JP7572864B2 - Water meter and its cover locking structure - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a water meter in which a rotating lid is locked in a closed position, and the lid locking structure thereof.

In conventional water meters, a locking piece protruding from the top surface locks onto the end of the lid that is far from the pivot shaft, locking the lid in the closed position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-292096 (paragraph [0067], FIG. 1)

However, the locking force used to lock the lid in the closed position varies in the conventional water meters described above, and a solution is needed.

The invention of claim 1, which has been made to solve the above problem, is a water meter lid locking structure that locks a lid that is hinged to the top of a water meter and rotates around a horizontal rotation axis in a closed state covering a meter display on the top surface of the water meter, the water meter comprising: a lid side locking portion and a meter side locking portion that are formed at a position immediately below the rotation axis of the lid in the closed state and at a position immediately below the rotation axis on the top surface of the water meter, and that face each other in the tangent direction of a circle centered on the rotation axis to lock the lid in the closed state; and an elastic deformation portion that supports the lid side locking portion or the meter side locking portion and elastically deforms in response to sliding contact between the lid side locking portion and the meter side locking portion when the lid rotates.

The invention of claim 2 is the lid locking structure of the water meter described in claim 1, in which the elastic deformation portion is formed on the lid and has a beam shape that extends substantially horizontally in the closed state and has the lid side locking portion on its underside.

The invention of claim 3 is the lid locking structure of the water meter described in claim 2, in which the elastic deformation portion is formed by separating a part of the lid into the beam shape by a vertical through hole that penetrates vertically.

The invention of claim 4 is a water meter lid locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a cap-shaped or plate-shaped lid body provided on the lid and overlapping the top surface of the water meter in the closed state, a pair of lid-side connecting parts protruding laterally from the lid body and facing each other in the axial direction of the pivot shaft, a meter-side connecting part protruding from the top surface of the water meter to the side of the lid body and disposed between the pair of lid-side connecting parts, a pair of hinge protrusions protruding in directions approaching each other from the pair of lid-side connecting parts and aligned on the pivot shaft, and a pair of hinge recesses recessed into both side surfaces of the meter-side connecting part to rotatably receive the pair of hinge protrusions, and the lid-side locking part and the elastic deformation part are disposed below one or both of the lid-side connecting parts.

The invention of claim 5 is the water meter lid locking structure of claim 4, in which the meter side connecting portion and the lid side connecting portion protrude upward from the lid main body portion in the closed state and have the pivot shaft at their upper ends.

The invention of claim 6 is a water meter lid locking structure according to claim 4 or 5, in which the meter side connecting part has a pair of guide grooves on both sides thereof that are bent in an L-shape and whose one ends are connected to the lower part of the pair of hinge recesses and whose other ends are open to the outer surface of the meter side connecting part, and a throttle part that connects between each of the guide grooves and each of the hinge recesses and has an opening width smaller than the inner diameter of the hinge recesses, and the pair of hinge protrusions have a structure with flat cut surfaces on the outer circumferential surface of a cylinder, and when the lid main body is in an upright position, the cut surfaces pass through the throttle part in a manner that is approximately parallel to the vertical direction.

The invention of claim 7 is a cover locking structure for a water meter described in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the meter side connection portion is provided with an open position stopper portion that abuts when the cover is rotated 120 to 180 degrees from the closed state.

The invention of claim 8 is a water meter lid locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which a marking section for laser marking identification information of the water meter is provided on the top surface of the water meter at a position covered by the lid in the closed state.

The invention of claim 9 is a water meter having a water meter lid locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

In the configurations of claims 1 and 9, the lid-side locking portion and the meter-side locking portion that engage with each other to lock the lid in the closed state are positioned in a position immediately below the pivot axis of the lid, and since the engagement portion is closer to the pivot axis than in conventional water meter lid locking structures, variation in the locking force is suppressed. In addition, the conventional locking piece that was positioned away from the pivot axis on the top surface of the water meter can be eliminated, and the usable area on the top surface of the water meter is increased accordingly. This makes it possible to make the meter display area wider than before, or to provide a printing area for laser marking on the top surface of the water meter as in the configuration of claim 8.

