control device

Abstract

A method, device, and system are provided that can obtain the hydrogen gas inventory of each off-site station with high accuracy. [Solution] The hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system of the present invention is a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system that acquires the inventory of hydrogen gas at multiple off-site hydrogen stations, and is characterized by comprising: a log data creation device that creates each parameter data at each hydrogen station together with identification information of each hydrogen station from multiple parameter data measured by multiple instruments placed at each hydrogen station in order to calculate the inventory of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station; a hydrogen gas inventory calculation device that uses the log data; a sorting processing device that acquires the inventory data of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station from the inventory calculation device for each set time period and sorts the identification information; and a sorted data output device that outputs from the sorting processing device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority from application JP2019-061870 (application number) filed in Japan on March 27, 2019. The contents of JP2019-061870 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method, a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition device, and a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system, and relates to a technique for acquiring the inventory of hydrogen gas located at, for example, an off-site hydrogen station. [Background technology]

[0003] In addition to conventional fuel oils such as gasoline, hydrogen fuel has recently been attracting attention as a clean energy source for automobiles. Accordingly, development of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) powered by hydrogen fuel is underway. Hydrogen stations for FCVs include hydrogen shipping centers that serve as hydrogen production bases and on-site hydrogen stations (hereinafter referred to as on-site STs), and off-site hydrogen stations (hereinafter referred to as off-site STs) that receive and sell hydrogen from hydrogen production bases (such as hydrogen shipping centers and on-site STs). To rapidly fill FCVs with hydrogen, hydrogen stations are equipped with a compressor that compresses hydrogen gas to high pressure and multiple pressure accumulators (multi-stage pressure accumulators) that store the hydrogen gas compressed to high pressure by the compressor. These hydrogen stations rapidly fill the fuel tank with hydrogen gas from the pressure accumulators by switching between the pressure accumulators as needed to maintain a large pressure difference between the pressure inside the pressure accumulators and the pressure in the FCV's fuel tank (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Conventionally, at each off-site station, workers manually read various information (e.g., pressure and temperature) from instruments (e.g., pressure gauges and thermometers) installed within the off-site station, enter the information on data sheets, and send the data to the management organization at headquarters. This resulted in errors in readings by workers. Errors can be particularly large when reading values ​​from analog instruments. Furthermore, each off-site station has different instruments installed and the timing of readings varies. This posed a problem: it was difficult to accurately determine the real-time inventory of hydrogen gas stored at each off-site station from the obtained data. As a result, it was necessary to rely on empirical rules to determine how much hydrogen gas should be transported to which off-site station and when. Therefore, it is desirable to accurately determine the inventory of hydrogen gas at each off-site station. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-89927 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, one aspect of the present invention provides a method, an apparatus, and a system that can acquire the hydrogen gas inventory amount at each off-site ST with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an inventory calculation unit that calculates the hydrogen inventory of each hydrogen tank based on parameter data related to each hydrogen tank that stores hydrogen and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank; each hydrogen tank belongs to one of a plurality of groups; an inventory data creation unit creates inventory data for each group based on the hydrogen inventory of each hydrogen tank belonging to that group; Equipped with. Furthermore, a control device according to another aspect of the present invention includes: an inventory amount calculation unit that calculates the fuel inventory amount of each fuel tank at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each fuel tank based on parameter data related to each fuel tank and data including identification information of each fuel tank; each of the fuel tanks belongs to one of a plurality of groups; and an inventory data creation unit that creates inventory data for each of the groups based on the fuel inventory of each of the fuel tanks belonging to the group; Equipped with. A management device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: A management device for managing hydrogen gas inventory in a plurality of hydrogen tanks that store hydrogen gas, comprising: an inventory calculation unit that calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank; Equipped with. Furthermore, a management device according to another aspect of the present invention includes: A management device for managing hydrogen gas inventory in a plurality of hydrogen tanks that store hydrogen gas, comprising: an inventory calculation unit that calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at a calculation timing set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank; each hydrogen tank belongs to one of a plurality of groups, and a group-specific inventory data creation unit aggregates the hydrogen gas inventory of each hydrogen tank belonging to each group to create group-specific inventory data; Equipped with. Furthermore, a hydrogen gas inventory management method for a management device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: A hydrogen gas inventory management method for a management device that manages hydrogen gas inventory in a plurality of hydrogen tanks that store hydrogen gas, comprising: receiving data including a plurality of parameter data measured by a plurality of meters disposed on each hydrogen tank and identification information of each hydrogen tank; using the data to calculate and output the hydrogen gas inventory amount at individual calculation timings set individually for each hydrogen tank; Equipped with. Furthermore, a hydrogen gas inventory management system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a plurality of hydrogen tanks for storing hydrogen gas; an inventory calculation unit that calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank; Equipped with. A hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system that acquires hydrogen gas inventory at a plurality of hydrogen stations, a log data creation device that creates log data from multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters installed at each hydrogen station in order to calculate the inventory of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station, the log data recording each parameter data sampled at individual sampling times set for each hydrogen station together with identification information for each hydrogen station; an inventory calculation device that calculates the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each hydrogen station using the log data; Equipped with. a sorting device that acquires hydrogen gas inventory data at each hydrogen station from the inventory calculation device for each set time period and sorts the identification information using the inventory data; a sort data output device that outputs sort data including the identification information and the inventory amount data after the sorting process from the sorting device; It is preferable that the device further comprises:

[0008] Each of the hydrogen stations belongs to one of a plurality of groups, a group-specific inventory creation device that aggregates the inventory of each hydrogen station belonging to each group and creates group-specific inventory data; a group-by-group inventory data transmitting device that transmits the group-by-group inventory data to each hydrogen station; It is preferable that the device further comprises:

[0009] Furthermore, each of the hydrogen stations has a pressure accumulator that stores hydrogen gas under pressure, The plurality of parameter data preferably includes pressure data of the hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator, and temperature data that can be estimated as the temperature of the hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator.

[0010] Furthermore, each of the hydrogen stations has a compressor for compressing hydrogen gas, The individual calculation timing is preferably set to the time when the compressor stops operating.

[0011] Preferably, the individual calculation timing is the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the fuel cell vehicle ends.

[0012] Furthermore, each of the hydrogen stations has an intermediate pressure accumulator that accumulates hydrogen gas unloaded from a trailer that transports hydrogen gas, and a high-pressure accumulator that accumulates hydrogen gas compressed to a higher pressure than that in the intermediate pressure accumulator, The individual calculation timing is preferably the end time of unloading the hydrogen gas from the trailer into the intermediate pressure accumulator.

[0013] It is also preferable that the log data creation device is located at each of the hydrogen stations, the inventory quantity calculation device is located at a data center different from each of the hydrogen stations, and the log data creation device and the inventory quantity calculation device are connected via a network.

[0014] Preferably, the log data creation device and the inventory amount calculation device are disposed in each of the hydrogen stations.

[0015] A hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method according to one aspect of the present invention includes: A hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method for acquiring inventory amounts of hydrogen gas at a plurality of hydrogen stations, comprising: a log data creation process for creating log data that records each parameter data measured by a plurality of meters installed at each hydrogen station in order to calculate the inventory of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station, the parameter data being sampled at individual sampling times set for each hydrogen station, together with the identification information of each hydrogen station; an inventory calculation step of calculating the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at an individual calculation timing individually set for each hydrogen station using the log data; Equipped with. a sorting process for acquiring hydrogen gas inventory data at each hydrogen station for each set time period based on the inventory calculated in the inventory calculation process, and sorting the identification information using the inventory data; a sorted data output step of outputting sorted data including the sorted identification information and the inventory amount data; It is preferable that the device further comprises:

[0016] The hydrogen gas inventory acquisition device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A hydrogen gas inventory acquisition device that acquires inventory amounts of hydrogen gas at a plurality of hydrogen stations, a log data creation unit that creates log data that records each parameter data measured by a plurality of meters installed at each hydrogen station in order to calculate the inventory of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station, the parameter data being sampled at individual sampling times set for each hydrogen station, together with identification information for each hydrogen station; and an inventory calculation unit that calculates the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each hydrogen station using the log data; Equipped with. a sorting processing unit that acquires hydrogen gas inventory data at each hydrogen station from the inventory calculation device for each set time period and sorts the identification information using the inventory data; a sort data output unit that outputs sort data including the identification information and the inventory amount data that have been sorted from the sort processing device; It is preferable that the device further comprises:

[0017] A hydrogen gas inventory management system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: A hydrogen gas inventory management system that manages hydrogen gas inventory at multiple off-site hydrogen stations, a log data creation device that creates log data that records pressure values ​​measured by a pressure gauge installed at each hydrogen station at individual sampling times set for each hydrogen station, along with identification information for each hydrogen station; and a sorting device that acquires the pressure value of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station from the log data creation unit for each set time period and sorts the identification information using the pressure value; a sort data output device that outputs sort data including the identification information and the pressure value after the sorting process from the sorting processing unit; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention provides a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method, comprising: a step of inputting, for each of a plurality of off-site hydrogen stations that supply hydrogen gas to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), log data of a plurality of parameters sampled from data of a plurality of parameters measured by a plurality of meters installed at the hydrogen station at a first individual timing, which is preset in a plurality of terminals within the hydrogen station, together with identification information of the hydrogen station via a terminal within the hydrogen station over a network; a step of calculating, for each hydrogen station, the amount of hydrogen gas in stock at a second individual timing preset for that hydrogen station, from among a plurality of second individual timings preset individually for the plurality of hydrogen stations, using log data of the plurality of parameters input; inputting the amount of hydrogen gas in stock at hydrogen stations that fall within a predetermined time period, and sorting the identification information of the hydrogen stations in order of the amount of stock in the time period; outputting identification information of the plurality of hydrogen stations sorted by time period in association with the inventory amount; The present invention is characterized by the following.

