Gas meter

Abstract

To provide a gas meter with which, even when the place of installation is a narrow spot, it is possible to retrieve and hold measurement information in a gas meter housing or easily mount at least an auxiliary machine terminal to the gas meter housing that is capable of communicating measurement information with the outside.SOLUTION: An auxiliary machine terminal C comprises: a sliding movement block part for blocking the sliding movement of a slide rail L2 relative to a rail receiving part L1 in a sliding movement direction Y while in the state of the slide rail L2 sliding along the rail receiving part L1; and a separation prevention part L1c for preventing the surface of the auxiliary machine terminal C, where the slide rail L2 is disposed, and a side peripheral surface of a gas meter housing 50, where the rail receiving part L1 is disposed, from separating in a direction X in which these surfaces face each other, while in the state of the slide rail L2 and the rail receiving part L1 being in contact with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas meter that includes a gas meter main body that has a communication terminal unit as a communication interface with the outside and that measures the flow rate of gas flowing inside, and an auxiliary equipment terminal that extracts and stores measurement information measured by the gas meter main body, or that can at least communicate the measurement information with the outside. [Background technology]

[0002] Gas meters are known that measure the flow rate of gas flowing inside using an ultrasonic meter or the like, and that display the cumulative flow rate of the measured gas on a display unit provided on the housing.In such a configuration, the cumulative flow rate displayed on the display unit is confirmed through inspection work and is used for billing, etc. On the other hand, gas meters equipped with communication terminals capable of wireless communication and load measuring devices that measure loads, for example, at night to measure demand, are known (see Patent Document 1), and in some cases the communication terminals and load measuring devices are installed outside the gas meter housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-25514 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, when a gas meter that is equipped with a communication terminal and load measuring equipment outside the gas meter housing is replaced at the expiration of its inspection period, the gas meter housing (gas meter body) must be replaced and installed in a small location where it is difficult to secure working space, and then the communication terminal and load measuring equipment must be screwed to the gas meter housing using a connecting jig such as a screwdriver. However, in some cases, gas meters need to be installed in a relatively small area, and after the gas meter housing is connected to the gas pipe, there is a risk that it will not be possible to screw the communication terminal or load measuring device to the gas meter housing using a connecting jig such as a screwdriver.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a gas meter that can easily have an auxiliary equipment terminal attached to the gas meter housing that can extract and store measurement information in the gas meter housing, or at least communicate the measurement information with the outside, even if the installation location is narrow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gas meter to achieve the above purpose is: A gas meter including a gas meter housing having a communication terminal unit as a communication interface with the outside and a built-in gas meter main body that measures the flow rate of gas flowing through the gas meter housing, and an auxiliary equipment terminal that can extract and store measurement information measured by the gas meter housing or at least communicate the measurement information with the outside, characterized by the following configuration: the accessory terminal includes a slide rail extending in a sliding direction along a surface thereof, a rail receiving portion on a side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing, on which the slide rail is slidably moved in contact with the rail receiving portion; a sliding movement prevention portion that prevents the slide rail from sliding in a sliding movement direction relative to the rail receiving portion when the slide rail is slidable along the rail receiving portion; a separation prevention portion that prevents the surface of the auxiliary equipment terminal on which the slide rail is provided and the side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing on which the rail receiving portion is provided from separating in opposing directions when the slide rail and the rail receiving portion are in contact with each other. 、 The sliding movement prevention portion is an abutment portion provided at one end of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, and against either the side peripheral surface on which the rail receiving portion of the gas meter housing is provided or the surface on which the slide rail of the auxiliary equipment terminal is provided; an abutment portion provided at the one end of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, and on the other of the side peripheral surface on which the rail receiving portion of the gas meter housing is provided and the surface on which the slide rail of the auxiliary equipment terminal is provided; When the slide rail and the rail receiving portion are in contact with each other and the abutting portion and the abutted portion are in contact with each other, the side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing on which the rail receiving portion is provided is provided with a stopper member insertion hole provided at the other end of the rail receiving portion, and a stopper member inserted into the stopper member insertion hole. It's at the point.

