US20090223838A1

US20090223838A1 - High pressure gas cylinder

Info

Publication number: US20090223838A1
Application number: US12/073,377
Authority: US
Inventors: Jui-Tsun Tseng
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-03-05
Filing date: 2008-03-05
Publication date: 2009-09-10

Abstract

This invention provides a high pressure gas cylinder which comprises a storage tube, an inlet cover, an inlet junction, an outlet cover, an outlet junction, an anti-pressure plate, a solenoid valve, an inner check valve and an outer check valve. The storage tube is provided with longitudinally shaped join troughs distributed evenly on its inner surface. The assembly of the system starts by inserting an anti-pressure plate into each of two openings of the tube, followed by fastening the through holes on the inlet and outlet covers to the corresponding join troughs with the screw bolts, which makes all the joints enclosed by the tube, and makes the closure more solid. The outlet cover is provided with an inner check valve and an outer check valve at its interior and exterior respectively, which substantially avoid all kinds of erroneous operations resulting in the abnormal guiding of the high pressure gas in flowing back into the tube. A tiny through hole is built on the outlet cover, connecting to the outside, where a solenoid valve is used for the control of the out flowing of small amount of gas.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to high pressure gas containers. More particularly, this invention relates to one that has longitudinally shaped join troughs distributed evenly on the inner surface of its storage tube, where the storage tube is equipped first with anti-pressure plates which strive against the pressure of high pressure gas, followed by fastening inlet and outlet covers to the join troughs with screw bolts, and the outlet cover is provided with an inner and an outer check valves at its interior and exterior respectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, conventional storage or production of high pressure gas makes use of high pressure gas containers for the hold of the gas. Generally, bigger high pressure containers are mostly installed at the medical, construction or factory sites, whereas the small and medium high pressure containers employ a housing with both ends open as their storage tube, followed by positioning two end covers at the two openings of the storage tube with a closure each, where the end covers are provided with connecting joints or piping for the entrance and the exit of gas. The storage tube can be used either for simply storing high pressure gas or for storing certain specific chemical substance (for instance: molecular sieve), where an expected gas (for instance: pure oxygen) can be obtained by boosting the air through the tube. Prior art high pressure gas containers are formed by fastening at the exterior (outside of the storage tube) of the storage tube, which easily result in the leaks of gas as time goes by that makes the use of it inconvenient. Moreover, the prior art high pressure gas containers have only single outlet capacity at its exit end. Suppose any demand for small amount of gas or extra outlet of gas, the requirements for the amount of the gas and the direction of the gas flowing for the conventional settings probably won't be available, which deteriorates the usage. Recognized the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art and the inconveniences in use, the inventor proceeded to conceive ideas to improve those inconveniences and drawbacks, through considerable endeavor on research and testing over a long period of time, and the present invention is eventually available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a high pressure gas cylinder that features extra solid structure targeted for improving the easily happened leaks at the joints between the storage tube and the inlet and outlet covers, which will further boost the duration of the use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a high pressure gas cylinder that features dual gas outlet selection for the operation.
To cope with the aforesaid objects, the present invention belongs to a high pressure gas cylinder, comprising at least a storage tube, an inlet cover, an inlet junction, an outlet cover, an outlet junction, an anti-pressure plate and an inner check valve, where the storage tube shapes a cylinder with a desired inside diameter, possesses an opening at each of its both ends, and is provided with four longitudinally shaped join troughs distributed equally on its inner surface. The inlet cover is provided with four through holes distributed equally on its exterior surface, has a screw hole formed at its center, and possesses inwardly protruded arced walls on the interior surface near its rim, where the arced walls and the through holes are located in an alternate way, and a gap are formed between the arced walls and the enclosure on the rim of the inlet cover, to accommodate a sealing ring. The inlet junction, opposite to the screw hole of the inlet cover, is provided with a threaded tube, a handle portion and a plug joint. The outlet cover is provided with four through holes distributed equally on its exterior surface, has a screw hole formed at its center, and possesses inwardly protruded arced walls on the interior surface near its rim, where the arced walls and the through holes are located in an alternate way, and a gap are formed between the arced walls and the enclosure on the rim of the outlet cover, to accommodate a sealing ring. The screw hole of the outlet cover forms a backward withstanding set on the other side, where the center of the withstanding set shields the screw hole. The rim of the withstanding set forms a relatively low gap, and a ring body is formed at the raised place next to the gap, where the ring body is provided with a ring gap on it. The inner check valve comprises a dented membrane, a cover, a sealing ring and a plurality of screw bolts, where the cover has a through hole at its center, and the membrane can shield the area of the withstanding set. The sealing ring is lodged in the gap of the ring body, followed by placing the exterior side of the cover on the ring body and the sealing ring and by fastening them with the screw bolts. A tiny distance between the inner side of the cover and the withstanding set is reserved for the movement of the membrane by gas impelling, which produces one-way ventilation effect. The outlet junction, opposite to the screw hole of the outlet cover, is provided with a threaded tube, a handle portion and a plug joint. The anti-pressure plates shape a circular disc with a diameter same as the inner diameter of the storage tube, and four arced indents, corresponding to the four join troughs, are distributed equally along its rim. The anti-pressure plate has a plurality of holes on it for the ventilation of gas, where its one side appears slightly indented around its center and is provided with an arced and cross-shaped reinforced rib, whereas the other side is set into a slight protruded surface. During assembling, an anti-pressure plate is first inserted in each of the two openings of the storage tube, with the indented side facing inside, and followed by clasping each of the arced indents of the plate on the corresponding join trough. The sealing rings are put into the corresponding gaps respectively, and proceed to place the inlet cover and the outlet cover in the openings of the storage tube respectively. The through holes on the inlet cover and outlet cover are aimed at the join troughs one by one, where the plurality of the screw bolts are pierced through the through holes and joined helically the join troughs. The inlet junction has its threaded tube joined helically the screw hole of the inlet cover tightly while the outlet junction has its threaded tube joined helically the screw hole of the outlet cover tightly.
