JP2012246880A - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To extend a travel distance by surely starting a power generation engine, even in a low state of vaporization capacity of gasoline even if the gasoline is stored in a fuel tank over a long period, when a battery residual quantity of an electric vehicle is reduced.SOLUTION: When starting the power generation engine 3, vaporization fuel of a cassette cylinder 6 is used. Thus, Even if the vaporization capacity of the gasoline is reduced since the gasoline is stored in the fuel tank 4 over the long period, and starting of the engine 3 by the deteriorated gasoline becomes difficult, the engine 3 can be surely started by starting the engine 3 by using the vaporization fuel of the cassette cylinder 6. Thus, inconvenience such as "The engine 3 cannot be started due to gasoline stored over a long period." can be avoided, and when the battery residual quantity is reduced, the travel distance can be surely extended.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply device that supplies fuel to an engine (an internal combustion engine that burns fuel), and more particularly, to engine starting technology.

(Background Technology 1)
In an engine that generates power by burning liquid fuel (for example, gasoline), there is a problem that pollutants (unburned HC, PM, deposit, etc.) are generated in the exhaust gas at the time of starting.
In addition, an idle stop function that stops the engine when the vehicle stops and restarts the engine when the vehicle departs (such as when the foot brake is released) is known as a fuel efficiency improvement means. There is a concern that many pollutants are generated by the exhaust gas as the number of start-ups increases.

(Background Technology 2)
On the other hand, a technique has been proposed in which, when the remaining battery level of an electric vehicle is lowered, a battery charging generator is driven by a power generation engine to allow the vehicle to travel in an extended manner (for example, Patent Document 1). .
However, since the power generation engine operates when the remaining amount of the battery decreases, a case where the engine is not operated for a long time is assumed. If the engine does not run for a long time, gasoline is also stored in the fuel tank for a long time. Then, there is a concern that light components in the fuel are gradually volatilized over a long period in the fuel tank, and the volatility of gasoline is lowered. Then, there is a concern that the engine cannot be started due to insufficient gasoline vaporization capacity in an emergency.

JP-A-6-14407

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
The first object is to provide a fuel supply device that can suppress the generation of pollutants in the exhaust gas at the start,
The second object is to provide a fuel supply device that can reliably start the power generation engine even when liquid fuel is stored in the fuel tank for a long period of time.

[Means of Claim 1]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the engine is started, the vaporized fuel is supplied from the cassette cylinder to the engine to start the engine.
Since the engine is started using the vaporized fuel, it is possible to suppress the generation of pollutants when the engine is started.
Moreover, the startability of the engine can be improved by supplying vaporized fuel from the cassette cylinder to the engine.

It should be noted that the fuel to be used when starting the engine is selected depending on the environmental temperature, the state of the liquid fuel (refer to the means of claim 4 to be described later), etc. The engine may be switched between when starting.
In addition, when using vaporized fuel at the time of starting, the engine may be started only with the vaporized fuel, or the engine is started by adding the vaporized fuel to the liquid fuel according to the environmental temperature, the state of the liquid fuel, or the like. Also good.

[Means of claim 2]
The engine according to claim 2 is a power generation engine that charges a battery of an electric vehicle (a battery that stores electric power of a traveling motor).
Since the engine is started using the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder when starting the engine, the power generation engine can be reliably started even when liquid fuel is stored in the fuel tank for a long period of time. .
That is, it is possible to avoid the problem that the engine cannot be started due to the liquid fuel stored for a long time.

[Means of claim 3]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle including an electric motor for driving a vehicle and an radiating means for cooling an inverter for controlling energization of the electric motor by circulating cooling water. A cylinder heat insulating means for supplying heat to the cassette cylinder is provided.
Since the electric vehicle is running until the remaining amount of the battery decreases, the cassette cylinder receives the heat of the cooling water and is in a heat retaining state (heated state) when the remaining amount of the battery decreases.
Therefore, even when “liquefied gas that is difficult to vaporize when the temperature is low” is stored in the cassette cylinder, the liquefied gas stored in the cassette cylinder is heated when the engine is started. Therefore, the engine can be reliably started using the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder.

