JP7396910B2 - Fuel cell vehicle, towed vehicle towed by the fuel cell vehicle, and vehicle system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle that uses hydrogen and oxygen as fuel, and more specifically to a fuel cell vehicle and a towed vehicle equipped with a hydrogen tank capable of supplying hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell vehicle.

For example, cars are indispensable as a means of transportation in modern society, and various vehicles move on the roads in daily life. In recent years, fuel cells have been attracting attention as a new battery that can replace lead-acid batteries and lithium ion batteries because of their relatively low environmental impact.

In such a fuel cell, hydrogen compressed at high pressure is stored in a tank and installed in a vehicle, so it can be assumed that the amount of hydrogen to be loaded may not necessarily be sufficient. Therefore, as illustrated in Patent Document 1, for example, by mounting a hydrogen tank on a trailer and towing it with a passenger car, a mobile hydrogen refueling station can be configured, and it can be used for vehicles that require new fuel. It is proposed to supply hydrogen fuel.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-181030

It cannot be said that the current technology, not limited to the above-mentioned patent documents, adequately satisfies the needs of the market, and there are problems described below.
For example, in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, although it is certainly possible to replenish hydrogen fuel to other vehicles, it is generally for commercial use and the device configuration is large-scale. On the other hand, in the case of a camping car, for example, energy is required for cooking, etc., so it is desirable to have a mobile hydrogen refueling means for personal use as well.

Additionally, although there has been progress in installing hydrogen stations that can refill hydrogen fuel in recent years, it cannot be said that there are enough hydrogen stations in each region to put them on par with gasoline-powered vehicles. For this reason, for example, when traveling long distances, the location of the hydrogen station must be taken into account when making a plan, which cannot be said to be very convenient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel cell vehicle, its towed vehicle, and a vehicle system comprising these, which can improve the cruising distance. shall be.

In order to solve the above problems, a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: (1) a towed vehicle equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism that supplies the hydrogen gas; a second hydrogen tank different from the first hydrogen tank; a second supply mechanism including a second supply valve that supplies hydrogen gas from the second hydrogen tank; The towed vehicle includes a hydrogen supply port that receives the supply of hydrogen gas from the vehicle, and a towing vehicle side control unit that generates valve control information that controls opening and closing of a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism. The side control unit controls the first supply mechanism so as to give priority to the first hydrogen tank over the second hydrogen tank .

Further, in the fuel cell vehicle described in ( 1 ) above, ( 2 ) the towing vehicle side control unit controls the first residual hydrogen gas amount in the first hydrogen tank and the second residual hydrogen gas amount in the second hydrogen tank. It is preferable that the valve control information is generated based on a comparison result between the amount of hydrogen gas and the amount of hydrogen gas.

Further, in the fuel cell vehicle described in ( 2 ) above, ( 3 ) the towing vehicle side control section includes a traveling information acquisition section that acquires traveling information of the fuel cell vehicle, and based on the traveling information, It is preferable to perform control to supply hydrogen gas from at least one of the first hydrogen tank and the second hydrogen tank.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes ( 4 ) a vehicle equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism that supplies the hydrogen gas. Generating valve control information for controlling opening and closing of a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism, including a towing unit for towing a towed vehicle, a hydrogen supply port receiving the hydrogen gas from the towed vehicle, and a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism. A towing vehicle side control unit; further comprising a towing vehicle side impact detection unit that detects a collision load on at least one of the towed vehicle or the fuel cell vehicle, the towing vehicle side The control section performs control to close the first supply valve based on the detection result of the towing vehicle side impact detection section .

In order to solve the above problems, the towed vehicle towed by the fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes ( 5 ) a tank equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the towed vehicle; a first supply mechanism including a first supply valve that is connected to the first hydrogen tank and supplies the hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle; a towed vehicle side control section that controls a first hydrogen supply mechanism , the towed vehicle side control section receiving a fuel supply request including information on hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank; It has a receiving section and a fuel information generating section that generates information regarding hydrogen fuel in the first hydrogen tank .

Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, a towed vehicle towed by a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes ( 6 ) a tank equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the towing vehicle; a first supply mechanism including a first supply valve that is connected to the first hydrogen tank and supplies the hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle; 1. A towed vehicle towed by a fuel cell vehicle, the towed vehicle comprising: a towed vehicle side control unit that controls a supply mechanism; The towed vehicle side control section further includes a vehicle side impact detection section, and the towed vehicle side control section performs control to close the first supply valve based on the detection result of the towed vehicle side impact detection section.

Furthermore, in the towed vehicle described in ( 5 ) or (6) above, ( 7 ) the tank mounting section mounts a plurality of the first hydrogen tanks, and the towed vehicle side control section mounts a plurality of the first hydrogen tanks. Preferably, the information regarding the hydrogen fuel in the first hydrogen tank is generated.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, a vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes ( 8 ) a towed vehicle equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism that supplies the hydrogen gas; a towing unit for towing the towed vehicle; a hydrogen supply port that receives the hydrogen gas from the towed vehicle; and a towing vehicle that generates valve control information that controls opening and closing of a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism. a side control unit; a tank mounting unit equipped with a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the fuel cell vehicle serving as a towing vehicle; and a tank mounting unit connected to the first hydrogen tank. a first supply mechanism including a first supply valve that supplies the hydrogen gas to the tow vehicle; and a towed vehicle side control unit that controls the first supply mechanism to supply the hydrogen gas to the tow vehicle. , and the towed vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the cruising distance of a fuel cell vehicle.

1 is an overall configuration diagram part 1 (side view) of a fuel cell vehicle system according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a second overall configuration diagram (plan view) of the fuel cell vehicle system according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a towing vehicle (fuel cell vehicle) in the fuel cell vehicle system. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a towed vehicle (trailer) in the fuel cell vehicle system. 2 is a flowchart showing a fuel receiving method on the towing vehicle (fuel cell vehicle) side. 2 is a flowchart showing a fuel supply method on the towed vehicle (trailer) side.

Next, a preferred embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described. Further, for configurations other than those detailed below, elemental technologies and configurations related to known fuel cell systems including the above-mentioned patent documents may be supplemented as appropriate.

<Fuel cell vehicle system 300>
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell vehicle system 300 in this embodiment includes a trailer 100 (towed vehicle) equipped with one or more high-pressure hydrogen tanks, and a fuel cell vehicle 200 that receives hydrogen fuel from the trailer 100. (towing vehicle).

As shown in the figure, the trailer 100 and the fuel cell vehicle 200 are connected via a towing section 50 that can be towed from the towing vehicle side. Such a towing unit 50 may be, for example, a hitch ball coupler type using a coupler, a combination of a coupler and a kingpin, or an A-Dolly type, which has appropriate strength and range of motion depending on the size of the trailer part. Various known connectors and connection structures can be applied.

<Trailer 100 (towed vehicle)>
Next, the trailer 100 (towed vehicle) that constitutes the fuel cell vehicle system 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As is clear from these figures, the trailer 100 is configured to include at least a tank mounting section 10, a first supply mechanism 20, and a towed vehicle side control section 30. Note that other than the configuration described below, various structures of known trailers may be applied.

The tank mounting section 10 has a function of mounting a first hydrogen tank HT1 filled with hydrogen gas (hydrogen fuel) to be supplied to the tow vehicle (fuel cell vehicle 200). Such a tank mounting section 10 is composed of a metal frame on which the first hydrogen tank HT1 is mounted and fixed. Note that there is no particular restriction on the method of fixing the first hydrogen tank HT1, as long as the tank does not come off unintentionally, and various fixing methods can be adopted, such as the fixing structure shown in JP-A-2017-144746.

The first supply mechanism 20 has a function of appropriately supplying hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle (fuel cell vehicle 200), and has a first supply valve 21 that is connected to the first hydrogen tank HT1 and can supply hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle. , a known pressure reducing valve 22 that reduces the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the first hydrogen tank HT1, and a hydrogen supply port 23 that supplies the hydrogen gas that has passed through the pressure reducing valve 22 to the towing vehicle (fuel cell vehicle 200). It is configured to include a supply pipe 24 that connects the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the hydrogen supply port 23.

