Joint structure

Abstract

This enables simple, space-saving connections when linking structures equipped with fluid pipelines. [Solution] In the ultrasonic flow meter, element mounting members 2 and 3 are connected to both ends of the measuring tube member 1. Each member is equipped with a fluid conduit through which the measured fluid flows. Flanges 8 are provided at both ends of the measuring tube member 1, connecting to the element mounting members 2 and 3, respectively. These flanges 8 are roughly rectangular in shape and are arranged to surround the conduit. Flanges 8 are also formed on the element mounting members 2 and 3 for connection to the measuring tube member 1. The connector 6 that connects the flanges 8 consists of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and three connecting pieces that connect these clamping pieces. The members are connected by fitting the connector 6 from both sides to a single connecting portion where the flanges 8 overlap.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a joint structure that is used in ultrasonic flowmeters or flow controllers and connects structures each provided with a fluid conduit. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic flowmeter in which a measurement pipe, an inflow pipe, and an outflow pipe, which are also PFA pipes, are attached by welding to a PFA pipe block. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-230095 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] However, when pipes are assembled by welding as in the ultrasonic flowmeter of Patent Document 1, the thermal influence is significant, which involves difficulties in welding technology, and burrs and the like are likely to occur in the internal conduit inside the welded portion. These burrs affect the flow velocity distribution of the fluid and degrade the performance as a measuring instrument.

[0005] In addition, threaded joints and the like that connect pipe bodies and the like by screwing external threaded portions and internal threaded portions provided at the ends are widely used, but these joints require labor for installation, replacement, etc., and require a long installation space in the longitudinal direction, making space saving difficult.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a joint structure that does not require welding or the like when connecting structures each provided with a fluid conduit, and that can connect the structures to each other simply and in a space-saving manner. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0007] The joint structure according to the present invention for achieving the above objective is a joint structure that connects the ends of structures equipped with fluid pipelines and connects the fluid pipelines, wherein at least one of the structures is provided as part of an ultrasonic flow meter or as part of a flow controller, and a flange is provided at the end of the structure so as to surround the fluid pipeline and has a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline that is symmetrical on both the left and right and / or up and down, and the structures are connected to a connecting portion formed by overlapping the flanges of the same shape using a connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Thus, according to the joint structure of the present invention, when connecting structures equipped with fluid pipelines, welding work and screwing work using external and internal threads become unnecessary, making it possible to connect structures simply and in a space-saving manner. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view of the ultrasonic flow meter before it is connected by a joint structure. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the ultrasonic flowmeter after it has been connected. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged perspective view of the connecting section before connection. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the ultrasonic flowmeter before connection using the joint structure, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic flowmeter after connection, and Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the connection part before connection.

[0011] The ultrasonic flowmeter consists of one measuring tube member 1, first and second element mounting members 2 and 3 connected to both ends of the measuring tube member 1, an inlet pipe member 4 connected to the other end of the first element mounting member 2, and an outlet pipe member 5 connected to the other end of the second element mounting member 3. In Figure 1, the second element mounting member 3 is identical in shape to the first element mounting member 2, so it is not shown.

[0012] Each of these components 1 to 5 is molded from, for example, a synthetic resin material and all are structures equipped with fluid conduits through which the measured fluid flows. In addition, auxiliary components for components 1 to 5 are used, such as connectors 6 made of synthetic resin material to connect components 1 to 5 to each other, and seal rings 7 made of synthetic rubber or the like to be interposed between components 1 to 5.

[0013] The measuring tube member 1 has a straight pipe 1a, which is the measuring conduit, in its center, and reinforcing ribs 1b are provided around the straight pipe 1a. Flanges 8 extend from both ends of the measuring tube member 1, connecting to the first and second element mounting members 2 and 3, respectively.

[0014] These flanges 8 are arranged to surround the straight pipe 1a, and the cross-section perpendicular to the central axis of the straight pipe 1a is approximately rectangular. These cross-sections are not limited to approximately rectangular; any shape that is symmetrical left and right and / or vertically can be adopted.

[0015] Furthermore, the corners of the protruding flange 8 are notched, and annular recesses 9 are formed at the inlet and outlet of the straight pipe 1a, which is the fluid conduit inside the flange 8, for sealing the seal ring 7.