  In addition, you may provide so that a cylinder thermal insulation means may be operated only when outside temperature (environment temperature where a cassette cylinder is arrange | positioned) is low.

[Means of claim 4]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the fuel supply apparatus determines the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel in the fuel tank based on the measurement results of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor.
And when it determines with the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel stored in the fuel tank being high, an engine is started using liquid fuel.
In addition, when it is determined that the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel stored in the fuel tank is low, the engine is started using the vaporized fuel.
As a result, since the engine is started using the vaporized fuel only when the startability of the liquid fuel is poor, the gas consumption of the cassette cylinder can be suppressed. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the exchange cycle of a cassette cylinder. Alternatively, a miniaturized cassette cylinder can be used.

[Means of claim 5]
The fuel supply apparatus according to claim 5 includes display means for informing “replacement of the cassette cylinder” when the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder falls below a predetermined remaining amount.
When the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder is reduced, the display unit can notify the replacement of the cassette cylinder, so that it is possible to prevent the cassette cylinder from running out of fuel.

[Means of claim 6]
The cassette cylinder used for the fuel supply apparatus according to claim 6 stores butane as combustible gas fuel.
Since butane is highly stable, the engine can be started stably by using butane.

It is a schematic block diagram of a fuel supply apparatus (Example 1). It is a schematic block diagram of an electric vehicle (Example 1). (Example 2) which is a schematic block diagram of a fuel supply apparatus. (Example 3) which is a schematic block diagram of a fuel supply apparatus. (Example 4) which is a schematic block diagram which shows the circulation path of the cooling water of an electric vehicle. (Example 5) which is a time chart which shows the pressure change and temperature change in a fuel tank. (Example 6) which is a schematic block diagram which notifies a vehicle passenger about the fall of the remaining amount of a cassette cylinder. (Example 7) which is a schematic block diagram which notifies a vehicle passenger about the fall of the remaining amount of a cassette cylinder.

[Description of Embodiments] [Mode for carrying out the invention] will be described with reference to the drawings.
The fuel supply device supplies fuel to the power generation engine 3 that charges the battery 2 of the electric vehicle 1.
(I) liquid fuel supply means 5 for supplying liquid fuel from the fuel tank 4 to the engine 3 during operation of the engine 3;
(Ii) vaporized fuel supply means 7 for supplying vaporized fuel from the cassette cylinder 6 to the engine 3 when the engine 3 is started;
Is provided.

  Note that the cassette cylinder 6 (cassette type gas cylinder, cassette gas cylinder) stores flammable gas fuel (for example, butane) by liquefaction, and the present invention is a fuel supply device using a commercially available cassette cylinder 6. Alternatively, a fuel supply device using a dedicated cassette cylinder 6 suitable for mounting on a vehicle may be used.

Further, as described above, the fuel to be used when starting the engine 3 is selected depending on the environmental temperature, the state of the liquid fuel, or the like, when the engine 3 is started only with the liquid fuel, or when the engine 3 is used with the vaporized fuel. It is also possible to switch between when starting.
Further, when vaporized fuel is used at the time of starting, the engine 3 may be started only with the vaporized fuel, or the engine 3 is started by adding the vaporized fuel to the liquid fuel according to the environmental temperature, the state of the liquid fuel, or the like. May be performed.

Hereinafter, a specific example (example) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following examples disclose specific examples, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the examples.
In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals as those in the above-mentioned [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] denote the same functional objects.

[Example 1]
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, an example of the electric vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The electric vehicle 1 includes an electric motor 11 for driving wheels, a battery 2 for storing electric power for driving the electric motor 11, and an inverter that adjusts the electric power stored in the battery 2 and supplies the electric motor 11 with the electric power. 12.

The electric vehicle 1 includes a generator 13 that charges the battery 2 and a power generation engine 3 that drives the generator 13.
The operation of the engine 3 is controlled by an ECU 14 (abbreviation of engine control unit).
In addition, the code | symbol 21 shown in FIG. 2 is a thermal radiation means demonstrated in Example 4 mentioned later.

