Gas supply device

Abstract

The present application provides a gas supply device capable of suppressing power consumption of an opening / closing valve without stopping supply of gas to a gas-using device. The gas supply device disclosed in the present specification includes a gas supply passage that guides gas of a gas tank to a gas-using device, an opening / closing valve provided in the gas supply passage, and a controller. The opening / closing valve requires power to maintain an open state. The controller executes the following processing when a gas consumption amount of the gas-using device is lower than a prescribed consumption threshold. In the controller, if an internal pressure of the gas supply passage between the opening / closing valve and the gas-using device is lower than a prescribed gas pressure threshold, power is supplied to the opening / closing valve to maintain the open state, and if the internal pressure is higher than the gas pressure threshold, the supply of power to the opening / closing valve is stopped. By stopping the supply of power to the opening / closing valve during a period when the internal pressure is high, power consumption of the opening / closing valve can be suppressed without stopping the supply of gas to the gas-using device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a gas supply device for supplying gas from a gas tank to a gas-using device. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a gas supply device for supplying hydrogen from a gas tank to a fuel cell. In the gas supply device of Patent Document 1, an on / off valve is provided in the gas supply passage that guides the gas from the gas tank to the fuel cell. The on / off valve has a solenoid that opens when energized and closes when energization to the solenoid is stopped.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-056874 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the gas supply device of Patent Document 1, energizing the on / off valve is required while gas is being supplied to the fuel cell (gas-consuming device). This specification provides a gas supply device capable of suppressing the power consumption of the on / off valve.

[0005] The gas supply device disclosed in this specification includes: a gas supply passage that guides gas from a gas tank to a gas-consuming device; an on / off valve disposed in the gas supply passage; and a controller. The on / off valve requires electrical power to remain open. When the gas consumption of the gas-consuming device is lower than a predetermined consumption threshold, the controller performs the following actions: If the internal pressure of the gas supply passage between the on / off valve and the gas-consuming device is lower than a predetermined gas pressure threshold, the controller supplies electrical power to the on / off valve to maintain its open state; if the internal pressure is higher than the gas pressure threshold, the power supply to the on / off valve is stopped.

[0006] If power is stopped from the on / off valve, the valve closes, and the gas supply from the gas tank to the gas-consuming equipment stops. Even so, gas continues to be supplied to the gas-consuming equipment while gas remains in the gas supply path downstream of the on / off valve. In the gas supply path, the side closer to the gas-consuming equipment is called the downstream side, and the side closer to the gas tank is called the upstream side. If the residual gas in the gas supply path downstream of the on / off valve decreases, causing the internal pressure of the gas supply path to fall below a predetermined gas pressure threshold, the controller again supplies power to the on / off valve to open it. Gas supply from the gas tank to the gas-consuming equipment resumes. When the gas consumption of the gas-consuming equipment exceeds a consumption threshold, the valve is kept energized to prevent repeated energizing and de-energizing of the on / off valve in a short period. The gas supply device disclosed in this specification only sometimes stops supplying power to the on / off valve when the gas consumption of the gas-consuming equipment is low, thereby suppressing the power consumption of the on / off valve without stopping the gas supply to the gas-consuming equipment.

[0007] The detailed description of the technology disclosed in this specification and further improvements are described in the following "Detailed Description". Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the gas supply device of the first embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the power consumption suppression process performed by the controller (first embodiment).

[0010] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the gas supply device of the second embodiment.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view (sealed position) of the gas tank and gas supply pipe.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the gas tank and gas supply pipe (valve open position).

[0013] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the power consumption suppression process performed by the controller (Second Embodiment). Detailed Implementation

[0014] (First Embodiment) Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 The gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment will now be described. Figure 1 A block diagram of the gas supply device 2 is shown. In the gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment, a fuel cell 90 is connected, and the gas supply device 2 supplies hydrogen from the gas tank 10 to the fuel cell 90. The fuel cell 90 is an example of a gas-consuming device to which the gas is supplied by the gas supply device 2.

