JPH024114A - liquid conveyance device - 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 the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid transport device for transporting liquid from a first liquid storage container to a second liquid storage container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a cartridge tank conventionally used in oil heaters, and an opening 3 is formed in the center of the cap 2 to which a cap 2 is attached.

A valve body 4 for opening and closing the opening 3 is provided within the cap 2 and is biased in the "close" direction by a compression spring 5. When refueling this cartridge tank 1, it was common to install it on the floor 7 with the cap 2 facing upward, remove the cap 2 from the refueling port 6, and refuel with a pump (not shown) or the like.

However, in the above-described configuration, when refueling the cartridge tank 1, kerosene adheres to the material when the cap 2 is removed from the refueling port 6, causing discomfort. Another problem was that opening and closing the cap 2 was troublesome.

Therefore, a device as shown in FIG. 6 has been proposed as a device that can replenish liquid such as kerosene into the cartridge tank 1 without removing the cap 2 and without getting one's hands dirty. In FIG. 6, when refueling the cartridge tank 1, with the mouthpiece 2 of the cartridge tank 1 facing upward, the valve body 4 is pushed down against the compression spring 5 with the tip of the discharge side vibrator 8, and the discharge side vibrator 8 is moved to the mouthpiece 2. By inserting the holder into the cap 2 through the opening 3 of the holder, covering the periphery of the cap 2 with the holder 9, and engaging the engagement recess 11' of the holder 9 with the ring protrusion 10 of the cap 2, the holder 9 to base 2
hold it. By operating the fuel pump 12 in this state, kerosene is sucked up from the kerosene tank (not shown) through the vibrator 13 as shown by the broken line arrow A in FIG. 1, and the air in this tank 1 is discharged to the outside from the opening 3 of the cap 2 and the gas vent hole 15 of the holder 9, as shown by the dashed line arrow B. (
For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-70238) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, the kerosene flow path (broken line arrow) and the air flow path (-dotted chain arrow) in the cap 2 are partitioned. Since the structure is such that liquid kerosene and gaseous air collide with each other, it may not be possible to refuel quickly into the cartridge tank 1, or if you try to refuel quickly, there may still be a small amount of kerosene in the tank 1. Even when the kerosene is not being used, the kerosene discharged from the notch 14 of the discharge vibrator 8 hits the inside of the mouthpiece 2, and the force of the collision causes the kerosene to blow out together with air through the opening 3 and gas vent hole 15, resulting in In addition to getting your hands and the area around the cartridge tank dirty, you also have to manually stop the operation of the fuel pump 12 while refueling while silently checking the fuel tank 1 to see if the kerosene in the cartridge tank 1 is full. However, it also had the problem of being cumbersome.

The present invention solves such conventional problems, and allows refueling without removing the cap from the cartridge tank, and automatically stops the refueling pump when the liquid level in the tank reaches a predetermined level, eliminating the inconvenience. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid conveyance device whose automatic stop function is reliable and tedious without malfunction.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the liquid transport device of the present invention includes a first liquid storage container, a pump unit for transporting the liquid in the first liquid storage container, and a second liquid storage container. The liquid storage container includes a cap provided on the liquid storage container and has a valve body, and an adapter that is detachably attachable to the cap and communicates with the liquid in the first liquid storage container through a conduit, and has a liquid detection element. Due to the connection between the cap and the adapter, the tip of the discharge vibrator of the adapter pushes open the valve body, and at this time, the liquid sensing element provided near the tip inside the discharge vibrator is at a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge vibrator. It has a configuration in which a liquid transport device is provided on the separated upper side.

Operation According to the above-described structure, the adapter is first attached to and connected to the cap of the second liquid storage container during liquid transportation, and the valve body of the cap is pushed open by the tip of the discharge vibrator of the adapter. The discharge port opened in the discharge vibrator is located below the lower end of the mouthpiece. Next, by operating the pump unit in this state, the liquid is transported from the first liquid storage container to the second liquid storage container by the pump unit. At this time, the liquid passes through the discharge vibrator of the adapter and is discharged from the discharge port into the second liquid storage container, and at the same time, the air in the second liquid storage container flows between the opening of the mouthpiece and the discharge vibrator. The liquid is released from the second liquid storage container through the gap between the second liquid storage container and the second liquid storage container. In other words, during refueling, the discharge port opened in the discharge vibrator is located below the lower end of the mouthpiece as described above, so even if the force of the liquid to be discharged is strong, the liquid collides with the inner wall of the mouthpiece. The liquid flows into the second liquid storage container without any liquid leakage. Therefore, the liquid does not collide with the inner wall of the cap and blow out air and liquid together from the opening of the cap due to the force as in the conventional case, and the liquid can be smoothly transported to the second liquid storage container. In other words, the flow path resistance due to residual air is small, and refueling can be done quickly and in a short time.Moreover, the liquid does not leak outside from the vicinity of the joint between the adapter and the mouthpiece, making it possible to refuel without getting your hands dirty.

