Equipment for manufacturing tanks for fluids

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of accurately winding a filament around an outer surface of a liner.SOLUTION: A manufacturing apparatus comprises a first chuck, a second chuck, a first drive mechanism, a feeder, a second drive mechanism, and a controller. The feeder supplies a long-length filament to a liner held by the first chuck and the second chuck. The controller executes a filament winding program for winding the filament around an outer surface of the liner by axially moving the feeder while synchronous controlling the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism to rotate the liner. At least one of the first chuck and the second chuck is adjustable in an axial position. The controller corrects a feeder movement range described in the program in correspondence with a position after adjusting at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck before executing the program.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a tank for fluid, and more particularly to a manufacturing apparatus including a control device that executes a program for filament winding to wind a filament around an outer surface of a liner. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a tank (referred to as a high-pressure tank in Patent Document 1) for storing a fluid (for example, high-pressure hydrogen gas) by winding fibers around the outer surface of a cylindrical liner. In the manufacturing apparatus, filament winding is performed with the liner fixed to a shaft that penetrates the liner in the axial direction, and a long filament is wound as fibers around the outer surface of the liner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-075315 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1, filament winding is performed in a state where a pair of bosses provided at both axial ends of the liner are fixed to each other via a shaft. This stabilizes the axial dimension of the liner, allowing the filament to be accurately wound around the outer surface of the liner. However, in this manufacturing apparatus, labor is required to fix the shaft to the liner. Furthermore, the axial dimension of the tank can be changed depending on the volume of the fluid to be contained. Therefore, in a manufacturing apparatus that fixes the liner to the shaft, it becomes necessary to manufacture multiple shafts depending on the volume of the fluid. In a manufacturing apparatus that fixes the liner using a shaft, the production efficiency of the tank deteriorates.

[0005] On the other hand, when the fiber is wound around the outer surface of the liner without using a shaft, the axial dimension of the liner is difficult to stabilize. If the axial dimension of the liner varies, a deviation occurs between the movement range of the feeder that supplies the filament to the liner and the axial dimension of the liner when performing filament winding. As a result, the filament cannot be accurately wound around the outer surface of the liner in the filament winding. That is, in a manufacturing device that fixes the liner without using a shaft, the accuracy of winding the fiber is likely to be lower than in a manufacturing device that fixes the liner using a shaft. This specification provides a technology that allows a filament to be accurately wound around the outer surface of the liner in a manufacturing device that does not use a shaft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in a manufacturing apparatus for a tank for a fluid. The manufacturing apparatus includes a first chuck, a second chuck, a first drive mechanism, a feeder, a second drive mechanism, and a control device. A first boss is fixed to the first chuck at one end in the axial direction of a liner having a cylindrical shape. A second boss is fixed to the second chuck at the other end in the axial direction of the liner. The first drive mechanism rotates and drives the liner fixed to the first chuck and the second chuck. The feeder supplies a long filament to the liner held by the first chuck and the second chuck. The second drive mechanism moves the feeder along the axial direction. The control device executes a program for filament winding in which the filament is wound around the outer surface of the liner by synchronously controlling the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism and moving the feeder along the axial direction while rotating the liner. At least one of the first chuck and the second chuck is adjustable in its axial position, and before executing the program, the control device corrects a movement range of the feeder described in the program according to an adjusted position of the at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned configuration, before executing the program, the control device corrects the movement range of the feeder described in the program according to the adjusted position of the first chuck and / or the second chuck. The adjusted position of the chuck corresponds to the actual dimension of the liner in the axial direction. Therefore, by correcting the program according to the position of the chuck, even if there is an individual difference in the dimension of the liner in the axial direction, the filament can be wound on the outer surface of the liner with high accuracy. Since there is no need to correct the manufacturing error occurring in the dimension of the liner in the axial direction by using a shaft or the like, the production efficiency of the tank can be improved.

