JPS589032B2 - Automatic connection device for piping, etc. of moving objects - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device that automatically connects piping, etc. on the ground side to piping, etc. built in a moving object used in a premises.

As a moving object used in a steelworks premises, for example,
There are vehicles such as pig iron mixers that transport molten steel and slag, and these vehicles are equipped with wiring for receiving power for the motors that tilt the pig iron receiving ladle and the steel receiving ladle for tapping work or for desulfurization and stirring of the hot metal. In addition, the steel receiving ladle may be equipped with piping for supplying inert gas, or may be equipped with both the wiring and piping.

Then, at the stop position of the moving object, ground side piping, etc. are connected to the piping, etc. of the moving object, and necessary work is performed.

Conventionally, as a device of this type, there is a device for connecting a power source, etc. for a pig iron mixer vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 52-116709.

This conventional device includes a first joint provided on a moving object and equipped with a power receiving coupler, a boom provided on the side in the moving direction of the moving object so as to be able to freely undulate and horizontally rotate, and a boom attached to the boom in its axial direction. It has a second joint that is movable back and forth and includes a power supply coupler and the like.

However, the final alignment of the first and second joints for connecting the power supply coupler to the power reception coupler is performed by a guide hole tube provided in the first joint and a guide rod provided in the second joint. When using this guide rod and guide hole tube, accurate positioning is impossible unless the opening at the tip of the guide hole tube is made considerably large.

In addition, enlarging the opening at the tip of the guide hole tube increases the size of the guide hole tube itself, and is subject to restrictions on the first joint attachment portion on the side of the pig iron mixer.

For this reason, in the conventional device described above, a guide is provided in the vertical direction on the first joint, and the boom can be raised and lowered freely within the range of the vertical direction of this guide, and a stopper is provided at the lower end of the guide, so that connection work can be carried out. Sometimes, first, the boom is rotated horizontally so that it is in contact with the guide, then the boom is brought down and brought into contact with the stopper to perform rough alignment, and then the above-mentioned guide hole tube and guide rod are aligned. Final alignment is being performed.

In other words, in the conventional device described above, the boom is provided so as to be able to rise and fall freely.By bringing the boom into contact with the guide and stopper provided on the first joint, the roughness between the first joint and the second joint can be prevented in advance. This is for positioning, and the range of the boom is from the stopper position (horizontal position) to the upper end of the guide, and the upper end of the guide is below the upper end of the pig iron mixer so as not to interfere with the tapping operation. After all, the upper end position of the guide is only a substantially horizontal position.

Normally, when connection work is not being performed, the boom is raised from a horizontal position to the upper end position of the guide of the first joint and is turned horizontally to avoid the stopped position of the pig iron mixer car in a substantially horizontal state.

In general, within the premises of a steelworks, etc., in addition to moving objects such as pig iron mixers that require connections to above-ground piping for certain operations, there are also moving objects such as trucks, forklifts, and crane vehicles that simply transport cargo. There are usually many vehicles going back and forth, and the problem is how to make effective use of the limited space within the premises.

Under such on-site conditions, as mentioned above, conventional power supply connection devices simply rotate the boom horizontally within the vertical range of the guide of the first joint to avoid the stopped position of the pig iron mixer. As a result, the dead space in the horizontal direction within the premises increases by the length of the boom, which impedes the passage of other general vehicles and prevents effective use of the limited space within the premises.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention reduces the proportion of the automatic connection device for moving objects such as piping in the premises, that is, the dead space in the horizontal direction, so that the device does not obstruct the passage of other general vehicles. The technical challenge is to make effective use of the limited campus space.

In order to solve this technical problem, the present invention
Focusing on the fact that the fletching blades of the railway vehicle coupling device disclosed in Publication No. 0-34806 have an accurate positioning function, in the above-mentioned conventional device, the arrows are engaged with the ends of each of the first joint and the second joint. A guide arrow is provided, both joints are supported by self-aligning swivel bearings, and the range of the boom is from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and the boom is usually placed in a position that avoids the stopping position of a moving object. The technical means was to hold it in a vertical position.

According to the present invention having this technical means, the undulation range of the boom is set from the horizontal position to the vertical position, and normally, when piping etc. are not connected, the boom is maintained in the vertical position at a position that avoids the stopping position of the moving object. Therefore, the dead space in the horizontal direction within the premises is smaller than that of conventional devices, and the space within the premises can be used more effectively, and the passage of other general vehicles is not obstructed.

