JPH09152097A - Gas charging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new gas charging device which allows a gas leak inspection after completion of gas charging to be performed automatically and in succession with the gas charging work. SOLUTION: A gas container 100 installed in a charging station B has its switching valve 120 surrounded by a cover 20, and after the position of a charging hole 122 as detected, the cover 20 rises and a charging nozzle 1 advances and connects to the charging hole 122, after which a valve switching means (e) opens the charging hole 122 to perform gas charging using a gas charger (c). After charging with a fixed amount, the valve switching means (e) closes the charging hole 122, the charging nozzle 1 separates from the charging hole 122, the cover 20 falls again to surround the switching valve 120, and then a gas leak inspection is performed using a gas leak detection means (k).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas filling device for automating the work of filling a gas container with LP gas or the like,
More specifically, the present invention relates to improvement of a gas leak inspection means from an on-off valve after gas filling with a filling nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, various proposals have been made to automate the work of filling a gas container with LP gas or the like. For example, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-61560, there are a carry-in port and a carry-out port at fixed positions on the turntable, and a carry-in route and a carry-out route for transporting a gas container are provided in series at each port. A plurality of container mounting parts (filling stations) are arranged at predetermined intervals, and a gas filling machine is mounted for each mounting part, and the gas container is transported by the carry-in path and placed on the container mounting part through the carry-in port. A rotary gas filling device is disclosed in which a filling nozzle of a gas filling machine is connected to a filling port and a predetermined amount of LP gas or the like is filled while the gas container is transferred to a carry-out port. Further, the applicant of the present application, as a gas filling machine useful for mounting on each container mounting portion of this type of rotary gas filling device, covers an opening / closing valve of a gas container installed at a filling station with a cylindrical cover body, The position of the filling port is detected by the optical sensor provided inside the body, the filling nozzle and the filling port are aligned, then the cover body is raised and the filling nozzle is connected to the filling port, and then the filling port is opened by the valve opening / closing means. We proposed a gas filling device that opens and fills the gas with the filling nozzle, and after the fixed amount filling, closes the filling port with the valve opening / closing means and separates the filling nozzle from the filling port. 7-28
5659).

[0003]

The apparatus of the above-mentioned prior application refers to automation of gas filling work, but does not refer to gas leak inspection after completion of gas filling. However, gas leak inspection after gas filling is conventionally done by applying soap water or leak detection liquid around the open / close valve to visually check whether the film of the detection liquid swells, or a gas detector. Since a dedicated operator carries out a means for detecting gas leakage with a buzzer or the like by bringing the valve close to the open / close valve, there is a problem that it is inefficient and lacks certainty.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to automatically check gas leakage from an on-off valve after completion of gas filling, continuously with gas filling work. The present invention is to provide a novel gas filling device that can be performed efficiently.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a valve direction detecting means for detecting the position of a filling port by surrounding an opening / closing valve of a gas container installed in a filling station with a cover body. A gas filling device which is arranged so that the filling nozzle and the filling port are aligned when the valve direction detecting means detects the filling port position, and the filling nozzle is moved forward and backward so as to come into contact with and separate from the filling port; A valve opening / closing means for opening / closing the mouth is provided, and the cover body is raised after the opening / closing valve is surrounded by the cover body to detect the filling port position, and the gas filling device is advanced to connect the filling nozzle to the filling port, After that, the valve opening / closing means opens the filling port to fill the gas with the filling nozzle, and after the quantitative filling, the valve opening / closing means closes the filling port and retracts the gas filling device to move the filling nozzle from the filling port. In the gas filling device configured to intervene, the gas leak detection means is provided in the cover body, and after the filling nozzle is separated from the filling port, the cover body descends again and surrounds the on-off valve to leak gas by the gas leak detection means. It is characterized by conducting an inspection.

In the gas filling device of the present invention having the above structure, the cover body is raised after the opening / closing valve of the gas container installed in the filling station is surrounded by the cover body to detect the position of the filling port. At the same time, the gas filling device advances and the filling nozzle is connected to the filling port, then the valve opening / closing means opens the filling port to perform gas filling by the filling nozzle, and after the fixed amount filling, the valve opening / closing means closes the filling port and gas filling. The container is retracted and the filling nozzle is separated from the filling port, and then the cover body is lowered again to surround the on-off valve and perform the gas leak inspection by the gas leak detecting means. Therefore, it is possible to automatically perform the gas leak inspection after the gas filling is completed, continuously with the gas filling work.