[0008] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Forms for Carrying Out the Invention". [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 shows a plan view of a manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a perspective view of a high-pressure tank 2 manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus 100. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 in a step of adjusting the position of the movable unit 20. FIG. [Diagram 5] A plan view of the liner 4 is shown during the process of performing the helical winding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the manufacturing apparatus may further include a third drive mechanism for moving at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck along the axial direction. In that case, the control device may execute, before executing the program, a process of controlling the third drive mechanism while monitoring the axial load applied to the liner to adjust the position of at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck in the axial direction, and a process of correcting the movement range of the feeder described in the program based on the position of at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck after adjustment by the third drive mechanism. However, in another embodiment, the control device may correct the movement range of the feeder for the first chuck and the second chuck that have already been adjusted to a predetermined length, for example. In that case, the manufacturing apparatus may not include a third drive mechanism.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, the control device may correct one of the movement limits of the feeder described in the program according to the adjusted position of the first chuck, and may correct the other movement limit of the feeder described in the program according to the adjusted position of the second chuck. However, in another embodiment, both movement limits of the feeder may be corrected according to the adjusted position of the first chuck.

[0012] The program may include a helical winding part for helically winding the filament on the liner. In this case, the control device may correct the movement range of the feeder described in the helical winding part in the process of correcting the movement range of the feeder. However, in another embodiment, the program may include a part for winding in a manner different from helical winding.

[0013] (Example) A manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus 100. The manufacturing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for manufacturing a high-pressure tank 2. The high-pressure tank 2 is mounted on, for example, a fuel cell vehicle (not shown). The high-pressure tank 2 stores high-pressure hydrogen gas used by the fuel cell vehicle to generate power. The high-pressure tank 2 includes a liner 4 and a filament 6. The liner 4 has a cylindrical shape and is made of resin. Hereinafter, the direction parallel to the central axis C1 of the liner 4 (i.e., the positive and negative directions of the X-axis in the coordinate system in the figure) is referred to as the axial direction.

[0014] The liner 4 is made of resin and includes a cap 8v (i.e., a first boss) and an end boss 8e (i.e., a second boss). The cap 8v is made of metal and is provided at one axial end of the liner 4 (i.e., the end on the right side in FIG. 1). The cap 8v has a through hole that communicates the inside and outside of the liner 4. As shown in FIG. 1, a first jig 9v is screwed into the through hole of the cap 8v. The end boss 8e is made of metal and is provided at the other axial end of the liner 4 (i.e., the end on the left side in FIG. 1). Unlike the cap 8v, the end boss 8e does not have a through hole. However, the end boss 8e has a screw hole, and the second jig 9e is screwed into the screw hole.

[0015] The filament 6 is, for example, a long strip made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The filament 6 is made of multiple fibers and has a flat shape. The filament 6 is wound multiple times around the outer surface of the liner 4. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the filament 6 covers the entire outer surface of the liner 4. This reinforces the liner 4 and completes the high-pressure tank 2.

[0016] The manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a fixed unit 10, a movable unit 20, a feeder 30, and a control device 40. The fixed unit 10 includes a first chuck 12, a compressor 16, and a filter 18. The first chuck 12 fixes a first jig 9v. This causes the liner 4 to be fixed to the fixed unit 10. The first chuck 12 is fixed to the main body of the fixed unit 10 so as to be rotatable about a central axis C1. The first jig 9v has a hollow shape and communicates the inside and outside of the liner 4. A flow path 14 passing through the fixed unit 10 is connected to the first jig 9v. The flow path 14 is provided with a compressor 16. The compressor 16 pressure-feeds air A1 introduced from the outside through the filter 18 into the inside of the liner 4. The compressor 16 inflates the liner 4 to a predetermined shape by increasing the internal pressure of the liner 4.