Further, according to the present invention having the above-mentioned technical means, the following unique effects can be obtained.

(1) In the case of conventional equipment, in order to reduce the horizontal dead space in the premises, the length of the boom was shortened,
The guide rod protruding from its tip must be shortened to bring the ground-side device as close as possible to the stopping position of the moving object.

However, since the pig iron mixing cars and steel receiving ladle carts in steel plants process hot molten pig iron and molten steel, the temperatures are quite high, and the effects of this heat must also be taken into consideration.

Therefore, the installation position of the boom must be determined by taking into account the cylinders that raise and lower the boom and rotate it horizontally, as well as the sequence circuit that controls these operations, and the setting conditions are subject to various restrictions. .

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention, since the boom is avoided in a vertical position, the boom must be lengthened so that the cylinder installed at the rear end is not affected by heat from the pig iron mixer or the like. It is now possible to install the sequence circuit on the rear end base of the boom, and the setting conditions are fewer and easier to set than in conventional devices.

(2) In the case of the conventional device, a guide hole cylinder and a guide rod are used for the final positioning of the first joint and the second joint, so a vertical guide is provided in the first joint and the lower end of the guide is A stopper is provided, and the boom is movable up and down within the upper and lower range of the guide, and the rough positioning of the first joint and the second joint is performed by these stops, and the guide provided on the first joint has an important meaning.

In contrast, in the case of the present invention, the first joint and the second joint The final positioning of the first joint and the second joint when moving the boom in the avoidance state to the stop position of the moving object may be rougher than before. , the guide in the conventional first joint is no longer required, which simplifies the configuration of the first joint, making it easier to install the first joint on a moving object than before, and also to raise and lower the boom, turn it, and move the second joint. The coarse positioning control section of the sequence circuit that moves the joint back and forth is simpler than before.

That is, the present invention improves the conventional device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-116709.
This is not a simple combination of the arrows disclosed in the No. 06 publication, but has the unique effects described in (1) and (2) above in addition to the combination.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a steel receiving ladle truck, which is a moving object that takes out and transports molten steel from a converter in a steelworks, is stopped, and an inert gas such as argon gas is supplied into the steel receiving ladle to agitate the molten steel. This is an example applied to a case.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a steel receiving ladle, and a steel receiving ladle truck 2 as a moving object that holds the steel receiving ladle 1 runs on rails 3,3.

4 is a pipe for supplying and stirring inert gas to the molten steel 1a in the steel receiving ladle 1, and 5 is a first joint attached to the tip of this pipe 4, with a fletching for guiding the engagement. is provided.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a connecting rod that connects and holds the connecting portion 26 of the first joint 5 and the pipe 4.

The above corresponds to the moving object in the present invention, which automatically takes out molten steel from the converter, moves on the rails 3, 3, stops at a position next to the stationary device described below, and then connects with piping to the stationary device. Receives inert gas supply from.

In this embodiment, what corresponds to the stationary device is a boom 7 that is vertically movable around a shaft 6. On the boom 7, there is an inert gas pipe 4a and an inert gas pipe 4a facing the first joint 5. A second joint 5a of the same shape, a connecting rod 8a constituting a partial number of the second joint 5a, a reach cylinder 9 for moving the second joint 5a back and forth in the axial direction of the boom 7, and the like are provided.

The boom 7 is normally erected on the ground at a substantially vertical position 7 by a lift cylinder 10 whose upper portion is supported by a fixing pin 10b, and is fixed and stored by a locking device 11 consisting of a locking pin and a locking cylinder.

When the stationary device is connected, the locking device 11 is released, and then the lift cylinder 10 is operated to lower the boom 7 to a horizontal position as shown by the solid line in the figure and then stop.

First, the operation of the entire embodiment will be explained.

When the steel receiving pot truck 2, which corresponds to a moving object, stops at a fixed position next to the stationary device, the boom 7 is unlocked by a control unit (not shown) that performs a series of sequential operations, and rotates down to a horizontal position. Both the joints 5 and 5a have substantially the same height.

Thereafter, the boom 7 turns horizontally via the boom horizontal turning means, and when both the joints 5 and 5a reach opposing positions on a substantially straight line, a position detecting section, which will be described later, comes into contact with them and stops.