In this invention, there is an outer check valve installed in between the plug joint and the handle portion of the outlet junction, and a repelling set is set up in the plug joint facing the handle portion, where a notch is furnished around the repelling set. A cavity is set up by the handle portion facing the plug joint, where a through hole is devised in the center which connects to the screw tube. A membrane is lodged in the cavity, and an elastic element has its one end placed against the membrane while the other end is to place against the notch. The repelling set by the plug joint is then inserted into the cavity and followed by a fixed joining. The elastic element is then compressed to press the membrane to shield the through hole of the cavity, where a minute gap existed between the membrane and the repelling set, which is for the movement of the elastic element during its compression by the membrane due to the gas impelling, and a one-way ventilation effect is brought about.
In this invention, there is a tiny through hole on the outlet cover which extends outward and is bent to form a joint, where the connection between the tiny through hole and the joint is controlled by a solenoid valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional assembled view depicting the outward appearance of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded view depicting the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view depicting the outward appearance for the interior of the inlet cover of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional exploded view depicting the outlet cover and the inner check valve of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional exploded view depicting the outlet junction and the outer check valve of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional view depicting the outward appearance for the anti-pressure plate of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation depicting the anti-pressure plate of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view for the part viewing from A-A of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view for the part viewing from B-B of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the foresaid objective of this invention, the techniques adopted are detailed described with reference to the following preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, which is expected to help the honorable Examiner in comprehending and recognizing the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the embodiment of the present invention as a whole is a high pressure gas cylinder 1, comprising a storage tube 10, an inlet cover 20, an inlet junction 30, an outlet cover 40, an outlet junction 50, an anti-pressure plate 60, a solenoid valve 70, an inner check valve 80 and an outer check valve 90; where the storage tube 10 shapes a cylinder with a desired inside diameter, and possesses an opening 11 at each of its both ends, where four longitudinally shaped join troughs 12 are distributed evenly on its inner surface; the inlet cover 20 is provided with four through holes 21 distributed evenly on its exterior surface, has a screw hole 22 formed at its center, and has a plurality of reinforced ribs 23 which are formed outwardly from the screw hole 22; referring to FIG. 3, the inlet cover 20 possesses inwardly protruded arced walls 24 on the interior surface near its rim, where the arced walls 24 and the through holes 21 are located in an alternate way, and a gap 26 is formed between the arced walls 24 and the enclosure 25 on the rim of the inlet cover 20, to accommodate a sealing ring 27; the inlet junction 30, opposite to the screw hole 22, is provided with a threaded tube 31, a handle portion 32 (for instance; a hexagon) and a plug joint 33;
The outlet cover 40 has an appearance same as that of the inlet cover 20, also comprising four through holes 41, a screw hole 42, a plurality of reinforced ribs 43, an arced wall 44, an enclosure 45, a gap 46, and a sealing ring 47, where the structural combination and the usage of these parts are exactly the same with those of the inlet cover 20; whereas some parts of structure on the outlet cover 40 are different from the inlet cover 20, referring to FIG. 4, a tiny through hole 481 is set up on the outlet cover 40, which extends outward and is bent to form a joint 48, where the connection or disconnection between the tiny through hole 481 and the joint 48 is controlled by a solenoid valve 70 (shown in FIGS. 1 & 2); the screw hole 42 extends backward to form a radial arrangement of a withstanding set 49 on the other side, where the center of the withstanding set 49 shields the screw hole 42, the rim of the withstanding set 49 forms a relatively lower gap 491, and next to it a raised portion forms a ring body 492 which is further provided on it with a ring gap 4921; the inner check valve 80 is set up corresponding to the withstanding set 49 and the gap 491, the ring body 492 and the ring gap 4921, referring to FIGS. 2 & 4, the inner check valve 80 comprises a dented membrane 81, a cover 82, a sealing ring 83 and a plurality of screw bolts 84, where the cover 82 has a through hole 821 at its center; when assembling, the membrane 81 can shield the area of the withstanding set 49, and the sealing ring 83 is lodged in the gap 4921 of the ring body 492, followed by placing the exterior side of the cover 82 on the ring body 492 and the sealing ring 83 and by fastening them with the plurality of bolts 84, thus, a minute distance between the inner side of the cover 82 and the withstanding set 49 is reserved for the movement of the membrane 81 during the impelling by the gas, which produces a one-way ventilation effect (detailed description will be given later on);
Referring to FIGS. 2 & 5, the outlet junction 50, same as the inlet junction 30, is provided with a threaded tube 51, a handle portion 52 (for instance: a hexagon) and a plug joint 53, moreover, an outer check valve 90 is installed in between the plug joint 53 and the handle portion 52, and a repelling set 54 is set up around the plug joint 53 facing the handle portion 52, where a notch 541 is furnished around the repelling set 54, and a cavity 55 is set up by the handle portion 52 facing the plug joint 53, where a through hole 551 is devised in the center which connects to the screw tube 51; a membrane 91 is lodged in the cavity 55, and an elastic element 92 has its one end placed against the membrane 91 while the other end is to place against the notch 541; the repelling set 54 by the plug joint 53 is then placed in the rim of the cavity 55 and followed by a fixed joining, and the elastic element 92 is then pressed to push the membrane 91 to shield the through hole 551 of the cavity 55, where a minute gap existed between the membrane 91 and the repelling set 54, which is for the movement of the elastic element 92 during its compression by the membrane 91 due to the gas impelling, and a one-way ventilation is brought about (detailed description will be given later on);
