Intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinder

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of gas safety equipment, and particularly provides an intelligent pressure regulator for a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder, which comprises a pressure regulator body, the pressure regulator body is installed at a gas outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder, and a posture detector for detecting the tilting or horizontal state of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is arranged in the pressure regulator body. When the posture state is tilting, the pressure regulator body closes the gas outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder and stops gas supply, so that the safety hidden danger caused by excessive tilting and upside-down placing of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder can be better eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of gas safety equipment technology, specifically an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders. Background Technology

[0002] A liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pressure regulator is a critical safety device installed between an LPG cylinder and a gas appliance.

[0003] Existing bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder pressure regulators typically involve improvements to the structure itself, such as the bottled LPG pressure regulator disclosed in patent number CN202421146336.4.

[0004] However, existing pressure regulators for bottled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders have the following problems during use: Due to the various environments in which LPG cylinders are used, incorrect usage such as excessive tilting or inversion of the cylinders may occur. Excessive tilting and inversion of LPG cylinders pose many hazards, such as: 1. LPG cylinders contain liquefied gas under a certain pressure. Using them inverted can force the LPG into the stove nozzle, leading not only to violent combustion but also potentially an explosion. 2. When an LPG cylinder is inverted, the liquid near the opening rapidly vaporizes after passing through the angle valve and pressure regulator, causing a sudden release of gas that greatly exceeds the stove's capacity. This can result in a very high and large flame, easily igniting nearby flammable materials; or the gas may not have enough time to burn completely, forming an explosive mixture with air and causing an explosion.

[0005] Traditional LPG cylinder regulators cannot automatically shut off their valves after the cylinder is excessively tilted or inverted. This poses a significant safety hazard if the valve is not closed promptly after the cylinder is excessively tilted or inverted. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: A smart pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders includes a regulator body, which is installed at the outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder. The regulator body is equipped with a posture detector for detecting whether the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted or level.

[0008] Optionally, the pressure regulator body includes: a valve body, a control circuit board, and a solenoid valve; The control circuit board is fixed in the valve body, the control circuit board is connected to the solenoid valve, and the attitude detector is integrated into the control circuit board; When the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted, the solenoid valve closes the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder.

[0009] Optionally, the control circuit board is horizontally disposed in the middle of the valve body.

[0010] Optionally, the valve body is provided with a reset button for resetting the solenoid valve; The reset button is located at the air inlet of the valve body and is used to reset and ventilate the regulator body when the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted and closed.

[0011] Optionally, the valve body further includes: a lifting knob, a pressure regulating assembly, and a shut-off assembly; The pressure regulating component is disposed in the valve body, and the pressure regulating component divides the valve body into a pressure regulating chamber and a back pressure chamber. The pressure regulating component is used to reciprocate according to the pressure difference between the pressure regulating chamber and the back pressure chamber. The pressure regulating component is connected to the cut-off component, and the cut-off component is used to close the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder when the pressure regulating chamber is under-pressured or over-pressured. The lifting knob is located on the top of the valve body and is connected to the pressure regulating assembly. It is used to reset the pressure regulator body that closes the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder under under-pressure or over-pressure conditions.

[0012] Optionally, it also includes a battery box; the battery box is located at the bottom of the valve body, and the battery box is equipped with a power supply, which supplies power to the control circuit board and the solenoid valve respectively.

[0013] Optionally, the attitude detector is a tilt-sensing switch.

[0014] Optionally, a handwheel switch is also included, which is located at the air inlet of the regulator body, and the air outlet of the regulator body is used to connect with the gas-using equipment.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, this application provides an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, including a regulator body installed at the outlet of the LPG cylinder. The regulator body contains a posture detector for detecting whether the LPG cylinder is tilted or horizontal. By configuring the posture detector within the regulator body, when the cylinder is tilted, the regulator body closes the LPG cylinder outlet and stops supplying gas, thus better preventing safety hazards caused by excessive tilting or inversion of the LPG cylinder. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of an attitude detector.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Attitude detector; 2. Valve body; 3. Control circuit board; 4. Reset button; 5. Lifting knob; 6. Battery box; 7. Handwheel switch. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0021] Furthermore, the elements in this invention are referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, which may be directly on the other element or may also include an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or may also include an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0022] Please see Figures 1-2 In this embodiment of the present invention, an intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders includes a regulator body, which is installed at the outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder. The regulator body is provided with a posture detector for detecting whether the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted or horizontal. The posture detector is used to detect the position and posture state of the regulator body. When the position and posture state is tilted, the regulator body closes the outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder.