[0015] The gas supply device 2 includes a gas tank 10, a gas supply pipe 30, a check valve 31, an on / off valve 40, a pressure sensor 33, a flow sensor 32, a pressure reducing valve 34, and a controller 50.

[0016] Gas tank 10 is filled with high-pressure hydrogen. Gas tank 10 and fuel cell 90 are connected via gas supply pipe 30. Gas supply pipe 30 introduces hydrogen from gas tank 10 into fuel cell 90. Gas supply pipe 30 is connected to interface 11 of gas tank 10. The flow path of gas from gas tank 10 to fuel cell 90 is called gas supply passage 3. In the case of gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment, interface 11 of gas tank 10 and gas supply pipe 30 correspond to gas supply passage 3.

[0017] An on / off valve 40 is installed on the gas supply pipe 30. The on / off valve 40 opens or closes the gas supply passage 3 (i.e., gas supply pipe 30) between the gas tank 10 and the fuel cell 90. The on / off valve 40 is controlled by a controller 50. Figure 1 The structure of the on / off valve 40 is also depicted. The on / off valve 40 is a solenoid valve comprising a valve body 41, a compression spring 43, and a solenoid 42. When no power is supplied to the solenoid 42, the compression spring 43 applies force to the valve body 41. The force applied to the valve body 41 blocks the internal flow path 44 connecting the upstream and downstream sides of the gas supply pipe 30. Figure 1 (1)). If power is supplied to solenoid 42 according to the instruction from controller 50, solenoid 42 pushes valve body 41 upward against the force of compression spring 43, thereby opening the flow path 44 inside the valve. Figure 1 (2) That is, the on / off valve 40 remains open during the power supply period and closes when the power supply stops. In addition, "downstream" refers to the side of the gas supply pipe 30 near the fuel cell 90 (gas-using device) and "upstream" refers to the side near the gas tank 10.

[0018] A check valve 31 is provided in the gas supply pipe 30, which is located downstream of the on-off valve 40. Even if the on-off valve 40 fails to remain in the open position, the check valve 31 prevents the gas remaining in the gas supply pipe 30 from leaking to the outside.

[0019] A pressure sensor 33, a pressure reducing valve 34, and a flow sensor 32 are provided in the gas supply pipe 30, which is located downstream of the on / off valve 40. The pressure sensor 33 measures the internal pressure of the gas supply passage 3, which is located downstream of the on / off valve 40. The pressure reducing valve 34 reduces the pressure of the gas supplied from the gas tank 10 to a pressure suitable for the operation of the fuel cell 90. The flow sensor 32 measures the gas flow rate (i.e., the amount of gas supplied to the fuel cell 90 per unit time). The measurements from the pressure sensor 33 and the flow sensor 32 are sent to the controller 50. The measurement from the flow sensor 32 corresponds to the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 per unit time.

[0020] If the fuel cell 90 is instructed to start operation from another controller (not shown), the controller 50 opens the on / off valve 40 to begin supplying gas. As described above, if the controller 50 supplies power to the on / off valve 40, the on / off valve 40 opens. The fuel cell 90, receiving the supply of hydrogen, begins operation. That is, the fuel cell 90 receives the gas supply from the gas tank 10 and begins to generate electricity.

[0021] During operation of the fuel cell 90, if power continues to be supplied to the on / off valve 40, the power consumption of the on / off valve 40 will increase. The controller 50 monitors the measurements from the pressure sensor 33 (i.e., the internal pressure of the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the on / off valve 40) and the flow sensor 32 (i.e., the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 per unit time), and sometimes closes the on / off valve 40 to suppress power consumption when the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 is low. Figure 2The flowchart shows the power consumption suppression process performed by controller 50. (Reference) Figure 2 The method for suppressing the power consumption of the on / off valve 40 is explained.

