Valve Assembly for Gas Container

• US 20080105310A1
• Filed: 02/20/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogami, Noboyuki, Kobayashi, Nobuo, Yamashita, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,573,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/557
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/04 Arrangement or mounting of valves valves per se F16K ; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/0104 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0323 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0338 Pressure regulators
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0391 inside the pressure vessel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8326 Fluid pressure responsive indicator, recorder or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86348 Tank with internally extending flow guide, pipe or conduit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86372 Inlet internally extending
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet

Abstract

There is disclosed a valve assembly for a gas container capable of appropriately discharging a gas from the gas container, even if a valve of a discharge passage has a failure or the like. The valve assembly for the gas container disposed at the gas container has, as passages which allow the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside, a filling passage which fills the gas container with the gas and a discharge passage which discharges the gas. Furthermore, the valve assembly has a filling-side valve disposed at the filling passage and configured to close this passage, a discharge-side valve disposed at the discharge passage and configured to close this passage, a communication path which connects a downstream side of the discharge-side valve to a downstream side of the filling-side valve, and a shut-off valve disposed at the communication path. When the discharge-side valve does not open due to the failure or the like, the shut-off valve is opened to allow the gas to flow through the filling passage, the communication path and the discharge passage in this order.

Claims

1. A valve assembly for a gas container disposed at the gas container, the valve assembly having a filling passage to fill the gas container with gas and a discharge passage to discharge the gas as passages which allow the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside, the valve assembly comprising:

a filling-side valve disposed at the filling passage, the filling-side valve configured to shut off the filling passage;

a discharge-side valve disposed at the discharge passage, the discharge-side valve configured to shut off the discharge passage;

a communication path that connects a downstream side of the discharge-side valve to a downstream side of the filling-side valve; and

a communication shut-off mechanism that opens and closes the communication path,

wherein the communication shut-off mechanism is configured to open the communication path, whereby the gas stored in the gas container flows backwards in the filling passage and flows into the discharge passage via the communication path.

2. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the communication shut-off mechanism comprises a shut-off valve disposed at the communication path.

3. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 2, wherein the shut-off valve is a man-powered valve.

4. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 3, wherein the shut-off valve is a manual valve having a manual operating portion which opens and closes the communication path, and

the manual operating portion is disposed outside the gas container.

5. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge passage is provided with a pressure regulation valve on a downstream side of a connection combining point between the discharge passage and the communication path.

6. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 5, further comprising:

a sensor disposed at the discharge passage on an upstream side of the pressure regulation valve, the sensor detecting a state quantity of the gas.

7. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge passage is provided with a sensor which detects a state quantity of the gas on the downstream side of the discharge-side valve.

8. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the filling-side valve is a check valve.

9. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the filling-side valve is a man-powered valve.

10. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of filling-side valves,

the plurality of filling-side valves including check valves arranged in series in the filling passage.

11. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge-side valve is an electrically driven valve.

12. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of discharge-side valves,

the plurality of discharge-side valves including an electrically driven valve and a man-powered valve positioned on a downstream side of the electrically driven valve.

13. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge-side valve is a source valve of the gas container.

14. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge passage is provided with a filter on an upstream side of the discharge-side valve.

15. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a relief valve to be opened when the gas stored in the gas container reaches a predetermined pressure or more; and

a relief passage provided with the relief valve, the relief valve allowing the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside when opening.

16. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 15, wherein the relief passage is a passage connected to the filling passage so as to be branched from the filling passage, and

the filling-side valve is positioned on an upstream side of a branch connection point between the relief passage and the filling passage.

17. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing having the filling passage, the discharge passage, the filling-side valve, the discharge-side valve, the communication path, and the communication shut-off mechanism.

18. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the filling passage allows the inside of the gas container to communicate with a gas filling line in a fuel cell system, and

the discharge passage allows the inside of the gas container to communicate with a gas discharge line which discharges the gas to a fuel cell in the fuel cell system.

23. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the gas is a high-pressure combustible gas.

24. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 23, wherein the high-pressure combustible gas is a hydrogen gas.

25. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 23, wherein the high-pressure combustible gas is a compressed natural gas.

26. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 1, wherein the gas container has a container body in which the gas is stored and a mouthpiece attached to the container body, and

the valve assembly for the gas container is disposed at the mouthpiece.

27. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 26, wherein the valve assembly is screwed into the mouthpiece to be disposed.

19. A valve assembly for a gas container disposed at the gas container, comprising:

a discharge passage of a gas which allows the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside;

a first gas passage which allows the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside and which is different from the discharge passage;

a discharge-side valve which is disposed at the discharge passage and which is configured to shut off the discharge passage;

a first valve which is disposed at the first gas passage and which is configured to shut off the first gas passage;

a communication path which connects a portion of the discharge passage outside the gas container as viewed from the discharge-side valve to a portion of the first gas passage in the gas container as viewed from the first valve; and

a communication shut-off mechanism which opens and closes the communication path,

wherein the communication shut-off mechanism is configured to open the communication path, whereby the gas stored in the gas container flows through the first gas passage, the communication path and the discharge passage in this order.

20. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 19, wherein the first gas passage is a filling passage which fills the gas container with the gas.

21. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 19, wherein the first gas passage is a relief passage which discharges the gas when the gas stored in the gas container reaches a predetermined pressure or more.

22. The valve assembly for the gas container according to claim 20, wherein the communication shut-off mechanism comprises a shut-off valve disposed at the communication path.