JPH024122A - Liquid transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow oil to be supplied without detaching a spout, and to securely stop a pump at a specified level by attaching a detachable adapter on the spout of No.2 liquid container so as to make the top of a discharge pipe of the adapter push down a valve body of the spout open, and providing a liquid detecting element inside a discharge pipe. CONSTITUTION:No.1 liquid container 16 is provided with a controller 19 above a pump unit 18. An adapter 20, that is detachable at a touch, is attached on a spout 23 of No.2 liquid container 22. The spout 23 is faced upward when supplying oil, and the top of a discharge pipe 30 is inserted into the opening of the adapter to push down a valve body 43. When the pump unit is started at this state, the liquid flows from a discharge port 38 as shown by the arrows with solid lines, and is transferred smoothly without spilling out. A liquid detecting element 32 contained inside the discharge pipe is an optical sensor provided with a prism 34, and the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism is constituted so as to reduce an amount of returning reflection light that is emitted from the liquid detecting element and reflected by the prism. Therefore, when the liquid reaches the full level, the liquid detecting element and the controller operate to securely stop the pump unit automatically.

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, with the above configuration, when refueling the cartridge tank 1, when removing the cap 2 from the refueling port 6, kerosene adheres to the user's hand, 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, the valve body 4t is placed at the tip of the discharge side vibrator 8 with the base 2 of the cartridge tank 1 facing upward.
-While pressing down against the compression spring 5, the discharge side vibrator 8
is inserted into the cap 2 through the opening 3 of the cap 2, the holder 9 is covered around the cap 2, and the holder 9 is inserted into the annular convex portion 10 of the cap 2.
By engaging the engagement recess 11 of the retainer 9 with the base 2
hold it. By operating the fuel pump 12 in this condition, kerosene is sucked up from the kerosene tank (not shown) through the vibrator 13 as shown by the broken line arrow A in FIG. The air in the tank 1 is replenished, and the air in the tank 1 is discharged to the outside through the opening 3 of the cap 2 and the gas vent hole 15 of the holder 9, as shown by the dashed-dotted 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 has 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 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 pump unit for transporting the liquid in a first liquid storage container, and a valve body provided in the second liquid storage container. A base having
An adapter that can be detachably attached to the cap and communicates with the liquid in the first liquid storage container through a conduit and has a liquid detection element is provided, and when the cap and the adapter are coupled, the discharge vibrator of the adapter is The tip pushes open the valve body, and at this time, the liquid detection element provided inside the discharge vibrator is an optical sensor having a prism,
The surface of the valve body facing the prism is configured as a liquid conveying device in which the amount of light reflected by the prism from the liquid sensing element is small.

Operation According to the above-described structure, the adapter is first attached to and connected to the mouthpiece of the second liquid storage container when the liquid is fed into the liquid machine, and the valve body of the mouthpiece is pushed open by the tip of the discharge vibrator of the adapter. At this time, 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 condition, the liquid is transferred 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, there is little resistance in the flow path due to residual air, 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 visually checking whether the tank is at full capacity. However, in addition to this, the liquid sensing element provided inside the discharge pipe is an optical sensor having a prism, and the surface of the valve body facing the prism is connected to the liquid sensing element. Since the configuration is such that the amount of light reflected by the prism is small, the light emitted by the liquid detection element reaches the surface of the prism when the liquid reaches full volume and should stop, and the prism The amount of light that was dispersed on the surface and reflected on the prism surface and returned to the liquid sensing element decreases.
It is judged that the liquid level has reached full level and the pump unit should stop, but the light dispersed on the prism surface is reflected on the side of the valve body facing the prism, and the light is reflected from the valve body. This also works to prevent malfunctions such as the pump unit not stopping automatically due to too much light being returned to the liquid sensing 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. 3rd @
FIG. 4 shows the configurations of the adapter 20 side, the base 23, and the second liquid storage container 22 when the adapter 20 and the base 23 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 front cross-sectional shape of the entire adapter 20 is approximately H-shaped. 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 vibrator 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 pipe 30
The vicinity of the tip mai is tapered to make it easier to insert the discharge vibrator 30 into the opening 29 of the base 28. Further, a liquid detection element 32 is fixed in a radial direction near the lower part of the inside of the discharge vibrator 80. 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 vibrator 30 is molded from a resin material that transmits light. Discharge pipe tip 31
The notch 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, and the anti-icing 36 of the prism 34 is a hole for introducing the liquid into the discharge pipe 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. 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 onto and sealed with a rubber gasket 40.

