JPS60251094A - Unloaded liquid-kind mixing preventive device in tank lorry - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a device for preventing mix-up of unloading liquid types in a tank truck. This invention relates to an unloading liquid type confusion prevention device that enables unloading. This is used, for example, in the field of tank trucks that transport liquids of the same or different types in one or more tank chambers.

[Prior art]

Tank trucks that transport the same or different types of liquids, especially multi-chamber tank trucks that transport different types of liquids, such as gasoline, kerosene, and light oil, are stored in each tank room individually. As you repeat loading and unloading operations, you may become unable to determine the type of liquid loaded in each chamber. For this purpose, a display board is installed on the outside of the tank, but if an operator mistakenly opens the bottom valve of a tank chamber other than the designated one, confusion may arise regarding the type of unloading liquid. In other words, a mistake occurs in which kerosene, which has been transported together with gasoline, diesel oil, etc., is unloaded into a gas oil storage tank at a gas station. To solve this problem, a current-carrying body with a different shape is provided for each tank containing a different type of liquid at a loading terminal or gas station, and a current-carrying terminal that can be connected to any of the built-in connectors is installed on the vehicle side. A device is installed that allows you to determine the type of loaded liquid by connecting the energizing terminal and connector, and to determine the type of liquid stored in the storage tank of the unloading light, so that you can confirm the type of liquid at the time of unloading. Proposed.

By the way, if the liquid to be determined is highly flammable, using the above-mentioned electrical signal to detect the liquid type may cause sparks or electrical leakage when connecting the connector.
There is a problem in that there is a possibility of falling into an extremely dangerous situation such as a fire outbreak or an explosion of the tank. In addition, since the loaded liquid type is detected via the current-carrying body provided corresponding to each liquid type, if the loaded liquid is stored as the wrong liquid type due to an incorrect connection of the current-carrying terminal, etc., the loaded liquid will be unloaded from now on. Even if there is no mistake in the process, confusion may arise in the type of liquid being unloaded into a storage tank at a gas station or the like.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to be able to easily and accurately detect the type of liquid loaded in a tank chamber, and to unload a desired type of liquid. In tank trucks, it is possible to prevent misunderstandings and erroneous operations by workers during the process, and also to avoid situations such as the liquid catching fire during detection work to determine the type of liquid, ensuring safe unloading work. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for preventing confusion of unloading liquid types.

[Structure of the invention]

The features of the device for preventing confusion of unloading liquid types in a tank truck according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The type of liquid loaded in the tank chamber is detected by the amount of reflected light from a liquid type identification sensor installed in the tank chamber. "loaded liquid type detection means"; a stored liquid type detection means 2 that detects the type of stored liquid in a storage tank into which liquid is unloaded by the amount of light reflected from a liquid type identification sensor or the amount of transmitted light through a light transmitting member; In order to detect the tank room in which work is about to start, the system receives signals from the unloading room detection means 3 provided for each tank room, the loaded liquid type detection means, the stored liquid type detection means, and the unloading room detection means. and a control means 5 for issuing an alarm when the type of liquid to be unloaded is different from the type of liquid stored in the storage tank of the unloading light, and a W alarm means 6 for issuing an alarm in response to a signal from the control means. That's what I'm doing.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on examples thereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the unloading liquid type confusion prevention device of the present invention, in which loaded liquid type detection means 1, storage liquid type detection means 2, and unloading chamber detection means 3 are composed of various sensors.
, an unloading operation detection means 4, a control means 5 such as a relay circuit or a microcomputer, an alarm means 6 such as a buzzer, and a display means 7 such as a lamp. In addition, in the following explanation, among the items that function for each tank room, those that have the same function as other tank rooms are distinguished by adding suffixes A, B, and C to their respective symbols, and also to avoid duplicate explanations. Omit.

