Pressure tank unit

Abstract

To prevent or restrain a protective member from peeling off from a tank.SOLUTION: A pressure tank unit may include a tank having a storage space for storing compressed gas, and a plurality of protective members joined to a surface of the tank. In this case, the tank may include a barrel having a cylindrical shape, and a dome provided on an end of the barrel and having a hemispherical shape. The plurality of protective members may be arranged in a circumferential direction of the tank along a boundary between the barrel and the dome. Each of the protective members may include a first portion covering the dome and a second portion covering the barrel. An inner surface facing the barrel of the second portion may have at least one joint region joined to the barrel via a joint material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a pressure tank unit for storing compressed gas. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a pressure tank unit mounted on a vehicle. The pressure tank unit includes a tank and a protective member joined to the surface of the tank. The tank has a cylindrical body and a hemispherical dome provided at its end. The protective member is disposed so as to cover the dome of the tank, and protects the tank from external impacts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-044959 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the pressure tank unit described above, the protective member is joined to the dome via a joining material. Due to the structure of the tank, the surface roughness of the dome portion is greater than the surface roughness of the body portion. Therefore, there is a risk of an unintended gap occurring in the joining area between the dome portion and the protective member, and when an external impact is applied to the protective member, there is a risk of the protective member peeling off from the tank. This specification provides a technology that can prevent or suppress the protective member from peeling off from the tank. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in a pressure tank unit. In a first aspect, the pressure tank unit may include a tank having a storage space for storing compressed gas, and a plurality of protective members bonded to a surface of the tank. In this case, the tank may have a body portion having a cylindrical shape, and a dome portion having a hemispherical shape provided at an end of the body portion. The plurality of protective members may be arranged in the circumferential direction of the tank along the boundary between the body portion and the dome portion. Each of the plurality of protective members may include a first portion covering the dome portion and a second portion covering the body portion. An inner surface of the second portion facing the body portion may have at least one bonding region bonded to the body portion via a bonding material.

[0006] The pressure tank unit described above has a structure in which a plurality of protective members are arranged along the circumferential direction. With such a configuration, each protective member can be shaped to cover not only the dome portion but also the body portion. This allows each protective member to be joined to the body portion in addition to or instead of the dome portion. As described above, the surface roughness of the body portion is smaller than the surface roughness of the dome portion. Therefore, each protective member is firmly joined to the tank, and peeling off from the tank is prevented or suppressed.

[0007] In a second aspect, in addition to the first aspect, the at least one bonding region may have a first bonding region and a second bonding region that are independent of each other. When each protective member is bonded to the tank at two or more independent bonding regions, each protective member is firmly bonded to the surface of the tank even if the surface of the tank is curved or uneven.

[0008] In a third aspect, in addition to the second aspect, the first and second bonding regions may be aligned along the circumferential direction. The surface of the body of the tank is curved mainly along the circumferential direction. Therefore, when two or more bonding regions are aligned along the circumferential direction, each protective member is firmly joined to the surface of the body that is curved along the circumferential direction.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, in addition to the third aspect, a groove may be provided on the inner surface of the second portion between the first and second bonding regions. With this configuration, the flexibility of the protective member in the circumferential direction can be increased, and each protective member is more firmly bonded to the surface of the body portion that curves along the circumferential direction.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the inner surface of the first portion facing the dome portion may have a protruding portion protruding toward the dome portion. In this case, the inner surface of the first portion may be in contact with the dome portion at the protruding portion, and may face the dome portion via a gap at a portion other than the protruding portion. With this configuration, dimensional errors of the dome portion can be tolerated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the pressure tank unit. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a pressure tank unit. [Diagram 3] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pressure tank unit cut along a plane passing through the central axis of the tank. FIG. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a first protective member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0012] A pressure tank unit 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pressure tank unit 10 includes a tank 12, a plurality of first protective members 18, and a plurality of second protective members 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the tank 12 has an accommodation space S. The accommodation space S accommodates compressed gas. The compressed gas is, for example, hydrogen gas compressed to a high pressure. The pressure tank unit 10 is mounted on a vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle.

[0013] The tank 12 has a body portion 12b, a first dome portion 12d, and a second dome portion 12e. The body portion 12b has a cylindrical shape extending along a central axis CA. The first dome portion 12d is provided at one end of the body portion 12b. The first dome portion 12d has a hemispherical shape extending outward from the body portion 12b along the central axis CA. The second dome portion 12e is provided at the other end of the body portion 12b. The second dome portion 12e also has a hemispherical shape bulging outward from the body portion 12b along the central axis CA.

