JP6294697B2 - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply apparatus.

  For example, in a fuel supply device that supplies fuel (hydrogen, CNG, gasoline, light oil, etc.) when the vehicle travels to a fuel tank mounted on the vehicle, the fuel supply line and fuel supply are controlled inside the housing There is a latching part where a filling coupling (fuel supply connector) connected to the fuel supply line is latched on the outside of the housing. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a detection switch for detecting that the filling coupling is applied is provided in the latching portion, and a supply start switch for starting fuel supply is provided outside the housing.

  In the control unit housed inside the housing, when the filling coupling is detached from the latching portion, the detection switch of the latching portion is turned off, and the filling coupling is connected to the connection port of the vehicle that receives fuel supply. When the supply start switch is turned on later, the fuel supply line pump communicated with the filling coupling is started, and the control valve is opened to start the fuel supply to the fuel tank.

  In the fuel supply device configured as described above, since each device such as a latching portion and various operation switches (eg, supply start switch) is exposed outside the casing, mischief of each device and sunlight There was a risk that each device would be deteriorated by wind and rain.

  In order to prevent such mischief and deterioration of each device, a storage chamber is provided to store each device when non-fuel is supplied. When no fuel is supplied, the opening of the storage chamber is closed by an openable door. In order to protect each device and supply fuel to the fuel supply body, by opening the open / close door, the opening of the storage chamber is opened so that the filling coupling can be taken out of the storage chamber. It is considered to make the operation switch operable.

JP 2007-120656 A

  In the configuration having the storage chamber and the openable / closable door provided on the outside of the casing as described above, the opening / closing operation of the openable / closeable door, the filling coupling (the fuel supply connector) and the hose stored in the storage chamber are provided. It is important that the operation to pull out the outside is linked. For example, when fuel is supplied with a filling coupling connected to the fuel tank of a vehicle, the door is in the open position, and it is required that the hose drawn out of the storage room should not come into contact with the door. If the door is closed during supply, the filling coupling or hose may come into contact with or be caught between the doors. In this case, there is a problem that an extra load is applied to the filling coupling.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide a fuel supply apparatus that solves the above-described problems.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following means.

The present invention includes a fuel supply connector that is connected to a connection port of a fuel supply body and supplies fuel to the fuel supply body;
A fuel supply line connected to the fuel supply connector;
A device provided in the fuel supply line for controlling the supply of the fuel;
A housing having a storage chamber for storing the fuel supply line and the device;
An opening / closing member that closes an opening of the storage chamber when fuel supply to the fuel supply body is not performed and opens an opening of the storage chamber when fuel supply to the fuel supply body is performed;
A fuel supply device comprising:
An open / close member state detector for detecting whether or not the open / close member is in an open position for opening the opening;
Said the fuel supply to the fuel supply member, when said opening and closing member by the closing member state detector detects the absence in the open position, the control unit stopping the supply of the fuel by controlling the device,
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, when the open / close member state detector detects that the open / close member is not in the open position during the fuel supply to the fuel supply body, the fuel is controlled by controlling the device to stop the fuel supply. If the open / close door is closed accidentally during fuel supply, the fuel supply stops, so that the fuel supply continues to be performed with an excessive load on the fuel supply connector. Can be prevented.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus by this invention. It is a front view which shows the state which opened the opening-and-closing door as one Embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus by this invention. It is a front view which shows the state which closed the door as one embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus by this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which accommodated the fuel supply device as one Embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus by this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control processing 1 which a control part performs as one Embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus by this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of fuel supply device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a fuel supply apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply apparatus 10 includes a storage chamber 21 that stores pipes and devices. The storage chamber 21 includes a first storage chamber 22 that controls the flow rate inside the housing 20 and a second storage chamber 24 that stores a connector for supplying fuel. A partition plate 26 that defines the space between the first storage chamber 22 and the second storage chamber 24 is provided between the first storage chamber 22 and the second storage chamber 24.

  The first storage chamber 22 stores a fuel supply line 30 and devices such as an on-off valve 32, a flow rate adjustment valve 34, a pressure sensor 36, and a control unit 38 arranged in the fuel supply line 30. The second storage chamber 24 stores a filling hose 40, an emergency release coupling 42, a filling coupling 50 as a fuel supply connector, and a latching portion 60 that are communicated with the fuel supply pipe 30. The emergency release coupling 42 is provided in the filling hose 40, and when the filling coupling 50 is pulled with a strong force when supplying fuel connected to a connection port of a fuel tank mounted on the vehicle, the fuel supply is separated and supplied. It is a safety device that suppresses damage to the device 10.