To describe each means specifically, the loaded liquid type detection means 1 detects the type of liquid loaded in each tank chamber of the tank lorry by the amount of reflected light from a liquid type identification sensor installed in the tank chamber. be. That is, as shown in FIG.
, a light receiving sensor 11, and a large number of optical cables 12 for transmitting light between them. This optical cable 12 is an optical fiber 1 that sends out light from a light emitting source 10.
2M and an optical fiber 12 that returns light to the light receiving sensor 11.
A liquid type identification sensor 13 is attached to the tip inside each tank chamber.

This liquid type identification sensor 13 focuses on the fact that the optical properties of the loaded liquid differ depending on the liquid type, and detects the liquid type based on the degree of difference. For example, as shown in FIG. A method that utilizes the difference in refractive index of the liquid 15 in contact with the reflective surface 14 is adopted. In this example, the type of liquid is detected from the different amounts of reflected light on the reflective surface 14a of the prism. Such loaded liquid type detection means 1 is provided in each tank chamber 8A to 8C, and directly detects the liquid type from the loaded liquid, and the detection signal, which is the amount of light reflected, is converted into an electrical signal by the light receiving sensor 11. and is input to the control means 5.

The stored liquid type detection means 2 detects the type of liquid in a storage tank at a gas station or the like where liquid is unloaded using an optical signal. That is, similar to the above-mentioned loaded liquid type detection means 1, the liquid type may be directly detected by the amount of reflected light from a liquid type identification sensor that comes into contact with the liquid in the storage tank. Detection is performed based on the amount of light transmitted through a light-transmitting member. In either case, the same light emitting source, light receiving sensor, and optical cable that transmits light between these as described above are used, but in the former case, the optical cable on the tank truck side is connected to the liquid type identification sensor (not shown) installed in the storage tank. In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 2, the end socket 33 of the optical cable 12 on the tank truck side is directly inserted into the optical connector 17 provided in the storage tank 16. -There is. That is, in the latter case, a light transmitting member having a predetermined transmittance is built into each optical connector 17 in accordance with the type of liquid stored in the storage tank 16, and the liquid is indirectly transmitted through the light transmitting member. Detect seeds. For this purpose, for example, a fourth
Optical connectors 17a to 17c as shown in the figure are attached, and the light from the light source is connected to the optical connector 17a to 17c as shown in the figure.
Light transmitting members 192 to 19 transmit different amounts of light in advance, such as 0%, 60% for kerosene, and 30% for light oil.
It has a built-in c. The stored liquid type detection means 2 is configured to input a signal thereof to the control means 5 when it detects the type of liquid.

The unloading vehicle detection means 3 detects a tank chamber in which unloading work is about to start at a destination gas station or the like, and as shown in FIG. By detecting the opening and closing of the handle cover 22 that covers the operating handle 21 for unloading, it is possible to know whether preparations are being made for unloading work. An optical rimming switch 23 shown in FIG. 5 or the like is used to detect the opening/closing, and outputs an on/off signal based on the possibility of reflection on the prism 25 by moving the light shielding plate 24 back and forth. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a dog 26 is provided which moves together with the handle cover 22 as it opens and closes, thereby causing the light shielding plate 24 biased by a spring 27 to move up and down.

The unloading operation detecting means 4 detects in which tank chamber the unloading operation is currently being carried out, and includes, for example, an operation handle 2 for opening and closing a bottom valve 20 provided in each tank chamber.
1, the opening of the bottom valve 20 is detected. To detect the opening, a switch 28 of the same type as the optical limit switch 23 in the unloading vehicle detection means 3 described above is employed. Therefore, a member for advancing and retracting the light shielding plate is attached to the operating handle 21, and is moved up and down by rotation of the handle.
The light shielding plate is pressed down or restored.

Note that this unloading work detection means 4 and unloading vehicle detection means 3
If the above-mentioned optical cable 12 is used, it is possible to eliminate causes of ignition such as sparks, but since the possibility of flammability in this part is extremely low, it is necessary to output an electrical on/off signal or use a mint switch or a nearby You can also use a switch.

