Pressure tank unit and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of preventing damage of a tank even if a plurality of protective members are divided.SOLUTION: A pressure tank unit mounted on a vehicle includes: a tank having a cylindrical part extending along a central axis, and a dome part provided on the end of the cylindrical part; and a plurality of protective members which cover the dome part, and are divided in a circumferential direction with respect to the central axis. Each of the plurality of protective members includes: a body part which is positioned between two adjacent other protective members in the circumferential direction; an overlapping part which overlaps one of the two adjacent other protective members; and an overlapped part which is overlapped with the other overlapping part of the two adjacent other protective members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a pressure tank unit and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a pressure tank unit including a tank having a cylindrical portion and a dome portion, and a protective member that covers the tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-29698 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The protective member is made of a flexible material such as plastic, and absorbs external shocks to the tank. The protective member of Patent Document 1 is made of a single member that covers the entire dome portion. In response to this, in order to increase the design freedom of the protective member, it has been considered to divide the protective member into multiple parts along the circumferential direction. However, when the protective member is divided along the circumferential direction, gaps are generated between the divided protective members, and there is a risk that the surface of the tank may be exposed through these gaps. This specification provides a technology that can solve this problem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The pressure tank unit disclosed in this specification includes a tank including a cylindrical portion extending along a central axis and a dome portion provided at an end of the cylindrical portion, and a plurality of protective members covering the dome portion and divided in a circumferential direction about the central axis, each of the plurality of protective members including a main body portion located between two other adjacent protective members in the circumferential direction, an overlap portion overlapping one of the other two adjacent protective members, and an overlapped portion overlapped by the overlap portion of the other of the other two adjacent protective members.

[0006] In the pressure tank unit described above, each of the multiple protective members includes an overlapping portion that overlaps one of the other two adjacent protective members, and an overlapped portion that overlaps the overlapping portion of the other of the other two adjacent protective members. That is, one protective member and the other adjacent protective member are disposed adjacent to each other by overlapping the overlapping portion and the overlapped portion in the radial direction. With this configuration, even with multiple protective members, the dome portion of the tank can be covered without creating a gap between one protective member and another protective member. Therefore, even with multiple divided protective members, damage to the tank can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a pressure tank unit. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a protective member. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a dome portion of a pressure tank unit. [Figure 4] 1 shows a manufacturing method of a pressure tank unit. [Diagram 5] 4 shows the movement of the protective member in the moving process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In one embodiment of the present technology, each of the multiple protective members may have an inner surface facing the dome portion. The inner surface may have a step along a boundary between the main body portion and the overlapping portion. With this configuration, the step creates a space between the overlapping portion and the tank. The overlapped portion of the adjacent protective member enters this space, making it easier for the overlapping portion and the overlapping portion to overlap in the radial direction without interfering with each other.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, each of the multiple protection members may be a common part having the same shape. With such a configuration, it is possible to relatively reduce costs for design and manufacturing.

[0010] This specification also discloses a method for manufacturing a pressure tank unit. The manufacturing method may include an arrangement step of arranging a plurality of jigs at equal intervals around the outside of the tank in a circumferential direction, an attachment step of attaching a corresponding one of a plurality of protective members to each of the plurality of jigs, and a movement step of moving the plurality of jigs to which the plurality of protective members are attached toward the tank until the plurality of protective members contact the tank. In the movement step, the distance from each of the plurality of protective members to the central axis may be maintained at the same distance. With this configuration, the plurality of protective members can be arranged on the surface of the tank without interference between the overlapping portion and the overlapped portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, in the moving step, the multiple jigs may be moved at the same speed along the radial direction. With this configuration, the multiple jigs can be moved while maintaining the same distance from each of the multiple protective members to the central axis with a relatively simple configuration and control. Note that the movement method of each jig does not necessarily have to be parallel to the radial direction, and may be angled with respect to the radial direction. That is, each jig may move along a spiral path, not limited to a radial path. EXAMPLES

[0012] (Configuration of pressure tank unit) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a pressure tank unit 10 of an embodiment. The pressure tank unit 10 includes a tank 12, a plurality of first protective members 14, and a plurality of second protective members 16. The pressure tank unit 10 is mounted on, for example, a fuel cell vehicle (not shown). The tank 12 stores high-pressure hydrogen gas used by the fuel cell vehicle to generate power. In other words, the tank 12 is a tank that stores high-pressure fluid. Note that the technology described in this embodiment is not limited to the pressure tank unit 10 that stores hydrogen gas, but can also be adopted in pressure tank units that store other types of compressed fluid.