Note that the first supply valve 21 may be, for example, a known solenoid valve. In this embodiment, hydrogen gas can be supplied from any tank among the three first hydrogen tanks HT1. Moreover, although the example in which the number of the first supply valves 21 is one is illustrated in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, an arbitrary number of first supply valves 21 may be provided depending on the number and cost of the first hydrogen tanks HT1, such as installing the first supply valve 21 for each first hydrogen tank HT1.

Note that the hydrogen supply port 23 is connected to a hydrogen supply port 60 on the fuel cell vehicle 200 (towing vehicle) side via a supply pipe PP. As this supply piping PP, various known piping structures can be applied, which are made of, for example, a bellows-shaped metal material, a resin material, or a composite material thereof, and have appropriate strength and flexibility.

The towed vehicle side control unit 30 has a function of supplying the above-described hydrogen gas to the fuel cell vehicle 200 (towing vehicle). Specifically, the towed vehicle side control unit 30 of this embodiment controls the first supply mechanism 20 described above to supply hydrogen depressurized from the first hydrogen tank HT1 to the fuel cell vehicle 200 as auxiliary fuel. conduct.
As shown in the figure, the trailer 100 (towed vehicle) may further include a battery 40 for driving the towed vehicle side control section 30 and the like.

<Fuel cell vehicle 200 (traction vehicle)>
Next, the fuel cell vehicle 200 (towing vehicle) that constitutes the fuel cell vehicle system 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As is clear from these figures, the fuel cell vehicle 200 includes a towing unit 50, a hydrogen supply port 60, a towing vehicle side control unit 70, a second supply mechanism 80, a fuel cell 90, and a second hydrogen tank. HT2. Note that for configurations other than those described below, configurations and structures of known fuel cell vehicles, such as those exemplified in JP-A No. 2018-129272 and JP-A No. 2019-68703, may be applied.

As described above, the towing unit 50 has the function of towing the trailer 100 (towed vehicle) that includes the first hydrogen tank HT1 filled with hydrogen gas and the first supply mechanism 20 that supplies the hydrogen gas. In this embodiment, the towing unit 50 is described as a configuration on the fuel cell vehicle 200 side, but it is not necessarily required on the fuel cell vehicle 200 side and may be configured on the trailer 100 side.

The hydrogen supply port 60 is connected to one end of the above-described supply pipe PP, and has a function of receiving hydrogen gas from the hydrogen supply port 23 of the towed vehicle via the supply pipe PP. Note that the hydrogen supply port 60 is sealed with a cover (not shown) when the trailer 100 is not connected.

The towing vehicle side control unit 70 is a valve that controls opening and closing of the first supply valve 21 in the first supply mechanism 20 on the towed vehicle side described above in order to receive hydrogen gas supply from the trailer 100 (towed vehicle) side. It has a function of generating control information, a function of controlling a second supply mechanism 80, which will be described later, and the like.

The second supply mechanism 80 has a function of supplying hydrogen fuel from at least one of the first hydrogen tank HT1 mounted on the trailer 100 and the second hydrogen tank HT2 mounted on the fuel cell vehicle 200. A second supply valve 81 that supplies hydrogen gas from the second hydrogen tank HT2 to the fuel cell 90, and an air supply valve 82 that controls the supply of hydrogen gas from the first hydrogen tank HT1 supplied via the supply pipe PP. , a well-known pressure reducing valve 83 that reduces the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the second hydrogen tank HT2, and a supply pipe 84 that supplies the above hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 90.

In this embodiment, the second supply valve 81 supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 90 as a main valve, and also functions together with the air supply valve 82 as a valve for supplying hydrogen gas from the first hydrogen tank HT1. ing. As specific examples of the second supply valve 81 and the air supply valve 82, various known valves such as the above-mentioned solenoid valve can be used.

The second hydrogen tank HT2 is mounted in a different mounting position from the first hydrogen tank HT1 described above, and is mounted on the fuel cell vehicle 200. This second hydrogen tank HT2 may be fixed to the vehicle body by a known fixing method, for example, as exemplified in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-144746 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-158613. Furthermore, although one second hydrogen tank HT2 is illustrated in the figure, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and any number of second hydrogen tanks HT2, including two or more, may be mounted on the fuel cell vehicle 200.

