GAS CYLINDER RESIDUAL GAS VOLUME INDICATOR

INDICATEUR DE VOLUME DU GAZ RESIDUEL D'UNE BONBONNE DE GAZ

English Abstract

A gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator includes a carrier having a weight-receiving part and a pressure-applying part, a hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder body holding a hydraulic fluid and a cylinder piston stopped against the pressure-applying part of the carrier and movable with the pressure-applying part relative to the cylinder body to force the hydraulic fluid out of the cylinder body according to the weight received from a gas cylinder by the weight-receiving part, a hydraulic mechanical type meter having an index rotatable by a hydraulic fluid, and an oil pipe for guiding the hydraulic fluid out of the hydraulic cylinder into the meter to rotate the index.

French Abstract

Un indicateur de volume du gaz résiduel d'une bonbonne de gaz comprend un support doté d'une pièce de réception du poids et d'une pièce d'application de pression, un cylindre hydraulique doté d'un corps de cylindre contenant un fluide hydraulique et un piston de cylindre bloque la pièce d'application de pression du support et déplaçable avec la pièce d'application de pression par rapport au corps du cylindre pour forcer le fluide hydraulique à l'extérieur du corps du cylindre selon le poids reçu d'une bonbonne de gaz par la pièce de réception de poids, un indicateur de type mécanique hydraulique doté d'un curseur qui peut être tourné par un fluide hydraulique et d'un tuyau d'huile pour guider le fluide hydraulique à l'extérieur du cylindre hydraulique dans le dispositif de mesure pour faire tourner le curseur.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator, comprising:
a carrier;
hydraulic cylinder;
a meter, and
an oil pipe;
wherein said carrier comprises a pivoted hook member, said pivoted
hook member comprising a transverse arm and a vertical arm connected
at right angle, said transverse arm having a front end forming a
weight-receiving part for receiving the weight of a gas cylinder and
said vertical arm having one side forming a pressure-applying part for
moving the hydraulic cylinder according to the weight received by said
weight-receiving part;
said hydraulic cylinder comprises a cylinder body holding a hydraulic
fluid and a cylinder piston stopped against said pressure-applying part
of said carrier and movable by said pressure-applying part relative to
said cylinder body to impart a pressure to said hydraulic fluid;
said meter is a hydraulic mechanical type meter having an index
rotatable by the hydraulic fluid of said hydraulic cylinder; and
said oil pipe is connected between said hydraulic cylinder body into
said meter to rotate said index.
2. The gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator as claimed in claim 1,
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wherein said carrier comprises a base member and a mounting plate
mounted on said base member; said pivoted hook member comprises a
pivot portion pivotally connected to said mounting plate; and said
hydraulic cylinder is mounted on said mounting plate.
3. The gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator as claimed in claim 2,
wherein said mounting plate has a pin hole disposed near a bottom side
thereof; and said pivot portion is a pin hole cut through said pivoted
hook member and pivotally connected to the pin hole of said mounting
plate with a pivot pin.
4. The gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said meter is a Bourdon-tube manometer.
5. The gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator as claimed in claim 4,
wherein said Bourdon-tube manometer comprises a dial having
graduations; and said index is rotatable relative to the graduations of
said dial to indicate the residual gas volume of said gas cylinder.
6. The gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator as claimed in claim 1,
further comprising a guard shell surrounding the cylinder body of said
hydraulic cylinder.

