JP2001271995A - Gas charging apparatus and gas charging method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce pressure in a gas charging passage to a system to be charged with gas without obstacle and without lowering of charging efficiency. SOLUTION: This gas charging apparatus E is provided with a pressure reducing part having a vacuum pump P for reducing the pressure in a basic passage Ha which is the gas charging passage to an air conditioner of an automobile M, and a gas supply part having a gas cylinder G for supplying charging gas to the baste passage after pressure reduction. The apparatus is characterized by a storing tank T connected to the vacuum pump for storing gas remaining in the basic passage prior to pressure reduction for the basic passage in the next cycle after the end of the gas charging process in the concerned cycle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention can be applied to, for example, a case where an air conditioner of an automobile is filled with a refrigerant.
The present invention relates to a gas filling device and a gas filling method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a gas filling apparatus for filling an air conditioner of an automobile (more specifically, a refrigeration cycle system of an air conditioner) with Freon gas as a refrigerant, there is known a gas filling apparatus as shown in FIG. I have. This gas filling device E '
Has a coupler K ′ connected to the gas inlet of the air conditioning system of the automobile M ′, and has the first, second, and third on-off valves V
1 ', V2', V3 'and devices / apparatus such as the vacuum pump P and piping elements are connected by a gas path composed of pipes, tubes, and / or hoses.

That is, the coupler K 'and one end of the first, second, and third on-off valves V1', V2 ', V3' are connected to a basic path composed of one original path and three branch paths. The other end of the first on-off valve V1 'and the vacuum pump P' are connected to each other by Ha '.
Are connected by a first path H1 ′. The other end of the second on-off valve V2 'is connected via a second path H2' to a gas supply source constituted by a gas cylinder G ', for example. Further, the other end of the third on-off valve V3 'is connected to the low-pressure line L' via the third path H3 '.

When charging the air-conditioning system of the automobile M 'with Freon gas, the coupler K' is connected to the gas inlet of the air-conditioning system, and first, only the first on-off valve V1 'is opened and the vacuum pump is opened. By driving P ′, evacuation in the basic path Ha ′ and the air conditioning system is performed. The evacuation removes and cleans the water in the air conditioner. When this is completed, the first opening / closing valve V1 'is closed, and then only the second opening / closing valve V2' is opened, and a required amount of gas is supplied from the gas cylinder G 'to fill the inside of the air conditioner. .

[0005] When the gas filling step is completed, the cycle is completed, the coupler K 'is removed from the vehicle M' of the cycle and mounted on the vehicle M 'of the next cycle, and the gas filling operation of the next cycle is performed. However, when the coupler K 'is removed from the vehicle M' in the cycle, gas remains in the basic route Ha '. In this state, the coupler K' is mounted on the vehicle M 'in the next cycle, and the next cycle. When the pressure reduction step is performed, the gas in the cycle remains in the basic path Ha ′, so that the required degree of vacuum cannot be obtained. There is a problem that it takes time and is not practical.

In order to solve such a problem, conventionally, before performing the evacuation in the next cycle, only the third on-off valve V3 'is closed with the first and second on-off valves V1' and V2 'closed. , The residual gas in the basic path Ha ′ flows toward the low-pressure line L ′ to be vaporized and separately collected.

Although the residual gas in the gas filling apparatus is not considered, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-270895 discloses a method in which the gas-filled system is evacuated without releasing the gas to the atmosphere. A configuration in which a vacuum pump and a pressurizing pump for gas filling are connected to a pressure vessel of a small refrigerator for performing gas filling is disclosed.

[0008]

However, when the residual gas flows to the low-pressure line L 'side to be vaporized and collected separately as described above, the use of gas in a gas supply source (for example, a gas cylinder) is not possible. The amount increased by the amount flowing into the low pressure line L ', and there was a problem that the filling efficiency was lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and does not cause a reduction in filling efficiency.
An object of the present invention is to provide a gas filling apparatus and a gas filling method capable of performing decompression of a gas filling path to a gas-filled system without any trouble.

