Fuel gas filling facility

Abstract

To facilitate connection between a filling nozzle and a filling destination that separate from each other and differ in height, while ensuring safety.SOLUTION: A fuel gas filling facility 11 comprises a filling conduit 13 that extends from a dispenser 12 and delivers fuel gas, and a movable arm 14 that moves along an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the filling conduit 13. The movable arm 14 is supported by a rotation mechanism 15 that moves the movable arm 14 between a retracted position away from a filling destination and a filling position directed toward the filling destination. The fuel gas filling facility also comprises lifting means in which a portion in front of the movable arm 14 in the filling conduit 13 is composed of a flexible filling hose 31, the filling hose 31 is suspended from a front end part of the movable arm 14, and a filling nozzle 32 at a tip of the filling hose 31 is raised and lowered relative to the front end part of the movable arm 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an installation for filling fuel gas, such as hydrogen gas, into fuel tanks mounted on ships, heavy machinery, construction machinery, submarines, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Hydrogen gas filling equipment comes in off-site, on-site, and mobile varieties, all of which are designed to properly fill the tank through a dispenser equipped with a precooler. The dispenser has a flexible filling hose that can be bent, and the filling nozzle at the end of the hose is connected to the fuel tank's filling port to fill the tank. The act of holding and connecting the filling nozzle is not particularly special, but due to the high pressure gas involved and the weight of the filling nozzle and filling hose, care must be taken when handling the equipment to ensure safety.

[0003] For this reason, there have been proposed dispensers that are equipped with an arm mechanism for holding the filling nozzle, as in Patent Document 1 below, and that hold the filling hose in a spiral and suspend the filling nozzle so that it can be moved, as in Patent Document 2 below. Unlike these dispensers that are intended to improve operability, there are also dispensers that are provided with a hose support part on the top of the housing that supports the base side part of the filling hose and extends it to the filling position, in order to reduce the area required for installing the gas filling device, as in Patent Document 3 below.

[0004] On the other hand, there has been no filling equipment specially designed to fill fuel gas into objects that are located at different heights, such as ships.

[0005] A system for filling a ship with fuel gas is disclosed in Patent Document 4 listed below. This system is configured to install a gas accumulator on a pier, install a fuel gas filling device, i.e., a dispenser, on a floating pier, and connect a filling hose extending from the fuel gas filling system to the filling port of a fuel tank on board the ship. Because the filling hose extends from the floating pier rather than from the pier to the ship, the length of the filling hose can be shortened.

[0006] However, even with this system, connecting the filling nozzle to the filling port cannot be done by one person. In other words, unlike the process of filling a car at a hydrogen station, the filling nozzle at the end of the filling hose must be passed between two workers, who are separated by distance and height.

[0007] However, the filling nozzle and filling hose are heavy, so it is not easy to safely move the filling nozzle to a distant location. Furthermore, the filling hose extended from another location must be crawled on the deck of the ship, so safety precautions were also required. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-19872 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-75372 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-62863 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-148563 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The main object of this invention is to facilitate connection to filling destinations that are far apart and at different heights, while ensuring safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To this end, the present invention provides the following fuel gas filling equipment.

[0011] That is, the fuel gas filling equipment includes a filling pipe extending from a dispenser and delivering fuel gas, and a movable arm that moves along a longitudinally intermediate portion of the filling pipe. The movable arm is supported by a rotation mechanism that moves the movable arm between a retracted position away from the filling destination and a filling position extended toward the filling destination. The portion of the filling pipe beyond the movable arm is constructed of a flexible filling hose, and the filling hose is suspended from the tip of the movable arm. The equipment also includes an elevating means that raises and lowers the filling nozzle at the tip of the filling hose relative to the tip of the movable arm.