[0014] In the technology disclosed in this specification, the "body portion" refers to the range in which the outer diameter of the tank 12 is approximately constant, and the "dome portion" refers to the range in which the outer diameter of the tank 12 becomes smaller as it moves away from the body portion 12b. Note that "approximately constant" indicates that the change in the outer diameter is within about 10%.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the tank 12 has a liner 14, a reinforcing layer 16, and two nozzles 22, 24. The liner 14 defines an internal storage space S for storing compressed gas. The liner 14 is made of a material with high gas barrier properties, such as polyamide resin, which prevents the compressed gas from permeating to the outside.

[0016] The two nozzles 22, 24 are located at both ends of the tank 12. That is, one nozzle 22 is located on the first dome portion 12d, and the other nozzle 24 is located on the second dome portion 12e. The nozzle 22 of the first dome portion 12d has a through hole 22h. The through hole 22h is connected to the storage space S inside the tank 12. A valve unit (not shown) for opening and closing the through hole 22h is attached to the nozzle 22 of the first dome portion 12d. The two nozzles 22, 24 are located on the central axis CA of the tank 12.

[0017] The reinforcing layer 16 covers the outer surface 14a of the liner 14. The reinforcing layer 16 is made of fiber-reinforced plastic, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The reinforcing layer 16 is formed by a filament winding method. As is known, in the filament winding method, a fiber bundle impregnated with a thermosetting resin is wound around the surface 14a of the liner 14, and then the resin is hardened by a heat treatment. In the dome parts 12d and 12e of the tank 12, the reinforcing layer 16 is formed by helical winding. On the other hand, in the body part 12b of the tank 12, the reinforcing layer 16 is formed by hoop winding. In relation to these winding methods, the surface roughness of the dome parts 12d and 12e is greater than the surface roughness of the body part 12b. The reinforcing layer 16 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. The reinforcing layer 16 may further include a layer of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) for surface protection in addition to the layer of CFRP.

[0018] The first protective members 18 and the second protective members 20 are members that protect the tank 12 from external impacts. The first protective members 18 and the second protective members 20 are joined to the outer surface 12a of the tank 12 (i.e., the surface 16a of the reinforcing layer 16). The first protective members 18 are disposed on the first dome portion 12d side of the tank 12. The first protective members 18 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the tank 12 along the boundary between the body portion 12b and the dome portion 12d. The first protective members 18 cover the dome portion 12d and a part of the body portion 12b of the tank 12. The first protective members 18 surround the periphery of the nozzle 22 at a predetermined interval from the nozzle 22.

[0019] Each of the first protective members 18 has a structure that absorbs impact energy. For example, each of the first protective members 18 may have a porous structure made of foamed polyurethane resin. Alternatively, each of the first protective members 18 may have a structure having a plurality of ribs provided on its outer surface or inner surface and a plurality of spaces defined by the plurality of ribs.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, each of the first protective members 18 includes a first portion 18a covering the dome portion 12d and a second portion 18b covering the body portion 12b. The inner surface of the first portion 18a facing the dome portion 12d has a protruding portion 18p protruding toward the dome portion 12d. The protruding portion 18p is in contact with the dome portion 12d. The inner surface of the first portion 18a facing the dome portion 12d faces the dome portion 12d through a gap CL in a portion other than the protruding portion 18p. With this configuration, it is possible to allow for a dimensional error of the dome portion 12d. In a modified example, the inner surface of the first portion 18a facing the dome portion 12d may have a bonding region in the protruding portion 18p that is bonded to the dome portion 12d through a bonding material. In another modified example, the inner surface of the first portion 18a facing the dome portion 12d may not have the protruding portion 18p.

[0021] The second portion 18b has a first joining area A1 and a second joining area A2. The first joining area A1 and the second joining area A2 are joined to the body portion 12b of the tank 12 via a joining material 26. As an example, the joining material 26 is in the form of a sheet. As an example, the first joining area A1 and the second joining area A2 are independent of each other. The first joining area A1 and the second joining area A2 are aligned in the circumferential direction. Each of the first joining area A1 and the second joining area A2 has a generally rectangular shape and extends long along a direction parallel to the central axis CA of the tank 12.