Description

CA 02684829 2009-11-06
GAS CYLINDER RESIDUAL GAS VOLUME INDICATOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for indicating the
residual gas volume of a gas storage means and more particularly
to a gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator, which indicates
the residual gas volume of a gas cylinder by means of a hydraulic
mechanical operation.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Regular gas ovens or gas grills use fuel gas for producing heat
energy. Fuel gas must be contained in a gas cylinder (made of steel)
for delivery, storage and use. However, a user may not know the
actual residual gas volume. The fuel gas of a gas cylinder may be
fully used up in the middle of baking or cooking, causing
embarrassment and inconvenience. In view of this problem,
meters capable of indicating the residual gas volume of a gas
cylinder are created. These conventional indicating meters for
residual gas volume are battery-operated electronic meters.
However, electronic meters tend to be interfered by external
noises. Further, electronic meters commonly have a complicated
structure. Further, electronic meters are expensive and not always
affordable for consumers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished under the
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circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to
provide a reliable and inexpensive gas cylinder residual gas volume
indicator, which, by means of the combination of a carrier, a hydraulic
cylinder, a meter and an oil pipe, allows a gas cylinder to be supported or
hung on the carrier so that the meter can indicate the residual gas volume
of the gas cylinder mechanically without consuming any extra energy.
According to the present invention, there is provided a gas cylinder
residual gas volume indicator, comprising:
a carrier;
hydraulic cylinder;
a meter, and
an oil pipe;
wherein said carrier comprises a pivoted hook member, said pivoted
hook member comprising a transverse arm and a vertical arm connected
at right angle, said transverse arm having a front end forming a
weight-receiving part for receiving the weight of a gas cylinder and
said vertical arm having one side forming a pressure-applying part for
moving the hydraulic cylinder according to the weight received by said
weight-receiving part;
said hydraulic cylinder comprises a cylinder body holding a hydraulic
fluid and a cylinder piston stopped against said pressure-applying part
of said carrier and movable by said pressure-applying part relative to
said cylinder body to impart a pressure to said hydraulic fluid;
said meter is a hydraulic mechanical type meter having an index
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rotatable by the hydraulic fluid of said hydraulic cylinder; and
said oil pipe is connected between said hydraulic cylinder body into
said meter to rotate said index.
For example, a gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator can
comprise a carrier having a weight-receiving part for receiving the weight
of a gas cylinder and a pressure-applying part for moving a hydraulic
cylinder according to the weight received by the weight-receiving part, a
hydraulic cylinder having a cylinder body holding a hydraulic fluid and a
cylinder piston stopped against the pressure-applying part of the carrier
and movable by the pressure-applying part relative to the cylinder body to
impart a pressure to the hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic mechanical type meter
having an index rotatable by the hydraulic fluid, and an oil pipe connected
between the hydraulic cylinder and the hydraulic mechanical type meter
for guiding the hydraulic fluid out of the hydraulic cylinder into the meter
to rotate the index.
Based on the design of the aforesaid gas cylinder residual gas volume
indicator, a gas cylinder can be supported or hung on the weight-receiving
part of the carrier. Thus, the weight of the gas cylinder and its internal
fuel
gas is applied to the weight-receiving part of the carrier, causing the
pressure-applying part of the carrier to push the hydraulic
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cylinder piston of the hydraulic cylinder to move the internal
hydraulic fluid out of the cylinder body through the oil pipe into
the hydraulic mechanical type meter. Thus, the weight of the gas
cylinder and its internal fuel gas is converted into a hydraulic
fluid signal, which is transmitted through the oil pipe to the
hydraulic mechanical meter to rotate the index, thereby providing
an accurate, real-time indication of the residual gas volume of the
gas cylinder. Therefore, the invention indicates the residual gas
volume of the gas cylinder accurately and has the advantages of
high reliability and low cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic assembly view of a gas cylinder residual
gas volume indicator in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view in an enlarged scale of a part of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic assembly view of an alternate form of the
gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator in accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded view in an enlarged scale of a part of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a sectional assembly view of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder in
operation in accordance with the present invention (I).
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder in
operation in accordance with the present invention (II).
FIG. 8 is a sectional assembly view of the meter in accordance
with the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a front view of the meter in accordance with the
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present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing showing an application
example of the gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator shown
in FIG. 1.
FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing showing an application
example of the gas cylinder residual gas volume indicator shown
in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gas cylinder residual gas volume
indicator in accordance with the present invention comprises a
carrier 1, a hydraulic cylinder 2, a meter 3 and an oil pipe 4.
The carrier 1, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, has a
weight-receiving part 11 for receiving the weight of a gas cylinder
and a pressure-applying part 12 for moving the hydraulic cylinder