The anti-pressure plates 60 has an outlook and structure shown in FIGS. 6-9, roughly shaping a circular disc with a diameter same as the inner diameter of the storage tube 10, and four arced indents 61, corresponding to the four join troughs 12 of the storage tube 10, are distributed equally along its rim, where a plurality of holes 62 are devised on it for the ventilation of gas, the anti-pressure plate 60 at one side (interior side) has a slightly indented surface 63 around its center and is provided with an arced and cross-shaped reinforced rib 64 while the other side (exterior side) is set into a slightly protruded surface 65.
During the assembly of the embodiment of the present invention, high pressure gas cylinder 1, the internal space of the storage tube 10 can be selected to exclude other substances and only used for storing high pressure gas, or selected to store certain specific chemical substance (for instance: molecular sieve), where an expected gas (for instance: pure oxygen) can be obtained by boosting the compressed air through the tube; during assembling, an anti-pressure plate 60 is first inserted in each of the two openings of the storage tube 10 with the slightly indented surface 63 facing inside (which is able to reach the substance inside the storage tube 10), and followed by clasping each of the arced indents 61 of it on the corresponding join trough 12 one by one; the sealing rings 27, 47 are put into the corresponding gaps 26, 46 respectively, followed by taking the inlet cover 20 and the outlet cover 40 to cover the two openings 11 of the storage tube 10, and proceed to aim the through holes 21, 41 on the inlet cover 20 and the outlet cover 40 at the join troughs 12 one by one, where the plurality of the bolts 211, 411 are piercing through the through holes 21, 41 and joined helically the join troughs 12; the inlet junction 30 has its threaded tube 31 joined helically the screw hole 22 of the inlet cover 20 tightly (the joining can be rotated even more tight by using a tool through the handle portion 32), whereas the outlet junction 50 has its threaded tube 51 joined helically the screw hole 42 of the outlet cover 40 tightly (the joining can be rotated even more tight by using a tool through the handle portion 52), and the solenoid valve 70 is installed in the connected piping between the joint 48 and the tiny through hole 481; the inner check valve 80 is originally installed in the interior of the outlet cover 40, and the outer check valve 90 is originally installed in the internal of the outlet junction 50, hence, the assembly of the embodiment of the present invention, the high pressure gas cylinder 1, is accomplished.
When in use, the plug joint 33 of the inlet junction 30 offers the inlet-plug interface to the piping of the entrance that guides the gas into the storage tube 10, while the plug joint 53 of the outlet junction 50 offers the outlet-plug interface to the piping of the exit that guides the gas out of the storage tube 10; as the gas enters the storage tube 10 through the inlet junction 30, the gas stays in the storage tube 10 if the exit is not open, on the other hand, if the exit is open, the gas enters the through hole 821 and presses the membrane 81 to move and escape from shielding the through hole 821, enabling the gas flows through the edge of the membrane 81 to enter the space encompassed by the withstanding set 49 and immediately flows through the screw hole 42 to the screw tube 51 of the outlet junction 50, where the pressure of the gas will press the membrane 91 again to compress the elastic element 92 to move backward which disables its shielding to the through hole 551 in the cavity 55, and enables the gas flows through the edge of the membrane 81 to enter the space encompassed by the withstanding set 49 and flows through the plug joint 53 to outside by the guide of the piping of the exit, where the gas is then ready in use. The moment that the outlet junction 50 is used for guiding the high pressure gas out for use, the inner check valve 80 and the outer check valve 90 are both left open, which facilitates the ease of being flown out for the high pressure gas.
Some occasions of erroneous operations will result in the reverse flow of the high pressure gas, which is being guided through the plug joint 53 of the outlet junction 50 to the space encompassed by the repelling set 54, where the high pressure gas will press the membrane 91 to shield the through hole 551 of the cavity 55, and the bigger the pressure, the more solid of the shielding, which disables the gas to enter the through hole 551, and that is the one-way hinder brought about by the outer check valve 90. Suppose for another occasions of erroneous operations that guide the high pressure gas into the screw tube 51 through the through hole 551 and to the space encompassed by the withstanding set 49, the high pressure gas will press the membrane 81 to shield the through hole 821 of the cover 82, and the bigger the pressure, the more solid of the shielding, which disables the gas to enter the through hole 821, and that is the one-way hinder brought about by the inner check valve 80. With the inner and outer check valves 80, 90 taking the role of dual one-way hindering, the possibility of erroneous guiding of the high pressure gas can be considerably minimized.
Aside from the normal usage of the high pressure gas in the storage tube 10, some demands for small amount may not use the massive flowing-out function that is related to the operation of the outlet junction 50 on the outlet cover 40, it can be done instead by an operation that activates the solenoid valve 70 to guide the high pressure gas in the storage tube 10 to flow from the tiny through hole 481 and through the joint head 48 to outside, which eases the use of small amount of gas. In the assembly and operations of the aforesaid embodiment of the present invention, the function of the anti-pressure plate 60 is to resist the pressure exerted by the high pressure gas in the storage tube 10 or by the specific chemical substances (for instance: molecular sieve) stored therein, which slows down the pressing to the inlet cover 20 and outlet cover 40, where the closure between the inlet, outlet covers 20, 40 and the storage tube 10 can be refrained from being spoiled; therefore, the anti-pressure plate 60 at one side (interior side) has a slightly indented surface 63 around its center and is provided with an arced and cross-shaped reinforced rib 64 while the other side (exterior side) is set into a slightly protruded surface 65.
The present invention has the following advantages when in use which have been illustrated in the aforesaid description:

- (I.) The structural of the present invention features four longitudinally shaped join troughs built on the inner surface of the storage tube and distributed evenly, followed by aiming the through holes on the inlet and outlet covers at the corresponding join troughs and by fastening them with screw bolts; therefore, all the joints are inside the storage tube, which are more solid and safe than the prior art that surely boosts the duration of the use.
- (II.) The structure of the present invention features anti-pressure plates to resist the pressure exerted by the high pressure gas in the storage tube or by the specific chemical substances (for instance: molecular sieve) stored therein, which slows down the pressing to the inlet cover and outlet cover, where the closure between the inlet, outlet covers, and the storage tube can be refrained from being spoiled which substantially boosts the duration of the use.
- (III.) The structure of the present invention features an inner check valve and an outer check valve, which is able to considerably avoid the happenings of guiding the high pressure gas into abnormal direction due to erroneous operations.
- (IV.) The structure of the present invention features a solenoid valve, which eases the use of small amount of gas, making the usage more popular.

Accordingly, the disclosed structural combination and technical means of the embodiment of the present invention “high pressure gas cylinder” is not seen in the prior art and not opened to the public; moreover, the expected inventive objective and function of usage are achievable, and the invention is considered to be new, useful and non-obvious, which is fully construed as being compliant to the requirements of the patent; therefore, an application for the utility patent is then filed according to the U.S. Patent Statue, which deserves your favorable examination and approval.