Furthermore, when the liquid is transported and the liquid level in the second liquid storage container reaches the liquid detection element installed near the inner tip of the discharge pipe, the pump unit automatically stops operating, as in the conventional case. This eliminates the troublesome problem of having to manually stop the operation of the pump while refueling while silently checking whether the pump has reached S*. However, not only this, but also because the liquid detection element provided near the inner tip of the discharge pipe is provided on the upper side with a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge pipe, there is no possibility that the liquid will be discharged during liquid transportation. This function also works to reliably prevent malfunctions such as stopping the pump unit because the liquid is directly applied to the liquid detection element and the pump unit is mistaken for being full even though it is not. In addition, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the configuration in which the liquid sensing element is provided on the upper side at a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge pipe has the advantage that, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, when a light reflection type sensor is used as the liquid sensing element, for example, when the liquid is at full volume, This function also works to prevent malfunctions such as when the liquid detection element and the valve body with which the distal end of the discharge pipe is in contact are too close to each other and the pump unit does not automatically stop due to strong reflected light from the valve body.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the first liquid storage container 16 is a polyester tank for storing kerosene, and a control section 19 is arranged above a pump unit 18 having a suction section 17. However, the adapter 20 and the pump unit 18 are connected by a hose 21. The state shown in FIG. 1 is a state in which the adapter 20 is attached to the base 23 of the cartridge tank, which is the second liquid storage container 22, and is being refueled. Further, 24 is an oil amount display section.

FIG. 2 shows the connecting portion between the adapter 20 of FIG. 1 and the mouthpiece 28 of the cartridge tank, which is the second liquid storage container 22, and the structure of the vicinity thereof. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the configurations of the adapter 20 side, the base 23, and the second liquid storage container 22, respectively, when the adapter 20 and the base 28 are not connected. First, the adapter 20 is attached to and detached from the base 23 with a single touch.The hook that is hooked onto the lower end 25 of the base is a claw part 26, and the handle part 27 is opened and closed by grasping the claw 26.
The entire adapter 20 has a substantially H-shaped front sectional shape. In addition, a hose connection part 28 for connecting a hose 21 that leads the liquid from the first liquid storage container 16 is located at the upper center of the approximately H-shaped adapter 20, and is also located at the lower center of the approximately H-shaped adapter 20. A discharge pipe 30 is inserted into the opening 29 of the cap 23 and discharges the liquid conveyed from the first liquid storage container 16 into the second liquid storage container 22.
is integrally formed from resin. In addition, the discharge vibrator 3
The vicinity of the tip 31 of the 0 is tapered to make it easier to insert the discharge vibrator 30 into the opening 29 of the mouthpiece 23. Further, a liquid detection element 32 is sealed and fixed in the radial direction near the inner lower part of the discharge vibrator 30. This is to detect the full amount when the liquid in the second liquid storage container 22 reaches an appropriate amount and automatically stop the pump unit 1st. The distance between them is approximately 10 mm.

The liquid detection element 32 includes a light emitting light receiving element 33 and a prism 34.
This is a light reflection type sensor consisting of a prism 34 placed downward. Further, the discharge vibrator 80 is molded from a resin material that transmits light. Discharge pipe tip 81
The cutout hole 35 is a hole for guiding the liquid from below into the discharge pipe when liquid accumulates in the second liquid storage container 22.
This is a so-called air vent hole for discharging the air inside and ensuring that the liquid detection element 32 can detect when the liquid level in the second liquid storage container 22 rises. The lead wire 37 of the liquid detection element 32 is connected to the discharge vibrator 30 and the hose 2.
The controller 19 is wired through the inside of the controller 1. The discharge outlet 038 opened on the side surface of the discharge vibrator 30 is provided at a position below the lower end 25 of the base when the adapter 20 is attached to the base 23, and the liquid detection element 32 is located at a position below the lower end 25 of the base. It is located at the bottom.

Next, the cap 23 connects to the cap screw portion 39 of the second liquid storage container 22.
It is screwed into place and sealed with a rubber gasket 4o.

