JP2013200019A - Fuel gas filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel gas filling method capable of preventing filling of an undue amount of hydrogen to a high pressure tank, even if the hydrogen is supplied at a flow rate larger than intended.SOLUTION: A fuel gas filling method includes: a filling process of connecting a vehicle with an external hydrogen gas station and filling hydrogen gas supplied from the station into a high pressure tank of the vehicle; a pressure changing speed calculation process (S11) of calculating a pressure changing speed value in the high pressure tank based on a detection value of a pressure sensor provided in the vehicle during the filling process; and a filling stop process of stopping filling of hydrogen gas into the high pressure tank upon determining (S13, S14) that the station has abnormality if the pressure changing speed value calculated in the pressure changing speed calculation process is an abnormality determination threshold calculated in S12, or more.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel gas filling method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fuel gas filling method in which a mobile body including a storage container and an external supply device are connected to fill the storage container with fuel gas.

  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. Along with this, research is actively being conducted on the technology for filling the tank with hydrogen.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a filling system that communicates between a vehicle equipped with a hydrogen tank and a station equipped with a dispenser that fills the hydrogen tank with hydrogen, and fills the hydrogen gas at a flow rate corresponding to the hydrogen tank. Has been. More specifically, in this system, a filling protocol that defines the control method on the station side is generated on the vehicle side, and the flow rate of hydrogen at the time of filling is controlled on the station side based on this filling protocol. Hereinafter, filling gas while performing communication between the vehicle side and the station side is referred to as communication filling.

JP 2011-33068 A JP 2004-11654 A

  However, in such communication filling, when normal communication between the vehicle and the station is not performed or when an abnormality occurs in the station side device, the hydrogen is flown at a flow rate larger than intended. May be filled. Therefore, assuming such a case, for example, as in the technique described in Patent Document 2, a hydrogen release valve for releasing the internal hydrogen into the hydrogen tank and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the hydrogen tank are provided. If the tank temperature exceeds the specified temperature during filling, it is presumed that an abnormality has occurred on the station side, the hydrogen release valve is opened, and the hydrogen tank is filled with an excessive amount of hydrogen gas. It is conceivable to prevent this.

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires a hydrogen release valve, which may increase the size of the system. In addition, since there is a large delay in the change in the temperature of the hydrogen tank, it may take time until the hydrogen release valve is opened after an abnormality actually occurs on the station side, and may not be able to respond quickly.

  The present invention provides a fuel gas filling method capable of preventing a hydrogen tank from being charged with an excessive amount of hydrogen even when hydrogen is supplied at a flow rate larger than intended. With the goal.

  (1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a storage container (for example, a high-pressure tank 32 described later) for storing fuel gas, and a pressure detection means (for example, described later) for detecting the pressure of the gas in the storage container. A fuel gas filling method for a moving body (for example, a fuel cell vehicle 2 described later) provided with the pressure sensor 36) is provided. In this method, the mobile body is connected to an external supply device (for example, a hydrogen gas station 1 described later and its dispenser 12), and fuel gas supplied from the supply device is filled into the storage container. A pressure change rate calculation step (e.g., calculating a value of a pressure change rate in the storage container based on a detection value of the pressure detection means during the filling step) S11) in FIG. 3 to be described later, and when the pressure change rate value calculated in the pressure change rate calculating step is equal to or greater than a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value, filling is stopped to stop the fuel gas from being filled into the storage container. And a process (for example, S3 and S4 in FIG. 2 described later).

