JP4947252B2 - Mobile body and management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a movable body (for example, a vehicle) provided with a fuel tank, and a management technique for information related to the fuel tank and the movable body, which is suitable when the fuel tank is continuously used across a plurality of movable bodies.

  In recent years, electric vehicles have been developed, and vehicles equipped with fuel cells as a power source for motors have also been proposed (see Patent Document 1). A fuel cell refers to a device that generates electric power by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen that are finally supplied as fuel. When hydrogen is used as the fuel, it is water vapor that is discharged from the fuel cell, and since there are no harmful components, there is an advantage that the environment is very excellent.

The fuel tank (hydrogen tank) installed in the fuel cell vehicle must manage information such as the manufacturer's name, date of manufacture, fuel type, owner, date of fuel filling, etc., and properly check the fatigue and deterioration of components. There is. Here, with respect to the current owner of the fuel tank, etc., it is stipulated, for example, that the owner etc. be clearly indicated on the tank itself according to Chapter 4 Article 10 of the Container Safety Law. In addition, information such as the fuel filling date is often managed by a dealer or the like using a management ledger or the like.
JP 2001-224105 A

  In general, fuel tanks (particularly fuel gas tanks, high-pressure gas tanks) use a display member or an electronic storage medium to display various related information related to the fuel tank such as its manufacturer, date of manufacture, serial number, and fuel type. It is provided integrally with the fuel tank.

  Here, such a fuel tank moves passively in association with other mobile objects such as a mobile body (a vehicle such as an automobile or a train, a ship, an aircraft, or a mobile robot). It is desirable to be able to track what kind of fuel tank is attached to what kind of mobile body.

  However, in the past, although management of a single fuel tank has been performed with reference to the display member or the like, the management is not performed by linking the fuel tank and the moving body. It was difficult to do.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to manage fuel tank related information and mobile body related information as a set, manage the fuel tank usage history, and improve the fuel tank management quality. To do.

  The inventors of the present invention have studied to achieve the above object, and have found that the following problems exist.

  In other words, once the fuel tank was once attached to a moving body such as a vehicle, it was rarely used by replacing the fuel tank with another vehicle. As for the usage history, the framework for managing this was not provided. Actually, in the management ledger by the dealer, etc., even though the fuel filling date for each fuel tank is managed, it is not managed what kind of vehicle the fuel tank has been used for, etc. Is normal.

  However, in recent years, general commercialization of fuel cells has progressed and it has come to be used in various situations, so that the fuel tank can be used for other vehicles within a certain period of time. It is expected that there will be an increase in the situation where it is used as a substitute. For example, when a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell is used as a business vehicle such as a taxi, a fuel tank is shared by a plurality of vehicles, and a mode in which the fuel tank is dynamically (variably) assigned to the vehicle is considered sufficiently. It is done.

  Under such circumstances, it is desirable that the fuel tank usage history can be managed continuously over a plurality of vehicles or the like so that the fatigue and deterioration of the members can be appropriately checked.

  Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a framework capable of ensuring traceability related to a fuel tank and appropriately managing the use history even when the fuel tank is continuously used over a plurality of vehicles. .

  The mobile body according to the present invention is a mobile body including a fuel tank, and includes storage means for storing fuel tank related information related to the fuel tank and mobile body related information related to the mobile body in association with each other. To do.

  The mobile body of the present invention is a mobile body provided with a fuel tank, and is stored in fuel tank related information stored in the first storage means provided in the fuel tank and in the second storage means provided in the mobile body. Control means for associating the mobile body related information with the first storage means and / or the second storage means.

  The fuel tank related information includes at least one of information related to the owner of the fuel tank, information related to the manufacture of the fuel tank, information related to the attribute of the fuel to be filled, and information related to the filling work, and the mobile body related information Preferably includes at least one of information relating to the owner of the moving object, a moving object manufacturing number, and a moving object registration number.

  The fuel tank is preferably a fuel gas tank, and the moving body is preferably a fuel cell vehicle.

  Preferably, the control means acquires the fuel tank related information with reference to the first storage means, and stores the fuel tank related information in association with the mobile body related information in the second storage means. To do. Alternatively, the control means acquires the mobile body related information with reference to the second storage means, and stores the mobile body related information in the first storage means in association with the fuel tank related information.

  Preferably, the control means executes a process of storing the fuel tank related information and the mobile body related information in association with each other based on the timing at which the fuel tank is attached to the mobile body.

