Joint Structure

Abstract

To easily connect structures each having a fluid pipeline in a space-saving manner. [Solution] In an ultrasonic flowmeter, element mounting members 2 and 3 are connected to both ends of a measuring pipe member 1. Each member has a fluid pipeline through which the fluid to be measured flows. Flanges 8 extend from both ends of the measuring pipe member 1, connecting to the element mounting members 2 and 3, respectively. These flanges 8 are approximately rectangular and arranged to surround the pipeline. The element mounting members 2 and 3 also have flanges 8 formed on them for connecting to the measuring pipe member 1. A connector 6 connecting the flanges 8 together consists of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and three connecting pieces that connect these clamping pieces. The members are connected by clamping the connectors 6 fitted onto both sides of the single connecting portion where the flanges 8 overlap.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a joint structure used in an ultrasonic flow meter or a flow controller, which connects structures having fluid pipelines together. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic flowmeter in which a measurement pipe, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe, all of which are made of PFA, are attached to a piping block made of PFA by welding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-230095 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when assembling pipes by welding, as in the ultrasonic flowmeter of Patent Document 1, the influence of heat is large, which makes the welding technique difficult and also makes it easy for burrs to form in the internal pipes inside the welded parts. These burrs affect the flow velocity distribution of the fluid and degrade the performance of the measuring instrument.

[0005] Furthermore, threaded joints, which connect pipes by screwing together an external threaded portion and an internal threaded portion at the end, are widely used to connect pipes, etc. However, these joints are time-consuming to install and replace, and require a long installation space in the longitudinal direction, making it difficult to save space.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a joint structure that does not require welding or the like when connecting structures equipped with fluid pipelines, and that can connect structures in a simple and space-saving manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The joint structure according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a joint structure for connecting end portions of structures each having a fluid pipeline to communicate with the fluid pipelines, at least one of the structures being provided as a part of an ultrasonic flowmeter or a part of a flow controller, and flanges are arranged at the end portions of the structures so as to surround the fluid pipeline at the center, and have a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline that is symmetrical left-right and / or up-down, and the structures are connected to a connecting portion where the flanges having the same shape are overlapped using a connecting tool, and the structures are connected to each other by fitting a set of the connecting tools to one connecting portion from both sides, and the connecting tool is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and a connecting portion that joins the pair of clamping pieces, and a groove portion is formed on the edge of the flange. or convex part The connector is formed with an insertion portion or a recess that fits into the groove portion or the protrusion portion of the flange, the connecting portion is made up of three connecting pieces, and the central connecting piece is the insertion portion. Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the joint structure of the present invention is a joint structure that connects the ends of structures that have fluid pipelines and communicates the fluid pipelines, wherein at least one of the structures is provided as part of an ultrasonic flowmeter or part of a flow controller, and flanges are arranged at the ends of the structures so as to surround the fluid pipeline at the center, and have left-right and / or top-bottom symmetrical cross sections perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline, and the structures are connected to each other using connectors to connecting sections where the flanges of the same shape are overlapped, and the structures are connected to each other by fitting a set of the connectors to each connecting section from both sides, and the edges of the flanges are formed with grooves or protrusions that are parallel to the central axis of the fluid pipeline, and the connector is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and a connecting section that connects the pair of clamping pieces and has an insertion section or recess that fits into the grooves or protrusions of the flanges. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In this way, with the joint structure of the present invention, when connecting structures having fluid pipelines, welding work or screwing work using external and internal threads is not required, and it is possible to connect the structures easily and in a space-saving manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ultrasonic flowmeter before connection by the joint structure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic flowmeter after connection. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the connecting portion before connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0011] The ultrasonic flowmeter is composed of one measuring pipe member 1, first and second element mounting members 2 and 3 connected to both ends of the measuring pipe 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. Note that in Figure 1, the second element mounting member 3 is not shown because it has the same shape as the first element mounting member 2.

[0012] Each of these members 1 to 5 is molded from, for example, a synthetic resin material, and they all have a common structure that includes a fluid pipeline through which the fluid to be measured flows. In addition, auxiliary members for the members 1 to 5 include a connector 6 made of, for example, a synthetic resin material for connecting the members 1 to 5, and a seal ring 7 made of synthetic rubber or the like for being interposed between the members 1 to 5.

