JP5552258B2 - Gas fueled vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas-fueled vehicle that is replenished with gas serving as fuel from a gas replenishing device such as a hydrogen station, and more particularly to the structure of a replenishing port (filling port) of a gas-fueled vehicle.

  Conventionally, this type of gas fuel vehicle is provided with a receptacle at a gas filling port, and a filling nozzle (replenishment nozzle) of a gas station is connected to the receptacle, and the filling nozzle is inserted into a high-pressure tank mounted on the vehicle. Gas is sent in. For example, in Patent Document 1, a filling pressure and a filling flow rate are controlled by a dispenser unit on the gas station side, and compressed natural gas is filled into a fuel tank from a filling nozzle. In this case, a temperature sensor is provided in the dispenser unit, the temperature of the compressed natural gas being filled is detected by this temperature sensor, and the filling flow rate is corrected based on the detection result.

JP-A-8-100957 (FIG. 1 and paragraphs 0017, 0030 and 0039)

However, when the temperature sensor of the dispenser unit fails, the gas temperature cannot be detected on the vehicle side. For this reason, even if the gas temperature is abnormal on the gas station side, there is a possibility that the abnormal gas is directly filled in the tank of the vehicle. In particular, in recent years, in order to suppress the temperature rise in the tank due to high-pressure filling, it has been studied to cool the gas in advance on the gas station side, but this gas cooling device fails and is filled with high-temperature gas. If this happens, the tank may become unstable.
In view of this point, it is conceivable to provide a temperature sensor in the tank in order to manage the temperature in the tank. However, in the case of hydrogen gas, the temperature rises due to adiabatic compression at the time of filling in the tank, so it is difficult to accurately detect a failure on the gas station side with this temperature sensor.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gas-fueled vehicle that can be detected on the vehicle side even when there is an abnormality on the gas replenishing device side, and can also be used to reduce the number of parts.

  In order to achieve the above object, a gas-fueled vehicle according to the present invention includes a receptacle to which a replenishing nozzle of a gas replenishing device is connected at the time of gas replenishment, and a sensor for detecting a physical quantity of gas from the replenishing nozzle flowing in the receptacle. A vehicle-side communication device that communicates with the refill nozzle-side communication device, and the sensor and the vehicle-side communication device are integrally incorporated in the receptacle.

  According to the present invention, the physical quantity of gas from the gas supply device can be detected by the vehicle-side sensor. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs on the gas supply device side and the physical quantity of the gas changes, it can be detected on the vehicle side that an abnormality has occurred on the gas supply device side from the detection of the physical quantity. In addition, by communicating the detection result from the vehicle side communication device to the replenishment nozzle side communication device as necessary, it is possible to notify the gas replenishment device, for example, take measures such as stopping gas replenishment. Is possible. In addition, since the sensor is incorporated in the receptacle, the sensor can be provided by effectively using the receptacle, and the physical quantity of the gas immediately after being discharged from the supply nozzle can be detected at the position of the receptacle. . In addition, since the sensor is integrated into the receptacle together with the vehicle-side communication device, the parts can be made common and compact compared to the case where they are provided separately, and the number of parts and the occupied space in the vehicle can be reduced. it can.

  Preferably, the sensor is a temperature sensor.

  According to this configuration, an abnormality in the gas temperature on the gas supply device side can be detected on the vehicle side. This is particularly useful when the gas replenishing device includes a device for adjusting the gas temperature.

  Preferably, the receptacle may have an opening that accommodates the vehicle-side communication device inside the outer surface.

  By doing so, since the vehicle-side communication device does not protrude from the outer surface of the receptacle, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of mounting the receptacle on the vehicle and reduce the mounting space.

  More preferably, the gas fuel vehicle may include a cover that covers the vehicle-side communication device provided in the opening.

  With this cover, the vehicle-side communication device can be protected from external elements (collisions from the outside, deposits such as water and dust).

  More preferably, the gas fuel vehicle includes a fixture that fixes the vehicle-side communication device in the opening, and the cover may also cover the fixture.

  Accordingly, not only the vehicle-side communication device but also a fixing tool for fixing the vehicle-side communication device can be concealed by the cover so as not to protrude from the receptacle.

