JP2013198296A - Moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell vehicle which determines a lid sensor failure even in a period of power generation by a fuel cell.SOLUTION: A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a high-pressure tank which reserves hydrogen, a lid box which protects a hydrogen introducing port for filling a high-pressure tank with the hydrogen, and a lid switch which detects the opening/closing state of a lid of the lid box. In a process for determining a lid switch failure in the fuel cell vehicle, the lid switch is determined to be in failure if the closing state of the lid is detected by the lid switch when it is determined that filling with hydrogen is in progress as long as it is determined that power generation is in progress in the fuel cell and the vehicle is stopped.

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving body. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile body that includes a device that stores an energy source such as a storage container or a power storage device, and that fills the storage container with fuel gas or supplies power to the power storage device from an external supply device.

  The fuel cell vehicle travels by supplying oxygen-containing air and hydrogen to the fuel cell and driving the electric motor using the electric power generated thereby. In recent years, a fuel cell vehicle using such a fuel cell as an energy source for generating power has been put into practical use. Hydrogen is required to generate electricity with a fuel cell. However, in recent fuel cell vehicles, a sufficient amount of hydrogen is stored in advance in a hydrogen tank equipped with a high-pressure tank or an occlusion alloy. Those that use hydrogen are the mainstream.

  Hydrogen filling into the hydrogen tank is performed at the hydrogen station, but in recent years, a technique called communication filling, in which hydrogen filling is performed while performing communication using infrared rays between the vehicle side and the hydrogen station side, has been proposed. Has been. In this technology, when a hydrogen filling nozzle on the station side is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the vehicle to fill the hydrogen tank with hydrogen, the vehicle side sends a data signal regarding the temperature and pressure of the tank to the station side. On the side, the flow rate of the fuel gas is adjusted on the basis of the received data signal, so that hydrogen can be quickly charged in accordance with the state of the fuel tank.

  The hydrogen inlet is protected in a lid box at the rear of the side of the vehicle. When filling with hydrogen, the user opens the lid to connect the hydrogen filling nozzle on the station side to the hydrogen inlet. At this time, the communication between the vehicle side and the station side in the communication filling is performed by the lid. Many are configured to start when opened. For this reason, the lid box is provided with a lid sensor for detecting opening and closing of the lid.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for determining such a lid sensor failure. In the technique of Patent Document 1, the ignition is turned off from the difference between the remaining amount of hydrogen in the tank when the ignition of the fuel cell vehicle is turned off and the remaining amount of hydrogen in the tank when the ignition is turned on. It is determined whether or not hydrogen has been charged during the period when power generation by the fuel cell has been stopped, and the lid sensor failure is checked by comparing this with the opening and closing history of the lid recorded in the memory based on the output of the lid sensor. judge.

JP 2009-1053 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is assumed that hydrogen is charged during a period when power generation by the fuel cell is stopped, and hydrogen can be charged during other periods, that is, during a power generation period by the fuel cell. Has not been fully studied. For this reason, when hydrogen is charged while power generation by the fuel cell is continued, the technique of Patent Document 1 cannot determine that the lid sensor has failed and delays the user from noticing the failure of the lid sensor. May end up.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a moving body capable of determining a failure of a lid sensor even during a power generation period by a fuel cell.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel cell (for example, a fuel cell 31 described later) that generates power when a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied, and a storage container (for example, a fuel container for storing fuel gas) A high-pressure tank 32, which will be described later, and a lid box (for example, a lid box 21, which will be described later) which protects a gas inlet (for example, a hydrogen inlet 22 which will be described later) for filling the storage container with fuel gas therein. A lid sensor (for example, a lid switch 57 described later) for detecting the open / closed state of the lid of the lid box, and a filling determining means for determining whether or not the storage container is filled with fuel gas (for example, A communication filling ECU 51 described later and means for executing the filling presence / absence determination process of FIGS. 3 to 5, and power generation determination means for determining whether or not the fuel cell is generating power (for example, after Providing a moving body having the ignition switch 39), the. The moving body is stopped with a stop determining means (for example, a communication filling ECU 51 described later) for determining whether or not the moving body is stopped, and at the same time, the moving body is stopped when it is determined that the fuel cell is generating power. Failure determination means for determining a failure of the lid sensor (for example, a communication filling ECU 51 described later and a means for executing the failure determination processing of FIG. 2), The means determines that the lid sensor has failed when the lid sensor detects that the lid is closed when it is determined that the fuel gas is being charged by the filling determination means. It is characterized by doing.

