JP2020044794A - Method for detecting tip position of resin fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for detecting a tip position of a resin fiber without degrading strength of a tank.SOLUTION: A method for detecting a tip position of a resin fiber includes the steps of: applying a stirred and clouded epoxy resin contained in a resin fiber from an outside of a planned position toward an inside thereof along a direction of axis of a tank, in the tank around which the resin fiber is wound to form a first resin fiber layer, wherein at the planned position a resin fiber starts being wound when forming a second resin fiber layer on the first resin fiber layer; and detecting the tip position of an exposed region on a side of the second resin fiber layer, the region being not covered with the second resin fiber layer and being exposed within the region applied with the epoxy resin, as the tip position of the second resin fiber layer, in the tank on which the first resin fiber layer is formed and where the second resin fiber layer is formed on the epoxy resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for detecting an end position of a resin fiber.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in manufacturing a high-pressure hydrogen tank used in a fuel cell system, there is a method of winding resin fibers around an outer shell of a liner using a filament winding device. For example, in Patent Document 1, a paint of a color different from that of the resin fiber is applied to the wound resin fiber, and the resin fiber is wound thereon, and the vicinity of the boundary between the paint and the resin fiber is imaged. A method for detecting the end position of a fiber is disclosed.

JP 2017-226150 A

  However, when a paint, which is a component different from the fiber, is applied, it remains as a foreign substance inside the fiber, and the strength of the tank may be reduced. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technique capable of detecting the end positions of the resin fibers without reducing the strength of the tank.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and can be realized as the following embodiments.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for detecting an end position of a resin fiber. In this detection method, in the tank in which the resin fibers are wound to form a first resin fiber layer, the tank is wound when forming a second resin fiber layer on the first resin fiber layer. A step of applying an epoxy resin contained in the resin fiber that has been made cloudy by stirring from the outside to the inside along the axial direction of the tank from the winding start position of the resin fiber, and the first resin fiber layer and In the tank in which the second resin fiber layer is formed on the epoxy resin, an exposed area of the area coated with the epoxy resin, which is not covered by the second resin fiber layer, is exposed. Detecting the end position of the second resin fiber layer as the end position of the second resin fiber layer. According to the detection method of this aspect, in the tank in which the first resin fiber layer is formed, the epoxy resin contained in the stirred and clouded resin fibers is applied, and from the area where the epoxy resin is applied, Since the end position of the exposed area exposed by the formation of the second resin fiber layer by winding the resin fiber is detected, the end position of the resin fiber can be detected without lowering the strength of the tank.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, a method of winding a resin fiber around a liner using a filament winding device, a method of manufacturing a tank using a filament winding device, and a method of filament winding. The present invention can be realized in a form such as an apparatus control method.

It is the schematic of a detection apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the area of the liner along the axis. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing method of a tank. It is explanatory drawing which shows the liner after a 1st layer winding. It is explanatory drawing which shows a liner after epoxy resin application. It is explanatory drawing which shows the liner after a 2nd layer winding. It is explanatory drawing which shows a liner after epoxy resin application. It is a flow chart of end position detection processing. It is a picked-up image of the liner after the second layer winding. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a binarized image. It is explanatory drawing which shows the edge part position of the resin fiber of a 2nd layer.

A. First embodiment:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a detection device 200 according to the present embodiment. The detection device 200 is a device for performing the method for detecting the end position of the resin fiber as one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 schematically shows, in addition to the detection device 200, a tank 300 in the course of manufacture and a winding device 380 that winds the resin fibers W around the outer surface of a liner 301 that is the base material of the tank 300. The winding device 380 is also called a filament winding device. FIG. 1 shows an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis orthogonal to each other. The X axis and the Y axis are parallel to the horizontal direction, and the X axis is an axis along the longitudinal direction of the liner 301. The Z axis is an axis along the direction of gravity. These axes correspond to the axes shown in FIG.

  The tank 300 includes a liner 301 and two bases 310. The liner 301 is a resin container having high gas barrier properties. The liner 301 is formed of, for example, a resin such as polyamide, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, or polyethylene. Note that, instead of the resin, it may be formed of a metal such as an aluminum alloy.

  The liner 301 has a substantially cylindrical body portion 302 and two dome portions 303 having a convex curved shape and arranged with the body portion 302 interposed therebetween. In FIG. 1, an axis CX represents a central axis of the body 302, that is, a central axis of the tank 300 and the liner 301. The axis CX is parallel to the X axis.

