Bubble-type Anti-freezing water meter

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a bubble-type anti-freezing water meter, comprising a water meter housing, a water metering device and a bubble storage device, wherein the water metering device comprises an impeller component, an impeller box and an adjusting plate, the impeller box being erected in the water meter housing and being covered with the adjusting plate, and the impeller component being rotatably arranged in the impeller box; and the bubble storage device comprises an impeller cylinder, a pressure-bearing disk and a disk, the pressure-bearing disk being arranged in the water meter housing in a covering manner, the disk being pressed between the pressure-bearing disk and the adjusting plate, a bubble cavity being formed between the pressure-bearing disk and the disk, one end of the impeller cylinder being connected to the impeller component, and the other end of the impeller cylinder passing through the adjusting plate and the disk to extend into the bubble cavity and forming a pressure relief hole with the disk. In the present invention, the bubble cavity where bubbles are located is in communication with a water metering channel by means of the pressure relief hole, wherein under normal operating conditions, it is difficult for a water flow to flow into the cavity where the bubbles are located, and at low temperatures, during the freezing process of water, some of the water flow is pushed into the bubble cavity, such that the overall pressure on the water meter caused by an expansion volume is reduced, and thus, the water meter cannot crack due to freezing.

Description

A bubble-type antifreeze water meter Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air-filled antifreeze water meter, belonging to the field of water meter technology. Background Technology

[0002] Water meters, used to measure monthly water consumption by households, are important metering instruments. They are typically installed indoors, in stairwells, or in public stairwell shafts, but can also be installed outdoors, such as in underground meter wells, above-ground meter rooms, or on the exterior walls of buildings. For dry-type water meters, as shown in Figure 1, the main components include the meter housing, metering mechanism, and counter. Water meters with remote transmission capabilities usually also include a communication module, integrated with the meter to form an intelligent remote transmission water meter. The metering mechanism of a dry-type water meter typically consists of three main components: a pressure plate, an impeller, and an impeller box. The pressure plate plays a crucial role in bearing pressure. However, when water freezes and expands or the pressure is too high, the meter housing and the pressure plate made of engineering plastics can still crack and cause leaks (the pressure plate is shown in Figure 2).

[0003] To address the issue of water meters easily freezing and cracking below 0°C, a spring-like mechanism is typically installed inside the water meter, as shown in Figure 3 (details can be found in patent CN117949058A). This mechanism utilizes the compression deformation of a pressure plate and an elastic element to eliminate the increased volume due to water expansion after freezing. The elastic element is a hollow rubber bladder. This structure provides anti-freezing protection in the early stages of the water meter's service life. However, over time, with the aging of the rubber material and the chemical effects of water quality, the compression effect of the elastic element diminishes. Simultaneously, water gradually flows into the meter's cavity over time, thus negating its anti-freezing function. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that existing water meters have poor antifreeze properties or are prone to failure of antifreeze function after long-term use.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a bubble-type antifreeze water meter, which has strong antifreeze ability and the antifreeze ability will not decrease or disappear with the use time.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives and effects, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0007] A bubble-type antifreeze water meter includes a water meter housing, within which a water metering device and a bubble storage device are disposed. The water metering device includes an impeller component, an impeller box, and an adjusting plate. The impeller box is mounted inside the water meter housing and covered by the adjusting plate. The impeller component is mounted inside the impeller box. The bubble storage device includes an impeller cylinder, a pressure plate, and a disc. The pressure plate covers the water meter housing, and the disc is pressed between the pressure plate and the adjusting plate. A bubble cavity is formed between the pressure plate and the disc. One end of the impeller cylinder is fixedly connected to the impeller component, and the other end of the impeller cylinder passes through the adjusting plate and the disc, extending into the bubble cavity and forming a pressure relief pore between it and the disc.

[0008] Preferably, the disk is made of a deformable material, and when the disk is compressed, the pressure relief gap increases or decreases with the pressure change.

