JP2005340180A - Fuel cell stack and quick joint - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell stack to which a fluid pipe can be easily mounted. <P>SOLUTION: In this fuel cell stack 1, a fluid pipe 5 is connected to a pipe connection part 4, and the pipe connection part 4 and the fluid pipe 5 are connected through a quick joint 6. The pipe connection part 4 is inserted in and connected to the quick joint 6, and the fluid pipe 5 is threadedly connected to the quick terminal 1. The quick joint is composed of a joint body 20, a collet 21 to grip the pipe connection part 4, a sleeve 22 to shrink the diameter of the collet 21, a seal member 25 provided in the inside of the joint body 20, a release button 24, and an adaptor 27. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell stack and a quick joint in which a fluid pipe serving as a flow path for a gas such as oxygen gas or a liquid such as cooling water is connected to a pipe connecting portion.

The fuel cell stack is provided with a plurality of pipe connection portions for connecting fluid pipes such as hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. For example, in the one described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of pipe connection portions are attached in the same direction to the end plate of the fuel cell stack, and a fluid pipe such as a rubber hose is directly inserted into each pipe connection portion. Connected.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-12262 (FIG. 1)

  However, in such a conventional fuel cell stack, it is necessary to fasten and fix the fluid pipe to the pipe connection portion with a band so that hydrogen gas or the like does not leak, and the connection work is complicated. In particular, due to space limitations, when a plurality of pipe connection portions are arranged in a concentrated manner, it is difficult to fix the band using a wrench or the like.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell stack to which a fluid pipe can be easily attached. It is another object of the present invention to provide a quick coupling suitable for connecting a fluid pipe to this type of fuel cell stack.

  The fuel cell stack of the present invention is a fuel cell stack in which a fluid pipe is connected to a pipe connection part, and the pipe connection part and the fluid pipe are connected via a quick joint.

  According to this configuration, the fluid pipe is not directly connected to the pipe connecting portion, but is connected via the quick joint. Thereby, a pipe connection part and fluid piping can be easily connected with sufficient workability. Further, it is not necessary to separately fix with a band or the like, and it can be suitably used for collective arrangement of a plurality of pipe connection portions while maintaining connection workability.

  In this case, it is preferable that the pipe connection portion is inserted and connected to the quick joint, and the fluid pipe is screw-connected to the quick joint.

  According to this configuration, it is not necessary to use a flange, a bolt, or the like when connecting the pipe connection portion and the quick joint, and the connection work can be performed with one touch. In addition, since the quick joint and the fluid pipe are screw-connected, the connection can be easily made with sufficient strength.

  In this case, the quick fitting has a receiving port into which the pipe connecting portion is inserted, and is disposed in the joint body to which the fluid piping is connected from the opposite side of the receiving port and the opening formed in the peripheral wall portion on the receiving port side of the fitting main body. The collet that is reduced in diameter and grips the pipe connection part, and is provided so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction over the outer circumferences of both the joint body and the collet. It is preferable to include a sleeve that allows diameter expansion and a biasing means that biases the sleeve in the advancing direction.

According to this configuration, in a state where the pipe connection portion is inserted into the joint main body from the receiving port, the sleeve at the position advanced by the urging means reduces the diameter of the collet. Thereby, a pipe connection part can be reliably hold | gripped with the collet reduced in diameter. In addition, since the pipe connection part is gripped by the collet, damage to the pipe connection part can be effectively avoided as compared with the case where the pipe connection part is gripped by, for example, a hard sphere.
On the other hand, when the pipe connection part is detached from the joint body, the collet can be enlarged in diameter by moving the sleeve to the retracted position against the urging force of the urging means. Thereby, restraint (grip) of the pipe connection part by the collet can be released, and the pipe connection part can be extracted from the receiving port. In addition, the joint body and the fluid pipe may be directly screw-connected, for example, the joint body and the fluid pipe may be indirectly screw-connected via an adapter or a nipple.

  In this case, the collet is composed of a plurality of pieces dispersedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the circumferential direction of the joint body, and a plurality of openings of the joint body are provided corresponding to the plurality of pieces. It is preferable that it is formed so as to prevent the coupling body from dropping out.

  According to this structure, even if it is a case where a collet is comprised with a several piece, since each piece is prevented from falling out to a coupling main body, the diameter reduction and diameter expansion of each piece can be made appropriately. In addition, since the plurality of pieces are dispersedly arranged in the circumferential direction of the joint body, the pipe connection portion can be gripped with a uniform force in the circumferential direction.

  In these cases, the quick joint further includes a valve mechanism that opens and closes the internal flow path of the quick joint, and the valve mechanism opens the internal flow path in conjunction with the insertion operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the quick joint. It is preferable that the internal flow path is closed in conjunction with the removal operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the quick joint.

  According to this configuration, the internal flow path of the quick joint can be opened and closed by the insertion / removal operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the quick joint. This eliminates the need to use an electrical configuration to open and close the valve mechanism.

