Gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device and installation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device and installation method, including a mounting platform, a flipping mechanism, a lifting platform assembly, and an inflation device; the mounting platform is provided with at least one installation station; the flipping mechanism is provided on both sides of the mounting platform; the flipping mechanism includes a flipping motor and a rotating shaft provided along the length of the mounting platform; the lifting platform assembly is provided on the rotating shaft and corresponds to the installation station; the lifting platform assembly includes a first mounting plate, a lifting mechanism, a second mounting plate, and a metal valve seat fixing platform; the lifting platform assembly is mainly used to fix the metal valve seat and provide pressure to the metal valve seat so that it is in full contact with the plastic liner and is bonded; the inflation device includes a gas pipe connector, which is connected to the metal valve seat fixing platform. The present mounting device and the installation method based on the mounting device can achieve high-quality bonding between the metal valve seat and the plastic liner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of pressure vessel bottle processing, and in particular to a gas storage bottle metal valve seat installation device and an installation method. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen, a clean energy source with zero emissions, pollution-free, and renewable advantages, is rapidly developing. Currently, hydrogen storage primarily occurs through high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage in hydrogen cylinders. These cylinders are categorized into five types: Type I, Type II, and Type V. Driven by the demand for higher pressure and lighter weight gaseous hydrogen storage, Type IV cylinders (primarily consisting of a plastic liner, a metal valve seat, and a carbon fiber composite wrapping around the plastic liner) have become the mainstream technology. As hydrogen is a flammable and explosive gas, the safety and reliability of hydrogen cylinders, as a storage medium, depend on their excellent sealing and high pressure resistance. For Type IV cylinders, the quality of the connection between the plastic liner and the metal valve seat is a major factor affecting the cylinder's sealing and pressure resistance. Currently, the connection between the plastic liner and the metal valve seat in Type IV cylinders is primarily achieved through adhesive bonding. Typically, the adhesive-coated metal valve seat is butted against the plastic liner, and external pressure is applied to either the metal valve seat or the plastic liner to achieve the bond. In this method, if the applied pressure is small, the bonding may not be strong; if the applied pressure is large, since the plastic liner is more flexible than the metal valve seat, this external pressure method (see attached) Figure 1 ), which can cause the opening and shoulder of the plastic liner to sink and deform, making it difficult to ensure bonding accuracy and quality, and thus product quality. Furthermore, metal valve seats are currently mostly installed by hand, resulting in poor consistency in glue application and bonding quality, and low production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to address at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one objective of the present invention is to provide a device and method for installing a metal valve seat for a gas cylinder. During the bonding process, the device simultaneously applies force to the inner and outer portions of the plastic liner shoulder, preventing deformation of the plastic liner shoulder caused by unilateral force. Furthermore, the applied bonding pressure can be mechanically controlled to maintain a stable and consistent bond between the plastic liner and the metal valve seat.

[0004] In a first aspect, a gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device is provided, comprising: a mounting platform, a flip mechanism, a lifting platform assembly, and an inflation device;

[0005] The installation platform is provided with at least one installation station for carrying the plastic liner;

[0006] The flip mechanism is arranged on both sides of the mounting platform; the flip mechanism includes a flip motor and a rotating shaft; the flip motor is arranged at one end of the mounting platform, and the rotating shaft is arranged along the length direction of the mounting platform;

[0007] The lifting platform assembly is arranged on the rotating shafts on both sides of the mounting platform, corresponding to the mounting stations; the lifting platform assembly includes a first mounting plate, a lifting mechanism, a second mounting plate, and a metal valve seat fixing platform; the first mounting plate is provided with a lifting mechanism; the lifting mechanism is connected to the second mounting plate and controls the lifting and lowering of the second mounting plate; the second mounting plate is provided with a metal valve seat fixing platform for fixing the metal valve seat;

[0008] The inflation device includes an air pipe connector, which is connected to the metal valve seat fixing platform. When the metal valve seat is bonded to the plastic liner, the air pipe connector can be used to inflate the plastic liner and provide pressure from the inside out.

