Gas meter mounting device

Abstract

Regarding mounting devices for attaching gas meters to walls or other surfaces, the aim is to minimize vibrations transmitted to the gas meter, clearly indicate the planned installation location of the gas meter to facilitate the construction of various pipes and equipment, and furthermore, to allow for easy position adjustment during gas meter installation. [Solution] The support unit (1) comprises a support bracket (2) fixed to a wall or the like, a gas valve member (51) and a joint member (52) connectable to a gas meter, a plurality of positioning bolts (5) inserted from the rear of the support bracket (2), and a holding plate (3) that holds the positioning bolts (5) at predetermined intervals. The holding plate (3) is held by the support bracket (2) by a holding means and is movable relative to the support unit (1). Fixing nuts (55) are tightened from the front of the support unit (1) onto the positioning bolts (5) inserted from the rear into the bolt insertion holes (13) of the support unit (1), so that the rear surface of the support unit (1) can be fixed in contact with the front surface of the support bracket (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting device for a gas meter, particularly a mounting device for a gas meter used when fixing a gas meter to a wall surface, a support column, or the like.

Background Art

[0002] For example, as a mounting device for installing a gas meter in a pipe shaft, which is a piping space for gas pipes, water pipes, etc. in an apartment building, there is one that uses a C-channel fixed to the wall surface of the pipe shaft.

[0003] What is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-297047 is such that a C-channel is attached to a wall surface with an opening groove facing downward, and a gas plug member and a joint member for connecting a gas meter are attached to the opening groove of the C-channel in a retaining state via mounting plates provided on their respective top surfaces. The gas plug member and the joint member are fixed to the C-channel with each mounting plate so as to be positioned at a predetermined interval, and then, a gas inflow cylinder portion provided on the left side of the upper surface of the gas meter is connected to the gas plug member, and a gas outflow cylinder portion provided on the right side of the upper surface of the gas meter is connected to the joint member, thereby completing the mounting work of the gas meter in the pipe shaft. However, in this case, by attaching the gas plug member and the joint member to the C-channel, the planned mounting position of the gas meter becomes clear. Therefore, when only the C-channel is attached to the wall surface of the pipe shaft and the gas plug member and the joint member are planned to be attached at a later date, the mounting position of the gas meter cannot be determined. In this case, it may be difficult to position various pipes and facilities in the pipe shaft.

[0004] In contrast, the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-225375 provides a support unit in which a gas valve member and a joint member are fixed at a predetermined distance from each other, and this support unit is attached to a C-shaped channel fixed inside the pipe shaft via an L-shaped fitting consisting of a vertical plate and a horizontal plate. With this invention, if the L-shaped fitting is attached to the C-shaped channel, the planned installation position of the gas meter becomes clear even when the support unit equipped with the gas valve member and joint member is not installed, so that construction work on various pipes and equipment inside the pipe shaft can be carried out taking into consideration the planned installation position of the gas meter. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-297047 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-225375 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, in this configuration, a vertical plate of an L-shaped fitting is attached to a C-shaped channel fixed along the wall surface of the pipe shaft, with a horizontal plate protruding forward from the C-shaped channel, and the support unit, which is equipped with a gas valve member and a joint member, is attached to the horizontal plate. As a result, the support unit is positioned away from the vertical plate and the C-shaped channel. When the gas inlet and gas outlet sections of the gas meter are connected to the gas valve member and joint member of this support unit, the gas meter is also installed in a manner that is far away from the C-shaped channel and the wall surface. As a result, when ground vibrations are transmitted from the pipe shaft wall to the C-shaped channel and then to the L-shaped fitting, the vibrations transmitted to the gas meter via these components are greatly amplified, which can affect the vibration characteristics of the gas meter. Furthermore, in order to adjust the mounting position after attaching the support unit to the horizontal plate of the L-shaped bracket, the tightening bolts that secure the vertical plate to the C-shaped channel must be loosened. However, the support unit and horizontal plate obstruct the loosening of the tightening bolts, making it difficult to loosen them. Moreover, loosening the tightening bolts causes the support unit and the L-shaped bracket to become loose, making it difficult to adjust their position.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a gas meter mounting device for attaching a gas meter to a wall or support column that minimizes vibrations transmitted to the gas meter, allows the planned installation position of the gas meter to be clearly indicated even before installation, enables the construction of various pipes and equipment, and further facilitates position adjustment during gas meter installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The technical means of the present invention for solving the above problems is, Support brackets that are fixed to walls or pillars, Multiple positioning bolts inserted from the rear of the support bracket, A retaining plate that holds the multiple positioning bolts at predetermined intervals with the bolts inserted from the rear, The gas meter has a support unit made of a metal plate on which gas valve members and joint members, which can be connected to a gas inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe, respectively, that are located on the upper surface of the gas meter, and these are fixed at predetermined intervals. The retaining plate is held by the support fitting by a retaining means and is movable horizontally relative to the support fitting by an operating part provided on the front surface of the support fitting. The support unit is provided with a relief portion for the operating section and a plurality of bolt insertion holes at predetermined positions, each allowing the positioning bolt inserted through the retaining plate to be inserted from the rear. The rear surface of the support unit can be fixed in contact with the front surface of the support bracket by tightening a fixing nut from the front surface of the support unit onto the positioning bolt, which is inserted from the rear into the bolt insertion hole of the support unit via the support bracket and retaining plate.