[0019] Another aspect of the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition device of the present invention is a data input unit for inputting, for each of a plurality of off-site hydrogen stations that supply hydrogen gas to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), log data of a plurality of parameters sampled from data of a plurality of parameters measured by a plurality of meters installed at the hydrogen station at a first individual timing preset in a plurality of terminals within the hydrogen station, together with identification information of the hydrogen station via a terminal within the hydrogen station over a network; an inventory calculation unit that calculates, for each hydrogen station, the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at a second individual timing that is preset for that hydrogen station, out of multiple second individual timings that are preset for each of the multiple hydrogen stations, using log data of multiple input parameters; a sorting processing unit that inputs the amount of hydrogen gas in stock at hydrogen stations that fall within a predetermined time period, and sorts the identification information of the plurality of hydrogen stations in order of the amount of stock in the time period, in descending order; an output unit that outputs identification information of the plurality of hydrogen stations sorted by time period and data on the inventory amount of each hydrogen station; The present invention is characterized by the following.

[0020] Another aspect of the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system of the present invention includes: a plurality of client terminals connectable to a network, at least one of which is installed at each of a plurality of off-site hydrogen stations that supply hydrogen gas to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and which sample a plurality of parameters from data of a plurality of parameters measured by a plurality of meters installed at the hydrogen station at a first individual timing set at the hydrogen station out of a plurality of first individual timings set in advance, one for each of the plurality of hydrogen stations, and create log data of the sampled parameters; a data input unit arranged in the data center for inputting, via a network, log data of a plurality of parameters sampled from a plurality of meters at each hydrogen station at a first individual timing from a plurality of client terminals, together with identification information of the hydrogen station; an inventory calculation unit that is located within the data center and that uses log data of multiple parameters input for each hydrogen station to calculate the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at a second individual timing that is preset for that hydrogen station, out of multiple second individual timings that are preset individually for each of the multiple hydrogen stations; a sorting processing unit that is located within the data center and that inputs the hydrogen gas inventory amounts at hydrogen stations that fall within a predetermined time period and that sorts the identification information of the multiple hydrogen stations in order of the inventory amounts with the smallest inventory amount within that time period; a server device that receives identification information of multiple hydrogen stations sorted by time period and inventory data for each hydrogen station from a data center via a network, and outputs the identification information of multiple hydrogen stations sorted by time period in association with inventory data; The present invention is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at each off-site ST can be obtained with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is an example of a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a client terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a data center according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of filling hydrogen fuel under differential pressure using the multistage pressure accumulator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 3 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the main steps of the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of log data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of log data in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of log data in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of sort data in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of regional inventory data in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is an example of a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system in a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a client terminal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a data center according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of sort data in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of sort data in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is an example of a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system 500 includes a plurality of client terminals 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, . . . , 100k, . . . (hereinafter, a plurality of client terminals may be collectively referred to as "client terminals 100"), a data center 200, and a server terminal 300. Each client terminal 100, the data center 200, and the server terminal 300 are communicatively connected via a network 2. The network 2 may be the Internet, but is not limited to this, and may be a network with limited usage, such as a telephone line network or a dedicated line network for this system.

[0024] At least one client terminal 100 is installed at each off-site hydrogen station 102 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "off-site ST") that supplies hydrogen gas to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). In this embodiment, at least one client terminal is installed at each off-site ST, but multiple off-site STs may be managed by one client terminal. In this embodiment, at least one hydrogen station 102 is installed per group (e.g., region). Each hydrogen station 102 belongs to one of the groups. In this embodiment, regions are used as the groups, but the organization of groups is not limited to this. If the groups are regions, for example, Japan can be divided into Hokkaido region group, Tohoku region group, Kanto region group, Koshinetsu region group, Tokai region group, Hokuriku region group, West Japan region group, Kyushu region group, and Okinawa region group, or the regions can be divided by delivery area based on hydrogen production bases. In the example of Figure 1, three off-site STs, namely, off-site ST(A), off-site ST(B), and off-site ST(C), are deployed in Area 1, at least one off-site ST including off-site ST(D) is deployed in Area 2, and at least one off-site ST including off-site ST(K) is deployed in Area 3.

[0025] The hydrogen station 102 is equipped with a client terminal 100, a trailer 10, a compressor 20, an intermediate accumulator (unloading accumulator) 30, a high-pressure accumulator 40, a dispenser 50, and a control circuit 104 that controls each piece of equipment at the hydrogen station 102. The trailer 10 is equipped with an accumulator in which hydrogen gas produced at a hydrogen production site (such as a hydrogen shipping center or on-site hydrogen station) is stored at a low pressure (e.g., 20 MPa). The trailer 10 is transported from the hydrogen production site by a towing vehicle and placed at the hydrogen station 102. The trailer 10 thus placed is connected to a compressor 20 and other components within the hydrogen station 102 via piping. The compressor 20 compresses the hydrogen gas to a predetermined pressure (e.g., 45 MPa or 82 MPa) under the control of the control circuit 104. The intermediate accumulator 30 stores medium-pressure (e.g., 45 MPa) hydrogen gas supplied from the trailer 10 and compressed by the compressor 20. The high-pressure accumulator 40 stores high-pressure (e.g., 82 MPa) hydrogen gas supplied from the trailer 10 or the intermediate accumulator 30 and compressed by the compressor 20. While the example in FIG. 1 shows a single-stage high-pressure accumulator 40, this is not limiting. From the viewpoint of rapid filling, the high-pressure accumulator 40 is preferably a multi-stage accumulator consisting of multiple high-pressure accumulators. The multi-stage accumulator may be, for example, a three-stage accumulator consisting of a high-pressure accumulator serving as a first bank with a low lower limit pressure, a high-pressure accumulator serving as a second bank with an intermediate lower limit pressure, and a high-pressure accumulator serving as a third bank with a high lower limit pressure. The accumulators used for the first to third banks may be interchanged as necessary. The dispenser 50 supplies (fills) hydrogen gas from the high-pressure accumulator 40 to the FCV 60.

[0026] 1 , the suction side of the compressor 20 is connected by piping to the discharge side of the trailer 10 via a valve 14. The suction side of the compressor 20 is also connected by piping to the gas inlet of the intermediate pressure accumulator 30 via a valve 36. The discharge side of the compressor 20 is also connected by piping to the gas outlet of the intermediate pressure accumulator 30 via a valve 34. The discharge side of the compressor 20 is also connected by piping to the gas inlet of the high-pressure accumulator 40 via a valve 46. The gas outlet of the high-pressure accumulator 40 is also connected by piping to the dispenser 50 via a valve 44. The opening and closing of each valve is controlled by a control circuit 104.

[0027] The discharge pressure of the trailer 10 is measured by a pressure gauge 12. The pressure inside the intermediate accumulator 30 is measured by a pressure gauge 32. The pressure inside the high-pressure accumulator 40 is measured by a pressure gauge 42. If the high-pressure accumulator 40 is configured as a multi-stage accumulator, a pressure gauge measuring the pressure inside the accumulator in each stage, a valve for opening and closing the inlet, and a valve for opening and closing the outlet are respectively provided. The temperature of the intermediate accumulator 30 is measured by a thermometer 33. The temperature of the high-pressure accumulator 40 is measured by a thermometer 43. The outside air temperature within the premises of the hydrogen station 102 is measured by a thermometer 48. The pressure gauges 12, 32, 42 and the thermometers 33, 43, 48 are connected to the control circuit 104 by wire or wirelessly such as Wi-Fi. The pressure and temperature data measured by each of the pressure gauges 12, 32, and 42 and each of the thermometers 33, 43, and 48 at a predetermined sampling period (for example, about several tens of milliseconds to several seconds) are output to the control circuit 104.

[0028] Also, a flow control valve, a flow meter, a cooler (precooler), a pressure gauge, and the like (not shown) are arranged inside the dispenser 50. The flow rate (filling amount) of hydrogen gas supplied from the high-pressure accumulator 40 or the compressor 20 is measured by the flow meter, and the flow rate is adjusted by the flow control valve. The hydrogen gas is then cooled to a predetermined temperature (e.g., −40°C) by the cooler. The dispenser 50 fills the cooled hydrogen gas into a fuel tank (not shown) mounted on the FCV 60, for example, by using a differential pressure. The outlet pressure of the hydrogen gas filled from the dispenser 50 into the FCV 60 is measured by a pressure gauge. A control circuit is arranged inside or near the dispenser 50, and is configured to be able to communicate with on-board equipment in the FCV 60 that has arrived at the hydrogen station 102. For example, the control circuit is configured to be able to communicate wirelessly using infrared rays.

[0029] In the FCV 60, hydrogen gas as fuel is supplied from a dispenser 50 via a nozzle 51 and injected from a receptacle through a fuel passage into the fuel tank. The pressure and temperature inside the fuel tank are measured by a pressure gauge and a thermometer (not shown) provided in the fuel tank or in the fuel passage.