[Tow vehicle side control unit 70 of fuel cell vehicle 200]
Next, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 of the fuel cell vehicle 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 as well.
As shown in the figure, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 may be incorporated, for example, as a part of the function of an ECU mounted on the vehicle, and the towing vehicle side control unit 70 may be incorporated as a part of the function in an ECU mounted on the vehicle, and may be configured to supply hydrogen from at least one of the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the second hydrogen tank HT2. It has a function of supplying gas to the fuel cell 90.

More specifically, the towing vehicle side control section 70 of the present embodiment includes a fuel control section 71, a towed vehicle communication control section 72, a notification control section 73, a traveling information acquisition section 74, a towing vehicle side impact detection section 75, etc. It is preferable that the structure includes the following. The towing vehicle side control unit 70 also includes known sensors S, memory M, navigation device NS, speaker SP, display DP, towing vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1, and external communication device CM2, which are respectively mounted on the vehicle. It is electrically connected to the terminals, and it is possible to carry out various types of information communication between these terminals.

Specific examples of the above-described towing vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1 and the external communication device CM2 capable of communicating with a known external network NT such as the Internet are not particularly limited, including the communication method, and include any known known device that can be mounted on a vehicle. Communication equipment can be applied. Moreover, although the humidity sensor S1, the outside temperature sensor S2, and the acceleration sensor S3 are illustrated as the sensors S in the drawing, the sensors are not limited to these, and known sensors mounted on the vehicle may be added as appropriate.

The fuel control unit 71 has a function of controlling the supply of hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell 90, and includes a remaining fuel detection unit 71a that detects remaining fuel in at least one of the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the second hydrogen tank HT2, The fuel cell 90 may be configured to include a required fuel calculating section 71b that calculates the hydrogen fuel required for the fuel cell 90, and a supplied fuel determining section 71c that determines the fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell 90.

The towed vehicle communication control unit 72 has a function of communicating various information with the towed vehicle side control unit 30 of the trailer 100 via the towed vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1 described above.
The notification control unit 73 has a function of notifying the occupant of information generated by the fuel control unit 71, for example, through a speaker SP or a display DP.
Further, the driving information acquisition unit 74 has a function of acquiring various information during driving (route information, road surface information, climate information such as outside temperature, etc.) from the above-mentioned sensors S and navigation device NS, for example.

The towing vehicle side impact detection unit 75 has a function of detecting whether or not a towing vehicle has collided (collision load, etc.) via sensors S such as the above-mentioned acceleration sensor S3. Further, the towing vehicle side impact detection unit 75 may further have a function of notifying the towed vehicle side of the presence or absence of a collision between the towed vehicle and a function of receiving notification of the presence or absence of a collision in the towed vehicle. good.

The fuel cell vehicle 200 of the present embodiment further includes a towing vehicle side impact detection section 75 that detects a collision load on at least one of the towing vehicle or the towed vehicle, and the towing vehicle side control section 70 detects the collision load on the towing vehicle side. It is preferable to generate valve control information for controlling to close the first supply valve 21 on the towed vehicle side based on the detection result of the section 75. As a result, the above-mentioned valve control information generated on the towing vehicle side is sent to the towed vehicle side, and in an emergency such as when a collision is detected, it is possible to stop the supply of hydrogen fuel from the towed vehicle side to the towing vehicle side. .

[Towed vehicle side control unit 30 of trailer 100]
Next, the towed vehicle side control section 30 of the trailer 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4 as well.
As shown in the figure, the towed vehicle side control unit 30 is composed of a computer capable of communicating information, such as a known CPU, and has the function of supplying hydrogen gas filled in the first hydrogen tank HT1 to the fuel cell 90. have.

