JP2012193795A - Coupler attaching/detaching mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and easily execute exchange work of a gas cylinder by simplifying the operation for releasing a sleeve.SOLUTION: This coupler attaching/detaching mechanism using a socket 1 locks and releases the sleeve 4 by sliding the sleeve 4 relative to a housing 3, and a pushing part 10 of an abutment member 9 is made to abut on a step part 8 of the sleeve 4. The abutment member 9 is provided with an extension member 11 extending to a position near a holding part H of a gas cylinder B, and the sleeve 4 can be slid by operating the extension member 11. The abutment member 9 is provided with a fall-stopper member 14 to prevent the abutment member 9 from being fallen from the socket 1. An auxiliary spring 19 is provided between a fixing member 18 of a gas supply opening and the abutment member 9 to prevent a trouble such as a fall of a plug 2 from the socket 1 due to unexpected slide of the sleeve 4 to a release position by the dead loads of the abutment member 9 and the extension member 11 and by the vibration of the equipment being used.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coupler attaching / detaching mechanism used when connecting a gas consuming device and a gas cylinder.

  For example, as a small movable body such as an electric wheelchair shown in Patent Document 1, a fuel cell type using hydrogen as a fuel has been developed. This hydrogen is filled in a gas cylinder and mounted on a small movable body. The gas supply port of the fuel cell and the gas cylinder are connected via, for example, a coupler shown in FIG. This coupler is composed of a socket on the receiving side and a plug on the insertion side.

  As the socket, a housing in which a gas flow path is formed, and a sleeve slidably provided with respect to the housing within a predetermined range in the direction of the gas flow path (within a range of “lock position” and “release position”) And a lock that is housed in a through hole that penetrates the inner and outer walls of the gas flow path, and is biased by the sleeve toward the inner wall side from the outer wall side of the gas flow path when the sleeve is slid to the lock position. A thing provided with the ball | bowl and the sleeve spring which urges | biases a sleeve to the said lock position side is used well (for example, refer FIG. 2 of patent document 2).

  When the plug of the gas cylinder is inserted into the socket, the lock ball is fitted into the lock groove formed at the tip of the plug, and the lock ball is urged toward the lock groove by the sleeve, and the locked state is exhibited. .

  When the sleeve is slid to the release position against the urging force of the sleeve spring, the urging of the lock ball by the sleeve is released, and the lock ball can be retreated from the lock groove. Thereby, the plug inserted into the socket can be pulled out and the gas cylinder can be replaced.

JP 2010-125918 A JP 2004-21118A

  In the socket of the type in which the sleeve is slid to release the locked state of the plug, when the gas cylinder plug is stored in the apparatus downward as in Patent Document 1, the sleeve is difficult to reach and the gas cylinder is replaced. It often takes time. For example, it is conceivable to form a hole having a size that allows a hand to be inserted into the cover of the device and to release the sleeve through the hole. However, many gas cylinders of this type are provided with plugs and gripping portions spaced from both ends of the gas cylinder (see, for example, FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1). In this case, the sleeve is used with one hand. It is necessary to perform an operation with an unstable posture in which the gas cylinder is removed (lifted) with the other hand while holding the release operation.

  Some gas cylinders for hydrogen gas are not directly filled with gaseous hydrogen, but contain a hydrogen storage alloy in the gas cylinder, and the hydrogen storage alloy stores hydrogen. Since the gas cylinder filled with the hydrogen storage alloy is heavier than the hollow gas cylinder, the replacement of the gas cylinder with only one hand is a heavy burden on the operator.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to simplify the sleeve release operation so that the gas cylinder can be replaced quickly and easily.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a housing in which a gas flow path is formed at a gas supply port of a gas consuming device, a sleeve slidably provided with respect to the housing, and inner and outer walls of the gas flow path. A lock member that is urged from the outer wall side of the gas flow path toward the inner wall side by the sleeve when the sleeve is slid to the lock position. A socket provided with a sleeve spring biased toward the lock position; a plug of a gas cylinder having a lock groove formed at a tip portion is inserted into the socket; and the sleeve is moved to the lock position by the biasing force of the sleeve spring. The plug is prevented from being detached while being slid so that the lock member is fitted in the lock groove. In the coupler attaching / detaching mechanism, the sleeve is slid to the releasing position against the force to release the urging of the lock member from the outer wall side to the inner wall side, and the plug can be inserted and removed. A coupler for releasing the lock state of the socket and the plug by providing a sliding extension member along the gas cylinder and operating the extension member to slide the sleeve to the release position when replacing the gas cylinder. A desorption mechanism was constructed.

