CN113685729B

CN113685729B - Gas supply device equipped with connector transfer part and connector combination method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN113685729B
Application number: CN202010884048.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朴用建; 李祥煜; 金容澈; 徐彻教; 金相镇
Original assignee: Kc Ltd By Share Ltd
Current assignee: Kc Ltd By Share Ltd
Priority date: 2020-05-19
Filing date: 2020-08-28
Publication date: 2023-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-28
Also published as: CN113685729A; KR102233470B1; TWI797479B; TW202145376A

Abstract

The invention aims to provide a gas supply device of a connector transfer part and a connector combination method of the gas supply device, wherein the connector transfer part can minimize the abrasion of threads and improve the durability of components when a valve connector and a connecting piping connector are combined. To achieve the gas supply device thereof, comprising: a connector fastening part including a connection pipe connector, one side and the other side of which are connected with a valve connector provided at a container and a gas demand place, respectively, and a connection pipe connector housing surrounding the outside of the connection pipe connector and provided to rotate together with the connection pipe connector; a first transfer mechanism for transferring the entire connector fastening portion in the direction of the valve connector; a connector transfer portion for transferring the connection piping connector to the valve connector.

Description

Gas supply device equipped with connector transfer part and connector combination method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a gas supply device equipped with a connector transfer portion and a connector coupling method of the gas supply device, and more particularly, to a gas supply device equipped with a connector transfer portion of a connection piping connector for transferring a valve connector coupled to a container side and a connector coupling method of the gas supply device.

Background

In general, as for an apparatus that supplies a gas to an apparatus that utilizes the gas (particularly, to a gas demand place where fine operations are performed such as a semiconductor device), a kind of gas suitable for various purposes is required to satisfy predetermined concentration, pressure, and the like.

In order to efficiently supply such a gas, many kinds of gases, particularly gases having harmful properties such as flammability, toxicity, corrosiveness, and the like, are stored under high pressure and are strictly controlled in an independent space isolated from humans.

A gas storage container (hereinafter, simply referred to as "container") for storing gas is connected to a gas demand place, and if the gas stored in the container is completely consumed, the container is replaced after separating a connection pipe connected to the gas demand place from a valve of the gas container, and then a connector fastening portion including a connection pipe connector connected to the gas demand place is coupled to a valve connector of the replaced container to resupply the gas.

A cover separating portion for separating a cover covering an end portion of a valve portion connector of a container is provided at a side portion of the connector fastening portion.

Also, a rotation mechanism for rotating the cover separating portion and the connector fastening portion, and a plurality of plates and a housing for fixing these components may be equipped. The rotating mechanism is driven to couple the connector fastening portion to the valve connector.

In order to couple the connector fastening portion to the valve connector of the container, a transfer mechanism for transferring the connector fastening portion in the direction of the valve connector is required.

The connector fastening portion is rotated by the rotation of the rotation mechanism while the connector fastening portion is transferred by the transfer mechanism, thereby achieving the screw coupling of the valve connector and the connection piping connector.

In this case, the transfer mechanism is equipped with: the cover separating part and the connector fastening part, and a plate and a housing for fixing them are integrally transferred toward a valve connector of a container. In this case, if the valve connector and the connection pipe connector are integrally transferred when they are coupled, since the weight of the transferred parts is excessive, abrasion of threads may occur due to contact impact when the connection pipe connector is coupled to the valve connector.

As a prior art related to a gas supply apparatus of a semiconductor device, korean patent laid-open publication No. 10-0242982 is disclosed.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas supply device including a connector transfer portion capable of improving durability of components by minimizing wear of threads when a valve connector and a connection pipe connector are coupled, and a connector coupling method of the gas supply device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a gas supply device equipped with a connector transfer part capable of minimizing friction between components when a piping connector and a valve connector are coupled, and a connector coupling method of the gas supply device.

To achieve the above object, the gas supply device of the present invention includes: a connector fastening part including a connection pipe connector, one side and the other side of which are connected with a valve connector provided at a container and a gas demand place, respectively, and a connection pipe connector housing surrounding the outside of the connection pipe connector and provided to rotate together with the connection pipe connector; a first transfer mechanism for transferring the entire connector fastening portion in the direction of the valve connector; a connector transfer portion for transferring the connection piping connector toward the valve connector.

The connector transfer part may include: the connector clamping component is used for realizing clamping with the connecting distribution pipe connector; and a connector movement driving part for transferring the connector clamping component to the valve connector.

A guide shaft for guiding the transfer of the connector engagement member by the driving of the connector movement driving part may be provided.