[0023] In this embodiment, the pressure regulator body includes: a valve body, a control circuit board, and a solenoid valve; the control circuit board is fixed in the valve body, and the control circuit board is connected to the solenoid valve; the control circuit board integrates the attitude detector; when the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted, the solenoid valve closes the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder; when the attitude state is not tilted, the control circuit board is powered on.

[0024] In this embodiment, an attitude detector is configured in this application, and the above-mentioned pressure regulator body is an existing pressure regulator with an electromagnetic shut-off valve. This application does not specifically limit it.

[0025] For example, patent CN212298550U discloses a bottled liquefied petroleum gas pressure regulator with flameout protection function. This patent includes a pressure regulator, a burner head, and an electrical control system. The pressure regulator includes a valve body, a valve cover on the valve body, an air inlet on one side of the valve body, and an air outlet on the other side of the valve body, connected to the burner head via the air outlet. A pressure regulating device is provided inside the valve body. The valve cover has a protective shell and a protective cap. A support plate is provided inside the protective shell, and an electromagnet is provided on the support plate. The electromagnet controls the pressure regulating device. A thermocouple is provided on the burner head. The thermocouple and the electromagnet are connected through the electrical control system, which controls the electromagnet to close the air inlet in case of accidental flameout. The attitude detector described in this application can be installed in this prior art pressure regulator. When the petroleum gas cylinder tipps over, the attitude detector sends a signal to the electrical control system, which then controls the electromagnet to close the air inlet. It should be noted that the above examples do not limit the technical solutions of this application to only this type of voltage regulator, and this application does not limit the type of voltage regulator.

[0026] In this embodiment, the aforementioned attitude detector is preferably a tilt sensor switch, but other sensors capable of tilt detection can also be used. Taking a tilt sensor switch based on photoelectric sensing technology as an example, the following detailed explanation is provided: Based on the working principle of the tilt sensor switch, which utilizes photoelectric sensing technology and a built-in ball bearing to trigger the on / off state of the optical path, the tilt state of the equipment is determined by changes in voltage. When the equipment tilts to the measured angle, the ball bearing displacement causes the infrared light to be either turned on or off, thereby outputting a high / low voltage signal to the control circuit board. At this time, after receiving the tilt signal from the attitude detector, the control circuit board controls the solenoid valve to cut off the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder.

[0027] In this embodiment, the intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders provided in this application can detect the posture of the LPG cylinders. When the LPG cylinder is excessively tilted or placed upside down, it can promptly cut off the power, close the valve, and stop the gas supply. When the LPG cylinder is placed back upright, the regulator can be powered on again, and the user can manually open the valve to restore the gas supply. This effectively eliminates the safety hazards caused by excessive tilting and inversion of LPG cylinders.

[0028] In one specific embodiment, the control circuit board is horizontally positioned in the middle of the valve body. This arrangement ensures that, with the control circuit board horizontal after the valve body is installed on the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder, the tilt sensor switch is initially positioned horizontally on the control circuit board, making it easier for the tilt sensor switch to detect the tilt angle.

[0029] In this embodiment, the photoelectric sensor-type tilt-sensing switch is described in [reference needed]. Figure 3 As shown: When the ball bearing is at the bottom, the LPG cylinder is considered to be in an upright state. At this time, the ball bearing blocks more than 80% of the light path, thus blocking the light path. The current in the receiving tube is less than 0.1μA, and the photoelectric tilt sensor switch outputs a high level. The control circuit board is then powered on and operates normally. This state corresponds to the LPG cylinder being either in an upright, normal operating state or, after being tilted and righted, having its gas outlet closed. Conversely, if it is in a cut-off state, the user needs to manually open the valve to restore gas supply. When the tilt angle exceeds a threshold, it is considered to be in a tilted state, and the ball bearing shifts. If the ball bearing shifts more than 3mm, the light path is activated, the current in the receiving tube exceeds 1mA, and the photoelectric tilt sensor switch outputs a low level. At this time, the control circuit board is de-energized, and the solenoid valve automatically closes the LPG cylinder outlet. It should be noted that the above technical means are mature technologies in this field and can be directly applied to the technical solution of this application, without any technical barriers.