More specifically, the towed vehicle side control section 30 of this embodiment includes a fuel supply request receiving section 31, a remaining fuel detection section 32, a fuel information generation section 33, a fuel supply control section 34, and a towed vehicle side impact detection section. It is preferable that the configuration includes 35 or the like. Further, the towed vehicle side control unit 30 is electrically connected to known sensors S, memory M, towing vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1, etc. that can be mounted on each towed vehicle, and these It is possible to carry out various types of information communication with connection destinations. Although the illustration shows an acceleration sensor S4 and a humidity sensor S5 as examples of sensors S mounted on the towed vehicle, the present invention is not limited to these, and various known sensors mounted on a vehicle such as a temperature sensor may also be incorporated. But that's fine.

The fuel supply request receiving unit 31 has a function of receiving remaining fuel information of the hydrogen gas remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1 and a fuel supply request, which will be described later, transmitted from the fuel cell vehicle 200 (towing vehicle) side.
The remaining fuel detection unit 32 has a function of detecting the amount of hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1. As shown in the figure, when a plurality of first hydrogen tanks HT1 are mounted on the towed vehicle side, it is preferable that the amount of remaining hydrogen fuel is detected for each tank.

The fuel information generation unit 33 has a function of generating information on the hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1 (hydrogen fuel information) for the towing vehicle side control unit 70 on the fuel cell vehicle 200 (towing vehicle) side. .
Note that, as described above, when a plurality of first hydrogen tanks HT1 are mounted on the towed vehicle side, the fuel information generation unit 33 generates hydrogen fuel information of the plurality of first hydrogen tanks HT1. At this time, it is preferable that the fuel information generating section 33 generates remaining hydrogen fuel information for each tank.

The fuel supply control section 34 has a function of controlling the supply of hydrogen fuel to the towing vehicle via the above-described first supply mechanism 20, for example, in response to a request from the towing vehicle side control section 70 on the towing vehicle side.
The towed vehicle side impact detection unit 35 has a function of detecting whether or not the towed vehicle has collided (collision load, etc.) via sensors S such as the above-mentioned acceleration sensor S4. The towed vehicle side impact detection unit 35 further has a function of notifying the towing vehicle of the presence or absence of a collision between the towed vehicle and a function of receiving notification from the towing vehicle of the presence or absence of a collision in the towing vehicle. You may do so.

As described above, the trailer 100 of the present embodiment further includes the towed vehicle side impact detection section 35 that detects the collision load on at least one of the towing vehicle or the towed vehicle, and the towed vehicle side control section 30 It is preferable to perform control to close the first supply valve 21 based on the detection result of the side impact detection section 35. This makes it possible for the towed vehicle to stop supplying hydrogen fuel to the towed vehicle in an emergency such as when a collision between the towed vehicle or the towed vehicle is detected.

<How to receive hydrogen fuel on the towing vehicle side>
Next, an example of a method for receiving hydrogen fuel on the towing vehicle side according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5 as well. The method of receiving hydrogen fuel described below is suitable for, for example, when heading to a remote location such as camping in a relatively heavy vehicle, and as a typical example, the trailer 100 of this embodiment is used as a camping trailer. Examples include when to use it.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be assumed that the fuel cell vehicle 200 equipped with the second hydrogen tank HT2 travels while towing the trailer 100 equipped with the first hydrogen tank HT1, which is also equipped with camping equipment.
First, in step 1, it is determined whether the main fuel, that is, the hydrogen fuel in the second hydrogen tank HT2 of the fuel cell vehicle 200 is below a predetermined value. When the main body fuel is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (No in step 1), for example, the process may be returned to step 1 and the process may be continued again after a predetermined period of time. Note that there is no particular limit to the above-mentioned "predetermined value"; for example, it may be a value at which a fuel exhaustion warning is issued as in the conventional case, or an arbitrary value may be set by the occupant.

In this embodiment, the second hydrogen tank HT2 of the fuel cell vehicle 200 is set as the main fuel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first hydrogen tank HT1 of the trailer 100 may be set as the main fuel. At this time, for example, if the trailer 100 is of camping specification, all the hydrogen fuel in the first hydrogen tank HT1 is not used as main fuel, but the amount of fuel normally required for camping, such as for cooking and cooking, is secured. It is desirable to keep it.