  More preferably, the outer surface of the cover is located flush with or more than the outer surface of the receptacle.

  By doing so, the cover itself does not have to protrude from the outer surface of the receptacle, which can contribute to a reduction in mounting space.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the receptacle includes a connection portion connected to the replenishing nozzle from the distal end side, and a flange portion formed on the proximal end side of the connection portion, and the flange portion attaches the receptacle. It is a part used when fixing to the body of a gas fuel vehicle, and an opening part is good to be formed in a concave shape in a flange part.

  According to this structure, the opening part for vehicle side communication apparatuses can be formed using the flange part used in the case of fixation effectively.

  According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the receptacle includes a gas flow path through which a gas from the replenishing nozzle flows, and a main body portion in which the gas flow path is formed, and the sensor is a sensing section. It is good to fix to a main-body part in the state which faced in the gas flow path.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the gas fuel vehicle may include a control unit that determines an abnormality of the gas supply device based on a detection result of the sensor. More preferably, when it is determined that the gas replenishing device is abnormal, the control unit may notify the communicator on the replenishing nozzle side via the vehicle-side communicator.

  According to such a configuration, an abnormality of the gas replenishing device detected on the vehicle side can be notified to the gas replenishing device side by effectively using both communication devices.

It is the schematic of the gas supply system which shows the gas fuel vehicle which concerns on embodiment with a gas supply apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the control system of the gas replenishment system of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the receptacle of the gas fuel vehicle which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the receptacle of the gas fuel vehicle which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a gas fuel vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system will be described as an example of the gas fuel vehicle. As is well known, the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas (for example, hydrogen gas) and an oxidizing gas (for example, air).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply system 1 includes a gas supply device 2 such as a hydrogen station, and a fuel cell vehicle 3 that travels using fuel gas. Note that one mode of gas supply includes gas filling.

  The gas supply device 2 includes a dispenser 21 that sends out fuel gas, and a filling hose 22 is connected to the dispenser 21. A precooler 24 is provided in the middle of the filling hose 22, and the precooler 24 cools the fuel gas delivered from the dispenser 21 to a predetermined low temperature (for example, about −20 ° C.). A supply nozzle 23 is attached to the end of the filling hose 22. The replenishing nozzle 23 is a component also referred to as a filling coupling or a filling nozzle, and is connected to the fuel cell vehicle 3 when fuel gas is replenished.

  The fuel cell vehicle 3 includes a fuel tank 10 as a fuel gas supply source to the fuel cell. The fuel tank 10 is a high-pressure tank capable of storing, for example, 35 MPa or 70 MPa hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas in the fuel tank 10 is supplied to the fuel cell via a gas supply pipe (not shown). On the other hand, hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel tank 10 from the gas supply device 2 through the receptacle 12 and the filling pipe 14. The receptacle 12 is a portion to which the supply nozzle 23 is connected when fuel gas is supplied, and the temperature sensor 15 and the communication device 17 are integrated into the receptacle 12. The filling pipe 14 constitutes a flow path for flowing hydrogen gas from the receptacle 12 toward the fuel tank 10. The filling pipe 14 is provided with, for example, a check valve 18 for preventing the backflow of hydrogen gas.

  The fuel cell vehicle 3 includes a lid box 30 for a filling port in a vehicle body 3a. The lid box 30 is a bottomed opening on the side surface of the vehicle body formed in the body, wheel house, panel, etc. constituting the vehicle body 3a, and can be opened and closed by a lid 32 having one end connected to the side surface of the vehicle body. A part of the receptacle 12 is located in the internal space 34 of the lid box 30, and the replenisher can connect the replenishing nozzle 23 to the receptacle 12 by opening the lid 32 when fuel gas is replenished. It becomes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell vehicle 3 includes a control device 19 that is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 15 and the communication device 17. The temperature sensor 15 detects the temperature of the gas supplied from the gas supply device 2 in the receptacle 12. The communication device 17 includes a communication interface that performs wireless communication such as infrared communication.