  A latching portion 60 is fixed to the partition plate 26 of the storage chamber 21, and the latching portion 60 is provided with a detection switch 62 that detects that the filling coupling 50 is latched. Yes. The detection switch 62 is turned on when a state in which the filling coupling 50 is hooked on the hooking portion 60 is detected, and a detection signal is transmitted. Further, when the filling coupling 50 is removed from the latching portion 60, the detection switch 62 is turned off and transmission of the detection signal is stopped.

  Further, the end of the fuel supply pipe 30 is inserted into the partition plate 26 of the storage chamber 21 from the first storage chamber 22 to the second storage chamber 24. Further, the partition plate 26 blocks the space between the first storage chamber 22 and the second storage chamber 24 and is arranged in the fuel supply line 30 or the fuel supply line 30 stored in the first storage chamber 22. In addition, devices that do not need to be operated or checked during normal gas filling operations such as the on-off valve 32, the flow rate adjusting valve 34, and the pressure sensor 36 are shielded from view from the second storage chamber 24 side. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated the structure which has the 1st, 2nd storage chambers 22 and 24, it is good also as a structure which has three or more storage chambers.

  The opening 28 of the second storage chamber 24 is opened and closed by an opening / closing member 80. Therefore, when gas filling is not performed, each device stored in the second storage chamber 24 is protected from external wind and rain. Further, the second storage chamber 24 includes a supply start switch 70, a stop switch 72, a door open state holding mechanism 90 that holds the open / close member 80 in the open position, and an open / close member state detector 74 that detects the open / close state of the open / close member 80. Have The door open state holding mechanism 90 has, for example, a solenoid or the like, and can hold (lock) the opening / closing member 80 in the open position when a lock operation signal is input.

  When the supply start signal from the supply start switch 70 is input, the control unit 38 outputs a valve opening signal to the on-off valve 32 and starts supplying fuel to the fuel supply body (fuel tank mounted on the vehicle). . Furthermore, the control unit 38 controls the valve opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve (control valve) 34 so that the detected pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 36 reaches a preset target pressure.

  The control unit 38 controls the control unit to start fuel supply by the on-off valve 32 and the flow rate adjusting valve 34 when the opening / closing member state detector 74 detects that the doors 80A, 80B are in the open position. As a control means for stopping the start of fuel supply by the opening / closing valve 32 and the flow rate adjusting valve 34 when the control program as means and the opening / closing member state detector 74 detect that the doors 80A, 80B are not in the open position Run the control program. In this embodiment, the fuel to be supplied will be described by taking gas such as hydrogen and CNG (compressed natural gas) as an example. However, for example, fuel that supplies liquid fuel such as gasoline or light oil as fuel other than gas. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to the supply device.

[Second storage chamber 24 and opening / closing member 80]
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which an opening / closing door is opened as an embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the door is closed as an embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an opening 28 for pulling out the filling coupling 50 stored in the second storage chamber 24 is provided on the front surface of the housing 20. An opening / closing member 80 that opens or blocks the opening 28 is provided in the opening 28 of the second storage chamber 24. The opening / closing member 80 of the present embodiment includes a pair of doors 80A and 80B that slide in the left-right direction. Handles 82A and 82B are attached to the front surfaces of the doors 80A and 80B for sliding operation in the left-right direction.

  In the present embodiment, the pair of doors 80A and 80B is a manual type. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pair of doors 80A and 80B may be automatically opened and closed by operating an open / close switch. good. The opening / closing member 80 is not limited to the pair of doors 80A and 80B. For example, the opening / closing member 80 can be opened / closed by sliding the door in the up / down direction, or can be opened / closed by rotating by being pushed or pulled in the front / rear direction. A method may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the doors 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B are opened in the left-right direction, the filling hose 40, the filling coupling 50, and the latching portion 60 stored in the second storage chamber 24 are exposed from the opening 28. Various operation switches (operation units) such as the supply start switch 70 and the stop switch 72 are also exposed from the opening 28. Therefore, a worker who performs a gas filling operation can visually recognize the filling hose 40, the filling coupling 50, and the latching portion 60 accommodated in the second storage chamber 24 by opening the doors 80A and 80B in the left-right direction and supplying the gas. The presence of various operation switches such as a start switch 70 and a stop switch 72 can also be visually confirmed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the doors 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B are slid to a position where the opening 28 is closed when fuel is not supplied and fuel is not supplied. As described above, when the doors 80A and 80B are operated to the closed positions, the opening 28 of the second storage chamber 24 can be shut off from the outside, and wind and rain from the outside can enter the second storage chamber 24. Can be prevented.

