JP2001348099A - Automatic refueling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic refueling device in which an oil kind determination means and a full tank refueling means are provided so that refueling operators are not required and which can be fabricated at low costs. SOLUTION: In the automatic refueling device wherein a data input/output unit 40 to set refueling data, and a refueling machine 11 wherein a refueling control means 20 controls a plurality of refueling mechanisms based on outputs from the unit 40 are disposed on an island 2, in the machine 11, feed oil hoses 18 each having at its end a feed oil nozzle 17 are connected respectively to a plurality of feed oil mechanisms stored in the main body case of the machine 11, while a nozzles stocker 19, on which the nozzles 17 are hooked, is provided on the side surface of the main body case. In the vicinity of the machine 11, a robot device 30, which grips the nozzle 17 hooked on the stocker 19 to bring it to a feed oil port of a car at a stop along the island 2, is disposed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic lubricating apparatus for automatically refueling fuel oil by detecting a filler port of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has proposed a lubricating apparatus in which an oil type judging means is provided to prevent refueling of different oil types.
No. 15598 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-169498. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 58-41095 and 63-125196 have proposed a fueling device which is provided with a full tank refueling means and automatically fills the tank to the full level. further,
In order to save labor in refueling work, the applicant of the present invention has proposed an automatic refueling device that supplies a fuel oil such as gasoline to an automobile by providing an unmanned vehicle with a refueling nozzle at the tip of a movable arm.
No. 699 etc.

[0003]

The above prior art is
Although each is effective, in a refueling device provided with an oil type determining means and a full tank refueling means, since inserting a refueling nozzle into a refueling port of a car is manually performed, skilled workers are required. . Furthermore, in the above-described automatic lubricating apparatus, since there is only one lubricating nozzle, different oil types flow through the same pipeline, so that an operation of returning the oil in the pipe to prevent oil mixing is required. There is also a problem that the cost is increased because a robot device having a refueling pipe for the refueling device must be provided.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an automatic lubricating apparatus which has oil type determining means and full tank refueling means, which can eliminate the need for a refueling operator and can be manufactured at low cost. The purpose is.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data input / output device for setting refueling data, and a refueling control based on an output from the data input / output device. In an automatic refueling device in which a refueling device whose means controls a plurality of refueling mechanisms is disposed on an island,
In the refueling machine, a refueling hose having a refueling nozzle at a tip is connected to each of the plurality of refueling mechanisms housed in a main body case thereof, and a nozzle stocker for hanging the refueling nozzle is provided on a side surface of the main body case. A robot device is provided near the refueling machine, the robot device holding a refueling nozzle hung on the nozzle stocker and guiding it to a refueling port of a vehicle stopped along the island. Since the robot device guides the refueling nozzle to the refueling port, it is possible to eliminate the need for refueling workers and to manufacture the refueling machine separately from the robot device at low cost.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the robot apparatus has image processing means for detecting a position of a vehicle by photographing a filler port of the automobile with a camera, and based on a detection signal from the image processing means. The refueling nozzle is inserted into a refueling port, and after refueling is completed, the refueling nozzle is returned to an original position of the nozzle stocker. The position of the fuel filler can be accurately detected by the image processing means.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the robot apparatus has a receiver for detecting a position by receiving a signal from a transmitter provided in the vicinity of a filler port of the automobile, and the receiver is provided with the receiver. The refueling nozzle is inserted into the refueling port based on the detection signal of
It is characterized by returning to the original position of the stocker. By receiving a signal from a transmitter provided in the vicinity of the fuel filler of the automobile with the receiver, the position of the fuel filler can be easily detected.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the data input / output device, a card reader / writer storing position data of a fuel filler port is provided, and in the robot device, the card reader / writer is provided with a card reader / writer. The operation is performed based on the read position data of the fuel filler. The robot device can be moved by reading the approximate position of the filler port from the card.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. 1 to 4 are views for explaining an automatic refueling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic refueling device, FIG. 2 is a plan view of an arm tip of the automatic refueling device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic refueling device. 3 shows only one type of oil supply mechanism, and omits other oil supply mechanisms.

In these figures, an automatic refueling device 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a refueling machine 11, a robot device 30, and a data input / output device 40 on an elongated island 2 of a refueling area 1 of a gas station. The robot device 30 automatically grasps and moves the refueling nozzle 17 of the refueling machine 11 to the refueling port of the vehicle stopped in the refueling area 1 to refuel.