[0007] According to the above characteristic configuration, by sliding the slide rail along the rail receiving portion, the auxiliary terminal can be slid to any position along the side surface of the gas meter housing, and the sliding movement preventing portion prevents the auxiliary terminal from sliding in the sliding movement direction, and the separation preventing portion prevents the surface of the auxiliary terminal and the side surface of the gas meter housing from separating in opposing directions when the slide rail and the rail receiving portion are in contact.Therefore, with the simple operation of sliding the slide rail along the rail receiving portion, the auxiliary terminal can be properly attached to a predetermined position relative to the gas meter housing. As a result, even if the installation location is small, a gas meter can be realized in which an auxiliary equipment terminal that can extract and store measurement information from the gas meter housing or at least communicate the measurement information with the outside can be easily attached to the gas meter housing. In the present invention, the side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing refers to the surface excluding the top surface of the gas meter housing in the installed state, and is a concept including the front, side, rear, and bottom surfaces.

[0009] Also, According to the above characteristic configuration, while the slide rail slides relative to the rail receiving portion, the abutting portion abuts against the abutting portion provided on one end side of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, thereby positioning the gas meter housing and the auxiliary equipment terminal, and when in this positioned state, by inserting the anti-pullout member into the anti-pullout member insertion hole at the other end side of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, the gas meter housing and the auxiliary equipment terminal can be prevented from coming off while positioned, thereby achieving proper installation.

[0010] Further characteristic configurations of the gas meter include: The slide rails and the rail receiving portions are provided in pairs, In the slidable state of the slide rail and the rail receiving portion, either a first rail configuration in which a pair of the rail receiving portions is provided between a pair of the slide rails, or a second rail configuration in which a pair of the slide rails is provided between a pair of the rail receiving portions, is adopted.

[0011] According to the above characteristic configuration, when the slide rails and rail receiving portions are in a slidable state, the gas meter housing and the auxiliary terminal can be configured not to separate from each other at least in a direction perpendicular to the pair of slide rails, thereby improving the positioning stability of the auxiliary terminal relative to the gas meter housing when installed.

[0012] A further characteristic configuration of the gas meter is that the sliding movement prevention portion is The locking mechanism is configured by a locking claw provided on one of the sliding surfaces of the slide rail and the rail receiving portion, and an engagement hole provided on the other of the sliding surfaces, with which the locking claw can be engaged.

[0013] According to the above characteristic configuration, one of the locking claws serving as the sliding movement prevention part and the engagement hole with which the locking claw can engage is provided on one of the sliding surfaces between the slide rail and the rail receiving part, and the other is provided on the other of the sliding surfaces between the slide rail and the rail receiving part. This makes it difficult for the sliding movement prevention part to be operated from the outside when installed, and prevents tampering such as removing the auxiliary terminal from the gas meter.

[0014] Further characteristic configurations of the gas meter include: The auxiliary equipment terminal is at least one of a load measuring device that extracts and stores data necessary for a demand contract, including all-day usage, maximum usage, and nighttime usage, as the measurement information from the gas meter main body, or a communication terminal that can communicate the measurement information from the gas meter main body with the outside.

[0015] According to the above characteristic configuration, a load measuring device or a communication terminal that needs to extract or transmit information to the outside can be installed outside the gas meter housing, which is often made of metal, and since it is possible to extract or transmit information to the outside even with a signal of relatively weak strength, it is possible to reduce power consumption and improve the life of batteries, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gas meter in a state where a communication terminal is attached to the gas meter housing. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gas meter with the communication terminal removed from the gas meter housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the gas meter with the communication terminal attached to the gas meter housing. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the gas meter with the communication terminal attached to the gas meter housing. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a network formed by communication terminals of gas meters. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A gas meter according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a gas meter that can easily have a communication terminal attached to the gas meter housing that can extract and store measurement information from the gas meter housing or at least communicate the measurement information with the outside, even if the installation location is small. The gas meter 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gas meter 100 has a meter inlet 11 connected to a gas pipe outlet end (not shown) connected to a gas supply source, and a meter outlet 12 connected to a gas pipe inlet end (not shown) connected to a gas supply destination where a gas consumption unit is located.The gas meter 100 also has an ultrasonic flow meter (not shown) inside the gas meter housing 50 as a gas meter main body 60 (shown in Figure 5) that measures the flow rate of gas (e.g., city gas 13A) that flows into the interior from the meter inlet 11. Furthermore, the gas meter housing 50 is configured to have, on its front surface 50c, a display unit 14 that displays the flow rate measured by the gas meter main body 60, a shut-off switch 13 for emergency shut-off of a shut-off valve (not shown) that blocks the gas flow path through which gas flows, and a communication terminal unit 15 for exchanging various information such as the gas flow rate measured by the gas meter main body 60.