[0030] In one specific embodiment, the valve body is provided with a reset button for resetting the solenoid valve; the reset button is located at the air inlet of the valve body and is used to reset the regulator body for ventilation when the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted and closed; the valve body further includes: a lifting knob, a pressure regulating component, and a shut-off component; the pressure regulating component is located in the valve body and divides the valve body into a pressure regulating chamber and a back pressure chamber, and the pressure regulating component is used to reciprocate with the pressure difference between the pressure regulating chamber and the back pressure chamber; the pressure regulating component is connected to the shut-off component, and the shut-off component is used to close the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder in the event of underpressure or overpressure; the lifting knob is located on the top of the valve body and is connected to the pressure regulating component, and is used to reset the regulator body that has closed the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder in the event of underpressure or overpressure.

[0031] It should be noted that the above method is only one of many. This application does not limit the internal undervoltage and overvoltage protection methods of the regulator body. Any scheme that can achieve undervoltage or overvoltage cutoff can be applied in this application. It should be noted that the control circuit board in this application needs to control the opening and closing of the LPG cylinder's gas port via a solenoid valve. This control is derived from the high or low level output by the attitude detector. When the level is high, the control circuit board is energized, the solenoid coil operates, attracting the valve core, and the solenoid valve closes the LPG cylinder's gas port to stop gas supply. When the level is low, the regulator body operates normally. At this time, the solenoid valve is de-energized and closes the LPG cylinder's gas port, stopping gas supply. When the LPG cylinder is returned to its upright position, the regulator body can be re-energized and the valve can be manually opened to restore gas supply. This can better prevent safety hazards caused by excessive tilting and inverting of the LPG cylinder.

[0032] In one specific embodiment, a battery box is also included; the battery box is located at the bottom of the valve body, and a power supply is installed inside the battery box, which supplies power to the control circuit board and the solenoid valve respectively. In this application, the power supply can be an AA alkaline dry cell battery, which has advantages such as high energy density, long battery life, stable voltage output, wide temperature adaptability, high safety, low cost, and high reliability.

[0033] In one specific embodiment, a handwheel switch is also included. The handwheel switch is rotatably disposed at the air inlet end of the regulator body and is used to open or close the air inlet of the regulator body. Rotating the handwheel switch to open or close the air inlet end of the regulator body allows the user to manually close the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder when not using liquefied petroleum gas, ensuring gas safety. The air outlet of the regulator body is used to connect with gas-using equipment, such as a stove.

[0034] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0035] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A smart pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, characterized in that, Includes a pressure regulator body, which is installed at the outlet of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder; The regulator body is equipped with a posture detector for detecting whether the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted or level.

2. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 1, characterized in that, The regulator body includes: a valve body, a control circuit board, and a solenoid valve; The control circuit board is fixed in the valve body, the control circuit board is connected to the solenoid valve, and the attitude detector is integrated into the control circuit board; When the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted, the solenoid valve closes the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder.

3. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control circuit board is horizontally positioned in the middle of the valve body.

4. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 3, characterized in that, The valve body is equipped with a reset button for resetting the solenoid valve; The reset button is located at the air inlet of the valve body and is used to reset and ventilate the regulator body when the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder is tilted and closed.

5. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 4, characterized in that, The valve body also includes: a lifting knob, a pressure regulating component, and a shut-off component; The pressure regulating component is disposed in the valve body, and the pressure regulating component divides the valve body into a pressure regulating chamber and a back pressure chamber. The pressure regulating component is used to reciprocate according to the pressure difference between the pressure regulating chamber and the back pressure chamber. The pressure regulating component is connected to the cut-off component, and the cut-off component is used to close the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder when the pressure regulating chamber is under-pressured or over-pressured. The lifting knob is located on the top of the valve body and is connected to the pressure regulating assembly. It is used to reset the pressure regulator body that closes the gas port of the liquefied petroleum gas cylinder under under-pressure or over-pressure conditions.

6. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a battery box; the battery box is located at the bottom of the valve body and is equipped with a power supply, which supplies power to the control circuit board and the solenoid valve respectively.

7. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 6, characterized in that, The attitude detector is a tilt-sensitive switch.

8. The intelligent pressure regulator for liquefied petroleum gas cylinders according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a handwheel switch, which is located at the air inlet of the regulator body, and the air outlet of the regulator body is used to connect with the gas-using equipment.

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