[0022] Figure 2 The processing begins when the fuel cell 90 is instructed to start operation and the controller 50 opens the on / off valve 40. The controller 50 acquires the measurement value from the flow sensor 32 (i.e., the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 per unit time) (step S12). The controller 50 compares the acquired gas consumption with a predetermined consumption threshold (step S13).

[0023] If the gas consumption is below the consumption threshold (step S13: Yes), the controller 50's processing proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the controller 50 compares the measurement value of the pressure sensor 33 (i.e., the internal pressure of the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the on / off valve 40) with a predetermined gas pressure threshold. If the internal pressure is above the gas pressure threshold (step S14: Yes), the controller 50 stops the power supply to the on / off valve 40 (step S15: Yes, step S16, or step S15: No). If the power supply to the on / off valve 40 is stopped, the on / off valve 40 closes. However, high-pressure gas remains in the gas supply passage 3 (gas supply pipe 30) downstream of the on / off valve 40. Gas continues to be supplied to the fuel cell 90 until the internal pressure upstream of the pressure reducing valve 34 is equal to the internal pressure downstream of the pressure reducing valve 34.

[0024] On the other hand, if the gas consumption exceeds the consumption threshold (step S13: No) and the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the on-off valve 40 is lower than the gas pressure threshold (step S14: No), the controller 50 continues to supply power to the on-off valve 40 (step S19: No, step S20, or step S19: Yes). In other words, if the gas consumption exceeds the consumption threshold (step S13: No) and the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the on-off valve 40 is lower than the gas pressure threshold (step S14: No), the controller 50 keeps the on-off valve 40 in the open state.

[0025] The controller 50 repeats the above process until a stop command for the fuel cell 90 is issued from another controller (step S17: No, step S12). If a stop command for the fuel cell 90 is issued, the controller 50 stops supplying power to the on / off valve 40 and ends the process (step S17: Yes, step S18).

[0026] If the power supply to the on / off valve 40 is stopped in step S16, the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the on / off valve 40 decreases. If the internal pressure on the downstream side is lower than the gas pressure threshold (step S14: No), the controller 50 restarts the power supply to the on / off valve 40 (step S19: No, step S20). The on / off valve 40 opens, and the gas supply from the gas tank 10 to the fuel cell 90 resumes. Furthermore, the gas pressure threshold is set as a target value for the internal pressure of the gas supply passage 3 downstream of the pressure reducing valve 34. This target value is, for example, set as a lower limit of the gas pressure suitable for the operation of the fuel cell 90.

[0027] If the on / off valve 40 reopens, the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3, which is further downstream of the on / off valve 40, rises and exceeds the gas pressure threshold (step S14: Yes), then the controller 50 again stops supplying power to the on / off valve 40 (step S15: Yes, step S16). Thus, during periods when the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 is low, the controller 50 sometimes stops supplying power to the on / off valve 40. Figure 2 In this process, the gas supply device 2 can stop the gas supply to the fuel cell 90, thereby suppressing the power consumption of the on / off valve 40.

[0028] A gas consumption below the consumption threshold means that the fuel cell 90 consumes a small amount of gas per unit time. In this case, even if the controller 50 closes the on / off valve 40, the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3, which is further downstream of the on / off valve 40, will slowly decrease. It takes a certain amount of time for the internal pressure to drop to the gas pressure threshold. During this time, by stopping the power supply to the on / off valve 40, the power consumption of the on / off valve 40 can be suppressed.

[0029] When gas consumption exceeds a consumption threshold, the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3 will drop relatively quickly after the on / off valve 40 is closed. Even in this case, repeating steps S14 to S20 will result in frequent cycles of power supply and shutdown to the on / off valve 40. Repeated power supply and shutdown will degrade the on / off valve 40 and may even increase power consumption. By limiting the temporary shutdown of power supply to the on / off valve 40 to situations with low gas consumption, frequent opening and closing of the valve 40 can be avoided.

