JPH0650159B2 - Auto connector for liquefied gas automatic filling 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,
L. N. The present invention relates to an automatic connector for a liquefied gas automatic filling device, which is suitable for filling G etc. (hereinafter referred to as liquefied gas) into a cylinder by an automatic filling device, and particularly protects a valve on the upper end side of the cylinder such as a siphon pipe. The present invention relates to an automatic connector for a liquefied gas automatic filling device, which is capable of automatically filling a liquefied gas into a cylinder provided with a protector.

[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. An automatic liquefied gas filling device used to fill a liquefied gas in a storage tank into a cylinder of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-19.
It is known from Japanese Patent No. 6497.

That is, an automatic liquefied gas filling device according to the prior art of this type is disposed above a liquefied gas filling cylinder so as to be able to move up and down, and a valve opening / closing head for opening and closing the valve of the cylinder and the valve opening / closing. A handle rod as a substantially L-shaped bracket that is provided to project radially outward from the head and has its tip end side extended downward, and is provided to project radially inward from the lower end side of the handle rod and to the tip end side. A connector body as a filling machine to which a filling nozzle is attached, and a left side of the connector body,
A pair of clamps that are rotatably mounted on both right sides and that hold the back side of the filling port of the cylinder at the tip side to operate the pair of clamps for fitting the filling nozzle into the filling port and the respective clamps. Therefore, it is roughly composed of an air cylinder provided on the base end side of the connector body, and a filling means connected to the filling nozzle through a pipe in order to fill a predetermined amount of liquefied gas into the cylinder.

In this type of automatic filling device, when an empty cylinder conveyed by, for example, a chain conveyor reaches a predetermined position, the entire automatic filling device lifted up in the work place is lowered, and the connector main body is lowered. The filling nozzle provided on the front end side of the is opposed to the filling port of the cylinder. next,
In this state, the respective clamps are operated by the air cylinder to embrace the back side of the filling port portion and fit the filling nozzle into the filling port portion. Then, in this state, the valve of the cylinder is opened by the valve opening / closing head, and the filling means is operated to fill the liquefied gas into the cylinder from the filling nozzle through the filling port.

Thus, when a predetermined amount of liquefied gas is filled in the cylinder, the valve of the valve is closed by the valve opening / closing head and the air cylinder is operated in the opposite direction to move each clamp from the back side of the filling port to the left and right directions. By separating them from each other, separating the filling nozzle from the filling port, and then hoisting the entire automatic filling device upward again with a balance weight or the like, the next cylinder waits until it is conveyed to a predetermined position.

On the other hand, there are various types of liquefied gas filling cylinders, and a so-called siphon tube shown in FIG. 14 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 generally configured by a valve body 3 provided at the center of the upper end side of the cylinder body 2. The valve body 3 projects radially and is opened to the outside so as to fill the cylinder body 2 with liquefied gas. Filling port 4,
To open and close the filling port 4 with respect to the inside of the cylinder body 2, a valve body (not shown) as a valve movably arranged in the valve body 3 and to open and close the valve body. A valve cock 6 connected to the valve body via the valve shaft 5 is provided. A recess 7 is formed in the valve body 3 on the back side of the filling port 4, and a clamp or the like is engaged with the recess 7.

Numeral 8 indicates the valve body 3 when the cylinder 1 falls over.
Also, a protector for protecting the valve cock 6 is shown. The protector 8 is formed by bending a metal pipe in a ring shape to form, for example, an annular ring having a diameter of about 25 to 30 cm. 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 valve body 3 together with the support plate 9 at a position higher than the valve cock 6 by a predetermined dimension. There is. 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.

[0009]

By the way, in the automatic liquefied gas filling device according to the above-mentioned prior art, a substantially L-shaped handle rod is provided so as to project radially outward from the valve opening / closing head, and the lower end side of the handle rod is provided. Since the connector main body as a filling machine is projected inward in the radial direction from this, and the filling nozzle attached to the tip side (projecting end side) of the connector main body is arranged below the valve opening / closing head, for example, as shown in FIG. There is a problem that the automatic filling work becomes very difficult when the cylinder 1 shown in (1) is filled with liquefied gas.

