JP2002122300A - High pressure gas cylinder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily connect a gas tube to an opening and closing valve in a high pressure gas vessel connecting the gas tube to the opening and closing valve with a connection nut, especially in a high pressure vessel for a vehicle using natural gas as fuel. SOLUTION: A protection cylinder part 33 is threadedly and detachably attached on an attachment cylinder part 31b formed on one side of a cover main body 3. When the protection cylinder 33 is detached from the attachment cylinder part 31b, the connection nut N is exposed to outside from the cover main body 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-pressure gas cylinder containing high-pressure gas, and more particularly to a high-pressure gas cylinder suitable for use in a gas vehicle using natural gas as a fuel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a gas vehicle, a high-pressure gas cylinder is installed in a vehicle, and gas filled in the cylinder is supplied to an engine via an on-off valve and a gas pipe.

As a high-pressure gas cylinder used for a gas vehicle, there is, for example, one shown in FIG. The gas cylinder comprises a cylinder body 1 and an on-off valve 2 having a lower end screwed and fixed to a mounting hole 11 formed in an upper end of the cylinder main body 1.
And a cover 3 that covers the on-off valve 2. A mounting member 4 is provided at an upper end portion of the cylinder main body 1, and a flange member 4 </ b> A is screwed and fixed to the mounting member 4. On the other hand, the cover 3 has a cylindrical cover body 31 surrounding the opening / closing valve 2, and the lower end of the cover body 31 is fixed to the flange member 4 </ b> A. A film 32 made of an elastic material such as rubber is fixed to an outer peripheral surface of an upper end portion of the cover main body 31. A through-hole 32 a is formed in the center of the membrane 32, and a portion around the through-hole 32 a is sandwiched and fixed by a member arranged at the upper end of the on-off valve 2.

[0004] A protective cylinder 33 penetrating one side of the peripheral wall of the cover body 31 is fixed by welding or the like. A gas pipe G is inserted through the protection cylinder 33. As shown in FIG. 8, a cap nut-shaped connection nut N is rotatably provided at one end of the gas pipe G inserted into the cover 3. On the other hand, a gas pipe connecting portion 21 is provided on one side of the on-off valve 2, and a male screw portion 22 a formed at one end of a base 22 forming a part of the gas pipe connecting portion 21 is screwed into the gas pipe connecting portion 21. It is fixed. Then, the connection nut N is screwed into the male screw portion 22 b formed at the other end of the base 22 and closed, so that one end of the gas pipe G is pressed against the front end surface of the base 22. Thereby, the gas pipe G is airtightly connected to the gas pipe connection part 21 via the base 22. The other end of the gas pipe G is connected to a fuel supply system to the engine. Therefore, when the valve body (not shown) is rotated by the handle 23 via a valve shaft (not shown) to open the on-off valve 2, the fuel gas in the cylinder body 1 is released from the on-off valve 2 and the on-off valve 2. The gas is supplied to the engine via a gas pipe G.

[0005] The cover 3 is hermetically attached to the on-off valve 2 and the flange member 4A. In addition, the protection cylinder portion 33 is attached to the vehicle body while maintaining the airtightness of the inside of the vehicle, and the inside is communicated with the outside of the vehicle. Of course, the mounting member 4 is also hermetically connected to the cylinder body 1. As a result, the inside of the cover 3 is hermetically sealed from the inside of the vehicle. Therefore, even if gas leaks from the screwing point between the cylinder body 1 and the on-off valve 2 or the connecting point between the on-off valve 2 and the gas pipe G, the leaked gas does not enter the vehicle, and the protection cylinder portion It is discharged outside the vehicle through 33. As a result, accidents such as gas explosions are prevented.

[0006]

In the above-mentioned conventional gas cylinder, there is a problem that connecting the gas pipe G to the on-off valve 2 requires a lot of trouble. That is, the on-off valve 2
When the gas pipe G is connected to the valve body, first, each part of the on-off valve 2 such as the handle 23 located above the membrane 32 is removed. Next, the film body 32 is removed from the cover main body 31, and the upper end opening of the cover main body 31 is opened. Next, the gas pipe G
Is inserted into the cover main body 31 from the protective cylinder portion 33, and the connection nut N is screwed into the base 22 of the gas pipe connection portion 21. Then, the connection nut N is tightened by a screwdriver inserted from the upper end opening of the cover body, for example, a spanner, and the gas pipe G is connected to the on-off valve 2. After that, the membrane 32 is attached to the cover body 31, and each component such as the handle 23 is attached to the on-off valve 2, and the membrane 32 is fixed to the on-off valve 2. Thereby, the connection of the gas pipe G is completed.

