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Water meter with an emergency shut-down

  • US 7,994,927 B2
  • Filed: 03/12/2006
  • Issued: 08/09/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2006
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A fluid meter with an automatic emergency shutdown feature, the fluid meter comprising:

  • a fluid-in chamber (1), a fluid-out chamber (19), and a valve (21) movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein said valve is positioned to permit the flow of fluid from the fluid-in chamber (1), through the meter, and out the fluid-out chamber (19) when the valve (21) is open, and wherein said valve (21) includes a trip mechanism for causing the valve seal to move to its closed position, thereby blocking the flow through the meter;

    a turbine (3) rotatably mounted in the fluid-in chamber (1) such that the turbine (3) rotates when fluid flows through the meter;

    a magnet (6) mounted within the meter so as to be rotated by the turbine (3); and

    a single run register (8) including;

    (i) a self clutching mechanism which engages automatically when flow starts and disconnects automatically when flow stops;

    (ii) a recording mechanism driven by rotation of the magnet (6) when fluid is flowing through said meter and said self clutching mechanism is engaged, to record the amount of fluid which passes through the meter, beginning at a zero value, and to activate said trip mechanism, to stop the flow of fluid, if the quantity of fluid which has passed through the meter exceeds a preset target; and

    a spring member which, upon disengagement of said self clutching mechanism, resets the recording mechanism to a zero value;

    wherein said valve is disposed outside of said single run register and said trip mechanism includes a tripping magnet, and wherein said recording mechanism comprises a limit gear having a limit gear magnet (16) inside said single run register which engages the tripping magnet magnetically when flow exceeds the preset target, to actuate the trip mechanism;

    wherein said recording mechanism further comprises a drive gear (13), and wherein said self clutching mechanism comprises a clutching gear (15) and a clutching arm (14) which moves said gear (15) into and out of engagement with said drive gear for selectively connecting and disconnecting said clutching gear and said drive gear.

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