JPH0637700U - Gas automatic switching regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To provide an automatic switching regulator capable of accurately displaying and detecting switching of gas supply to a spare gas container. [Composition] A cam body is rotated by an operation of a manual switching knob to set one of the gas containers for use and the other for a spare.
When the gas container is almost empty during use, the valve body is actuated by the cam body descending together with the diaphragm and the switching rotary shaft to start the gas supply from the spare gas container. The display body is swung by the lowering of the switching rotary shaft and the magnet is brought close to the reed switch to display and detect the gas supply from the auxiliary gas container. The protruding portion 110c provided adjacent to the positioning surface 110b on one side of the manual switching knob or the upper case 102 is passed over and the stopper piece 102a provided on the other side is moved. The manual switching knob 110 is held at a predetermined position by the protrusion and the positioning surface.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automatic gas switching regulator, and in particular, it supplies high-pressure gas from a gas container after adjusting the pressure to a predetermined gas pressure and supplies a backup gas when the remaining gas container is running low. It relates to an automatic gas switching regulator that supplies gas by switching to the container side.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Fig. 3 shows a gas supply system using this type of automatic gas switching regulator. In the figure, 1 is an automatic gas switching regulator, and this automatic gas switching regulator 1 has a working gas container 2 and a spare. The gas supply end of the gas container 3 is connected to supply high-pressure gas, and the gas whose gas pressure is adjusted is supplied to a gas device (not shown) via the gas pipe 4.

The automatic gas switching regulator 1 is specifically configured as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the figure, the peripheral portion of the diaphragm 103 is fixed between the lower case 101 and the upper case 102, and each of the cases 101 and 102 is divided into a pressure adjusting chamber 104 and an atmospheric pressure chamber 105. The balance with the pressure adjusting chamber 104 is maintained by the spring 106 that is contracted to the 105 side. Under the lower case 101 forming the pressure adjusting chamber 104, high pressure gas inlets 101a and 101b are formed opposite to each other on the left and right sides thereof, and a gas container is connected to these inlets via a high pressure hose. Each is connected.

At the center of the diaphragm 103, a switching rotary shaft 107, which moves up and down together with the diaphragm 103, is provided so as to penetrate therethrough. The upper end of the switching rotary shaft 107 is projected to the outside of the upper case 102 through a hollow hole 108a of a hollow rotating body 108 that is rotatably mounted in the opening 102a of the upper case 102. The protruding end 107a of the switching rotary shaft 107 is interlocked with the display body 109 swingably supported by the hollow rotating body 108, and the protruding end 107a acts on the display body 109 by the movement of the switching rotary shaft 107 in the thrust direction. And rock it.

The display body 109 is located at an upper position of the switching rotary shaft 107 in a raised position, and is swung downward due to the lowering of the switching rotary shaft 107 due to a decrease in gas pressure. The reduction of gas can be visually confirmed through a display window 110a provided on the side surface of the knob 110.

Further, the switching rotary shaft 107 having the upper end portion mounted in the hollow hole 108a is slidable in the thrust direction with respect to the hollow rotary body 108, but is not rotatable in the radial direction. The switching rotary shaft 107 is rotated by the rotation of the hollow rotary body 108. The manual switching knob 110 is engaged with and attached to a flange 108b formed on the upper end of the hollow rotating body 108.

A cam body 111 is integrally formed on the switching rotary shaft 107 provided in the pressure adjusting chamber 104 so that the switching rotary shaft 107 is rotated by operating the manual switching knob 110. It is provided in. The cam body 111 has a cam surface composed of two flat surfaces 111a and 111b having different heights and a taper surface 111c connecting the two flat surfaces at positions separated by 180 degrees. The two flat surfaces of the cam surface are operating rods 114a, 114b of valve bodies 113a, 113b for opening and closing valve holes 112a, 112b formed between the pressure adjusting chamber 104 and the high pressure gas inlets 101a, 101b. Is supported.

The valve bodies 113a and 113b are constantly urged by the springs 115a and 115b in the direction of closing the valve holes 112a and 112b, and the flat surfaces 111a and 111b move to the operating rods 114a and 114b by the lowering of the cam body 111. Upon contact, the valve elements 113a and 113b are pushed down against the springs 115a and 115b, and the valve holes 112a and 112b are opened.