[0009] Preferably, the pressure plate has a receiving groove for mounting the disc, and an annular stress relief groove is provided on the bottom wall of the receiving groove on one side of the outer wall of the disc, and the inner wall of the annular stress relief groove with the larger diameter side is flush with the inner wall of the receiving groove.

[0010] Preferably, a sealing ring is provided between the pressure plate and the water meter housing.

[0011] The bubble-type antifreeze water meter provided by this invention has the following advantages:

[0012] The bubble-type antifreeze water meter of this invention constructs a bubble cavity within the water meter to store air bubbles. When the water meter is not in operation, this cavity stores air bubbles. During normal operation, due to the combined effects of the deformable disc, the adjustable pressure relief gap between the disc and the impeller cylinder, and the viscosity of the water flow, water inside the meter body is unlikely to flow into the bubble cavity, thus ensuring the water meter will not freeze and crack in low or extremely cold weather. When water freezes, the expansion force compresses the disc, causing it to deform upwards and increase the porosity, allowing water to flow into the bubble cavity. When the ice melts, the expansion force disappears, the disc returns to its original state, the porosity decreases, and water inside the meter body no longer flows into the bubble cavity. In this design, the disc truly acts as a spring, achieving the purpose of antifreeze water meter operation. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an existing dry water meter;

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the existing pressure cover structure;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antifreeze water meter in the prior art;

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a bubble-type antifreeze water meter according to the present invention;

[0017] In the picture:

[0018] 1-Water meter housing; 2-Water meter metering device; 21-Impeller assembly; 22-Impeller box; 23-Adjusting plate; 3-Bubble storage device; 31-Impeller cylinder; 32-Pressure bearing plate; 321-Accommodation groove; 322-Annular pressure relief groove; 33-Disc; 331-Pressure relief orifice; 4-Bubble cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] Referring to Figure 4, a bubble-type antifreeze water meter includes a water meter housing 1. A water meter metering device 2 and a bubble storage device 3 are coaxially installed inside the water meter housing 1. The water meter metering device 2 is used to realize the water consumption metering function, and the bubble storage device 3 can store bubbles inside the water meter to eliminate the squeezing pressure caused by the expansion of water when it freezes.

[0021] The water meter metering device 2 includes an impeller component 21, an impeller box 22, and an adjusting plate 23. The impeller box 22 is mounted inside the water meter housing 1 and covered by the adjusting plate 23. The impeller component 21 is rotated inside the impeller box 22. When water flows through, the flow of water drives the rotation of the impeller component 21, thereby achieving the purpose of metering. The adjusting plate 23 is used to adjust the metering accuracy of the water meter. In this embodiment, the principle and structure of the water meter metering device 2 are existing technologies and will not be described in detail.

[0022] The bubble storage device 3 includes an impeller cylinder 31, a pressure plate 32, and a disc 33. The pressure plate 32 is installed inside the water meter housing 1. The disc 33 is pressed between the pressure plate 32 and the adjusting plate 23. A bubble cavity 4 is formed between the pressure plate 32 and the disc 33. One end of the impeller cylinder 31 is inserted and fixed to the impeller component 21. The other end of the impeller cylinder 31 is coaxially inserted through the adjusting plate 23 and the disc 33 and extends into the bubble cavity 4. A pressure relief hole 331 is formed between the disc 33 and the disc 33. The disc 33 is made of a deformable material, including but not limited to polyurethane. When the disc 33 is pressurized, the pressure relief hole increases or decreases with the pressure change.

[0023] Referring to Figure 4, in a further embodiment, the pressure plate 32 is provided with a receiving groove 321 for mounting the disc 33 to achieve the limiting installation of the disc 33. An annular stress relief groove 322 is coaxially provided on one side of the outer wall of the disc 33 on the bottom wall of the receiving groove 321. The inner wall of the side with the larger diameter of the annular stress relief groove 322 is flush with the inner wall of the receiving groove 321. When the water meter is in use, if the expansion force of the water freezing presses on the disc 33, the middle of the disc 33 is stressed, and the outer wall of the disc 33 is also stressed. After long-term use, due to deformation, a gap is easily generated between the disc 33 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 321, affecting the airtightness. The annular stress relief groove 322 can disperse the pressure on the outer wall of the disc 33 when it is stressed, thereby reducing deformation.