  By providing the sleeve with an extension member, the sleeve release operation can be performed not in the interior of the apparatus but in a place where a sufficient working space can be secured. For this reason, this operation | work can be performed smoothly. Further, since the extension member is provided along the gas cylinder, the gripping portion of the gas cylinder can be quickly held with one hand after the unlocking operation of the sleeve with one hand. That is, since the gas cylinder can be supported and removed with both hands, the burden on the operator in the replacement work is greatly reduced.

  The length of the extension member is not particularly limited as long as the release operation can be performed smoothly, but it is preferable that the operation end (tip) is positioned in the vicinity of the gripping portion of the gas cylinder. This is because if the gripping part is in the vicinity of the operation end, the hand can be quickly attached to the gripping part after the release operation.

  The shape of the lock member is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to adopt a ball shape (lock ball). Since the lock ball has no directionality, even if there is a slight inclination of the plug, the lock ball is securely prevented from coming off, but it can be released smoothly by contact with the taper formed in the lock groove of the plug. Because it can be done.

  In the configuration, the extension member is provided with a contact member, the contact member is contacted with the step portion of the sleeve, the retaining member is provided in the housing, and the retaining claw of the retaining member is It can be locked to a locking portion formed on the contact member.

  By providing this retaining member, it is possible to prevent the contact member provided on the socket from being inadvertently detached. Therefore, the movement of the extension member is reliably transmitted to the sleeve via the contact member, and the unlocking operation can be performed smoothly.

  Furthermore, in the said structure, the auxiliary | assistant spring interposed in the fixing member of the said socket and the said contact member can be provided, and the said contact member can be urged | biased in the lock position direction of the said sleeve.

  By providing this auxiliary spring, it is possible to prevent as much as possible a malfunction that the sleeve inadvertently slides to the release position due to the weight of the extension member (and the contact member) or the vibration of the device.

  According to the present invention, an extension member is provided on the sleeve of the socket, and the sleeve is slid by operating the extension member. For this reason, even when it is difficult to directly release the sleeve by hand, such as when there is no gap around the sleeve, the release operation can be easily performed, and the gas cylinder can be replaced quickly and easily. Can be done.

The side view which shows one Embodiment of the coupler removal | desorption mechanism based on this invention The fragmentary sectional view which shows the principal part of one Embodiment The fragmentary sectional perspective view which shows the principal part of one Embodiment The exploded perspective view which shows the structure by the side of the socket of one Embodiment Sectional drawing which shows the state which is making the socket and the plug approach Sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the plug in the socket and made the sleeve a locked position Sectional drawing which shows the state which slid the sleeve to the release position Sectional drawing which shows the state which pulled out the plug from the socket in the state which slid the sleeve to the release position

  One embodiment of a coupler attaching / detaching mechanism according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. This coupler is configured by inserting a plug 2 of a gas cylinder B into a socket 1 provided at a gas supply port of a gas consuming device such as a fuel cell, and is used in, for example, an electric wheelchair disclosed in Patent Document 1. Note that the right half of the axis in FIG. 2 (dotted line C) is a cross-sectional view passing through this axis and a locking claw 16 described later, and the left half of the axis is the axis. And a cross-sectional view passing through a position where there is no locking claw 16 is shown.

  The socket 1 is provided with a cylindrical housing 3 in which a gas flow path is formed in the axial center, and a cylindrical sleeve 4. The housing 3 is formed with a plurality of through-holes that penetrate the inner and outer walls of the gas flow path, and the lock balls 5 made of steel are stored one by one in each through-hole so as not to fall off to the inner wall side. . The sleeve 4 is slidable in the axial direction within a predetermined range (within the range of “lock position” and “release position”) along the cylindrical surface of the housing 3.

