JP2000352496A - Gas container conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prepare for the next supply and shipping of gas containers by rapidly dealing with an empty pallet that may be present after a shipping operation is performed while the supply of gas containers is suspended. SOLUTION: This apparatus is capable of forward pallet conveyance in which pallets (a) are fed forward on a forward path of conveyance 1 toward a shipping part A2; the pallets (a) that have reached the shipping part A2 are lowered onto a return path of conveyance 2; the pallets (a) are then fed forward on the return path of conveyance 2 toward a standby part A1; and the pallets (a) that have reached the standby part A1 are raised onto the forward path of conveyance 1. The apparatus is also capable of reverse pallet conveyance in which the pallets (a) are fed backward on the forward path of conveyance 1 toward the standby part A1; the pallets (a) that have reached the standby part A1 are lowered onto the return path of conveyance 2; the pallets (a) are then fed backward on the return path of conveyance 2 toward the shipping part A2; and the pallets (a) that have reached the shipping part A2 are raised onto the forward path of conveyance 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring a high-pressure gas container (hereinafter, referred to as "gas container") for LP gas or the like, and more particularly, to recovery, inspection, and gas filling of residual gas from a collected gas container. The present invention relates to a gas container transfer device that can transfer a large number of gas containers and effectively use the transfer space as a storage space in various workplaces for performing such operations.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An inlet and an outlet of a gas container are provided at fixed positions of a turntable, and a carry-in path and a carry-out path of the container are connected to each opening, and a container mounting portion is arranged on the turntable at a predetermined interval. In addition, a residual gas recovery machine, an inspection machine, a gas filling machine, etc. are installed on each mounting part, and operations such as recovery of residual gas from the collected gas container, inspection, gas filling, etc. are performed automatically on a turntable. Working devices such as a residual gas recovery device, an inspection device and a gas filling device are known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-414).
No. 94).

In a work place where such a working device is installed, a plurality of container transfer devices such as a drive conveyor are arranged side by side in a direction intersecting with the above-described unloading path, and a plurality of storage places are arranged along the transfer devices. The gas containers carried by the delivery vehicle are transferred to the carry-in path, and after performing operations such as gas filling, they are carried out in the carry-out path, and the gas containers sorted according to the shipping destinations by the respective transport devices are temporarily stored in the storage area. It is stored, and the worker loads it on a delivery vehicle for shipping (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Application No. 1-149166).

Recently, a plurality of container transporting devices are connected to the above-mentioned loading and unloading routes, respectively, and a plurality of container transporting devices are arranged side by side. The gas container on the delivery vehicle on the receiving side is transferred to the transport device and transported to the carry-in path. It is required to transfer the data to a delivery vehicle on the shipping side via a transport device to save labor in loading and unloading containers. In response to such a demand, the applicant of the present application is a gas container transfer device that communicates the above-described loading path and the loading port, the discharging path and the shipping port, and can easily load and unload the gas container with respect to the delivery vehicle, A new transfer device capable of storing gas containers between the loading and unloading routes and the loading and unloading ports and the shipping port and capable of rationally managing the sorting by shipping destination was proposed and filed earlier ( Japanese Patent Application No. 7-342949
issue).

[0005]