In the water meter lid locking structure of claim 2, the elastic deformation portion is in the form of a beam extending substantially horizontally, so that when the lid is molded into a molded product, the elastic deformation portion has a non-undercut shape, and can be manufactured more cheaply than conventional products that have locking pieces with an undercut shape. The elastic deformation portion may be in the form of a cantilever beam or a double-supported beam.

Here, the elastic deformation portion may protrude from the outer surface of the lid body, but if the elastic deformation portion is configured by separating a part of the lid body into a beam shape with a vertical through hole that penetrates vertically, as in the configuration of claim 3, the elastic deformation portion is protected by the wall portion that faces the vertical through hole. Also, according to the configuration of claim 4, since the lid body is provided with a pair of hinge protrusions, it does not have an undercut shape as occurs, for example, when a pin hole is provided in the lid side connection portion, and can be manufactured inexpensively.

According to the configuration of claim 5, the lid side connecting portion and the meter side connecting portion protrude upward from the lid main body in the closed state and have a rotation axis at their upper ends, so that the lid side locking portion and the meter side locking portion are separated from the rotation axis, and the distance over which the lid side locking portion and the meter side locking portion pass each other is increased as the lid body rotates, allowing the lid side locking portion and the meter side locking portion to smoothly engage with each other.

In the water meter of claim 6, the position of the lid can be changed to rotatably engage a pair of hinge protrusions on the lid with a pair of hinge recesses on the meter body, making it easier to install the lid.

According to the configuration of claim 7, the lid body abuts against the open position stopper when rotated 120 to 180 degrees from the closed state and is maintained in the open state, so the visibility of the meter display is ensured and the operation to return to the closed state can be easily performed. In addition, since the back surface of the lid body can be easily seen, the back surface of the lid body can be used as a printing area or a sticker attachment area, etc.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water meter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Plan view of the top wall of a water meter Top perspective view of water meter (A) is a side view of the meter-side connector, and (B) is a front cross-sectional view. (A) is a perspective view of the cover as seen from above, and (B) is a perspective view of the cover as seen from below. Plan view of the lid Side cross-sectional view of the top of the water meter and the cover in the closed state Side cross-sectional view of the top of the water meter and the cover in the open state

Below, with reference to Figures 1 to 8, an embodiment of a water meter 10 having a lid locking structure according to the present disclosure will be described. The water meter 10 of this embodiment, shown in its entirety in Figure 1, is, for example, an impeller type, and an impeller (not shown) is housed in a cylindrical meter case 12. In addition, a pair of connecting pipes 12A, 12B extend laterally from the meter case 12, and a water pipe is connected to their tips. The impeller rotates according to the flow rate of tap water flowing through the water pipe.

The measurement unit 40U is placed on top of the meter case 12. A cylindrical unit cover 13, which expands in diameter as it goes downward, is fitted onto the outside of the measurement unit 40U, and its lower end is fitted and fixed to the upper end of the meter case 12. The measurement unit 40U is sandwiched and fixed between the upper wall portion 20 of the unit cover 13 and the meter case 12. The upper wall portion 20 is formed with a display opening 20A that allows the meter display portion 40 provided on the upper surface of the measurement unit 40U to be viewed. The meter display portion 40 displays the flow rate of tap water calculated by a circuit in the measurement unit 40U based on the amount of rotation of the impeller.

The water meter 10 of this embodiment is an impeller type, but the technology disclosed herein may also be applied to, for example, an electromagnetic water meter known as an electromagnetic flowmeter, or a vortex water meter known as a vortex flowmeter.

Incidentally, the upper wall portion 20 of the unit cover 13 is located at the top of the water meter 10, and is therefore also the upper wall portion 20 of the water meter 10, and the upper surface of the upper wall portion 20 is also the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10. In order to cover the meter display portion 40 on the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10 when not in use, a lid body 30 is rotatably connected to the top of the water meter 10. The structure for connecting the lid body 30 will be described in detail below.

