Compound water meter having impeller rotatably supported between main meter measuring and switch-over valve insets

• US 6,079,263 A
• Filed: 04/17/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensus Spectrum, LLC (Xylem, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Metering Systems AG (Xylem, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beddies, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US09/062,454
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 73/197, 73/861.79, 73/195, 73/861.82, 73/118.2, 137/512.1, 137/875, 137/518, 137/535, 137/536, 137/537
• US Class Current: 73/197
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/10 using rotating vanes with axial admission
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 7/00 Volume-flow measuring devices with two or more measuring ranges; Compound meters

Abstract

A compound water meter includes a housing having opposite inlet and outlet ends, a water guidance channel extending between the inlet and outlet ends and defining a direction of flow therebetween and upper opening disposed above and in communication with the water guidance channel, a main meter measuring inset disposed in the housing across the water guidance channel, a switch-over valve inset disposed in the housing across the water guidance channel and connected watertight with the main meter measuring inset, and an impeller rotatably supported directly by and between the respective insets such that the main meter measuring inset is disposed upstream and the switch-over valve inset downstream of the rotatable impeller relative to the direction of flow. Both insets form an inset unit and with the impeller are suspended in the housing by a cover which closes the upper opening of the housing. The main meter measuring inset has a hub rotatably supporting the impeller. The compound water meter also includes an electronic scanning device for registering the rotational speed of the impeller which is disposed within the hub and an electronic counter disposed on the housing cover which is connected via leads with the electronic scanning device.

Claims

1. A compound water meter, comprising:

(a) a housing having opposite intlet and outlet ends and a water guidance channel extending between said inlet and outlet ends and defining a direction of flow therebetween;

(b) a main meter measuring inset disposed in said housing and defining a measuring volume disposed in-line with and across said water guidance channel, said main meter measuring inset including a hub;

(c) a switch-over valve inset disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and connected watertight to said main meter measuring inset; and

(e) an impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side and being disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel such that at said upstream side said impeller is engaged by said hub of said main meter measuring inset and rotatably supported directly by said hub of said main meter measuring inset between said main meter measuring inset and said switch-over valve inset with said main meter measuring inset being disposed adjacent to said upstream side and said switch-over valve inset being disposed adjacent to said downstream side of said impeller relative to said direction of flow through said water guidance channel;

(f) said main meter measuring inset also including an electronic scanning device disposed within said hub of said main meter measuring inset adjacent to said upstream side of said impeller for registering the rotational speed of said impeller.

2. The meter of claim 1 wherein said switch-over valve inset includes:

a switch-over valve having a valve seat and a closure member being biased opposite to the direction of flow to move to a closed position across said water guidance channel and onto said valve seat, said closure member being movable away from said valve seat to an opened position by a predetermined level of flow through said water guidance channel;

a web disposed upstream of said valve seat and said closure member of said switch-over valve; and

a bearing pin attached to and extending upstream of said web opposite to said direction of flow, said bearing pin engaging and rotatably supporting said impeller at a downstream side of said impeller.

3. The meter of claim 1 wherein said switch-over valve inset includes a switch-over valve having a valve seat and a closure member being biased opposite to the direction of flow to move to a closed position across said water guidance channel and onto said valve seat, said closure member being movable away from said valve seat to an opened position by a predetermined level of flow through said water guidance channel.

4. A compound water meter, comprising:

(a) a housing having opposite inlet and outlet ends and a water guidance channel extending between said inlet and outlet ends and defining a direction of flow therebetween;

(b) a main meter measuring inset disposed in said housing and defining a measuring volume disposed in-line with and across said water guidance channel;

(c) a switch-over valve inset disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and connected watertight to said main meter measuring inset; and

(d) an impeller disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and rotatably supported directly by and between said main meter measuring inset and said switch-over valve inset such that said main meter measuring inset is disposed upstream and said switch-over valve inset is disposed downstream of said impeller relative to said direction of flow through said water guidance channel;

(e) said switch-over valve inset including

(i) a switch-over valve having a valve seat and a closure member being biased opposite to the direction of flow to move to a closed position across said water guidance channel and onto said valve seat, said closure member being movable away from said valve seat to an opened position by a predetermined level of flow through said water guidance channel, and

(ii) a pivot axle disposed diametrically across said water guidance channel, said closure member being a divided flap having two wings disposed respectively along opposite sides of said pivot axle and hingedly connected one with the other on said pivot axle.

5. The meter of claim 4 wherein said switch-over valve further includes a flat seal of flexible material disposed on and at least partially covering an upstream side of said divided flap.

6. The meter of claim 5 wherein said switch-over valve inset further includes a web disposed upstream of said flat seal opposite said pivot axle such that said flat seal is held in close contact on said flap by said web.

7. The meter of claim 6 wherein said switch-over valve inset further includes a bearing pin attached to and extending upstream of said web opposite to said direction of flow, said bearing pin engaging and rotatably supporting said impeller at a downstream side of said impeller.

8. The meter of claim 4 wherein said main meter measuring inset includes a hub engaging and rotatably supporting said impeller at an upstream side of said impeller.