Claims

1. A high pressure gas cylinder, comprising at least a storage tube, an inlet cover, an inlet junction, an outlet cover, an outlet junction, an anti-pressure plate and an inner check valve; where said storage tube shapes a cylinder with a desired inner diameter, possessing an opening at each of its both ends, and being provided with four longitudinally shaped join troughs distributed evenly on its inner surface; said inlet cover being provided with four through holes distributed evenly on its exterior surface, having a screw hole formed at its center, and possessing inwardly protruded arced walls on the interior surface near its rim, where the arced walls and the through holes are located in an alternate way, and a gap being formed between the arced walls and the enclosure on the rim of said inlet cover, to accommodate a sealing ring; said inlet junction, opposite to the screw hole of said inlet cover, being provided with a threaded tube, a handle portion and a plug joint; said outlet cover being provided with four through holes distributed evenly on its exterior surface, having a screw hole formed at its center, and having inwardly protruded arced walls on the interior surface near its rim, where the arced walls and the through holes are located in an alternate way, and a gap being formed between the arced walls and the enclosure on the rim of said outlet cover, to accommodate a sealing ring, and the screw hole of said outlet cover forming a backward withstanding set on the other side, where the center of the withstanding set shields the screw hole, the rim of the withstanding set forming a relatively lower gap, and a ring body being formed at the raised place next to the gap, where the ring body being provided with a ring gap thereon; said inner check valve comprising a dented membrane, a cover, a sealing ring and a plurality of screw bolts, where the cover has a through hole at its center, and the membrane being able to shield the area of the withstanding set, and the sealing ring being lodged in the gap of the ring body, followed by placing the exterior side of the cover on the ring body and the sealing ring and by fastening them with the screw bolts, a tiny distance between the inner side of the cover and the withstanding set being reserved for the movement of the membrane by the gas impelling, which produces one-way ventilation effect; said outlet junction, opposite to the screw hole of said outlet cover, being provided with a threaded tube, a handle portion and a plug joint; said anti-pressure plates shaping a circular disc with a diameter same as the inner diameter of said storage tube, and four arced indents, corresponding to the four join troughs, being distributed evenly along its rim, whereas a plurality of holes are devised thereon for the ventilation of gas, one side thereof appearing slightly indented around its center and being provided with an arced and cross-shaped reinforced rib while the other side is set into a slight protruded surface; during assembling, said anti-pressure plate being first inserted in each of the two openings of said storage tube with the indented side facing inside, and followed by clasping each of the arced indent thereof on the corresponding join trough; the sealing rings being put into the corresponding gaps respectively, and proceeding to place said inlet cover and outlet cover on the openings of said storage tube respectively, the through holes on said inlet cover and outlet cover being aimed at the join troughs one by one, where the plurality of the screw bolts are pierced through the through holes and joined helically the join troughs; said inlet junction having its threaded tube joined helically the screw hole of said inlet cover tightly while said outlet junction has its threaded tube joined helically the screw hole of said outlet cover tightly.

2. A high pressure gas cylinder as in claim 1 wherein an outer check valve is installed in between the plug joint and the handle portion of said outlet junction, and a repelling set being set up by the plug joint facing the handle portion, where a notch is furnished around the repelling set, a cavity being set up by the handle portion facing the plug joint, where a through hole is devised in the center, which is connected to the screw tube; a membrane being lodged in the cavity, and an elastic element having its one end placed against the membrane while the other end is to place against the notch; the repelling set by the plug joint being inserted into the cavity and followed by a fixed joining, the elastic element being then compressed to impel the membrane to shield the through hole of the cavity, where a minute gap exists between the membrane and the repelling set, which is for the movement of the elastic element during its compression by the membrane due to the gas impelling, and a one-way ventilation being brought about.

3. A high pressure gas cylinder as in claim 1 wherein a tiny through hole on said outlet cover which extends outward and is bent to form a joint, where the connection between the tiny through hole and the joint is controlled by a solenoid valve.