(1) In the present invention, when the fuel gas filling flow rate is increased while the moving body is being filled with the fuel gas from the external supply device, the pressure change speed in the storage container is increased, and the speed value is a predetermined value. If the abnormality determination threshold is exceeded, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the supply device, and the fuel gas filling is stopped. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the storage container from being filled with an excessive amount of fuel gas due to an abnormality in the supply device. In particular, in the present invention, by determining the abnormality of the supply device based on the pressure change rate of the storage container, the charging of the fuel gas can be quickly stopped when the abnormality occurs in the supply device. In other words, according to the present invention, the determination delay of the abnormality of the supply device is short, and a prompt response is possible. Further, in the present invention, since the pressure change speed value is calculated based on the detection value of the pressure detecting means provided in the moving body, there is no communication between the moving body and the supply device. In addition, the abnormality on the supply device side can be determined on the mobile body side.
By the way, in many filling systems, the filling of the fuel gas is completed when the pressure in the storage container or the amount of the fuel gas reaches a predetermined full filling threshold. In such a system, the full-fill threshold is set to a slightly larger margin with respect to the rated value determined from the structure of the storage container, in consideration of a determination delay when an abnormality occurs on the supply device side as described above. The On the other hand, according to the present invention, since the margin can be reduced by promptly determining the abnormality on the supply device side as described above, more fuel gas can be filled in the storage container. .

  (2) In this case, the abnormality determination threshold is determined based on the pressure change rate in the storage container when the storage container is filled with fuel gas at the maximum flow rate in the supply device in a normal state. Is preferred.

  (2) According to the present invention, the abnormal determination threshold is set based on the pressure change rate when the fuel gas is filled in the storage container at the maximum flow rate in the supply device in a normal state, thereby filling more than necessary. Can be stopped.

  (3) In this case, it is preferable to further include a sensor failure determination step for determining failure of the pressure detection means.

  (3) According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine an abnormality on the supply device side by determining a failure of the pressure detection means necessary for calculating the pressure change rate value.

  (4) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a high-pressure tank (for example, a high-pressure tank 32 described later) for storing fuel gas and a pressure detection means (for example, described later) for detecting the pressure of the gas in the high-pressure tank. And a temperature detection means (for example, a temperature sensor 37 described later) for detecting the temperature of the gas in the high-pressure tank, fuel gas filling of a moving body (for example, a fuel cell vehicle 2 described later) A method of connecting the moving body and an external supply device, and filling the storage container with fuel gas supplied from the supply device (for example, during execution of communication filling described later); A remaining amount change rate calculating step for calculating a change rate of the remaining amount of fuel gas in the storage container based on the detection values of the pressure detecting unit and the temperature detecting unit during the filling step (for example, S21 in FIG. 4 described later). , S2 ) And a filling stop step (for example, stopping the filling of the fuel gas into the storage container when the remaining amount changing speed value calculated in the remaining amount changing speed calculating step is equal to or greater than a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value (for example, S3 and S4) of FIG. 2 to be described later.

  (4) In the present invention, when the fuel gas filling flow rate is increased while the moving body is filled with the fuel gas from the external supply device, the change rate of the remaining amount of the fuel gas in the storage container is increased, and the speed is increased. When the value exceeds a predetermined abnormality determination threshold, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the supply device, and fuel gas filling is stopped. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an excessive amount of fuel gas from rising in the storage container due to an abnormality in the supply device. In addition, for the same reason as the above invention (1), the present invention has a short determination delay of abnormality of the supply device, and can respond quickly. In the present invention, since the value of the change rate of the remaining amount of fuel gas is calculated based on the detection values of the pressure detection means and the temperature detection means provided on the moving body, communication between the moving body and the supply device is possible. Even if it is not performed, the abnormality on the supply device side can be determined on the mobile body side. Further, according to the present invention, for the same reason as the above invention (1), the margin for the full filling threshold can be reduced, so that more fuel gas can be filled in the storage container.

  (5) In this case, the abnormality determination threshold is determined based on the remaining rate change rate in the storage container when the storage container is filled with fuel gas at the maximum flow rate in the supply device in a normal state. It is preferable.

  (5) According to the present invention, the abnormality determination threshold is determined more than necessary by setting the remaining amount change rate when the fuel gas is filled in the storage container at the maximum flow rate in the supply device in a normal state as a reference. It is possible to prevent the filling from being stopped.

