Liquid feeding nozzle

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of operating an automatic valve closing mechanism in matching with a flow rate of liquid fed from a liquid feeding nozzle to a liquid feeding target.SOLUTION: A liquid feeding nozzle 30 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a main valve 318 that is opened / closed by a lever operation; a sub valve 320 that is opened / closed by liquid pressure, that is provided on a lower stream side of a channel 312 than the main valve 318; a negative pressure generation part for generating a negative pressure from a flow of liquid fuel; a detection hole 304a provided on a side face of a tip portion of a discharge pipe 304; and an automatic valve closing mechanism 324 that is communicated with the negative pressure generation part and the detection hole 304a. Further, the sub valve 320 comprises a sub valve 360, and a sub valve 362 valve-openable at a lower pressure than that of the sub valve 360, whose channel cross-section during valve-opening is smaller than a channel cross-section during valve-opening of the sub valve 360. Then, the negative pressure generation part comprises a negative pressure generation part 370 that is due to the flow of the liquid fuel passing through the sub valve 360, and a negative pressure generation part 372 that is due to the liquid fuel passing through the sub valve 362.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a dispensing nozzle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a liquid supply nozzle is known in which a main valve installed in an internal flow path is opened by operating a lever to discharge liquid from a discharge pipe to begin supplying the liquid, and when the liquid level reaches the tip of the discharge pipe, the main valve is automatically closed to stop supplying the liquid (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The automatic valve closing mechanism communicates with a negative pressure generating unit that generates negative pressure due to the flow of liquid in the flow path inside the liquid supply nozzle, and also communicates with a detection hole provided at the tip of the discharge pipe. Therefore, when the detection hole is closed due to a rise in the liquid level of the liquid supply target, the negative pressure acting on the automatic valve closing mechanism from the negative pressure generating unit increases significantly, causing the automatic valve closing mechanism to operate and automatically close the main valve, and the liquid supply nozzle to stop supplying liquid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-292100 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the magnitude of the negative pressure generated in the negative pressure generating unit varies depending on the flow rate through the flow path. Therefore, for example, if the negative pressure generating unit is set on the premise of a relatively large flow rate, the generated negative pressure will be low at a relatively small flow rate, and the automatic valve closing mechanism may not be able to operate. On the other hand, if the negative pressure generating unit is set so that the automatic valve closing mechanism operates even at a relatively small flow rate, the automatic valve closing mechanism may operate due to the relatively large negative pressure generated at a relatively large flow rate, even though the detection hole is not blocked by the liquid surface, etc., and it may take a long time to supply the desired amount of liquid.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of operating an automatic valve closing mechanism in accordance with the flow rate of liquid supplied from a liquid supply nozzle to a liquid supply target. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, A discharge pipe for discharging liquid; a main body portion connected to a base end of the discharge pipe and to a liquid supply hose; a flow path provided inside the main body and capable of passing liquid from the liquid supply hose to the discharge pipe; A main valve provided in the flow path and opened and closed in response to a lever operation by a user; a sub-valve that is provided downstream of the main valve in the flow path and opens and closes in response to pressure of liquid supplied from the upstream side through the main valve; a negative pressure generating unit that generates a negative pressure by a flow of liquid in the flow path; A hole provided on a side surface of the tip of the discharge pipe; an automatic valve closing mechanism that communicates with the negative pressure generating portion and the hole and automatically closes the main valve when the hole is blocked while the main valve is open, the sub-valve includes a first sub-valve and a second sub-valve that opens at a lower pressure than the first sub-valve and has a flow path cross-sectional area when opened that is smaller than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first sub-valve when opened, The negative pressure generating unit includes a first negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the first sub-valve, and a second negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the second sub-valve. A dispensing nozzle is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above-described embodiment, the automatic valve closing mechanism can be operated in accordance with the flow rate of liquid supplied from the liquid supply nozzle to the liquid supply target. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an example of a liquid supply device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid supply nozzle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid supply nozzle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a sub-valve. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a sub-valve. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a sub-valve. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a valve body. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a support member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Configuration of the liquid supply device] First, the configuration of a liquid supply device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an example of a liquid supply device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0013] The liquid supplying device 1 supplies a predetermined liquid to a predetermined target in response to a user's operation. For example, the predetermined liquid is liquid fuel such as regular gasoline with a relatively low octane number, high-octane gasoline or diesel with a relatively high octane number, and the predetermined target is a fuel tank of a vehicle such as an automobile. The liquid supplying device 1 is installed in a liquid supply facility such as a gas station. The following description will be centered on a case where liquid fuel is supplied from the liquid supplying device 1 to a fuel tank of a vehicle.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid supply device 1 includes a housing 10, a supply path 20, a liquid supply hose 22, a liquid supply nozzle 30, a nozzle hanger 32, a nozzle switch 34, a pump 40, a flow meter 50, a solenoid valve 60, a control unit 70, and a display unit 80.

