JP2686917B2 - Cylinder valve opening / closing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is disclosed in, for example, L.S. P. G
(Liquefied propane gas), L.H. N. The present invention relates to a cylinder valve opening / closing device suitable for use in a liquefied gas automatic filling device for filling a liquefied gas such as G (liquefied natural gas) into a cylinder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a liquefied gas filling cylinder for supplying liquefied gas as a fuel to a home or a business is provided with a cylinder body formed as a closed container and a filling body provided on the upper end side of the cylinder body. It is generally composed of a mouth and a valve for opening and closing the filling mouth. And, a liquefied gas automatic filling device used for filling the liquefied gas in the storage tank into this type of cylinder is, for example, an actual Kaihei 1-109.
It is known from Japanese Patent No. 694.

That is, an automatic liquefied gas filling device according to the prior art of this kind is arranged above the liquefied gas filling cylinder so as to be able to move up and down, and is provided with a valve opening / closing head for opening and closing the valve of the cylinder. A casing, a filling machine provided so as to be movable relative to the head casing, and provided with a filling nozzle on the tip side, and a filling nozzle of the filling machine connected via a pipe to a filling port of the cylinder. It is roughly configured by a filling means for filling a predetermined amount of liquefied gas into the cylinder with the filling nozzle fitted.

In this type of automatic filling device, when a liquefied gas filling cylinder conveyed by, for example, a chain conveyor or a rotary table reaches a predetermined position,
The entire automatic filling device hung above the inside of the work place is lowered, and while the filling nozzle provided at the tip side of the filling machine is opposed to the filling opening of the cylinder, the filling nozzle is fitted to the filling opening by a clamp means or the like. Let

Next, in this state, the head casing is lowered together with the valve opening / closing head onto the valve of the cylinder by an elevating cylinder, and the valve opening / closing head is rotated by a rotation source such as an air motor to automatically open the valve. At the same time, the filling means is operated to fill the liquefied gas from the filling nozzle into the cylinder through the filling port.

After the cylinder is filled with the liquefied gas in a fixed amount, the valve of the cylinder is closed by rotating the valve opening / closing head in the opposite direction by the rotation source to disengage the filling nozzle from the filling port. In this state, the head casing is lifted up together with the valve opening / closing head from the valve of the cylinder by the lifting cylinder, and then the entire automatic filling device is lifted up again with a balance weight or the like to move the next cylinder to a predetermined position. It waits for you to be transported to.

Further, a clutch mechanism such as a torque limiter is provided in the head casing between the rotation source and the valve opening / closing head, and the clutch mechanism transmits from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side. The rotation torque is set, and when the rotation torque of the rotation source exceeds the set torque, the rotation transmission to the valve opening / closing head side is released.

Since the valve opening / closing head is normally and reversely rotated by the rotation source to open and close the valve of the cylinder, the maximum torque is set by the clutch mechanism.
It is possible to prevent the valve of the cylinder from being overloaded and prevent the valve from being over-tightened.

On the other hand, there are various types of liquefied gas filling cylinders, and a so-called siphon tube shown in FIG. 6 is known.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylinder for filling a liquefied gas called a siphon tube, and the cylinder 1 is a cylinder main body 2 formed of a high-strength metal material in the form of a hollow cylinder as a closed container, The cylinder body 2 is roughly composed of a filling valve body 3 provided in the central portion on the upper end side and a take-out valve body (not shown). The valve body 3 includes a liquefied gas inside the cylinder body 2. As a valve that is movably disposed in the valve body 3 so as to open and close the filling port portion 4 that projects in the radial direction and is opened to the outside to fill the inside of the cylinder body 2. The valve body (not shown) and the valve cock 6 connected to the valve body via the valve shaft 5 for opening and closing the valve body are provided. Further, the valve body 3 is formed with a recess 3A located on the back side of the filling port 4 and above the cap 7.
A clamp or the like is engaged with the recess 3A.

Reference numeral 8 denotes the valve body 3 when the cylinder 1 falls down or the like.
And a protector for protecting the valve cock 6. The protector 8 is formed as an annular ring having a diameter of, for example, about 25 to 30 cm by bending a metal pipe into a ring shape. The protector 8 is attached to the upper end side of the cylinder body 2 via a support plate 9 curved in an arc shape, and surrounds the periphery of the valve body 3 together with the support plate 9 at a position higher than the valve cock 6 by a predetermined dimension. I have. In addition, an opening 9A is formed in the support plate 9 at a position corresponding to the filling port 4, and the opening 9A is directed horizontally toward a filling port 4 such as a liquefied gas filling machine (not shown). It allows you to insert it.

[0012]

By the way, in the above-mentioned prior art, the clutch mechanism including the torque limiter is provided in the head casing located between the rotation source such as the air motor and the valve opening / closing head. By setting the maximum rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side by the clutch mechanism, for example, when the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 shown in FIG. 6 is rotated (opened and closed), There is an advantage that it is possible to suppress an overload from acting on the valve 6 (valve element) and prevent overtightening of the valve cock 6 (valve element).

However, the cylinder 1 for filling the liquefied gas, etc. often consumes a relatively long amount of the filling gas at the customer's place and then takes a relatively long time before being returned to the filling factory.
If rust (corrosion) or the like occurs on the valve shaft 5 or the like of the valve body 3 during this time, the valve cock 6 (valve body) may be fixed in the valve closed state. In addition, the cylinder 1 may be returned to the filling factory with the valve cock 6 (valve body) tightly closed at the customer's side, and even in this case, the valve cock 6 (valve body) is closed. It tends to be tied up as it is.