[0010]

For this reason, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the first invention) comprises a pressure reducing section capable of reducing the pressure in the gas charging path to the gas-filled system, A gas supply unit for supplying a filling gas into the gas filling path later, the gas filling device being connected to the pressure reducing unit, and after the gas filling step in the cycle is completed, the gas filling in the next cycle. A gas filling apparatus, comprising: a storage means for storing gas remaining in the gas filling path prior to depressurization of the path.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as “the invention”)
The second invention) is characterized in that, in the first invention, the residual gas in the cycle stored in the storage means is charged into the gas charging system in the next cycle.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as “the invention”)
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the decompression unit is provided with a decompression pump, and the decompression pump is connected to the storage unit and the storage unit prior to storing the residual gas by the storage unit. And / or reducing the pressure in the storage path.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the invention)
A fourth aspect of the present invention includes a pressure reducing step of reducing the pressure in the gas charging path to the gas-filled system, a gas supplying step of supplying a filling gas into the gas charging path after the pressure reduction, and a gas charging step in the cycle. After the end, prior to the start of the pressure reduction step of the gas filling path in the next cycle, a residual gas storage step of storing the gas remaining in the gas charging path in the cycle in the storage means in the storage means, Things.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as “the invention”)
In the fourth aspect, after the pressure reducing step of the next cycle is completed, the remaining gas of the cycle stored in the storage means is filled in the gas-filled system in the next cycle. It is characterized by.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking as an example the case where an air conditioner of an automobile is filled with a gas (eg, chlorofluorocarbon) as a refrigerant. . FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a configuration of a gas filling device according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the gas charging device E is provided to a vehicle M air conditioner (more specifically, a refrigeration cycle system of the air conditioner) to supply Freon gas (preferably R134) as a refrigerant.
a), and is connected via a coupler K to a gas inlet of an air conditioner of the automobile M. The air conditioner of the vehicle M corresponds to the “gas-filled system” described in the claims of the present application.

The gas filling device E includes first, second, and third on-off valves V1, V2, and V3, a vacuum pump P, and a storage tank Т.
, A cylinder device C, devices and devices such as the vacuum main valve U, and piping elements, etc., are connected by a gas path composed of pipes, tubes, and / or hoses. That is, the coupler K and the first, second, and third on-off valves V1, V2, V3
Is connected to each other by a basic path Ha consisting of one original path and three branch paths, and the other end of the first on-off valve V1 and the vacuum pump P are connected by a first path H1. It is connected. The other end of the second on-off valve V2 is connected via a second path H2 to a gas supply source constituted by, for example, a gas cylinder G.

In this embodiment, the other end of the third on-off valve V3 is connected to one end of a storage tank Т having a predetermined volume via a third path H3. A fourth path H4 branches from an intermediate portion of the third path H3, and a terminal side of the fourth path H4 is connected to the low-pressure line L via an on-off valve V4. As will be described later, the on-off valve V4 is opened only in an emergency to connect the basic passage Ha to the low pressure side, but is normally closed. A fifth path H5 and a sixth path H are provided between the vacuum pump P and the storage tank 留.
The vacuum main valve U is disposed via each of the valves 6.
Note that the basic path Ha corresponds to the “gas charging path” described in the claims of the present application, and the vacuum pump P and the first path H1
Corresponds to the "decompression unit" described in the claims of the present application, the gas cylinder G and the second path H2 correspond to the "gas supply unit" described in the claims of the present application, and the storage tank Т It corresponds to the "storage means" described in the section.

The storage tank Т is provided with, for example, an air-driven cylinder device C.
Front end head connected to the tip of piston rod Cr
h is reciprocally slidably stored in the storage tank Т. On the other hand, to the rear end of the piston rod Cr, a rear end head Ch that is slidably accommodated in the cylinder device C is connected. A pair of air supply / discharge passages W1 and W2 for operating the cylinder device C are provided at both ends of the cylinder device C or in the vicinity thereof. The piston rod Cr (that is, the front end head #h) is driven by supplying and discharging pressurized air from the air supply / discharge paths W1 and W2 to move the rear end head Ch forward or backward.

Although not specifically shown, the gas filling device E is provided with a control controller having, for example, a microcomputer as a main part, and includes the vacuum pump P, the cylinder device C, and the on-off valve. Each of V1 to V4 and the vacuum main valve U is connected to the above-mentioned controller so as to be able to exchange signals, and the operation thereof is controlled in accordance with a control signal from the controller.

A method of charging the air conditioning system of the vehicle M with the chlorofluorocarbon gas using the gas charging apparatus E configured as described above will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. In the present embodiment, preferably, the in-vehicle air conditioner is filled with Freon gas on the assembly line of the automobile M. First, the coupler K is connected to the gas inlet of the air conditioning system of the automobile M, and the gas filling device E is connected. At this time (time: t = 0), all valves (opening / closing valves V1 to V4 and vacuum source valve U) are closed (О).
FF: OFF state). Of course, the vacuum pump P also does not operate (ОF
F: OFF state). In the cylinder device C, the piston rod Cr is in the retracted position in the $ FF state.