  (6) In this case, it is preferable to further include a sensor failure determination step for determining failure of the pressure detection means or the temperature detection means.

  (6) According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine an abnormality on the supply device side by determining a failure of the pressure detection means or the temperature detection means necessary for calculating the remaining amount change speed value.

  (7) In this case, the moving body transmits a stop command signal for instructing to stop the supply of fuel gas to the supply device (for example, a communication system 5 described later), and gas into the storage container. And a shut-off means (eg, a filling path shut-off valve 326 described later) for shutting off the inflow of gas and the outflow of gas from the storage container. In the filling stop process, the stop command signal is transmitted from the transmitting means. At the same time, it is preferable that the flow of fuel gas from the supply device into the storage container is blocked by the blocking means.

  (7) According to the present invention, when stopping filling of the fuel gas, in addition to transmitting a stop command signal from the moving body side to the supply device side, the inflow of the fuel gas is blocked by the blocking means on the moving body side. Thus, even if the normal communication is not established between the moving body and the supply device, it is possible to reliably prevent overfilling.

  (8) In this case, the fuel gas is hydrogen gas, and the mobile body includes a fuel cell system (for example, a fuel cell system 3 described later) that generates power using the hydrogen gas in the storage container. A battery vehicle is preferred.

  (8) According to the present invention, overfilling can be surely prevented even with hydrogen that has a low molecular weight and is difficult to handle.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the hydrogen filling system to which the fuel gas filling method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which interrupts filling of hydrogen gas. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of station abnormality determination processing (first embodiment). 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of station abnormality determination processing (second embodiment).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hydrogen filling system S to which the fuel gas filling method according to the present embodiment is applied. The hydrogen filling system S includes a vehicle 2 and a hydrogen gas station 1.

  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 hydrogen filling nozzle 13 is inserted into the hydrogen inlet 22 provided in the vehicle 2, the dispenser 12 depressurizes the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage tank 11, adjusts it to a preferred flow rate, and then supplies the hydrogen from the hydrogen filling nozzle 13. Supply. 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. Thereafter, when the remaining amount of hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank estimated based on the data signal transmitted from the communication system 5 reaches a predetermined full filling threshold, or when a filling stop command signal described later is received from the communication system 5 When the predetermined filling completion condition is satisfied, the filling of hydrogen is terminated.

  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 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.

  The hydrogen introduction pipe 322 is provided with check valves 324 and 325 and a filling path cutoff valve 326. The filling path cutoff valve 326 blocks the inflow of gas to the tank body 321 and the outflow of gas from the tank body 321. The filling path cutoff valve 326 operates in response to a control signal from the communication system 5. The 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, and prevent hydrogen from flowing back from the tank body 321 side to the outside of the vehicle 2.

  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, and a lid switch 57.

  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 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 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 pressure sensor 36, the temperature sensor 37, and the ignition switch 39 are input to the communication filling ECU 51.

  During execution of communication filling, the communication filling ECU 51 drives the driver 55 to blink the infrared LED 54, thereby generating a data signal generated based on the pressure and temperature detected by the pressure sensor 36 and the temperature sensor 37, and hydrogen gas A filling stop command signal for commanding the stop of filling is transmitted 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. In response to communication being possible, the filling path cutoff valve 326 is opened and communication filling is started.

<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 closes the filling path cutoff valve 326, stops the supply of power to the infrared transmitter 56, and enters a sleep state.

Next, the procedure for interrupting the filling of hydrogen gas while performing the communication filling as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for interrupting the filling of hydrogen gas. The interruption process shown in FIG. 2 is executed at predetermined calculation cycles in the communication filling ECU while communication filling is being performed.