  A base 310 is attached to each apex of the two domes 303. The base 310 is attached to both ends of the liner 301 in the longitudinal direction (the direction along the axis CX). The base 310 is attached so that the central axis of the base 310 and the axis CX of the liner 301 coincide with each other. One base 310 communicates with the inside of the liner 301 and, for example, is connected to a pipe for supplying hydrogen gas.

  A phase measuring unit 320 is disposed vertically above (in the + Z direction) the base 310 arranged in the + X-axis direction among the two bases 310. The phase measuring unit 320 measures the phase of the liner 301. In the present embodiment, the “phase of the liner 301” refers to a direction from the axis CX toward the reference point on the surface of the body portion 302 and a direction along the Z axis when viewed from the −X axis side in the + X axis direction. And the clockwise rotation angle when the reference point is located at the vertex in the + Z direction of the body portion 302, which is 0 degrees. The reference point is set at a predetermined position on the body 302. The predetermined position can be set at an arbitrary position in the body 302. The phase of the liner 301 is such that the reference point is located at an arbitrary position such as a vertex in the -Z direction, a vertex in the + X-axis direction, or a vertex in the -Y direction on the body portion 302. It may be. Further, the rotation angle may be a counterclockwise rotation angle.

  A reinforcing layer is formed on the outer surface of the liner 301. The reinforcing layer has a structure in which the resin fiber W is wound around the outer surface of the liner 301 multiple times by the winding device 380, and a plurality of layers made of the resin fiber W (hereinafter, referred to as “resin fiber layer”) are laminated. . The resin fibers W are so-called prepregs in which a carbon fiber bundle is impregnated with a thermosetting epoxy resin. As such a prepreg, for example, about 24,000 yarns obtained by firing polyacrylonitrile raw yarns at about 3,000 ° C. are twisted and collected, and lightly adhered with a binder resin to a thickness of about 200 μm. And a flat sheet having a width of about 4 mm to 5 mm.

  The winding device 380 is electrically connected to a control device 100 to be described later, and cooperates with the control device 100 to wind the resin fiber W around the liner 301 in a combination of hoop winding and helical winding. In the hoop winding, the winding device 380 rotates the liner 301 in the rotation direction R, supplies the resin fiber W from the bobbin 390, and sets the direction substantially orthogonal to the axis CX as the winding direction, and sets the layer of the resin fiber W on the liner 301. Wrap for a minute.

  The detecting device 200 detects an end position of the resin fiber W wound on the liner 301. In the present embodiment, the “end position” means the position of the resin fiber W located at the end in the + X axis direction and the position of the resin fiber W located at the end in the −X axis direction in each resin fiber layer. I do. The detection device 200 includes a scanning unit 210, a painting unit 220, an imaging unit 230, and the control device 100.

  The scanning unit 210 includes a base unit 213, a scan driving unit 212, and a rail 211. The scanning unit 210 scans the paint unit 220 and the imaging unit 230 in a direction parallel to the axis CX. The base unit 213 has a plate-like external shape, and the paint unit 220 is fixed to the upper surface, and the imaging unit 230 is fixed to the upper surface of the paint unit 220. A wheel (not shown) is attached to the lower surface of the base portion 213, and is configured to be movable along the rail 211. The scanning drive unit 212 includes a drive motor (not shown) and drives the wheels of the base unit 213. The scanning drive unit 212 is electrically connected to the control device 100, and drives the wheels of the base unit 213 in accordance with an instruction from the control device 100, thereby connecting the paint unit 220 and the imaging unit 230 to the rail 211. Move along.

  The paint unit 220 stirs the same epoxy resin as the epoxy resin contained in the resin fiber W to make it opaque, and applies it to the surface of the resin fiber layer formed on the liner 301. The paint unit 220 applies epoxy resin to the surface of the resin fiber layer by spraying epoxy resin. Instead of spraying, the epoxy resin may be applied by tracing the surface of the resin fiber layer with a brush-like member impregnated with epoxy resin.

  The imaging unit 230 captures an area including a boundary between an application area (hereinafter, simply referred to as an “application area”) to which the agitated and opaque epoxy resin is applied, and obtains a captured image. In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 230 is configured by a CCD camera. Note that a line sensor may be used instead of the CCD camera.

  The control device 100 controls the entire detection device 200 to detect the end position of the resin fiber W forming the resin fiber layer, and executes the above-described winding process of the resin fiber W in cooperation with the winding device 380. . The control device 100 includes a control unit 110, a scanning control unit 111, a paint control unit 112, an imaging control unit 113, and an image measurement unit 114. The control unit 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a microcomputer configured with a RAM and a ROM, and the like, and realizes the functions of these units by executing a program installed in advance by the microcomputer. However, some or all of the functions of these units may be realized by hardware circuits.

