JP2008047404A - Method and system for manufacturing fuel cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cartridge manufacturing method and a fuel cartridge manufacturing system which enable precise inspection on the nondefectiveness and defectiveness of a fuel cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: A fixed quantity cylinder 121 fills a methanol into a container 200. A coupler insertion/noninsertion inspecting unit 124 inserts a coupler in the opening of the container 200. A container nozzle temporary tightening unit 128 and a container nozzle full tightening unit 130 screw and tighten a container nozzle on a hard case of the container 200 to manufacture a fuel cartridge body 300. A leak inspecting unit 134 disposes the fuel cartridge body 300 in a space formed by a chamber, and reduces the internal pressure of the space to detect an atmospheric pressure in the space. A cap temporary tightening unit 138 and a cap full tightening unit 140 screws and tightens a cap on the container nozzle when the detected atmospheric pressure is a pressure of a preset given value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cartridge manufacturing method and a fuel cartridge manufacturing system for manufacturing a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell.

In recent years, fuel cells have been put into practical use as power sources for mobile phones and automobiles. Such a fuel cell uses a liquid fuel such as methanol. When supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell, a fuel cartridge is used for filling the container with liquid fuel and supplying the fuel cell (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP 2006-127851 A JP 2001-93551 A

  By the way, the fuel cartridge is required not to leak liquid fuel from the viewpoint of safety or the like. For this reason, in the manufacturing process, it is necessary to accurately inspect the quality of the fuel cartridge from the viewpoint of leakage of liquid fuel.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel cartridge manufacturing method and a fuel cartridge manufacturing system capable of accurately inspecting the quality of a fuel cartridge.

  The present invention relates to a fuel cartridge manufacturing method for manufacturing a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell, comprising a filling step for filling a liquid fuel into a container, a valve, and the container filled with the liquid fuel A first attachment step that attaches a spout member that is attached to the opening of the container to seal the inside of the container and opens the inside of the container when the valve is pressed; A detection step of detecting leakage of the container to which the outlet member is attached, and a second attachment step of attaching a lid to the spout member attached to the container in which leakage has not been detected by the leakage detection step. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, if a leak occurs in the container due to a gap between the container and the spout member or a hole in the container, the leak is detected, and the container It is inspected whether the inside of the container is in a sealed state. Therefore, the quality of the fuel cartridge can be accurately inspected from the viewpoint of liquid fuel leakage. In addition, when the detection of the leakage of the container is performed after the lid is attached to the spout member, the inside of the container is sealed by the lid even if there is a gap in the connection portion between the container and the spout member. In some cases, it may not be possible to accurately detect the leakage of the container, but by detecting the leakage of the container before the lid is attached to the container, the presence or absence of the leakage of the container is more accurately detected. In other words, the quality of the fuel cartridge can be inspected more accurately.

  In the fuel cartridge manufacturing method of the present invention, in the detection step, the container to which the spout member is attached is arranged in a sealed space, the sealed space is decompressed, and the spout member is attached. You may make it detect the leak of a container.

  In the fuel cartridge manufacturing method of the present invention, the detection step may detect a change in atmospheric pressure in the sealed space.

  If a leak occurs in the container due to a gap between the container and the spout member or a hole in the container, the pressure in the decompressed sealed space increases. Therefore, by detecting a change in the air pressure in the sealed space, it is possible to more accurately inspect the presence or absence of leakage of the container, in other words, the quality of the fuel cartridge. In addition, when detecting the leakage of the container by pressing the side of the container, a large force is required for the pressing, but when the pressure of the space is detected by depressurizing the sealed space, No pressing force is required, and the leakage of the container can be easily detected.

  The present invention also provides a fuel cartridge manufacturing system for manufacturing a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell, comprising a filling means for filling a liquid fuel into a container and a valve, and the liquid fuel is filled. A first attachment means for attaching a spout member attached to the opening of the container to seal the inside of the container and opening the inside of the container when the valve is pressed; and the first attachment means Detecting means for detecting leakage of the container to which the spout member is attached, and second attaching means for attaching the lid to the spout member attached to the container for which leakage has not been detected by the detecting means. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the quality of the fuel cartridge can be accurately inspected by detecting leakage of the container before the lid is attached to the container.

