A liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-slosh device and control method

Abstract

This invention relates to a liquid tank with a nested-style airbag anti-sway device and a control method thereof, including a tank body and a nested-style airbag anti-sway device; the nested-style airbag anti-sway device is fixedly installed on the top of the tank body, and the nested-style airbag anti-sway device adopts a nested structure; the pressure sensor, liquid level sensor, liquid level height sensor, air inlet valve, air outlet valve, and air pump are all electrically connected to the control unit. This invention uses a nested-style airbag anti-sway device, which can inflate the airbags layer by layer from the inside out according to the liquid filling volume, ensuring that the innermost airbag has sufficient pressure resistance. Combined with a closed-loop control method, it can automatically and quickly adjust the volume of the nested-style airbag anti-sway device inside the tank according to the volume of the liquid loaded, effectively suppressing liquid swaying, and also meeting the physical properties of liquid thermal expansion and contraction, improving vehicle driving stability, and thus improving driving safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of liquid tanks, and more particularly to a liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-sway device and a control method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Transportation is the lifeblood of the national economy, promoting the rapid development of road transportation and logistics. Tank trucks have become the main means of transporting petroleum, liquefied natural gas, and hazardous chemicals. Due to their significant disadvantages, such as heavy load capacity, high center of gravity, and large size, tank trucks are prone to accidents caused by the sloshing and impact of the liquid inside the tank in extreme maneuvering conditions such as emergency obstacle avoidance or high-speed turning. This can easily lead to complex coupling effects between the liquid inside the tank and the vehicle's movement, resulting in instability, skidding, or rollover. The damage caused by rollover accidents is particularly unpredictable.

[0003] In order to reduce the adverse effects of liquid sloshing, existing liquid tanks are mostly equipped with baffles to divide the tank into multiple compartments. However, the existing technology still has some drawbacks: (1) baffles are mostly made of metal, which increases the weight of the tank; (2) due to the physical property of thermal expansion and contraction of liquid, the tank is still not allowed to be filled to the brim, and the liquid sloshing phenomenon still exists; (3) the increase of baffles will inevitably lead to an increase in labor and material costs.

[0004] The published invention patent (application number: CN 200910140074) employs a technical solution of installing a soft, airtight bladder inside a tank, intending to control volume changes by controlling the pressure inside the bladder, thereby controlling liquid sloshing. However, this technical solution has the following shortcomings: its main body consists of an upper and a lower part, connected by folds. This suggests that the internal cavity of the main body is a single unit, and the folds are there to accommodate different liquid loads within the tank, allowing the main body's volume to change accordingly. Furthermore, since the main body is made of a soft, airtight material, it is easy for someone skilled in the art to imagine that the tank is a long cylinder, with the space between the liquid and the top of the tank forming a partially cylindrical shape. When the main body is filled with pressure, the following situations will occur: (1) When the pressure inside the main body is large, due to the physical properties of the soft material, it will form a shape with a large belly in the middle and a convex arc shape in the cross section. Due to the large pressure inside the main body, it will have a certain resistance to compression, just like the characteristics of an inflated ball. If the large belly does not contact the liquid or the contact depth is not large, then there will still be a large space between the two ends of the main body and the liquid, affecting the effect of suppressing shaking; (2) When the pressure inside the main body is not very large, similarly, due to the physical properties of the soft material, the pressure resistance of the main body will be insufficient, just like an underinflated ball, which will still not be able to suppress shaking.

[0005] How to effectively fill the top space of the liquid tanker truck, effectively suppress liquid sloshing, meet the requirements of the physical properties of liquid thermal expansion and contraction, avoid liquid impact caused by changes in vehicle driving conditions, improve vehicle handling stability, and thus improve driving safety is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-sloshing device and a control method thereon. The nested airbag anti-sloshing device can automatically and quickly adjust the volume of the device inside the tank according to the volume of the liquid being loaded, effectively suppressing liquid sloshing. Furthermore, it can meet the physical properties of liquid thermal expansion and contraction, improving vehicle driving stability and thus enhancing driving safety.

[0007] This invention is achieved through the following technical measures:

[0008] A liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-sway device includes a tank body and a nested airbag anti-sway device. The tank body includes a front end cap, a rear end cap, a cylindrical body, a breather valve, a manhole, an air inlet, and an exhaust outlet. The front and rear end caps are fixedly welded to the front and rear ends of the cylindrical body, respectively. The breather valve, manhole, air inlet, and exhaust outlet are installed on the top of the cylindrical body, and the air inlet is connected to an air pump pipeline. The manhole is an inspection port provided for tank maintenance. The breather valve is used to regulate the pressure inside the tank. A liquid level sensor is also installed in the tank body to detect the liquid level of the filled liquid. A liquid inlet is also installed on the cylindrical body, located at the top or bottom of the cylindrical body.