  In S1, after performing the station abnormality determination process which determines whether abnormality has arisen in the hydrogen gas station, it moves to S2. A specific procedure for determining the abnormality of the hydrogen gas station will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In S2, it is determined whether or not it is determined that there is an abnormality in the hydrogen gas station as a result of the determination in S1. If the determination in S2 is NO and it is determined that there is no abnormality in the hydrogen gas station, this process is immediately terminated in order to continue filling with hydrogen gas.

  If the determination in S2 is YES and it is determined that there is an abnormality in the hydrogen gas station, a filling stop command signal is sent from the infrared transmitter to the hydrogen gas station side in order to stop filling the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas station. At the same time (S3), the filling path shut-off valve is closed, and the inflow of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen station side to the high-pressure tank is shut off (S4).

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, two embodiments will be described with respect to a procedure for determining an abnormality of the hydrogen gas station during the filling of hydrogen.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of station abnormality determination processing according to the first embodiment. As described with reference to FIG. 2 above, this abnormality determination process is executed in the communication filling ECU at every predetermined calculation cycle while the high-pressure tank of the vehicle is filled with hydrogen gas from the station.

  In S11, the pressure increase rate value of the gas pressure in the high-pressure tank is calculated based on the detection value of the pressure sensor, and the process proceeds to S12. Note that the pressure increase speed value calculated here may not be a value having a dimension of speed, and may be substituted with, for example, a difference value of detection values of the pressure sensor during a predetermined time.

  In S12, in order to determine the abnormality of the hydrogen gas station in the next step S13 based on the detection value of the temperature sensor, an abnormality determination threshold value used as a threshold value for the pressure change speed value is calculated, and the process proceeds to S13. In a hydrogen gas station in a normal state, the high pressure tank is filled with hydrogen gas at a flow rate that does not exceed the specified maximum flow rate. Further, the maximum flow rate at the time of hydrogen gas filling is determined by searching a predetermined map according to the temperature in the hydrogen gas station. In S12, the pressure increase rate value in the high-pressure tank when hydrogen gas is charged at the maximum flow rate determined on the hydrogen gas station side is calculated by searching a predetermined map based on the detection value of the temperature sensor. Is set as a reference value, and an abnormality determination threshold value is set to a value equal to or close to the reference value.

  In S13, it is determined whether or not the pressure increase speed value calculated in S11 is equal to or greater than the abnormality determination threshold value calculated in S12. If the determination in S13 is YES, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the hydrogen gas station (S14). If the determination in S13 is NO, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the hydrogen gas station (S15), and this process ends. To do.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of station abnormality determination processing according to the second embodiment. This abnormality determination process is executed in the communication filling ECU at every predetermined calculation cycle while the high pressure tank of the vehicle is filled with hydrogen gas from the station. The procedure of the abnormality determination process of the second embodiment is different from the procedure of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3 in the arguments used for determining the abnormality of the hydrogen gas station.

  In S21, the remaining amount of hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank is calculated based on the detection values of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor, and the process proceeds to S22. In S21, the remaining amount of hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank is calculated by, for example, calculating the value determined by the pressure sensor corresponding to the pressure of the hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank and the high-pressure tank according to an arithmetic expression predetermined by the equation of state of the ideal gas. It is calculated by substituting the detected value of the temperature sensor corresponding to the temperature of the hydrogen gas inside.

  In S22, the change rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas calculated in S21 is calculated, and the process proceeds to S23. As in the first embodiment, the change rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas calculated here may not be a value having a dimension of speed. For example, a difference value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas during a predetermined time may be used instead. May be.

  In S23, based on the detection value of the temperature sensor, in order to determine the abnormality of the hydrogen gas station in the next step S24, an abnormality determination threshold value used as a threshold value for the change rate value of the hydrogen gas remaining amount is calculated. Move. More specifically, in S23, as in the first embodiment, the change rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank when the hydrogen gas is charged at the maximum flow rate determined on the hydrogen gas station side is calculated by the temperature sensor. It is calculated by searching a predetermined map based on the detected value, and this is used as a reference value, and an abnormality determination threshold value is set to a value equal to or close to the reference value.

