JP7628476B2 - Liquid supply nozzle - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a liquid supply nozzle that is provided at the end of a liquid supply hose of a fuel supply machine that supplies fuel to a fuel tank of, for example, a diesel railcar of a railway vehicle.

The liquid supply nozzle is equipped with an automatic valve closing mechanism to prevent fuel from overflowing from the fuel supply port after the fuel tank is full. When the air inlet at the end of the discharge pipe of the liquid supply nozzle inserted into the fuel supply port is blocked by the fuel level or the like, the automatic valve closing mechanism uses the negative pressure generated by the Venturi effect caused by the fuel flowing inside the nozzle body to close the nozzle valve, which has been opened by operating the operating lever to open it, regardless of the operating state of the operating lever.

On the other hand, the fuel tank of a diesel railcar, which is a railroad vehicle equipped with a diesel engine, is attached to the underside of the car body mounted on a bogie. The fuel supply port is provided on the underside of the car body at a height position close to the car body side, via an inlet pipe extending from the tank body, facing the side of the car body. Therefore, the liquid supply nozzle that supplies fuel to the fuel tank of a railroad vehicle diesel railcar or the like is formed in advance with a bent shape as described in Patent Document 1, so that the discharge pipe tip can be easily inserted into the fuel supply port and the liquid supply nozzle can be easily hooked onto the fuel supply port during refueling.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-95599

However, in the case of fuel tanks of diesel railcars and the like, the position and environment of the fuel refill port and the tank body on the underside of the car body differ depending on the model of the diesel railcar. For this reason, with a conventional liquid supply nozzle in which the discharge pipe is pre-formed in a bent shape, when used to refill the fuel tank of a diesel railcar of a model other than the main model, for example, the car body, bogie, and adjacent body-mounted equipment interfere with the liquid supply nozzle, making it difficult to insert the discharge pipe of the liquid supply nozzle into the fuel refill port and difficult to operate the operating lever.

In addition, the structure and extension state of the inlet pipe connecting the fuel refill port and the tank body also differ depending on the model of diesel railcar, related to the location of the fuel refill port and the tank body on the underside of the vehicle body. As a result, in certain models of diesel railcars, the automatic valve-closing mechanism of the liquid supply nozzle can malfunction due to fuel adhesion or bubbles immediately after refueling begins. Normally, in such cases, each time the automatic valve-closing mechanism malfunctions, the remaining fuel must be replenished while, for example, adjusting the flow rate per unit time discharged from the discharge pipe or adjusting the insertion of the discharge pipe into the fuel refill port so that the automatic valve-closing mechanism is as unlikely to malfunction as possible.

In such cases, with conventional liquid supply nozzles in which the discharge pipe is pre-formed in a bent shape, even if the insertion posture or insertion depth of the discharge pipe relative to the fuel supply port is adjusted, the insertion posture or insertion depth must be adjusted by adjusting the posture of the entire liquid supply nozzle including the discharge pipe. However, adjustment of the posture of the entire liquid supply nozzle is limited because the liquid supply nozzle interferes with the vehicle body, bogie, and adjacent vehicle-mounted equipment.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a liquid supply nozzle that allows the insertion position and insertion depth of the discharge pipe into the fuel refill port to be adjusted independently by the discharge pipe without interference from other parts, thereby improving the workability of refueling operations.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the liquid supply nozzle according to the present disclosure is a liquid supply nozzle that opens and closes a valve provided in a liquid passage in the nozzle body in response to the operation of an operating lever, and discharges fuel from a discharge pipe connected to the nozzle body and connected to the liquid passage downstream of the valve, the discharge pipe being constructed of a flexible pipe that can be bent freely, and a spring to prevent the liquid supply nozzle from coming off is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the discharge pipe to hold the liquid supply nozzle in the fuel refill port of the object to be supplied with liquid.

The liquid supply nozzle disclosed herein allows the insertion posture and depth of the discharge pipe into the fuel refill port to be adjusted independently by the discharge pipe without interference from other parts, improving the workability of the refueling operation.