[0009] In another embodiment, four groups of lifting mechanisms are provided on the lifting platform assembly, two groups are provided on the side close to the installation platform, and two groups are provided on the side away from the installation platform.

[0010] In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting motor, a lifting slider, and a screw rod. The lifting motor is arranged on the first mounting plate, the lifting slider is fixed to the bottom of the second mounting plate, and the screw rod is connected to the lifting motor and the lifting slider and passes through the second mounting plate.

[0011] In another embodiment, the first mounting plate is an L-shaped mounting plate, comprising a vertical plate and a horizontal plate; the vertical plate is fixed to the rotating shaft by bolts; and the lifting motor of the lifting mechanism is fixed on the horizontal plate.

[0012] In another embodiment, the lifting platform assembly also includes a metal valve seat rotating mechanism, which includes a rotating motor, a driving wheel, a belt, and a metal valve seat rotating platform; the rotating motor is arranged on the lower bottom surface of the second mounting plate; the driving wheel is arranged on the upper surface of the second mounting plate and is coaxial with the rotating motor; the metal valve seat rotating platform is clamped in the metal valve seat fixing platform through a ball bearing; the belt connects the driving wheel and the metal valve seat rotating platform.

[0013] In another embodiment, the installation platform further includes a conveyor belt; a positioning slot is also provided on the conveyor belt to locate the installation position of the plastic liner on the installation platform.

[0014] In another embodiment, the lifting platform assembly further includes a plastic liner locking structure; the plastic liner locking structure is arranged at the upper ends of the two screw rods away from the mounting platform.

[0015] In another embodiment, the gas cylinder metal valve seat installation equipment further includes a gluing device; the gluing device is disposed above the lifting platform assembly.

[0016] In another embodiment, the gas cylinder metal valve seat installation equipment further includes a plastic liner transfer robot arm, which is arranged at one end of the installation platform and can grab the plastic liner and place it on the conveyor belt of the installation platform.

[0017] In a second aspect, a method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder is provided, based on the above-mentioned installation device, comprising:

[0018] Step 1: Place the plastic liner on the installation station on the installation platform, and install the metal valve seat on the metal valve seat fixing platforms on both sides of the installation station;

[0019] Step 2: Apply glue to the metal valve seat;

[0020] Step 3: Start the flip motors on both sides of the installation platform and flip the lifting platform assembly 90° toward the installation platform so that the metal valve seat is coaxial with the plastic liner;

[0021] Step 4: Start the lifting mechanism so that the second mounting plate drives the metal valve seat toward the plastic liner, and continuously applies pressure to ensure that the glue-coated area of the metal valve seat is in full contact with the mouth of the plastic liner.

[0022] Step 5: Bonding: The inflation device inflates and pressurizes the plastic liner. At the same time, the lifting platform assembly pressurizes the plastic liner through the metal valve seat. After the bonding pressure is reached, the pressure is maintained until the metal valve seat and the plastic liner are firmly bonded.

[0023] Step 6: End of pressure maintenance; start the lifting mechanism to reset the second mounting plate, separate the metal valve seat from the metal valve seat fixing platform, and stop inflation at the same time to complete the bonding of the metal valve seat and the plastic liner.

[0024] When the metal valve seat is coated with glue in step 2, the coating can be done manually or automatically; in the automatic coating, the metal valve seat is fixed, and the coating port of the coating device moves in a circular motion along the metal valve seat to complete the coating, or preferably, the coating port of the coating device is fixed, and the metal valve seat rotation mechanism is started to rotate the metal valve seat to complete the coating.