[0009] The above technical means work as follows: A support bracket is fixed to the wall or support column of the pipe shaft. Multiple positioning bolts protrude forward from the rear of the support bracket, and their protruding positions are positioned via a retaining plate held by a holding means on the support bracket. Furthermore, by operating an operating part from the front of the support bracket, the retaining plate can be moved horizontally relative to the support bracket, so that the retaining plate can be positioned so that the positioning bolts protrude at the intended installation location of the gas meter. Since the protruding position of the positioning bolt on the support bracket corresponds to the bolt insertion hole of the support unit, the planned mounting position of the support unit and even the gas meter can be clearly determined without attaching the support unit, which is equipped with a gas valve member and a joint member, to the support bracket. Therefore, by simply attaching the support bracket and retaining plate to the wall or support column of the pipe shaft, construction of not only gas piping but also other piping and equipment can proceed.

[0010] Furthermore, fine adjustments to the mounting position when attaching the support unit to the support bracket can be easily made by operating the control unit to move the holding plate horizontally. Then, multiple positioning bolts protruding forward from the support bracket are inserted from the rear into the bolt insertion holes of the support unit, thereby bringing the rear surface of the support unit into contact with the front surface of the support bracket. At this time, the operating part of the retaining plate corresponds to the relief part of the support unit, so it does not become an obstacle when installing the support unit. Subsequently, by screwing fixing nuts onto multiple positioning bolts protruding from the front of the support unit and tightening them, the support unit can be firmly fixed to the support bracket in a compressed state.

[0011] By slightly loosening the tightened fixing nuts, the support unit, along with the retaining plate and positioning nuts, can move left and right relative to the support bracket, allowing for position adjustment even after the support unit has been attached to the support bracket. At this time, the operating part is located in the relief portion of the support unit and does not obstruct movement. Furthermore, since the operating part is concealed by the support unit, it is sufficient to support the support unit and move it horizontally. Once the mounting position of the support unit is determined, the gas meter installation is completed by connecting the upstream and downstream gas piping to the gas valve members and joint members that are fixed to the support unit at predetermined intervals, and by connecting the gas inlet and gas outlet sections of the gas meter, respectively.

[0012] In the above gas meter mounting device, further, the support bracket is an L-shaped fixing bracket consisting of a fixing plate fixed to a wall or support column and a mounting plate protruding perpendicularly from one side of the fixing plate. The retaining plate is attached to the rear surface of the mounting plate. Multiple positioning screw holes are provided near the upper and lower edges of the retaining plate for screwing in the multiple positioning bolts from the rear, and a central screw hole is provided in the center for screwing in an operating bolt from the rear. Near the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate, two upper and lower guide grooves are formed horizontally for inserting the multiple positioning bolts that protrude forward from the positioning screw holes of the retaining plate from the rear, and a central guide groove is formed horizontally in the center for inserting the operating bolt that protrudes forward from the central screw hole of the retaining plate from the rear. It is preferable that the operating bolt, which protrudes forward from the central guide groove of the mounting plate, is fitted with an operating nut.

