Fuel filling system and fuel filling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10030816-B2
Application number	US-201615096593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel filling system and a fuel filling method thereof that can determine the validity of information transmitted from a vehicle side while filling fuel with high accuracy. A hydrogen gas filling method of a hydrogen filling system includes: a step of filling hydrogen gas from a hydrogen station to a hydrogen tank under a predetermined filling control law (S2); and a determination step of determining whether a measurement error parameter corresponding to a difference between a filling amount of hydrogen gas calculated using information transmitted from the vehicle side and a filling amount of hydrogen gas calculated using a mass flow meter is within a predetermined permissible range (S9). In the filling step, the filling control law is changed after starting the filling of hydrogen gas, according to a determination result obtained in the determination step (S13 and S16).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel filling method for a fuel filling system that includes: a vehicle having a transmitter for externally transmitting information related to a fuel tank, and an external filling device that fills fuel into the fuel tank using the information sent from the vehicle, the method comprising:
filling fuel into the fuel tank from the external filling device under a predetermined filling control law;
calculating a filling amount of fuel within a determination period after starting the filling, using the information sent from the transmitter;
calculating a filling amount of fuel in the determination period, using a mass flow meter provided to the external filling device; and
determining whether a difference between the filling amount obtained in the first filling amount calculation and the filling amount obtained in the second filling amount calculation is within a predetermined permissible range,
wherein the filling control law is changed according to a determination result after starting the filling of fuel,
wherein the filling is divided into a first filling that includes a period from after starting filling until the determination result is obtained, and a second filling from after ending the first filling,
wherein the information transmitted from the transmitter includes state information related to the state of fuel inside of the fuel tank, and characteristic information including a volume value of the fuel tank,
wherein fuel is filled in the first filling under a fuel control law established using the state information and the characteristic information even in a state of the determination result not having been obtained, and
wherein fuel is filled in the second filling under a filling control law established using the state information and the characteristic information or equivalent information thereto, in a case of determining that the difference is within the permissible range.

2. The fuel filling method according to claim 1 , further comprising calculating an estimated value V′ for the volume of the fuel tank according to the below formula, using values acquired at a predetermined zeroth time and first time while performing the first filling,

V
′

=

R
·
dm

P
1

T
1

·

Z
1

-

P
0

T
0

·

Z
0

wherein, in the formula, “R” is a predetermined fixed value, “dm” is a value of a filling amount of fuel between the zeroth time and the first time obtained by the mass flow meter, “T 0 ” and “T 1 ” are values of the temperature of fuel inside the fuel tank at the zeroth time and the first time, respectively, “P 0 ” and “P 1 ” are values of the pressure of fuel inside the fuel tank at the zeroth time and the first time, respectively, and “Z 0 ” and “Z 1 ” are values of the compressibility factor of fuel inside the fuel tank at the zeroth time and the first time, respectively.

3. The fuel filling method according to claim 2 ,
wherein filling of fuel is temporarily stopped at the zeroth time and the first time in the first filling, and
wherein the “P 0 ” and “P 1 ” are measured values of a pressure sensor provided to the external filling device at the zeroth time and the first time, respectively.

4. The fuel filling method according to claim 3 , wherein fuel is filled in the second filling under a filling control law established using a volume value obtained from the characteristic information or an estimated value obtained, in a case of determining that the difference is within the permissible range and the difference between the volume value obtained from the characteristic information and the estimated value obtained being within a predetermined measurement error range.

5. The fuel filling method according to claim 3 , wherein fuel is filled in the first filling until any of a pressure variation amount, mass variation amount, temperature variation amount, density variation amount of fuel inside the fuel tank from a moment starting filling of fuel and an elapsed time from the moment starting filling of fuel exceeds a determination threshold set for each thereof.

6. The fuel filling method according to claim 5 , wherein the determination threshold is set to the largest value within a range that can prevent the occurrence of excessive temperature rise during the first filling.

7. The fuel filling method according to claim 3 , wherein fuel is filled in the first filling at a flowrate of no more than a minimum flowrate that is the smallest among available flowrates immediately after starting of the second filling.

8. The fuel filling method according to claim 3 , wherein, in a case of determining that the difference is within the permissible range, a fuel amount present inside of the fuel tank is calculated using the state information transmitted from the transmitter, and fuel is filled in the second filling under a filling control law that decides a period to end filling based on the fuel amount.

9. The fuel filling method according to claim 2 , wherein fuel is filled in the second filling under a filling control law established using a volume value obtained from the characteristic information or an estimated value, in a case of determining that the difference is within the permissible range and the difference between the volume value obtained from the characteristic information and the estimated value being within a predetermined measurement error range.

10. The fuel filling method according to claim 2 , wherein fuel is filled in the first filling until any of a pressure variation amount, mass variation amount, temperature variation amount, density variation amount of fuel inside the fuel tank from a moment starting filling of fuel and an elapsed time from the moment starting filling of fuel exceeds a determination threshold set for each thereof.

11. The fuel filling method according to claim 10 , wherein the determination threshold is set to the largest value within a range that can prevent the occurrence of excessive temperature rise during the first filling.

12. The fuel filling method according to claim 2 , wherein fuel is filled in the first filling at a flowrate of no more than a minimum flowrate that is the smallest among available flowrates immediately after starting of the second filling.

13. The fuel filling method according to claim 2 , wherein, in a case of determining that the difference is within the permissible range, a fuel amount present inside of the fuel tank is calculated using the state information transmitted from the transmitter, and fuel is filled in the second filling under a filling con

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Handa Kiyoshi

Classifications

• F17C13/02 Primary

  Special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment (measuring in general G01) · CPC title

• F17C2250/0631

  Temperature · CPC title

• F17C2250/0443

  Flow or movement of content · CPC title

• F17C2265/065

  for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks · CPC title

• F17C2223/036

  Very high pressure (>80 bar) · CPC title