2 according to the weight received by the weight-receiving part
11.
The hydraulic cylinder 2, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG.
6, comprises a cylinder body 21 and a hydraulic cylinder piston 22
axially slidably coupled to the cylinder body 21. The cylinder
body 21 has filled therein a hydraulic fluid 7. The hydraulic
cylinder piston 22 comprises a base 221 and a piston rod 222. The
piston rod 222 extends out of one side of the cylinder body 21 . The
hydraulic cylinder 2 is disposed at one side relative to the
pressure-applying part 12 of the carrier 1, keeping the distal end
of the hydraulic cylinder piston 22 (piston rod 222) abutted
against the pressure-applying part 12 of the carrier 1. Further, as
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shown in FIG. 2, the hydraulic cylinder 2 is mounted with a
mounting plate 23. By means of the mounting plate 23, the
hydraulic cylinder 2 is mounted on a place at one side relative to
the pressure-applying part 12 of the carrier 1. As shown in FIG. 4,
a guard shell 6 surrounds the hydraulic cylinder body 21. The
guard shell 6 includes a shell body 61 and a cover 62, and is
adapted to guard the hydraulic cylinder 2.
The meter 3, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, is a hydraulic
mechanical type meter, using a hydraulic fluid to move an index
or pointer 31. The meter 3 can be a Bourdon-tube manometer or
any other pressure gauge. Except the requisite mechanical
structure, the meter 3 further comprises a dial 32 marked with
graduations 33 for residual gas volume indication.
The oil pipe 4, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, has its one end
connected to the cylinder body 21 of the hydraulic cylinder 2 and
its other end connected to the meter 3. By means of the hydraulic
cylinder piston 22 moving the hydraulic fluid 7 out of the cylinder
body 21 (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) to the meter 3, the pointer 31 is
moved by the hydraulic fluid 7 (see FIG. 8).
Referring to FIG. 1 again, the carrier 1 comprises a movable
carrier board 13. The movable carrier board 13 can be a circular
disk or a disk of any other shape. The top wall of the movable
carrier board 13 forms the weight-receiving part 11. The bottom
wall of the movable carrier board 13 forms the pressure-applying
part 12. The distal end of the hydraulic cylinder piston 22 (piston
rod 222) of the hydraulic cylinder 2 is abutted against the bottom
wall of the movable carrier board 13 of the carrier 1 . The movable
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carrier board 13 is vertically movably connected to a base member
5. The hydraulic cylinder 2 is mounted on the base member 5 with
the distal end of the hydraulic cylinder piston 22 (piston rod 222)
of the hydraulic cylinder 2 abutted against the bottom wall of the
movable carrier board 13. Further, spring members 14 are
supported between the bottom wall of the movable carrier board
13 and the top wall of the base member 5. The spring members 14
can be spiral springs. When the pressure applied to the movable
carrier board 13 decreases gradually, the spring members 14 push
the movable carrier board 13 upwards relatively.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the carrier 1 can be a pivoted
hook member 15. The pivoted hook member 15 has a transverse
arm 151 and a vertical arm 152 connected at right angle. The
aforesaid weight-receiving part 1 1 is formed of a part of the front
end of the transverse arm 151 remote from the vertical arm 152.
The aforesaid pressure-applying part 12 is formed of a part of one
side of the vertical arm 152. The distal end of the, hydraulic
cylinder piston 22 (piston rod 222) of the hydraulic cylinder 2 is
abutted against the pressure-applying part 12 at one side of the
vertical arm 152. The pivoted hook member 15 has pivot means
153 pivotally connected to a mounting frame 16 that is affixed to
a base member 8. Thus, the hydraulic cylinder 2 is connected to a
mounting frame 16 with the distal end of its hydraulic cylinder
piston 22 (piston rod 222) abutted against the pressure-applying
part 12 at one side of the vertical arm 152. According to this
embodiment, the pivot means 153 is a pin hole 154. Further, the
mounting frame 16 has a pin hole 161 near its bottom side. A pivot
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pin 162 is inserted through the pin hole 154 of the pivoted hook
member 15 and the pin hole 161 of the mounting frame 16 to
pivotally connect the pivoted hook member 15 to the mounting
frame 16.
During application of the residual gas volume indicator, the
residual gas volume indicator can be fastened to a gas oven or gas
grill at a selected location. According to the application example
shown in FIG. 10, the gas cylinder 9 is supported on the
weight-receiving part 11. According to the application example
shown in FIG. 11, the gas cylinder 9 is hung on the
weight-receiving part 1 I of the carrier 1. Thus, the weight of the
gas cylinder 9 and its internal fuel gas is applied to the
weight-receiving part 11 of the carrier 1, as shown in FIG. 5 and
FIG. 6. At the same time, the pressure-applying part 12 of the
carrier 1 pushes the hydraulic cylinder piston 22 of the hydraulic
cylinder 2 to move the internal hydraulic fluid 7 out of the
cylinder body 21 toward the oil pipe 4, and therefore the weight
of the gas cylinder and its internal fuel gas is converted into a
hydraulic fluid signal, which, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, is
transmitted through the oil pipe 4 to the meter 3 to rotate the
pointer 31 of the meter 3 in one direction relative to the dial 32,
thereby indicating the residual gas volume of the gas cylinder 9.
On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 7, when the residual gas volume
of the gas cylinder 9 is decreasing, the movable carrier l is
relatively moved upwards by the spring members 14 to force the
hydraulic fluid 7 backwards toward the inside of the hydraulic
cylinder 2, and the pointer 31 of the meter 3 is relatively rotated
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in the reverse direction relative to the dial 32, providing a
real-time indication of the residual gas volume of the gas cylinder
9. Thus, the invention accurately indicates the residual gas
volume of the gas cylinder without consuming extra energy
(power supply), and has the advantages of high reliability and. low
cost.
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Representative Drawing