[0017] The movable unit 20 includes a second chuck 22, a motor 24, a pair of rails 26 parallel to the axial direction, and a load sensor 28. The second chuck 22 is fixed to the main body of the movable unit 20 so as to be rotatable around the central axis C1. When the motor 24 rotates, the second chuck 22 drives in a rotation direction D1. This causes the second jig 9e and the end boss 8e to rotate around the central axis C1. As a result, the liner 4 fixed to the manufacturing apparatus 100 rotates around the central axis C1. The pair of rails 26 drives the main body of the movable unit 20 in the axial direction (i.e., the adjustment direction D3). The movable unit 20 adjusts the axial length of the liner 4 fixed to the manufacturing apparatus 100 by the pair of rails 26. When adjusting the axial length of the liner 4, the load sensor 28 detects the magnitude of the load that the movable unit 20 receives from the liner 4 and transmits it to the control device 40.

[0018] The feeder 30 includes a supply port 32, a filament roll 34, and a pair of rails 36 parallel to the axial direction. The pair of rails 36 reciprocate the body of the feeder 30 in the feed direction D2 within the movement range. For example, when the feeder 30 reaches the movement limit on the side of the nozzle 8v in the movement range, the feeder 30 rotates the supply port 32 in its up-down direction (i.e., in the direction toward the rear of the paper in FIG. 1). This allows the flat filament 6 to be wound on the outer surface of the liner 4 without being turned over. The filament roll 34 holds the filament 6 before being wound on the liner 4. The filament 6 is wound around the filament roll 34 in multiple layers. The feeder 30 supplies the filament 6 from the filament roll 34 to the outer surface of the liner 4 through the supply port 32.

[0019] The control device 40 is a computer including a CPU and a memory 44. The control device 40 stores FW (abbreviation of Filament Winding) programs 46, 48 in the memory 44. The FW programs 46, 48 include a helical part 46 and a hoop part 48, and are programs for winding the filament 6 around the outer surface of the liner 4. The control device 40 is electrically connected to each of the devices 10, 20, 30. The control device 40 controls each of the devices 10, 20, 30 by executing the FW programs 46, 48 stored in the memory 44. For example, the control device 40 synchronously controls the movable unit 20 and the feeder 30 to move the feeder 30 back and forth in the feed direction D2 while rotating the movable unit 20. As a result, the filament 6 is wound around the entire outer surface of the liner 4.

[0020] The helical part 46 is a program for helically winding the filament 6 around the liner 4, and includes information such as the rotation speed of the motor of the movable unit 20, the movement speed and movement range of the feeder 30, and the rotation speed and angle of the supply port 32. The hoop part 48 is a program for hoop winding the filament 6 around the liner 4, and includes information such as the rotation speed of the motor of the movable unit 20, the movement speed and movement range of the feeder 30, and the like.

[0021] 3 to 5, a process in which the manufacturing apparatus 100 manufactures the high-pressure tank 2 will be described. First, a first jig 9v is fixed to the first chuck 12, and a second jig 9e is fixed to the second chuck 22. This causes the liner 4 to be fixed to the manufacturing apparatus 100. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 40 controls the compressor 16 to supply air A1 that has passed through the filter 18 into the liner 4. As a result, an internal pressure P1 is applied inside the liner 4. The internal pressure P1 inflates the liner 4.

[0022] When the control device 40 detects that the internal pressure P1 of the liner 4 obtained from a pressure sensor (not shown) has reached a predetermined pressure, it moves the movable unit 20 toward the liner 4 along the pair of rails 26 while monitoring the load F1 obtained from the load sensor 28 (see FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. 4. The control device 40 moves the movable unit 20 in the axial direction until the load F1 becomes the predetermined load. As a result, the end boss 8e fixed to the second chuck 22 moves toward the liner 4. In this way, the manufacturing apparatus 100 adjusts the axial dimension of the liner 4 depending on the magnitude of the load F1 applied to the liner 4 in the axial direction.

[0023] For example, in the case of a configuration in which the end boss 8e is moved to a position corresponding to a predetermined dimensional position of the liner 4, depending on the dimensional position, the movable unit 20 may move the end boss 8e with a large load F1 exceeding the predetermined load. In such a configuration, the magnitude of the load F1 applied by the movable unit 20 to the liner 4 is not stable. In this case, the movable unit 20 is required to output a large load F1 exceeding the predetermined load, so that the size of the movable unit 20 becomes large. In the manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the axial position of the movable unit 20 is adjusted so that the load F1 coincides with the predetermined load while monitoring the load F1, so that the movable unit 20 does not apply a load exceeding the predetermined load to the liner 4. For this reason, the size of the movable unit 20 can be reduced.

