CN115923499A - tank unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The tank unit disclosed in the present specification includes a plurality of high-pressure tanks and a coupling. Each high-pressure tank has an opening at one end in the axial direction. The plurality of high-pressure tanks are arranged in parallel. The connecting member is disposed on one side of the openings of the plurality of high-pressure tanks, and connects the plurality of high-pressure tanks. The connecting unit is provided with a plurality of covers, a gas flow path, and a lock mechanism. Each of the caps is connected to an opening of each of the high-pressure tanks. The gas flow path is opened inside each lid, and guides the gas of the plurality of high-pressure tanks to the outside. The locking mechanism locks each of the high-pressure tanks so as not to fall off the lid. The can unit disclosed in the present specification includes a lock mechanism, and thus the can cannot be easily detached from the lid, and reliability is improved.

Description

Tank unit

Technical Field

The technology disclosed in the present specification relates to a tank unit in which a plurality of high-pressure tanks are connected.

Background

Jp 2019-033657 a discloses a tank unit in which a plurality of high-pressure tanks are connected. The tank unit of jp 2019-033657 a is a tank unit filled with hydrogen gas, and is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle. The plurality of high-pressure tanks are connected by a connecting member. The connecting member also has a pipe for guiding the gas of the plurality of high-pressure tanks to the outside. A plurality of high-pressure tanks are housed in a case.

A tank unit is also disclosed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2021-124171. The high-pressure tank is an elongated cylindrical shape, and a plurality of high-pressure tanks are arranged in parallel. The head sides and the tail sides of the plurality of high-pressure tanks are connected by a connecting member.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2014-119292 discloses a pressure resistance test of a high-pressure tank.

Disclosure of Invention

In a tank unit in which a plurality of high-pressure tanks filled with a high-pressure gas such as hydrogen gas are connected, high reliability is required. The technology disclosed in the present specification provides a tank unit having improved reliability compared to conventional ones.

The tank unit disclosed in the present specification includes a plurality of high-pressure tanks and a coupling. Each of the high-pressure tanks has an opening at one end in the axial direction. The plurality of high-pressure tanks are arranged in parallel. The connecting member is disposed on one side of the openings of the plurality of high-pressure tanks, and connects the plurality of high-pressure tanks. The coupling unit includes a plurality of covers, a gas flow path, and a lock mechanism. Each of the caps is connected to an opening of each of the high-pressure tanks. The gas flow path is opened inside each lid, and guides the gas of the plurality of high-pressure tanks to the outside. The locking mechanism locks each of the high-pressure tanks so as not to fall off the lid.

The can unit disclosed in the present specification includes a lock mechanism, and thus the can cannot be easily detached from the lid, and reliability is improved.

An example of a locking mechanism is a ratchet. The cap and the high pressure tank are coupled by the thread groove and the thread ridge, and the ratchet prevents the cap or the high pressure tank from being reversely rotated. Another example of the lock mechanism is a lock pin provided on one of an inner surface of the cover and an outer surface of the high-pressure tank, and a lock groove provided on the other. The locking pin is mounted on the inner side surface or the outer side surface in a movable manner. When the lid is attached to the high-pressure tank, the lock pin advances and engages with the lock groove. If the locking pin is engaged with the locking groove, the lid is not detached from the high-pressure tank.

The following may be configured: the tank unit is provided with a fracture indicator attached to the boundary between the lid and the high-pressure tank. Since the lock mechanism is provided, the high-pressure tank does not easily fall off the lid. However, even if the high-pressure tank is detached from the lid and reconnected due to some accident, the fracture indicator is damaged, and thus it is clear that the high-pressure tank has been detached from the lid in the past.

Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in the present specification are described in the following "detailed description of the preferred embodiments".

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a fuel cell vehicle mounted with a tank unit of the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tank unit.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tank unit.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the canister unit.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the tank unit taken along the line V-V of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the high-pressure tank being attached to the lid.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the tank unit taken along line VII-VII of fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view as seen from the direction of arrow VIII in fig. X.

Fig. 9 is a top view of the canister unit.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the canister unit.

Fig. 11 is a view of the tank unit from the head side.

Fig. 12 is a view of the tank unit viewed from the tail side.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a posture when the tank unit is dropped.

Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a tank unit of a modification.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the tank unit taken along the XV-XV line of fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a diagram (1) illustrating a method of manufacturing the tank unit.

Fig. 17 is a diagram (2) illustrating a method of manufacturing the tank unit.

Fig. 18 is a diagram (3) illustrating a method of manufacturing the tank unit.

Fig. 19 is a diagram (4) explaining a method of manufacturing the tank unit.