After that, the reach cylinder 9 causes the second position on the stationary device side.
The joint 5a moves forward, and the fletching blades of both joints 5, 5a cross-engage to achieve accurate centering, and both pipe openings are automatically joined.

When a command to release the connection is issued, the reach cylinder 9 operates in the opposite direction, the second joint 5a retreats, and after separating from the first joint 5 on the other side, the boom 7 returns to its original position in the horizontal direction. It is swiveled back and then returned to the vertical position by means of the lift cylinder 10 and secured by said locking device 11.

The configuration and operation of the main parts of this embodiment will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 2 (solid line) is a plan view of the main part showing a state in which both the joints 5, 5a are about to be connected, and FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view thereof.

In FIG. 2, the bearing 12 of the shaft 6 of the boom 7
is fixed to one end of the lever 14, and both can be pivoted horizontally about the vertical axis 13.

The other end of the lever 14 is pin-coupled to the tip of a piston rod 16 of a rotation cylinder 15 for horizontal rotation.

Therefore, the boom 7 can freely rise and fall in the vertical direction with respect to the ground about the shaft 6 by the lift cylinder 10, and can also horizontally swing in the direction of the arrow when the swing cylinder 15 is actuated to push out the piston rod 16. .

The boom 7 is always located at a position 7b ahead of its neutral position 7a by an angle θ which will be described later.

The boom 7 is also pin-coupled to the piston rod 10a of the lift cylinder, as shown in FIG.
Supports pin binding.

The piston rod tip 9a of the reach cylinder 9 is a member 17.
, 18, 19a and the second joint 5 via the universal bearing 20a.
It is connected to the connecting rod 8a at a.

18a is a guide groove of the member 18.

The configuration of the connecting rod 8, member 19, and swivel bearing 20 of the first joint 5 on the side of the steel receiving truck 2 facing the second joint 5a is the same as that of the above-mentioned 5a.
, 8a, 19a, and 20a, and a sectional view of the first joint 5 is shown in FIG.

That is, the connecting rod 8 connected to the connecting portion 26 of the first joint 5 is supported by a universal bearing 20 having a spherical seat so as to be rotatable about the bearing and slidable in the axial direction thereof, and the inner hole 8b communicates with an injection hole (not shown) in the lower part of the steel receiving ladle 1 via a flexible tube 29.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a pusher made of an elastic material, 22 is a sleeve having a spherical seat, and 23 is a spring receiver having a spherical seat.

Since the connecting rod 8 is rotatable in any direction around the swivel bearing 20, the joints can be connected even if the axes of both joints are slightly misaligned.

A compressed and energized spring 25 is inserted between the spring receiver 23 and the stepped surface 24 at the end of the connecting rod 8.

This spring 25 maintains the posture of the connecting rod 8 horizontally, allows it to slide in the axial direction, and acts as a buffer during connection.

A packing 27 is attached to the opening of the connecting portion 26 to be in close contact with the other opening.

As shown in the figure, the fletching feathers 28 are made up of two opposing tapered pieces that are open in a figure eight shape, and in this embodiment are attached to the peripheral edge of the connecting portion 26 at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the joint axis. .

During the connection operation, the fletching feathers 28 intertwine and engage with the fletching fletches on the other side, guiding the connecting surfaces of each other and aligning the connecting positions.

Therefore, even if there is a misalignment in the opposing positions of both joints 5, 5a, they can be easily aligned and connected by the fletching feathers and the aforementioned universal bearing.

A position detecting section 31 with a horizontal tentacle 30 is provided at the tip of the boom 7, and as a position detecting section on the opposite side, the tentacle 30 is attached to a joint support stand on the side of the steel receiving pan truck 2. A contact rod 33 is attached perpendicularly to the contact rod 33 .

As mentioned above, when the boom 7 moves from the standing position to the horizontal position, the horizontal position is 7b, which is an angle of θ ahead of the neutral position 7a in FIG. The rotating cylinder 15 horizontally rotates in the direction of the arrow.

When the tentacle 30 at the tip of the boom comes into contact with the contact rod 33 on the side of the moving object, the boom is prevented from turning and stopped at that position, and a limit switch (not shown) is activated to activate the reach cylinder 9 to close its piston. Ron tip 9a, member 17
, 18, 19a, the second joint 5a is advanced and connected to the first joint 5 on the moving object side as described above.