  Hereinafter, a fuel cartridge manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a fuel cartridge used for supplying methanol as a liquid fuel to a fuel cell. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cartridge manufacturing process includes a container foreign matter removing process 10, a container assembling process 20, a methanol refining process 30, and a filling and sealing process 40 corresponding to the filling step and the first mounting step. The filling amount inspection process 50 corresponding to the weight measurement step, the sealing inspection process 60 corresponding to the detection step, the cap winding process 70 corresponding to the second attachment step, and the packaging process 80 are included.

  In the foreign matter removing step 10 in the container, the foreign matter is removed from the bottle by sucking the foreign matter in the bottle. In the container assembly process 20, a container in which the bottle that has undergone the foreign substance removal process 10 in the container is housed in a hard case is assembled. In the methanol purification step 30, the raw material methanol is received, the metal is removed, and the concentration is adjusted with water, so that methanol suitable for the liquid fuel of the fuel cell is purified. By this methanol purification step 30, the metal concentration of methanol is reduced to about 1 [ppb] or less.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a manufacturing system used for manufacturing a fuel cartridge. The manufacturing system shown in FIG. 2 is in charge of the filling / sealing step 40, the filling amount inspection step 50, the sealing inspection step 60, and the cap winding step 70 among the container foreign matter removing step 10 to the packaging step 80 described above. .

  This manufacturing system includes a transport belt 101 to 104, a transport wheel 111 to 113, a head tank 120 in charge of a filling and sealing process 40, a metering cylinder 121, a coupler aligner 122, a coupler insertion / presence tester 124, a container nozzle aligner. 126, Container nozzle temporary tightening device 128, Container nozzle final tightening device 130, Weight checker 132 in charge of filling amount inspection step 50, Leak inspection device 134 in charge of sealing inspection step 60, and Cap winding step 70 The cap aligner 136, the temporary cap fastener 138, and the final cap fastener 140 are configured.

  A head tank 120 and a metering cylinder 121 are provided in the transport wheel 111. The head tank 120 stores the methanol purified in the methanol purification process 30. The inner wall surface of the head tank 120 is passivated, and the inner wall member is prevented from being eluted into methanol. As shown in FIG. 3, the metering cylinder 121 includes a support portion 302 that supports the container 200 and a nozzle portion 304. The metering cylinder 121 inserts the tip of the nozzle portion 304 into the container 200, extracts methanol stored in the head tank 120 by an amount corresponding to one container 200, and fills the container 200. The inner wall surface of the metering cylinder 121 is made of PEEK (poly ether ether ether ketone) resin, and the inner wall member is prevented from eluting into methanol.

  Further, a coupler insertion / presence tester 124, a container nozzle temporary fastening device 128, and a container nozzle final fastening device 130 are arranged on the transport wheel 111 at predetermined intervals. The conveyance wheel 111 conveys the container 200 by intermittent conveyance which repeats rotation, conveyance, and a stop. Specifically, the conveyance wheel 111 is intermittent so that the container 200 stops for a predetermined time when the container 200 reaches the arrangement position of the coupler insertion / presence tester 124, the container nozzle temporary fastening device 128, and the container nozzle final fastening device 130. Transport.

  The coupler aligner 122 aligns the couplers constituting the spout member that is inserted into the opening of the container 200. As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the coupler insertion / presence tester 124 picks up the aligned couplers 201 as shown in FIG. 4A and stops the conveyance wheel 111 as shown in FIGS. The coupler 201 is inserted into the opening of the container 200 that has arrived, and it is further determined whether or not it has been inserted. If the coupler cannot be inserted into the opening of the container 200, the container 200 is discharged as a defective product.

  The container nozzle aligner 126 aligns the container nozzles constituting the spout member. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the container nozzle temporary fastener 128 picks up the aligned container nozzles 202, and when the transport wheel 111 stops, as shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 5 (c). The container nozzle 202 is temporarily tightened on the hard case of the container 200 that has reached. Further, the container nozzle final tightener 130 performs the final tightening of the container nozzle 202 on the hard case of the container 200 that has arrived at the timing when the transport wheel 111 stops. Thereby, the container 200 and the coupler 201 can be engaged, and the coupler 201 can be fixed to the container 200. Thus, the fuel cartridge main body 300 is manufactured by attaching the coupler 201 and the container nozzle 202 to the container 200.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the fuel cartridge body 300. The bottle 210 is accommodated in the hard case 215, and a valve 220 is disposed at the front end of the bottle 210. The valve holder 230 is an annular member and supports the lower end of the spring 250 into which the lower part of the valve 220 is inserted. The cartridge base 240 is an annular member, and fits and supports the valve holder 230 and accommodates the valve 220 so that a slight gap is formed between the upper part of the valve 220. The spring 250 inserts the lower part of the valve 220 and the lower end thereof is supported by the valve holder 230 to urge the valve 220 upward.