[0013] Attach the fixing plate to the side of the wall or support column using screws or other means, so that the mounting plate of the support bracket faces forward. The mounting plate has three horizontally extending guide grooves. Positioning bolts and operating bolts are screwed into multiple screw holes provided in the retaining plate, and the retaining plate is attached to the rear surface of the mounting plate, so that the positioning bolts protrude forward from the upper and lower guide grooves and the operating bolt protrudes forward from the central guide groove. By screwing an operating nut onto the operating bolt protruding from the central guide groove, the operating nut functions as an operating part, allowing the retaining plate to be moved horizontally relative to the mounting plate, and the positioning bolts and operating bolts to be moved along the upper and lower guide grooves and the central guide groove, respectively. Furthermore, since the operating nut holds the operating bolt in place from the central guide groove, the operating nut also functions as a retaining means for holding the retaining plate to the rear surface of the mounting plate of the support bracket.

[0014] In the above gas meter mounting device, more preferably, the support bracket is an L-shaped fixing bracket consisting of a fixing plate fixed to a wall or support column and a mounting plate protruding perpendicularly from one side of the fixing plate. Near the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate, two upper and lower guide grooves are formed horizontally, through which the multiple positioning bolts can be inserted from the rear. The retaining plate is a resin film attached to the front surface of the mounting plate. The resin film has positioning holes formed therein for holding the positioning bolts at predetermined intervals, and its central portion is made to protrude forward to form a convex operating section.

[0015] The mounting plate of the support bracket is attached to the side of the wall or to a support column by screws or the like so that the mounting plate faces forward. Multiple positioning bolts are inserted from the rear into upper and lower guide grooves of the mounting plate and protrude forward, and then inserted into positioning holes in a retaining plate made of resin film attached to the front of the mounting plate. In this way, each positioning bolt is held at a predetermined interval by the retaining plate without falling out of the mounting plate. Furthermore, by pinching and operating the convex-shaped operating part located in the center of the resin film, the resin film can be moved horizontally.

[0016] In the mounting device of the above gas meter, more preferably, "the support fitting is a C-shaped channel provided in the horizontal direction, the head of the positioning bolt is accommodated in an opening groove opened on the front surface of the C-shaped channel in a state where it is prevented from coming off, and the screw shaft portion is projected forward, the holding plate is a resin film attached to the front surface of the C-shaped channel, and positioning holes for holding the positioning bolts at predetermined intervals are formed in the resin film, and an operation portion having a convex or concave shape is provided at the central portion thereof".

[0017] The C-shaped channel is horizontally attached to a wall surface or a column so that the opening groove faces the front, and a resin film is attached to the front surface of the C-shaped channel. The positioning bolt having the screw shaft portion projected forward from the C-shaped channel is inserted into the positioning holes of the holding plate made of a resin film, whereby it is held in a positioned state at predetermined intervals, and at the same time, the resin film is also maintained in a state of being attached to the front surface of the C-shaped channel. By operating the convex or concave operation portion provided at the central portion of the resin film, the resin film can be moved horizontally along the opening groove of the C-shaped channel.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] By fixing a support fitting to the wall surface of a pipe shaft or a column or the like, and holding a holding plate having positioning bolts held by holding means, the planned mounting position of the gas meter can be clearly indicated. Therefore, even if the gas meter is not installed, construction of gas pipes and other pipes and facilities can proceed.

[0019] When the support unit is brought into contact with the front of the support fitting fixed to the wall or support column of the pipe shaft and the fixing nut is tightened, the rear of the support unit is firmly attached in close contact with the front of the support fitting. When the gas inlet and gas outlet sections of the gas meter are connected to the gas valve member and joint member provided on this support unit, the gas meter is attached as a single unit without being separated from the support unit or support fitting. As a result, when slight vibrations from the ground are transmitted from the wall or support column to the support fitting, these vibrations are not amplified and transmitted from the support unit to the gas meter, thus avoiding any inconvenience that would affect the vibration characteristics of the gas meter.