The ECU 14 monitors the remaining amount of the battery 2, and when the remaining amount of the battery 2 is lower than a preset set value, the ECU 14 operates the engine 3 and drives the generator 13 to drive the battery 2. It is provided to charge.
The engine 3 does not directly drive the vehicle, but drives the generator 13 to increase the battery voltage. Therefore, the engine 3 does not have to be large, and in this embodiment, a single-cylinder or multiple-cylinder small engine is used. Is used.

The engine 3 of this embodiment is a spark ignition internal combustion engine that generates a rotational output by burning a liquid fuel (specifically, gasoline) stored in a fuel tank 4. The basic configuration is the same as that of the internal combustion engine.
A specific example of the engine 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

Engine 3
(A) an intake passage for introducing intake air (air in the atmosphere) into the cylinder of the engine 3;
(B) an exhaust passage for exhausting exhaust gas generated in the cylinder to the atmosphere;
(C) a fuel supply device for supplying fuel to be burned in the cylinder;
(D) a spark plug 15 for igniting the air-fuel mixture compressed in the cylinder;
(E) a starter for starting the engine;
(F) an ECU 14 that controls energization of each electrical component mounted on the engine 3;
It is configured using.

The intake passage is constituted by an intake pipe, an intake manifold, and an intake port, and includes an air cleaner 16 that removes dust and dirt contained in intake air, an intake sensor that measures intake air amount, and intake air that is sucked into a cylinder. A throttle valve for adjusting the amount, a surge tank 17 for preventing intake air pulsation and intake air interference, and the like are provided.
The exhaust passage is constituted by an exhaust port, an exhaust manifold, and an exhaust pipe, and is provided with a catalyst for purifying exhaust, a muffler for silencing, and the like.

The fuel supply device
(I) liquid fuel supply means 5 for supplying liquid fuel from the fuel tank 4 to the engine 3;
(Ii) vaporized fuel supply means 7 for supplying vaporized fuel from the cassette cylinder 6 to the engine 3 when the engine 3 is started;
Is provided.

  The liquid fuel supply means 5 is for atomizing and supplying the liquid fuel stored in the fuel tank 4 from the injector 18 into the intake passage, and supplying the fuel from the fuel tank 4 to the injector (fuel injection valve) 18. Is provided with a fuel pump (for example, a low-pressure pump for fuel pumping and a high-pressure pump for fuel pressurization) for increasing the liquid fuel stored in the fuel tank 4 to a predetermined pressure.

In the first embodiment, the liquid fuel and the vaporized fuel are switched and supplied to the engine 3. The vaporized fuel supply means 7 uses the injector 18 of the liquid fuel supply means 5 to store the vaporized fuel stored in the cassette cylinder 6. Injecting.
As a specific example, this embodiment will be described assuming that a commercially available cassette cylinder 6 in which liquefied butane is compressed and filled is used, but is not limited thereto.

An electric three-way valve 19 for switching the fuel supply source is provided in the middle of the fuel passage (specifically, the fuel passage closer to the injector 18 than the fuel pump).
The electric three-way valve 19 is, for example, an electromagnetic three-way valve using a solenoid actuator (which is a specific example and is not limited). In the state where the ECU 14 is not energized, the fuel supply source of the injector 18 is determined. Switching to the fuel tank 4 side (liquid fuel side) and switching the fuel supply source of the injector 18 to the cassette cylinder 6 side (vaporized fuel side) only when the ECU 14 is energized.

  The ECU 14 is an electronic control device equipped with a computer, and as described above, when the remaining amount of the battery 2 is lower than a preset set value (set value for starting emergency power generation), the engine 14 3 is operated to drive the generator 13. When the engine 3 is started (when the starter is activated), the vaporized fuel from the cassette cylinder 6 is supplied to the engine 3 to start the engine 3. is there.

