Gas feed device

• US 20020148502A1
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,923,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/266
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/005 for hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/025 having the pressure as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0142 bundled in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/036 Very high pressure (>80 bar)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/036 Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/043 by pressure cascade
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/036 using alarms
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0168 by vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0184 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/06 for filling with compressed gases
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 7/00 Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases from pressure vessels, not covered by another subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04208 Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04225 during start-up
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04228 during shut-down
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/065 : by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 : Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/34 : Hydrogen distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4857 : With manifold or grouped outlets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6855 : Vehicle

Abstract

A gas feed device for detecting trouble in a gas pressure sensor fitted to the gas feed device. The presence of trouble in pressure sensors 52 to 58 is determined according to whether or not gas pressure values detected by the pressure sensors 52 to 58 fitted to branch pipes 32 to 38 is within an allowable range when stop valves 42 to 48 fitted to the branch pipes 32 to 38 connected to the access ports of hydrogen absorbing alloy tanks 22 to 28 are fully opened from their fully closed state. When the gas feed device 20 is mounted on a vehicle, no special operation is required for trouble detection because the trouble in the pressure sensors 52 to 58 can be detected by fully opening the fully closed stop valves 42 to 48 when the vehicle is started. And normally the trouble can be judged by the mounted equipment.

Claims

1. A gas feed device for feeding gas from a plurality of gas tanks through feed passages communicated with branch passages which are respectively connected to the plurality of gas tanks, comprising:

stop valves mounted on the respective branch passages;

gas pressure detection means which are fitted to the respective branch passages on the side away from the stop valves and nearer the gas tanks; and

trouble judgement means which judge a trouble of the gas pressure detecting means on the basis of the opening and closing actions of at least two stop valves among the respective stop valves and the gas pressure detected by the gas pressure detecting means fitted together with the stop valves.

2. The gas feed device according to claim 1, wherein, in connection with values detected when a plurality of stop valves related to the opening and closing operations are opened, the trouble judgement means make a positive judgement concerning the presence of trouble when the gas detecting means detect a gas pressure falling below, within a predetermined range, a predetermined value which is determined according to the detected gas pressure among the gas pressure values detected by the gas pressure detecting means.

3. The gas feed device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of gas tanks are tanks which incorporate a hydrogen absorbing alloy and store hydrogen.

4. The gas feed device according to claim 3, wherein the gas feed device is a vehicular mounted gas feed device for feeding hydrogen from the plurality of gas tanks to hydrogen consuming equipment mounted on a vehicle.

5. The gas feed device according to claim 4, wherein:

stop valve control means are provided to fully close the stop valves of the plurality of gas tanks when the vehicle operation is stopped and to fully open the stop valves of the plurality of gas tanks when the vehicle is activated, and

the trouble judgement means make a positive judgement concerning the presence of trouble when it is detected that the stop valves are fully opened when the vehicle is started.

6. The gas feed device according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

trouble output means for outputting a trouble notification when the trouble judgement means make a positive judgement concerning the presence of trouble.