Title of Invention

GAS METER HOUSING

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing for a gas meter, in particular a diaphragm meter, to accommodate a metering instrument. A first housing section (1) and a second housing section (2) are detachably connected to each other along a dividing plane (3), the first housing section (1) being designed as a casting made of non-ferrous metal and having cast-on inlet and outlet ports (5, 6). According to the invention, the housing is characterised in that the first housing section (1) has a box-shaped design, the dividing plane running substantially vertical in the installed condition and that the second housing section (2) is designed as a wall made of metal plate. The inventive housing can be manufactured at low cost.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a housing for a gas meter, in particular a diaphragm meter in accordance with the characterising feature of claim 1. When the gas meter is in the installed condition, the gas flows through the inlet port through the housing to the inlet of the metering instrument. After the gas has been metered, it passes from the outlet of the metering instrument through the outlet port into the line of the consumer. Thus the housing must be gas and pressure-tight. The housing of such gas meters should, for corrosion protection reasons, be made of non-ferrous metal, in particular if the gas meters are to be installed outdoors. This is permitted in many countries. Small diaphragm meters, in particular domestic gas meters, which have a cast metering instrument block made of non-ferrous metal, generally aluminium, are already used in practice. A cap-shaped cover is also made as a casting and can be screwed onto the metering instrument by means of a horizontal flange. With this embodiment the outside walls of the metering instrument block therefore form part of the housing walls so the metering instrument block has to be pressure and gas-tight. As the entire metering instrument block is made of relatively expensive non-ferrous metal, the manufacturing costs are relatively high. In another embodiment, the housing is divided roughly along the housing centreline into a first housing section and a second housing section. The dividing plane is substantially horizontal when the meter is in the installed condition. The metering instrument block is made of low-priced materials, e.g. plastic or steel plate as a separate part. The metering instrument block can be inserted vertically into the second housing section. The mounting brackets for the metering instrument block are located near the flange, i.e. in an area which has to be sealed, which a rather unfortunate design and may impair the tightness of the unit. The first housing section is made as a casting because casting the inlet and outlet ports on the housing reduces manufacturing costs. The second housing section, which accommodates the metering instrument, is also made as a casting. As both housing sections are made of relatively expensive non-ferrous metal, the costs of the housing are relatively high. With small meters, which, for example in hot countries, are only used to meter gas used for cooking, the housing costs are very high in relation to the total price of the gas meter so it is necessary to simplify the design of the housing. The object of the present invention is therefore to simplify a housing of the aforementioned type so that the manufacturing costs are reduced. This object is achieved by the characterising features of claim 1. The first housing section is made of corrosion-resistant non-ferrous metal. As the second housing section can be made as a moulding from relatively low-priced metal plate, preferably steel plate, the manufacturing costs are reduced. Furthermore, installation is easier as the metering instrument is relatively simple to mount and attach through the large cross section of the open back. The first housing section is designed as one part with inlet and outlet ports. From the manufacturing point of view is particularly simple to cast on the ports. Otherwise the gas and pressure-tight connection of the ports to the housing would be rather complicated. The second housing section preferably forms the back wall of the housing, particularly for optical reasons. Furthermore, the manufacturing costs can be further reduced by designing the first housing section and the counter bracket as one part. The counter bracket is also generally on the front of the housing and serves to accommodate the counter. Generally, the gas flows through the gas meter from left to right. However, sometimes customers require the gas to flow from right to left. In the past if the direction of flow was to be changed, the entire metering instrument or parts thereof had to be turned around. However, this may cause difficulties depending on the design of the metering instrument. According to a major embodiment of the inventive housing, a conduit connection terminating in a standard inlet port is provided on the inside of the first housing section and one end of a conduit element exhibits a first connection, which can be connected to the metering instrument, and the other end of the conduit element exhibits a second connection which can be connected to the conduit connection. The conduit element permits the direction of flow to be changed in a very simple manner as with the aid of said conduit element the outlet of the metering instrument can be connected to the standard inlet port of the housing, the inlet port of the housing then serving as the outlet port when the direction of flow has been changed. An advantageous embodiment consists in the fact that the first housing section and the second housing section each have a flange, between which two flanges a sealing element can be inserted, said sealing element exhibiting a ridge which runs between the two opposite sides and is shaped so that it lies elastically around the metering instrument in the installed condition. The sealing element therefore helps to affix the metering instrument. The ridge of the sealing element also acts as a noise and impact-absorber. According to a further advantageous feature of the present invention, the housing is characterized in that the first housing section has a mounting element inside on at least one side wall which is designed as