[0030] (Second Embodiment) Reference Figures 3 to 6 The gas supply device 2a of the second embodiment will be described. Figure 3This is a block diagram of the gas supply device 2a. The gas supply device 2a also supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell 90. The gas supply device 2a includes a gas tank 10a, an actuator 19, a gas supply pipe 30, a check valve 31, a first pressure sensor 33a, a second pressure sensor 33b, a flow sensor 32, a pressure reducing valve 34, and a controller 50a. An on / off valve 20 is provided in the interface 11a of the gas tank 10a to cut off the gas supply passage 3a between the gas tank 10a and the fuel cell 90. Furthermore, similar to the gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment, the gas supply pipe 30 and the interface 11a connecting the gas supply pipe 30 are collectively referred to as the gas supply passage 3a.

[0031] The check valve 31, pressure reducing valve 34, and flow sensor 32 are the same as those in the gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment. The first pressure sensor 33a measures the internal pressure of the gas supply pipe 30 (gas supply passage 3a) upstream of the pressure reducing valve 34. The second pressure sensor 33b measures the internal pressure of the gas supply pipe 30 (gas supply passage 3a) downstream of the pressure reducing valve 34. The measurement value of the first pressure sensor 33a is referred to as the first internal pressure, and the measurement value of the second pressure sensor 33b is referred to as the second internal pressure. The pressure reducing valve 34 reduces the pressure of the gas in the gas tank 10a to a pressure suitable for the operation of the fuel cell 90. That is, the second internal pressure is lower than the first internal pressure.

[0032] exist Figure 1 The lower side shows a cross-sectional view of the interface 11a and the front end of the gas supply pipe 30. An on / off valve 20 is provided in the interface 11a. The on / off valve 20 includes a sleeve 21, a valve body 22, and a spring 23. The sleeve 21 is installed inside the interface 11a. The valve body 22 is disposed adjacent to the sleeve 21 inside the gas tank. The spring 23 presses the valve body 22 from the inside of the gas tank 10a against the opening of the sleeve 21 (the opening that opens into the gas tank). The opposite end of the spring 23 is supported by the inner wall of the gas tank.

[0033] The valve body 22 is sealed to the opening of the sleeve 21 by the force of the spring 23. During the period when the valve body 22 and the opening of the sleeve 21 are sealed, the inside and outside of the gas tank 10a are cut off. That is, when the valve body 22 and the opening of the sleeve 21 are sealed, the opening and closing valve 20 is closed. If the valve body 22 is pressed inward from the outside of the gas tank 10a, the inside of the gas tank 10a is connected to the outside. That is, if the valve body 22 is pressed inward from the outside of the gas tank 10a, the opening and closing valve 20 is opened. If the load on the valve body 22 is removed, the valve body 22 is sealed to the opening of the sleeve 21 again by the force of the spring 23, and the opening and closing valve 20 is closed.

[0034] A push rod 35 is provided at the front end of the gas supply pipe 30. The push rod 35 is fixed to the front end of the gas supply pipe 30 by a rod support 36. A hole is provided on the rod support 36, through which gas can flow from the gas tank 10a into the gas supply pipe 30.

[0035] If gas canister 10a is located in gas supply device 2a, then the push rod 35 at the front end of gas supply pipe 30 is opposite to interface 11a. Actuator 19 moves gas canister 10a. Actuator 19 moves gas canister 10a closer to or further away from gas supply pipe 30. More specifically, actuator 19 moves on / off valve 20 closer to or further away from the front end of gas supply pipe 30 (i.e., push rod 35). Figure 3 The cross-sectional view shows the state where the push rod 35 is far away from the closing valve 20.

[0036] Actuator 19 causes the gas canister 10a to move forward and backward relative to the front end of the gas supply pipe 30. For ease of explanation, the case where the gas canister 10a is close to the gas supply pipe 30 is referred to as "forward," and the case where the gas canister 10a is away from the gas supply pipe 30 is referred to as "backward." Actuator 19 can also cause the gas supply pipe 30 to move forward and backward relative to the gas canister 10a.

