High-pressure vessel unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10525824-B2
Application number	US-201816014372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A high-pressure vessel unit includes: plural cylindrical vessels arrayed inside a case, with end portions of the vessels on one side in the axial direction thereof being equipped with openings; a coupling member connected to the openings of the vessels to couple the plural vessels and includes a flow passage that communicates the insides of the vessels; a lead-out pipe that is leads out to the outside of the case from the coupling member through a through hole formed in the case; securing members that secure the coupling member to the case; and a retention mechanism that retains portions of the vessels on the axial direction other side of the end portions on the one side in the axial direction such that those portions of the vessels on the axial direction other side are movable in the axial direction relative to the case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high-pressure vessel unit comprising:
a box-like case;
a plurality of cylindrical vessels arrayed inside the case, each vessel including an opening at an end portion on one side of the vessel in an axial direction;
a coupling member that connects the openings to couple the plurality of vessels with each other and that includes a flow passage that communicates the insides of the plurality of vessels with each other;
a lead-out pipe that leads out to the outside of the case from the coupling member through a through hole formed in the case, the lead-out pipe being attached with a valve capable of opening and closing the flow passage;
securing members that secure the coupling member to the case; and
a retention mechanism that retains a portion of each of the plurality of vessels at an other side of the end portion in the axial direction such that the portion of each of the plurality of vessels at the other side are movable in the axial direction relative to the case.

2. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 1 , wherein:
the coupling member is a first pipe that couples the end portions of the plurality of vessels on the one side in the axial direction with each other;
end portions of the plural vessels on the other side in the axial direction are coupled to each other by a second pipe; and
the retention mechanism retains the second pipe such that the second pipe is movable relative to the case.

3. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 2 , wherein:
the retention mechanism includes:
mounting brackets that are provided on the case and in which first mounting holes are formed,
mounting pieces that are provided on the second pipe and in which second mounting holes are formed, and
fastening members that are passed through the first mounting holes and the second mounting holes in a state in which the mounting brackets and the mounting pieces are placed on top with each other and are fastened to each other, and the first mounting holes or the second mounting holes are long holes whose longitudinal direction are aligned with the axial direction of the plurality of vessels.

4. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 3 , wherein the mounting brackets and the mounting pieces are provided between adjacent vessels.

5. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 1 , wherein:
the retention mechanism includes support bands that extend in an array direction of the plurality of vessels and bridge the case, and
the plurality of vessels are supported by the support bands such that each of the plurality of vessels may freely slide.

6. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 2 , wherein the retention mechanism includes:
pass-through holes formed in a peripheral wall portion of the case that opposes the end portions of the vessels on the other side in the axial direction; and
projecting portions that project from the second pipe and are passed through the pass-through holes such that the projecting portions are movable in the axial direction of the vessels.

7. The high-pressure vessel unit according to claim 1 , wherein the case includes:
a case body equipped with a bottom wall portion and a frame-like peripheral wall portion that is erectly provided on the bottom wall portion and surrounds the periphery of the plurality of vessels; and
a cover member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kataoka Chiaki
• Kinoshita Shinsuke
• Sawai Osamu

Classifications

• F17C2205/0111

  Boxes · CPC title

• F17C2201/035

  with substantially horizontal main axis · CPC title

• F17C1/14

  constructed of aluminium; constructed of non-magnetic steel · CPC title

• F17C2205/0146

  with details of the manifold · CPC title

• B60K2015/03026

  comprising a valve · CPC title