Fig. 20 is a diagram (5) illustrating a method of manufacturing the tank unit.

Detailed Description

The tank unit 10 of the embodiment is explained with reference to the drawings. The tank unit 10 is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle. The tank unit 10 supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell stack of the fuel cell vehicle. Fig. 1 shows a side view of a fuel cell vehicle 2 on which a tank unit 10 is mounted. The tank unit 10 is fixed below the floor panel 4.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the tank unit 10 separated from the chassis 3 of the fuel cell vehicle 2. The tank unit 10 includes a plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are coupled by a head-side coupling 200 and a tail-side coupling 300. In fig. 2, reference numeral 100 is given to only one of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and reference numerals are omitted for the other high-pressure tanks.

The tank unit 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the floor panel 4 by bolts 999. The guard 5 is disposed below the tank unit 10. The shield 5 protects the canister unit 10 from stones bouncing up during driving.

An exploded perspective view of the canister unit 10 is shown in fig. 3. In fig. 4 a top view of the tank unit 10 is shown. To assist understanding, note that the left and right coordinate systems of the straight line L1 in fig. 3 are oriented differently.

The high-pressure tank 100 has an elongated cylindrical shape. For convenience of explanation, one end of the high-pressure tank 100 in the axial direction is referred to as a "head 100a" and the other end is referred to as a "tail 100b". The high-pressure tank 100 includes an opening 101 in a head 100a. The tank unit 10 includes a plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are arranged in parallel with a plurality of heads 100a aligned and a plurality of tails 100b aligned. The heads 100a of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are coupled by the head-side coupling 200, and the tails 100b are coupled by the tail-side coupling 300.

A joint 110 is attached to the head 100a. The main body of the high-pressure tank 100 is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and the joint 110 is made of metal. The joint 110 is an engagement member for coupling the high-pressure tank 100 and the head-side coupler 200. The joint 110 is a part of the high-pressure tank 100.

The head-side joint 200 includes a guard 250 and an intake manifold 210. The intake manifold 210 includes a gas passage 240 and a plurality of covers 211, and each of the plurality of covers 211 is connected to a joint 110 of each of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100. The cover 211 closes the head-side opening 101 of the high-pressure tank 100. Further, the inside of the plurality of covers 211 communicates with the gas flow path 240. That is, the gas flow paths 240 are open inside the respective covers 211.

One end of the gas flow path 240 extends from the intake manifold 210 to the X direction of the coordinate system in the drawing. One end of the gas flow path 240 passes through a groove 251 provided in the guard 250 and is connected to the main stop valve 290. When each lid 211 is attached to the opening (joint 110) of the high-pressure tank 100, the opening 101 of the high-pressure tank 100 communicates with the gas flow path 240. The gas flow path 240 guides the gas of the high-pressure tank 100 to the outside.

The intake manifold 210 is coupled to the guard 250 by bolts 999. The protector 250 is made of high-strength steel, joins the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and protects the high-pressure tanks 100.

The high-pressure tank 100 is also provided with an opening at the tail 100b, and the opening at the tail side is closed by an end cover 150. The end cap 150 attached to the high-pressure tank 100 protrudes outward from the end of the high-pressure tank 100. The tail coupler 300 is provided with a plurality of holes 301, and the end caps 150 of the high-pressure tanks 100 are inserted into the respective holes 301. The plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are also bound by the tail-side link 300. The high-pressure tanks 100 are fixed to the tail coupler 300 via the end caps 150 by bolts 999. By fixing some of the high-pressure tanks 100 to the tail-side coupler 300, the other high-pressure tanks 100 do not fall off the tail-side coupler 300.

In fig. 5 a cross section along the line V-V of fig. 4 is shown. Fig. 5 shows an example of a connection structure between the opening 101 and the lid 211 of the high-pressure tank 100. The joint 110 is press-fitted to the outer periphery of the head 100a of the high-pressure tank 100. A screw thread 112 is provided on the outer periphery of the joint 110 (i.e., the outer periphery of the head 100a of the high-pressure tank 100), and a screw groove 212 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 211. The high-pressure tank 100 (the joint 110) can be screwed into the lid 211, and the screw thread 112 of the joint 110 engages with the screw groove 212 of the lid 211, thereby coupling the high-pressure tank 100 and the lid 211.

A lock groove 402 is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the joint 110. The locking groove 402 makes one revolution around the outside of the rear end of the fitting 110. On the other hand, a lock pin 401 that advances and retracts with respect to the joint 110 is provided on the inner surface of the cover 211. The lock pin 401 is attached to the cover 211 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the side surface of the joint 110. Spring 403 urges locking pin 401 toward joint 110.