In addition, the problems, configurations, and advantages of this disclosure other than those described above will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

1 is a partially cut-away external view of a fuel supply nozzle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a discharge pipe in the fuel supply nozzle shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is an external view of a base end side portion of the discharge pipe shown in FIG. 2. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a base end side portion of the discharge pipe shown in FIG. 2.

An embodiment of a liquid supply nozzle according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a fuel supply nozzle for supplying fuel to a fuel tank of a diesel railcar will be used as an example, but the liquid supply nozzle according to the present disclosure is not limited to liquid supply nozzles for railcars. The liquid supply nozzle according to the present disclosure is applicable without being limited to the specific configuration or shape of the nozzle body, as long as it is a liquid supply nozzle that opens and closes a valve provided in a liquid passage in the nozzle body in response to the operation of an operating lever, and discharges fuel from a discharge pipe connected to the nozzle body and communicates with the liquid passage downstream of the valve.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway external view of a fuel supply nozzle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a discharge pipe in the fuel supply nozzle shown in FIG.

The fuel nozzle 1 of this embodiment is configured such that a discharge pipe 3 is connected and fixed to a nozzle body 2. Inside the nozzle body 2, a liquid passage is formed that extends through the nozzle body 2. One open end of the liquid passage is connected to a fuel supply hose via a joint, and the other open end is the connection part for the discharge pipe 3. Fuel oil liquid delivered from a fuel supply machine body equipped with a pump or the like is supplied to one open end of the liquid passage via the fuel supply hose.

Although not shown in Figure 1, a nozzle valve is provided midway through the liquid passage in the nozzle body 2, which opens and closes the liquid passage by moving a valve body away from and toward a valve seat provided in the liquid passage. Fuel oil liquid supplied to the fuel nozzle 1 through a fuel supply hose flows through the liquid passage from one opening end to the other opening end via the nozzle valve.

The valve element of the nozzle valve is connected to the operating lever 4 shown in FIG. 1 via a valve shaft mechanism provided in the nozzle body 2, which is also not shown in FIG. 1. The valve shaft mechanism moves the valve element of the nozzle valve to and from the valve seat in response to the opening and closing operation of the operating lever 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the base end of the operating lever 4 is pivotally supported by the nozzle body 2, and the free end side can be moved toward or away from the nozzle body grip portion 5 of the nozzle body 2 by the rotation.

The operating lever 4 is protected by a lever guard 6 that is provided so as to surround the operating lever 4 along its rotation path. A lever hook is attached to the lever guard 6, and by hooking the free end of the operating lever 4 onto any of the steps provided on the lever hook, the valve open position of the operating lever 4 can be maintained at the nozzle valve open position corresponding to the step on which it is hooked, even if the hand is released from the operating lever 4.

In addition, although not shown in Figure 1, an automatic valve closing mechanism is provided within the nozzle body 2. When the liquid level detection port (air inlet) 7 at the end of the discharge pipe 3 becomes blocked by fuel oil or its bubbles, the mechanism uses the negative pressure generated by the Venturi effect caused by the fuel oil flowing through the liquid passage to close the nozzle valve that has been opened by the valve opening operation of the operating lever 4, regardless of the operating state of the operating lever 4.

The automatic valve closing mechanism has a negative pressure chamber, a negative pressure generating unit, a negative pressure passage with one end connected to the negative pressure generating unit and the other end connected to the negative pressure chamber, and a compensation passage with one end connected to the liquid level detection port 7 of the discharge pipe 3 and the other end connected to the negative pressure chamber. The negative pressure chamber is defined by a movable partition of a diaphragm and is provided in the nozzle body 2. The negative pressure generating unit generates negative pressure by the Venturi effect of the fuel flowing through the liquid passage when the operating lever 4 is in the open valve operating state, where fuel flowing in from one open end of the liquid passage flows out from the nozzle tip of the discharge pipe 3.

