control device

Abstract

This technology provides a way to suppress the load on a hydrogen tank in which a resin liner is laminated on the inner wall. [Solution] The control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit. The control unit is configured to detect the temperature of a hydrogen tank having a resin liner laminated on its inner wall using a temperature sensor when filling with hydrogen from a hydrogen filling device, to determine whether the detected temperature of the hydrogen tank is lower than a predetermined temperature, and to limit the filling of hydrogen if the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a hydrogen release control system that restricts the release of hydrogen when the temperature of a hydrogen tank falls below a predetermined temperature has been proposed for a hydrogen engine vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for suppressing the load on a hydrogen tank having a resin liner laminated on its inner wall.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit. The control unit is configured to detect the temperature of a hydrogen tank having a resin liner laminated on its inner wall by a temperature sensor when filling hydrogen from a hydrogen filling device, determine whether the detected temperature of the hydrogen tank is lower than a predetermined temperature, and restrict the filling of hydrogen when the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, the load on a hydrogen tank having a resin liner laminated on its inner wall can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1]Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a scenario in which this disclosure applies. [Figure 2] Figure 2 schematically shows an example of controlling hydrogen filling using a ball valve. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a processing procedure when the control device of this disclosure controls hydrogen refueling. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] [1. Application Examples] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a scenario to which this disclosure applies. A vehicle using the hydrogen refueling system S according to this embodiment utilizes hydrogen as an energy source. The vehicle may be at least one of a fuel cell vehicle and a hydrogen engine vehicle. The hydrogen refueling system S may include a control device 1, a hydrogen tank 200, a hydrogen refueling unit 300, and a hydrogen refueling device 400.

[0009] The control device 1 is one or more computers configured to detect the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 and control the operation of the hydrogen filling unit 300. The control device 1 may be connected to a temperature sensor 100 for detecting the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 and an open / close sensor 110 for detecting the open / closed state of the lid 320.

[0010] The hydrogen filling unit 300 includes a filling port 310, a lid 320, and a lid opening / closing switch 330. It may be included. The hydrogen filling section 300 is configured to be openable and closable by a lid 320. The open / closed state of the lid 320 can be switched by a lid open / close switch 330. When filling with hydrogen, the lid 320 is opened and hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen filling device 400 with the filling port 310 connected to the filling nozzle 410. The supplied hydrogen passes through the piping 220 and is filled into the hydrogen tank 200 from the filling port 210.

[0011] The type of lid 320 is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate. In one example, the lid 320 may be a door with a hinge that opens and closes using the hinge as a pivot point, as shown in Figure 1. In another example, the lid 320 may be a sliding door. The type of lid opening / closing switch 330 is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate, as long as it can change the open / closed state of the lid 320. The lid opening / closing switch 330 may be configured to be automatically operated by the control device 1, or it may be configured to be manually operated by the user. When operated automatically by the control device 1, the lid opening / closing switch 330 may be connected to the control device 1.

[0012] The hydrogen tank 200 may have a resin liner laminated on its inner wall. By laminating a resin liner on the inner wall of the hydrogen tank 200, the tank can be made lighter while preventing hydrogen permeation. However, in the case of a tank with such a configuration, the hydrogen tank 200 may become cold when the vehicle rapidly consumes fuel. If hydrogen is filled when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a cold state, there is a risk that cracks may occur in the hydrogen tank 200. To mitigate such risks, it is desirable for the control device 1 to perform control to limit hydrogen filling when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a cold state. Therefore, when filling hydrogen from the hydrogen filling device 400, the control device 1 may limit hydrogen filling if it determines that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 detected by the temperature sensor 100 is lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0013] (Restrictions on hydrogen refueling from hydrogen refueling equipment) If the control device 1 determines that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 is lower than a predetermined temperature, it may perform control to limit hydrogen filling. If it determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, it may omit the control. If the temperature is equal to the predetermined temperature, either determination is acceptable. The predetermined temperature is not particularly limited and may be set as appropriate depending on the embodiment. While controlling hydrogen filling, the control device 1 may continuously acquire the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 from the temperature sensor 100. The hydrogen filling control method may be set arbitrarily. In one example of this embodiment, any of the following three control methods may be adopted.