[0015] The housing 10 accommodates various components of the liquid supply device 1 internally and holds them externally.

[0016] The supply path 20 is housed inside the housing 10, and is a path for supplying liquid fuel from a reservoir (for example, an underground tank) of the liquid supply facility to a fuel tank of the vehicle.

[0017] The liquid supply hose 22 is attached to the tip of the supply path 20. The liquid supply hose 22 is flexible, and is provided so as to extend from the housing 10 to the outside.

[0018] The liquid supply nozzle 30 is provided at the tip of the liquid supply hose 22 outside the housing 10 .

[0019] The nozzle hanger 32 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 10, and holds the liquid supply nozzle 30 in a predetermined position when not in use.

[0020] The nozzle switch 34 is provided on the nozzle hanger 32, and outputs a signal indicating whether or not the liquid supply nozzle 30 is hung on the nozzle hanger 32. For example, the nozzle switch 34 is in an OFF state when the liquid supply nozzle 30 is not hung on the nozzle hanger 32, and when the liquid supply nozzle 30 is hung on the nozzle hanger 32, the nozzle switch 34 comes into contact with a predetermined portion of the liquid supply nozzle 30 and switches to an ON state. The output of the nozzle switch 34 is taken into the control unit 70 through a predetermined communication line such as a one-to-one communication line. This allows the control unit 70 to determine whether or not the liquid supply nozzle 30 is hung on the nozzle hanger 32, depending on whether the output of the nozzle switch 34 is a signal indicating an ON state (nozzle ON signal) or a signal indicating an OFF state (nozzle OFF signal).

[0021] The pump 40 is provided in the supply path 20 and pumps the liquid fuel toward the liquid supply nozzle 30 under the control of the control unit 70 .

[0022] The flow meter 50 measures the flow rate of the liquid fuel passing through the supply path 20. The flow meter 50 transmits a measurement signal (flow rate pulse) proportional to the flow velocity or instantaneous flow rate of the liquid fuel passing through the supply path to the control unit 70 via a pulse generator 52.

[0023] The solenoid valve 60 is provided in the supply path 20 and switches the supply path 20 between an open state and an closed state under the control of the control unit 70 .

[0024] The control unit 70 controls the operation of the liquid supply device 1.

[0025] The functions of the control unit 70 are realized by any hardware or a combination of any hardware and software. For example, the control unit 70 is mainly configured with a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory device, an auxiliary storage device, and an interface. The memory device is, for example, an SRAM (State Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage device is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory. The interface performs communication between the control unit 70 and the outside. In this case, the control unit 70 can realize various functions by loading a program installed in the auxiliary storage device into the memory device and executing it on the CPU.

[0026] For example, when the nozzle switch 34 transitions from a state in which it outputs a nozzle OFF signal to a state in which it outputs a nozzle ON signal, the control unit 70 starts the pump 40 and transitions the solenoid valve 60 from a closed state to an open state. This allows the user to remove the liquid supply nozzle 30 from the nozzle hanger 32, insert the tip of the liquid supply nozzle 30, specifically, the discharge pipe 304 described later, into the liquid supply port of the vehicle, and operate the lever unit 310 described later to start supplying liquid to the fuel tank of the vehicle. Also, for example, when a state in which no flow rate pulse is input from the pulse generator 52 continues for a certain period of time, the control unit 70 transitions the solenoid valve 60 from an open state to a closed state and stops the pump 40. This allows the liquid supply device 1 to close the solenoid valve 60 and stop the pump 40 in accordance with the user's completion of operation of the lever unit 310 of the liquid supply nozzle 30.

[0027] The display unit 80, under the control of the control unit 70, displays information related to the operation of the liquid supply device 1. For example, under the control of the control unit 70, the display unit 80 displays the amount of fuel supply from the start of supply of liquid fuel to the fuel tank of the vehicle.

[0028] [Configuration of liquid supply nozzle] Next, the configuration of the liquid supply nozzle 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0029] 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views showing an example of the configuration of the liquid supply nozzle 30. Specifically, Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the example of the liquid supply nozzle 30, and Fig. 3 is a top cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the example of the liquid supply nozzle 30.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the liquid supply nozzle 30 includes a main body portion 302 , a discharge pipe 304 , a hose joint portion 306 , a grip portion 308 , and a lever portion 310 .