The control means 5 receives signals from the loaded liquid type detection means 1, the stored liquid type detection means 2, and the unloading vehicle detection means 3, and detects when the type of liquid to be unloaded is different from the type of liquid stored in the storage tank of the unloading light. This is to issue an alarm. In this example, in addition to the alarm, the lamps that display the type of liquid loaded in each tank room are lit, the unloading light lights up the lamp that displays the type of liquid in the storage tank, and the unloading light also lights up the lamp that displays the type of liquid in the storage tank. In response to a signal from the work detection means 4, a lamp indicating the type of liquid loaded in the unloaded tank chamber is turned off. As shown in FIG. 1, the configuration includes a loaded liquid type discriminating section 51 that receives a signal from the loaded liquid type detection means 1 and determines the loaded liquid type; a loaded liquid type storage unit 52 that stores the type of liquid loaded in the tank chamber;
A storage liquid type determination unit 53 that determines the stored liquid type upon receiving a signal from the storage liquid type detection unit 2, and an unloading room detection unit 3
The unloading room determining unit 54 determines the tank room in which the worker is about to start unloading upon receiving a signal from the unloading chamber, and the unloading room determining unit 54 determines whether or not the worker is unloading upon receiving a signal from the unloading work detection means 4. Based on the signals from the unloading operation discrimination section 55, the above-mentioned unloading room discrimination section 54, the loaded liquid type storage section 52, and the stored liquid type discrimination section 53, it is determined whether or not an alarm is necessary, and if necessary, a buzzer or the like is activated. an unloading alarm command unit 56 that instructs the alarm means 6 to generate a sound; furthermore, a loaded liquid type display command unit 57 that lights up a lamp in response to a signal from the loaded liquid type storage unit 52;
A stored liquid type display command section 58 is also provided that lights up a lamp in response to a signal from the stored liquid type discrimination section 53.

The alarm means 6 is, for example, a buzzer installed in the operator's cabin of the tank truck 9, which appeals to the operator's five senses in response to a command from the control means 5 described above to inform the worker that there is a confusion in the type of unloading liquid. The loaded liquid type display means 7S and the stored liquid type display means 7L are arranged on a display panel 29 as shown in FIG. 7 installed inside and outside the driver's cab.
PL12, etc., which allows not only the worker directly performing unloading work but also other workers to confirm the type of loading and unloading liquid by the display.

According to an embodiment with such a configuration, the loaded liquid type is detected and stored as follows, and at the destination, the difference between the unloaded liquid type and the liquid type in the storage tank is detected. is determined, and confusion of unloading liquid types is prevented.

A description will be given of the loading of liquid onto the tank truck 9 at the loading base, and the determination and storage of the liquid type.

Although not shown, the loading base is equipped with a large number of base tanks that individually store each type of liquid, and each base tank is provided with a loading rank that has a loading arm that loads the liquid onto a tank truck.

In order to load a desired liquid type, when the tank truck is brought to a loading rank indicated by that liquid type, a manhole in the tank chamber is opened, a loading arm is inserted, and loading of the desired amount is started. For example, when gasoline is loaded into the tank chamber 8B, light from the light emitting source 10 is transmitted to the liquid type identification sensor 13B installed in the chamber via the optical cable 12 in response to a command from the control means 5. Ru.

