Tank system for storing fluid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tank system (100) for storing fluid, the tank system (100) comprising: - a plurality of tanks (101), each tank (101) of the plurality of tanks (101) comprising a tank valve (103), and - a computing unit (105), the computing unit (105) being designed to place the tank system (100) into a safety mode, outputting of error messages being blocked in the safety mode, opening of the tank valves (103) of the tank system (100) being blocked in the safety mode, and the computing unit (105) also being designed such that it only deactivates the safety mode, in order to enable opening of the tank valves (103), when the computing unit (105) detects a predefined enable condition.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] title by Fluid

[0003] The presented invention relates to a tank system for storing fluid, a method for starting a tank system and a program product.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] In a hydrogen tank system, the tanks are delivered by the manufacturer pre-filled with nitrogen at a pressure of up to 2 bar. This condition remains until the end of the production line. Thus, during initial commissioning or initial start-up of a tank system, the pressure in the respective tanks is lower than permitted during normal operation. This results in application software and functional safety software generating an error entry and potentially shutting down a tank system control unit.

[0006] Disclosure of the invention

[0007] Within the scope of the invention presented, a tank system, a method for starting a tank system, and a program product are presented. Further features and details of the invention emerge from the respective subclaims, the description, and the drawings. Features and details described in connection with the method according to the invention naturally also apply in connection with the tank system according to the invention or the program product according to the invention, and vice versa, so that with regard to the disclosure of the individual aspects of the invention, reference is or can always be made to each other. The invention presented serves, in particular, to provide a possibility for the error-free and safe starting of a tank system during commissioning.

[0008] Thus, according to a first aspect of the invention presented, a tank system for storing fluid is presented

[0009] The presented tank system comprises a number of tanks, wherein each tank of the number of tanks comprises a tank valve and a computing unit, wherein the computing unit is configured to place the tank system into a safety mode, wherein in the safety mode, output of error messages is blocked and wherein in the safety mode, opening of the tank valves of the tank system is blocked, and wherein the computing unit is further configured to deactivate the safety mode in order to enable opening of the tank valves only when the computing unit detects a predetermined release condition.

[0010] In the context of the invention presented, a computing unit is understood to mean a computer, a processor, a control unit or any other programmable circuit.

[0011] The invention presented is based on a safety mode which is activated, for example, during a manufacturing process of the tank system in order to prevent or replace with the safety mode a normal operation of the tank system which would lead to the output of an error message due to operating conditions existing during the manufacturing process.

[0012] The safety mode provided according to the invention is activated or set in the processing unit of the tank system presented and has the effect of blocking the opening of the tank valves of the tank system, so that the tank system is not operational. Accordingly, the safety mode must be deactivated for normal operation of the tank system, in which the tank system supplies fluid to a consumer. Furthermore, the safety mode blocks the output of error messages, so that the tank system can be brought into a state that is not intended during normal operation or would lead to the output of an error message without this being visible to the end user. Accordingly, the tank system can also be started during the production process if a pressure of 2 bar is present in the respective tanks, without an error message being output or a start-up process being interrupted.

[0013] To deactivate the safety operation, a release condition is provided, which includes, for example, manual intervention by a user or a technician and / or certain operating conditions in the form of pressures or a pressure curve in the respective tanks of the tank system.

[0014] Only when the release condition is met can the safety operation be deactivated and normal operation of the tank system activated.

[0015] It can be provided that the computing unit is configured to store an activation condition that activates the safety operation in a non-volatile memory of the tank system upon a first start of the tank system and to edit the activation condition only when the computing unit detects the release condition.

[0016] An activation condition that activates the backup operation can be easily and quickly edited to set the backup operation, ie, to activate or deactivate it.

[0017] By storing the activation condition in a non-volatile memory, the activation condition cannot be circumvented, especially not by resetting the processing unit, so that the security operation is particularly tamper-proof and protects the tank system from unauthorized or unwanted commissioning during normal operation.

[0018] For example, the activation condition can be stored in the volatile memory before the initial commissioning of the computing unit of the proposed tank system. For this purpose, an additional computing unit that is not part of the tank system can be used.

[0019] To ensure that the activation condition can be edited to deactivate the safety mode, a mismatch check can be performed before deactivating the safety mode. Accordingly, if the mismatch check shows that the activation condition was successfully edited, normal operation, in particular a diagnostic system of the tank system, can be activated.

[0020] Alternatively, the tank system's computing unit can be used during initial commissioning to store the activation condition in the non-volatile memory.

[0021] It may further be provided that the release condition comprises a release command provided by an authorized user via a communication interface to the tank system.

[0022] By providing the release command via a communication interface to the tank system, such as a diagnostic interface, a user or technician can manually provide the release condition and, thereby, deactivate the safety operation.

[0023] It may further be provided that the computing unit is configured to validate an authorization code provided by the user and to deactivate the security operation only if the authorization code is valid.

[0024] To prevent unauthorized provision of the release command, an authorization code, such as a security identifier, can be provided, which must be provided by the user or technician before the security mode is deactivated. For this purpose, the processing unit can read the security identifier or a key for validating the security identifier from a memory in the tank system to validate the security identifier provided by the user.

[0025] It may further be provided that the release condition includes that a pressure in each tank of the number of tanks is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0026] As soon as the pressure in each of the tanks exceeds a specified threshold, normal operating conditions exist in the tank system and the tank system can be switched to normal operation without issuing an error message.

[0027] Accordingly, if the pressure in any of the tanks exceeds a predefined threshold, safety mode can be automatically deactivated and normal mode can be automatically activated.