[0031] The body portion 302 includes a liquid fuel flow passage 312 therein.

[0032] A flow passage 312 is formed inside the main body portion 302 so that the liquid fuel flowing in from the liquid supply hose 22 through the hose coupling portion 306 can be sent to the discharge pipe 304 .

[0033] Discharge pipe 304 is provided so as to extend from main body 302. A base end of a flow passage 314 for liquid fuel inside discharge pipe 304 communicates with flow passage 312, and a tip end is open. This allows discharge pipe 304 to discharge liquid fuel supplied through flow passage 312 from the tip. A detection hole 304a (an example of a hole) for operating an automatic valve closing mechanism 324 described below is provided on the side surface of the tip end of discharge pipe 304.

[0034] Hose joint 306 is attached to the side surface of main body 302. A base end of a flow path 316 for liquid fuel inside hose joint 306 communicates with flow path 312, and a tip end is connected to the tip end of liquid supply hose 22. This enables hose joint 306 to send liquid supplied through liquid supply hose 22 to flow path 312 of main body 302. Hose joint 306 is supported rotatably between the base end and main body 302. This enables the user to freely change the attitude of the portion of liquid supply nozzle 30 corresponding to main body 302 and discharge pipe 304 relative to liquid supply hose 22.

[0035] Grip portion 308 is provided on main body portion 302. Grip portion 308 is a portion that a user holds with his / her hand when operating liquid supply nozzle 30.

[0036] Lever portion 310 is a portion that a user operates when using liquid fuel supply nozzle 30 to supply liquid fuel to a fuel tank of a vehicle. In this example, lever portion 310 is operated by pulling it toward the user (to the right in the figure) with the tips of the fingers while gripping grip portion 308. Lever portion 310 is supported rotatably within a certain angle range with rotation axis 310a provided on main body portion 302 as a reference.

[0037] The liquid supply nozzle 30 also includes a main valve 318 , a sub-valve 320 , a valve shaft portion 322 , and an automatic valve closing mechanism 324 .

[0038] The main valve 318 is provided in the flow passage 312 inside the main body 302. The main valve 318 opens and closes in response to the operation of the lever 310. The main valve 318 includes a valve seat 318A formed on the outer periphery of the cross section of the flow passage 312, i.e., on the inner surface of the main body 302, and a valve body 318B movable relative to the valve seat 318A.

[0039] Similar to the main valve 318, the sub-valve 320 is provided in the flow path 312 inside the main body 302. The sub-valve 320 is disposed downstream of the main valve 318 in the flow path 312, and opens and closes in response to the pressure of the liquid fuel supplied from the upstream side when the main valve 318 is open. Specifically, the sub-valve 320 opens when the main valve 318 is opened in response to the operation of the lever unit 310, and the pressure of the liquid fuel supplied through the main valve 318 becomes relatively large compared to a certain reference. On the other hand, the main valve is closed in response to the release of the operation of the lever unit 310, and the pressure of the liquid fuel supplied through the main valve 318 becomes relatively small compared to a certain reference, and the sub-valve 320 closes. Details of the sub-valve 320 will be described later.

[0040] The valve shaft portion 322 is a mechanism for opening and closing the main valve 318. The valve shaft portion 322 includes a shaft 326, a shaft 328, and a sleeve 330.

[0041] The shaft 326 is formed in a cylindrical shape, one end (the left end in the figure) is connected to the valve body 318B, and is biased by a biasing spring 332 in the valve closing direction of the main valve 318 (to the left in the figure).

[0042] Shaft 328 is formed in a rod shape, with a portion including one end thereof slidably inserted into a hollow portion of shaft 326, and the other end thereof protruding from the other end of shaft 326. Shaft 328 is provided with a through hole 328a.

[0043] Lever portion 310 is disposed so as to penetrate shaft 328 through through hole 328a and to abut against the inner peripheral surface of through hole 328a. This allows shaft 328 to move in the valve opening direction of valve body 318B (to the right in the figure) according to the operating state of lever portion 310.

[0044] Moreover, shaft 328 is biased in the valve closing direction (to the left in the figure) of main valve 318 by biasing spring 334. As a result, when the user releases the force pulling lever portion 310 towards himself (to the right in the figure), shaft 328 moves in the valve closing direction of main valve 318 due to the biasing force of biasing spring 334, and in conjunction with this movement, lever portion 310 can automatically return to a non-operated state.