[0016] The first element mounting member 2 is a member for mounting an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving element consisting of a piezoelectric element (not shown), and has a roughly L-shaped curved pipe 2a, which is a fluid conduit, in its center. Flanges 8 and recesses 9 for connecting to the measuring pipe member 1 and the inlet pipe member 4, respectively, are formed at both ends of this curved pipe 2a, similar to the measuring pipe member 1.

[0017] Similarly, the second element mounting member 3 provided with the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving elements also has a substantially L-shaped curved conduit 3a which is a fluid conduit at the central portion, and at the inlets and outlets at both ends of this curved conduit 3a, a flange 8 and a recess 9 for connecting to the measuring tube member 1 and the discharge tube member 5 respectively are formed similarly to the measuring tube member 1.

[0018] The other end of the first element mounting member 2 is connected to the inflow pipe member 4, and the other end of the second element mounting member 3 is connected to the discharge pipe member 5. The inflow pipe member 4 has a straight or curved inflow conduit for allowing the fluid to be measured to flow into the measuring tube member 1, one end of the inflow pipe member 4 is provided with a flange 8 and a recess 9 for connecting to the first element mounting member 2, and at the other end of the inflow pipe member 4, a supply pipe 10 for supplying the fluid is connectable using a tightening nut 4a.

[0019] The discharge pipe member 5 has the same shape as the inflow pipe member 4, the discharge conduit and the tightening nut 5a of the discharge pipe member 5 correspond to the inflow conduit and the tightening nut 4a of the inflow pipe member 4, and a discharge pipe 11 for discharging the fluid is connectable to the other end of the discharge pipe member 5.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 6 consists of a pair of parallel clamping pieces 6a, 6a having an arc shape in contact with the outer surface of the conduit, and three connecting pieces 6b, 6c, 6d that connect these clamping pieces 6a, 6a, and window portions 6e are formed between the connecting pieces 6b and 6c and between the connecting pieces 6c and 6d. The gap between the clamping pieces 6a, 6a, that is, the width of the window portion 6e in the thickness direction of the flanges 8, is substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges 8 stacked on each other. Further, in the connector 6, two pins 6f are formed on the inner side of each of the clamping pieces 6a, 6a, for a total of four pins.

[0021] Note that the connector 6 is composed of one set, and in addition to the above-described shape that is fitted from both sides, a configuration in which a plurality of insertion holes are provided in the flanges 8 and the flanges 8 are connected and fixed to these insertion holes with bolts, nuts or the like may be adopted as the connector 6.

[0022] On each side portion of the substantially square-shaped flange 8, a groove portion 8a oriented in the direction parallel to the straight pipe passage 1a is formed, on both sides of the groove portion 8a, protruding pieces 8b that are convex portions are formed, and further on the flange 8, two pin holes 8c each having a positioning and anti-disengagement function, into which the pins 6f of the connector 6 are fitted, are formed for each side portion.

[0023] The seal ring 7 is an annular elastic body having a thickness, is inserted between the recessed portions 9 at the connecting portion between the members 1 to 5, and plays a role of preventing water leakage from the connecting portion between the members 1 to 5. Note that the seal ring 7 may not be a separate component, and may be attached in advance to one side of the members 1 to 5 to be connected.

[0024] To connect the members 1 to 5 together, for one overlapping portion 8d where the flanges 8 are overlapped with each other, a set of connectors 6 are used from both sides, the seal ring 7 is interposed between the recessed portions 9, and the overlapping portion 8d is connected by being fitted to the connectors 6. That is, by pushing the pair of connectors 6 from both sides toward the overlapping portion 8d for connection, the connecting portion that is the overlapping portion 8d is sandwiched by the sandwiching pieces 6a, 6a, the central coupling piece 6c that is the fitting portion is fitted into the groove portion 8a, and the two protruding pieces 8b are fitted into the window portion 6e.

[0025] Furthermore, by fitting the two pins 6f each into the pin holes 8c, the connector 6 is accurately positioned on the flange 8, and the connector 6 is fitted to the flange 8. As a result, the two overlapped flanges 8 will not be accidentally separated, the connection direction at intervals of 90 degrees is clarified, and movement in the rotational direction can be restricted.