Therefore, according to the prior art, when a tank 1 or the like is newly filled with liquefied gas in a filling factory,
The valve cock 6 (valve body) may not be opened unless excessive rotational torque is applied to the valve cock 6 or the like via the valve opening / closing head, which causes a problem that the liquefied gas filling operation is delayed. is there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The present invention can surely open and close the valve of the cylinder during the filling work of liquefied gas or the like, and the whole filling work can be smoothly performed without delay. It is an object of the present invention to provide a valve opening / closing device for a cylinder capable of

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a head casing which is arranged above a cylinder so as to be able to move up and down, and a rotatably provided inside the head casing. A valve opening / closing head for opening and closing the valve, and a rotation source provided in the head casing for driving the valve opening / closing head in the forward and reverse directions,
A valve opening / closing device for a cylinder, which is provided between the rotation source and the valve opening / closing head, is provided in the head casing, and includes a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a rotation torque from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side. Applied to.

According to the structure of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, a rotational torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is set in the power transmission mechanism, and the rotational torque equal to or higher than the set torque is set to the valve. A torque setting means for restricting transmission to the opening / closing head side and a rotation direction selecting means for selecting a direction of a rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side are provided, and the rotation direction selecting means is a positive direction. A rotational torque that is equal to or greater than the torque set by the torque setting means is allowed to be transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side during rotation, and the rotational torque transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side by the torque setting means is restricted during reverse rotation. Especially.

Further, in the invention as set forth in claim 2, the power transmission mechanism extends vertically in the head casing and is rotatably provided in the head casing, and the lower end side is connected to the valve opening / closing head. And a rotating body, which is located at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the rotating body so as to be rotatable relative to the outer peripheral side of the rotating body, and is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by decelerating the rotation of the rotation source. A reduction gear, a torque limiter that is provided between the reduction gear and the rotating body, and sets a maximum value of the rotational torque transmitted from the reduction gear to the rotating body side, and a rotation with the reduction gear that is separated from the torque limiter. And a one-way clutch that is provided between the rotating body and the rotating body to rotate integrally when the reduction gear rotates in the forward direction and releases rotation transmission to the rotating body when rotating in the reverse direction. Wa By way clutch constituting said rotational direction selecting means constitute the torque setting means by the torque limiter.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, a rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation of the valve opening / closing head, and a rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the rotation source based on a detection signal from the rotation detecting means. It is configured to include.

[0020]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation direction selecting means for selecting the direction of the rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side causes the rotation torque equal to or larger than the torque set by the torque setting means during the forward rotation. The rotation source allows the valve opening / closing head to be transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side, and the torque setting means regulates the rotation torque transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side in the reverse direction. When rotating and rotating the valve of the cylinder in the valve opening direction, it is possible to transmit a rotation torque above the set torque from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side, and even when the valve of the cylinder tends to be locked, The valve can be reliably opened.

Then, when the valve opening / closing head is rotated in the opposite direction by the rotation source and the valve of the cylinder is rotated in the valve closing direction, the rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is regulated to less than the set torque by the torque setting means. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the valve of the valve opening / closing head from being applied with a rotational torque exceeding the set torque, and for example, when the cylinder filled with liquefied gas is shipped, the valve is closed with the minimum necessary torque. Can be kept in a state.

In the invention according to claim 2, the power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation torque from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is composed of a rotating body, a reduction gear, a torque limiter, a one-way clutch and the like. By
The one-way clutch can constitute rotation direction selection means,
When the reduction gear rotates in the positive direction, the rotating body and the valve opening / closing head rotate integrally with the reduction gear, and when rotating in the reverse direction, the reduction gear rotates to the rotating body (valve opening / closing head) via the one-way clutch. Transmission can be canceled. Further, by configuring the torque setting means with the torque limiter, the maximum value of the rotational torque transmitted from the reduction gear to the rotating body side can be set, and the rotating torque exceeding the set torque when rotating in the reverse direction is applied to the rotating body (valve). It can be reliably prevented from being transmitted to the (opening / closing head) side.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, rotation detecting means for detecting rotation of the valve opening / closing head, and rotation controlling means for controlling rotation of the rotation source based on a detection signal from the rotation detecting means. With this configuration, for example, when the valve opening / closing head rotates about 2 times during the forward rotation, the rotation source is automatically stopped to stop the valve rotation (valve opening) operation by the valve opening / closing head. Therefore, the valve can be prevented from being excessively rotated in the valve opening direction. Further, even when rotating in the opposite direction, the operation timing of the liquefied gas filling machine or the like can be notified by automatically stopping the rotation source when the rotation of the valve opening / closing head becomes, for example, two or more rotations.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A valve opening / closing device for a cylinder according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the embodiment, the same components as those of the conventional technique shown in FIG. 6 described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a head casing which is disposed above the cylinder 1 so as to be able to move up and down and serves as a main body of a valve opening / closing device. The head casing 11 has a large-diameter reduction gear case 11A and the reduction gear. The upper head portion 11B and the lower head portion 11C are provided above and below the case 11A, and a cylindrical holder portion 11D is provided between the speed reducer case 11A and the lower head portion 11C. ing. The lower head portion 1 of the head casing 11
As shown in FIG. 2, 1C is screwed into a holder portion 11D, and a valve opening / closing head 33, which will be described later, which engages with a valve cock 6 engages with the valve cock 6 on the inner periphery of the lower end side of the lower head portion 11C so as to be able to rotate forward and backward. It is provided.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a mounting ring mounted on the upper end side of the upper head portion 11B, and a plurality of chains (none of which are shown) are connected to the mounting ring 12 via brackets. The head casing 11 and the like are hung up and down so as to be lifted up and down in the work place. Also,
The mounting ring 12 allows the entire head casing 11 to rotate with respect to the bracket, and prevents each chain from being twisted during the liquefied gas filling operation.