[0045] The sleeve 330 is formed in a cylindrical shape and slidably fitted onto the outer periphery of the shaft 326. The sleeve 330 is biased by a biasing spring 336 in the valve closing direction of the valve body 318B (to the left in the figure). Thus, the sleeve 330 is pressed against the large diameter portion 326a of the shaft 326 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 336. As a result, the biasing spring 336 can bias the shaft 326 in the valve closing direction of the main valve 318 via the sleeve 330.

[0046] Shaft 326, shaft 328, and sleeve 330 are provided with notch 326b, recess 328b, and notch 330b, respectively, with which engaging members 338, 340 engage. By engaging engaging members 338, 340 with notch 330b, notch 326b, and recess 328b from the outer periphery, shaft 326, shaft 328, and sleeve 330 can move as one unit in the valve opening direction and valve closing direction of main valve 318. Therefore, by operating lever portion 310, valve stem portion 322 can move shaft 326, shaft 328, and sleeve 330 as one unit in the valve opening direction, thereby opening main valve 318. In addition, when the operation of the lever portion 310 is released, the biasing forces of the biasing springs 332, 334, 336 cause the shaft 326, shaft 328, and sleeve 330 to move together in the valve closing direction, thereby closing the main valve 318.

[0047] The automatic valve closing mechanism 324 is a mechanism for automatically closing the main valve 318 in response to a rise in the liquid level in the fuel tank when fuel is supplied to the fuel tank of the vehicle. The automatic valve closing mechanism 324 includes a diaphragm chamber 342, a diaphragm 344, and a biasing spring 346.

[0048] The diaphragm chamber 342 is a space provided inside the main body 302. The diaphragm chamber 342 communicates with the detection hole 304a through a passage 348 provided inside the main body 302 and a suction pipe 350 provided inside the discharge pipe 304. The diaphragm chamber 342 also communicates with a negative pressure generating section (negative pressure generating sections 370, 372 described below) in which negative pressure is generated by the flow of liquid fuel in the flow passage 312, through a passage 352 inside the main body 302 branching off from the passage 348.

[0049] The diaphragm 344 is provided in the diaphragm chamber 342. The engagement members 338, 340 are attached to the diaphragm 344.

[0050] The biasing spring 346 is provided in the diaphragm chamber 342 and biases the diaphragm 344 towards the valve stem portion 322, i.e., the side where the shaft 326, the shaft 328, and the sleeve 330 are present. This allows the biasing spring 346 to function to maintain a state in which the engagement members 338, 340 attached to the diaphragm 344 are engaged with the notch portion 330b, the notch portion 326b, and the recessed portion 328b.

[0051] When liquid is being supplied by the liquid supply nozzle 30, if the detection hole 304a of the discharge pipe 304 is not blocked by the liquid level in the fuel tank or bubbles generated on the liquid level, air outside the detection hole 304a is supplied to the diaphragm chamber 342 through the passage 348 and the suction pipe 350. Therefore, the pressure in the diaphragm chamber 342 is maintained at a relatively high state equivalent to atmospheric pressure.

[0052] On the other hand, when liquid is being supplied by the liquid supply nozzle 30, if the detection hole 304a of the discharge pipe 304 is blocked by the liquid level in the fuel tank or bubbles generated on the liquid level, air outside the detection hole 304a is not supplied to the diaphragm chamber 342 through the passage 348 and the suction pipe 350. Therefore, the air in the diaphragm chamber 342 is sucked into the negative pressure generating section through the passages 348, 352, and the pressure in the diaphragm chamber 342 drops, causing the diaphragm 344 to move in a direction away from the valve shaft portion 322 against the biasing spring 346. As a result, the engagement of the engagement members 338, 340 with the notches 330b, the notches 326b, and the recess 328b is released. Therefore, the biasing forces of the biasing springs 332 and 336 cause the shaft 326 and the sleeve 330 to move in the direction of closing the main valve 318 independently of the shaft 328, and the automatic valve closing mechanism 324 can automatically close the main valve 318.

[0053] [Configuration of the auxiliary valve] Next, the configuration of the sub-valve 320 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0054] 4 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing an example of the configuration of the sub-valve 320. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the sub-valve 320 is closed, FIG. 5 shows a state in which both of the sub-valves 360 and 362 included in the sub-valve 320 are open, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which only the sub-valve 362 of the sub-valves 360 and 362 included in the sub-valve 320 is open. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the valve body 360B. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an example of the valve body 360B when viewed from the downstream side of the flow path 312. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the support member 364. Specifically, FIG. 8 includes FIG. 8A showing an example of the support member 364 when viewed from the upstream side of the flow path 312 and FIG. 8B showing an example of the support member 364 when viewed from the downstream side.

