JP3056056B2 - Gas filling equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas filling apparatus for automating an operation of filling a gas container with LP gas or the like.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in valve direction detecting means for detecting the direction of an on-off valve of a gas container and aligning a filling port of the on-off valve with a filling nozzle of a filling machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, various proposals have been made to automate the operation of filling a gas container with LP gas or the like.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-172300, a gas container installed in a filling station is clamped, centering is performed so that the axis of the container coincides with a reference center of the filling station, and then the direction of an open / close valve protruding to the top of the container, that is, filling is performed. Detecting the position of the port with the valve direction detecting means, aligning the gas filling nozzle with the filling port, then connecting the filling nozzle to the filling port, and then opening the open / close valve to fill the predetermined amount of gas An apparatus is disclosed. The valve direction detecting means includes first and second optical sensors disposed in parallel in a cylindrical cover body surrounding the open / close valve so as to project both sides of the open / close valve, and projecting light in a direction crossing the open / close valve. And a third optical sensor disposed so as to perform the above operation. Each of the optical sensors detects a state in which projection is not blocked, and sets a normal direction when all three optical sensors are in the detecting state. When at least one of the first to third optical sensors is not in the detection state, it is regarded as an incorrect direction,
When in the incorrect direction, the gas container is rotated so as to be in the normal direction, and a gas filling nozzle is arranged at a position where alignment with the filling port is performed when the normal direction is detected. It was established.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional gas filling apparatus described above, when all three optical sensors are in the detection state, that is, as shown in FIG.
120 is located between the optical axes of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 and is positioned in parallel with the gas filling nozzle 1;
2 is detected on the gas filling nozzle 1 side, in other words, a state where the axes of the on-off valve 120 and the gas filling nozzle 1 coincide with each other and the filling port and the gas filling nozzle 1 face each other is detected as a normal direction. It is configured as follows. Therefore, when the axis 100a of the gas container coincides with the reference axis L as shown in FIG. 4, the above-described normal direction can be detected. However, as shown in FIG. When the gas container is deviated, even if the gas container is rotated, one of the first and second optical sensors is blocked from being projected by the open / close valve 120, so that all three optical sensors do not enter the detection state. In practice, it is almost impossible to match the axis 100a of the gas container with the reference axis L, so that there is room for improvement.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to detect a valve direction even when the axis of a gas container is displaced from a reference axis. It is to provide a gas filling device.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a gas filling apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a centering means for aligning the axis of a gas container installed in a filling station with a reference core; A valve direction detecting means for detecting the position of the filling port by surrounding the opening / closing valve with a cover body, a gas filling nozzle which is provided to be able to move forward and backward so as to be in contact with and away from the filling port, A rotation driving mechanism for driving the cover body and the gas filling nozzle relative to the opening / closing valve to perform positioning based on the gas filling nozzle and the filling port. First and second optical sensors for detecting that the opening / closing valve is positioned substantially parallel to the gas filling nozzle, respectively, and projecting in a direction crossing the opening / closing valve. And a third optical sensor for detecting that the filling port is on the gas filling nozzle side is provided in the cover body, and one of the first and second optical sensors and the third optical sensor are in a detection state. and the direction when there is regular
And, the rotation drive mechanism is characterized by being configured to stop driving when the direction of the driven and normal is detected when the direction of the normal is not detected.

The rotary drive mechanism rotates one of the cover body and the gas filling nozzle and the gas container to rotate the cover body and the gas filling nozzle relative to the opening / closing valve. When fixing the container,
The cover body and the gas filling nozzle are configured to rotate integrally about the reference core. On the other hand, when the cover body and the gas filling nozzle are fixed, the gas container is configured to rotate concentrically with the reference core. I do. That is, the present invention includes both a case where the cover body and the gas filling nozzle are rotated with respect to the fixed gas container, and a case where the gas container is rotated with respect to the fixed cover body and the gas filling nozzle.
In either case, the gas filling nozzle and the filling port are configured to be aligned when the normal direction is detected, that is, when the normal direction is detected, Needless to say, the connection to the filling port is made by advancing the filling nozzle.