As a specific example, the electric three-way valve 19 is energized from when the starter is started until a complete explosion of the engine 3 is detected (or until a predetermined time sufficient for starting the engine elapses). The fuel supply source of the injector 18 is switched to the cassette cylinder 6 side (vaporized fuel side), and the engine 3 is started by injecting vaporized fuel from the injector 18.
When a complete explosion of the engine 3 is detected (or when a predetermined time sufficient for starting the engine has elapsed), the fuel supply source of the injector 18 is switched to the fuel tank 4 side (liquid fuel side), and the liquid is discharged from the injector 18. The fuel is injected and the operation of the engine 3 (charging of the battery 2) is performed by combustion of liquid fuel.

  The ECU 14 is provided so as to stop the operation of the engine 3 when the remaining amount of the battery 2 rises above a preset value (set value for stopping emergency power generation) due to the operation of the engine 3. It has been.

(Effect 1 of Example 1)
As described above, the fuel supply device of this embodiment starts the engine 3 using the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder 6 when the engine 3 is started. For this reason, even if the liquid fuel is stored in the fuel tank 4 over a long period of time and the vaporization ability of the liquid fuel is reduced, and the engine 3 is difficult to start with the liquid fuel (deteriorated liquid fuel). The engine 3 can be reliably started by starting the engine 3 using the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder 6.
In other words, it is possible to avoid the problem that “the engine 3 cannot be started due to the liquid fuel stored for a long time” in an emergency, and when the remaining amount of the battery 2 is reduced, the operation of the engine 3 is surely performed. The travel distance of the electric vehicle 1 can be extended.

(Effect 2 of Example 1)
As described above, the fuel supply device of this embodiment uses the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder 6 to start the engine 3 when the engine 3 is started. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of contaminants when the engine 3 is started. it can.
In addition, by supplying vaporized fuel from the cassette cylinder 6 to the engine 3, the startability of the engine 3 can be improved.

(Effect 3 of Example 1)
As described above, the cassette cylinder 6 of this embodiment is used only in an emergency (when the remaining battery level is low) and consumes very little gas. Therefore, assuming that a commercially available cassette cylinder 6 is used as the cassette cylinder 6 for starting the engine, even if the engine 3 is started once a week, the cassette cylinder 6 is replaced for more than three years. Is not necessary and a commercially available cassette cylinder 6 is sufficient in capacity.
Further, by using a commercially available cassette cylinder 6, the user can easily obtain the cassette cylinder 6.

(Effect 4 of Example 1)
The cassette cylinder 6 of this embodiment stores butane as combustible gas fuel.
Since butane is highly stable, the use of butane as vaporized fuel makes it possible to start the engine stably over a wide range of starting environments.

[Example 2]
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment denote the same functional objects.
In the first embodiment, the vaporized fuel supply unit 7 injects vaporized fuel from the injector 18 of the liquid fuel supply unit 5.
In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, an injector 18 ′ of the vaporized fuel supply means 7 is provided independently of the injector 18 of the liquid fuel supply means 5.

Thus, by making the injector 18 of the liquid fuel supply means 5 and the injector 18 'of the vaporized fuel supply means 7 independent,
(I) In addition to starting the engine 3 with only vaporized fuel,
(Ii) The engine 3 can be started by adding vaporized fuel to the liquid fuel in accordance with the environmental temperature (outside air temperature or the like), the state of the liquid fuel (degraded state of the liquid fuel), or the like.

[Example 3]
Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the first and second embodiments, an example in which liquid fuel is injected and supplied in the middle of the intake passage is shown.
On the other hand, the injector 18 of the liquid fuel supply means 5 of the third embodiment injects and supplies liquid fuel (atomized fuel) directly into the cylinder.
The engine 3 according to the third embodiment is a direct injection type in which liquid fuel (atomized fuel) is directly supplied into the cylinder, but when starting, the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder 6 is supplied from the injector 18 ′ into the intake passage. Then, the engine 3 is started. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the pollutant at the time of starting of a direct injection type engine can be suppressed.

[Example 4]
Embodiment 4 will be described with reference to FIG.
The electric vehicle 1 includes a heat radiating means 21 that cools an electric motor 11 for driving a vehicle and an inverter 12 that controls energization of the electric motor 11 by circulating cooling water. The heat radiating means 21 includes a radiator 22 mounted on the front portion of the vehicle, and is provided so that the cooling water absorbed by the electric motor 11 and the inverter 12 radiates heat by the radiator 22.