  The quick joint of the present invention is disposed in a joint body having a receiving port into which a pipe connection part is inserted and an opening formed in a peripheral wall part on the receiving side of the joint body in a quick joint in which the pipe connection part is inserted and connected. The collet that has a reduced diameter and grips the pipe connection portion, and is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction over the outer periphery of both the joint body and the collet. A sleeve that allows a diameter, a biasing means that biases the sleeve in the advancing direction thereof, and a seal member that is provided inside the joint body and seals between the pipe connection portion.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to use a flange, a bolt, or the like when connecting to the pipe connection portion, and the connection work can be performed with one touch. Thereby, it is possible to perform a connection operation with good workability for a fuel cell stack or the like in which a plurality of pipe connection portions are easily arranged in a concentrated manner.
In a state where the pipe connection portion is inserted into the joint body, the sleeve at the position advanced by the biasing means reduces the diameter of the collet, and the collet grips the pipe connection portion. As a result, the pipe connection part can be restrained by the quick joint and the pipe connection part can be gripped by the collet, so that damage to the pipe connection part can be effectively avoided as compared with, for example, a gripping structure using a rigid ball. Can do. Further, in this inserted state, the space between the pipe connection portion and the joint body can be sealed airtight or watertight by the seal member.
On the other hand, when the pipe connection part is detached from the joint body, the sleeve is retracted against the urging force of the urging means. As a result, the diameter of the collet can be increased, so that the pipe connection portion can be released from the restraint by the collet and extracted from the receiving port.

  In this case, it is preferable that the seal member includes a first seal member that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the pipe connection portion and a second seal member that is in close contact with the distal end surface of the pipe connection portion.

  According to this configuration, since the first seal member is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connection portion and the second seal member is in close contact with the distal end surface of the pipe connection portion, the sealing performance can be improved. Further, since the first and second seal members are in close contact with the distal end side of the pipe connection portion, it is possible to suppress the wear of the seal member accompanying the attachment / detachment work of the pipe connection portion as much as possible.

  In this case, the first seal member and the second seal are disposed coaxially with the joint main body, hold the first seal member and the second seal member, and bias the seal hold member in the axial direction. It is preferable to include a seal biasing spring that presses the member against the pipe connection portion.

  According to this configuration, the first seal member and the second seal member can be strongly adhered to the distal end portion of the pipe connection portion, and fluid leakage and the like can be reliably prevented. Further, since both the first and second seal members are held by the seal holding member, the first and second seal members can be collectively pressed against the pipe connecting portion.

  In this case, it is preferable that the seal holding member is slidably supported on the inner peripheral surface of the joint body.

  According to this configuration, the seal holding member can be stably urged by the seal urging spring, and the sealing performance by the first and second seal members can be appropriately ensured.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the seal holding member holds the first seal member and the second seal member adjacent to each other.

  According to this configuration, the second seal member can be deformed by the reaction force pressed against the distal end surface of the pipe connection portion, but by deforming the first seal member, the outer peripheral surface of the pipe connection portion is strongly pressed. Is possible. That is, the sealing performance can be improved.

  In these cases, it is preferable to further include an adapter that is screw-connected to the end of the joint body opposite to the receiving port and that has a seal biasing spring interposed between the seal holding member and the seal holding member.

  According to this configuration, the seal urging spring can be disposed using the adapter effectively.

  In these cases, a locking means for locking the forward / backward movement of the sleeve in a state where the pipe connection portion is inserted is further provided, and the locking means releases the lock of the sleeve so that the sleeve resists the biasing force of the biasing means. It is preferable to be configured to allow movement in the retreat direction.

  According to this configuration, the diameter of the collet can be prevented by locking the sleeve immovably by the locking means in the inserted state of the pipe connection portion. Thereby, even if it is a use environment where the internal pressure in a pipe connection part becomes high, it can prevent effectively that a pipe connection part detaches | leaves easily. Further, by releasing the lock by the locking means, the sleeve can be moved in the retracting direction, and the pipe connecting portion can be easily detached.

  In this case, it is preferable that the lock means has a release button that protrudes outward from the sleeve and releases the lock of the sleeve.

  According to this configuration, the lock of the sleeve can be released by operating the release button. Since the release button protrudes outward from the sleeve, the operability is improved.

  In these cases, the collet has a stepped portion on the outer peripheral surface, the sleeve has a stepped portion corresponding to the collet on the inner peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the collet, and the stepped portion of the sleeve is biased It is preferable that the collet is configured to be able to press the step of the collet in the direction of reducing the diameter of the collet in cooperation with the means.

  According to this structure, the sleeve urged in the advancing direction by the urging means presses the step of the collet to reduce the diameter of the collet. That is, due to the complementary shape of each step of the sleeve and the collet, the advanced sleeve exerts a component force that presses the collet in the axial direction (inward) to reduce the diameter of the collet. Thereby, the diameter of the collet can be reduced by the sleeve with a simple configuration.

  In these cases, the collet is composed of a plurality of pieces dispersedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the circumferential direction of the joint body, and a plurality of openings of the joint body are provided corresponding to the plurality of pieces. It is preferable that it is formed so as to be able to prevent the dropout of the metal into the joint body.

  According to this configuration, similarly to the above, each piece is prevented from dropping out into the joint body, so that each piece can be appropriately reduced in diameter and expanded. In addition, since the plurality of pieces are dispersedly arranged in the circumferential direction of the joint body, the pipe connection portion can be gripped with a uniform force in the circumferential direction.

  In these cases, a valve mechanism that is provided inside the joint body and opens and closes the internal flow path of the quick joint that communicates with the receiving port is provided, and the valve mechanism is linked to the insertion operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the receiving port. It is preferable that the internal flow path be closed in conjunction with the opening of the path and the operation of removing the pipe connection portion with respect to the receiving port.