The gas container transfer device proposed by the applicant of the present invention is a method for transferring a gas container, for example, having completed operations such as recovery of residual gas, inspection, and gas filling, to a transfer side on a forward path. After transferring the pallets to the pallet on the end and moving each pallet forward to the unloading section, and transferring the gas container on the pallet reaching the unloading end to the delivery car, etc., the empty pallet is removed. Although it is formed so as to return to the carry-in side end of the transfer forward path via the transfer return path, there is room for improvement in the following points. That is, in the above-described conventional gas container transport device, when the unloading operation is performed in a state where the supply of the gas container to the transfer outward path is interrupted, an empty pallet exists on the transfer outward path, and in the next gas container unloading operation,
There is a wasteful operation that the empty pallet must be returned to the forward transfer path via the return path.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a work space for collecting and inspecting residual gas in a collected gas container, filling the container with a container receiving port, and so on. The applicant of the present invention is a gas container transfer device that communicates a container carry-in path, a container carry-out path, a container shipping port, and the like, and can easily load and unload containers on a delivery vehicle, and can also use a transfer space as a container storage space. In addition to the advantages of the previously proposed device, even if there is an empty pallet when the unloading operation is performed with the supply of the gas container interrupted, the empty pallet is promptly processed to prepare for the next gas container supply and unloading It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel gas container transfer device that can perform the above-described operations.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas container transport apparatus for mounting a plurality of gas containers from a standby portion to a discharge portion of the gas container. The transport forward path and the transport return path that slidably support the pallets that can be supported are formed by positioning the transport return path below the transport forward path, and the transport forward path and the transport return path are provided at the ends of the two transport paths on the standby side. A first lifting device for raising and lowering the pallet between the first lifting device and a first pushing device that is attached to the first lifting device and feeds the pallet in the direction of the unloading unit, while the ends of the two transport paths on the unloading unit side are provided. A second lifting device that raises and lowers the pallet between the transport forward path and the transport return path, and a second pushing device that is attached to the second lifting apparatus and sends the pallet in the direction of the standby unit. Arrange the pallets without spacing,
A required number of pallets are arranged on the transport return path at least with an interval of at least one pallet, and the first and second elevating devices and the first and second pushing devices are operated in a timely manner. In the forward direction, the pallet is moved forward to the carry-out section, the pallet that reaches the carry-out section is lowered to the return path, and the pallet is moved forward to the standby section and the pallet is moved to the forward path. In the pallet transport and transport forward path, the pallet is reversely fed toward the standby section, and the pallet that has reached the standby section is lowered to the transport return path, and in the transport return path, the pallet is reversely fed toward the output section and to the output section. The gist of the present invention is that the pallet is formed so that the pallet can be transported in the reverse direction in which the pallet that has reached the transport pallet is transported.

Here, the standby portion of the gas container is where the gas container stands by for supplying the gas container to the apparatus of the present invention. For example, the receiving port of the recovered gas container, the recovery of the residual gas, and the inspection are performed. , An arbitrary location on an unloading route for unloading a gas container, for which gas filling and other operations have been completed, from the container outlet of the working device. The carry-out portion of the gas container is a place where the gas container conveyed from the standby portion via the carry forward path is carried out, and is, for example, on a carry-in path for supplying the gas container to a container inlet of a working device such as the gas filling. And a shipping port for carrying out the gas container after the gas filling or the like has been completed.

The pallet is only required to be able to carry a plurality of gas containers. The pallet can be provided with a plurality of gas containers along a direction along the transport direction along the transport path and a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. Those having a size and shape that can be mounted side by side are preferable.

According to the above construction, when the pallet is transported in the forward direction, the pallet at the end on the unloading side is lowered to the transport return path by the second lifting / lowering device, and the gas in the standby section is transported. The pallet at the end on the standby side on which the containers have been transferred is pushed toward the unloading unit by the first pushing device, and each pallet on the transport outward path is sequentially fed toward the unloading unit. In the transport return path, the pallet at the end on the discharge side is pushed toward the standby unit by the second pushing device, and the pallet at the end on the standby side is returned to the transport forward path by the first lifting / lowering device. By repeating this operation sequentially, a transport operation of sequentially feeding the gas container in the standby section toward the unloading section,
The operation of returning the empty pallet in which the gas container has been transferred to the carry-out section to the standby side end of the transport forward path can be performed.

When the pallet is conveyed in the reverse direction, the pallet at the end on the standby side is lowered to the convey path by the first elevating device and the pallet at the end on the unloading side is pushed by the second pusher. The pallet is pushed toward the standby unit by the device, and each pallet on the transport forward path is sequentially fed toward the standby unit. In the transport return path, the pallet at the end on the standby side is pushed toward the discharge section by the first pushing device, and the pallet at the end on the discharge side is raised to the transport path by the second lifting device. By repeating this operation sequentially, it is possible to perform an empty pallet process for returning an empty pallet on the transport forward path to the transport return path. The processing of the empty pallet is performed until the next empty pallet at the end on the standby side becomes a pallet on which a gas container is placed on the transport outward path, and after the processing, the gas container is supplied from the standby section and moves in the forward direction described above. By carrying out the pallet transfer, there is no empty pallet on the forward transfer path, and the pallets on which the gas containers are placed are arranged.