  The control device 19 is configured as a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM inside. The CPU executes a desired calculation according to the control program and performs various processes and controls. The ROM stores control programs and control data to be processed by the CPU, and the RAM is mainly used as various work areas for control processing. The control device 19 comprehensively controls the fuel cell vehicle 3 in response to detection results of various sensors. For example, the control device 19 controls the travel of the fuel cell vehicle 3 by controlling the fuel cell system and the traction motor. Further, the control device 19 transmits information that can be grasped by the fuel cell vehicle 3 to the gas supply device 2 using the communication device 17.

  The gas replenishing device 2 includes a communication device 40 that transmits and receives various types of information to and from the vehicle-side communication device 17, and a control device 42 that is configured as a microcomputer in the same manner as the vehicle-side control device 19. The communication device 40 is of a type corresponding to the vehicle-side communication device 17 and includes a communication interface for performing wireless communication such as infrared communication. The communicator 40 is mounted at the tip of the replenishing nozzle 23 so that it can communicate with the communication device 17 with the replenishing nozzle 23 connected to the receptacle 12. The control device 42 is electrically connected to the dispenser 21 and the precooler 24 in addition to the communication device 40, and controls the entire gas supply device 2. For example, the control device 42 outputs a control signal to various devices of the gas supply device 2 based on information transmitted and received by the communication device 40 and controls the operation of the dispenser 21.

  Next, an integrated structure of the receptacle 12, the temperature sensor 15, and the communication device 17 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The receptacle 12 has a main body 51 in which a gas flow path 50 is formed. The main body 51 is formed using a material that is resistant to hydrogen embrittlement (for example, SUS316L), and includes a connecting portion 52, a flange portion 54, and a connecting portion 56. The gas flow path 50 is a flow path through which hydrogen gas from the replenishing nozzle 23 flows, and is formed to penetrate the main body 51 in the axial direction so as to communicate the flow path in the replenishing nozzle 23 and the filling pipe 14. . The connecting portion 52 and the flange portion 54 are located in the lid box 30, and the connecting portion 56 is located on the vehicle inner side than the lid box 30. A male screw 55 is formed in the connecting portion 56, and the filling pipe 14 is connected through the male screw 55 or a joint connected thereto.

  The connection part 52 is a cylindrical part in which a ball lock groove 57 is formed on the tip side, and a step part 58 is formed in the middle part in the longitudinal direction. The connecting portion 52 has a valve mechanism (not shown) formed therein, and when the replenishing nozzle 23 is fitted from the front end side, the valve mechanism in the connecting portion 52 is opened and hydrogen gas from the replenishing nozzle 23 is opened. Can be filled. In this fitted state, the ball on the supply nozzle 23 side enters the ball lock groove 50 and is locked in a state where the supply nozzle 23 and the receptacle 12 are connected. Further, at the time of fitting, the tip end portion 23a of the supply nozzle 23 is brought into contact with the stepped portion 58 so that the position of the supply nozzle 23 with respect to the receptacle 12 is regulated.

  The flange portion 54 is formed in a thin plate shape on the proximal end side of the connection portion 52 so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the connection portion 52. The flange portion 54 is a portion used when the receptacle 12 is fixed to the lid box 30, and is fixed to the inner wall of the lid box 30 directly or via the bracket 60. For example, the back surface 62 of the flange portion 54 is brought into contact with the bracket 60, and both are fixed at three locations with bolts 66, 66, 66 inserted from the front surface 64 side of the flange portion 54. The receptacle 12 is mounted on the lid box 30 by fixing the bracket 60 to the bottom wall 30 a (see FIG. 1) of the lid box 30.

  A surface 64 of the flange portion 54 is a surface facing the tip portion 23 a of the replenishing nozzle 23, and a concave or shallow opening 70 is formed in a part of the surface 64. In the opening 70, the communication device 17 is accommodated and fixed, and a cover 72 that closes the opening 70 so as to cover the communication device 17 is provided.

