GB1575944A

GB1575944A - Power operated filling head

Info

Publication number: GB1575944A
Application number: GB3047177A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Current assignee: Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date: 1976-07-22
Filing date: 1977-07-20
Publication date: 1980-10-01
Also published as: DK328777A; ES460901A2; DK170868B1; FR2359364A2; FR2359364B2

Description

(54) POWER OPERATED FILLING HEAD (71) We, SHELL INTER NATIONALE RESEARCH MAATS CHAPPIJ B.V.,a company organised under the laws of The Netherlands, of 30 Carel van Bylandtlaan, The Hague, The Netherlands, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a poweroperated filling head designed to be connected to the nozzle or mouth of the closing valve of a container, such as a gas bottle, in order to fill the latter with a suitable fluid under pressure.

According to British application 1539939 such a filling head is of the type in which the head comprises in a body, a movable supply device having an internal passage, which is in communication with a filing source, and is provided at its extremity to be moved to the nozzle or mouth with a valve which is pushed elastically into the closed position, and a device including a member in the form of a piston located in a chamber which is arranged in the body and can be connected to a separate control source of fluid under pressure to control successively the forward movement of a sleeve forming part of the supply device in the direction of the nozzle or mouth and the opening of the valve, as well as locking means so designed that when the sleeve moves forward said means cooperate with an annular shoulder arranged on the exterior surface of the mouth in order to lock the filling head thereon.

Such an arrangement completed by sealing means able to co-operate with the mouth in such a manner as to prevent any leakage between the mouth and the internal passage of the sleeve when the latter moves forward towards the mouth, gives full satisfaction for the filling of containers provided with a mouth in good condition and lacking pressure-tight valves.

In the case where it is desired to fill a container having a mouth which exhibits a distorted annular surface or other irregularities, the desired tightness between the mouth and the sleeve is sometimes not as good as it should be. This leads to gas leaks which are not economic and moreover dangerous, which may result in the filling of the containers being banned. The object of the present invention is to relieve this drawback.

Furthermore, in the case where filling is carried out of containers fitted with pressure - tight valves, the filling operation by means of an extremity of the sleeve is carried out under difficult conditions and ceases when the valve of the containers has reached equilibrium.

It would therefore be necessary to prevent, as the result of poor positioning of the mouth for example, the filling valve from opening before the head has been locked on the mouth. Locking of the head on the mouth by means of pivoting fingers also presents a drawback: the contact between the curved edges of the said fingers and the annular groove of the mouth provided for the purpose of locking is effected on a small surface and can damage the said mouth.

In order to obviate any loss of tightness between the mouth and the extremity of the sleeve, the head which is the subject of the invention is provided with a sealing ring made of highly flexible material, pressed into an annular recess and provided with a lower contact plane for cooperation with a filling mouth exhibiting major deformations in relation to its original cylindrical shape.

The said sealing ring has a thickness lying between 4 and 10mm for a shore hardness ranging from 50 to 80, preferably a thickness lying between 4.5 and 7 mm for a shore hardness ranging from 60 to 70 and very advantageously a thickness of 5 to 6 mm for a shore hardness of 65.

In order to avoid a malfunction during the initial filling operation, as described above, the device for controlling the forward movement of the sleeve and the opening of the valve, particularly the piston shaped element thereof consists of a first part in the form of a piston fitted in a chamber which arranged in the body is able of being connected to a source of pressurized fluid and of a second part in the form of a piston fitted in a second chamber able of being connected to the source of pressurized fluid.

The rational utilization of containers with pressure-tight valves further requires the addition to the known head of a device known per se but characterizing the present invention. It may have the form of a stud having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the internal passage of the sleeve, and the said stud may be integral with the valve blocking the passage of the filling gas.

In order to lock the filling head on the mouth with no major risk of damage, on the other hand there is provided a plurality of locking fingers designed to slide transversely in the body and capable of being forced and held in the locking position by the sleeve in the course of its forward movement.

These two fingers co-operate by their extremities with the frusto-conical internal face of the body in such a manner that any forward movement of the sleeve tends to bring together the locking fingers against the elastic effect of spring-loaded devices tending on the contrary to separate them.

Finally, each finger has an edge capable of co-operating with the annular should of the mouth.

In order to facilitate the gripping and the positioning on a container mouth of the filling head, the invention also provides for the medium section of the body to have a diameter smaller than that of its extremities.

This arrangement is assisted by, the fact that one of the two elements in the form of a piston and the corresponding cylinder form a double-acting jack.