The refueling machine 11 is connected to one of the regular gasoline, high-octane gasoline and light oil underground oil storage tanks constituting a refueling mechanism in a main body case 12 arranged on one side of the island 2. An oil supply pipe 13 is disposed on the way with a pump 14, a flow meter 15 and an on-off valve 16 interposed therebetween, is led out to the side of the main body case 12, and is connected to an oil supply hose 18 having an oil supply nozzle 17 at the tip at that part. Have been. The refueling nozzle 17 is connected to the nozzle stocker 1 provided on the side surface of the main body case 12.
9 can be hung. The nozzle stocker 19 is formed in a horizontal plate shape on the side surface of the main body case 12, the discharge pipe 17a side of each refueling nozzle 17 is arranged on the upper surface, and the grip 17b side is directed to the robot device 30 side. . The refueling nozzle 17 is provided with a suction port (not shown) for detecting the type of oil on the side of the discharge pipe 17a, and gas sucked from the suction port passes through a hose 21 provided with the refueling hose 18 and the main body case 1
The oil type sensor 22 disposed in the tank 2 returns to an underground oil storage tank through a suction pump 23. Further, an insertion sensor 24 is provided at the tip end of the discharge pipe 17a of the refueling nozzle 17 to detect that the refilling nozzle 17 has been inserted into a refueling port of an automobile described later. Further, at the top of the main body case 12, an entry permission lamp 25 is provided which lights up and displays the entry permission of the vehicle in blue or red. The refueling machine 11 has a pump 1 in a main body case 12.
4 and controls the driving of the suction pump 23 and the opening and closing of the on-off valve 16, receives a signal from the flow meter 15 to count the amount of refueling, and has a full tank refueling means 26 and an oil type discriminating means 27. Control means 20 is provided.

The robot device 30 is disposed on the island 2 on the side where the nozzle stocker 19 of the refueling machine 11 is provided. The robot device 30 is formed in a cylindrical case and has a vertical moving device 32 for moving vertically inside. , A main body 31 fixed on the island 2, a first arm 33 having an upper end rotatably mounted in a horizontal direction on an upper part of the main body 31, and a second end of the first arm 33. Arm 34 whose one end is rotatably mounted in the horizontal direction
And one end is attached to the other end of the second arm 34 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, and the other end is connected to the refueling nozzle 1.
And a third arm 35 having a grip portion 36 for gripping the grip 17a of FIG. The first to third arm portions 33, 34, 35 and the grip portion 36 constitute an arm rotation device 38. A camera 37 composed of a CCD or the like for detecting the position of a fuel filler of an automobile is mounted on the upper part of the third arm 35. Further, in the main body 31, an image processing means 38 for processing an image of the camera 37 to detect a refueling port, and a position of the refueling port detected by the image processing means 38 or a refueling recorded on a card described in detail later. A mechanism control means 39 for controlling the vertical moving device 32 or the arm driving device 38 based on data on the position of the mouth or the like is provided. Further, an entry sensor 51 is provided on the side of the island 2 facing the refueling area 1 on the entrance side of the automobile.

The data input / output device 40 is provided with a case 42 on the top of a stand 41 erected on the upper part of the other side of the island 2, a display 43, a keyboard 44 for inputting refueling data, etc. A card reader / writer 45, a printer 46, an annunciator 47, a button 48, and a data control unit 49 for controlling each unit are provided. The card reader / writer 45 has a function corresponding to a credit card, a bank card, a refueling card, a prepaid card, and an IC card for adjusting a refueling fee.
It reads and writes a card 50 in which position data of a fuel filler of a customer's automobile is stored.

The refueling control means 20 of the refueling machine 11, the mechanism control means 39 of the robot device 30, and the data input / output device 40
Between the data control means 49 is transmitted and received.

Next, the operation of the automatic refueling device 10 will be described based on a flowchart. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the automatic refueling device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the control operation of the data input / output device, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of the control operation including the refueling machine and the robot device. It is a flowchart.

First, when the vehicle to be refueled is not in the refueling area 1, the entry permission lamp 25 is lit in blue. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the refueling machine 11 is in a standby position in an initial state in which the arm rotating device 38 has the grip portion 36 facing the nozzle / stocker 19 side. When the refueling car enters the refueling area 1 and the entry sensor 51 detects the entry of the car and turns on (ST1), the data control means 49 receives the car detection signal and lights the entry permission lamp 25 from blue to red. (ST2) to prevent the entry of another vehicle.