The electric vehicle 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a cylinder heat retaining means 23 that gives heat of the cooling water used for the heat radiating means 21 to the cassette cylinder 6.
The cylinder heat retaining means 23 is capable of imparting at least heat of the cooling water to the cassette cylinder 6, and the specific structure is not limited.

In this embodiment, the cylinder heat retaining means 23 is provided to operate only when the outside air temperature is low.
Specifically, the circulation path of the cooling water in the heat radiating means 21 is provided with a cylinder path 24 that guides the cooling water to the cylinder heat retaining means 23, and a bypass path 25 that bypasses the cylinder path 24 and flows the cooling water. Is provided.
The cylinder path 24 is provided with a first electric valve 24 a that opens and closes the cylinder path 24, and the bypass path 25 is provided with a second electric valve 25 a that opens and closes the bypass path 25. Yes.

The first and second electric valves 24a and 25a are controlled to be opened and closed by the ECU 14. The ECU 14 cassettes the cooling water absorbed by the electric motor 11 and the inverter 12 only when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined set temperature. It is provided so as to lead to the cylinder 6.
That is, the ECU 14
(I) The first electric valve 24a is opened only when the outside air temperature is low, the second electric valve 25a is closed, and the cooling water is circulated in the cylinder path 24.
(Ii) When the outside air temperature is not low (normal time or when the outside air temperature is high), the first electric valve 24a is closed and the second electric valve 25a is opened so that the cooling water does not heat the cassette cylinder 6 in summer. Provided.

Since the electric vehicle 1 is running until the remaining amount of the battery 2 decreases, even if the outside air temperature is low, the electric motor 11 and the inverter 12 absorb the cooling until the remaining amount of the battery 2 decreases. The cassette cylinder 6 is warmed by the heat of the water. That is, when the remaining amount of the battery 2 is reduced and the engine 3 is started, the cassette cylinder 6 receives the heat of the cooling water and is in a heat retaining state (heated state).
For this reason, even if “a liquefied gas such as butane that is difficult to vaporize when the temperature is extremely low” is stored in the cassette cylinder 6, the liquefied gas stored in the cassette cylinder 6 is easily vaporized. Therefore, the engine 3 can be reliably started using the vaporized fuel in the cassette cylinder 6.

Note that the first and second electric valves 24a and 25a described above may be replaced with electric three-way valves to switch the flow paths.
Further, in this embodiment, when the outside air temperature is not low (normal time or when the outside air temperature is high), the cooling water is provided so as not to exchange heat with the cassette cylinder 6. The cooling water and the cassette cylinder 6 may be provided so as to always exchange heat, and the temperature rise of the cassette cylinder 6 may be suppressed by the cooling water in summer.

[Example 5]
Embodiment 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
The fuel supply device of this embodiment is
(A) a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the fuel tank 4;
(B) a temperature sensor for directly or indirectly measuring the temperature in the fuel tank 4;
(C) Vaporization capability determination means for determining the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor;
(D) When the vaporization capacity determination means determines that the liquid fuel vaporization capacity is high, the engine 3 is started using the liquid fuel, and the vaporization capacity determination means determines that the liquid fuel vaporization capacity is low. And fuel type switching means for starting the engine 3 using vaporized fuel,
Is provided.
Note that the vaporization capacity determination unit and the fuel type switching unit are control programs installed in the ECU 14.

With reference to FIG. 6, the vaporization ability determination means will be described.
When the temperature change rises and falls as shown by the broken line A in FIG. 6B, the pressure in the fuel tank 4 detected by the pressure sensor rises and falls according to the temperature rise and fall as shown by the solid line B in FIG. To do.
However, the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel in the fuel tank 4 gradually decreases with time.
For this reason, when the deterioration of the liquid fuel progresses with time and the vaporization ability of the liquid fuel decreases, the detected pressure (solid line B) with respect to the detected temperature (broken line A), as indicated by the symbol L in FIG. ) Becomes larger.