Finally, the present invention improves the safety conditions in the filling centres to the extent that the body at its lower extremity has a cylindrical skirt largely surrounding the mouth so as to deflect downwards the filling fluid in the event of a leakage of the said fluid at the connection of the mouth and the extremity of the sleeve.

The operation and the advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily by reading the following description, given with reference to the appended drawings and in which: figure 1 represents a longitudinal cross section of a filling head according to the invention in the filling position; figure 2 represents a half section taken along line 2-2 of figure 1, and therefore viewed in a transverse plane; figure 3 is a section of view of the detail of the connection between a filling head and a mouth of a container to be filled with gas.

The filling head 10 comprises a body 100 and a movable member 200 inside the body 100.

The body 100 may consist of three sections, preferably rotatable: a casing 110, a cover 120 provided with a bore 122, a skirt 130, with a frusto-conical shape at a certain height, in such a manner as to form an undercut 132 inside the body 100. The skirt 130 is integral with the casing 110 at its extremity designed to cover the mouth of the container to be filled.

The movable member 200 comprises for example a feed tube 210, a sleeve seat holder 220, an application sleeve 230, a locking element 240, a piston 260, a support ring 270 and a spring 280. The feed tube 210 can be provided at one ot its extremities, inside the body 100, with a stem carrying a valve 212 as well as a sealing member 216 designed to co-operate, when the filling head is closed, with a valve seat 222, provided on the sleeve seat holder 220.

The application sleeve 230 is provided in the zone of its extremity designed to cooperate with a mouth of a container to be filled with gas, with a recess 236 containing a sealing ring 234 made of a material having a low hardness capable of absorbing any irregularities of shape or surface condition of the said mouth. The said application sleeve 230 is connected to the sleeve seat holder 220 by means of, for example, a screw thread 232.

The synthetic material known a "Vulkollan" is particularly suitable for the fabrication of the ring 234. As the deformation of the mouth may be up to 2mm, it is possible to give the ring 234 a thickness varying from 4 to 1 0mm at a shore hardness corresponding to 50 to 80, or more restrictively and preferably from 4.5 to 7 mm at 60 to 70 shore, and even more precisely, in a particularly robust embodiment, from 5 to 6 mm at 65 shore. In order to take account additionally of the possible out of roundness of the mouth, a considerable width is envisaged for the ring,and consequently a considerable width of the aperture of the recess 236. This detail can be seen in figure 3.

A shoulder 229 formed on the sleeve seat holder 220 can cooperate with a lip 242 of the locking element 240. The said locking element 240, in this precise embodiment, may comprise various sections: a piston sleeve 244 fitted with a lip 242, locking fingers 246 and 248, a ring 250 designed to hold the locking fingers against a trimmed face of the extremity 252 of the piston sleeve 244.

The integration of these different sections is performed by known means.

A piston 260 is connected to the feed tube 210. In addition, a support element 270 is connected to the sleeve seat holder 220 and finally a spring 280, which may be helical, rests on the element 270 on the one hand and the piston 260 on the other.

The precise operation of the moving mechanism is as follows: the feed tube 210 fitted with the piston 260 slides inside the body 100 forming two cavities with the body 100 and the cover 120 on the one hand, which cavity is designated 150, and by its lower surface with the body 100 and the support section 270 on the other hand, which cavity is designated 160. These cavities 150 and 160 are capable of being connected to a source of pressurized fluid.

The said feed tube 210 can moreover slide in a tight manner in the sleeve seat holder 220, thus determining the passage of the filling gas for the container by contacting or separating the valve 212 from its seat 222.

Since the assembly of the sleeve seat holder 220 and the sleeve support 230 is integral, the latter is displaced in one piece, drawn by the lip 242 of the locking element 240 in a movement towards the mouth in the event that an exterior fluid pressure is applied to a face 254 of the piston sleeve 244, in a cavity 256 formed by the said face 254 of the piston sleeve 244 and the casing 110. The integration of the assembly of sections can be carried out by means of elements known per se as has been explained above. All the movements are generally carried out in a tight ,manner. No detailed discussion will be made of the sealing elements to be employed in order to obtain this result. It will be noted that the support element 270 and the piston sleeve 244 have a common bearing surface of reduced diameter inside the casing 110 in relation to the diameters of the extremities of the body 100.