[0055] The dashed arrows in Figures 5 and 6 indicate the flow of liquid fuel.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the sub-valve 320 includes a sub-valve 360, a sub-valve 362, and a support member.

[0057] The sub-valve 360 ​​(an example of a first sub-valve) includes a valve seat 360A (an example of a first valve seat) provided on the outer periphery of the flow path 312, in other words, on the inner surface of the main body 302, and a valve body 360B movable relative to the valve seat 360A.

[0058] The valve body 360B (an example of a first valve body) has a hollow truncated cone shape with an open lower bottom surface portion. The valve body 360B is disposed so that the upper bottom surface portion of the truncated cone faces the upstream side. The valve body 360B is biased in the valve closing direction by a biasing spring 366. As shown in FIG. 7, the valve body 360B is provided with a through hole 360Ba in the center portion of the upper bottom surface of the truncated cone shape. The through hole 360Ba (an example of a first through hole) can communicate between the upstream side and the downstream side of the valve body 360B.

[0059] The sub-valve 362 (an example of a second sub-valve) includes a valve seat 362A (an example of a second valve seat) provided on the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 360Ba, and a valve body 362B movable relative to the valve seat 362A.

[0060] The valve body 362B (an example of a second valve body) has a shape that combines a truncated cone shape with a cylindrical shape that extends from the lower bottom surface of the truncated cone shape. The valve body 362B is arranged so that the upper bottom surface of the truncated cone faces the upstream side. The valve body 362B is biased in the valve closing direction by a biasing spring 368.

[0061] The sub-valve 360 ​​is configured to have a relatively large flow passage cross-sectional area when open, whereas the sub-valve 362 is configured to have a relatively small flow passage cross-sectional area when open because the liquid fuel passes through a through hole 360Ba of the valve body 360B.

[0062] The support member 364 supports the valve bodies 360B, 362B so that they can be opened and closed by the pressure of the liquid fuel on the upstream side of the flow passage 312. As shown in Fig. 8, the support member 364 includes a support portion 364A and a support portion 364B.

[0063] The support portion 364A supports the valve body 360B from the downstream side of the flow path 312. Specifically, the support portion 364A has a hollow truncated cone shape with an open bottom portion, and supports the valve body 360B with its outer circumferential surface abutting against the inner circumferential surface of the valve body 360B. A predetermined gap GP is provided between the surface of the upper portion of the support portion 364A and the back surface of the upper portion of the valve body 360B. A through hole 364a is provided in the upper portion of the support portion 364A. The through hole 364a is connected to the through hole 360Ba of the valve body 360B.

[0064] The support portion 364B supports the valve body 362B from the downstream side of the flow path 312. Specifically, the support portion 364B has a cylindrical shape extending from the back surface of the upper bottom portion of the support portion 364A, and the tip portion is closed. In addition, the through hole 364a of the upper bottom portion of the support portion 364A communicates with the cylindrical hollow portion of the support portion 364B. The valve body 362B is accommodated in the support portion 364B so as to be slidable on the inner surface. This allows the valve body 362B to move upstream and downstream while being guided by the inner surface of the support portion 364B. A biasing spring 368 is fixed to the bottom surface of the hollow portion of the support portion 364B, and the valve body 362B is biased by the biasing spring 368 in the direction of the through hole 364a and the through hole 360Ba. This allows the valve body 362B to be seated by the biasing force of the biasing spring 368 on the valve seat 362A provided on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 360Ba of the valve body 360B.

[0065] 8, a cutout portion 364b is provided in a part of the circumferential direction of the support portion 364B, and the hollow portion is in communication with the outside. Therefore, when the valve body 362B is in the valve open position, the liquid fuel that has flowed into the hollow portion of the support portion 364B from the upstream side through the through hole 360Ba and the through hole 364a can flow out toward the downstream side of the flow passage 312 through the cutout portion 364b.

[0066] The support member 364 is biased toward the upstream side of the flow path 312, where the valve seat 360A is provided, by a biasing spring 366 fixed to a predetermined position of the main body 302. This allows the valve body 360B to be seated on the valve seat 360A by the biasing force of the biasing spring 366.

[0067] The characteristics of the biasing force (elastic force) of the biasing springs 366, 368 are set so that the pressure of liquid fuel required to open the sub-valve 362 is smaller than the pressure of liquid fuel required to open the sub-valve 360. This makes it possible to open only the sub-valve 362 out of the sub-valves 360, 362 when, for example, the user operates the lever portion 310 at a half stroke to add liquid fuel after the automatic valve-closing mechanism 324 has been activated.