  According to this configuration, the valve mechanism can be opened and closed by the insertion / removal operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the receiving port. Thereby, it is not necessary to use an electrical configuration for opening and closing the valve mechanism.

  In the fuel cell stack of the present invention, the pipe connection portion is connected to the fluid pipe through the above-described quick joint of the present invention.

  According to this configuration, the above-described quick joint can be effectively used to easily connect the pipe connecting portion and the fluid pipe with good workability. A fuel cell vehicle is typified as a device equipped with a fuel cell stack.

  According to the fuel cell stack and the quick joint of the present invention, the fluid pipe can be connected to the pipe connecting portion with good workability.

  Hereinafter, a fuel cell stack and a quick joint according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this fuel cell stack, fluid piping such as gas and cooling water supplied to or discharged from the fuel cell stack is connected to a piping connection portion via a quick joint. Hereinafter, a structure around a solid polymer fuel cell stack suitable for a fuel cell vehicle will be briefly described, and then a quick joint will be described in detail.

<First Embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell stack 1 is configured by stacking a large number of single cells, which are basic units of a fuel cell, and arranging end plates 2 at both ends thereof. In the fuel cell stack 1, each single cell receives supply of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to generate electric power, and discharges the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas subjected to the reaction to the outside.

  One end plate 2 includes a pipe connection 4a for supplying hydrogen gas into the fuel cell stack 1, a pipe connection 4b for discharging hydrogen gas from the fuel cell stack 1, and a fuel cell stack. A pipe connection part 4 c for supplying oxygen gas into 1 and a pipe connection part 4 d for discharging oxygen gas from the fuel cell stack 1 are provided. Reference numeral 4e in the drawing is a pipe connection part for supplying cooling water into the fuel cell stack 1 and is not shown in the figure, but the other end plate 2 is supplied with cooling water from within the fuel cell stack 1. A pipe connection for discharging is provided. In addition, you may provide the piping connection part for discharging | emitting cooling water from the inside of the fuel cell stack 1 in the same end plate 2 as the piping connection part 4e.

  A plurality of such pipe connection portions 4 (4a to 4e) are collectively arranged on the end plate 2 so that the connection ports 10 are directed in the same direction. Each pipe connection 4 is connected to an external fluid pipe 5 corresponding to the gas to be supplied or discharged or the cooling water. In the present embodiment, the two pipe connection parts 4 c and 4 d for oxygen gas and the pipe connection part 4 e for cooling water are connected to an external fluid pipe 5 via a quick joint 6, respectively. As described above, by using the quick joint 6, the fluid pipe 5 can be easily connected to the pipe connecting portion 4.

  FIG. 2 is a half sectional view showing the structure of the quick joint 6 in a state where the pipe connection portion 4 is connected. The quick joint 6 is configured so that the pipe connection portion 4 can be inserted and connected from the receiving port 31, and the fluid pipe 5 can be connected to the screw from the opposite end of the receiving port 31.

  The pipe connection portion 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape from a metal tube such as stainless steel or a hard resin. The pipe connection portion 4 includes a tip end portion 11 having a connection port 10 and a cylindrical trunk portion 12 that is continuous with the tip end portion 11. The distal end portion 11 of the pipe connecting portion 4 bulges out in the radial direction and forms a substantially annular stepped portion. On the other hand, the fluid pipe 5 is made of a non-metallic pipe, for example, a rubber hose.

  The quick joint 6 is disposed in a joint body 20 having a receiving port 31 on the distal end side and a female thread portion 32 on the proximal end side, and an opening 33 formed in a peripheral wall portion on the receiving port 31 side of the joint body 20. The collet 21 that reduces the diameter and grips the pipe connection portion 4 and the outer circumferences of both the joint body 20 and the collet 21 are provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction. A sleeve 22 that allows the collet 21 to expand in diameter, a sleeve biasing spring 23 that is interposed between the sleeve 22 and the joint body 20 and biases the sleeve 22 in its advancing direction, and outward of the sleeve 22. A release button 24 is provided that protrudes and locks the advance / retreat movement of the advanced sleeve 22 and releases the lock.

  The quick joint 6 is provided inside the joint body 20, and includes a seal member 25 that seals between the joint body 20 and the pipe connection portion 4, a seal holding member 26 that holds the seal member 25, and the joint body 20. Between the adapter 27 screw-connected to the female thread portion 32, the nipple 28 screw-connected to the adapter 27 and the fluid piping 5 screw-connected from the opposite side of the adapter 27, and between the seal holding member 26 and the adapter 27 A seal biasing spring 29 that is interposed and biases the seal holding member 26 toward the receiving port 31 is provided. These members (20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29) constituting the quick joint 6 are all arranged coaxially except for the release button 24.

  The joint body 20 is formed in a tubular shape as a whole with aluminum. The receiving port 31 of the joint body 20 is configured to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the pipe connection portion 4 so that the pipe connection portion 4 can be attached and detached without difficulty. The joint main body 20 accommodates a stop ball 36 in a ball hole 34 provided in a part of the peripheral wall portion so as to allow rolling. The stop ball 36 restricts the sleeve 22 to the retracted position in a removed state in which the pipe connecting portion 4 is extracted (described later).

  The collet 21 is made of a resin such as nylon. The collet 21 is composed of a plurality of pieces 21a dispersedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the circumferential direction, and each piece 21a has a long hole-like opening of the joint body 20 provided corresponding to the number of pieces 21a. It is disposed in the portion 33. For example, the collet 21 is composed of three pieces 21a that are divided into three in the cylindrical circumferential direction.