One side surface (side surface on the opening side of the cover 211) of the locking pin 401 is inclined, and the opposite side surface is perpendicular to the inner surface of the cover 211. Fig. 6 shows the joint 110 (the head 100a of the high-pressure tank 100) being screwed halfway into the cap 211. When the high-pressure tank 100 is inserted into the lid 211, the lock pin 401 is pushed by the joint 110 and retreats (fig. 6). When the joint 110 enters the cover 211 and the lock groove 402 faces the lock pin 401, the lock pin 401 is engaged with the lock groove 402 by the spring 403 (fig. 5). When the lock pin 401 is engaged with the lock groove 402, the joint 110 (high-pressure tank 100) does not fall off from the cover 211. The lock pin 401, the lock groove 402, and the spring 403 constitute a lock mechanism 400 for locking the high-pressure tank 100 so as not to fall off the cover 211.

A plug 230 is provided inside the cover 211. The peg 230 is part of the intake manifold 210. The plug 230 enters the inside of the opening 101 of the high-pressure tank 100. In addition, the gas flow path 240 also leads to the inside of the plug 230. As described above, the gas flow path 240 opens on the inner side (plug 230) of the lid 211, and when the high-pressure tank 100 and the lid 211 are connected, the inside of the high-pressure tank 100 and the master cut valve 290 communicate with each other via the gas flow path 240.

Another configuration example of the lock mechanism will be explained. In fig. 7 a cross section along the line VII-VII of fig. 4 is shown. Fig. 5 and 6 show an example of the lock mechanism 400. Fig. 7 shows another example of the lock mechanism (lock mechanism 410).

Although not shown in fig. 7, in the case of the lock mechanism 410, as in fig. 5 and 6, the screw thread 112 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the joint 110, and the screw groove 212 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 211. The screw thread 112 of the high-pressure tank 100 is engaged with the screw groove 212 of the lid 211, thereby fixing the high-pressure tank 100 to the lid 211. A gear 412 is formed at the root of the joint 110 of the high-pressure tank 100. The cover 211 includes a lock pin 411 that moves forward and backward with respect to the joint 110, and a spring 413 that biases the lock pin 411 toward the joint 110.

The lock pin 411, the spring 413, and the gear 412 constitute a ratchet structure that allows rotation of the high-pressure tank 100 in the direction of the arrow A1 and prohibits rotation in reverse rotation (the direction of the arrow A2). As shown in fig. 7, the joint 110 (high-pressure tank 100) having the gear 412 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow A1, but the rotation (reverse rotation) in the direction of the arrow A2 is prevented by the gear 412, the lock pin 411, and the spring 413. The locking mechanism 410 (the structure of fig. 7) using the ratchet structure also locks the high-pressure tank 100 so as not to fall off the cover 211.

Fig. 8 shows a plan view as viewed along arrow VIII in fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the boundary between the opening edge 211a of the cover 211 and the high-pressure tank 100 (joint 110). A fracture indicator 220 (tally-impression/tally-seal) is attached to the boundary between the lid 211 (opening edge 211 a) and the high-pressure tank 100 (joint 110). The fracture indicator 220 is attached after the high-pressure tank 100 is mounted to the cover 211. Fig. 6 is a view showing the high-pressure tank 100 being attached to the lid 211 in the middle, and the fracture indicator 220 is not yet attached.

Since the lock mechanism 400/410 is provided, the high-pressure tank 100 is not easily detached from the lid 211. However, even if the high-pressure tank 100 is detached from the lid 211 and reattached due to some accident, it is clear that the high-pressure tank 100 was detached from the lid 211 in the past because the fracture indicator 220 was damaged. The fracture identification 220 may be a label or a stamp.

As described above, the tank unit 10 includes the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, the head-side coupler 200, and the tail-side coupler 300. The high-pressure tank 100 is elongated and arranged in parallel with the head 100a aligned and the tail 100b aligned. Head-side coupling 200 couples heads 100a of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and tail-side coupling 300 couples tails 100b of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100.

In fig. 9, a top view of the tank unit 10 is again shown. The dotted rectangle B1 is the smallest rectangle that includes the head-side coupler 200 and the tail-side coupler 300. All the high-pressure tanks 100 are located inside the dotted rectangle B1. In fig. 10a side view of the tank unit 10 is shown. The dotted rectangle B2 in fig. 10 is a minimum rectangle including the head side coupler 200 and the tail side coupler 300 in a side view. All the high-pressure tanks 100 are located inside the dotted rectangle B2. In fig. 10 and fig. 11 and 12 described later, the main stop valve 290 is not shown.

