JP7228478B2 - Wireless communication water meter and wireless communication unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides a wireless communication water meter equipped with a wireless communication function for communicating with a predetermined communication destination via a communication line such as a mobile network, and an electronic water meter equipped with a wireless communication function. The present invention relates to a wireless communication unit that is detachably attached to the water meter for use as an addition.

A water meter is generally used by being horizontally connected to a portion of a water pipe that is arranged horizontally. 2. Description of the Related Art As a water meter, an electronic water meter is known in which an electronic measurement unit containing electronic components for flow rate measurement is mounted in a meter case. In the electronic water meter, as shown in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-57084), a circuit in which electronic circuit components for flow rate measurement are mounted in the unit case of the electronic measurement unit. A substrate is arranged, and a liquid crystal display is arranged parallel to the circuit board on the upper side thereof. The display screen of the liquid crystal display can be viewed from above through a display window defined by transparent glass formed on the upper end surface of the unit case. The display window is covered by an opening/closing lid attached to the upper end of the unit case.

On the other hand, as a meter reading system for an electronic water meter, an automatic meter reading system that performs meter reading by wireless communication is known. In the automatic meter-reading system, the meter-reading data of each water meter is collected at a meter-reading center terminal via a PHS, a general subscriber telephone line, an IP network, a CATV network, or the like. For this purpose, each water meter is equipped with a wireless communication function. For example, in recent years, data communication modules that can operate on batteries for a long period of time are on the market. It is conceivable to construct a system for automatically reading water meters using such a communication module, for example, a communication module such as an SMS compatible data communication SIM provided by MVO or MVNO. If a water meter is equipped with a communication module, the state becomes equivalent to when a mobile phone is built into each water meter, so an automatic meter reading system using various services provided by MVO and MVNO can be constructed.

JP-A-2003-57084

Here, when a wireless communication function is installed in an electronic water meter, a communication board for wireless communication, a battery, an antenna, and other wireless communication parts must be installed in the electronic measurement unit. In order to secure installation space for these components, it is necessary to increase the size of the electronic metering unit with wireless communication function that attaches to the water meter. As a result, a water meter equipped with an electronic measuring unit equipped with a wireless communication function has increased vertical, front, rear, left, and right dimensions. A water meter equipped with a wireless communication function is difficult to connect to a water pipe that does not fit in a standard size water meter box due to the large electronic measurement unit. problems such as becoming difficult to carry, deterioration of appearance quality (design property), and the like. Further, for example, it is sometimes desirable to use a loop antenna that has a high gain and is resistant to noise as an antenna for wireless communication, but it is often difficult to dispose the loop antenna within the unit without causing an increase in size. .

On the other hand, a similar problem arises when adding a wireless communication function to an existing electronic water meter. That is, when a wireless communication unit is externally attached to a water meter equipped with an electronic measuring unit, its vertical, front, rear, left, and right dimensions increase. The wireless communication unit attached to the water meter gets in the way, making it difficult to fit in a standard-sized water meter box, making it difficult to connect the water meter to the water pipes, making it difficult to carry, and making it difficult to carry around. Problems such as deterioration of designability occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication water meter to which a wireless communication function is added in a form that can suppress an increase in size, and a water meter that can be attached to and detached from the water meter in a form that can suppress an increase in size. To provide a wireless communication unit that is attached and used.

The wireless communication water meter of the present invention has a meter case and an electronic unit attached to the meter case. The meter case includes a cylindrical portion extending in the vertical direction of the meter case, an inlet-side water pipe portion extending forward from a portion of the cylindrical portion on the front side of the meter case in the longitudinal direction, and a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion. It has an outlet-side water conduit portion extending rearward from the rear portion of the. The electronic unit consists of a flow measurement unit that measures the flow rate of tap water flowing in the measurement chamber provided inside the cylindrical part, a display that displays the flow rate measured by this flow measurement unit, and wireless communication with the outside. It has a wireless communication unit that performs The wireless communication unit includes a battery, a communication board on which communication electronic components and a communication circuit are mounted, and an antenna.