[0009] The nested airbag anti-sway device is fixedly installed on the top of the cylinder. The device uses a nested structure, containing N (N ≥ 1) airbags. The tops of the N airbags are fixedly connected together. The N airbags are sequentially nested from the inside out, with the first airbag, second airbag, third airbag, and so on, up to the Nth airbag. Each of the N airbags is equipped with a pressure sensor, and each airbag is connected to an air inlet pipe via an air inlet valve and an air outlet pipe via an air outlet valve. A liquid level sensor is installed at the bottom of the outermost Nth airbag to sense the distance between the outermost layer of the airbag and the liquid surface.

[0010] The pressure sensor, liquid level sensor, liquid level height sensor, air inlet valve, air outlet valve, and air pump are all electrically connected to the control unit.

[0011] The airbag is made of nylon and has an anti-corrosion coating on its surface.

[0012] The airbag has an elliptical cross-section.

[0013] The first airbag has a circular cross-section.

[0014] The bottom of the Nth airbag is filled with a support to improve its pressure resistance and support strength.

[0015] The liquid tank control method with a nested airbag anti-sway device is as follows: (1) During loading, the liquid level sensor in the tank collects the liquid level in real time and transmits the signal to the control unit in real time; (2) After loading is completed, the control unit uses the data obtained through finite element analysis or experiment as a reference for control quantity, first controls the air pump to work, controls the air inlet valve to inflate the first airbag, and provides pressure signal feedback in real time through the pressure sensor to achieve closed-loop control. After reaching the preset pressure, inflation stops to ensure that the first airbag has sufficient pressure resistance; by using the liquid level sensor... (3) By inflating the second airbag layer by layer from the inside out, the volume of the nested airbag anti-sway device is adapted to the volume of the cavity inside the tank, so as to suppress the liquid swaying. (4) Once the liquid level sensor senses that the distance from the liquid surface is less than the preset value, the control unit immediately controls the air inlet valve to disconnect and stop the inflation. (5) When the pressure inside the tank is too high or the liquid surface rises due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the liquid, the control unit controls the exhaust valve to exhaust from the outside to the inside, that is, first exhaust the outermost Nth airbag.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0017] A liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-sway device and a control method are disclosed. The nested airbag anti-sway device can inflate the airbags layer by layer from the inside out according to the liquid filling volume, ensuring that the innermost airbag has sufficient pressure resistance. Combined with a closed-loop control method, the volume of the nested airbag anti-sway device inside the tank can be automatically and quickly adjusted according to the volume of the liquid, effectively suppressing liquid swaying. It can also meet the physical properties of liquid thermal expansion and contraction, improving vehicle driving stability and thus improving driving safety. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is the front view of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of section AA of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control principle of the present invention.

[0024] In the diagram, 1-front end cap, 2-rear end cap, 3-cylinder body, 4-breathing valve, 5-manhole, 6-air inlet, 7-exhaust port, 8-nested airbag assembly, 801-first airbag, 802-second airbag, 803-third airbag, 9-pressure sensor, 10-liquid level sensor, 11-liquid level height sensor, 12-control unit, 13-inlet valve, 14-exhaust valve, 15-air pump. Implementation

[0025] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, a specific implementation method is described below, along with accompanying drawings.

[0026] A liquid tank with a nested airbag anti-sway device includes a tank body and a nested airbag anti-sway device. The tank body includes a front end cap 1, a rear end cap 2, a cylindrical body 3, a breather valve 4, a manhole 5, an air inlet 6, and an exhaust port 7. The front end cap 1 and the rear end cap 2 are respectively fixedly welded to the front and rear ends of the cylindrical body 3. The breather valve 4, manhole 5, air inlet 6, and exhaust port 7 are installed on the top of the cylindrical body 3. The air inlet 6 is connected to an air pump 15 via a pipeline. The manhole 5 is an inspection port provided for tank maintenance. The breather valve 4 is used to adjust the pressure inside the tank. A liquid level sensor 11 is also installed in the tank body to detect the liquid level of the filled liquid. A liquid inlet is also installed on the cylindrical body 3, located at the top or bottom of the cylindrical body 3.

[0027] The nested airbag anti-sway device is fixedly installed on the top of the cylinder 3. The nested airbag anti-sway device adopts a nested structure, containing N (N greater than or equal to 1) airbags. The tops of the N airbags are fixedly connected together. The N airbags are nested from the inside out as follows: first airbag 801, second airbag 802, third airbag 803, ..., and so on, up to the Nth airbag. Each of the N airbags is equipped with a pressure sensor 9, and each airbag is connected to the air inlet 6 through an air inlet valve 13 and to the air outlet 7 through an air outlet valve 14. A liquid level sensor 10 is installed at the bottom of the outermost Nth airbag to sense the distance signal between the outermost layer of the airbag and the liquid surface.

[0028] The pressure sensor 9, liquid level sensor 10, liquid level height sensor 11, air inlet valve 13, air outlet valve 14, and air pump 15 are all electrically connected to the control unit 12.

[0029] The airbag is made of nylon and has an anti-corrosion coating on its surface.

