horizontal rib 33 and the vertical rib 31 overlaps, in a front view (perspective view), with the lower through hole 42b of the pair of upper and lower through holes 42. In other words, when the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2, the intersection between the lower through hole 42b and the vertical rib 31 is located in front of the lower through hole 42b of the pair of upper and lower through holes 42.

[0026] FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7 , a snap-fit ​​portion 21 is formed in the lower part of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2. The snap-fit ​​portion 21 is capable of receiving a pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 provided on the back surface 41b of the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 from below to above the gas meter housing 2. The snap-fit ​​portion 21 has an inclined surface 22 that widens downward to facilitate receiving the pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 from below to above the gas meter housing 2. Specifically, the snap-fit ​​portion 21 has a pair of left and right elastic pieces 23. Each of the elastic pieces 23 includes an inner protrusion 23a that protrudes inward in the left-right direction X from the side wall 21a of the snap-fit ​​portion 21, and an upper protrusion 23b that protrudes upward in the up-down direction Z from the tip of the inner protrusion 23a. The snap-fit ​​portion 21 further has a protrusion 23c formed on the inner part of the tip of the upper protrusion 23b in the left-right direction X. In this embodiment, the inclined surface 22 described above is formed on the lower surface of the protrusion 23c.

[0028] Furthermore, a recess 24 is formed in the lower part of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, continuous with and above the snap-fit ​​portion 21, to accommodate a plurality of protrusions 43 extending along the height direction (vertical direction Z) of the gas meter housing 2 and passing through the snap-fit ​​portion 21. The recess 24 includes a pair of left and right side walls 24a, a bottom wall 24b connecting the pair of left and right side walls 24a at the rear side in the front-rear direction Y, and a top wall 24c connecting the pair of left and right side walls 24a at the upper side in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the top wall 24c is formed in a curved shape that is convex upward in front view, in accordance with the outer shape of the protrusions 43 provided on the back surface 41b of the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9. Furthermore, the length of the recess 24 in the vertical direction Z (the distance between the top wall 24c of the recess 24 and the snap-fit ​​portion 21) is set so as to accommodate a plurality of protrusions 43 arranged at a predetermined pitch that complies with a predetermined standard. Therefore, other communication devices that comply with predetermined standards can also be attached to the holder 20 of the gas meter housing 2.

[0029] Furthermore, a nut accommodating portion 25 is formed in the lower portion of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, corresponding to the upper through-hole 42a of the pair of upper and lower through-holes 42 provided in the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9. As shown in FIG. 8 , a screw fixing nut 26 is pre-stored in this nut accommodating portion 25. The screw fixing nut 26 has a female threaded portion 26a, which is a hole with a female thread cut on the inner periphery and communicates with the upper through-hole 42a when the mounting portion 41 is attached to the holding portion 20. The nominal diameter of the female threaded portion 26a of the screw fixing nut 26 is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper through-hole 42a. The upper through-hole 42a also communicates with the second through-hole 51. Therefore, without removing the terminal block cover 3 from the gas meter housing 2, the mounting portion 41 of the radio 9 can be fixed to the gas meter housing 2 by inserting the screw 55 into the second through hole 51 and the upper through hole 42a and fastening it to the female thread portion 26a of the screw fixing nut 26.

[0030] Fig. 9 is a front view of the gas meter 1 showing a state in which the wireless device 9 has been attached to the boss portion 15 on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2, and Fig. 10 is a front view of the gas meter 1 showing a state in which the wireless device 9 has been removed from the boss portion 15 on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2. Fig. 11 is a front view of the gas meter 1 showing a state before the wireless device 9 has been attached to the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, and Fig. 12 is a front view of the gas meter 1 showing a state in which the wireless device 9 is in the process of being attached to the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the gas meter 1 showing a state after the wireless device 9 has been attached to the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2.

[0031] In an initial state before shipping or transportation, the wireless device 9 is fixed to the boss portion 15 on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2 using a screw 17, as shown in FIG.

[0032] When attaching the wireless device 9 to the holder 20 provided at the bottom of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, first, as shown in Figure 10, release the screw 17 and remove the wireless device 9 from the boss portion 15 on the left side surface 2e of the gas meter housing 2.

[0033] Next, with the terminal block cover 3 attached to the gas meter housing 2, the wireless device 9 is attached to the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 11, the wireless device 9 is positioned below the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, and further, as shown in Fig. 12, the attachment portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is inserted from below to above the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2.