With the above configuration, the manual switching knob 110 is operated to rotate the switching rotary shaft 107, thereby rotating the cam body 111 integrated with the manual switching knob 107, and the rotation of the cam body causes the high pressure gas inlet 101a to rotate. One can be set as the main inlet and the other as the auxiliary inlet 101b.

When the gas pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber 104 becomes lower than the gas pressure set by the spring 106 for setting the pressure, the diaphragm 103 is deformed inside the pressure adjusting chamber 104 and the cam body 111 is moved. The valve body 113a provided in the valve hole 112a of the main inlet 101a and the pressure adjusting chamber 104 is moved down through the operating rod 114a to open the valve hole 112a, and the high pressure gas in the gas container is depressurized and supplied. When the amount of remaining gas in the gas container connected to the main inlet 101a becomes too small to maintain the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber 104 at the set pressure, the cam body 111 further descends and the auxiliary inlet 101b side. The valve body 113b is opened via the operating rod 114b to automatically switch the gas container.

When the cam body 111 descends as described above, the switching rotary shaft 107 also descends together with the cam body 111, but the lowering operation of the switching rotary shaft indicates that the gas container is switched by the upper end 107a. By swinging the display body 109 so as to face the display window 110a of the manual switching knob 110, it is possible to visually confirm that the gas container has been switched through the display window.

Upon confirmation of this indication that the in-use gas container has been emptied and the spare gas container has been replaced, the delivery agent of the gas supplier removes the empty gas container and replaces it with a new gas container. After connecting the container, the manual switching knob 110 is rotated 180 degrees. As a result, the inlets that have been the auxiliary inlet 101b and the main inlet 101a up to now become the main inlet and the auxiliary inlet, and the existing spare gas container serves as the used gas container and the new gas container serves as the spare gas container for supplying gas. I will do it.

In the automatic switching regulator described above with reference to FIG. 4, the dispatcher cannot know that the gas container has been switched unless the dispatcher confirms the display on the display 109. This confirmation work must be done by visiting the customer's house. Therefore, in order to streamline the operations for gas container replacement and delivery, the gas container switching information is transmitted to a remote delivery center or the like using a transmission line, and it is not necessary to go through the confirmation work one by one. But there are some things I did well.

The automatic switching regulator shown in FIG. 6 is configured to transmit the switching information of the gas container as described above. The magnet 120 is built in the display body 109, and the switching container is arranged around the shoulder of the upper case 102. Inside the cover 121, a pair of reed switches 122a and 122b that are opened / closed by contact / separation of the magnet 120 are provided.

With this configuration, when the gas container is emptied during use, the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber 104 is reduced, and the display body 109 descends from the state of FIG. 6A as shown in FIG. The reed switch 122a is opened by the approach of the gnet 120, and the valve element 113b on the side of the preliminary inlet 101b is lowered by the lowering of the switching rotary shaft 107 to open the valve hole 113b and start the gas supply from the preliminary gas container. To do. By detecting that the reed switch 122a has been opened and transmitting the switching information through the transmission line, it is possible to notify the distribution center that the gas container has been switched, so that it is not necessary to carry out confirmation work by patrol. It has become.

[0016]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional automatic switching regulator, in order to regulate the 180-degree rotation operation of the manual switching knob 110, as shown in FIG. 7, the stopper piece 102a is formed on the outer wall of the upper case 102, and Two step portions 110b (only one is shown) are formed on the inner wall of the manual switching knob 110 so as to be separated from each other by 180 degrees, and one surface of the stopper piece 102a is rotated by rotating the manual switching knob 110 in one direction. The positioning surface of one step portion 110b is abutted against A _1, and the other positioning surface of the step portion (not shown) is attached to the other surface A ₂ of the stopper piece 102a by rotating 180 degrees in the direction opposite to the arrow. Manual switching is performed so that they abut.

Further, when the switching rotary shaft 107 is rotated, a twisting force is applied to the rubber ring provided around the switching rotary shaft 107 for maintaining airtightness and the spring component for pressure setting. When the rotational force applied to the switching rotary shaft 107 is released, these repulsive forces act on the switching rotary shaft 107. Therefore, only by rotating the manual switching knob 110 so that the step portion 110b abuts on the stopper piece 102a, the cam body 111 together with the switching rotary shaft 107 is slightly reversed by the repulsive force.