When the liquid level detection port 7 at the end of the discharge pipe 3 is blocked by fuel oil liquid or its bubbles, the negative pressure generated in the negative pressure generating unit is no longer compensated for by the atmospheric pressure introduced from the liquid level detection port 7, the negative pressure chamber goes into a negative pressure state, and the movable partition of the diaphragm moves and displaces. In conjunction with this movement and displacement of the movable partition, the connection between the valve body of the nozzle valve in the valve shaft mechanism and the operating lever 4 is released, and the nozzle valve is closed regardless of the operating state of the operating lever 4.

On the other hand, the discharge pipe 3 connected and fixed to the other open end of the nozzle body 2 thus constructed is configured as shown in FIG. 2 with a tip pipe section 11 provided with the liquid level detection port 7 and a base pipe section 13 connected and fixed to the other open end of the nozzle body 2, both made of rigid metal pipe members, and an intermediate pipe section 12 between the tip pipe section 11 and the base pipe section 13 made of a bendable flexible metal pipe member with a bellows-shaped pipe wall (bellows).

In accordance with this, the negative pressure compensation tube 20 in the passage portion extending through the discharge pipe 3 in the compensation passage, one end of which is connected to the liquid level detection port 7 of the discharge pipe 3 and the other end of which is connected to the negative pressure chamber, is also configured such that the component portion 21 of the liquid level detection port 7 is made of a rigid metal material, and the extension portion 22 within the pipe from the component portion 21 of the liquid level detection port 7 to the compensation passage portion 24 formed in the nozzle body 2 is made of a bendable flexible metal tube material.

Here, the connection and fixing configuration between the portion of the discharge pipe 3 made of a bendable flexible metal pipe member and the portion made of a rigid metal pipe member will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4, taking as an example the connection and fixing portion between the base end pipe portion 13 and the intermediate pipe portion 12 of the discharge pipe 3, which is shown surrounded by a dotted frame in Figure 2. Note that the connection and fixing portion between the tip end pipe portion 11 and the intermediate pipe portion 12 of the discharge pipe 3 has a similar connection and fixing configuration to the connection and fixing portion between the base end pipe portion 13 and the intermediate pipe portion 12 of the discharge pipe 3, so a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a connection and fixing portion between a base end pipe portion and an intermediate pipe portion in a discharge pipe.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connection and fixing portion between the base end pipe portion and the intermediate pipe portion of the discharge pipe shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, a fixing bracket 31 made of a rigid cylindrical metal member is attached and fixed to the outer periphery of the pipe end side portion of the flexible metal pipe 30 having a bellows-shaped pipe wall constituting the intermediate pipe portion 12. The fixing bracket 31 is attached and fixed integrally to the pipe end side portion of the flexible metal pipe 30, for example, by press-fitting it into the outer periphery of the pipe end side portion of the flexible metal pipe 30. Then, the pipe end portion of the flexible metal pipe 30 with the fixing bracket 31 attached and fixed to the outer periphery and the pipe end portion of the rigid metal pipe 32 constituting the base end pipe portion 13 connected and fixed to the other opening end of the nozzle body 2 are welded and fixed integrally using, for example, TIG welding (tungsten inert gas welding). At that time, in the illustrated example, the diameter of the pipe outer periphery surface of the rigid metal pipe 32 constituting the base end pipe portion 13 of the discharge pipe 3 is smaller than the diameter of the pipe outer periphery surface of the fixing bracket 31 portion, and a step portion 33 is formed at the boundary between the two outer peripheries.

As a result, the discharge pipe 3 can bend and extend the flexible metal tube 30 of the intermediate pipe section 12, which has a bellows-shaped wall, to keep the position of the discharge pipe 3 in any bent or extended state. With the bending and extension of the flexible metal tube 30, the discharge pipe 3 can change the extension direction of the tip pipe section 11 of the nozzle tip of the discharge pipe 3 to any direction relative to the extension direction of the base end pipe section 13 connected and fixed to the other opening end of the nozzle body 2. In other words, by bending and extending the flexible metal tube 30 that becomes the intermediate pipe section 12 of the discharge pipe 3, the nozzle body 2 can be kept in the same position while the nozzle body 2 is kept in the same position, and the nozzle body 2 can be adjusted to a desired position while the nozzle body 2 is kept in the same position while the nozzle pipe 3 is kept in the same position.