Also, the electronic unit is divided into two units. Specifically, the electronic unit includes a first unit and a second unit attached to the cylindrical portion of the meter case. The first unit has an upward protrusion that protrudes upward in the vertical direction of the meter when attached to the tubular portion of the meter case. The second unit includes an insertion portion, which is a through-hole, a groove, or a recess in which the upward protrusion is inserted in the vertical direction or a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction when attached to the cylindrical portion of the meter case, and an insertion portion. A surrounding portion surrounds at least a portion of the periphery of the upward protrusion inserted into the housing from a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

The first unit is equipped with at least the flow rate measuring section, and the second unit is equipped with at least the antenna of the wireless communication section. A wiring connects between the first unit and the second unit.

In the present invention, an electronic unit having a wireless communication function is divided into first and second units. The first unit is attached to the cylindrical portion of the meter case with a portion projecting upward, and the second unit is attached to the meter case so as to surround the upward projecting portion of the first unit from the outer peripheral side. .

Compared to the case of attaching a large integrated electronic unit with a wireless communication function to the meter case, the use of the two divided units makes it easier to attach them. In addition, a large space is formed above the inlet-side water conduit portion and the outlet-side water conduit portion in the outer periphery of the upward protrusion of the first unit attached to the tubular portion of the meter case, particularly in the front-to-rear direction. Using this space, the second unit in the electronic unit is arranged. It is possible to suppress an increase in size of a water meter equipped with a wireless communication function, particularly an increase in size in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction.

Here, it is desirable that the second unit has its length dimension and the like set so as to be positioned within the range of the length dimension of the meter case in the front-rear direction. In addition, in the vertical direction, the height dimension (thickness dimension) of the second unit is set so that the whole or at least most of it fits within the range of the projection height dimension of the upwardly projecting portion of the first unit. It is desirable that In this way, the second unit can be wirelessly connected to the water meter by attaching the second unit to the meter case without increasing the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the water meter to which the first unit is attached and without increasing the dimension in the vertical direction of the meter. It can be given a communication function.

In the present invention, the first unit can be a fixed unit preliminarily fixed to the meter case, and the second unit can be a detachable unit detachably attached to the meter case.

With the detachable unit removed, the water meter can be placed in the water meter box and installation work such as connection to the water pipe can be performed. In addition, when the water meter is installed in a place where it is difficult for radio waves for wireless communication to reach, the detachable unit with a built-in antenna can be installed away from the water meter main body side in a place where the reception condition is good. In addition, since the detachable unit is formed with a through hole, groove, or recess functioning as an insertion portion, this portion can be used to hang the detachable unit in a place with good reception conditions, which is convenient. be.

The fixed unit is equipped with a flow rate measuring part and a display like an electronic measurement unit in a general electronic water meter. A display window may be formed, and the display window may be covered with an opening/closing lid. In this case, the surrounding portion of the detachable unit is an annular portion that surrounds the entire periphery of the upward protrusion of the first unit, and the insertion portion of the detachable unit is an annular portion penetrating through the central portion of the annular portion in the vertical direction of the meter. It can be a central hole. With this arrangement, the display window can be viewed by opening and closing the lid from above through the center hole of the annular portion while the detachable unit is attached.

On the other hand, the detachable unit of the present invention can be used as a wireless communication unit detachably attached to the meter case in order to add a wireless communication function to an electronic water meter to which an existing electronic measuring unit is attached. can. Also in this case, the wireless communication unit is attached so as to surround the upward projection of the electronic measurement unit that projects from the cylindrical portion of the meter case. A wireless communication function can be added to an electronic water meter without increasing the size of the existing electronic water meter, especially in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction.

It is a perspective view showing a water meter concerning an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the water meter with the wireless communication unit separated; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the water meter from which the attachment and the wireless communication unit are separated; (a) is a plan view of the water meter, (b) is its side view, and (c) is its end view. Fig. 4(a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the water meter taken along line VV of Fig. 4(a). (a) and (b) are exploded perspective views of the wireless communication unit. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another shape of the wireless communication unit;

An embodiment of an electronic water meter having a wireless communication function to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment shows an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

(overall structure)
1, 2 and 3, an electronic water meter 1 according to the present embodiment includes a meter case 2, an electronic measurement unit 4 fixed to the meter case 2, a meter case 2, and a wireless communication unit 8 detachably attached to the meter case 2 via the attachment 6. A meter main body composed of a meter case 2 and an electronic measuring unit 4 has the same configuration as a known electronic water meter.

