Vehicle having a storage assembly for storing and dispensing a pressurised gas, and storage assembly for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549642-B2
Application number	US-201917047903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2019
Priority date	Apr 19, 2018
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vehicle having a storage assembly for storing and dispensing a pressurized gas. The storage assembly includes a first storage cylinder section and a second storage cylinder section that each have multiple storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to one another in a first layer and at least in a second layer. The storage cylinders are fluidically connected to one another in a meandering manner by a plurality storage cylinder loops. Each of the storage cylinder loops is connected to an axial end of a storage cylinder disposed in the first layer and an axial end of a storage cylinder disposed in the second layer. The storage assembly includes a cross member frictionally connected to the body of the vehicle and arranged in an interstice defined between the first and second storage cylinder sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a storage assembly for storing and dispensing a pressurized gas, wherein the storage assembly comprises:
a first storage cylinder section comprising a plurality of first storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to one another in a first layer and a second layer, and a plurality of first storage cylinder loops fluidically connecting the plurality of first storage cylinders to one another, wherein each of the plurality of first storage cylinder loops is connected at an axial end of a first storage cylinder disposed in the first layer of the first storage cylinder section and an axial end of a first storage cylinder disposed in the second layer of the first storage cylinder section;
a second storage cylinder section comprising a plurality of second storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to one another in a first layer and a second layer, and a plurality of second storage cylinder loops fluidically connecting the plurality of second storage cylinders to one another, wherein each of the second cylinder loops is connected to an axial end of a second storage cylinder disposed in the first layer of the second storage cylinder section and an axial end of a second storage cylinder disposed in the second layer of the second storage cylinder section;
a fluid connecting cylinder fluidically connecting the first and second storage cylinder sections, wherein the fluid connecting cylinder fluidically connects an axial end of a first storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the second storage cylinder section to an axial end of a second storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the first storage cylinder section, and the first storage cylinder and the second storage cylinder connected by the fluid connecting cylinder are both located in either the first layer or the second layer; and
a cross member frictionally connected to a body of the vehicle and arranged in an interstice between the first and second storage cylinder sections, wherein the cross member does not project in a vertical direction beyond either the second layer of the plurality of first and second storage cylinders or the first layer of the plurality of first and second storage cylinders, and the cross member and the fluid connecting cylinder are disposed in opposite layers.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the storage assembly comprises a cross bar arranged between the plurality of first and second storage cylinder sections, and both the cross bar and the fluid connecting cylinder are aligned with the first layer of the plurality of first and second storage cylinders or the second layer of the first and second storage cylinders, wherein the fluid connecting cylinder extends through a cutout of the cross bar.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the storage assembly comprises a frame support framing the first storage cylinder section and the second storage cylinder section.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein an end side of the cross bar is frictionally connected to the frame support.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the frame support is frictionally connected to the cross member.

6. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the cross member and the cross bar are integrally formed as a single piece.

7. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the frame support is frictionally connected to the body of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a rod-shaped fastening support extending through an opening of each of the first and second storage cylinder loops located at a same axial end of the plurality of first and second storage cylinders.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein an end side of the rod-shaped fastening support is frictionally connected to the frame support.

10. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the storage assembly comprises a fastening frame comprising the cross member, a plurality of support elements, and a plurality of cover elements, and the fastening frame is congruent to the frame support and frictionally connected to the frame support,
wherein the cross member and the plurality of support elements of the fastening frame define a plurality of interstices covered by the plurality of cover elements, and
wherein the frame support comprises the cross bar, a plurality of frame elements, and a plurality of cover elements, and the frame elements and the cross bar of the frame support define a plurality of interstices covered by the plurality of cover elements.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the cross member comprises a first partial cross member and a second cross member extending parallel to each other and spaced apart such that the interstice is defined between the first partial cross member and the second cross member.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the cross bar comprises a first partial cross bar and a second partial cross bar, and the first partial cross bar is disposed flush against the first partial cross member and the second partial cross bar is disposed flush against the second partial cross member.

13. A vehicle, comprising:
a storage assembly for storing and dispensing a pressurized gas, wherein the storage assembly comprises:
a first storage cylinder section comprising a plurality of first storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to one another in a first layer and a second layer, and a plurality of first storage cylinder loops fluidically connecting the plurality of first storage cylinders to one another, wherein each of the first cylinder loops is connected to an axial end of a first storage cylinder disposed in the first layer of the first storage cylinder section and an axial end of a first storage cylinder disposed in the second layer of the first storage cylinder section;
a second storage cylinder section comprising a plurality of second storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to one another in a first layer and a second layer, and a plurality of second storage cylinder loops fluidically connecting the plurality of second storage cylinders to one another, wherein each of the second cylinder loops is connected to an axial end of a second storage cylinder disposed in the first layer of the second storage cylinder section and an axial end of a second storage cylinder disposed in the second layer of the second storage cylinder section;
an intermediate storage cylinder section arranged in an interstice defined between the first storage cylinder section and the second storage cylinder section, and the intermediate storage cylinder section includes a plurality of intermediate storage cylinders arranged longitudinally parallel to each other in a first layer, and the plurality of intermediate storage cylinders are fluidically connected to one another by a plurality of intermediate storage cylinder loops; and
a fluid connection section comprising a first fluid connecting cylinder fluidically connecting a first storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the intermediate storage cylinder section to an intermediate storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the first storage cylinder section, and a second fluid connecting cylinder fluidically connecting a second storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the intermediate storage cylinder section to an intermediate storage cylinder disposed adjacent to the second storage cylinder section,
wherein the intermediate storage cylinder section includes a number of layers of the plurality of intermediate storage cylinders that is at least one layer less than a number of layers of the plurality of first and second storage cylinders in the first and second stor

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Albl Sebastian
• Hofmann Franz
• Hochgraeber Felix
• Schütz Thorsten

Classifications

• F17C2270/0168

  by vehicles · CPC title

• F17C2201/0171

  comprising a communication hole between chambers · CPC title

• F17C2205/0107

  Frames · CPC title

• F17C2260/018

  Adapting dimensions · CPC title

• Y02E60/32

  Hydrogen storage · CPC title