That is, the connector main body as a filling machine extends relatively long in the horizontal direction at the lower end side of the handle rod, the filling nozzle is provided at the tip end side, and the air cylinder or the like is provided at the base end side. Therefore, it is longer than the separation dimension L between the filling port 4 and the protector 8 shown in FIG. 14, and in order to fit the filling nozzle into the filling port 4, the connector main body is attached from the lower side of the protector 8 to the support plate 9. Must be inserted horizontally through the opening 9A. On the other hand, the valve opening / closing head is designed to rotate the valve cock 6 in order to rotate it.
Since it is necessary to dispose the handle body in a substantially L-shape protruding radially outward from the valve opening / closing head on the outside of the protector 8, the connector main body is placed below the protector 8. Need to be placed.

Therefore, according to the prior art, when the cylinder 1 shown in FIG. 14 is filled with liquefied gas, the connector body collides with the protector 8 by merely lowering the automatic filling device that is lifted up in the work place. In order to prevent this, after lowering the automatic filling device to a predetermined height position, the operator must hold the handle rod or the like to guide the connector main body to the lower side of the protector 8, There is a problem that it is a major obstacle to automating the liquefied gas filling operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the present invention is capable of automating the liquefied gas filling operation and improving the workability. Is intended to provide.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the structure adopted by the present invention is arranged so that it can be moved up and down above a liquefied gas filling cylinder, and a valve of the cylinder is opened,
A valve opening / closing head to be closed, a connector main body that is located radially outside the valve opening / closing head, extends vertically, and is movably provided in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head; and a tip side of the connector main body. A filling nozzle that is provided below the valve opening / closing head and is fitted into the filling opening of the cylinder, and a back side of the filling opening so that the filling nozzle fits into the filling opening of the cylinder. A clamp member disposed so as to be engageable with, an air cylinder that is provided in the connector main body and is located above the filling nozzle by a predetermined dimension, and that operates a rod by supplying air from the outside, The connector body is provided in the connector body to operatively connect the rod of the air cylinder and the clamp member, and the rod of the air cylinder is actuated to move the clamp member to the back of the filling port. It is engaged with a side consisting of a clamp mechanism for fitting to the filling opening of the filling nozzle.

[0014]

With the above structure, the connector body extending vertically in the radial outside of the valve opening / closing head can be accommodated within the range of the separation dimension L illustrated in FIG. The filling nozzle can be fitted into the filling opening of the cylinder simply by lowering the entire filling device.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 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. 14 described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a valve opening / closing head which is arranged above the cylinder 1 so as to be able to move up and down. The valve opening / closing head 11 has a large-diameter head portion 11A and a small-diameter sliding portion 11B.
And a cup-shaped opening / closing finger 12 that engages with the valve cock 6 is rotatably provided on the inner circumference of the lower end side of the head portion 11A. 13 is a valve opening / closing head 11
Is a speed reducer provided on the upper end side of the sliding portion 11B, 14 is an air motor provided so as to project upward from the speed reducer 13, and the air motor 14 is rotatably disposed in the valve opening / closing head 11. A shaft (not shown) is rotationally driven via a speed reducer 13, and an opening / closing finger 12 connected to the lower end side of the rotary shaft is rotated.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a support bracket which supports the valve opening / closing head 11 so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction. The support bracket 15 is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the sliding cylinder 17 together with a mounting ring 16 via a nut 18 to open / close the valve. The sliding portion 11B of the head 11 is slidably supported via a sliding cylinder 17. The support bracket 15 is suspended from above the work station so that the support bracket 15 can be lifted and lowered.
3 and the air motor 14 and the like are supported together with a connector body 21 and the like which will be described later. Reference numeral 19 denotes an elevating cylinder fixedly provided to the support bracket 15. The elevating cylinder 19 is composed of an air cylinder or the like, and the protruding end side of the rod 19A is fixed to the upper end side of the sliding portion 11B via the bracket 20. ing. The elevating cylinder 19 elevates and lowers the valve opening / closing head 11 by expanding and contracting the rod 19A.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a connector main body which is arranged radially outside of the valve opening / closing head 11 and extends vertically substantially parallel to the valve opening / closing head 11. The connector main body 21 has an upper end side (base end side). As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of mounting portions 21
A and 21A are provided, and each mounting portion 21A is slidably supported by the mounting ring 16 on the valve opening / closing head 11 side through a pair of support pins 22 and 22. The lower end side (tip end side) of the connector body 21 is the connector head 21B.
Thus, the connector head 21B has a pair of pinions 23, 23 spaced apart in the left-right direction in FIG.
Is rotatably attached by. Further, the connector head 21B slidably supports racks 30 and 33, which will be described later, that mesh with the pinion 23, and these racks 3 and 3 are slidably supported.
A filling valve 25 for filling the liquefied gas is built in between 0 and 33.