In the gas filling apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the cover valve surrounds the opening / closing valve of the gas container installed at the filling station and centered so that the axis of the container coincides with the reference axis. When the position of the filling port is detected by the optical sensor in the cover body, the time when one of the first and second optical sensors and the third optical sensor are in the detection state is detected as a normal direction, so that the container is detected. Even if the axis is displaced from the reference axis and only one of the first and second optical sensors is in the detection state, the normal direction can be detected and the gas filling nozzle and the filling port can be aligned, Thereafter, the gas filling nozzle advances and connects to the filling port. In addition, when the deviation of the container axis relative to the reference axis is large, when the normal direction is detected, a slight deviation occurs in the alignment between the gas filling nozzle and the filling port.
When the rotation of the rotation drive mechanism is stopped, the rotation of the gas container or the gas filling nozzle is set to the neutral state, and the gas filling nozzle is advanced by providing the gas filling nozzle or the filling port with a guide mechanism for guiding the connection between the two. When connecting to the filling port, the displacement can be absorbed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the displacement of the axis of the container with respect to the reference center is large, and the position of the gas filling nozzle is slightly misaligned with the filling port when the normal direction is detected. Even if has occurred, by delaying the drive stop of the rotation drive mechanism by the operation of the timer for a predetermined time,
The displacement of the gas filling nozzle with respect to the filling port can be reduced.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A gas filling apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 installs a gas container 100 conveyed by a conveying path B constituted by a roller conveyor or the like at a filling station B ′ set at a predetermined position on the conveying path B, and This is a fully automatic gas filling device configured to automatically fill 100 with LP gas.

The gas container 100 is a well-known LP gas container provided with an opening / closing valve 120 at the top of a container body 110, and usually has several kinds of gas containers having a capacity of about 50 kg to about 10 kg. The opening / closing valve 120 has a substantially cylindrical valve body 121.
A filling port 122 and a safety valve 123 are respectively protruded rearward on the front side and the rear side of the peripheral surface, and a manual opening / closing handle 124 for opening and closing the filling port 122 is screwed on the upper end of the valve body 121 so as to be able to advance and retreat. Wear it. The valve body 121 and the opening / closing handle 124
The gas container 100 is disposed concentrically with respect to the shaft core 100a.

The gas filling device A includes a filling station B '
A centering means a for holding the gas container 100 installed in an upright state with the axis 100a of the container being aligned with the reference axis L set in the station B ′, and opening and closing the gas container 100. A valve direction detecting means b for detecting the position of the filling port 122 by surrounding the valve 120 with the cover body 20, and a gas filling nozzle 1 which is rotatably supported around the reference core L and which comes into contact with and separates from the filling port 122; The cover 20 and the filling machine c (gas filling nozzle 1) are rotated with respect to the opening / closing valve 120 by driving based on the detection signal of the filling machine c which is swingably mounted and the detection signal of the valve direction detecting means b. A turning unit (rotation drive mechanism) d for positioning the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 is provided.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, first and second optical sensors 2 are projected into the cover body 20 so as to project both sides of the open / close valve 120.
1 and 22 are arranged in parallel, and a third optical sensor 23 is arranged so as to project in a direction crossing the opening and closing valve 120.
In addition, when one of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 and the third optical sensor 23 are in a detection state, the detection is performed as a normal direction.
Is arranged so that the alignment with the filling port 122 is performed when the normal direction is detected, and the turning unit d is driven when the normal direction is not detected and the normal direction is detected. The drive is stopped when the power is turned off.

The gas filling device A is provided with the gas container 100
The opening / closing handle 124 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions to
Opening / closing head e for opening and closing the valve, and an elevating unit f for integrally lifting and lowering the valve direction detecting means b, filling machine c, valve opening / closing head e and the like in accordance with the height of the gas container 100.
A lift drive unit g for moving the cover body 20 up and down, a swing drive unit h for swinging the filling machine c forward and backward to bring the gas filling nozzle 1 into and away from the filling port 122, and a valve opening / closing head e for lifting and rotating. And a head drive unit i for driving, and each of the components a to i is mounted on a machine frame j.

