Method for replacing gas tank

Abstract

To provide a technique enabling suppression of noise generated when removing a gas tank from a gas supply pipe.SOLUTION: A method comprises: a first step of bringing a first gas tank into a first state thereby supplying gas in a first tank main body to a gas consuming device through a first gas supply pipe; a second step of, after the amount of the gas in the first tank main body reduces less than a predetermined reference amount after the first step, bringing the first gas tank from the first state to a second state; and a third strep of, after the gas in the first gas supply pipe is consumed by the gas consuming device so that the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe reduces less than a predetermined reference pressure after the second step, bringing the first gas tank from the second state to a third state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a method for replacing a gas tank. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a gas tank connected to a gas supply pipe. The gas tank in Patent Document 1 is configured to be able to supply gas to a gas consuming device through the gas supply pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-056952 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when a gas tank connected to a gas supply pipe is removed from the gas supply pipe, noise may be generated due to the pressure of gas remaining in the gas supply pipe. This specification provides a technology that can suppress the generation of noise when a gas tank is removed from the gas supply pipe. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first aspect of the present technology, a gas supply device includes a plurality of gas tanks connected to a plurality of gas supply pipes, respectively. The gas supply device is capable of supplying gas from each of the gas tanks to a gas consumption device through each of the gas supply pipes. A first gas tank, which is one of the plurality of gas tanks, is capable of supplying gas to the gas consumption device through a first gas supply pipe, which is one of the plurality of gas supply pipes. The first gas tank includes a first tank body that stores gas to be supplied to the gas consumption device in a high-pressure state, and a first on-off valve that opens and closes a gas supply port of the first tank body, the first on-off valve being connected to the first gas supply pipe. The first gas tank can transition between a first state in which the first on-off valve is connected to the first gas supply pipe and opens, thereby supplying gas in the first tank body to the gas consumption device through the first gas supply pipe; a second state in which the first on-off valve is connected to the first gas supply pipe and closes, thereby preventing gas in the first tank body from being supplied to the gas consumption device; and a third state in which the first on-off valve is closed and detached from the first gas supply pipe.

[0006] A method for replacing the gas tank in the gas supply device may include a first step of supplying gas in the first tank body to the gas consuming device through the first gas supply pipe by putting the first gas tank in the first state; a second step of changing the first gas tank from the first state to the second state after the amount of gas in the first tank body has dropped below a predetermined standard amount after the first step; and a third step of changing the first gas tank from the second state to the third state after the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe has dropped below a predetermined standard pressure due to the gas in the first gas supply pipe being consumed by the gas consuming device after the second step.

[0007] With this configuration, when removing the first gas tank from the first gas supply pipe, the first gas tank can be removed after the pressure of the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe has decreased, thereby making it possible to suppress noise caused by the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe when removing the first gas tank.

[0008] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the gas consumption device may be a fuel cell that consumes gas to generate electricity and may be configured to be able to supply the generated electricity to a power consumption device. The power consumption device may be able to consume power supplied from the fuel cell and power supplied from a storage battery different from the fuel cell. The method may include a step of supplying power to the power consumption device from the storage battery without supplying power from the fuel cell to the power consumption device when the first gas tank is in the second state after the second step.

[0009] In a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the gas supply device may include a moving device that moves the first gas tank. The moving device may transition the first gas tank among the first state, the second state, and the third state by moving the first gas tank.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, a second gas tank that is one of the plurality of gas tanks may be capable of supplying gas to the gas consuming device through a second gas supply pipe that is one of the plurality of gas supply pipes. The second gas tank may include a second tank body that stores gas to be supplied to the gas consuming device at high pressure, and a second on-off valve that opens and closes a gas supply port of the second tank body, the second on-off valve being connected to the second gas supply pipe. The second gas tank may be capable of transitioning to a first state in which gas in the second tank body is supplied to the gas consuming device through the second gas supply pipe by opening the second on-off valve while the second on-off valve is connected to the second gas supply pipe. The method may further include a fourth step of transitioning the second gas tank to the first state after the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe drops below the reference pressure as a result of the gas in the first gas supply pipe being consumed by the gas consuming device after the second step.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the first gas supply pipe may be provided with a first check valve. The second gas supply pipe may be provided with a second check valve. The first gas supply pipe downstream of the first check valve and the second gas supply pipe downstream of the second check valve may be joined together. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a gas supply device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart (1) illustrating a method for replacing a gas tank according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart (2) illustrating a method for replacing a gas tank according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method for replacing a gas tank according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A gas supply device 2 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply device 2 of the embodiment includes a plurality of tank units (in this embodiment, a first tank unit 100a and a second tank unit 100b) and a control device 90. The gas supply device 2 is a device that supplies gas to a gas consumption device 4 through a gas supply pipe 5. The gas supplied to the gas consumption device 4 is, for example, hydrogen gas or oxygen gas. The gas supply device 2 may include three or more tank units.