[0020] By horizontally moving the operating part on the retaining plate, the position of the positioning bolts relative to the support bracket can be adjusted, allowing the mounting position of the support unit relative to the support bracket to be set according to the planned installation location of the gas meter. Furthermore, when attaching the gas meter to the support unit, the final adjustment of the mounting position of the support unit can be easily performed by loosening the fixing nuts that attach the support unit to the support bracket. Attaching the support unit to the support bracket is easy because it only requires aligning the bolt insertion holes on the support unit with the positioning bolts, which are held in position by the retaining plates attached to the support bracket. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a support unit used in a gas meter mounting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view showing a support bracket and a retaining plate used in the gas meter mounting device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the support bracket and the retaining plate used in the gas meter mounting device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a perspective view showing the completed assembly of the support unit, support bracket, and retaining plate used in the gas meter mounting device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of XX in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view showing a support bracket and a retaining plate used in a gas meter mounting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the support bracket and retaining plate used in the gas meter mounting device of the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the support bracket and the retaining plate used in the gas meter mounting device of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a support unit (1) used in the gas meter mounting device of the first embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a metal plate that is three-dimensionally folded at a predetermined position, and is equipped with a gas valve member (51) and a joint member (52) for mounting a gas meter. This support unit (1) can be used as the support unit for all of the embodiments shown below.

[0023] The metal plate is bent at a predetermined position to form a shape having a central vertical plate (10), a pair of upper and lower first extension pieces (11a) (11b) extending diagonally upward, downward, and backward from the entire upper and lower edges thereof, and a pair of upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) (12b) further extending vertically upward and downward from the extended ends of the first extension pieces (11a) (11b). The gas valve member (51) and the joint member (52) are attached to the vertical plate (10), and bolt insertion holes (13) are punched at predetermined intervals near both ends of the second extension pieces (12a) (12b).

[0024] The gas valve member (51) has a connecting screw cylinder (51a) to which a gas supply pipe that supplies gas into the gas meter is connected, and a knob (51b) for opening and closing the gas valve, and is connected via a cap nut (53) to a gas inlet pipe protruding from the upper left side of the gas meter.

[0025] The joint member (52) has a connecting cylinder portion (52a) to which a gas supply pipe that sends gas from the gas meter to a gas appliance is connected, and a plug connecting cylinder (52b) for connecting a pressure detection plug, and is connected via a cap nut (53) to a gas outlet cylinder portion that protrudes from the upper right side of the gas meter.

[0026] These gas valve members (51) and joint members (52) are screwed to the left and right sides of the vertical plate (10) by mounting flanges (54) that protrude diagonally from the back of each, and the distance between them is set to a distance that allows connection to the gas inlet and gas outlet sections of the gas meter, respectively.

[0027] The support unit (1) is installed inside the pipe shaft via a support bracket (2) as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support bracket (2) and retaining plate (3) used in the first embodiment. The support bracket (2) is an L-shaped fixing bracket consisting of a vertically elongated rectangular fixing plate (21) fixed to a wall or support column, and a horizontally elongated rectangular mounting plate (22) located perpendicular to one of the long sides of the fixing plate (21). For example, if the fixing plate (21) is fixed to the side wall of the pipe shaft by screwing it in, the mounting plate (22) can be installed in a position facing forward.

[0028] The mounting plate (22) is provided with three guide grooves extending horizontally. The upper and lower guide grooves (20a) and (20b) are punched out along the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate (22), and the distance between them is set to approximately coincide with the vertical distance between the bolt insertion hole (13) formed in the upper second extension piece (12a) of the support unit (1) and the bolt insertion hole (13) formed in the lower second extension piece (12b). Furthermore, the central guide groove (20c) located in the center of the mounting plate (22) is formed to be slightly shorter than the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) and (20b). The retaining plate (3) is attached to the rear surface of the mounting plate (22) so as to follow the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) (20b) and the central guide groove (20c).

