Filling station, in particular a hydrogen filling station

• US 20050268986A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Linde AG (Linde Plc)
• Original Assignee: Linde AG (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Tomforde, Henning, Odebrecht, Richella
• Application Number:
  US11/142,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20050268986A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/113
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/037 Quick connecting means, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/033 Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0153 Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/04 Methods for emptying or filling
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0678 Position or presence
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/065 for refueling vehicle fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/00 Methods or apparatus for filling containers with liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases under pressures adding propellants to aerosol containers B65B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage

Abstract

A filling station for refueling a vehicle with a gaseous and/or liquid medium, in particular with natural gas or gaseous and/or liquid hydrogen, with at least one refueling device that corresponds to corresponding receptacle devices provided in the vehicles to be refueled. The refueling device is arranged so that the vehicles to be refueled can drive onto it and/or it can be moved into position beneath the vehicles to be refueled.

Claims

1. Filling station for refueling a vehicle with a gaseous and/or liquid medium, having at least one refueling device which corresponds to a receptacle device provided in the vehicle to be refueled, wherein the refueling device is arranged to refuel the vehicle from beneath the vehicle.

2. The filling station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the refueling device is arranged to be at least one of driven over by the vehicle and moved to a position beneath the vehicle to be refuted.

3. The filling station as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a vehicle positioning device for positioning the vehicle to be refueled over the refueling device.

4. The filling station as claimed in claim 3, wherein the vehicle positioning device is a conveyor device onto which the vehicle to be refueled is driven.

5. The filling station as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a refueling positioning device for automatic positioning of the refueling device at the receptacle device the vehicle to be refueled.

6. The filing station as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a refueling positioning device for automatic positioning of the refueling device at the receptacle device the vehicle to be refueled.

7. The filling station as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a cleaning device is provided for cleaning at least one of the refueling device and the receptacle device of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle filling station as claimed in claim 2, wherein the refueling device is on a movable carriage.

9. The filing station as claimed in claim 4, wherein the refueling device positioning device is a movable carriage.

10. A method of refueling a vehicle with a gaseous and/or liquid medium, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one refueling device which corresponds to a receptacle device provided in a vehicle to be refueled;

positioning one of the refueling device beneath the vehicle and the vehicle over the refueling device; and

connecting the refueling device to the receptacle of the vehicle beneath the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing a vehicle positioning device; and

positioning the vehicle to be refueled over the refueling device with the vehicle positioning device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle position device is a conveyer device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing a refueling device positioning device; and

positioning the refueling device beneath the vehicle to be refueled with the refueling device positioning device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing a vehicle positioning device;

providing a refueling device positioning device; and

positioning at least one of the vehicle to be refueled over the refueling device with the vehicle positioning device, and the refueling device beneath the vehicle to be refueled with the refueling device positioning device.