Further, the transfer apparatus of the present invention is connected to an arbitrary position on a gas container carry-in path or a carry-out path to a working apparatus for, for example, recovering residual gas, inspecting, filling gas, and the like. The starting end (standby portion) of each transfer device is a loading port, and the end (unloading portion) of each transfer device on the unloading route side is a shipping port. If the container loading / unloading operation and the transfer operation by the apparatus of the present invention are linked, a series of transfer operations from loading / unloading of the gas container to the working device can be efficiently performed. Also,
A large number of gas containers can be placed and stored on the transport forward path, and the transport forward path can also be used as a storage section for the gas container.

Further, by utilizing the transport forward path as a container storage section, the space on both sides of the carry-in path and the carry-out path of the working device can be effectively used as a container storage space which also serves as a container transport space. In addition, once the containers are stored in these storage spaces, the above working device can be continuously operated efficiently regardless of the distribution situation of the delivery vehicles, and the residual gas can be recovered, inspected,
Each operation such as gas filling can be performed. In addition, since the gas container is placed on a pallet and transported, even a gas container whose skirt portion is damaged by repeated use can be transported with good stability. In addition, since a plurality of gas containers are transported on a pallet, a bar code or the like is attached to the side of each pallet, and a means for reading the bar code is used to code each pallet. If management is performed, a plurality of gas containers can be sorted and managed collectively.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gas container transport apparatus according to the first aspect, the pallet is capable of mounting a plurality of gas containers side by side at least along a transport direction along a transport forward path, and The pushing device pushes the pallet stepwise while amplifying the pushing stroke of one gas container by an integral multiple.

In this case, since the pallet on the transporting path is sent toward the unloading section at a stroke of one gas container, the landing point of the gas container transferred from the standby section to the pallet is determined. The separation point of the gas container transferred from the pallet to the unloading section can be set at a predetermined location on the transport forward path, and the transfer of the gas container from the standby section to the pallet and the transfer from the pallet to the unloading section can be performed. It is useful when automating the gas container transfer operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gas container transfer device according to the first or second aspect, the end portion of each of the standby portion and the discharge portion in the transport forward path is located between the standby portion and the discharge portion. A gas container transfer device is provided to automate the gas container transfer operation from the standby unit to the pallet and the gas container transfer operation from the pallet to the unloading unit.

Examples of the transfer device include, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-342949 and Japanese Patent Application No. 10-3 previously proposed by the present applicant.
No. 08820, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-157828, and the like, which can transfer a gas container. In the first aspect of the present invention, the transfer operation of the gas container from the standby unit to the pallet and the transfer operation of the gas container from the pallet to the unloading unit are not limited to the automatic operation, and the transfer operation is performed manually. It goes without saying that the case is included.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a gas container carrying device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a work place for filling a gas container T with gas. FIG. 2 shows a gas container transfer device A installed in the work place.
(Hereinafter referred to as “transportation device A”), in which B is a rotary gas filling device that automatically performs a gas filling operation, and C and D.
Denotes a carry-in path and a carry-out path to the filling device B, E denotes a loading port in a work place, F denotes a shipping port, and G denotes a delivery vehicle.

Although the rotary gas filling apparatus B has been described in the section of the prior art and will not be described in detail, a gas filling machine is installed at each container mounting portion arranged on the periphery of the turntable B1, and the rotary gas filling device B is sequentially placed on the container mounting portion. It has a well-known configuration in which a predetermined amount of gas is automatically filled in a gas container T to be carried in. A container inlet B2 and a container outlet B3 are provided at a fixed position of a turntable B1, and the gas container T is conveyed to each opening. A carry-in path C and a carry-out path D are provided continuously. The gas container T is a well-known high-pressure gas container having an opening / closing valve at the top and a skirt at the bottom of a cylindrical container main body, and usually has several kinds of containers having a capacity of about 50 kg to about 10 kg.

A plurality of transfer devices A are arranged on the receiving side and the shipping side. The transport device A arranged on the receiving side has its standby unit A1
Is used as the receiving port E, and the unloading section A2 is set as a predetermined position on the loading path C, and the gas container T supplied to the receiving port E is unloaded to the loading path C. The transport device A disposed on the shipping side carries out the gas container T supplied from the carrying-out path D to the carrying-out port F with the waiting portion A1 as a predetermined location on the carrying-out route D and the carrying-out portion A2 as the shipping port F. Things.