On the other hand, a pedestal portion 21C to which an operation valve 34, which will be described later, is fixed, is provided at an intermediate portion of the connector body 21 in the longitudinal direction.
A pair of support arms 21 projecting bifurcated from the pedestal portion 21C
D and 21D are provided, and each rack 33 is supported on each support arm 21D so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. Also,
The connector body 21 has a pipe 2 for filling the liquefied gas, which extends vertically between the mounting portions 21A and between the support arms 21D.
6 is attached, one end side of the pipe 26 is connected to a liquefied gas storage tank (not shown) via a joint 27 on the outer peripheral side of an air cylinder 31 described later, and the other end side is connected via a connector head 21B. It is connected to the filling valve 25.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a filling nozzle located at the lower end side of the connector body 21 and projecting from the connector head 21B toward the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1. The filling nozzle 28 has a filling valve 25 in the connector head 21B. A liquefied gas is filled into the cylinder main body 2 through the filling port 4 when the filling valve 25 is opened. Here, the filling nozzle 28 is the filling port 4
In order to fit inside, it is located below the valve opening / closing head 11 and extends parallel to the support pins 22.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a clamp member movably attached to the connector head 21B of the connector body 21 via a pair of racks 30, 30. The clamp member 29 is a valve body of the cylinder 1 as shown in FIGS. It is formed by bending a metal rod or the like into a substantially U shape with a diameter larger than that of the valve cock 6 so as to surround the periphery together with the filling nozzle 28, and both ends thereof are fixed to the tips of the racks 30. Then, each rack 30 meshes with each pinion 23 in the connector head 21B, and the air cylinder 3
By driving from the standby position shown in FIG. 5 to the clamp position shown in FIG. 6 during the operation of 1, the clamp member 29 is engaged with the recessed portion 7 of the valve body 3 as shown in FIG.

The clamp member 29 has a D-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 4, which engages with the recess 7 so that the clamp member 29 engages with the recess 7 in a retaining state. There is. Then, the clamp member 29 is moved to the valve opening / closing head 11 side through the racks 30 and the support pins 22 while the clamp member 29 is engaged with the recess 7 of the valve body 3, and the filling nozzle 28 is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 1 is firmly fitted into the filling port portion 4.

Reference numeral 31 denotes an air cylinder provided on the upper end side of the connector main body 21. The air cylinder 31 has a tube 31A, and the upper end side has a piston 3 inside the tube 31A.
The rod 31C is fixed to 1B and has a lower end side protruding from the tube 31A, and air supply / discharge ports 31D and 31E are provided on both upper and lower ends of the tube 31A. The air cylinder 31 has an air supply / discharge port 31.
Air is supplied and discharged through D and 31E, and the piston 31B is slidably displaced in the tube 31A, whereby the rod 31C is expanded and contracted from the tube 31A. Further, a bifurcated connecting member 32 is provided on the protruding end (lower end) side of the rod 31C.
Is fixed to the connecting member 32, and a pair of connecting portions 32A, 32A connected to the racks 33 are provided on both sides of the pipe 26.