[0037] A seal 12 is disposed on the inner side of interface 11a. When the front end of the gas supply pipe 30 (push rod 35) approaches the on / off valve 20, the outer periphery of the gas supply pipe 30 contacts the seal 12, sealing the space including the opening of the on / off valve 20 (the opening that opens to the outside of the gas tank 10a) and the front end of the gas supply pipe 30. For convenience, the space including the opening of the on / off valve 20 and the front end of the gas supply pipe 30 is referred to as the connection space S. More precisely, the connection space S refers to the space inside interface 11a that includes the opening of the on / off valve 20 and the front end of the gas supply pipe 30. Figure 3 In the cross-sectional view, push rod 35 is far from the shut-off valve 20, ensuring a gap G between the front end of gas supply pipe 30 and seal 12. In this state, the connection space S is not sealed relative to the outside.

[0038] Figure 4 The diagram shows a cross-section of the gas supply pipe 30 when its tip contacts the seal 12. If the distance between the push rod 35 and the on / off valve 20 reaches L1, the seal 12 contacts the outer periphery of the gas supply pipe 30, and the connection space S is sealed. In other words, if the distance between the push rod 35 and the valve body 22 of the on / off valve 20 is less than L1, the connection space S is cut off from the outside. When the distance between the push rod 35 and the valve body 22 is L1, the on / off valve 20 remains closed. The distance L1 can be called the threshold distance.

[0039] Figure 4 The dashed line indicates the state where the gas cylinder 10a advances until the valve body 22 contacts the front end of the push rod 35. If the gas cylinder 10a advances further to the dashed line, the push rod 35 pushes open the on / off valve 20. Figure 5This is a cross-sectional view of the gas tank 10a when the on / off valve 20 is open. The thick arrow A indicates the flow of gas. During the period when the on / off valve 20 is open, the hydrogen in the gas tank 10a flows to the gas supply pipe 30 through the connecting space S. Since the connecting space S is sealed by the seal 12, the hydrogen will not leak to the outside.

[0040] Gas in gas tank 10a flows through the open on / off valve 20, through the hole in rod support 36, and into gas supply pipe 30. For ease of explanation, the position of gas tank 10a when the connection space S is sealed and the on / off valve 20 is closed is called the sealed position, and the position of gas tank 10a when the connection space S is sealed and the on / off valve 20 is open is called the open valve position. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the sealing location. Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view at the open valve position. The sealing position is when the distance between the push rod 35 and the valve body 22 of the on / off valve 20 is less than L1 and greater than zero. In the open valve position, the seal 12 is also in contact with the outer periphery of the gas supply pipe 30, and the connection space S remains sealed.

[0041] And, as Figure 1 As shown, the position of the gas cylinder 10a when the seal of the connecting space S is released and the connecting space S is connected to the outside is called the disengaged position.

[0042] If the new gas tank 10a is installed in the actuator 19, then the controller 50a (refer to...) Figure 3 The gas tank 10a is moved forward to the open valve position. The on / off valve 20 opens, and the gas in the gas tank 10a flows into the fuel cell 90 through the check valve 31 and the pressure reducing valve 34. The fuel cell 90 is then ready to operate.

[0043] As described above, the actuator 19 moves the gas tank 10a to the open position, and the on / off valve 20 opens. That is, the actuator 19 has both the function of moving the gas tank 10a and the function of opening and closing the on / off valve 20. The actuator 19 can be regarded as part of the on / off valve 20.

[0044] Furthermore, as described above, the on / off valve 20 is opened by pressing the valve body 22 into the gas tank against the spring force of the spring 23. The force pressing the valve body 22 in is generated by the actuator 19. The actuator 19 is electric, and the controller 50a can keep the on / off valve 20 in the open state by continuously supplying power to the actuator 19. If the power supply to the actuator 19 is cut off, the force against the spring force of the spring 23 disappears, and the on / off valve 20 closes. The on / off valve 20 is a valve that requires power to maintain its open state.

