Fuel supply device and fuel supply method

Abstract

To provide a fuel supply device which can quickly charge a hydrogen gas to a vehicle which is mounted with a plurality of large-capacity fuel tanks while complying with a charge protocol.SOLUTION: A fuel supply device (100) of the present invention comprises a plurality of fuel supply systems (101, 102) and a plurality of control devices (10, 20) arranged at the supply systems. Supply members (flow rate regulation valve, flowmeter or the like) connected to the control devices are interposed at supply piping (31, 41) of the plurality of supply systems, and each of the plurality of supply control devices has a function for determining whether or not a communication charge is established in a one-side supply system (101) and / or in the other side supply system (102), and a function for supplying a hydrogen gas by using vehicle-side data (for example, a temperature and pressure in the tank) in the other side supply system when the communication charge is not established in the one-side supply system, and the communication charge is established in the other side supply system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel supply device and a fuel supply method for filling a fuel tank of, for example, a fuel cell vehicle with hydrogen gas as fuel. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In response to the growing awareness of environmental issues in recent years, vehicles that run on hydrogen gas (fuel cell vehicles) have become widespread. The applicant has previously proposed a hydrogen filling device for such vehicles that obtains information on the temperature and pressure inside the vehicle's tank and performs the filling operation (communicative filling), and if communicative filling is not possible, performs non-communicative filling, filling hydrogen while maintaining a high level of safety (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Fuel cell vehicles are being developed not only for passenger cars, but also for large trucks and buses used in logistics. Large trucks and buses are equipped with multiple large-capacity fuel tanks in consideration of the long distances they will travel. When supplying hydrogen to a large truck equipped with multiple large-capacity fuel tanks, if a single filling nozzle is used, the filling time may be very long depending on the diameter of the filling pipe in the fuel supply device, the amount of hydrogen in the rear equipment, and the capacity of the compressor. On the other hand, even when filling hydrogen gas into large trucks and buses, it is necessary to observe the filling protocol. In order to efficiently fill hydrogen into vehicles equipped with multiple fuel tanks, the applicant has proposed a hydrogen filling device that is equipped with multiple filling systems, in which the filling nozzles of each of the multiple filling systems can be connected to multiple receptacles that communicate with the multiple fuel tanks, and that can switch control modes depending on whether the multiple fuel tanks are connected to each other or not (see Patent Document 2).

[0004] Here, in a plurality of supply systems, there may be cases where, for some reason, communicative filling is not established in any or all of the supply systems. However, the conventional technology of Patent Document 1 does not disclose a case where hydrogen is filled (fuel is supplied) by connecting the respective filling nozzles of a plurality of filling systems to a plurality of receptacles of a vehicle having a plurality of fuel tanks. In addition, the prior art of Patent Document 2 allows the control mode to be switched depending on the type of vehicle (whether multiple fuel tanks are connected to each other or not), but does not disclose switching the control mode depending on whether communicative filling is established in each of multiple supply systems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6737350 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-196051 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a fuel supply device and a fuel supply method that can perform control corresponding to whether or not communicative filling has been established in each of multiple supply systems while adhering to a filling protocol, and that can quickly supply (fill) hydrogen gas to vehicles (e.g., large trucks and buses) equipped with multiple large-capacity fuel tanks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The fuel supply device (100: hydrogen filling device) of the present invention is The system includes a plurality of supply systems (101, 102: filling systems), a plurality of control devices (10, 20) provided in each of the supply systems (101, 102), and a display device (30, 40), In the fuel supply system (100), in each of the plurality of supply systems (101, 102), a supply pipe (31, 41: filling pipe) is connected to a rear facility (50, 60), a supply member (filling member: for example, flow rate control valves 2, 12, shutoff valves 4, 14, flow meters 3, 13, thermometers 5, 15, pressure gauges 6, 16) is interposed in the supply pipe (31, 41), the supply member is connected to a supply control device (10, 20: filling control device), a supply hose (7, 17) is connected to the supply pipe (31, 41), and a supply nozzle (8, 18: filling nozzle) is provided at the tip of the supply hose (7, 17: filling hose), Each of the plurality of supply control devices (10, 20) includes: a function of determining whether or not communication filling is established in the supply system (101) on one side and / or the supply system (102) on the other side; When communication filling is not established in the supply system (101) on one side, but communication filling is established in the supply system (102) on the other side, the system has a function of supplying (filling) using vehicle-side data (e.g., temperature and pressure in the tank) in the supply system (102) on the other side.

[0008] In the present invention, the supply control device (10, 20) preferably has a function of issuing a notification when an abnormality occurs in either of the supply systems. Here, it is preferable that the function of notifying of an abnormality includes, for example, a function of displaying information on the display device (30, 40) that, when communicative filling is not established on one side, supply to the one side is being performed using vehicle side data on the other side.