[0030] The hydrogen gas stored in the high-pressure accumulator 40 is cooled by a cooler in the dispenser 50 and supplied from the dispenser 50 to the FCV 60 that has arrived at the hydrogen station 102. If it is determined that differential pressure filling is not sufficient to fill the FCV 60 with hydrogen, the compressor 20, under the control of the control circuit 104, may compress the hydrogen gas supplied at low pressure and supply the hydrogen gas directly to the FCV 60 via the dispenser 50.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the client terminal according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the client terminal 100 of each hydrogen station 102 includes a communication control circuit 150, a memory 151, a data receiving unit 152, a sampling processing unit 155, a log data creating unit 156, a log data transmitting unit 159, and storage devices 154 and 158, such as magnetic disk drives. Each of the units, such as the data receiving unit 152, the sampling processing unit 155, the log data creating unit 156, and the log data transmitting unit 159, includes a processing circuit, which may include an electric circuit, a computer, a processor, a circuit board, or a semiconductor device. For example, the processing circuit may be a central processing unit (CPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Each unit may share a common processing circuit (the same processing circuit) or may use different processing circuits (separate processing circuits). Input data or calculation results required for the data receiving unit 152, sampling processing unit 155, log data creation unit 156, and log data transmission unit 159 are stored in the memory 151 each time. The client terminal 100 and the control circuit 104 of each hydrogen station 102 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via wire or wirelessly via Wi-Fi or the like. However, from the viewpoint of portability of the client terminal 100, a wireless connection is preferable.

[0032] An individual sampling timing is set in the client terminal 100 in each hydrogen station 102. Measurement information (e.g., pressure or temperature) is measured from each pressure gauge and thermometer in each hydrogen station 102 at a predetermined sampling period. The client terminal 100 transmits the measurement information measured by each pressure gauge and thermometer at the individual sampling timing to the data center 200. The individual sampling timing is input, for example, from outside the client terminal 100 and stored in the storage device 154.

[0033] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a data center according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, data center 200 includes communication control circuit 250, memory 251, data log receiving unit 252, log data analyzing unit 254, data extracting unit 257, inventory calculation unit 260, sorting unit 264, sorted data transmitting unit 268, region-specific inventory data creating unit 270, region-specific inventory data transmitting unit 274, and storage devices 256, 258, 262, 266, and 272 such as magnetic disk devices. Each of the units, such as data log receiving unit 252, log data analyzing unit 254, data extracting unit 257, inventory calculation unit 260, sorting unit 264, sorted data transmitting unit 268, region-specific inventory data creating unit 270, and region-specific inventory data transmitting unit 274, includes a processing circuit, and the processing circuit includes an electric circuit, a computer, a processor, a circuit board, a semiconductor device, or the like. Each unit may use a common processing circuit (the same processing circuit), or may use different processing circuits (separate processing circuits). For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) may be used as the processing circuit. Input data or calculation results required for the data log receiving unit 252, log data analyzing unit 254, data extracting unit 257, inventory amount calculating unit 260, sorting processing unit 264, sort data transmitting unit 268, region-specific inventory amount data creating unit 270, and region-specific inventory amount data transmitting unit 274 are stored in memory 251 each time.

[0034] As will be described later, log data created in a different format for each hydrogen station 102 is transmitted to the data center 200 from the client terminals 100 of each hydrogen station 102. Therefore, a log format table 273 showing the correlation between each hydrogen station 102 and the format of the log data created at that hydrogen station 102 is stored in the storage device 256. Furthermore, each hydrogen station 102 has multiple individual calculation timings set as timings for calculating inventory levels. Therefore, a timing table 271 showing the correlation between each hydrogen station 102 and the calculation timing and calculation method for inventory levels at that hydrogen station 102 is stored in the storage device 256.

[0035] Each hydrogen station 102 checks whether hydrogen gas at a predetermined pressure (e.g., 82 MPa) is stored in the high-pressure accumulator 40 before business hours or immediately after opening. If the stored pressure is insufficient, the control circuit 104 operates the compressor 20 to open valve 46 while keeping valves 34 and 44 closed, thereby storing high-pressure hydrogen gas in the high-pressure accumulator 40 until the predetermined pressure (e.g., 82 MPa) is reached. Typically, under the control of the control circuit 104, valve 14 is opened while keeping valve 36 closed, so that hydrogen gas stored in the trailer 10 is supplied to the intake port of the compressor 20, compressed, and restored to the high-pressure accumulator 40. If there is still a shortage of hydrogen gas, the control circuit 104 may open valve 36 while keeping valve 14 closed, so that hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate accumulator 30 is supplied to the intake port of the compressor 20, compressed, and restored to the high-pressure accumulator 40. This allows the station to prepare for the arrival of the FCV 60. As a method other than the above-described control, the intermediate accumulator 30 may be mainly used to restore pressure to the high-pressure accumulator 40. Under control of the control circuit 104, the valve 36 is opened with the valve 14 closed, and the hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate accumulator 30 is supplied to the intake port of the compressor 20, compressed, and the high-pressure accumulator 40 is restored to pressure. If this results in a shortage of hydrogen gas, under control of the control circuit 104, the valve 14 may be opened with the valve 36 closed, and the hydrogen gas stored in the trailer 10 may be supplied to the intake port of the compressor 20, compressed, and the high-pressure accumulator 40 restored to pressure. This makes it possible to prepare for the reception of the FCV vehicle 60. The pressure in the intermediate accumulator 30 decreases as the high-pressure accumulator 40 is restored to pressure. In this case, under the control of the control circuit 104, with valves 36 and 46 closed, valves 14 and 34 are opened, and the hydrogen gas stored in the accumulator of the trailer 10 is compressed by the compressor 20 to restore pressure to a predetermined level (for example, 45 MPa) in the intermediate accumulator 30. The compressor 20 stops operating when the intermediate accumulator 30 and the high-pressure accumulator 40 reach their respective specified pressures. Then, when the pressure in the intermediate accumulator 30 or the high-pressure accumulator 40 drops below a reference value, the compressor starts operating, and when the intermediate accumulator 30 and the high-pressure accumulator 40 reach their respective specified pressures, the compressor stops operating. This operation is repeated.When the compressor 20 is not operating, the valves 14, 36, 34, and 46 are normally controlled to be closed.

[0036] When the FCV 60 arrives at the hydrogen station 102, a worker at the hydrogen station 102 or a user of the FCV 60 connects (fits) and fixes the nozzle 51 of the dispenser 50 to a receptacle in the fuel tank of the FCV 60. When the FCV 60 arrives inside the hydrogen station 102 and the user or a worker at the hydrogen station 102 connects and fixes the nozzle 51 of the dispenser 50 to a receptacle in the fuel tank of the FCV 60, communication is established between the on-board device of the FCV 60 and the control circuit (repeater) of the dispenser 50.

[0037] Next, when communication is established between the on-board device of the FCV 60 and the control circuit of the dispenser 50, FCV information such as the current pressure, temperature, and volume of the fuel tank of the FCV 60 is output (transmitted) in real time from the on-board device of the FCV 60. The FCV information is relayed through the control circuit of the dispenser 50 and transmitted to the control circuit 104. The control circuit 104 receives the FCV information. While communication is established between the on-board device of the FCV 60 and the control circuit of the dispenser 50, the control circuit 104 acquires the FCV information constantly or at predetermined sampling intervals (for example, 10 ms to several seconds).

[0038] In the control circuit 104, the received fuel tank pressure P a , temperature T i , the final pressure P corresponding to the fuel tank volume V and the outside air temperature T F Calculate and predict.

[0039] Next, the control circuit 104 creates a filling control flow plan for differential pressure supply (filling) of hydrogen gas into the fuel tank of the FCV 60 using the high-pressure accumulator 40. When the high-pressure accumulator 40 is configured as a multi-stage accumulator, the pressure in the fuel tank is FA filling control flow plan is created that includes the selection of each accumulator in the multi-stage accumulator and the timing of switching between the multi-stage accumulators so that the above-mentioned condition is met. When planning the filling control flow, the control circuit 104 sets the pressure rise rate in accordance with the outside air temperature of the hydrogen station 102, and calculates the filling speed corresponding to this pressure rise rate. Furthermore, in order to prevent a sudden temperature rise, the control circuit 104 calculates the filling speed corresponding to the pressure rise rate determined in accordance with the outside air temperature of the hydrogen station 102 from the middle of filling. The filling control flow is planned under these conditions, and the filling speed is calculated based on the pressure rise rate determined in accordance with the outside air temperature of the hydrogen station 102 from the start of filling. F In this embodiment, the filling rate is determined using the outside air temperature of the hydrogen station 102, but the filling rate may also be determined using a directly measured hydrogen temperature, or may also be determined using both the outside air temperature and the hydrogen temperature.

[0040] Next, the valve 44 is controlled to be open, and hydrogen gas is differentially filled from the high-pressure accumulator 40 via the dispenser 50 (metering device) into the fuel tank mounted on the FCV 60 in accordance with the created filling control flow plan. When a multi-stage accumulator is used as the high-pressure accumulator 40, it specifically operates as follows: By using a multi-stage accumulator, the filling time can be shortened.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of filling hydrogen fuel under differential pressure using a multi-stage pressure accumulator. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents pressure and the horizontal axis represents time. When filling hydrogen fuel into an FCV 60 under differential pressure, each accumulator of the multi-stage pressure accumulator is usually pre-pressurized to the same pressure P0 (for example, 82 MPa). On the other hand, the fuel tank of the FCV 60 that has arrived at the hydrogen station 102 is pre-pressurized to a pressure P a A case where fuel filling into the fuel tank of the FCV60 is started from this state will be described.

