JP4274612B2 - High pressure liquefied gas container valve - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention can be applied to a high-pressure liquefied gas container that stores liquefied gas such as liquefied petroleum gas. More specifically, the present invention relates to a valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container that is attached to the mouth of such a high-pressure liquefied gas container and opens and closes a gas flow path.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a high-pressure liquefied gas container such as a propane gas cylinder has not been provided with a liquid level gauge. For this reason, the remaining amount of gas in the container is estimated from the weight of the gas container, the amount of gas used, the period of use, and the like, and when the gas runs out or becomes low, it is replaced with a new container that contains the gas.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, under recent deregulation, so-called bulk delivery, in which gas is transported by a tank truck or the like and filled in a container on the spot, is being accepted.
[0004]
Then, since the high-pressure liquefied gas container is not equipped with a liquid level gauge, the remaining amount of gas in the container cannot be accurately grasped, and it is not known how much gas can be filled in the container. There was a problem that overfilling was dangerous and underfilling was inefficient.
[0005]
Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a liquid level gauge in the high-pressure liquefied gas container. However, in order to attach the liquid level gauge, there is a problem that additional processing must be performed on the part of the container including the existing container where the liquid level gauge is attached.
[0006]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to accurately measure the liquid level in a container corresponding to bulk delivery without the need for additional processing of the high-pressure liquefied gas container.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, the invention described in claim 1 is a valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container that is attached to a mouth portion of a high-pressure liquefied gas container and opens and closes a gas flow path.
A sensor storage space is formed in the valve body,
In the sensor storage space, an inlet opening toward the inside of the high-pressure liquefied gas container is provided with a pressure receiving plate via an elastic member that keeps airtight, preventing gas leakage,
Supported on the sensor housing space in the pressure receiving plate without interfering with the ultrasonic vibrations, the ultrasonic sensor for detecting the liquid level of the liquefied gas contained in a high pressure liquefied gas in the container without contact, by integrally provided in the valve body It is characterized by.
[0008]
In the first aspect of the present invention, the sensor provided integrally with the valve body detects the liquid level of the liquefied gas in the gas container through the mouth of the high pressure liquefied gas container.
[0009]
Invention according to claim 2, in the high pressure liquefied gas container valve according to the claim 1, at least, calculating the liquid level of the liquefied gas from the output value of the ultrasonic sensor to output the measurement signal to the ultrasonic sensor The measuring / calculating unit for performing the measurement and the display unit for displaying the calculation result are also provided integrally with the valve body.
[0010]
In the second aspect of the invention, the liquid level of the liquefied gas stored in the gas container is detected by the sensor in response to the measurement signal from the measurement / calculation unit, and the measurement / calculation unit calculates the liquid level from the output value. The position is calculated, and the calculation result is displayed on the display unit.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container according to the second aspect, the measurement / calculation unit and the display unit are attached to a common member and integrated.
[0012]
In the third aspect of the invention, the measurement / calculation unit and the display unit are integrally handled and attached to the valve body.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a valve according to the present invention attached to a high-pressure liquefied gas container. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a high-pressure liquefied gas container, and 20 denotes a valve according to the present invention.
[0018]
The high-pressure liquefied gas container 10 accommodates therein a liquefied gas 12 such as liquefied petroleum gas liquefied by applying high pressure, and has a mouth portion 13 schematically shown in the drawing at the center of the top. A valve 20 is attached to the mouth portion 13.
[0019]
The valve 20 is provided with a handle 22 at the upper part of the valve body 21 in the figure, a gas inlet / outlet part 23 on the right side in the figure, a safety valve 24 on the left side in the figure, and an electrical unit 25 to be described in detail on the front side in the figure.
[0020]
FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the valve 20 in the direction of the arrow along the line AA in FIG. The valve main body 21 is made, for example, by casting, as shown in FIG. Then, a first step portion a and a second step portion b facing upward are provided in the middle, a through hole 27 penetrating in the vertical direction is opened, and a diameter expansion mounting hole 27a at the uppermost step having a threaded portion on the inner periphery. The middle stage valve housing hole 27b and the lowermost small diameter gas passage 27c are formed.
[0021]
A valve seat c is provided on the second step portion b, and an inlet / outlet port 28 leading to the gas inlet / outlet portion 23 of FIG.
[0022]
Then, the attachment ring 30 is screwed into the attachment hole 27a from above. A valve shaft 31 is screwed into the center of the mounting ring 30. A slide member 32 is fitted and connected to the lower end of the valve shaft 31. The slide member 32 is hermetically housed in the valve housing hole 27b via an O-ring 33 provided on the outer periphery, and holds a valve body 34 made of an elastic body facing the valve seat c on the lower surface.
[0023]
On the other hand, on the upper end of the valve shaft 31, the handle 22 shown in FIG.
[0024]
The valve main body 21 is also opened downward and forms a sensor storage space 37 parallel to the gas flow path 27c. A communication hole 38 is provided from the top inner wall of the sensor storage space 37 to the outside.
[0025]
In the sensor storage space 37, an ultrasonic sensor 41 that is supported by the pressure receiving plate 40 and detects the liquid level 12a of the liquefied gas 12 stored in the high-pressure liquefied gas container 10 in a non-contact manner is stored. 21 is integrally provided. The pressure receiving plate 40 is press-fitted into an inlet of the sensor storage space 37 via an elastic member 42 made of natural rubber or resin rubber, for example, and an ultrasonic sensor 41 is inserted via the elastic member 42. The sensor housing space 37 is elastically supported.
[0026]