Each transport device A has a transport forward path 1 and a transport return path 2 for transporting a pallet a, which will be described later, over a standby section A1 and an unloading section A2. The transport return path 2 is formed below the transport forward path 1. Further, the standby units A1 of the two transport paths 1 and 2
Lifting and lowering device 3 for raising and lowering the pallet a between the transport forward path 1 and the transport return path 2, and a first pusher attached to the first lifting and lowering apparatus 3 for feeding the pallet a in the direction of the unloading section A2. And a second lifting device 5 for raising and lowering the pallet a between the transport forward path 1 and the transport return path 2 at the ends of both transport paths 1 and 2 on the side of the unloading section A2. 5 is provided with a second pushing device 6 for feeding the pallet a in the direction of the standby portion A1.

A transfer device 7 for transferring the gas container T on the carry-out path D to the pallet a is provided between the standby section A1 and the carry-out path 1, and a pallet is provided between the carry-out path 1 and the carry-out section A2. A transfer device 8 for transferring the gas container T on a to the delivery vehicle G is provided.

The first elevating device 3, the first pushing device 4, the second elevating device 5, the second pushing device 6, the transfer devices 7, 8, etc.
The operation is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) to control the start / stop of the operation in a timely manner, and loading the gas container T on the unloading path D into the delivery vehicle G by transporting the pallet in the forward direction described later; To automatically process empty pallets by carrying pallets in the opposite direction.

In this embodiment, three pallets a are placed on one pallet a.
A total of 9 gas containers T of 3 rows x 3 columns are mounted,
The pushing devices 4 and 6 and the transfer devices 7 and 8 are also configured to be able to cope with this.

Hereinafter, the transport device A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The transport forward path 1 and the transport return path 2 are formed by forming a roller conveyor for slidably supporting the pallet a by arranging the transport rollers 12 at predetermined intervals on both left and right sides of the frame frame 11 in the transport direction. In this example, 5
The pallets a have such a length that they can be arranged without an interval. Pallets a are lined up on the transport path 1
The pallets a are arranged in the transport return path 2 leaving an interval of two pallets. The roller conveyor portion at the end of the forward path 1 on the side of the standby section A1 and the end of the discharge section A2 is formed by the first elevating device 3 and the elevating stages 9 and 10 of the second elevating device 5. These elevating stages 9 and 10 also serve as roller conveyor portions at the ends of the standby section A1 and the unloading section A2 of the transport return path 2.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first elevating device 3 comprises an elevating stage 9 which forms a roller conveyor portion at the end of the conveying section 1 on the side of the standby section A1 in the return path 1 and a return section 2; The apparatus includes a support unit 13 that supports the elevating unit and a driving unit 14 that moves the elevating unit.

The elevating stage 9 is formed by arranging transport rollers 12 on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the frame-shaped base frame 15 at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. The support portion 13 spans a roller chain 17 over sprockets 16 provided on both left and right sides of the frame 11, and connects one end of the roller chain 17 to a side end of the base frame 15 and a weight 18 to the other end. Do it. The drive unit 14 is a rodless cylinder that rises from the bottom of the frame 11 and connects its sliding part 19 to the base frame 15. The operation of the cylinder causes the lifting stage 9 to move to the end of the transport forward path 1 on the standby part A1 side. Is formed so as to move up and down between the section and the end of the transport return path 2 on the standby section A1 side.

The first pushing device 4 includes a cylinder 20 installed at an intermediate portion of the base frame 15 in the width direction.
Slide base 2 that slides in the transport direction by the action of
1. A pallet push piece 22 fixed to the slide base 21 and engaged with the rear surface of the pallet a, a connection stopper 23 for connecting / disconnecting the connection between the cylinder 20 and the slide base 21, and a stopper 24 for regulating the slide of the slide base 21. By operating the cylinder 20, the pallet pressing piece 22 is slid together with the slide base 21 in the transport direction, and the pallet a on the elevating stage 9 is stepped while amplifying the pressing stroke of one gas container T by an integral multiple. At the discharge section A2.