[0045] Similar to the gas supply device 2 of the first embodiment, the gas supply device 2a can stop the gas supply to the fuel cell 90 to suppress the power consumption of the on / off valve 20. A flowchart of the power consumption suppression process performed by the controller 50a is shown below. Figure 6. refer to Figure 6 The power consumption suppression process of controller 50a is explained.

[0046] Figure 6 The processing begins when fuel cell 90 starts operating from another controller command, and controller 50a opens the on / off valve 20. In other words, Figure 6 The process begins when the controller 50a moves the gas tank 10a to the open valve position.

[0047] The controller 50a acquires the measurement value from the flow sensor 32 (i.e., the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 per unit time) (step S22). The controller 50a compares the acquired gas consumption with a predetermined consumption threshold (step S23).

[0048] If the gas consumption is below a consumption threshold (step S23: Yes), the processing of controller 50a proceeds to step S24. In step S24, controller 50a compares the first internal pressure (i.e., the measurement value of the first pressure sensor 33a) with a predetermined first gas pressure threshold, and compares the second internal pressure (i.e., the measurement value of the second pressure sensor 33b) with a predetermined second gas pressure threshold. The second gas pressure threshold is set as a lower limit of the gas pressure suitable for the operation of fuel cell 90. The first gas pressure threshold is set as the minimum pressure required for the pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve 34 to be above the second gas pressure threshold.

[0049] When the first internal pressure exceeds the first gas pressure threshold and the second internal pressure exceeds the second gas pressure threshold (step S24: Yes), it can be determined that there is sufficient gas remaining in the gas supply pipe 30 to continue supplying gas to the fuel cell 90. When the determination in step S24 is yes and power is being supplied to the actuator 19 (step S25: Yes), the controller 50a controls the actuator 19 to move the gas tank 10a to the sealed position (step S26), and then stops the power supply to the actuator 19 (step S27). Since the actuator 19 performs part of the function of the on / off valve 20, stopping the power supply to the actuator 19 is equivalent to stopping the power supply to the on / off valve 20 (i.e., closing the on / off valve 20).

[0050] Even after closing the on / off valve 20, high-pressure gas remains in the gas supply passage 3 (gas supply pipe 30) downstream of the on / off valve 40. Gas continues to be supplied to the fuel cell 90 until the internal pressure upstream of the pressure reducing valve 34 is equal to the internal pressure downstream of the pressure reducing valve 34.

[0051] On the other hand, if the gas consumption exceeds the consumption threshold (step S23: No) and the first internal pressure is lower than the first gas pressure threshold or the second internal pressure is lower than the second gas pressure threshold (step S24: No), the controller 50a continues to supply power to the actuator 19 (step S29: No, step S30, or step S29: Yes). In other words, if the gas consumption exceeds the consumption threshold (step S23: No) and the first internal pressure is lower than the first gas pressure threshold or the second internal pressure is lower than the second gas pressure threshold (step S24: No), the controller 50a keeps the on / off valve 20 in the open state.

[0052] Controller 50a repeats the above process until a stop command for fuel cell 90 is issued from another controller (step S28: No, step S22). If a stop command for fuel cell 90 is issued, controller 50a terminates the process (step S28: Yes). Additionally, although not shown in the diagram, upon termination, controller 50a controls actuator 19 to move gas tank 10a to a sealed position, stopping the power supply to actuator 19. Controller 50a terminates the process with the on / off valve 40 closed.

[0053] If the power supply to actuator 19 is stopped in step S27 (if the power supply to on / off valve 20 is stopped), the internal pressure in the gas supply passage 3 downstream of on / off valve 20 decreases. If the first internal pressure is lower than the first gas pressure threshold or the second internal pressure is lower than the second gas pressure threshold (step S24: No), controller 50a restarts the power supply to actuator 19 (step S29: No, step S30), thereby moving gas tank 10a to the open valve position (step S31). On / off valve 20 opens, and the gas supply from gas tank 10a to fuel cell 90 resumes.