Therefore, the vaporization capacity determination means of this embodiment is
(I) When the difference (in the figure, L) of the detected pressure of the pressure sensor with respect to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor (which may be a predicted pressure calculated based on the detected temperature) is smaller than a preset difference, Determined that “the liquid fuel has a high vaporization capacity (no fuel deterioration)”
(Ii) When the difference (in the figure, L) of the detected pressure of the pressure sensor with respect to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor (which may be a predicted pressure calculated based on the detected temperature) is greater than a preset difference, It is determined that “the liquid fuel has a low vaporization capacity (there is fuel deterioration)”.

  By adopting this embodiment in the fuel supply device, since the engine 3 is started using the vaporized fuel only when the startability is poor with the liquid fuel, the gas consumption of the cassette cylinder 6 can be suppressed. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the exchange cycle of the cassette cylinder 6. Alternatively, it is possible to use a miniaturized cassette cylinder 6 and improve the mountability to the vehicle.

[Example 6]
Example 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
The fuel supply means of Example 6 and Example 7 described later are:
(A) remaining amount detecting means 31 for detecting the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder;
(B) remaining amount determining means 32 for determining whether or not the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 detected by the remaining amount detecting means 31 has decreased below a predetermined remaining amount;
(C) display means 33 for notifying a vehicle occupant (mainly a driver) of replacement of the cassette cylinder 6 when the remaining capacity determining means 32 determines that the remaining capacity of the cassette cylinder 6 has decreased below a predetermined remaining amount;
Is provided.
The remaining amount determination means 32 may be a control program installed in the ECU 14 or may be provided independently of the ECU 14.

  Specifically, the remaining amount detection means 31 in the sixth embodiment measures the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 using ultrasonic waves. As shown in FIG. An ultrasonic generator 31a to be emitted and an ultrasonic receiving sensor 31b which is disposed at a position where a cassette cylinder 6 is interposed between the ultrasonic generators 31a and detects ultrasonic waves are used.

  The ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic wave reception sensor 31 b changes according to the remaining amount of liquefied gas in the cassette cylinder 6. Specifically, as the remaining amount of liquefied gas is larger, the ultrasonic wave is absorbed by the cassette cylinder 6 and the received sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic wave receiving sensor 31b is lowered, and conversely, the remaining amount of liquefied gas is smaller. As the ultrasonic wave transmission rate increases, the reception sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic wave reception sensor 31b increases.

When the ultrasonic wave generator 31a generates ultrasonic waves and the received sound pressure of the ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic wave reception sensor 31b becomes larger than a preset threshold, the remaining amount determination unit 32 It is determined that the amount has fallen below the predetermined remaining amount, and the display means 33 is activated.
The display means 33 is a visual indicator installed on the instrument panel of the vehicle. The display means 33 is turned on when the remaining amount determining means 32 determines that the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 has decreased below a predetermined remaining amount. Is to inform the vehicle occupant of the replacement.
Thus, when the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 is reduced, the display means 33 informs the vehicle occupant that the cassette cylinder 6 needs to be replaced, so that it is possible to prevent the cassette cylinder 6 from running out of fuel. it can.

  The remaining amount detecting means 31 (mainly the ultrasonic generator 31a) described above does not operate in all driving states in which the driving switch (key switch or the like) of the vehicle is turned on, and when a specific condition is satisfied. It operates only (for example, at the start of operation or every predetermined time interval). Further, once the display means 33 is lit, the display means 33 continues to be lit until the operation switch is turned off or the reset switch is operated.

[Example 7]
Embodiment 7 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the sixth embodiment, an example in which the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 is detected using ultrasonic waves has been described.
On the other hand, in the seventh embodiment, the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 is detected based on the weight.