An electronic measurement unit 4 (first unit), which is a fixed unit fixed in advance to the meter case 2, and a wireless communication unit 8 (second unit), which is a detachable unit detachably attached to the meter case 2, An electronic unit of the water meter 1 is constructed. The electronic measuring unit 4 and the wireless communication unit 8 are connected by a wiring 9 (illustration of the wiring 9 is omitted in FIG. 3). In other words, the electronic unit is divided into two units.

(Meter case 2)
4 and 5, the meter case 2 is a general JIS standard product. It has an inlet-side water conduit portion 22 extending forward in the direction 2B and an outlet-side water conduit portion 23 extending rearward in the front-rear direction 2B from the cylindrical portion 21 . The cylindrical portion 21 has a diameter larger than that of the inlet side water pipe portion and the outlet side water pipe portions 22 and 23, and the portion protruding upward from the upper end surface of these portions is a small diameter cylindrical portion that is one size smaller than the lower side. 21a. The upper end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 21a forms an opening that opens upward.

As shown in FIG. 5, an inner case 24 is arranged inside the cylindrical portion 21, and the inside thereof serves as a weighing chamber 25. As shown in FIG. An impeller 26 is arranged in the weighing chamber 25 so as to face the vertical direction 2A. The measurement chamber 25 communicates with an inlet-side water conduit 22 a inside the inlet-side water conduit portion 22 and an outlet-side water conduit 23 a inside the outlet-side water conduit portion 23 . The water meter 1 is connected to a horizontal pipe portion of a water pipe (not shown), and the impeller 26 rotates according to the amount of water flowing from the inlet side to the outlet side of the metering chamber 25 . An electronic measuring unit 4 is mounted directly above the weighing chamber 25 .

(Electronic measurement unit 4)
Mainly referring to FIG. 5, description will be made. The electronic measuring unit 4 is fixed to the small-diameter cylindrical portion 21a by a unit-fixing ring 10 screwed onto the outer peripheral portion of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 21a from above. The electronic measuring unit 4 comprises a lower unit portion 41 having a cup shape with a bottom, an upper unit portion 42 attached to the upper end of the lower unit portion 41, and an opening/closing lid 43 attached to the upper end of the upper unit portion 42. ing. The lower unit portion 41 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 21 of the meter case 2, and the upper unit portion 42, except for its lower end portion, protrudes upward from the upper end opening of the unit fixing ring 10. As shown in FIG.

The lower unit portion 41 incorporates a flow rate measurement section 44 that measures the flow rate of tap water flowing through the measurement chamber 25 based on the rotation of the impeller 26 . The upper unit portion 42 incorporates a liquid crystal display 45 for displaying the flow rate and the like to be measured. The flow rate measurement unit 44 includes a main board 46 and a sub-board 47 . A detection circuit including a magnetic sensor (not shown) such as a Hall element is mounted on the sub-board 47 as a detection element. They are opposed to a pair of permanent magnets built into the . A rotating magnetic field of a permanent magnet that rotates with the impeller 26 is detected by a magnetic sensor. The main substrate 46 also includes an arithmetic circuit for calculating the amount of water based on the output of the magnetic sensor, a display control circuit for displaying the calculated amount of water, etc. on the liquid crystal display 45, and the like.

A transparent display window 42a is formed in the upper end portion of the upper unit portion 42, and a display surface of a liquid crystal display 45 is arranged parallel to the rear side of the display window 42a. The display window 42a is covered with an opening/closing lid 43. As shown in FIG. When the opening/closing cover 43 is opened, the display surface can be viewed through the display window 42a. Here, the portion of the upper unit portion 42 and the opening/closing lid 43 that protrude upward from the upper end of the unit fixing ring 10 are the upward protruding portion 40 that protrudes upward from the meter case 2 of the electronic measuring unit 4 .