The machine frame j is erected on the side of the filling station B '. An elevating unit f is immovably installed on the upper edge of the machine frame j. On the other hand, the guide rail 2a, 2b is installed vertically to support the turning unit d so that it can slide up and down. The turning unit d is supported by the elevating unit f so as to be able to move up and down above the machine frame j. A support substrate 3 is supported on the lower surface side of the turning unit d. On the lower surface side of the support substrate 3, a detecting means b, a filling machine c, a valve opening / closing head e, a lifting drive unit g, a swing drive unit h, and a head drive are provided. Part i is equipped. Centering means a is provided below the machine frame j.

The elevating unit f has a plurality of pulleys 4 which rotate in the forward and reverse directions by driving a motor (not shown), and the amount of the chain 5 wound around each pulley 4 is appropriately adjusted by driving the motor. As a result, the turning unit d and the upper clamp 7 described later move up and down, and the valve direction detecting means b, the filling machine c, the valve opening / closing head e, and the upper clamp 7 are moved to predetermined positions corresponding to the height of the gas container 100. It is configured to be supported.

The centering means a comprises upper and lower clamps 6, 7 provided with a pair of arms 9a, 9b which are approached by the drive of a drive unit 8, such as a cylinder, and sandwich the outer peripheral surface of the gas container 100 from both sides. The clamp 6 is fixed to the lower end of the machine frame j, and the upper clamp 7 is moved up and down by driving the elevating unit f corresponding to the height of the gas container 100. When the gas container 100 is clamped by the centering means a, the gas container 100 is lifted up by an unillustrated elevating means and temporarily stopped irrespective of the movement of the transport path B, or the transport path B is Configure to stop.

The turning unit d is provided with a reference core L on the lower surface of the casing 10 which is moved up and down by driving the elevating unit f.
And a motor 12 for rotating the rotating shaft 11. The support substrate 3 is fixed to a lower end of the rotating shaft 11, and the rotating shaft 11 is driven by the motor 12.
And the support substrate 3 rotate in a range of 360 ° or more around the reference core L, whereby the cover body 20 rotates concentrically with the reference core L, and the filling machine c (gas filling nozzle 1) It is configured to rotate integrally with the cover body 20 around the reference core L. The turning unit d is driven when the valve direction detecting means b does not detect the normal direction to rotate the cover body 20 and the filling machine c (gas filling nozzle 1) as described above,
Further, when the normal direction is detected, the driving is stopped, and the driving is controlled so that the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned. The turning unit d is configured such that the rotation of the filling machine c is in a neutral state when the driving is stopped.

A support shaft 13 is provided at one longitudinal end of the support substrate 3.
In this manner, the filling machine c is swingably supported, and the gas filling nozzle 1 advances and retreats with the swing of the filling machine c, so that the gas filling nozzle 1 is connected to and disconnected from the filling port 122. An upper mounting plate 14 is supported below the support substrate 3, and a swing driving unit h is installed on the mounting plate 14. Further, a lower mounting plate 15 is supported below the upper mounting plate 14, and a lifting drive unit g for raising and lowering the valve direction detecting means b on the mounting plate 15, and a head for raising and lowering and rotating the valve opening / closing head e. The drive unit i is installed.

The valve direction detecting means b is shown in FIGS.
Thus, in the cover body 20 surrounding the opening / closing valve 120,
The first and second valves are arranged to project on both sides of the on-off valve 120.
A second optical sensor 21, 22 and a third optical sensor 23 arranged to project in a direction crossing the opening / closing valve 120 are provided, and either one of the first and second optical sensors and the third optical sensor 23 are provided.
When the optical sensor is in the detection state, the normal direction is defined as the normal direction, while when the normal direction is not detected, the incorrect direction is determined. When the normal direction is detected, the cover unit 20 is driven by the turning unit d. The driving of the turning unit d is stopped when the normal direction is detected when the and the filling machine c rotate integrally.

The cover body 20 is a cylindrical body capable of surrounding the side periphery of the opening / closing valve 120 and having upper and lower surfaces opened, and has a rod 24a of a drive cylinder 24 constituting an elevation drive unit g fixed to an upper edge thereof. At the position directly above the open / close valve 120 of the gas container 100 held by the centering means a, the shaft is supported by the drive cylinder 24 so as to be vertically movable so that its axis coincides with the reference center L. It is designed to surround. The cover body 20 is supported by the support substrate 3 via the drive cylinder 24, the lower mounting plate 15, and the upper mounting plate 14, and is coaxial with the reference core L by 360 ° or more by driving the turning unit d. And drive rotation.