The connector movement driving part may be implemented as a cylinder or a motor that causes the connector catching member to be transferred by air supply.

The cylinder may be provided with a regulator for regulating the pressure of the air supplied.

The connection pipe connector may be rotated by driving of a rotation mechanism to be screw-coupled to the valve connector, and the pressure adjustable by the adjuster may be set to correspond to a linear transfer distance according to the screw coupling of the connection pipe connector and the valve connector.

A recessed engagement groove may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the connection pipe connector, and the connector engagement member may be inserted into the engagement groove and may be transferred together by engagement with the connection pipe connector when the connector engagement member is linearly moved.

The connection tubing connector may be rotated by driving of a rotation mechanism, a cutout portion having an arc shape may be formed in the connector engagement member, and a part of a body of the connector engagement member around the cutout portion may be engaged with the connection tubing connector.

The connector engagement member may be formed with engagement portions formed on both sides of the notch portion to be engaged with the connecting fitting in the engagement groove, and an upper end of the notch portion of the connector engagement member, which is an upper side of the notch portion, may be spaced apart from the engagement groove at an upper side thereof so as not to be engaged with the engagement portion.

The connector engagement member may be configured such that one side surface thereof located in a direction of the valve connector is in contact with the connection pipe connector and the other side surface thereof located in a direction opposite to the direction of the valve connector is spaced apart from the connection pipe connector when the connector engagement member is transferred to the valve connector.

An operation member may be provided, one side of which is connected to the connector movement driving part and the other side of which is connected to the connector engagement member, and the operation member may include: the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are mutually separated and form clamping with the connector clamping component, one side of the operating shaft is combined with the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion, and the other side of the operating shaft is connected with the air cylinder.

A rotation mechanism that integrally rotates the connection piping connector and the connection piping connector housing may be provided, and a control portion that controls: when the connection pipe connector is transferred by the connector transfer unit, the connection pipe connector and the connection pipe connector housing are integrally rotated by the rotation mechanism.

A cover separating portion that separates a cover covering the valve connector may be provided at a side portion of the connector fastening portion, and the connector fastening portion and the cover separating portion may be integrally transferred by the first transfer mechanism.

A rotation mechanism for rotating the connector fastening portion by coupling the connector fastening portion and the valve connector may be provided, the cover separating portion and the connector fastening portion may be integrally rotated by driving of the rotation mechanism, and a gear box provided with a plurality of gears for transmitting driving of the rotation mechanism may be transferred integrally with the connector fastening portion by the first transfer mechanism.

The connector combining method of the gas supply device of the invention comprises the following steps: transferring a connector fastening part including a connection pipe connector, one side and the other side of which are connected to the valve connector and a gas demand place provided at a container, respectively, and a connection pipe connector housing, which surrounds the outside of the connection pipe connector and is provided to rotate together with the connection pipe connector, to an opposite position adjacent to the valve connector using a first transfer mechanism; in a state where the first transfer mechanism is stopped, the connector transfer unit is driven to transfer the connection piping connector in the direction of the valve connector to join the connection piping connector and the valve connector.

The air cylinder constituting the connector movement driving part is supplied with air to transfer the connector engagement member and the connection piping connector toward the valve connector.

The air supplied to the cylinder may be regulated in supply pressure by a regulator.

The connection piping connector may be screwed to the valve connector by driving rotation of a rotation mechanism, and the pressure adjusted by the adjuster may be set to correspond to a linear transfer distance of the connection piping connector screwed by the screw when the connection piping connector is screwed to the valve connector by driving rotation of the rotation mechanism.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve durability of components by minimizing wear of threads when a valve connector and a connection piping connector are coupled.

Also, friction between components when the connection piping connector and the valve connector are combined can be minimized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a gas supply device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a fixing block is coupled to a valve portion of a container in the gas supply device of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a lower module of the gas supply apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of a lower module in the gas supply apparatus of the present invention at a different angle from fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a gasket supply part in the gas supply device of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a gasket transfer section in the gas supply device of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a component to which a gear case, a cover separating portion, a connector fastening portion, and a connecting piping connector transfer mechanism are combined in the gas supply device of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the transfer mechanism of the connector for connecting piping of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the connector engagement member of the present invention and the connection piping connector are engaged.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the connector catching member and the connecting piping connector of the present invention are separated.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing the transfer mechanism of the connector for connecting piping according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 isbase:Sub>A sectional view taken along linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A of fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a state before the connector fastening part of the present invention and the valve connector of the container are coupled.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view showing a state where a connector fastening portion of the present invention and a valve connector of a container are coupled.