[0068] For example, when the main valve 318 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4, no liquid fuel is supplied to the upstream side of the sub-valve 320, so that the sub-valves 360, 362 are maintained in a closed state by the biasing forces of the biasing springs 366, 368.

[0069] When starting to supply liquid to a fuel tank of a vehicle using the liquid supply nozzle 30, if the lever portion 310 is operated with a relatively large amount of operation (for example, full stroke) from the state shown in Fig. 4, the main valve 318 opens and enters a fully open state. As a result, a relatively large pressure acts on the upstream side of the sub-valve 320, and as shown in Fig. 5, the valve bodies 360B, 362B move in the valve opening direction against the biasing forces of the biasing springs 366, 368, respectively, and both the sub-valves 360, 362 open.

[0070] When the sub-valves 360, 362 are open, a passage 352 communicates with the flow path between the outer circumferential surface of the valve body 360B and the inner surface of the main body 302. The passage 352 is provided in an annular shape so as to completely surround the outer circumferential surface of the valve body 360B. In a flow path portion adjacent to the passage 352 (negative pressure generating portion 370 in FIG. 5), negative pressure can be generated by the flow of liquid fuel passing through the sub-valve 360. Therefore, when the sub-valves 360, 362 are open, if the detection hole 304a is blocked by the liquid level of the fuel tank of the vehicle or bubbles generated on the liquid level, the supply of outside air to the diaphragm chamber 342 is stopped, and the air in the diaphragm chamber 342 is sucked into the negative pressure generating portion 370 (an example of a first negative pressure generating portion). As a result, the diaphragm 344 moves in a direction away from the valve shaft portion 322, and the automatic valve closing mechanism 324 is activated, and the main valve 318 is automatically closed. Then, since liquid fuel is no longer supplied to the upstream side of the sub-valve 320, the valve bodies 360B, 362B move in the valve closing direction due to the biasing forces of the biasing springs 366, 368, and the sub-valves 360, 362 are also closed.

[0071] For example, if the detection hole 304a is blocked by bubbles generated on the liquid surface of the fuel tank, the bubbles will subside over time, and it may be possible to top up the liquid. When the user operates the lever unit 310 with a relatively small amount of operation to top up the liquid, the main valve 318 opens and becomes half-open. As a result, a relatively small pressure acts on the upstream side of the sub-valve 320, and only the valve body 362B of the valve bodies 360B and 362B moves in the valve opening direction against the biasing force of the biasing spring 368, as shown in FIG. 6, and only the sub-valve 362 of the sub-valves 360 and 362 opens.

[0072] The biasing force of the biasing springs 366, 368 is set depending on the difference in pressure receiving area (liquid contact area) of the sub-valves 360, 362. Specifically, since the sub-valve 362 has a smaller pressure receiving area (liquid contact area) than the sub-valve 360, the biasing force of the biasing spring 368 for closing the sub-valve 362 is set smaller than the biasing force of the biasing spring 366 for closing the sub-valve 360.

[0073] When only the sub-valve 362 is open, a negative pressure can be generated by the flow of liquid fuel passing through the sub-valve 362 in a flow path portion (negative pressure generating portion 372 in FIG. 6) adjacent to the gap GP between the valve body 360B and the upper bottom portion of the support portion 364A. Although the flow rate is relatively small when only the sub-valve 362 is open, as described above, the flow path cross-sectional area is configured to be relatively small when only the sub-valve 362 is open, so that the flow rate of the liquid fuel passing through the sub-valve 362 can be set relatively high. As a result, a sufficient negative pressure can be generated in the negative pressure generating portion 372 (an example of a second negative pressure generating portion) to operate the automatic valve closing mechanism 324.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the valve body 360B is provided with a through hole 360Bb penetrating between its inner peripheral surface and outer peripheral surface. As shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the through hole 360Bb (an example of a second through hole) communicates with the gap GP through a groove portion 360Bc provided in the inner peripheral surface of the valve body 360B. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, when the valve body 360B is seated on the valve seat 360A, the through hole 360Bb communicates with the passage 352. As a result, the negative pressure generating portion 372 communicates with the passage 352 through the gap GP, the groove portion 360Bc, and the through hole 360Bb. Therefore, if the detection hole 304a is blocked by the liquid level of the fuel tank of the vehicle or bubbles generated on the liquid level when only the sub-valve 362 of the sub-valves 360, 362 is open, the supply of outside air to the diaphragm chamber 342 is stopped and the air in the diaphragm chamber 342 is sucked into the negative pressure generating section 372. As a result, the diaphragm 344 moves in a direction away from the valve shaft section 322, which activates the automatic valve closing mechanism 324 and automatically closes the main valve 318. Then, because liquid fuel is no longer supplied to the upstream side of the sub-valve 320, the urging force of the urging spring 368 moves the valve body 362B in the valve closing direction, and the sub-valve 362 is also closed.