If the moving object stops at an accurate position as shown by the solid line 1 with respect to the position of the boom 7b drawn by the chain line (θ angle forward rotation position), the boom 7 will horizontally rotate at the θ angle and reach the position shown by the solid line in the figure. When the tentacle 31 comes into contact with the contact rod 33, the first joint 5
The contact rod 33 is aligned so that the center lines of the contact rod 33 and the second joint 5a coincide.
is located.

Even if the moving object does not stop at the exact position shown in the figure, connection can be made if the deviation is within a certain range by positioning by the swinging movement of the boom 7 and by the action of the fletching and swivel bearing.

Let 33a and 33b be the front and back allowable limit positions of the contact rods at the stop position of the movable object to which both joints can be connected, and let L be the distance from each contact rod 33 at the correct stop position, then 2
The joint can be connected when the moving object stops so that the contact rod is within the range of L.

In the figure, the turning angle θa of the tentacle 30 is equal to the θ angle,
If the center angle of L is γ, then θa>γ in order to position the tentacles 31 on the outside so that they will not collide with the contact rod 33a due to the lowering of the boom 7 when the moving object shifts forward most and stops. and the θ angle must be slightly larger than the γ angle.

If the moving object stops at an accurate position, the tentacle 30 and the contact rod 33 will come into contact with each other when the boom 7 rotates at an angle of θ.
The boom 7 rotates horizontally until it comes into contact with the boom 3, and stops at the contact position.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which an electrical wiring contact 35 is added to the joint.

This example is a joint for connecting fluid piping and electrical wiring together, and the opening of the connecting portion 26 includes a packing 27 for the fluid piping that is to be in close contact with the other opening, and a contact for the electrical wiring. 35 are provided.

Only the electrical wiring 34 is passed through the inner hole 8b of the connecting rod 8 connected to the connecting part 26, and the flexible piping 29 for fluid is connected to the piping communication hole on the side of the joint. It is possible to rotate a large amount.

The configurations of the swivel bearing 20 and the spring 25 are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. If the joint shown in FIG. When moved in the opposite direction, the connecting joints 5, 5a are connected to the swivel bearings 20,
6(a), (b),
(c) Separation without damage by changing the order.

In the above embodiment, after the moving object stops, the tentacle 30 attached to the boom 7 is horizontally rotated together with the boom 7, the position is detected, and the boom is stopped. 30 tentacles in advance before the moving object arrives
is rotated together with the boom at an angle θ angle with respect to the direction of movement of the moving object from the neutral position and stopped, and when the moving object approaches, its contact rod 33 comes into contact with the tentacle 3o, and the boom 7 is moved through the tentacle 30. When the moving object stops after pushing forward slightly and the contact rod 33 stops within the range of ±L,
Both joints may be connectable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the main parts, Figure 3 is an elevation view, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the joint part, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the joint part, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the joint part.
The figure is a diagram showing an aspect of connection and separation when a movable joint in a connected state moves in a direction opposite to the moving direction. 1... Steel receiving ladle, 2... Steel receiving ladle trolley (moving object) 4, 4a
... Piping, 5 ... First joint, 5a ... Second joint, 7 ...
Boom, 8, 8a... Connection rod 9... Reach cylinder, 1
0...lift cylinder, 15...swivel cylinder, 20.
20a...Swivel bearing, 25, 25a...Spring, 26,2
6a... Connection portion, 28, 28a... Arrow feather, 30... Tentacle 31... Position detection section, 33... Contact rod (position detection section) ~

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first joint provided on a moving object and equipped with piping, etc.; a boom provided on the side in the moving direction of the moving object so that it can freely swing up and down and horizontally; and a boom provided on the boom so that it can move back and forth in its axial direction. and a second joint equipped with piping, etc., and normally, the second joint is retreated and the boom is horizontally rotated to avoid the moving object from the stopping position, and when the moving object stops at a predetermined position, the boom is rotated. The moving object is rotated horizontally to a stop position, and the second joint is advanced to
An automatic connecting device for piping, etc. of a moving object that engages a joint and connects piping, etc. of both joints, wherein both the joints each have a fletching at the tip for guiding the engagement, and both the joints can be freely connected. An automatic connection device for piping, etc. for a moving object, which is supported by a bearing, has an undulating range of the boom from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and normally maintains the boom in a vertical position at a position that avoids the stopping position of the moving object.