[0012] With this configuration, the tip of the movable arm is moved to the appropriate filling position by the rotation mechanism, allowing the flexible filling hose to accommodate differences in position and height, ensuring proper and safe filling. When connecting the filling nozzle at the end of the filling hose at the destination, the filling hose is suspended from above, allowing the worker at the destination to concentrate on connecting the filling nozzle without being distracted by handling the filling hose. In addition, the lifting means regulates the vertical position of the filling nozzle, reducing the load on the filling nozzle and filling hose during filling. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to this invention, the filling hose hangs from a movable arm extended toward the destination, and the lifting means regulates the vertical position of the filling nozzle while connecting, making it easy to connect the filling nozzle to destinations that are far away and at different heights. Furthermore, the deformation of the flexible filling hose and the rotation of the movable arm supported by the rotating mechanism absorb differences and fluctuations in height, and the lifting means regulates the vertical position of the filling nozzle, preventing overload from being applied to any part of the filling hose or the filling nozzle, ensuring safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a fuel gas filling facility. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a fuel gas filling facility. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the framework of a filling arm device. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the inlet of the storage box and the filling hose in the retracted position. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a filling nozzle. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a side view showing another example of the movable arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The fuel gas filling equipment 11 may be an off-site type, an on-site type, or a mobile type, and is installed at a location such as a wharf or a construction site where a filling destination having a fuel gas tank is close by.

[0017] In this example, a facility for filling a ship with hydrogen gas as fuel gas will be described.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, fuel gas filling equipment 11 is equipped with a dispenser 12 that fills hydrogen gas into a filling destination. The dispenser 12 is connected to a compressor and pressure accumulator (not shown), and the hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator is cooled by a built-in precooler to properly fill the tank at a predetermined pressure and temperature. The dispenser 12 is equipped with a filling mechanism that measures the filling amount and an operation panel for operating the filling mechanism. In addition, a filling pipe 13 that delivers hydrogen gas is extended.

[0019] The length of the filling pipeline 13 is set as needed, for example, to about 10 m to 30 m. The filling pipeline 13 can be constructed solely from a flexible hose for high-pressure gas, but is preferably constructed by combining a flexible hose with a steel pipe in the longitudinal direction. A heat insulating layer can be partially provided around the filling pipeline 13 made of a steel pipe, or an appropriate cooling device can be installed.

[0020] In the illustrated example, the dispenser 12 is placed on a pier X, and the filling pipeline 13 is laid facing the sea Y. The filling pipeline 13 is provided with a movable arm 14 that moves along the middle of the filling pipeline 13 in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the filling pipeline 13 is supported by the movable arm 14, or the filling pipeline 13 constitutes the movable arm 14. The movable arm 14 may be formed more simply as a single rod. The length of the rod-shaped movable arm 14 varies depending on the installation position and the like, but is set as needed, for example, to 4 m to 6 m.

[0021] The movable arm 14 is supported by a rotation mechanism 15 that moves between a retracted position where it is retracted from the filling destination and a filling position where it is extended toward the filling destination. The rotation mechanism 15 and the movable arm 14 constitute a filling arm device 11a.

[0022] The retracted position is a position where the movable arm 14 is positioned so as to fit into Pier X in a plan view, as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 2, and the filling position is a position where the movable arm 14 protrudes from Pier X into sea Y. Neither the retracted position nor the filling position is limited to one location, but rather covers a wide range. In other words, if the movable arm 14 is positioned so as to fit into Pier X, it can be said to be in the retracted position at any angle in a plan view, and if it protrudes into sea Y, it can be said to be in the filling position. However, in order to properly manage the movable arm 14, the retracted position is actually set to one location. On the other hand, the filling position varies depending on the manner in which the ship is docked, the height of the sea surface, etc.

[0023] In order to move the movable arm 14 to the retracted position and the filling position, the rotation mechanism 15 is configured to move the single rod-shaped movable arm 14 in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0024] The evacuation position determined in one place as described above refers to a position in which the ship is lying horizontally and parallel to the mooring quay of Pier X in a plan view, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 2.

[0025] The rotation mechanism 15 is separate from the dispenser 12 and is installed at a location on the pier X closer to the sea Y than the dispenser 12. It has a vertical rotation shaft 15a that holds the base end of the movable arm 14 and rotates the movable arm 14 vertically to stand or tilt it up, and a horizontal rotation shaft 15b that rotates the movable arm 14 horizontally to swing it left and right. This rotation mechanism 15 can be configured with an existing joint and swivel, a shaft coupling, or the like. It may also be configured with a universal joint that combines the vertical rotation shaft 15a and the horizontal rotation shaft 15b.

[0026] The rotation mechanism 15 has an angle fixing function to fix the adjusted angle and a braking function. In particular, the vertical rotation shaft 15a can be configured to maintain the tilt angle by adjusting the angle of the movable arm 14 using a winding mechanism 16, as shown in Figure 3.