Reference numeral 13 denotes an air motor serving as a rotation source provided on the speed reducer case 11A of the head casing 11, and a small diameter gear 14 is fixed to the output shaft 13A of the air motor 13 as shown in FIGS. The small diameter gear 14
Is engaged with a large-diameter gear 22 to be described later in the reducer case 11A of the head casing 11.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a power transmission mechanism located inside the head casing 11 and arranged between the air motor 13 and the valve opening / closing head 33. The power transmission mechanism 15 includes a rotating body 16 and a large-diameter gear described later. 22, a torque limiter 25, a one-way clutch 32, and the like.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a rotating body which is rotatably disposed in the head casing 11 and extends in the head casing 11 in the vertical direction (axial direction). The rotating body 16 is, as shown in FIGS. Holder part 1 of head casing 11
1. A stepped tubular sleeve 19 rotatably arranged in the bearing 1 via bearings 17, 18, and a sleeve 19 slidably fitted in the sleeve 19 in the axial direction so that relative rotation with respect to the sleeve 19 is fixed. It is composed of a rotating shaft 21 regulated by a ring 20.

Here, the inner peripheral side of the sleeve 19 becomes a stepped hole 19A having a diameter reduced in three steps, and an annular stepped portion 19B for receiving a buffer spring 40 described later is formed at an intermediate portion of the stepped hole 19A. Has been done. Further, the rotary shaft 21 is provided with a sliding shaft portion 21A inserted into the sleeve 19, and extends upward from the upper end of the sliding shaft portion 21A, and the upper end thereof is the head casing 1
1. A small-diameter shaft portion 21B protruding outside and a support shaft portion 21D extending downward from the lower end of the sliding shaft portion 21A via an annular collar portion 21C and supporting a valve opening / closing head 33 slidably displaced upward and downward. It consists of and.

Further, the fixed ring 20 is fixed to the lower end side end surface of the sleeve 19 via a bolt or the like, and comes into contact with the flange portion 21C of the rotary shaft 21 from below so that the sliding shaft portion 21A of the rotary shaft 21 is fixed. It is regulated that the sleeve 19 does not come out downward. The support shaft portion 21D of the rotary shaft 21 is inserted into the fixed ring 20 via a key or the like, so that the rotary shaft 21 rotates integrally with the sleeve 19.

Reference numeral 22 designates the sleeve 1 in the reducer case 11A.
9 shows a large-diameter gear as a reduction gear, which is arranged on the outer peripheral side of 9 via bearings 23 and 24 so as to be relatively rotatable. The large-diameter gear 22 meshes with the small-diameter gear 14 to keep the rotation of the air motor 13 constant. It is decelerating with the gear ratio of. When the large-diameter gear 22 is rotated by the air motor 13 in the forward direction (valve opening direction of the valve cock 6), the air motor 13
The rotational torque from the air motor 13 is transmitted to the sleeve 19 via the one-way clutch 32, and the rotational torque from the air motor 13 is transmitted to the sleeve 19 via the torque limiter 25 when rotated in the reverse direction (valve closing direction of the valve cock 6). It has become.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a torque limiter as a torque setting means provided in the lower head portion 11C of the head casing 11 or the like. The torque limiter 25 has a key 26 on the upper end side of the sleeve 19 as shown in FIG. The rotary plate 27 is fixed between the rotary plate 27 and the upper end surface of the large-diameter gear 22 by being fixed to the sleeve 19 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. A friction plate 28 that makes frictional contact with the large-diameter gear 22 and the large-diameter gear 22 and the rotary plate 27 via the friction plate 28. The disc spring 29 urges the large-diameter gear 22 and the rotary plate 27 toward the rotary plate 27. An annular support plate 30 in which a thrust bearing 30A is disposed between the rotary plate 27 and the rotary plate 27.
And a torque adjusting cylinder 31 to be described later, and adjusts the rotational torque to be transmitted between the sleeve 19 and the large diameter gear 22.

The outer periphery of the upper end 31 is the head casing 11.
Is screwed into the upper head portion 11B of the
2 shows a torque adjusting cylinder forming a part of the torque adjusting cylinder 31. The torque adjusting cylinder 31 is formed in a stepped cylinder shape as shown in FIG. 2, and the lower end side thereof is in contact with the disc spring 29 of the torque limiter 25. It is a part 31A. Then, the torque adjusting cylinder 31 is externally rotated via the hexagonal part 31B on the upper end side, so that the upper head part 11 of the head casing 11 is rotated.
The screwing position with respect to B is changed, and the contact portion 31A on the lower end side
The spring load of the disc spring 29 is adjusted with.