Further, as described above, two flat surfaces 111a and 111b having different heights are brought into contact with the cam surface of the cam body 111, and the tips of the two operating rods 114a and 114b separated by 180 degrees are brought into contact with each other. A tapered surface 111c is formed between the two. If the taper surface 111c is steeply inclined, when the cam body 111 is rotated by the rotation operation of the manual switching knob 110, the friction resistance between the operating rods 114a and 114b and the taper surface 111c becomes large and the operation is performed. Wear of the tips of the rods 114a and 114b becomes severe.

During a long period of use, the descending amount of the switching rotary shaft 107 becomes large, and the automatic switching display of the gas container is gradually performed, and the remaining gas amount is still sufficient. Since the gas container will be replaced soon, the gas container will be delivered more frequently, which is not preferable in terms of economic efficiency. Therefore, if the angle of the taper surface is increased so that the inclination of the taper surface 111c is as gentle as possible, the area of the flat surfaces 111a and 111b becomes small in this way.

As described above, when the cam body 111 is slightly returned when the rotation operation of the manual switching knob 110 is released when the area of the flat surfaces 111a and 111b is small, the tips of the operating rods 114a and 114b are returned. Is removed from the flat surfaces 111a and 111b of the cam body 111 and comes into contact with the tapered surface 111c, and like the wear of the tips of the operating rods 114a and 114b, the automatic switching display of the gas container is quickly performed. The same inconvenience will occur as the indication that the gas container needs to be replaced will be displayed while the remaining amount of gas is sufficient.

In particular, in the case where the reed switches 122a and 122b are opened by the approach of the magnet 120 to perform the switching notification, the manual switching knob 110 returns so that the positional relationship between the magnet 120 and the reed switches 122a and 122b. There is a possibility that the switch notification may go wrong and the switching notification may not be performed normally.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide an automatic switching adjuster capable of accurately displaying switching of gas supply.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an automatic switching regulator capable of accurately detecting gas supply switching in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems.

[0024]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 To achieve the first object, the automatic switching regulator according to the present invention comprises a pair of high pressure gas inlets to which a gas container is connected, and a diaphragm forming a part of a pressure regulating chamber. A valve element provided in a gas flow path between each of the pair of high pressure gas inlets and the pressure adjusting chamber, and a valve body rotatably projecting through the diaphragm and depending on a pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber. The switching rotary shaft that moves up and down together with the diaphragm, and two flat surfaces that are integrally provided on the switching rotary shaft protruding into the pressure adjusting chamber and that correspond to the valve body and have different heights from each other. A cam body having a cam surface composed of a tapered surface connecting two flat surfaces, an internal hollow manual switching knob connected to the switching rotary shaft projecting outside the pressure adjusting chamber so as to rotate therewith, and the manual switching In order to restrict the rotation angle of the manual switching knob and the fixing portion, a stopper piece provided on one side of the fixed portion and a positioning surface provided on the other side and abutting against the stopper piece for positioning are provided in the manual switching knob. And a display body that is swingably supported and swings in accordance with the vertical movement of the switching rotary shaft, and the cam body is rotated via the switching rotary shaft by the rotation operation of the manual switching knob. One of the gas containers connected to the pair of high-pressure gas inlets is set for use and the other is set as a spare, and the gas container in use is almost emptied and falls depending on the pressure in the pressure adjustment chamber. Actuates the valve element provided in the flow path between the high pressure gas inlet and the pressure adjusting chamber, to which the auxiliary gas container is connected by the cam that descends together with the diaphragm and the switching rotary shaft. From the spare gas container In the gas automatic switching regulator that starts the gas supply and swings the display body by descending and descending the switching rotary shaft to display the gas supply from the auxiliary gas container, adjacent to the positioning surface. The stopper piece is further provided with a protrusion capable of moving over the stopper piece, and the protrusion and the positioning surface hold the manual switching knob at a position where the stopper piece and the positioning surface are in contact with each other. It is characterized by having done.