[0009] In addition, when the communication filling is not established in the one supply system (101) and the communication filling is established in the other supply system (102), the supply control device (10, 20) When the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side connected to the supply system (102) on the other side exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 85°C), When the fuel supply pressure (hydrogen filling pressure) exceeds the supplyable pressure (fillable pressure) to the vehicle-side container (tank) connected to the other supply system (102) calculated from the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side, When the other supply system (102) receives a supply stop signal (filling stop signal) as a supply possibility signal (filling possibility signal) received from the vehicle side, In either case, it is preferable to have a function of stopping the supply (in the one supply system 101 and the other supply system 102).

[0010] The fuel supply method of the present invention includes the steps of: The system comprises a plurality of supply systems (101, 102), a plurality of control devices (10, 20) provided in each of the supply systems (101, 102), and a display device (30, 40), In a fuel supply method using a fuel supply device (100), in each of the plurality of supply systems (101, 102), a supply pipe (31, 41) is connected to a rear facility (50, 60), supply members (e.g., flow rate control valves 2, 12, shutoff valves 4, 14, flow meters 3, 13, thermometers 5, 15, pressure gauges 6, 16) are interposed in the supply pipe (31, 41), the supply members are connected to a supply control device (10, 20), a supply hose (7, 17) is connected to the supply pipe (31, 41), and a supply nozzle (8, 18) is provided at an end of the supply hose (7, 17), determining whether or not communication filling is established in the supply system (101) on one side and / or the supply system (102) on the other side; When communicative filling is not established in the supply system (101) on one side and communicative filling is established in the supply system (102) on the other side, the method includes a step of supplying using vehicle side data (e.g., temperature and pressure in the tank) in the supply system (102) on the other side.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable to have an abnormality notifying step for notifying when an abnormality occurs in any of the supply systems. Here, it is preferable that the abnormality notification process includes, for example, a process of displaying information on the display device (30, 40) that, when communicative filling is not established on one side, supply to the one side is being performed using vehicle side data on the other side.

[0012] In the present invention, when the communication filling is not established in the supply system (101) on one side and the communication filling is established in the supply system (102) on the other side, When the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side connected to the supply system (102) on the other side exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 85°C), When the fuel supply pressure exceeds a pressure that can be supplied to a container (tank) on the vehicle side, the pressure being calculated from temperature data of the container on the vehicle side connected to the supply system on the other side (102), When the other supply system (102) receives a supply stop signal as a supply availability signal from the vehicle side, In either case, it is preferable to have a step of stopping the supply (in the one supply system 101 and the other supply system 102).

[0013] In the present invention, the fuel to be supplied includes hydrogen, gaseous fuels other than hydrogen, and liquid fuels such as CNG, LPG, and gaseous hydrogen. Effect of the Invention

[0014] In vehicles (large trucks, buses) equipped with multiple large-capacity fuel tanks (70), multiple (e.g., two) receptacles (71) for fuel supply (hydrogen filling) are provided. According to the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, by attaching supply nozzles (8, 18) in multiple (e.g., two) supply (filling) systems (101, 102) to each of the multiple receptacles (71) of the large truck or bus, it is possible to supply hydrogen in a much shorter time than when a single supply nozzle is attached individually to each of the multiple receptacles (71) and hydrogen is supplied.

[0015] Here, as a result of the inventor's experiments and research, it has been found that if the supply nozzle (8, 18) of the fuel supply device (100) of the present invention having multiple (e.g., two) supply systems (101, 102) is connected to the receptacle (71) of a vehicle (large truck, bus) equipped with multiple large-capacity fuel tanks (70), control can be performed under the premise that the same signal is sent from the vehicle side to each of the multiple supply systems (hydrogen filling systems 101, 102) in the fuel supply device (100). According to the present invention, if the various parameters (temperature, pressure) transmitted to each of the multiple supply systems (101, 102) are not the same or if there is an impact on safety, the supply can be stopped. Therefore, in the present invention, fuel supply (e.g., hydrogen filling) is performed based on the above-mentioned premise. According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the communication filling is established in the supply system (101) on one side and / or the supply system (102) on the other side, When communicative filling is not established in the supply system (101) on one side, but is established in the supply system (102) on the other side, vehicle side data (e.g., temperature and pressure inside the tank) in the supply system (102) on the other side is used for supply, so that communicative filling can be performed in both the supply systems (101, 102) on the one side and the other side. Since communication filling is performed in both the one-side and the other-side supply systems (101, 102), the fuel tank of the vehicle can be supplied with higher pressure in both the one-side and the other-side supply systems (101, 102) than in the case of non-communication filling. Therefore, the supply efficiency is improved, particularly for a vehicle having a plurality of fuel tanks (70) and a plurality of receptacles (71).