The mouth of a container to be filled with a liquefied petroleum gas, reference numeral 300, has a flat ring 310 and an annular groove 312. If desired, it may be fitted with a self-tightening sealing ring 314 and a pressure-tight valve 318. In all cases, however, it exhibits a reference surface for the purpose of positioning the filling head, which surface is designated by reference 316. Frequently the self-tightening sealing ring 314 is no longer present on the container to be filled, but this is not serious since the ring has no functional role at all in the filling operation.

The functioning of the filling head can be elucidated with reference to an example. Let us suppose that, according to fig. 1, it is desired to fill with gas a container having a mouth of the type described above.

The filling head 100 is positioned on the mouth 300 by abutment of the ring 250 on the surface 316. Pressurized air originating from an exterior source is simultaneously admitted into the chambers 150 and 256. By the effect of the pressure of the air on the face 254 of the piston sleeve 244, the sleeve seat holder 220 and the application sleeve 230 are moved towards the mouth of the container to be filled. In addition, the piston sleeve 244 draws towards the annular groove of the mouth 312 the locking fingers 246 and 248 which, by their extremities of type 247 or 249, co-operate with the frusto-conical surface 132 of the skirt 130. The shape of the locking fingers 246 and 248 is so designed that the edges intended to enclose the mouth 300 adjust themselves in the annular groove 312, in order not to damage it.

The locking having been effected, the assembly of the element 240 remains fixed in relation to the mouth while under the effect of the pressure of the air admitted into the cavity 150 by means of the piston 260, of the spring 280 of the support element 270 of the sleeve seat holder 220 and the support 230, an additional support is obtained on the face 310 of the mouth and the ring 234 of which the material of low hardness allows any irregularities in the condition of the surface of the mouth to be absorbed.

The tightness having been obtained by this additional pressure between the ring 234 and the mouth 300, the pressure of the fluid admitted into the cavity 150 always acting on the piston 260, itself integral with the feed tube 210, tends to cause the said tube 210 to slide inside the sleeve seat holder 220 so that the valve 212 is released from its seat 222 and the filling gas flows through the feed tube 210, the aperture of the valve 212 and the interior cavities of the various sleeves as far as the aperture of the mouth of the container.

In the case where the container is provided with a pressure-tight valve, a stud 214 fixed for example on the valve 212 allows by direct mechanical action the said pressure-tight valve to open and the gas to pass into the container.

On completion of the operation of filling the container the cavities 150 and 256 are emptied and cavity 160 is in turn connected with the source of compressed control air.

The piston 260 is thus forced in the opposite direction to that which has just been described above. The feed tube 210 with which it is integral moves away from the mouth, in the case where the container is provided with a pressure-tight valve, the stud 214 closes the said valve by moving away.

The valve 212 then comes into contact with its seat 222. Still under the effect of the pressure of air in the cavity 160 and by means of co-operation of the valve 212 with its seat 222 integral with the sleeve seat holder 220, the assembly of the moving member 200 is removed from the mouth 300, and conse quently, the sealing ring 234 is separated from the face 310 of the mouth 300 on the one hand, and the locking fingers 246 and 248 separate from the annular groove 312 by the action of the springs 258.

It will be clear that the presence or absence of a self-tightening sealing ring 314 on the mouth 300 is of no importance whatsoever.

It will similarly be also clear that a filling head according to the invention can be adapted to a damaged mouth 300. Another advantage of the invention resides in the reduced diameter of the intermediate part of the casing 110, which facilitates the gripping of the assembly of the filling head by the operator responsible for its handling. Attention is also drawn to the shape of the skirt 130 which may terminate in a collar 134 designed to deflect groundwards a possible leak of gas taking place at the level of the support of the application sleeve 230 on the mouth 300.

It will be understood that other embodiments of the invention may be constructed and that certain modifications may be made in relation to the description above, however without departing from the scope of the present application. These modifications can relate in particular to the shape of the body 100 or the arrangement of the sections of the moving member 200.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A power-operated filling head designed to be connected to the nozzle or mouth of the closing valve of a container, such as a gas bottle, in order to fill the latter with a suitable fluid under pressure, which filling head fluid comprises, in a body, a movable supply device having an internal passage, which is in communication with a filling source, and is provided at its extremity to be moved to the nozzle or mouth with a valve which is pushed elastically into the closed position, a device including a member in the form of a piston located in a chamber which is arranged in the body and can be connected to a separate control source of fluid under pressure to control successively the forward movement of a sleeve forming part of the supply device in the direction of the nozzle or mouth and the opening of the valve, and locking means designed to cooperate during the forward movement of the sleeve with an annular shoulder provided on the outer surface of the nozzle or mouth in order to lock the filling head thereon as claimed in claim 1 of the main patent, characterized in that the head is provided with a sealing ring made of a highly flexible material, pressed into an annular recess and provided with a lower contact plane, for cooperation with a filling mouth exhibiting major deformations in relation to its original cylindrical shape.