[0014] The gas consuming device 4 is, for example, a fuel cell that consumes gas to generate electricity. The gas consuming device 4 is connected to a gas supply pipe 5. The gas consuming device 4 (fuel cell) may also be electrically connected to the power consuming device 6. The gas consuming device 4 (fuel cell) is configured to be able to supply the power generated by consuming gas to the power consuming device 6. The type of the gas consuming device 4 and the type of gas are not particularly limited.

[0015] The power consumption device 6 is, for example, a motor of an electric vehicle that operates by consuming electric power. The power consumption device 6 consumes electric power supplied from the gas consumption device 4 (fuel cell). The power consumption device 6 may also be electrically connected to a storage battery 8 different from the gas consumption device 4 (fuel cell). The storage battery 8 is configured to be able to supply stored electric power to the power consumption device 6. The power consumption device 6 consumes electric power supplied from the storage battery 8. The storage battery 8 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

[0016] The gas supply pipe 5 includes a first gas supply pipe 50a, a second gas supply pipe 50b, and a common gas supply pipe 60. The gas supply device 2 introduces gas into the first gas supply pipe 50a from an inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a. Similarly, the gas supply device 2 introduces gas into the second gas supply pipe 50b from an inlet 51b of the second gas supply pipe 50b. The inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a is open to the outside when a first gas tank 10a (described later) is not connected. Similarly, the inlet 51b of the second gas supply pipe 50b is open to the outside when a second gas tank 10b (described later) is not connected.

[0017] The first gas supply pipe 50a is provided with a first check valve 52a and a first pressure sensor 54a. The first check valve 52a allows gas to flow from the upstream side (the first gas tank 10a side) of the first gas supply pipe 50a to the downstream side (the gas consumption device 4 side) and prohibits gas from flowing from the downstream side to the upstream side.

[0018] The first pressure sensor 54a is provided upstream of the first check valve 52a (toward the first gas tank 10a). The first pressure sensor 54a detects the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a upstream of the first check valve 52a. Information on the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a is transmitted to the control device 90.

[0019] The second gas supply pipe 50b is provided with a second check valve 52b and a second pressure sensor 54b. The second check valve 52b and the second pressure sensor 54b have the same configurations as the first check valve 52a and the first pressure sensor 54a, respectively, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0020] The first gas supply pipe 50a and the second gas supply pipe 50b join at their downstream ends. The first gas supply pipe 50a downstream of the first check valve 52a joins the second gas supply pipe 50b downstream of the second check valve 52b. The first gas supply pipe 50a and the second gas supply pipe 50b are connected at their downstream ends to a common gas supply pipe 60. The downstream end of the common gas supply pipe 60 is connected to the gas consumption device 4. The common gas supply pipe 60 supplies the gas sent from the first gas supply pipe 50a or the second gas supply pipe 50b to the gas consumption device 4.

[0021] Next, the first tank unit 100a will be described. The second tank unit 100b has the same configuration as the first tank unit 100a. Therefore, the following mainly describes the first tank unit 100a, and the second tank unit 100b may be assigned the same reference numerals as the first tank unit 100a and a detailed description thereof may be omitted. The configuration of the first tank unit 100a will be designated by the reference numeral "a," and the configuration of the second tank unit 100b will be designated by the reference numeral "b."

[0022] The first tank unit 100a includes a first gas tank 10a and a first moving device 30a that moves the first gas tank 10a. The first gas tank 10a includes a first tank body 12a and a first on-off valve 14a. The first tank body 12a stores gas (e.g., hydrogen gas) at high pressure to be supplied to the gas consumption device 4. The first tank body 12a is connected to a first gas supply pipe 50a via the first on-off valve 14a.