[0016] In the present invention, when the communication filling is not established in the supply system (101) on one side and the communication filling is established in the supply system (102) on the other side, When the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side connected to the supply system (102) on the other side exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 85°C), When the fuel supply pressure exceeds a pressure that can be supplied to a container (tank) on the vehicle side, the pressure being calculated from temperature data of the container on the vehicle side connected to the supply system on the other side (102), When the other supply system (102) receives a supply stop signal as a supply availability signal from the vehicle side, In either case, if the supply (in the one supply system 101 and the other supply system 102) is stopped, Even if communicative filling is not achieved in either supply system, safety can be ensured even if higher pressure fuel is supplied to both the one side and the other side supply systems (101, 102) compared to the case of non-communicative filling.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, if a warning is given when an abnormality occurs in any of the supply systems, the safety of the fuel supply can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of fuel tanks and hydrogen filling receptacles in a vehicle equipped with multiple fuel tanks, in which multiple paths connecting the fuel tanks and hydrogen filling receptacles are connected within the vehicle. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram of a fuel supply device (hydrogen filling device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 6 is a flowchart showing control on the side of a first hydrogen filling system. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing control on the side of a second hydrogen filling system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a display device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the display relating to communication filling on the display device on the first hydrogen filling system side. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the display relating to communication filling on the display device on the second hydrogen filling system side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the illustrated embodiment, the fuel to be supplied is hydrogen. First, with reference to FIG. 1, a hydrogen filling system in a vehicle (eg, a large truck or a bus) equipped with a plurality of large-capacity fuel tanks will be described. The large vehicle, whose fuel system is shown simplified in Figure 1, is equipped with multiple fuel tanks 70 (four in Figure 1: 70-1 to 70-4) and multiple hydrogen filling receptacles 71-1, 71-2 (two in Figure 1). A path 76 communicating with the hydrogen filling receptacle 71-1 and a path 78 communicating with the hydrogen filling receptacle 71-2 communicate with each other via a path 80 within the vehicle. Therefore, the four fuel tanks 70-1 to 70-4 are also communicated with each other within the vehicle via the path 80. Reference numerals 72-1 and 72-2 are transmitters for vehicle data (temperature data and pressure data inside the tank) used in communicative filling.

[0020] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a hydrogen filling device for suitably filling hydrogen into a vehicle equipped with a plurality of fuel tanks 70 and two hydrogen filling receptacles 71-1, 71-2 (FIG. 1) will be described. In Figure 2, the hydrogen filling device 100 of the illustrated embodiment has two hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 (a first hydrogen filling system and a second hydrogen filling system), and each of the hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 has a filling control device, a display device, filling piping, filling components (flow control valve, flow meter, etc.), a filling nozzle, and so on. The first hydrogen filling system 101 has a filling control device 10, a display device 30, and filling piping 31. The upstream side (left side in FIG. 2) of the filling piping 31 communicates with a rear facility 50 (hydrogen gas supply source), and the other end (right side in FIG. 2) is connected to a filling nozzle 8 via a filling hose 7. A flow rate control valve 2, a shutoff valve 4, a flow meter 3 (mass flow meter), a thermometer 5, and a pressure gauge 6 are interposed in the filling piping 31 as filling members. The flow rate control valve 2, the shutoff valve 4, the flow meter 3, the thermometer 5, and the pressure gauge 6 are connected to the filling control device 10 via signal transmission lines SL2, SL4, SL3, SL5, and SL6, respectively. Furthermore, the vehicle data light receiving unit 9 provided in the filling nozzle 8 is connected to the filling control device 10 via a signal transmission line SL9. Furthermore, the display device 30 is connected to the filling control device 10 via a signal transmission line SL10.

[0021] In Figure 2, hydrogen gas stored in a downstream facility 50 (hydrogen gas supply source) of the first hydrogen filling system 101 flows through filling piping 31, via flow control valve 2, shutoff valve 4, and flow meter 3, through filling hose 7, and is filled into a fuel tank 70 (Figure 1) of a vehicle (not shown) via filling nozzle 8. The filling control device 10, which functions as a control unit of the first hydrogen filling system 101, acquires the measurement results of the flowmeter 3 (mass flowmeter), thermometer 5, and pressure gauge 6 via signal transmission line SL3, and transmits a flow control signal to the flow rate adjustment valve 2 via signal transmission line SL2. When filling is completed or stopped, the filling control device 10 transmits control signals to the flow rate adjustment valve 2 and the shutoff valve 4 via signal transmission lines SL2 and SL4, respectively, to control the flow rate adjustment valve 2 and close the shutoff valve 4. The measurement result of the pressure gauge 6 is the filling pressure of the hydrogen gas filled during non-communication filling. The measurement result of the thermometer 5 and the measurement result of the pressure gauge 6 are used both during communication filling and non-communication filling.

[0022] A vehicle data light receiving unit 9 provided on the filling nozzle 8 transmits data (tank internal pressure, temperature, filling amount, etc.) of the vehicle-side tank 70 (FIG. 1) to the filling control device 10 via a signal transmission line SL9. The filling control device 10 has a function of exchanging information or control signals with the flow rate control valve 2, shutoff valve 4, flow meter 3, thermometer 5, and pressure gauge 6 of the first hydrogen filling system 101, acquiring data (tank pressure, temperature, filling amount, etc.) of the vehicle-side tank 70, and supplying hydrogen gas to the vehicle-side tank 70 in an appropriate temperature and / or pressure range, thereby performing hydrogen filling (communication filling) in compliance with the filling protocol. In addition, the filling control device 10 has a function of performing non-communication filling without using the data of the vehicle-side tank 70 when data (tank pressure, temperature, filling amount, etc.) of the vehicle-side tank 70 cannot be acquired and communication filling cannot be performed. The filling control device 10 can then determine whether communication filling has been established or not, depending on whether data from the vehicle-side tank 70 has been acquired.

