System for controlling gas supply unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443784-B2
Application number	US-201514749789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Jun 26, 2014
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A system for controlling a gas supply unit supplying gas to a tank includes a pressure acquisition unit configured to acquire the pressure in the tank; and a controller configured to perform first filling for supplying the gas to the tank and to perform second filling, based on a flow rate determined based on a change in the pressure in the tank for a predetermined period of time during the first filling, by controlling the gas supply unit. The controller is configured to cause the gas supply unit to perform the first filling at a first flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling is a first pressure and perform the first filling at a second flow rate exceeding the first flow rate in a case where the pressure is a second pressure exceeding the first pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling a gas supply unit supplying gas to a tank, the system comprising:
a communicator that receives an information of the pressure in the tank; and
an electronic control unit programmed to:
perform first filling for supplying the gas to the tank for a predetermined period of time by controlling the gas supply unit,
perform second filling for supplying the gas to the tank after performing the first filling, based on a flow rate determined based on a change in the pressure in the tank for the predetermined period of time during the first filling, by controlling the gas supply unit,
cause the gas supply unit to perform the first filling at a first flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling is a first pressure,
cause the gas supply unit to perform the first filling at a second flow rate exceeding the first flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling is a second pressure exceeding the first pressure, and
select between the first and second flow rates based on the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling,

wherein the electronic control unit is programmed to perform the second filling after the first filling if the first filling is at the first flow rate, and programmed to perform the second filling after the first filling if the first filling is at the second flow rate.

2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is programmed to set the flow rate for the first filling to the first flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling is less than a threshold that is greater than the first pressure and that is equal to or less than the second pressure, and the electronic control unit is programmed to set the flow rate for the first filling to the second flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling exceeds the threshold.

3. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is programmed to set a flow rate for the first filling to the first flow rate prior to the setting of a flow rate for the first filling in accordance with the pressure in the tank.

4. The system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the threshold is within a range of 1 to 10 MPa.

5. The system according to claim 1 , the system further comprising:
a temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire the temperature in the tank,
wherein the electronic control unit is programmed to set the flow rate of the gas for the second filling in accordance with a first map for determining the flow rate of the gas based on the temperature and the pressure in the tank prior to the second filling when a change in the temperature in the tank for the predetermined period of time with respect to a change in the pressure in the tank for the predetermined period of time during the first filling is within a first range, and the electronic control unit is programmed to set the flow rate of the gas for the second filling in accordance with a second map for determining the flow rate of the gas based on the temperature and the pressure in the tank prior to the second filling, the second map determining a flow rate greater than in the first map with respect to the same input parameter, when the temperature change with respect to the pressure change is within a second range that is less than the first range.

6. The system according to claim 1 , the system further comprising:
a temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire the temperature in the tank,
wherein the electronic control unit is programmed to calculate a change in the temperature in the tank per unit time, and set the flow rate of the gas for the second filling based on a change in the temperature in the tank for the predetermined period of time with respect to a change in the pressure in the tank for the predetermined period of time during the first filling and the change in the temperature in the tank per unit time during the first filling, and the electronic control unit is programmed to calculate a predicted value of the temperature in the tank, and control the flow rate of the gas for the second filling based on the temperature in the tank during the second filling and the predicted value of the temperature in the tank during the second filling determined based on the temperature change with respect to the pressure change and the temperature change per unit time.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miyoshi Shinji
• Inagi Shusuke

Classifications

• F17C2225/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title

• F17C2227/0157

  Compressors · CPC title

• F17C2250/043

  Pressure · CPC title

• F17C2203/0634

  Materials for walls or layers thereof · CPC title

• F17C2221/033

  Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG · CPC title