CN-122014996-A - Gas supply system

Abstract

The gas supply system is provided with a gas tank having an automatic shut-off valve, a gas supply pipe connecting the gas tank and a gas consuming device, a seal, and a shut-off valve disposed in the gas supply pipe. A push rod is arranged at the front end of the gas supply pipe, and when the gas tank approaches, the push rod pushes the automatic closing valve open. When the distance between the self-closing valve and the push rod is below a threshold distance, the sealing member seals the connection space including the self-closing valve and the front end of the gas supply pipe. The controller advances the gas tank until the self-closing valve is pushed open, then retreats the gas tank to a position where the self-closing valve is closed while maintaining the seal of the connection space, and closes the shutoff valve. When the pressure in the gas supply pipe upstream of the shutoff valve is lower than the downstream pressure, the controller determines that gas leakage has occurred.

Inventors

• Fujimura Kako
• Naoko Dengmei
• Dianzheng Tetsuya

Assignees

• 丰田自动车株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251111

Priority Date

20241112

Claims (2)

1. 1. A gas supply system, wherein the gas supply system comprises: a gas tank having an automatic closing valve that opens when a push rod is pushed in and closes when the push rod is pulled out; A gas supply pipe connected to the gas tank, the gas supply pipe having the push rod at a front end thereof, and guiding gas from the gas tank to a gas consuming device; an actuator that advances and retreats the gas tank relative to the gas supply pipe; A seal member that seals a connection space including an opening of the self-sealing valve and a front end of the gas supply pipe when a distance between the self-sealing valve and the push rod is shorter than a predetermined threshold distance; A shutoff valve provided in the gas supply pipe; A first pressure sensor that measures a pressure in the gas supply pipe upstream of the shutoff valve; a second pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the gas supply pipe downstream of the stop valve, and The controller is used for controlling the operation of the controller, The controller controls the actuator to advance the gas tank until the self-closing valve is pushed open, then, while maintaining the seal of the connection space, to retreat the gas tank to a position where the self-closing valve is closed, and to close the shutoff valve, The controller advances the gas tank to re-open the self-closing valve and opens the shutoff valve when the measurement value of the first pressure sensor is equal to or greater than the measurement value of the second pressure sensor after a predetermined time, and outputs a signal indicating that gas leakage has occurred when the measurement value of the first pressure sensor is lower than the measurement value of the second pressure sensor.
2. 2. The gas supply system according to claim 1, wherein, The gas supply pipe is divided into a plurality of branched circuits, The first pressure sensor and the push rod are arranged in each branch circuit, The gas tanks are connected with the branch circuits.

Description

Gas supply system Technical Field The technology disclosed in the present specification relates to a gas supply system that supplies gas in a gas tank to a gas consuming apparatus. Background Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2024-89965 discloses a gas supply system that is provided with a plurality of gas tanks and supplies gas from the gas tanks to a gas consuming apparatus. In the gas supply system of japanese patent application laid-open No. 2024-89965, when the gas remaining amount in all the gas tanks becomes small, a gas leak check is performed before the gas tanks are replaced. When the remaining amount of all the gas tanks becomes smaller, the controller of the system closes the on-off valves of all the gas tanks, and stops the gas consuming apparatus after consuming the gas in the gas supply pipe. Then, the controller removes the gas tank from the system after confirming that the gas pressure in the gas supply pipe has not risen. When the pressure of the gas in the gas supply pipe increases, gas leakage occurs from the opening/closing valve. In this case, when the gas tank is detached from the system, the gas in the gas tank leaks to the surroundings. The controller stops the detachment of the gas tank when the pressure of the gas in the gas supply pipe increases. Disclosure of Invention In the gas supply system of japanese patent application laid-open No. 2024-89965, the presence or absence of gas leakage is detected by whether or not the gas pressure in the gas supply pipe is rising. Therefore, in order to perform the gas leakage check, it is necessary to temporarily stop the supply of the gas to the gas consuming apparatus. The present specification provides a technique capable of performing gas leakage inspection without stopping gas supply to a gas consuming apparatus. The gas supply system disclosed in the present specification is provided with a gas tank, a gas supply pipe, an actuator, a seal, a shut-off valve, first and second pressure sensors, and a controller. The gas tank has a self-sealing valve that opens when the push rod is pushed in and closes when the push rod is pulled out. The gas tank is connected to the gas supply pipe. The gas supply pipe includes a push rod at a front end thereof, and guides the gas in the gas tank to the gas consuming apparatus. The actuator moves the gas tank back and forth relative to the gas supply pipe. When the distance between the self-sealing valve and the push rod is shorter than a predetermined threshold distance, the seal seals the connection space including the opening of the self-sealing valve and the front end of the gas supply pipe. The shutoff valve is provided in the gas supply pipe. The first pressure sensor measures the pressure in the gas supply pipe upstream of the shut-off valve. The second pressure sensor measures the pressure in the gas supply pipe downstream of the shut-off valve. The controller controls the actuator to advance the gas tank until the self-closing valve is pushed open, then, to retreat the gas tank to a position where the self-closing valve is closed while maintaining the seal of the connection space, and to close the shutoff valve. After a predetermined time, when the measurement value of the first pressure sensor is equal to or greater than the measurement value of the second pressure sensor, the controller advances the gas tank to open the self-closing valve again, and opens the shutoff valve, and when the measurement value of the first pressure sensor is lower than the measurement value of the second pressure sensor, the controller outputs a signal indicating that gas leakage has occurred. When the automatic closing valve of the gas tank is opened, the supply of gas to the gas consuming apparatus is started. In the gas supply system disclosed in the present specification, gas leakage inspection is performed on the upstream side of the shutoff valve in a state where the gas supply pipe downstream of the shutoff valve is filled with gas. The gas tank is retracted to close the automatic shutoff valve, and the controller closes the shutoff valve during the gas leak test. The high-pressure gas accumulated in the gas supply pipe downstream of the shutoff valve continues to be supplied to the gas consuming apparatus. The gas supply system disclosed in the present specification can perform gas leakage inspection without stopping gas supply to the gas consuming apparatus. In the gas supply system disclosed in the present specification, the gas supply pipe may be divided into a plurality of branch pipes, and the first pressure sensor and the push rod may be provided in each of the branch pipes. The gas tank is connected with each branch. The actuator is preferably capable of relatively moving the gas canister relative to the push rod in each of the branches. The other gas tank can be replaced while the gas is supplied from the one gas tank to the gas consuming apparatus. The details and further modifications of the