[0042] First, the fuel tank begins to be filled with the accumulator in the first bank of the multi-stage accumulators. This causes hydrogen fuel to be supplied from the accumulator in the first bank to the fuel tank. The hydrogen fuel stored in the accumulator due to the pressure difference between the accumulator and the fuel tank moves toward the fuel tank at a controlled filling rate, and the pressure in the fuel tank gradually increases, as shown by the dotted line Pt. As a result, the pressure in the accumulator in the first bank (the graph indicated by "1st") gradually decreases. Then, when the lower limit pressure of the first bank is reached and time T1 has elapsed since the start of filling, the accumulator in the first bank is switched to the accumulator in the second bank. As a result, the accumulator in the second bank has a higher residual pressure (larger pressure difference between it and the fuel tank) than the accumulator in the first bank, which was used up to time T1, and therefore a fast filling rate can be maintained.

[0043] Then, due to the pressure difference between the second bank accumulator and the fuel tank, the hydrogen fuel stored in the second bank accumulator moves toward the fuel tank at a regulated filling speed, and the pressure in the fuel tank continues to rise, as indicated by the dotted line Pt. As a result, the pressure in the second bank accumulator (the graph indicated by "2nd") gradually decreases. Then, when the second bank's lower limit pressure is reached and time T2 has elapsed since the start of filling, the accumulator used is switched from the second bank accumulator to the third bank accumulator. As a result, the third bank accumulator has a higher residual pressure (larger pressure difference between it and the fuel tank) than the second bank accumulator used up to time T2, allowing the filling speed to be maintained at a high rate.

[0044] Then, due to the pressure difference between the 3rd bank accumulator and the fuel tank, the hydrogen fuel stored in the 3rd bank accumulator moves to the fuel tank at a controlled filling speed, and the pressure in the fuel tank rises to the dotted line P t As a result, the pressure in the accumulator of the third bank (the graph indicated by "3rd") gradually decreases. Then, the pressure in the fuel tank is reduced by the accumulator of the third bank to the final pressure P F Fill until the pressure reaches (for example, 65 to 81 MPa).

[0045] As described above, hydrogen gas is filled into the fuel tanks in order starting from the first bank. The above example shows a case where the pressure P1 of the fuel tank of the FCV 60 arriving at the hydrogen station 102 is sufficiently lower than the preset lower limit pressure of the pressure accumulator of the first bank. As an example, it shows a sufficiently low state, for example, less than half the pressure of a full tank. In such a case, the pressure of the fuel tank of the FCV 60 is set to the final pressure P F For example, three pressure accumulators are preferable for rapid filling of the hydrogen station 102. However, the FCV 60 arriving at the hydrogen station 102 is not limited to a case where the pressure in the fuel tank is sufficiently low. If the pressure in the fuel tank is higher than, for example, half the pressure when the fuel tank is fully filled, two pressure accumulators may be sufficient. Furthermore, if the pressure in the fuel tank is high, one pressure accumulator may be sufficient.

[0046] When the filling (supply) of hydrogen gas into the fuel tank of the FCV 60 is completed, the nozzle 51 of the dispenser 50 is removed from the receptacle of the fuel tank of the FCV 60, and the user pays the fee according to the measured amount of hydrogen gas filled and then leaves the hydrogen station 102.

[0047] When hydrogen is filled into the FCV 60 using the high-pressure accumulator 40 and the pressure inside the high-pressure accumulator 40 drops, and / or when the amount of hydrogen supplied from the high-pressure accumulator 40 to fill the FCV 60 is insufficient, the compressor 20 starts operating under the control of the control circuit 104, for example, to compress the hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate accumulator 30, and restore the pressure in the high-pressure accumulator 40 to a predetermined pressure (for example, 82 MPa).

[0048] Each hydrogen station 102 repeats the above operations during business hours. As a result, the hydrogen gas inventory at each hydrogen station 102 changes from moment to moment. At each hydrogen station 102, hydrogen gas is stored in the trailer 10, intermediate pressure accumulator 30, and high-pressure accumulator 40. Therefore, the hydrogen gas inventory at each hydrogen station 102 is the total amount (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in these vessels. The stored amount (weight of hydrogen gas) can be calculated using the PVT method (volume method) using the capacity (volume) V of the accumulator vessel, the pressure P, and the temperature T. Conventionally, at each off-site station, workers would obtain information about each piece of equipment, such as the accumulators, and record the information manually. Specifically, workers would read information (e.g., pressure, temperature) from instruments (e.g., pressure gauges, thermometers) that indicate the status of each piece of equipment, enter the information (data) on a data sheet, and send it to the management organization at headquarters. This resulted in errors in readings by each worker. In particular, large errors can occur when reading values ​​from analog instruments. Furthermore, there are cases where different instruments are installed at each off-site station, and the timing at which information is read from each instrument varies. This has led to the problem of difficulty in accurately determining the hydrogen gas inventory at each off-site station from the obtained data (information read from each instrument). As a result, it has been necessary to rely on empirical rules to determine how much hydrogen gas to transport to which off-site station and when. Therefore, in the first embodiment, in order to determine the hydrogen gas inventory at each off-site station with higher accuracy, the pressure P and temperature T of, for example, the pressure accumulator (P) of the trailer 10, the intermediate accumulator 30, and the high-pressure accumulator 40 are automatically sampled at individual sampling timings set in each hydrogen station 102, and log data is created and automatically transmitted to the data center 200. The data center 200 then calculates the inventory at the individual calculation timing of each hydrogen station 102 that matches the log data.

[0049] 5 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the main steps of the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method according to the first embodiment. The example of FIG. 5 shows the steps performed at three off-site STs, namely, off-site ST(A), off-site ST(B), and off-site ST(C), among the steps performed at each hydrogen station 102. However, similar steps are also performed at the other hydrogen stations 102. In FIG. 5, the hydrogen gas inventory acquisition method according to the first embodiment includes a data sampling step (S102), a log data A creation step (S104), and a log data A transmission step (S106) performed at the off-site ST(A), a data sampling step (S112), a log data B creation step (S114), and a log data B transmission step (S116) performed at the off-site ST(B), and a data sampling step (S122), a log data C creation step (S124), and a log data C transmission step (S126) performed at the off-site ST(C). A series of steps are carried out: a transmission step (S126), a log data input step (S130), a log data analysis step (S132), a data extraction step (S140), an inventory amount A calculation step (S142), a data extraction step (S150), an inventory amount B calculation step (S152), a data extraction step (S160), an inventory amount C calculation step (S162), a sorting process step (S170), a sorted data transmission step (S172), a region-specific inventory data creation step (S174), a region-specific inventory data output step (S176), and a display step (S180). The data sampling step may also be referred to as an information acquisition step.

[0050] The log data input process (S130), the log data analysis process (S132), the data extraction process (S140), the inventory quantity A calculation process (S142), the data extraction process (S150), the inventory quantity B calculation process (S152), the data extraction process (S160), the inventory quantity C calculation process (S162), the sorting process (S170), the sorted data transmission process (S172), the regional inventory data creation process (S174), and the regional inventory data output process (S176) are performed within data center 200. 5 shows three off-site STs, namely, off-site ST(A), off-site ST(B), and off-site ST(C), and therefore shows a case in which a data extraction step (S140) and an inventory A calculation step (S142) are performed for off-site ST(A), a data extraction step (S150) and an inventory B calculation step (S152) are performed for off-site ST(B), and a data extraction step (S160) and an inventory C calculation step (S162) are performed for off-site ST(C). There are as many pairs of data extraction steps and inventory calculation steps as there are hydrogen stations 102. In addition, the display step (S180) is performed by the server terminal 300.

[0051] First, in the client terminal 100 in each hydrogen station 102, the data receiving unit 152 receives pressure data measured by the pressure gauges 12, 32, 42, which measure pressure at a predetermined sampling period, and temperature data measured by the thermometers 33, 43, 48 from the control circuit 104 via the communication control circuit 150, and stores the data together with the time of data acquisition in the storage device 154. As a result, the storage device 154 stores trailer data, which is pressure data for the trailer 10, intermediate accumulator data, which is pressure and temperature data for the intermediate accumulator 30, high-pressure accumulator data, which is pressure and temperature data for the high-pressure accumulator 40, and outside air temperature data, which is outside air temperature data within the premises of the hydrogen station 102. In this embodiment, the outside air temperature within the premises of the hydrogen station 102 is used as the temperature of the accumulator of the trailer 10, but if the temperature of the accumulator of the trailer 10 can be obtained directly, the accumulator temperature instead of the outside air temperature may be stored in the storage device 154.

[0052] In the data sampling step (S102), the sampling processor 155 in the client terminal 100a acquires parameter data (e.g., pressure, temperature) from each instrument (e.g., pressure gauge, thermometer) installed in the hydrogen station 102 by sampling at preset individual sampling times. Specifically, the sampling processor 155 references the trailer data, intermediate pressure accumulator data, high-pressure accumulator data, and outside air temperature data for the off-site ST(A) stored in the storage device 154, and samples each pressure, each pressure accumulator temperature, and outside air temperature as information at the individual sampling times preset in the client terminal 100a for the off-site ST(A). For example, at the off-site ST(A), a predetermined sampling period lasting from the operation start time to the operation stop time of the compressor 20 is used as the individual sampling period preset in the client terminal 100a in the off-site ST(A). The predetermined sampling period can be, for example, a period of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds, with a period of 0.1 seconds to 2 seconds being preferable from the viewpoints of information accuracy and information processing load.