Each of the optical sensors 21, 22, 23 is a well-known optical sensor provided with light projecting sections 21a, 22a, 23a and light receiving sections 21b, 22b, 23b, respectively, which are installed facing each other. The first and second optical sensors 21 and 22
Both sides of the opening / closing valve 120 are projected and arranged in parallel at such a height that the projection is blocked by the filling port 122 or the safety valve 123. Further, the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 include a light emitting unit 21a,
The state in which the light from the light receiving portions 21b and 22b is received without being blocked by the filling port 122 or the safety valve 123 from the projection 22a is set as a detection state, and it is detected that the on-off valve 120 is positioned substantially parallel to the gas filling nozzle 1. The first and second optical sensors 2
When both of the detection states 1 and 22 are simultaneously detected, one of the detection signals is given priority. The third optical sensor 23 projects in a direction crossing the opening / closing valve 120 at a right angle to the optical axes of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22.
Arrange at a height where projection can be interrupted. In addition, the third optical sensor 23 detects a state in which the projection from the light projecting unit 23a is blocked by the filling port 122 and the light receiving unit 23b does not receive light, and detects that the filling port 122 is on the gas filling nozzle 1 side. . Further, the valve direction detecting means b sets a normal direction when one of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 and the third optical sensor 23 are in a detection state, while the normal direction is detected. When the normal direction is detected by configuring the unauthorized direction as the incorrect direction (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
The gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned with each other.

The filling machine c rotatably connects the tip of a rod 17 of a swing drive unit (drive cylinder) h to the middle and high portions of a support frame 16 supported by the support shaft 13 so as to swing back and forth. The gas filling nozzle 1 is provided at the lower end of the frame 16 with the tip directed toward the reference core L, and is swung rearward by the extension of the swing driving unit h, so that the gas filling nozzle 1 is separated from the filling port 122 at a retracted position. And the gas filling nozzle 1 swings forward and backward (swings) over a forward position connected to the filling port 122 by the contraction of the swing driving unit h.

On the left and right sides of the gas filling nozzle 1, clamps 18 for holding the filling port 122 are provided so as to be openable and closable, and the filling port 122 has a tapered surface 122-1 on the inner periphery of the opening. The turning unit d rotates the rotation shaft 11 so that the rotation of the filling machine c is in a neutral state when the driving is stopped.
To rotate freely. Thus, even if the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are slightly misaligned when the valve direction detecting means b detects the normal direction (see FIG. 3), the gas filling is performed. With the advance of the nozzle 1, the clamps 18, 18 open and grip the filling port 122,
Using the tapered surface 122-1 as a guide, the filling machine c is rotated so that the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are substantially opposed to each other to absorb the displacement, which hinders the connection of the gas filling nozzle 1 to the filling port 122. Configure so that there is no.

The gas filling nozzle 1 is provided with the first and second gas filling nozzles.
Arranged substantially parallel to the optical axes of the optical sensors 21 and 22 and between the optical axes of the two sensors 21 and 22 and on the side where the third optical sensor 23 is provided, the valve direction It goes without saying that the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned with each other when the detecting means b detects the normal direction.

The valve opening / closing head e is provided with an opening / closing handle 124.
And a lifting mechanism for the head drive unit i so that its axis coincides with the reference axis L at a position immediately above the opening / closing valve 120 of the gas container 100 held by the centering means a. 25, it is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and is engaged with the opening / closing handle 124 at the lowered position. The valve opening / closing head e is provided with a rotating mechanism 2 of a head driving unit i.
By the drive of 6, the drive handle is rotated in the forward and reverse directions about the reference core L to rotate the open / close handle 124 in the open / close direction.