A gas filling device that automates the work from gas filling to gas leak inspection after the gas filling will be described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.
Centering means for holding the gas container installed at the filling station in an upright state, and valve direction detecting means for detecting the filling port position by surrounding the opening / closing valve of the gas container held by the centering means with a cover body, An elevating and lowering drive unit for elevating and lowering the cover body, and a filling nozzle and a filling port are aligned when the valve direction detecting means detects the position of the filling port, and the filling nozzle is movable forward and backward so as to come into contact with and separate from the filling port. A gas filling device, a forward / backward drive unit for moving the gas filling device forward and backward, and a filling nozzle for driving the cover body and the gas filling device relative to the opening / closing valve by driving based on the detection signal of the valve direction detecting means. A rotary drive means for aligning the filling port, a valve opening / closing means for opening / closing the filling port, a gas leak detecting means provided in the cover body, and the operation of the respective elements are suitable. The control section for controlling the gas container is controlled by the control section, and after the gas container is held by the centering means, the opening / closing valve is surrounded by the cover body to detect the filling port position and align the filling nozzle with the filling port. Done,
After that, as the cover rises, the gas filling device moves forward and the filling nozzle is connected to the filling port, after which the valve opening / closing means opens the filling port to perform gas filling by the filling nozzle, and after the quantitative filling, the valve opening / closing means fills. After closing the mouth, the gas filler retracts and the filling nozzle separates from the filling mouth,
It is characterized in that the cover body is lowered again to surround the on-off valve so that the gas leak detection means conducts a gas leak test.

Further, as described in the embodiment of the present invention,
When the valve direction detection means detects the position of the filling port, a gas leak detector is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the cover facing the filling port, and the gas leak is detected by the detector. When the detection means detects the position of the filling port, the gas leak detector faces the filling port, and when the gas filling is completed, the gas leak detector faces the filling port if the cover body is lowered again and the on-off valve is surrounded. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately detect a small amount of gas leakage from the filling port.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A shown in FIG. 1 is a gas filling device installed in each container mounting part (filling station B) arranged on the circumference of the upper surface of the turntable in the rotary gas filling device. Gas container 100 carried into filling station B by road
Is held upright at the same station B, the gas container 100 is filled with LP gas or the like, and the gas leakage inspection from the on-off valve 120 is automatically performed after the quantitative filling. is there.

The gas container 100 is a well-known LP gas cylinder having an opening / closing valve 120 at the top of a container body 110, and is usually
There are several types with a capacity of about 50 kg to about 10 kg. The on-off valve 120 has a substantially cylindrical valve body 12
(1) A filling port 122 and a safety valve 123 are provided on the front side and the back side of the circumferential surface so as to project backward, and a manual opening / closing handle 124 for opening and closing the filling port 122 can be moved forward and backward at the upper end of the valve body 121. It is screwed on. Valve body 121 and open / close handle 124
Are arranged concentrically with the axis 100a of the gas container 100.

The gas filling device A holds the gas container 100 installed in the filling station B in an upright state with the axis 100a of the container aligned with the reference core L set in the station B. Centering means a and the gas container 10
The opening / closing valve 120 of 0 is surrounded by the cover body 20 and the filling port 12
2 The valve direction detecting means b for detecting the position, and the filling nozzle 1 and the filling opening 122 are aligned when the valve direction detecting means b detects the position of the filling opening 122, and
The gas filling device c is installed so as to move forward and backward so that the filling nozzle 1 comes into contact with and separates from the filling device 122, and the cover body 20 and the gas filling device c are driven by the open / close valve 120 based on the detection signal of the valve direction detecting means b. Rotate against the filling nozzle 1 and filling port 12
The rotation driving means d for aligning the position 2 and the filling port 122
A valve opening / closing means e for opening / closing the valve, a valve direction detecting means b, a gas filling device c, a valve opening / closing means e, etc.
Elevating drive means f for integrally elevating according to the height of the
An elevating and lowering drive part g for elevating and lowering the cover body 20, an advancing and retracting drive part h for advancing and retracting the gas filling device c to bring the filling nozzle 1 into and out of contact with the filling port 122, and a valve opening and closing head 25 of the valve opening and closing means e. And a head drive unit i that is rotationally driven,
A gas leak detection means j provided in the cover body 20 is provided, and each of the constituent parts a to j is mounted on the machine casing k.