  In S24, it is determined whether or not the rising speed value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas calculated in S22 is equal to or greater than the abnormality determination threshold value calculated in S23. If the determination in S24 is YES, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the hydrogen gas station (S25). If the determination in S24 is NO, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the hydrogen gas station (S26), and this process ends. To do.

<Failure judgment of pressure sensor and temperature sensor>
In the station abnormality determination process described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure sensor 36 and the temperature sensor 37 provided on the vehicle 2 side are used. For this reason, in order to determine correctly the abnormality of the hydrogen gas station 1, it is necessary to confirm that these sensors 36 and 37 are in a normal state.
Therefore, while performing communication filling as described above, the failure determination processing of these sensors 36 and 37 is executed in parallel by the communication filling ECU. A known method is used for the sensor failure determination process. Specifically, for example, two pressure sensors and two temperature sensors are provided in advance, and when there is a large difference between the detected values, it can be determined that one of them has failed. In addition, when using a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor equipped with a self-fault diagnosis function, a fault can be determined using this function.

According to the fuel cell vehicle 2 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the following effects are obtained.
(1) In the present embodiment, when the hydrogen gas filling flow rate is increased while the hydrogen gas station 1 is filling the vehicle 2 with hydrogen gas, the pressure increase rate value in the high-pressure tank 32 and the hydrogen gas remaining amount When the ascending speed value increases and these speed values exceed a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the station 1, and the filling of hydrogen gas is stopped. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the high-pressure tank 32 from being filled with an excessive amount of hydrogen gas due to an abnormality in the station 1. In particular, in this embodiment, by determining the abnormality of the station 1 based on the pressure increase speed of the high-pressure tank 32 and the increase speed of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas, when the abnormality occurs in the station 1, the filling of the hydrogen gas is quickly stopped. can do. In other words, according to the present embodiment, the determination delay of the abnormality of the station 1 is short, and prompt response is possible. In the present embodiment, the pressure increase rate value and the increase rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas are calculated based on the detection values of the pressure sensor 36 and the temperature sensor 37 provided in the vehicle 2. Even if communication is not performed between the stations, the abnormality on the station 1 side can be determined on the vehicle 2 side.
According to the present embodiment, as a result of promptly determining the abnormality on the station 1 side as described above, the margin set as the full-fill threshold can be reduced, so that the high-pressure tank 32 is filled with more hydrogen gas. can do.

(2) According to the present embodiment, the abnormality determination threshold is based on the pressure increase rate value and the increase rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas when the high pressure tank 32 is filled with hydrogen gas at the maximum flow rate defined by the station 1. It is possible to prevent the filling from being stopped more than necessary.
(3) According to the present embodiment, by determining the failure of the pressure sensor 36 and the temperature sensor 37 necessary for calculating the pressure increase rate value and the increase rate value of the remaining amount of hydrogen gas, the station 1 side Abnormalities can be accurately determined.
(4) According to the present embodiment, when stopping filling of hydrogen gas, in addition to transmitting a stop command signal from the vehicle 2 side to the station 1 side, hydrogen gas is filled by the filling path cutoff valve 326 on the vehicle 2 side. By shutting off the inflow, it is possible to reliably prevent overfilling even when the normal communication between the vehicle 2 and the station 1 is not established.
(5) According to this embodiment, overfilling can be reliably prevented even with hydrogen that has a low molecular weight and is difficult to handle.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this.
In the above embodiment, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred on the hydrogen gas station side during communication filling, and when an abnormality has occurred, the filling of hydrogen gas into the high-pressure tank is stopped, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. As described above, the present invention can determine that an abnormality has occurred on the station side on the vehicle side even if communication between the vehicle and the station is not performed. The inside of the high-pressure tank can be stopped by judging the abnormality on the hydrogen gas station side in the same way.