[0019] The gas meter 100 according to this embodiment includes a communication terminal C as an auxiliary terminal that is capable of communicating the measurement status of the gas meter main body 60 with the outside, and as shown in particular in Figures 3 and 4, the communication terminal C is connected to the communication terminal unit 15 by a connection wire S in a state where it is attached to the gas meter housing 50. In this embodiment, the connection wire S is connected to a terminal block (not shown) of the communication terminal unit 15 via an opening 16 formed in the lower end of the communication terminal unit 15.

[0020] 5, the communication terminal C is a multi-stage medium-diameter radio device, and is made of an appropriate resin member or the like so that its outer surface has substantially the same appearance (color, gloss, texture, etc.) as the outer surface of the gas meter housing 50. In addition, the outer surface may be painted appropriately so that it has substantially the same appearance as the outer surface of the gas meter housing 50. The communication terminal C is connected to the communication terminal unit 15 via a connection line S, and is configured to be able to receive various information acquired by the ultrasonic flowmeter (gas meter main body 60).Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication terminal C is equipped with an antenna C1 for transmitting and receiving signals, a wireless unit C2 consisting of a transmitting unit C2a that modulates and amplifies the radio waves to be transmitted and a receiving unit C2b that amplifies and demodulates the received radio waves, a control unit C3 that controls the transmission and reception of various signals from the wireless unit C2 and performs various controls using various programs, setting values, etc. stored in the memory unit C4, and a communication interface C5 for communicating with the gas meter main body 60.

[0021] Furthermore, the communication terminal C is a multi-stage medium-diameter radio device, as shown in Fig. 6, and functions as a wireless automatic meter reading system. The multiple communication terminals C installed at each consumer are connected to each other by a multi-stage relay radio, and at least one of the multiple communication terminals C connected in this way has a gateway radio function in addition to a multi-stage relay radio function. The communication terminal Cx having the gateway wireless function not only communicates with other communication terminals C by using the multi-stage relay wireless function, but also has a wide-area wireless function and is configured to be able to communicate with the communication center TS via the network line N as a wide-area communication line. This realizes a wireless automatic meter reading system.

[0022] In such an automatic wireless meter reading system, for example, when the communication center TS requests information about the amount of gas used by each consumer, the information about the amount of gas used, etc. is transmitted as a signal from the communication terminal C of each gas meter 100. Also, in the automatic wireless meter reading system, the communication terminals C of the gas meters 100 of each consumer are connected to each other only by wireless communication, which makes the wiring work for communication extremely easy.

[0023] Now, the gas meter 100 may need to be connected to a gas pipe in a relatively narrow location. Even in such a case, the gas meter 100 has the following configuration to easily connect the communication terminal C to the gas meter housing 50. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gas meter 100 has a communication terminal C equipped with a slide rail L2 extending in a sliding direction along the surface (direction along arrow Y), a rail receiving portion L1 on the side surface of the gas meter housing 50 that allows the slide rail L2 to slide freely when in contact with the slide rail L2, a sliding movement preventing portion that prevents the slide rail L2 from sliding in the sliding movement direction (direction along arrow Y) relative to the rail receiving portion L1 when the slide rail L2 is in a state where it can slide along the rail receiving portion L1, and a separation preventing portion that prevents the surface of the communication terminal C on which the slide rail L2 is provided and the side surface of the gas meter housing 50 on which the rail receiving portion L1 is provided from separating in opposing directions (direction along arrow X) when the slide rail L2 and the rail receiving portion L1 are in contact with each other. The side peripheral surfaces of the gas meter housing 50 refer to the surfaces excluding the top surface of the gas meter housing 50 in the installed state, and are a concept including the front, side, rear, and bottom surfaces, and in this embodiment, refer to the side surfaces of the gas meter housing 50. In this embodiment, the gas meter housing 50 is assumed to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the gas meter housing 50 is assumed to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0024] In this embodiment, the slide rail L2 and the rail receiving portion L1 are installed with their sliding direction (direction along arrow Y) aligned horizontally, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the slide rail L2 consists of a first slide rail L2a and a second slide rail L2b that are parallel to each other, while the rail receiving portion L1 consists of a first rail receiving portion L1a and a second rail receiving portion L1b that are parallel to each other. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in an accepted state in which the first rail receiving portion L1a accepts the first slide rail L2a and the second rail receiving portion L1b accepts the second slide rail L2b, both the first slide rail L2a and the second slide rail L2b are positioned between the first rail receiving portion L1a and the second rail receiving portion L1b (an example of a second rail configuration). With this configuration, in the accepted state, the communication terminal C is positioned relative to the gas meter housing 50 in a direction perpendicular to both the first rail receiving portion L1a and the second rail receiving portion L1b (direction along arrow Z), and in a direction perpendicular to both the first slide rail L2a and the second slide rail L2b (direction along arrow Z).