  The scanning control unit 111 controls the scanning of the scanning unit 210. Further, the scanning control unit 111 specifies the position of the scanning unit 210 in the detection device 200 based on a signal from a position sensor (not shown) included in the scanning driving unit 212.

  The paint control unit 112 controls the paint unit 220 to apply an agitated and opaque epoxy resin to a predetermined area on the surface of the resin fiber layer to form an application area.

  The imaging control unit 113 controls the imaging unit 230 to perform imaging of an area including a boundary between the application area and another area.

  The image measurement unit 114 performs a binarization process on an image obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 230. In addition, the binarized image is analyzed, and the end position of the resin fiber W forming the resin fiber layer is detected.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the region Ar1 in FIG. Each layer of the resin fiber layer WL is referred to as a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer in order from a side closer to the liner 301 to a side farther from the liner 301. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a portion including the first layer L1, the second layer L2, and the third layer L3.

  The first layer L1 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the liner 301 from the vicinity of the boundary between the dome portion 303 and the body portion 302 toward the inside (−X axis direction side). More specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the liner 301 is arranged such that the fiber cross-sections for a number of rounds are arranged in the −X-axis direction in order from the fiber cross-section W11, which is the fiber cross-section for one round located on the outermost side (+ X axis direction side). Is wrapped around. In the present embodiment, the first layer L1 is also called “the innermost layer”.

  The second layer L2 is disposed above and in contact with the first layer L1. Similarly to the first layer L1, the second layer L2 is also arranged such that a large number of rounds of fiber cross-sections are arranged in the −X-axis direction in order from the fiber cross-section W21, which is a fiber cross-section of one round of the outermost layer. It is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the layer L1. The fiber cross section W21 is arranged at a position inward from the outer end of the first layer L1 by a distance a. In other words, the position of the first layer L1 along the X axis toward the center of the liner 301 by the distance a is the distance between the end of the second layer L2 in the + X axis direction and the direction perpendicular to the X axis (Y axis direction). Correspondingly, a second layer L2 is formed. The distance a can be arbitrarily determined. For example, it is 1-3 cm.

  The third layer L3 is disposed above (in the + Z direction of) the second layer L2 in contact with the second layer L2. Similarly to the second layer L2, the third layer L3 is arranged such that the fiber cross-sections for a number of turns are arranged in the -X-axis direction in order from the fiber cross-section W31 which is the fiber cross-section for the outermost turn. It is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the layer L2. The fiber section W31 is arranged at a position inward from the outer end of the second layer L2 by a distance a. In other words, the position of the second layer L2 toward the inside of the liner 301 by the distance a along the X-axis corresponds to the end of the third layer L3 in the + X-axis direction in the Y-axis direction. Are formed.

  Each of the fourth and higher layers has the same configuration as the three resin fiber layers L1 to L3 described above. The configuration of the end portion on the −X axis direction side of the liner 301 is the same as the configuration of the end portion on the + X axis direction side described above. Therefore, each resin fiber layer has a step-like appearance shape in which one step is formed for each winding of one layer, and the width (length in the longitudinal direction) along the axis CX becomes larger as the resin fiber layer is closer to the liner 301. It is formed as follows.

  In the present embodiment, in the relationship between the first layer L1 and the second layer L2, the first layer L1 corresponds to the first resin fiber layer of the present application, and the second layer L2 corresponds to the second resin fiber layer of the present application. I do. In the relationship between the second layer L2 and the third layer L3, the second layer L2 corresponds to the first resin fiber layer of the present application, and the third layer L3 corresponds to the second resin fiber layer of the present application. That is, the resin fiber layer formed on the side close to the outer peripheral surface of the liner 301 is the first resin fiber layer of the present application, and the resin fiber layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first resin fiber layer is the second resin fiber of the present application. Each corresponds to a fiber layer.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the tank manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the resin fibers W are already wound around the liner 301 by helical winding. First, in step S100, the winding device 380 winds the resin fiber W around the liner 301 to form the first layer L1, which is the innermost layer in hoop winding.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the liner 301 after the first layer L1 is wound. In the upper part of FIG. 4, a schematic diagram of the upper side (+ Z direction side) of the liner 301 is shown. The lower part of FIG. 4 shows the entire liner 301. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, the first layer L1 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the liner 301 from near the boundary between the dome portion 303 and the body portion 302 on the + X axis direction side toward the −X axis direction. . Therefore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the first layer L1 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 302 of the liner 301 from the end in the −X axis direction to the end in the + X axis direction.