As a result, the torque limiter 25 becomes the disc spring 2
The rotational torque to be transmitted between the large-diameter gear 22 and the sleeve 19 is variably set according to the spring load of No. 9, and the rotational torque from the large-diameter gear 22 by the air motor 13 is within the range of this set torque. It is transmitted to the 19th side. Then, the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is closed (rotated in the opposite direction) by the valve opening / closing head 33 described later, and when an overload exceeding the set torque of the torque limiter 25 acts on the sleeve 19, the rotary plate 27 has a large diameter. The gear 22 is made to idle through a friction plate 28 so that the rotational torque transmitted from the large diameter gear 22 side to the sleeve 19 side is suppressed to a set torque or less.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a one-way clutch which is located in the lower head portion 11C of the head casing 11 and which is arranged between the sleeve 19 and the large-diameter gear 22 and constitutes a rotating direction selecting means. Is located between the sleeve 19 and the large-diameter gear 22 between the bearings 23 and 24, and is arranged in parallel with the torque limiter 25. The one-way clutch 32 directly transmits the rotation of the large-diameter gear 22 in the positive direction to the sleeve 19, so that even if the rotation torque in the positive direction exceeds the torque set by the torque limiter 25,
9 (rotating shaft 21) side, and rotational torque in the opposite direction is transmitted to the sleeve 19 (rotating shaft 21) side via the torque limiter 25.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a valve opening / closing head provided integrally rotatably on the lower end side of the support shaft portion 21D of the rotary shaft 21,
The valve opening / closing head 33 includes a support shaft portion 21 of the rotary shaft 21.
It is connected to a slide cylinder 34, which is locked to D via a key and is slidable in the axial direction of the support shaft portion 21D, via a joint 35 on the lower side surface of the slide cylinder 34, and Cylindrical finger 3 in which the claw portions 36A, 36A, ... on the front end side engage with the outer peripheral side of the valve cock 6 to open and close the valve cock 6.
6 is comprised.

Here, the lower end side end surface of the sliding cylinder 34 is secured to the lower end side of the support shaft portion 21D by a nut 37 or the like,
The finger 36 is an annular retainer 3 with respect to the sliding cylinder 34.
It is held in the retaining state by 8. The joint 35 is made of steel balls or the like, and allows the upper side surface of the finger 36 to be slidably displaced forward, rearward, leftward, and rightward along the lower side surface of the sliding cylinder 34 within a certain range. Thus, the finger 36 is automatically aligned with the valve cock 6. Then, the valve opening / closing head 33 rotates in the forward and reverse directions together with the support shaft portion 21D of the rotary shaft 21 to open and close the valve cock 6 by each claw portion 36A of the finger 36.

Reference numeral 39 is located in the lower head portion 11C of the head casing 11 and is provided with the fixed ring 20 and the valve opening / closing head 3.
3 shows a weak spring arranged between the sliding cylinder 34 and the sliding cylinder 34. The weak spring 39 constantly urges the valve opening / closing head 33 downward with a relatively weak spring force, and the valve opening / closing head 33 is rotated by the rotary shaft. It is allowed to slide upward with respect to the support shaft portion 21D of 21 and the claw portion 36A of the finger 36 is surely engaged with the outer peripheral side uneven portion of the valve cock 6.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a buffer spring located in the stepped hole 19A of the sleeve 19 and disposed between the annular step portion 19B and the collar portion 21C of the rotary shaft 21, and the buffer spring 40 is a weak spring 39. When the rotary shaft 21 always urges the support shaft portion 21D and the like downward with a larger spring force, and lowers the entire head casing 11 so that the lower end of the support shaft portion 21D collides with the upper surface of the valve cock 6, for example. It is designed to buffer the impact of the.

When the buffer spring 40 is flexed and deformed, the support shaft portion 21D of the rotary shaft 21 and the sleeve 19,
The valve opening / closing head 33 is displaced upward relative to the large-diameter gear 22, the torque limiter 25, etc.
In C, it is relatively displaced upward and downward. The buffer spring 40 allows the entire head casing 11 to be displaced upward and downward relative to the valve body 3 of the cylinder 1,
While adjusting the height of the filling nozzle 45, which will be described later, with respect to the filling opening 4 of the valve body 3, it is ensured that the filling nozzle 45 is accurately fitted into the filling opening 4 of the valve body 3.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a backup guide arm extending downward from the speed reducer case 11A of the head casing 11 along the lower head portion 11C. The guide arm 41 is located below the lower head portion 11C. A back support plate 4 that protrudes with a predetermined length and that can contact the cap 7 of the valve body 3 from the back side with a gap at the lower end side thereof.
1A is provided. When the filling nozzle 45 is fitted into the filling port portion 4 of the valve body 3, the back support plate 41A of the guide arm 41 contacts the cap 7 from the back side of the valve body 3, and the valve between the filling nozzle 45 and the filling nozzle 45. By sandwiching the body 3, it is ensured that the filling nozzle 45 is firmly fitted to the filling port portion 4 of the valve body 3.

Reference numeral 42 designates a carrying arm extending vertically outside the head casing 11 in the radial direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 2 has a pair of left and right mounting portions 42A (only one is shown) on the upper end side (base end side) thereof, and for the head casing 11, each mounting portion 42A is mounted on the mounting portion 42A. It is supported by an air cylinder 47, which will be described later, to be attached so as to be relatively movable in the directions of arrows A and B.

The lower end side (tip side) of the carrying arm 42 serves as an arm head 42B.
In B, a filling nozzle 45 is integrally provided together with a filling valve 44 described later. In addition, a pedestal portion 4 to which an operation valve 49 described later is fixed is provided at an intermediate portion in the lengthwise direction of the carrying arm 42.
2C is provided and a filling valve 44 is provided in the carrying arm 42.
A liquefied gas filling pipe 43 is attached so as to extend toward the side.