Inside the cap 23, a compression spring 41 is installed in the opening 29 of the cap.
The opening 29 is sealed and closed when the adapter 2o is not connected to the base 23. That is, the compression spring 41 is a biasing means that always biases the valve body 43 in a direction toward closing. Further, a spring receiver 44 crimped and fixed to the inside of the cap 23 and to the outside of the valve body 43 guides the valve body 43. A wide open window 45 is formed on the side surface of the spring receiver 44.

The opening range of the opening window 45 is such that when the adapter 20 is coupled to the base 23, the opening range extends from at least the distal end 31 of the discharge vibrator to a position above the discharge port 38.

In the above fence configuration, when refueling, the second liquid storage container 22 is installed with the base 23 facing upward as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the tip of the discharge vibrator 30 of the adapter 20 is inserted into the opening 29 of the base If you push down the valve body 43 while inserting the
The hook of the adapter 20, which is approximately H-shaped when viewed from the front, is engaged with the lower end portion 25 of the cap while the claw portion 26 expands outward, thereby locking the adapter 20. At this time, there is a gap between the inner diameter of the opening 29 of the cap 23 and the outer diameter of the discharge vibrator 30, which is large enough to allow the air in the second liquid storage container 22 to flow out of the container 22 with almost no resistance. have.

Next, in this state, by turning on the operation switch 46 and operating the pump unit 18, the liquid is transferred from the first liquid storage container 16 to the second liquid storage container 22 by the pump unit 18. At this time, the liquid is in hose 2
1, through the discharge vibrator 30 of the adapter 20, and from the discharge port 38 into the second liquid storage container 22 as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. The liquid is discharged from the gap between the opening 29 and the discharge vibrator 30 to the outside of the second liquid storage container 22 as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. At this time, since the discharge port 38 opened in the discharge vibrator 30 is located below the lower end 25 of the mouthpiece 23, even if the force of the liquid to be discharged is strong, the liquid collides with the inner wall of the mouthpiece 23. The liquid flows into the second liquid storage container 22 without any liquid leakage. Therefore, unlike in the conventional case, the liquid does not hit the inner wall of the cap 2 and the air and liquid together spill out from the opening 3 of the cap 2 due to the momentum, and the liquid is smoothly transferred to the second liquid storage container 22. It has the effect of being able to be transported. In other words, since the liquid and air do not violently collide with each other within the mouthpiece 23 during refueling, there is less flow path resistance due to residual air.
Refueling can be done quickly and in a short time, and the adapter 20 and base 23
No liquid leaks outside from the vicinity of the joint, allowing you to refuel without getting your hands dirty.

Further, as a result of a prototype experiment, by providing the discharge port 38 at a position approximately 30 mm or more below the opening 29 of the cap, the liquid hits the inner wall of the cap 23, and the force causes air and liquid to flow through the opening 29 of the cap 23. We were able to confirm that it has the effect of eliminating the occurrence of boiling over all at the same time.

The liquid is then transported to the second liquid storage container 22, and before the liquid level reaches the height of the prism 34 of the liquid detection element 32, infrared light emitted from the light emitting element of the light emitting/receiving element 33 hits the prism 34. The light receiving element of the light emitting and receiving element 33 receives the reflected light and sends it as an electrical signal to the control unit 19 via the lead wire 37. When the height of 34 is reached and the prism 34 is immersed in the liquid, light is diffused from the surface of the prism 34 and the amount of reflected light received by the light emitting/receiving element 33 decreases.The change in the signal level is used to detect the full level of the liquid. do. Therefore, when the second liquid storage container 22 reaches full capacity, the liquid detection element 32 and the control section 19 function to automatically stop the operation of the pump unit 18. This action eliminates the hassle of refueling and manually stopping the operation of the pump while silently checking whether the refueling tank is full or not, which is the case with conventional pumps. In addition, the distance between the liquid detection element 32 provided near the inner tip of the discharge pipe 30 and the discharge pipe tip 31 is 5.
Due to the configuration provided on the upper side separated by at least 1 mm, the liquid discharged during liquid transport directly hits the liquid detection element 32, causing the pump unit 1 to be mistaken for being full even though it is not.
It has a unique effect of reliably preventing malfunctions such as stopping 8. In addition, the liquid detection element 3
In addition to the above-mentioned effects, for example, in this embodiment, a light reflection type sensor is used as the liquid detection element 32, but when the liquid is full, The liquid detection element 32
This also has the unique effect of preventing malfunctions in which the pump unit 18 does not automatically stop because the discharge pipe tip 31 is too close to the valve body 43 and the reflected light from the valve body is strong. In this case, as a result of making a prototype and conducting an experiment, it was confirmed that this effect can be obtained if the distance from the liquid detection element 32 to the tip 31 of the discharge pipe is 5 mm or more. Furthermore, by providing an air vent hole 36 in the discharge pipe 30 between the liquid detection element 32 and the discharge pipe tip 31, when the liquid level in the second liquid storage container 22 rises,
Air within the discharge pipe 30 is discharged to the outside of the discharge vibrator 30, and the liquid contacts the prism 34 of the liquid detection element 32, thereby acting to ensure full detection.