[0013] The tank 12 has a cylindrical portion 18 having a cylindrical shape extending along a central axis CL, a first dome portion 20 provided at one end of the cylindrical portion 18, and a second dome portion 22 provided at the other end of the cylindrical portion 18.

[0014] The tank 12 includes a liner 24, a fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) layer 26, and two caps 28 and 29. The liner 24 is the innermost layer and forms an internal space for storing hydrogen. The liner 24 may be made of a material with high gas barrier properties, such as a plastic such as polyamide.

[0015] The FRP layer 26 is a layer disposed on the outside of the liner 24. The FRP layer 26 may be formed by impregnating long filaments made of a fiber material with a thermosetting plastic (e.g., epoxy resin) or a thermoplastic plastic. The FRP layer 26 may be, for example, CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) or GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics). That is, the fiber material may be carbon fiber or glass fiber.

[0016] The nozzles 28, 29 are bosses made of metal, and include a first nozzle 28 and a second nozzle 29. The first nozzle 28 is provided in the center of the first dome section 20 and is located on the central axis CL. The second nozzle 29 is provided in the center of the second dome section 22 and is located on the central axis CL. The first nozzle 28 has a through hole 28a that communicates between the inside and outside of the tank 12. Hydrogen gas in the tank 12 is released to the outside or filled from the outside through the through hole 28a.

[0017] The multiple first protective members 14 cover the first dome portion 20, and the multiple second protective members 16 cover the second dome portion 22. The multiple first protective members 14 and the multiple second protective members 16 are made of a flexible material such as plastic, and absorb shock to the tank 12 from the outside. As an example, the first protective members 14 and the second protective members 16 in this embodiment are made of polypropylene.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the pressure tank unit 10 seen from the first dome portion 20 side. In FIG. 2, the first cap 28 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the first protective members 14 as a whole have a divided structure divided along the circumferential direction about the central axis CL. Although not particularly limited, each of the first protective members 14 is a common part having the same shape. This allows the design and manufacturing costs to be relatively low. The number of the first protective members 14 is not particularly limited, and may be 8 to 12, may be less than 8, or may be 13 or more.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the multiple first protective members 14 includes a main body portion 30, an overlapped portion 32, an overlapped portion 34, and a step 36. The main body portion 30 is located between two adjacent first protective members 14, 14 in the circumferential direction. The main body portion 30 has a curved structure along the circumference. A rib 38 is provided on a surface 30a of the main body portion 30. The rib 38 may be provided to improve the strength and impact absorption rate of the first protective member 14. The shape and number of the rib 38 are not particularly limited, and for example, a plurality of ribs may be provided on the surface 30a of the main body portion 30. Although not particularly limited, the thickness T1 of the main body portion 30 may be, for example, 6 mm.

[0020] The overlapping portion 32 is disposed at the right end of the main body portion 30. The overlapping portion 32 overlaps the left end (i.e., the overlapped portion 34) of another adjacent first protective member 14. Although not particularly limited, the thickness T2 of the overlapping portion 32 may be, for example, 2 mm, and the length L1 may be, for example, 12 mm.

[0021] The overlapped portion 34 is disposed at the left end of the main body portion 30. The overlapped portion 34 overlaps with the right end of another adjacent first protective member 14 (i.e., the overlapped portion 32). Although not particularly limited, the thickness T3 of the overlapped portion 34 may be, for example, 2 mm, and the length L2 may be, for example, 12 mm. Furthermore, the length L3 of the overlapped portion 42 in which the overlapped portion 32 and the overlapped portion 34 overlap in the radial direction may be, for example, 6 mm.

[0022] According to this configuration, between two adjacent first protective members 14, the overlapped portion 32 of one first protective member 14 and the overlapped portion 34 of the other first protective member 14 overlap in the radial direction. As a result, no gap that exposes the tank 12 is formed between the two adjacent first protective members 14. Therefore, even with a plurality of divided first protective members 14, damage to the tank 12 can be prevented.

