JPS5944270B2 - pressure vessel cap - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a cap for a pressure vessel.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a lock-type cap used, for example, in the fill port of an automobile fuel tank.
Conventionally, screw-on caps for pressure vessels, etc., simply have a threaded part on the skirt at the bottom of the lid, so if you want to tighten the cap manually without using a machine, it requires a lot of operating force. There are individual differences in the operating force, and this difference in operating force impairs the airtightness within the container, resulting in liquid leakage, gas leakage, etc.

In addition, if the cap is attached to an exposed container or has decorations, if the cap is stolen or carelessly removed, steam or liquid inside the container may spew out, creating a danger to the human body. It may cause In order to improve the former drawback, a cap for a pressure vessel has been proposed in which the torque of the tightening operation can be controlled by providing a latch member on the inner wall surface of the outer shell of the cap and a claw on the upper side of the inner body. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-53122).

However, in such caps, the internal body and the claws protruding from the upper part are made of synthetic resin such as polyacetal or nylon, so there may be regional differences between cold and warm regions or differences in winter. The physical properties of the synthetic resin change significantly due to temperature differences due to seasonal differences such as summer and time differences such as night and day, resulting in changes in the torque value, which makes it difficult to perform torque control at a constant value. Not only is this unsatisfactory, but since bending force is constantly acting on the synthetic resin claw, there is a problem with durability, and furthermore, if the claw becomes worn or damaged, it is virtually impossible to repair or replace it. It is. Further, since the shape of the claw portion is complicated, a complicated process is required to form the claw portion. Furthermore, since the claw protrudes horizontally from the upper side of the main body and is received by the latch member on the inner wall surface of the outer shell, the diameter of the outer shell inevitably becomes larger, which makes it difficult to use in a limited space. This may be inconvenient for the cap used. The present invention has been made to improve the conventional cap as described above, and includes a cap body having a threaded portion on the outside, a latch portion on the inside, and a horizontal slit in the lower wall, and a handle member that covers the cap body and has a cylindrical portion inserted into the cap body; a spring interposed between the handle member and the ratchet; a cylindrical portion of the ratchet and the handle member; This cap for a pressure vessel is made up of a lock plate inserted into a notch in the cap, and a key cylinder having a projection on the bottom surface for moving the lock plate through the slit.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, there is a threaded portion 1 on the outside
A latch 3 is provided inside the cap body 2 having a cap body 2, and a horizontal slit 4 is provided in the lower wall, into which a latch 5 is inserted so as to match and face the latch 3. On the other hand, the fifth
As shown in the figures, a handle member 9 is provided with a handle 6 at the top, a cylindrical part 7 at the bottom, and a notch 8 at the lowest part of the cylindrical part 7, as shown in FIGS. The stopper member 10 made of a broken plate is brought into contact with the flange part 11 of the cap main body 2 and the peripheral bottom part 12 of the handle member 9 through the washer 13. The handle member 7 is fixed by force, such as by fixing with screws 14 or by caulking the periphery of the handle member 9 inward (not shown).
Although the handle member 9 is usually made of metal, the cap body 2 is made of synthetic resin such as polyacetal or nylon, or metal. An annular protrusion 15 is provided hanging around the ceiling of the handle member 9, and an O-ring 17 is provided in the space formed between the protrusion 15 and the outer wall 16 of the flange 11 of the cap body 2. The space between the inserted tag handle member 9 and the cap body 2 is sealed. A spring 18 is inserted between the handle member 9 and the latch 5 around the cylindrical portion 7, so that the latch 5 is constantly pressed toward the latch 3.