Description of the symbols

1: gas supply device 2: upper module

3: the lower module 4: valve opening and closing module

10: the container 20: valve with a valve body

30: valve connector 31: cover body

50: the handle 211: upper plate

311: upper housing 312: first side shell

313: second side housing 314: lower casing

315: the inner housing 320: cover body separating part

330: connector fastening portion 331: connecting pipe connector

331a: connector main body portion 331b: clamping groove

331c: nut portion 335: connector transfer part

335-1: connector engagement member 335-1a: upper body

335-1b: lower main body 335-1c: insertion slot

335-1d: guide shaft insertion hole 335-1e: cut-out part

335-1f: clip portion 335-1g: upper end of the cut part

335-2: operating part 335-2a: first clamping part

335-2b: second clip portion 335-2c: operating shaft

335-3: guide shaft 335-4: connector movement driving part

340: sub-module transfer mechanism 340a: first transfer mechanism

340b: the second transfer mechanism 350: alignment block

351: second alignment portion 352: second joint part

352a: the protrusion 360: plug-in module

370:

gasket supply portions

371, 371a: sealing gasket

372: gasket housing portion 373: gasket storage section transfer mechanism

380: the gasket transfer portion 381: sealing gasket holder

382: gasket holder operating mechanism 383: first sealing gasket holder transfer mechanism

384: second mat

holder transfer mechanism

510, 520, 530: fixed block

511: first coupling portion 512: a first aligning part

Detailed Description

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Here, when referring to the directions, the X axis shown in fig. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction, the Y axis is referred to as the left-right direction, and the Z axis is referred to as the vertical direction. And, the horizontal direction includes the left-right direction and the front-rear direction constituted by the XY plane. In addition, when the front-rear direction is distinguished, the side on which the container 10 is disposed is referred to as front, and the side on which the lower module 3 is disposed is referred to as rear. Also, when the left and right directions are distinguished with reference to the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330, the side where the cover separating portion 320 is disposed is defined as the right side, and the side where the connector fastening portion 330 is disposed is defined as the left side.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the gas supply apparatus 1 of the present invention may include: an upper module 2 including an upper plate 211 fixed to a position spaced upward from a valve portion provided at an upper end of the container 10; a lower module 3 provided at a lower portion of the upper module 2, provided with a cover separating portion 320 and a connector fastening portion 330, the cover separating portion 320 separating a cover 31 covering a valve connector 30, the valve connector 30 being provided at the valve portion, the connector fastening portion 330 for connecting a connection piping connector 331 connected to a gas demand place to the valve connector 30; and a valve opening/closing means 4 for opening and closing the valve of the valve section.

The container 10 is provided with the valve portion at an upper portion of the container 10 as a configuration for storing and supplying a process gas supplied to a gas demand of a semiconductor device or the like.

The valve portion includes: a valve (not shown) for controlling the supply of gas; a valve connector 30 provided at one side of the valve to be fastened to a connector fastening portion 330 of the lower module 3; a cover 31 covering the valve connector 30; a valve shutter (not shown) opens and closes the valve; and a handle 50 connected to an upper portion of the valve gate, and configured to open and close the valve by lifting and lowering the valve gate according to rotation.

Fixing blocks 510, 520, 530 are coupled to the valve portions. The fixing blocks 510, 520, 530 are provided with first alignment portions 512.

The fixing blocks 510, 520, and 530 may be formed of a first fixing block 510, a second fixing block 520, and a third fixing block 530 surrounding the valve portions.

If the valve portion is surrounded by the coupling of the second and third fixing blocks 520 and 530, the valve connector 30 and the cover 31 in the valve portion are exposed by protruding in a lateral direction with respect to the fixing blocks 520 and 530, and the handle 50 in the valve portion is exposed by protruding in an upward direction with respect to the fixing blocks 520 and 530.

The first fixing block 510 has a rectangular barrel shape having a length in the Y-axis direction, the second fixing block 520 is coupled to one side surface in the Y-axis direction, and a first aligning portion 512 is provided at one side surface in the X-axis direction.

The first alignment portion 512 may be formed of an alignment pin insertion groove 512 concavely formed on one side surface in the X-axis direction.

The lower module 3 is formed to be capable of horizontal transfer with respect to the upper module 2 and vertical lifting transfer.

The first aligning portion 512 is configured to align the container 10 by being coupled to a second aligning portion 351 provided in the lower module 3 when the lower module 3 is transferred in the horizontal direction.