  The O-ring 260 is an annular member made of rubber, and is inserted between the convex portion 234 formed on the side surface of the valve holder 230 and the upper end of the bottle 210 to fix the valve holder 230. Similarly, the O-ring 270 is an annular member made of rubber. The lower part abuts on the convex part 222 formed on the side surface of the valve 220 urged upward by the spring 250, and the upper part contacts the cartridge base 240. The valve 220 is fixed by contact.

  The coupler 201 includes the above-described valve 220, valve holder 230, cartridge base 240, spring 250, O-ring 260, and O-ring 270. The container nozzle 202 fixes the coupler 201 by being wound around the hard case 215.

  In the fuel cartridge main body 300, since the valve 220 is normally urged toward the front end side of the mouth portion by the spring 250, there is no gap between the O-ring 270 and the convex portion 222 of the valve 220, and the bottle 210 The inside of is sealed. On the other hand, when methanol is supplied to the fuel cell, the valve 220 is pressed to the side opposite to the tip (downward in FIG. 6) by the convex portion provided on the fuel cell side, and the bottom 232 of the valve holder 230. Move until it touches. At this time, a gap is generated between the O-ring 270 and the convex portion 222 of the valve 220. As a result, the inside and the outside of the bottle 210 are vented, and the methanol filled in the bottle 210 flows into the fuel cell.

  Again, referring back to FIG. The fuel cartridge main body 300 manufactured by winding the container nozzle 202 around the hard case 215 by the container nozzle 130 is conveyed by the conveying wheel 111 and further conveyed by the conveying belt 102.

  The weight checker 132 is disposed on the transport belt 102 and measures the weight of the fuel cartridge main body 300 transported by the transport belt 102. The fuel cartridge main body 300 whose weight is not within the predetermined range is regarded as having excess or deficiency in the filled methanol, and is discharged as a defective product.

  The fuel cartridge main body 300 having a weight within a predetermined range is transported by the transport belt 102 and reaches the transport wheel 112. A leak tester 134 is disposed on the outer periphery of the transport wheel 112. Similar to the above-described transport wheel 112, the transport wheel 112 transports the fuel cartridge body 300 by intermittent transport that repeats rotation, transport, and stop. Specifically, the transport wheel 112 performs intermittent transport that stops for a predetermined time when the fuel cartridge main body 300 reaches the position where the leak tester 134 is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the leak tester 134 has a chamber 135, and the fuel cartridge main body 300 is accommodated in a sealed space 133 formed by the chamber 135. Furthermore, the leak tester 134 reduces the pressure by sucking the air in the sealed space 133 and detects the atmospheric pressure of the sealed space 133 by an atmospheric pressure detector (not shown). At this time, if the inside of the bottle 210 constituting the fuel cartridge main body 300 is in a sealed state, the air pressure in the sealed space 133 is maintained at a predetermined value. On the other hand, if there is a gap between the bottle 210 and the coupler 201 or a leak has occurred in the bottle 210 due to a hole in the bottle 210, the inside of the bottle 210 and the sealed space 133 Is in a state of being ventilated, and the air pressure in the sealed space 133 increases due to the leakage of gas inside the bottle 210. Therefore, if the air pressure in the sealed space 133 is maintained, the fuel cartridge main body 300 is determined to be a non-defective product, and if the air pressure increases, the fuel cartridge main body 300 is determined to be a defective product.

  Moreover, the leak tester 134 may detect methanol leaked into the sealed space 133 by a detector (not shown). In this case, when methanol is detected, it is determined that the methanol is defective because the methanol leaks from the inside of the bottle 210.

  Again, referring back to FIG. When the inside of the bottle 210 is not sealed, that is, when the fuel cartridge main body 300 is defective, the fuel cartridge 300 is discharged. On the other hand, when the inside of the bottle 210 is sealed, that is, when the fuel cartridge body 300 is a non-defective product, the fuel cartridge body 300 is transported by the transport wheel 112 and then further transported by the transport belt 103. Be transported.