  Each piece 21 a is disposed in each opening 33 so as to be finely movable in the radial direction so as to extend inside and outside the joint body 20. Although not shown in the drawings, the two end surfaces in the radial direction of each piece 21a are formed into tapered surfaces, and the two end surfaces in the radial direction of the opening 33 are also formed into tapered surfaces corresponding thereto. The two taper surfaces prevent each piece 21 a in the opening 33 from dropping into the joint body 20. Each piece 21a in the opening 33 is prevented from being pulled out of the joint body 20 by the sleeve 22 provided on the outer peripheral side thereof.

  The collet 21 (each piece 21 a) has an annular step 41 having a large diameter on the outer peripheral surface 40 on the receiving port 31 side, and an inner peripheral surface 42 grips the body 12 of the pipe connecting portion 4. It is configured as. The diameter of the collet 21 is reduced by the step 41 being pressed by the step 51 of the sleeve 22. Specifically, the step portion 41 of the collet 21 and the step portion 51 of the sleeve 22 have step surfaces with different inclinations, and the sleeve 22 has a stepped portion 51 of the collet 21 by the sleeve biasing spring 23. Press against part 41.

  As a result, the component force in the direction intersecting the urging direction of the leave urging spring 23 is applied to the collet 21, and the collet 21 is reduced in diameter. The inner peripheral surface 42 of the collet 21 having a reduced diameter is in close contact with the body portion 12 of the pipe connection portion 4 and grips it in the circumferential direction, thereby preventing the pipe connection portion 4 from being detached (extracted). The gripping force of the pipe connection portion 4 by the collet 21 can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the length of the collet 21 in the axial direction. For example, the length of the collet 21 is set to about 32 mm in nominal diameter of the pipe connection portion 4. It is preferable to set it to 10 mm or more.

  On the other hand, the collet 21 can be expanded in diameter by releasing the pressing force from the sleeve 22 by retracting the step 51 of the sleeve 22 from the step 41 in the axial direction. The collet 21 in the expanded state allows attachment / detachment (insertion / removal) of the pipe connecting portion 4 inside thereof. In addition, the collet 21 can also be comprised by the strip-shaped thing provided with the slit during one round in the circumferential direction instead of the said structure.

  The sleeve 22 is made of, for example, stainless steel and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The sleeve 22 is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the distal end side, and cooperates with the sleeve urging spring 23 to press the collet 21 in the direction of reducing the diameter of the collet 21. The sleeve 22 is provided on the inner peripheral wall and urges the sleeve. A shoulder portion 52 against which one end of the spring 23 abuts, an engagement hole portion 53 that is formed through the base end side and is detachably engaged with the release button 24, and is provided in a step shape in the middle portion of the outer peripheral surface; An operation grasping portion 54 for a user to operate to move the sleeve 22 forward and backward in the axial direction, and a ball groove 55 formed in an annular shape on the inner peripheral surface opposite to the operation grasping portion 54 Yes.

  The operation grasping unit 54 has a predetermined length to the extent that it can accept a user's finger. The engaging hole portion 53 is configured to be engageable with the large diameter portion 61 of the release button 24 and is configured to be loosely fitted to the small diameter portion 62 facing the large diameter portion 61. When the large-diameter portion 61 of the release button 24 is engaged with the engagement hole 53, the advance / retreat movement of the sleeve 22 is locked. On the other hand, when the release button 24 is pressed and the small-diameter portion 62 of the release button 24 is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 53, the lock is released. When the lock is released, the sleeve 22 is allowed to move in the retracting direction against the biasing force of the sleeve biasing spring 23.

  A part of the stop ball 36 in the ball hole 34 faces the ball groove 55 when the unlocked sleeve 22 moves to the retracted position. That is, in the unlocked state (not shown) where the pipe connecting portion 4 is detached, the stop ball 36 of the ball hole 34 floats when its bottom surface comes into contact with a later-described ride-up portion 84 of the seal holding member 26, and The surface faces the ball groove 55. While the retracted position of the sleeve 22 in this state is regulated by the stop ball 36, the stepped portion 51 is separated from the stepped portion 41 of the collet 21, so that the collet 21 is allowed to expand in diameter.

  The release button 24 includes the above-described large-diameter portion 61, a small-diameter portion 62 that is continuous with the large-diameter portion 61, a pressing operation portion 63 that is continuous with the distal end of the small-diameter portion 62, and It has a slide part 64 that is supported by the housing recess 35 of the joint body 20 so that the outer peripheral surface is slidable. The accommodating recess 35 accommodates a button urging spring 65 that urges the release button 24 in the locking direction (outward in the radial direction). One end of the button urging spring 65 is in contact with the inner recess 66 of the slide portion 64, and the other end is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the adapter 27.

  The release button 24, the engagement hole 53, the button urging spring 65, and the housing recess 35 mainly lock the forward / backward movement of the sleeve 22 with the pipe connection portion 4 inserted, and release the lock. Locking means for allowing movement of the sleeve 22 in the retracting direction is configured.

  The seal member 25 includes an O-ring 71 (first seal member) that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4 and a seal packing 72 (second seal member) that is in close contact with the distal end surface 11a of the pipe connection portion 4. And is composed of. The O-ring 71 and the seal packing 72 are formed corresponding to the shape of the tip end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4 and are held by the seal holding member 26 in a state of being adjacent to each other.