[0014] (1) First control method For example, the first control method may be to maintain the lid 320 in a closed state. Maintaining the lid 320 in a closed state typically means locking the lid 320. In this case, the control device 1 is connected to the open / close sensor 110 and the lid open / close switch 330. Upon detection from the open / close sensor 110 that the lid 320 is in a closed state, the control device 1 may lock the lid open / close switch 330. The lock on the lid open / close switch 330 may continue until the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 rises above a predetermined temperature. When the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 rises above the predetermined temperature, the control device 1 may release the lock on the lid open / close switch 330. According to the first control method, when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, it is possible to prohibit the use of the hydrogen filling unit 300 by maintaining the lid 320 in a closed state. As a result, hydrogen filling will not be performed from the hydrogen filling device 400 when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, and thus the hydrogen tank 200 is expected to be protected.

[0015] Furthermore, if the lid opening / closing switch 330 is locked, the user may be notified accordingly. The method of notification is not limited and may be set as appropriate.

[0016] When the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, if the lid 320 is initially open (open state), or if the lid 320 is opened by the user by some means, the use of the hydrogen filling unit 300 cannot be prohibited. Therefore, in this case, it is desirable to adopt the following second or third control method.

[0017] (2) Second control method In one example, the second control method may be to control the hydrogen filling state from the filling port 310. In this case, the control device 1 is connected to the pressure sensor 120 or the speed sensor 130 and the filling port 310. In one example, controlling the hydrogen filling state may be to control the filling port 310 using a predetermined mechanism so that the filling pressure detected by the pressure sensor 120 does not exceed a predetermined pressure. In another example, controlling the hydrogen filling state may be to control the filling port 310 using a predetermined mechanism so that the filling speed detected by the speed sensor 130 does not exceed a predetermined speed. The predetermined pressure, the predetermined speed, and the predetermined mechanism may not be particularly limited and may be appropriately determined according to the embodiment. Typically, the predetermined mechanism may be a valve installed in the filling port 310. According to the second control method, when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, by controlling the hydrogen filling state and performing filling gently, it is possible to suppress a rapid temperature rise of the hydrogen tank 200. Thereby, it can be expected to suppress the load on the hydrogen tank 200.

[0018] By installing a valve or the like in the filling port 310, the control of the hydrogen filling state can be performed, but depending on the configuration of the valve, the cost may increase. Therefore, it is desirable that the predetermined mechanism for controlling the filling port 310 be configured so that the control can be executed at a low cost.

[0019] (3) Third control method In one example, the third control method may be to control the filling of hydrogen using the ball valve 314. In this case, the control device 1 is connected to the filling port 310 (thread pulling mechanism 313). According to the third control method, when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, it is possible to control the filling of hydrogen by the method using the ball valve 314 described later. Thereby, the amount of hydrogen supplied to the hydrogen tank 200 can be significantly reduced, and it can be expected to suppress the load on the hydrogen tank 200 at low cost.

[0020] FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of a scene where the filling of hydrogen is controlled using the ball valve 314. In this case, the filling port 310 may be composed of a converging portion 311, a groove 312, a thread pulling mechanism 313, a ball valve 314, and a restraint thread 315. The converging portion 311 is a portion extending from the filling port 310 to the pipe 220, and the passage becomes narrower as it approaches the pipe 220 side. Also, the diameter of the narrowest portion in the converging portion 311 is smaller than the diameter of the ball valve 314. The groove 312 is configured to be able to accommodate the ball valve 314. The ball valve 314 may be connected to the thread pulling mechanism 313 via the restraint thread 315. The ball valve 314 may be housed in the groove 312 when the hydrogen tank 200 is not in a low-temperature state. When the control device 1 determines that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 detected by the temperature sensor 100 is lower than a predetermined temperature, it may transmit an instruction to loosen the restraint thread 315 to the thread pulling mechanism 313. At this time, the filling port 310 is blocked by the ball valve 314 clogged in the converging portion 311. Thereby, it becomes possible to avoid filling hydrogen into the hydrogen tank 200.

[0021] (Parentheses) When it is determined that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the filling of hydrogen may be controlled by at least any one of the above first to third control methods. In one example, one or more control methods may be selected from the above first to third control methods, and the filling of hydrogen may be controlled by combining the selected one or more control methods.

[0022] [2 Configuration Example] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 1 of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the control device 1 according to this embodiment is a computer in which a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and an external interface 13 are electrically connected. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The system is configured to perform arbitrary information processing. The storage unit 12 may be composed of, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores a program 81. The program 81 is a program that causes the information processing device to perform the information processing according to this embodiment. The program 81 includes a series of instructions for the information processing.