  When the sleeve 4 is in the locked position, the sleeve 4 abuts against the lock ball 5, and the lock ball 5 is urged from the outer wall side to the inner wall side (axial direction) from the inner wall end of the through hole. The lock ball 5 protrudes (locked state). A sleeve spring 6 is interposed between the sleeve 4 and the housing 3. The sleeve spring 6 biases the sleeve 4 toward the lock position. The housing 3 is provided with a stopper 7 that restricts the sleeve 4 from sliding beyond the lock position by the biasing force.

  When the sleeve 4 is slid to the release position against the urging force of the sleeve spring 6, the urging of the lock ball 5 by the sleeve 4 is released, and the lock ball 5 can retreat from the inner wall end to the outer wall side.

  A step portion 8 is formed on the sleeve 4, and the pressing portion 10 of the contact member 9 is in contact with the step portion 8. Further, the abutting member 9 is provided with a rod-like extension member 11 having a length approximately the same as the entire length of the gas cylinder B so as to extend along the gas cylinder B, and the tip thereof is the gripping portion H of the gas cylinder B. Located nearby. When the extension member 11 is moved downward in the axial direction (see the white arrow in FIG. 2), the contact member 9 moves downward integrally therewith, and the sleeve 4 can be slid toward the release position.

  A tapered taper 12 is formed at the tip of the contact member 9 on the plug insertion side. The plug 2 of the gas cylinder B inserted into the socket 1 is provided with a cylindrical protective member 13 coaxially with the plug 2. The protective member 13 prevents the tip of the plug 2 from coming into contact with a peripheral member or the like and being damaged.

  A retaining member 14 is provided in the housing 3 of the socket 1. The retaining member 14 includes a substantially semicircular arc portion 15 and a locking claw 16 that rises from both ends of the arc portion 15 in one axial direction. The arc portion 15 is locked to the lower end of the sleeve 4, and the locking claw 16 is locked to the locking portion 17 of the contact member 9. By providing the retaining member 14 in this way, the contact member 9 (extension member 11) is prevented from being detached from the socket 1.

  An auxiliary spring 19 is provided between the fixing member 18 (18 a, 18 b) of the socket 1 and the contact member 9, and the contact member 9 is urged toward the lock position of the sleeve 4 by the auxiliary spring 19. Yes. By urging the contact member 9 in this manner, the sleeve 4 is inadvertently slid to the release position due to the weight of the contact member 9 and the extension member 11 or the vibration of the equipment used such as an electric wheelchair. This prevents the trouble that the plug 2 comes off from the front. The auxiliary spring 19 is for assisting the urging force of the sleeve spring 6 provided in the socket 1 to prevent inadvertent sliding of the sleeve 4, so that only the urging force of the sleeve spring 6 is used. Thus, the auxiliary spring 19 is not necessarily provided as long as this inadvertent sliding can be prevented.

  5a to 5d show a procedure for attaching / detaching the coupler attaching / detaching mechanism. In each figure, the right half with respect to the axis C shows a cross-sectional view passing through the axis and the locking claw 16, and the left half with respect to the axis C shows the axis C and the locking claw 16. Sectional drawing which passes through the position (position rotated 90 degree | times around the axis C from the position which formed the latching claw 16) is shown.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5 a, the plug 2 of the gas cylinder B is brought close to the socket 1 on the same axis. At this time, even if there is a slight misalignment d between the two, the taper 12 of the abutting member 9 and the protective member 13 abut and the misalignment d is corrected, so that the plug 2 is inserted. It can be done smoothly. In the present embodiment, the taper 12 is formed on the contact member 9 side. However, the taper 12 may be formed on the protection member 13 side or both the protection member 13 and the contact member 9.

  When the plug 2 is completely inserted into the socket 1, as shown in FIG. 5b, the lock ball 5 is fitted into the lock groove 20 formed at the tip of the plug 2, and the plug 2 is prevented from coming off.