The diaphragm is fixed with a peripheral portion sandwiched between a lower case and an upper case forming the pressure adjusting chamber, the stopper piece is formed on an outer wall of the upper case, and the positioning surface is manually switched. It is characterized by being formed inside the knob.

In order to achieve the second object, the automatic switching regulator according to the present invention is opened and closed by a magnet built in the display body and the magnet which is approached by the swing of the display body. It is characterized by comprising a pair of lead switches for detecting the start of gas supply from the gas container.

[0027]

[Action]

 With the above configuration, the stopper piece provided on one side of the manual switching knob and the fixing portion abuts the positioning surface provided on the other side to regulate the rotation angle of the manual switching knob. Since the stopper piece rides over this projection so that the projection and the stopper piece can move relative to each other, the manual switching knob is held at the position where the stopper piece and the positioning surface contact each other. .

Therefore, the switching rotary shaft and the cam body, which rotate together with the manual switching knob, are also positioned at a predetermined position, and the cam body is moved together with the diaphragm and the switching rotary shaft according to the pressure drop in the pressure adjusting chamber. When it descends, the valve body is activated by the flat surface of the cam body, and the gas supply from the spare gas container can be started only when the gas container in use is almost empty. The display will also be performed at the correct timing.

Further, the reed switch is surely opened and closed by the magnet in the display body, and it is possible to detect that the supply gas container is switched only when the gas container in use is almost empty.

[0030]

【Example】

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an essential part of an embodiment of a gas automatic switching regulator according to the present invention, and the parts not shown are the same as those described above with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, a protrusion 110c is formed on the inner wall of the manual switching knob 110 adjacent to the positioning surface of the step 110b. The protrusion 110c is formed so as to correspond to the stopper piece 102a formed on the outer wall of the upper case 102. When the manual switching knob 110 is rotated, the protrusion 110c moves so that the stopper piece 102a gets over the protrusion 110c. It is provided at such a position.

Therefore, since the gas container for supplying the gas is switched by rotating the manual switching knob 110, the manual switching knob 110 is operated until the positioning surface of the one step portion 110b hits the _one surface A ₁ of the stopper piece 102a. When rotated, the stopper piece 102a must ride over the projection 110c, and the manual switching knob 110 is moved to the predetermined position by the click feeling due to the resistance feeling and the subsequent feeling of hitting the positioning surface of the stopper piece 102a. You can know that the operation has been done up to.

Further, when the manual switching knob 110 is rotated to a predetermined position, the stopper piece 102a comes to be positioned between the positioning surface and the projection 110c, and the manual switching knob 110 rotates in the opposite direction. In order to do so, the protrusion 110c must ride over the stopper piece 102a. Therefore, even if the switching rotary shaft 107 is rotated by the rotation operation of the manual switching knob 110 and a repulsive force in the opposite direction is generated by twisting the rubber ring or the spring component, the repulsive force causes the protrusion 110c to move to the stopper piece 102a. Therefore, the manual switching knob 110, and by extension, the switching rotary shaft and the cam body are held at a predetermined position.

The automatic switching display of the gas container is performed promptly, and the display indicating that the gas container needs to be replaced is displayed while the remaining gas amount is sufficient, and the switching notification cannot be normally performed. There is no possibility of becoming.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the inside of the manual switching knob 110. Two stepped portions 110b with which the stopper piece abuts are formed 180 degrees apart, and the inner wall of the manual switching knob 110 made of synthetic resin is formed. Is partially thickened at a portion adjacent to the positioning surface of the step portion 110b to form a protrusion 110c. When this manual switching knob 110 is rotated, it can be rotated in the range of 180 degrees X with respect to the stopper piece 102a shown by a virtual line integrally formed on the outer wall of the die-cast upper case 102.

In FIG. 2, 110 d is engaged with a notch (no reference numeral) of the collar 108 b (FIG. 4) of the hollow rotating body 108 (FIG. 4) for rotatably connecting the manual switching knob 110 to the hollow rotating body 108. The engaging protrusion 110e is an engaging piece that is engaged to hold the collar 108b in order to hold the manual knob switching knob 110 connected to the hollow rotating body 108 in the mounted state.