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

[0014] These flanges 8 are arranged so as to surround the straight pipe 1a at the center, and the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the straight pipe 1a is approximately rectangular. These cross sections are not limited to being approximately rectangular, and any appropriate shape can be adopted as long as it is bilaterally symmetrical and / or vertically symmetrical.

[0015] The corners of the protruding flange 8 are cut out, and an annular recess 9 for fitting a seal ring 7 is formed at the entrance and exit of the straight pipe 1a, which is the fluid pipe inside the flange 8.

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

[0017] Similarly, the second element mounting member 3, which is equipped with an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element, also has an approximately L-shaped curved pipe line 3a, which is a fluid pipe line, in the center, and at the inlets and outlets at both ends of this curved pipe line 3a, flanges 8 and recesses 9 for connecting to the measurement pipe member 1 and the discharge pipe member 5, respectively, are formed in the same way as the measurement pipe member 1.

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

[0019] The discharge pipe member 5 has the same shape as the inlet pipe member 4, and the discharge pipe line and tightening nut 5a of the discharge pipe member 5 correspond to the inlet pipe line and tightening nut 4a of the inlet pipe member 4, and the other end of the discharge pipe member 5 can be connected to a discharge pipe 11 for discharging fluid.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, the connector 6 is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces 6a, 6a, each having an arc shape that contacts the outer surface of the pipeline, and three connecting pieces 6b, 6c, and 6d that connect the clamping pieces 6a, 6a, with a window section 6e formed between the connecting pieces 6b and 6c and between the connecting pieces 6c and 6d. The gap between the clamping pieces 6a, 6a, i.e., the width of the window section 6e in the thickness direction of the flange 8, is approximately equal to the thickness of the flanges 8 when overlapped. The connector 6 also has four pins 6f, two on each side of the clamping pieces 6a, 6a.

[0021] In addition, the connector 6 is made up of one set, and in addition to the above-mentioned shape in which it is fitted from both sides, the connector 6 may also be one in which multiple insertion holes are provided in the flange 8 and the flange 8 is connected and fixed to these insertion holes with bolts, nuts, etc.

[0022] A groove 8a is formed on each side of the approximately square flange 8, facing parallel to the straight pipe line 1a, and protruding pieces 8b, which are convex portions, are formed on both sides of the groove 8a.Furthermore, two pin holes 8c, which have the function of positioning and preventing slipping out, are formed on each side of the flange 8 and fit into the pin 6f of the connector 6.

[0023] The seal ring 7 is a thick, annular elastic body that is inserted between the recesses 9 at the joints between the members 1 to 5, and serves to prevent water leakage from the joints between the members 1 to 5. The seal ring 7 does not have to be a separate component, but may be attached to one side of the members 1 to 5 to be joined.

[0024] To connect the components 1 to 5 together, a pair of connectors 6 is used on both sides of a single overlapping portion 8d where the flanges 8 are overlapped, with a seal ring 7 interposed between the recesses 9, and the overlapping portion 8d is fitted into the connectors 6 to connect them. In other words, by pushing the pair of connectors 6 into the overlapping portion 8d from both sides to connect them, the connecting portion, which is the overlapping portion 8d, is sandwiched between the clamping pieces 6a, 6a, and the central connecting piece 6c, which is the fitting portion, fits into the groove portion 8a, and the two protruding pieces 8b fit into the window portion 6e.

[0025] Furthermore, two pins 6f are fitted into pin holes 8c, so that the connector 6 is accurately positioned on the flange 8 and the connector 6 is fitted into the flange 8. This prevents the two overlapping flanges 8 from accidentally separating, clarifies the direction of the connection at 90 degrees, and restricts movement in the rotational direction.

[0026] As described above, the components 1 to 5 can be connected together using the connector 6 by selecting any of the edges around the substantially square flange 8, allowing them to be assembled into a shape that suits the installation environment. However, as shown in Figure 3, by not providing groove 8a on a certain edge of flange 8, the connector 6 cannot fit into this edge, which can limit the selection of connection directions.