The upper wall portion 20 is manufactured separately from the cylindrical wall 13A of the unit cover 13, for example by injection molding of resin, and then fixed to the upper part of the cylindrical wall 13A. The upper surface 10G of the water meter 10, which is also the upper surface of the upper wall portion 20, is circular as a whole as shown in FIG. 2, and is divided into a first region R1 and a second region R2 by a boundary line L1 that extends straight away from the center of the circle. The wider first region R1 is covered by a lid 30.

Hereinafter, on the top surface 10G of the water meter 10, the direction parallel to the boundary line L1 will be referred to as the "horizontal direction", and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the boundary line L1 will be referred to as the "front-to-back direction". In addition, in the front-to-back direction, the side from the boundary line L1 toward the first region R1 will be referred to as the "front side", and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side". Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, when looking at the top surface 10G of the water meter 10 with the first region R1 in front of the second region R2, the right side (the right side in Figure 2) will be referred to simply as the "right side", and the opposite side will be referred to simply as the "left side".

The aforementioned display opening 20A is positioned closer to the boundary line L1 in the first region R1 and extends horizontally. The meter display unit 40 in the display opening 20A is covered with transparent glass and displays the flow measurement results with the side closer to the boundary line L1 facing up. The flow measurement results may also be displayed with one end of the meter display unit 40 in the longitudinal direction facing up.

The entire first region R1 except for the display opening 20A is a flat surface, and the part of the flat surface in front of the display opening 20A is a printed section 21R. Identification information of the water meter 10 is marked, for example, by laser on the printed section 21R. A sticker on which the identification information of the water meter 10 is printed may be affixed to the printed section 21R.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second region R2 is provided with a meter-side connecting portion 50 for rotatably supporting the cover 30. The meter-side connecting portion 50 is shaped with a pair of side projections 22 on both side surfaces of a block 50H that protrudes in a stepped manner from the lateral middle portion of the second region R2. The pair of side projections 22 protrude in a stepped manner from the entire front side of the middle position in the front-rear direction on both side surfaces of the meter-side connecting portion 50. The block 50H is molded separately from the entire upper wall portion 20 and then fixed to the entire upper wall portion 20, but the block 50H may be molded integrally with the entire upper wall portion 20.

A pair of hinge recesses 23 are formed in the upper part of the side surfaces (which are also the side surfaces of the meter-side connecting portion 50) facing the lateral direction of the pair of side protrusions 22. The pair of hinge recesses 23 have a circular cross section, their central axes form the rotation axis J1 of the cover body 30, and extend parallel to the boundary line L1.

An L-shaped guide groove 24 is formed on the side surface of each side protrusion 22 below the hinge recess 23, and the upper end of the guide groove 24 is connected to the lower part of the hinge recess 23 while the lower end opens to the front surface of the side protrusion 22 facing the first region R1 (which is also the front surface 50B of the meter side connecting part 50).

As shown in FIG. 4(A), between the hinge recess 23 and the introduction groove 24 is a narrowed portion 24T that is narrower than the diameter of the hinge recess 23. Specifically, both inner surfaces of the front end of the introduction groove 24 face each other as horizontal planes. The lower inner surface at the front end of the introduction groove 24 bends at a right angle and extends upward, continuing with the inner circumferential surface of the hinge recess 23 at a position spaced rearward from the rotation axis J1 by the radius of the hinge recess 23. Meanwhile, the upper inner surface at the front end of the introduction groove 24 is folded back below the rotation axis J1 and continues with the lower part of the inner circumferential surface of the hinge recess 23.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a dam portion 24S protrudes from the bottom surface of the upper part of the introduction groove 24 (i.e., the bottom surface of the narrowing portion 24T). The inner surface of the hinge recess 23 is formed at the upper part of the dam portion 24S, and a slope 24U that is inclined in the vertical direction is formed at the lower part of the dam portion 24S.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front surface 50B of the meter-side connecting part 50, which includes the front surfaces of the pair of side projections 22, is substantially vertical, and the top surface 50A of the meter-side connecting part 50, which includes the top surfaces of the pair of side projections 22, is substantially horizontal. In addition, an arc-shaped chamfer is formed at the corner between the front surface 50B and the top surface 50A of the meter-side connecting part 50.