  Preferably, the control means executes a process of storing the fuel tank related information and the moving body related information in association with each other based on the timing when the fuel filling operation is performed on the fuel tank.

  Also preferably, the control means controls the communication means to store the fuel tank related information and the mobile body corresponding to the fuel tank related information stored in the first storage means or the second storage means. A set of related information is transmitted to a management apparatus installed outside the mobile body.

  The management apparatus of the present invention includes a unit for receiving fuel tank-related information attached to the moving body and a set of moving body-related information of the moving body transmitted from the moving body, and fuel included in the received set. Means for associating tank related information and mobile object related information with each other and registering them in a database.

  The management method of the present invention is a management method of a fuel tank attached to a moving body, and when the fuel tank is attached to the moving body, the fuel tank stored in the first storage means provided in the fuel tank Associating the related information with the moving body related information stored in the second storage means included in the moving body and storing the related information in the first storage means or / and the second storage means; Transmitting a fuel tank related information and a set of mobile body related information corresponding to the fuel tank related information stored in the second storage means to a management device installed outside the mobile body; It is characterized by providing.

  In this specification, the term “means” does not simply mean a physical means, but also includes a case where the functions of the means are realized by software. Further, the function of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the relevant information of a fuel tank and the relevant information of a mobile body are linked and managed as a set, the usage history of the fuel tank can be traced, and the management quality of the fuel tank can be improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, traceability relating to the fuel tank is ensured, and even when the fuel tank is continuously used over a plurality of moving bodies, the use history can be appropriately managed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, the moving body to which the fuel tank is attached can be determined according to the design, but in the following embodiments, the case where the fuel tank is attached to the fuel cell vehicle will be described as an example. I do.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the management system 100 includes a fuel cell vehicle 10 in which a fuel tank 30 is detachable, a management device 20 that is installed outside the vehicle and manages a fuel tank usage history, and the like. . The usage pattern of the fuel tank 30 may be any of a usage pattern that is attached and detached on a daily basis, and a usage pattern that is attached and detached when the fuel tank 30 is at a minimum necessary, such as at the time of failure.

  An in-vehicle terminal device 11 is mounted on the fuel cell vehicle 10, and the in-vehicle terminal 11 and the management device 20 are any of a predetermined communication network N (LAN, Internet, packet communication network, a combination thereof, etc. It is also possible to communicate with each other via both wired and wireless). When the management apparatus 20 is installed in a fuel supply stand or the like, it is desirable to construct the communication network N by a wireless packet communication network so that communication can be performed without connecting using a cable when supplying fuel, for example.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a fuel cell system 40 mounted on the fuel cell vehicle 10.

  The fuel cell system 40 mainly includes a fuel gas supply device 41 including a fuel tank 30, an oxidizing gas supply device 42, a fuel cell 43, and a control unit 44. The fuel gas is, for example, hydrogen gas, and the oxidizing gas is, for example, air. The control unit 44 obtains the required power generation amount of the fuel cell 43 from the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator sensor 48, controls the fuel gas supply device 41 and the oxidizing gas supply device 42 so as to obtain the desired power generation amount, and The fuel gas flow rate and the oxidizing gas flow rate supplied to the battery 43 are adjusted. The PCU 45 is a power control device including an inverter and a DC / DC converter. The PCU 45 converts the DC power generated by the fuel cell 43 into AC power and supplies it to the motor 46 for driving the vehicle, and also supplies surplus power to the secondary battery 47. Accumulate electricity. The secondary battery 47 plays a role as a regenerative energy storage source at the time of brake regeneration and an energy buffer at the time of load fluctuation accompanying acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.

  Here, a small electronic tag 31 is attached to the fuel tank 30 of the present embodiment by a screw, a fitting structure, or the like. The electronic tag 31 stores information related to the fuel tank 30 in its internal semiconductor circuit. The fuel tank related information is read out wirelessly by the in-vehicle terminal device 11 via the RF reader at a predetermined timing and transmitted to the management device 20 as described later. Such wireless access technology to the electronic tag 31 and the fuel tank related information can be configured using conventional data carrier technology.

  FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 11. As shown in FIG. 3A, the in-vehicle terminal device 11 is a dedicated or general-purpose information including hardware such as a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an external storage device, an RFID reader, a user interface such as a display, and a communication interface. It can be configured by a processing device. It is assumed that the RFID reader is installed in advance at a position where it can communicate with the electronic tag 31 with the fuel tank 30 attached to the fuel cell vehicle 10.

  FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 11. As shown in FIG. 3B, the in-vehicle terminal device 11 includes functional means such as a fuel tank / vehicle set information storage means 12, a communication means 13, and a control means 14. Each of these functional means is realized by the CPU executing a predetermined program (such as a program defining the management method of the present invention) stored in the ROM, RAM, external storage device or the like.

  The set information storage means 12 stores, as vehicle related information, at least one of information (name, name, address, etc.) related to the owner of the vehicle, a vehicle body number, and a license plate number. The vehicle-related information uses a user interface provided in the in-vehicle terminal device 11 via a communication interface from a predetermined host device (not shown), for example, at the time of new car registration or when the owner is changed. Thus, it can be written into the set information information storage means 12.

  The set information storage unit 12 stores related information of the fuel tank 30 in association with the vehicle related information. Fuel tank related information includes information related to the owner of the fuel tank (name, famous place, address, etc.), information related to the manufacture of the fuel tank (production date, serial number, etc.), and the attributes of the fuel to be filled (type of contents) Etc.) and information related to filling work (fuel filling date, number of times of fuel filling, etc.). As will be described later, a set of vehicle related information and fuel tank related information is written into the set information storage means 12 by the control means 15.

  The communication unit 13 is configured to be able to input / output data to / from the management apparatus 20 via the communication network N, and includes a communication module such as a PPP driver or a TCP / IP driver.

  The control unit 14 controls the overall operation of the in-vehicle terminal device 11 based on a program stored in a ROM or the like, and executes a fuel tank-vehicle set information acquisition / storage process, a fuel tank-vehicle set information transmission process, and the like. . In FIG. 3, the above-described processes executed by the control unit 14 are illustrated as functional units. In addition to the above-described processing, the control means 14 is configured to detect the fuel filling operation, for example, electrically or mechanically, and based on the temperature sensor, pressure sensor, flow rate sensor, etc. provided in the fuel tank. Various processes such as a process for detecting the remaining amount or the filling amount are executed.

  FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the management apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 4A, the management device 20 is configured by a dedicated or general-purpose information processing device including hardware such as a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an external storage device, a user interface such as a display, and a communication interface. be able to. The management device 20 may be configured by a single computer or may be configured by a plurality of computers distributed on a network.

  FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the management apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 4B, the management device 20 includes functional means such as a fuel tank / vehicle set information database 21, communication means 22, and control means 23.

  Similar to the set information storage unit 12, the set information database 21 stores related information of the fuel tank 30 in association with the vehicle related information. As will be described later, the set of the vehicle related information and the fuel tank related information is received from the in-vehicle terminal device 11 via the communication means 22 and is written into the related information database 21 by the control means 23.

  The communication unit 22 is configured to be able to input and output data to the in-vehicle terminal device 11 via the communication network N, and includes a communication module such as a PPP driver or a TCP / IP driver.

  The control means 23 controls the operation of the entire management apparatus 20 based on a program stored in a ROM or the like, and executes a fuel tank / vehicle set information reception / registration process, a fuel tank / vehicle set information management process, and the like. In FIG. 4, the above-described processes executed by the control unit 23 are illustrated as functional units. In addition to the above-described processes, the control unit 23 executes various processes such as a process for registering a fuel tank to be managed.

  FIG. 5 conceptually shows an example of the data structure of the fuel tank / vehicle set information storage means 12 and the fuel tank / vehicle set information database 21. Such a data structure can be configured using conventional database technology such as a relational database.

  The operation of the management system 100 will be described below based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Note that the steps can be executed in any order or in parallel as long as the processing contents do not contradict each other.

(Set information acquisition / storage processing)
When the fuel tank 30 is attached to the fuel cell vehicle 10, the control means 14 of the in-vehicle terminal device 11 controls the RFID reader at a predetermined timing and wirelessly controls the electronic tag 31 attached to the fuel tank 30. Accessing and reading (acquiring) fuel tank related information stored in the electronic tag 31 (S100).

  As the predetermined timing, for example, timing when the fuel tank 30 is attached to the fuel cell vehicle 10, timing when fuel filling operation is performed on the fuel tank 30, timing designated by the user, or a combination thereof is considered. Can do. In order to determine when the fuel tank is attached and when the fuel filling operation is performed, it is possible to detect the wearing state of the fuel tank and the presence / absence of the operation, for example, electrically or mechanically using known technology. It may be configured as follows.

