Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 LIQUID DELIVERY APPARATUS
TECHNICAL ~IELD OF THE INVENTION
AND RELATED ART
This invention relates to an apparatus for
dispensing liquid such as fuel for a vehicle such as
automobile, and more particularly to a fuel delivery
nozzle to be used in said apparatus, which essentially
1~ comprises an elongated barrel portion, a hollow body
portion having valve means arranged therein and
normally closed, and trigger means to be manually
actuated so as to open said valve means for dispensing
through said barrel portion.
In gasoline stations, fuel is generally supplied
so as to fully fill a tank of the automobile. Such
dispensation must be carefully made in order to avoid
possible overflow of fuel out of a top open end of a
filler pipe connected to the vehicle tank.
It has been proposed and actually used for a long
time to provide various types of delivery nozzles
adapted to automatically close the valve means when a
fuel level rises up close to the tip end of the
delivery nozzle which is inserted in the filler pipe,
in order to avoid said fluid overflow.
One type of such delivery noz21es has a slender
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1 air passage extending from the tip end, where one end
thereof is opened, to a negative pressure generating
portion which is communicated with a chamber formed in
the body portion so that when said one end of the air
passage is closed by fuel rising up in the filler
pipe, a negative pressure is generated in said chamber
so as to actuate a mechnism for automatically closing
the valve means, which is disclosed for instance in
~.S. Patent No. 3,905,524 and expalined later in more
detail.
This mechanism is still unsatisfactory, however,
since there is a problem of the so-calle~ surging
which inevitably causes fuel splashes and bubbles on
and above the fuel level, whereby the open end of the
air passage is closed so as to automatically close the
valve means and cause early cut-off of fuel supply.
In order to fully fill the tank with fuel, the trigger
must be reactuated. It is not always so easy to avoid
such surging problem even by the skilled operator,
since sizes, shapes and mount angles of the filler
pipes are various from one vehicle to another. The
operation must often be repeated a few times.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, thus, an object of the invention to
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1 provides the fuel delivery apparatus for the fuel delivery
nozzle to be used therein o~ the type referred to above
and capable of dispensing fuel to be filled fully in the
tank completely automatically by a single operation.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the
invention provides for an apparatus for liquid delivery
comprising a barrel portion having an open free end; a
hollow body portion integrally fixed thereto and having an
inlet to form a liquid passage extending therefrom through
the barrel portion to said open free end; a trigger
mounted at said body portion so as to be manually
actuated; a main valve arranged downstream from said inlet
in the liquid passage in the body portion and having a
valve rod to be longitudinally movable together; a valve
seat arranged so as to face said main valve and having a
wall exposed in the liquid passage around said main valve;
first spring means for urging said main valve toward said
valve seat for normally closing the liquid passage; an
extended bar arranged so as to be longitudinally moved by
the actuated trigger; second spring means for urging said
bar toward said trigger; means for disengageably engaging
said bar with said valve rod so as to be longitudinally
movable together; and means for detecting liquid level
rising up close to the open free end of said barrel
portion and adapted to actuate said engaging means so as
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l to disengage said bar from said valve rod when detecting
liquid inclusive of bubbles and splashes thereof; in which
said valve seat is made slidingly movable toward said main
valve by third spring means and apart therefrom by
pressure force of liquid pumped up through said inlet in
the liquid passage to be just in feont of said main valve
and the exposed wall of said valve seat against the force
of said third spring, to which said main valve follows by
the force of said first spring means, whereby when
actuating the trigger, the bar and consequently the valve
rod engaged therewith is longitudinally moved against the
force of said first spring means so as to open the liquid
passage, when said detecting means detects liquid splashes
and bubbles, said valve rod is disengaged from said bar so
that said valve rod is longitudinally moved by said first
spring means despite of that the trigger is still actuated
and the main valve closes the liquid passage and, when
liquid is freed from pressure, the main valve seat is
slidingly moved toward the main valve by the force of said
~: 20 third spring means so that said detecting means now
: detecting no splashes and bubbles actuates said engaging
means so as to engage said bar with said rod again.