[0024] In addition, in the conventional technology, for example, the filament 6 is wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 in a state where the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e are fixed to each other via a shaft. This allows the axial positions of the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e to be corrected by the shaft. Therefore, in the conventional technology, when filament winding is performed, individual differences in the axial dimensions of the liner 4 can be reduced. As a result, the filament 6 is accurately wound around the outer surface of the liner 4. However, the manufacturing apparatus 100 fixes the liner 4 by each chuck 12, 22 without using a shaft.

[0025] In the FW programs 46 and 48, default positions (coordinates) of the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e fixed to the manufacturing apparatus 100 are stored. The FW programs 46 and 48 wind the filament 6 on the outer surface of the liner 4 based on these coordinates. If the actual positions of the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e are deviated from the default coordinates in the FW programs 46 and 48, the filament 6 is wound around the deviated position of the actual liner 4 when the FW programs 46 and 48 are executed. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, the liner 4 has a curved dome surface at both ends in the axial direction. For example, the control device 40 winds the filament 6 around the dome surface using the helical part 46. If the filament 6 is wound around the curved dome surface in a state where the actual positions of the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e of the liner 4 are deviated from the default coordinates in the helical part 46, the filament 6 is not accurately wound around the dome surface. In this case, for example, the filament 6 may be wound overlapping a part of the dome surface. Furthermore, the filament 6 may be insufficient on a part of the dome surface. If the actual axial positions of the nozzle 8v and the end boss 8e deviate from the default coordinates in the FW programs 46 and 48, the manufacturing apparatus 100 cannot wind the filament around the outer surface of the liner 4 with high accuracy.

[0026] The control device 40 receives the load F1 from the load sensor 28 (see FIG. 1) of the movable unit 20. When the control device 40 determines that the load F1 received from the load sensor 28 coincides with a predetermined load, it fixes the position of the movable unit 20. Thereafter, the control device 40 receives from the movable unit 20 the distance that the movable unit 20 has moved along the pair of rails 26 from its default position to apply the load F1 to the liner 4. The control device 40 uses the distance received from the movable unit 20 to correct the axial coordinate of the end Ep of the end boss 8e on the movable unit 20 side to a reference in the axial direction in the FW programs 46, 48. Furthermore, the control device 40 stores in the FW programs 46, 48 the coordinate of the end Vp of the mouthpiece 8v on the fixed unit 10 side before the movable unit 20 moves. The control device 40 uses the distance received from the movable unit 20 to correct the axial position of the end Vp to a coordinate in the axial direction based on the end Ep. In this way, after adjusting the axial position of the movable unit 20, the control device 40 obtains the coordinates of the mouthpiece 8v and the end boss 8e of the liner 4.

[0027] 5, the control device 40 corrects the movement limit L1 on the end boss 8e side of the feeder 30, among the default movement limits within the helical part 46, based on the coordinates of the end Ep of the jaw 8v obtained after adjustment. The control device 40 corrects the movement limit L2 on the jaw side of the feeder 30, among the default movement limits within the helical part 46, based on the coordinates of the end Vp of the end boss 8e obtained.

[0028] The helical part 46 performs helical winding on the liner 4 in a movement range M1 having the corrected movement limits L1 and L2. As a result, the control device 40 turns back the supply port 32 from the direction toward the end boss 8e to the direction toward the nozzle 8v in the feed direction D2 based on the movement limit L1 based on the end Ep. As a result, the filament 6 is wound at an intended position (e.g., contact points E1 and E2) on the dome surface of the liner 4 on the end boss 8e side. Similarly, the control device 40 turns back the supply port 32 from the direction toward the nozzle 8v to the direction toward the end boss 8e in the feed direction D2 based on the movement limit L2 based on the end Vp. As a result, the filament 6 is wound at an intended position (e.g., contact points V1 and V2) on the dome surface of the liner 4 on the nozzle 8v side.