[0025] The step 5 also includes starting the metal valve seat rotation mechanism before pressure holding to drive the metal valve seat to rotate so that the adhesive layer between the metal valve seat and the plastic liner is evenly distributed, and then stopping the rotation to enter pressure holding bonding.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] (1) The gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device of the present invention completes the bonding of the metal valve seat and the plastic liner by providing a lifting platform assembly in conjunction with the installation platform. Compared with manual bonding, the bonding quality can be stably controlled;

[0028] (2) By setting up an inflation device, the plastic liner is inflated to provide pressure when bonding the metal valve seat and the plastic liner, and the pressure applied to the metal valve seat by the external lifting platform assembly is combined to form an internal and external double clamping force on the bonding area, thereby avoiding the defects of the prior art such as single-sided pressure application, deformation of the plastic liner shoulder, and impact on bonding quality;

[0029] (3) By setting up an automatic gluing device, the amount of glue applied can be strictly controlled to ensure the thickness of the glue layer in the bonding area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Attachment Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the forces acting when bonding the inner liner to the bottle valve seat in the prior art;

[0031] Attachment Figure 2 Schematic diagram of equipment for installing metal valve seats on gas cylinders;

[0032] Attachment Figure 3 Top view of the equipment for installing the metal valve seat of the gas cylinder;

[0033] Attachment Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting platform installation;

[0034] Attachment Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting platform structure;

[0035] Attachment Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the lifting platform assembly and the metal valve seat;

[0036] Attachment Figure 7 This is the overall diagram of the working coordination of the metal valve seat installation equipment for gas cylinders;

[0037] Attachment Figure 8 A partial schematic diagram of the working coordination of the equipment for installing the metal valve seat of the gas cylinder;

[0038] Among them: 1-installation platform, 11-installation station, 111-positioning slot, 2-flipping mechanism, 21-flipping motor, 22-rotating axis, 3-lifting platform assembly, 31-first mounting plate, 311 vertical plate, 312-horizontal plate, 32-lifting mechanism, 321-lifting motor, 322-lifting slider, 323-screw, 33-second mounting plate, 34-metal valve seat fixing platform, 35-metal valve seat rotating mechanism, 36-plastic liner locking rope, 351-rotating motor, 352-driving wheel, 353-belt, 354-metal valve seat rotating platform, 4-inflating device, 41-gas pipe connector, 5-plastic liner, 6-metal valve seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] This embodiment provides a gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device.

[0044] like Figure 2 - As shown in Figure 8, the gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device provided by the present invention includes a mounting platform 1, a turning mechanism 2, a lifting platform assembly 3, and an inflation device 4;

[0045] The installation platform 1 is provided with a conveyor belt, and a plurality of installation stations 11 are provided on the conveyor belt. The installation stations 11 are provided with positioning slots 111, and each installation station 11 carries one plastic liner 5;

[0046] The flipping mechanism 2 is arranged on both sides of the mounting platform 1; the flipping mechanism 2 includes a flipping motor 21 and a rotating shaft 22; the flipping motor 21 is arranged at one end of the mounting platform 1, and the rotating shaft 22 is arranged along the length direction of the mounting platform 1 and extends to the other end of the mounting platform 1, and the length is adapted to the length of the mounting platform 1; the flipping motor 21 can drive the rotating shaft 22 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0047] The lifting platform assembly 3 is provided with several groups, and an equal number of them are arranged on the rotating shafts 22 on both sides of the installation platform 1, corresponding to the installation stations 11; the lifting platform assembly 3 can be flipped clockwise or counterclockwise along with the rotating shaft.