  The O-ring 71 has a round shape. The O-ring 71 is about half the size of the seal packing 72 and is in close contact with the half surface of the seal packing 72. The seal packing 72 is configured such that the remaining half surface to which the O-ring 71 does not come into close contact can be brought into close contact with the tip end surface 11 a of the pipe connection portion 4. The seal packing 72 is configured to have a square cross section, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is configured to be substantially flush with the inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member 26 and the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4. Yes.

  The seal holding member 26 is configured to be movable in the axial direction, and has predetermined gaps S 1 and S 2 between the collet 21 and the adapter 27. The seal holding member 26 is slidably supported on the inner peripheral surface of the joint main body 20 on the outer peripheral surface, and is sealed between the joint main body 20 by an exercise O-ring 80. In the state where the pipe connection portion 4 is removed, the gap S2 is increased, but the gap S1 is eliminated, and the tip end portion of the seal holding member 26 is brought into contact with the end portion of the collet 21.

  The seal holding member 26 is provided on the outer peripheral side, and is provided with a ring mounting groove 81 in which the exercise O-ring 80 is attached, and a seal provided on the inner peripheral side to which the O-ring 71 and the seal packing 72 of the seal member 25 are attached. It has an attachment recess 82 and a spring contact portion 83 provided on the opposite side of the seal attachment recess 82 in the axial direction and against which one end of the seal biasing spring 29 is contacted.

  The seal urging spring 29 is interposed between the spring contact portion 83 and the adapter 27, and the other end is locked to a retaining ring 91 fitted into the adapter 27. The seal urging spring 29 is in a free state when the pipe connection portion 4 is detached, and is retracted as the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted. Then, in a state where the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted, the seal biasing spring 29 that has been compressed is biased toward the seal holding member 26 toward the receiving port 31 side. As a result, the O-ring 71 and the seal packing 72 are strongly adhered to the tip end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4 without a gap.

  The outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member 26 is formed with a gentle step, and a lifting portion 84 on which the stop ball 36 can ride is formed adjacent to the ring mounting groove portion 81. Correspondingly, the inner peripheral surface of the joint body 20 is formed with a gentle step across the ball hole 34. As described above, in the mounted state in which the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted, the stop ball 36 in the ball hole 34 is positioned away from the ride-up portion 84 and the ball groove 55, while the pipe connection portion 4 is extracted. In the removed state, the stop ball 36 in the ball hole 34 is levitated to the outside by the riding-up portion 84 and faces the ball groove 55 to restrict the movement of the sleeve 22.

  For example, eight stop balls 36 are distributed in the circumferential direction, and eight ball holes 34 are formed correspondingly. On the other hand, the ball groove 55 is formed in an annular shape in the circumferential direction, and the riding-up portion 84 is provided in the circumferential direction. Further, the groove depth of the ball groove 55 and the height of the ride-up portion 84 are set to be substantially the same.

  The adapter 27 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape from stainless steel, for example. The adapter 27 has a thin cylindrical portion 101 whose outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the joint main body 20, a seating portion 102 for seating the retaining ring 91, and a joint main body 20. The male screw portion 103 that is screwed to the female screw portion 32 and the thick cylindrical portion 105 that has a tapered female screw 104 formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof are integrally formed. The adapter 27 and the joint body 20 are sealed by a body side O-ring 106 provided on the thin cylindrical portion 101 side.

  The nipple 28 has tapered male threads 111 and 112 having different diameters at both ends. The taper male thread 111 having the larger diameter is screwed into the taper female thread 104 of the adapter 27. A rubber hose type fluid pipe 5 is inserted into the taper male screw 112 having a smaller diameter. That is, the fluid pipe 5 is screw-connected to the quick joint 6 via the tapered male thread 112 of the nipple 28. In addition, when it is not necessary to attach the small-diameter fluid pipe 5, the fluid pipe 5 may be directly connected to the end of the adapter 27 without using the nipple 28.

  Here, a connection procedure between the pipe connecting portion 4 and the fluid pipe 5 using the quick joint 6 will be briefly described. The quick joint 6 before the pipe connection portion 4 and the fluid pipe 5 are attached has the seal holding member 26 moved from the state shown in FIG. 22 is retracted to the right in the figure against the sleeve biasing spring 23, and the retracted position is restricted by the stop ball 36 (see FIG. 5 which is another embodiment). Further, the release button 24 moves downward in the figure against the button urging spring 65, and the urging position is restricted in a state where the small diameter portion 62 faces the engagement hole portion 53 of the sleeve 22. Yes.

  When the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted into the quick joint 6 from the receiving port 31 from this state, the tip end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4 passes through the position of the collet 21 and comes into contact with the seal member 25. When the pipe connection portion 4 is further inserted, the seal holding member 26 moves to the right side in the figure against the seal biasing spring 29. When the pipe connecting portion 4 is inserted for a predetermined length, the ride-up portion 84 is disengaged from the position of the stop ball 36, and when the stop ball 36 is completely dropped from the ball groove 55 into the ball hole 34, the sleeve 22 is It is urged by the sleeve urging spring 23 and advances to the left side in the figure so as to slide on the outer peripheral surfaces of the collet 21 and the joint body 20. Thereby, it transfers to the attachment state shown in FIG.

  In this state, since the sleeve 22 reduces the diameter of the collet 21 so as to press the collet 21 inward in the radial direction, the body portion 12 of the pipe connection portion 4 is held by the collet 21 in the circumferential direction. At this time, the release button 24 is moved upward by the button urging spring 65, and the large-diameter portion 61 facing the engagement hole 53 is engaged therewith, so that the sleeve 22 is locked at its advanced position.

