JP7294047B2 - High-pressure tank mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a high pressure tank mounting structure.

Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses a high-pressure vessel in which a plurality of tanks are housed inside a case provided on the vehicle lower side of a floor panel that forms the floor of a vehicle compartment. A plurality of tanks are arranged on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion of the case. A manifold communicating with a plurality of tanks is provided on the vehicle rear side of the hole formed through the front wall portion of the case along the vehicle front-rear direction, and is formed in a cylindrical shape along the vehicle front-rear direction. A tube portion is arranged to pass through. A valve having a fusible plug valve whose plug is actuated by heating is inserted in the front side of the vehicle on the pipe portion. Therefore, when the bottom wall portion of the case is heated, the heat applied to the bottom wall portion is transferred to the fusible plug valve via the front wall portion of the case and the valve. As a result, the fusible plug valve is released, and the hydrogen gas stored inside the tank is released to the outside of the high-pressure vessel via the fusible plug valve.

JP 2019-35442 A

However, in the high-pressure container described in Patent Document 1, if the portion of the bottom wall portion of the case on the rear side of the vehicle, which is the side opposite to the side where the fusible plug valve is provided, is locally heated, the bottom The heat applied to the wall may be transferred to the rear portion of the tank before being transferred to the fusible plug valve. Therefore, the internal pressure of the tank may rise before the fusible plug valve operates. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to obtain a heat insulating effect by forming a cavity inside the bottom wall of the case, but the bottom wall with the cavity has lower rigidity than the bottom wall without the cavity. For this reason, there is a possibility that the rigidity required to ensure vibration resistance performance during running of the vehicle cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high-pressure tank mounting structure that can ensure vibration resistance performance while the vehicle is running and can suppress an increase in the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank when the vehicle is heated from the outside of the vehicle. be.

The high-pressure tank mounting structure according to claim 1 is provided on the vehicle lower side of a floor panel that forms the floor of the vehicle compartment , and a plurality of elongated high-pressure tanks are arranged in a row in the vehicle width direction with the vehicle front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction. a plate-shaped upper member provided on the vehicle lower side of the high-pressure tank and forming a bottom wall of the tank housing portion; and the vehicle of the upper member. a lower member arranged on the lower side and forming a space between itself and the upper member, the surface of which faces the lower side of the vehicle forming part of the bottom surface of the vehicle, and is provided from the front wheels to the rear wheels; and a flat undercover disposed inside the space, the end on the vehicle upper side being adhered to the surface of the upper member on the lower side of the vehicle, and the end on the vehicle lower side being the lower member. a joining member that joins the upper member and the lower member by being adhered to a surface on the upper side of the vehicle and melts when heated.

According to the high-pressure tank mounting structure of claim 1, the upper member provided on the vehicle lower side of the high-pressure tank and forming the bottom wall of the tank accommodating portion and the upper member disposed on the vehicle lower side of the upper member. An undercover is positioned with a lower member forming a space therebetween. In the space thus formed, the vehicle upper end is adhered to the vehicle lower surface of the upper member, and the vehicle lower end is adhered to the vehicle upper surface of the lower member. Accordingly, a joining member is arranged to join the upper member and the lower member. Therefore, the rigidity of the undercover including the upper member and the lower member can be improved. As a result, for example, it is possible to ensure vibration resistance performance against vibrations that occur in the vehicle body when traveling on rough roads.

Furthermore, according to the high-pressure tank mounting structure of claim 1, the joining member melts when heated. Therefore, for example, when the lower member is heated, the heat applied to the lower member is transferred to the joining member, and the joining member melts, so that the upper member and the lower member are not joined. As a result, an air layer between the upper member and the lower member can provide a heat insulating effect, and can suppress an increase in the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank when the vehicle is heated from the outside of the vehicle.
In the high-pressure tank mounting structure according to claim 2, the joint members extend along the vehicle width direction and are provided in plurality at intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction.

As described above, the high-pressure tank mounting structure according to the present invention has the excellent effects of ensuring vibration resistance performance when the vehicle is running and suppressing an increase in the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank when the vehicle is heated from the outside of the vehicle. have

1 is a schematic side view showing a vehicle to which the high-pressure tank mounting structure according to the first embodiment is applied; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the tank accommodating portion according to the first embodiment; 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state cut along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle lower portion provided with a thermally deformable portion according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing a state in which the thermally deformable portion according to the first embodiment is deformed; FIG. 4 is a side view of a vehicle lower portion provided with a thermally deformed portion according to contrast; FIG. 10 is a side view of a vehicle lower portion provided with a thermally deformable portion according to a second embodiment;

A first embodiment of a high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. In the following figures, an arrow FR indicates the vehicle front side where the high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 is provided, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

(Fuel cell vehicle 12)
A fuel cell vehicle 12 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 12) as a vehicle to which the high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 is applied includes a drive motor 14 as drive means. The drive motor 14 is arranged, for example, in a vehicle rear portion of the vehicle 12 . Further, the drive motor 14 is mechanically connected to the rear wheels 16 as drive wheels of the vehicle 12 either directly or indirectly via transmission means such as a reduction gear train. Therefore, the driving force output from the drive motor 14 can be transmitted to the rear wheels 16 .