In the second region R2, both lateral portions of the meter-side connecting portion 50 are formed as banks 52 that are stepped higher than the upper surface of the first region R1. The banks 52 extend in the lateral direction, and their width in the front-to-rear direction is the same as that of the side protrusion 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the meter-side connecting portion 50 is disposed slightly to the right in the lateral direction of the second region R2, and an engagement groove 25M is formed in the bank 52 to the left of the meter-side connecting portion 50. The engagement groove 25M is located in the center of the width of the bank 52 and extends parallel to the pivot axis J1. As shown in FIG. 4A, the corners between a pair of inner surfaces of the engagement groove 25M and the upper surface of the bank 52 are chamfered in an arc shape. The wall portion of bank portion 52 that has an inner surface forward of engagement groove 25M (first region R1 side) serves as meter side locking portion 51 that engages with lid side locking portion 35T of lid body 30, which will be described later. The corner between the top surface of bank portion 52 and the front surface of bank portion 52 is not chamfered, and is in a so-called pin-angle state.

Next, the structure of the lid body 30 will be described in detail. The lid body 30 is molded as a single unit by resin injection molding. Note that the state in which the lid body 30 abuts against the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10 and covers the meter display unit 40 as shown in FIG. 7 is referred to as the closed state, and the "upper surface" and "lower surface" of each part of the lid body 30 in the closed state will be referred to simply as the "upper surface" and "lower surface", etc.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the lid body 30 has a lid body 31 whose planar shape is substantially the same as that of the first region R1. The lid body 31 has a structure in which a flat wall 31A and an arc wall 31B hang down from the outer edge of a cut circular top plate 31F that is slightly smaller than the first region R1, and the whole is in a flat cap shape. As shown in FIG. 7, the flat wall 31A hangs down vertically from the linear outer edge of the top plate 31F, while the arc wall 31B hangs down from the arc-shaped outer edge of the top plate 31F so as to go outward as it goes downward. The lower surfaces of the flat wall 31A and the arc wall 31B form a flush horizontal plane and abut against the outer edge of the first region R1 on the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10. In addition, a front end projection 30S protrudes forward from the lower end of the front end of the arc wall 31B, and the front end projection 30S projects forward from the top surface 10G of the water meter 10, allowing the user to hook the fingertips on the front end projection 30S when opening the lid 30.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), a pair of lid side connectors 32, 33 are provided at both lateral ends of the rear of the lid main body 31. The pair of lid side connectors 32, 33 protrude rearward from the rear surface of the lid main body 31 (i.e., the outer surface of the flat wall 31A) and protrude upward from the upper surface of the lid main body 31. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the lower surfaces of the pair of lid side connectors 32, 33 are located above the lower surface of the flat wall 31A. Furthermore, the left lid side connector 32 is wider in the lateral direction than the right lid side connector 33, corresponding to the left and right bank portions 52 of the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10 described above (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the opposing surfaces of the pair of lid-side connecting parts 32, 33 are parallel vertical surfaces, and a pair of hinge protrusions 34 protrude from the upper ends of these opposing surfaces so as to approach each other. The pair of hinge protrusions 34 are formed by horizontally cutting the lower part of a horizontally extending cylinder to provide a flat surface 34H, and have a D-shaped cross section. The outer diameter of the pair of hinge protrusions 34 is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the pair of hinge recesses 23 described above, and the pair of hinge protrusions 34 are received in the hinge recesses 23 to rotatably support the lid body 30 on the top of the water meter 10.