(1) In the present invention, while it is determined that the fuel cell is generating power and the moving body is stopped, it is determined whether or not the fuel gas is being charged, and the charging is performed. If it is determined that the lid sensor detects the lid closed state, it is determined that the lid sensor has failed. Thereby, it is possible to determine the failure of the lid sensor even during the period of power generation by the fuel cell, and it is possible to prompt the user to repair the lid sensor. Here, as a case where the fuel gas is filled during the power generation period by the fuel cell, for example, a case where the fuel gas is filled while supplying the electric power generated by the fuel cell to the electric device outside the moving body can be mentioned. In addition, when the temperature of the storage container is high and it takes time to fill the fuel gas, such as in extreme heat, the user may use an air conditioner. In this case as well, the fuel gas is filled while generating power by the fuel cell. As described above, when the fuel gas is repeatedly charged during the power generation period, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it takes time until the lid sensor failure is determined. For example, the failure of the lid sensor can be immediately determined.
Further, in the present invention, since the failure of the lid sensor is determined by sequential determination, it is not necessary to record the opening / closing history of the lid, the remaining amount of fuel gas in the tank, and the like. Compared with technology, a backup memory is not required, and the cost can be reduced accordingly. In addition, there is known a lid sensor equipped with a self-failure judgment function. However, since it is not necessary to use such a function in the present invention, the cost can be reduced accordingly.

  As described above, the output of the lid sensor is often used as a trigger for starting communication filling. For this reason, if the lid sensor is faulty, communication cannot be started between the vehicle side and the station side in an appropriate procedure, so the hydrogen filling method is changed from communication filling to non-communication filling (between the vehicle side and the station side). There is a case where the method is switched to a filling method in which hydrogen is filled at a predetermined filling flow rate without performing communication. In this case, it takes time to fill the high-pressure tank with hydrogen, and a sufficient amount of hydrogen may not be filled. On the other hand, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the above disadvantages without being recognized by the user by quickly determining the failure of the lid sensor.

  (2) In this case, the filling determination means determines the fuel gas consumption of the fuel cell during a predetermined time (for example, hydrogen gas consumption A in FIG. 5 described later) based on the power generation state of the fuel cell. Fuel gas consumption calculation means (for example, a communication filling ECU 51, a current sensor 38, and a means relating to execution of S31 in FIG. 5) and a change amount of fuel gas in the storage container during the predetermined time (For example, actual hydrogen gas change amount B in FIG. 5 described later) Actual fuel gas change amount calculating means (for example, communication filling ECU 51, pressure sensor 36, temperature sensor 37 described later, and execution of S32 in FIG. 5) And the charging is performed when a value obtained by subtracting the fuel gas consumption amount from the fuel gas change amount (for example, a substantial change amount C in FIG. 5 described later) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. It can be determined that Masui.

  (2) If the remaining amount of fuel gas in the storage container increases, it can be estimated that the fuel gas has been filled. However, if the fuel cell is generating power at the same time as filling, the amount consumed by the power generation is also taken into account. Without it, the presence or absence of filling cannot be accurately determined. Therefore, in the present invention, based on the power generation state of the fuel cell, the amount of fuel gas consumption that is considered to have been consumed from the inside of the storage container by calculating with the fuel cell is calculated, and the actual fuel gas in the storage container is further calculated. The amount of change is calculated, and when the value obtained by subtracting the fuel gas consumption from the amount of change in the fuel gas is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that charging is being performed. Thereby, the presence or absence of filling can be determined with high accuracy.

  (3) In this case, the filling determination means is a parameter that correlates with the amount of change in the amount of fuel gas in the storage container (for example, hydrogen change amount C in FIG. 3 described later, change rate C in FIG. 4). ) For calculating a change amount parameter (for example, a communication filling ECU 51 described later, means for executing S11 to S13 in FIG. 3 and S21 in FIG. 4), and the value of the calculated change parameter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In some cases, it is preferable to determine that filling has been performed.