As described above, in order to connect the gas pipe G to the on-off valve 2, it is necessary to remove not only the membrane 32 but also the handle 23 and the like. Therefore, there is a problem that connection of the gas pipe G requires a great deal of trouble. When the connection nut N is tightened with a spanner or the like, the rotation range thereof is restricted to a small angle range by the cover body 31. For this reason, a spanner or the like has to be re-wound many times to the connection nut N, so that the connection labor is further increased and the connection takes a relatively long time.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a cylinder body for storing high-pressure gas, an on-off valve provided on the cylinder body,
A cover provided on the cylinder main body and covering the on-off valve, wherein the on-off valve is provided with a gas pipe connection portion to which a connection nut for connecting a gas pipe is screwed; In a high-pressure gas cylinder provided with a protection cylinder portion through which a pipe is inserted, the protection cylinder portion is detachably attached to the cover, and in a state where the protection cylinder portion is removed from the cover, at least an outer end of the connection nut. Are configured to be exposed to the outside.
In this case, a handle portion to be a handle of the on-off valve is rotatably provided on the cover, and the handle portion is non-rotatably connected to a valve shaft for opening and closing the on-off valve,
It is desirable that the on-off valve can be opened and closed by the handle. Further, it is preferable that the cover is made of a resin, and it is particularly preferable that at least a part of the cover is made of a transparent resin. Further, the protection tubular portion may include a first tubular portion detachably attached to the cover, and a second tubular portion attached to the first tubular portion so as to be movable in the axial direction. Is desirable.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiments, only the configuration different from the above-described conventional example will be described, and the same portions will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In a high-pressure gas cylinder according to this embodiment, a flange member 4A is not provided, and a lower end of a cover body 31 is attached to a mounting member 4A. Directly attached to.
Further, an inner cylindrical portion 31a is formed at an upper end portion of the cover main body 31, and a lid body 34 is hermetically fitted and fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 31a. At the center of the lid 34,
A through hole 34a is formed. The valve shaft 24 of the on-off valve 2 is hermetically and rotatably inserted into the through hole 34a. A handle 23 is detachably attached to the upper end of the valve shaft 24, and the open / close valve 2 is attached to the lower end of the valve shaft 24.
(Not shown) are non-rotatably connected.

The inner diameter of the inner cylindrical portion 31a of the cover body 31 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the handle 23 so that the handle 23 can pass through the inside. Therefore, when attaching the cover main body 31 to the mounting member 4, the cover body 34 is previously extrapolated to the valve shaft 24, the cover main body 31 is moved downward from above, and the on-off valve 2 is inserted therein, If the lid 34 is fitted to the inner cylindrical portion 31a, the handle 2 of the on-off valve 2
The cover body 31 can be attached to the attachment member 4 without removing the cover 3 from the valve shaft 24.

On one side of the peripheral wall of the cover body 31, a mounting tubular portion 31b whose axis is aligned with the gas pipe connecting portion 21 is formed so as to protrude outside. This mounting tube 31
“b” is for attaching the protective cylinder 33, and an external thread 31c is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
On the other hand, a female screw part 33 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protection cylinder part 33. Then, the female screw portion 33a is screwed into the male screw portion 31c and tightened, so that the protective cylinder portion 3 is formed.
3 is detachably and air-tightly attached to the attachment cylinder 31b.

The cover body 31 and the protective cylinder 33 of the cover 3 are made of synthetic resin. Thus, the weight of the cover 3 is reduced. Moreover, in this embodiment, a transparent synthetic resin is used. Thereby, the lot number described on the outer surface of the on-off valve 2 (usually, the outer surface on the right side of the gas pipe connection unit 21 in FIG. 1), the connection status of the gas pipe G, and the like can be confirmed. ing. Instead of forming the entire cover body 31 with a transparent resin, only the portions necessary for checking the lot number may be formed with the transparent resin.

In this embodiment, the spanner hook 22c formed at the center between the male screw portions 22a and 22b of the base 22 is longer than the conventional one, and the outer end face of the spanner hook 22c is , Are located on substantially the same plane as the distal end surface of the mounting cylinder portion 31b. Therefore, the base 22
The outer threaded portion 22b outside the protruding portion protrudes outward from the mounting tube portion 31b, and the connection nut N screwed to the male screw portion 22b also protrudes outward from the mounting tube portion 31b.

When the gas pipe G is connected to the gas outlet 21 via the base 22 in the high-pressure gas cylinder having the above-described structure, the protective cylinder 33 is removed from the mounting cylinder 31b. Next, the connection nut N is screwed into the male screw portion 22b of the base 22 and closed in a state where the gas pipe G is inserted through the protection tube portion 33. Thereafter, the protection cylinder 33 is screwed and fixed to the mounting cylinder 31b. Thereby, the connection of the gas pipe G is completed.

