Pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors

• US 7,225,685 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOFLO Corporation
• Original Assignee: TOFLO Corporation
• Inventors: Tajima, Takayuki, Kawamoto, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US11/463,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: 738/617.7, 738/639.5, 422/100
• US Class Current: 73/861.77
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/09 Component parts or accessories tools for cleaning pipes B08B9/02; devices for preventing contamination of drinking water pipes for domestic use E03C1/10; devices for preventing damage in case of bursts of pipes F16L; heating or cooling of pipes or pipe systems F16L53/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 41/03 comprising junction pieces for four or more pipe members
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2220/044 Flow sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 3/1066 Distributors for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 3/1075 Built up from modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/115 with magnetic or electromagnetic coupling to the indicating device
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/14 Casings, e.g. of special material
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/185 Connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 5/00 Measuring a proportion of the volume flow

Abstract

Cost is reduced by simplifying piping work and reducing the number of parts. At the same time, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of piping is raised by making the mounting posture of the piping variable. A pipe assembly unit with built-in sensors is fabricated by integrating a main pipe and multiple branch pipes, which branch from the main pipe and by building, in the multiple branch pipes a flow sensor which detects the flow rate of a fluid flowing through a conduit of each of the branch pipes, and the use of a conventional seal construction using a nipple in connections between the main pipe and the branch pipes is abolished. A pipe adapter having legs is detachably attached to opening ends of the main pipe and the legs are fixed to an installation surface A by changing the orientation of the pipe adapter, whereby the mounting posture of the pipe assembly unit is made variable.

Claims

1. A pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors in which a pipe assembly of manifold construction is integrally formed with a main pipe and multiple branch pipes, the main pipe having an opening with a square flange at each end thereof and the multiple branch pipes branching from the periphery of the main pipe, the square flange having a bolt-joint hole at each square corner thereof, and each of the multiple branch pipes being provided with a flow sensor which detects the flow rate of a fluid flowing therethrough,

the pipe assembly unit further provides with a pipe adapter which is detachably attached face to face to the square flange of the main pipe, the pipe adapter comprising a female threaded portion to communicate with the main pipe, an adapter square flange around the female threaded portion, the adapter square flange having an adapter bolt-joint hole at each square corner thereof, the adapter bolt-joint holes respectively confront the bolt-joint holes of the square flange of the main pipe, and a pair of legs protruding horizontal from a pair of the square corners of the adapter square flange,

wherein the adapter square flange is selectively turnable by a 90-degree around an axis of the main pipe so as to connect the pipe adapter to the manifold with four bolts respectively inserting through the adapter bolt-joint holes and the selected corresponding bolt-joint holes to fasten the pipe adapter to the manifold.

4. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 1, wherein the flow sensor is a vane wheel sensor rotating in accordance with fluid passage, in which a magnet is buried in a fin of a vane wheel and the rotation of the vane wheel is converted to a flow rate value, with a frequency of detection of the pulse magnetism caused by the rotation.

5. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiple branch pipes is provided with a flow rate indicator capable of indicating at least one of a digital flow rate, an alarm output and an analog output on the basis of a flow rate signal outputted from the flow sensor.

6. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 4, wherein each of the multiple branch pipes is provided with a flow rate indicator capable of indicating at least one of a digital flow rate, an alarm output and an analog output on the basis of a flow rate signal outputted from the flow sensor.

7. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 1, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

8. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 4, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

9. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 5, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

10. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 6, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

2. A pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors having a plurality of pipe assembly manifolds, in which each pipe assembly of manifold construction is integrally formed with a main pipe and multiple branch pipes, the main pipe having an opening with a square flange at each end thereof and the multiple branch pipes branching from the periphery of the main pipe, the square flange having a bolt-joint hole at each square corner thereof, and each of the multiple branch pipes being provided with a flow sensor which detects the flow rate of a fluid flowing therethrough,

wherein the square flange of one manifold is selectively turnable by a 90-degree around an axis of the main pipe so as to connect the manifold to another manifold with four bolts respectively inserting through the bolt-joint holes of the former manifold and the selected corresponding bolt-joint holes of the latter to fasten both the manifolds.

3. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 2, wherein an arbitrary number of manifolds having two or three branch pipes are combined to each other so as to serve two-and-over pipe line system.

11. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 2, wherein the flow sensor is a vane wheel sensor rotating in accordance with fluid passage, in which a magnet is buried in a fin of a vane wheel and the rotation of the vane wheel is converted to a flow rate value, with a frequency of detection of the pulse magnetism caused by the rotation.

12. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 2, wherein each of the multiple branch pipes is provided with a flow rate indicator capable of indicating at least one of a digital flow rate, an alarm output and an analog output on the basis of a flow rate signal outputted from the flow sensor.

13. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 11, wherein each of the multiple branch pipes is provided with a flow rate indicator capable of indicating at least one of a digital flow rate, an alarm output and an analog output on the basis of a flow rate signal outputted from the flow sensor.

14. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 2, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

15. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 11, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

16. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 12, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.

17. The pipe assembly unit with built-in flow sensors according to claim 13, wherein the main pipe and the branch pipes are integrally fabricated from stainless steel.