High-pressure gas tank connection structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11933435-B2
Application number	US-202217959677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2022
Priority date	Oct 8, 2021
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A high-pressure gas tank connection structure including: a tank main body; a tank side connector; a connection side connector; and a valve body, the valve body being provided further toward a deep side along the axial direction of the tank main body than the tank side connector, the valve body being urged toward the connection side connector, and, in a case in which the valve body is pushed by a distal end of the convex portion in a state in which the convex portion is joined with the concave portion, the valve body being opened from a closed state, and communicating the interior of the tank main body with the exterior to the tank main body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high-pressure gas tank connection structure comprising:
a tank main body, the tank main body being formed in a tubular shape, a first opening tube portion that can communicate with an exterior to the tank main body being formed at at least an axial direction end portion of the tank main body, a tubular mouthpiece being mounted to the first opening tube portion, and a high-pressure gas filling an interior of the tank main body;
a tank side connector, the tank side connector being tubular, the tank side connector being disposed on an axis of the tank main body and being mounted to the mouthpiece, and a concave portion being formed along an axial direction of the tank main body, the concave portion being concave toward an inner side of the tank main body;
a connection side connector, the connection side connector being connected to a supply member, the high-pressure gas being supplied to the supply member, a convex portion that can be joined with the concave portion being formed at the connection side connector, a region between the connection side connector and the tank side connector being sealed, and the connection side connector being able to move along the axial direction of the tank main body with respect to the tank side connector; and
a valve body, the valve body being provided further toward a deep side along the axial direction of the tank main body than the tank side connector, the valve body being urged toward the connection side connector, and, in a case in which the valve body is pushed by a distal end of the convex portion in a state in which the convex portion is joined with the concave portion, the valve body being opened from a closed state, and communicating the interior of the tank main body with the exterior to the tank main body, wherein:
a sealing member is provided at an outer surface of the convex portion, the sealing member being configured to contact an inner surface of the concave portion and to seal a region between the convex portion and the concave portion,
the valve body is pushed and opened in a state in which the region between the convex portion and the concave portion is sealed by the sealing member,
an amount of movement of the connection side connector, at which a state in which the region between the connection side connector and the concave portion is sealed by the sealing member is maintained, is greater than an amount of movement of the connection side connector up until the closed valve body opens, and smaller than an amount of movement of the connection side connector from after the convex portion is joined to the concave portion up until a completely joined state in which the convex portion and the concave portion are completely joined,
at the concave portion, a lateral hole portion that communicates with the exterior to the tank main body passes through in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the tank main body at a position that is further apart from the valve body than the sealing member, and
a distance between the lateral hole portion and the sealing member along the axial direction of the tank main body in the completely joined state of the convex portion and the concave portion is greater than the amount of movement of the connection side connector up until the closed valve body opens, and smaller than the amount of movement of the connection side connector at which the state, in which the region between the connection side connector and the concave portion is sealed by the sealing member, is maintained.

2. The high-pressure gas tank connection structure of claim 1 , wherein:
a second opening tube portion that can communicate with the exterior to the tank main body is provided at another axial direction end portion of the tank main body, and
a thermally-actuated pressure relief device, which releases the high-pressure gas that is within the tank main body in a case in which a temperature that is greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature is sensed, is provided at the second opening tube portion.

3. The high-pressure gas tank connection structure of claim 2 , further comprising:
a fixed member formed in a tubular shape and mounted to the other axial direction end portion side of the tank main body, and at which the thermally-actuated pressure relief device is mounted to another concave portion that is formed along the axial direction of the tank main body so as to be concave toward the inner side of the tank main body;
a communication path that, at the other concave portion, passes through along a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the fixed member from an inner surface of the other concave portion over to an outer surface of the fixed member, and, in a case in which the high-pressure gas is released, the communication path communicates the interior of the tank main body with the exterior to the tank main body by a safety valve that is provided at the thermally-actuated pressure relief device;
a ring provided at the outer surface of the fixed member, a gap being formed between the ring and the outer surface of the fixed member and being able to communicate with the communication path, and the ring being able to move along a peripheral direction with respect to the fixed member and being unable to move along an axial direction with respect to the fixed member; and
a jetting port formed at the ring and passing through from an inner surface over to an outer surface of the ring, and being able to communicate the communication path with the exterior to the tank main body through the gap.

4. The high-pressure gas tank connection structure of claim 3 , wherein a nut, which fixes the ring to the fixed member, is provided further toward an outer side in the axial direction of the tank main body than the ring.

5. The high-pressure gas tank connection structure of claim 3 , wherein the gap is formed by an annular groove portion that is provided concavely at the inner surface of the ring.

6. The high-pressure gas tank connection structure of claim 1 , wherein a protector, which forms an air layer or a heat insulating layer between the protector and the tank main body, is provided at an outer side of the tank main body.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sawai Osamu

Classifications

• F16L29/02 Primary

  with a cut-off device in one of the two pipe ends, the cut-off device being automatically opened when the coupling is applied · CPC title

• F16L15/007

  with more than one threaded section · CPC title

• F16L15/008

  with sealing rings · CPC title

• F17C1/00

  Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge (pressurised apparatus for purposes other than storage, see the relevant subclasses such as A62C, B05B; associated with vehicles, see the appropriate subclass of classes B60 - B64; pressure vessels in general F16J12/00 {; autoclaves B01J3/04; tank vehicles B60P3/22; railway tank wagons for carrying fluent materials B61D5/00; accumulators for supplying fluid under pressure F15B1/04; liquefied gas stoves F24C3/00}) · CPC title

• F17C13/04

  Arrangement or mounting of valves (valves per se F16K {; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00}) · CPC title