  (3) In the present invention, a parameter having a correlation with the amount of change in the fuel gas in the storage container is calculated, and when the value of the change parameter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the fuel gas is filled. judge. Thereby, the presence or absence of the fuel gas filling can be determined by a simpler method as compared with the invention of (2).

(4) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a power storage device for storing power, an electric device driven by the power of the power storage device, and a power supply port for supplying power to the power storage device. A lid box to be protected; a lid sensor for detecting an open / closed state of the lid of the lid box; charge determination means for determining whether or not the power storage device is charged; and There is provided a mobile body including power supply determination means for determining whether or not power is being supplied to a device. The moving body includes a stop determination unit that determines whether or not the moving body is stopped, and a determination that the power storage device is being powered and that the moving body is determined to be stopped at the same time. Failure determination means for determining a failure of the lid sensor, and the failure determination means detects that the lid sensor is in the lid when it is determined by the charge determination means that the power storage device is being charged. When the closed state is detected, it is determined that the lid sensor is broken.
(5) In this case, the charge determination unit calculates a decrease in energy capacity of the power storage device by supplying power to the electrical device during a predetermined time based on a power supply state from the power storage device to the electrical device. Consumption amount calculating means, and an actual change amount calculating means for calculating an energy capacity change amount of the power storage device during the predetermined time, and a value obtained by subtracting the energy capacity decrease amount from the energy capacity change amount is predetermined. It is preferable to determine that charging is performed when the value is equal to or greater than the value.
(6) In this case, the charge determination unit includes a remaining power change rate detecting unit that detects a change rate of the remaining power of the power storage device, and charging is performed when the change rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. It is preferable to determine that

  According to the inventions of (4) to (6), an electricity storage device that stores electric power instead of a storage container that stores fuel gas is provided, and further, electricity that consumes electric power instead of a fuel cell that generates power using fuel gas. In the mobile body provided with the device, the same effects as the above inventions (1) to (3) are exhibited.

  (7) In this case, when it is determined that the lid sensor has failed by the display device (for example, a warning lamp 59 described later) that displays the state of the lid sensor and the failure determination means, the display device It is preferable to include failure notification means (for example, a communication filling ECU 51 and a warning lamp 59 described later) for displaying that the lid sensor is in a failed state.

  (7) When the lid sensor breaks down, communication filling cannot be performed as described above, and switching to non-communication filling is performed. That is, just because communication charging cannot be performed does not mean that fuel gas charging cannot be performed. Although it takes more time than communication filling, it is possible to fill the fuel gas even with non-communication filling. As described above, the disadvantage that the user suffers for each hydrogen filling due to the failure of the lid sensor is not so great, however, the failure of the lid sensor is difficult for the user to recognize. Therefore, in the present invention, when a failure of the lid sensor is determined, the user can be promptly urged to repair the lid sensor by notifying the user that the sensor has failed via the display device. As a result, it is possible to prevent the lid sensor from being repeatedly used in a failed state.

It is a figure showing composition of a fuel cell vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a failure determination process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the filling presence / absence determination processing (Example 1). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the filling presence / absence determination processing (Example 2). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the filling presence / absence determination processing (Example 3).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hydrogen filling system S including a vehicle 2 and a hydrogen gas station 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle 2 includes a fuel cell system 3 that generates power using hydrogen stored in the high-pressure tank 32, and a moving body called a fuel cell vehicle that travels using the power generated by the fuel cell system 3. It is. The hydrogen gas station 1 is a facility different from the vehicle 2 that fills the high-pressure tank 32 with hydrogen required for traveling of the vehicle 2. Hereinafter, the configuration of the hydrogen gas station 1 and the fuel cell vehicle 2 will be described in order.

<Configuration of hydrogen gas station>
The hydrogen gas station 1 includes a hydrogen storage tank 11 and a dispenser 12.
Hydrogen to be supplied to the vehicle 2 is stored in the hydrogen storage tank 11 at a high pressure. The hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank 11 is obtained by vaporizing liquid hydrogen, produced by reforming a raw material with a reformer, or produced by an electrolyzer with a compressor. Used.