[0029] The retaining plate (3) is made of a rectangular metal plate, and has positioning screw holes (31) formed at its four corners into which positioning bolts (5) can be screwed from the rear, and a central screw hole (30) formed in the center into which an operating bolt (4) can be screwed from the rear. By screwing the positioning bolts (5) into each positioning screw hole (31) of the retaining plate (3) and the operating bolt (4) into the central screw hole (30) from the rear, the positioning bolts (5) and operating bolts (4) are held in a predetermined position via the retaining plate (3), and the screw shafts (50) and (40) of the positioning bolts (5) and operating bolts (4) protrude forward from the front surface of the retaining plate (3).

[0030] Of the four positioning screw holes (31) formed in the retaining plate (3), the distance between the top and bottom holes is set to approximately match the distance between the upper guide groove (20a) and the lower guide groove (20b) of the support bracket (2), and the distance between the left and right holes is set to approximately match the distance between the left and right bolt insertion holes (13) (13) formed on the upper and lower second extension sides (12a) (12b) of the support unit (1). Furthermore, when each bolt insertion hole (13)(13) is aligned with the upper and lower guide grooves (20a)(20b), the operating bolt (4) is set to correspond to the central guide groove (20c).

[0031] When the retaining plate (3), into which the positioning bolts (5) and operating bolts (4) are screwed into each positioning screw hole (31) and the central screw hole (30), is attached to the rear surface of the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2), as shown in Figure 3, the screw shafts (50) of the positioning bolts (5) protrude forward from the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) and (20b), and the screw shafts (40) of the operating bolts (4) protrude forward from the central guide groove (20c). In the same figure, the operating nut (41) is shown screwed onto the screw shaft (40) of the operating bolt (4) protruding from the central guide groove (20c) from the front surface of the mounting plate (22).

[0032] By setting the operating nut (41) to be larger than the groove width of the central guide groove (20c), the operating nut (41) is prevented from coming loose from the central guide groove (20c), and the retaining plate (3) is held by the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2). At the same time, by pinching the operating nut (41) with your fingers and moving it from side to side, the threaded shaft portion (40) of the operating bolt (4) can move along the central guide groove (20c), and the threaded shaft portion (50) of the positioning bolt (5) can move along the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) (20b), allowing the retaining plate (3) to be moved horizontally relative to the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2). In other words, in the first embodiment, the operating nut (41) functions as a holding means in the specific features of the invention, and at the same time, it also functions as an operating part.

[0033] The operating nut (41) is operated to move the retaining plate (3) horizontally, positioning the protruding positions of the retaining plate (3) and the positioning bolt (5) relative to the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2) to predetermined positions. Since each position where the threaded shaft portion (50) of the positioning bolt (5) protrudes corresponds to the formation position of the bolt insertion hole (13) of the support unit (1), once the position of the retaining plate (3) relative to the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2) is determined, the mounting position of the support unit (1) is also determined, and once the mounting position of the support unit (1) is determined, the positions of the gas valve member (51) and the joint member (52) attached to the vertical plate (10) are determined.

[0034] In other words, by simply attaching the support bracket (2), with the retaining plate (3) held by the mounting plate (22) in the manner described above, to the wall or support column of the pipe shaft, the mounting position of the support unit (1), and even the planned mounting position of the gas meter, becomes clear even before attaching the support unit (1) to the support bracket (2). Therefore, by simply attaching the support bracket (2) that holds the retaining plate (3) to the planned installation location of the gas meter, construction work for gas piping and other piping and equipment can proceed even before the gas meter is installed.

[0035] To hold the support unit (1) in the state shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 4, the threaded shafts (50) of the two positioning bolts (5) protruding forward from the upper guide groove (20a) of the mounting plate (22) are inserted into the two bolt insertion holes (13)(13) formed near both the left and right ends of the upper second extension piece (12a) of the support unit (1). At the same time, the threaded shafts (50) of the two positioning bolts (5) protruding forward from the lower guide groove (20b) are inserted into the two bolt insertion holes (13)(13) formed near both the left and right ends of the lower second extension piece (12b) of the support unit (1). Fixing nuts (55) are then screwed onto the threaded shafts (50) of the positioning bolts (5) that protrude forward from the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a)(12b) via the bolt insertion holes (13)(13) and tightened.