[0025] Furthermore, the gas meter 100 has the following configuration as a sliding movement prevention unit that prohibits sliding movement in the sliding direction (direction along the arrow Y) in the above-described received state. The sliding movement prevention portion includes an abutment portion T1 provided at one end of the rail receiving portion L1 and the slide rail L2 and against the side surface on which the rail receiving portion L1 of the gas meter housing 50 is provided, an abutted portion T2 provided at one end of the rail receiving portion L1 and the slide rail L2 and on the surface on which the slide rail L2 of the communication terminal C is provided, and a pull-out prevention member insertion hole K1 provided at the other end of the rail receiving portion L1 on the side surface of the gas meter housing 50 on which the rail receiving portion L1 is provided when the slide rail L2 and the rail receiving portion L1 are in contact and the abutment portion T1 and the abutted portion T2 are in contact. In other words, when the slide rail L2 is received in the rail receiving portion L1, if the abutted portion T2 abuts against the abutting portion T1 and the anti-pullout member B1 is inserted into the anti-pullout member insertion hole K1, movement of the slide rail L2 in the sliding direction relative to the rail receiving portion L1 is prohibited, and the communication terminal C is positioned in the sliding direction relative to the gas meter housing 50. Furthermore, the separation prevention portion is configured with a guide rail L1c that extends along the rail receiving portion L1 and is provided so as to overlap the slide rail L2 in a side view in the attached state.

[0026] Regarding the sizes of the gas meter housing 50 and the communication terminal C, as shown in FIG. 3, in the mounted state, the length α2 of the communication terminal C is shorter than the length α1 of the gas meter housing 50 in the vertical direction (the direction along the arrow Z), and the top surface Ca of the communication terminal C is set lower than the top surface 50a of the gas meter housing 50, and the bottom surface Cb of the communication terminal C is set higher than the bottom surface 50b of the gas meter housing 50. Furthermore, with regard to the sizes of the gas meter housing 50 and the communication terminal C, as shown in FIG. 4, in the mounted state, the length α4 of the communication terminal C is shorter than the length α3 of the gas meter housing 50 in the front-to-back direction (the direction along the arrow Y), and the front surface Cc of the communication terminal C is located rearward of the front surface 50c of the gas meter housing 50, and the rear surface Cd of the communication terminal C is located forward of the rear surface 50d of the gas meter housing 50. These configurations improve the aesthetic appearance of the entire gas meter 100 in the installed state, and also improve the stability of placement on a placement surface (not shown).

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the gas meter housing 50 has four legs 21 provided near the four corners of its rectangular bottom surface 50b, and the length α6 of the legs 21 in the vertical direction (the direction along arrow Z) is configured to be larger than the outer diameter α5 of the connection wire S, and the connection wire S is affixed to the bottom surface 50b of the gas meter housing 50 with sealing tape 22.

[0028] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the gas meter 100 is configured as an ultrasonic flow meter, but it may be configured as a membrane meter.

[0029] (2) In the above embodiment, the auxiliary equipment terminal is an example of a communication terminal C, but it can also be a load measuring device that extracts and stores data necessary for a demand contract, including all-day usage, maximum usage, and nighttime usage, as measurement information from the gas meter main body 60. Furthermore, both the communication terminal C and the load measuring device may be provided as the auxiliary equipment terminal.

[0030] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was given of a configuration in which, in a receiving state in which the first rail receiving portion L1a receives the first slide rail L2a and the second rail receiving portion L1b receives the second slide rail L2b, both the first slide rail L2a and the second slide rail L2b are provided between the first rail receiving portion L1a and the second rail receiving portion L1b. As another configuration, a first rail configuration can be adopted in which, in the received state, both the first rail receiving portion L1a and the second rail receiving portion L1b are provided between the first slide rail L2a and the second slide rail L2b, and positioning can be performed in a direction perpendicular to both the first rail receiving portion L1a and the second rail receiving portion L1b (direction along arrow Z), and in a direction perpendicular to both the first slide rail L2a and the second slide rail L2b (direction along arrow Z). The sliding direction is not limited to the front-rear direction (direction along arrow Y), but may be the vertical direction (direction along arrow Z) or the left-right direction (direction along arrow X).