A fuel cell stack 18 is provided in the front portion of the vehicle. The fuel cell stack 18 has a structure in which a plurality of unit cells are stacked in series, and functions as a high voltage power source. The fuel cell stack 18 is connected to multiple high-pressure tanks 20 made of aluminum alloy and an air compressor (not shown). In the following description, the multiple high-pressure tanks 20 are described as being made of an aluminum alloy, but the invention is not limited to this, and the high-pressure tanks may be composed mainly of resin.

Each unit cell constituting the fuel cell stack 18 generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen gas as a fluid or fuel gas supplied from the high-pressure tank 20 and oxygen in compressed air supplied from the air compressor. Further, the vehicle 12 is provided with a storage battery (not shown). A storage battery is a secondary battery that can be discharged and charged. For example, a nickel-hydrogen secondary battery, a lithium-hydrogen secondary battery, or the like is used. The drive motor 14 is driven by electric power supplied from the storage battery. Regenerative electric power generated by driving the drive motor 14 is collected and charged in the storage battery when the vehicle 12 is braked.

(Tank housing portion 26)
A tank housing portion 26 capable of housing the high-pressure tank 20 is formed on the vehicle lower side of a floor panel 24 that forms the floor of a vehicle compartment 22 in the vehicle 12 . The tank housing portion 26 forms part of the lower portion of the vehicle 12 between the front wheels 28 and the rear wheels 16 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , a front bracket 30 extending along the vehicle width direction is arranged at the vehicle front end of the tank housing portion 26 , and the vehicle rear end of the tank housing portion 26 is mounted. A rear side bracket 32 extending along the vehicle width direction is arranged at. A manifold 34 is fixed to the front bracket 30 for communicating the plurality of high pressure tanks 20 . The high-pressure tank 20 is housed in the tank housing portion 26 with its front end connected to the manifold 34 and its rear end fixed to the rear bracket 32 .

The front bracket 30 is constructed from two channel steels 36 . Specifically, the flange portion of the second front channel steel (not shown) that opens toward the vehicle front side is joined to the groove portion of the first front channel steel 36 that opens toward the vehicle front side. It is composed by

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear bracket 32 is constructed from two channel steels 38,40. Specifically, the flange portions 40A and 40B of the second rear channel steel 40 opened toward the vehicle rear side are joined to the groove portions of the first rear channel steel 38 opened toward the vehicle rear side. It is composed by

As shown in FIG. 2, both ends of the front bracket 30 and the rear bracket 32 in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the vehicle 12 by being joined to vehicle frame members such as rockers (not shown). 2 and 3, the upper ends of the front bracket 30 and the rear bracket 32 are bolted to the floor panel 24 (the front bracket 30 is not shown). Specifically, the vehicle upper flange portion 30A of the front bracket 30 and the vehicle upper flange portion 38A of the first rear channel steel 38 constituting the rear bracket 32 are bolted to the floor panel 24, respectively. there is

As shown in FIG. 2, caps 42 are attached to the ends of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 20 on the front side of the vehicle. The caps 42 of the plurality of high pressure tanks 20 are connected to the manifold 34 respectively. Thereby, the internal spaces of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 20 are communicated with each other. The manifold 34 extends along the front bracket 30 with the vehicle width direction as its longitudinal direction. A general flow path 34</b>A is formed inside the manifold 34 to communicate the internal spaces of the plurality of high-pressure tanks 20 . Further, the general flow path 34A is connected to a valve (not shown) provided on the vehicle front side of the front bracket 30 at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction.

The ends of the plurality of high pressure tanks 20 on the vehicle rear side are fixed to the rear brackets 32 via mouthpieces 42 provided at the ends of the high pressure tanks 20 on the vehicle rear side. The high-pressure tank 20 is thereby fixed to the vehicle 12 .

The manifold 34 has a discharge channel 34B branched from a general channel 34A. The discharge channel 34B has a lateral channel 34B1 extending toward the rear side of the vehicle from the general channel 34A and one end of the lateral channel 34B1 (an end opposite to the general channel 34A). , the other end is connected to the outside of the vehicle 12 and includes an external discharge passage (not shown).