Further, each of the constituent parts a to j is electrically connected to a control part (not shown) to control the operation thereof, and after the gas container 100 carried into the filling station B is held by the centering means a, The on-off valve 120 of the container 100 is surrounded by the cover body 20, the position of the filling port 122 is detected, the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned, and then the cover body 20 moves up and the gas filler c advances. The filling nozzle 1 is connected to the filling port 122, the valve opening / closing means e then opens the filling port 122 for gas filling by the gas filling device c, and after the quantitative filling, the valve opening / closing means e closes the filling port 122 and gas filling. The container c is retracted, the filling nozzle 1 is separated from the filling port 122, and then the cover body 20 is lowered again to surround the on-off valve 120 and perform a gas leak inspection by the gas leak detecting means j. Configured to perform to.

The machine frame k is erected at the rear of the filling station B, and the elevating drive means f is immovably installed at the upper edge portion thereof, while the guide rails 2a and 2b are vertically provided on the surface directly facing the filling station B. The rotary drive means d is supported so as to be vertically slidable. The rotation driving means d is supported by the lifting driving means f so as to be able to move up and down above the machine frame k. A support substrate 3 is supported on the lower surface side of the rotation driving means d.
A valve direction detecting means b, a gas filling device c, a valve opening / closing means e, an elevating drive part g, an advancing / retreating drive part h, and a head drive part i are provided on the lower surface side of the. Centering means a is arranged below the machine frame k.

The elevating and lowering drive means f is provided with a plurality of pulleys 4 which rotate in forward and reverse directions by driving a motor (not shown), and the feeding amount of the chain 5 wound around each pulley 4 is appropriately adjusted by driving the motors. As a result, the rotation driving means d and the upper clamp 7 to be described later move up and down, so that the valve direction detecting means b, the gas filler c, the valve opening / closing means e, and the upper clamp 7 are located at predetermined positions corresponding to the height of the gas container 100. It is configured to be supported by.

The centering means a is composed of upper and lower clamps 6, 7 having a pair of arms 9a, 9b which come close to each other by driving a driving 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 k, and the upper clamp 7 is moved up and down according to the height of the gas container 100 by driving the elevating drive means f. Then, the gas container 100 installed in the filling station B is moved to the arm 9
The container is clamped by a and 9b, and is configured to be held upright while the axis 100a of the container is aligned with the reference axis L set in the station B.

The rotation driving means d has a rotation shaft 11 that rotates around a reference core L and a motor 12 that rotates the rotation shaft 11 on the lower surface of the casing 10 that moves up and down by the drive of the up-and-down driving means f. The support substrate 3 is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 11, and the rotating shaft 11 and the supporting substrate 3 are rotated about the reference core L in the range of 360 ° or more by the driving of the motor 12. 20 is configured to rotate concentrically with the reference core L, and the gas filler c (filling nozzle 1) is configured to rotate integrally with the cover body 20 about the reference core L. The rotation driving means d is driven when the valve direction detecting means b does not detect the normal direction to rotate the cover body 20 and the gas filling device c (filling nozzle 1) as described above, and the normal direction is detected. The driving is stopped when the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned with each other. Further, the rotation driving means d is configured such that the rotation of the gas filling device c is in the neutral state when the driving is stopped.

A support shaft 13 is provided at one end of the support substrate 3 in the longitudinal direction.
The gas filling device c is swingably supported by the filling device 1 and the filling nozzle 1 is moved back and forth as the gas filling device c is swung.
The filling nozzle 1 is connected to and disconnected from the filling nozzle 1. An upper mounting plate 14 is supported below the support substrate 3, and an advancing / retreating drive unit h is installed on the mounting plate 14. A lower mounting plate 15 is supported below the upper mounting plate 14, and an elevating and lowering drive unit g for elevating and lowering the valve direction detecting means b and a head for vertically and rotationally driving the valve opening / closing head 25 are mounted on the lower mounting plate 15. The drive unit i is installed.