  When the dispenser 12 inserts the hydrogen filling nozzle 13 into the hydrogen inlet 22 provided in the vehicle 2, the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage tank 11 is depressurized and adjusted to a preferred flow rate, and then from the hydrogen filling nozzle 13. Supply hydrogen. The hydrogen filling nozzle 13 is provided with an infrared communication device 14. By inserting the hydrogen filling nozzle 13 into the hydrogen inlet 22 of the vehicle 2, the infrared communication device 14 can transmit and receive data signals via infrared rays to and from a communication system 5 described later mounted on the vehicle 2. ing. The dispenser 12 can selectively execute two filling methods, a filling method called communication filling and a filling method called non-communication filling, when filling the vehicle 2 with hydrogen.

  The communication filling is a filling method in which the vehicle 2 is filled with hydrogen while communicating between the vehicle 2 and the station 1. More specifically, the dispenser 12 receives a data signal indicating the current state of the high-pressure tank 32 from the communication system 5 described later mounted on the vehicle 2 by the infrared communication device 14, and from this data signal, the current high-pressure tank The state of the tank 32 is grasped, and the high-pressure tank 32 is filled with hydrogen while adjusting the filling flow rate according to the state.

  Non-communication filling is a filling method in which the vehicle 2 is filled with hydrogen without performing communication between the vehicle 2 and the station 1. More specifically, the dispenser 12 fills the high-pressure tank 32 with hydrogen at a predetermined predetermined filling flow rate. The non-communication filling dispenser 12 assumes that the current high-pressure tank 32 is in a high temperature state, and therefore the filling flow rate is set to a relatively small value. However, in non-communication filling, unlike the communication filling, the dispenser 12 cannot grasp the current state of the high-pressure tank 32, so even if the temperature in the tank rises during filling, the filling flow rate is reduced accordingly. Can't, keep filling at a constant flow rate. For this reason, in non-communication filling, the temperature in the high-pressure tank 32 approaches the specified upper limit temperature during filling, and filling may be interrupted before reaching full filling. Therefore, assuming that the temperature in the high-pressure tank 32 during filling does not exceed the specified upper limit temperature, communication filling and non-communication filling can be more appropriately controlled when comparing communication filling and non-communication filling. It can be filled quickly.

<Configuration of fuel cell vehicle>
The vehicle 2 includes a fuel cell system 3 and a communication system 5.
The fuel cell system 3 includes a fuel cell 31, a high-pressure tank 32 that supplies hydrogen as a fuel gas to the fuel cell 31, an air pump 33 that supplies air as an oxidant gas to the fuel cell 31, and the fuel cell system 3. And an ignition switch 39 for detecting an activation request for.

  The fuel cell 31 has, for example, a stack structure in which tens to hundreds of cells are stacked. Each fuel cell is configured by sandwiching a membrane electrode structure (MEA) between a pair of separators. The membrane electrode structure is composed of two electrodes, an anode electrode (cathode) and a cathode electrode (anode), and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between these electrodes. Usually, both electrodes are formed of a catalyst layer that performs an oxidation / reduction reaction in contact with the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and a gas diffusion layer in contact with the catalyst layer.

  The air pump 33 is connected to a cathode channel formed on the cathode electrode side of the fuel cell 31 via an air supply pipe 34. The high-pressure tank 32 is connected to an anode flow path formed on the anode electrode side of the fuel cell 31 via a hydrogen supply pipe 35. When the fuel cell system 3 is activated in response to the operation of the ignition switch 39 by the user, hydrogen from the high-pressure tank 32 is supplied to the anode flow path of the fuel cell 31, and air from the air pump 33 is supplied to the cathode flow path. Is supplied to generate electricity. The electric power generated by the fuel cell 31 is supplied to a drive motor (not shown), whereby the vehicle 2 travels.

  The fuel cell 31 is provided with a current sensor 38 as a sensor for detecting the power generation state. The current sensor 38 detects the output current of the fuel cell 31 and transmits a signal substantially proportional to the detected value to the communication system 5.

  The high-pressure tank 32 includes a tank body 321 that stores hydrogen compressed to a high pressure, and a hydrogen introduction pipe 322. One end side of the hydrogen introduction pipe 322 is connected to the tank main body 321, and the other end side is connected to a hydrogen introduction port 22 provided in a lid box 21 described later. In the hydrogen introduction pipe 322, check valves 324 and 325 are provided in the vicinity of the tank body 321 and in the vicinity of the hydrogen inlet 22, respectively, in order to prevent hydrogen from flowing back from the tank body 321 side to the outside of the vehicle 2. ing.