[0027] As a modification of the connector 6, the connecting portion connecting the clamping pieces 6a, 6a may be a connecting plate formed by integrating the three connecting pieces 6b, 6c, 6d, rather than by connecting pieces 6b, 6c, 6d. In this case, a fitting portion that fits into the groove 8a of the flange 8 is provided on the inside of the connecting plate.

[0028] Furthermore, instead of fitting the flange 8 with the groove 8a and the fitting portion of the connector 6, a protrusion may be provided on the flange 8 and a recess may be provided on the connector 6, and the fitting may be achieved by these protrusions and recesses.

[0029] For the ultrasonic flowmeter assembled in this way, during calibration and use, a fluid supply pipe 10 and a fluid discharge pipe 11 are connected to the inlet pipe member 4 and the discharge pipe member 5, respectively. To measure the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the measuring pipe member 1, ultrasonic beams are transmitted and received alternately from the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving elements attached to the first and second element mounting members 2 and 3, respectively, so that the ultrasonic beams can be propagated through the fluid in the straight pipe path 1a of the measuring pipe member 1. The principle of measuring the propagation times of the ultrasonic beam on its outward and return paths, measuring the flow velocity from the time difference between these, and determining the flow rate is well known, so further explanation will be omitted.

[0030] In the embodiment, two connectors 6 were used for each connecting portion of members 1 to 5, but three or four connectors may be used as needed by devising the shape of connector 6. Furthermore, a connector 6 was formed for each side portion, but multiple sides can also be connected simultaneously by using a set of connectors 6 connected to two sides by connecting pieces, for example.

[0031] The joint structure according to the present invention is described in such a manner that at least one of the connecting structures is a part of an ultrasonic flowmeter, but it can also be 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 flowmeter.

[0032] In this way, the joint structure of the present invention is used in an ultrasonic flow meter or a flow controller, and when connecting structures equipped with fluid pipelines, it is not necessary to use special connecting jigs, welding work, or rotation work using a screw structure, and it is possible to connect the structures easily and in a space-saving manner. [Explanation of symbols]

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

Claims

1. A joint structure that connects end portions of structures having fluid pipelines and communicates the fluid pipelines, At least one of the structures is provided as part of an ultrasonic flow meter or a flow controller; The structure is disposed at an end thereof so as to surround the fluid conduit, A flange is arranged such that a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline is bilaterally symmetrical and / or vertically symmetrical, The structures are connected to each other using a connector at a connecting portion where the flanges having the same shape are overlapped, The structures are connected to each other by fitting one set of the connectors to one of the connection portions from both sides, The connector is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and a connecting portion that connects the pair of clamping pieces, A groove or a protrusion is formed on the edge of the flange, The connector has a fitting portion or a recess formed therein that fits into the groove portion or the protrusion portion of the flange, The coupling portion is composed of three coupling pieces, A joint structure characterized in that the central connecting piece is the insertion portion.

2. A window portion is formed between the connecting pieces of the connector, Projecting pieces are formed on both sides of the groove, 2. The joint structure according to claim 1, wherein the fitting portion is fitted into the groove, and the protruding piece is fitted into the window at the same time.

3. A joint structure that connects end portions of structures having fluid pipelines and communicates the fluid pipelines, At least one of the structures is provided as part of an ultrasonic flow meter or a flow controller; The structure is disposed at an end thereof so as to surround the fluid conduit, A flange is arranged such that a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the fluid pipeline is bilaterally symmetrical and / or vertically symmetrical, The structures are connected to each other using a connector at a connecting portion where the flanges having the same shape are overlapped, The structures are connected to each other by fitting one set of the connectors to one of the connection portions from both sides, a groove or a protrusion parallel to the central axis of the fluid pipeline is formed on the edge of the flange, A joint structure characterized in that the connecting device is composed of a pair of parallel clamping pieces and a connecting portion that connects the pair of clamping pieces and has an insertion portion or recess formed therein that fits into the groove portion or protrusion portion of the flange.

4. The joint structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a pin is formed on the inside of the clamping piece of the connecting device, and a pin hole into which the pin fits is formed in the flange.

5. The cross section of the flange is generally rectangular, 4. The joint structure according to claim 1, wherein the groove is formed in the center of the side portion that is the edge portion of the flange.

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