Fig. 11 is a view of the tank unit 10 as viewed from the head side of the high-pressure tank 100. All the high-pressure tanks 100 are located inside the outline of the head-side coupler 200 as viewed from the head side. Fig. 12 is a diagram of the tank unit 10 viewed from the trailing side of the high-pressure tank 100. All the high-pressure tanks 100 are located inside the profile of the trailing link 300, as viewed from the trailing side.

As shown in fig. 9 to 12, the tank unit 10 has the following features. All of the high-pressure tanks 100 are disposed inside the contour of the head-side coupler 200 and inside the contour of the tail-side coupler 300 (fig. 11 and 12), as viewed in the tank longitudinal direction (X direction in the drawing) connecting the head 100a and the tail 100b of the high-pressure tanks 100. All of the high-pressure tanks 100 are disposed inside the outline (dotted rectangles B1, B2) including the head-side coupler 200 and the tail-side coupler 300, as viewed from the arrangement direction (Y direction in the drawing) of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 and the plan direction (Z direction) intersecting the tank longitudinal direction (X direction) and the arrangement direction (Y direction). In still other words, the features of one configuration of the tank unit 10 can be expressed as follows. All of the high pressure tanks 100 are located in the smallest cube containing the head-side coupler 200 and the tail-side coupler 300.

The above features give the following advantages. That is, regardless of the posture of the tank unit 10 being dropped, the head side coupling 200 or the tail side coupling 300 must first come into contact with the ground. For example, as shown in fig. 13, even if the tank unit 10 falls down obliquely, the corner 300a on the outer side of the tail side coupler 300 first comes into contact with the ground G. With the tank unit 10, since the head-side coupler 200 or the tail-side coupler 300 first comes into contact with the ground when dropped, the high-pressure tank 100 is protected.

Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a tank unit 10a according to a modification. A cross-sectional view of the tank unit 10a taken along the XV-XV line of fig. 14 is shown in fig. 15. The tank unit 10a includes the tank unit 10 of embodiment 1 and a case 500 for housing the tank unit 10. The tank unit 10 is housed in the lower housing 502. The lower housing 502 is closed by a cover 501. A buffer member 503 is disposed between the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 and the inner surface of the lower case 502. The cushioning member 503 is a flexible sheet material, for example, made of silicone rubber. The housing 500 protects the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100, and the buffer member 503 protects the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 from vibrations.

(method for manufacturing can unit) a method for manufacturing the can unit 10 will be described with reference to fig. 16 to 20. The method of manufacturing the tank unit 10 includes an inspection step and a joining step. The inspection step is performed before the connection step. In the inspection step, a pressure resistance inspection is performed on each of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100. In the connection step, a plurality of high-pressure tanks that have passed the pressure resistance test are connected.

The inspection process will be explained. Fig. 16 shows the high-pressure tank before the inspection process. Only the high-pressure tank 100 at the left end is shown in cross section. As described above, the high-pressure tank 100 has the opening 101 at the head 100a and the opening 102 at the tail 100 b. Before the pressure resistance test, the opening 102 on the tail side is closed with a plug 151 (see fig. 16).

After the opening 102 on the tail side is closed with the plug 151, the water filling device 600 is attached to the opening 101 on the head side. The water injection device 600 injects water at high pressure into each high-pressure tank 100. On the other hand, strain gauges 601 are attached to respective positions on the surface of each high-pressure tank 100. In fig. 17, only one high-pressure tank 100 is shown in cross section, and a state in which a strain gauge 601 is mounted is shown. The strain gauge is also attached to the other high-pressure tank 100.

The plurality of strain gauges 601 are electrically connected to the inspection device 602. In the inspection step, each high-pressure tank 100 is filled with water and a predetermined water pressure is applied. The inspection device 602 inspects whether the surface strain of the high-pressure tank 100 filled with water is within a prescribed allowable range. When the surface strain exceeds the allowable range, the high-pressure tank is determined to have insufficient pressure resistance performance, and the pressure resistance test is specified as a failure. The pressure resistance test is independently performed on each high-pressure tank 100 before connection.

When the pressure resistance test is completed, the plug 151 is removed from the opening 102, and the water in the high-pressure tank 100 is drawn out (fig. 18). Next, the blower 605 is connected to the head-side opening 101. The dry air is sent from the blower 605 to each high-pressure tank 100 to dry the inside of the high-pressure tank 100 (fig. 19). The dry air introduced from the head-side opening 101 passes through the inside of the high-pressure tank 100, and is discharged to the outside from the tail-side opening 102. The high-pressure tank 100 has openings on the head side and the tail side. Since the dry air can be passed through the inside in one direction, the inside of the high-pressure tank 100 can be dried quickly.