[0023] 2, the second hydrogen filling system 102 has a filling control device 20, a display device 40, and filling piping 41, the upstream side (left side in FIG. 2) of which communicates with a rear facility 60 (hydrogen gas supply source) and the other end (right side in FIG. 2) of which is connected to a filling nozzle 18 via a filling hose 17. A flow control valve 12, a shutoff valve 14, a flow meter 13 (mass flow meter), a thermometer 15, and a pressure gauge 16 are interposed in the filling piping 41 as filling members. The flow control valve 12, the shutoff valve 14, the flow meter 13, the thermometer 15, and the pressure gauge 16 are connected to the filling control device 20 by signal transmission lines SL12, SL14, SL13, SL15, and SL16, respectively. In addition, the vehicle data light receiving unit 19 provided in the filling nozzle 18 is connected to the filling control device 10 by a signal transmission line SL19. Furthermore, the display device 40 is connected to the filling control device 20 by a signal transmission line SL11.

[0024] In Figure 2, hydrogen gas stored in a downstream facility 60 (hydrogen gas supply source) of the second hydrogen filling system 102 flows through filling piping 41, via flow control valve 12, shutoff valve 14, and flow meter 13, through filling hose 17, and is filled into a fuel tank 70 (Figure 1) of a vehicle (not shown) via filling nozzle 18. The exchange of information and control signals between the filling control device 20 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 and the flow control valve 12, shut-off valve 14, flow meter 13 (mass flow meter), thermometer 15, and pressure gauge 16, as well as the exchange of information (measurement data or control signal) about the vehicle side tank 70 from the vehicle data receiver 19, is similar to that of the first hydrogen filling system 101, so duplicate explanations will be avoided. The filling control device 20 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 also has a function to perform hydrogen filling (communication filling) in compliance with the filling protocol. In addition, when data (tank pressure, temperature, filling amount, etc.) from the vehicle-side tank 70 cannot be obtained and communicative filling cannot be performed, the filling control device 20 has a function to perform non-communication filling without using the data from the vehicle-side tank 70. The filling control device 20 has a function to determine whether to perform communicative filling or non-communicative filling depending on whether temperature data and pressure data from the vehicle-side tank 70 can be obtained.

[0025] 2, the hydrogen filling device 100 is provided with a selector switch 34, which has the function of selecting either a filling mode in which hydrogen is filled using only a single filling nozzle (filling using only one of the filling nozzles 8 and 18) or a filling mode in which hydrogen is filled using two filling nozzles (filling using both the filling nozzles 8 and 18). The filling mode selected by the selector switch 34 is transmitted to the filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 via a signal transmission line SL21, and is transmitted to the filling control device 20 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 via a signal transmission line SL22. 2, the filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the filling control device 20 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 are connected via a repeater 35. The filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the repeater 35 are connected via a signal transmission line SL23, and the filling control device 20 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 and the repeater 35 are connected via a signal transmission line SL24.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, for example, if communication filling is not achieved in the first hydrogen filling system 101 but communication filling is achieved in the second hydrogen filling system 102, the hydrogen filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 performs hydrogen filling using information transmitted from the vehicle side tank 70 by the hydrogen filling control device 20 on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side (during communication filling). On the other hand, if communication filling is not achieved in the second hydrogen filling system 102 but communication filling is achieved in the first hydrogen filling system 101, the hydrogen filling control device 20 on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side performs filling using temperature and pressure information transmitted from the vehicle side tank 70 via communication filling on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side.

[0027] Although not explicitly shown in Figure 2, control is performed under the assumption that the same signal is sent from the vehicle side (tank 70) to each of the first hydrogen filling system 101 of the filling nozzle 8 and the second hydrogen filling system 102 of the filling nozzle 18. If the various parameters (temperature, pressure) transmitted to the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the various parameters (temperature, pressure) transmitted to the second hydrogen filling system 102 differ by a predetermined value or more, filling is stopped as described below. Therefore, there is no problem even if filling control is performed under the above-mentioned premise.

[0028] 2, in the hydrogen filling device 100 according to the embodiment shown in the figure, even if communication filling is no longer established in the first hydrogen filling system 101, so long as communication filling is established in the second hydrogen filling system 102, information from the vehicle side of the second hydrogen filling system 102 can be used in the first hydrogen filling system 101. Therefore, communication filling can continue in the first hydrogen filling system 101 as well, making it possible to fill hydrogen up to a higher pressure range. Furthermore, even if communication filling in the first hydrogen filling system 101 is not established, safety is ensured by switching communication filling to non-communication filling or by stopping hydrogen filling (specific control will be described later).