Next, only the first on-off valve V1 and the vacuum source valve U are opened (開 き N), and the vacuum pump P is driven to start evacuation. As a result, the pressure in the basic route Ha including one original route and three branch routes and the air conditioner as the system to be charged are reduced through the first on-off valve V1 and the first route H1. The moisture inside is removed to achieve rust prevention and cleaning. The pressure in the storage tank と し て as the storage means and the pressure in the third path H3 as the storage path are reduced. And
When a predetermined degree of vacuum is reached, or when the time required to reach this vacuum level elapses, the first on-off valve V1 and the vacuum source valve U are closed (ОFF), and the operation of the vacuum pump P is also stopped, and the vacuum pump is stopped. The pulling (decompression) step ends. Although it depends on the type of vehicle, in the case of an ordinary passenger car, the time required for this evacuation is, for example, about 2 minutes.

Then, when the system is in the initial stage of startup, next, only the second on-off valve V2 is opened (ОN), and the CFC is supplied from the gas cylinder G into the basic path Ha as a charging path. In the system, this fluorocarbon gas is supplied in a liquid state.

When a predetermined amount of gas is supplied and the required filling amount is achieved, the second on-off valve V2 is closed, and the gas filling step is completed. When this step is completed, the cycle (initial cycle) is completed, and the coupler K is removed from the vehicle M in the cycle. In this state, the basic route H
Gas remains in a. This residual gas amount is constant regardless of the cycle and is determined by the volume of the basic path Ha.

Next, in order to perform gas filling in the second cycle, the coupler K is mounted on the air conditioner of the vehicle M in the second cycle. In the present embodiment, before performing the pressure reducing step in the cycle (second cycle), the gas remaining in the basic path Ha in the previous cycle (initial cycle) is stored in the storage tank Т. That is, by opening only the third on-off valve V3, the gas remaining in the basic path Ha flows into the storage tank Т, which has been depressurized in the evacuation (decompression) step, via the third path H3. And stored.

In this case, prior to the storage of the residual gas in the storage tank Т, the pressure in the storage tank Т and the third path H3 which is the storage path is reduced, so that the residual gas can be easily and surely removed. It can be guided and stored in storage tank Т. Further, in this case, since the pressure reduction in the storage tank ３ and the third path H3 is performed by sharing the pressure reduction pump P for reducing the pressure in the basic path Ha, compared with the case where separate pressure reduction pumps are provided. The structure of the gas filling device has been simplified.

By the remaining gas storing step, there is no remaining gas in the basic path Ha. In this state, the second cycle decompression step starts. That is, the first opening / closing valve V1 and the vacuum source valve U are opened (ОN), and the vacuum pump P reduces the pressure in the air conditioning system of the vehicle M, the inside of the basic passage Ha, the inside of the storage tank お よ び, and the inside of the third passage H3. In this case, evacuation (decompression)
Prior to this, since the gas remaining in the basic path Ha was stored in the storage tank 、, that is, there is no residual gas in the basic path Ha at the time of evacuation, the evacuation (decompression) is performed without any trouble. Can be. In this case, since the residual gas is stored in the storage tank 設 け provided in the gas filling device E, the gas is discharged outside the gas filling device E (low pressure line L) and collected separately as in the related art. As compared with the above, the amount of gas used in the gas supply source (gas cylinder G) can be suppressed, and a decrease in the charging efficiency can be prevented.

After the decompression step is completed, that is, after the first on-off valve V1 and the vacuum source valve U are closed (ОFF) and the vacuum pump P is stopped, the gas supply is performed. In the embodiment, preferably, before using the gas in the gas cylinder G, first, the residual gas of the previous cycle stored in the storage tank Т is supplied. That is, the third
The on-off valve V3 is opened, and the piston rod Cr of the cylinder device C is moved forward to advance the front end head #h in the storage tank #. Thus, the stored gas in the storage tank Т is supplied from the tank Т to the basic route Ha and the vehicle M air conditioning system via the third route H3. As described above, the residual gas in the previous cycle stored in the storage tank さ れ る is charged into the air conditioner in the next cycle, so that the residual gas can be effectively used to increase the gas charging efficiency. Note that the step of filling the residual gas may be performed after the step of supplying the gas using the gas in the gas cylinder G.