[0031] (4) Although not shown in the drawings, in the above embodiment, the sliding prevention portion may be configured to include a locking claw provided on one of the sliding surfaces between the slide rail L2 and the rail receiving portion L1, and an engagement hole provided on the other sliding surface with which the locking claw can engage. By employing this configuration, when the gas meter housing 50 and the communication terminal C are attached to each other, the sliding prevention portion is provided at a position that cannot be seen from the outside, thereby preventing tampering and the like.

[0032] (5) As a sliding movement prevention section, although not shown in the figure, a configuration may be adopted in which a locking claw is provided at the other end of the first rail receiving portion L1a to lock onto the end of the first slide rail L2a in the received state, and a locking claw is provided at the other end of the second rail receiving portion L2a to lock onto the end of the second slide rail L2b in the received state.

[0033] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradictions arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] The gas meter of the present invention can be effectively used as a gas meter in which an auxiliary equipment terminal that can extract and store measurement information in the gas meter housing or at least communicate measurement information with the outside can be easily attached to the gas meter housing, even in a small installation location. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 15: Communication terminal section 50: Gas meter housing 60: Gas meter body 100: Gas meter B1: Anti-slip member C: Communication terminal K1: Anti-slip member insertion hole L1: Rail receiving part L1a: First rail support L1b: Second rail support L2: Slide rail L2a: First slide rail L2b: Second slide rail N: Network line T1: Contact part T2: Abutted part

Claims

1. A gas meter including a gas meter housing having a communication terminal unit as a communication interface with the outside and a built-in gas meter main body that measures the flow rate of gas flowing through the gas meter housing, and an auxiliary equipment terminal that can extract and store measurement information measured by the gas meter housing or at least communicate the measurement information with the outside, the accessory terminal includes a slide rail extending in a sliding direction along a surface thereof, a rail receiving portion on a side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing, on which the slide rail is slidably moved in contact with the rail receiving portion; a sliding movement prevention portion that prevents the slide rail from sliding in a sliding movement direction relative to the rail receiving portion when the slide rail is slidable along the rail receiving portion; a separation prevention portion that prevents the surface of the auxiliary equipment terminal on which the slide rail is provided and the side peripheral surface of the gas meter housing on which the rail receiving portion is provided from separating in opposing directions when the slide rail and the rail receiving portion are in contact with each other, The sliding movement prevention portion is an abutment portion provided at one end of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, and against either the side peripheral surface on which the rail receiving portion of the gas meter housing is provided or the surface on which the slide rail of the auxiliary equipment terminal is provided; an abutment portion provided at the one end of the rail receiving portion and the slide rail, and on the other of the side peripheral surface on which the rail receiving portion of the gas meter housing is provided and the surface on which the slide rail of the auxiliary equipment terminal is provided; A gas meter configured such that, when the slide rail and the rail receiving portion are in contact and the abutting portion and the abutted portion are in abutment with each other, the gas meter is configured with a pull-out prevention member insertion hole provided at the other end of the rail receiving portion on the side surface of the gas meter housing on which the rail receiving portion is provided, and a pull-out prevention member inserted into the pull-out prevention member insertion hole.

2. The slide rails and the rail receiving portions are provided in pairs, 2. The gas meter according to claim 1, wherein, in the slidable state of the slide rail and the rail receiving portion, the gas meter has either a first rail configuration in which a pair of the rail receiving portions is provided between the pair of the slide rails, or a second rail configuration in which a pair of the slide rails is provided between the pair of the rail receiving portions.

3. The sliding movement prevention portion is 2. The gas meter according to claim 1, further comprising: a locking claw provided on one of the sliding surfaces of the slide rail and the rail receiving portion; and an engagement hole provided on the other sliding surface, into which the locking claw can be engaged.

4. The gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary equipment terminal is at least one of a load measuring device that extracts and stores data necessary for a demand contract, including all-day usage, maximum usage, and nighttime usage, as the measurement information from the gas meter main body, and a communication terminal that can communicate the measurement information from the gas meter main body with the outside.

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