  The high-pressure tank 32 is provided with a pressure sensor 36 and a temperature sensor 37 as sensors for detecting the state. The pressure sensor 36 detects the hydrogen pressure in the hydrogen introduction pipe 322 in the high-pressure tank 32 and transmits a detection signal substantially proportional to the detected value to the communication system 5. The temperature sensor 37 detects the hydrogen temperature in the tank main body 321 in the high-pressure tank 32 and transmits a detection signal substantially proportional to the detected value to the communication system 5.

  The lid box 21 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle 2 and protects the hydrogen inlet 22 therein. A lid 23 is rotatably provided on the lid box 21. In the hydrogen gas station 1, the user opens the lid 23 to expose the hydrogen inlet 22 to the outside, and inserts the hydrogen filling nozzle 13 of the dispenser 12 into the hydrogen inlet 22 to fill the hydrogen.

  The communication system 5 includes a communication filling ECU 51, a battery 52, an infrared transmitter 56, a lid switch 57, a voltage sensor 58, and a switch failure warning lamp 59.

  The battery 52 is mainly used as a power supply source for electric devices constituting the communication system 5 such as the communication filling ECU 51, the infrared transmitter 56, the lid switch 57, and the like. It is also used as a power supply source for machinery. The battery 52 is charged with power generated by the fuel cell 31. The voltage sensor 58 detects the voltage of the battery 52 and transmits a detection signal substantially proportional to the detected value to the communication filling ECU 51.

  The lid switch 57 is provided in the lid box 21 and detects the open / closed state of the lid 23. When the lid 23 is closed and the hydrogen inlet 22 is protected in the lid box 21, the lid switch 24 sends a closing signal indicating this to the communication filling ECU 51, the lid 23 is opened, and the hydrogen inlet 22 is externally connected. In an exposed state, an open signal indicating this is transmitted to the communication filling ECU 51. Note that either one of the close signal and the open signal may be a no signal.

  The switch failure warning lamp 59 is provided on the meter panel of the vehicle 2 as a display device that displays the state of the lid switch 57. The switch failure warning lamp 59 is turned on in response to the determination that the lid switch has failed in the failure determination process described later. As a result, the user is notified that the lid switch 57 is in a failed state.

  The infrared transmitter 56 includes an infrared LED 54 and its driver 55. The driver 55 blinks the infrared LED 54 based on the data signal transmitted from the communication filling ECU 51.

  The communication filling ECU 51 is a control device that controls various devices constituting the communication system 5 in order to perform communication filling, and includes electronic circuits such as a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and various interfaces. Detection signals from various sensors of the communication system 5 and the fuel cell system 3, such as the lid switch 57, the voltage sensor 58, the pressure sensor 36, the temperature sensor 37, the current sensor 38, and the ignition switch 39, are input to the communication filling ECU 51. The

  When performing communication filling, the communication filling ECU 51 generates a data signal based on the pressure and temperature detected by the pressure sensor 36 and the temperature sensor 37 in order to transmit information on the current state of the high-pressure tank 32 to the station 1 side. Then, this data signal is transmitted to the driver 55. In response to this, the driver 55 blinks the infrared LED 54 to transmit the data signal to the infrared communication device 14 on the station 1 side.

  The communication system 5 configured as described above starts / stops when the lid 23 is opened and closed by the user. Hereinafter, the starting procedure and the stopping procedure of the communication system 5 will be described.

<Activation of communication system>
When the lid 23 is opened by the user, the lid switch 57 detects this and transmits an open signal indicating that the lid 23 has been opened to the communication filling ECU 51 in the sleep state. In response to this, the communication filling ECU 51 returns from the sleep state and starts supplying power from the battery 52 to the infrared transmitter 56. Thereafter, transmission of a data signal from the communication system 5 becomes possible, and the hydrogen filling nozzle 13 on the station 1 side is inserted into the hydrogen introduction port 22 to fill the hydrogen between the vehicle 2 and the station 1. Communication filling starts in response to communication being possible.

<Suspension of communication system>
When the communication filling is properly completed, the hydrogen filling nozzle 13 is pulled out from the hydrogen inlet 22 by the user, and the lid 23 is closed. When the lid 23 is closed, the lid switch 57 detects this, and transmits a closing signal indicating that the lid 23 is closed to the communication filling ECU 51. In response to this, the communication filling ECU 51 stops supplying power to the infrared transmitter 56 and enters a sleep state.