  Further, in this state, the seal packing 72 is pressed against the distal end surface 11a of the pipe connecting portion 4 through the seal holding member 26 biased by the seal biasing spring 29, and the O-ring 71 is continuous with the distal end surface 11a. Pressed against the surface. Thereby, the space | interval between the piping connection part 4 and the quick coupling 6 is sealed. In this state, the fluid pipe 5 is connected to the tapered male thread 112 of the nipple 28 so as to be screwed in, so that a series of connection work is completed.

  Thus, the connection of the quick joint 6 to the pipe connection portion 4 can be easily performed by simply inserting it. Further, the quick joint 6 can securely grip the inserted pipe connecting portion 4 via the collet 21. Further, since the sleeve 22 can be locked, the sleeve 22 can be prevented from moving even when the internal pressure in the pipe connecting portion 4 becomes high, and the gripping state by the collet 21 can be appropriately maintained. Can do. Furthermore, since the seal member 25 can be strongly adhered to the distal end side of the pipe connection portion 4, the sealing performance can be ensured appropriately and reliably.

  Next, a removal procedure for extracting the quick joint 6 from the pipe connection portion 4 will be briefly described. First, the release button 24 is pressed through the pressing operation unit 63. Then, the part of the release button 24 facing the engagement hole 53 of the sleeve 22 shifts from the large diameter part 61 to the small diameter part 62. Thereby, the lock of the sleeve 22 is released, and the sleeve 22 is allowed to move in the retracting direction. In this state, the user grasps the operation grasping portion 54 and moves the sleeve 22 so as to pull it in the retracting direction against the sleeve biasing spring 23, so that the collet 21 is restrained (pressing force) by the sleeve 22. Is released. Thereby, the quick coupling 6 can be removed from the pipe connection part 4 while expanding the diameter of the collet 21.

  In this way, the sleeve 22 can be unlocked simply by pressing the release button 24, and the quick joint 6 can be easily removed from the pipe connection portion 4. Further, since the release button 24 protrudes outward from the sleeve 22, the release button 24 can be easily operated, and the sleeve 22 is provided with an operation grasping portion 54, so that the retraction movement of the sleeve 22 can be operated. It can be done with good performance. Furthermore, since the collet 21 is made of a resin and divided, the damage to the pipe connection portion 4 due to the collet 21 can be effectively prevented even when the quick joint 6 is repeatedly attached and detached.

Second Embodiment
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the quick coupling 6 according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

  The seal packing 72 of the present embodiment is formed larger than that of the first embodiment. Specifically, the seal packing 72 is formed to be thick in the radial direction, and the inner peripheral surface 72 a protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface 26 a of the seal holding member 26. The seal surface 72 b of the seal packing 72 is in close contact with the distal end surface 11 a of the pipe connection portion 4, and part of the seal surface 72 b extends into the pipe connection portion 4 beyond the distal end surface 11 a of the pipe connection portion 4.

  And in this embodiment, the packing guide 120 which supports the seal packing 72 from the inner peripheral surface 72a side is provided. The packing guide 120 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by, for example, stainless steel, and is disposed coaxially with the seal holding member 26, the seal packing 72, and the like. The packing guide 120 includes a main body 121 that is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 26 a of the seal holding member 26, a support portion 122 that is integrally connected to the distal end side of the main body 121, and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface 72 a of the seal packing 72. And a flange portion 123 that is integrally connected to the proximal end side of the portion 121 and is in close contact with the spring contact portion 83 of the seal holding member 26.

  The inner peripheral surface of the main body 121 and the inner peripheral surface of the support portion 122 are connected without a step. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the main body 121 and the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 122 are connected with a step 125 corresponding to the stepped inner peripheral surfaces of the seal packing 72 and the seal holding member 26. The support portion 122 holds the seal packing 72 in cooperation with the seal mounting recess 82 of the seal holding member 26. One end of a seal biasing spring 29 is in contact with the flange portion 123, and both the seal holding member 26 and the packing guide 120 are biased toward the seal member 25 by the seal biasing spring 29.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the seal packing 72 can be widely and closely adhered to the distal end surface 11a of the pipe connection portion 4 in a use state where the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted. Thereby, a sealing performance can be improved further. In addition, since the packing guide 120 is separately provided and the seal packing 72 is supported from the inside, it is possible to prevent the seal packing 72 that is in close contact with the distal end surface 11a of the pipe connection portion 4 from leaning on the inside. In particular, even if the quick joint 6 is attached and detached frequently, the seal packing 72 can be securely attached to the seal attachment recess 82. The packing guide 120 and the seal holding member 26 may be integrally formed.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the quick coupling 6 according to the third embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the second embodiment. The main difference from the second embodiment is that the valve mechanism 130 is provided using the packing guide 120. The structure of the release button 24 is slightly different from that of the above embodiment. However, since the release button 24 is the same as the above embodiment in terms of the function of locking the advance / retreat movement of the sleeve 22 and releasing the lock, detailed description is omitted here. Moreover, about the structure which is common in 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 4 shows a state where the pipe connecting portion 4 is inserted into the quick joint 6. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the pipe connecting portion 4 has been removed from the quick joint 6.
The main part of the valve mechanism 130 is provided inside the quick joint 6, and opens and closes the internal flow path 131 that communicates with the receiving port 31. The valve mechanism 130 is screw-connected to the spherical valve body 132, the slide body 134 that holds the spherical valve body 132 at the tip of the shaft portion 133, the valve head 136 having the valve seat 135 on the inner peripheral surface, and the valve head 136. A valve body 137. The spherical valve body 132, the slide body 134, the valve head 136 and the valve body 137 are located on the axis of the quick joint 6.