[0023] 3, a step 36 is provided along the boundary between the overlapping portion 32 and the main body portion 30. The step 36 is provided on the inner surface 14a of the first protective member 14. With this configuration, the step 36 creates a space 40 between the overlapping portion 32 and the tank 12. The overlapped portion 34 of the adjacent first protective member 14 enters this space 40, making it easier for the overlapping portion 32 and the overlapped portion 34 to overlap in the radial direction without interfering with each other.

[0024] While the multiple first protective members 14 covering the first dome section 20 have been described above, the multiple second protective members 16 (see FIG. 1) covering the second dome section 22 also have a similar configuration.

[0025] (Pressure tank unit manufacturing method) A manufacturing method of the pressure tank unit 10 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment, in particular, assuming that the pressure tank unit 10 includes eight first protective members 14, a series of steps for assembling the eight first protective members 14 to the tank 12 will be described. First, as shown in Figure 4(A), an arrangement step is performed in which jigs 44 in the same number as the first protective members 14 (i.e., eight jigs 44) are arranged on the outside of the first dome portion 20 of the tank 12. In the arrangement step, the multiple jigs 44 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0026] 4(B), an attachment process is performed in which one of the eight first protective members 14 is attached to each of the eight jigs 44. At this time, a bonding material (not shown) such as an adhesive or adhesive tape is provided on the inner surface 14a of each of the first protective members 14. Note that this bonding material may be provided on the surface of the tank 12 instead of or in addition to the first protective members 14.

[0027] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(C), a moving step is performed in which the eight jigs 44 to which the first protective members 14 are respectively attached are moved toward the tank 12 until each of the first protective members 14 comes into contact with the tank 12. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the eight jigs 44 moves so as to maintain the same distance from each of the multiple first protective members 14 to the central axis CL. As a result, the multiple first protective members 14 can be disposed on the surface 12a of the tank 12 without interference between the overlapping portion 32 and the overlapped portion 34. Each of the first protective members 14 is bonded to the surface of the tank 12 via a bonding material and fixed to the tank 12.

[0028] Although detailed description will be omitted, the multiple second protective members 16 are also assembled to the tank 12 using multiple jigs, similar to the multiple first protective members 14. At this time, the assembly of the second protective members 16 may be performed simultaneously with the assembly of the first protective members 14, or may be performed before or after that.

[0029] As described above, in the moving step, each of the eight jigs 44 moves so as to maintain the same distance from each of the multiple first protective members 14 to the central axis CL. That is, the eight jigs 44 move at the same speed along the radial direction. With this configuration, the eight jigs 44 can be relatively simply configured and controlled. The movement method of the eight jigs 44 does not necessarily have to be parallel to the radial direction, and may be angled with respect to the radial direction. That is, each of the eight jigs 44 may move along a spiral path, not limited to a radial path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10: pressure tank unit, 12: tank, 14: protective member, 16: protective member, 18: cylindrical portion, 20, 22: dome portion, 24: liner, 26: FRP layer, 28: nozzle, 28a: through hole, 30: main body portion, 32: overlapping portion, 34: overlapped portion, 36: step, 38: rib, 40: space, 42: overlapping portion, 44: jig, CL: central axis

Claims

1. A pressure tank unit mounted on a vehicle, A tank including a cylindrical portion extending along a central axis and a dome portion provided at an end of the cylindrical portion; a plurality of protective members covering the dome portion and divided in a circumferential direction about the central axis; Equipped with Each of the plurality of protective members is a main body portion located between two other adjacent protective members in the circumferential direction; an overlapping portion that overlaps one of the other two adjacent protective members; and an overlapped portion overlapped by the overlapped portion of the other of the two adjacent protective members. Pressure tank unit.

2. Each of the plurality of protective members has an inner surface facing the dome portion, The pressure tank unit according to claim 1 , wherein the inner surface is provided with a step along a boundary between the main body portion and the overlap portion.

3. The pressure tank unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of protective members is a common part having the same shape.

4. A method for manufacturing the pressure tank unit according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: an arrangement step of arranging a plurality of jigs at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer side of the tank; a mounting step of mounting one of the plurality of protective members to each of the plurality of jigs; a moving step of moving the plurality of jigs to which the plurality of protective members are attached toward the tank until the plurality of protective members come into contact with the tank; Equipped with In the moving step, the distances from each of the plurality of protective members to the central axis are maintained at the same distance. Manufacturing method.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 4 , wherein in the moving step, the plurality of jigs are moved in a radial direction at the same speed.

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