Reference numerals 33 and 33 denote other pinions 23 provided in the connector head 21B of the connector main body 21 and other racks constituting a clamp mechanism together with each rack 30, and each rack 33 is the connector head 21B of the connector main body 21. Is slidably supported by the respective support arms 21D, and the upper end side thereof is fixed to the respective connecting portions 32A of the connecting member 32. Further, the lower end side of each rack 33 meshes with each pinion 23 in the connector head 21B to rotate each pinion 23. And each rack 3
3 is vertically driven integrally with the rod 31C when the air cylinder 31 is operated, and at this time, each rack 30 is driven through each pinion 23, so that the clamp member 29 is moved as shown in FIGS. Activate.

Reference numeral 34 denotes an operation valve provided on the pedestal portion 21C of the connector main body 21, and the operation valve 34 has a cylindrical valve casing 35 fixedly provided on the pedestal portion 21C, as shown in FIG. The spool 36 is slidably fitted in the valve casing 35, and both ends in the axial direction are spools 36 protruding outward from the valve casing 35, and knobs 37 and 38 are provided on both ends of the spool 36. Further, the valve casing 35 is formed with an air supply port 35A connected to a pressure air source such as an air pump via an air conduit (not shown), and air exhaust ports 35B, 35C. And the air exhaust ports 35B and 35C are the spool 3
6 central land 36A and side lands 36B, 36
It is opened and closed by C. Further, a return air supply port 35D is formed on the valve casing 35 on the left side of the side land 36C of the spool 36 in FIG. 7, and the return air supply port 35D is formed on the side land 36C of the spool 36.
By applying pilot air pressure from the outside,
The spool 36 is slidably displaced in the direction of arrow B.

Reference numerals 39 and 40 denote valve casings 3 of the operating valve 34.
5 shows an air passage formed in a substantially L shape from 5 to the pedestal portion 21C, one end side of the air passages 39 and 40 is opened in the valve casing 35, and the other end side is air supply / discharge of the air cylinder 31. Connection ports 39A and 40A are respectively connected to the ports 31D and 31E via air conduits (not shown). The air passages 39 and 40 are selectively connected to the air supply port 35A of the valve casing 35 when the spool 36 of the operation valve 34 is slidably displaced in the directions of arrows A and B via the knobs 37 and 38. Air from the pressure source is communicated with the air supply / discharge port 31 into the tube 31A of the air cylinder 31.
Supply via D, 31E. Reference numeral 41 denotes a substantially L-shaped handle provided integrally with the valve casing 35 of the operation valve 34.

Reference numeral 42 denotes a rotation sensor provided on the upper surface side of the speed reducer 13. The rotation sensor 42 is arranged so as to face a valve rotation confirmation cam 43 which is provided so as to project upward from the speed reducer 13. ing. Further, the cam 43 is connected to the finger 12 via the rotary shaft extending in the valve opening / closing head 11 in the axial direction, and rotates integrally with the finger 12. Then, the rotation sensor 42
As shown in FIG. 2, when the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1 is opened and closed by the valve opening / closing head 11, the rotation of the finger 12 is detected via the cam 43. Check if it has been closed. Further, 44 denotes a spring arranged between the mounting ring 16 and the connector main body 21, and the spring 44 constantly urges the connector main body 21 in a direction away from the valve opening / closing head 11 as shown in FIG. There is.

The automatic connector for the automatic liquefied gas filling device according to the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure, and its operation will be described below.

First, an empty cylinder 1 to be filled with liquefied gas
1 is conveyed to a predetermined position by a conveying means such as a chain conveyor, the valve opening / closing head 11 and the connector main body 21 and the like, which are lifted above the work place via the support brackets 15 and the like, are moved to the positions shown in FIG. Let it descend. At this time, the operator grips the handle 41 and holds the connector head 2
1B and the filling nozzle 28 and the like are guided so as to pass through the inside of the protector 8, and the filling nozzle 28 and the clamp member 2
The valve cock 6 is inserted between the valve cock 9 and the valve cock 6, and they are guided to the standby position shown in FIG.