The ultrasonic sensor 41 draws the lead wire 43 to the outside through the communication hole 38 and outputs a measurement signal to the ultrasonic sensor 41 or calculates the liquid level of the liquefied gas from the output value of the ultrasonic sensor 41. Connect to the calculation unit 44. The measurement / calculation unit 44 is mounted in the case 45. In the case 45, together with the measurement / calculation unit 44, a display unit 46 for displaying the calculation result and a communication unit 47 for communicating with, for example, a centralized monitoring panel are also attached. As a result, they are integrated together to form the above-described electrical unit 25 shown in FIG. The lead wire 48 of the communication unit 47 is pulled out from the hole 45a of the case 45.
[0027]
Then, the case 45 is attached to the valve body 21 with screws or the like. Thereby, the measurement / calculation unit 44, the display unit 46, and the communication unit 47 are integrally provided in the valve body 21 together with the ultrasonic sensor 41.
[0028]
Now, the valve 20 configured as described above is attached to the mouth portion 13 of the high-pressure liquefied gas container 10 as shown in FIG. When not in use, the handle 22 is turned in one direction, the valve shaft 31 is screwed, the slide member 32 is moved downward to press the valve element 34 against the valve seat c, and the gas flow path 27c leading to the inlet / outlet 28 is closed. .
[0029]
On the other hand, in use, the handle 22 is turned in the other direction, the valve shaft 31 is screwed up, the slide member 32 is moved upward to release the pressure of the valve element 34 against the valve seat c, and the entrance / exit as shown in FIG. The gas flow path 27c leading to 28 is opened so that the gas in the gas container 10 can be discharged to the outside through the inlet / outlet 28, and the gas can be filled into the gas container 10 through the inlet / outlet 28.
[0030]
When measuring the liquid level of the liquefied gas 12 accommodated in the high-pressure liquefied gas container 10, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 41 based on a signal from the measurement / calculation unit 44, and the liquid level 12 a of the liquefied gas 12 is measured. From the time of reflection and return, the liquid level 12a is detected through the mouth portion 13 of the high-pressure liquefied gas container 10, the liquid level is calculated by the measurement / calculation unit 44 from the output value, and the calculation result is displayed on the display unit 46. indicate. In addition, the calculation result of the measurement / calculation unit 44 is sent to the centralized monitoring board or the like by the communication unit 47.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the sensor provided integrally with the valve main body detects the liquid level of the liquefied gas in the gas container through the mouth of the high pressure liquefied gas container. For example, it is possible to measure the liquid level accurately only by replacing the valve without the need for additional processing on the existing container, and it is possible to cope with bulk delivery at low cost.
[0033]
In addition, since no additional processing is performed on the high-pressure liquefied gas container, the welded portion is eliminated, the cost is reduced, and the bulk delivery can be performed without fear of impairing the airtightness.
[0034]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since at least the measurement / calculation unit and the display unit are integrally provided in the valve body together with the sensor, in addition to the above-described effects, the whole is downsized and easy to handle. can do.
[0035]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the measurement / calculation unit and the display unit are attached to and integrated with a common member, and they are handled as a whole. Can be easily attached and the reliability can be improved.
[0036]
According to the present invention, the ultrasonic sensor is used as the sensor, and the ultrasonic level transmitted from the sensor is reflected by the liquid level of the liquefied gas and the liquid level is detected downward. In addition, the liquid level can be measured more accurately without contact.
[0037]
According to the present invention, the sensor housing space is formed in the valve body, and the ultrasonic sensor is housed therein and elastically supported through the elastic member. In addition to the above effects, the ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic sensor The liquid level of the liquefied gas accommodated in the gas container can be measured efficiently and accurately without disturbing the above.
[0038]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the pressure receiving plate is provided at the inlet opening in the sensor storage space toward the inside of the high pressure liquefied gas container through the elastic member that maintains airtightness to prevent gas leakage. Since the ultrasonic sensor is supported, it is possible to accurately measure the liquid level without interfering with the ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic sensor with the elastic member. Can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a valve according to the present invention attached to a high-pressure liquefied gas container.
2 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrows along the line AA in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 High pressure liquefied gas container 12 Liquefied gas 13 Gas container opening 20 Valve 21 Valve body 21a Screw part 22 Handle 23 Gas inlet / outlet part 24 Safety valve 25 Electrical unit 27 Through hole 27a Mounting hole 27b Valve storage hole 27c Gas channel 28 Inlet / outlet 30 Mounting ring 31 Valve shaft 32 Slide member 33 O-ring 34 Valve body 35 Mounting screw 37 Sensor storage space 38 Communication hole 40 Pressure receiving plate 41 Ultrasonic sensor 42 Elastic member 43 Lead wire 44 Measurement / calculation unit 45 Case (common member)
46 Display unit 47 Communication unit 48 Lead wire a First step portion b Second step portion c Valve seat

Claims (3)

In the valve for the high pressure liquefied gas container that is attached to the mouth of the high pressure liquefied gas container and opens and closes the gas flow path,
A sensor storage space is formed in the valve body,
In the sensor storage space, an inlet opening toward the inside of the high-pressure liquefied gas container is provided with a pressure receiving plate via an elastic member that keeps hermeticity to prevent gas leakage,
Supported on the sensor housing space in the pressure receiving plate without interfering with the ultrasonic vibrations, the ultrasonic sensor for detecting the liquid level of the liquefied gas without contact to be accommodated in said high pressure liquefied gas vessel, integrally with the valve body A valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container. At least, the a measuring and computing unit or to calculating the liquid level of the liquefied gas from the output value of the ultrasonic sensor to output the measurement signal to the ultrasonic sensor, a display unit for displaying the calculation result, the valve body The valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container according to claim 1, wherein the valve is integrally provided.   The valve for a high-pressure liquefied gas container according to claim 2, wherein the measurement / calculation unit and the display unit are integrally attached to a common member.

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