[0029] With reference to FIG. 2, the control by the hydrogen filling control device 10 on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side and the hydrogen filling control device 20 on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side will be described in first to fourth aspects. In the control relating to the first aspect, for example, if communication filling is not established in the first hydrogen filling system 101 and communication filling is established only in the second hydrogen filling system 102, the first hydrogen filling system 101 acquires information from the vehicle side received by the second hydrogen filling system 102 and uses that information to perform communication filling. In other words, when the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the second hydrogen filling system 102 are simultaneously filling, if the vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side cannot be obtained normally, if the vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) received on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side is valid, the hydrogen filling control device 10 on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side will continue communicative filling using the vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) via the repeater 35. In this case, since communication filling can be performed in both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102, the vehicle's fuel tank can be filled to a high pressure range compared to non-communication filling in both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102. This improves the filling efficiency, particularly for vehicles having multiple fuel tanks 70 (FIG. 1) and multiple receptacles 71 (FIG. 1). In the control according to the first aspect, the fact that the first hydrogen filling system 101 is using the vehicle data on the side of the second hydrogen filling system 102 for communication filling is displayed (informed) on the display device 30. The display contents of the display devices 30, 40 will be described later with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Here, "simultaneous filling" refers to the case where the filling nozzle 8 on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side and the filling nozzle 18 on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side are connected to their respective vehicle receptacles and communication filling is being performed. Additionally, "vehicle data is valid" means that valid data has been received for 500 mSec. (SAEJ2799 standard).

[0030] When the first hydrogen filling system 101 acquires information from the vehicle side received by the second hydrogen filling system 102 and uses that information to perform communication filling, the first hydrogen filling system 101 does not receive any signals or information from the vehicle and therefore does not know the status of the tank connected to the first hydrogen filling system 101, but as described above, it is assumed that the information or signals that the first hydrogen filling system 101 would have acquired are the same as the information or signals acquired by the second hydrogen filling system 102. In other words, as described above, control is performed on the assumption that the same signals are sent from the vehicle side to each of the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the second hydrogen filling system 102. The decision as to whether or not to stop hydrogen filling is made based on a signal from the vehicle side to which the second hydrogen filling system 102 is connected. Then, when the vehicle data from the second hydrogen filling system 102 side indicates that hydrogen filling should be stopped, hydrogen filling in the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 is promptly terminated, and if the state is "not filling", such as the stage before hydrogen filling, the system does not proceed to the filling operation. In a vehicle to be filled with hydrogen by the hydrogen filling device 100 according to the illustrated embodiment, whether the fuel tanks 70-1, 70-2 and 70-3, 70-4 are of a type in which they are connected (communicating) with each other, or of a type in which the fuel tanks are filled independently (not communicating with each other) does not affect the control according to the illustrated embodiment. In other words, the internal structure of the vehicle's fuel tanks 70-1 to 70-4 (for example, the piping system of the fuel tank 70: the path 80 in FIG. 1) is not taken into consideration in the illustrated embodiment.

[0031] The first mode of control is when communication filling is not established in the first hydrogen filling system 101 and is established only in the second hydrogen filling system 102, whereas the second mode of control is when communication filling is not established in the second hydrogen filling system 102 and is established only in the first hydrogen filling system 101. In the second mode of control, the second hydrogen filling system 102 acquires vehicle-side information received by the first hydrogen filling system 101, acquires vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) from the first hydrogen filling system 101 via the repeater 35, and continues communication filling. Then, a message is displayed on the display device 40 indicating that the second hydrogen filling system 102 is performing communication filling using the vehicle data on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side. When the vehicle data on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side indicates a state in which hydrogen filling should be stopped, hydrogen filling in the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 is promptly terminated. The control according to the second embodiment is the exact opposite of the control according to the first embodiment, and a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0032] The control according to the third embodiment is control when the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the second hydrogen filling system 102 are simultaneously filling (when communication filling is established in both systems) and the vehicle data (tank pressure, tank temperature) received by the first hydrogen filling system 101 is not identical to the vehicle data (tank pressure, tank temperature) received by the second hydrogen filling system 102. If there is a difference between the vehicle data of the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the vehicle data of the second hydrogen filling system 102 that is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the hydrogen filling control device 10 and / or the hydrogen filling control device 20 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle data and stops communication filling in the hydrogen filling systems 101, 102. Thereafter, the hydrogen filling systems 101 and 102 perform non-communicating filling. In non-communication refueling, compared to communication refueling, refueling can only be performed when the tank pressure on the vehicle side is in the low pressure range. Therefore, compared to communication refueling, the safety of the vehicle side is guaranteed. The display devices 30, 40 display the fact that a difference equal to or greater than a threshold has occurred between the vehicle data received by the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 and that communication filling has been switched to non-communication filling.

[0033] In FIG. 2, the vehicle data (pressure, temperature) received by the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are not the same, and a difference of a threshold or more occurs in the following cases. For example, even if the filling nozzle 8 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the filling nozzle 18 of the second hydrogen filling system 102 are connected to separate vehicles for filling, if the filling nozzles 8, 18 are operated as if "a single vehicle is being filled by two filling nozzles", this corresponds to the control according to the third embodiment. In that case, the communicative filling is stopped. As described above, the above-mentioned "premise" (the premise that the same signal is sent from the vehicle side (tank 70) to each of the first hydrogen filling system 101 of the filling nozzle 8 and the second hydrogen filling system 102 of the filling nozzle 18) applies when the filling nozzles of the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are each connected to two receptacle systems of a single vehicle. If the filling nozzles 8, 18 of the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are each connected to two receptacle systems of different vehicles, this "premise" obviously does not hold true.