[0027] That is, a support pillar 17 is erected behind a vertical rotation shaft 15a that supports the base end of movable arm 14 in rotation mechanism 15, and a manual winch 16a that constitutes winding mechanism 16 is attached to the lower part of support pillar 17. The tip of a wire 16b extending from winch 16a is fixed to the upper surface of movable arm 14 via a pulley 16c provided at the upper end of support pillar 17.

[0028] The filling arm device 11a, which has a movable arm 14 that maintains the tilt angle using such a winding mechanism 16 and a rotation mechanism 15 that supports the movable arm 14, can be simply configured, for example, by using a steel pipe and a swivel joint as shown in Figure 4. Note that Figure 4 shows only the framework of the filling arm device 11a.

[0029] Specifically, a column 22 is erected on an installation plate 21 fixed to the installation surface, and a steel pipe support column 17 is attached parallel to one side of the column 22 via swivel joints 23 arranged above and below. The swivel joints 23 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the column 17, allowing the column 17 to rotate around its axis. A support plate 24 for securing a winch 16a is fixed to the lower part of the column 17, and a pulley 16c is fixed to the upper end of the column 17. A steel pipe support rod 25 and a swivel joint 26 are used to secure the movable arm 14 to the lower end of the column 17 below the support plate 24. The movable arm 14 is made of a steel pipe with a vertically long rectangular cross section. The support rod 25 is curved rather than straight, and serves to move the rotation axis of the movable arm 14 away from the support column 17 and extend the movable arm 14 in the direction in which the column 22 and the support column 17 are aligned.

[0030] Although the winch 16a is not shown in Figure 4, when the winch 16a fixed on the support plate 24 is wound up, the wire 16b pulls the movable arm 14 via the pulley 16c as shown in Figure 3, raising it as shown by the imaginary line. If the wound-up state of the wire 16b is fixed in this state, the tilt angle is maintained so that the movable arm 14 does not tip over. When the wire 16b is unwound, the movable arm 14 will tip over under its own weight to the lower limit depending on the amount of wire unwound.

[0031] Furthermore, when the support rod 25 or the movable arm 14 is rotated horizontally, the swivel joint 23 rotates, and the support rod 25 and the movable arm 14 rotate toward the retracted position as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 4.

[0032] In addition to the rotation mechanism 15, the wharf X is provided with an appropriate support structure (not shown) such as a support pillar for supporting the tip and middle portions of the movable arm 14 in the longitudinal direction when it is in the retracted position.

[0033] In this way, the filling pipeline 13 equipped with the movable arm 14 is constructed up to the tip of the movable arm 14 by connecting a steel pipe and a flexible hose. The movable part and other necessary parts are basically constructed of flexible hose, but the movable part can also be constructed of a swivel joint. The entire filling pipeline 13 can also be constructed of hose.

[0034] The portion 13a of the filling pipeline 13 beyond the tip of the movable arm 14 is made up of a flexible filling hose 31. This filling hose 31 is set to an appropriate length required for filling, and is suspended from the tip of the movable arm 14. In other words, the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 opposite the filling nozzle 32 is fixed to the movable arm 14.

[0035] The movable arm 14 is provided with a lifting means 18 that raises and lowers the filling nozzle 32 at the tip of the filling hose 31 relative to the tip of the movable arm 14. In Figure 1, part of the filling hose 31 is shown curved and folded back to show that it is raised by the lifting means 18.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows an example of the lifting means 18, which is composed of a winding mechanism 19. Specifically, the lifting means 18 has a wire 19a attached to the stuffing nozzle 32 and a manual winch 19b that winds up the wire 19a. The winch 19b is provided at a position near the base of the movable arm 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the winch 19b is fixed to a support plate 19c provided on the side of the movable arm 14. A pulley 19d is attached to the tip of the movable arm 14 on the same side as the winch 19b, and the tip of the wire 19a is pulled out below the movable arm 14 via the pulley 19d. A locking portion 19e is formed at the tip of the wire 19a, and is detachable from a locking portion 32a formed on the stuffing nozzle 32. The locking portion 32a is formed by a hole formed in a hanging piece 32b along the side of the stuffing nozzle 32, and the locking portion 19e is formed by a hook-shaped metal fitting.