[0053] In the log data A creation step (S104), the log data creation unit 156 in the client terminal 100a creates log data of parameters acquired from each instrument at the off-site ST(A). There are no particular limitations on the timing at which the log data creation unit 156 creates the log data, but it is preferable to create the log data every time the compressor 20 stops operating. When the compressor 20 is continuously stopped or when the compressor 20 is operating, it may not be possible to accurately acquire the pressure in the accumulator using the pressure gauge. In contrast, the pressure in each accumulator becomes more accurate immediately after the compressor is stopped. Furthermore, it is preferable to update the log data in the storage device 158 by adding to or overwriting past log data.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of log data in the first embodiment. The example in FIG. 6 shows an example of log data A for the off-site ST(A). In the log data A shown in FIG. 6, for example, "log data A" is recorded in the header as a hydrogen station identifier for identifying which hydrogen station 102 it is. In addition, the log data A also records, for example, the time when the parameter data was acquired, the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate pressure accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, the outside air temperature T within the premises of the off-site ST(A), and the ON / OFF identifier of the compressor 20. The created log data A is stored in the storage device 158.

[0055] As a log data A transmission step (S106), the log data transmission unit 159 in the client terminal 100a transmits the log data A to the data center 200 via the communication control circuit 150 and the network 2. It is preferable that the log data transmission unit 159 transmits the log data A, for example, every time the log data A is updated.

[0056] In the data sampling step (S112), the sampling processor 155 in the client terminal 100b acquires a plurality of parameters by sampling them from data of the plurality of parameters measured by a plurality of meters installed in the hydrogen station 102 at a predetermined individual sampling timing (first individual timing). Specifically, the sampling processor 155 references the trailer data, intermediate accumulator data, high-pressure accumulator data, and outside air temperature data for the off-site ST(B) stored in the storage device 154, and samples each pressure and outside air temperature as a plurality of parameters at the individual sampling timing preset in the client terminal 100b for the off-site ST(B). For example, at the off-site ST(B), a predetermined sampling period is used as the individual sampling timing preset in the client terminal 100b in the off-site ST(B), which continues from the time when the supply of hydrogen gas from the high-pressure accumulator 40 to the FCV 60 via the meter 50 starts to the time when the supply ends. A period of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds (e.g., one second) is preferably used as the predetermined sampling period. It is preferable that the sampling processing unit 155 performs data sampling every time the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 is completed.

[0057] In the log data B creation step (S114), the log data creation unit 156 in the client terminal 100b creates log data of multiple parameters sampled at the off-site ST (B). The log data creation unit 156 preferably creates log data every time the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 is completed, and updates the log data by adding to or overwriting past log data.

[0058] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of log data in the first embodiment. The example in FIG. 7 shows an example of log data at an off-site ST (B). In the log data shown in FIG. 7, for example, "log data B" is defined in the header, with an identifier (B) that identifies the hydrogen station 102. This is followed by, for example, the time, outside air temperature T, pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, pressure P1 of the trailer 10, a filling start / end identifier, and a filling amount Q, which are defined in this order. The created log data is temporarily stored in the storage device 158. The filling amount Q is defined as the filling amount measured by the dispenser 50.

[0059] In the log data B transmission step (S116), the log data transmission unit 159 in the client terminal 100b transmits the log data together with the identification information of the hydrogen station 102 to the data center 200 via the communication control circuit 150 and over the network 2. In the example of FIG. 7, an identifier (B) that identifies the off-site ST (B) is defined in the header of the log data as the identification information of the hydrogen station 102. It is preferable that the log data transmission unit 159 transmits the log data every time the log data is updated, for example.

[0060] In the data sampling step (S122), the sampling processor 155 in the client terminal 100c acquires a plurality of parameters by sampling them from data of the plurality of parameters measured by a plurality of meters installed in the hydrogen station 102 at a predetermined individual sampling timing (first individual timing). Specifically, the sampling processor 155 references the trailer data, intermediate pressure accumulator data, high-pressure accumulator data, and outside air temperature data for the off-site ST (C) stored in the storage device 154, and samples each pressure and outside air temperature as a plurality of parameters at the individual sampling timing preset in the client terminal 100c for the off-site ST (C). For example, in the off-site ST (C), a predetermined sampling period that continues during the business hours of the hydrogen station 102 is used as the individual sampling timing preset in the client terminal 100c in the off-site ST (C). A period of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds (e.g., one second) is preferably used as the predetermined sampling period. The sampling processor 155 preferably samples data every 30 minutes to one hour, for example.

[0061] In the log data C creation step (S124), the log data creation unit 156 in the client terminal 100c creates log data of a plurality of parameters sampled at the off-site ST (C). The log data creation unit 156 preferably creates log data every 30 minutes to 1 hour, for example, and updates the log data by adding to or overwriting past log data.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of log data in the first embodiment. The example in FIG. 8 shows an example of log data at an off-site ST (C). In the log data shown in FIG. 8, for example, "log data C" is defined in the header, with an identifier (C) that identifies the hydrogen station 102. This is followed by, for example, the time, the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the number of times the intermediate accumulator has accumulated pressure, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the outside air temperature T, which are defined in this order. The created log data is temporarily stored in the storage device 158.

[0063] In the log data C transmission step (S126), the log data transmission unit 159 in the client terminal 100c transmits the log data together with the identification information of the hydrogen station 102 to the data center 200 via the communication control circuit 150 and over the network 2. In the example of FIG. 8, an identifier (C) that identifies the off-site ST (C) is defined in the header of the log data as the identification information of the hydrogen station 102. The log data transmission unit 159 preferably transmits the log data every time it is updated, for example.

[0064] In the example described above, the pressure data measured by the pressure gauges 12, 32, and 42, which measure pressure at a predetermined sampling period, and the temperature data measured by the thermometers 33, 43, and 48 are once received in the client terminal 100, and then sampled from the entire data at a set individual sampling timing, but this is not limitative. The data receiving unit 152 may also receive only the data sampled at the set individual sampling timing from the pressure gauges 12, 32, and 42 and the thermometers 33, 43, and 48, or from the control circuit 104.

[0065] 6 to 8, the log data created by the client terminal 100 of each hydrogen station 102 has different sampling timing and formats. However, it goes without saying that log data may be created at two or more hydrogen stations 102 at the same sampling timing and / or in the same format.

[0066] In the log data input step (S130), the data log receiving unit 252 (data input unit) in the data center 200 sequentially receives log data created by the client terminal 100 of each hydrogen station 102 via the communication control circuit 150 and the network 2. For example, the file of log data A shown in FIG. 6 is received from the client terminal 100a of the off-site ST(A). For example, the file of log data B shown in FIG. 7 is received from the client terminal 100b of the off-site ST(B). For example, the file of log data C shown in FIG. 8 is received from the client terminal 100c of the off-site ST(C).

[0067] In the log data analysis step (S132), the log data analysis unit 254 in the data center 200 analyzes the received log data by referring to the log format table stored in the storage device 256. Specifically, the operation is as follows: First, the log data analysis unit 254 recognizes the identifier (identification information) of the hydrogen station 102 from the received log data to identify the hydrogen station 102. Next, the log data analysis unit 254 references the log format table to acquire the log format for the identified hydrogen station 102. The acquired log format indicates which data is defined at which location (address). The log format also includes the volume of each accumulator. For example, the volume of the accumulator of the trailer 10, the volume of the intermediate accumulator 30, and the volume of the high-pressure accumulator 40 can be acquired from the log format. By analyzing the log data in this way, even when multiple log data in different formats are mixed, it is possible to identify the format of each log data, understand the meaning of the data at each location (address) in each log data, and acquire the volume of the accumulator, etc.

[0068] In the data extraction step (S140), the data extraction unit 257 in the data center 200 extracts data necessary for calculating the hydrogen gas inventory at the hydrogen station 102 from the information obtained by analyzing the log data by the log data analysis unit 254. In this example, the data necessary for calculating the hydrogen gas inventory at the hydrogen station 102 is extracted from log data A. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The data extraction unit 257 first recognizes the identifier (identification information) of the hydrogen station 102 from the received log data to identify the hydrogen station 102. Next, the data extraction unit 257 references the timing table 271 stored in the storage device 256 to acquire individual timing information that defines the timing for calculating the inventory for the identified hydrogen station 102. The acquired individual timing information defines the individual timing (period) for calculating the inventory and the data necessary for calculating the inventory. The data extraction unit 257 extracts the data necessary for calculating the hydrogen gas inventory at the individual timing from the analysis information in the log data analysis unit 254. The extracted data for each log data is stored in the storage device 258 in association with the identifier of the hydrogen station 102 .

[0069] For example, at the off-site ST(A), the time when the compressor 20 is shut off (OFF) is the individual timing (period) for calculating the inventory amount, as shown in Fig. 6. Then, based on the log format of the log data A, the data extraction unit 257 extracts the following data as extracted data required to calculate the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the individual timing: the pressure P1 and volume V1 of the accumulator of the trailer 10, the pressure P2, temperature T2, and volume V2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3, temperature T3, and volume V3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the outside air temperature T.