A metal anti-slip coil spring 35 is wound around the outer periphery of the discharge pipe 3 as shown in Figures 2 and 3 to prevent the fuel nozzle 1 from falling off the fuel tank's fuel filler opening while the fuel is being filled to the target. The anti-slip coil spring 35 is configured such that a small diameter portion 37 is connected to one end of a large diameter portion 36 in relation to the inner diameter of the coil.

The large diameter portion 36 of the anti-slip coil spring 35 has a coil inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the convex portion (mountain fold portion) of the flexible metal tube 30 that becomes the intermediate pipe portion 12 of the discharge pipe 3. In the illustrated example, when the large diameter portion 36 of the anti-slip coil spring 35 and the flexible metal tube 30 are wound so as to be coaxial, a radial gap δ is generated between the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 36 of the anti-slip coil spring 35 and the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion (mountain fold portion) of the bellows of the flexible metal tube 30, as shown in FIG. 3. The length of the large diameter portion 36 of the anti-slip coil spring 35 along the axial direction is approximately equal to or longer than the length of the flexible metal tube 30 along the axial direction. In addition, the pitch P of the large diameter portion 36 of the retaining coil spring 35 is longer than the pitch p of the series of convex portions (mountain folds) and concave portions (valley folds) of the bellows of the flexible metal tube 30, and the large diameter portion 36 of the retaining coil spring 35 is wound multiple times along the axial direction of the flexible metal tube 30.

The small diameter portion 37 of the retaining coil spring 35 is wound and fastened around the outer circumferential surface of the rigid metal tube 32 of the base end pipe portion 13. This prevents the small diameter portion 37 of the retaining coil spring 35 from falling out and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the rigid metal tube 32 between the step 33 with the fixing bracket 31 and the nozzle body 2.

Next, we will explain the operation and effect of the fuel nozzle 1 of this embodiment configured as described above when used as a fuel nozzle for a fuel tanker that replenishes fuel to the fuel tanks of railroad cars and other diesel railcars.

For example, when refueling the fuel tank of a diesel railcar, the orientation of the fuel inlet and the structure and extension state of the inlet pipe connecting the fuel inlet and the tank body differ depending on the model. As a result, during refueling work, problems can arise with certain models of vehicles, such as difficulty in inserting the discharge pipe 3 of the fuel nozzle 1 into the fuel inlet, an unstable position of the fuel nozzle 1 even when the discharge pipe 3 is inserted into the fuel inlet, or the vehicle body, bogie, or adjacent vehicle-mounted equipment interfering with the fuel nozzle 1, making it difficult to grip the operating lever 4 or the nozzle body grip 5.

If there is a risk of such a problem occurring, according to the fueling nozzle 1 of this embodiment, the intermediate pipe portion 12 of the discharge pipe 3 is made of a flexible metal tube 30, and the discharge pipe 3 is configured to be bendable, so that by bending and extending the flexible metal tube 30, the orientation of the nozzle body 2 can be changed so that the nozzle tip opening of the discharge pipe 3 is oriented in a desired direction relative to the nozzle body 2 while keeping the orientation of the nozzle body 2 unchanged, or the orientation of the nozzle body 2 relative to the discharge pipe 3 can be adjusted to a desired orientation while keeping the orientation of the nozzle tip opening of the discharge pipe 3 unchanged.

As a result, with the fuel nozzle 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to adjust the insertion position and insertion depth of the discharge pipe 3 relative to the fuel inlet for various types of vehicles that have different fuel inlet orientations and different structures and extension states of the inlet pipe connecting the fuel inlet and the tank body, and it is also possible to adjust the position of the nozzle body 2 relative to the discharge pipe 3 so that the operating lever 4 and the nozzle body grip portion 5 are easy to grip, thereby improving the workability of the refueling operation with the fuel nozzle 1 in a stable position.