  The communication device 17 includes an element unit 80 including a transmission element and a reception element, and a circuit unit 82 connected to the element unit 80, and the circuit unit 82 is connected to the control device 19 via a harness 84. The transmitting element and the receiving element of the element unit 80 are configured by, for example, an infrared light emitting diode and a photodiode, respectively, and are positioned so as to face the tip portion 23 a of the replenishing nozzle 23. The circuit unit 82 is a substrate having a communication control unit that controls communication based on transmission / reception signals of the element unit 80, and is fixed to the bottom surface 71 of the opening 70 by a pair of bolts 86 and 86 (fixing tools). In this fixed state, the element portion 80 and the circuit portion 82 are accommodated so as not to protrude from the surface 64 of the flange portion 54. In other words, the communication device 17 in the opening 70 is located inside the surface 64. The flange portion 54 is formed with a hole (not shown) for inserting the harness 84 into the vehicle inside.

  The cover 72 is made of a material that does not hinder transmission / reception by the communication device 17, and is formed of, for example, a transparent resin capable of cutting visible light. The cover 72 is detachably fitted into the opening 70 and covers the communication device 17 and the bolts 86 and 86 in the opening 70 so as to hide them. When the cover 72 is fitted in the opening 70, the outer surface 72a of the cover 72 is flush with the surface 64 of the flange portion 54, and the communication device 17 is protected from external elements. Although the design of the cover 72 and the opening 70 can be changed, it is preferable that the cover 72 does not cause a protrusion on the surface 64. As an example, the outer surface 72 a of the cover 72 may be positioned inside the surface 64.

  The temperature sensor 15 includes a temperature sensing unit 90 that senses the temperature of the hydrogen gas from the replenishing nozzle 23, and an electric wire 92 that is coupled to the temperature sensing unit 90. The temperature sensor 15 is fixed to the main body 51 of the receptacle 12 with the temperature sensing unit 90 facing the gas flow path 50, and the electric wire 92 is connected to the control device 19. The main body 51 is formed with a hole (not shown) for inserting the electric wire 92 into the vehicle inside. With such a configuration, the temperature sensor 15 is integrated so as to be embedded in the receptacle 12. A known sensor can be used as the temperature sensor 15. For example, the temperature sensing unit 90 can be formed of a resistor made of a metal such as platinum. The temperature sensing unit 90 may be a position where the hydrogen gas in the gas flow path 50 comes into contact, and can be disposed in the gas flow path 50, for example. However, the temperature sensor 90 may be configured to be in contact with the main body 51 of the receptacle 12 and configured as the temperature sensor 15 that detects the hydrogen gas temperature by heat transfer from the main body 51.

The effect of this embodiment demonstrated above is demonstrated.
1. About the replenishment When the hydrogen gas is replenished, the temperature of the hydrogen gas from the gas replenishing device 2 is detected by the temperature sensor 15 of the fuel cell vehicle 3. Since the temperature sensor 15 is incorporated in the receptacle 12, the temperature of the hydrogen gas immediately after being discharged from the supply nozzle 23 is detected. Therefore, the hydrogen gas replenishment temperature from the gas replenishing device 2 can be detected more accurately than when a temperature sensor is provided in the fuel tank 10 whose temperature rises due to adiabatic compression during replenishment.

  When the hydrogen gas supply temperature detected by the temperature sensor 15 is higher than the gas temperature (predetermined value) to be supplied to the gas fuel vehicle 3, it is considered that some abnormality has occurred on the gas supply device 2 side. For example, when the precooler 24 fails and the hydrogen gas temperature cannot be reduced, the detected hydrogen gas replenishment temperature exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device 19 on the vehicle side determines whether there is an abnormality in the gas supply device 2 based on the detected hydrogen gas supply temperature. Thereby, it is possible for the fuel cell vehicle 3 to detect that an abnormality has occurred on the gas supply device 2 side during supply.

When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the gas replenishing device 2, the control device 19 transmits a message to that effect to the communication device 40 on the gas replenishing device 2 side using the communication device 17. This transmission result is transmitted to the control device 42 so that the gas replenishing device 2 recognizes that an abnormality has occurred in itself.
The control device 42 can take abnormality countermeasure processing. For example, in the above-described failure example, the control device 42 can recognize that the precooler 24 has failed and can control to stop the feeding of hydrogen gas from the dispenser 21. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the supply of hydrogen gas having an abnormal temperature to the fuel tank 10 of the fuel cell vehicle 3.