Here, to receive the pair of hinge protrusions 34 into the pair of hinge recesses 23, for example, the lid body 31 is raised so that the flat surface 34H is vertical, the pair of hinge protrusions 34 are received in the pair of introduction grooves 24 from the front, and the lid body 30 is pulled upward. Then, the tip of each hinge protrusion 34 slides against the slope 24U of the weir portion 24S at the upper part of the introduction groove 24, and the pair of lid side connecting portions 32, 33 elastically deform so as to move slightly away from each other. Then, each hinge protrusion 34 overcomes the weir portion 24S, the pair of lid side connecting portions 32, 33 elastically return to their original position, and the pair of hinge protrusions 34 are received into the pair of hinge recesses 23. In this way, the lid body 30 can be easily assembled to the top of the water meter 10. In addition, once assembled, the lid body 30 will not come off from the top of the water meter 10 unless the pair of lid side connectors 32, 33 are spread apart while the lid body 30 is maintained in an upright position.

When the lid 30 rotates upward from the closed state, as shown in FIG. 8, the lid body 31 abuts against the upper surface 50A of the meter side connecting portion 50 at a position rotated 180 degrees from the closed state, and is held in the open state. The lid 30 may be held in the open position in any orientation as long as it is held in the open state by gravity. However, in order to make it possible to use the back surface of the lid 30 as a portion for displaying information like the above-mentioned printing portion 21R, it is preferable that the lid 30 be held in the open position at a position rotated 120 to 180 degrees from the closed state. Furthermore, in the above structure, the upper surface 50A of the meter side connecting portion 50 serves as an open position stopper portion and abuts against the lid 30, but for example, the open position stopper portion may be structured to protrude from the side surface of the meter side connecting portion 50 and abut against the lid side connecting portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), one of the lid side connecting parts 32 is provided with a vertical through hole 32K that penetrates vertically. The vertical through hole 32K has a rectangular cross section from the upper end to a midpoint in the vertical direction, and opens to the upper surface and front surface of the part of the lid side connecting part 32 that protrudes upward from the lid main body part 31. Also, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the vertical through hole 32K has a trapezoidal cross section that extends laterally from a midpoint in the vertical direction to the lower end. A cantilever-shaped elastic deformation part 35 protrudes from the center of the opening edge on the lid main body part 31 side of a pair of opening edges that are opposed and parallel in the front-rear direction at the lower end opening of the vertical through hole 32K toward the opening edge on the opposite side.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the bottom surface of the elastic deformation portion 35 is flush with the bottom surface of the entire lid-side connecting portion 32, and the lid-side locking portion 35T protrudes from the bottom surface of the elastic deformation portion 35. The lid-side locking portion 35T has a ridge structure extending laterally along the edge of the tip of the elastic deformation portion 35, and its cross-sectional shape is, for example, semicircular. When the lid body 30 is in the closed state, the lid-side locking portion 35T fits into the engagement groove 25M of the water meter 10 as shown in FIG. 7. As a result, the meter-side locking portion 51 of the bank portion 52 of the water meter 10, which is forward of the engagement groove 25M, and the lid-side locking portion 35T engage in a state in which they face each other in the tangent direction of a circle centered on the rotation axis J1, thereby locking the lid body 30 in the closed state.

When the lid body 30 is rotated upward from the closed state, the lid side locking portion 35T slides against the meter side locking portion 51, elastically deforming the elastic deformation portion 35, and the engagement between the lid side locking portion 35T and the meter side locking portion 51 is released. When the lid body 30 is rotated from the closed state to open, it abuts against the upper surface 50A of the meter side connecting portion 50 at the point of 180 degrees rotation and is positioned in the open position. When the lid body 30 is rotated in the closing direction, the tip of the lid side locking portion 35T slides against the upper surface of the bank portion 52 forward of the engagement groove 25M, elastically deforming the elastic deformation portion 35, and when the lid body 30 is in the closed state, the lid side locking portion 35T fits into the engagement groove 25M, and the lid body 30 is locked in the closed state as described above.