(Attachment 6)
Mainly referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the attachment 6 used for detachably attaching the wireless communication unit 8 to the meter case 2 will be described. The attachment 6 is, for example, a molded plastic product, and includes an annular top plate 61 of constant thickness and a plurality of engaging plates 62 formed along the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 61 at equal angular intervals. Each engaging plate 62 is a plate having a constant width and a constant length extending in a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 61 . An inwardly projecting engaging claw 63 is formed at the lower end of each engaging plate 62 . The top plate 61 of the attachment 6 has an outer peripheral edge portion formed with engaging ribs 64 projecting slightly outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of each engaging plate 62 .

The unit fixing ring 10 can be inserted from below into the back side portion of the top plate 61 surrounded by the engaging plate 62 of the attachment 6 . Also, the central opening of the top plate 61 is large enough to allow the upward protrusion 40 of the electronic measurement unit 4 to pass therethrough. Therefore, the attachment 6 can be put over the unit fixing ring 10 which is screwed and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 21 of the meter case 2 from above. When the attachment 6 is pushed into the unit fixing ring 10 from above and put thereon, the respective engaging plates 62 are elastically deformed, and the engaging claws 63 at the lower ends of the engaging plates 62, as shown in FIG. It is in a state of being latched from below to the annular lower end edge of the ring 10 . The attachment 6 can be attached to the side of the meter case 2 by one-touch operation.

(Wireless communication unit 8)
3 and 5, the wireless communication unit 8 is configured such that its vertical direction 8A matches the vertical direction 2A of the meter case 2 and its front-back direction 8B matches the front-back direction 2B of the meter case 2. , is attached to the meter case 2 . The wireless communication unit 8 includes an insertion portion into which the upward protrusion 40 of the electronic measuring unit 4 fixed in advance to the meter case 2 can be inserted from below in the vertical direction 2A, and an upward protrusion inserted into the insertion portion. and a surrounding portion surrounding the perimeter of 40 . In this example, the surrounding portion is an annular portion 81 that surrounds the entire periphery of the upward projecting portion 40, and the insertion portion is an annular portion penetrating through the central portion of the annular portion 81 in the vertical direction 8A (thickness direction). It is the central hole 82 . The wireless communication unit 8 also includes a front-rear projection that projects from the annular portion 81 in the front-rear direction of the case. In this example, as the front-rear direction projecting portion, a front projecting portion 83 projecting forward with a constant width and the same thickness as the annular portion 81 is provided from a front portion of the annular portion 81 in the front-rear direction 8B. .

A specific structure of the wireless communication unit 8 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. The wireless communication unit 8, as shown in FIG. 6(a), includes a unit case 91 and a wireless communication section mounted therein. The wireless communication unit includes a plurality of batteries 92, communication electronic components, a communication board 93 on which a communication circuit is mounted, and an antenna 94 for wireless communication. The unit case 91 is composed of an upper case 91a and a lower case 91b. The upper case 91a and the lower case 91b are fixed to each other by a plurality of fastening screws 96 with sealing materials 95a and 95b sandwiched between their outer and inner peripheral edges, respectively.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 6(a), the portion of the unit case 91 forming the annular portion 81 serves as a battery storage portion, and a plurality of batteries 92 (four in the figure) are stored here. batteries) are arranged in the circumferential direction along the annular portion 81 . Wireless communication components including a communication board 93 and an antenna 94 are arranged inside the portion of the unit case 91 forming the forward projecting portion 83 .

Here, as can be seen from FIG. 5, the inner peripheral surface portion forming the annular center hole 82 in the unit case 91 has an engaging annular portion 95 extending downward at the portion on the lower surface side in the vertical direction. is formed. An engaging claw 97 protruding inward is formed on the lower edge of the engaging annular portion 95 . The inner diameter of the engaging annular portion 95 is set to a size that allows the top plate 61 of the attachment 6 to be fitted from below.

Description will be made with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. FIG. The annular center hole 82 of the wireless communication unit 8 is positioned from above with respect to the upward protrusion 40 of the electronic measurement unit 4 protruding from the meter case 2 . In this state, the wireless communication unit 8 is pushed into the attachment 6 attached to the meter case 2. - 特許庁The engaging claw 97 of the engaging annular portion 95 of the wireless communication unit 8 climbs over the engaging rib 64 formed on the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 61 of the attachment 6, and as shown in FIG. , the engaging rib 64 is hooked. A wireless communication unit 8 is attached to the meter case 2 via an attachment 6 . When the radio communication unit 8 is lifted upward with a force greater than a predetermined force, the engaging claw 97 is elastically deformed and disengaged from the engaging rib 64, and the radio communication unit 8 is removed from the meter case 2 side. The wireless communication unit 8 can be attached and detached with a one-touch operation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the wireless communication unit 8 is arranged to fit within the range of the length dimension of the meter case 2 in the front-rear direction 2B of the meter case 2 when attached to the meter case 2. The length dimension and the like in the front-rear direction 8B are set. In addition, in the vertical direction 2A of the meter case 2, the wireless communication unit 8 has a height dimension (thickness dimensions) are set.