In another aspect this invention provides for an
apparatus for liquid delivery comprising a barrel portion
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:~ 25:: having an open free end; a hollow body portion integrally
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1 fixed theret~ and having an inlet to form a liquid passage
extending therefrom through the barrel portion to said
open free end; a trigger mounted at said body portion so
as to be manually actuated: a main valve arranged
downstream from said inlet in the liquid passage in the
body portion and having a valve rod to be longitudinally
movable together; a valve seat arranged so as to face said
main valve and having a wall exposed in the liquid passage
around said main valve; first spring means for urging said
main valve toward said valve seat for normally closing the
liquid passage; an extended bar arranged so as to be
longitudinally moved by the actuated trigger; second
spring means for urging said bar toward said trigger;
means for disengageably engaginq said bar with said valve
rod so as to be longitudinally movable together; and means
for detecting liquid level rising up close to the open
free end of said barrel portion and adapted to actuate
said engaging means so as to disengage said bar from said
valve rod when detecting liquid inclusive of bubbles and
splashes thereof, characterised in that the inlet is
~: :
communicated with a liquid feeding device which operates
: : to stop the feeding of liquid when the main valve is
closed and the liquid delivery is stopped and start the
feeding of liquid after a predetermined period of time is
25 ~; passed, said Iiquid feeding device being adapted to repeat
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1 the operation predetermined times throughout a liquid
delivery operation, and that said valve seat is made
slidingly movable toward said main valve by third spring
means and apart therefrom by pressure force of liquid fed
through said inlet in the liquid passage to be just in
front of said main valve and the exposed wall of said
valve seat against the force of said third spring means,
to which said main valve follows by the force of said
first spring means, whereby when actuating the trigger,
the bar and consequently the valve rod engaged therewith
is longitudinally moved against the force of said first
spring means so as to open the liquid passage; when said
detecting means detects liquid splashes and bubbles, said
valve rod is disengaged from said bar so that said valve
rod is longitudinally moved by said first spring means
despite of that the trigger is still actuated and the main
valve closes the liquid passage and the liquid feeding
device stops the liquid feeding; when the liquid is freed
: from pressuce, the valve seat is slidingly moved toward
the main valve by the force of said third spring means so
:~ : that said detecting means now detecting no splashes and
bubbles actuates said engaging means so as to engage said
bar with said valve rod again, and then the liquid feeding
device starts the liquid feeding again after the
~ 25 predetermined period of time is passed and the main valve
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1 opens to begin the liquid delivery again; and the above
sequential operation is repeated predetermined times to
the completion of a liquid delivery operation.
The other objects and advantages of the
invention will be appreciated by studying preferred
embodiments of the invention illustrated hereafter in
reference to accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. l is a side elevation partly in section of
the fuel delivery nozzle to be used in the apparatus
according to the invention,
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the above,
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing
arrangement of elements in the body portion, in which
positions of a chamber accommodating a diaphragm and
related members are changed for convenience of
explanation,
Fig. 4 is a similar view but shown in the state
where the trigger is manually actuated,
Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views but shown in the
states where concerned elements are actuated to be in
different positions,
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1 Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing
another arrangement o~ the check valve,
Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of the
apparatus,
Fig. 9 is a block aiagram of the control means ot
the apparatus.
DETAILED EXPLANATION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In Fig. 8, an apparatus for delivering fuel
according to the invention has a casing 1 which
contains a motor 2, a pump 3, a flow meter 4, a flow
pulse generator 5, control means 6, an indicator 7 and
a nozzle switch 8 for delivering a fuel dispensing
operation starting signal. A fuel delivery nozzle 10
is connected through a flexible hose 9 with the free
end of a conduit 9' extending through the flow meter
and the pump 3 down to an under-ground fuel reservoir
not shown.
When the delivery nozzle 10 hung on the wall of
the casing wall 1 is taken off for starting fuel
delivery, the nozzle switch 8 is actuated to energize
the motor 2, through the control means 6, and
consequently drive the pump 3 for feeding fuel to the
nozzle 10 so that when valve means therein is actuated
fuel may be delivered to the vehicle. The flow meter
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1 counts the amount of fuel flowing therethrough and the
flow pulse generator 5 generates correspondding pulse
signals, which are processed by the control means 6
for indicating the supplied fuel volume on the
indicator 7.