Furthermore, as in this embodiment, the discharge port 38 opened on the side surface of the discharge vibrator 30 is provided, and the liquid detection element 32 is installed below the discharge port 38, so that the inner diameter of the discharge vibrator 30, that is, the liquid conveyance path is The flow path area is not narrowed by the detection element 32, and therefore the necessary flow path area can be secured without increasing the diameter of the discharge vibrator 30. Therefore, the adapter 20, which is thin, smart, and lightweight, has the unique effect of being able to transport liquid in a short time and being easy to handle and operate. Furthermore, the discharge port 3 opened on the side of the discharge vibrator 30
8, and a liquid detection element 82 is installed below the discharge port 38, so that the liquid discharged from the discharge port 38 is directed diagonally downward from the side of the discharge vibrator 30, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. is discharged. That is, the liquid discharged during refueling can be discharged onto the side surface of the discharge vibrator 30 without splashing the liquid onto the liquid detection element 32 below the discharge port 38. Therefore, while refueling, the second liquid storage container 22
This has the effect of preventing the operation of the pump unit 18 from being erroneously automatically stopped even though the liquid has not reached its full level. This was also confirmed in the prototype of this example, which is a light reflection type sensor having the prism 34 of this example, in which the prism 34 is adhesively fixed downward to the inside of the discharge vibrator 30 for radial sealing.

Furthermore, after stopping the refueling, the handle 27 of the approximately H-shaped adapter 20
By simply pinching the adapter 20 lightly, the hook portion 26 of the adapter 20 expands, allowing the adapter 20 to be easily removed from the base 23, resulting in good operability and ease of attachment and detachment. Since the adapter 20 and the base 23 are connected by engaging the lower end 25 of the base and the claw part 26 of the adapter, the adapter 20 can be attached by simply pushing it in lightly and simply grasping the handle part 27 lightly. You can leave with .

In this manner, the unique effect of being able to attach and detach the adapter 20 in a very simple and reliable manner can be obtained.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the liquid transport device of the present invention provides the following effects.

(1) The adapter can be detachably attached to the cap of the second liquid storage container, and there is no need to touch the cap directly, so there is an effect that refueling can be done without getting the hands dirty.

(2) In addition to the configuration in which the adapter can be detachably attached to the cap of the second liquid storage container, the tip of the discharge pipe of the adapter pushes open the valve body of the cap, and the adapter has a liquid detection element. There is an effect that refueling can be performed without the trouble of removing the cap, and that the pump unit can be automatically stopped when the second liquid storage container reaches a desired liquid level.

(3) The liquid detection element installed near the inner tip of the discharge pipe is located above the tip of the discharge pipe at a distance of 5 mm or more, so it acts to prevent malfunction of liquid level detection. It has the unique effect of being more reliable and safe to use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the overall structure of a liquid conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the same liquid conveyance device in a state where an adapter and a base are combined, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the adapter side of the liquid conveyance device, FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional cartridge tank, and FIG. 6 is a front cross-sectional view of the conventional liquid conveyance device. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16... First liquid storage container, 18... Pump unit, 20... Adapter, 22... Second liquid storage container, 23... Mouthpiece, 30... Discharge vibrator, 31...
...Discharge pipe tip, 32...Liquid detection element, 36.
...Air vent hole, 43...Valve body. Name of agent Patent attorney Toshio Nakao 1 person Figure 1/6--- 18 ...- ω −− &−−− 2J --- First liquid storage capacity 6 Bosof 0 Uni Soto adapter No. Easy storage of second liquid. Base Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A pump unit that transports the liquid in the first liquid storage container, a cap that is provided on the second liquid storage container and has a valve body, and a cap that can be detachably attached to the cap and that stores the first liquid. an adapter that communicates with the liquid in the container through a conduit and has a liquid detection element, and when the mouthpiece and the adapter are coupled, the tip of the discharge pipe of the adapter pushes open the valve body, and at this time, the inside of the discharge pipe The liquid sensing element provided near the tip of the liquid conveying device is provided on the upper side with a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge pipe. (2) The liquid conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein an air vent hole is provided in the discharge pipe between the liquid detection element and the tip of the discharge pipe.