  Therefore, the deterioration of the operation hose 40, the filling coupling 50, the latching portion 60, the supply start switch 70, the stop switch 72 and the like stored in the second storage chamber 24 is prevented from being deteriorated due to wind and rain. The durability of each member stored in 24 is improved.

  When the doors 80A and 80B are slid to the closed position where the opening 28 is closed, the doors 80A and 80B are held at the closed position by the door open state holding mechanism 90. For this reason, by sliding the doors 80A and 80B to the fully open position, the doors 80A and 80B are held at the fully open position by the door open state holding mechanism 90. The door open state holding mechanism 90 holds the doors 80A and 80B in the fully open position so that the doors 80A and 80B do not close during fuel supply. Further, the opening / closing member state detector 74 detects that the doors 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B are in the closed position where the opening 28 is closed. As the opening / closing member state detector 74, for example, a push switch or an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter may be used.

  Therefore, the control unit 38 confirms that the doors 80A and 80B are in the closed position by the door closing signal transmitted from the opening / closing member state detector 74, or is not in the open position in which the lower opening 28 is fully opened. 32 is opened to permit the start of fuel supply. Further, the control unit 38 confirms that the doors 80A and 80B are not in the closed position or in the open position in which the opening 28 is opened by the door open signal transmitted from the opening / closing member state detector 74 during the fuel supply. At the same time, the on-off valve 32 is closed to stop the fuel supply.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration including the door open state holding mechanism 90 that holds the doors 80A and 80B in the fully open position is shown as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in the present invention, the door open state holding mechanism 90 is provided. Is not essential, and the door open state holding mechanism 90 may not be provided.

[Control processing of control unit 38]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control process 1 executed by the control unit as an embodiment of the fuel supply apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, in the control process 1 shown in FIG. 5, it demonstrates as a control process in case the said door open state holding mechanism 90 is not provided.

  When a vehicle to be supplied with fuel arrives, a worker who performs a fuel supply operation first opens the pair of doors 80A and 80B of the opening and closing member 80, and attaches the filling coupling 50 stored in the second storage chamber 24 to the latching portion 60. To the connection port of the fuel tank of the vehicle to be supplied with fuel. Then, the operator operates the supply start switch 70 to turn on. As a result, fuel is supplied to the vehicle.

[Control processing by control unit 38]
In S11, the control unit 38 checks whether or not a door opening signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74. If the door opening signal is not input (in the case of NO), the pair of opening / closing members 80 is checked. Since the doors 80A and 80B are in a closed position (fully closed position), it is determined that fuel is not supplied, and the standby state in S11 is maintained.

  In S11, when a door open signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S12, and it is checked whether or not the supply start switch 70 is turned on. In S12, when the ON signal is not transmitted from the supply start switch 70 (in the case of NO), the process proceeds to S13, and a predetermined time elapses from the time when the door opening signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74 in S11. Check if you did. In S13, when the predetermined time has not elapsed (in the case of NO), the process returns to S12, and the processes in S12 and S13 are repeated. In S13, when a predetermined time set in advance has elapsed from the time when the door opening signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S14, and the pair of doors 80A of the opening / closing member 80, A door closing instruction signal for instructing to close 80B is output to notify the operator to perform an operation of closing the doors 80A and 80B.

  In the next S15, it is checked whether or not the door closing signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74. If the door closing signal is not input (in the case of NO), the operator still has to open the doors 80A and 80B. It is determined that the closing operation has not been performed, and the process of S14 is performed.

  In S15, when the door closing signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), the process returns to the above-described processing of S11. And the process after S11 is performed.