Now in reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the ruel
delivery nozzle represented generally by 10 has a
barrel portion 11, a hollow body portion 12 which is
preferably formed from two portions 12a an~ 12b so as
to be liquid tightly connected after mounting valves,
springs and the like to be referred to hereafter in
said two portions 12a and 12b, an elbow 13 (see Fig.
2) transversely protruded via a swivel joint 14 from
the body portion 12 to which the flexi~le hose 9 is
connected, a trigger 15 mounted at the body portion 12
so as to be manually actuated to open valve means to
be explained later, a latch 16 having a few steps each
to be engaged with the free end of the trigger for
keeping the valve means in the open position in
different open degrees, and a slender air passage 17
extending from the tip end 17 ", where one end thereof
is opened, of the barrel portion 11 to a chamber 34
formed in the body portion 12. The elbow 13 opens at
the other end as an inlet 18, which is shown in Fig. 1
by phantom lines, so as to feed fuel from the hose 9
into the body portion 12.
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1 There i9 provided in the body portion 12 a main
valve 21 abutting on a valve seat 22 so as to prevent
fuel to be pumped up through the inlet port 18 from
flowing into the barrel portion 11. The main valve 21
has an extended valve rod 23 to be fixed therewith,
the tail end of which is urged by a coiled spring 24
so as to push the main valve 21 toward the valve seat
22. There is provided downstream from the main valve
21 further a check valve 25 which normally abuts on a
valve seat 26 by means of a coiled spring 27.
There is provided, behind the trigger 15 normally
kept at the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 by a
coiled spring 15', a bar 31 which is adapted to be
slidingly movable relative to the valve rod 23 in an~
along a longitudinal groove formed therein but
normally kept at the illustrated position by a coiled
spring 32 loaded between the rear end of said bar 31
and a cap 28 mounted at the rear end of said groove
and consequently of said valve rod 23. The bar 31 is
longitudinally movable together with the valve rod 23
as a united body by means of a pin or pins 33 extended
across the both and fitted in transverse recesses
formed therein. Thus, when actuating the trigger 15,
~ the bar 31 engaged with the trigger 15 and consequently
; the valve rod 23 is pushed rearward against the force
of the coiled spring 24 to open the main valve 21.
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1 Thus fuel now flows under pressure to push the check
valve 25 against the force of the concerned spring 27
out of the barrel portion 11.
In the body portion 12 and in the vicinity o~
said pins 33, there is formed the chamber which is
divided into two 34, 35 by a diaphragm 36 which is
norally kept at the illustrated position by a coiled
spring 37 mounted in the chamber 34, in which the air
passage 17 is opened. It is not always clear from tne
drawings but the diaphragm 36 is ~echanically
connected with the pins 33 so that when the diaphragm
36 is pulled toward the chamber 34 to be convex
therein against the force of the spring 37 by
differential air pressure formed between the two
chambers to be explained later the pins 33 may be
pulled thereby out of the recesses formed in the bar
31 so as to disengage the unity thereof.
When fuel flows around the tapered check valve
25, there is caused negative pressure in a branched
air passage 17' opening there according to the Venturi
effect so that the open end 17'' of the air passage 17
sucks air at the tip end of the barrel portion 11, but
there is caused no differential air pressure betwe~n
the chambers 34 and 35. When said open end 17'' of
the slender air passage 17 is closed by fuel or
splashes or bubbles thereof, negative pressure is
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1 caused in the chamber 34 where the other end of the
air passage 17 is opened so that the ~iapnaragm 36 is
pulled to be convex in said chamber so as to pull tne
pins 33 out of the cross recesses of-the bar 31, which
are disengaged with each other as referred to above.
Thus, despite of that the trigger 15 is still being
manually actuated or held in position by engagement
with any of the steps of the latch 16, the valve rod
23 is moved relative to the bar 31 now disengaged
therefrom by the coiled spring 24, and consequently
the main valve 21 sits on tne valve seat 22 to cut off
fuel delivery.