Next, a process procedure for determining a failure of the lid switch will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of lid switch failure determination processing. This failure determination process is performed periodically (for example, at intervals of 10 seconds) while the ignition switch is turned on, that is, while it is determined that the fuel cell system is activated and power generation is being performed by the fuel cell. Is done.

  First, in S1, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped. If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to S2, and if NO, the failure determination process is terminated without performing the subsequent processes. The determination in S1 is performed based on, for example, whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value set to approximately 0, or whether or not the current vehicle position specified by the GPS position information has changed.

  In S2, after performing a filling presence / absence determination process for determining whether or not hydrogen is being charged into the high-pressure tank, the process proceeds to S3. A specific procedure of the filling determination process will be described later with reference to FIGS. In S3, it is determined whether or not it is determined in S2 that hydrogen has been charged. If the determination in S3 is YES, the process moves to S4, and it is determined whether or not the lid switch is outputting a close signal.

  If the determination in S3 is NO or the determination in S4 is NO, the process proceeds to S5, and after determining that the lid switch is normal, this failure determination process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the determination in S3 is YES and the determination in S4 is YES, that is, if the lid switch detects that the lid is closed when it is currently determined that hydrogen is being charged. Then, it is determined that the lid switch is malfunctioning (S6), and a warning lamp is lit to notify the driver that the lid switch is malfunctioning (S7), and the malfunction determination process is terminated.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, three examples will be described with respect to specific procedures of the filling presence / absence determination process in S <b> 2 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of the filling presence / absence determination process according to the first embodiment.
In S11, the remaining amount of hydrogen in the high-pressure tank a predetermined time before (for example, 1 minute before) from the present is acquired, and this is set as the remaining hydrogen A before the predetermined time. In S12, the current amount of remaining hydrogen in the high-pressure tank is calculated, and this is set as the current amount of remaining hydrogen B. Note that the current hydrogen remaining amount B can be calculated based on current pressure sensor and temperature sensor outputs and the like. Further, as the remaining hydrogen amount A before the predetermined time, the hydrogen remaining amount calculated at the time before the predetermined time based on the output of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor or the like can be used.

In S13, the change amount C is calculated by subtracting the hydrogen remaining amount A for a predetermined time from the current hydrogen remaining amount B. This change amount C corresponds to the amount of hydrogen increased in the high-pressure tank from a predetermined time before to the present time. That is, if the change amount C is positive, it can be estimated that the remaining amount of hydrogen is increasing, and if it is negative, it can be estimated that the remaining amount of hydrogen is decreasing. Therefore, it can be determined that the greater the change amount C, the higher the possibility that hydrogen is being charged.
In S14, it is determined whether or not the change amount C is larger than a predetermined value (for example, 0). If this determination is YES, it is determined that hydrogen is being charged (S15), and if it is NO, it is determined that hydrogen is not being charged (S16), and this filling presence / absence determination is performed. The process ends.

