JPH0418194B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cylinder main valve opening/closing device, and more particularly to a cylinder main valve opening/closing device for opening and closing the main valve of a cylinder storing harmful gas.

Conventional technology For example, semiconductor material gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes may be highly toxic, flammable, self-combustible, combustible, or a combination of these gases, depending on the type of gas. There are some things of a similar nature. The cylinders storing these harmful gases were housed in cylinder storage boxes equipped with exhaust ducts, and a main valve was attached to the top of the cylinders to open and close the cylinders in order to supply the gas inside the cylinders to the outside. For this reason, a cylinder main valve opening/closing device that automatically opens and closes the main valve for opening and closing the cylinder as described above by remote control is being developed. The conventional cylinder main valve opening/closing device that opens and closes the main valve of a cylinder has an actuator installed integrally with the cylinder above the main valve of the cylinder, and an operation signal is supplied to this actuator to open and close the main valve. It was said that Further, the output shaft of the actuator was provided with a coupling member having a claw portion that was coupled to the outer circumferential recess of the operating handle of the main valve.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the cylinder main valve opening/closing device configured as described above, the actuator is installed directly above the cylinder. Problems have arisen in that the space between the cylinder storage box and the top plate of the cylinder storage box becomes narrow, and in some cases, the actuator protrudes beyond the top plate, making it necessary to modify the cylinder storage box. Also, when installing the actuator to the cylinder, it is necessary to align the output shaft of the actuator with the center position of the operating handle of the main valve.
The mounting position of the actuator was limited. Therefore, since the position of the output shaft of the actuator must be adjusted to match the check before being attached to the cylinder, the cylinder installation work is time-consuming and troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder main valve opening/closing device that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Means and Effects for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a cylinder that is installed in a vertically upright state and has gas sealed inside, and a main valve that is provided on the top of the cylinder and opens and closes the cylinder. A cylinder main valve opening/closing device comprising: a cylinder storage box having a housing surrounding the cylinder to store the cylinder therein; an actuator that opens and closes the main valve by supplying an operation signal; The actuator is provided on the top surface of the cylinder storage box so that the output shaft of the cylinder protrudes into the cylinder storage box, and a chuck is provided to grip the opening/closing operation part of the main valve, and the output shaft of the actuator and the chuck are connected to each other. teeth,
The chuck is connected via at least two or more rotatable connecting portions, and when the chuck is freely hanging down, the distance between the chuck and the top inner wall of the cylinder storage box is determined by the distance between the top inner wall of the cylinder storage box and the chuck. The distance between the actuator and the valve is larger, and the actuator is placed in a position where it does not get in the way, eliminating the need to modify the cylinder storage box when installing a large-capacity cylinder and making it easy to install.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the cylinder main valve opening/closing device according to the present invention. In both figures, for example, a cylinder 1 is filled with a highly concentrated semiconductor material gas. Each cylinder 1 is stored in a cylinder storage box 2 while being held by a belt 13 in a vertically standing state with a predetermined distance between each cylinder. A main valve 3 is attached to the top of the cylinder 1. The main valve 3 has an operating handle 3a on its upper part for opening and closing operations. Therefore, the opening degree of the main valve 3 is adjusted by rotating the operating handle 3a. Therefore, a flow rate of gas corresponding to the opening degree of the main valve 3 flows out from the cylinder 1 and is supplied to the outside of the cylinder storage box 2 via the pipe 4 connected to the main valve 3 in communication.

5 is the actuator, cylinder storage box 2
It is disposed on the upper surface of the top plate 2a of the cylinder 1, and is located at a fixed location spaced apart from the cylinder 1. The output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 passes through the top plate 2a and projects into the cylinder storage box 2. Further, the lower end of the output shaft 6 is rotatably connected to the upper connecting portion 7a of the universal joint 7.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a chuck, which is fitted onto the outer periphery of the operating handle 3a of the main valve 3. Further, a shaft 8a protruding from the top of the chuck 8 is rotatably connected to a lower connecting portion 7b of the universal joint 7. Therefore, the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 and the shaft 8a of the chuck 8 are connected via two connecting portions 7a and 7b which are rotatable in mutually orthogonal directions. Moreover,
The distance between the top inner wall of the cylinder storage box 2 and the chuck 8 when the chuck 8 is freely hanging down is larger than the distance between the top inner wall of the cylinder storage box 2 and the handle 3a of the main valve 3, is inclined between the output shaft 6 and the chuck 8 to absorb displacements in the vertical and lateral directions. Therefore, the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5
is connected to chuck 8 via universal joint 7. Reference numeral 9 denotes an operating device, which is provided at a position away from the cylinder storage box 2, and supplies an opening/closing signal to the actuator 5 for opening and closing the main valve 3. 1
0 is a pneumatic pipe, and the air pressure for rotationally driving the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 is transferred to the actuator 5.
supply to.

