Hydrogen Supply Allocation for Multiple Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrogen stations have limited storage capacity and a low number of installations, leading to unreliable hydrogen supply for vehicles, especially when multiple vehicles require fuel at the same station, resulting in some vehicles being unable to receive hydrogen.
Innovation Solution
A control method for an energy source supply system that receives reservation information from multiple vehicles and determines a reserved supply amount for each vehicle based on the total required amount and storage capacity, ensuring that the total reserved supply amount does not exceed the remaining storage, thereby distributing the available hydrogen more efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If hydrogen stations store limited hydrogen due to low storage capacity, then the storage capacity is constrained, but the reliability of hydrogen supply deteriorates when multiple vehicles require fuel simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The control device receives reservation information from multiple vehicles in advance before they arrive at the hydrogen station. Based on this preliminary information, the system determines and allocates reserved supply amounts to each vehicle before the actual supply occurs, ensuring that even when total demand exceeds storage capacity, a predetermined portion is guaranteed for each reserving vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the reserved supply amount for each vehicle based on real-time conditions. When the sum of all reserved supply amounts exceeds the actual hydrogen quantity in the storage reservoir, the control device automatically reduces the reserved supply amount proportionally for each vehicle, maintaining fairness while adapting to the actual available resources.
2Productivity
If the hydrogen station serves multiple vehicles simultaneously, then more vehicles can receive supply, but the storage capacity is insufficient to meet total demand
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows vehicles to reserve more hydrogen than can actually be supplied by allocating reserved supply amounts that may exceed the actual storage capacity. When this occurs, the control device proportionally reduces the reserved supply amounts for all vehicles, ensuring each receives a fair share rather than completely denying supply to some vehicles.
3Ease of operation
If the hydrogen station allocates fixed supply amounts to each vehicle, then supply management is simple, but vehicles with higher requirements may not receive adequate supply
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different allocation strategies to different vehicles based on their individual requirements and reservation timing. Vehicles that reserve earlier or have higher需求的 receive proportionally larger allocations, while still ensuring that all reserving vehicles receive some supply. This differentiated approach maintains operational simplicity while achieving fair and adequate supply distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
A control method comprises: receiving from a first vehicle, first information including a first required amount of the energy source; receiving from a second vehicle, second information including a second required amount of the energy source; and determining, when a total sum of required amounts of the energy source received from two or more vehicles including the first vehicle and the second vehicle is larger than a remaining amount in a storage reservoir, i) a first reserved supply amount of the energy source for the first vehicle, wherein the first reserved supply amount is smaller than the first required amount, and ii) a second reserved supply amount of the energy source for the second vehicle. The second reserved supply amount is determined within a range where a total sum of the first reserved supply amount and the second reserved supply amount does not exceed the remaining amount.