  The fuel cartridge main body 300 transported by the transport belt 103 reaches the transport wheel 113. On the outer periphery of the transport wheel 113, a temporary cap fastener 138 and a final cap fastener 140 are disposed at a predetermined interval. The transport wheel 113 transports the fuel cartridge main body 300 by intermittent transport that repeats rotation, transport, and stop, like the transport wheels 111 and 112 described above. Specifically, the transport wheel 113 performs intermittent transport such that the fuel cartridge main body 300 stops for a predetermined time when the fuel cartridge main body 300 reaches the arrangement positions of the cap temporary tightener 138 and the cap final tightener 140.

  The cap aligner 136 aligns the cap 203 as a lid. The temporary cap fastener 138 picks up the aligned caps 203 as shown in FIG. 8A, and arrives at the timing when the transport wheel 113 stops as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C. The cap 203 is temporarily tightened against the container nozzle 202 of the fuel cartridge main body 300 that has been subjected. Further, the cap final tightener 140 performs final tightening of the cap 203 on the container nozzle 202 of the fuel cartridge main body 300 that has arrived at the timing when the transport wheel 113 stops.

  The fuel cartridge body 300 to which the cap 203 is attached is transported by the transport belt 113 and then transported by the transport belt 104. Thereafter, the process proceeds to the packaging step 80, where printing on the bottom of the fuel cartridge main body 300, sticking of a sticker to the side surface, etc. are completed, and the fuel cartridge is completed, and further, the fuel cartridge is boxed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, before the cap 203 is wound around the container nozzle 202, the leak tester 134 detects a change in the pressure of the decompressed sealed space 133, thereby sealing the inside of the bottle 210. Whether or not, in other words, whether or not the fuel cartridge is a non-defective product is inspected, and whether or not the inside of the bottle 210 is sealed after the cap 203 is wound around the container nozzle 202. Compared with the case where it is inspected, the quality of the fuel cartridge can be inspected more accurately.

  As described above, according to the fuel cartridge manufacturing method and the fuel cartridge manufacturing system of the present invention, the quality of the fuel cartridge can be accurately inspected, which is useful as a fuel cartridge manufacturing method and the like.

It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of a fuel cartridge. It is a figure which shows the structure of a manufacturing system. It is a figure which shows the specific example of methanol filling. It is a figure which shows the specific example of coupler insertion. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a container nozzle temporary fastening. It is an expanded sectional view of a fuel cartridge body. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a sealing test | inspection. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a cap temporary fastening.

Explanation of symbols

101, 102, 103, 104 Conveying belt 111, 112, 113 Conveying wheel 120 Head tank 121 Metering cylinder 122 Coupler aligner 124 Coupler insertion / presence tester 126 Container nozzle aligner 128 Container nozzle temporary tightener 130 Container nozzle final tightener 132 Weight Checker 133 Sealed Space 134 Leak Tester 135 Chamber 136 Cap Aligner 138 Cap Temporary Fastener 140 Cap Main Fastener 200 Container 201 Coupler 202 Container Nozzle 203 Cap

Claims (4)

A fuel cartridge manufacturing method for manufacturing a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell, comprising:
A filling step for filling the container with liquid fuel;
A first outlet that is provided with a valve and is attached to an opening of a container filled with the liquid fuel so as to seal the inside of the container; An installation step;
A detection step for detecting leakage of the container to which the spout member is attached in the first attachment step;
A fuel cartridge manufacturing method, comprising: a second attachment step of attaching a lid to a spout member attached to a container in which no leakage was detected by the leakage detection step.   The detecting step is characterized in that the container to which the spout member is attached is disposed in a sealed space, and the sealed space is decompressed to detect leakage of the container to which the spout member is attached. The fuel cartridge manufacturing method according to claim 1.   The fuel cartridge manufacturing method according to claim 2, wherein the detecting step detects a change in atmospheric pressure in the sealed space. A fuel cartridge manufacturing system for manufacturing a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to a fuel cell,
Filling means for filling the container with liquid fuel;
A first outlet that is provided with a valve and is attached to an opening of a container filled with the liquid fuel so as to seal the inside of the container; Attachment means;
Detecting means for detecting leakage of the container to which the spout member is attached by the first attaching means;
A fuel cartridge manufacturing system comprising: a second attachment means for attaching a lid to a spout member attached to a container in which leakage has not been detected by the detection means.

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