JP2010260436A - Gas fuel vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas fuel vehicle capable of attaining leak check with high workability for a specific portion inside a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The gas fuel vehicle 3, having a charged pipe 14 connected with a receptacle 12 inside the vehicle, includes a communication path 60 for a space around a joint portion 58 for connecting the receptacle 12 with the charged pipe 14, with a space outside the vehicle to detect gas leakage generated inside the vehicle, outside the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle using gas such as natural gas or hydrogen gas as a fuel, and more particularly to a gas leak check in a gas fuel vehicle.

Conventionally, this type of gas fuel vehicle has a receptacle at a gas filling port, and a gas station filling nozzle is connected to the receptacle so that the gas from the filling nozzle is fed into a high-pressure tank mounted on the vehicle. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). The high-pressure tank and the receptacle are connected by a filling pipe, and it is a necessary process for the gas fuel vehicle to perform an inspection for a gas leak from the high-pressure tank to the receptacle, that is, to perform a leak check.
In Patent Document 1, a suction hole of a suction hose is opened in the vicinity of a connection portion of a filling nozzle to a receptacle, and a leak check can be performed by guiding gas in the vicinity of the connection portion from the suction hole to the gas sensor by a suction pump. Yes.

JP2008-232418 (FIG. 1 and paragraphs 0031 to 0033)

However, in this patent document 1, a leak check can be performed only at a location outside the vehicle, in the vicinity of the connecting portion of the filling nozzle. For this reason, it has been difficult to perform a leak check on a location inside the vehicle, for example, a location where the receptacle and the filling pipe are connected.
However, it is difficult to arrange the suction hose connected to the filling nozzle inside the vehicle in order to check the leak inside the vehicle. Even if it is possible, the work of leak check becomes complicated, and depending on the layout inside the vehicle, it is necessary to check whether the suction hole of the suction hose has actually approached the leak check point inside the vehicle. Is difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gas-fueled vehicle capable of performing a leak check with good workability even when there is a place where a leak check is to be performed inside the vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, the gas fuel vehicle according to the present invention can detect a leak inside the vehicle inside the vehicle, a receptacle, a filling pipe connected to the receptacle inside the vehicle, and a gas used in the gas fuel vehicle. As described above, a communication path that communicates the space around the connection portion between the receptacle and the filling pipe to the space outside the vehicle is provided.

  According to the present invention, gas is guided from the space inside the vehicle to the space outside the vehicle via the communication path. For this reason, even if the gas detector is not arranged or approached at the connection point inside the vehicle, the gas detector can be arranged or approached in a space outside the vehicle where it is easy to secure a wide space, thereby causing gas leakage inside the vehicle to move outside the vehicle. Can be detected. Further, compared to a configuration that presupposes detection inside the vehicle, there is no need to be restricted by the layout inside the vehicle during the leak check operation. For this reason, the workability of the leak check can be improved, for example, the position of the gas detector (for example, the location of the detection unit or the operation unit) can be visually observed outside the vehicle.

  Preferably, the gas fuel vehicle includes a covering member that covers the periphery of the connection portion, and the communication path communicates the space inside the covering member and the space outside the vehicle.

  According to this configuration, the gas leaked from the connection location stays in the covering member without being widely diffused into the atmosphere, and is guided to the space outside the vehicle. Thereby, it is possible to detect a small amount of gas leakage with high accuracy. In addition, it is more preferable that the space in the covering member is a sealed space except for a communication portion with the communication path.

  Preferably, the communication path includes a first communication hole in a space outside the vehicle, and a second communication hole in a space around the connection portion, and the second communication hole is formed from the first communication hole. It is good to be in a low position in the direction of gravity.

  By doing so, when the gas used by the gas fuel vehicle is lighter than air (for example, hydrogen gas), it is possible to guide the gas from the communication path to the space outside the vehicle by using the characteristics.

  Preferably, the gas fuel vehicle may include a lid box configured so that the inner space communicates with a space outside the vehicle when the lid is opened. The receptacle may be provided such that the connection portion with the filling nozzle is located in the internal space of the lid box, and the communication path may have a communication hole opened in the internal space of the lid box.

  By doing so, a port (communication hole) for leak check can be provided by effectively using the lid box. In addition, it is possible to relatively shorten the length of the communication path on the inner side of the vehicle, and it is possible to improve the mounting and assembling properties on the inner side of the vehicle.