The second alignment portion 351 may be formed of an alignment pin 351 having a length in the horizontal direction protruding from an alignment block 350 of the lower module 3, which will be described later, in the X-axis direction, which is a direction facing the alignment pin insertion groove 512.

The alignment of the container 10 is achieved by the alignment pins 351 being inserted into the alignment pin insertion grooves 512.

In the first fixing block 510, a first coupling portion 511 is provided at a position adjacent to the first alignment portion 512, and a second coupling portion 352 is provided at the alignment block 350 of the lower module 3 to be coupled to the first coupling portion 511.

The first coupling portion 511 may be formed by a fixing groove 511 concavely formed in the X-axis direction on the same surface of the first fixing block 510 as the surface on which the first alignment portion 512 is formed.

The second coupling portion 352 may be formed of a fixing block coupling part 352 of the alignment block 350 adjacent to the second alignment portion 351 to protrude toward the first coupling portion 511.

A plurality of protrusions 352a are provided at an outer side surface of the fixed block coupling part 352, and the plurality of protrusions 352a are elastically supported by springs (not shown) provided inside. A projection insertion groove (not shown) into which the projection 352a is inserted is formed inside the fixing groove 511. If the fixing block coupling part 352 is inserted into the fixing groove 511, the protrusion 352a is inserted into the protrusion insertion groove, so that the fixing block coupling part 352 may be prevented from being separated from the fixing groove 511, thereby maintaining the state in which the lower module 3 is coupled to the first fixing block 510.

In a state that the fixing block coupling part 352 is pulled out from the fixing groove 511, if air (air) is supplied to move the projection 352a from the surface of the fixing block coupling part 352 inwardly against the elastic force of the spring, the projection 352a is separated from the projection insertion groove. Accordingly, the fixing block coupling part 352 can be disengaged from the fixing groove 511.

A transfer guide (not shown) may be provided at the upper module 2 to be able to transfer the lower module 3 in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, respectively. If the operator grips the lower module 3 by hand and applies a force in the axial direction, the lower module 3 can be transferred in any one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. Also, the combination of the first and second aligning

portions

512 and 351, by which the alignment of the container 10 can be achieved, can be achieved by the transfer of the lower module 3.

The lower module 3 is provided with: a plurality of

housings

311, 312, 313, 314; a lid separation portion 320; a connector fastening part 330, a connector transfer part 335, a sub-module transfer mechanism 340, an alignment block 350, a plug module 360, a gasket supply part 370, and a gasket transfer part 380.

The plurality of

cases

311, 312, 313, 314 include: an upper case 311 provided in a plate shape on the upper portion of the lower module 3; a first side case 312 and a second side case 313 coupled to both sides of the upper case 311 in the Y-axis direction, respectively; and a lower case 314 spaced downward from the upper case 311, both sides of which are coupled to the first side case 312 and the second side case 313.

The upper case 311 and the first side case 312, the second side case 313, and the lower case 314 are provided to surround the upper and lower portions and both side portions of the lower module 3 except in the front and rear direction.

The cover body separating portion 320 separates the cover body 31 covering the valve connector 30 from the valve connector 30, in which the valve connector 30 is equipped.

The cover body separating portion 320 is formed with a groove so that the cover body 31 is inserted inside, and if a rotating mechanism (not shown) is driven to rotate the cover body separating portion 320 in a state where the cover body 31 is inserted into the groove of the cover body separating portion 320, the cover body 31 is separated from the valve connector 30. In contrast, the rotating mechanism may be driven to couple the cover 31 separated from the cover separating portion 320 to the valve connector 30.

The connector fastening part 330 includes: a connection piping connector 331 connected to a gas demand place; a connecting tubing connector housing 332 (FIG. 7) surrounds the outside of the connecting tubing connector 331. The connector fastening portion 330 is provided to be able to connect the connection piping connector 331 to the valve connector 30. If the handle 50 is rotated to open the valve in a state where the connector fastening part 330 and the valve connector 30 are connected, the gas inside the container 10 is supplied to the gas demand place through the valve connector 30 and the connection pipe connector 331. The connection tubing connector 331 and the connection tubing connector housing 332 are rotated together by the rotation mechanism.

The sub-module transfer mechanism 340 integrally transfers the sub-module including the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) and the front-back direction (X-axis direction). The sub-module transfer mechanism 340 may be configured to include: a first transfer mechanism 340a for integrally transferring the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 in the front-rear direction; and a second transfer mechanism 340b for integrally transferring the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 in the left-right direction.