[0023] The first on-off valve 14a is provided at the gas supply port 13a of the first tank body 12a. The first on-off valve 14a opens and closes the gas supply port 13a of the first tank body 12a. The first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a when supplying gas from the first gas tank 10a to the gas consumption device 4.

[0024] When the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, it seals the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a. When the first on-off valve 14a is opened in this state, the gas in the first tank body 12a is supplied to the gas consumption device 4 through the first gas supply pipe 50a. When the first on-off valve 14a is not connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a (i.e., when it is detached from the first gas supply pipe 50a), the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a is open.

[0025] The first on-off valve 14a opens when the first gas tank 10a is in a first position (i.e., in a first state) described below. On the other hand, the first on-off valve 14a closes when the first gas tank 10a is in a second position (i.e., in the second state) described below. Also, the first on-off valve 14a closes when the first gas tank 10a is in a third position (i.e., in the third state) described below.

[0026] When the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a (i.e., when the first on-off valve 14a seals the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a), the first gas tank 10a can supply the gas in the first tank body 12a to the gas consumption device 4 through the first gas supply pipe 50a by opening the first on-off valve 14a. On the other hand, when the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a and the first on-off valve 14a is closed, the gas in the first tank body 12a is no longer supplied to the gas consumption device 4.

[0027] The configuration for opening and closing the first on-off valve 14a is not particularly limited. For example, the first on-off valve 14a may be configured to open when an internal member of the valve is pressed by the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a. In this case, the first on-off valve 14a may be configured to close when the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a no longer presses the internal member of the valve.

[0028] The first gas tank 10a having the above configuration can transition between a first state, a second state, and a third state. In the first state, gas is supplied from the first gas tank 10a to the gas consumption device 4. In the first state, the first on-off valve 14a of the first gas tank 10a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, and the first on-off valve 14a is opened, thereby supplying gas in the first tank body 12a to the gas consumption device 4 through the first gas supply pipe 50a. In the first state, the gas supplied from the first gas tank 10a is consumed by the gas consumption device 4. In the first state, the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, thereby sealing the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a. In the first state, gas is supplied from the first gas tank 10a to the first gas supply pipe 50a, thereby causing the pressure in the first gas supply pipe 50a to become high.

[0029] In the second state, gas is not supplied from the first gas tank 10a to the gas consumption device 4. In the second state, the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, and the first on-off valve 14a is closed, so that the gas in the first tank body 12a is not supplied to the gas consumption device 4. In the second state, the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a is consumed by the gas consumption device 4. In the second state, the first on-off valve 14a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, so that the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a is sealed. In the second state, the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a is consumed by the gas consumption device 4, so that the pressure in the first gas supply pipe 50a gradually decreases.

[0030] In the third state, gas is not supplied from the first gas tank 10a to the gas consumption device 4. The third state is a state in which the first on-off valve 14a is closed and the first on-off valve 14a is detached from the first gas supply pipe 50a. In the third state, the first on-off valve 14a is detached from the first gas supply pipe 50a, so that the inlet 51a of the first gas supply pipe 50a is not sealed but is open.

[0031] Next, the first moving device 30a of the first tank unit 100a will be described. The first moving device 30a includes a first moving carriage 32a, a first motor 40a, a first movement restricting member 38a, and a first position sensor 42a. The first moving device 30a can move the first gas tank 10a to a first position, a second position, and a third position. The first position is a position where the first gas tank 10a is in the first state described above. The second position is a position where the first gas tank 10a is in the second state described above, and the third position is a position where the first gas tank 10a is in the third state described above.

[0032] The first moving carriage 32a supports the first gas tank 10a with the first on-off valve 14a of the first gas tank 10a facing the first gas supply pipe 50a. The first moving carriage 32a is moved by the drive of the first motor 40a with the first gas tank 10a mounted thereon. The first moving carriage 32a is driven by the first motor 40a to move toward or away from the first gas supply pipe 50a. The first motor 40a is, for example, a stepping motor.

[0033] The first moving stage 32a has a front recess 34a and a rear recess 36a into which the first movement restricting member 38a is inserted. The front recess 34a is provided closer to the first gas supply pipe 50a than the rear recess 36a.

[0034] The first movement restricting member 38a is configured to be movable up and down by the drive of a solenoid. When the first movement restricting member 38a moves upward, it is inserted into the front recess 34a or the rear recess 36a of the first moving carriage 32a. When the first movement restricting member 38a is inserted into the front recess 34a or the rear recess 36a, the movement of the first moving carriage 32a is restricted. Hereinafter, this state may be referred to as the restricted state.