[0024] Furthermore, a sealing ring is embedded in the pressure plate 32 and the water meter housing 1 to improve the sealing of the connection between the water meter metering device 2 and the bubble storage device 3.

[0025] The working principle of the bubble-type antifreeze water meter of the present invention is as follows:

[0026] (1) When the water meter is not installed on the pipeline, there is no water flowing inside the water meter housing 1, the impeller component 21 does not rotate, and the entire inside of the water meter and the bubble cavity 4 is filled with air.

[0027] (2) When the water meter is installed on the pipeline, the entire meter body is filled with water due to the water pressure. The air bubbles in the air bubble storage device 3 cannot be discharged due to the water pressure and will be stored in the air bubble cavity 4. At the same time, the water flow inside the meter body cannot enter the air bubble cavity 4 due to the interaction of water viscosity and water pressure, thus forming a relatively closed air bubble cavity 4;

[0028] (3) In terms of structural design, the disc 33 has the characteristics of being extruded, flexible and deformable, and together with the pressure plate 32 and the impeller cylinder 31, it forms a closed space. The impeller cylinder 31 and the disc 33 maintain a small pore fit to ensure that water cannot seep in.

[0029] (4) When encountering low or extremely cold weather, the water inside the gauge body will freeze. Water freezing is a relatively slow process and it will gradually freeze from the outer surface inward and towards the central area. The expansion force generated by freezing will squeeze the disc 33 to deform upward and bulge, thereby increasing the pressure relief pore 331. At this time, the water inside the gauge body will flow into the bubble cavity 4, thereby eliminating the compression caused by the volume expansion of the water freezing.

[0030] (5) When the temperature rises, the water from the melting ice in the bubble cavity 4 will flow back into the body of the instrument through the pressure relief hole 331 between the disc 33 and the impeller cylinder 31, and the disc 33 will return to its original state.

[0031] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any form or substance. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and additions without departing from the present invention, and these improvements and additions should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, alterations, and equivalent changes made by those skilled in the art based on the above-disclosed technical content without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention are equivalent embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, any modifications, alterations, and evolutions made to the above embodiments based on the essential technology of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bubble-type antifreeze water meter, comprising a water meter housing (1), characterized in that, The water meter housing (1) is equipped with a water meter metering device (2) and an air bubble storage device (3); the water meter metering device (2) includes an impeller component (21), an impeller box (22) and an adjusting plate (23), the impeller box (22) is mounted inside the water meter housing (1) and covered by the adjusting plate (23), and the impeller component (21) is mounted inside the impeller box (22); the air bubble storage device (3) includes an impeller cylinder (31), a pressure plate (32) and a disc (33). The pressure plate (32) is installed inside the water meter housing (1), and the disc (33) is pressed between the pressure plate (32) and the adjusting plate (23). An air bubble cavity (4) is formed between the pressure plate (32) and the disc (33). One end of the impeller cylinder (31) is fixedly connected to the impeller component (21), and the other end of the impeller cylinder (31) passes through the adjusting plate (23) and the disc (33) and extends into the air bubble cavity (4). A pressure relief hole (331) is formed between the impeller cylinder (31) and the disc (33).

2. The bubble-type antifreeze water meter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The disk (33) is made of deformable material. When the disk (33) is under pressure, the pressure relief gap increases or decreases with the pressure change.

3. The bubble-type antifreeze water meter as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The pressure plate (32) is provided with a receiving groove (321) for mounting the disc (33). On the bottom wall of the receiving groove (321), an annular stress relief groove (322) is provided on one side of the outer wall of the disc (33). The inner wall of the annular stress relief groove (322) with a larger diameter is flush with the inner wall of the receiving groove (321).

4. The bubble-type antifreeze water meter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A sealing ring is provided between the pressure plate (32) and the water meter housing (1).

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