The valve direction detecting means b is an opening / closing valve 120.
First and second optical sensors 21 and 2 arranged to project both sides of the on-off valve 120 in a cover body 20 surrounding the.
2 and a third optical sensor 23 arranged so as to project in a direction traversing the open / close valve 120. One of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 and the third optical sensor 2 are provided.
When 3 is in the detection state, the normal direction is defined, while when the normal direction is not detected, it is defined as an illegal direction. It is configured such that the driving of the rotation driving means d is stopped when the gas filling device c rotates integrally and the normal direction is detected.

The cover body 20 is formed of a cylindrical body which can surround the side circumference of the on-off valve 120 and whose upper and lower surfaces are open. The rod 24a of the drive cylinder 24 which constitutes the elevating drive section g is fixed to the upper edge of the cylindrical body. At the position directly above the opening / closing valve 120 of the gas container 100 held by the centering means a, the drive cylinder 24 supports the opening / closing valve 120 so that its axis coincides with the reference core L. It is designed to be surrounded. Further, 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 driven by the rotation driving means d to drive the reference core L.
It is concentrically driven and rotated in the range of 360 ° or more.

Each of the optical sensors 21, 22 and 23 is a well-known optical type sensor having a light projecting section 21a, 22a, 23a and a light receiving section 21b, 22b, 23b which are installed to face each other. The first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 are
Both sides of the on-off 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. In addition, the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 include
The state in which the projection from 22a is received by the light receiving portions 21b and 22b without being blocked by the filling port 122 or the safety valve 123 is set as a detection state, and it is detected that the opening / closing valve 120 is positioned substantially parallel to the filling nozzle 1. The first and second optical sensors 21, 2
When both two are in the detection state at the same time, one of the detection signals is prioritized. Third optical sensor 23
Is projected in a direction intersecting the optical axes of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 at a substantially right angle and across the on-off valve 120, and the projection is not blocked by the safety valve 123 but blocked by the filling port 122. Arrange at height. In addition, the third optical sensor 23,
The state where 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 is set as a detection state, and it is detected that the filling port 122 is on the filling nozzle 1 side. Further, the valve direction detecting means b is provided with the first and second optical sensors 21, 22.
When any one of the above and the third optical sensor 23 is in the detection state, the normal direction is set, and when the normal direction is not detected, the normal direction is detected. At this time, the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned with each other.

The gas filler c has a support frame 16 supported by the support shaft 13 swingably back and forth, and a rod 17 of a forward / backward drive unit (drive cylinder) h rotatably connected to a middle height portion of the support frame 16 and supported. The tip is a reference core L on the lower end side of the frame 16.
Equipped with the filling nozzle 1 and swings backward by the extension and retraction of the advancing / retreating drive section h so that the filling nozzle 1 is separated from the filling port 122 and swings forward by the contraction of the advancing / retreating drive section h. Then, the filling nozzle 1 is configured to move forward and backward (oscillate back and forth) with respect to the forward position where it is connected to the filling port 122.

Clamps 18, 18 for holding the lower part of the filling port 122 of the open / close valve 120 are provided on both left and right sides of the filling nozzle 1.
Is provided so as to be openable and closable, and the inner periphery of the filling port 122 has a tapered surface 122-1. Further, the rotation driving means d is arranged such that the rotation shaft 11 is set so that the rotation of the gas filling device c is in the neutral state when the driving is stopped. Let it rotate freely. Thus, even when the positional alignment between the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 is slightly displaced when the valve direction detecting means b detects the normal direction (see FIG. 3), the filling nozzle 1
Clamps 18 and 18 close with the forward movement of
The gas filling device c rotates so that the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 substantially face each other while holding 120 and the tapered surface 122-1 as a guide to absorb the deviation, and the filling nozzle for the filling port 122. Configure so that there is no hindrance to the connection of 1.

The filling nozzle 1 is located substantially parallel to the optical axes of the first and second optical sensors 21 and 22 and is located between the optical axes of both the sensors 21 and 22, and the third nozzle is also provided.
It goes without saying that it is arranged so as to be positioned on the side where the optical sensor 23 is provided, and the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned with each other when the valve direction detecting means b detects the normal direction. Nor.

