JP2021008915A - Cap and fluid filling structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cap and a fluid filling structure which prevent a coupler of a hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from being wrongly inserted in a receptacle of an FCV, and which prevent the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from wrongly filling the FCV with hydrogen, with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A cap 30 which is mounted on a coupler connection part 24 of a coupler 23 which is provided at a pipeline of hydrogen and in which hydrogen circulates in the axial direction includes; a cap through-hole 31 which extends along the axial direction and in which hydrogen can circulate; a protrusion part 32 protruding along the axial direction; and a vent hole 33 provided inside the protrusion part 32, connected to the cap through-hole 31 at a base part 32a of the protrusion part 32, and for communicating the cap through-hole 31 and a tip part 32b of the protrusion part 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a cap and fluid filling structure, and more particularly to a cap and fluid filling structure used in a fuel cell system.

Vehicles such as forklifts that have a fuel cell system powered by a fuel cell are provided with a hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen as fuel and a receptacle that is a filling port for hydrogen filled in the hydrogen tank. .. As an example of the receptacle, the receptacle described in Patent Document 1 can be mentioned. Further, the hydrogen station for filling the vehicle with hydrogen is provided with a hydrogen filling device, a filling hose connected to the hydrogen filling device, and a coupler attached to the head of the filling hose. A fluid filling structure is formed by connecting the coupler to the receptacle, and the hydrogen filling device and the hydrogen tank are connected to fill the hydrogen tank with hydrogen from the hydrogen filling device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-94962

As vehicles having a fuel cell system, in addition to industrial vehicles such as forklifts, fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) for traveling on public roads are known. Since there are differences such as the difference in the hydrogen filling pressure in the hydrogen tank between the fuel cell system mounted on the industrial vehicle and the fuel cell system mounted on the FCV, hydrogen is added to the FCV at the hydrogen station for the industrial vehicle. Cannot be filled, and industrial vehicles cannot be filled with hydrogen at FCV hydrogen stations. However, since the shapes of the coupler and the receptacle are common to the fuel cell system for industrial vehicles and the fuel cell system for FCV, it is possible to mistakenly insert the coupler of the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles into the receptacle of FCV. Can occur.

In order to prevent accidentally filling different types of vehicles with hydrogen in the event of incorrect insertion, communication devices will be installed in the fuel cell system for industrial vehicles and the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles for industrial use. It is conceivable to prevent erroneous filling of hydrogen in different types of vehicles by communicating with each other before filling the hydrogen tank of the vehicle. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of both the fuel cell system for industrial vehicles and the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles increases by providing the communication device in the fuel cell system for industrial vehicles and the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a simple configuration prevents a coupler of a hydrogen station for an industrial vehicle from being erroneously inserted into an FCV receptacle, and is used for an industrial vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cap and a fluid filling structure capable of preventing a hydrogen station from erroneously filling an FCV with hydrogen.

In order to solve the above problems, the cap according to the present invention is a cap provided in a fluid pipe and connected to the end of a coupler through which the fluid flows in the axial direction, and the fluid extends along the axial direction. A through hole that flows, a protrusion that protrudes along the axial direction, and a ventilation hole that is provided inside the protrusion, connects to the through hole at the base of the through hole, and communicates between the through hole and the tip of the protrusion. And.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the fluid filling structure according to the present invention is provided in a fluid pipe, a coupler through which the fluid flows in the axial direction, a cap connected to an end portion of the coupler, a coupler, and the coupler. It comprises a receptacle connected to the cap and a cover that covers the periphery of the receptacle, the cap having a through hole that extends in the axial direction and through which fluid flows, and a protrusion that projects along the axial direction. , Has a notch into which the protrusion can be inserted.

In addition, it has a detection unit that can detect fluid, and the protrusion has a ventilation hole inside that connects to the through hole at the base of the protrusion and communicates the through hole with the tip of the protrusion. May detect fluid leakage from at least one of the coupler and cap and receptacle connections by detecting the fluid flowing through the vents.

The cap according to the present invention is a cap connected to an end portion of a coupler through which fluid flows in the axial direction, and is provided with a through hole extending in the axial direction and a protrusion protruding in the axial direction. With a simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the coupler of the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle of the FCV, and to prevent the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from erroneously filling the FCV with hydrogen.