  Next, in step S110 (FIG. 3), the scan control unit 111 scans the paint unit 220 and applies the agitated and opaque epoxy resin onto the resin fibers W wound around the liner 301. More specifically, when forming the second layer L2 on the first layer L1, the scanning control unit 111 extends from the outside to the inside along the axis CX axis direction of the liner 301 from the expected winding start position. The paint unit 220 is scanned so as to apply the paint. In the present embodiment, the scanning control unit 111 applies an epoxy resin to a predetermined region at an end in the −X axis direction and a predetermined region at an end in the + X axis direction of the body 302. In addition, the paint unit 220 scans the paint unit 220 in parallel with the X axis between the end in the + X axis direction and the end in the −X axis direction, and applies a strip of epoxy resin along the axis CX. Is also good. Instead of applying the epoxy resin along the axis CX, the epoxy resin may be applied along an arbitrary direction that intersects the winding direction (substantially circumferential direction) of the resin fibers W on the liner 301. In this case, the epoxy resin may be applied while the liner 301 is slightly rotated, or the detection device 200 may be arranged in advance inclining with respect to the X-axis direction. Alternatively, the entire liner 301 may be applied.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the liner 301 after the application of the epoxy resin. The application area Pa1 is wound around the liner 301 around the end in the + X axis direction and the end in the −X axis direction along the axis CX of the first layer L1 in the liner 301 with the first layer L1 formed. It is formed so as to include the end portion of the obtained resin fiber W.

  Subsequently, in step S120 (FIG. 3), the winding device 380 winds the resin fiber W around the liner 301 to form the (N + 1) th layer (N is a natural number). N is 1 when the process of step S120 is performed for the first time after the start of the tank manufacturing process, and is incremented by 1 each time step S120 is repeated. The winding device 380 winds the resin fiber W over the application area Pa1 so as to cover a part of the application area Pa1. When N = 1, that is, when the second layer L2 is formed, the winding device 380 starts winding from the end position of the first layer L1 toward the center of the liner 301 at a distance a. An end position of the first layer L1 is a predetermined position, for example, a position corresponding to a boundary between the body 302 and the dome 303. When N is greater than 1, for example, when forming the third layer L3, the winding device 380 starts winding from a position that is a distance a toward the center of the liner 301 from an end position of the resin fiber W detected in step S130 described later. .

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the liner 301 after the second layer L2 is wound. The upper part of FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the upper side (+ Z direction side) of the liner 301. 6 shows the liner 301. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, the second layer L2 is formed so as to cover the portion near the center of the application region Pa1 and overlap the application region Pa1. The end of the second layer L2 in the −X axis direction is a position facing the center of the liner 301 by a distance a from the end of the first layer L1 in the −X axis direction. The end of the second layer L2 in the + X-axis direction is a position facing the center of the liner 301 by a distance a from the end of the first layer L1 in the + X-axis direction. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 6, the first layer L1 and the second layer L2 are stacked at the center of the liner 301 along the axis CX. The vicinity of both ends of the liner 301 along the axis CX has a configuration in which only the first layer L1 is formed on the liner 301. For this reason, in the application area Pa1, in the vicinity of both ends along the axis CX of the liner 301, an exposed area EA1 exposed without being covered by the second layer L2 is formed.

  Subsequently, in step S130 (FIG. 3), the imaging control unit 113 detects the end position of the resin fiber W wound in step S120. The details of the end position detection processing will be described later.

  Subsequently, in step S140, the scan control unit 111 scans the paint unit 220 and applies the agitated and opaque epoxy resin to the resin fibers W wound around the liner 301. In the present embodiment, the scanning control unit 111 causes the position facing the center of the liner 301 by a predetermined distance from the end position of the resin fiber layer detected in step S130 to be the end of the epoxy resin application region. Apply.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the liner 301 after the application of the epoxy resin. Like the application area Pa1 shown in FIG. 5, the application area Pa2 shown in FIG. 7 is formed along the axis CX. The application region Pa2 is formed such that the end of the application region Pa2 is located at a distance b from the end position of the second layer L2 toward the center of the liner 301.