Reference numeral 44 denotes the arm head 42 of the carrying arm 42.
A filling valve for filling liquefied gas provided at the tip of B, 45
Indicates a filling nozzle projecting from the filling valve 44 toward the filling port 4 side of the cylinder 1, and the filling nozzle 45 is provided in the pipe 43 provided on the arm head 42B side.
4, the liquefied gas is filled into the cylinder main body 2 through the filling port 4 when the filling valve 44 is opened. The tip of the filling nozzle 45 is located below the lower head portion 11C of the head casing 11 so that the tip of the filling nozzle 45 is fitted into the filling opening portion 4, and the carrying arm 4
2 extends parallel to each mounting portion 42A.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a nozzle guide provided at the tip end side of the filling valve 44 so as to surround the outer peripheral side of the filling nozzle 45, and the nozzle guide 46 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1. It is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and when the tip end side of the filling nozzle 45 is fitted into the filling opening portion 4, it is fitted to the outer peripheral side of the filling opening portion 4 to position the filling nozzle 45 with respect to the filling opening portion 4. It is like this.

Reference numeral 47 is a holder portion 1 of the head casing 11.
1D shows a pair of left and right air cylinders (only one is shown) constituting a transfer means integrally attached to the outer peripheral side of the 1D. Each air cylinder 47 is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and air is supplied and discharged from the outside. By doing so, the rod 47A is extended and contracted in the directions A and B shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 2), and the carrying arm 42 is transferred in the same direction together with the filling nozzle 45 and the like. Here, the tip end side of each rod 47A is slidably inserted into each mounting portion 42A of the carrying arm 42, and each mounting portion 42A.
On the other hand, it is held in a retaining state via a stopper (not shown).

Reference numeral 48 designates a pair of springs arranged between each mounting portion 42A of the carrying arm 42 and the rod side end portion of each air cylinder 47. Each spring 48 connects the carrying arm 42 to each mounting portion 42A. The mounting portion 42A of the carrying arm 42 is positioned on the tip side of the rod 47A between the stoppers and the stoppers by constantly urging in the direction of arrow A. Then, each spring 48 causes the carrying arm 42 when the rod 47A of each air cylinder 47 extends (before the liquefied gas is filled).
2 in the standby position shown in FIG. 2 to allow the carrying arm 42 to be pushed in the direction of arrow B when the rod 47A of each air cylinder 47 is contracted. As a result, the filling nozzle 4
5 is a filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1 by each air cylinder 47.
It is fitted inside as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 49 indicates an operation valve provided on the pedestal portion 42C of the carrying arm 42, and the operation valve 49 is fixed to the pedestal portion 42C as shown in FIG.
0 and a spool 51 that is slidably inserted into the valve casing 50 and has axially opposite ends protruding outward from the valve casing 50. Knobs and the like are provided on both ends of the spool 51. . Further, the valve casing 50 is formed with an air supply port connected to a compressed air source such as an air pump via an air conduit and an air exhaust port (neither of which is shown). When the spool 51 of the operation valve 49 is slidably displaced in the axial direction via a knob or the like, the valve casing 5
The air from the compressed air source is supplied to the air cylinder 47 through the air passage in 0. Reference numeral 52 denotes a substantially L-shaped handle provided integrally with the valve casing 50 of the operation valve 49.

Reference numeral 53 designates a valve rotation confirmation cam provided at the protruding end of the small-diameter shaft portion 21B protruding from the upper head portion 11B of the head casing 11. The cam 53 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the head casing 11 is connected to the valve opening / closing head 33 via a rotary shaft 21 extending in the vertical direction, and rotates integrally with the valve opening / closing head 33.

A rotation sensor 54 as a rotation detecting means shown in FIG. 4 is arranged near the cam 53, and the rotation sensor 54 opens and closes the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 by the valve opening / closing head 33. Sometimes the valve opening / closing head 33
Is detected via the cam 53, and for example, before or after the liquefied gas filling work, whether or not the valve cock 6 is fully opened or fully closed is confirmed on the controller 57 side described later.

Reference numeral 55 denotes a filling control valve arranged in the middle of the liquefied gas filling pipe 43. The filling control valve 55 is opened by a control signal from the controller 57.
Liquefied gas storage tank (not shown) when closed and opened
The liquefied gas is allowed to flow from the side toward the filling valve 44 side, and the filling valve 44 is shut off from the storage tank when the valve is closed.

Reference numeral 56 indicates a filling amount detector for detecting the filling amount of the liquefied gas filled in the cylinder 1. The filling amount detector 56 is arranged in a filling station or the like and is used for filling the liquefied gas during the filling operation of the cylinder 1. It is to detect whether or not a fixed amount of liquefied gas is filled therein.

Reference numeral 57 denotes a controller as rotation control means composed of a microcomputer or the like. The controller 57 has an input side connected to the rotation sensor 54 and the filling amount detector 56, and an output side control valve of the air motor 13. (Not shown) and fill control valve 55
Etc. are connected. The controller 57 stores the program and the like shown in FIG. 5 in its storage circuit, and performs a liquefied gas filling control process and the like. Also,
The memory area of the memory circuit of the controller 57 is 57A.
Inside the set rotation of the cam 53 (for example, 2 rotations or 2 rotations).
Half the rotation), the fixed amount of filling of the cylinder 1 and the like are stored so that they can be updated.

The liquefied gas filling apparatus according to the present embodiment has the above-described structure. Next, the liquefied gas filling control processing by the controller 57 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the processing operation is started, it is determined whether the cylinder 1 to be filled with the liquefied gas in step 1 has been conveyed onto the filling station by a conveying means such as a chain conveyor or a rotary table and placed at a predetermined filling position. If it is determined to be "YES", the process proceeds to step 2 and the head casing 11 and the carrying arm 42, etc., which are suspended above the inside of the work place via the bracket, the chain, etc., are lowered to the position shown in FIG. Let

At this time, the operator holds the handle 52 and guides the arm head 42B, the filling valve 44 and the like so as to pass through the inside of the protector 8, while the lower end portion 11C of the lower portion of the head casing 11 is provided with the lower end side of the valve body 3 therein. Of the finger 36 while automatically aligning the finger 36 of the valve opening / closing head 33 with the valve cock 6 via the joints 35 and the like, as shown in FIG. 36A is engaged with the outer peripheral side of the valve cock 6.