Next, in order to insert the filling nozzle 28 into the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1, the operator pushes the connector main body 21 toward the valve opening / closing head 11 side against the spring 44 via the handle 41. By pushing the spool 36 of the operation valve 34 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7, the air from the compressed air source is supplied to the tube 31A of the air cylinder 31 through the air supply port 35A, the air passage 39 and the like. The rod 31C of the air cylinder 31 is supplied from the outlet 31D and the tube 31A
It extends so that it may project downward from.

As a result, each rack 33 movably provided on the connector body 21 is driven downward together with the rod 31C, and each pinion 2 provided inside the connector head 21B.
3 is rotated by each rack 33. Then, the rotation of the pinion 23 is transmitted to each rack 30 integrated with the clamp member 29, and each rack 30 is driven from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. Engages with the recessed portion 7 of the valve body 3 to firmly fit the filling nozzle 28 into the filling opening portion 4, and
The filling valve 25 in the connector head 21B is opened by the fitting force at this time to set the state in which the liquefied gas can be filled.

Next, in this state, the rod opening / closing head 11 is lowered together with the speed reducer 13 and the air motor 14 by reducing the rod 19A of the elevating cylinder 19 as shown in FIG. 2, and the finger 12 is attached to the valve cock 6 of the cylinder 1. Engage. Then, in this state, the air motor 14
This rotation is transmitted to the fingers 12 via the speed reducer 13, and the valve cock 6 is rotated to open the valve body in the valve body 3 and to connect the pipe 26 from the external storage tank to the pipe 26. Liquefied gas can be filled into the cylinder 1 via the filling nozzle 28 or the like.

Next, when the filling of the liquefied gas is completed, the air motor 14 rotates in the opposite direction, the valve cock 6 is rotated in the valve closing direction via the fingers 12, and the rotation angle (rotation speed) at this time is rotated. By detecting with the sensor 42 via the cam 43, it can be confirmed whether or not the valve body in the valve body 3 is completely closed. Then, after that, the rod 19A of the lifting cylinder 19 is extended to extend the valve opening / closing head 1.
By raising 1, the engagement between the finger 12 and the valve cock 6 is released.

When the rod 19A of the elevating cylinder 19 extends to the maximum extension position, the elevating cylinder 19
A detection signal is output from a head lift detector (not shown) attached to the control valve 34, and pilot air pressure is automatically supplied from the outside to the operation valve 34 through the return air supply port 35D for a predetermined time. The side land 36C of the spool 36 acts in the direction of arrow B in FIG. As a result, the spool 36 of the operation valve 34 is pushed in the direction of the arrow B by this air pressure, so that the air supply port 35A of the operation valve 34 opens between the lands 36A and 36C of the spool 36, and the air from the pressure source is removed. Air is supplied from the air supply / discharge port 31E into the tube 31A of the air cylinder 31 via the air supply port 35A, the air passage 40, and the like.

As a result, the rod 3 of the air cylinder 31
Since 1C is reduced and each rack 33 is driven upward, each pinion 23 in the connector head 21B is rotated in the opposite direction to that at the time of clamping described above, and each rack 30 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
By driving from the clamp position shown in to the standby position shown in FIG. 5, the clamp of the clamp member 29 is released,
The filling nozzle 28 is detached from the filling port 4. As a result, the connector body 21 is automatically pushed by the spring 44 provided between the connector body 21 and the mounting ring 16, and the entire connector body 21 is radially separated from the valve opening / closing head 11 as shown in FIG. Then, in this state, the connector body 21 together with the valve opening / closing head 11 and the like has a balance weight (not shown).
As a result, the cylinder 1 is automatically lifted and waits for the next cylinder 1 to be conveyed.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the filling nozzle 28 is provided on the lower end side of the connector main body 21, and the clamp member 29 is provided on the upper end side of the connector main body 21 via each rack 33, each pinion 23 and each rack 30. 14 is provided with an air cylinder 31 for driving the connector main body 21 extending vertically in the radial outside of the valve opening / closing head 11 and movable in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head 11. Distance dimension L illustrated in
Therefore, the filling nozzle 28 can be smoothly fitted into the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1 only by lowering the entire automatic filling device that is hung above the work place. 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.