  In the first embodiment, the presence / absence of filling is determined based on the hydrogen change amount C in the high-pressure tank. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pressure change amount may be calculated by subtracting the pressure in the high-pressure tank a predetermined time before the current pressure in the high-pressure tank, and the presence or absence of filling may be determined based on the pressure change amount. This procedure is simpler because it is not necessary to calculate the remaining amount of hydrogen.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of the filling presence / absence determination process according to the second embodiment.
In S21, the change rate of the remaining amount of hydrogen in the current high-pressure tank is acquired, and this is set as the change rate C. The change rate C can be calculated based on a change in the output value of the pressure sensor, a change in the output value of the temperature sensor, and the like. If the change rate C is positive, it can be estimated that the remaining amount of hydrogen is increasing, and if it is negative, it can be estimated that the remaining amount of hydrogen is decreasing.
In S22, it is determined whether or not the change speed C is greater than a predetermined value (for example, 0). If this determination is YES, it is determined that hydrogen is being charged (S23) and NO. In this case, it is determined that hydrogen is not charged (S24), and this filling presence / absence determination process is terminated.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of the filling presence / absence determination process according to the third embodiment.
In S31, the hydrogen gas consumption of the fuel cell during a predetermined time is calculated based on the power generation state of the fuel cell. Since the failure determination process is performed during power generation by the fuel cell, it is considered that the fuel cell consumes not less than hydrogen in the tank by power generation. Therefore, in this step, the integrated value over a predetermined time of the output current of the fuel cell obtained from the output of the current sensor is calculated, the hydrogen consumption amount in the fuel cell is calculated based on the integrated value, and this is calculated as the hydrogen gas consumption amount. A. This hydrogen gas consumption is defined as negative on the consumption side.
In S32, the amount of hydrogen changed in the high-pressure tank during the predetermined time is calculated, and this is set as the actual hydrogen gas change amount B. More specifically, the actual hydrogen gas change amount B is calculated by the same procedure as that for calculating the change amount C in S11 to 13 of FIG.
In S33, the actual change amount C is calculated by subtracting the hydrogen gas consumption amount A from the actual hydrogen gas change amount B. The substantial change amount C is a value obtained by adding the amount of hydrogen consumed in the fuel cell to the change amount C calculated in the first embodiment of FIG. 3, and is a useful parameter for determining the presence or absence of filling.
In S34, it is determined whether or not the substantial change amount C is larger than a predetermined value (for example, 0). If this determination is YES, it is determined that hydrogen filling is performed (S35), and if it is NO, it is determined that hydrogen filling is not performed (S36), and this filling presence / absence is determined. The determination process ends.

According to the fuel cell vehicle 2 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the following effects are obtained.
(1) According to the present embodiment, even during the power generation period of the fuel cell 31, it is possible to immediately determine the failure of the lid switch 57, and to prompt the user to repair the lid switch 57. In this embodiment, since the failure of the lid switch 57 is determined by sequential determination, it is not necessary to record the opening / closing history of the lid 23, the remaining amount of hydrogen in the high-pressure tank 32, and the like. Does not require memory. Further, since it is not necessary to use a lid switch having a self-failure judgment function, the cost can be reduced accordingly. According to the present embodiment, the failure of the lid switch 57 is promptly determined, so that the disadvantage that the filling of hydrogen takes time or the filling amount becomes insufficient without being recognized by the user. Covering can be prevented.
(2) According to Example 3 of the present embodiment, based on the power generation state of the fuel cell 31, the hydrogen gas consumption A that is considered to have been consumed from the high-pressure tank 32 by generating power with the fuel cell 31 is calculated. Further, the actual hydrogen gas change amount B in the high-pressure tank 32 is calculated, and when the value C obtained by subtracting the hydrogen gas consumption amount A from the actual hydrogen gas change amount B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, filling is performed. It is determined that Thus, by using the value C that takes into account the amount of hydrogen consumed in the fuel cell 31, it is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of filling.
(3) According to Examples 1 and 2 of the present embodiment, parameters (hydrogen change amount C and change rate C) correlated with the change amount of hydrogen in the high-pressure tank 32 are calculated, and the value of this change parameter is calculated. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that hydrogen is being charged. Thereby, the presence or absence of hydrogen filling can be determined by a simpler method.
(4) The failure of the lid switch 57 is difficult for the user to recognize. In this embodiment, when the failure of the lid switch 57 is determined, the fact that the switch 57 has failed is notified via the warning light 59. By notifying the user, it is possible to promptly prompt the user to repair the lid switch 57. As a result, it is possible to prevent the lid switch 57 from being repeatedly used in the state of failure.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this.
Although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which used the storage container which stores fuel gas as a high pressure tank, it is good also as a storage container not only in this but the hydrogen tank provided with the occlusion alloy.
Moreover, although the fuel cell vehicle which used hydrogen as the fuel gas was demonstrated to the example in the said embodiment, it can apply also to the natural gas vehicle which used not only this but the natural gas as fuel gas.
Moreover, although the example which made the fuel cell vehicle the moving body was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is applicable not only to this but moving bodies, such as a motorbike, a ship, a spacecraft, and a robot.