The first transfer mechanism 340a may be configured by a transfer guide for transferring in a front-rear direction and a cylinder for applying a transfer force by supplying air (air). The second transfer mechanism 340b may be configured by a transfer guide for transferring in the left-right direction and a cylinder for applying a transfer force by supplying air (air).

The rotating mechanism rotates the cover separating part 320 and the connector fastening part 330. The rotation mechanism includes a motor and a decelerator generating a rotation force, and includes a rotation transmission member for transmitting the rotation force to the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330.

The rotation transmitting member transmits the rotational force to the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330, respectively, and if the motor is driven, the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 are simultaneously rotated. In contrast, the rotating mechanism may be configured to be equipped with two motors, and the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 may be rotated by the two motors, respectively.

An inner case 315, the front and rear of which are opened and which surrounds the left, right, upper and lower sides, may be provided to enable the cover separating part 320 and the connector fastening part 330 to be provided. The inner case 315 can be combined with an upper portion of the lower case 314.

The alignment block 350 is coupled to protrude from a front end of the inner housing 315, and is formed in a substantially polyhedral shape. An alignment pin 351 is formed as a second alignment portion 351 on a front surface of the alignment block 350 in a shape protruding toward the valve portion, and a fixed block coupling member 352 is formed as a second coupling portion 352 on a side portion of the alignment pin 351 in a shape protruding toward the valve portion.

The gasket supply portion 370 is explained with reference to fig. 3 and 5.

The packing supply unit 370 is a member for supplying a new packing (gasket) to be mounted between the connection pipe connector 331 and the valve connector 30 when the container 10 is replaced, and includes: a housing 372 that houses a plurality of gaskets 371; and a gasket housing section transfer mechanism 373 that transfers the gasket housing section 372 in the front-rear direction.

The gasket housing section transfer mechanism 373 may include: a transfer guide guiding transfer in a front-back direction; a driving part providing a driving force to be transferred along with the transfer guide.

The gasket housing 372 is provided with a plurality of gaskets 371a in a standing state, and is configured so that a gasket holder 381, which will be described later, picks up a gasket positioned at one side edge and then can be detached by a gasket discharge portion 372a which is an opening portion formed in the gasket housing 372.

The gasket transfer section 380 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 6.

The gasket transfer section 380 includes: a gasket holder 381 configured by a pair of

gasket holder members

381a, 381b for picking up a gasket; a mat seal holder operating mechanism 382 for operating the pair of mat

seal holder parts

381a, 381b in such a manner as to be close to or away from each other; a first gasket holder transfer mechanism 383 for integrally transferring the gasket holder 381 and the gasket holder operation mechanism 382 in the front-rear direction; and a second gasket holder transfer mechanism 384 for integrally transferring the gasket holder 381, the gasket holder operating mechanism 382, and the first gasket holder transfer mechanism 383 in the left-right direction.

The first and second mat

holder transfer mechanisms

383 and 384 may be configured by a transfer guide for guiding transfer in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction and a driving portion that provides a driving force so as to be transferred along with the transfer guide.

The connector transfer portion 335 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 7 to 13.

The cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 may be linearly transferred in the forward and backward directions by the first transfer mechanism 340 a. As shown in fig. 7, the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 are integrally combined to the gear case 345. A plurality of gears constituting a rotation transmission member of the rotation mechanism are provided inside the gear case 345. The plurality of gears may be configured to receive a rotational force from one motor to simultaneously rotate the cover separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330.

The cover separating portion 320, the connector fastening portion 330, and the gear case 345 may be integrally linearly transferred by driving the first transfer mechanism 340a so that the connection pipe connector 331 is coupled to the valve connector 30, but in this case, since a large number of components are transferred by driving the first transfer mechanism 340a, a shock may be generated when the connection pipe connector 331 is coupled to the valve connector 30 because of a large weight.

In order to prevent such a problem, the connector transfer portion 335 is provided separately from the first transfer mechanism 340a, so that in the case of coupling the connection piping connector 331 to the valve connector 30, the first transfer mechanism 340a is not driven, but the connector transfer portion 335 is driven to transfer only the connection piping connector 331 in the front-rear direction.

The connector transfer part 335 may include: a connector catching part 335-1 of which a lower portion is inserted into a catching groove 331b formed at an end of the connection pipe connector 331 so as to be caught by the connection pipe connector 331; an operation member 335-2 connected to an upper portion of the connector catching member 335-1 and provided to be linearly transferred in a front-rear direction; a connector movement driving part 335-4 for providing a driving force to linearly move the operating member 335-2 in a front-rear direction; the guide shaft 335-3 serves as a guide in a case where the operating member 335-2 is linearly transferred.

