Hydrogen supply piping and method of manufacturing hydrogen supply piping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10290881-B2
Application number	US-201514881183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

There is provided a hydrogen supply piping for supplying hydrogen to a fuel cell, the hydrogen supply piping includes a flow path pipe member through which the hydrogen flows, and a coating member having a tube shape for covering an outer surface of the flow path pipe member. The coating member is divided into a plurality of divided pieces in pipe axis directions of the hydrogen supply piping. The divided pieces are disposed in the pipe axis directions so that an end of one of the divided pieces overlaps with an end of the adjacent divided piece. The divided pieces are wrapped tightly around an outer surface of the flow path pipe member by thermal contraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a hydrogen supply piping for supplying hydrogen to a fuel cell, comprising:
providing a flow path pipe member through which the hydrogen flows;
bending the flow path pipe member to form a curved portion and a substantially straight extended portion connected with the curved portion in the flow path pipe member;
inserting an axial end of the bent flow path pipe member into an axial end opening of each of a plurality of tubular divided pieces in a direction parallel to a central axis of a respective one of the tubular divided pieces, wherein each of the tubular divided pieces is obtained by dividing a heat-shrinkable coating member having a tube shape, so as to sequentially attach the plurality of tubular divided pieces to the bent flow path pipe member; and
thermally contracting the plurality of tubular divided pieces attached to the flow path pipe member to wrap the plurality of tubular divided pieces tightly around an outer surface of the flow path pipe member,
wherein the inserting attaches the plurality of tubular divided pieces to the flow path pipe member in such a way that an overlapping portion that is a portion of adjacent tubular divided pieces where ends of the adjacent tubular divided pieces are mutually overlapped is located in the substantially straight extended portion.

2. The manufacturing method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the inserting includes attaching the tubular divided pieces so that, in a posture of the manufactured hydrogen supply piping in use, an end of each of the adjacent tubular divided pieces located ata relatively higher level in the direction of gravity relative to an end of an adjacent tubular divided piece covers an end of an adjacent tubular divided piece located at a relatively lower level in the direction of gravity.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takeshita Masahiro

Classifications

• F16L9/147

  comprising only layers of metal and plastics with or without reinforcement · CPC title

• B29C63/08

  by winding helically · CPC title

• B29C63/18

  using tubular layers or sheathings (B29C63/26 {and B29C63/38} take precedence; {placing tubular labels around rigid containers B65C3/065}) · CPC title

• Y02T90/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B29L2023/22

  Tubes or pipes, i.e. rigid (bent tubes not for use as pipe couplings B29L2023/004) · CPC title