[0048] The lifting platform assembly 3 includes a first mounting plate 31, a lifting mechanism 32, a second mounting plate 33, a metal valve seat fixing platform 34, and a metal valve seat rotating mechanism 35; the first mounting plate 31 is an L-shaped mounting plate, including a vertical plate 311 and a horizontal plate 312, the side of the vertical plate 311 is provided with a card slot that cooperates with the rotating shaft 22, and is then fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 22 by bolts; four sets of lifting mechanisms 32 are provided on the horizontal plate 312, two sets are provided on the side close to the mounting platform 1, and two sets are provided on the side away from the mounting platform 1; the lifting mechanism 32 includes a lifting motor 321, a lifting slider 322, and a screw rod 323, the lifting motor 321 is provided on the horizontal plate 312, and the screw rod 323 is connected to the lifting motor 3 21 is connected and passes through the second mounting plate 33. The lifting slider 322 is connected to the screw rod 323 and fixed to the bottom of the second mounting plate 33 by bolts. The metal valve seat fixing platform 34 is provided on the upper surface of the second mounting plate 33. The metal valve seat rotating mechanism 35 includes a rotating motor 351, a driving pulley 352, a belt 353, and a metal valve seat rotating platform 354. The rotating motor 351 is provided on the lower bottom surface of the second mounting plate 33. The driving pulley 352 is provided on the upper surface of the second mounting plate 33 and is coaxial with the rotating motor 351. The metal valve seat rotating platform 354 is clamped in the metal valve seat fixing platform 34 via a ball bearing. The belt 353 connects the driving pulley 352 and the metal valve seat rotating platform 354. In the lifting platform assembly 3, the second mounting plate 33 is controlled by the lifting mechanism 32 and can move up and down relative to the first mounting plate 31. The metal valve seat rotating platform 354 can be controlled by the rotating motor 351 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0049] The lifting platform assembly 3 further includes a plastic inner locking rope 36 , which is arranged at the upper ends of the two screw rods 323 on the side away from the installation platform 1 .

[0050] The inflation device 4 includes an air pipe connector 41, which is fixed to the bottom of the second mounting plate 33 and the end of the air pipe connector 41 passes through the second mounting plate 33 and extends into the metal valve seat rotating platform 354. When the metal valve seat 6 is bonded to the plastic liner 5, the air pipe connector 41 can be used to provide pressure from the inside to the outside to inflate the plastic liner 5.

[0051] The gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device further includes a gluing device (not shown in the figure); the gluing device is arranged above the lifting platform assembly.

[0052] The gas cylinder metal valve seat installation device also includes a plastic liner transfer robot arm (not shown in the figure), which is arranged at one end of the installation platform and can grab the plastic liner and place it on the conveyor belt of the installation platform.

[0053] The gas cylinder metal valve seat installation equipment also includes a metal valve seat transfer robot arm (not shown in the figure), which can be set on one side of the lifting platform assembly 3 and is used to grab the metal valve seat and place it on the metal valve seat rotating mechanism.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] This embodiment provides a metal valve seat installation method based on the installation device of embodiment 1, including:

[0056] Step 1: Place the plastic liner on the installation station on the installation platform, and install the metal valve seat on the metal valve seat fixing platforms on both sides of the installation station;

[0057] Step 2: Apply glue to the metal valve seat;

[0058] Step 3: Start the flip motors on both sides of the installation platform and flip the lifting platform assembly 90° toward the installation platform so that the metal valve seat is coaxial with the plastic liner;

[0059] Step 4: Start the lifting mechanism so that the second mounting plate drives the metal valve seat toward the plastic liner, and continuously applies pressure to ensure that the glue-coated area of the metal valve seat is in full contact with the mouth of the plastic liner.

[0060] Step 5: Bonding: The inflation device inflates and pressurizes the plastic liner. At the same time, the lifting platform assembly pressurizes the plastic liner through the metal valve seat. After the bonding pressure is reached, the pressure is maintained until the metal valve seat and the plastic liner are firmly bonded.

[0061] Step 6: End of pressure maintenance; start the lifting mechanism to reset the second mounting plate, separate the metal valve seat from the metal valve seat fixing platform, and stop inflation at the same time to complete the bonding of the metal valve seat and the plastic liner.

[0062] When the metal valve seat is coated with glue in step 2, the coating can be done manually or automatically; in the automatic coating, the metal valve seat is fixed, and the coating port of the coating device moves in a circular motion along the metal valve seat to complete the coating, or preferably, the coating port of the coating device is fixed, and the metal valve seat rotation mechanism is started to rotate the metal valve seat to complete the coating.

[0063] The step 5 also includes starting the metal valve seat rotation mechanism before pressure holding to drive the metal valve seat to rotate so that the adhesive layer between the metal valve seat and the plastic liner is evenly distributed, and then stopping the rotation to enter pressure holding bonding.