[0070] In the inventory quantity A calculation step (S142), the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 in the data center 200 calculates the inventory quantity A of hydrogen gas using the extracted data stored in the storage device 258. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The inventory quantity calculation unit 260 reads out the extracted data stored in association with the identifier of the off-site ST(A) from the storage device 258. As a result, the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 obtains, as the extracted data, the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the outside air temperature T at the time the compressor 20 was turned off. In addition, the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 obtains the volume V1 of the accumulator of the trailer 10, the volume V2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, and the volume V3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 from the log format of the log data A. The inventory calculation unit 260 then uses the extracted data and the volume of each pressure accumulator vessel to calculate the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the off-site ST(A) at the time the compressor 20 is shut off (OFF). Specifically, the stored amount (weight of hydrogen gas) of accumulators such as the trailer 10, intermediate accumulator 30, and high-pressure accumulator 40 can be determined by the PVT method (volumetric method) using the accumulator volume V, pressure P, and temperature T. Specifically, the density ρ(P, T) of hydrogen gas in the accumulator vessel can be calculated from the hydrogen-specific compressibility using the pressure P and temperature T of the accumulator vessels such as the trailer 10, intermediate accumulator 30, and high-pressure accumulator 40. The temperatures T2 and T3 of the intermediate accumulator 30 and high-pressure accumulator 40 can be used to determine the temperature of the accumulator in the trailer 10. The outside air temperature T can be used to determine the temperature of the accumulator in the trailer 10. The temperature of the accumulator in the trailer 10 can also be obtained directly and used instead of the outside air temperature T. The weight (kg) of hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator vessel can be calculated by multiplying the density ρ(P, T) of hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator vessel by the volume V of the pressure accumulator vessel. The inventory calculation unit 260 then adds up the weight W1 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the trailer 10 at the time the compressor 20 is turned off, the weight W2 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate accumulator 30, and the weight W3 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the high-pressure accumulator 40, to calculate the inventory amount A (kg) of hydrogen gas at the off-site ST (A) at the time the compressor 20 is turned off. An error may occur in the pressure P2 of the intermediate accumulator 30 when the valve 34 is closed.Therefore, it is desirable to use pressure data measured when the valve 34 is open. Similarly, an error may occur in the pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 when the valve 46 is closed. Therefore, it is desirable to use pressure data measured when the valve 46 is open. At the time when the compressor 20 is turned off (OFF), the valve 34 or the valve 46 has been controlled to be open. Therefore, at the off-site ST(A), by using the pressure P2 of the intermediate accumulator 30 and the pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 at the time when the compressor 20 is turned off (OFF) for inventory calculation, it is possible to measure at least the pressure P2 of the intermediate accumulator 30 or the pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 with high accuracy. The calculated inventory amount A is stored in the memory device 262.

[0071] In the data extraction step (S150), the data extraction unit 257 in the data center 200 extracts from the received log data B the data necessary to calculate the hydrogen gas inventory at the hydrogen station 102 that is the basis of the log data B. The specific operation is the same as in the data extraction step (S140). The extracted data is associated with the identifier of the hydrogen station 102 and stored in the storage device 258.

[0072] For example, at the off-site ST (B), as shown in Fig. 7, the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ends (filling ends) becomes the individual timing (period) for calculating the inventory amount. Then, based on the log format of the log data B, the data extraction unit 257 extracts from the log data B each piece of data necessary for calculating the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the individual timing, including the outside air temperature T, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, and the filling amount Q of the FCV vehicle 60 at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ends (filling ends).

[0073] In the inventory quantity B calculation step (S152), the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 in the data center 200 uses log data of multiple input parameters for each hydrogen station 102 to calculate the inventory quantity of hydrogen gas at an individual timing preset for that hydrogen station 102, out of multiple individual timings preset for the multiple hydrogen stations 102. Here, the inventory quantity B of hydrogen gas is calculated based on the log data B. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The inventory quantity calculation unit 260 reads extracted data stored in association with the identifier of the off-site ST (B) from the storage device 258. As a result, the extracted data includes the outside air temperature T, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the pressure P1 of the trailer 10 at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 starts (filling starts), and the filling quantity Q of the FCV vehicle 60 at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ends (filling ends). Furthermore, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 acquires the volume V1 of the pressure accumulator container of the trailer 10, the volume V2 of the intermediate pressure accumulator 30, and the volume V3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 from the log format of the log data B. Then, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 uses the extracted data and the volumes of each pressure accumulator container to calculate the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the off-site ST (B) at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ended (filling ended). In the log data B, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 calculates the inventory amount of the off-site ST (B) at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ended (filling ended) as the inventory amount of the off-site ST (B) at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 ended (filling ended) from the inventory amount of the off-site ST (B) at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 started (filling started). Here too, the weight (kg) of hydrogen gas in each pressure accumulator container can be found using the PVT method (volume method). Specifically, the density ρ(P, T) of hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator vessels can be calculated from the compressibility specific to hydrogen using the pressure P and temperature T of the pressure accumulator vessels, such as the trailer 10, the intermediate pressure accumulator 30, and the high-pressure accumulator 40. The weight (kg) of hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator vessels can be calculated by multiplying the density ρ(P, T) of hydrogen gas in the pressure accumulator vessels by the volume V of the pressure accumulator vessels. The temperatures T2 and T3 of the intermediate pressure accumulator 30 and the high-pressure accumulator 40 themselves can be used.The outside air temperature T may be used as the temperature of the trailer 10. The inventory amount calculation unit 260 then adds together the weight 1 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the trailer 10 at the time when supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 (filling start), the weight 2 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate pressure accumulator 30, and the weight 3 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the high-pressure accumulator 40, to calculate the inventory amount b (kg) of hydrogen gas in the off-site ST (B) at the time when supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 (filling start) started. The inventory amount calculation unit 260 then subtracts the fill amount Q to the FCV vehicle 60 at the time when supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 finished (filling finished) from the inventory amount b of hydrogen gas in the off-site ST (B) at the time when supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 started (filling start). As a result, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 calculates the inventory amount B (kg) of hydrogen gas in the off-site ST (B) at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 is completed (filling is completed). The pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 may be subject to error when the valve 44 is closed. For this reason, it is desirable to use pressure data measured when the valve 44 is open. At the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 starts (filling starts), the valve 44 is controlled to an open state because hydrogen gas is supplied from the high-pressure accumulator 40 to the FCV vehicle 60. For this reason, the off-site ST (B) can measure the pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 with high accuracy by using the pressure P3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 at the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the FCV vehicle 60 starts (filling starts) for inventory amount calculation. The calculated inventory amount B is stored in the memory device 262.

[0074] In the data extraction step (S160), the data extraction unit 257 in the data center 200 extracts from the received log data C the data necessary to calculate the hydrogen gas inventory at the hydrogen station 102 that is the basis of the log data C. The specific operation is the same as in the data extraction step (S140). The extracted data is associated with the identifier of the hydrogen station 102 and stored in the storage device 258.

[0075] For example, at the off-site ST (C), as shown in Fig. 8, the times during which hydrogen gas is being unloaded from the trailer 10 into the intermediate accumulator 30 are the individual timings (periods) for calculating the inventory amount. In the example of Fig. 8, the times during unloading when the number of times of pressure storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 changes, for example, the time when it changes from zero to 1 and the time when it changes from 1 to 2, are the individual timings (periods) for calculating the inventory amount. Then, based on the log format of the log data C, the data extraction unit 257 extracts from the log data C each piece of data necessary for calculating the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the individual timings, namely, the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the outside air temperature T, at the time when the number of times of pressure storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 changed.

[0076] In the inventory quantity C calculation step (S162), the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 in the data center 200 uses log data of multiple input parameters for each hydrogen station 102 to calculate the inventory quantity of hydrogen gas at an individual timing preset for that hydrogen station 102, out of multiple individual timings preset for the multiple hydrogen stations 102. Here, the inventory quantity C of hydrogen gas is calculated based on the log data C. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The inventory quantity calculation unit 260 reads out extracted data stored in association with the identifier of the off-site ST (C) from the storage device 258. As a result, the inventory quantity calculation unit 260 obtains, as the extracted data, the pressure P1 of the trailer 10, the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40, and the outside air temperature T at the time the number of times pressure storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 was switched. Furthermore, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 acquires the volume V1 of the pressure accumulator vessel of the trailer 10, the volume V2 of the intermediate accumulator 30, and the volume V3 of the high-pressure accumulator 40 from the log format of the log data C. Then, the inventory amount calculation unit 260 uses the extracted data and the volumes of each pressure accumulator vessel to calculate the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at the off-site ST (C) at the time when the number of times of pressure accumulation in the intermediate accumulator 30 was switched. Here too, the weight (kg) of hydrogen gas in each pressure accumulator vessel can be found by the PVT method (volumetric method). The inventory calculation unit 260 then adds up the weight 1 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the trailer 10 at the time the number of times of storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 was switched, the weight 2 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the intermediate accumulator 30, and the weight 3 (kg) of hydrogen gas stored in the high-pressure accumulator 40, to calculate the inventory amount C (kg) of hydrogen gas in the off-site ST (C) at the time the number of times of storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 was switched. An error may occur in the pressure P1 of the trailer 10 when the valve 14 is closed. For this reason, it is desirable to use pressure data measured with the valve 14 open. The time when the number of times of storage in the intermediate accumulator 30 was switched is a period during which hydrogen gas is being unloaded from the trailer 10 into the intermediate accumulator 30, and therefore the valve 14 is controlled to be open.Therefore, at the off-site ST(C), the pressure P1 of the trailer 10 can be measured with high accuracy by individually setting the time when hydrogen gas is unloaded from the trailer 10 into the intermediate pressure accumulator 30. The calculated inventory amount C is stored in the memory device 262.

[0077] In the sorting process step (S170), the sorting processor 264 in the data center 200 inputs the hydrogen gas inventory at the hydrogen stations 102 whose individual calculation timing falls within each preset time period, and sorts the identification information of the multiple hydrogen stations in descending order of inventory for each time period. In addition to sorting based on inventory, the identification information may also be sorted in the order of delivery route, taking into account factors such as the distance between the shipping location and each off-site ST, the travel time required, and the trailer load capacity.