In this way, in this embodiment, the first hydrogen tank HT1 may be used with priority over the second hydrogen tank HT2. More specifically, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 may control the first supply mechanism 20 on the towed vehicle side so as to give priority to the first hydrogen tank HT1 over the second hydrogen tank HT2.

Next, when the main body fuel becomes less than the predetermined value (Yes in step 1), in step 2, a remaining fuel information request process is executed. More specifically, the fuel control unit 71 and the towed vehicle communication control unit 72 of the towing vehicle side control unit 70 communicate the Requests transmission of information on hydrogen fuel remaining in hydrogen tank HT1 (remaining fuel information).

In the subsequent step 3, the fuel cell 90 is operated based on the received remaining fuel information of the hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the remaining fuel information of the hydrogen fuel remaining in the second hydrogen tank HT2 on the towing vehicle side. The supply fuel to be supplied to is determined. More specifically, for example, the notification control unit 73 of the towing vehicle side control unit 70 controls to allow the occupant to select which hydrogen fuel to use from the first hydrogen tank HT1 or the second hydrogen tank HT2 using audio or video. You may go. Alternatively, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 may determine the fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell 90, giving priority to the first hydrogen tank HT1 over the second hydrogen tank HT2.

Then, in step 4, whether or not hydrogen fuel can be supplied to the fuel cell 90 by the occupant is selected based on the mode determined in step 3, for example, via the display DP or speaker SP. Note that this step 4 is not essential, and once the fuel to be supplied is determined in step 3, the process may proceed to the subsequent step 5.

In the following step 5, fuel reception control from at least one of the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the second hydrogen tank HT2 is executed. More specifically, for example, if it is determined in step 3 to receive hydrogen fuel from the first hydrogen tank HT1, the tow vehicle side control unit 70 requests the trailer 100 to receive the first supply of hydrogen as a fuel supply request. Valve control information for controlling opening and closing of the first supply valve 21 in the mechanism 20 is generated. Further, the towed vehicle side control unit 30 receives the valve control information via the towing vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1, and controls the first supply mechanism 20 based on this valve control information. Thereby, the hydrogen fuel in the first hydrogen tank HT1 is supplied to the fuel cell 90 of the fuel cell vehicle 200 via the supply pipe PP.

Note that while the above-described fuel reception control is being executed, the towing vehicle side impact detection unit 75 detects the presence or absence of a collision on at least one of the towed vehicle side and the towing vehicle side as described above, and the detection result is It is desirable that control is performed to close the first supply valve 21 if any collision occurs based on the above.

Further, in this embodiment, hydrogen fuel is supplied to the fuel cell 90 from the first hydrogen tank HT1 in step 5, but in parallel, hydrogen fuel is also supplied to the fuel cell 90 from the second hydrogen tank HT2. You can.
The towing vehicle side control unit 70 also controls hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1 (first residual hydrogen gas amount), hydrogen fuel remaining in the second hydrogen tank HT2 (second residual hydrogen gas amount), The above-mentioned valve control information may be generated based on the comparison result.

After step 5, it is determined in step 6 whether or not power generation by the fuel cell 90 has been stopped. More specifically, for example, the power generation request to the fuel cell 90 from the host program is turned off, for example, because it becomes unnecessary to drive the electric motor or heater mounted on the vehicle, charge the battery, or supply power externally. If so (Yes in step 6), the above-described process is ended. On the other hand, if the above-described power generation request to the fuel cell 90 is still continuing (No in step 6), the process returns to step 1 and the above-described process is continued again.

<Method of supplying hydrogen fuel on the towed vehicle side>
Next, an example of a method for supplying hydrogen fuel on the towed vehicle side of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 as well. Note that this hydrogen fuel supply method corresponds to the hydrogen fuel receiving method on the towing vehicle side explained above, and is based on information communication between the towing vehicle side control unit 70 and the towed vehicle side control unit 30. executed.

First, in step A, the towed vehicle side control section 30 determines whether or not the remaining fuel information request in step 2 of FIG. 5 has been received from the towed vehicle side control section 70. If the remaining fuel information request has not yet been received (No in step A), the reception confirmation is continued, while if the remaining fuel information request has been received (Yes in step A), the process moves to step B.