The above-mentioned centering means a, valve direction detecting means b, filling machine c, turning unit d, elevating unit f, elevating drive g, swing drive h, head drive i, transport path B, etc. By electrically communicating with a control unit (not shown),
The drive is controlled in a timely manner so that a predetermined amount of gas is automatically filled in the gas container 100 conveyed on the conveyance path B and then conveyed to the next step. Hereinafter, the operation of the gas filling apparatus A of this embodiment will be described in detail. The gas container 100 conveyed by the conveying path B is held in an upright state at the filling station B 'by the centering means a and the container shaft 100a After that, the cover body 20 is lowered by driving the cylinder 24 to surround the opening / closing valve 120, and the position of the filling port 122 is detected and the position of the gas filling nozzle 1 with respect to the filling port 122 is adjusted.

That is, the cover body 20 is
When the container shaft core 100a is aligned with the reference core L or the cover body 20 is displaced within a range capable of surrounding the opening / closing valve 120, One of the sensors 21 and 22 and the third optical sensor 23 are present at a position where the detection state is established. If the proper direction is detected when the cover body 20 surrounds the opening / closing valve 120, the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 12 are detected at this time.
2 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
The turning unit d is not driven. From this state, the cover body 20 rises, and then the gas filling nozzle 1 moves forward by the swing of the filling machine c and connects to the filling port 122. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the container axis 100a does not match the reference axis L and the deviation S is relatively large, when the normal direction is detected, the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are detected. There is some deviation in the alignment with the gas inlet nozzle 122, and this deviation is caused by the clamps 18 and 1
8, the gas can be absorbed by rotating the filling machine c so that the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are substantially opposed to each other by using the tapered surface 122-1 of the filling port 122 as a guide.

On the other hand, when the cover body 20 surrounds the opening / closing valve 120, an incorrect direction is detected.
If the open / close valve 120 is located at a position where neither the second optical sensor 21 or 22 or the third optical sensor 23 is in the detection state, the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are not aligned. When the turning unit d is driven, the cover body 20 and the filling machine c rotate integrally, and stop when the proper direction is detected, so that the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned. . From this state, the cover body 20 rises, and then the gas filling nozzle 1 moves forward by the swing of the filling machine c and connects to the filling port 122. Also,
When detecting the filling port position by rotating the cover body 20,
Even if the container axis 100a matches the reference axis L, the first and second
Since both the optical sensors 21 and 22 are in the detection state (the axis 122a of the opening / closing valve coincides with the axis 1a of the gas filling nozzle 1), the normal direction is detected at the front position. Although there is some deviation in the alignment with the filling port 122, this deviation can be absorbed by the operation of the clamps 18, 18 and the rotation of the filling machine c guided by the tapered surface 122-1, as described above.

When the gas filling nozzle 1 is connected to the filling port 122, the valve opening / closing head e is lowered by driving the head driving unit i to engage with the opening / closing handle 124, and then rotates in a predetermined direction to open the filling port 122. In this state, the filling machine c operates to inject and fill the gas into the gas container 100. When it is detected that a predetermined amount of gas has been filled, the gas filling is completed, the valve opening / closing head e rotates to close the filling port 122, and after the opening / closing head e rises, the filling machine c swings backward. As a result, the gas filling nozzle 1 comes off the filling port 122, and the clamp by the centering means a is released. The gas container 100 unclamped is transported to the next process by the transport path B.

As described above, the gas filling device A of the present embodiment has the gas container 100 installed at the filling station.
Even if a slight error occurs in the centering of the gas container 122, the position of the filling port 122 is accurately detected, and the operator manually operates the gas container 100.
The gas filling nozzle 1 can be automatically connected to the filling port 122 and the gas container 100 can be quickly filled with LP gas or the like without the necessity of correcting the position.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an example in which the drive of the turning unit (rotation drive mechanism) d is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed since the valve direction detecting means b has detected the normal direction . Will be explained. That is, in this example, when the valve direction detecting means b does not detect the normal direction, the turning unit d is driven to rotate the cover body 20 and the filling machine c (gas filling nozzle 1) as described above, When the direction is detected, a timer is activated, and a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 to
After a lapse of about 0.3 seconds), the driving of the turning unit d is stopped, and the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned. In such a configuration, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, when the normal direction is detected by the rotation of the cover body 20, the gas charging nozzle 1 and the charging port 122 are detected.
Even if there is a difference between the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. Is small, the automatic connection of the gas filling nozzle 1 to the filling port 122 can be performed more accurately. Further, even if a slight misalignment occurs between the gas filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122,
As described above, considering that the displacement can be absorbed by the operation of the clamps 18 and the rotation of the filling machine c guided by the tapered surface 122-1, the first and second optical sensors 2
By making the distance between the optical axes 1 and 22 wider than in the above example,
It is also possible to widen the range for detecting that the opening / closing valve 120 is in the normal direction. Also in this example,
Turning unit (rotation drive mechanism) d by the timer
It is also possible to detect the rotation amount of the cover body 20 with respect to the gas container 100 and set the time for delaying the drive stop of the gas container 100 appropriately according to the detected value.