The valve opening / closing means e is a cover-shaped valve opening / closing head 25 which can be engaged with the opening / closing handle 124 from above.
And a head drive unit i for vertically moving and rotating the opening / closing head 25. The head is arranged so that its axis coincides with the reference axis L at a position directly above the opening / closing valve 120 of the gas container 100 held by the centering means a. Lifting / driving mechanism 2 of driving unit i
6, the valve opening / closing head 25 is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and the opening / closing head 25 is engaged with the opening / closing handle 124 in the lowered position. Further, the valve opening / closing head 25 is driven and rotated in the forward and reverse directions about the reference core L by the rotation driving mechanism 27 of the head driving unit i, and the opening / closing handle 124 is rotated in the opening / closing direction.

The gas leakage detecting means j is the inner peripheral surface portion of the cover body 20 facing the filling port 122 when the valve direction detecting means b detects the normal direction, in other words, the first and second optical sensors 21, 22. The gas leak detector 30 is disposed between the inner sides of the cover body 20 on the side where the third optical sensor 23 is provided, and the gas leak detector 30 is detected when the valve direction detecting means b detects a normal direction. Is facing the filling port 122,
If a gas leak has occurred from 122, this is detected, and the detection signal is sent to a control unit (not shown) so that the gas leak is notified by an appropriate notification means. The gas leak detector 30 is composed of a well-known temperature sensor or a minute pressure sensor as shown in FIG. 5, and when a temperature sensor is adopted, a temperature change around the filling port 122 due to a gas leak from the filling port 122 (in LP gas) Is a temperature decrease based on the outside air temperature) as a gas leak, and when a pressure sensor is used, the pressure change around the filling port 122 due to the gas leak from the filling port 122 (the pressure change based on the outside atmospheric pressure) Is detected as a gas leak. When a pressure sensor is used, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pressure sensor is connected to a notification means such as a buzzer 32 and a pilot lamp 33 via the main body 31 of a commercially available leak detector, a gas leak is detected. It is also possible to configure to notify by the notifying means.

The control section includes the above-mentioned centering means a, valve direction detecting means b, gas filling device c, rotation driving means d, head driving section i of valve opening / closing means e, elevation driving means f, elevation driving section g, By electrically contacting the advancing / retreating drive part h and the gas leak detecting means j, the gas container 100 carried into the filling station B is automatically filled with a predetermined amount of gas, and then the gas leak from the filling port 122 is inspected. The drive is timely controlled to do so. Hereinafter, the operation of the gas filling device A of this example will be described in detail together with the control by the control unit. Gas container 100
Is loaded into the filling station B, the centering means a is operated to hold the gas container 100 in an upright state, and the container shaft core 100a is aligned with the reference core L, and then the lift drive part g is operated to cover it. Body 20 descends to open / close valve 12
Surrounding 0 (see FIG. 7A), the position of the filling port 122 1 is detected and the position of the filling nozzle 1 with respect to the filling port 122 1 is adjusted as follows.

That is, the cover body 20 is the opening / closing valve 120.
When the container axis 100a is aligned with the reference core L or the cover body 20 is deviated within a range in which the on-off valve 120 can be surrounded, the on-off valve 120 is set to the first and second light. Either one of the sensors 21 and 22 and the third optical sensor 23 are present at a position where they are in a detection state. If the proper direction is detected when the cover body 20 surrounds the on-off valve 120, the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are aligned at this point (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and the rotation driving means. d is not driven. From this state, the cover body 20 is lifted by the operation of the elevating / lowering drive unit g, and then the gas filler c is moved forward (oscillated forward) by the operation of the advancing / retreating drive unit h to connect the filling nozzle 1 to the filling port 122 ( See FIG. 7B). Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the container axis 100a does not coincide with the reference axis L and the deviation S thereof is relatively large, the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are separated when the normal direction is detected. There will be some misalignment in the alignment of the opening and closing valves 120 at the same time when the filling nozzle 1 advances.
It can be absorbed by rotating the gas filling device c so that the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 face each other with the taper surface 122-1 of the filling port 122 as a guide.

