Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – With receiver and supply securing means
Patent
1997-02-10
1998-06-02
Jacyna, J. Casimer
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
With receiver and supply securing means
141 98, 141382, 141388, 901 11, 901 16, 901 45, B67D 508
Patent
active
057587019
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a docking arrangement for the automatic fueling of automotive vehicles.
Swedish Patent Specification No. 8901674-5 describes apparatus for the automatic refueling of automotive vehicles, primarily cars, in which a robot which includes a robot head having a fueling nozzle or like device is adapted to move the fueling nozzle automatically from a rest position to a vehicle fueling position in response to sensing and control means, subsequent to having placed the vehicle in a predetermined position relative to the robot.
According to that patent specification, the refueling nozzle includes a rigid, first tubular element, preferably a metal tube, which is intended to be moved by the robot to an adapter which is provided with a hole and which is attached to the upper orifice of the vehicle fuel-tank pipe. A flexible second tube, preferably a plastic tube, is arranged within the first rigid tube for movement from a first end position in which the outer, free end of the second tube is located within the first tube, to a second end position in which the second tube projects out from the first tube.
The adapter includes a tube connection between said hole and the vehicle fuel-tank pipe. The robot is constructed to move the free end of the first tube into abutment with or to a position in the immediate vicinity of the adapter in a first step and to move the free end of the second tube out of the first tube and down into said tube connection or down into the fuel-tank pipe of the vehicle in a second step, and to pump fuel through the second tube and down into the fuel tank of the vehicle in a third step.
When refueling of the vehicle is completed, the robot functions to repeat the two first-mentioned steps, but in the reverse order.
The apparatus described in the aforesaid patent publication includes a positioning system in which a transceiver unit operating at microwave frequency is mounted on the robot head, and a passive transponder which is placed in the vehicle in a predetermined position relative to the fuel-tank pipe.
Swedish Patent Specification No. 9202549-3 also describes apparatus for the automatic refueling, including an adapter which is intended to be fitted to the fuel-tank pipe of a vehicle. The adapter has a conical part which is intended to coact with the first pipe but also with the free end of the second pipe when the second pipe is passed down through the adapter into the fuel-tank pipe.
Since the fuel-tank pipe orifices of generally all vehicles define an angle with the vertical plane, it is required with known robot heads that the conical part slopes to a lesser extent in the vertical plane and that it preferably lies in the vertical plane, since the first and second pipes of the robot are moved horizontally towards the vehicle as the robot docks therewith.
The present invention solves the problem caused by the fact that the plane in which the orifice of the fuel-tank pipe of different vehicles lies defines different angles with the vertical plane, with the aid of a special robot head and a special adapter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention thus relates to a docking arrangement for the automatic fueling of automotive vehicles, primarily cars, with the aid of a robot which includes a robot head that can be moved in relation to the robot and brought to a predetermined position in relation to the fuel-tank pipe of the vehicle by means of a positioning system, wherein the free front end of the robot head has a frusto-conical portion which is intended to dock with a corresponding conical portion of an adapter during said positioning procedure, said adapter being arranged for fastening to the upper orifice of the fuel-tank pipe, and wherein the robot head includes a tube whose free front end is intended to project out through the robot head to a position down in the fuel-tank pipe when docking is completed, whereafter fuel is delivered through the tube. The invention is characterized in that the robot head includes in general
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Autofill Patent AB
Jacyna J. Casimer
Mangels Alfred J.
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