This concludes the description of the configuration of the water meter 10 of this embodiment. Next, the effects of the water meter 10 will be described. In the water meter 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover side locking portion 35T and the meter side locking portion 51, which engage with each other to lock the cover body 30 in the closed state, are located in a position immediately below the pivot axis J1 of the cover body 30. Since the engagement portion is closer to the pivot axis than in the cover locking structure of the conventional water meter, the variation in the locking force that locks the cover body 30 in the closed state is suppressed. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, even when the cover body 30 is open, the meter side locking portion 51 is hidden by the cover body 30 and does not protrude at a position away from the cover body 30 on the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10 as in the conventional locking piece, so it is not damaged by contact with a foreign object as in the conventional locking piece, and durability is improved. Furthermore, by eliminating the conventional locking piece, the usable area on the top surface 10G of the water meter 10 has increased, making it possible to make the meter display section 40 larger than before and to provide a printing section 21R on the top surface 10G.

The lid body 30 has a flat shape in the vertical direction, so it is molded in a molding die that opens in the vertical direction of the lid body 30. In contrast, in the locking structure of the lid body 30 of this embodiment, the lid side locking portion 35T and the meter side locking portion 51 face each other in the tangent direction of a circle centered on the rotation axis J1 to lock the lid body 30 in a closed state, so that the engagement surfaces of the lid side locking portion 35T and the meter side locking portion 51 can be parallel to the vertical direction. In other words, the lid side locking portion 35T and the meter side locking portion 51 can be made non-undercut shaped, and can be manufactured more inexpensively than conventional ones that have undercut-shaped locking pieces. In addition, since the elastic deformation portion 35 is formed in a beam shape extending approximately horizontally and has the lid side locking portion 35T on its underside, the elastic deformation portion 35 can also be made non-undercut shaped.

In addition, the elastic deformation portion 35 is formed by cutting off a part of the lid body 30 in a beam shape by the vertical through hole 32K that penetrates the lid body 30 vertically, so the elastic deformation portion 35 is protected by the wall portion that faces the vertical through hole 32K. Furthermore, since the lid body 30 is provided with a pair of hinge protrusions 34, it does not have an undercut shape as occurs, for example, when pin holes are provided in the lid side connecting portions 32 and 33, and can be manufactured at low cost.

In addition, the lid side connecting parts 32, 33 and the meter side connecting part 50 protrude upward from the lid main body part 31 in the closed state and have a rotation axis J1 at their upper ends, so that the lid side locking part 35T and the meter side locking part 51 are separated from the rotation axis J1, and the distance over which the lid side locking part 35T and the meter side locking part 51 pass each other is increased as the lid body 30 rotates, allowing the lid side locking part 35T and the meter side locking part 51 to smoothly engage with each other.

Furthermore, when the lid body 30 is rotated 180 degrees from the closed state, it abuts against the upper surface of the meter side connecting portion 50, which corresponds to the open position stopper portion, and is maintained in the open state, so that the visibility of the meter display portion 40 is ensured and the operation to return to the closed state can be easily performed. In addition, since the back surface of the lid body 30 is easily visible, the back surface of the lid body 30 can also be used as a printing portion or a sticker attachment portion, etc.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the water meter 10 of the above embodiment, the lid side locking portion 35T was located at the longitudinal end of the elastic deformation portion 35. However, for example, the elastic deformation portion 35 may be formed in the shape of a double-supported beam, with the lid side locking portion 35T located in the longitudinal center of the beam.

(2) In addition, in the water meter 10 of the above embodiment, the cover-side locking portion 35T is structured to be received in the engagement groove 25M of the bank portion 52. However, it is also possible to leave only the portion of the bank portion 52 in front of the engagement groove 25M as the meter-side locking portion 51, and to exclude the portion behind the engagement groove 25M. In other words, the meter-side locking portion 51 may have a stepped portion structure.

(3) Also, an engagement groove may be provided on the underside of the cover 30, while an elastically deformable portion may be provided on the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10, and the meter-side locking portion may be protruded from the upper surface and received in the engagement groove.