Therefore, in this embodiment, 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.
Further, the operator only has to grip the handle 41 to guide the connector body 21 and the like to the inside of the protector 8 at the time of filling work, and appropriately operate the spool 36 of the operation valve 34, which significantly reduces the burden on the operator. Therefore, various effects such as shortening the time required for the filling work can be achieved.

Next, FIGS. 8 to 13 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of this embodiment is that an air cylinder is provided so as to project radially from an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the connector body. The configuration is such that the connector body and the clamp member are moved toward each other when the air cylinder is operated. In this embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 51 denotes a mounting ring located below the support bracket 15 and fixed to the outer peripheral side of the sliding cylinder 17 together with the support bracket 15 by a nut 18. The mounting ring 51 is the first ring. In the same manner as the mounting ring 16 described in the above embodiment, a connector body 54 described later is supported movably in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head 11 via a pair of support pins 52, 52 (see FIG. 12). A pair of arms 53 having a substantially L shape are integrally formed on the mounting ring 51 at positions facing each other in the radial direction. And the arm 5
Projecting portions 53A, 53A projecting toward the connector main body 54 side are provided on the lower end side of 3, and each of the projecting portions 53A slidably supports each rack 63 described later as shown in FIGS. The sliding hole 53B is formed.

Reference numeral 54 designates a connector body which is disposed radially outside the valve opening / closing head 11 and extends vertically.
The connector body 54 has a pair of mounting portions 54A, 54A, a connector head 54B and a pedestal portion 54C, which is similar to the connector body 21 described in the first embodiment.
The pedestal portion 54C of the connector main body 54 is the arm 53
Is disposed so as to face the protruding portion 53A. The connector body 54 has a pair of bearing portions 5 extending vertically from the position of the pedestal portion 54C toward the connector head 54B.
As shown in FIG. 9, 4D and 54D are provided on the left and right sides with the pipe 26 interposed therebetween, and a pair of shafts 55 and 55 are rotatably fitted in the respective bearing portions 54D.

Reference numerals 56 and 56 designate a pair of pinions fixed to the upper ends of the respective shafts 55 projecting from the respective bearing portions 54D of the connector main body 54, and 57 and 57 designate a connector head 54B.
Another pair of pinions that are rotatably disposed inside and fixed to the lower end side of each shaft 55 is shown.
6 and 57 are integrally rotated via each shaft 55 when the air cylinder 61, which will be described later, operates. Reference numerals 58 and 58 denote a pair of racks that are movably provided in the connector head 54B so as to mesh with the pinions 57. The racks 58 are substantially the same as the racks 30 described in the first embodiment. The clamp member 29 is fixed to both end sides of the clamp member 29 and is driven from the standby position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 13 to the clamp position shown by the solid line.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a filling nozzle provided in the connector head 54B. The filling nozzle 59 is constructed in substantially the same manner as the filling nozzle 28 described in the first embodiment.
Of the connector head 5 when fitted into the filling port 4 of the
The filling valve 60 in 4B is opened, and the liquefied gas from the pipe 26 is filled in the cylinder 1.

Reference numeral 61 denotes an air cylinder provided on the pedestal portion 54C of the connector body 54. The air cylinder 61 is substantially the same as the air cylinder 31 described in the first embodiment.
Although formed of a tube 61A, a piston 61B and a rod 61C, the air cylinder 61 is provided above the protector 8 so as to project from the pedestal portion 54C in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head 11. Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a substantially U-shaped double-sided rack 62 is fixed to the protruding end of the rod 61C of the air cylinder 61.
On both sides of 2, tooth portions 62A, 6 meshing with each pinion 56 are provided.
2A is formed.