[0030] The airbag has an elliptical cross-section.

[0031] The first airbag 801 has a circular cross-section.

[0032] The bottom of the Nth airbag is filled with a support to improve its pressure resistance and support strength.

[0033] The liquid tank control method with a nested airbag anti-sway device is as follows: (1) During loading, the liquid level sensor 11 in the tank collects the liquid level in real time and transmits the signal to the control unit 12 in real time; (2) After loading is completed, the control unit 12 uses the data obtained through finite element analysis or experiment as a reference for control quantity, first controls the air pump 15 to work, controls the air inlet valve to inflate the first airbag 801, and uses the pressure sensor 9 to provide real-time pressure signal feedback to achieve closed-loop control. After reaching the preset pressure, the inflation stops to ensure that the first airbag 801 has sufficient pressure resistance; by using the liquid level sensor 10 and the data collected by the liquid level sensor 11 are analyzed to determine whether to inflate the second airbag 802; (3) by inflating layer by layer from the inside out, the volume of the nested airbag anti-sway device is adapted to the volume of the cavity inside the tank, so as to suppress the liquid swaying; (4) once the liquid level sensor 10 senses that the distance from the liquid surface is less than the preset value, the control unit 12 immediately controls the air inlet valve 13 to disconnect and stop the inflation; (5) when the pressure inside the tank is too high or the liquid surface rises due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the liquid, the control unit 12 controls the exhaust valve 14 to exhaust from the outside to the inside, that is, first exhaust the outermost Nth airbag.

[0034] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other modifications under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these modifications are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid tank with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device, characterized in that: The device includes a tank body and a nested airbag anti-sway device. The tank body includes a front end cap (1), a rear end cap (2), a cylinder (3), a breather valve (4), a manhole (5), an air inlet (6), and an exhaust port (7). The front end cap (1) and the rear end cap (2) are fixedly welded to the front and rear ends of the cylinder (3), respectively. The breather valve (4), the manhole (5), the air inlet (6), and the exhaust port (7) are installed on the top of the cylinder (3). The air inlet (6) is connected to the air pump (15) pipeline. The manhole (5) is an inspection port set up for tank maintenance. The breather valve (4) is used to adjust the pressure inside the tank. The tank body is also equipped with a liquid level sensor (11) for detecting the liquid level of the filling liquid. The cylinder (3) is also equipped with a liquid inlet, which is located at the top or bottom of the cylinder (3). The nested airbag anti-sway device is fixedly installed on the top of the cylinder (3). The nested airbag anti-sway device adopts a nested structure and contains N airbags, where N is greater than 1. The tops of the N airbags are fixedly connected together. The N airbags are sequentially nested from the inside out, including the first airbag (801), the second airbag (802), the third airbag (803), ..., and so on, up to the Nth airbag. Each of the N airbags is equipped with a pressure sensor (9), and each airbag is connected to the air inlet (6) pipe through the air inlet valve (13). Each airbag is connected to the air outlet (7) pipe through the air outlet valve (14). The bottom of the outermost Nth airbag is equipped with a liquid level sensor (10) to sense the distance signal between the outermost layer of the airbag and the liquid surface. The pressure sensor (9), liquid level sensor (10), liquid level height sensor (11), air inlet valve (13), air outlet valve (14), and air pump (15) are all electrically connected to the control unit (12).

2. A liquid tank with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The airbag is made of nylon and has an anti-corrosion coating on its surface.

3. A liquid tank with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The airbag has an elliptical cross-section.

4. A liquid tank with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first airbag (801) has a circular cross-section.

5. A liquid tank with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the Nth airbag is filled with a support to improve its pressure resistance and support strength.

6. A liquid tank control method with a nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sway device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: (1) During loading, the liquid level sensor (11) in the tank collects the loading liquid level in real time and transmits the signal to the control unit (12) in real time. (2) After loading is completed, the control unit (12) uses the data obtained through finite element analysis or experiment as a reference for control quantity. First, it controls the air pump (15) to work and controls the air inlet valve to inflate the first airbag (801). The pressure sensor (9) provides real-time pressure signal feedback to achieve closed-loop control. After reaching the preset pressure, the inflation stops to ensure that the first airbag (801) has sufficient pressure resistance. The control unit (12) analyzes the data collected by the liquid level sensor (10) and the liquid level height sensor (11) to determine whether to inflate the second airbag (802). (3) By inflating the air layer by layer from the inside out, the volume of the nested doll-shaped airbag anti-sloshing device is matched with the volume of the cavity inside the tank, thereby suppressing liquid sloshing. (4) Once the liquid level sensor (10) senses that the distance from the liquid surface is less than the preset value, the control unit (12) immediately controls the air intake valve (13) to disconnect and stop the inflation. (5) When the pressure inside the tank is too high or the liquid level rises due to thermal expansion and contraction of the liquid, the control unit (12) controls the exhaust valve (14) to exhaust from the outside to the inside, that is, first exhaust the Nth air bladder of the outermost layer.

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