A rear end portion of the lateral flow path 34B1 in the discharge flow path 34B is opened to the surface of the manifold 34 on the vehicle rear side. This opening is closed by a thermally actuated pressure relief device 50 (hereinafter referred to as the pressure relief device 50) attached to the manifold 34 on the rear side of the vehicle. Specifically, a horizontal shaft (not shown) which is provided on the vehicle upper side of the pressure relief device 50 and whose overall shape is substantially the same as the inner peripheral shape of the lateral flow channel 34B1 of the discharge flow channel 34B is connected to the lateral flow channel 34B1 of the vehicle. It is closed by being inserted from the rear side. Also, the connecting portion between the horizontal channel 34B1 and the external discharge channel is closed by the horizontal axis.

The end of the horizontal shaft on the rear side of the vehicle extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle and is lifted toward the upper side of the vehicle by biasing means such as a spring and a fusible alloy that melts when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature (both not shown). It is locked by a vertical member (not shown). As a result, the pressure relief device 50 is heated and the fusible alloy is melted, causing the vertical member to move downward under its own weight. The horizontal shaft inserted in the lateral flow channel 34B1 is moved toward the vehicle rear side by receiving pressure from the hydrogen gas flowing into the lateral flow channel 34B1 when the vehicle rear side end thereof is no longer locked. As a result, the lateral flow path 34B1 and the external discharge flow path are communicated with each other, so that the hydrogen gas flowing through the general flow path 34A is discharged to the space outside the vehicle 12. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a metal undercover 54 having an upper member 56 and a lower member 58 is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the tank housing portion 26 . A plate-shaped upper member 56 that forms the bottom wall of the tank accommodating portion 26 and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the high-pressure tank 20 fixed to the front side bracket 30 and the rear side bracket 32 . ing.

A metal installation plate 60 formed in a plate shape is joined to the surface of the upper member 56 on the vehicle upper side. The high-pressure tank 20 is arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate 60 (surface on the upper side of the vehicle). Non-slip members 62 made of rubber are attached along the outer peripheral shape of the high-pressure tank 20 to the outer peripheral portions of the high-pressure tank 20 at the vehicle front side end, the vehicle front-rear direction substantially central portion, and the vehicle rear side end. ing. The high-pressure tank 20 is arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate 60 with the non-slip member 62 attached. As a result, the high-pressure tanks 20 are stably arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate 60, and the adjacent high-pressure tanks 20 can be prevented from contacting and interfering with each other.

A rear end portion of the upper member 56 is bolted via a weld nut 46 joined to a flange portion 38B on the vehicle lower side at both vehicle width direction end portions of the rear bracket 32 . Both ends of the upper member 56 in the vehicle width direction are fixed to the vehicle 12 by being joined to vehicle frame members such as rockers (not shown).

A substantially rectangular lower member 58 is joined to the lower surface of the upper member 56 (surface on the lower side of the vehicle). It is A vehicle front end (not shown) and a vehicle rear end 58A of the lower member 58 are joined to a surface of the upper member 56 on the vehicle lower side by, for example, welding or the like. A portion of the lower member 58 protruding toward the vehicle lower side serves as a projecting portion 64, and a lower surface (vehicle lower side surface) 64A1 of the bottom plate 64A at the lower end of the projecting portion 64 is the bottom surface of the vehicle 12. forms part of

As shown in FIG. 4, a space SP is formed between the upper member 56 and the lower member 58. As shown in FIG. A plurality of joint members 66 are arranged along the vehicle front-rear direction inside the space SP. Here, the joint member 66 extends along the vehicle width direction and has a substantially rectangular cross section along the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle vertical direction when viewed from the side. The joining member 66 has the vehicle upper side adhered to the vehicle lower side surface of the upper member 56 via an adhesive 68 and the vehicle lower side adhered to the vehicle upper side surface of the lower member 58 via the adhesive 68 . It is For the adhesive 68, for example, a mastic adhesive or the like is used. Thereby, the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 are joined via the joining member 66 .

The joining member 66 is made of a material that melts at a predetermined temperature, such as rubber or resin. Therefore, the joining member 66 is configured to melt due to heat transfer from the lower member 58 when the lower member 58 is heated from the outside of the vehicle 12 .

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described through comparison with the comparison shown in FIG.

According to the comparative high-pressure tank mounting structure 70, as shown in FIG. A bead portion 76 is formed on 74</b>A so as to protrude toward the upper side of the vehicle and have an upper surface in contact with the upper member 56 . Therefore, the rigidity of the undercover 72 formed by the lower member 74 and the upper member 56 can be improved. However, when the lower member 74 is heated (HE in the drawing), the heat applied to the lower member 74 is directly transferred to the upper member 56 . Therefore, it becomes difficult to suppress an increase in the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank 20 when the vehicle 12 is heated from outside the vehicle. In order to suppress such heat transfer, it is conceivable to form the bead portion 76 so as to protrude downward of the vehicle (not shown). The undercover 72 must be provided on the upper side of the vehicle so as not to interfere with the movement of the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the floor panel 24 on the upper side of the vehicle, and there is a possibility that the space of the passenger compartment 22 will be compressed.