So far as the above is concerned, the construction
of the fuel delivery nozzle and arrangement of the
concerned elements thereof are substantially same with
the disclosure in said ~.S. Patent 3,905,524. Such
fuel delivery nozzle, however, is not satisfactory
since splashes or bubbles of fuel may result delivery
cut-off too early when fuel is not yet fully filled as
referred to above.
According to the invention, the valve seat 22
having a wall exposed in the liquid passage arround
the main valve is made longitudinally movable and kept
in the illustrated position by a strong coiled spring
29, owing to which the full tank delivery is made
possible fully automatically. When the valve seat 22
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1 is slidingly moved from the retracted position (left
position in the drawings), to which the valve seat 22
is brought by pressure of fuel which is pumped up to
be in a chamber just in front of the main valve 21,
against the force of the strong coiled spring 29 (see
Figs. 3, 4 and 5) to the normal or advanced position
(right position is the drawings), to which the valve
seat 22 is brought by said coiled spring 29 when the
pump is not operated (see Figs. 1, 2 and 6), there is
caused negative pressure therebehind. It is, thus,
preferable to form a through hole 25' in the check
valve 25 positioned downstream from the valve seat 22.
In order to avoid forming such through hole or
bore 25', the check valve 25a may be positioned so as
to sit on the valve seat portion 26a formed on the
valve seat 22 for the main valve 21 as shown in Fig.
7, in which the closed chamber formed by the valve
seat 22, the main valve 21 and the check valve 25a is
shifted without changing its volume when the valve
seat 22 on which the main valve 21 si~s is moved
toward right, in contrast with that mentioned in the
preceding embodiment.
In reference to Fig. 9, the control means 6
circled with phantom lines comprises detector means 61
for detecting absence of the pulse signal from the
fuel flow pulse generator 5 so as to give the
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1 corresponding signal to time counting means 62 and
motor regulator means 63. Said time counting means 62
gives the corresponding signal in reply to said signal
from the detector means 61 to the regulator means 63
after the lapse of previously set time for driving the
pump motor 2. Said motor regulator means 63 is
adapted to drive the pump motor 2 in reply to the fuel
dispensing operation starting signal from the nozzle
switch 8, deenergize the pump motor 2 in reply to the
signal from the detector means 61 and be turned to
refuse receiving any further signals from said time
counting means 62 after having received a few or
several times of signals, whereby it is possible to
judge that full tank delivery has been made. Countor
means 64 is adapted to integrate flow pulses given by
the fuel flow pulse generator 5 to output the
integrated numerical figure on the indicator 7 through
indicator driving means 65 and be reset in reply to
the signal from the nozzle switch 8.
Now in operation, when the nozzle 10 is taken off
for fuel dispensation, the motor regulator means 63
detects actuation of the nozzle switch 8 and energizes
the pump motor 2 so that fuel is pumped up to flow in
a chamber in the body portion 12 which is closed by
the main valve 21. under pressure of fuel the
slidingly movable valve seat 22 is moved against the
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1 force of the coiled spring 29 from the normal position
shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the position shwon in Fig.
3. The main valve 21 may follow the valve seat 22 by
means of the coiled spring 24.
When the trigger 15 of the delivery nozzle 1~ now
inserted in the filler pipe of the automobile is
manually actuated to be kept in position by engaging
with the stepped latch 16, the bar 31 and consequently
the valve rod 23 engaged therewith by the pins 33 is
moved toward the right side in the drawing against the
force of the spring 24 so as to open the main valve
21. Fuel under pressure flows through annular gap now
formed between the main valve 21 and the valve seat ~2
to push the check valve 25 against the force of the
spring 27 and into the filler pipe through the barrel
portion 11, as shown in Fig. 4.
In this state there is caused negative pressure
in the branched air passage 17' opened in the fuel
passage around the check valve 25 owing to the Venturi
effect as referred to above so that the air passage 17
opened at the tip end of the barrel portion 11 sucks
air. When the level of fuel supplied through the
filler pipe to the tank of the automobile gradually
rise up and if splashes or bubbles of fuel closes the
open end 17'' of the air passage 17, the other end or
the air passage 17 opened in the chamber 34 is made to
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1 be of negative pressure so as to pull the ~iaphragm 36
to be convex toward said chamber against the force of
the spring 37, whereby the pins 33 are raised up
together with said diaphragm movement or deformation
from the recesses formed across the har 21 so that the
unity thereof is disengaged as shown in Fig. 5.