[0036] As a result, the retaining plate (3) is held on the rear surface of the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2) which is fixed to the wall or support column by the fixing plate (21), and the rear surfaces of the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) (12b) of the support unit (1) are attached in close contact with the front surface of the mounting plate (22). Even after the support unit (1) has been installed, the support unit (1), along with the retaining plate (3) and positioning bolt (5), can be moved horizontally relative to the support bracket (2) by loosening the fixing nut (55), allowing for fine adjustment of the installation position before installing the gas meter. Subsequently, the gas inlet pipe and gas outlet pipe of the gas meter are connected to the gas valve member (51) and joint member (52) of the support unit (1), respectively, and the installation of the gas meter is completed.

[0037] Although an operating nut (41) protrudes from the front of the mounting plate (22), the vertical plate (10) of the support unit (1) corresponds to the protruding position of the operating nut (41), as shown in Figure 5. The vertical plate (10) protrudes forward more than the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) (12b) via the upper and lower first extension pieces (11a) (11b), so a relief portion (14) equal to the height of the upper and lower first extension pieces (11a) (11b) is formed between the rear surface of the vertical plate (10) and the front surface of the mounting plate (22). Since the operating nut (41) protrudes into the relief portion (14) of the support unit (1), it does not get in the way when attaching the support unit (1) to the support bracket (2).

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the operating bolt (4) is configured to be screwed into the central screw hole (30) from the rear of the retaining plate (3), similar to the positioning bolt (5). However, as shown in the second embodiment in Figure 6, the operating bolt (4) may also be configured to be screwed into the central screw hole (30) of the retaining plate (3) after being inserted through the central guide groove (20c) from the front of the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2). In this case, the head (42) of the operating bolt (4) is formed to be larger than the groove width of the central guide groove (20c), so that the operating bolt (4) itself functions as a means of holding the retaining plate (3) to the mounting plate (22), and the head (42) of the operating bolt (4) functions as an operating part that moves the retaining plate (3) in the horizontal direction.

[0039] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the completed assembly of the support bracket (2) and the retaining plate (3) in the third embodiment. The support bracket (2) in this embodiment is used in the same way as the L-shaped support bracket (2) in each of the embodiments described above, by screwing the fixing plate (21) to the side of the wall or support column so that the mounting plate (22) faces forward.

[0040] The mounting plate (22) has two upper and lower guide grooves (20a) and (20b) extending horizontally. Two positioning bolts (5) are inserted from the rear into the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) and (20b), causing the screw shafts (50) to protrude forward from the mounting plate (22). A retaining plate (3) made of resin film is attached to the front surface of the mounting plate (22), and four positioning holes (32) are formed therein, through which the screw shafts (50) of the four positioning bolts (5) can be inserted.

[0041] By inserting the screw shaft portion (50) that protrudes forward from the mounting plate (22) into the positioning hole (32) provided in the resin film retaining plate (3) attached to the front surface of the mounting plate (22), each positioning bolt (5) is held in a position within the upper and lower guide grooves (20a) (20b), and the protruding positions of these screw shaft portions (50) are set to correspond to the four bolt insertion holes (13) of the support unit (1) in Figure 1. Furthermore, a protrusion (33) is positioned in the center of the retaining plate (3) to project forward and function as an operating part.

[0042] The retaining plate (3) can be moved horizontally by pinching the protrusion (33) that protrudes from the center with one's fingers, and the protruding position of the positioning bolts (5) on the mounting plate (22) can be adjusted. By inserting the bolt insertion holes (13) of the support unit (1) shown in Figure 1 through each positioning bolt (5) that has been positioned in a predetermined position, and tightening the fixing nuts onto the screw shafts (50) that protrude from the front surface of the support unit (1), the attachment of the support unit (1) to the support bracket (2) is completed, and the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) (12b) of the support unit (1) are pressed against the front surface of the mounting plate (22) of the support bracket (2) via the resin retaining plate (3).

[0043] The fourth embodiment shown in Figure 8 employs two C-shaped channels (23) and (24) as support brackets (2). These C-shaped channels (23) and (24) are arranged horizontally on a wall or the like with a predetermined vertical distance between them and with the opening groove (25) facing forward. A retaining plate (3) made of resin film is attached to simultaneously cover the front surfaces of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24).