The lower end of the cylindrical portion 7 of the handle member 9 is provided with a notch 8 as shown in FIG. 5, and the ratchet 5 is also provided with a notch 19 at the bottom as shown in FIG. Both notches 8 and 19 are configured to overlap, and a lock plate 20 as shown in FIG. Insert as shown. As shown in FIG. 7, this lock plate 20 is provided with a plate sliding notch 21 approximately in the center. On the other hand, a key cylinder 22 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 7 of the handle member 9, and its bottom surface is in contact with the lock plate 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 and 4, this key cylinder 22 is provided with a protrusion 23 eccentrically from the central axis, and when the key cylinder 22 is in contact with the lock plate 20, the lock plate 20 is rotated. It protrudes into the notched groove 21 for plate sliding, is rotatably held by a snap spring 24, and is rotated by the key cylinder 22 to lock the lock plate 20.
It is configured to slide. key cylinder 2
2 is provided with a tumbler 25 to prevent it from coming off, and further a tumbler 27 is fitted into the notch 26 of the handle member 9.
, 27, . . . are provided. Further, a spring 29 is inserted between the top portion 28 of the key cylinder 22 and the handle member 9. Note that an O-ring 30 is installed between the threaded portion 1 and the flange portion 10 on the outside of the cap body 2.
is embedded. Further, a washer 34 is provided between the key cylinder 22 and the handle member 9. and O-ring 35
is inserted to create a seal between it and the outside air. The pressure vessel cap constructed in this manner is used in the following manner.

In other words, a container 3 such as a filler port of an automobile fuel tank.
1 by placing the threaded portion 1 of the cap on the seat 32 of the cap and rotating the handle 6 of the cap.
is screwed onto. In this case, when the handle 6 is rotated,
When the clutch constituted by the latch 3 and latch 5 provided between the cap body 2 and the handle member 9 is operated, and the rotational operating force reaches a certain value, the handle member 9
Only the wheel starts to spin idly. Then, when the handle member 9 starts to rotate idly, a clicking sound of the clutch is emitted, so that the degree of tightening of the cap can be easily determined, and the pressure inside the container can be maintained constant. Next, insert the key 33 into the key cylinder 22, and then insert the key 33 into the key cylinder 22.
When the key cylinder 22 is pressed and rotated, the protrusion 23 formed eccentrically on the cylinder axis simultaneously with the rotation of the key cylinder 22.
turns to the state shown in Fig. 1, and ζ. As a result, the lock plate 20 passes through the slit 4 of the cap body 2, and its tip comes into contact with the lower end of the seat 32, so that the cap is locked and becomes in the key-on state. Therefore,
If the key 33 is removed, the cap cannot be removed from the container seat 32. On the other hand, when removing the cap, insert the key 33 and turn it to turn it off as shown in Figure 2.The lock plate 20 will be housed inside the cap body 2, so the lock will not be released. The clutch is actuated to allow removal of the cap from the container seat 32 by reverse rotation. The pressure vessel cap according to the present invention has the above-described structure, so that when the clutch is operated and the operating force reaches a certain level, the handle rotates idly, and the cap body does not move beyond this point. Since the operating force is not transmitted and the operating sound is generated when the handle rotates idly, the tightening state of the cap can be easily determined and the operation can be controlled with constant torque at all times.

Furthermore, since the lock plate engages with the container seat in the key-on state, it becomes impossible to remove the cap from the container seat, and dangerous situations due to cap theft or normal handling can be prevented. Furthermore, since the clutch mechanism is strong, its physical properties do not change due to temperature changes, and it is not only possible to always obtain a constant torque value, but also durable.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a pressure vessel cap according to the present invention in a key-on state, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view similarly showing a key-off state, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the cap body, and FIG. 4 FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the key cylinder, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the handle member, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clutch mechanism, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 1. 1...Threaded part, 2...Cap body,
3...Latch, 4...Slit, 5...
...Ratchet, 7...Cylindrical part, 8...
...Notch, 9...Handle member, 19...
...Notch, 20...Lock plate, 2
1...Notch groove for plate sliding, 22...
・Key cylinder 23... Protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cap body having a threaded part on the outside, a latch part on the inside, and a horizontal slit in the lower wall, a ratchet facing the latch, and a cylindrical part covering the cap body and having a cylindrical part inside the cap body. a handle member to be inserted;
a spring interposed between the handle member and the ratchet; a lock plate inserted into a notch in the cylindrical portion of the ratchet and the handle member; and a projection for penetrating through the lock plate and the slit. A pressure vessel cap consisting of a key cylinder with a key cylinder on the bottom.