On the other hand, according to the high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 56 and an undercover 54 provided with a lower member 58 that is arranged on the vehicle lower side of the upper member 56 and forms a space SP between the lower member 56 and the upper member 56 . In the space SP thus formed, the upper member 56 is adhered to the surface of the upper member 56 on the lower side of the vehicle and the lower side of the vehicle is adhered to the surface of the lower member 58 on the upper side of the vehicle. and the lower member 58 are arranged. Therefore, the rigidity of the undercover 54 including the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 can be improved. As a result, for example, it is possible to ensure vibration resistance performance against vibrations that occur in the vehicle body during running. Also, for example, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to the deformation and vibration of the undercover 54 when the vehicle travels on a rough road.

Furthermore, according to the high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the joining member 66 is melted by heating (HE in the figure). Therefore, for example, when the lower member 58 is heated, the heat applied to the lower member 58 is transferred to the joining member 66, and the joining member 66 melts. are no longer spliced. As a result, the space SP (air layer) formed between the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 can produce a heat insulating effect, and the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank 20 when the vehicle 12 is heated from the outside of the vehicle can be reduced. It can suppress the rise.

As described above, the high-pressure tank mounting structure 10 according to the present embodiment ensures vibration resistance performance during vehicle running and suppresses an increase in the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank 20 when the vehicle 12 is heated from the outside of the vehicle. be able to.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the high-pressure tank mounting structure 80 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the same component part as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached and the description is abbreviate|omitted.

According to the high-pressure tank mounting structure 80 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the space SP formed between the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 has a joint member 82 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. are arranged in multiple numbers along the The joint member 82 is formed such that its thickness (the length in the vehicle vertical direction) is shorter than the space between the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 in the vehicle vertical direction. Therefore, an adhesive 68 is arranged so as to fill the space between the surface of the joining member 66 on the upper side of the vehicle and the surface of the upper member 56 on the lower side of the vehicle. Further, an adhesive 68 is arranged so as to fill the space between the joint member 66 on the vehicle lower side and the surface of the lower member 58 on the vehicle lower side. Thereby, the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 are joined via the joining member 66 .

According to the high-pressure tank mounting structure 80 according to this embodiment, the joining member 82 is melted by heating. Therefore, for example, when the lower member 58 is heated, the heat applied to the lower member 58 is transferred to the joining member 82, and the joining member 82 melts, so that the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 are separated from each other. are no longer spliced. As a result, the space SP (air layer) formed between the upper member 56 and the lower member 58 can produce a heat insulating effect, and the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank 20 when the vehicle 12 is heated from the outside of the vehicle can be reduced. It can suppress the rise.

Here, the joint member 66 has been described as being made of a material that melts at a predetermined temperature, such as rubber or resin. may be made of a metal that melts at a temperature of

Furthermore, here, the lower member 58 has been described as having a substantially rectangular cross-section along the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle vertical direction that is convex toward the vehicle lower side in a side view, but this is not the case. However, the lower member may be formed in a generally arcuate shape protruding toward the lower side of the vehicle.

Further, here, the vehicle front side end portion and the vehicle rear side end portion 58A of the lower member 58 have been described as being joined to the vehicle lower side surface of the upper member 56, but this is not the only option. The member may be joined or fastened to a portion other than the upper member of the vehicle body.

10 High pressure tank mounting structure 12 Fuel cell vehicle (vehicle)
20 high-pressure tank 22 vehicle interior 24 floor panel 26 tank housing portion 54 undercover 56 upper member 58 lower member 66 joint member 80 high-pressure tank mounting structure 82 joint member SP space HE heating

Claims (2)

It is provided on the lower side of the vehicle on a floor panel that forms the floor of the passenger compartment , and accommodates a plurality of elongated high-pressure tanks arranged in parallel in a row in the vehicle width direction with the vehicle front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction. a tank housing;
A plate-shaped upper member provided on the vehicle lower side of the high-pressure tank and forming a bottom wall of the tank housing portion, and a space is formed between the upper member and the upper member arranged on the vehicle lower side of the upper member. a flat undercover provided from front wheels to rear wheels ;
It is arranged inside the space, and the end on the vehicle upper side is adhered to the surface of the upper member on the lower side of the vehicle, and the end on the lower side of the vehicle is adhered to the surface of the lower member on the upper side of the vehicle. a joining member that joins the upper member and the lower member by heating and melts when heated;
High-pressure tank mounting structure with The joint member extends along the vehicle width direction and is provided in plurality at intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction.
The high-pressure tank mounting structure according to claim 1.

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