Integrated Flow Meter Valve Housing for Low-Power Watertight Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating a mechanical valve into advanced electronic utility meters, such as water and district heating or cooling meters, is challenging due to power consumption limitations and the need for watertight construction to ensure long-term stability, especially when batteries are used for power supply.
Innovation Solution
A compact integrated flow meter and control valve design featuring a watertight meter housing with a compartment for both the metering unit and electrical valve actuator, a self-contained power supply, and wireless communication, where the housing and flow tube are formed as a monolithic component using injection molding or casting, allowing for automated production and reduced size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mechanical valve is integrated into an advanced electronic utility meter, then the device provides combined flow measurement and control functions in a single unit, but power consumption increases due to the electrical valve actuator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the meter housing and valve actuator housing into a single integrated unit, merging the flow measurement and valve control functions into one device. This integration allows shared power supply and control electronics, reducing overall power consumption compared to separate devices while providing combined functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical valve actuator is integrated into the meter housing, creating a multi-functional device that performs both flow measurement and valve control. The control module can independently manage metering and valve operations, enabling the single device to fulfill multiple utility management functions.
2Volume of moving object
If a mechanical valve is integrated into a utility meter, then installation space requirements are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to integration of multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The meter housing and valve actuator housing are merged into a single integrated structure, eliminating the need for separate installations. The unified housing contains both the metering unit and valve actuator components, reducing installation space while managing complexity through integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated housing is designed with separable access points - a first opening for the metering unit and a second opening for the valve actuator. This segmentation allows independent access and maintenance of each component while maintaining the overall integrated structure, managing complexity through modular accessibility.
3Reliability
If the meter housing is made watertight to ensure long-term stability, then protection against water ingress is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The meter housing and valve actuator housing are formed as a single integrated watertight structure, eliminating potential leakage points at interfaces between separate components. The unified housing provides comprehensive watertight protection while simplifying manufacturing compared to assembling multiple sealed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed with removable covers or access points that can be taken out for maintenance while maintaining the watertight integrity of the main body. This extraction approach allows access to internal components without compromising the overall watertight protection, balancing reliability with manufacturability.
4Ease of manufacture
If separate meters and valves are installed, then ease of manufacture and maintenance is improved, but installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate meter and valve installations into a single integrated device, dramatically reducing the installation space required. The combined housing contains both functional units, eliminating the need for adjacent installations while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular component design within the unified structure.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Integrated flow meter and control valve (1) including a flow tube (11); a substantially watertight meter housing (12) providing a compartment (121), extending from the flow tube; a metering unit (139 arranged inside the compartment for measuring the flow of a medium flowing though the flow channel, and an electrical valve actuator (18) arranged inside the compartment and adapted to control a flow control element (19) arranged inside the flow channel, wherein that meter housing is formed as an integrated part of the flow tube with the compartment having a primary opening (124) for insertion of the metering unit and a secondary sealable opening (125) for insertion of the electrical valve actuator.