That is, the connecting stopper 23 and the pins 25, 2
Holes 27, 28, 29 for engaging and disengaging 6 are provided at three locations at an interval of one gas container T, and the connection stopper 23, the stopper 24 are such that the pins 25, 26 appear and disappear as appropriate. (See FIG. 6). Then, a to b shown in FIG.
The pin 25 is engaged with the first-stage hole 27 as shown in FIG.
In the state where the cylinder 20 is not engaged with the slide base 21.
Extends, the slide base 21 (pallet a) slides from the reference position L by one gas container T (L1), and then the pins 25 are removed from the holes 27 as shown in b to c. Is engaged with the second-stage hole 28 to restrict the slide of the slide base 21 (pallet a), and the cylinder 20 is retracted.
Next, as shown in cd, the cylinder 20 extends in a state where the pin 25 is engaged with the hole 28 of the second stage and the pin 26 is not engaged, and the slide base 21 (pallet a) is moved from the reference position L to the gas. The pin 25 slides by two containers T (L2), and then the pins 25 are removed from the holes 28 and the pins 26 are engaged with the holes 29 in the third stage as shown in de to e, so that the slide base 21 (pallet a) is engaged. The cylinder 20 retreats in a state in which the sliding of
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cylinder 20 is extended in a state where the pin 25 is engaged with the third-stage hole 29 and the pin 26 is not engaged, and the slide base 21 (pallet a) is moved from the reference position L to the gas container T3. It is formed so as to slide only for this (L3).

By forming the first pushing device 4 in this manner, the pallet a in the transporting forward path 1 is sent toward the unloading section A2 by a stroke corresponding to one gas container T.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second elevating device 5 includes an elevating stage 10 which forms a roller conveyor portion at the end of the carry-out path 1 and the return path 2 on the side of the carry-out section A2, and the elevating stage 10 can be moved up and down freely. A supporting unit 30 for supporting and a driving unit 31 for moving up and down are provided. Elevating stage 10, supporting part 3
0, the drive unit 31 is the elevating stage 9, the support unit 13,
Since the configuration is substantially the same as that of the drive unit 14, the same reference numerals as those described above are used in the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted. Drive unit 3
Numeral 1 is formed so that the lifting stage 10 is moved up and down between the end of the transport forward path 1 on the unloading section A2 side and the end of the transport return path 2 on the unloading section A2 side by the operation of the cylinder.

The second pushing device 6 is also constructed in substantially the same manner as the first pushing device 4 described above. The device 6 includes a cylinder 20, a slide base 21, and a pallet pressing piece 22, but includes a connection stopper 23, a stopper 24, and holes 27 to 29.
The slide base 21 is not provided by the operation of the cylinder 20.
At the same time, the pallet pressing piece 22 is slid in the transport direction so that the pallet a on the elevating stage 10 is pressed in the direction of the standby portion A1 with a pressing stroke of one pallet a (three gas containers T).

In this embodiment, the pallets a located at the ends on the standby portion A1 side and the unloading portion A2 side are covered with the covers 35 and 36 in the transport forward path 1, and each pallet not covered with these covers 35 and 36 is covered. a to form an actual transport forward path, and to form the first pushing device 4 as described above so that the pallet a in the transport forward path 1 is sent toward the discharge section A2 by a stroke of one gas container T. By doing so, the landing point P1 of the gas container T transferred to the pallet a transferred from the standby part A1 and the separation point P2 of the gas container T transferred to the unloading part A2 from the pallet a are respectively set to the transport forward path 1. It is set at the above specified location. The setting of the landing point P1 and the separation point P2 in this manner is a process of transferring a gas container from the standby unit A1 to the pallet a,
This is useful for automatically performing the transfer operation of the gas container from the pallet a to the unloading section A2 by the transfer devices 7 and 8.

The transfer device 7 conveys the gas container T on the carry-out path D to the landing point P1. The opening / closing valve of the gas container T is operated by a rail 40 extending from above the carry-out path D to above the landing point P1. A container holding device 41 with a cap for detachably holding a cap T1 that covers the cover T1 is slidably supported. The transfer device 8 transports the gas container T on the separation point P2 to the unloading section A2 (delivery vehicle G). The transfer device 8 holds the container with a cap by a rail 42 extending from above the separation point P2 to above the delivery vehicle G. The device 41 is slidably supported. The holding device 41 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-308820 and Japanese Patent Application No.
A structure disclosed in, for example, US Pat.