  More preferably, the receptacle and the communication path may be directly or indirectly fixed to the wall portion constituting the lid box.

  By doing so, the communication path can be fixed by effectively using the lid box. For example, by fixing the receptacle to the bottom wall of the lid box via the bracket and fixing the piping of the communication path to the bracket via the grommet, both can be indirectly fixed to the bottom wall of the lid box. .

It is the schematic which shows the gas fuel vehicle which concerns on embodiment with a gas station. It is the schematic which shows the structure around the lid box of the gas fuel vehicle which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a gas fuel vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system will be described as an example of the gas fuel vehicle. As is well known, the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas (for example, hydrogen gas) and an oxidizing gas (for example, air).

As shown in FIG. 1, the gas filling system 1 includes a gas station 2 such as a hydrogen station, and a fuel cell vehicle 3 that travels using fuel gas.
The gas station 2 includes a filling device 21 that sends out fuel gas, and a filling hose 22 is connected to the filling device 21. A precooler 24 is provided in the middle of the filling hose 22, and the fuel gas sent out from the filling device 21 is cooled to a predetermined low temperature (for example, about −20 ° C.) by the precooler 24. A filling nozzle 23, also called a filling coupling, is attached to the end of the filling hose 22. The filling nozzle 23 is connected to the fuel cell vehicle 3 when filling with fuel gas.

  The fuel cell vehicle 3 includes a fuel tank 10 as a fuel gas supply source to the fuel cell. The fuel tank 10 is a high-pressure tank capable of storing, for example, 35 MPa or 70 MPa hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas in the fuel tank 10 is supplied to the fuel cell via a gas supply pipe (not shown). On the other hand, hydrogen gas is replenished and filled into the fuel tank 10 from the gas station 2 through the receptacle 12 and the filling pipe 14. The receptacle 12 is a portion to which the filling nozzle 23 is connected when fuel gas is filled. The periphery of the joint that connects the receptacle 12 and the filling pipe 14 is covered with a cover 16. The filling pipe 14 constitutes a gas flow path for flowing hydrogen gas from the receptacle 12 toward the fuel tank 10 and is constituted by one or more pipe members. A valve assembly (not shown) connected to the fuel tank 10 is connected to the filling pipe 14. The valve assembly includes various valves such as a check valve 18 for preventing the backflow of hydrogen gas, A sensor may be provided.

  The fuel cell vehicle 3 includes a lid box 30 for a filling port in a vehicle body 3a. The lid box 30 is a bottomed opening portion on the side surface of the vehicle formed in a body, wheel house, panel, etc. constituting the vehicle body 3a, and can be opened and closed by a lid 32 having one end connected to the side surface of the vehicle body. A part of the receptacle 12 is located in the internal space 34 of the lid box 30. When the lid 32 is closed, the internal space 34 is closed with respect to the space outside the vehicle. On the other hand, when the lid 32 is open (when the lid is opened), the internal space 34 is relative to the space outside the vehicle. And communicate as a wide open space.

  Here, the space outside the vehicle refers to a space that is outside the body or the panel and can be easily accessed from the outside of the vehicle by a user or an operator without removing the vehicle parts. On the other hand, the space inside the vehicle is the space inside the body or panel. For example, the space where the user or the operator can access from the outside of the vehicle widely or easily only after removing the vehicle parts.

Next, description will be made with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lid box 30 forms an internal space 34 by wall portions 40, 41, 42 which are a part of the body 3 of the vehicle 3, and the wall portion 40 divides the wall portions 41, 42. This is the bottom wall of the lid box 30 to be connected. A part of the receptacle 12 is accommodated in the lower space in the internal space 34, and a space in which the gas detector 45 can be disposed in the upper space in the internal space 34 is secured.

  The receptacle 12 includes a cylindrical nozzle connection portion 52 having a ball lock groove 50 formed on the front end side, a flange portion 54 formed on the rear end side of the nozzle connection portion 52, and a connection extending from the flange portion 54 to the inside of the vehicle. Part 56. The nozzle connecting portion 52 is located in the internal space 34 of the lid box 30, while the flange portion 54 and the connecting portion 56 are located on the vehicle inner side than the wall portion 40. Inside the nozzle connecting portion 52, the flange portion 54, and the connecting portion 56, a gas filling channel that communicates with the inside of the filling pipe 14 is formed.