Next, when the customer inserts the card 50 into the card reader / writer 45 of the data input / output device 40 (ST
3) The position data of the refueling port recorded on the card 50 is read and transmitted to the mechanism control means 39 of the robot device 30, and the refueling data is input from the keyboard 44 of the data input / output device 40 to automatically perform the refueling. Refueling is possible. Refueling data such as oil type and refueling amount is displayed on the keyboard 44.
(ST4), the refueling data is displayed on the display 43, and the button 48 is pressed (ST5). When the refueling data is set (ST6), the data control means 49 sends the set data to the refueling machine 11 for refueling. This is transmitted to the control means 26 and the mechanism control means 39 of the robot device 30.

Data control means 4 of data input / output device 40
When the refueling data transmitted from 9 is input to the mechanism control means 39 of the robot device 30 (ST11), first, the arm rotating device 38 of the robot device 30 in the standby state is hooked on the nozzle / stocker 19. It moves toward the refueling nozzle 17 corresponding to the oil type, the grip 17b is gripped by the grip portion 36 provided at the tip of the third arm 35, and subsequently, based on the refueling position data read from the card 50, the refueling nozzle 17 is moved in the direction of the filler port of the vehicle stopped in the refueling area 1, and then the camera 3
When the image processing means 38 detects the correct position of the fuel supply port, the refueling control means 39 controls the arm rotation device 38 and the vertical movement device 32 to refuel the fuel nozzle 1.
7 is inserted into the filler port (ST)
12). When the distal end of the discharge pipe 17a is inserted into the filler port and the insertion sensor 24 is turned on (ST14), the filler control means 20 drives the suction pump 23, the vapor in the filler port is sucked, and the oil type discriminating means 27 operates. (ST15), based on the oil type signal from the oil type sensor 22, the keyboard 44
Is determined to match the oil type set in (ST16).
If the oil types match, the oil supply control means 20 opens the on-off valve 16 for the set oil type and drives the pump 14 (ST17).

The oil in the oil storage tank is pumped through an oil supply pipe 13 by a pump 14, and is discharged into an oil supply port through a flow meter 15, an on-off valve 16, an oil supply hose 18 and an oil supply nozzle 17. The refueling amount measured by the flow meter 15 is displayed on the display 43.

In this manner, the refueling is performed and the full tank refueling means 26 operates (ST19). When the set amount is refueled or the tank is full (ST20), the refueling control means 20 closes the on-off valve 16, The pump 14 is stopped (ST21), and the data of the refueling amount is output to the data input / output device 40 (ST21).
22). Subsequently, the mechanism control means 39 controls the arm rotation device 38 and the vertical movement device 32 to pull out the discharge pipe 17a of the refueling nozzle 17 from the refueling port and move the robot device 30 to the initial standby position (ST23). ,
When it reaches the initial position (ST24), the refueling operation is finished, and the end of refueling is notified by the alarm 47 (ST25). At this time, the oil supply nozzle 17 is provided with a valve that closes when the oil discharge pressure stops, so that the oil remaining in the oil supply hose 18 does not flow out.

Then, when the data input / output device 40 receives the refueling amount data from the refueling machine 11 (ST8) and adjusts the refueling fee with the customer's card (ST9), the entry permission lamp 25 changes from red to blue. Lights and ends. If the oil types do not match (ST16), the data control means 4
No. 9 activates the alarm 47 for a fixed time (ST18), and prompts re-execution of the refueling data input (ST4). Then, the correct oil type is set on the keyboard 44 and refueling is performed.

In the automatic refueling device 10 having the above structure, when a vehicle to be refueled has entered the refueling area 1, the entry sensor 51 detects the vehicle and the entry permission lamp 25 is lit in red to indicate the entry of another vehicle. When the card reader / writer 45 reads the refueling position data stored in the card 50, the customer sets refueling data such as oil type and refueling amount using the keyboard 44 of the data input / output device 40. The arm rotation device 38 and the vertical movement device 32 are driven under the control of the above, the oil supply nozzle 17 of the corresponding oil type hung on the nozzle stocker 19 is grasped, and the refueling port of the car stopped in the refueling area 1 Then, the image processing means detects an accurate position of the refueling port photographed by the camera 37, and inserts the tip of the discharge pipe 17a of the refueling nozzle 17 into the refueling port. When the insertion sensor 24 detects the insertion, the oil type is determined by the oil type control means 20 having the full tank refueling means 26 and the oil type discriminating means 27, and when the oil type is correct, refueling is started. When the tank is full or full, refueling is terminated, and data on the amount of refueling is sent to the data input / output device 40 for settlement. On the other hand, in the robot device 30, the mechanism control means 39 controls the arm rotating device 38 and the vertical moving device 32. Is driven to return to the initial position, all of the refueling is performed automatically, and the need for a refueling operator is eliminated. Further, since the oiling device 11 and the robot device 30 are separated from each other, the oiling device 11 can have the same structure as the conventional structure, and there is no need to provide complicated piping for passing oil in the robot device, thereby reducing the cost. be able to.