[0023] The external interface 13 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, a dedicated port, a wireless communication port, etc., and is configured to connect to an external device by wire or wireless connection. In this embodiment, the control device 1 may be connected to the temperature sensor 100, the open / close sensor 110, the pressure sensor 120, the speed sensor 130, the filling port 310, and the lid open / close switch 330 via the external interface 13.

[0024] Furthermore, regarding the specific hardware configuration of the information processing device, components can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. Hardware processors include microprocessors, FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), DSPs (digital signal processors), and GPs. It may be composed of a U (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0025] [3 Examples of operation] Figure 3 shows an example of a processing procedure when the control device 1 of this disclosure controls hydrogen refueling. The following processing procedure is an example of an information processing method performed by a computer.

[0026] In step S101, the control unit 11 obtains the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 detected by the temperature sensor 100. In step S102, the control unit 11 determines whether the obtained temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 is lower than a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature may be set as appropriate. The control unit 11 determines the branch destination of the process according to the determination result in step S102. If it determines that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 is lower than the predetermined temperature, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S103. Otherwise, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S104.

[0027] In step S103, the control unit 11 limits the filling of hydrogen. In one example, the control method for limiting the filling of hydrogen may include at least one of the first to third control methods described above. Once the filling of hydrogen is limited, the control unit 11 may return to step S101 and obtain the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 again.

[0028] In step S104, the control unit 11 determines whether or not hydrogen refueling is restricted. If it determines that hydrogen refueling is restricted, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S105. Otherwise, the control unit 11 terminates this processing procedure.

[0029] In step S105, the control unit 11 releases the hydrogen refueling restriction. In one example, releasing the restriction may mean terminating all control by the control method adopted in step S103. The termination of the first to third control methods may be determined as appropriate. In one example, the termination of the first control method may mean unlocking the lid opening / closing switch 330. In one example, the end of the second control method may be the termination of control of the filling port 310 using a predetermined mechanism. In another example, the end of the third control method may be the transmission of an instruction to the thread pulling mechanism 313 to pull the restraining thread 315 and the storage of the ball valve 314 in the groove 312. Once the processing of step S105 is completed, the control unit 11 terminates this processing procedure.

[0030] [Features] According to this embodiment, after it is determined that the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, the filling of hydrogen can be restricted by performing control using at least one of the first to third control methods in the process of step S103. By restricting the filling of hydrogen when the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low-temperature state, it is possible to suppress a rapid rise in the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200. This is expected to reduce the load on the hydrogen tank 200.

[0031] [4. Variant] In step S103 described above, the control unit 11 may use a fourth control method to notify the hydrogen refueling device 400 to limit hydrogen refueling. In this case, the control device 1 may further be equipped with a communication interface. If it is determined in step S102 that the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the control device 1 may connect to the hydrogen refueling device 400 via the communication interface and send a notification to limit hydrogen refueling. This makes it possible for the control device 1 to limit hydrogen refueling by imposing a restriction on the hydrogen refueling device 400, which has a communication function, without making any special configuration changes on the vehicle side.

[0032] Furthermore, if only the first control method is selected as the control method in step S103 above, and the lid 320 is open from the beginning, or if the lid 320 is opened by the user in some way, the control unit 11 may output a notification to that effect. The output destination may be set arbitrarily. In one example, the output destination may be a display device provided in the vehicle. In another example, the output destination may be the storage unit 12. In yet another example, the output destination may be another computer (server device, etc.) connected via a communication interface. If hydrogen refueling is restricted using only the first control method, and the lid 320 is open, hydrogen refueling cannot be avoided, and hydrogen refueling may be performed while the hydrogen tank 200 is in a low temperature state. By outputting a notification that such an event has occurred, it is possible to alert the user, estimate the load on the hydrogen tank 200, etc.

[0033] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects of this disclosure. Needless to say, various improvements or modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1...Control device, 11...Control unit, 12...Storage unit, 13. External interface, 81. Program, 100... Temperature sensor, 110... Open / close sensor, 120... Pressure sensor, 130... Speed ​​sensor, 200...Hydrogen tank, 300...Hydrogen filling section, 400...Hydrogen refueling device

Claims

[Claim 1] A control device comprising a control unit, The control unit, When filling hydrogen from a hydrogen refueling device, the temperature of the hydrogen tank, which has a resin liner laminated on its inner wall, is detected by a temperature sensor. To determine whether the temperature of the detected hydrogen tank is lower than a predetermined temperature, If the temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, the filling of the hydrogen is restricted. Configured to perform, Control device.

Images