Further, the fluid filling structure according to the present invention includes a cap connected to the end of the coupler and a cover covering the periphery of the receptacle, and the cap extends along the axial direction and has a through hole through which fluid flows, and an axial direction. The cover has a notch into which the protrusion can be inserted, and the cover has a notch that projects along the protrusion, so a simple configuration prevents the coupler of a hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from being mistakenly inserted into the FCV receptacle. However, it is possible to prevent the hydrogen station for industrial vehicles from erroneously filling the FCV with hydrogen.

It is the schematic of the fuel cell system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the schematic of the cap in the fuel cell system shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the cap shown in FIG. It is the schematic of the receptacle in the fuel cell system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the connection state of the coupler and the receptacle in the fuel cell system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the connection failure state of a coupler and a receptacle in the fuel cell system shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the cap and the fluid filling structure in the fuel cell system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system is mounted on the forklift 10 and has a hydrogen tank 17 for storing compressed hydrogen as a high-pressure gas as fuel. Further, it has a columnar receptacle 11 which is a filling port for hydrogen to be filled in the hydrogen tank. The receptacle 11 is provided on the side surface of the vehicle body of the forklift 10 and communicates with the hydrogen tank 17 via a valve (not shown). Further, a hydrogen detector 12 for detecting hydrogen is provided in the vicinity of the receptacle 11, inside the vehicle body of the forklift 10, and above the receptacle 11. The hydrogen detector 12 constitutes a detection unit.

A hydrogen station 20 is installed to fill the forklift 10 with hydrogen. The hydrogen station 20 is provided with a known hydrogen filling device 21 provided with a compressor, accumulator, and the like (not shown). A filling hose 22 is connected to the hydrogen filling device 21. A columnar coupler 23 is provided at the tip of the filling hose 22. A cap 30 is attached to the tip of the coupler 23, that is, the connection side to the receptacle 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 30 has a ring shape when viewed from the axial direction of the coupler 23 (see FIG. 1). At the center of the cap 30, a cap through hole 31 is provided which extends the cap 30 along the axial direction of the coupler 23 and penetrates the cap 30 so that hydrogen can flow through the cap 30. A protrusion 32 is provided in the ring-shaped portion of the cap 30 in the vicinity of the cap through hole 31. The protrusion 32 projects in the direction of the receptacle 11 (see FIG. 1) along the axial direction of the coupler 23, and has a ventilation hole 33 in the center. The cap 30 may be made of any resin, metal, or the like. Further, the protrusion 32 is formed of a resin or a metal softer than SUS.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the filling hose 22, the coupler 23, and the cap 30 cut along the axial direction of the coupler 23. The coupler connecting portion 24 of the coupler 23 and the cap connecting portion 34 of the cap 30 are fixed and connected by tightening. As a result, the coupler through hole 25 of the coupler 23 and the cap through hole 31 of the cap 30 communicate with each other. At this time, the inner peripheral surface of the coupler through hole 25 and the inner peripheral surface of the cap through hole 31 are formed to be flush with each other. The coupler connecting portion 24 of the coupler 23 and the cap connecting portion 34 of the cap 30 may be fixed by means such as an adhesive other than the tightening fit.

The ventilation hole 33 is opened and connected to the cap through hole 31 at the base portion 32a of the protrusion 32. Further, the ventilation hole 33 is opened and connected to the tip portion 32b of the protrusion 32. That is, the ventilation hole 33 communicates the cap through hole 31 with the tip portion 32b.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the receptacle 11 as viewed from the axial direction. In the fuel supply port provided on the exterior portion of the vehicle body of the forklift 10 (see FIG. 1), a circular insertion hole 15 is formed in the cover 14 covering the portion of the receptacle 11. A notch 16 is formed in a part of the insertion hole 15. The receptacle 11 is provided inside the insertion hole 15 in the radial direction. Further, the receptacle 11 has a receptacle through hole 13 communicating with the hydrogen tank 17 (see FIG. 1).