[0037] In FIG. 5, 34 denotes a tube extending from a gas leak detector (not shown) that is provided in dispenser 12 to detect gas leaks, and the tip of tube 34 is a suction port 34a that sucks in gas.

[0038] The tip of the movable arm 14 is home to the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 and the point of application 18a of the lifting / lowering means 18, so the positional relationship between them will be described below. The point of application 18a of the lifting / lowering means 18 is the position in the longitudinal direction of the movable arm 14 at which the filling nozzle 32, which is raised and lowered relative to the movable arm 14, moves up and down. In the case of the lifting / lowering means 18 in this example, it is the position at which the wire 19a is led out, i.e., the position corresponding to the pulley 19d. The positions of the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 and the point of application 18a of the lifting / lowering means 18 are offset in the longitudinal direction of the movable arm 14. Specifically, the position of the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 on the movable arm 14 is closer to the base end than the point of application 18a of the lifting / lowering means 18 on the movable arm 14, and the point of application 18a of the lifting / lowering means 18 is positioned closer to the tip of the movable arm 14. It is possible to place the two at the same or close to each other without shifting their positions, or to place them in the opposite order to the above.

[0039] The filling hose 31 is part of the filling pipeline 13, but it is the part that connects the filling nozzle 32 connected to the filling port and the movable arm 14, and it is possible to anticipate an unforeseen situation in which a pulling force of a certain level or more is applied to the filling hose 31. For this reason, as shown in Figure 5, the filling hose 31 is connected via an emergency release coupler 33.

[0040] In Figure 5, 35 is a part of the filling pipeline 13 provided along the underside of the movable arm 14, and is made of a steel pipe, with the emergency release coupler 33 at one end. 36 is a vertical band that holds the part 35 of the filling pipeline 13.

[0041] The fuel gas filling equipment 11 equipped with such a filling hose 31 has a storage box 51 that houses the filling hose 31. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, the storage box 51 is installed at a position corresponding to the tip of the movable arm 14 that is in the retracted position.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6 , the housing 51a of the storage box 51 comprises a main body 52 with an open front, a door 53 for opening and closing the opening 52a of the main body 52, and a roof 54 for covering the top end of the main body 52. ​​A vent 55 is formed at the top of the main body 52 to prevent hydrogen gas from permeating through the filling hose 31. A gap may also be provided between the main body 52 and the roof 54. The roof 54 is formed larger than the main body 52 in a plan view to minimize the intrusion of rainwater and the like. A hose hook 56 for hooking the filling hose 31 and a nozzle hook 57 for hooking the filling nozzle 32 are provided on the inner surface of the main body 52. ​​The hose hook 56 is preferably provided on the inner surface of the main body 52, and the nozzle hook 57 is preferably provided on the side surface of the main body 52. ​​The nozzle hook 57 is provided below the vertical midpoint of the side surface, from which the filling nozzle 32 is hung facing downward. The nozzle hook 57 is engaged with the engaged portion 32 a of the filling nozzle 32 .

[0043] As described above, door body 53 closes opening 52a on the front surface of main body 52, and has inlet 58 for introducing filling hose 31, that is, filling hose 31 extending from movable arm 14 positioned horizontally in the retracted position. Inlet 58 is cut out from the side surface on the open side. The position of inlet 58 is below the vertical midpoint, and in relation to the height of base end 31a of filling hose 31, it is set at a position where filling hose 31 can be introduced at an angle from bottom to top, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0044] In the fuel gas filling equipment 11 configured as above, the following operations are performed when filling hydrogen gas.

[0045] First, a worker at wharf X takes out the filling hose 31 from the storage box 51 and hooks the filling nozzle 32 to the tip of the wire 19a at the tip of the movable arm 14. Next, the worker sets the movable arm 14 up at an appropriate angle vertically relative to the docked ship Z and rotates it horizontally to restrict the movable arm 14 to the filling position relative to the ship Z. The distance between the tip of the movable arm 14 in the filling position and the filling port Za is shorter than the length of the filling hose 31. When positioning the movable arm 14 at the filling position, the worker operates the winch 16a to lower it from a high position vertically while bringing it closer.

[0046] The lifting means 18 is then operated to lower the stuffing nozzle 32. An operator on the vessel Z receives the stuffing nozzle 32 and, once it has been lowered sufficiently, inserts it into the stuffing port Za as shown in Figures 8 and 9. When the stuffing nozzle 32 is lowered by the lifting means 18, slack is provided so that the wire 19a is not taut. This allows the wire 19a, like the stuffing hose 31, to have slack to follow the relative displacement between the tip of the movable arm 14 and the stuffing port Za.