[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder, characterized in that: Using installation equipment, the installation equipment includes: a mounting platform, a turning mechanism, a lifting platform assembly, and an inflation device; The installation platform is provided with at least one installation station; the installation platform also includes a conveyor belt; the conveyor belt is also provided with a positioning slot; The flip mechanism is arranged on both sides of the installation platform; the flip mechanism includes a flip motor and a rotating shaft; the rotating shaft The shaft is arranged along the length direction of the mounting platform; The lifting platform assembly is arranged on the rotating shafts on both sides of the mounting platform, corresponding to the mounting stations; the lifting platform assembly includes a first mounting plate, a lifting mechanism, a second mounting plate, and a metal valve seat fixing platform; a lifting mechanism is provided on the first mounting plate; the lifting mechanism is connected to the second mounting plate and controls the lifting and lowering of the second mounting plate; a metal valve seat fixing platform is provided on the second mounting plate for fixing the metal valve seat; the lifting platform assembly also includes a metal valve seat rotating mechanism, which includes a rotating motor, a driving wheel, a belt, and a metal valve seat rotating platform; the rotating motor is arranged on the lower bottom surface of the second mounting plate, the driving wheel is arranged on the upper surface of the second mounting plate, and is coaxial with the rotating motor; the metal valve seat rotating platform is clamped in the metal valve seat fixing platform through a ball bearing; the belt connects the driving wheel and the metal valve seat rotating platform; The inflation device includes an air pipe connector, which is connected to the metal valve seat fixing platform; The installation method of the installation device includes: Step 1: Place the plastic liner on the installation station on the installation platform, and install the metal valve seat on the metal valve seat fixing platforms on both sides of the installation station; Step 2: Apply glue to the metal valve seat; Step 3: Start the flip motors on both sides of the installation platform and flip the lifting platform assembly 90° toward the installation platform so that the metal valve seat is coaxial with the plastic liner; Step 4: Start the lifting mechanism so that the second mounting plate drives the metal valve seat toward the plastic liner, and continuously applies pressure to ensure that the glue-coated area of the metal valve seat is in full contact with the mouth of the plastic liner. Step 5: Bonding: The inflation device inflates and pressurizes the plastic liner. At the same time, the lifting platform assembly pressurizes the plastic liner through the metal valve seat. After the bonding pressure is reached, the pressure is maintained until the metal valve seat and the plastic liner are firmly bonded. Step 6: End of pressure maintenance; start the lifting mechanism to reset the second mounting plate, separate the metal valve seat from the metal valve seat fixing platform, and stop inflation at the same time to complete the bonding of the metal valve seat and the plastic liner.

2. A method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting platform assembly is provided with four sets of lifting mechanisms, two sets are provided on the side close to the installation platform, and two sets are provided on the side away from the installation platform.

3. A method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a lifting motor, a lifting slider, and a screw rod. The lifting motor is arranged on the first mounting plate, the lifting slider is installed at the bottom of the second mounting plate, and the screw rod is connected to the lifting motor and the lifting slider and passes through the second mounting plate.

4. A method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first mounting plate is an L-shaped mounting plate, comprising a vertical plate and a horizontal plate; the vertical plate is fixed to the rotating shaft; and a lifting mechanism is provided on the horizontal plate.

5. The method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting platform assembly also includes a plastic liner locking structure; the plastic liner locking structure is arranged at the upper ends of two screw rods away from the mounting platform.

6. The method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a gluing device; the gluing device is arranged above the lifting platform assembly.

7. The method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a plastic liner transfer robot arm, which is arranged at one end of the installation platform and can grab the plastic liner and place it on the conveyor belt of the installation platform.

8. The method for installing a metal valve seat of a gas cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step 5 before pressure holding also includes starting the metal valve seat rotating mechanism to drive the metal valve seat to rotate so that the adhesive layer between the metal valve seat and the plastic liner is evenly distributed, and then stopping the rotation to enter the pressure holding bonding.

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