Hereinafter, a method of using the transfer apparatus A of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9A shows a case where the gas containers T on the carry-out path D are sequentially sent to the delivery vehicle G by pallet conveyance in the forward direction.
As shown in (c), in the transport forward path 1, the pallet a at the end on the side of the unloading section A2 is lowered by the second lifting device 5 to the transport return path 2. Further, the gas container T on the carry-out path D is transferred to the landing point P1 by the transfer device 7, and the gas container T at the separation point P2 is transferred to the delivery vehicle G by the transfer device 8. In the transport return path 2, the pallet a at the end on the side of the unloading section A2 is pushed toward the standby section A1 by the second pushing device 6, and the pallet a at the end on the side of the standby section is moved by the first lifting / lowering device 3. It is returned to the transport forward path 1 (a). Next, in the transport forward path 1, the pallet a at the end on the standby section side is pushed by the first pushing device 4 toward the unloading section A2, and each pallet a on the transport forward path 1 is directed toward the unloading section A2. Then, the next gas container T on the carry-out path D is transferred to the landing point P1, and the next gas container T coming to the separation point P2 is transferred to the delivery vehicle G (b). . By repeating this operation, the unloading path D
Transport operation of sequentially transporting the gas container T to the delivery vehicle G, and an empty pallet a in which the gas container T is transferred to the delivery vehicle G
Can be returned to the standby side end of the transport forward path 1.

When the transfer operation is performed in a state where the gas container T is lost in the discharge path D and the supply of the gas container to the transfer path 1 is interrupted, the gas container T is placed at the end of the transfer path 1 on the discharge section A2 side. The loaded pallet a remains and the pallet a behind it becomes an empty pallet. In this state, even if a new gas container T is supplied to the discharge path D, the gas container supply operation to the transfer forward path 1 is performed when the next delivery vehicle G comes and the gas container T at the end on the discharge section A2 side is used. This operation cannot be performed until transfer to the delivery vehicle G is possible, and furthermore, it is necessary to return the empty pallet to the transfer return path 2 until the newly supplied gas container T reaches the delivery vehicle G. Wasteful work occurs. Therefore, the transport device A of the present example can perform the processing of the empty pallets by transporting the pallets in the reverse direction.

In this case, although not shown, in the transport forward path 1, the pallet a at the end on the standby section A1 side is lowered by the first lifting device 3 to the transport return path 2, and the unloading section A
The pallet a at the end on the second side is pushed by the second pushing device 6 toward the standby portion A1, and each pallet a on the transport forward path 1 is fed backward toward the standby portion A1. In the transport return path 2, the pallet a at the end on the standby section A1 side is pushed toward the unloading section A2 by the first pushing device 4, and the pallet a at the end on the unloading section A2 side is moved to the second elevating device. 5 to transport forward path 1. By repeating this operation sequentially, an empty pallet process is performed to return the empty pallet on the transport forward path 1 to the transport return path 2. The processing of the empty pallet is performed until the next pallet a after the landing point P1 becomes a pallet on which a gas container is placed in the transport forward path 1, and if a new gas container is supplied to the carry-out path D in this state, By carrying out the pallet transfer in the above-mentioned forward direction without waiting for the arrival of the next delivery vehicle, there is no empty pallet on the transfer forward path 1 and the pallets on which the gas containers T are placed are lined up.

The case where the transfer apparatus A of the present invention is installed in the gas filling work place has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. When performing operations such as gas filling, residual gas recovery, and inspection manually, when distributing only to the receiving side, only when distributing to the shipping side, when disposing a transport conveyor instead of the delivery vehicle G, Various patterns can be handled, for example, when arranging at an arbitrary transport portion during each process up to shipping.

The number of gas containers T to be mounted on one pallet a and the mounting form, the number of pallets a in the forward and backward paths 1 and 2, the lifting and lowering devices 3 and 5, the pushing and moving devices 4 and 6, The structures of the transfer devices 7 and 8 are not limited to those in the illustrated example.
Changes can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, the transport forward path and the transport return path described above are not limited to those constituted by the roller conveyor, but may be any as long as the pallets can be slidably supported. Also, without using the transfer devices 7 and 8 in the illustrated example, the gas container transfer operation from the unloading path D to the pallet a and the gas container transfer operation from the pallet a to the delivery vehicle G can be performed manually. In this case, the gas container T is used as a standby portion on the cover 35 described above, and a discharge portion is provided on the cover 36, and the cover 3
5, 36 or cover 35, 36
, The gas container T can be placed on the pallet a at the end of the transport forward path 1.

[0040]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the pallet transport in the forward direction, in which the gas container is forwarded toward the discharge section, and the empty pallet processing for returning the empty pallet on the transport forward path to the transport return path, are performed in reverse. The pallet can be operated in both the forward and reverse directions with the pallet transfer in the direction.Even if there is an empty pallet when the unloading work is performed with the gas container supply interrupted, the empty pallet is promptly processed and This has a specific effect of being able to prepare for the supply and unloading operations of the gas container. In addition to this, the following effects are exhibited.