[0034] In Fig. 2, the control according to the fourth embodiment is performed when the vehicle data acquired by both the first hydrogen filling system 101 (hydrogen filling control device 10) and the second hydrogen filling system 102 (hydrogen filling control device 20) become faulty, that is, when communicative filling is not established on both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102. In this case, non-communicative filling is performed on both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102. By using non-communicative filling on both sides, hydrogen is filled at a lower pressure range than when using communicative filling, and filling control is performed to ensure the safety of the vehicle. The fact that neither the first nor the second hydrogen filling system 101, 102 uses vehicle data for filling is displayed on the display devices 30, 40, respectively.

[0035] The conditions under which filling should not be performed are stipulated in the "SAE J2601" standard, for example, and the embodiment shown in the figure also performs filling control in accordance with the stipulations. The cases (conditions) under which filling should not be performed are as follows. When communication filling is not established in one hydrogen filling system (the first hydrogen filling system 101 or the second hydrogen filling system 102) and communication filling is established in the other hydrogen filling system (the second hydrogen filling system 102 or the first hydrogen filling system 101), When the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side connected to the other hydrogen filling system for communication filling exceeds a specified value (e.g. 85°C). When the fuel filling pressure exceeds the maximum pressure that can be filled into the vehicle's container (tank) connected to the hydrogen filling system on the other side, as calculated from the temperature data of the container (tank) on the vehicle side. When the other hydrogen filling system receives a filling stop signal from the vehicle. In either of these cases, the filling is stopped. Then, the details of the abnormality that has occurred and the fact that filling has been stopped are displayed on the display devices 30, 40. Since hydrogen filling is stopped in the above-mentioned cases, even if communicative filling is not established in either of the filling systems, the control in the illustrated embodiment can ensure safety even if hydrogen is filled up to a pressure that would result in higher pressure communicative filling in both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 compared to the case of non-communicative filling.

[0036] Next, control in the first hydrogen filling system 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 shows only the control on the side of the first hydrogen filling system 101. The control on the side of the second hydrogen filling system 102 will be described later with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, in step S1, it is determined whether vehicle data (temperature, pressure data) on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side can be normally acquired by the hydrogen filling control device 10 (that is, whether communicative filling is established or not). In step S1, if the vehicle data on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side can be obtained normally (step S1 is "YeS"), proceed to step S2; if the vehicle data on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side cannot be obtained normally (step S1 is "No"), proceed to step S3. In step S2, communication-based filling is performed in the first hydrogen filling system 101 based on the vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) on the side of the first hydrogen filling system 101. Then, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0037] In step S3, the hydrogen filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 determines whether or not the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side can be normally acquired via the repeater 35 and signal transmission lines 24, 23 (FIG. 2). As a result of the judgment in step S3, if the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side can be obtained normally (step S3 is "YeS"), proceed to step S4; if the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side cannot be obtained normally (step S3 is "No"), proceed to step S5. In step S4, the hydrogen filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 performs communication filling using vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side (the first embodiment described above). In this case, the display device 30 displays a message that the first hydrogen filling system 101 is performing communication filling using vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side. In step S5, the hydrogen filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 is unable to normally acquire vehicle data from either the first or second hydrogen filling system 101, 102, and therefore (the first hydrogen filling system 101) performs non-communication control without using vehicle data from either the hydrogen filling system 101, 102 (the fourth aspect described above).

[0038] In step S6, the hydrogen filling control device 10 of the first hydrogen filling system 101 determines whether it can normally acquire vehicle data (temperature, pressure, etc.) from the second hydrogen filling system 102 via the repeater 35 and signal transmission lines 24, 23 (Figure 2). As a result of the judgment in step S6, if the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side can be obtained normally (step S6 is "YeS"), proceed to step S7; if the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side cannot be obtained normally (step S6 is "No"), proceed to step S8. If the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side can be acquired normally (step S6 is "YeS"), the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 perform communicative filling using the vehicle data acquired therefrom. If the vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side cannot be acquired normally (step S6 is "No"), the first hydrogen filling system 101 performs communication filling using the vehicle data of the first hydrogen filling system 101. In step S7, the first hydrogen filling system 101 normally acquires vehicle data from both the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102, and compares the vehicle data from the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 (the third aspect described above). That is, in step S7, the vehicle data in the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are compared, and if the difference between the two is less than a threshold value, communication filling in the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 is continued. On the other hand, if there is a difference between the vehicle data in the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 that is equal to or greater than the threshold value, communication filling in the hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 is stopped and switched to non-communication filling, in which hydrogen is filled at a lower pressure than communication filling, and hydrogen filling is performed on the so-called "safe" side. Then, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0039] By steps S1 to S7, the hydrogen filling control on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side in step S8 is as follows (1) to (4). (1) Implementing communication-based refueling using vehicle data on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side. At the same time, implementing communication-based refueling on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side using the same vehicle data. (2) Communication-based filling is performed using vehicle data on the side of the first hydrogen filling system 101. In the second hydrogen filling system 102, communication-based filling using vehicle data on the side of the second hydrogen filling system 102 is not established. (3) Implement communication-based fueling using vehicle data from the second hydrogen filling system 102. (4) Communication refueling using vehicle data from the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 was not established, so non-communication refueling was performed. In step S8, it is determined whether or not hydrogen is being filled. In step S8, if refilling is in progress (step S8 is "Yes"), the process proceeds to step S9, and if refilling is not in progress (step S8 is "No"), the process proceeds to step S13.