The connector engagement member 335-1 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape having a length in the vertical direction, and includes: upper body 335-1a; and a lower body 335-1b extending downward from the upper body 335-1a with a step difference.

An insertion groove 335-1c is formed at the center of the upper end of the upper body 335-1a, and guide shaft insertion holes 335-1d into which the front end of the guide shaft 335-3 is inserted are formed at both left and right sides of the insertion groove 335-1 c.

A notch portion 335-1e cut in a circular arc shape from the center of the lower end to the upper side is formed in the lower body 335-1b, and a catching portion 335-1f surrounding a part of the notch portion 335-1e and having a length in the vertical direction at both sides of the notch portion 335-1e is formed.

The connection piping connector 331 is configured to include: a connector body portion 331a having a cylindrical shape; a catching groove 331b concavely formed along the circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the connector body portion 331 a; the nut portion 331c extends rearward from the connector body portion 331 and is formed in a hexagonal nut shape.

The connector body 331a and the nut 331c are formed such that the interior thereof is inserted in the front-rear direction, and a screw is formed on the inner surface of the inserted interior of the connector body 331a, so that the valve connector 30 is inserted into the connector body 331a while being screwed to the screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve connector 30.

Since the locking portion 335-1f, which is a part of the lower body 335-1b of the connector locking member 335-1, is inserted into the locking groove 331b, the connecting tubing connector 331 is also transferred in the front-rear direction due to the locking of the connector locking member 335-1 and the connecting tubing connector 331 when the connector locking member 335-1 is transferred in the front-rear direction.

That is, referring to fig. 9, 10 and 13, the connector engagement member 335-1 is engaged with the mating connector 331 and the connector engagement member 335-1 by inserting a pair of engagement portions 335-1f, which form both side portions of the lower body 335-1b, into the engagement grooves 331 b.

Further, referring to fig. 9, 10, and 12, since the upper end 331d, which is a part of the connector main body 331a of the connection piping connector 331, is located at a position separated from the upper side of the catching groove 331b, the upper end 335-1g of the cutout portion of the lower body 335-1b is located radially outward of the catching groove 331 b. Therefore, the engagement of the connection fitting connector 331 and the connector engagement member 335-1 is not achieved at this portion.

As such, if a portion of the connector catching part 335-1 is caught to the catching groove 331b of the connection pipe connector 331, friction between parts when the connection pipe connector 331 and the valve connector 30 are combined can be minimized.

To describe this in more detail, in order to couple the connection pipe connector 331 to the valve connector 30, the rotation mechanism is driven to rotate the connection pipe connector 331 and the connector movement driving unit 335-4 is driven to move the connector engagement member 335-1 and the connection pipe connector 331 engaged therewith forward. In this case, since the connection tubing connector 331 is rotated by the driving of the rotating mechanism, the engagement portion 335-1f of the connector engagement member 335-1 inserted into the engagement groove 331b of the connection tubing connector 331 contacts the connector body portion 331a of the rotating connection tubing connector 331 to generate friction. In contrast, the upper end 335-1g of the cutout portion of the lower body 335-1b of the connector catching member 335-1 is not in contact with the connector body portion 331a of the connection fitting connector 331, so that friction is not generated. It is possible to minimize generation of friction caused by contact of the connector catching part 335-1 and the connection pipe connector 331.

Further, when the connector engagement member 335-1 is transferred linearly in the direction of the valve connector 30, the front side surface of the engagement portion 335-1f may be in contact with the front side surface 331e inside the engagement groove 331b of the connection pipe connector 331, and the rear side surface of the engagement portion 335-1f may be in contact with the rear side surface 331f inside the engagement groove 331b of the connection pipe connector 331. Although fig. 13 shows the case where the rear side surface 331f is in contact with the catching portion 335-1f, it may be configured to be spaced apart by a minute pitch. By configuring in this way, generation of friction caused by contact of the connector catching part 335-1 and the connection fitting 331 can be minimized.

One side of the operating member 335-2 is connected to the upper portion of the connector catching member 335-1, and the other side is connected to the connector movement driving part 335-4. The operation member 335-2 includes: a first catching portion 335-2a and a second catching portion 335-2b positioned in front and rear of the insertion groove 335-1c of the upper body 335-1a and formed in a disc shape having a diameter larger than a width of the insertion groove 335-1c in a left and right direction; the operation shaft 335-2c is provided to penetrate the center of the first and second engaging portions 335-2a and 335-2b and has a length in the front-rear direction.