[0054] If the internal pressure of the gas supply passage 3 rises, with the first internal pressure exceeding the first gas pressure threshold and the second internal pressure exceeding the second gas pressure threshold (step S24: Yes), then the controller 50a moves the gas tank 10a to the sealed position (step S25: Yes, step S26), and stops the power supply to the actuator 19 again (step S27). Thus, during periods when the gas consumption of the fuel cell 90 is low, the controller 50a sometimes stops the power supply to the actuator 19. Figure 6 In terms of processing, the gas supply device 2a can stop the gas supply to the fuel cell 90 to suppress the power consumption of the actuator 19 (on / off valve 20).

[0055] In addition, during the period when the power supply to the actuator 19 is stopped, the gas tank 10a is in a sealed position, so the gas will not leak to the outside.

[0056] Notes related to the techniques described in the embodiments are explained. On-off valves 20 and 40 remain open during power supply and close when power supply ceases. Such on-off valves are sometimes referred to as normally closed valves. The on-off valves used in the gas supply devices 2 and 2a of the embodiments can be any normally closed type.

[0057] Fuel cell 90 is an example of a gas-consuming device. The gas supplied by gas supply device 2 (2a) can be supplied to devices other than fuel cell 90.

[0058] The on / off valve 20 is a valve that opens when the push rod 35 is pressed in and closes when the push rod 35 is pulled out. The actuator 19 is the component that presses in the push rod 35. The actuator 19 can be considered as part of the on / off valve 20. By continuously supplying power to the actuator 19 to keep the gas canister 10a in the open position, the on / off valve 20 can remain open. If the power supply to the actuator 19 is stopped while the gas canister 10a is in the open position, the on / off valve 20 closes.

[0059] In the gas supply device 2a of the second embodiment, when the power supply to the actuator 19 is stopped, the gas tank 10a is moved to the sealed position. Figure 6 Step S26). This is because, in order to reliably close the on / off valve 20, step S26 can be omitted. If the power supply to the actuator 19 is stopped when the gas tank 10a is in the open position, the valve body 22 is pushed back to the opening of the sleeve 21 by the spring force of the spring 23, and the on / off valve 20 is closed.

[0060] Gas supply devices 2 and 2a can supply gases other than hydrogen to gas-using equipment.

[0061] The specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes technologies obtained by various modifications and alterations to the specific examples described above. The technical elements illustrated in this specification or drawings exert their technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of application. Furthermore, the technology illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, wherein achieving only one objective is itself technically useful.

[0062] Symbol Explanation

[0063] 2, 2a - Gas supply device; 3, 3a - Gas supply passage; 10, 10a - Gas tank; 11, 11a - Interface; 12 - Seal; 19 - Actuator; 20 - On / off valve; 21 - Sleeve; 22 - Valve body; 23 - Spring; 30 - Gas supply pipe; 31 - Check valve; 32 - Flow sensor; 33, 33a, 33b - Pressure sensor; 34 - Pressure reducing valve; 35 - Push rod; 36 - Rod support; 40 - On / off valve; 41 - Valve body; 42 - Solenoid; 43 - Compression spring; 50, 50a - Controller; 90 - Fuel cell.

Claims

1. A gas supply device, characterized in that, have: The gas supply passage guides the gas from the gas tank to the gas-using equipment; An on / off valve, located in the gas supply passage, requires electricity to maintain its open state; and The controller, when the gas consumption of the gas-using device is lower than a specified consumption threshold, supplies power to the opening and closing valve to maintain its open state if the internal pressure of the gas supply passage between the opening and closing valve and the gas-using device is lower than a specified gas pressure threshold; and stops supplying power to the opening and closing valve if the internal pressure is higher than the gas pressure threshold.

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