(4) In the water meter 10 of the above embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 35, the cover side locking portion 35T, and the meter side locking portion 51 are disposed on the upper surface 10G of the water meter 10 and the cover body 30 in the vertically opposing portions, but they may be disposed in opposing positions in the axial direction of the central axis J1. Specifically, for example, the elastic deformation portion 35, the cover side locking portion 35T, and the meter side locking portion 51 may be disposed on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the pair of cover side connecting portions 32, 33 and on at least one side surface of the pair of side protrusions 22.

(5) In the above embodiment, the hinge protrusion 34 is disposed on the cover 30, while the hinge recess 23 is disposed on the top of the water meter 10. However, the opposite arrangement may also be used.

Note that although specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken separately.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Water meter 10G Top surface 20A Display opening 21R Printing portion 23 Hinge recess 24 Guide groove 24T Throttle portion 30 Lid body 31 Lid main body 32, 33 Lid side connecting portion 32K Vertical through hole 34 Hinge protrusion 35 Elastic deformation portion 35T Lid side locking portion 40 Meter display portion 50 Meter side connecting portion 50A Top surface (open position stopper portion)
50B Front surface 51 Meter side locking portion J1 Rotation shaft

Claims (9)

A water meter cover locking structure in which a cover that is hinged to an upper portion of a water meter and rotates about a horizontal axis of rotation is locked in a closed state covering a meter display portion on an upper surface of the water meter, comprising:
a lid side locking portion and a meter side locking portion formed at a position immediately below the pivot shaft when the lid is in the closed state and at a position immediately below the pivot shaft on an upper surface of the water meter, the locking portion facing each other in a tangential direction of a circle centered on the pivot shaft and locking the lid in the closed state;
A water meter cover locking structure comprising: an elastic deformation portion that supports the cover side locking portion or the meter side locking portion and elastically deforms in response to sliding contact between the cover side locking portion and the meter side locking portion when the cover is rotated. The water meter lid locking structure according to claim 1, wherein the elastic deformation portion is formed on the lid and has a beam shape extending substantially horizontally in the closed state, and the lid side locking portion is provided on the underside. The water meter lid locking structure according to claim 2, wherein the elastic deformation portion is formed by separating a portion of the lid into the beam shape by a vertical through hole that penetrates vertically. a cap-shaped or plate-shaped lid body portion provided on the lid body and overlapping an upper surface of the water meter in the closed state;
a pair of lid side connecting portions that protrude laterally from the lid main body and face each other in an axial direction of the pivot shaft;
a meter-side connector protruding from an upper surface of the water meter on a side of the lid body and disposed between the pair of lid-side connectors;
a pair of hinge protrusions protruding from the pair of cover side connecting portions in a direction approaching each other and aligned on the rotation shaft;
a pair of hinge recesses formed on both side surfaces of the meter side connecting portion and configured to rotatably receive the pair of hinge protrusions;
4. The water meter lid locking structure according to claim 1, wherein the lid-side locking portion and the elastic deformation portion are disposed below one or both of the lid-side connecting portions. The water meter lid locking structure according to claim 4, wherein the meter side connecting portion and the lid side connecting portion protrude upward from the lid main body portion in the closed state and have the pivot shaft at their upper ends. On both sides of the meter side connection part,
a pair of guide grooves each having an L-shape, one end of which is connected to a lower portion of the pair of hinge recesses and the other end of which is open to an outer surface of the meter-side connecting portion;
a throttle portion communicating between each of the guide grooves and each of the hinge recesses and having an opening width smaller than an inner diameter of the hinge recesses,
6. The water meter lid locking structure as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein the pair of hinge protrusions have a structure having flat cut surfaces on the outer peripheral surface of a cylinder, and when the lid main body is in an upright position, the cut surfaces pass through the throttle portion approximately parallel to the vertical direction. The water meter cover locking structure of any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the meter side connecting portion is provided with an open position stopper portion which abuts when the cover is rotated 120 to 180 degrees from the closed state. The water meter lid locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a marking section for laser marking identification information of the water meter is provided on the top surface of the water meter at a position covered by the lid in the closed state. A water meter having a water meter cover locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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