  In addition, the present invention can be applied to any mobile body having a configuration corresponding to the lid box 21 referred to in the fuel cell vehicle 2 of the above embodiment and the hydrogen introduction port 22 to be protected therein. For example, an electric vehicle includes a power storage device that stores power, an electric device (such as a drive motor or an air conditioner) that is driven by the power of the power storage device, and a power supply port for supplying power to the power storage device from the outside. A lid box to be protected; and a lid switch for detecting an open / closed state of the lid of the lid box. In this electric vehicle, when compared with the fuel cell vehicle 2 of the above embodiment, the power storage device corresponds to the high-pressure tank 32, the electric device corresponds to the fuel cell 31, and the power supply port corresponds to the hydrogen inlet 22. Furthermore, the lid switch of the fuel cell vehicle 2 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 is obtained by replacing the remaining amount of hydrogen in the high-pressure tank 32 with the remaining amount of power of the power storage device, which is referred to in the fuel cell vehicle 2 of the above embodiment. Any of the processes relating to the failure determination can be replaced with the electric vehicle as described above.

S ... Hydrogen filling system 1 ... Hydrogen gas station 12 ... Dispenser (fuel gas supply device)
2 ... Fuel cell vehicle (moving body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Lid box 22 ... Hydrogen inlet 23 ... Lid 3 ... Fuel cell system 31 ... Fuel cell 32 ... High-pressure tank (storage container)
36 ... Pressure sensor (actual fuel gas change amount calculation means)
37 ... Temperature sensor (actual fuel gas change amount calculation means)
38 ... Current sensor (fuel gas consumption calculation means)
39. Ignition switch (power generation determination means)
Communication system 5
51. Communication filling ECU (filling determination means, stop determination means, failure determination means, fuel gas consumption calculation means, change parameter calculation means)
57 ... Lid switch (lid sensor)

Claims (7)

A fuel cell that generates electricity when fuel gas and oxidant gas are supplied; and
A storage container for storing fuel gas;
A lid box for protecting the gas inlet for filling the storage container with fuel gas therein;
A lid sensor for detecting an open / closed state of the lid of the lid box;
Filling determination means for determining whether or not the storage container is filled with fuel gas;
A power generation determination means for determining whether or not the fuel cell is generating power,
Stop determination means for determining whether or not the moving body is stopped;
Failure determination means for determining failure of the lid sensor while it is determined that the fuel cell is generating power and at the same time the moving body is stopped,
If the lid sensor detects that the lid is closed when it is determined by the filling determination means that the fuel gas is being charged, the lid sensor has failed. A moving object characterized by being determined to be. The filling determination means includes
Fuel gas consumption calculating means for calculating the fuel gas consumption of the fuel cell during a predetermined time based on the power generation state of the fuel cell;
An actual fuel gas change amount calculating means for calculating a fuel gas change amount in the storage container during the predetermined time,
The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein when the value obtained by subtracting the fuel gas consumption amount from the fuel gas change amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the filling is performed.   The filling determination means includes a change amount parameter calculation means for calculating a parameter correlated with a change amount of the amount of fuel gas in the storage container, and when the calculated change parameter value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that filling is performed. A power storage device for storing electric power;
An electric device driven by electric power of the power storage device;
A lid box that protects a power supply port for supplying power to the power storage device;
A lid sensor for detecting an open / closed state of the lid of the lid box;
Charge determination means for determining whether or not the power storage device is charged;
A power supply determination means for determining whether or not the electric power of the power storage device is being supplied to the electric device,
Stop determination means for determining whether or not the moving body is stopped;
Failure determination means for determining a failure of the lid sensor while it is determined that the power storage device is being fed and at the same time the moving body is determined to be stopped,
If the lid sensor detects that the lid is closed when the charge determination unit determines that the power storage device is being charged by the charge determination unit, the lid sensor is faulty. It is determined that the mobile body is moving. The charging determination means includes
Based on a power supply state from the power storage device to the electrical device, consumption calculation means for calculating a decrease in energy capacity of the power storage device by supplying power to the electrical device during a predetermined time;
An actual change amount calculating means for calculating an energy capacity change amount of the power storage device during the predetermined time,
The mobile body according to claim 4, wherein charging is performed when a value obtained by subtracting the energy capacity decrease from the energy capacity change is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.   The charge determination unit includes a remaining power change rate detection unit that detects a change rate of the remaining power of the power storage device, and determines that charging is performed when the change rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The moving body according to claim 4. A display device for displaying the state of the lid sensor;
And a failure notification unit that displays on the display device that the lid sensor is in a failed state when the failure determination unit determines that the lid sensor has failed. The moving body according to any one of 1 to 6.

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