In the illustrated embodiment, the stopper piece is provided on the upper case 102 side, and the two step portions are provided on the manual switching knob side, respectively. On the contrary, the stopper piece is provided on the manual switching knob side. The step may be provided on the upper case side. In this case, the protrusion is formed on the upper case side together with the step.

[0037]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, when the manual switching knob is rotated, the stopper piece rides over the projection and contacts the positioning surface, and the manual switching knob is held at the position where the stopper piece and the positioning surface contact each other. Therefore, the cam body can be positioned at a predetermined position, and when the cam body descends, the flat surface of the cam body ensures that the valve body is actuated, and the gas container in use is almost empty. Only then, can the gas supply from the spare gas container be started, and the display on the display will also be performed with accurate timing.

Further, the reed switch is surely opened and closed by the magnet in the display body, and it is possible to accurately detect that the supply gas container is switched only when the gas container in use is almost empty.

Furthermore, since the presence of the protrusion causes a click feeling when the stopper piece gets over this, it becomes possible to know that the manual switching knob has been reliably operated to a predetermined position. Can confirm the certainty of the rotation operation that he has performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a main part of an embodiment of an automatic gas switching regulator according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the entire manual switching knob in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a gas supply system to which the automatic gas switching regulator according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a general configuration of an automatic gas switching regulator.

5 is a front view of the automatic gas switching regulator of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a partially modified example of the automatic gas switching regulator of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a conventional automatic gas switching regulator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Gas Automatic Switching Regulator 101 Lower Cases 101a, 101b High Pressure Gas Inlet 102 Upper Case 102a Stopper Piece 103 Diaphragm 104 Pressure Adjusting Chamber 107 Switching Rotating Axis 109 Display Body 110 Manual Switching Grip 110b Step (Positioning Surface) 110c Projection 111 Cam body 111a, 111b Flat surface 111c Tapered surface 113a, 103b Valve body 120 Magnet 122a, 122b A pair of reed switches

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A pair of high-pressure gas inlets, each of which is connected to a gas container, a diaphragm forming a part of a pressure adjusting chamber, each of the pair of high-pressure gas inlets, and the pressure adjusting chamber. A valve body provided in the gas flow path between the two, a switching rotary shaft rotatably projecting through the diaphragm and moving up and down together with the diaphragm according to the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber, and the pressure. A cam body having a cam surface formed integrally with the switching rotary shaft protruding into the adjusting chamber and having two flat surfaces corresponding to the valve body and having different heights, and a taper surface connecting the two flat surfaces. An internal hollow manual switching knob connected to the switching rotary shaft protruding outside the pressure adjusting chamber so as to rotate therewith, and one of the manual switching knob and a fixing portion for restricting a rotation angle of the manual switching knob. A stopper piece provided on the other side and a positioning surface provided on the other side for abutting and positioning the stopper piece, and swingably supported in the manual switching knob and swung according to the vertical movement of the switching rotary shaft. With a display body, one of the gas containers is connected to the pair of high-pressure gas inlets by rotating the cam body through the switching rotary shaft by the rotation operation of the manual switching knob, and the other is used. The spare gas container is connected to the diaphragm and the cam body that descends together with the diaphragm and the switching rotary shaft in accordance with the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber that is set to be a reserve gas and is lowered when the gas container is almost empty during use. The valve body provided in the flow path between the high-pressure gas inlet and the pressure adjusting chamber is operated to start gas supply from the auxiliary gas container, and the display body is moved by lowering the switching rotary shaft. The automatic gas switching regulator, which oscillates to display the gas supply from the auxiliary gas container, further comprises a protrusion provided adjacent to the positioning surface and over which the stopper piece can move. And the positioning surface holds the manual switching knob at a position where the stopper piece and the positioning surface are in contact with each other. 2. The diaphragm is fixed by sandwiching a peripheral portion between a lower case and an upper case forming the pressure adjusting chamber, the stopper piece is formed on an outer wall of the upper case, and the positioning surface is formed by the positioning surface. The gas automatic switching regulator according to claim 1, wherein the gas automatic switching regulator is formed inside the manual switching knob. 3. A magnet built in the display body,
The gas automatic switching regulator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pair of reed switches that are opened and closed by the magnets that are approached by the swing of the display body and that detect the start of gas supply from the auxiliary gas container. .