In this high-pressure gas cylinder, when connecting the gas pipe G to the gas outlet 21, the handle 2 is connected to the valve shaft 24.
There is no need to remove parts such as 3. Therefore, the labor required for removing and attaching these parts can be saved, and the labor required for connecting the gas pipe G can be reduced accordingly.

When the connection nut N is tightened with a screwdriver such as a wrench, the connection nut N
Since it protrudes outside from b, it is easy to hang a spanner or the like.
In addition, the rotation range of the spanner or the like is not restricted to a narrow range. Therefore, the rotation angle per rotation of the spanner can be increased, and the number of times the spanner is replaced with the connection nut N can be reduced accordingly. Therefore, the labor required for connection can be further reduced, and the connection time can be shortened.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the high-pressure gas cylinder of this embodiment, a flange member 4A is screwed and fixed to the mounting member 4, and the cover body 31 is fixed to the flange member 4A. Also,
On the inner peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 31b, a protection cylinder portion 33 is airtightly mounted.
And it is detachably fitted. A bolt 5 that penetrates the peripheral wall of the mounting cylinder 31b is screwed. Then, after the protection cylinder 33 is fitted to the mounting cylinder 31b, the outer peripheral surface of the protection cylinder 33 is pressed by the bolt 5, whereby the protection cylinder 33 is fixed to the mounting cylinder 31b. In this embodiment, a bottom plate 31d is formed at the upper end of the cover body 31, and the valve shaft 24 of the on-off valve 2 is rotatably and airtightly inserted into the center of the bottom plate 31d. . Other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and have the same effects.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a mounting hole 31e penetrating the bottom plate 31d of the cover body 31 is formed in the bottom plate 31d, and a handle portion 31f to be a handle of the on-off valve 2 is rotatable in the mounting hole 31e. And airtightly fitted. A valve shaft 24 is fitted to a lower end portion of the handle portion 31f exposed in the cover 3 via an intermediate member 25 so as not to be rotatable and detachably in a vertical direction. Therefore, in this high-pressure gas cylinder, when the cover main body 31 is attached to the attachment member 4, the handle 31 f is automatically connected to the valve shaft 24 of the on-off valve 2. Therefore, as compared with the former two embodiments, it is possible to save labor for attaching and detaching the handle 23 to and from the valve shaft 24.
Of course, the on-off valve 2 can be opened and closed by rotating the handle portion 31f. Other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and have the same effects.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in which the protection cylinder 33 is attached to the attachment cylinder 31b by the fastening band 6. That is, the annular projection 3
1 g is formed. On the other hand, a fitting portion 33b, an annular protruding portion 33c, and a receiving portion 33d are formed in the protective cylinder portion 33 in this order from the tip on the mounting cylinder portion 31b side. Fitting part 3
3b is detachably and air-tightly fitted to the mounting cylinder 31b. The annular protruding portion 33c has the same outer diameter and the same width as the annular protruding portion 31g, and comes into contact with the annular protruding portion 31g when the fitting portion 33b is fitted to the mounting tubular portion 31b. ing. The outer diameter of the receiving portion 33d is set to be the same as the outer diameter of the mounting tubular portion 31b.

The fastening band 6 is made of a thin plate made of steel or other metal. As shown in FIG. 5, a fastening portion 61 having a 3/4 circular shape is formed at both ends of the fastening portion 61. Guide portions 62, 62. The fastening portion 61
The outer diameters of the mounting cylinder portion 31b and the receiving portion 33d are substantially the same or slightly smaller. The fastening portion 61 is formed with a slit 61a extending along the circumferential direction. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the fastening slit 61a extend to the guide portions 62, 62 by substantially the same height as the annular projection. The width of the fastening slit 61a is substantially equal to the total width of the two annular protrusions 31g and 33c.
The guide portions 62, 62 are base ends (ends on the fastening portion 61 side).
From the front end to the front end side, the distance between them is increased so that the distance between them is almost the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fastening portion 61.

