JPH024118A - liquid conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely prevent the mal-functioning of a liquid level detection by installing a liquid detecting element on the upstream side at least at a specified distance away from the end of a discharge pipe. CONSTITUTION:A liquid detecting element is installed inside a discharge pipe 31 near its end 31 at a distance of 5mm or more above the end 31 so as to reduce the reflecting light from the discharge pipe 30. That can also prevent such a mal-functioning securely that a pump unit 18 is stopped during oil supply operation by mistake due to liquid splashing over the liquid detecting element 32. In addition, if the liquid detecting element is too close to the valve body 43 that contacts with the end 31 of the discharge pipe, the reflection light from the valve body 43 or the reflection light in the discharge pipe 30 is too strong and a large amount of light returns to the liquid detecting element 32, resulting in such a mal-functioning that the pump unit 18 is not automatically stopped when the liquid reaches the full level and the pump unit 18 is to be stopped. Such mal-functioning is also prevented since the pipe 30 is made of transparent plastic so as to reduce the light reflection.

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, to which a cap 2 is attached. An opening 3 is formed in the center of the base 2.

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. The holder 97F! is inserted into the cap 2 through the opening 3 of the holder 97F!, the holder 9 is covered around the cap 2, and the annular protrusion 10 of the cap 2 is engaged with the engagement recess 11 of the holder 9. : Hold in cap 2. By operating the fuel pump 12 in this state, the vibrator 13 is removed from the kerosene tank (not shown).
The kerosene is sucked up as shown by the broken line arrow A in FIG. The gas is discharged to the outside through the opening 3 of the cap 2 and the gas vent hole 15 of the holder 9. (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) in the cap 2 and the air flow U (-dotted chain arrow) are Since the structure is not partitioned and the liquid kerosene and the gaseous air collide with each other, as a result, it may not be possible to refuel the cartridge tank 1 quickly, 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 inside, 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, the area around the cartridge tank and hands will get dirty, and besides that, the operation of the refueling pump 12 must be manually stopped while refueling while silently checking with the refueling tank to see if the kerosene in the cartridge tank 1 has reached its full level. However, there was a problem in that it was unavoidable and 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 transport device whose automatic stop function works reliably 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 detection element provided near the tip inside the discharge vibrator is an optical sensor having a prism, and The liquid transport device is provided on the 1E side with a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge vibrator, and the vibrator at this distance is formed to reduce the amount of light reflection.

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. This allows the liquid to flow smoothly into the second liquid storage container, without the liquid hitting the inner wall of the cap and blowing out the air and liquid together from the opening of the cap, unlike in the conventional case. It can be transferred to a second liquid storage container. In other words, the flow path resistance due to residual air is small, and refueling can be performed 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 visually checking whether the tank is at full capacity. 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 full. Further, the liquid detection element is an optical sensor having a prism and is provided on the upper side at a distance of 5 mm or more from the tip of the discharge pipe,
Furthermore, since the pipe at this distance is configured to reduce the amount of light reflection, when the liquid reaches full volume and should stop, the liquid detection element and the valve body that the tip of the discharge pipe is in contact with are too close to each other. It also works to prevent malfunctions such as the pump unit not stopping automatically due to too much light reflected from the body or too strong light reflected within the discharge pipe, resulting in a large amount of light returning to the liquid detection element.

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 base 23 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. Also, the discharge vibe 30
The vicinity of the tip 31 is tapered to make it easier to insert the discharge vibrator 30 into the opening 29 of the base 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 and automatically stop the pump unit 18 when the liquid in the second liquid storage container 22 reaches an appropriate amount. The distance is about 1
It is provided at a distance of 0 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 pipe 30 is molded from a resin material that transmits light. Discharge vibrator tip 31
The cutout hole 35 is a hole for introducing the liquid from below into the discharge vibrator when liquid accumulates in the second liquid storage container 22, and the anti-icing 36 of the prism 34 is a hole for guiding the liquid into the discharge vibrator from below when the 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. A discharge port 38 opened on the side surface of the discharge vibrator 30 is provided at a position below the lower end portion 25 of the base when the adapter 20 is attached to the base 23, and the liquid sensing element 32 is located at a position below this discharge port 38. It is located at the bottom of the .

Next, the cap 23 connects to the cap screw portion 39 of the second liquid storage container 22.
It is screwed onto and sealed with a bum packing 40.