[0044] The installation positions of each C-shaped channel (23) and (24) are such that the opening groove (25) of the upper C-shaped channel (23) corresponds to the bolt insertion hole (13) of the upper second extension piece (12a) of the support unit (1), and the opening groove (25) of the lower C-shaped channel (24) corresponds to the bolt insertion hole (13) of the lower second extension piece (12b) of the support unit (1), with each channel installed at a predetermined distance from the other.

[0045] Each of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24) contains two positioning bolts (5), with their heads (56) housed in a retaining position and their screw shafts (50) protruding forward from the opening grooves (25). The positions of these positioning bolts (5) are held by retaining plates (3) made of resin film attached to the front surfaces of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24).

[0046] The resin film retaining plate (3) has positioning holes (32) formed therein for holding four positioning bolts (5) in predetermined positions, and the central part is convexly protruding to form an operating part (34). When the threaded shafts (50) of the positioning bolts (5), two of which protrude forward from each of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24), are inserted into the respective positioning holes (32) of the retaining plate (3), the positioning bolts (5) are held in a position corresponding to the bolt insertion holes (13) of the support unit (1). The retaining plate (3), which is made of resin film, is held in place attached to the front surface of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24) by inserting the screw shaft portion (50) of the positioning bolt (5) through each of the positioning holes (32).

[0047] Furthermore, by pinching the convex operating part (34) located in the center of the retaining plate (3) with one's fingers and moving it left or right, the retaining plate (3) can be moved horizontally along the opening groove (25) of the C-shaped channels (23) and (24) together with the positioning bolt (5), thereby adjusting the mounting position of the support unit (1) relative to the C-shaped channels (23) and (24). In this embodiment, the central part of the resin film is made to protrude to form a convex operating part (34). However, since the area behind the central part of the holding plate (3) is a space located between the C-shaped channels (23) and (24), it is also possible to make the resin film recessed, and a recessed operating part (not shown) may be used. In this case, the space functions as a relief part as specified in the invention.

[0048] By moving the operating unit (34) horizontally, the retaining plate (3) is positioned in a predetermined position relative to the C-shaped channels (23) (24), and the bolt insertion holes (13) (13) of the support unit (1) are inserted through the screw shaft portion (50) of the positioning bolt (5), which is inserted so as to protrude forward from the positioning holes (32) (32). Subsequently, by screwing a fixing nut onto the screw shaft portion (50) and tightening it, the support unit (1) is fixed in such a manner that the rear surfaces of the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) (12b) are pressed against the front surface of the C-shaped channels (23) (24) via the resin film retaining plate (3). To fine-tune the position of the support unit (1) relative to the C-shaped channels (23) and (24), simply loosen the fixing nuts. After a final check, tighten the fixing nuts again to fix the position of the support unit (1), and connect the gas inlet and gas outlet sections of the gas meter to the gas valve member (51) and the joint member (52) to complete the installation of the gas meter.

[0049] In each of the above embodiments, by fixing a support bracket (2) consisting of an L-shaped fixing bracket or a C-shaped channel (23) (24) to the wall surface of the pipe shaft, and by attaching a retaining plate (3) to the support bracket (2) that holds a positioning bolt (5) in a positioned position, the planned mounting position of the support unit (1) and the gas meter to be connected to the support unit (1) becomes clear. This allows the construction of gas piping and other piping and equipment to proceed even before the gas meter is installed.

[0050] The mounting position of the support unit (1) to the support bracket (2) can be adjusted by horizontally moving it while supporting the operating nut (41) protruding from the front of the retaining plate (3), the head (42) of the operating bolt (4), and the protrusion (33). Attaching the support unit (1) to the support bracket (2) is easy and efficient, as it only requires inserting the bolt insertion hole (13) of the support unit (1) through the positioning bolt (5) protruding forward from the support bracket (1) or retaining plate (3). In other words, the support unit (1) can be attached to the support bracket (2) accurately and easily.

[0051] Furthermore, even after the support unit (1) is fixed to the support bracket (2) with the fixing nut (55), the position of the support unit (1) can be adjusted by loosening the fixing nut (55) as needed, moving it horizontally together with the support bracket (2) and the retaining plate (3), making it easy to make final adjustments to the mounting position of the gas meter.