[0034] That is, a pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 provided on the back surface 41b of the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 are passed through the snap-fit ​​portion 21 (between the pair of left and right elastic piece portions 23 in FIG. 7 ) and accommodated in the recess 24 formed continuously above the snap-fit ​​portion 21. When the pair of upper and lower protrusions 43 pass through the snap-fit ​​portion 21, the lower protrusion 43 gets caught in the snap-fit ​​portion 21, and the downward movement of the lower protrusion 43 is restricted by the snap-fit ​​portion 21. In addition, because the terminal block cover 3 is attached to the gas meter housing 2, movement of the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 toward the front of the gas meter housing 2 is restricted. Furthermore, the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is held between the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2 and the cylindrical rib 53 and rib 30 of the terminal block cover 3.

[0035] Furthermore, to ensure that the wireless device 9 is securely fixed, with the terminal block cover 3 attached to the gas meter housing 2 as shown in Fig. 13, the screw 55 is inserted into the second through-hole 51 and the upper through-hole 42a and fastened to the female thread portion 26a of the screw fixing nut 26 shown in Fig. 8. This makes it possible to fix the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 to the gas meter housing 2 without removing the terminal block cover 3.

[0036] When removing the wireless device 9 from the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, first, if the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is fixed to the gas meter housing 2 with the screws 55, remove the screws 55, and then remove the terminal block cover 3 from the gas meter housing 2. Next, move the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 forward relative to the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2 to release the engagement between the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 and the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, and remove the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9.

[0037] Next, the effects of the gas meter 1 will be described.

[0038] A gas meter 1 according to a first aspect of this embodiment includes a communication device (wireless device 9) that communicates with an external device, a gas meter housing 2 that has a holding portion 20 to which the communication device is attached, and a housing cover (terminal block cover 3) that covers a portion of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2. The communication device includes a main body 40 and an attachment portion 41 that extends upward from the main body 40 and is attached to the holding portion 20. A back surface 41b of the attachment portion 41 is formed with multiple protrusions 43 along the vertical direction Z. The holding portion 20 is formed on a lower portion of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2 and has a snap-fit ​​portion 21 that can receive the multiple protrusions 43 from below to above the gas meter housing 2. The holding portion 20 also has a recess 24 that is formed continuously above the snap-fit ​​portion 21 and that extends along the vertical direction Z to accommodate the multiple protrusions 43 that have passed through the snap-fit ​​portion 21. The housing cover is configured to cover the holding portion 20.

[0039] A snap-fit ​​portion 21 capable of receiving the protrusion 43 from below to above the gas meter housing 2 is formed at the bottom of the front surface 2a of the gas meter housing 2, and a recess 24 extending in the vertical direction Z is formed continuously above the snap-fit ​​portion 21. The mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 43 along the vertical direction Z, and when the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is inserted from below to above the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2, the plurality of protrusions 43 pass through the snap-fit ​​portion 21 and are accommodated in the recess 24. By providing a plurality of the protrusions 43 at intervals in the vertical direction Z, it is possible to prevent the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 from swinging in the left-right direction X relative to the gas meter housing 2.

[0040] Furthermore, even if the lower protrusion 43 falls downward from the snap-fit ​​portion 21, the upper protrusion 43 can be caught on the snap-fit ​​portion 21, thereby preventing the entire mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 from falling downward from the snap-fit ​​portion 21. Furthermore, because the holding portion 20 of the gas meter housing 2 is covered by the terminal block cover 3, when the multiple protrusions 43 are housed in the recesses 24, the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 can be prevented from moving toward the front of the gas meter housing 2 and falling off from the holding portion 20.

[0041] Furthermore, when the gas meter 1 attempts to move toward the terminal block cover 3 with the wireless device 9 held by the holding portion 20, the mounting portion 41 abuts against the cylindrical rib 53, restricting the movement. This prevents the wireless device 9 from wobbling after installation and enables the holding portion 20 to stably hold the wireless device 9. Furthermore, when the gas meter 1 has the wireless device 9 held by the holding portion 20 and a screw 55 is inserted into the second through hole 51 and the upper through hole 42a and fastened to the female thread portion 26a of the screw fixing nut 26, the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 is fixed to the holding portion 20 via the screw 55. In this way, the gas meter 1 can also have the mounting portion 41 of the wireless device 9 fixed to the holding portion 20 using the screw 55 without removing the terminal block cover 3, further improving the ease of installation of the wireless device 9.