[0035] Furthermore, the first movement restricting member 38a moves downward to retract from the front recess 34a or the rear recess 36a of the first movable carriage 32a. When the first movement restricting member 38a retracts from the front recess 34a or the rear recess 36a, the restriction on the movement of the first movable carriage 32a is released. Hereinafter, this state may be referred to as the released state.

[0036] The first position sensor 42a is connected to, for example, the first motor 40a, and detects the position of the first movable carriage 32a by detecting the number of steps of the first motor 40a. The first position sensor 42a can detect the position of the first gas tank 10a by detecting the position of the first movable carriage 32a. Position information detected by the first position sensor 42a is transmitted to the control device 90.

[0037] The control device 90 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and executes various controls and processes related to the gas supply device 2 according to a predetermined program. For example, the control device 90 controls the first moving device 30a and the second moving device 30b to move the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b. This causes the states of the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b to transition.

[0038] Next, a method for replacing the gas tanks (first gas tank 10a and second gas tank 10b) in the gas supply device 2 will be described. Figures 2 and 3 are flowcharts illustrating the method for replacing the gas tanks, and Figure 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the method for replacing the gas tanks. In the initial state of the embodiment, it is assumed that the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b are in the third position (i.e., the third state).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, in S2 of the embodiment, the first moving device 30a of the gas supply device 2 releases the first movement restricting member 38a, and the second moving device 30b releases the second movement restricting member 38b.

[0040] 2 and 4, in the next step S4, the first moving device 30a and the second moving device 30b move the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b from the third position to the second position, respectively (i.e., transition from the third state to the second state). When the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b are in the second state, the first gas tank 10a is connected to the first gas supply pipe 50a, and the second gas tank 10b is connected to the second gas supply pipe 50b (see FIG. 1).

[0041] In the following S6, the first movement device 30a and the second movement device 30b respectively place the first movement restricting member 38a and the second movement restricting member 38b in the restricting state.

[0042] In the subsequent S8, the first moving device 30a and the second moving device 30b move the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b, respectively, from the second position to the first position (i.e., transition from the second state to the first state). When the first gas tank 10a enters the first state, the first on-off valve 14a opens, and gas is supplied from the first gas tank 10a into the first gas supply pipe 50a. Similarly, when the second gas tank 10b enters the first state, the second on-off valve 14b opens, and gas is supplied from the second gas tank 10b into the second gas supply pipe 50b.

[0043] Next, in S10, the control device 90 compares the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a with the pressure detected by the second pressure sensor 54b (i.e., compares the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a with the pressure of the gas in the second gas supply pipe 50b). Then, the control device 90 determines which gas tank 10a or 10b to use based on the comparison result. For example, if the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a is lower than the pressure detected by the second pressure sensor 54b, the control device 90 determines to use the first gas tank 10a. Alternatively, if the pressure detected by the second pressure sensor 54b is lower than the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a, the control device 90 determines to use the second gas tank 10b. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first gas tank 10a is used.

[0044] In the subsequent S12, the first moving device 30a and the second moving device 30b move the first gas tank 10a and the second gas tank 10b from the first position to the second position, respectively (i.e., transition from the first state to the second state). When the first gas tank 10a enters the second state, the first opening / closing valve 14a closes, and when the second gas tank 10b enters the second state, the second opening / closing valve 14b closes.

[0045] 3, in the next S14, the first moving device 30a moves the first gas tank 10a, which has been determined to be used in S10, from the second position to the first position (i.e., transitions it from the second state to the first state). Meanwhile, the second moving device 30b keeps the unused second gas tank 10b at the second position (i.e., the second state).

[0046] When the gas tank to be used (first gas tank 10a in this embodiment) enters the first state, first on-off valve 14a opens and gas is supplied from first gas tank 10a through first gas supply pipe 50a to gas consumption device 4. Furthermore, when gas is consumed by gas consumption device 4, the amount of gas in first tank body 12a of first gas tank 10a decreases, and the gas pressure in first gas supply pipe 50a gradually decreases.