2. About the integrated structure of the receptacle The temperature sensor 15 and the communication device 17 are not externally attached to the receptacle 12, but are integrated so as to be embedded inside. Thereby, compared with the case where it attaches externally or the case where it provides with another body, it can aim at commonality of components and can also reduce the number of components. Moreover, the operation | work which assembles these to the vehicle 3 can also be simplified. Furthermore, since the receptacle 12, the temperature sensor 15, and the communication device 17 can be made compact by integration, the occupied space in the vehicle 3 can be reduced. Particularly, since the temperature sensor 15 and the communication device 17 do not protrude from the outer surface of the receptacle 12 in the lid box 30 which is a limited mounting space, it is possible to improve the mounting flexibility and reduce the mounting space.

  Further, the communication device 17 is covered with a cover 70 including its fixture (bolt 86) so as not to be exposed from the receptacle 12, thereby protecting the communication device 17 from external elements. Thereby, not only can it protect from the external impact to the communication apparatus 17, but adhesion to the communication apparatus 17, such as water and garbage, can be prevented, or the influence of the disturbance to the communication apparatus 17 can be suppressed. .

<Modification>
As a sensor provided integrally with the receptacle 12, a sensor that detects a physical quantity of a gas other than temperature can be used instead of the temperature sensor 15. For example, a flow sensor that detects the gas flow rate may be used. Alternatively, a pressure sensor that detects the gas pressure may be used. The former flow sensor can detect an abnormal flow rate of the gas replenishing device 2, and the latter pressure sensor can detect an abnormal pressure of the gas replenishing device 2.

  The gas fuel vehicle of the present invention is not limited to the fuel cell vehicle 3 described above, and may be a natural gas vehicle, for example. In addition to the vehicle, the structure around the receptacle of the present invention can be suitably applied to a moving body that uses gas supplied from the outside as fuel, such as an aircraft, a ship, and a robot. Furthermore, the structure around the receptacle of the present invention can be suitably applied to equipment equipped with a stationary fuel cell system.

  2: Gas replenishing device, 3: Gas fuel vehicle (fuel cell vehicle), 10: Fuel tank, 12: Receptacle, 14: Filling pipe, 15: Temperature sensor, 17: Vehicle-side communication device, 19: Control device, 23: Supply nozzle, 40: Supply nozzle side communication device, 50: Gas flow path, 51: Main body part, 52: Connection part, 54: Flange part, 70: Opening part, 72: Cover, 86: Bolt (fixing tool), 90 : Sensor

Claims (10)

A receptacle to which a replenishing nozzle of a gas replenishing device is connected when refilling gas
A sensor for detecting a physical quantity of gas from the replenishing nozzle flowing in the receptacle;
A vehicle-side communication device that communicates with the refill nozzle-side communication device,
A gas-fueled vehicle in which the sensor and the vehicle-side communication device are integrated into the receptacle.   The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor.   The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle has an opening that accommodates the vehicle-side communication device inside the outer surface of the receptacle.   The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a cover that covers the vehicle-side communication device provided in the opening. A fixing device for fixing the vehicle-side communication device in the opening;
The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the cover also covers the fixture.   6. The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 4, wherein an outer surface of the cover is flush with an outer surface of the receptacle or located on an inner side of the outer surface. The receptacle is
A connecting portion connected to the replenishing nozzle from the tip side;
A flange portion formed on the base end side of the connection portion,
The flange portion is a portion used when fixing the receptacle to the body of the gas fuel vehicle,
The gas fuel vehicle according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the opening is formed in a concave shape in the flange portion. The receptacle is
A gas flow path through which gas from the replenishing nozzle flows;
A main body part in which the gas flow path is formed, and
The gas fuel vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sensor is fixed to the main body portion with a temperature sensing portion facing the gas flow path.   The gas fuel vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a control unit that determines an abnormality of the gas supply device based on a detection result of the sensor.   The gas fuel vehicle according to claim 9, wherein when the gas replenishing device determines that the gas replenishing device is abnormal, the control unit notifies the communicator on the replenishing nozzle side via the vehicle side communicator.

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