  Next, the control unit 14 stores the acquired fuel tank related information in association with the vehicle related information in the set information storage unit 11 (stores a set of vehicle related information and fuel tank related information) (S101). . At this time, first, the vehicle related information of the fuel cell vehicle 10 is read with reference to the set information storage means 11, and then the read vehicle related information in a different area from the read area of the set information storage means 11. The acquired fuel tank related information may be stored in association with the above. Moreover, you may comprise so that date information, such as the acquisition timing of fuel tank relevant information, the storage timing to the set information storage means 11, etc. may be memorize | stored with each relevant information, for example.

  Next, the control means 14 determines whether or not the fuel tank related information has been changed (S102), and if not, ends the processing.

  On the other hand, when the fuel tank related information such as the fuel filling date is changed due to a fuel filling operation or the like, the control means 14 controls the RFID reader and the electronic tag 31 attached to the fuel tank 30. The information related to the fuel tank stored in the electronic tag 31 is updated (S103).

  Further, the control unit 14 stores the changed fuel tank related information in the set information storage unit 11 in association with the vehicle related information (S104), and ends the process.

(Set information transmission process)
The control means 14 of the in-vehicle terminal device 11 refers to the set information storage means 11 at a predetermined timing and reads set information (that is, vehicle related information and fuel tank related information associated with the vehicle related information). (S200).

  Examples of the predetermined timing include periodic timing (every predetermined time or every predetermined mileage), timing when fuel tank related information stored in the electronic tag 31 is updated, timing designated by the user, or Combinations of these can be considered. In addition, when determining a periodic timing, the vehicle-mounted terminal device 11 has a function of determining an elapsed time and a travel distance based on information acquired from an internal or external timer or a control system of the fuel cell vehicle 10.

  Next, the control unit 14 controls the communication unit 13 to transmit the read set information to the management apparatus 20 (S201). At this time, when date information and the like are stored in the set information storage unit 11 together with each related information, the untransmitted set information stored after the previous set information transmission processing execution timing is based on the date information. The transmission process may be executed.

(Set information reception / registration process)
The control means 23 of the management apparatus 20 controls the communication means 22 and receives set information transmitted from the fuel cell vehicle 10 (S300). This set information includes fuel tank related information of the fuel tank 30 attached to the fuel cell vehicle 10 and vehicle related information of the fuel cell vehicle 10.

  Next, the control means 23 registers the received set information in the related information database 21 (S301).

(Set information management process)
The control means 23 of the management apparatus 20 refers to the set information database 21 based on an instruction from the operator of the management apparatus 20 and the like, and extracts the set information related to the fuel tank 30 based on the extracted set information. In addition, the usage history information of the fuel tank 30 (how the fuel tank has been used and how it was used) is shown on a display or the like, and which fuel tank is installed in which vehicle. Or processing for determining the durability of the fuel tank 30 or the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal device 10 or the management device 20 employs a configuration for storing and managing set information in which fuel tank related information and vehicle related information are associated with each other. Even when the vehicle is continuously used over the vehicle, traceability regarding the fuel tank 30 can be ensured, and the use history can be appropriately managed and grasped.

(Other)
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied with various modifications. For example, in the above embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle is described as an example of the installation location of the fuel tank, but the fuel tank is continued over a plurality of installation locations even when installed in an installation location other than the fuel cell vehicle. The same effect can be obtained if there is a possibility of use.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which memorize | stores the set information of vehicle related information and fuel tank related information in the set information storage means 12 of the vehicle-mounted terminal device 11, this invention is not limited to such a structure. . For example, it can be considered that the set information is stored in the electronic tag 31 of the fuel tank 30 instead of or in addition to the set information storage means 12. When storing in the electronic tag 31 instead of the set information storage unit 12, the control unit 14 reads (acquires) vehicle-related information with reference to a predetermined storage unit, and the electronic tag 31 stores the electronic tag 31. The read vehicle related information is stored in association with the fuel tank related information (set information is stored). Further, when executing the set information transmission processing, the RFID reader is controlled, and the set information is read from the electronic tag 31 attached to the fuel tank 30 and transmitted to the management device 20.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure which uses the electronic tag 31 as a means to memorize | store fuel tank relevant information, it is good also as a structure which memorize | stores fuel tank relevant information using storage media other than the electronic tag 31. FIG. For example, instead of the electronic tag 31, an information storage medium that does not include an electric circuit, such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code, can be used. In this case, the in-vehicle terminal device 10 includes a reader corresponding to the information storage medium, such as a barcode reader, instead of the RFID reader. However, when the storage means provided in the fuel tank 30 is such a non-rewritable information storage medium, the updated fuel tank related information, the vehicle related information and the set information of the fuel tank related information are the same as those in the above embodiment. Thus, it is necessary to store in the set information storage means 12 of the loading terminal device 11.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the set information storage means 12 is used as a memory | storage means to memorize | store vehicle relevant information, this invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, as storage means for storing vehicle-related information, it is also conceivable to use an information storage medium that does not include an electric circuit, such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code, as described above.