Next, in step 3, the operator mounts the carrying arm 42 through the handle 52 so that the filling nozzle 45 is inserted into the filling port 4 of the cylinder 1 (FIG. 2).
While pushing in the direction of arrow B in the middle, spool 5 of operation valve 49
If you press 1 in one direction, the air from the pressure source will
The air is supplied into the rod-side air chamber (not shown) of the air cylinder 47 through the air supply port 9 and the rod 47A of the air cylinder 47 contracts in the direction of arrow B. Each mounting portion 42A mounted on the rod 47A of the air cylinder 47
The carrying arm 42 together with the filling valve 44 is indicated by the arrow B
And the filling nozzle 45 of the filling valve 44 is moved horizontally.
Is fitted into the filling port 4 of the cylinder 1 via the nozzle guide 46.

At this time, the back support plate 41A provided on the guide arm 41 on the head casing 11 side is the valve body 3
By abutting against the cap 7 from the back side of the valve body and sandwiching the valve body 3 with the filling nozzle 45, the filling nozzle 45 is compensated for being strongly fitted to the filling port portion 4 of the valve body 3, and filling is performed. The nozzle 45 is held in a state of being fitted in the filling port 4. As a result, the filling nozzle 45 is strongly fitted into the filling port 4 via the nozzle guide 46, and the filling valve 44 is opened by the fitting force at this time, so that the liquefied gas can be filled.

Next, in step 4, the air motor 13 is rotated in one direction in the state shown in FIG. 3, and this rotation is passed through the large diameter gear 22, the one-way clutch 32, the sleeve 19, the rotary shaft 21, etc. The valve cock 6 is rotated in the forward direction (valve opening direction) by the finger 36. Then, in step 5, a rotation signal corresponding to the rotation of the cam 53 (valve opening / closing head 33) is read from the rotation sensor 54, and the process proceeds to step 6 where the rotation of the cam 53 (valve opening / closing head 33) is two revolutions or two revolutions.
It is determined whether the number of rotations has reached half.

Then, while "NO" is determined in step 6, the process returns to step 4 to continue rotating the valve opening / closing head 33 in the forward direction, and when "YES" is determined in step 6, the process proceeds to step 7 and the air motor 13 To stop.
As a result, the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is rotated in the valve opening direction by two rotations or two and a half rotations from the initial valve closing position, so that the valve element in the valve body 3 is substantially fully opened.

In this case, the rotation of the air motor 13 is transmitted from the large-diameter gear 22 to the sleeve 19 (valve opening / closing head 33) side via the one-way clutch 32. Even when the (valve body) tends to be locked while the valve is closed,
Rotation torque that is equal to or greater than the torque set by the torque limiter 25 can be transmitted from the air motor 13 to the sleeve 19 (valve opening / closing head 33) side via the one-way clutch 32, and the valve body in the valve body 3 can be transmitted via the valve cock 6 and the like. The valve can be opened reliably.

Next, in step 8, the filling control valve 55 is opened while the valve body in the valve body 3 is kept open, and the cylinder is charged from the external storage tank via the pipe 43, the filling nozzle 45 and the like. 1 is filled with liquefied gas. Then, in step 9, it is determined based on the detection signal from the filling amount detector 56 whether or not the liquefied gas has been quantitatively filled in the cylinder 1, and while the determination is “NO”, the process returns to step 8 to fill the liquefied gas. Let the work continue. When it is determined to be "YES" in step 9, it means that the cylinder 1 is quantitatively filled with the liquefied gas. Therefore, the process proceeds to step 10 to close the filling control valve 55 and stop the filling work of the liquefied gas. .

Next, in step 11, assuming that the filling of the liquefied gas is completed, the air motor 13 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the rotating torque in the opposite direction at this time is increased by the large diameter gear 22, the torque limiter 25, the sleeve 19 and the rotating shaft. While transmitting to the valve opening / closing head 33 via 21 etc., the valve opening / closing head 33 rotates the valve cock 6 in the valve closing direction.
Then, in the next step 12, the rotation signal corresponding to the rotation of the cam 53 (valve opening / closing head 33) is read from the rotation sensor 54, and the process proceeds to step 13 where the rotation of the cam 53 (valve opening / closing head 33) is two and a half or three times. It is determined whether or not the rotation is over.

While the determination is "NO" in step 13, the process returns to step 11 to continue rotating the valve opening / closing head 33 in the reverse direction. When the determination is "YES" in step 13, the process proceeds to step 14 and the air motor 13 is operated. To stop. As a result, the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is rotated in the valve closing direction from the valve opening position in steps 4 to 6, whereby the valve body in the valve body 3 is automatically fully closed.

At this time, the rotation of the air motor 13 is changed by the torque limiter 25 to the valve opening / closing head 33.
Since it is transmitted to the side, the torque for rotating the valve cock 6 in the valve closing direction is regulated to the torque set by the torque limiter 25 or less, and it is possible to reliably prevent the valve cock 6 from rotating with the excessive torque in the valve closing direction. It is possible to solve the problem that the valve cock 6 (valve body) is tightened too much.