  In S12, when an ON signal is transmitted from the supply start switch 70 (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S16, and a lock operation signal is output to the door open state holding mechanism 90. Thereby, the door open state holding mechanism 90 holds (locks) the doors 80A and 80B of the opening / closing member 80 in the open position. Subsequently, the process proceeds to S <b> 17 and outputs a valve opening signal to the on-off valve 32. As a result, the on-off valve 32 opens and starts supplying fuel to a fuel tank (a fuel supply body) mounted on the vehicle via the filling hose 40 and the filling coupling 50 communicated with the fuel supply line 30. To do.

  In the next S18, it is checked whether or not the door opening signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74. If the door opening signal is not input (in the case of NO), the doors 80A and 80B are not in the fully open position. Therefore, the process proceeds to S19, and a valve closing signal is output to the on-off valve 32. As a result, the on-off valve 32 closes and shuts off the fuel supply line 30. Thus, when the door open signal is not input during the fuel supply after the fuel supply is started, it is determined that the doors 80A and 80B are likely to be closed, and the fuel supply is stopped. The filling hose 40 and the filling coupling 50 can be avoided from contacting the doors 80A and 80B and receiving an extra load.

  Subsequently, in S20, an abnormality notification signal (alarm) is output for notifying that the doors 80A and 80B have moved in the closing direction from the open position during fuel supply. As a result, the operator performing the fuel supply operation can recognize that the doors 80A and 80B are accidentally closed during the fuel supply, check the positions of the doors 80A and 80B, or An avoidance operation such as sliding 80B to the fully open position can be performed. Therefore, even if the doors 80A and 80B are closed during fuel supply, the load on the filling hose 40 and the filling coupling 50 can be removed immediately.

  In the next S21, it is checked again whether or not the door open signal is input from the open / close member state detector 74. If the door open signal is not input (in the case of NO), the doors 80A and 80B are closed. In step S22, it is checked whether the stop switch 72 is turned on. In S22, when the stop switch 72 is not turned on (in the case of NO), the process returns to S21, and the processes of S21 and S22 are repeated.

  In S21, when a door open signal is input from the open / close member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), it is determined that the doors 80A and 80B have been operated to the fully open position, and the process proceeds to S23 to stop outputting the abnormality notification signal. To do. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S17.

  In S22, when the stop switch 72 is turned on (in the case of YES), since the gas filling to the vehicle is completed, the process proceeds to S26 described later.

  Further, in S18, when a door open signal is input from the open / close member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), the flow proceeds to S24, and the flow rate adjustment valve is controlled so as to perform constant pressure increase control for increasing the pressure at a constant rate. The valve opening degree of 34 is controlled, and the filling control process for the fuel tank mounted on the vehicle is executed.

  In next S25, it is checked whether or not the gas filling of the fuel tank mounted on the vehicle is completed, and the processes of S18 to S25 are repeated until the gas filling of the fuel tank mounted on the vehicle is completed. Here, as a criterion for determining completion of gas filling, for example, when the stop switch 72 is turned on, or when the gas pressure (density) of the fuel tank of the vehicle reaches a target value, or filling The completion of gas filling may be determined based on at least one of the determination criteria, such as when the coupling 50 is hooked by the hooking portion 60 provided in the second storage portion 24 and the detection switch 62 is turned on. Furthermore, the completion of gas filling may be determined when all of the above determination criteria are adopted and any of the determination criteria is satisfied. In the present embodiment, among the above three determination conditions, either when the stop switch 72 is turned on or when the gas pressure (density) of the fuel tank of the vehicle reaches the target value It is determined that the filling is complete.

  In S25, when the gas filling to the fuel tank mounted on the vehicle is completed (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S26, and the lock operation signal transmitted to the door open state holding mechanism 90 is stopped. Thereby, the door open state holding mechanism 90 releases the holding (locking) of the opening / closing member 80 to the doors 80A and 80B.

  In the next step S27, a storage instruction signal for the filling coupling 50 is output, and a voice or display lamp is set so that the filling coupling 50 is stored in the second storage chamber 24 and hooked to the hooking portion 60 for the operator. Notify by such as.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to S28, in which it is checked whether or not a filling coupling detection signal is input from the detection switch 62 provided in the latching portion 60. In S28, the standby state is maintained until the filling coupling detection signal from the detection switch 62 is input. When the filling coupling detection signal is input from the detection switch 62 (in the case of YES), the filling coupling 50 is It judges that it was latched by the latching | locking part 60, and progresses to S29. In S29, the output of the storage instruction signal of the filling coupling 50 is stopped (notification stop).