[0078] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of sort data in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 9, the sort data is defined in the following order: time period, rank, off-site station identifier, and inventory amount (kg). In the example of FIG. 9, for example, multiple hydrogen stations 102 are listed in descending order of hydrogen gas inventory for each hour from 0 to 59 minutes. Within each time period, there may be hydrogen stations 102 for which inventory amounts have not been calculated. In such cases, the hydrogen stations 102 for which inventory amounts have not been calculated can be omitted from the list. The example of FIG. 9 shows a case in which, for example, during the time period from 13:00 to 13:59, the hydrogen gas inventory amounts are in the following order: off-site station (C) with inventory amount M1, off-site station (D) with inventory amount M2, off-site station (A) with inventory amount M3, ..., off-site station (K) with inventory amount Mn. Also, for example, in the time period from 14:00 to 14:59, the order of hydrogen gas inventory is shown as off-site ST (C) with inventory m1, off-site ST (A) with inventory m2, off-site ST (F) with inventory m3, ..., off-site ST (G) with inventory mn. The sorted data is stored in the storage device 266.

[0079] In the sort data transmission step (S172), the sort data transmission unit 268 in the data center 200 outputs the identification information of the multiple hydrogen stations 102 sorted by time period in association with the inventory amount. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The sort data transmission unit 268 reads the sort data from the storage device 266 and transmits the sort data to the server terminal 300 over the network 2 via the communication control circuit 250. For example, it is preferable to transmit the sort data for each specified time period.

[0080] In the region-specific stock data creation step (S174), the region-specific stock data creation unit 270 in the data center 200 tally up, for each region, the stock amounts of the hydrogen stations 102 that belong to the group of the region.

[0081] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of region-specific inventory data in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 10, the region-specific inventory data is defined in the following order: time period, region, off-site station identifier, and total inventory (kg). In the example of FIG. 10, for example, the hydrogen stations 102 belonging to each region and the total inventory of the hydrogen stations 102 in that region are listed for each hour from 0 to 59 minutes. Within each time period, there may be hydrogen stations 102 for which inventory has not been calculated. In such cases, the previously calculated inventory may be used for the hydrogen stations 102 for which inventory has not been calculated. Alternatively, the hydrogen stations 102 for which inventory has not been calculated may be omitted from the list. In the example of FIG. 10, for example, during the time period from 13:00 to 13:59, off-site station (A), off-site station (B), and off-site station (C) belong to region 1, and the total inventory MM1 of the inventory of these hydrogen stations 102 is shown. In the time period from 13:00 to 13:59, off-site ST(D) and off-site ST(E) belong to region 2, and the total inventory amount MM2 of the inventory amounts of these hydrogen stations 102 is shown. In the time period from 13:00 to 13:59, off-site ST(O), off-site ST(P), off-site ST(Q), and off-site ST(R) belong to region N, and the total inventory amount MMn of the inventory amounts of these hydrogen stations 102 is shown. The created regional inventory amount data for each time period is stored in the memory device 272.

[0082] In the region-specific inventory data output step (S176), the region-specific inventory data transmission unit 274 in the data center 200 outputs the aggregation results of the group to which the hydrogen station 102 belongs to the multiple client terminals 100 of the multiple hydrogen stations 102 via the network 2. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The region-specific inventory data transmission unit 274 reads the region-specific inventory data for each time period from the storage device 272 and transmits the region-specific inventory data for each time period to each client terminal 100 and the server terminal 300 via the communication control circuit 250 via the network 2. For example, it is preferable to transmit the region-specific inventory data for each specified time period. Note that the region-specific inventory data may be divided into divided data for each region and transmitted, or the region-specific inventory data shown in FIG. 10 , which includes information on all regions, may be transmitted to all client terminals 100 and the server terminal 300.

[0083] In the display step (S180), the server terminal 300 receives (inputs) the identification information of the multiple hydrogen stations 102 sorted by time period and the inventory data of each hydrogen station 102 from the data center 200 via the network 2. The server terminal 300 then outputs the identification information of the multiple hydrogen stations sorted by time period in association with the inventory data. Specifically, the operation is as follows: The server terminal 300 displays the sorted data received from the data center 200 on its monitor. This allows the inventory data for each time period to be obtained in real time. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the hydrogen stations 102 are displayed in descending order of hydrogen gas inventory for each time period, allowing the user managing the server terminal 300 to determine which hydrogen station 102 to transport hydrogen gas to and when.

[0084] As described above, according to the first embodiment, data on each automatically measured parameter is automatically sampled at a preset timing, and the inventory amount is automatically calculated at the preset timing. This makes it possible to avoid errors in reading by operators. Furthermore, even if the log data is sampled at different timings and / or created in different formats, the inventory amount is listed by time period, making it possible to more accurately grasp the inventory amount of hydrogen gas stored at each off-site ST. Furthermore, because the inventory amount is sorted in ascending order, this can be used as an indicator for determining how much hydrogen gas should be transported to which off-site ST and when. This makes it possible to avoid judgments that are prone to errors, such as those that rely on rules of thumb.

[0085] The server terminal 300 also receives (inputs) regional inventory data from the data center 200 via the network 2. The server terminal 300 then displays the regional inventory data for each time period on the monitor. This allows the user managing the server terminal 300 to determine which region should be given priority for transporting hydrogen gas.

[0086] Furthermore, each client terminal 100 receives (inputs) regional inventory data from the data center 200 via the network 2. Each client terminal 100 then displays the regional inventory data for each time period on its monitor. This allows the total inventory for the client's own region to be obtained. Therefore, when the inventory at the client's own hydrogen station 102 is insufficient or is likely to be insufficient, this information can be used as a judgment indicator for determining whether or not hydrogen gas can be filled by going to another hydrogen station 102 in the same region without waiting for the next delivery of hydrogen gas. As a result, it is possible to inform an arriving FCV 60 that hydrogen gas can be filled at another hydrogen station 102 in the same region, and to encourage the FCV 60 to go to another hydrogen station 102 in the same region.

[0087] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the inventory amount of hydrogen gas at each off-site ST can be acquired with high accuracy.

[0088] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment described above, the inventory amount at each hydrogen station 102 is calculated by the data center 200, but this is not limiting. In the second embodiment, a configuration is described in which the inventory amount calculated at each hydrogen station 102 is sent to the data center 200.

[0089] Fig. 11 is an example of a configuration diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system according to Embodiment 2. In Fig. 11, in a hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system 500 according to Embodiment 2, each of client terminals 100a, 100b, and 100c calculates each hydrogen inventory amount, such as trailer inventory, high-pressure accumulator inventory, intermediate accumulator inventory, and total inventory.

[0090] Fig. 12 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a client terminal in embodiment 2. In Fig. 12, in addition to the configuration of Fig. 2, an inventory amount calculation unit 260 and a storage device 261 are additionally arranged in the client terminal 100 of each hydrogen station 102. Furthermore, the storage device 261 stores the capacities and numbers of trailers, intermediate accumulators, and high-pressure accumulators as station information for calculating the inventory amount.

[0091] In the second embodiment, when the log data described in the first embodiment is created, the inventory calculation unit 260 inputs station information, calculates the inventory amount based on the log data and the station information, and records the calculated inventory amount as inventory amount log data. The inventory amount log data is stored in the storage device 263. The calculation method is the same as in the first embodiment in that the PVT method is used. The inventory amount log data includes, for example, the trailer inventory amount, which is the inventory amount of hydrogen remaining in the trailer 10, the high-pressure accumulator inventory amount, which is the inventory amount of hydrogen remaining in the high-pressure accumulator 40, the intermediate accumulator inventory amount, which is the inventory amount of hydrogen remaining in the intermediate accumulator 30, and the total inventory amount, which is the total amount of these inventory amounts. The inventory amount log data stored in the storage device 263 is transmitted to the data center 200 by the inventory amount log data transmission unit 159, which is a replacement for the log data transmission unit 159 in FIG. 2.

[0092] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a data center according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 13, the configuration within the data center 200 according to the second embodiment may be a configuration in which the log data analysis unit 254, the data extraction unit 257, the inventory amount calculation unit 260, and the storage device 258 are omitted from the configuration of FIG. 3. In the data center 200, an inventory amount data log receiving unit 252, which replaces the data log receiving unit 252 of FIG. 3, receives inventory amount log data. The timing of reception is adjusted by a timing table 271. Then, with reference to a log format table 273, it is defined whether each piece of inventory amount data recorded in the inventory amount log data is the trailer inventory amount, the intermediate accumulator inventory amount, or the high-pressure accumulator inventory amount. The defined data is stored in the storage device 262 as inventory amount data. The inventory amount data is output to a sorting processing unit 264. The subsequent processing within the data center 200 is as described above.

[0093] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of sort data in the second embodiment. In the example of Fig. 14, the sort data is defined in the following order: time zone, rank, off-site ST identifier, total inventory (kg), trailer inventory (kg), intermediate accumulator inventory (kg), and high-pressure accumulator inventory (kg). In the example of Fig. 14, for example, multiple hydrogen stations 102 are listed in descending order of total hydrogen gas inventory for each hour from 0 to 59 minutes. The sorted sort data is stored in the storage device 266.

[0094] By sending the results of inventory calculations at each hydrogen station 102 to the data center 200, the complexity of the system between each hydrogen station 102 and the data center 200 can be reduced compared to when sending log data in different formats. Furthermore, the amount of data communication sent from each hydrogen station 102 to the data center 200 can be reduced. Therefore, the amount of data received by the data center 200 is reduced, and the number of calculation steps is also reduced, reducing the amount of memory used for calculations. Furthermore, the data center 200 can have a simple configuration in which inventory amounts are sorted and displayed. The reduction in memory required for calculations and the avoidance of line congestion can reduce system problems. This reduces the management costs of the data center 200 and the maintenance costs incurred by problems.