On the other hand, when the cover body 20 surrounds the on-off valve 120, an incorrect direction is detected, that is,
If the opening / closing valve 120 exists at a position where neither the second optical sensor 21 or 22 nor the third optical sensor 23 is in the detection state, the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are not aligned, and at this time, The cover body 20 and the gas filling device c are integrally rotated by the operation of the rotation driving means d, and stopped when the normal direction is detected, and the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 12 are stopped.
Alignment with 2. From this state, the cover body 2
0 rises, and then the filling nozzle 1 is connected to the filling port 122 by advancing the gas filling device c. Further, when the cover body 20 is rotated to detect the filling port position, even if the container axis 100a matches the reference axis L, the first and second optical sensors 21,
Since both 22 are in the detection state (the axis 122a of the opening / closing valve and the axis 1a of the filling nozzle 1 are aligned), the normal direction is detected, so that the positions of the filling nozzle 1 and the filling port 122 are detected. Although some misalignment occurs, this misalignment can be absorbed by the operation of the clamps 18, 18 and the rotation of the gas filler c using the tapered surface 122-1 as a guide, as described above.

When the filling nozzle 1 is connected to the filling port 122,
The valve opening / closing head 25 is lowered by the operation of the elevating / lowering drive mechanism 26 and engages with the opening / closing handle 124, and then the valve opening / closing head 25 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the operation of the rotation drive mechanism 27 to open the filling port 122. At this point, the gas filling device c is operated to inject and fill the gas into the gas container 100. When it is detected that a predetermined amount of gas has been filled, gas filling ends,
The valve opening / closing head 25 is inverted by the operation of the rotary drive mechanism 27 to close the filling port 122, the head 25 is raised by the operation of the elevating / lowering drive mechanism 26, and the gas filler c is retracted by the operation of the advancing / retreating drive section h ( The filling nozzle 1 is disengaged from the filling port 122 by swinging backward.

Then, the cover body 20 is lowered again by the operation of the elevating and lowering drive part g to surround the on-off valve 120, and the gas leak detection means j performs the gas leak inspection (see FIG. 7 (c)). That is, when the position of the filling port 122 is detected (when the valve direction detecting means b detects the normal direction)
, The gas leak detector 30 is located at a position facing the filling port 122, so that the cover body 20 is lowered again and the open / close valve is opened.
If the gas leak detector 30 is surrounded by 120, the gas leak detector 30 faces the filling port 122 again. At this time, if a slight amount of gas leaks from the filling port 122, the gas leak detector 30 detects a temperature decrease or a pressure change around the filling port 122 accompanying this, and sends the detection signal to the control unit to send the gas. Report a leak. Cover body 2
After a predetermined time elapses after 0 is again lowered, the cover body 20 is again raised by the operation of the elevating and lowering drive part g, the gas leak inspection is completed, and the clamp by the centering means a is released.

The work from the loading of the gas container 100 to the filling station B to the end of the gas leak inspection is performed by rotating the turntable of the rotary gas filling device until the gas container 100 reaches the unloading port of the turntable. When the gas container 100 reaches the carry-out port, the carry-out device (not shown) is activated to push the gas container 100 into the carry-out path and carry it to the next step. Further, the gas container 100 in which the gas leak is detected by the gas leak detecting means j is sent to the reinspection step.

As described above, the gas filling apparatus A of this embodiment can automatically perform the gas leak inspection after the gas filling is completed in the gas filling work, and the dedicated operator can The gas leak inspection can be performed reliably and efficiently as compared with the conventional method in which the inspection is performed manually.

Further, the gas filling apparatus A of the present embodiment is configured as described above, so that the work from gas filling to gas leak inspection after completion of filling can be automated to reduce the number of persons in gas filling,
It has the advantage of being extremely useful in promoting unmanned operation. Furthermore, the gas filling device A of this example employs the above-described valve direction detecting means b, so that the filling station B is filled.
Even if there is a slight error in the centering of the gas container 100 installed at the position, it is not necessary for the operator to manually detect the position of the filling port 122 and manually correct the position of the gas container 100. Can be automatically connected to the filling port 122 to quickly fill the gas container 100 with LP gas or the like.
Therefore, there are many effects such as the reduction of man-hours and the promotion of unmanned gas filling work can be made more effective.

The gas filling device as a gas filling machine installed on the container mounting portion arranged on the turntable of the rotary gas filling device has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this and, for example, in the middle of the conveying path. It is also possible to use as a gas filling device of the type that is installed on the side of the filling station B provided in the above and fills a fixed amount of gas into the gas container 100 conveyed to the filling station B. In this case, the centering means a is Configured so that there is no support for transporting the gas container 100,
Further, it goes without saying that the gas container 100 may be lifted by an appropriate elevating means to be temporarily stopped irrespective of the movement of the transport path, or the transport path may be stopped. Further, the present invention is not limited to a gas container that is conveyed in a carry-in passage, a convey passage, and the like formed by various conveyors, and for example, an arbitrary place on the work floor is used as a filling station (filling place), and the filling is performed. It can also be used as a type of gas filling device installed adjacent to the field, in this case,
It goes without saying that the operator manually transports the gas container and sets it up at the filling station.