  The slide body 134 has the packing guide 120 on the opposite side to the spherical valve body 132, and the shaft portion 133 and the packing guide 120 are integrally formed. A plurality of circulation ports 139 serving as fluid passages are formed through the portion where the main body portion of the packing guide 120 and the shaft portion 133 are continuous.

  The valve head 136 has an opening 141 through which the shaft 133 of the slide body 134 can be inserted, and the opening 141 serves as a fluid passage. The valve seat 135 is formed in a hemispherical shape so as to be continuous with a portion constituting the opening 141. A half portion of the spherical valve body 132 is in contact with the valve seat 135. In the valve head 136, a thin cylindrical portion opposite to the opening 141 is screwed to the valve body 137.

  In the valve body 137, the outer peripheral side 151 of the tip is screwed to the valve head 136, and the outer peripheral side 152 of the intermediate part is screwed to the nipple 28. The contact portion 153 of the valve body 137 is in contact with the outer end surface 28a of the nipple 28, and an O-ring 155 is interposed between the contact portion 153 and the outer end surface 28a. The fluid pipe 5 is inserted into the taper male screw 156 of the valve body 137.

  Inside the valve body 137, a valve urging spring 161 that urges the spherical valve body 132 toward the valve seat 135 and a retaining ring 162 that engages one end of the valve urging spring 161 are accommodated. . The valve urging spring 161 is positioned coaxially with the valve body 137, and the other end of the valve urging spring 161 is in contact with the spherical valve body 132. The tip inner peripheral surface 165 of the valve body 137 is formed in a reverse taper shape so as to expand toward the tip side. There is a predetermined gap between the inner circumferential surface 165 of the valve body 137 and the spherical valve body 132, and this gap serves as a fluid passage.

  In addition, the code | symbol 163 in a figure is an adapter color. The adapter collar 163 is located between the nipple 28 and the adapter 27 on the axis of the quick joint 6.

Here, the operation of the valve mechanism 130 will be described.
In the removed state shown in FIG. 5, in the valve mechanism 130, the spherical valve body 132 biased by the valve biasing spring 161 is in contact with the valve seat 135 and closes the internal flow path 131. At this time, since the slide body 134 is urged toward the receiving port 31 by the seal urging spring 29, the spherical valving element 132 comes into contact with the valve seat 135 by the action of the seal urging spring 29. Yes.

  That is, the seal urging spring 29 can also function as the valve urging spring 161. For the same reason, the valve urging spring 161 can also function as the seal urging spring 29. Therefore, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which one of the valve urging spring 161 and the seal urging spring 29 is omitted. In this removed state, the tip of the seal holding member 26 is in contact with the end of the collet 21 due to the bias of the slide body 134 by the seal biasing spring 29.

  In this detached state, when the pipe connection portion 4 is inserted into the receiving port 31 of the quick joint 6, the tip end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4 passes through the collet 21 and comes into contact with the seal member 25. When the pipe connecting part 4 is further inserted, the pipe connecting part 4 resists the urging forces of the seal urging spring 29 and the valve urging spring 161, and the sealing member 25, the seal holding member 26, the slide body 134 and the spherical valve body. 132 is pushed into the back side integrally. As a result, the spherical valve element 132 is separated from the valve seat 135. Thus, the valve mechanism 130 opens the internal flow path 131 in conjunction with the insertion operation of the pipe connection portion 4 with respect to the receiving port 31.

  In the insertion state shown in FIG. 4 where the insertion of the pipe connection portion 4 is completed, the spherical valve body 132 is urged by the valve urging spring 161, but is kept away from the valve seat 135. As described above, by shifting from the removed state to the inserted state, the position of the stop ball 36 changes, the sleeve 22 advances to the distal end side, and the release button 24 locks the position of the sleeve 22. At this time, the collet 21 grips the body portion 12 of the pipe connection portion 4 by the pressing force of the sleeve 22, and the seal member 25 comes into close contact with the distal end portion 11 of the pipe connection portion 4.

  When removing the quick joint 6 from the pipe connection portion 4, the sleeve 22 is first unlocked by operating the release button 24 as described above. Next, the sleeve 22 is retracted against the sleeve biasing spring 23, and the quick joint 6 is removed from the pipe connection portion 4 while expanding the diameter of the collet 21.

  Then, due to the urging force of the seal urging spring 29 and the valve urging spring 161, the seal member 25, the seal holding member 26, the slide body 134, and the spherical valve body 132 are integrally moved toward the receiving port 31 side. The removal state shown in FIG. Thus, the valve mechanism 130 closes the internal flow path 131 in conjunction with the removal operation of the pipe connection portion 4 with respect to the receiving port 31.

  In this embodiment, the spherical valve body 132 is used as a ball valve. However, instead of the spherical valve body 132, a poppet-shaped valve body may be used.