The remaining amount detection means 31 of this embodiment is a weight measurement sensor that measures the weight of the cassette cylinder 6.
Here, the weight of the cassette cylinder 6 changes according to the remaining amount of liquefied gas in the cassette cylinder 6. For this reason, as the remaining amount of liquefied gas is larger, the weight detected by the remaining amount detecting means 31 is heavier. Conversely, as the remaining amount of liquefied gas is smaller, the weight detected by the remaining amount detecting means 31 is lighter.
The remaining amount determining means 32 determines that the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder 6 has decreased below a predetermined remaining amount when the weight of the cassette cylinder 6 detected by the remaining amount detecting means 31 becomes lighter than a preset threshold. The display means 33 is operated.
Even if it provides in this way, the same effect as Example 6 can be acquired.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the battery charging engine 3 of the electric vehicle 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention may be applied to the vehicle traveling engine 3. . In particular, the present invention may be applied to the engine 3 of a vehicle equipped with an idle stop function with a large number of engine starts and the engine 3 of a hybrid vehicle, and the present invention may suppress the generation of pollutants when the engine is started.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a commercially available cassette cylinder 6 is used has been described. However, a dedicated cassette cylinder 6 suitable for mounting a vehicle may be used.
In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the cassette cylinder 6 that stores liquefied butane is used. However, the gas type is not limited, and the cassette cylinder 6 stores other flammable gases by liquefying them. May be.

  In the above embodiment, when vaporized fuel is used when the engine 3 is started, the engine 3 is started using only the vaporized fuel. However, depending on the environmental temperature of the vehicle, the state of the liquid fuel, etc. The engine 3 may be started by adding vaporized fuel to the fuel. In other words, the engine 3 may be aided by adding vaporized fuel, such as changing the amount of vaporized fuel to be supplied in accordance with the environmental temperature, vehicle conditions (for example, the presence or absence of warm air), and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 2 Battery 3 Engine for electric power generation 4 Fuel tank 5 Liquid fuel supply means 6 Cassette cylinder 7 Vaporized fuel supply means 11 Electric motor 12 for driving a vehicle Inverter 14 ECU (control provided with vaporization capability determination means and fuel type switching means) apparatus)
21 Heat radiating means 23 Cylinder heat retaining means 31 Remaining amount detecting means 32 Remaining amount determining means 33 Display means

Claims (6)

In the fuel supply device for supplying fuel to the engine (3),
This fuel supply device
Liquid fuel supply means (5) for supplying liquid fuel from a fuel tank (4) to the engine (3) during operation of the engine (3);
Vaporized fuel supply means (7) for supplying vaporized fuel from a cassette cylinder (6) to the engine (3) when starting the engine (3);
A fuel supply device comprising: The fuel supply device according to claim 1,
The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the engine (3) is a power generation engine that charges the battery (2) of the electric vehicle (1). The fuel supply device according to claim 2,
The electric vehicle (1) includes an electric motor (11) for driving a vehicle, and a heat radiating means (21) for cooling the inverter (12) for controlling energization of the electric motor (11) by circulation of cooling water,
The fuel supply apparatus includes a cylinder heat retaining means (23) for supplying heat of cooling water used for the heat radiating means (21) to the cassette cylinder (6). In the fuel supply apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3,
This fuel supply device
A pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the fuel tank (4);
A temperature sensor for directly or indirectly measuring the temperature in the fuel tank (4);
Vaporization capability determination means for determining the vaporization capability of the liquid fuel based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor;
When the vaporization capability determining means determines that the liquid fuel has a high vaporization capability, the engine (3) is started using the liquid fuel, and the vaporization capability determination unit determines that the liquid fuel has a low vaporization capability. A fuel type switching means for starting the engine (3) using vaporized fuel,
A fuel supply device comprising: In the fuel supply apparatus in any one of Claims 1-4,
This fuel supply device
A remaining amount detecting means (31) for detecting the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder (6);
A remaining amount determining means (32) for determining whether or not the remaining amount of the cassette cylinder (6) detected by the remaining amount detecting means (31) is lower than a predetermined remaining amount;
A display means (33) for notifying the replacement of the cassette cylinder (6) when the remaining capacity determining means (32) determines that the remaining capacity of the cassette cylinder (6) is lower than a predetermined remaining amount;
A fuel supply device comprising: In the fuel supply apparatus in any one of Claims 1-5,
The cassette cylinder (6) stores butane as combustible gas fuel.

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