[0040] In step S9 (if filling is in progress), it is determined whether or not filling has ended. Filling is determined to be ended when a predetermined amount of filling is completed and the process ends normally, or when some kind of error occurs. Examples of errors that may occur include cases where the "conditions under which filling should not be performed" specified in the SAE J2601 standard are met. That is, when the temperature data of the tank on the vehicle side exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 85°C), when the fuel filling pressure exceeds the maximum fillable pressure for the tank on the vehicle side calculated from the temperature data, or when a filling stop signal is received from the vehicle side. In step S10 following step S9, it is determined whether or not the conditions for terminating filling have been met (whether or not the conditions for terminating filling have been met). The conditions for terminating filling include, for example, when a predetermined amount of hydrogen has been filled (when hydrogen filling has been completed normally) and when an error specified in the SAE J2601 standard has occurred. If the result of the judgment in step S10 is that the conditions for ending filling are met (step S10 is "YeS"), the process proceeds to step S11 and filling is stopped. If the specified amount of hydrogen has been filled, the process ends normally, but if an error occurs, the process is forced to end. If the conditions for ending filling are not met (step S10 is "No"), the process proceeds to step S12 and returns to step S1 to continue filling.

[0041] In step S13 (if it is determined in step S8 that filling is not in progress: step S8 is "No"), it is determined whether or not hydrogen filling by the first hydrogen filling system 101 is possible. At that time, it is determined whether it was determined in step S8 that "filling is not in progress" because it is the preparation stage before filling, or whether it was determined that "filling is not in progress" because filling has stopped due to the error described above, and processing for that error is required. Then, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not refilling is possible. If refilling is possible in step S14 (step S14 is "Yes"), the process proceeds to step S15, and if refilling is not possible (step S14 is "No"), the process proceeds to step S16. In step S15, hydrogen can be filled by the first hydrogen filling system 101, and the vehicle can be prepared for the next filling. In step S16, hydrogen filling by the first hydrogen filling system 101 is not possible, and the necessary processing is carried out.

[0042] Next, the control in the second hydrogen filling system 102 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Here, the control in the second hydrogen filling system 102 shown in Fig. 4 is the same as the control in the first hydrogen filling system 101 shown in Fig. 3, except that the first hydrogen filling system 101 and the second hydrogen filling system 102 are interchanged. In FIG. 4, the control of steps S28 to S36 in the second hydrogen filling system 102 is similar to the control of steps S8 to S16 in the first hydrogen filling system 101 shown in FIG.

[0043] With reference to Fig. 5, the display device 30 (Fig. 2) on the first hydrogen filling system side and the display device 40 (Fig. 2) on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side will be described. Here, the display device 30 shown in Fig. 5 is connected to the hydrogen filling control device 10 in Fig. 2 by a signal transmission line SL10, and the display device 40 is connected to the hydrogen filling control device 20 by a signal transmission line SL11. In Fig. 2, "status indicator" and "summation indicator" are displayed on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side, and "status indicator" is displayed on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side, but the devices related to the displays and their functions are as described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. In Fig. 5, the display device 30 has a function of displaying data related to the first hydrogen filling system 101. The display device 30 has a function of displaying the filling amount (mass flow rate: kg) which is the measurement value of the flow meter 3 interposed in the supply pipe 31 (Fig. 2) at the location indicated by symbol A1, displaying the total filling amount (mass flow rate: kg) of the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 at the location indicated by symbol A2, displaying the measurement value (MPa) of the pressure gauge 6 at the location indicated by symbol A3, displaying the measurement value (°C) of the thermometer 5 at the location indicated by symbol A4, and displaying the filling mode (filling state: whether it is communication filling or non-communication filling) at the location indicated by symbol A5. The display indicated by symbol A5 will be described later with reference to Fig. 6. The display device 40 in Fig. 5 has a function of displaying data related to the second hydrogen filling system 102. The display device 40 has a function of displaying the filling amount (mass flow rate: kg), which is the measurement value of the flowmeter 13 installed in the supply pipe 41 (Fig. 2), at the location indicated by symbol B1, the measurement value (MPa) of the pressure gauge 16 at the location indicated by symbol B3, the measurement value (°C) of the thermometer 15 at the location indicated by symbol B4, and the filling mode (filling state: whether communication filling or non-communication filling) at the location indicated by symbol B5. The display indicated by symbol B5 will be described later with reference to Fig. 7. The display of "FUEL" at the location indicated by symbol B2 indicates that "filling is in progress".