[0022] Each first protective member 18 has a groove 18g between the first bonding area A1 and the second bonding area A2 of the second portion 18b. With this configuration, the flexibility of the first protective member 18 in the circumferential direction can be increased, and each first protective member 18 is more firmly bonded to the surface of the body portion 12b that curves along the circumferential direction. The specific configuration of the groove 18g is not particularly limited. The groove 18g extends over the entire area between the first bonding area A1 and the second bonding area A2. The groove 18g extends from between the first bonding area A1 and the second bonding area A2 to the first portion 18a.

[0023] The multiple second protective members 20 are disposed on the second dome portion 12e side of the tank 12. The multiple second protective members 20 may have a similar configuration to the multiple first protective members 18.

[0024] In the pressure tank unit 10 of this embodiment, the multiple protective members 18, 20 are arranged in the circumferential direction. With this configuration, each of the protective members 18, 20 can be shaped to cover not only the dome portions 12d, 12e but also the body portion 12b. As a result, each of the protective members 18, 20 can be joined to the body portion 12b in addition to or instead of the dome portions 12d, 12e. As described above, due to the structure of the tank 12, the surface roughness of the body portion 12b is smaller than the surface roughness of the dome portions 12d, 12e. Therefore, in the first joining region A1 and the second joining region A2, gaps are prevented from occurring between the multiple protective members 18, 20 and the surface 12a of the tank 12. Each of the protective members 18, 20 is firmly joined to the tank 12, and is prevented or suppressed from peeling off from the tank 12.

[0025] Furthermore, each of the protective members 18, 20 has two bonding regions A1, A2 that are independent of each other. That is, each of the protective members 18, 20 is bonded to the surface 12a of the tank 12 at each of the two or more independent bonding regions A1, A2. With this configuration, even if the surface 12a of the tank 12 is curved or uneven, each of the protective members 18, 20 is firmly bonded to the surface 12a of the tank 12.

[0026] The two joining regions A1, A2 are aligned along the circumferential direction of the tank 12. The surface of the body portion 12b of the tank 12 is curved mainly along the circumferential direction. Therefore, when two or more joining regions A1, A2 are aligned along the circumferential direction of the tank 12, each of the protective members 18, 20 is firmly joined to the surface of the body portion 12b that is curved along the circumferential direction.

[0027] However, the configuration of the joint areas A1, A2 in each of the protective members 18, 20 is not limited to the specific configuration described in this embodiment. The two or more joint areas A1, A2 do not have to be aligned along the circumferential direction of the tank 12, and may be aligned along a direction parallel to the central axis CA of the tank 12. In this case, in order to increase the area of ​​the joint areas A1, A2, each of the joint areas A1, A2 may extend long in the circumferential direction of the tank 12. Furthermore, the number of the joint areas A1, A2 in each of the protective members 18, 20 is not limited to two. Each of the protective members 18, 20 may have at least one joint area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 10: pressure tank unit, 12: tank, 12b: body portion, 12d, 12e: dome portion, 18, 20: protective member, 18a: first portion, 18b: second portion, 18p: protrusion, A1, A2: joint area, CA: central axis, CL: gap, S: storage space

Claims

1. a tank having a storage space for storing compressed gas; A plurality of protective members joined to a surface of the tank; Equipped with The tank has a body portion having a cylindrical shape and a dome portion provided at an end of the body portion and having a hemispherical shape, The plurality of protective members are arranged in a circumferential direction of the tank along a boundary between the body portion and the dome portion, Each of the plurality of protective members includes a first portion covering the dome portion and a second portion covering the body portion, An inner surface of the second portion facing the body portion has at least one joining region joined to the body portion via a joining material. Pressure tank unit.

2. The pressure tank unit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bonding area comprises a first bonding area and a second bonding area that are independent of each other.

3. The pressure tank unit according to claim 2 , wherein the first joining region and the second joining region are aligned along the circumferential direction.

4. The pressure tank unit according to claim 3 , wherein the inner surface of the second portion is provided with a groove between the first bonding area and the second bonding area.

5. 5. The pressure tank unit according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the first part facing the dome portion has a protrusion that protrudes toward the dome portion, the protrusion is in contact with the dome portion, and the portion other than the protrusion faces the dome portion via a gap.

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