When the liquid level of gasoline rises and begins to come into contact with the lower surface of the liquid type identification sensor 13B as shown in FIG. , the amount of reflected light on that surface changes. By the way, the refractive index of gasoline is not only different from that of air but also different from kerosene and diesel oil, so the amount of reflected light transmitted to the light receiving sensor 11 has a value specific to gasoline. The amount of reflected light is converted into an electrical amount by a photodiode or the like, amplified by an amplifier 30 shown in FIG. 8, and then inputted to a loaded liquid type determining section 51 of the control means 5, which functions as shown in the flowchart. The comparison circuit determines the liquid type, and three switches SBI to SB in the tank chamber 8B are activated accordingly.
Switch SBI among the three is connected. As a result, the relay R4 of the loaded liquid type storage unit 52 in the relay circuit of FIG. Contact r4 is connected to keep relay R4 energized, and it is stored that gasoline is loaded into tank chamber 8B. By energizing the relay R4, the normally open contact r4 of the loaded liquid type display command unit 57 is connected, and the lamp PL4 of the loaded liquid type display means 7S arranged on the display panel 29 shown in FIG. The normally open contact r4 of the unloading alarm command section 56 shown in FIG. 9(b) is connected, and its lighting and connected state is maintained until the relay R4 is de-energized. Similarly, kerosene and light oil, for example, are loaded into the other tank chambers 8A and 8C, respectively, and these are stored, as well as the lamp PL2 of the display panel 29. PL9 is lit, and the normally open contacts r2 and r9 of the unloading alarm command unit 56 are connected. When the loading work into each tank chamber is completed, the manholes 34A to 34C are closed, and in response to a command from the control means 5, light transmission to the liquid type identification sensor 13 constituting the loaded liquid type detection means 1 is stopped. The tanker truck moves toward the destination gas station. In addition,
In this way, since the liquid type is detected via the optical cable 12, the direct use of electricity for detection is avoided.
Even if the liquid to be determined is a highly flammable liquid such as the above-mentioned gasoline, extremely dangerous situations such as fires or tank explosions caused by sparks or electrical leakage can be avoided.

Next, the tank truck 9-, which has kerosene, gasoline, and diesel oil individually loaded in each compartment, delivers kerosene to the gas station.
The case of unloading to a storage tank will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 2, an operator connects the hose 32 connected to the discharge pipe 31 to the kerosene storage tank 16c of the storage tanks.
connection to the injection port 18c. At the same time, the optical cable 12 is let out from the vehicle, and the socket 33 provided at its end is connected to the optical connector 17C near the injection port 18C. Note that when the optical cable 12 is attached along the hose 32, the socket can be connected without fail to the optical connector of the storage tank to which the hose is connected. When this connection information is input to the control means 5, the light emitting source 10 emits a predetermined amount of light. When this light is transmitted to the socket 33 via one optical fiber 12M of the optical cable 12, the light is attenuated when passing through the light transmitting member 19 in the optical connector 17. Since the transmittance of the light transmitting member 19C in the case of kerosene is set to 60%, for example, the optical fiber 12N returns the amount of light to the light receiving sensor 11. The light receiving sensor 11 converts the amount of light into an amount of electricity, and the signal from the stored liquid type detection means 2 is input to the control means 5, and the switch T of the stored liquid type determination section 53 is input.
2 is connected. As a result, the relay R11 is energized, the normally open contacts rll of the stored liquid type display command unit 58 and the unloading alarm command unit 56 are connected, and the lamp P that indicates kerosene is connected.
LII lights up.

In this state, when the worker looks at the display panel 29,
It can be seen that kerosene is stored in the storage tank 16C to which the discharge hose 32 is connected, and it can also be confirmed that the kerosene to be unloaded to the storage tank is loaded in the tank chamber 8A. However, if you fail to check this or make a mistake and try to unload cargo from a different tank room, a warning will be sounded. That is, when attempting to unload cargo from the tank chamber 8B, before opening the bottom valve 2OB, the sixth
Assume that the handle cover 22B covering the operating handle 21B shown in the figure is opened. At this time, the dog 26B that was holding down the light shielding plate 24 of the light shield 23B retreats together with the handle cover 22B, so the light shielding plate 24 is restored by the spring 27, and the light is blocked to the prism 25 as shown in FIG. is canceled. As a result, the optical limit switch 23B of the unloading chamber detection means 3 is turned on, the switch HB of the unloading chamber determining section 54 is connected, and the relay R14 is excited. As a result, the unloading alarm command unit 5
The normally open contact r14 of No. 6 is connected, and the buzzer BZ, which is the alarm means 6, is energized via the normally open contact rlLr4, which is already in the connected state, and an alarm sound is emitted. Therefore, since the operator is informed that there is an error in the handle cover to be opened, it is possible to know whether or not to unload the cargo at the preparation stage for unloading, such as opening the handle cover, and to avoid confusion of liquid types. Of course, if the same operation as described above is performed in the tank room 8A, there will be no energized point in the unloading alarm command section 56, so the buzzer will not sound. Note that when the operation handle 21A of the tank chamber 8A is rotated for unloading, the optical limit switch 28A, which is the unloading work detecting means 4, causes the switch V, A of the unloading work determining section 55 to be activated.
is connected and relay R16 is energized. As a result, the normally closed contact r16 of the loaded liquid type storage section 52 becomes in a disconnected state,
The energization of the relay R2 that was in the excited state is canceled, and the memory that the type of liquid loaded in the tank chamber 8A is kerosene is erased. At the same time, the normally open contact r2 of the loaded liquid type display command unit 57 is cut off again, so that the lamp PL2 indicating the loaded liquid type is turned off. That is, the bottom valve 2OA is opened by the rotation of the operating handle 21A, it is determined that the loaded liquid type has been unloaded from the tank chamber 8A, the lamp goes out, and the loaded liquid type in other tank chambers that has not been unloaded is determined to be unloaded. It is distinguished from the lighting of the lamp to avoid confusion in subsequent work. Note that when another liquid is loaded into the tank chamber where the lamp is off, the liquid type is memorized again in the above-described procedure and the lamp is turned on.