Further, in step 14, the air motor 13 is stopped, and return air (pilot air pressure) is supplied to the operation valve 49 based on the detection signal at this time for a predetermined time, and the operation valve 49 is operated by this air pressure. Spool 5
By pushing 1, the air from the pressure source is operated by the operation valve 4
The air is supplied to the bottom side air chamber (not shown) of the air cylinder 47 from the air supply port 9 or the like. As a result, the rod 47A of the air cylinder 47 is extended, the supporting arm 42 is pushed by the spring 48 in the direction of the arrow A, and the filling nozzle 45 of the filling valve 44 is disengaged from the filling port portion 4. Hold at the standby position shown in.

Next, in step 15, the head casing 11 is automatically raised by a balance weight (not shown) through the bracket and the chain together with the carrying arm 42 and the like, and these are placed in the raised position. It waits for the new cylinder 1 to be conveyed to the filling station.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the power transmission mechanism 15 is provided in the head casing 11 between the air motor 13 and the valve opening / closing head 33, and the power transmission mechanism 15 is connected to the sleeve 19 and the rotary shaft 21. Since the rotary body 16 is composed of a torque limiter 25, a one-way clutch 32, and the like, which are arranged in a parallel relationship between the large-diameter gear 22 and the sleeve 19, the valve opening / closing head 33 is formed by the air motor 13. Rotate in the forward direction,
When the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is rotated in the valve opening direction, a rotational torque equal to or larger than the torque set by the torque limiter 25 can be transmitted from the air motor 13 to the valve opening / closing head 33 side via the one-way clutch 32. Even when the cock 6 tends to be secured, the valve cock 6 (valve body) can be reliably opened.

When the valve opening / closing head 33 is rotated in the reverse direction by the air motor 13 and the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is rotated in the valve closing direction, the air motor 13
By limiting the rotational torque transmitted from the valve opening / closing head 33 side to the set torque or less by the torque limiter 25, it is possible to prevent the valve opening / closing head 33 from applying the rotating torque of the set torque or more to the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1. When the cylinder 1 filled with liquefied gas is shipped, the valve cock 6 (valve body) can be kept closed with a minimum required torque.

Since the carrying arm 42 having the filling nozzle 45 on the lower end side is arranged so as to extend downward on the outer side in the radial direction of the head casing 11, the carrying arm 42 is lifted above the work place via a bracket or a chain. The head casing 11 and the carrying arm 42, etc. can be easily accommodated within the range of the separation dimension L illustrated in FIG. 6, and the valve opening / closing head 33 can be simply moved down from above in the work place. Can be reliably engaged with the valve cock 6, and the filling nozzle 45 can be smoothly fitted into the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1. After the liquefied gas is filled, the entire automatic filling device can be automatically raised by the balance weight without being disturbed by the protector 8 of the cylinder 1.

Further, the sliding cylinder 3 of the valve opening / closing head 33.
4 and the finger 36 are provided with a joint 35 and the like so that the finger 36 of the valve opening / closing head 33 is automatically aligned with the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1, so that the valve opening / closing head 33 is filled with the liquefied gas. Valve cock 6
It is possible to easily align the claw portions 36 </ b> A of the fingers 36 with the outer peripheral side of the valve cock 6 without fail.

Furthermore, when the carrying arm 42 is moved to the filling position together with the filling nozzle 45 by the air cylinder 47, the guide arm 4 on the head casing 11 side.
When the back support plate 41A provided on the valve body 3 is brought into contact with the cap 7 from the back side of the valve body 3 and the valve body 3 is sandwiched between the back support plate 41A and the filling nozzle 45, the valve opening / closing head 33 is operated by the valve opening / closing head 33. It is possible to reliably prevent accidental disengagement from the cock 6, and the valve cock 6 can be reliably opened and closed by the valve opening / closing head 33.

On the other hand, in the buffer spring 40 arranged between the sleeve 19 and the rotary shaft 21 in the head casing 11, the entire head casing 11 is displaced upward and downward relative to the valve body 3 of the cylinder 1. Because it will allow
The carrier arm 42 is filled with the air cylinder 47 to fill the nozzle 4
When moving to the filling position with 5, the filling nozzle 45
While the height of the filling nozzle 45 is adjusted with respect to the filling opening 4 of the valve body 3, the filling nozzle 45 can be reliably opposed to the filling opening 4, and the filling nozzle 45 guides the nozzle to the filling opening 4 of the valve body 3. Fitting via 46 can be compensated.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the torque limiter 25 and the one-way clutch 32 are arranged in the head casing 11 between the large diameter gear 22 and the sleeve 19 so as to be in a parallel relationship. The valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 and the like can be reliably opened and closed during the filling work of the liquefied gas and the like, and the entire filling work can be smoothly performed without delay.

Further, the work of filling the liquefied gas can be performed automatically without being hindered by the protector 8 of the cylinder 1, and the workability can be greatly improved. Then, the operator only has to grip the handle 52 to guide the carrying arm 42 and the like to the inside of the protector 8 during the filling work, and appropriately operate the spool 51 of the operation valve 49, thereby significantly reducing the burden on the operator. Therefore, various effects such as shortening the time required for the filling work can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the rod 47A of each air cylinder 47 provided on the side of the head casing 11 is extended and contracted to move the carrying arm 42 together with the filling valve 44 in the horizontal direction to move the filling valve 44. The filling nozzle 45 has been described as being fitted into and removed from the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the present applicant has previously proposed it in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-225241. Alternatively, the swing arm (carrying arm) may be swung toward the filling port 4 of the cylinder 1 together with the filling nozzle or the like.