  Subsequently, in step S150 (FIG. 3), control unit 110 determines whether or not winding of resin fiber W has been completed. More specifically, it is determined whether or not resin fibers W for a predetermined number of layers have been wound. When the winding is completed, the control unit 110 proceeds to the process of step S160, cures the resin, and performs a burst test for checking the strength of the tank 300 in step S170. On the other hand, if the winding has not been completed, the process returns to step S120. That is, the processes of steps S120 to S140 are repeated until the winding is completed.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the end position detection process. First, in step S200, the imaging control unit 113 rotates the liner 301 so that the phase of the liner 301 matches the phase when the epoxy resin is applied. It is preferable that the phase measuring unit 320 measures and stores the phase of the liner 301 in step S110 (FIG. 3) and step S140. In addition, the scanning control unit 111 causes the imaging unit 230 to scan, and arranges the imaging unit 230 at a position where the application area falls within the imaging range of the imaging unit 230.

  Next, the imaging unit 230 captures an image of the application area in step S210. FIG. 9 shows a captured image Img2 of the liner 301 after the winding of the second layer L2. The captured image Img2 includes the resin fiber W wound around the body portion 302, the application region Pa1, and a pair of exposed regions EA1. In the captured image Img2, the color of the resin fiber W is a color mainly composed of black, and the application region Pa1 (exposed region EA1) is represented by a color mainly composed of white. Hereinafter, the end position detection processing will be described with reference to FIG. 9 as an example.

  Subsequently, in step S220 (FIG. 8), the image measurement unit 114 binarizes the captured image captured in step S210. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a binarized image BImg2 obtained by binarizing the captured image Img2. In the captured image Img2, the color of the resin fiber W is a color mainly composed of black, and the exposed area EA1 is represented by a color mainly composed of white. Only the area is represented in white, and the other areas are represented in black.

  Finally, in step S230 (FIG. 8), the image measurement unit 114 detects the end position of the resin fiber W based on the image binarized in step S220. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an end position of the resin fiber W in the second layer L2. As shown in FIG. 11, the end position E1L and the end position E2L are detected as the end positions of the exposure region EAr1 arranged on the left side of the binarized image BImg2, and are arranged on the right side of the binarized image BImg2. The end position E1R and the end position E2R are detected as end positions of the exposed region EA1 to be performed. Here, since the second layer L2 is formed by winding the resin fiber W over the application area Pa1, the end position E2L and the end position E2R are the same as those of the resin fiber W wound by the second layer L2. It can be detected as the end position of W.

  According to the method for detecting the end positions of the resin fibers wound around the tank liner of the present embodiment described above, the liner 301 in which the first resin fiber layer is formed is stirred to make it cloudy. The epoxy resin contained in the resin fiber W is applied, and the end position of the exposed area exposed by winding the resin fiber W from above the area coated with the epoxy resin to form the second resin fiber layer is determined. To detect. Since the epoxy resin contained in the resin fiber W is applied, it does not become a foreign substance as in the case where the paint is applied. Therefore, the end position of the resin fiber W can be detected without reducing the strength of the tank 300.

B. Other embodiments:
In the above embodiment, the end position of the resin fiber W in the hoop winding is detected, but the end position of the resin fiber W in the helical winding may be detected.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various configurations without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary of the invention are for solving the above-described problems or for achieving some or all of the above-described effects. In addition, replacement and combination can be appropriately performed. Unless the technical features are described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

100 control device, 110 control unit, 111 scanning control unit, 112 paint control unit, 113 imaging control unit, 114 image measurement unit, 200 detection unit, 210 scanning unit, 211 rail, 212 Scanning drive unit, 213 base unit, 220 paint unit, 230 imaging unit, 300 tank, 301 liner, 302 body unit, 303 dome unit, 310 base unit, 320 phase measurement unit, 380 Apparatus, 390: bobbin, BImg2: binarized image, CX: axis, E1L, E1R, E2L, E2R: end position, EAr1: exposed area, Img2: captured image, L1: first layer, L2: second layer , L3: third layer, Pa1, Pa2: coating area, W: resin fiber, W11, W21, W31: fiber cross section, WL: resin fiber layer

Claims (1)

A method for detecting an end position of a resin fiber,
In a tank in which the first resin fiber layer is formed by winding the resin fibers, a winding start position of the resin fiber wound when the second resin fiber layer is formed on the first resin fiber layer A step of applying an epoxy resin contained in the resin fiber that has been made cloudy by stirring from outside to inside along the axial direction of the tank,
In the first resin fiber layer and the tank in which the second resin fiber layer is formed on the epoxy resin, an area where the epoxy resin is applied is not covered by the second resin fiber layer. Detecting the end position of the exposed region exposed to the second resin fiber layer side as the end position of the second resin fiber layer.

Images