A wireless communication unit 8 is arranged using a space surrounding an upward projecting portion 40 projecting upward from the meter case 2 in the electronic measuring unit 4 . Even if the wireless communication unit 8 is attached to the meter case 2, the height dimension and the length dimension in the front-rear direction hardly increase. Furthermore, in the width direction 2C perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the annular portion 81 of the wireless communication unit 8 projects slightly to both sides of the cylindrical portion 21 of the meter case 2 . The dimension in the width direction 8C of the wireless communication unit 8 is shorter than the length dimension in the front-rear direction 8B in which the forward projecting portion 83 is formed. Therefore, when attached to the meter case 2, it is possible to suppress an increase in the dimension of the water meter 1 in the width direction.

When the wireless communication unit 8 is attached to the meter case 2 , the opening/closing lid 43 can be opened and closed from above in the vertical direction 2A through the annular center hole 82 . Further, when the opening/closing cover 43 is opened, the display surface of the liquid crystal display 45 can be viewed through the display window 42a. Therefore, it is not necessary to remove the wireless communication unit 8 in operations such as meter reading.

In this example, the wireless communication unit 8 is detachably attached to the meter case 2 via the attachment 6 . In the work of connecting the water meter 1 to the water pipe in the water meter box, if the wireless communication unit 8 interferes with the connection work, remove it from the meter case 2 and perform the work. is attached to the meter case 2.

In addition, when the water meter 1 is installed underground or the like, the reception condition of the wireless communication unit 8 may be poor. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication unit 8 can be removed from the meter case 2 and installed at a location with good reception sensitivity. In this case, the center hole 82 of the annular portion of the wireless communication unit 8 can be used to hang it on a wall or the like at the installation location, which is convenient.

Here, it may be desirable to use a loop antenna that has a high gain and is resistant to noise as the wireless communication antenna 94 incorporated in the wireless communication unit 8 of this embodiment. FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view showing a wireless communication unit 810 having a loop antenna 94A as the antenna 94. FIG. Since the wireless communication unit 810 is basically the same as the wireless communication unit 8 except for the loop antenna 94A, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In the wireless communication unit 810, the annular portion 81 can be used as a storage portion for the loop antenna 94A.

(Other embodiments)
The wireless communication unit 8 of the water meter 1 described above incorporates a battery, a communication board, and an antenna that constitute a wireless communication section so that it can be used to add a wireless communication function to an existing electronic water meter. ing.

When manufacturing a new water meter 1 equipped with a wireless communication function, parts to be mounted on each of the electronic measurement unit 4 fixed to the meter case 2 and the wireless communication unit 8 detachably attached to the meter case 2 can be properly separated. For example, the electronic measurement unit 4 (fixed unit, which is the first unit) may be equipped with a battery for wireless communication and a communication board, and the wireless communication unit 8 (detachable unit, which is the second unit) may be equipped with an antenna. can be done. Alternatively, one of the battery and the communication board can be mounted on the electronic measurement unit 4, and the antenna and the other of the battery and the communication board can be mounted on the wireless communication unit 8 side.

Also, for example, if sufficient space for installing components can be secured for the wireless communication unit 8, the liquid crystal display mounted on the electronic measurement unit 4 can be used in addition to the battery, communication board, and antenna for wireless communication. It can also be installed.

The water meter 1 described above uses an attachment 6 that is a separate member in order to attach the wireless communication unit 8 to the meter case 2 . It is also possible to directly attach the wireless communication unit 8 to the meter case 2 without using the attachment 6 . In this case, for example, the lower case of the wireless communication unit 8 may be integrally formed with an engaging claw that can be engaged with the lower edge of the unit fixing ring of the meter case 2 .