The structure for filling the gas in the gas filling device A is not limited to that described above, and the filling port 122
A fixed cover body 20 in which the filling nozzle 1 is moved toward and away from the gas filling device c by moving the gas filling device c in the horizontal direction.
And a gas container 100 for the gas filling device c (filling nozzle 1)
Various types of gas filling devices, such as a type of rotating the filling station B on the filling station B, a semi-automatic type of manually advancing and retracting the gas filling device c to move the filling nozzle 1 to and from the filling port 122, and the like. Further, the valve direction detecting means b is not limited to the one described above, and it is needless to say that a well-known means for detecting the position of the filling port 122 by providing an appropriate number of optical sensors in the cover body 20 can be adopted.

[0036]

As described above, the present invention comprises the valve direction detecting means for detecting the position of the filling port by surrounding the opening / closing valve of the gas container with the cover body prior to the gas filling work,
After the detection means detects the position of the filling port, the cover body rises and the filling nozzle of the gas filling device is connected to the filling port, and then the valve opening / closing means opens the filling port to perform the gas filling by the filling nozzle to perform the quantitative filling. In a gas filling device that later closes the filling port by the valve opening / closing means and separates the filling nozzle from the filling port, a gas leak detection means is provided in the cover body, and after the filling nozzle separates from the filling port, the cover body re-lowers and opens / closes. Since the valve is surrounded to perform the gas leak inspection by the gas leak detection means, the gas leak inspection after completion of the gas filling can be automatically performed continuously with the gas filling operation. Therefore, as compared with the conventional method in which a dedicated worker manually inspects, the gas leak inspection can be performed more reliably and efficiently, and the work of filling the gas container with LP gas or the like is reduced in number and unmanned. It was possible to provide a gas filling device that is extremely useful for realizing the above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 2 showing a state where the axis center of the gas container and the reference center are displaced.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 2, showing a state in which the axis of the gas container and the reference core are aligned.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a gas leak detector.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a corresponding example in which a gas leak detector including a pressure sensor is connected to the leak detector for use.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part for explaining an operation from a gas filling operation to a gas leak detecting operation. FIG. 7A shows a filling port position detection by a valve direction detecting means and a positioning of the filling nozzle with respect to the filling port. (B) shows a state in which the filling nozzle is connected to the filling port after the completion of the alignment, and (c) shows a state in which a gas leak inspection is performed after the gas filling is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: Gas filling device a: Centering means b: Valve direction detecting means c: Gas filling device d: Rotation driving means e: Valve opening / closing means f: Lifting driving means g: Lifting driving section h: Advance / retreat driving section i: Head driving section j: Gas leak detection means k: Machine frame 1: Filling nozzle 20: Cover body 21: First optical sensor 22: Second optical sensor 23: Third optical sensor 25: Valve opening / closing head 30: Gas leak detector 100: Gas Container 120: Open / close valve 122: Filling port 100a: Gas container axis B: Filling station L: Reference core

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A valve direction detecting means for enclosing an opening / closing valve of a gas container installed in a filling station with a cover body to detect a filling port position, and a filling nozzle when the valve direction detecting means detects the filling port position. And a filling port are aligned with each other, and a gas filling device having a filling nozzle movably arranged to move toward and away from the filling port and a valve opening / closing means for opening / closing the filling port are provided to cover the opening / closing valve. After detecting the position of the filling port by surrounding it with a body, the cover body rises and the gas filling device is advanced to connect the filling nozzle to the filling port, and then the valve opening / closing means opens the filling port to fill the gas with the filling nozzle. In the gas filling device in which the valve opening / closing means closes the filling port after the fixed amount filling and the gas filling device is retracted to separate the filling nozzle from the filling port, gas leakage into the cover body occurs. A gas filling device, characterized in that the gas leak detecting means is provided, and after the filling nozzle is separated from the filling port, the cover body descends again to surround the on-off valve to perform the gas leak inspection by the gas leak detecting means.