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 20 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. The liquid detection element 32 provided inside the discharge vibrator 30 is an optical sensor having a prism 34, and the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism 34 is configured so that the light emitted by the liquid detection element 32 is connected to the valve body. In order to reduce the amount of light that is reflected on the prism facing surface of 43 and directly returns to the prism 34, it is constructed with black satin plating. Further, a spring receiver 44 caulked and fixed to the inside of the cap 23 and to the outside of the valve body 43 guides the valve body 43fc. A wide opening 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 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 23. When the valve body 43 is pushed down while inserting the valve body 43, the catch of the adapter 20, which has a substantially I4 shape 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, 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 in 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. 34, the prism 34 is immersed in the liquid, the light is diffused from the surface of the prism 34, and the amount of reflected light received by the light emitting/receiving element 33 is reduced.The full level of the liquid is detected by the change in the signal level. act. 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. The liquid detection element 32 provided inside the discharge vibrator 30 is an optical sensor having a prism 34, and the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism 34 is
The light emitted by the liquid detection element 32 is reflected on the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism, and the structure is coated with black satin plating so that the amount of light reflected directly back to the prism 34 is reduced. The pump unit 18 is supposed to stop when it is determined that the amount has reached full capacity, but the light dispersed on the surface of the prism 34 is reflected on the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism 34, and the light is reflected from the valve body 43. It also has the unique effect of preventing malfunctions in which the pump unit 18 does not automatically stop due to too much light returning to the liquid detection element 32. As a result of experiments, this effect described above can be obtained either by roughening the surface roughness of the surface of the valve body 43 facing the prism to give it a so-called satin-like glossy surface, or by simply making it black, which is less likely to reflect light. A similar effect was obtained. In other words, the same effect can be obtained as long as the light emitted by the liquid □ detection element 32 is dispersed outside the prism 34 and the dispersed light is reflected and the amount of reflection that returns to the prism 34 can be reduced. That is why it is done.

Furthermore, as in this embodiment, the discharge pipe 30 has the discharge port 38 opened on the side surface, 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 It is not narrowed by the detection element 32, and therefore the necessary flow area can be secured without increasing the diameter of the discharge pipe 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, after stopping refueling, simply pinching the handle 27 of the approximately H-shaped adapter 20 will cause the adapter 20 to be hooked onto the claw portion 26.
The adapter 20 can be easily removed from the ferrule 23, resulting in good operability and easy attachment and detachment. By configuring the adapter 20 and the base 23 to be 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 by simply grasping the handle part 27 lightly. You can leave.

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 vibrator 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 inside the discharge vibrator consists of an optical sensor with a prism, and the surface of the valve body facing the prism is configured to reduce the amount of light reflection, so that the liquid This works to prevent malfunctions such as the pump unit not stopping automatically when the valve body reaches full capacity and the reflected light from the valve body is too strong and returns to the liquid detection element, making it more reliable. It has the unique effect of being highly durable 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 sectional view 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... r Second liquid storage container, 23... Mouthpiece, 30... Discharge vibrator, 31...
・Discharge vibrator tip, 32 ・Liquid detection element, 34・
... Prism, 43... Valve body. Name of agent Patent attorney Toshio Nakao Haka 18 No. 1 Figure/6 - First light body storage core winding f8 ~ Hole 1 F unit 20 - Adapter 22 - Second Φ★ body storage spring 4 - Base figure Figure 6 figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] a pump unit for transporting the liquid in the first liquid storage container; a cap provided on the second liquid storage container and having a valve body; an adapter that communicates with the liquid 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 adapter is provided inside the discharge pipe. The liquid sensing element is configured to include an optical sensor having a prism, and the surface of the valve body facing the prism is configured such that the amount of light emitted by the liquid sensing element is reflected to the prism is small. liquid conveyance device.