[0047] Next, in S16, the control device 90 monitors whether the pressure detected by the pressure sensor on the gas tank in use (in this embodiment, the first pressure sensor 54a on the first gas tank 10a side) (i.e., the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a) drops below a predetermined first reference pressure. If the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a drops below the first reference pressure (YES in S16), the process proceeds to S18. If the pressure does not drop below the first reference pressure (NO in S16), the process waits in S16. If the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a drops below the first reference pressure (see T2 in FIG. 4), this means that the amount of gas in the first tank body 12a of the first gas tank 10a has dropped below a predetermined reference amount.

[0048] In S18 after YES in S16, the first moving device 30a moves the first gas tank 10a in use from the first position to the second position (i.e., transitions from the first state to the second state). Here, even if the first gas tank 10a in use moves to the second position (i.e., transitions to the second state), gas still remains in the first gas supply pipe 50a immediately thereafter. Therefore, the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a is supplied to the gas consumption device 4, and the gas is consumed by the gas consumption device 4. When the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a is consumed by the gas consumption device 4, the gas pressure in the first gas supply pipe 50a gradually decreases.

[0049] Next, in S20, the control device 90 monitors whether the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a on the same side as in S16 above (i.e., the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a) drops below a predetermined second reference pressure. The second reference pressure is a pressure below the first reference pressure in S16 above. If the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a drops below the second reference pressure (YES in S20), the process proceeds to S22. If the pressure does not drop below the second reference pressure (NO in S20), the process waits in S20. If the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor 54a drops below the second reference pressure (see T4 in FIG. 4), this means that the amount of gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a has sufficiently decreased.

[0050] Next, in S22, the second moving device 30b moves the other unused gas tank (the second gas tank 10b in this embodiment) from the second position to the first position (i.e., transitions from the second state to the first state). When the second gas tank 10b enters the first state, the second on-off valve 14b opens, and gas is supplied from the second gas tank 10b through the second gas supply pipe 50b to the gas consuming device 4. Furthermore, when gas is consumed by the gas consuming device 4, the amount of gas in the second tank body 12b of the second gas tank 10b decreases, and the gas pressure in the second gas supply pipe 50b gradually decreases.

[0051] Next, in S24, the first moving device 30a sets the first movement restricting member 38a to the release state. Next, in S26, the first moving device 30a moves the used first gas tank 10a from the second position to the third position (i.e., transitions from the second state to the third state). When the first gas tank 10a reaches the third state, the first on-off valve 14a is detached from the first gas supply pipe 50a. Next, in S28, the first moving device 30a sets the first movement restricting member 38a to the restricting state.

[0052] The above has described the gas supply device 2 and the gas tank replacement method of the embodiment. As is clear from the above description, in the gas tank replacement method, after the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a is consumed by the gas consumption device 4 and the gas pressure in the first gas supply pipe 50a drops below the second reference pressure, the first gas tank 10a is changed from the second state to the third state (see S20 and S26 in FIG. 3).

[0053] With this configuration, when removing the first gas tank 10a from the first gas supply pipe 50a, the first gas tank 10a can be removed after the pressure of the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a has decreased, thereby making it possible to suppress noise caused by the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a when removing the first gas tank 10a.

[0054] The gas supply device 2 includes a first moving device 30a that moves the first gas tank 10a. With this configuration, the state of the first gas tank 10a can be switched with little effort.

[0055] Furthermore, in the gas tank replacement method, the second gas tank 10b is set to the first state after the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a drops below the second reference pressure as a result of the gas in the first gas supply pipe 50a being consumed by the gas consumption device 4. With this configuration, after the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a is consumed, gas can be supplied to the gas consumption device 4 from the second gas tank 10b, which is different from the first gas tank 10a.

[0056] In the configuration of the embodiment, the first gas supply pipe 50a downstream of the first check valve 52a and the second gas supply pipe 50b downstream of the second check valve 52b are joined together. This configuration can prevent gas supplied from the first gas tank 10a into the first gas supply pipe 50a from flowing back through the second gas supply pipe 50b. Similarly, it can prevent gas supplied from the second gas tank 10a into the second gas supply pipe 50b from flowing back through the first gas supply pipe 50a.

[0057] (Correspondence) The process of S14 (see FIG. 2) in the embodiment is an example of the "first step" described in the claims. The process of S18 (see FIG. 3) is an example of the "second step," the process of S26 is an example of the "third step," and the process of S22 is an example of the "fourth step."