[0026] As described above, the respective members 1 to 5 can be connected to each other by the connector 6 by selecting arbitrary side portions around the substantially square-shaped flange 8, so that they can be assembled into a shape corresponding to the installation environment. However, as also shown in Figure 3, by not providing the groove portion 8a on a certain side portion of the flange 8, the connector 6 cannot be fitted to this side portion, and the selection of the connection direction can also be restricted.

[0027] Furthermore, as a variation of the connector 6, the connecting portion that joins the clamping pieces 6a, 6a can be a connecting plate formed by integrating the three connecting pieces 6b, 6c, 6d, rather than using connecting pieces 6b, 6c, 6d. In this case, a fitting portion that fits into the groove 8a of the flange 8 will be provided on the inside of the connecting plate.

[0028] Furthermore, instead of fitting together using the groove 8a of the flange 8 and the fitting portion of the connector 6, the flange 8 may be provided with a protrusion and the connector 6 with a recess, and the two components may be fitted together using these protrusions and recesses.

[0029] In this manner, the assembled ultrasonic flowmeter is connected to the inlet pipe member 4 and the outlet pipe member 5, respectively, with the fluid supply pipe 10 and the outlet pipe 11 connected to them during calibration and use. To measure the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the measuring pipe member 1, ultrasonic beams are alternately transmitted and received from ultrasonic transmitting and receiving elements attached to the first and second element mounting members 2 and 3, respectively, to propagate the ultrasonic beams into the fluid in the straight pipe 1a of the measuring pipe member 1. The principle of measuring the flow velocity by measuring the propagation time of the forward and return paths of the ultrasonic beam and determining the flow rate from the time difference between these is well known, so further explanation is omitted.

[0030] In this embodiment, two connectors 6 were used for each connection point of members 1 to 5, but by modifying the shape of the connectors 6, three or four may be used as needed. Furthermore, although the connectors 6 were formed for each edge, multiple edges can also be connected simultaneously by using a single set of connectors 6 connected by connecting pieces to, for example, two edges.

[0031] Although the joint structure according to the present invention is described in which at least one of the connecting structures is part of an ultrasonic flow meter, it can also be similarly applied to a part of a flow controller that measures the mass flow rate of a fluid and controls the flow rate, in addition to an ultrasonic flow meter.

[0032] Thus, according to the joint structure of the present invention, when connecting structures equipped with fluid pipelines that are used in ultrasonic flow meters or flow controllers, it is possible to connect structures simply and in a space-saving manner, without the need for special jigs for connection, welding work, or rotation work using screw structures. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1 Measuring tube member 6. Connectors 6a Pincer piece 6b, 6c, 6d joining piece 6e Window section 7 Seal ring 8 flanges 8a Groove 8b Projecting piece 9 recesses

Claims

1. A joint structure that connects the ends of structures equipped with fluid pipelines and connects the fluid pipelines to each other, At least one of the structures is provided as part of an ultrasonic flow meter or as part of a flow controller. At the end of the aforementioned structure, it is arranged so as to surround the fluid pipeline, A flange is arranged in which the cross-section perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline is symmetrical both horizontally and / or vertically. A joint structure characterized by connecting the structures using a connector to a connecting portion formed by overlapping flanges of the same shape.

2. The joint structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the structures are connected by fitting a set of connectors onto one of the connecting portions from both sides.

3. The aforementioned connector is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and a connecting portion that connects the pair of clamping pieces. A groove or protrusion is formed on the edge of the flange. The joint structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the connector has a fitting portion or recess that fits into the groove portion or the protrusion portion of the flange.

4. The aforementioned edge portion has the aforementioned groove portion formed therein. The aforementioned joint consists of three connecting pieces. The joint structure according to claim 3, characterized in that the central connecting piece is the fitting portion.

5. The space between the connecting pieces of the aforementioned connector is a window. Protruding pieces are formed on both sides of the groove, The joint structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the fitting portion is fitted into the groove portion and the protruding piece is fitted into the window portion at the same time.

6. The joint structure according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that a pin is formed on the inside of the clamping piece of the connector, and a pin hole is formed in the flange into which the pin fits.

7. The cross-section of the flange is substantially rectangular in shape. The joint structure according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the groove or the protrusion is formed in the center of the edge portion of the flange.

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