Next, a case where hydrogen is filled from the hydrogen station 20 into the hydrogen tank 17 of the forklift 10 by using the cap and the fluid filling structure according to this embodiment will be described.
When the hydrogen tank 17 of the forklift 10 shown in FIG. 1 is filled with hydrogen, the coupler 23 provided on the filling hose 22 of the hydrogen station 20 and to which the cap 30 is attached is connected to the receptacle 11 of the forklift 10.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the coupler 23 when the cap 30 is attached and further inserted into the receptacle 11, cut along the axial direction of the coupler 23. The receptacle 11 is provided at the fuel supply port on the exterior of the vehicle body of the forklift 10 (see FIG. 1). The receptacle tip 18 of the receptacle 11 is formed so as to project outward from the cover 14 that covers the portion of the receptacle 11 at the fuel supply port. A coupler 23 to which a cap 30 is attached is inserted and connected to the receptacle tip 18. At this time, by inserting the protrusion 32 of the cap 30 into the notch 16, the coupler 23 to which the cap 30 is attached can be inserted to a predetermined position of the receptacle 11 without the protrusion 32 interfering with the cover 14. it can. As a result, the receptacle 11 is connected to the coupler 23 and the cap 30. Further, since the inner peripheral surface of the coupler through hole 25 and the inner peripheral surface of the cap through hole 31 are flush with each other, the receptacle tip portion 18 can be smoothly inserted into the coupler 23 and the cap 30. Further, since the protrusion 32 is made of resin, a metal softer than SUS, or the like, the possibility of damaging the receptacle 11 or the cover 14 is reduced.

When hydrogen compressed as a high-pressure gas is sent out from the hydrogen filling device 21 of the hydrogen station 20 with the receptacle 11 connected to the cap 30, hydrogen is discharged to the hydrogen tank 17 via the coupler 23, the cap 30, and the receptacle 11. Is filled with.

Further, in a fluid filling structure for filling a fuel cell system of a general vehicle with hydrogen, a hydrogen detector is provided inside a cover of a receptacle portion of the vehicle. Therefore, if a hydrogen leak occurs between the coupler and the receptacle during hydrogen filling, the detection accuracy of the hydrogen leak is not high because there is a cover.

On the other hand, in the filling structure of this embodiment, when hydrogen leaks between the coupler 23 and the cap 30 and the receptacle 11 due to a poor connection or the like, the leaked hydrogen is transferred to the coupler connecting portion 24 and the cap connecting portion 34. It flows through the path A through the gap with the receptacle tip 18 and flows into the ventilation hole 33 from the base 32a of the protrusion 32 of the cap 30. Then, the leaked hydrogen flowing out from the tip portion 32b through the ventilation hole 33 of the protrusion 32 reaches the hydrogen detector 12 provided inside the cover 14 through the path B, so that the hydrogen leak is accurately performed by the hydrogen detector 12. It can be detected well.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the axial direction of the coupler 23 when the coupler 23 to which the cap 30 of the hydrogen station 20 for a forklift (see FIG. 1) is attached is erroneously inserted into the receptacle of the FCV. Is. In the FCV receptacle structure, the same configuration as the receptacle structure of the forklift 10 (see FIG. 1) is represented by the same reference numerals.

In the FCV, the cover 14 covering the portion of the receptacle 11 is not formed with a notch 16 (see FIG. 5) unlike the case of the forklift 10. Therefore, when the coupler 23 to which the cap 30 is attached is to be inserted into the receptacle 11, the protrusion 32 of the cap 30 contacts and interferes with the cover 14, so that the coupler 23 may be inserted to a predetermined position of the receptacle 11. Can not. Therefore, since the coupler 23 of the hydrogen station 20 for the forklift is prevented from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle of the FCV, hydrogen is prevented from being erroneously filled from the hydrogen station 20 for the forklift into the FCV with a simple configuration. ..

Further, in the conventional hydrogen filling structure, in the hydrogen filling structure for FCV, a communication device is provided in the coupler and the receptacle, and the hydrogen station for FCV communicates with the FCV via this communication device, and the hydrogen filling destination is It is known that the hydrogen station for FCV fills hydrogen after confirming that it is FCV to prevent erroneous filling. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present application, since erroneous filling can be prevented by attaching the cap 30 having the protrusion 32 to the coupler 23, the forklift can be used at a lower cost than the configuration in which the coupler and the receptacle are provided with the communication device. It is possible to prevent the FCV from being erroneously filled with hydrogen from the hydrogen station 20. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the hydrogen station 20 and the forklift 10 can be reduced.

In addition, in the conventional hydrogen filling structure, it is known that a vehicle stop is installed so that the width of the approach path is such that the forklift can pass and the FCV cannot pass so that the FCV does not enter the hydrogen station for the forklift. Has been done. However, the installation cost when installing a bollard at a hydrogen station is relatively high. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present application, since it is not necessary to install a bollard, it is possible to prevent the FCV from being erroneously filled with hydrogen from the hydrogen station 20 for a forklift at a lower cost.