  A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the end of the connecting portion 56, and this male screw is connected to a female screw (fastening nut) at the end of the filling pipe 14. That is, the joint portion 58 that connects the receptacle 12 and the filling pipe 14 is constituted by the male screw on the connection portion 56 side and the female screw on the filling pipe 14 side. In addition, the joint part 58 can be comprised by various types, such as a screw-in type and an insertion type, if the receptacle 12 and the filling piping 14 can be connected. For example, when the end portion of the connecting portion 56 and the end portion of the filling pipe 14 are connected via a one-touch joint, the joint is formed by the one-touch joint, the end portion of the connecting portion 56 and the end portion of the filling pipe 14. Part 58 is configured.

  A portion on the receptacle 12 side (for example, the above male thread) constituting the nozzle connecting portion 52, the flange portion 54 and the connecting portion 56, and the joint portion 58 is a part of the receptacle body, and the receptacle body is hydrogen embrittled. It is formed using a material that is resistant to damage (for example, SUS316L).

  The nozzle connecting portion 52 has a valve mechanism (not shown) formed therein, and when the filling nozzle 23 is fitted from the front end side, the valve mechanism in the nozzle connecting portion 52 is opened, Gas filling is possible. In this fitted state, the ball on the filling nozzle 23 side enters the ball lock groove 50 and is locked in a state where the filling nozzle 23 and the receptacle 12 are connected. A step portion 59 is formed in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle connection portion 52, and an edge portion of the filling nozzle 23 connected to the receptacle 12 is brought into contact with the step portion 59. .

  The flange portion 54 has a larger diameter than the nozzle connection portion 52 and the coupling portion 56 and is fixed to the bottom wall 40 of the lid box 30. In this case, the upper surface of the flange portion 54 can be brought into direct contact with the bottom wall 40 and both can be bolted together, or a bracket is interposed between the flange portion 54 and the bottom wall 40 so that the flange portion 54 is It is also possible to fix the bracket to the bottom wall 40 by bolting to the bracket.

  The joint portion 58 is covered with a cylindrical cover 16 at the periphery. The cover 16 is attached so as to be fitted into the joint portion 58, for example, and is isolated from the outside so as to seal a space outside the joint portion 58. In this case, the cover 16 may be airtightly attached to the joint portion 58 by sealing or sticking with resin. The closed space in the cover 16 communicates with the internal space 34 of the lid box 30 via the communication pipe 60.

  The communication pipe 60 has a communication hole 62 opened in the space in the cover 16 and a communication hole 64 opened in the internal space 34 of the lid box 30. The communication hole 62 is formed so as to be located at the upper part of the cover 16. The communication hole 64 is higher than the communication hole 62 in the gravitational direction, and is open to the upper space in the internal space 34. That is, the communication pipe 60 extends in an L shape from one end to the other end so as to guide the gas in the cover 16 into the upper internal space 34. The communication pipe 60 has one end portion on the communication hole 62 side fixed to the cover 16 and the other end portion on the communication hole 64 side fixed to the bottom wall 40 of the lid box 30 via a grommet 66.

  When the bracket is fixed to the bottom wall 40, the grommet 66 may be fixed to the bracket, and the communication pipe 60 may be fixed to the grommet 66. The position, shape and connection position of the communication pipe 60, the positions of the communication holes 62 and 64, etc. are not limited to the above.

  Here, a connection location between the receptacle 12 and the filling pipe 14, that is, a leak check of the joint portion 58 will be described.

  In this leak check, first, the lid 32 is opened, and then the gas detector 45 is disposed in the internal space 34 of the lid box 30 as shown in FIG. A known gas detector 45 can be used, and includes, for example, a cylindrical nozzle unit 70 disposed in the internal space 34 and a detection unit 72 electrically connected to the nozzle unit 70. The An operator can grip the nozzle portion 70 and bring its tip 74 close to the communication hole 64 that is a leak check port. When the gas to be detected is introduced from the cover 16 through the communication pipe 60 to the communication hole 64 and is present at the tip 74 of the nozzle unit 70, the concentration of the gas is detected by the detection unit 72. The presence or absence of gas leakage at the joint 58 is determined based on the detected gas concentration.