Interlocking with a delivery vehicle, etc., can easily carry out container transport operations in operations such as recovery of residual gas in a gas container, inspection, gas filling, etc., which contributes to labor saving and promotion of unmanned operation.・ Effective use of the space on both sides of the loading and unloading paths connected to the container entrance and the container outlet of working equipment for collecting and inspecting residual gases, gas filling, etc. Reduction can be expected.・ The outgoing transport path is used as the container storage space, and the gas container is used as the receiving part.
Once stored in the shipping section, it is possible to cope with the delay of the delivery vehicle that affects traffic congestion and the like, and the work device can be continuously operated to efficiently perform operations such as gas filling. By temporarily storing the gas containers on which these operations have been performed on the transport path of the apparatus of the present invention arranged on the shipping side, the efficiency of shipping operations can be improved and urgent shipping requests can be quickly responded.・ Because the gas container is transported on a pallet, it can be transported with good stability even if the skirt is damaged due to long-term use, and the gas container can be supplied stably when performing operations such as gas filling. It contributes to work efficiency, labor saving and unmanned operation.・ Because multiple gas containers are transported on pallets,
If a bar code is attached to each pallet and a means for reading the bar code is provided and each pallet is coded and incoming and outgoing shipment management is performed for each customer, batch sorting and management of gas containers can be performed. The management work becomes easier as compared with the conventional means of reading the bar codes affixed to the container one by one and performing the management and the like.

According to the second aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to cope with the automatic transfer of the gas container from the standby section to the pallet and the transfer of the gas container from the pallet to the discharge section.

According to the third aspect, the operation of transferring the gas container from the standby section to the pallet and the operation of transferring the gas container from the pallet to the discharge section can be automated, and the effect of the first aspect can be made more effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a gas container transport device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line (X)-(X) in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a standby section side of a transport outward path.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line (Y)-(Y) in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a left side view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line (Z)-(Z) in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram showing an operation state of a first pushing device.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing the operation state of a second pushing device on the carrying-out section side of the carrying outward path.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a pallet conveyance state in a forward direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Gas container transfer device A1: Stand-by unit A2: Unloading unit 1: Transfer forward path 2: Transfer return path 3: First lifting device 4: First pushing device 5: Second lifting device 6: Second pushing device 7: Transfer unit on standby unit 8: Transfer unit on unloading unit 9, 10: Lifting stage 20: Cylinder 21: Slide base B: Gas filling device C: Loading path D: Loading path T: Gas container a: Pallet

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) From a standby section to an unloading section of a gas container,
A transport forward path and a transport return path that slidably support a pallet capable of mounting a plurality of gas containers are formed by positioning the transport return path below the transport forward path, and at both ends of the transport paths on the standby side. Comprises a first elevating device for elevating and lowering the pallet between the transport forward path and the transport return path, and a first pushing device attached to the first elevating device and for feeding the pallet in the direction of the unloading section. A second lifting device that raises and lowers the pallet between the transport forward path and the transport return path, and a second pushing device that is attached to the second lifting apparatus and sends the pallet toward the standby unit, The required number of pallets are arranged on the transport path without any gap, and the required number of pallets are arranged on the return path with an interval of at least one pallet. Activate the double pushing device in a timely manner, and , The pallets are sequentially fed toward the unloading section, and the pallets that have reached the unloading section are lowered into the transport return path.
In the return path, the pallet is forwarded toward the standby section, and the pallet that has reached the standby section is transported in the forward direction to raise the pallet to the forward path. Part of the pallet that has reached the
Further, a gas container transfer device configured to reversely feed the pallet to the unloading section and perform pallet transfer in the reverse direction of raising the pallet that has reached the unloading section to the forward transfer path in the return path. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pallet is capable of mounting a plurality of gas containers side by side at least along a transfer direction along a transfer forward path, and the first pressing device sets a pressing stroke of one gas container. 2. The gas container transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the pallet is pushed in a stepwise manner while amplifying by an integral multiple. 3. The gas container transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a transfer device for a gas container is provided between an end of the transfer path on the side of the standby section and the discharge section, and the standby section and the discharge section. .