Next, the wireless communication unit 8 is provided with an annular portion 81 that surrounds the entire circumference of the upward projecting portion 40 of the electronic measuring unit 4 . For example, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the wireless communication unit 8 is formed with a U-shaped surrounding portion 81(1) that opens forward, and an insertion portion 82(1) is formed at the center of the enclosing portion 81(1). can be used. The upward protruding portion 40 of the electronic measurement unit 4 can be inserted from below or from the front-rear direction into the through groove as the insertion portion 82(1). The shape of the surrounding portion surrounding the upward projecting portion 40 is not limited to an annular shape or a U-shape. Also, the mounting direction of the wireless communication unit 8 with respect to the meter case 2 may be any direction other than upward or forward. For example, as the wireless communication unit 8, a wireless communication unit 830 having a shape shown in FIG. 7(b) can be used. The wireless communication unit 830 has a symmetrical shape in front, back, left, right, and up and down, and the wireless communication unit 8 can be attached regardless of the front, back, left, right, and up and down directions.

1 Water meter 2 Meter case 2A Vertical direction 2B Front-back direction 2C Width direction 4 Electronic measurement unit 6 Attachment 8 Wireless communication unit 8A Vertical direction 8B Front-back direction 8C Width direction 9 Wiring 10 Unit fixing ring 21 Cylindrical portion 21a Small diameter cylindrical portion 22 Inlet-side water passage 22a Inlet-side water passage 23 Outlet-side water passage 23a Outlet-side water passage 24 Inner case 25 Measuring chamber 26 Impeller 40 Upper projecting portion 41 Lower unit portion 42 Upper unit portion 42a Display window 43 Open/close lid 44 Flow rate Measuring unit 45 Liquid crystal display 46 Main substrate 47 Sub substrate 61 Top plate 62 Engagement plate 63 Engagement claw 64 Engagement rib 81 Annular portion 82 Annular portion center hole 83 Forward protrusion 91 Unit case 91a Upper case 91b Lower case 92 Battery 93 Communication board 94 Antenna 94A Loop antenna 95 Engaging annular portions 95a, 95b Sealing material 96 Screws 97 Engaging claws 810, 820, 830 Wireless communication unit

Claims (8)