[0095] Embodiment 3 In the third embodiment, a configuration for managing hydrogen gas inventory by pressure will be described. In the third embodiment, the configuration of the client terminal 100 may be the same as that shown in FIG. 2. The configuration of the data center 200 may be the same as that shown in FIG. 13. In the third embodiment, a hydrogen gas inventory management device configured by each client terminal 100 and the data center 200 will be described. The hydrogen gas inventory management device of the third embodiment manages the inventory of hydrogen gas at multiple off-site hydrogen stations.

[0096] In the client terminal 100 of each hydrogen station 102, a log data creation unit 156 creates log data that records pressure values ​​measured by a pressure gauge installed at that hydrogen station at individual sampling times set for that hydrogen station, along with the identification information of that hydrogen station. The method of creating log data is the same as in embodiment 1. However, in embodiment 3, temperature data is not required. Data on the trailer pressure, the intermediate accumulator pressure, and the high-pressure accumulator pressure are acquired and recorded as log data. The log data is transmitted to the data center 200 by a log data transmission unit 159.

[0097] In the data center 200, the data log receiving unit 252 receives the data log. The timing of reception is adjusted by a timing table 271. Then, by referring to a log format table 273, each pressure data recorded in the log data is defined as trailer pressure, intermediate accumulator pressure, or high-pressure accumulator pressure. The defined data is stored in the storage device 262 as pressure data. The inventory amount data is output to a sorting processing unit 264.

[0098] The sorting unit 264 acquires the pressure value of hydrogen gas at each hydrogen station 102 from the log data creating unit for each set time period, and sorts the identification information using the pressure value.

[0099] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of sorted data in the third embodiment. In the example of FIG. 15, the sorted data is defined in the following order: time period, rank, off-site ST identifier, trailer pressure (MPa), intermediate accumulator pressure (MPa), and high-pressure accumulator pressure (MPa). In the example of FIG. 15, for example, a plurality of hydrogen stations 102 are listed in descending order of hydrogen gas pressure for each hour from 0 to 59 minutes. Which of the trailer pressure, intermediate accumulator pressure, and high-pressure accumulator pressure is used to determine whether the pressure is high or low may be set in advance. The sorted sorted data is stored in the storage device 266.

[0100] The sort data transmission unit 268 (sort data output unit) outputs sort data including the identification information and pressure values ​​that have been sorted by the sort processing unit 264.

[0101] As described above, hydrogen gas inventory management is not limited to weight management, and pressure management may also be performed, which reduces the amount of data.

[0102] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to specific examples, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples.

[0103] Furthermore, although descriptions of the device configuration, control method, and other parts not directly necessary for explaining the present invention have been omitted, the required device configuration and control method can be appropriately selected and used.

[0104] In addition, all hydrogen gas inventory acquisition methods, hydrogen gas inventory acquisition devices, and hydrogen gas inventory acquisition systems that include the elements of the present invention and that can be appropriately modified by a person skilled in the art are included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 10 Trailer 12, 32, 42 Pressure gauge 14, 34, 36, 44, 46 valves 20 Compressor 30 Intermediate pressure accumulator 33,43,48 Thermometer 40 High-pressure accumulator 50 Dispensers 60 FCV 100 client terminals 102 Hydrogen Station 104 Control circuit 150 communication control circuit 151 memory 152 Data receiving unit 155 Sampling processing section 154,158 Storage device 156 Log Data Creation Department 159 Log data transmission unit 200 Data Centers 250 Communication control circuit 251 memory 252 Data log receiver 254 Log Data Analysis Unit 257 Data Extraction Unit 260 Inventory quantity calculation unit 264 sorting processor 256,258,261,262,266,272 Storage device 268 Sort Data Transmission Unit 270 Regional inventory data creation department 271 Timing Table 273 Log Format Table 274 Regional Inventory Data Transmission Unit 300 Server terminal 500 Hydrogen gas inventory acquisition system

Claims

1. an inventory calculation unit that calculates the hydrogen inventory of each hydrogen tank based on parameter data related to each hydrogen tank that stores hydrogen and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank; each hydrogen tank belongs to one of a plurality of groups; an inventory data creation unit creates inventory data for each group based on the hydrogen inventory of each hydrogen tank belonging to that group; A control device comprising:

2. a group-by-group inventory data transmission unit that transmits the group-by-group inventory data to the client terminal of each of the hydrogen tanks; The control device according to claim 1 .

3. a log data receiving unit that receives, as the data, log data including multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged on each hydrogen tank and identification information of each hydrogen tank; the log data receiving unit receives, as the plurality of parameter data, pressure data of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen tank and temperature data of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen tank; The control device according to claim 1 .

4. The inventory calculation unit calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters placed on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank, The individual calculation timing is the time when a compressor that compresses hydrogen gas to be supplied to each of the hydrogen tanks stops operating. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. The inventory calculation unit calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters placed on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank, The individual calculation timing is the time when the supply of hydrogen gas to the supply destination of hydrogen gas is completed. The control device according to claim 1 .

6. The inventory calculation unit calculates the hydrogen gas inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each hydrogen tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters placed on each hydrogen tank and data including identification information for each hydrogen tank, each of the hydrogen tanks includes an intermediate hydrogen tank for storing pressurized hydrogen gas unloaded from a trailer for transporting hydrogen gas, and a high-pressure hydrogen tank for storing pressurized hydrogen gas compressed to a higher pressure than that of the intermediate hydrogen tank; The individual calculation timing is the end time when the hydrogen gas is unloaded from the trailer to the intermediate hydrogen tank. The control device according to claim 1 .

7. a sorting processing unit that acquires inventory data of hydrogen gas in each hydrogen tank from the inventory calculation unit and sorts the identification information using the inventory amount of hydrogen gas; The control device according to claim 1 .

8. a sorted data transmitting unit that transmits sorted data including the identification information and the inventory amount data that have been sorted from the sorting processing unit to a server terminal, The control device according to claim 7.

9. the sorting processing unit sorts the identification information based on the hydrogen gas inventory amount of each of the hydrogen tanks. The control device according to claim 8.

10. the sorting processing unit sorts the identification information in order of delivery route based on at least one of the distance between a shipping location where hydrogen gas is produced and each hydrogen tank of the trailer carrying the hydrogen gas, the travel time required, and the amount of hydrogen gas carried; The control device according to claim 9.

11. Each of the hydrogen tanks belongs to one of a plurality of regions grouped by region, the inventory data creation unit is a regional inventory data creation unit that aggregates, for each region, the hydrogen gas inventory of each hydrogen tank belonging to that region to create regional inventory data; 2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a region-specific inventory data transmission unit that transmits the region-specific inventory data to a client terminal and a server terminal of each of the hydrogen tanks.

12. An inventory amount calculation unit that calculates the fuel inventory amount of each fuel tank at an individual calculation timing that is individually set for each fuel tank based on parameter data related to each fuel tank that stores fuel and data including identification information of each fuel tank; each of the fuel tanks belongs to one of a plurality of groups; and an inventory data creation unit that creates inventory data for each of the groups based on the fuel inventory of each of the fuel tanks belonging to the group; A control device comprising:

13. further comprising a group-by-group inventory data transmission unit that transmits the group-by-group inventory data to the client terminal of each of the fuel tanks; The control device according to claim 12.

14. a log data receiving unit that receives, as the data, log data including a plurality of parameter data measured by a plurality of meters arranged in each fuel tank and identification information of each fuel tank, the log data receiving unit receives pressure data of the fuel in the fuel tank and temperature data of the fuel in the fuel tank as the plurality of parameter data; The control device according to claim 12.

15. The inventory amount calculation unit calculates the fuel inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each fuel tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged in each fuel tank and data including identification information of each fuel tank, the individual calculation timing is a time when a compressor that compresses fuel to be supplied to each of the fuel tanks stops operating; The control device according to claim 12.

16. The inventory amount calculation unit calculates the fuel inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each fuel tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged in each fuel tank and data including identification information of each fuel tank, The individual calculation timing is the time when the supply of fuel to the fuel supply destination is completed. The control device according to claim 12.

17. The inventory amount calculation unit calculates the fuel inventory amount at an individual calculation timing individually set for each fuel tank based on multiple parameter data measured by multiple meters arranged in each fuel tank and data including identification information of each fuel tank, each of the fuel tanks includes an intermediate fuel tank for storing pressurized fuel unloaded from a trailer that transports fuel, and a high-pressure fuel tank for storing pressurized fuel compressed to a higher pressure than that of the intermediate fuel tank; The individual calculation timing is the end time of unloading the fuel from the trailer into the intermediate fuel tank. The control device according to claim 12.

18. a sorting processing unit that acquires fuel inventory data for each fuel tank from the inventory amount calculation unit and sorts the identification information using the fuel inventory amount; The control device according to claim 12.

19. a sorted data transmitting unit that transmits sorted data including the identification information and the inventory amount data that have been sorted from the sorting processing unit to a server terminal, 20. The control device of claim 18.

20. the sorting processing unit sorts the identification information based on the hydrogen gas inventory amount in each of the fuel tanks.

20. The control device of claim 19.

21. the sorting processing unit sorts the identification information in order of delivery route based on at least one of the distance between a shipping location where fuel is produced and each fuel tank of the trailer carrying the fuel, the travel time required, and the amount of fuel loaded; The control device of claim 20.

22. each of the fuel tanks belongs to one of a plurality of regions grouped by region; the inventory data creation unit is a regional inventory data creation unit that aggregates, for each region, the hydrogen gas inventory amounts of each fuel tank belonging to the region to create regional inventory data; The control device according to claim 12, further comprising a region-specific inventory data transmission unit that transmits the region-specific inventory data to the client terminal and the server terminal of each of the fuel tanks.

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