[0075] The through hole 360Bb may be provided at any circumferential position, and no problem occurs even if the valve body 360B rotates around the central axis, because the passage 352 is provided in an annular shape around the entire circumference, as described above.

[0076] Thus, in this example, the sub-valve 320 includes the sub-valve 360 ​​that opens at a relatively large hydraulic pressure and has a relatively large flow path cross-sectional area, and the sub-valve 362 that opens at a relatively small hydraulic pressure and has a relatively small flow path cross-sectional area. A negative pressure generating section 370 caused by the flow of liquid fuel passing through the sub-valve 360, and a negative pressure generating section 372 caused by the flow of liquid fuel passing through the sub-valve 362 are set. As a result, when a large flow rate of liquid fuel passes through the main valve 318, the negative pressure of the negative pressure generating section 370 caused by the flow passing through the sub-valve 360 ​​is utilized, and when a small flow rate of liquid fuel passes through the main valve 318, the negative pressure of the negative pressure generating section 372 caused by the flow passing through the sub-valve 360 ​​is utilized. Therefore, an appropriate negative pressure can be generated according to the flow rate of liquid fuel passing through the main valve 318, and the automatic valve-closing mechanism 324 can be operated more appropriately.

[0077] [Effect] Next, the operation of the liquid supply nozzle according to this embodiment will be described.

[0078] For example, if the negative pressure generating unit is set on the premise of a relatively large flow rate, the negative pressure generated at a relatively small flow rate will be low, and the automatic valve closing mechanism may not be able to operate. On the other hand, if the negative pressure generating unit is set so that the automatic valve closing mechanism operates even at a relatively small flow rate, the automatic valve closing mechanism may operate due to the relatively large negative pressure generated at a relatively large flow rate, even though the detection hole is not blocked by the liquid level, etc., and it may take time to supply the desired amount of liquid.

[0079] In contrast, in this embodiment, the liquid supply nozzle includes a discharge pipe, a main body, a flow path, a main valve, an auxiliary valve, a negative pressure generating unit, a hole, and an automatic valve closing mechanism. The liquid supply nozzle is, for example, the liquid supply nozzle 30 described above. The discharge pipe is, for example, the discharge pipe 304 described above. The main body is, for example, the main body 302. The flow path is, for example, the flow path 312 described above. The main valve is, for example, the main valve 318 described above. The auxiliary valve is, for example, the auxiliary valve 320 described above. The hole is, for example, the detection hole 304a described above. The automatic valve closing mechanism is, for example, the automatic valve closing mechanism 324 described above. Specifically, the discharge pipe discharges a liquid. The liquid is, for example, the liquid fuel described above. The main body is connected to the base end of the discharge pipe and is connected to a liquid supply hose. The liquid supply hose is the liquid supply hose 22. The flow path is provided inside the main body, and is capable of passing liquid from the liquid supply hose to the discharge pipe. The main valve is provided in the flow path, and opens and closes in response to a user's lever operation. The sub-valve is provided downstream of the main valve in the flow path, and opens and closes by the pressure of liquid supplied from the upstream side through the main valve. The negative pressure generating unit generates negative pressure by the flow of liquid in the flow path. The hole is provided on the side of the tip of the discharge pipe. The automatic valve closing mechanism communicates with the negative pressure generating unit and the hole, and automatically closes the main valve when the hole is blocked while the main valve is open. The sub-valves include a first sub-valve and a second sub-valve that opens at a lower pressure than the first sub-valve and has a flow path cross-sectional area when opened smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area when the first sub-valve is open. The first sub-valve is sub-valve 360. The second sub-valve is sub-valve 362. The negative pressure generating unit includes a first negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the first sub-valve and a second negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the second sub-valve. The first negative pressure generating unit is, for example, the above-mentioned negative pressure generating unit 370. The second negative pressure generating unit is, for example, the above-mentioned negative pressure generating unit 372.

[0080] As a result, the liquid supply nozzle can utilize the negative pressure of the first negative pressure generating unit due to the flow passing through the first sub-valve when a large flow rate of liquid passes through the main valve, and can utilize the negative pressure of the second negative pressure generating unit due to the flow passing through the second sub-valve when a small flow rate of liquid fuel passes through the main valve. Therefore, the liquid supply nozzle can generate an appropriate negative pressure according to the flow rate of liquid passing through the main valve, and can more appropriately operate the automatic valve-closing mechanism.