  In the above-described embodiment, the set information is temporarily stored in the set information storage means 12 and is read out at the time of transmission to execute the transmission process. For example, at the time of transmission, vehicle-related information is obtained from a predetermined storage means. A configuration may be adopted in which set information is created by associating the read vehicle-related information with the fuel tank-related information acquired from the electronic tag 31 and executing the transmission process.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a management system 100. FIG. It is a principal lineblock diagram of a fuel cell system with which vehicles of this embodiment are provided. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle terminal device 11. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management device 20. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the data structure of the set information storage means 12 and the set information database 21. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management system 100. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management system 100.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell vehicle, 11 Car terminal device, 12 Set information storage means, 13 Communication means, 14 Control means, 20 Management apparatus, 21 Set information database, 22 Communication means, 23 Control means, 30 Fuel tank, 31 Electronic tag, 40 Fuel cell system

Claims (10)

A mobile body comprising a fuel tank and a terminal device,
The fuel tank is a fuel tank that is detachably attached to the moving body, and includes first storage means for storing fuel tank related information,
The terminal device includes second storage means for storing mobile body related information, and control means,
The fuel tank related information includes a fuel tank manufacturing number, and the mobile body related information includes at least one of information related to the owner of the mobile body, a mobile body manufacturing number, and a mobile body registration number,
The control means associates the fuel tank related information with the mobile body related information, creates information on the usage history of the fuel tank associated with the mobile body related information, and the first storage means and the A moving body characterized in that it is stored in at least one of the second storage means. The said control means acquires the said fuel tank related information with reference to said 1st memory | storage means, and memorize | stores the information of the usage history of the said fuel tank in said 2nd memory | storage means. Moving body. The said control means acquires the said mobile body relevant information with reference to said 2nd memory | storage means, and memorize | stores the usage-history information of the said fuel tank in said 1st memory | storage means. Moving body. The control means acquires the fuel tank related information at a timing when the fuel tank is attached to the moving body, associates the fuel tank related information with the moving body related information, and records the usage history of the fuel tank. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein a process for creating and storing information is executed. The control means acquires the fuel tank related information at a timing when a fuel filling operation is performed on the fuel tank, and associates the fuel tank related information with the mobile object related information to obtain information on the use history of the fuel tank. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein a process for creating and storing the data is executed. Further, the control means controls the communication means so that the fuel tank usage history information stored in the first storage means or the second storage means is sent to a management device installed outside the moving body. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body transmits the data to the mobile body.   7. The first storage means provided in the fuel tank is an RFID tag, and the control means accesses the RFID tag via an RFID reader provided in the moving body. The moving body according to item 1.   The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fuel tank corresponds to at least one of a fuel gas tank, a high pressure gas tank, and a hydrogen tank.   The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mobile body is a fuel cell vehicle. A method of managing a fuel tank attached to a moving body,
The fuel tank is a fuel tank that is detachably attached to the moving body, and includes first storage means for storing fuel tank related information,
The mobile body includes a terminal device, and the terminal device includes a second storage unit that stores mobile body related information, and a control unit.
The control means associates the fuel tank related information with the mobile body related information to create information on the use history of the fuel tank associated with the mobile body related information, and the first storage means and the Storing in at least one of the second storage means;
Said control means, the information of the use history of the fuel tank to be stored on at least one of said first memory means and said second storage means, is provided outside of the moving body, the history of use of the fuel tank Transmitting to a management device to be managed;
A management method comprising:

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