Suction device and suction method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841143-B2
Application number	US-201514789122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A suction method that sucks inside of a filling nozzle used for supply of hydrogen by using a suction nozzle that is engaged with the filling nozzle, the suction method comprising: evacuating a vacuum chamber by using a vacuum pump; and sucking inside of the suction nozzle by using the evacuated vacuum chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A suction device that sucks inside of a filling nozzle used for supply of hydrogen, the suction device comprising:
a suction nozzle configured to be engaged with the filling nozzle;
a vacuum chamber configured to suck inside of the suction nozzle; and
a vacuum pump configured to evacuate the vacuum chamber; further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber, in response to the degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber being above a predetermined vacuum value, perform an evacuation process which causes the vacuum pump to evacuate the vacuum chamber, and in response to the degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber being below the predetermined vacuum value, perform a removal process which allows pressure in the vacuum chamber to be increased by sucking inside of the suction nozzle.

2. The suction device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least either the vacuum chamber or the vacuum pump is located in a place that does not require hydrogen explosion protection.

3. The suction device according to claim 1 ,
wherein suction of the suction nozzle by the vacuum chamber is performed in response to an operator's instruction and is then performed again after a predetermined time interval.

4. The suction device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a mechanism configured to change and set a depression angle of the suction nozzle.

5. The suction device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the mechanism sets the depression angle to face the suction nozzle upward during suction by the vacuum chamber, compared with a state that the suction nozzle and the filling nozzle are not engaged with each other.

6. The suction device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the mechanism sets the suction nozzle to face in a horizontal direction when suction by the vacuum chamber is performed.

7. The suction device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the mechanism sets the depression angle to 45 degrees when suction by the vacuum chamber is not performed.

8. The suction device according to claim 1 , comprising
a plurality of the vacuum chambers.

9. The suction device according to claim 8 ,
wherein during suction of the suction nozzle by one of the plurality of vacuum chambers, another of the plurality of vacuum chambers is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

10. The suction device according to claim 1 ,
wherein suction power by the vacuum chamber is higher than suction power by the vacuum pump.

11. A suction method that sucks inside of a filling nozzle used for supply of hydrogen by using a suction nozzle that is engaged with the filling nozzle, the suction method comprising:
evacuating a vacuum chamber by using a vacuum pump; and
sucking inside of the suction nozzle by using the evacuated vacuum chamber; further comprising: determining a degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber, in response to the degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber being above a predetermined vacuum value, performing an evacuation process which causes the vacuum pump to evacuate the vacuum chamber, and in response to the degree of vacuum of the vacuum chamber being below the predetermined vacuum value, performing a removal process which allows pressure in the vacuum chamber to be increased by sucking inside of the suction nozzle.

Assignees

• Iwatani Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hori Yoshihiro
• Matsuno Yuu
• Nemoto Hiroaki
• Omori Hideyo
• Kondo Toshiyuki

Classifications

• F17C5/04 Primary

  requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. filling with helium or hydrogen · CPC title

• Y02E60/321

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F17C2270/0184

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F17C2223/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title

• F17C3/00 Primary

  Vessels not under pressure · CPC title