A locking coil spring 35 is wound around the outer periphery of the flexible metal tube 30 of the discharge pipe 3 with a gap δ. Therefore, even if the fuel nozzle 1 is hung on the fuel filler port during refueling, only the series of projections and recesses of the bellows of the flexible metal tube 30 catch on the opening edge of the fuel filler port, and the fuel nozzle 1 is not locked on the fuel filler port. Instead, the locking coil spring 35 always catches on the opening edge of the fuel filler port, and the fuel nozzle 1 is locked on the fuel filler port. In addition, the locking coil spring 35 is wound around the outer periphery of the rigid metal tube 32 of the discharge pipe 3 and secured tightly.

As a result, even when the fuel nozzle 1 is hung on the fuel refilling port, no load is placed on the flexible metal tube 30, which extends the durability of the flexible metal tube 30 of the discharge pipe 3 and stably supports the fuel nozzle 1 when it is hung on the fuel refilling port.

In addition, even when the discharge pipe 3 is bent, the flexible metal tube 30 is wound with the anti-slip coil spring 35, so the reaction force generated when the anti-slip coil spring 35 is bent does not concentrate bending only on specific uneven parts of the bellows of the flexible metal tube 30, thereby extending the durability of the flexible metal tube 30 of the discharge pipe 3.

The liquid supply nozzle according to the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configuration of the fuel supply nozzle 1 of the embodiment described above, and as long as the discharge pipe is made of a flexible pipe that can be bent and the outer circumferential surface of the discharge pipe is wound with a spring to prevent the liquid supply nozzle from falling out in order to hold the liquid supply nozzle at the fuel supply port of the target to be supplied with liquid, the specific configuration and form of the nozzle body and other components can be modified in various ways.

1 refueling nozzle,
2 Nozzle body,
3 discharge pipe,
4 operating lever,
5 Nozzle body gripping portion,
6 Lever guard,
7 Liquid level detection port,
11 Tip pipe portion,
12 intermediate pipe section,
13 base end pipe portion,
20 negative pressure compensating tube,
21 component parts of the liquid level detection port,
22 Pipe inner extension part,
24 Compensation passage portion of nozzle body;
30 Flexible metal pipe,
31 Fixing bracket,
32 rigid metal tube,
33 step portion,
35 Anti-slip coil spring,
36 Large diameter portion,
37 Small diameter section.

Claims (3)

A liquid supply nozzle which opens and closes a valve provided in a liquid passage in a nozzle body in response to operation of an operating lever, and discharges fuel from a discharge pipe connected to the nozzle body and communicating with a liquid passage downstream of the valve,
The discharge pipe is configured as a bendable flexible pipe,
A spring for preventing the liquid supply nozzle from coming off is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the discharge pipe to hold the liquid supply nozzle in the fuel supply port of the liquid supply target,
The discharge pipe is
A base end pipe portion connected to the nozzle body;
A tip pipe portion which serves as a fuel discharge end;
an intermediate pipe portion connecting the base end pipe portion and the tip end pipe portion;
It is composed of
The base end pipe portion and the tip end pipe portion are made of rigid pipes,
The intermediate pipe portion is made of a flexible pipe,
a fixing member provided at an end of the base end pipe section and an end of the tip end pipe section, the fixing member having a diameter larger than a diameter of the base end pipe section and a diameter of the tip end pipe section, housing the end of the intermediate pipe section therein, and fixing the end of the base end pipe section and the end of the tip end pipe section to the end of the intermediate pipe section;
Fluid supply nozzle. The retaining spring is fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the base end pipe portion and extends through the intermediate pipe portion.
The retaining spring is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate pipe portion with a radial gap therebetween,
the discharge pipe includes a step portion formed between an end of the base end pipe portion and the fixing member, and between an end of the tip end pipe portion and the fixing member,
The retaining spring has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, and the diameter of the small diameter portion is smaller than the diameter of the fixing member.
The liquid supply nozzle according to claim 1 . 3. The liquid supply nozzle according to claim 2, wherein a pitch of the large diameter portion of the retaining spring is longer than a pitch of the flexible pipe of the intermediate pipe portion.

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