  The quick joint 6 of each of the above embodiments can be applied not only to an actual machine (vehicle) on which the fuel cell stack 1 is mounted, but also to, for example, a leak test of the fuel cell stack 1. That is, by connecting the fluid piping of the leak tester (not shown) and the pipe connection portion 4 of the fuel cell stack 1 via the quick joint 6, fluid leakage in the internal flow path in the fuel cell stack 1 can be easily performed. Can be inspected. Of course, the quick joint 6 is not unique to the fuel cell stack 1 and can be quickly incorporated into other piping systems.

It is a perspective view showing typically the appearance of the fuel cell stack concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a half sectional view showing the quick joint according to the first embodiment. It is a half sectional view showing a quick joint according to a second embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the quick coupling which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, and is a figure which shows the insertion state of a pipe connection part. It is sectional drawing which shows the quick coupling which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, and is a figure which shows the removal state of a pipe connection part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell stack, 4 piping connection part, 5 fluid piping, 6 quick coupling, 11 tip part, 11a tip surface, 12 trunk | drum, 20 coupling body, 21 collet, 21a piece, 22 sleeve, 23 sleeve biasing spring (attached) Biasing means), 24 release button, 25 seal member, 26 seal holding member, 27 adapter, 28 nipple, 29 seal bias spring, 31 receiving port, 33 opening, 41 step portion, 51 step portion, 71 O-ring (first) Seal member), 72 Seal packing (second seal member), 130 Valve mechanism, 132 Spherical valve body

Claims (17)

A fuel cell stack in which a fluid pipe is connected to a pipe connection part,
A fuel cell stack in which the pipe connection portion and the fluid pipe are connected via a quick joint. The pipe connection part is plugged into the quick joint,
The fuel cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the fluid pipe is screwed to the quick joint. The quick fitting is
A joint body to which the fluid pipe is connected from the opposite side of the receptacle, having a receptacle into which the pipe connection portion is inserted,
A collet that is disposed in an opening formed in a peripheral wall portion on the receiving side of the joint body, and that has a reduced diameter and grips the pipe connection portion;
A sleeve that is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction over the outer circumferences of both the joint body and the collet, advances and shrinks the diameter of the collet, and retracts to allow the collet to expand in diameter;
Urging means for urging the sleeve in its advance direction;
The fuel cell stack according to claim 2, comprising: The collet is composed of a plurality of pieces dispersedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the circumferential direction of the joint body,
4. The fuel cell stack according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of openings of the joint body are provided corresponding to the plurality of pieces, and are formed so as to prevent the pieces from dropping into the joint body. The quick joint further includes a valve mechanism for opening and closing the internal flow path of the quick joint,
The valve mechanism opens the internal flow path in conjunction with the insertion operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the quick joint, and interlocks with the removal operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the quick joint, The fuel cell stack according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is configured to close the fuel cell. In quick fittings where pipe connections are plugged in,
A joint body having a receptacle into which the pipe connection portion is inserted;
A collet that is disposed in an opening formed in a peripheral wall portion on the receiving side of the joint main body, reduces the diameter, and grips the pipe connection portion;
A sleeve that is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction over the outer circumferences of both the joint body and the collet, advances and shrinks the diameter of the collet, and retracts to allow the collet to expand in diameter;
Urging means for urging the sleeve in its advance direction;
A seal member that is provided inside the joint body and seals between the pipe connection portion;
With quick fittings. The sealing member is
A first seal member in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the pipe connection portion;
A second seal member in close contact with the distal end surface of the pipe connection portion;
The quick coupling according to claim 6. A seal holding member disposed coaxially with the joint body, and holding the first seal member and the second seal member;
A biasing spring for biasing the seal holding member in the axial direction and pressing the first seal member and the second seal member against the pipe connection portion;
The quick coupling according to claim 7, comprising:   The quick joint according to claim 8, wherein the seal holding member is slidably supported on an inner peripheral surface of the joint main body.   The quick joint according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the seal holding member holds the first seal member and the second seal member adjacent to each other. An adapter that is screw-connected to the end of the joint body opposite to the receiving port, and the seal biasing spring is interposed between the seal holding member,
The quick coupling according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising: A lock means for locking the advance / retreat movement of the sleeve in a state where the pipe connection portion is inserted;
12. The lock means according to claim 6, wherein the lock means is configured to release the lock of the sleeve and allow the sleeve to move in the retracting direction against the urging force of the urging means. The quick fitting according to one item.   The quick coupling according to claim 12, wherein the locking means is provided so as to project outward from the sleeve and has a release button for releasing the lock of the sleeve. The collet has a step on the outer peripheral surface,
The sleeve, corresponding to the collet, has a step portion on the inner peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the collet,
The step portion of the sleeve is configured to be capable of pressing the step portion of the collet in a direction to reduce the diameter of the collet in cooperation with the urging means. Quick fittings. The collet is composed of a plurality of pieces dispersedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the circumferential direction of the joint body,
The opening of the joint body is provided in a plurality corresponding to the plurality of pieces, and is formed so as to prevent the pieces from dropping into the joint body. Quick fitting described in. A valve mechanism that is provided inside the joint body and opens and closes an internal flow path of the quick joint that communicates with the receptacle;
The valve mechanism opens the internal flow path in conjunction with the insertion operation of the pipe connection portion with respect to the receiving port, and closes the internal flow path in conjunction with the removal operation of the piping connection portion with respect to the reception port. The quick coupling according to any one of claims 6 to 15, wherein the quick coupling is configured. A fuel cell stack in which a pipe connection portion is connected to a fluid pipe through the quick joint according to any one of claims 6 to 16.

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