US 12,455,046 B2
Gas supply system for filling hydrogen into tank
Daisuke Satoya, Nisshin (JP); and Hiroki Yahashi, Toyota (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Oct. 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/492,062.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-205357 (JP), filed on Dec. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0209987 A1, Jun. 27, 2024
Int. Cl. F17C 5/06 (2006.01); F17C 7/00 (2006.01); H01M 8/04082 (2016.01); H01M 8/0438 (2016.01); H01M 8/04746 (2016.01)
CPC F17C 7/00 (2013.01) [H01M 8/04201 (2013.01); H01M 8/04388 (2013.01); H01M 8/04753 (2013.01); F17C 2201/0109 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0142 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0326 (2013.01); F17C 2250/032 (2013.01); F17C 2250/043 (2013.01); F17C 2250/0636 (2013.01); F17C 2270/0184 (2013.01)] 1 Claim
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas supply system comprising:
a plurality of gas supply modules, each gas supply module of the plurality of gas supply modules including:
a plurality of tanks filled with gas;
a plurality of solenoid valves, each solenoid valve of the plurality of solenoid valves being provided on a corresponding tank of the plurality of tanks, and the plurality of solenoid valves being configured to control release of the gas from the plurality of tanks;
a plurality of intermediate flow paths, each intermediate flow path of the plurality of intermediate flow paths extending downstream from the corresponding tank via a corresponding solenoid valve of the plurality of solenoid valves;
a merging portion connected to the plurality of intermediate flow paths;
a gas discharge flow path extending downstream from the merging portion;
a sensor provided on the merging portion or downstream of the merging portion; and
a processor configured to:
control opening and closing of the plurality of solenoid valves,
control, at a start of gas discharge, a first solenoid valve of the plurality of solenoid valves to be opened, the first solenoid valve being provided in a first tank of the plurality of tanks,
control, at an end of the gas discharge, the first solenoid valve to be closed,
control the sensor to measure a pressure of the first tank, and
store the measured pressure of the first tank;
a plurality of devices including a fuel cell system; and
a server connected to the plurality of gas supply modules via a network, wherein;
the plurality of gas supply modules are paired with the plurality of devices respectively, and
the server is configured to:
store device requirement information, the device requirement information including a gas quantity and a minimum pressure required for an operation of each device of the plurality of devices,
obtain gas supply module information, the gas supply module information including a gas quantity and a pressure of each tank of the plurality of tanks included in each gas supply module of the plurality of gas supply modules,
compare the gas supply module information with the device requirement information in each pair of the gas supply module and the device,
identify a plurality of pairs in which the gas supply module does not satisfy a requirement of the device paired with the gas supply module,
compare the gas supply module information of one pair of the plurality of pairs with the device requirement information of another pair of the plurality of pairs, and
identify, from the plurality of pairs, a first gas supply module that satisfies the requirement of a device of the other pair.