[0047] When connecting the stuffing nozzle 32, the position of the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 relative to the movable arm 14 is closer to the base end than the point of application 18a of the lifting means 18, which makes the stuffing nozzle 32 easier to operate. In other words, if the base end 31a of the filling hose 31 were located directly above the stuffing nozzle 32, the filling hose 31 would bend awkwardly because it has a slack length. In contrast, because the point of application 18a of the lifting means 18 is offset from the base end 31a of the filling hose 31, the connection work can be carried out with ease without applying excessive force to the filling hose 31.

[0048] FIG. 8 shows an example in which the fill port Za is located on the side of the fuel tank, and FIG. 9 shows an example in which the fill port Za is located on the top surface of the fuel tank.

[0049] After inserting the filling nozzle 32 into the filling port, the portion of the filling hose 31 on the filling nozzle 32 side is held by holders 37, 38. The holders 37, 38 are devices for holding the tip of the filling hose 31. In the case of a filling hose 31 inserted from the side as shown in FIG. 8, the holders 37, 38 are provided above the filling port Za of the fuel tank. In the case of a filling hose 31 inserted from above as shown in FIG. 9, the holders 37, 38 are provided on the side of the filling port Za of the fuel tank. Both holders 37, 38 are formed in a columnar shape extending in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the connected filling nozzle 32, and are provided at their ends with hanging portions 37a, 38a for suspending the tip of the filling hose 31. The holders 37, 38 can be configured similarly to davits, which are suspension devices used on ships. The holder 37 extending horizontally may be a straight column as shown in the figure, while the holder 38 extending upward is formed in a columnar shape with a curved tip.

[0050] The filling nozzle 32 connected in this manner absorbs the difference in elevation and horizontal position between the wharf X and the ship and follows any fluctuations in vertical height, thanks to the vertical and horizontal rotation of the movable arm 14 and the flexibility and length of the filling hose 31. Sudden changes can also be accommodated by driving the winches 16a, 19b as needed. Filling is not always smooth, and the ship may sway due to wakes from other ships, but even in this case, the weight of the filling nozzle 32 allows the holders 37, 38 to reduce the load on the filling port Za and its surroundings.

[0051] When the filling port Za faces upward as shown in Figure 9 and the filling nozzle 32 is connected from above, it is advisable to provide a funnel-shaped air collection member 34b at the suction port 34a of the tube 34 of the gas leak detector, as in the filling nozzle 32 shown in Figure 10. This is because not only can detection be performed accurately, but also water can be prevented from being sucked in through the suction port 34a even outdoors.

[0052] After filling with hydrogen gas, the following operations are carried out.

[0053] That is, workers on the ship Z perform the required procedures to prevent condensation inside the filling nozzle 32 by flowing nitrogen gas or dry air, then remove the hanging portions 37a, 38a of the holders 37, 38 from the filling hose 31, and then remove the filling nozzle 32 from the filling port Za.

[0054] Thereafter, a worker at wharf X drives lifting means 18 to raise filling nozzle 32, and rotates movable arm 14 horizontally while standing up to move it to the retracted position. Filling nozzle 32 of filling hose 31 is detached from the end of wire 19a, and filling hose 31 is looped and stored in storage box 51. At this time, the portion of filling hose 31 near base end 31a is passed through inlet 58 of door body 53. Filling hose 31 is hung from hose hook 56, and filling nozzle 32 is hung on nozzle hook 57 facing downward.

[0055] By closing the door body 53, the filling hose 31 and filling nozzle 32 are protected from rain, salt, etc. Even if hydrogen gas is released through the filling hose 31 due to permeation, etc., it escapes through the vent 55 provided at the top of the main body 52, so the storage box 51 will not be filled with hydrogen gas. Because the inlet 58 is formed at the bottom, a larger portion of the filling hose 31 in the retracted position can be stored, providing effective protection for the filling hose 31. In addition, because the filling hose 31 extending outward from the inlet 58 is inclined downward as it moves outward, rainwater, etc. will not enter the storage box 51 along the filling hose 31.