In the subsequent step B, in response to the above-mentioned remaining fuel information request, the towed vehicle side control section 30 generates remaining fuel information and sends the towed vehicle side control section 70 via the towed vehicle-towed vehicle communication means CM1. The generated remaining fuel information is sent to. More specifically, when the fuel supply request receiving section 31 receives a remaining fuel information request from the towing vehicle side, the remaining fuel detecting section 32 detects the amount of hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank HT1.

At this time, if a plurality of first hydrogen tanks HT1 are installed, the remaining fuel detection section 32 may detect the amount of hydrogen fuel for each tank.
Then, the fuel information generating section 33 generates remaining fuel information based on the amount of hydrogen fuel detected by the remaining fuel detecting section 32 and transmits it to the towing vehicle side control section 70.

After transmitting the remaining fuel information described above to the towing vehicle side control section 70, in the subsequent step C, it is determined whether a fuel supply request has been received from the towing vehicle side control section 70. Note that this fuel supply request is executed, for example, in the towing vehicle side control unit 70 based on the fuel reception control in step 5.

As is clear from step D, the towed vehicle side control unit 30 determines whether or not a fuel supply request has been received for a predetermined period of time, and proceeds to step E if a fuel supply request is received. Note that the specific value of the "predetermined time" is not particularly limited, and may be set to any time, such as from several seconds to several minutes, for example.

In response to the fuel supply request from the towing vehicle side control section 70 described above, in the subsequent step E, the towed vehicle side control section 30 executes fuel supply control to supply hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell 90 of the towing vehicle. More specifically, the fuel supply control unit 34 controls the first supply mechanism 20 described above to start supplying hydrogen fuel from the first hydrogen tank HT1.

The hydrogen fuel supplied from the first hydrogen tank HT1 is supplied to the fuel cell vehicle 200 via the supply pipe PP as described above. Thereafter, the hydrogen fuel supplied from the first hydrogen tank HT1 is supplied to the fuel cell 90 in an appropriate amount via the second supply mechanism 80 in the fuel cell vehicle 200.

Note that while the above-described fuel supply control is being executed, the towed vehicle side impact detection unit 36 detects the presence or absence of a collision on at least one of the towed vehicle side or the towed vehicle side as described above, and the detection result is It is desirable that control is performed to close the first supply valve 21 if any collision occurs based on the above.

After Step E, in Step F, it is determined whether there is a stop processing request from the towing vehicle side control unit 70 on the towing vehicle (fuel cell vehicle 200) side, and the above-mentioned stop processing request from the towing vehicle is received. If so (Yes in step F), the above-described process is ended. On the other hand, if a stop processing request has not been received from the towing vehicle (No in step F), the process returns to step A and the above-described processing is continued again.

According to the present embodiment described above, a sufficient amount of hydrogen fuel is supplied to the towed vehicle from the towed vehicle side, so it is possible to greatly improve the cruising distance of the fuel cell vehicle.
Note that the trailer 100 of this embodiment may be equipped with a known battery (not shown). If a large-capacity battery or the like is also installed on the trailer 100 side, it becomes possible to generate energy on the towed vehicle side as well, making it possible to greatly improve convenience in camping applications, for example.

For example, after step 1 in FIG. 5, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 receives information regarding the own vehicle position and the position of the nearest supply station from the navigation device NS, and determines whether hydrogen fuel can be refilled at this supply station. You may judge. If it is determined that it is possible to reach the supply station, the occupant may be allowed to select whether to replenish fuel on the towed vehicle side or at the supply station.