[0058] (Variation) 3, when the first gas tank 10a is in the second position (i.e., when in the second state), the control device 90 may supply power from the storage battery 8 to the power consumption device 6 without supplying power from the gas consumption device 4 (fuel cell) to the power consumption device 6. The control device 90 may, for example, switch the switch to cut off the electrical connection between the gas consumption device 4 (fuel cell) and the power consumption device 6 and connect the electrical connection between the storage battery 8 and the power consumption device 6.

[0059] When the gas consuming device 4 is a fuel cell and the first gas tank 10a is in the second state after S18, the fuel cell is generating electricity by consuming the gas remaining in the first gas supply pipe 50a. In this state, the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell is considered to be small. Therefore, in this case, by supplying power from the storage battery 8 to the power consuming device 6 without supplying power from the fuel cell to the power consuming device 6, sufficient power can be supplied to the power consuming device 6.

[0060] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 2: Gas supply device 4:Gas consumption device 5: Gas supply pipe 6:Power consumption device 8: Storage battery 10a: First gas tank 10b: Second gas tank 12a: First tank body 13a: Gas supply port 14a: First shut-off valve 30a: 1st moving device 32a: 1st moving platform 38a: First movement restricting member 40a: First motor 42a: First position sensor 50a: First gas supply pipe 52a: First check valve 54a: First pressure sensor 60: Common gas supply pipe 90: Control device 100a: First tank unit 100b: Second tank unit

Claims

1. A method for replacing a gas tank in a gas supply device that includes a plurality of gas tanks connected to a plurality of gas supply pipes, respectively, and that can supply gas from each of the gas tanks to a gas consumption device through each of the gas supply pipes, comprising: a first gas tank that is one of the plurality of gas tanks is capable of supplying gas to the gas consumption device through a first gas supply pipe that is one of the plurality of gas supply pipes; the first gas tank comprises a first tank body that stores gas to be supplied to the gas consumption device in a high-pressure state, and a first on-off valve that opens and closes a gas supply port of the first tank body, the first on-off valve being connected to the first gas supply pipe; The first gas tank is a first state in which the first on-off valve is connected to the first gas supply pipe and opens, thereby allowing gas in the first tank body to be supplied to the gas consumption device through the first gas supply pipe; a second state in which the first on-off valve is closed while the first on-off valve is connected to the first gas supply pipe, so that the gas in the first tank body is not supplied to the gas consumption device; a third state in which the first on-off valve is closed and is detached from the first gas supply pipe; The method comprises: a first step of supplying gas in the first tank body to the gas consumption device through the first gas supply pipe by putting the first gas tank into the first state; a second step of changing the first gas tank from the first state to the second state after the amount of gas in the first tank body has decreased to less than a predetermined reference amount after the first step; a third step of changing the first gas tank from the second state to the third state after the second step, when the gas in the first gas supply pipe is consumed by the gas consumption device, causing the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe to drop below a predetermined reference pressure.

2. the gas consuming device is a fuel cell that consumes gas to generate electricity and is configured to be able to supply the generated electricity to a power consuming device; the power consumption device is capable of consuming power supplied from the fuel cell and power supplied from a storage battery different from the fuel cell; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of supplying power to the power consuming device from the storage battery without supplying power to the power consuming device from the fuel cell when the first gas tank is in the second state after the second step.

3. the gas supply device includes a moving device that moves the first gas tank, The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving device moves the first gas tank to transition the first gas tank among the first state, the second state, and the third state.

4. a second gas tank that is one of the plurality of gas tanks is capable of supplying gas to the gas consumption device through a second gas supply pipe that is one of the plurality of gas supply pipes; the second gas tank includes a second tank body that stores gas to be supplied to the gas consumption device in a high-pressure state, and a second on-off valve that opens and closes a gas supply port of the second tank body, the second on-off valve being connected to the second gas supply pipe; The second gas tank is a first state in which the second on-off valve is opened while the second on-off valve is connected to the second gas supply pipe, and the gas in the second tank body is supplied to the gas consumption device through the second gas supply pipe; The method comprises:

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a fourth step of setting the second gas tank to the first state after the pressure of the gas in the first gas supply pipe drops below the reference pressure due to the gas in the first gas supply pipe being consumed by the gas consumption device after the second step.

5. a first check valve is provided in the first gas supply pipe; a second check valve is provided in the second gas supply pipe; The method according to claim 4 , wherein the first gas supply pipe downstream of the first check valve and the second gas supply pipe downstream of the second check valve join together.

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