In the above embodiment, the protective cylinder 33
Is attached to the mounting cylinder 31b, first, the fitting portion 3 is inserted until the annular projection 33c abuts against the annular projection 31g.
3b is inserted into the mounting cylinder 31b. Next, the fastening band 6
The axis of the fastening portion 61 is connected to the protection cylinder 33 and the mounting cylinder 31b.
And the guide portions 62 are brought closer to the mounting cylinder portion 31b and the protection cylinder portion 33 so that the protection cylinder portion 33 and the mounting cylinder portion 31b enter the fastening portion 61 from between them. Then, first, the guide portions 62, 62 abut against the annular projecting portions 31g, 33c. In this case, the annular projecting portions 31g and 33c abut on the central portion in the width direction of the guide portion 62. In this state, when the fastening band 6 is pushed in such a manner that the protective tubular portion 33 and the mounting tubular portion 31b enter the inside thereof, the interval between the guide portions 62, 62 is increased, and the diameter of the fastening portion 61 is increased. When the guide portions 62, 62 get over the maximum outer diameter portions of the annular projecting portions 31g, 33c in the pushing direction, the fastening portion 61 is reduced in diameter by its own elastic force, and the interval between the guide portions 62, 62 is reduced. . And the fastening slit 6 of the fastening portion 61
While the annular projections 31g and 33c enter 1a,
Both side portions of the fastening portion 61 (portions located on both sides of the fastening slit 61a) are fitted into the mounting cylinder portion 31b and the receiving portion 33d, respectively. In the fastening slit 61a, the annular protrusions 31g, 3
3c, the annular protrusions 31g, 33c
Are maintained in contact with each other, and
b is maintained in a fitted state with the mounting cylinder 31b. Further, since the fastening portion 61 has a 3/4 circular shape, the fastening portion 61 is not attached to the mounting cylinder portion 31 unless the diameter of the fastening portion 61 is forcibly expanded.
b and the receiving portion 33d do not come off in the radial direction.
Thereby, the protection cylinder part 33 is fitted and fixed to the mounting cylinder part 31b. When removing the protection cylinder 33 from the attachment cylinder 31b, the procedure reverse to the above may be adopted.

FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment, the protection cylinder 33 is attached to the mounting cylinder 3.
A first cylindrical portion 33A detachably attached to the first cylindrical portion 1b,
A second cylinder 33B is fitted to the first cylinder 33A so as to be movable in the axial direction and hermetically. The second tubular portion 33B moves between an extended position shown in FIG. 6 and a retracted position where the bottom formed at the distal end of the second tubular portion 33B abuts against the distal end of the first tubular portion 33A. It is possible.

In this embodiment, the cylinder body 1
It is suitable for use when the guide tube GT into which the gas pipe G is inserted is fixedly installed in advance. That is, in such a case, first, the length of the protection cylinder 33 is reduced so as to be shorter. In this state, the second cylinder portion 33B is fitted and fixed to the guide cylinder GT. Next, the protection cylinder 33 is extended. That is, the first tubular portion 33A is pulled out from the second tubular portion 33B to the cylinder body 1 side. Then, the end of the first tubular portion 33A is fitted to the mounting tubular portion 31b, and is fixed by the bolt 5. Thereby, the protection cylinder part 33 can be easily connected to the cylinder main body 1 and the guide cylinder GT. Of course, contrary to the above procedure, the first cylindrical portion 33A
May be connected to the mounting cylinder 31b, and then the second cylinder 33B may be connected to the guide cylinder GT.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the protective cylinder 33 is removed from the cover main body 31, the entire connection nut N is exposed to the outside from the mounting cylinder 31b, but a screwdriver such as a spanner is used. If it is sufficient to hang the connection nut, only a part of the connection nut N may be exposed to the outside from the mounting cylinder 31b.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the labor for connecting the gas pipe to the on-off valve of the high-pressure gas cylinder is greatly reduced, and the connection can be easily and quickly completed. can get.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fastening band used in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of an example of a conventional high-pressure gas cylinder.

8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 G gas pipe N connection nut 1 cylinder body 2 opening / closing valve 3 cover 21 gas pipe connection part 23 handle 24 valve shaft 31 cover body 31f handle part 33 protection cylinder part 33A first cylinder part 33B second cylinder part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroki Watanabe 3-1-8 Kitahonmachi, Joetsu-shi, Niigata Koyo Sangyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D038 CA13 CB01 CC18 3E072 AA01 CA03 DB03 GA30

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder main body containing a high-pressure gas, an on-off valve provided on the cylinder main body, and a cover provided on the cylinder main body and covering the on-off valve, wherein a gas pipe is connected to the on-off valve. A high-pressure gas cylinder provided with a gas pipe connection portion into which a connection nut for connection is screwed and a protection cylinder portion through which the gas tube is inserted in the cover, wherein the protection cylinder portion is attached to and detached from the cover; A high-pressure gas cylinder, wherein at least an outer end of the connection nut is exposed to the outside when the protection cylinder is detached from the cover. 2. A handle portion to be a handle of the on-off valve is rotatably provided on the cover, and the handle portion is non-rotatably connected to a valve shaft for opening and closing the on-off valve. The high-pressure gas cylinder according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve can be opened and closed by a part. 3. The high-pressure gas cylinder according to claim 1, wherein the cover is made of a resin. 4. The high-pressure gas cylinder according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of the cover is made of a transparent resin. 5. A protection system comprising: a first cylindrical portion detachably mounted on the cover; and a second cylindrical portion movably mounted on the first cylindrical portion in an axial direction thereof. The high-pressure gas cylinder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the high-pressure gas cylinder is configured.