It has a meter case and an electronic unit attached to the meter case,
The meter case includes a tubular portion extending in the vertical direction of the meter case, an inlet-side water pipe portion extending forward from a portion of the tubular portion on the front side of the meter case in the front-rear direction, and the tubular portion. has an outlet-side water conduit portion extending rearward from the rear portion in the front-rear direction of the
The electronic unit includes a flow rate measurement section that measures the flow rate of tap water flowing through a measurement chamber provided inside the cylindrical section, a display that displays the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement section, and a wireless communication with the outside. Equipped with a wireless communication unit for communication,
The wireless communication unit includes a battery, a communication board on which communication electronic components and a communication circuit are mounted, and an antenna,
The electronic unit includes a fixed unit fixed to the cylindrical portion of the meter case and a detachable unit detachably attached to the cylindrical portion ,
The fixing unit has an upward projecting portion projecting upward in the vertical direction from the cylindrical portion of the meter case,
The detachable unit includes an insertion portion into which the upward protrusion is inserted from the vertical direction, an annular portion that surrounds the entire circumference of the upward protrusion inserted into the insertion portion in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction , and a front-rear direction projecting portion projecting in the front-rear direction from the annular portion ;
The fixed unit is equipped with the flow rate measurement unit and the indicator ,
The detachable unit is equipped with the wireless communication unit,
The wireless communication unit houses the antenna, the battery, and the communication board ,
The fixed unit and the detachable unit are connected by wiring,
The indicator is mounted inside the upward projecting portion of the fixing unit,
A display window through which a display surface of the display device can be viewed and an opening/closing lid covering the display window are arranged at the upper end portion of the upward protrusion,
the inserting portion of the detachable unit is an annular portion center hole penetrating the central portion of the annular portion in the vertical direction;
The open/close lid can be opened and closed and the display window can be visually observed from above in the vertical direction through the center hole of the annular portion,
The front-rear direction projecting portion is selected from a forward projecting portion projecting forward from a front portion of the annular portion in the front-rear direction, and a rear projecting portion projecting rearward from a rear portion of the annular portion in the front-rear direction. at least one
The annular portion is a storage portion for the battery,
The forward-backward projecting portion is a storage portion for the communication board,
The wireless communication water meter , wherein the annular portion or the front-rear direction projecting portion is a housing portion for the antenna . the antenna is a loop antenna,
2. The wireless communication water meter according to claim 1, wherein the annular portion is a storage portion for the loop antenna . The detachable unit is positioned within the length dimension of the meter case in the front-rear direction,
2. The wireless communication water meter according to claim 1, wherein said detachable unit is positioned within a range of the projection height dimension of said upward projection in said vertical direction. an attachment for detachably attaching the detachable unit to the meter case,
The attachment is detachably attached to the cylindrical portion of the meter case ,
2. The wireless communication water meter according to claim 1, wherein said detachable unit is detachably attached to said attachment attached to said cylindrical portion . A unit fixing ring is screwed and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion of the meter case from above in the vertical direction, and the fixing unit is fixed to the cylindrical portion by the unit fixing ring. is fixed to
The attachment is
a ring-shaped portion attached to the upper end surface of the unit fixing ring from above in the vertical direction and surrounding the entire circumference of the upward projecting portion of the fixing unit;
a plurality of leg portions formed at predetermined angular intervals along the outer peripheral edge of the ring-shaped portion and extending downward in the vertical direction;
an attachment-side hook formed at the lower end of the leg portion and capable of being engaged with the lower end surface of the unit fixing ring from below in the vertical direction;
a ring-shaped rib protruding outward from the outer peripheral edge of the ring-shaped portion;
and
A unit side that can be engaged from the lower side in the vertical direction with respect to the ring-shaped rib in a state surrounding the center hole of the annular portion is provided in the lower portion of the annular portion of the detachable unit in the vertical direction. 5. The wireless communication water meter of claim 4, wherein hooks are formed . A wireless communication unit for use by being detachably attached to a water meter,
The water meter has a meter case and an electronic measurement unit attached to the meter case,
The meter case includes a tubular portion extending in the vertical direction of the meter case, an inlet-side water pipe portion extending forward from a portion of the tubular portion on the front side of the meter case in the front-rear direction, and the tubular portion. has an outlet-side water conduit portion extending rearward from the rear portion in the front-rear direction of the
The electronic measurement unit includes a flow rate measurement unit that measures the flow rate of tap water flowing through a measurement chamber provided inside the cylindrical portion, and a display that displays the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit,
The electronic measurement unit has an upward projecting portion projecting upward in the vertical direction from the cylindrical portion of the meter case,
The indicator is mounted inside the upward protrusion,
A display window through which a display surface of the display device can be viewed and an opening/closing lid covering the display window are arranged at the upper end portion of the upward protrusion,
The wireless communication unit
an insertion portion into which the upward protrusion is inserted from the vertical direction; an annular portion that surrounds the entire periphery of the upward protrusion inserted into the insertion portion from a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction; It has a forward-backward projecting part projecting in the direction,
The wireless communication unit contains a battery, a communication board on which communication electronic components and a communication circuit are mounted, and an antenna,
The insertion portion is an annular portion center hole penetrating the central portion of the annular portion in the vertical direction,
The open/close lid can be opened and closed and the display window can be visually observed from above in the vertical direction through the center hole of the annular portion,
The front-rear direction projecting portion is selected from a forward projecting portion projecting forward from a front portion of the annular portion in the front-rear direction and a rear projecting portion projecting rearward from a rear portion of the annular portion in the front-rear direction. at least one
The annular portion is a storage portion for a battery,
The forward-backward projecting portion is a storage portion for the communication board,
The wireless communication unit, wherein the annular portion or the front-rear direction projecting portion is a housing portion for the antenna . the antenna is a loop antenna,
7. The wireless communication unit according to claim 6, wherein the annular portion is a storage portion for the loop antenna . In the front-rear direction, the length dimension is within the range of the length dimension of the meter case,
7. The wireless communication unit according to claim 6, wherein, in the vertical direction, the thickness dimension is within the range of the projection height dimension of the upward projection of the electronic measuring unit.

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