  Such a leak check can be performed at each stage such as when the fuel cell vehicle 3 is completed, when components such as the fuel tank 10 and the receptacle 12 are replaced, during maintenance, and during vehicle inspection. For example, at the time of completion, an inert gas (for example, helium) is filled from the filling nozzle 23 into the fuel cell vehicle 3 to check for leakage of the inert gas from each part of the fuel cell system. At this time, whether or not the leakage of the inert gas has occurred in the joint portion 58 can be confirmed by placing the gas detector 45 in the lid box 30. After this confirmation, the inert gas is replaced with hydrogen gas, and it is confirmed in a similar procedure whether or not hydrogen gas leakage occurs in the joint portion 58. At the time of completion, the gas detector 45 differs depending on the type of gas to be detected, and a hydrogen detector is used when performing a hydrogen gas leak check.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the leaked gas around the joint portion 58 can be guided into the lid box 30 via the communication pipe 60, and the leak check of the joint portion 58 inside the vehicle is performed outside the vehicle. Can be done. Thereby, even if it does not arrange | position so that the gas detector 45 may be protruded inside a vehicle, the gas detector 45 can be arrange | positioned and operated on the vehicle outer side which is easy to ensure a space. In this case, the tip 74 of the gas detector 45 can also be viewed from the outside of the vehicle, and the tip 74 can be reliably brought close to the leak check port (communication hole 64). In addition, since the leak check port is in the vicinity of the receptacle 12, the operator can check the leak without moving relatively. Therefore, a leak check can be performed with good workability.

  Further, the cover 16 can narrow the target space for the gas leak inspection around the joint portion 58, and can detect even a small amount of gas leak with high accuracy. Furthermore, the height relationship between the communication holes 62 and 64 in the communication pipe 60 is taken into consideration. For this reason, the gas leaked from the joint part 58 can be guided into the lid box 30 by utilizing the characteristics of the gas to be inspected (hydrogen gas, helium) lighter than air.

  In addition, the leak check port and the communication pipe 60 can be provided by effectively using a general or existing structure of the lid box 30. In particular, the lid box 30 and the joint portion 58 can be structurally set at positions close to each other, and the other end portion of the communication pipe 60 having one end portion in the vicinity of the joint portion 58 is fixed to the wall portion 40 of the lid box 30. Therefore, the length of the communication pipe 60 can be shortened. Thereby, compared with the case where the communication pipe 60 is fixed to the body portion other than the lid box 30, the length of the communication pipe 60 can be shortened on the inner side of the vehicle. Can be improved.

The gas fuel vehicle of the present invention is not limited to the fuel cell vehicle 3 described above, and may be a natural gas vehicle, for example. In addition to the vehicle, the structure related to the above-described leak check of the present invention can be suitably applied to a moving body that uses fuel supplied from the outside as a fuel, such as an aircraft or a ship.
Further, the location inside the vehicle to be checked for leaks is a joint portion between the fuel tank and the valve assembly, or a joint portion between the filling manifold or supply manifold and the filling pipe or supply pipe used when there are a plurality of fuel tanks. Even in this case, the structure related to the above-described leak check of the present invention can be preferably applied. That is, it is also possible to provide a communication pipe that communicates the space around these joints with the space outside the vehicle, and gas leakage from the joints can be performed outside the vehicle.

  3: gas fuel vehicle (fuel cell vehicle), 10: fuel tank, 12: receptacle, 14: filling pipe, 16: cover (covering member), 23: filling nozzle, 30: lid box, 34: internal space, 40, 41, 42: wall portion, 52: connection portion, 58: joint portion, 60: communication pipe (communication path), 62: communication hole (second communication hole), 64: communication hole (first communication hole)

Claims (5)

In a gas-fueled vehicle comprising a receptacle and a filling pipe connected to the receptacle inside the vehicle,
A communication path that connects the space around the connection point between the receptacle and the filling pipe and the space outside the vehicle so that leakage inside the vehicle of gas used in the gas fuel vehicle can be detected outside the vehicle. A gas-fueled vehicle equipped. A covering member covering the periphery of the connection point;
The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication path communicates a space in the covering member with a space outside the vehicle. The communication path is
A first communication hole in a space outside the vehicle;
The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a second communication hole at a position lower in the direction of gravity than the first communication hole in a space around the connection portion. A lid box configured so that the internal space communicates with the space outside the vehicle when the lid is opened;
The receptacle is provided such that a connection portion with a filling nozzle is located in an internal space of the lid box,
The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication path has a communication hole opened in an internal space of the lid box.   The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the receptacle and the communication path are fixed directly or indirectly to a wall portion constituting the lid box.

Images