Further, the applicant of the present invention first disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-250.
As proposed in No. 462, a support arm as a connector body extending in the vertical direction is provided movably in the radial direction of the head casing, and a filling nozzle provided at the lower end side of the support arm is clamped by an air cylinder via a clamp mechanism or the like. You may make it fit in a filling opening part.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the cylinder 1 called a siphon tube was described as an example of the cylinder for filling the liquefied gas, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, 20 k.
It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a case where a liquefied gas is automatically filled into cylinders of various shapes such as a cylinder.

[0080]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation direction selection means for selecting the direction of the rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is provided in the head casing. The rotation direction selecting means allows a rotational torque equal to or larger than the torque set by the torque setting means to be transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side when rotating in the forward direction, and allows the torque setting means to rotate the valve opening / closing head side when rotating in the reverse direction. Since the rotation torque transmitted to the valve is regulated, when the valve opening / closing head is rotated in the forward direction by the rotation source to rotate the valve of the cylinder in the valve opening direction, the rotation torque of the set torque or more is supplied from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head. The valve can be securely opened even when the cylinder valve tends to be locked. Kill.

Further, when the valve opening / closing head is rotated in the reverse direction by the rotation source and the valve of the cylinder is rotated in the valve closing direction, the rotation torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is regulated by the torque setting means to be less than the set torque. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the valve of the valve opening / closing head from being applied with a rotational torque exceeding the set torque, and for example, when the cylinder filled with liquefied gas is shipped, the valve is closed with the minimum necessary torque. Can be kept in a state. Therefore, the valve of the cylinder can be surely opened and closed during the filling work of the liquefied gas and the like, and the whole filling work can be smoothly performed without delay.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation torque from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is composed of a rotating body, a reduction gear, a torque limiter, a one-way clutch and the like. Thus, the one-way clutch can constitute a rotation direction selecting means, and when the reduction gear rotates in the positive direction, the rotating body and the valve opening / closing head are integrally rotated with the reduction gear with a large rotation torque, and when rotating in the reverse direction. The rotation transmission from the reduction gear to the rotating body (valve opening / closing head) via the one-way clutch can be released, and the liquefied gas filling operation and the like can be smoothly performed.

Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 3,
By comprising a rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation of the valve opening / closing head and a rotation controlling means for controlling the rotation of the rotation source based on a detection signal from the rotation detecting means, for example, when rotating in the forward direction. When the rotation of the valve opening / closing head reaches about 2 rotations, the rotation source can be automatically stopped to stop the valve rotation (valve opening) operation by the valve opening / closing head, and the valve is excessively rotated in the valve opening direction. In addition to the above, it is possible to notify the operation timing of the liquefied gas filling machine, etc. by automatically stopping the rotation source when the rotation of the valve opening / closing head becomes, for example, two and a half rotations or more even in the reverse rotation. Therefore, various effects such as smoothing the whole filling work can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially broken external view showing a filling state of an automatic liquefied gas filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing a head casing, a power transmission mechanism, a valve opening / closing head and the like in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a liquefied gas filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a liquefied gas filling control process by a controller.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a conventional liquefied gas filling cylinder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 cylinder 2 cylinder body 3 valve body 4 filling port 6 valve cock 7 cap 8 protector 11 head casing 13 air motor 14 small diameter gear 15 power transmission mechanism 16 rotating body 19 sleeve 21 rotating shaft 22 large diameter gear (reduction gear) 25 torque limiter (Torque setting means) 32 One-way clutch (rotation direction selecting means) 33 Valve opening / closing head 35 Joint 40 Buffer spring 42 Carrying arm 44 Filling valve 45 Filling nozzle 46 Nozzle guide 47 Air cylinder 48 Spring 49 Operation valve 52 Handle 54 Rotation sensor (rotation) Detection means) 57 controller (rotation control means)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A head casing which is arranged to be able to move up and down above a cylinder, a valve opening and closing head which is rotatably provided in the head casing and opens and closes a valve of the cylinder, and the valve opening and closing head. A rotation source provided in the head casing for driving the motor in the forward and reverse directions, and a rotation torque provided from the rotation source, the rotation source being provided between the rotation source and the valve opening / closing head. In the valve opening / closing device for a cylinder, which is provided with a power transmission mechanism for transmitting to the valve opening / closing head side, a rotational torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side is set in the power transmission mechanism, Of the rotational torque transmitted from the rotation source to the valve opening / closing head side. And a rotation direction selection means for selecting a direction, the rotation direction selection means allowing a rotation torque equal to or larger than a torque set by the torque setting means to be transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side when rotating in the forward direction, and A valve opening / closing device for a cylinder, wherein the torque setting means regulates a rotational torque transmitted to the valve opening / closing head side during rotation. 2. The power transmission mechanism extends vertically in the head casing, is rotatably provided in the head casing, and has a lower end connected to the valve opening / closing head, and a rotary member of the rotary member. A reduction gear, which is located at an intermediate portion in the length direction and is provided relatively rotatably on the outer peripheral side of the rotating body, is decelerated the rotation of the rotation source and is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions, and the reduction gear. A torque limiter, which is provided between the reduction gear and the reduction gear, sets a maximum value of the rotational torque transmitted from the reduction gear to the rotation body, and is provided between the reduction gear and the rotation body, apart from the torque limiter, A one-way clutch that integrally rotates the rotating body when the reduction gear rotates in the forward direction and releases rotation transmission to the rotating body when the reduction gear rotates in the reverse direction. The valve opening / closing device for a cylinder according to claim 1, wherein the direction selecting means is constituted, and the torque setting means is constituted by the torque limiter. 3. A rotation detecting means for detecting rotation of the valve opening / closing head, and a rotation control means for controlling rotation of the rotation source based on a detection signal from the rotation detecting means. The valve opening / closing device for the cylinder described in.