[0052] The support unit (1) is configured such that the rear surfaces of the upper and lower second extension pieces (12a) and (12b) are screwed to the front surface of the support bracket (2), which is fixed to the wall surface of the pipe shaft or a support column, either directly or via a retaining plate (3), in a state of pressure contact. Thus, it is firmly fixed to the support bracket (2) so as to become integrated with it. Since the vertical plate (10) of the support unit (1) to which the gas valve member (51) and joint member (52) for connecting the gas meter are attached is located along the front surface of the support bracket (2), the gas meter connected to the support unit (1) via the gas valve member (51) and joint member (52) is not located far from the support bracket (2). Therefore, even if ground vibrations are transmitted to the support bracket (2) via walls or pillars, the vibrations of the support bracket (2) are not amplified and transmitted to the gas meter, and the gas meter is not affected by vibrations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] (1) Support unit (13) Bolt insertion hole (14) ······Escape Department (2) Support bracket (3)··············holding plate (5) Positioning bolts (51) ······Gas valve component (52) ······Joint members (55) ······ Fixing nut

Claims

1. Support brackets that are fixed to walls or pillars, Multiple positioning bolts inserted from the rear of the support bracket, A retaining plate that holds the multiple positioning bolts at predetermined intervals with the bolts inserted from the rear, The gas meter has a support unit made of a metal plate on which gas valve members and joint members, which can be connected to a gas inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe, respectively, that are located on the upper surface of the gas meter, and these are fixed at predetermined intervals. The retaining plate is held by the support fitting by a retaining means and is movable horizontally relative to the support fitting by an operating part provided on the front surface of the support fitting. The support unit is provided with a relief portion for the operating section and a plurality of bolt insertion holes at predetermined positions, each allowing the positioning bolt inserted through the retaining plate to be inserted from the rear. A gas meter mounting device that allows the rear surface of the support unit to be fixed in contact with the front surface of the support bracket by tightening a fixing nut from the front surface of the support unit onto the positioning bolt, which is inserted from the rear into the bolt insertion hole of the support unit via the support bracket and retaining plate.

2. In the gas meter mounting device according to claim 1, the support bracket is an L-shaped fixing bracket consisting of a fixing plate fixed to a wall or support column and a mounting plate protruding perpendicularly from one side of the fixing plate. The retaining plate is attached to the rear surface of the mounting plate. Multiple positioning screw holes are provided near the upper and lower edges of the retaining plate for screwing in the multiple positioning bolts from the rear, and a central screw hole is provided in the center for screwing in an operating bolt from the rear. Near the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate, two upper and lower guide grooves are formed horizontally for inserting the multiple positioning bolts that protrude forward from the positioning screw holes of the retaining plate from the rear, and a central guide groove is formed horizontally in the center for inserting the operating bolt that protrudes forward from the central screw hole of the retaining plate from the rear. A gas meter mounting device in which an operating nut is screwed onto an operating bolt that protrudes forward from the central guide groove of the mounting plate.

3. In the gas meter mounting device according to claim 1, the support bracket is an L-shaped fixing bracket consisting of a fixing plate fixed to a wall or support column and a mounting plate protruding perpendicularly from one side of the fixing plate. Near the upper and lower edges of the mounting plate, two upper and lower guide grooves are formed horizontally, through which the multiple positioning bolts can be inserted from the rear. The retaining plate is a resin film attached to the front surface of the mounting plate. The mounting device for a gas meter has positioning holes formed in the resin film for holding the positioning bolts at predetermined intervals, and the central part of the resin film is made to protrude forward to form a convex operating part.

4. In the gas meter mounting device according to claim 1, the support bracket is a C-shaped channel provided in the horizontal direction, The head of the positioning bolt is housed in an open groove on the front surface of the C-shaped channel in a manner that prevents it from coming loose, and the screw shaft portion is made to protrude forward. The retaining plate is a resin film attached to the front surface of the C-shaped channel. A gas meter mounting device comprising a resin film having positioning holes formed therein for holding the positioning bolts at predetermined intervals, and a convex or concave operating part provided in the center thereof.

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