Reference numerals 63 and 63 denote a pedestal portion 5 between the tube 61A of the air cylinder 61 and the protruding portion 53A of each arm 53.
4C shows a pair of racks arranged so as to penetrate therethrough. The lower ends of the racks 63 are fitted into the sliding holes 53B of the arms 53 on the left and right sides of the pinions 56 as shown in FIG.
It meshes with each pinion 56 at a position facing each tooth portion 62A of the double-sided rack 62. Further, a guide groove 63A extending in the axial direction is formed on the lower end side of each rack 63, and a tip portion 64A of each bolt 64 screwed to the protruding portion 53A of each arm 53 is formed in each guide groove 63A. It is slidably engaged. Then, each rack 63 has an air cylinder 61.
Is driven in the opposite direction to the double-sided rack 62 via each pinion 56, the double-sided rack 62 causes the pinion 56 to rotate stably, and the entire connector body 54 is supported via each support pin 52. Valve opening / closing head 1
It is designed to smoothly approach and separate from the first side.

Reference numeral 64 denotes an operation valve integrally provided on the tip side of the air cylinder 61. The operation valve 64 is similar to the operation valve 34 described in the first embodiment, and has a valve casing 65,
Although it comprises a spool 66 and knobs 67 and 68 provided at both ends of the spool 66, the valve casing 65 of the operation valve 64 also serves as the bottom cover of the air cylinder 61. The valve casing 65 has a spool 66.
Central land 66A and side lands 66B, 66C
The air supply port 65A and the air exhaust ports 65B and 65C which are opened and closed by the above are formed, and the return air supply port 65D is formed. The air supply port 65A serves as a compressed air source such as an air pump (both not shown). No.) and the like.

On the other hand, the valve casing 65 has a tube 61 defined by a piston 61B of an air cylinder 61.
Air supply / discharge passages 69, 70 communicating with each chamber in A are formed, and the air supply / discharge passage 70 is provided with a tube 61A as shown in FIG.
It extends in the axial direction and communicates with the rod-side chamber of the chambers. When the spool 66 is pushed in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
The air from the pressure source is supplied to the air supply port 66A and the air supply / discharge passage 6
It is supplied into the tube 61A of the air cylinder 61 via 9 or the like, and the rod 61C is extended from the position of FIG. 11 as shown in FIG. When the spool 66 is pushed in the arrow B direction via the knob 68, air from the compressed air source is supplied into the tube 61A through the air supply port 66A, the air supply / discharge passage 70, etc. 61C rod
Is reduced from the position of FIG. 10 as shown in FIG.

As a result, when the rod 61C is extended, each pinion 56 is rotationally driven between the double-sided rack 62 and each rack 63, and the connector body 54 and the air cylinder 6 are driven.
1 is driven to approach the valve opening / closing head 11 side via each rack 63, and the rotation of each pinion 56 is transmitted to each pinion 57 (see FIG. 13) in the connector head 54B via each shaft 55. Then, each pinion 57 drives each rack 58, whereby the clamp member 29 is moved from the standby position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 13 to the clamp position shown by the solid line. Then, at this time, the filling nozzle 59 is also moved together with the connector body 54 from the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line to the position indicated by the solid line. Therefore, when the filling nozzle 59 is fitted into the filling port portion 4 of the cylinder 1, the clamp member 29 can be engaged with the recess 7 and an effective clamping operation can be performed.

Further, when the rod 61C is contracted, the pinion 56 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction between the double-sided rack 62 and the rack 63, so that the connector body 54 is attached to the mounting ring 51.
A spring (not shown) arranged between the clamp opening 29 and the valve opening / closing head 11 moves the valve opening / closing head 11 in a direction away from the valve opening / closing head 11 (see FIG. 11), and the clamp member 29 and the filling nozzle 59 are shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. After moving to the position, the valve cock 6 can be set to be insertable between the clamp member 29 and the filling nozzle 59. In this state, the operator simply holds the handle 71 and lowers the connector main body 54, the valve opening / closing head 11 and the like downwards to remove the valve opening / closing head 11 and the connector head 54B and the protector 8 from each other.
It can be smoothly guided inside and can be automatically raised by a balance weight when climbing.