[0056] As described above, the use of the filling arm device 11a eliminates the need to transfer the filling nozzle 32 at the tip of the filling pipeline 13 between horizontally arranged structures before and after filling. In other words, when the movable arm 14 is moved to the filling position, the filling nozzle 32 is suspended from above, allowing the filling nozzle 32 to be lowered and connected to the filling port Za. Therefore, by appropriately moving the movable arm 14, a safe connection can be achieved. Moreover, because the filling hose 31 hangs from above, the handling inconvenience that would occur if the filling hose 31 were extended horizontally is eliminated, allowing for easy connection. Furthermore, because the filling hose 31 is suspended and does not cross between other structures, desired filling can be achieved regardless of the elevation difference with respect to the vessel Z. Even if the height or position of the vessel Z fluctuates during filling, safe filling can be achieved by adjusting the relative position of the filling nozzle 32 and the allowable range for fluctuation absorption by moving the movable arm 14 and operating the lifting means 18.

[0057] Moreover, the lifting means 18 and the mechanism for vertical rotation of the rotation mechanism 15 are configured as manual winding mechanisms 16, 19, so the configuration is simple and easy to handle.

[0058] The rotation mechanism 15 moves the movable arm 14 in the horizontal and vertical directions, so that the tip of the movable arm 14 can be moved to a variety of filling positions. This allows the width of the filling target to be expanded, which is highly convenient.

[0059] When filling is not being performed, the storage box 51 protects the filling hose 31. That is, when the filling hose 31, which will be exposed to the outdoors, is stored in the storage box 51, adhesion of moisture and salt to the filling hose 31 can be prevented, and deterioration can be suppressed. In particular, since the filling nozzle 32 is stored facing downward and the inlet 58 is provided downward so that the filling hose 31 outside the storage box 51 is inclined downward as it goes outward, it is possible to prevent water from adhering to the connection part of the filling nozzle 32 and water from seeping in along the filling hose 31.

[0060] The above configuration is one embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to only the above configuration, and other configurations can be adopted.

[0061] For example, the movable arm 14 may have a joint 14a at least in part, as shown in FIG.

[0062] The winding mechanism 16 and the lifting means 18 may be electrically operated instead of manually.

[0063] The rotation mechanism 15 may be configured to move the tip of the movable arm 14 by rotating only in the horizontal direction or only in the vertical direction.

[0064] The inlet 58 of the storage box 51 can be provided in the main body 52 instead of the door body 53. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 11...Fuel gas filling equipment 11a...Filling arm device 12...Dispenser 13…Filling pipe line 14... Movable arm 15...Rotation mechanism 18...Lifting means 18a...point of action 19...Winding mechanism 19a...wire 19b...Winch 31...Filling hose 31a...Proximal end 32...Filling nozzle 51...Storage box 58...Entrance

Claims

1. A fuel gas filling facility equipped with a dispenser that fills fuel gas into a filling destination, a filling pipe extending from the dispenser and delivering fuel gas, and a movable arm for moving a longitudinal intermediate portion of the filling pipe; the movable arm is supported by a rotation mechanism that moves the movable arm to a retracted position where it is retracted from the filling destination and to a filling position where it is extended toward the filling destination, a portion of the filling pipe ahead of the movable arm is made of a flexible filling hose, and the filling hose is suspended from the tip of the movable arm; A lifting means is provided for lifting the filling nozzle at the tip of the filling hose relative to the tip of the movable arm. Fuel gas filling equipment.

2. The lifting means is configured by a wire winding mechanism engaged with the filling nozzle. The fuel gas filling facility according to claim 1.

3. The base end position of the filling hose on the movable arm is closer to the base end side than the point of action of the lifting means on the movable arm.

3. The fuel gas filling facility according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The rotation mechanism moves the movable arm in horizontal and vertical directions. The fuel gas filling facility according to claim 2.

5. A storage box for accommodating the filling hose and the filling nozzle is installed at a position corresponding to the tip of the movable arm in the retracted position.

3. The fuel gas filling facility according to claim 1 or 2.

6. an inlet for introducing the filling hose extending from the movable arm is formed in the housing of the storage box; The position of the inlet is lower than the middle position in the vertical direction. The fuel gas filling facility according to claim 5.

7. 3. A fuel gas filling system according to claim 1, comprising the movable arm and the rotation mechanism. Filling arm device.

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