Further, since the cap 30 can be used by being attached to the existing coupler 23 and can be connected to the existing receptacle 11, the structure of the existing coupler 23 and the receptacle 11 is not changed, and the forklift can be used inexpensively and easily. It is possible to prevent the FCV from being erroneously filled with hydrogen from the hydrogen station 20 of the above.

In this way, the cap 30 attached to the coupler connection portion 24 of the coupler 23 provided in the hydrogen pipe and through which hydrogen flows in the axial direction, and the cap through hole 31 extending along the axial direction and capable of flowing hydrogen. , A protrusion 32 that protrudes along the axial direction, and a protrusion 32 that is provided inside the protrusion 32 and is connected to the cap through hole 31 at the base portion 32a of the protrusion 32, and the cap through hole 31 and the tip portion 32b of the protrusion 32. With a simple configuration, the coupler 23 of the hydrogen station 20 for forklifts is prevented from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle of the FCV, and the hydrogen station 20 for industrial vehicles transfers hydrogen to the FCV. It is possible to prevent erroneous filling.

Further, a coupler 23 provided in the hydrogen pipe in this way and hydrogen flows in the axial direction, a cap 30 attached to the coupler connecting portion 24 of the coupler 23, a receptacle 11 connected to the cap 30, and a receptacle 11 The cap 30 has a cap through hole 31 extending in the axial direction and allowing hydrogen to flow through the cap 30 and a protrusion 32 protruding along the axial direction, and the cover 14 is the cap 30 of the cap 30. Since it has a notch into which the protrusion 32 can be inserted, it is possible to prevent the coupler 23 of the hydrogen station 20 for a forklift from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle of the FCV with a simple configuration, and the hydrogen station 20 for industrial vehicles transfers hydrogen to the FCV. It is possible to prevent erroneous filling.

Further, it has a hydrogen detector 12 capable of detecting hydrogen, and the protrusion 32 is connected to the cap through hole 31 at the base portion 32a of the protrusion 32, and communicates between the cap through hole 31 and the tip portion 32b of the protrusion 32. The hydrogen detector 12 has a vent 33 inside, and the hydrogen detector 12 is provided inside the cover 14 of the forklift 10 in order to detect the leakage of hydrogen from the coupler 23 and the receptacle 11 by detecting the hydrogen flowing through the vent 33. Hydrogen leaks can be detected accurately even in the hydrogen detector 12.

In this embodiment, the hydrogen station 20 is a hydrogen station for a forklift, but hydrogen used for filling an industrial vehicle equipped with a fuel cell other than a forklift such as a towing tractor as a power source. It may be a station. Further, in this embodiment, the hydrogen station 20 for a forklift prevents erroneous filling of hydrogen into the FCV, but for example, from the hydrogen station 20 for a forklift to another type of vehicle for traveling on a public road such as a fuel cell motorcycle. You may prevent erroneous filling of hydrogen. Further, although hydrogen was filled as a fluid in this embodiment, the cap and fluid filling structure of this embodiment may be used to fill, for example, compressed natural gas (CNG) other than hydrogen.

11 receptacle, 12 hydrogen detector (detector), 14 cover, 16 notch, 23 coupler, 24 coupler connection (end), 30 cap, 31 cap through hole (through hole), 32 protrusion, 33 vent.

Claims (3)

A cap provided in a fluid pipe and connected to the end of a coupler through which the fluid flows in the axial direction.
A through hole extending along the axial direction and flowing the fluid,
A protrusion protruding along the axial direction and
A cap provided inside the protrusion, which is connected to the through hole at the base of the protrusion and has a ventilation hole for communicating the through hole and the tip of the protrusion. A coupler provided in the fluid piping and through which the fluid flows in the axial direction,
A cap connected to the end of the coupler and
The coupler and the receptacle connected to the cap,
A cover that covers the periphery of the receptacle is provided.
The cap has a through hole extending along the axial direction and a through hole through which the fluid flows, and a protrusion protruding along the axial direction.
The cover has a fluid filling structure having a notch into which the protrusion can be inserted. It has a detector that can detect the fluid.
The protrusion has a ventilation hole inside which is connected to the through hole at the base of the protrusion and communicates between the through hole and the tip of the protrusion.
The second aspect of claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects a leak of the fluid from at least one of the coupler and the connection portion between the cap and the receptacle by detecting the fluid flowing through the ventilation holes. Fluid filling structure.

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