  In the next S30, a door closing instruction signal is output, and the operator is notified by sound from a speaker or lighting or blinking (notification means) of a display lamp so as to close the doors 80A and 80B. Then, it progresses to S31 and it is checked whether the door closing signal was input from the opening-and-closing member state detector 74. FIG. In S31, when a door closing signal is input from the opening / closing member state detector 74 (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S32, and the doors 80A and 80B are operated in the closing direction to fully close the opening 28 of the second storage chamber 24. The output of the door closing instruction signal is stopped. This completes the series of gas filling control processes.

  As described above, gas filling can be performed only when the doors 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B of the opening / closing member 80 are in the fully opened position and the door opening signal is output from the opening / closing member state detector 74. Therefore, when the doors 80A and 80B of the opening / closing member 80 are not in the open position, the on-off valve 32 is closed to stop the gas filling, so that the filling hose 40 contacts or is sandwiched between the doors 80A and 80B. If the load during gas filling is acting on the filling hose 40 or the filling coupling 50, or if the stop switch 72 is hidden by the door 80A and the gas filling is stopped in an emergency, the stop switch It is possible to prevent the gas filling from being started or continued in a state where the operation 72 cannot be performed.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 for explaining the present embodiment, a control process of outputting a lock operation signal to the door open state holding mechanism 90 in S16 and S26 and stopping the output of the lock operation signal is performed. However, if the door open state holding mechanism 90 is provided, it is possible to prevent the doors 80A and 80B from being closed during gas filling, but this is not essential to the present invention, so this may be omitted. When the door open state holding mechanism 90 is not provided, the processes of S16 and S26 may be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the open / close member state detector 74 detects whether the doors 80A and 80B are open or closed depending on whether or not the doors 80A and 80B are in the fully open position. However, instead of this, when the opening / closing member state detector 74 detects that the doors 80A and 80B are in the fully opened position, a detector that outputs a door open signal (fully opened position detection). ) And a detector (a fully closed position detector) that outputs a door closing signal when it is detected that the doors 80A and 80B are in the fully closed position. The fully open / closed state may be detected. With this configuration, the open / closed state of the doors 80A and 80B (fully open state / fully closed state / half-closed state) can be accurately detected.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the fuel tank of the vehicle is filled with gas has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to the case where liquid fuel such as gasoline or light oil is supplied. Of course.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel supply apparatus 20 Housing | casing 21 Storage chamber 22 1st storage chamber 24 2nd storage chamber 26 Partition plate 28 Opening 30 Fuel supply pipe line 32 On-off valve 34 Flow control valve 38 Control part 40 Filling hose 50 Filling coupling 60 Engagement Unit 62 Detection switch 70 Supply start switch 72 Stop switch 74 Opening / closing member state detector 80 Opening / closing member 80A, 80B Door 90 Door open state holding mechanism

Claims (6)

A fuel supply connector connected to a connection port of the fuel supply body to supply fuel to the fuel supply body;
A fuel supply line connected to the fuel supply connector;
A device provided in the fuel supply line for controlling the supply of the fuel;
A housing having a storage chamber for storing the fuel supply line and the device;
An opening / closing member that closes an opening of the storage chamber when fuel supply to the fuel supply body is not performed and opens an opening of the storage chamber when fuel supply to the fuel supply body is performed;
A fuel supply device comprising:
An open / close member state detector for detecting whether or not the open / close member is in an open position for opening the opening;
Said the fuel supply to the fuel supply member, when said opening and closing member by the closing member state detector detects the absence in the open position, the control unit stopping the supply of the fuel by controlling the device,
A fuel supply device comprising: The storage room is
A first storage chamber in which the device and the control unit are stored;
A second storage chamber having a holding portion for holding the fuel supply connector;
Have
The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member opens or closes an opening formed in the second storage chamber.   The fuel supply apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a partition portion that defines a space between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber. The said control part starts the fuel supply by the said apparatus, when it detects that the said opening / closing member exists in an open position by the said opening / closing member state detector. Fuel supply system. The said control part stops the start of the fuel supply by the said apparatus, when it detects that the said opening / closing member is not in an open position by the said opening / closing member state detector. The fuel supply device described in 1. When the open / close member is in an open state, the door has an open state holding mechanism for holding the open state,
When the fuel is supplied to the fuel supply body by the fuel supply connector, the control unit operates the door open state holding mechanism to hold the open / close member in the open state. The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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