[0029] In this manner, the manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment corrects the movement limits L1, L2 of the movement range M1 in the FW programs 46, 48 in accordance with the adjusted position of the second chuck 22. As a result, even if the position of the second chuck 22 deviates from the default coordinates in the FW programs 46, 48, the deviation can be adjusted, and the filament 6 can be wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 with high precision.

[0030] (Correspondence) The motor 24 of the movable unit 20 is an example of a "first drive mechanism." The pair of rails 36 of the feeder 30 is an example of a "second drive mechanism." The pair of rails 26 of the movable unit 20 is an example of a "third drive mechanism."

[0031] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.

[0032] (Modification 1) The high-pressure tank 2 contains high-pressure hydrogen gas, but in a modification, it may contain various compressed gases such as helium gas, CNG (compressed natural gas), etc. Furthermore, the high-pressure tank 2 may contain various liquefied gases such as LNG (liquefied natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), or may contain various other pressurized fuel gases.

[0033] (Modification 2) The liner 4 may be fixed to the manufacturing apparatus 100 in a pressurized and expanded state. In this case, the fixed unit 10 does not need to include the flow path 14, the compressor 16, and the filter 18.

[0034] (Modification 3) The first chuck 12 of the fixed unit 10 may fix the jaw 8v directly without using the first jig 9v. Similarly, the second chuck 22 of the movable unit 20 may fix the end boss 8e directly without using the second jig 9e.

[0035] (Variation 4) The movable unit 20 does not have to move in the axial direction along the pair of rails 26. In that case, the movable unit 20 does not have to include the motor 24, the load sensor 28, and the pair of rails 26.

[0036] (Modification 5) The control device 40 does not need to correct the movement limit L2 based on the end Vp. In that case, for example, the control device 40 may correct the movement limit L2 based on the end Ep, or the movement limit L2 may use a default movement limit.

[0037] (Modification 6) The FW programs 46, 48 may further include a part for executing another winding method. In this case, the control device 40 may correct the movement range M1 when executing that part.

[0038] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings have technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 2: High pressure tank 4: Lina 6: Filament 8e: End Boss 8v : Base 10: Fixed unit 12: First zipper 20: Movable unit 22: Second zipper 24: Motor 28: Load sensor 30: Feeder 40: Control device 44: Memory 46: Helical part 48: Hoop Part 100: Manufacturing equipment C1: Central axis D1: Rotation direction D2: Feed direction D3: Adjustment direction L1, L2: Travel limit M1: Moving range

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a tank for a fluid, comprising: a first chuck to which a first boss provided at one axial end of a cylindrical liner is fixed; a second chuck to which a second boss provided at the other end of the liner in the axial direction is fixed; and a first driving mechanism that rotates the liner fixed to the first chuck and the second chuck; a feeder that supplies a long filament to the liner held by the first chuck and the second chuck; a second drive mechanism that moves the feeder along the axial direction; a control device that executes a program for filament winding, which winds the filament on an outer surface of the liner by synchronously controlling the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism to move the feeder along the axial direction while rotating the liner; and Equipped with At least one of the first chuck and the second chuck is adjustable in position in the axial direction, the control device corrects a movement range of the feeder described in the program according to an adjusted position of at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck before executing the program; Manufacturing equipment.

2. a third drive mechanism that moves at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck along the axial direction; Before executing the program, the control device a process of controlling the third driving mechanism while monitoring the axial load applied to the liner, to adjust a position of at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck in the axial direction; and executing a process of correcting a movement range of the feeder described in the program based on the position of at least one of the first chuck and the second chuck after adjustment by the third driving mechanism. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The control device includes: correcting one of the movement limits of the feeder described in the program according to the adjusted position of the first chuck; 3. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of correcting the other movement limit of the feeder described in the program in accordance with the adjusted position of the second chuck.

4. the program includes a helical winding part for helically winding the filament on the liner; The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device corrects the movement range of the feeder described in the helical winding part in the process of correcting the movement range of the feeder.

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