Next, the third on-off valve V3 is closed. Further, the cylinder device C is controlled so that the piston rod Cr of the cylinder device C returns to the retracted position (the position shown in FIG. 1) by the next decompression step. Thereafter, only the second on-off valve V2 is opened, and the gas in the gas cylinder G is transferred to the basic path H.
a and the air conditioning system of the vehicle M. When a predetermined amount of gas is supplied and the required filling amount is achieved, the second on-off valve V2 is closed, and the gas filling step ends.

When this step is completed, the cycle ends, the coupler K is removed from the vehicle M in the cycle, and the same cycle is repeated. As can be seen from the time chart of FIG. 2, the fourth on-off valve V4 is always closed ($ FF).
Status). Further, in the time chart of FIG. 2, the hatched portions indicate the steps of filling the gas. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the pressure of the basic path Ha, which is the gas charging path to the air conditioner of the vehicle M, without causing a decrease in the gas charging efficiency. It is.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.
It goes without saying that various improvements or design changes are possible.

[0031]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, after the gas filling step in the cycle is completed, the gas remaining in the gas filling path is stored before the pressure in the gas filling path is reduced in the next cycle. Since the storage means is provided, the remaining gas in the gas filling path does not hinder decompression in the next cycle. In this case, since the residual gas is stored in the storage means provided in the gas filling device, the residual gas flows outside the gas filling device (low pressure line) as in the conventional case and is separately collected. As a result, it is possible to suppress the amount of gas used in the gas supply unit and prevent a decrease in the charging efficiency.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, basically, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained. In particular, since the residual gas in the cycle stored in the storage means is filled in the gas-filled system in the next cycle, the gas filling efficiency can be increased by effectively utilizing the residual gas.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, basically the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained. In particular, since the pressure in the storage means and / or the storage path is reduced by the decompression pump prior to the storage of the residual gas, the residual gas in the gas filling path can be easily and reliably guided to the storage means and stored. . In this case, since the pressure reduction in the storage means and / or the storage path is shared with the pressure reduction pump for reducing the pressure in the gas charging path, the structure of the gas charging apparatus is reduced as compared with the case where separate pressure reduction pumps are provided. Simplification can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, after the gas filling step in the cycle is completed, prior to the start of the pressure reducing step in the gas filling path in the next cycle, the gas remaining in the gas filling path is Is provided in the storage means, so that the remaining gas in the gas filling path does not hinder decompression in the next cycle. In this case, since the residual gas is stored in the storage means provided in the gas filling device, the residual gas flows outside the gas filling device (low pressure line) as in the conventional case and is separately collected. As a result, it is possible to suppress the amount of gas used in the gas supply unit and prevent a decrease in the charging efficiency.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, basically the same effects as those of the fourth aspect can be obtained. In particular, after the pressure reduction step of the next cycle is completed, in the next cycle, the residual gas of the cycle stored in the storage means is filled in the gas-filled system, so that the residual gas is effectively used to increase the gas charging efficiency. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a configuration of a gas filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the gas filling device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing a configuration of a gas filling apparatus according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 E: Gas filling device G: Gas cylinder H1: First path H2: Second path H3: Third path Ha: Basic path P: Vacuum pump Т: Storage tank

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A gas filling apparatus comprising: a decompression section capable of reducing the pressure in a gas filling path to a gas-filled system; and a gas supply section for supplying a filling gas into the gas filling path after the pressure reduction, After completion of the gas filling step in the cycle, prior to decompression of the gas filling path in the next cycle, a storage means for storing gas remaining in the gas filling path is provided after the gas filling step in the cycle is completed. Characteristic gas filling equipment. 2. The gas filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual gas in the cycle stored in the storage means is filled in a gas charging system in the next cycle. 3. A decompression pump is provided in the decompression section,
3. The gas filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure reducing pump reduces the pressure in the storage means and / or the storage path before storing the residual gas by the storage means. 4. 4. A pressure reducing step of reducing the pressure in a gas filling path to the gas-filled system, a gas supplying step of supplying a filling gas into the gas filling path after the pressure reduction, and after the gas filling step in the cycle, Prior to the start of the pressure reduction step of the gas filling path in the next cycle, a residual gas storage step of storing gas remaining in the gas charging path in the cycle in the storage means in a storage means, . 5. The gas according to claim 4, wherein after the pressure reduction step of the next cycle is completed, in the next cycle, the remaining gas of the cycle stored in the storage means is charged into the gas-filled system. Filling method.