Then, the process proceeds to a connection step. In the connection step, the high-pressure tank 100 that has passed the pressure resistance test is collected. In the joining step, the end cap 150 is attached to the opening 102 on the tail side (fig. 20). The end cap 150 attached to the high-pressure tank 100 protrudes outward from the tail 100 b. The plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are arranged, and the front end of the end cover 150 is fitted into the tail coupling 300. A plurality of bolts 999 are inserted through the tail coupler 300 and fixed to the end cover 150 (fig. 20). The head-side coupling 200 is fixed to the heads 100a of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 by bolts 999. The plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 arranged in parallel are coupled by the head-side coupling 200 and the tail-side coupling 300.

The head side link 200 includes a guard 250 and an intake manifold 210. The intake manifold 210 includes a cover 211 that closes the head-side opening 101 of the high-pressure tank 100, and a gas passage 240 that guides gas from the high-pressure tank 100 to the outside. The gas flow path 240 is narrower than a pipe of the water filling device 600 that puts the liquid into the high-pressure tank 100. Therefore, when the pressure resistance test is performed by injecting water after the gas flow path 240 is attached to the high-pressure tank 100, the loss of the gas flow path 240 is large, which takes time. By performing a pressure resistance test of the high-pressure tank 100 before assembling the gas flow path 240, the tank unit can be efficiently manufactured.

Several features of the method of manufacturing the canister unit 10 are listed below. The head 100a and the tail 100b of each high-pressure tank 100 are provided with openings 101 and 102, respectively. The opening 102 of the tail 100b was sealed with a plug 151, and a liquid was injected from the opening 101 of the head 100a to perform a pressure resistance test. After the inner sides of the respective high-pressure tanks are dried by removing the plugs 151, the end caps 150 are attached to the openings 102 of the tails 100 b. The interior of the high-pressure tank 100 can be dried quickly by sending air from the head-side opening 101 and discharging the air from the tail-side opening 102. In this regard, the manufacturing method of the embodiment also enables efficient manufacturing of the tank unit 10.

The plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 are coupled by fitting the plurality of end caps 150 attached to the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 into the tail coupling 300. The coupling step includes a step of coupling the heads of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100 by the head-side coupler 200. All the high-pressure tanks 100 are contained in the smallest cube containing the head-side coupling 200 and the tail-side coupling 300. The head-side coupling 200 and the tail-side coupling 300 protect the plurality of high-pressure tanks 100.

The following describes the matters related to the technique described in the examples. The number of high-pressure tanks included in one tank unit may be two or more, and may be any number.

The head-side coupling may be provided with a gas flow path for guiding the gas in the plurality of high-pressure tanks to the outside. By providing the gas flow path in the head-side coupling member, the physical coupling and the flow path coupling of the plurality of high-pressure tanks can be performed simultaneously.

An opening may be provided at a tail portion of each high-pressure tank, the opening may be closed by an end cap extending to the outside of the high-pressure tank, and the end cap of each high-pressure tank may be inserted into the tail-side coupler. The tail-side coupling can be easily attached to the plurality of high-pressure tanks.

While specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The techniques recited in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in the present specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations recited in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the techniques illustrated in the present specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and achieving one of the objects has technical usefulness itself.

Claims (4)

1. A tank unit, wherein,

the tank unit is provided with:

a plurality of high-pressure tanks having openings at one end in the axial direction and arranged in parallel; and

a coupling member disposed on one side of the openings of the high-pressure tanks and coupling the high-pressure tanks,

the link is provided with:

a cover connected to an opening of each of the high-pressure tanks;

a gas flow path that is open on the inner side of the lid and guides gas of the high-pressure tank to the outside; and

and a locking mechanism for locking the high-pressure tank so that the high-pressure tank does not fall off the lid.

2. The canister unit according to claim 1,

a screw groove is provided on one of the cap and the high-pressure tank, a screw thread is provided on the other, the cap and the high-pressure tank are coupled by the screw groove and the screw thread,

the locking mechanism is a ratchet that prevents reverse rotation of the cap or the high-pressure tank.

3. The canister unit according to claim 1,

the locking mechanism is a locking pin provided on one of an inner surface of the lid and an outer surface of the high-pressure tank and a locking groove provided on the other,

the locking pin is mounted on the inner side surface or the outer side surface in a movable manner,

if the cover is mounted to the high-pressure tank, the locking pin advances to be engaged with the locking groove.

4. The high-pressure tank unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

and a fracture indicator attached to a boundary between the lid and the high-pressure tank.

Images