Thus, in this embodiment having the above-described structure, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment. However, particularly in this embodiment, the clamp member 29 is designed by the air cylinder 61. When moving from the standby position to the clamp position as shown in 13, the filling nozzle 59 can be automatically driven toward the inside of the filling port 4 of the cylinder 1 together with the connector body 54. It is possible to more effectively perform the clamp operation of tightly fitting and further reduce the burden on the operator.

In each of the above embodiments, the clamp member 2
9 between the air cylinder 31 (61) and each rack 30,
33 (58, 63) and each pinion 23 (56, 5)
Although it has been described that the clamp mechanism including 7) and the like operatively connects, the present invention is not limited to this, and the clamp member 29 is driven from the standby position to the clamp position by using a clamp mechanism including, for example, a cam or a link. You may do it.

In each of the above embodiments, the cylinder 1 called a siphon tube is used as an example of the liquefied gas filling cylinder, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, 20 k.
Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to the case where a liquefied gas is automatically filled in a cylinder having various shapes such as a g cylinder.

[0053]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the connector main body provided movably in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head is extended vertically along the valve opening / closing head, and at the tip side of the connector main body. Since the filling nozzle is provided and the air cylinder for activating the clamp member is provided on the connector main body and is located above the filling nozzle by a predetermined dimension, the protector does not interfere with the liquefied gas filling cylinder such as a siphon tube. The liquefied gas filling operation can be automated and smoothly performed, the burden on the operator can be reduced, and the workability can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an auto connector for an automatic liquefied gas filling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1, showing a liquefied gas filling state.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the arrow V-V in FIG. 1 showing a connector head, a clamp member and the like.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connector head, a clamp member and the like in the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the arrow VII-VII in FIG. 1 showing the operation valve.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an auto connector for a liquefied gas automatic filling device according to a second embodiment.

9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the arrow IX-IX in FIG. 8 showing the connector body and the like.

10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in FIG.

11 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 10, showing a state where the rod of the air cylinder is contracted.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along arrow XII-XII in FIG. 8 showing a mounting ring, a connector body, and the like.

13 is an enlarged bottom view of the connector head, the clamp member and the like shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a conventional liquefied gas filling cylinder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cylinder 2 Cylinder Body 3 Valve Body 6 Valve Cock 4 Filling Port 7 Cavity (Rear Side) 8 Protector 11 Valve Opening / Closing Head 12 Opening / Closing Finger 14 Air Motor 15 Support Bracket 16,51 Mounting Ring 19 Lifting Cylinder 21, 54 Connector Body 21B, 54B Connector head 21C, 54C Pedestal part 22, 52 Support pin 23, 56, 57 Pinion 25, 60 Filling valve 26 Piping 28, 59 Filling valve 29 Clamping member 30, 33, 58, 63 Rack 31, 61 Air cylinder 31C , 61C Rod 34, 64 Control valve 41, 71 Handle

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A valve opening / closing head which is arranged above a liquefied gas filling cylinder so as to be able to move up and down, and opens and closes a valve of the cylinder, and which is located radially outside the valve opening / closing head and extends vertically. Then, a connector main body provided so as to be movable in the radial direction of the valve opening / closing head, and provided on the tip side of the connector main body, and fitted into the filling port of the cylinder below the valve opening / closing head. A filling nozzle, and a clamp member disposed so as to be engageable with the back side of the filling port so as to fit the filling nozzle into the filling port of the cylinder,
An air cylinder that is provided in the connector main body and is located above the filling nozzle by a predetermined dimension and operates a rod by supplying air from the outside, and the rod of the air cylinder and a clamp member are operatively connected. In order to do so, a clamp mechanism is provided on the connector main body, and by operating a rod of the air cylinder, the clamp member is engaged with the back side of the filling port to fit the filling nozzle into the filling port. Auto connector for liquefied gas automatic filling device composed.