The first and second catching portions 335-2a and 335-2b are provided to be spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and are provided such that the upper body 335-1a located at the side of the insertion groove 335-1c is located at the spaced-apart space.

The guide shaft 335-3 may be provided as a pair on both sides with the operation shaft 335-2c interposed therebetween. The guide shaft 335-3 has a rear end inserted into the connector movement driving part 335-4 to be movable in the front and rear direction inside the connector movement driving part 335-4, and a front end inserted into the guide shaft insertion hole 335-1d, so that the connector catching member 335-1 is guided by the guide shaft 335-3 to be moved to the front or rear when the connector movement driving part 335-4 is driven.

A connector movement drive unit 335-4 is connected to the operation shaft 335-2 c.

The connector movement driving part 335-4 provides a driving force for moving the connector catching member 335-1 to the front or the rear. For example, the connector movement driving part linearly moves the connector catching member 335-1 in the front and rear direction by supplying air (air).

The cylinder may be provided with a regulator (not shown) for regulating the pressure of the supplied air (air).

The connector movement driving unit may be configured by a motor driven by electric power. In the case where the connector movement driving part is constructed using a motor, a power transmission member may be provided to linearly move the connector engagement member 335-1 by a rotational motion of the motor. Since the motor can adjust the rotational force by control, the function of the adjuster of the cylinder can be performed.

In addition to the above-described examples, the connector movement driving unit may be applied as long as it can linearly move the connector engagement member 335-1.

The connection pipe connector 331 is rotated by the rotation mechanism and transferred forward by the connector transfer driving unit 335-4, and is coupled to the valve connector 30. In this case, the connection pipe connector 331 and the valve connector 30 are screw-coupled, and thus a linear distance to be transferred at the screw-coupling is determined by a pitch (pitch) and a rotation speed.

Accordingly, the driving force of the connector movement driving part 335-4 is realized by pressure adjustment of the regulator, and the adjusted pressure may be set to correspond to a linear distance to be transferred when screwing is performed by rotation of the connection pipe connector 331.

A method of coupling the valve connector 30 and the connection pipe connector 331 will be described with reference to fig. 14 and 15.

As shown in fig. 14, if the first transfer mechanism 340a is driven to transfer the cover body separating portion 320 and the connector fastening portion 330 forward integrally in a state where the valve connector 30 and the connection pipe connector 331 are spaced apart, the connection pipe connector 331 is located close to the valve connector 30.

Then, in a state where the driving of the first transfer mechanism 340a is stopped, the connector movement driving unit 335-4 is driven to transfer the connector engagement member 335-1 and the connected tubing connector 331 engaged therewith forward, and the rotating mechanism is driven to rotate the connected tubing connector 331 and the connected tubing connector housing 332, the valve connector 30 is inserted into the connector body portion 331a of the connected tubing connector 331 to be screwed as shown in fig. 15.

In this case, when the connector movement driving unit 335-4 is configured by using an air cylinder, the air supplied to the air cylinder is adjusted in supply pressure by an adjuster, so that the transfer speed of the connector engagement member 335-1 and the connection piping connector 331 engaged therewith can be appropriately adjusted.

According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to minimize an impact when coupling the connecting tubing connector 331 to the valve connector 30 by separately providing the first transfer mechanism 340a and the connector movement driving part 335-4, wherein the first transfer mechanism 340a may integrally transfer the connector fastening part 330 including the connecting tubing connector housing 332 and the cover body separating part 320 and the gear housing 345 in the forward or backward direction, and the connector movement driving part 335-4 may transfer only the transfer connecting tubing connector 331 in the forward or backward direction.

Although the above description has been made by taking as an example a configuration in which the gas supply device is constituted by the upper module 2 and the lower module 3, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various configurations.

Further, although the gas supply device that manually aligns the container 10 has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a gas supply device that automatically aligns the container 10.

As described above, although the present invention has been described in detail by taking the preferred embodiment as an example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be carried out by being variously modified within the scope of the claims, the detailed description of the invention, and the drawings, and these also belong to the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas supply apparatus comprising:

a connector fastening part including a connection tubing connector, one side and the other side of which are connected with a valve connector and a gas demand place provided at a container, respectively, and a connection tubing connector housing which surrounds the outside of the connection tubing connector and is provided to rotate together with the connection tubing connector;

a first transfer mechanism for transferring the entire connector fastening portion in the direction of the valve connector;

a connector transfer portion for transferring only the connection piping connector in the connector fastening portion including the connection piping connector and the connection piping connector housing toward the valve connector.

2. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1,

the connector transfer portion includes: the connector clamping component is used for realizing clamping with the connecting distribution pipe connector; and a connector movement driving part for providing a driving force for transferring the connector clamping component to the valve connector direction.

3. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 2,

a guide shaft is provided for guiding the transfer of the connector engagement member by the driving of the connector movement driving part.

4. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 2,

the connector movement driving part is composed of an air cylinder or a motor which enables the connector clamping component to be transferred by supplying air.

5. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 4,

the cylinder is equipped with a regulator for regulating the pressure of the air supplied.

6. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 5,

the connecting piping connector is rotated by the driving of the rotating mechanism to be screw-engaged with the valve connector,

the pressure adjusted by the adjuster is set to correspond to a linear transfer distance according to the screw coupling of the connection pipe connector and the valve connector.

7. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 2,

a recessed engagement groove is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the connection pipe connector, and the connector engagement member is engaged with the connection pipe connector and transferred together with the connection pipe connector when the connector engagement member is inserted into the engagement groove and linearly moved.

8. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 7,

the connecting piping connector is rotated by the driving of the rotating mechanism,

the connector engagement member is formed with a notch portion in an arc shape,

a part of the body of the connector engagement member around the cutout portion is engaged to the connection piping connector.

9. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 8,

a clamping part is formed on the connector clamping part, the clamping part is formed on two sides of the cut part and is clamped to the connecting piping connector in the clamping groove,

the upper end of the notch of the connector clamping component, which is the upper side of the notch, is separated from the clamping groove towards the upper side, thereby not forming clamping.

10. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 2,

the connector engagement member is located on one side surface in the valve connector direction and contacts the connection pipe connector when the connector engagement member is transferred in the valve connector direction, and is located on the other side surface in the opposite direction to the valve connector direction and is spaced apart from the connection pipe connector.

11. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 2,

an operation component with one side connected with the connector moving driving part and the other side connected with the connector clamping component is arranged,

the operation member includes: first joint portion and second joint portion are separated by each other and with connector joint part constitutes the joint, the operating axis, one side with first joint portion and second joint portion combine, the opposite side is connected with the cylinder.

12. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1,

a rotation mechanism for integrally rotating the connection piping connector and the connection piping connector housing is provided,

the device is provided with a control part which controls the following modes: when the connection tube connector is transferred by the connector transfer part, the connection tube connector and the connection tube connector housing are integrally rotated by the rotation mechanism.

13. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1,

a cover body separating portion that separates a cover body covering the valve connector is provided at a side portion of the connector fastening portion,

the connector fastening portion and the cover separating portion are integrally transferred by the first transfer mechanism.

14. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 13,

a rotation mechanism is provided for rotating the connector fastening part in order to couple the connector fastening part and the valve connector,

the cover separating portion and the connector fastening portion are integrally rotated by the driving of the rotating mechanism, and a gear box equipped with a plurality of gears for transmitting the driving of the rotating mechanism is integrally transferred with the connector fastening portion by the first transfer mechanism.

15. A connector coupling method of a gas supply apparatus, comprising the steps of:

transferring a connector fastening portion including a connection tubing connector, one side and the other side of which are connected to the valve connector and a gas demand place provided at a container, respectively, and a connection tubing connector housing, which surrounds an outer side of the connection tubing connector and is provided to rotate together with the connection tubing connector, to a position opposite to and adjacent to the valve connector using a first transfer mechanism;

in a state where the first transfer mechanism is stopped, the drive connector transfer unit transfers only the connection piping connector in the connector fastening unit including the connection piping connector and the connection piping connector housing to the valve connector direction to join the connection piping connector and the valve connector.

16. The connector coupling method of a gas supply apparatus according to claim 15,

the connector transfer section includes: the connector clamping component is used for realizing clamping with the connecting distribution pipe connector; a connector movement driving part for providing a driving force for transferring the connector clamping component to the valve connector,

the connector engagement member and the connection piping connector are transferred in the direction of the valve connector by supplying air to an air cylinder constituting the connector movement driving part or driving a motor constituting the connector movement driving part.

17. The connector coupling method of a gas supply apparatus according to claim 16,

the air supplied to the cylinder is regulated in supply pressure by a regulator.

18. The connector coupling method of a gas supply apparatus according to claim 17,

the connecting piping connector is rotated by the driving of the rotating mechanism to be screw-coupled with the valve connector,

the pressure adjusted by the adjuster is set to correspond to a linear transfer distance of the connection tubing connector according to the screw coupling in a case where the connection tubing connector is rotated by driving of a rotation mechanism and is further screw-coupled to the valve connector.