[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a gas meter 1 that can stably hold the wireless device 9 and improve the workability when installing the wireless device 9.

[0043] In the gas meter 1 according to the second aspect of this embodiment, the snap-fit ​​portion 21 has an inclined surface portion 22 that widens downward to make it easier to receive the multiple protrusions 43 from the bottom to the top of the gas meter casing 2.

[0044] Since the snap fit portion 21 has an inclined surface portion 22 that widens downward, it is possible to easily insert the multiple protrusions 43 provided on the mounting portion 41 of the radio device 9 from the bottom to the top of the gas meter housing 2.

[0045] In the gas meter 1 according to the third aspect of this embodiment, a rib 30 is formed on the back surface 3b of the housing cover (terminal block cover 3) to be located on the front side (near side) of the mounting portion 41 of the communication device (radio device 9) in order to hold the mounting portion 41 relative to the gas meter housing 2.

[0046] Because the terminal block cover 3 has a rib 30 located in front of the mounting portion 41 of the radio 9, the mounting portion 41 is prevented from moving toward the front of the gas meter housing 2, and the radio 9 can be held in place relative to the gas meter housing 2.

[0047] In the gas meter 1 according to the fourth aspect of the present embodiment, the rib 30 formed on the back surface 3b of the housing cover (terminal block cover 3) has a vertical rib 31 extending along the up-down direction Z. The multiple protrusions 43 are arranged on the rear side (deep side) of the vertical rib 31 and along the extension direction of the vertical rib 31.

[0048] By arranging the vertical rib 31 on the front side of the multiple protrusions 43 provided on the mounting portion 41 of the radio 9, the multiple protrusions 43 can be effectively prevented from moving forward and falling out of the recess 24, and the radio 9 can be held in place against the gas meter housing 2.

[0049] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and other techniques may be appropriately combined to the extent possible. Furthermore, publicly known or well-known techniques may be combined to the extent possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1: Gas meter 2: Gas meter housing 2a:Front 3: Terminal block cover (housing cover) 3a:Front 3b: Back 9: Radio equipment (communication equipment) 20: Holding part 21: Snap fit part 22: Slope section 24: Recess 26a: Female thread 30: Rib 31: Vertical rib 40: Main body 41: Mounting part 41a:Front 41b: Back 42a: Upper through hole (first through hole) 43: Protrusion 51: Second through hole 53: Cylindrical rib Z: Vertical direction

Claims

1. a communication device for communicating with an external device; a gas meter housing having a holding portion to which the communication device is attached; a housing cover that covers a part of the front surface of the gas meter housing, the communication device has a main body and an attachment portion extending upward from the main body and attached to the holding portion, a plurality of protrusions are formed on a rear surface of the mounting portion along a vertical direction, and the mounting portion has a first through hole penetrating from a front surface to the rear surface; The holding portion is a snap-fit ​​portion formed on a lower portion of the front surface of the gas meter housing, the snap-fit ​​portion being capable of receiving the plurality of protrusions from below toward above the gas meter housing; a recess formed continuously above the snap-fit ​​portion, extending along the up-down direction and accommodating the plurality of protrusions that have passed through the snap-fit ​​portion; and a female thread portion that is a hole with a female thread cut on an inner periphery and communicates with the first through hole when the mounting portion is attached to the holding portion, The housing cover is configured to cover the holding portion, and further includes a second through-hole that penetrates the front and rear surfaces of the housing cover and communicates with the first through-hole when the mounting portion is attached to the holding portion, and a cylindrical rib that is provided around the second through-hole on the rear surface of the housing cover. Gas meter.

2. The gas meter according to claim 1 , wherein the snap-fit ​​portion has an inclined surface portion that widens downward to facilitate receiving the plurality of protrusions from below toward above the gas meter housing.

3. 3. The gas meter according to claim 1, wherein a rib is formed on the rear surface of the housing cover, the rib being positioned in front of the mounting portion to hold the mounting portion of the communication device against the gas meter housing.

4. the rib formed on the rear surface of the housing cover includes a vertical rib extending along the up-down direction, The plurality of protrusions are arranged on the rear side of the longitudinal rib and along the extending direction of the longitudinal rib.

4. The gas meter according to claim 3.

Images