DE-102025143121-A1 - GAS SUPPLY SYSTEM

Abstract

A system comprises a tank equipped with an automatic valve, a pipe connecting the tank to a device, a seal, and a shut-off valve located within the pipe. A rod at the top of the pipe forces the automatic valve open as the tank approaches. The seal closes a space encompassing the automatic valve and the pipe tip when the distance between the automatic valve and the rod is equal to or less than a threshold value. A controller moves the tank forward until the automatic valve is forced open, then reverses the tank to a position where the automatic valve is closed while the space remains sealed, and closes the shut-off valve. The controller detects a gas leak when the pressure in the line upstream of the shut-off valve is lower than the pressure downstream of the shut-off valve.

Inventors

• Yoshikatsu FUJIMURA
• Naoki Tomi
• Tetsuya TONOSAKO

Assignees

• TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20251022

Priority Date

20241112

Claims (2)

1. A gas supply system comprising: a gas tank with an automatic shut-off valve that opens when a push rod is pushed in and closes when the push rod is pulled out; a gas supply line to which the gas tank is connected, at the tip of which the push rod is provided, and which carries gas from the gas tank to a gas-consuming device; an actuator that moves the gas tank forwards and backwards relative to the gas supply line; a seal that seals a connecting space, including an opening of the automatic shut-off valve and the tip of the gas supply line, when the distance between the automatic shut-off valve and the push rod is less than a predetermined limit distance; a shut-off valve provided in the gas supply line; a first pressure sensor that measures a pressure in the gas supply line upstream of the shut-off valve; a second pressure sensor that measures a pressure in the gas supply line downstream of the shut-off valve; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the actuator to move the gas tank forward until the automatic shut-off valve is forced open, and then move the gas tank backward to a position where the automatic shut-off valve is closed while the connection space is kept sealed and the shut-off valve is closed, and after a predetermined time, move the gas tank forward so that the automatic shut-off valve reopens, and open the shut-off valve when a reading from the first pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a reading from the second pressure sensor, and output a signal indicating that a gas leak is occurring when the reading from the first pressure sensor is less than the reading from the second pressure sensor.
2. Gas supply system according to Claim 1 , wherein: the gas supply line is divided into a plurality of branching paths; each of the branching paths is equipped with the first pressure sensor and the push rod; and the gas tank is connected to each of the branching paths.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The prior art disclosed herein relates to a gas supply system which delivers gas contained in a gas tank to a gas-consuming device. 2. Description of the related prior art The unexamined Japanese patent application disclosure no. 2024-89965 ( JP 2024-89965 A ) discloses a gas supply system comprising a plurality of gas tanks and delivering gas from the gas tanks to a gas-consuming appliance. The gas supply system according to JP 2024-89965 A Before replacing the gas tanks, the system performs a check for gas leaks when the remaining gas level in all tanks becomes low. When the remaining gas level in all tanks is low, a control unit closes the valves of all tanks and shuts off the gas-consuming appliance after the gas in the supply line has been consumed. The control unit then disconnects the tanks from the system after determining that the gas pressure in the supply line has not increased. If the gas pressure in the supply line increases, it will indicate that gas is escaping from the open/closed valves. In this case, disconnecting the tanks from the system will cause the gas to escape into the environment. If the gas pressure in the supply line increases, the control unit stops disconnecting the tanks. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the gas supply system according to JP 2024-89965 A The presence or absence of a gas leak is determined by whether the gas pressure in the gas supply line is increased. Therefore, it is necessary to temporarily interrupt the gas supply to the gas-consuming appliance to check for a gas leak. This specification provides a technique that allows for testing for gas leaks without interrupting the gas supply to a gas-consuming device. One aspect of this specification discloses a gas supply system comprising a gas tank, a gas supply line, an actuator, a seal, a shut-off valve, first and second pressure sensors, and a control unit. The gas tank includes an automatic shut-off valve that opens when a push rod is pushed in and closes when the push rod is pulled out. The gas tank is connected to the gas supply line. The push rod is located at one end of the gas supply line, and the gas supply line carries gas from the gas tank to a gas-consuming device. The actuator moves the gas tank forward and backward relative to the gas supply line. The seal closes a connecting space that includes an opening of the automatic shut-off valve and the end of the gas supply line when the distance between the automatic shut-off valve and the push rod is less than a predetermined limit. The shut-off valve is located in the gas supply line. The first pressure sensor measures a pressure in the gas supply line upstream of the shut-off valve. The second pressure sensor measures pressure in the gas supply line downstream of the shut-off valve. The controller is configured to move the actuator forward until the automatic shut-off valve is forced open, and then to move the gas tank backward to a position where the automatic shut-off valve is closed, while the connection chamber remains sealed and the shut-off valve is closed. Furthermore, the controller is configured to move the gas tank forward again after a predetermined time, causing the automatic shut-off valve to reopen, and to open the shut-off valve if a reading from the first pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a reading from the second pressure sensor. It also outputs a signal indicating a gas leak if the reading from the first pressure sensor is less than the reading from the second pressure sensor. When the automatic shut-off valve of the gas tank opens, the supply of gas to the gas-consuming appliance is initiated. In the gas supply system disclosed herein, a gas leak test is performed upstream of the shut-off valve when the gas supply line downstream of the shut-off valve is filled with gas. The gas tank is moved back to close the automatic shut-off valve, and the control system closes the shut-off valve while a gas leak test is performed. The high-pressure gas accumulated in the gas supply line downstream of the shut-off valve continues to be supplied to the gas-consuming appliance. The gas supply system disclosed herein can perform a gas leak test without interrupting the gas supply to the gas-consuming appliance. In the gas supply system disclosed herein, the gas supply line can be divided into a multitude of branching paths, and Each of the branching paths can be equipped with the first pressure sensor and the push rod. The gas tank can be connected to each of the branching paths. The actuator is preferably capable of moving the gas tank relative to the push rod in each of the branching paths. One gas tank can be replaced while gas from the other gas tank is supplied to the gas-consuming device. Details of the technology disclosed herein and further improvements are described in the following “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXECUTION EXAMPLES”. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features, adva