2. A filling head as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the element in the form of a piston in the device for controlling the forward movement of the sleeve and the opening of the valve comprises a first part in the form of a piston in a chamber which, provided in the body, is able of being connected to a source of pressurized fluid, and a second part in the form of a piston arranged in a second chamber able of being connected to the source of pressurized fluid.

3. A filling head as claimed in either claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the said sealing ring has a thickness lying between 4 and 10 mm at a shore hardnesss ranging from 50 to 80, preferably a thickness between 4.5 and 7mm at a shore hardness ranging from 60 to 70 and very advantageously a thickness of 5 to 6 mm at a shore hardness of 65.

4. A filling head as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the valve is fitted with a stud having a diamter smaller than the diameter of the internal passage of the sleeve, designed to co-operate at the aperture with a pressure-tight valve fitted to certain containers.

5. A filling head as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the locking means are formed by a plurality of locking fingers designed to slide transversely in the body and capable of being forced and held in the locking position by the sleeve during its forward movement.

6. A filling head as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the two locking fingers co-operate at their extremities with the frusto-conical internal face of the body, in such a manner that a forward movement of the sleeve tends to bring the locking fingers together against the elastic effect of springloaded device tending on the contrary to separate them.

7. A filling head as claimed in either claims 5 or 6, characterized in that each finger comprises an edge capable of cooperating with the annular shoulder of the nozzle or mouth.

8. A filling head as claimed in any of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that eithec of the two parts of the element each forming a piston and the corresponding cylinder form a double-acting jack, thereby allowing control of the retraction of the sleeve and release of the locking means by means of the same pressurized fluid as that which controls the forward movement of the sleeve and locking.

9. A filling head as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the medium section of the body has a diameter smaller than that of its extremities, in order that the said filling head is grippable and can be operated by hand.

10. A filling head as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the body exhibits at its lower extremity a cylindrical skirt largely surrounding the nozzle or mouth in such a manner as to deflect down

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. quently, the sealing ring 234 is separated from the face 310 of the mouth 300 on the one hand, and the locking fingers 246 and 248 separate from the annular groove 312 by the action of the springs 258. It will be clear that the presence or absence of a self-tightening sealing ring 314 on the mouth 300 is of no importance whatsoever. It will similarly be also clear that a filling head according to the invention can be adapted to a damaged mouth 300. Another advantage of the invention resides in the reduced diameter of the intermediate part of the casing 110, which facilitates the gripping of the assembly of the filling head by the operator responsible for its handling. Attention is also drawn to the shape of the skirt 130 which may terminate in a collar 134 designed to deflect groundwards a possible leak of gas taking place at the level of the support of the application sleeve 230 on the mouth 300. It will be understood that other embodiments of the invention may be constructed and that certain modifications may be made in relation to the description above, however without departing from the scope of the present application. These modifications can relate in particular to the shape of the body 100 or the arrangement of the sections of the moving member 200. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A power-operated filling head designed to be connected to the nozzle or mouth of the closing valve of a container, such as a gas bottle, in order to fill the latter with a suitable fluid under pressure, which filling head fluid comprises, in a body, a movable supply device having an internal passage, which is in communication with a filling source, and is provided at its extremity to be moved to the nozzle or mouth with a valve which is pushed elastically into the closed position, a device including a member in the form of a piston located in a chamber which is arranged in the body and can be connected to a separate control source of fluid under pressure to control successively the forward movement of a sleeve forming part of the supply device in the direction of the nozzle or mouth and the opening of the valve, and locking means designed to cooperate during the forward movement of the sleeve with an annular shoulder provided on the outer surface of the nozzle or mouth in order to lock the filling head thereon as claimed in claim 1 of the main patent, characterized in that the head is provided with a sealing ring made of a highly flexible material, pressed into an annular recess and provided with a lower contact plane, for cooperation with a filling mouth exhibiting major deformations in relation to its original cylindrical shape.

wards the filling fluid in the case of leakage of the said fluid at the connection of the mouth and the extremity of the sleeve.