[0044] The indications showing the filling modes indicated by the symbols A5 and B5 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. FIG. 6 shows the display indicated by the symbol A5, and as shown in FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C), the up-down position of the bar (-) on the left side of "L4" is different. In Figure 6(A), there is a bar (-) at the bottom. This display indicates that data (temperature, pressure, etc.) from the vehicle on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side is being received effectively, and that the first hydrogen filling system 101 is using this data to perform communication filling. In Fig. 6(B), there is a bar (-) at the top. This display indicates that the first hydrogen filling system 101 is unable to receive vehicle data and is therefore performing communication-based filling using vehicle data on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side (first mode). In Figure 6(C), no bar (-) is displayed, which means that the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are both unable to receive data (temperature, pressure, etc.) from their respective vehicles, and that the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are both performing non-communicative filling (fourth control).

[0045] FIG. 7 shows the display indicated by the symbol B5, and the up-down position of the bar (-) on the left side of "L4" is different in FIGS. 7(A) to (C). In Figure 7(A), there is a bar (-) in the lower row, indicating that data (temperature, pressure, etc.) from the vehicle on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side is being received effectively and that the second hydrogen filling system 102 is using that data to perform communicative filling. In Figure 7 (B), a bar (-) is located in the upper row, indicating that data from the vehicle on the second hydrogen filling system 102 side cannot be received, and the second hydrogen filling system 102 is performing communicative filling using data from the vehicle on the first hydrogen filling system 101 side (second mode). In Figure 7 (C), no bar (-) is displayed, which means that the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are both unable to receive data from their respective vehicles, and the first and second hydrogen filling systems 101, 102 are both performing non-communicative filling (fourth control).

[0046] It should be noted that the illustrated embodiment is merely an example and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. For example, although the illustrated embodiment describes hydrogen filling, the present invention can be applied to the supply of gaseous fuels other than hydrogen, and can also be applied to the supply of liquid fuels such as CNG, LPG, and gaseous hydrogen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 2, 12... Flow control valve 3, 13...flow meter 4, 14: Shut-off valve 5, 15...Thermometer 6, 16... Pressure gauge 7, 17... Filling hose (supply hose) 8, 18... Filling nozzle (supply nozzle) 10, 20: Control device 30, 40...display device 31, 41: Filling pipe (supply pipe) 50, 60... Rear facilities 100 Hydrogen filling device (fuel supply device) 101: First hydrogen filling system (hydrogen filling system on one side: integrated fuel supply system) 102: Second hydrogen filling system (hydrogen filling system on the other side: fuel supply system)

Claims

1. The method includes the steps of: providing a plurality of supply systems; providing a plurality of control devices for each of the supply systems; and providing a display device; In a fuel supply device, in each of the plurality of supply systems, a supply pipe is connected to a rear facility, a supply member is interposed in the supply pipe, the supply member is connected to a supply control device, a supply hose is connected to the supply pipe, and a supply nozzle is provided at a tip of the supply hose, Each of the plurality of supply control devices A function for determining whether or not communication filling is established in one supply system and / or the other supply system; A fuel supply device characterized by having a function of supplying fuel using vehicle-side data in the other supply system when communicative filling is not established in the one supply system and communicative filling is established in the other supply system.

2. 2. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, wherein the supply control device has a function of notifying when an abnormality occurs in any of the supply systems.

3. When the communication filling is not established in the one supply system and the communication filling is established in the other supply system, When the temperature data of the container on the vehicle side connected to the supply system on the other side exceeds a predetermined value, When the fuel supply pressure exceeds a supplyable pressure to the vehicle-side container calculated from temperature data of the vehicle-side container connected to the other supply system, When the other supply system receives a supply stop signal as a supply availability signal received from the vehicle side, 3. The fuel supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a function for stopping supply in either case of the above.

4. The method includes the steps of: providing a plurality of supply systems; providing a plurality of control devices for each of the supply systems; and providing a display device; a fuel supply device using the fuel supply system, in which each of the plurality of supply systems has a supply pipe connected to a rear facility, a supply member is interposed in the supply pipe, the supply member is connected to a supply control device, a supply hose is connected to the supply pipe, and a supply nozzle is provided at a tip of the supply hose, determining whether or not communication filling is established in one supply system and / or the other supply system; A fuel supply method characterized by comprising, when communicative filling is not established in the one supply system but communicative filling is established in the other supply system, a step of supplying fuel using vehicle-side data in the other supply system.

5. 2. The fuel supply method according to claim 1, further comprising an abnormality notifying step of notifying when an abnormality occurs in any of the supply systems.

6. When communication filling is not established in the supply system on one side and communication filling is established in the supply system on the other side, When the temperature data of the container on the vehicle side connected to the supply system on the other side exceeds a predetermined value, When the fuel supply pressure exceeds a supplyable pressure to the vehicle-side container calculated from temperature data of the vehicle-side container connected to the other supply system, When the other supply system receives a supply stop signal as a supply availability signal received from the vehicle side, 3. The fuel supply method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of stopping the supply in either case of the above.

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