Here, when adjusting the flow rate of gas in the cylinder 1 or when opening/closing the cylinder 1, first, an operation switch or the like of the operation device 9 is operated to supply an operation signal to the actuator 5. As a result, the solenoid valves 5a and 5b connected to the air pipe 10 are activated, and the air pressure from the air pipe 10 is applied to the actuator 5.
The piston (not shown) is introduced into the cylinder portion 5c of the cylinder 5c to displace the piston (not shown). In this way, actuator 5
is activated and the output shaft 6 is driven. The rotational driving force of the output shaft 6 is transmitted to the chuck 8 via the universal joint 7. That is, the operating handle 3a of the main valve 3 is driven by the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 and rotates to open and close the main valve 3. Therefore, the main valve 3 of the cylinder 1 is opened and closed by remote control of the operating device 9, and the degree of opening of the valve is adjusted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the actuator 5 is not directly attached to the top of the cylinder 1,
It is provided outside the cylinder storage box 2 which is spaced apart from the cylinder 1. Therefore, the actuator 5 is not interposed between the upper part of the cylinder 1 and the cylinder storage box 2, and the space above the cylinder 1 is not blocked. Therefore, for example, when replacing a cylinder with a larger capacity cylinder, there is no problem such as the actuator at the top of the tank coming into contact with the top plate 2 as in the conventional case, and there is no need to modify the cylinder storage box 2.

In addition, since the driving force of the actuator 5 is configured to open and close the main valve via the universal joint 7 having connecting portions 7a and 7b at the upper and lower ends, the position of the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 and the operation of the main valve 3 are controlled. Handle 3a
It is not necessary to match the positions of the two, and the respective mounting positions do not have to be accurate. Further, when replacing the cylinder 1, the cylinder 1 can be easily replaced by simply removing the chuck 8 from the operating handle 3a while the actuator 5 is attached to the top plate 2. Further, the belt 13 holding the cylinder 1 may come off or break due to an earthquake or the like. Even in such a case, the cylinder 1 is held via the output shaft 6, the universal joint 7, and the chuck 8 so as not to fall. That is, the cylinder 1 is prevented from falling over even if the belt 13 comes off and the universal joint 7 bends, causing the cylinder 1 to wobble or tilt at a slight angle. This is advantageous in terms of safety measures in the event of an earthquake, and can prevent gas leakage accidents that may occur due to the cylinder 1 falling over.

Further, the height of the cylinder 1 varies depending on its capacity. In this case, as shown in Figure 3, the main valve 3
The distance between the position of the operating handle 3a and the top plate 2a of the cylinder storage box 2 is different. Therefore, in the case of a cylinder 1a having a large capacity, the distance between the operating handle 3a and the top plate 2a is as small as l ₁ (<l ₂ ). However, since the actuator 5 is provided outside the cylinder storage box 2, the pedestal 11 can be easily provided between the top plate 2a and the actuator 5. Therefore, by providing the pedestal 11, the height position of the actuator 5 can be adjusted without changing the bending angle of the universal joint 7.

In the above embodiment, two connecting portions 7 are connected between the output shaft 6 of the actuator 5 and the shaft 8a of the chuck 8.
Although they are connected via a and 7b, it goes without saying that they may be connected via two or more connecting portions.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the cylinder main valve opening/closing device of the present invention, when a large-capacity cylinder is installed in a cylinder storage box, for example, the actuator attached to the top of the cylinder as in the conventional case protrudes from the top plate. This eliminates the inconvenience that would occur if the cylinder storage box was used, and therefore, by modifying the cylinder storage box, it would be possible to eliminate waste. Furthermore, there is no need to remove the actuator when replacing the cylinder, and when installing the cylinder, there is no need to precisely align the position of the cylinder main valve with the position of the output shaft of the actuator, so it can be installed by shifting it, making cylinder replacement easier. can be done. Moreover, when changing to a cylinder with a different capacity, the height position of the main valve differs depending on the cylinder capacity, but the chuck can be attached to the main valve by rotating the two or more rotatable connecting parts, and the chuck can be attached to the main valve through each connecting part. It has features such as being able to drive the chuck by

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the cylinder main valve opening/closing device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the main parts of the device shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is the position of the actuator. FIG. 1...Cylinder, 2...Cylinder storage box, 3
...Main valve, 5...Actuator, 7...Universal joint, 8...Chuck, 12...Flexible tube.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cylinder that is installed vertically and has gas sealed inside; a main valve that is provided on the top of the cylinder and opens and closes the cylinder; and the cylinder is housed inside. A cylinder main valve opening/closing device comprising: a cylinder storage box consisting of a casing that surrounds the cylinder storage box; an actuator that opens and closes the main valve by supplying an operation signal; The actuator is provided on the top surface of the cylinder storage box so as to protrude into the box, and a chuck is provided to grip the opening/closing operation part of the main valve, and the output shaft of the actuator and the chuck are
The chuck is connected via at least two rotatable connecting portions, and the distance between the chuck and the upper inner wall of the cylinder storage box when the chuck is freely hanging is the distance between the upper inner wall of the cylinder storage box and the main valve. A cylinder main valve opening/closing device characterized in that the gap is larger than the distance between the cylinder main valve and the cylinder main valve.