  In the above embodiment, the hydrogen gas station is determined to be abnormal based on the comparison between the pressure increase rate value (Example 1) or the remaining amount increase rate value (Example 2) and a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value. The physical quantity to be compared with the abnormality determination threshold value for determining the abnormality is not limited to this. If an abnormality occurs in the station, the temperature increase rate value in the high-pressure tank is also considered to be larger than normal. Therefore, the temperature increase rate value calculated based on the output of the temperature sensor and the specified abnormality determination The station abnormality may be determined based on the comparison with the threshold value. However, the detection delay of the temperature sensor (the time it takes for the filling speed abnormality to appear as a change in the output value of the temperature sensor) is large compared to the detection delay of the pressure sensor. Therefore, when an abnormality is determined based on the temperature increase rate value, the abnormality determination threshold value may be determined by subtracting a predetermined margin value from a predetermined reference value in consideration of the detection delay of the temperature sensor. Here, the reference value refers to the temperature rise rate value in the high-pressure tank when hydrogen gas is filled at the maximum flow rate determined on the hydrogen gas station side, as in S12 of FIG.

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.

S ... Hydrogen filling system 1 ... Hydrogen gas station (supply device)
12. Dispenser (supply device)
2 ... Fuel cell vehicle (moving body)
3 ... Fuel cell system 32 ... High pressure tank (storage container)
326... Filling path cutoff valve (shutoff means)
36 ... Pressure sensor (pressure detection means)
37 ... Temperature sensor (temperature detection means)
5. Communication system (transmission means)

Claims (8)

A storage container for storing fuel gas;
A fuel gas filling method for a moving body comprising pressure detection means for detecting the pressure of gas in the storage container,
A filling step of connecting the mobile body and an external supply device, and filling the storage container with fuel gas supplied from the supply device;
A pressure change rate calculating step of calculating a value of a pressure change rate in the storage container based on a detection value of the pressure detecting means during the filling step;
A filling stop step of stopping filling of the fuel gas into the storage container when the pressure change rate value calculated in the pressure change rate calculating step is equal to or greater than a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value. To fill the fuel gas.   The abnormality determination threshold value is determined based on a pressure change rate in the storage container when the storage container is filled with fuel gas at a maximum flow rate in a supply device in a normal state. 2. The fuel gas filling method according to 1.   The fuel gas filling method according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor failure determination step of determining a failure of the pressure detection means. A storage container for storing fuel gas;
Pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the gas in the storage container;
A temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the gas in the storage container, and a fuel gas filling method for a moving body comprising:
A filling step of connecting the mobile body and an external supply device, and filling the storage container with fuel gas supplied from the supply device;
A remaining amount change rate calculating step of calculating a change rate of the remaining amount of fuel gas in the storage container based on detection values of the pressure detecting unit and the temperature detecting unit during the filling step;
And a filling stop step for stopping filling of the fuel gas into the storage container when the remaining amount changing speed value calculated in the remaining amount changing speed calculating step is equal to or greater than a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value. A fuel gas filling method.   The abnormality determination threshold value is determined based on a change rate of a remaining amount in the storage container when fuel gas is filled into the storage container at a maximum flow rate in a supply device in a normal state. Item 5. The fuel gas filling method according to Item 4.   The fuel gas filling method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a sensor failure determination step of determining a failure of the pressure detection means or the temperature detection means. The moving body cuts off the inflow of gas into the storage container and the outflow of gas from the storage container, transmitting means for transmitting a stop command signal for instructing to stop the supply of fuel gas to the supply device A blocking means,
7. In the filling stop step, the stop command signal is transmitted from the transmission unit, and the flow of fuel gas from the supply device into the storage container is blocked by the blocking unit. The fuel gas filling method according to any one of the above. The fuel gas is hydrogen gas;
The fuel gas filling method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mobile body is a fuel cell vehicle including a fuel cell system that generates electric power using hydrogen gas in the storage container.

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