Thus, despite of that the trigger 15 is still in
the actuated position and consequently the bar 31 is
pushed toward the right in the drawing against the
force of the spring 32, the valve rod 23 and
consequently the main valve 21 is urged toward the
valve seat 22 by means of the spring 24 to prevent
fuel from flowing through the gap therebetween as
shown in Fig. 5,
The detector means 61 in Fig. 9 detects absence
of fuel flow pulse signal so as to actuates the time
counting means 62 and gives the signal to the motor
regulator means 63 so as to deenergize the pump motor
2. Thus, fuel in the chamber closed by the main valve
21 now sitting on the valve seat 22 is freed from
pressure so that the slidingly movable valve seat 22
is urged by the strong spring 29 to be in the normal
position as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the main valve 21
and consequently the valve rod 23 is pushed toward the
right in the drawing against the force of the weaker
spring 24. Thus, the transverse recesses formed
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1 across the valve rod 23 and the bar 31 is in alignment
so that the pins 33, which are urged by the spring 37
through the diaphragm 36 now returned to the normal
position and mechanically connected with the pins 33,
are pushed into said recesses, whereby the unity or
the valve rod 23 and the bar 31 in the longitudinal
direction is recovered, as shown in Fig. 6.
After the lapse of a predetermined and previously
set time generally necessary for fuel bubbles to
disappear, e.g. a few seconds for gasoline, the time
counting means 62 outputs the signal, in reply to
which the motor regulator means 63 reenergizes the
pump motor 2, whereby the state of Fig. 4 is restored
so as to start fuel dispensation again
When the open end 17'' of the air passage 17 is
closed with ~uel splashes or bubbles, the states shown
in Figs. 5 and 6 are restored. When such operation is
repeated a few or several times which must be
predetermined and set in advance, the motor regulator
means 63 deenergize the pump motor 2 without affection
by the further signals from the time counting means
62. The fuel delivery is terminated in the state
shown in Fig. 6. Lastly, the trigger 15 is disengased
from the latch 16 and then the nozzle 10 returned to
the state shown in Fig. 1 is hung on the casing 1.
Thus the fuel delivery operation is finished.
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1 In brief of the above, the main fuel dispensation
is carried out by starting from the first stage where
the slidingly movable valve seat 23 is in the advanced
position urged by the strong spring 29 on which the
main valve 21 sits of which valve rod 22 is engaged
with the bar 31 as a united body to be longitudinally
movable together (Figs. 1 and 2), through the second
stage where the pumps 3 is driven so that the valve
seat 22 is urged by fuel under pressure to the
retracted position against the force of the strong
spring 29 to which the main valve 21 follows by means
of the spring 24 (Fig. 3), through the thira stage
where the trigger 15 is actuated and latched so that
the valve rod 23 as well as the bar 31 is pushed
thereby against the force of the spring 24 for opening
fuel passage (Fig. 4), through the fourth stage where
upon closing of the open tip end 17'' of the air
passage 17 by fuel flushes or bubbles, the valve rod
23 is disengaged from the bar 31 so as to sit on the
valve seat 22 by means of the spring 24 for closing
fuel passage (Fig. 5), and finishing with the fifth
stage where the pump 3 is momentarily stopped so that
the valve seat 22 is brought in the advanced position
again so as to engage the valve rod 23 with the bar 31
by means of the latch pins 33 (Fig. 6). Thereafter
the third, fourth and fifth stages are repeated for
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1 the additional dispensation so as to complete tne full
tank dispensation,
In the embodiment referred to above, the
additional dispensation is carried out by the same
discharge volume with that in the main dispensation,
but it is of course possible and usually prefera~le to
squeeze the volume e.g. to 20 l/min. for the first
additional dispensation, 5 l/min. for t~e second in
contrast with 45 l/min. for the main dispensation.
In the embodiment referred to above, the pump
motor 2 is deenergized in reply to the signal from the
detector 61, but it is possible to provide a control
valve in the way of fuel passage from the pump 3 to
the delivery nozzle 10 so as to stop supply of fuel.
