Vehicle and method for filling fuel gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995913-B2
Application number	US-201815919992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle including: a tank configured to be filled with fuel gas; a receptacle configured to be connected to a nozzle included in a fuel gas filling apparatus; a filling passage configured to provide communication between the receptacle and the tank; a heating unit configured to heat the receptacle; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a parameter value, correlated with a filling speed of the fuel gas filled into the tank from the fuel gas filling apparatus, indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank; and a control unit configured to, when the determination unit determines that the parameter value indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank, to cause the heating unit to start heating of the receptacle during filling of the fuel gas into the tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a tank configured to be filled with fuel gas;
a receptacle configured to be connected to a nozzle included in a fuel gas filling apparatus, the fuel gas filling apparatus being configured to cool the fuel gas, fill the fuel gas into the tank, decrease a filling speed of the fuel gas filled into the tank before a filling amount of the fuel gas filled into the tank reaches a target filling amount, and then end filling of the fuel gas into the tank;
a filling passage configured to provide communication between the receptacle and the tank;
a heating unit configured to heat the receptacle;
a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a parameter value, correlated with the filling speed of the fuel gas filled into the tank from the fuel gas filling apparatus, indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank based on whether or not the parameter value becomes smaller after a predetermined time has passed; and
a control unit configured to, when the determination unit determines that the parameter value indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank, cause the heating unit to start heating of the receptacle during filling of the fuel gas into the tank,
wherein the parameter value is any one of a change rate of pressure inside the tank and a change rate of temperature inside the tank.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the tank has a resinous liner.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an ambient temperature sensor configured to detect ambient temperature, wherein
the control unit is configured to, when the detected ambient temperature is equal to or below a specified temperature and when the determination unit determines that the parameter value indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank, cause the heating unit to start heating of the receptacle during filling of the fuel gas into the tank.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a fuel cell configured to generate electric power upon reception of the fuel gas filled in the tank.

5. A method for filling fuel gas, including filling a tank with cooled fuel gas from a fuel gas filling apparatus through a connecting portion configured to detachably connect the tank and the fuel gas filling apparatus, decreasing a filling speed of filling the fuel gas into the tank before a filling amount of the fuel gas filled into the tank reaches a target filling amount, and then ending filling of the fuel gas into the tank, the method comprising:
determining whether or not a parameter value, correlated with the filling speed of the fuel gas filled into the tank from the fuel gas filling apparatus, indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank based on whether or not the parameter value becomes smaller after a predetermined time has passed; and
starting heating of the connecting portion during filling of the fuel gas into the tank, when determining that the parameter value indicates decrease in the filling speed during filling of the fuel gas into the tank,
wherein the parameter value is any one of a change rate of pressure inside the tank and a change rate of temperature inside the tank.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fujita Keisuke

Classifications

• F17C2250/0439

  Temperature · CPC title

• F17C2270/0168

  by vehicles · CPC title

• F17C2221/033

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

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title

• F17C2227/0388

  separate · CPC title