[0028] Optionally, if the pressure in each of the tanks is greater than a specified threshold, a user's security identification can be requested to prevent unauthorized commissioning of the tank system.

[0029] It may further be provided that the release condition further comprises that the pressure in each tank of the number of tanks increases continuously until the pressure is greater than the predetermined threshold value.

[0030] In order to prevent a random pressure increase, e.g. due to particularly high temperatures in an environment as a release condition, it can be provided that a pressure curve is evaluated and the existence of the release condition is only assumed if the pressure in each of the number of tanks increases continuously until the pressure is greater than the specified threshold value, so that it can be assumed that the tank system is being filled or has been filled.

[0031] It can also be provided that the tank system is a hydrogen tank system for storing hydrogen. Since tank systems for storing hydrogen are particularly cost-intensive and must comply with specific safety regulations, the tank system presented here is particularly well-suited as a hydrogen tank system.

[0032] According to a second aspect, the presented invention relates to a method for starting a tank system. The method for starting a tank system has the same advantages that have been described in detail for the tank system according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0033] The presented method comprises setting a safety mode in the tank system, wherein in the safety mode, the output of error messages and the opening of tank valves of the tank system are blocked, and deactivating the safety mode to enable the opening of the tank valves only when a predetermined release condition is met.

[0034] The presented method is used in particular for the operation and security of the presented tank system.

[0035] It can be provided that the release condition comprises a release command provided by an authorized user via a communication interface to the tank system and / or the release condition comprises that a pressure in each tank of the number of tanks is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0036] According to a third aspect, the presented invention relates to a program product with program code means, wherein the program code means, when executed on a computing unit, configure the computing unit to execute a possible embodiment of the presented method.

[0037] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which describes exemplary embodiments of the invention in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination.

[0038] drawing

[0039] They show:

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a possible design of the tank system presented, and

[0041] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a possible embodiment of the presented method.

[0042] Description of the embodiments

[0043] Figure 1 shows a tank system 100 for storing fluid.

[0044] The tank system 100 comprises a tank 101 with a tank valve 103 and a computing unit 105 as well as a non-volatile memory 107 in the form of an EEPROM.

[0045] The computing unit 105 in the form of a control unit is configured to place the tank system 100 into a safety mode, wherein in the safety mode, the output of error messages and the opening of the tank valve 103 are blocked.

[0046] Furthermore, the computing unit 105 is configured to deactivate the safety operation to enable opening of the tank valve 103 only when the computing unit 105 detects a predetermined release condition, such as a pressure increase in the tank 101 above a predetermined threshold value and / or an input of a release command by a user.

[0047] For example, it can be provided that an algorithm for an initial start upon delivery of the tank system is stored in the non-volatile memory 107. This algorithm prevents the tank system 100 from fully starting into normal operation and causes the tank system 100 to start into backup mode.

[0048] If a release condition is detected by the computing unit 105 in the safety mode, a pressure monitor, for example, is started as an initialization process and the algorithm in the non-volatile memory 107 is edited so that it enables a complete start of the tank system 100 into normal operation.

[0049] Figure 2 shows a method 200 for starting a tank system.

[0050] The method 200 comprises an activation step 201 in which a safety mode is activated in the tank system, wherein in the safety mode, an opening of tank valves of the tank system and an output of error messages are blocked.

[0051] Furthermore, the method 200 comprises a deactivation step 203 in which the safety operation is deactivated and the tank system is fully started into normal operation in order to enable opening of the tank valves.

[0052] The deactivation step 203 is only carried out if a predetermined release condition is met.

Claims

Claims 1. Tank system (100) for storing fluid, the tank system (100) comprising: a number of tanks (101), each tank (101) of the number of tanks (101) comprising a tank valve (103), and a computing unit (105), the computing unit (105) being configured to place the tank system (100) into a safety mode, wherein in the safety mode, outputting of error messages is blocked, opening of the tank valves (103) of the tank system (100) is blocked, and the computing unit (105) being further configured to deactivate the safety mode in order to enable opening of the tank valves (103) only when the computing unit (105) detects a predetermined enabling condition.

2. Tank system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the computing unit (105) is configured to store an activation condition that activates the security operation in a non-volatile memory (107) of the tank system (100) when the tank system (100) is started for the first time and to edit the activation condition only when the computing unit (105) detects the release condition.

3. Tank system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the release condition comprises a release command provided by an authorized user via a communication interface to the tank system (100).

4. Tank system (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the computing unit (105) is configured to validate an authorization code provided by the user and to deactivate the security operation only if the authorization code is valid.

5. Tank system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the release condition comprises that a pressure in each tank (101) of the number of tanks (101) is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

6. Tank system (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the release condition further comprises that the pressure in each tank (101) of the number of tanks (101) increases continuously until the pressure is greater than the predetermined threshold value.

7. Tank system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tank system (100) is a hydrogen tank system for storing hydrogen.

8. A method (200) for starting a tank system (100), the method (200) comprising: Setting (201) a safety mode in the tank system (100), wherein in the safety mode, an output of error messages and an opening of tank valves (103) of the tank system (100) are blocked, and Deactivating (203) the safety mode to enable opening of the tank valves (103) only when a predetermined enabling condition is met.

9. The method (200) according to claim 8, characterized in that the enabling condition comprises an enabling command provided by an authorized user via a communication interface to the tank system (100) and / or the enabling condition comprises a pressure in each tank (101) of the number of tanks (101) being greater than a predetermined threshold value.

10. A program product comprising program code means, wherein the program code means, when executed on a computing unit (105), configure the computing unit (105) to To carry out the method (200) according to one of claims 8 or 9.

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