Inside the cap 28, a compression spring 41 is provided at the frontage 29 of the cap.
The opening 29 is sealed and closed when the adapter 20 is not coupled 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 connected to the base 23, the opening range extends from at least the tip 31 of the discharge vibrator to a position on the second side of the discharge port 38.

In the above configuration, when refueling, the second liquid storage container 22 is installed with the mouthpiece 23 facing toward the other side as shown in FIGS. When the valve body 43 is pushed down while inserting the valve body, the catch of the adapter 20, which is approximately H-shaped when viewed from the front, engages the lower end 25 of the base while the claw portion 26 expands outward, and the adapter 20 is locked. . 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.
The gap is large enough to allow air in the second liquid storage container 22 to flow out of the container 22 with almost no resistance.

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.

In addition, as a result of a prototype experiment, it was found that by providing the discharge port 38 at a position approximately 3Qmm or more below the opening 29 of the mouthpiece, the liquid hits the inner wall of the mouthpiece 23 and the force causes air and liquid to flow out of the mouthpiece 23 from the opening 29. We were able to confirm that it was effective in 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 83 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 84 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 m.
Due to the structure provided on the upper side separated by at least m, the liquid discharged during liquid transport directly hits the liquid detection element 32, causing the pump unit 18 to be mistaken for being full even though it is not.
It has the unique effect of reliably preventing malfunctions such as stopping the system. 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. The liquid detection element 32 is an optical sensor having a prism 34, and is provided on the upper side at a distance of 5 mm or more from the discharging pipe tip 31, and the pipe 30 at this distance is arranged so that the amount of light reflection is reduced. Since it is made of a resin material that transmits light, when the liquid reaches full volume and should stop, the liquid detection element 32 and the valve body 43 that the discharge pipe tip 31 is in contact with are too close, and light reflected from the valve body 43 is reflected. This function also works to prevent malfunctions such as the pump unit 18 not automatically stopping due to too much light being too strong or the light reflected within the discharge pipe 30 being too strong, resulting in a large amount of light returning to the liquid detection element 32. It's also effective. As a result of experiments, this effect can be achieved by using a method other than configuring the discharge vibrator 30 with a resin member that transmits light to reduce the amount of light reflection. or make the discharge vibrator 30 black.
A similar effect can also be obtained by a configuration that suppresses light reflection by at least one of these methods, such as making the inner surface roughness a satin-like glossy surface. Of course, both black color and satin-like surface roughness were also effective. A similar effect was also obtained by reducing the reflection of light within the discharge pipe 30 by opening the side surface of the discharge pipe 30 between the liquid detection element 32 and the discharge pipe tip 31. Furthermore, by providing an air vent hole 36 in the discharge vibrator 30 between the liquid detection element 32 and the tip 31 of the discharge pipe, when the liquid level in the second liquid storage container 22 rises, the air inside the discharge pipe 30 is removed. 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 08 opened on the side of the discharge vibrator 30
8, and the liquid detection element 32 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 038. 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 claws 26 of the nine hooks of the adapter 20 expand, 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. I can do am.

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 is pushed open like 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 an optical sensor with a prism, and is installed above the tip of the discharge pipe at a distance of 5 mm or more, and furthermore, the vibrator at this distance reflects light. Since the structure is formed so that the amount is small, it works to reliably prevent malfunctions in liquid level detection, and 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 sectional view of the adapter side of the transfer device, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the mouthpiece side of the liquid transfer device, FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional section of a conventional cartridge tank, and FIG. 6 is a portion of a conventional liquid transfer 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, 34.
... Prism, 43... Valve body. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person! Figure/6---First Valley 4$ Uncollected Container 18-Ogunpuuni-7toZo-Hudapuku Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram Diagram

Claims (4)

[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 detection element provided near the tip of the discharge pipe is an optical sensor having a prism and is provided above the tip of the discharge pipe at a distance of 5 mm or more, and the pipe at this distance has a structure in which the amount of light reflection is small. liquid conveyance device. (2) The liquid conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge pipe between the liquid detection element and the tip of the discharge pipe has an open side surface. (3) The liquid conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge pipe between the liquid detection element and the tip of the discharge pipe is made of a member that transmits light. (4) The liquid conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge pipe between the liquid detection element and the tip of the discharge pipe is configured such that at least one of color and surface roughness suppresses reflection of light.