9. The meter of claim 4 wherein said main meter measuring inset includes:

a hub; and

an electronic scanning device disposed within said hub for registering the rotational speed of the impeller.

10. A compound water meter, comprising:

(a) a housing having opposite inlet and outlet ends and a water guidance channel extending between said inlet and outlet ends and defining a direction of flow therebetween;

(b) a main meter measuring inset disposed in said housing and defining a measuring volume disposed in-line with and across said water guidance channel;

(c) a switch-over valve inset disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and connected watertight to said main meter measuring inset; and

(d) an impeller disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and rotatably supported directly by and between said main meter measuring inset and said switch-over valve inset such that said main meter measuring inset is disposed upstream and said switch-over valve inset is disposed downstream of said impeller relative to said direction of flow through said water guidance channel;

(e) said water guidance channel having a main portion and a pair of opposite upstream and downstream portions respectively interconnecting said main portion to said opposite inlet and outlet ends of said housing, said main portion being offset below said opposite inlet and outlet ends of said housing.

11. The meter of claim 10 wherein said upstream and downstream portions of said water guidance channel are respectively oppositely sloped relative to one another.

12. A compound water meter, comprising:

(a) a housing having opposite inlet and outlet ends, a water guidance channel extending between said inlet and outlet ends and defining a predetermined direction of flow from said inlet end to said outlet end, and an upper opening disposed above and in communication with said water guidance channel;

(b) a cover closing said upper opening of said housing;

(c) a main meter measuring inset disposed in said housing and defining a measuring volume disposed in-line with and across said water guidance channel, said main meter measuring inset including a hub;

(d) a switch-over valve inset disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and connected watertight to said main meter measuring inset so as to form an inset unit therewith suspended in said housing by said cover; and

(e) an impeller having an upstream side and a downstream side and being disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel such that at said upstream side said impeller is engaged by said hub of said main meter measuring inset and rotatably supported directly by said hub of said main meter measuring inset between said main meter measuring inset and said switch-over valve inset with said main meter measuring inset being disposed adjacent to said upstream side and said switch-over valve inset being disposed adjacent to said downstream side of said impeller relative to said direction of flow through said water guidance channel;

(f) said main meter measuring inset also including an electronic scanning device disposed within said hub of said main meter measuring inset adjacent to said upstream side of said impeller for registering the rotational speed of said impeller.

13. The meter of claim 12 wherein:

said water guidance channel has an upstream portion and a downstream portion; and

said housing has an inner wall at least partially forming said water guidance channel and a double lip seal disposed between an exterior surface of said inset unit and said inner wall of said housing separating watertight said upstream and downstream portions of said water guidance channel from one another so as to prevent flow through said water guidance channel from bypassing said inset unit.

14. The meter of claim 12 further comprising:

a secondary meter device disposed in said housing between said inset unit and said cover.

15. The meter of claim 12 wherein said switch-over valve inset includes:

a switch-over valve having a valve seat and a closure member being biased opposite to the direction of flow to move to a closed position across said water guidance channel and onto said valve seat, said closure member being movable away from said valve seat to an opened position by a predetermined level of flow through said water guidance channel;

a web disposed upstream of said valve seat and said closure member of said switch-over valve; and

a bearing pin attached to and extending upstream of said web opposite to said direction of flow, said bearing pin engaging and rotatably supporting said impeller at a downstream side of said impeller.

16. The meter of claim 12 wherein said main meter measuring inset includes a hub engaging and rotatably supporting said impeller at an upstream side of said impeller.

17. The meter of claim 12 wherein said main meter measuring inset includes:

a hub; and

an electronic scanning device disposed within said hub for registering the rotational speed of the impeller.

18. The meter of claim 12 further comprising:

an electronic counter disposed on said cover and electrically connected via leads to said electronic scanning device.

19. A compound water meter, comprising:

(a) a housing having opposite inlet and outlet ends, a water guidance channel extending between said inlet and outlet ends and defining a predetermined direction of flow from said inlet end to said outlet end, and an upper opening disposed above and in communication with said water guidance channel, said water guidance channel having a main portion and a pair of opposite upstream and downstream portions respectively interconnecting said main portion to said opposite inlet and outlet ends of said housing, said main portion of said water guidance channel being offset below said opposite inlet and outlet ends of said housing, said upstream and downstream portions of said water guidance channel respectively oppositely sloping relative to one another;

(b) a cover closing said upper opening of said housing;

(c) a main meter measuring inset disposed in said housing and defining a mearsuring volume disposed in-line with and across said water guidance channel;

(d) a switch-over valve inset disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and connected watertight to said main meter measuring inset so as to form an inset unit therewith suspended in said housing by said cover; and

(e) an impeller disposed in said housing across said water guidance channel and rotatably supported directly by and between said main meter measuring inset and said switch-over valve inset such that said main meter measuring inset is disposed upstream, and said switch-over valve inset is disposed downstream, of said impeller relative to said direction of flow through said water guidance channel.