As described above, the connection and disconnection of the gas filling nozzle 1 to and from the filling port 122 are performed by swinging the filling machine c, and the cover body 20 and the filling machine c (gas filling c) are attached to the gas container 100 held by the centering means a. Although the gas filling apparatus of the type in which the nozzle 1) is rotated integrally has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gas filling nozzle 1 is moved toward and away from the filling port 122 by moving the filling machine c in the horizontal direction. It is needless to say that a gas filling apparatus of a type in which the gas container 100 is rotated on the filling station B 'with respect to the fixed cover body 20 and the filling machine c (gas filling nozzle 1) can be used. Absent.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first and second valves are disposed in parallel so as to project on both sides of the on-off valve and detect that the on-off valve is positioned substantially parallel to the gas filling nozzle. A second optical sensor, and a third optical sensor that projects in a direction crossing the opening / closing valve and detects that the filling port is on the gas filling nozzle side, and includes one of the first and second optical sensors and a third optical sensor. Since the gas filling device is equipped with a valve direction detecting means of a new configuration that makes the normal direction when the optical sensor is in the detection state, even if a slight error occurs in the centering of the gas container installed in the filling station The gas filling nozzle is automatically connected to the filling port to detect LP gas, etc., without the need to manually detect the position of the filling port and manually correct the position of the gas container. Fill quickly Door can be. Therefore, L
It is very useful in automating the work of filling with P gas or the like, and is also useful in promoting the reduction of the number of persons and the unmanned operation in the filling work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a valve direction detecting means.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve direction detecting means, showing a state in which the axis of the gas container is shifted from the reference axis.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve direction detecting means, showing a state where the axis of the gas container coincides with the reference axis.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram in the case where a timer is activated when a normal direction is detected and the rotation drive mechanism is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: Gas filling device a: Centering means b: Valve direction detecting means c: Filling machine d: Swiveling unit (rotation drive mechanism) e: Valve opening / closing head f: Elevating unit g: Elevating drive unit h: Swing drive unit i: Head drive unit 1: Gas filling nozzle 20: Cover body 21: First light sensor 22: Second light sensor 23: Third light sensor 100: Gas container 120: Open / close valve 122: Filling port 100a: Gas container axis Core L: Reference core B ': Filling station

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A centering means for matching the axis of a gas container installed in a filling station with a reference center, and a valve direction detecting means for surrounding the opening / closing valve of the gas container with a cover body and detecting the position of a filling port. A gas filling nozzle that is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward so as to approach and separate from the filling port,
A rotation drive mechanism for driving the cover body and the gas filling nozzle relative to the opening / closing valve to drive the cover body and the gas filling nozzle relative to the opening / closing valve to align the gas filling nozzle with the filling port, The detecting means includes first and second optical sensors arranged in parallel so as to project both sides of the opening / closing valve and respectively detecting that the opening / closing valve is positioned substantially parallel to the gas filling nozzle, and a direction traversing the opening / closing valve. And a third optical sensor for detecting that the filling port is on the gas filling nozzle side by projecting the light into the gas filling nozzle is disposed in the cover body, and one of the first and second optical sensors and the third optical sensor are connected to each other. The normal direction is defined as being in the detection state, and the rotary drive mechanism is configured to drive when the normal direction is not detected and to stop driving when the normal direction is detected. Gas filling equipment. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the drive of the rotary drive mechanism is stopped after a predetermined time elapses after a timer is operated when a normal direction is detected by the valve direction detection means. Gas filling equipment.