In this way, even if there is a misunderstanding or an erroneous operation by the operator during the work, the correctness of the work is determined before the bottom valve is opened, and unloading of mixed liquid types is eliminated. Of course, the liquid type detection during this time is performed via the optical cable 12, so there is no spark generation or electrical leakage that could occur if electricity is used for detection, which could lead to extremely dangerous situations such as fire or tank explosion. is prevented.

In the above embodiments, a tank truck having three tanks for transporting three types of liquids has been described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to any case having one or more tank chambers and handling one or more types of liquids.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As can be seen from the detailed description of the embodiments above, the present invention optically detects the type of liquid loaded in the tank chamber and the type of liquid stored in the storage tank using the unloading light. There is no chance that a flammable liquid will catch fire.
The safety of liquid unloading work can be ensured. Also,
Since the control means for issuing an alarm based on a predetermined liquid type detection signal is provided, it is possible to avoid confusion of unloading liquid types due to operator's misunderstanding or erroneous operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the structure of a device for preventing mix-up of unloading liquid types in a tank lorry according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a tank lorry having a plurality of tank chambers, and is an explanatory diagram of the liquid type detection state of a storage tank. is an example of a liquid type identification sensor, and is an explanatory diagram of the liquid type detection state in the tank chamber, Fig. 4 is an example of a storage liquid type detection means, Fig. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a light mint switch, and Fig. 6 is a light An example of a display panel with lamps arranged to display the liquid type is shown in Figure 7.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation in the loaded liquid type discriminating section, and FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are relay circuit diagrams for explaining the control operation. 1--Loaded liquid type detection means, 2-Stored liquid type detection means, 3
(23A to 23C) - unloading vehicle detection means, 5 - control means, 6 - alarm means, 8A to 8C - tank chamber, 13.
13A-13C-Liquid type identification sensor, 16.16a-16
c--Storage tank, 19.19a~19cm--Light transmitting member. Patent applicant: Kyokuto Kaihatsu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (and 2 others) Agent: Patent attorney Katsutoshi Yoshiso (and 1 other person) Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 4 Continued from page 1 O Inventor Norio Sugiyama @ Inventor Naonari Sasano @ Inventor: Kei Itamoto

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Loaded liquid type detection means that detects the type of liquid loaded in the tank chamber by the amount of reflected light from a liquid type identification sensor installed in the tank chamber; There is a storage liquid type detection means that detects the type by the amount of light reflected from the sensor or the amount of light transmitted through the light transmitting member for type identification, and an unloading device installed in each tank room to detect the tank room where unloading work is about to start. Upon receiving signals from the chamber detection means, the loaded liquid type detection means, the stored liquid type detection means, and the unloading chamber detection means, an alarm is issued when the type of liquid to be unloaded is different from the type of liquid stored in the storage tank of the unloading light. 1. A device for preventing mix-up of unloading liquid types in a tank truck, comprising: a control means for issuing a command; and an alarm means for issuing an alarm upon receiving a signal from the control means.