Furthermore, for example, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 acquires driving information (road surface information, route information, etc.) of the fuel cell vehicle 200 from the navigation device NS and sensors S, and performs fuel reception control by taking this driving information into account. You may choose. More specifically, the towing vehicle side control unit 70 controls the supply of hydrogen fuel from at least one of the first hydrogen tank HT1 and the second hydrogen tank HT2 based on the travel information acquired by the travel information acquisition unit 74 described above. You may do so.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. That is, it is obvious that those skilled in the art will attempt to make further modifications to the above-described embodiments, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

100 Trailer (towed vehicle)
10 Tank mounting section 20 First supply mechanism 30 Towed vehicle side control section 200 Fuel cell vehicle (traction vehicle)
50 Traction unit 60 Hydrogen supply port 70 Traction vehicle side control unit 80 Second supply mechanism 90 Fuel cell 300 Fuel cell vehicle system

Claims (8)

a towing unit for towing a towed vehicle, comprising a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism for supplying the hydrogen gas;
a second hydrogen tank different from the first hydrogen tank;
a second supply mechanism including a second supply valve that supplies hydrogen gas from the second hydrogen tank;
a hydrogen supply port that receives the hydrogen gas from the towed vehicle;
a towing vehicle side control unit that generates valve control information that controls opening and closing of the first supply valve in the first supply mechanism ,
In the fuel cell vehicle, the towing vehicle side control unit controls the first supply mechanism so as to give priority to the first hydrogen tank over the second hydrogen tank . The towing vehicle side control unit generates the valve control information based on a comparison result between a first residual hydrogen gas amount in the first hydrogen tank and a second residual hydrogen gas amount in the second hydrogen tank. , The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 . The towing vehicle side control unit is
including a driving information acquisition unit that acquires driving information of the fuel cell vehicle,
The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein supply of hydrogen gas from at least one of the first hydrogen tank and the second hydrogen tank is controlled based on the driving information. a towing unit for towing a towed vehicle, comprising a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism for supplying the hydrogen gas;
a hydrogen supply port that receives the hydrogen gas from the towed vehicle;
A fuel cell vehicle comprising: a tow vehicle side control unit that generates valve control information for controlling opening and closing of a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism,
further comprising a towing vehicle side impact detection unit that detects a collision load on at least one of the towed vehicle or the fuel cell vehicle,
In the fuel cell vehicle, the towing vehicle side control section controls closing the first supply valve based on the detection result of the towing vehicle side impact detection section. a tank mounting section on which a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the tow vehicle is mounted;
a first supply mechanism including a first supply valve connected to the first hydrogen tank to supply the hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle;
a towed vehicle side control unit that controls the first supply mechanism to supply the hydrogen gas to the towed vehicle;
including;
The towed vehicle side control section includes:
a fuel supply request receiving unit that receives a fuel supply request including information on hydrogen fuel remaining in the first hydrogen tank;
A towed vehicle towed by a fuel cell vehicle, comprising: a fuel information generation unit that generates information regarding hydrogen fuel in the first hydrogen tank . a tank mounting section on which a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the tow vehicle is mounted;
a first supply mechanism including a first supply valve connected to the first hydrogen tank to supply the hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle;
a towed vehicle side control unit that controls the first supply mechanism to supply the hydrogen gas to the towed vehicle;
A towed vehicle towed by a fuel cell vehicle , including
further comprising a towed vehicle side impact detection unit that detects a collision load on at least one of the towed vehicle or the towed vehicle,
In the towed vehicle, the towed vehicle side control unit controls to close the first supply valve based on the detection result of the towed vehicle side impact detection unit. The tank mounting section mounts a plurality of the first hydrogen tanks,
The towed vehicle according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the towed vehicle side control unit generates information regarding hydrogen fuel in the plurality of first hydrogen tanks. a towing unit for towing a towed vehicle including a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas and a first supply mechanism for supplying the hydrogen gas; and a hydrogen supply supply receiving the hydrogen gas from the towed vehicle. a fuel cell vehicle including an air port, and a tow vehicle side control unit that generates valve control information that controls opening and closing of a first supply valve in the first supply mechanism;
a tank mounting part mounting a first hydrogen tank filled with hydrogen gas to be supplied to the fuel cell vehicle serving as a towing vehicle; and a first hydrogen tank connected to the first hydrogen tank to supply the hydrogen gas to the towing vehicle. the towed vehicle including a first supply mechanism including a supply valve; and a towed vehicle side control unit that controls the first supply mechanism to supply the hydrogen gas to the towed vehicle;
A vehicle system equipped with