  When the plug 2 is pulled out from the socket 1, as shown by the downward white arrow in FIG. 5c, the extension member 11 is operated to be pushed downward. Then, the contact member 9 at the tip of the extension member 11 slides the sleeve 4 from the lock position toward the release position. By this slide, the urging force by the sleeve 4 of the lock ball 5 fitted in the lock groove 20 of the plug 2 is released. By releasing this urging, the lock ball 5 is retracted into the through hole by the pulling force of the plug 2, and the plug 2 can be pulled out smoothly as shown in FIG. 5d.

  In an electric wheelchair or the like that employs this coupler attaching / detaching mechanism, as explained in the background art, the sleeve 4 for releasing the connection between the socket 1 and the plug 2 of the gas cylinder B is located at the back of the apparatus and slides. It can be difficult. Even in this case, since the sleeve 4 can be slid by operating the extension member 11, the releasing operation can be facilitated. Further, by configuring the extension member 11 so that the tip of the extension member 11 is positioned in the vicinity of the gripping portion H of the gas cylinder B, the gripping portion H is held with both hands immediately after the extension member 11 is operated to release the locked state. The gas cylinder B can be supported. For this reason, in the replacement work of the gas cylinder B, the burden on the user can be greatly reduced.

  This coupler desorption mechanism is particularly effective for the gas cylinder B containing a hydrogen storage alloy. This type of gas cylinder B is heavier than the general hollow gas cylinder B by the amount of the hydrogen storage alloy. Even in this case, it is possible to hold the grip portion H with both hands immediately after the unlocking operation, and the replacement work can be performed smoothly.

  In the present invention, a commercially available socket 1 and plug 2 can be easily applied, and a coupler attaching / detaching mechanism can be configured only by providing the socket 1 with the extension member 11 and the like, so that the manufacturing cost can be suppressed as low as possible. it can.

1 socket 2 plug 3 housing 4 sleeve 5 lock ball (lock member)
6 Sleeve spring 7 Stopper 8 Stepped portion 9 Abutting member 10 Pushing portion 11 Extension member 12 Taper 13 Protection member 14 Retaining member 15 Arc portion 16 Locking claw 17 Locking portion 18 (18a, 18b) Fixing member 19 Auxiliary spring 20 Lock groove B Cylinder H Gripping part

Claims (3)

A gas supply port of a gas consuming device has a housing (3) formed with a gas flow path, a sleeve (4) slidably provided with respect to the housing (3), and an inner and outer wall of the gas flow path. A locking member (5) that is housed in the through hole that is urged from the outer wall side of the gas flow path toward the inner wall side by the sleeve (4) when the sleeve (4) is slid to the locked position And a socket (1) provided with a sleeve spring (6) for urging the sleeve (4) toward the lock position,
A plug (2) of a gas cylinder (B) having a lock groove (20) formed at the tip is inserted into the socket (1), and the sleeve (4) is moved to the locked position by the urging force of the sleeve spring (6). And the plug (2) is prevented from coming off while the lock member (5) is fitted in the lock groove (20), while the sleeve (4) is moved to the biasing force. In the coupler attaching / detaching mechanism, the urging of the lock member (5) from the outer wall side to the inner wall side is released by sliding against the inner wall side by sliding against the plug (2). ,
An extension member (11) for sliding the sleeve (4) is provided along the gas cylinder (B), and when the gas cylinder (B) is replaced, the extension member (11) is operated to operate the sleeve (4 ) Is slid to the release position to release the locked state of the socket (1) and the plug (2).   An abutting member (9) is provided on the extension member (11), and the abutting member (9) is abutted against the stepped portion (8) of the sleeve (4), and a retaining member is provided on the housing (3). (14) is provided, and the locking claw (16) of the retaining member (14) is locked to a locking portion (17) formed on the contact member (9). The coupler desorption mechanism described in 1.   An auxiliary spring (19) interposed between the fixing member (18) of the socket (1) and the contact member (9) is provided, and the contact member (9) is attached to the sleeve (4) by the auxiliary spring (19). The coupler attaching / detaching mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the coupler attaching / detaching mechanism is biased toward the lock position.

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