a cast-on mount and into which the mounting rail of the metering instrument block can be inserted. In this manner the metering instrument block can be simply and securely attached to the housing. The mounting element does not affect the sealing. Accordingly the present invention provides a housing for a gas meter, in particular a bellows-type meter to accommodate a metering instrument, with a first housing section and a second housing section which are detachably cormected to each other along a dividing plane, the first housing section being designed as a casting made of non-ferrous metal and having cast-on inlet and outlet ports, characterized in that, the first housing section is box-shaped, the dividing plane running substantially vertical in the installed condition and the second housing section is designed as a wall made of metal plate. The invention will now be explained with the aid of a preferred embodiment of the inventive housing and the drawing. The drawing shows in: Fig. 1 section through a housing of a bellows-type meter; Fig. 2 a view of the inside of a first housing section; Fig. 3a a front view of a conduit element; Fig. 3b a top view of a conduit element; Fig. 4 a view of a sealing element. Fig. 1 shows a section through a housing which consists of a first housing section 1 and a second housing section 2. The two housing sections 1, 2 are shown separate from each other. In the assembled condition the two housing sections are screwed together along a dividing plane 3 by means of flanges 4a and 4b. In the installed condition the dividing plane runs substantially vertically. The first housing section 1 is a diecasting. An inlet port 5 and an outlet port 6 as well as counter bracket 7 are cast onto the first housing section 1. This reduces manufacturing costs. The second housing section 2 is made of metal plate, here steel plate, and forms the back wall of the housing. Fig. 2 shows a view of the inside of the first housing section 1. The first housing section 1 is box-shaped. A metering instrument can be mounted and affixed relatively simply through the open back. The first housing section 1 has a mounting element 8 which is designed as a cast-on mount and into which a mounting rail of a metering instrument - not shown - is inserted for the purpose of affixing the metering instrument. A conduit connection 9 to which the conduit element 10 shown in Figs. 3a and 3b can be connected is provided on the inside of the first housing section 1. The conduit element 10 has a first connection 11 on one end and a second connection 12 on the other end. The first connection 11, whose longitudinal axis runs vertical to the longitudinal axis of the second connection 12, can be connected to the outlet of the metering instrument. The second connection 12 can be connected to the conduit connection 9 so that the standard inlet port 5 can be converted into the outlet port. Fig. 4 shows a sealing element 3 which can be inserted between flange 4a and flange 4b. The sealing element 13 has a ridge 14 which runs between the two opposite sides and is shaped such that it lies elastically around the metering instrument in the installed state. The sealing element 13 helps to affix the metering instrument. The ridge 14 of the sealing element 13 acts as a noise and impact-absorber. Variations are perfectly possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the first housing section 1 can be made of any non-ferrous metal, e.g. zinc or brass. The second housing section 2 can also be made of a non-ferrous metal which can be shaped like metal plate. The dividing plane between the housing sections 1 and 2 can also be inclined. The conduit element 10 can have any cross-section. Finally, the conduit connectiorr 12 can have a cross-section which is not circular. WE CLAIM: 1. A housing for a gas meter, in particular a bellows-type meter to accommodate a metering instrument, with a first housing section (1) and a second housing section (2) which are detachably cormected to each other along a dividing plane (3), the first housing section (1) being designed as a casting made of non-ferrous metal and having cast-on inlet and outlet ports (5,6), characterized in that, the first housing section (1) is box-shaped, the dividing plane (3) running substantially vertical in the installed condition and the second housing section (2) is designed as a wall made of metal plate. 2. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second housing section (2) forms the back wall of the housing. 3. The housing as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first housing section (1) and the counter bracket (7) are designed as one part. 4. The housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a conduit connection (9) terminating in a standard inlet port (5) is provided on the inside of the first housing section (1) and that a conduit element (10) exhibits on one end a first connection (11), which can be connected to the metering instrument, and on the other end a second cormection (12), which can be connected to the conduit connection (9). 5. The housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and the second housing section (1,2) each have a fiange (4a, 4b) between which a sealing element (13) can be inserted, the sealing element (13) having a ridge (14) which runs between the two opposite sides and is shaped such that it lies elastically round the metering instrument in the installed condition. 6. The housing as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first housing section (1) has a mounting element (8) on at least one side wall, said mounting element being designed as a cast-on mount and into which a mounting rail of the metering instrument block can be inserted. 7. A housing for a gas meter, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

1193-mas-1999 abstract-duplicate.pdf

1193-mas-1999 abstract.jpg

1193-mas-1999 abstract.pdf

1193-mas-1999 claims-duplicate.pdf

1193-mas-1999 claims.pdf

1193-mas-1999 correspondences-others.pdf

1193-mas-1999 correspondences-po.pdf

1193-mas-1999 description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

1193-mas-1999 description (complete).pdf

1193-mas-1999 drawings.pdf

1193-mas-1999 form-1.pdf

1193-mas-1999 form-19.pdf

1193-mas-1999 form-26.pdf

1193-mas-1999 form-3.pdf

1193-mas-1999 others document.pdf