In the above embodiment, the camera 37 is provided on the arm rotation device 38 and the position of the fuel supply port is accurately detected by the image processing means. However, a transmitter such as a transponder is provided near the fuel supply port. A signal transmitted from the transmitter may be received to accurately detect the position of the fuel filler.

The robot device 30 has been described as an example in which the arm rotating device 30 is provided with the first to third arms 33, 34, 35 and the grip portion 36 which rotate in the horizontal direction. The number and shape can be arbitrarily set. For example, an arm that rotates in the vertical direction may be provided, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Further, in order to detect the refueling port, any type of detecting means using image processing, or a refueling port detecting means utilizing light, electromagnetic waves, or infrared rays may be used.

[0025]

As described above, the automatic refueling device of the present invention
Reads the card that records the position data of the filler port of the car, moves the robot by grasping the filler nozzle, accurately detects the filler port, inserts the filler nozzle, and based on the filler data set by the data input / output device. By starting the refueling and stopping the refueling, refueling can be performed without manual operation, and a refueling worker is not required, and the manufacturing can be performed at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic refueling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an arm tip portion of the automatic refueling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a fueling machine of the automatic fueling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic refueling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a control operation of the data input / output device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control operation of the refueling machine and the robot device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 refueling area 2 island 10 automatic refueling device 11 refueling machine 12 main body case 13 refueling pipe 14 pump 15 flow meter 16 on-off valve 17 refueling nozzle 17a discharge pipe 17b grip 18 refueling hose 19 nozzle stocker 20 refueling control means 2 21 hose 22 oil Seed sensor 23 Suction pump 24 Insertion sensor 25 Entry permission lamp 26 Full tank refueling means 27 Oil type discriminating means 30 Robotic device 31 Main body 32 Vertical movement device 33 First arm 34 Second arm 35 Third arm 36 Grip portion 37 Camera 38 Arm rotating device 39 Mechanism control means 40 Data input / output device 41 Stand 42 Case 43 Display 44 Keyboard 45 Card reader / writer 46 Printer 47 Alarm 48 Button 49 Data control means 50 Card 51 Entry center

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An automatic refueling system comprising: a data input / output device for setting refueling data; and a refueling machine in which refueling control means controls a plurality of refueling mechanisms based on an output from the data input / output device. In the apparatus, the refueling machine is connected to the plurality of refueling mechanisms housed in a main body case thereof, and a refueling hose having a refueling nozzle at a tip is connected to the refueling mechanism, and a nozzle stocker for hanging the refueling nozzle on a side surface of the main body case. An automatic refueling device is provided in the vicinity of the refueling machine, wherein a robotic device that grasps a refueling nozzle hung on the nozzle stocker and guides it to a refueling port of a vehicle stopped along the island is provided. . 2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image processing unit that captures an image of a filler port of the vehicle with a camera and detects a position of the filler, and inserts the filler nozzle into the filler port based on a detection signal of the image processing unit. 2. The automatic refueling device according to claim 1, wherein the refueling nozzle is returned to an original position of the nozzle stocker after refueling is completed. 3. The robot apparatus has a receiver for detecting a position by receiving a signal from a transmitter provided in the vicinity of a refueling port of an automobile, and the refueling nozzle based on a detection signal of the receiver. 2. The automatic refueling device according to claim 1, wherein the refueling nozzle is returned to an original position of the nozzle stocker after the refueling is completed. 4. The data input / output device is provided with a card reader / writer in which position data of a fuel filler is stored, and the robot device is configured to perform the operation based on the position data of the fuel filler read from the card by the card reader / writer. The automatic refueling apparatus according to claim 1, which operates.