[0081] In this embodiment, the first sub-valve may include a first valve seat provided on the outer periphery of the cross section of the flow path and a first valve body movable relative to the first valve seat. The first valve seat is, for example, the valve seat 360A described above. The first valve body is, for example, the valve body 360B described above. The first valve body may have a first through hole that communicates the upstream side and the downstream side of the flow path. The first through hole is, for example, the through hole 360Ba described above. The second sub-valve may include a second valve seat provided on the inner periphery of the first through hole and a second valve body movable relative to the second valve seat. The second valve seat is, for example, the valve seat 362A described above. The second valve body is, for example, the valve body 362B described above.

[0082] This allows the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the second sub-valve when it is open to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first sub-valve when it is open.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first negative pressure generating unit may be provided in a flow path portion outside the outer circumferential surface of the first valve body when the first valve body is open, and may be adjacent to a passage communicating with the automatic valve closing mechanism. The passage is, for example, the above-mentioned passage 352. The second negative pressure generating unit may be provided in a flow path portion inside the inner circumferential surface of the first valve body when the second valve body is open. The first valve body is provided with a second through hole penetrating between the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface so as to communicate between the second negative pressure generating unit and the passage when the first sub-valve is not open. The second through hole is, for example, the above-mentioned through hole 360Bb.

[0084] This allows the second negative pressure generating portion located on the inner circumferential side of the first valve body to communicate with the automatic valve-closing mechanism through the second through-hole.

[0085] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1 Liquid supply device 22 Liquid supply hose 30 Liquid supply nozzle 302 Main body 304 Discharge pipe 304a Detection hole (hole) 310 Lever part 312,314 Flow path 318 Main valve 318A Valve seat 318B Valve body 320 Assistant Chief 324 Automatic valve closing mechanism 342 Diaphragm chamber 344 Diaphragm 346 Spring 348 Aisle 350 Suction tube 352 Passage 360 Sub-valve (First Sub-valve) 360A valve seat (first valve seat) 360B Valve body (first valve body) 360Ba Through hole (first through hole) 360Bb Through hole (second through hole) 362 Sub-valve (Second Sub-valve) 362A Valve Seat (Second Valve Seat) 362B Valve body (second valve body) 370 negative pressure generating unit (first negative pressure generating unit) 372 negative pressure generating unit (second negative pressure generating unit)

Claims

1. A discharge pipe for discharging liquid; a main body portion connected to a base end of the discharge pipe and to a liquid supply hose; a flow path provided inside the main body and capable of passing liquid from the liquid supply hose to the discharge pipe; A main valve provided in the flow path and opened and closed in response to a lever operation by a user; a sub-valve that is provided downstream of the main valve in the flow path and opens and closes in response to pressure of liquid supplied from the upstream side through the main valve; a negative pressure generating unit that generates a negative pressure by a flow of liquid in the flow path; A hole provided on a side surface of the tip of the discharge pipe; an automatic valve closing mechanism that communicates with the negative pressure generating portion and the hole and automatically closes the main valve when the hole is blocked while the main valve is open, the sub-valve includes a first sub-valve and a second sub-valve that opens at a lower pressure than the first sub-valve and has a flow path cross-sectional area when opened that is smaller than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the first sub-valve when opened, the negative pressure generating unit includes a first negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the first sub-valve, and a second negative pressure generating unit corresponding to the liquid passing through the second sub-valve; Fluid supply nozzle.

2. the first sub-valve includes a first valve seat provided on an outer periphery of a cross section of the flow passage, and a first valve body movable relative to the first valve seat, the first valve body has a first through hole that connects an upstream side and a downstream side of the flow path, The second sub-valve includes a second valve seat provided on an inner periphery of the first through hole, and a second valve body movable relative to the second valve seat. The liquid supply nozzle according to claim 1 .

3. the first negative pressure generating unit is provided in a portion of the flow path that is outside an outer circumferential surface of the first valve body when the first valve body is in an open state, and is adjacent to a passage that communicates with the automatic valve closing mechanism; the second negative pressure generating portion is provided in a portion of the flow path that is located on the inner side of an inner circumferential surface of the first valve body when the second valve body is open, a second through hole is provided in the first valve body, the second through hole penetrating between an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface so as to communicate between the second negative pressure generating portion and the passage when the first sub-valve is not opened; The liquid supply nozzle according to claim 2.

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