# US 12,181,108 B2 · Hydrogen gas filling method and hydrogen gas filling device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,181,108 B2
- Document ID: US12181108B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/732,049
- Filed: 2022-04-28
- Published: 2022-08-18
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-29
- Assignees: Eneos Corporation
- Applicants: ENEOS Corporation
- Inventors: Akihiko Fukunaga; Tatsuya Rembutsu; Koki Sakamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181108B2

## CPC

- F17C 5/007: {for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles (filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00)}
- B67D 7/04: for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
- B67D 7/32: Arrangements of safety or warning devices; Means for preventing unauthorised delivery of liquid
- F17C 5/06: for filling with compressed gases
- F17C 13/026: {having the temperature as the parameter}
- G01K 3/08: giving differences of values (using thermoelectric elements G01K7/02); giving differentiated values
- G01L 19/0092: {Pressure sensor associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration or temperature (G01L9/025, G01L9/045, G01L9/065, G01L9/085, G01L9/105, G01L9/125, G01L19/02, G01L19/04 take precedence; measuring two or more variable G01D21/02; temperature sensors with pressure compensation G01K1/26)}
- F17C 2205/0326: electrically actuated
- F17C 2205/0332: Safety valves or pressure relief valves
- F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen
- F17C 2223/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2223/036: Very high pressure (>80 bar)
- F17C 2225/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2225/036: Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
- F17C 2227/0157: Compressors
- F17C 2227/0355: in a closed loop
- F17C 2227/0388: separate
- F17C 2227/043: by pressure cascade
- F17C 2250/032: using computers
- F17C 2250/034: using wireless transmissions
- F17C 2250/043: Pressure
- F17C 2250/0439: Temperature
- F17C 2250/0443: Flow or movement of content
- F17C 2250/0626: Pressure
- F17C 2250/0636: Flow or movement of content
- F17C 2250/0694: with calculations
- F17C 2250/075: when full
- F17C 2260/025: Reducing transfer time
- F17C 2265/065: for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks
- F17C 2270/0139: Fuel stations
- F17C 2270/0168: by vehicles
- Y02E 60/32: Hydrogen storage
- F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25)
- B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F)
- G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00)
- G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A hydrogen gas filling device includes a reception circuit, a difference calculation circuit, a filling speed calculation circuit, an accumulator, and a filing machine. The reception circuit is configured to receive, from a vehicle equipped with a tank to be filled with hydrogen gas and powered by the hydrogen gas, a value of a parameter of the vehicle. The difference calculation circuit is configured to calculate a difference between a predetermined value and the value of the parameter received from the vehicle. The filling speed calculation circuit is configured to calculate a filling speed of the hydrogen gas depending on the difference. The accumulator is configured to accumulate hydrogen gas. The filling machine is configured to fill the tank with the hydrogen gas from the accumulator at the calculated filling speed. A hydrogen gas filling method includes the operations noted above.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A hydrogen gas filling device comprising:
a reception circuit configured to receive, from a vehicle equipped with a tank to be filled with hydrogen gas and powered by the hydrogen gas, temperatures of the of the vehicle during the process of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas;
a difference calculation circuit configured to calculate a plurality of differences at different times during the process of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas, the differences being differences between a preset and unchanging temperature and the temperature of the tank measured at different times during the process of filling the tank with hydrogen gas, the preset and unchanging temperature being the maximum allowable temperature of the tank;
a filling speed calculation circuit configured to calculate a plurality of filling speeds of the hydrogen gas, each depending on a different calculated difference between the preset and unchanging temperature and the temperature of the tank measured at a different time during the process of filling the tank with hydrogen gas;
an accumulator configured to accumulate hydrogen gas; and
a filling machine configured to fill the tank with the hydrogen gas from the accumulator at the calculated filling speeds.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the tank is obtained before a start of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a storage device configured to store a plurality of correlations between the filling speeds and the differences only between the preset maximum allowable temperature and the temperatures of the tank at different times during the filling process.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device according to claim 3, wherein the filling speed calculation circuit is configured to determine the filling speeds based on the stored correlations.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device according to claim 1,
wherein the device further comprises a storage device configured to store a plurality of correlations between the filling speeds of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas and a temperature difference between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank for each of a plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures at which the hydrogen gas is to be used to fill the tank by the accumulator,
wherein the filling speed calculation circuit determines the filling speeds of the hydrogen gas depending on 1) the temperature differences between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank received from the vehicle at different times during the filling process, and 2) the hydrogen gas supply temperatures of hydrogen gas supplied by the accumulator to the tank, based on the stored correlations between the filling speeds and the temperature differences between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank received from the vehicle at different times during the filling process for each of the plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures at which the hydrogen gas is to be used to fill the tank by the accumulator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5,
wherein the filling speed calculation circuit is configured to determine a temporary filling speed of the hydrogen gas depending on the differences and the preset maximum allowable temperature, and
wherein the filling operation fills the hydrogen gas from the accumulator in which the hydrogen gas is accumulated into the tank at the temporary filling speed and thereafter at the filling speeds calculated by the filling speed calculation circuit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of correlations are stored in a coefficient table in the storage device storing coefficients of a second-order-or-higher-order polynomial determining the relationship between the filling speeds and the temperature differences, wherein the values of the coefficients are defined for each of the stored plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of correlations are generated on the basis of data collected when hydrogen gas actually fills the tank.

### Claim 9

A hydrogen gas filling method comprising:
receiving, from a vehicle equipped with a tank to be filled with hydrogen gas and powered by the hydrogen gas, temperatures of the of the vehicle during the process of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas;
calculating a plurality of differences at different times during the process of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas, the differences being differences between a preset and unchanging temperature and the temperature of the tank measured at different times during the process of filling the tank with hydrogen gas, the preset and unchanging temperature being the maximum allowable temperature of the tank;
calculating a plurality of filling speeds of the hydrogen gas, each depending on a different calculated difference between the preset and unchanging temperature and the temperature of the tank measured at a different time during the process of filling the tank with hydrogen gas; and
filling the tank with hydrogen gas from an accumulator in which the hydrogen gas is accumulated at the calculated filling speeds.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the temperature of the tank is obtained before a start of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, further comprising:
storing a plurality of correlations between the filling speeds and the differences between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the temperatures of the tank at different times during the filling process.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein the calculating operation determines the filling speeds based on the stored correlations.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9,
wherein the method further comprises storing a plurality of correlations between the filling speeds of filling the tank with the hydrogen gas and a temperature difference between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank for each of a plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures at which the hydrogen gas is to be used to fill the tank by the accumulator,
wherein the calculating operation determines the filling speeds of the hydrogen gas depending on 1) the temperature differences between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank received from the vehicle at different times during the filling process, and 2) the hydrogen gas supply temperatures of hydrogen gas supplied by the accumulator to the tank, based on the stored correlations between the filling speeds and the temperature differences between only the preset maximum allowable temperature and the received temperatures of the tank received from the vehicle at different times during the filling process for each of the plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures at which the hydrogen gas is to be used to fill the tank by the accumulator.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method according to claim 13,
wherein the calculating operation determines a temporary filling speed of the hydrogen gas depending on the differences and the preset maximum allowable temperature, and
wherein the filling operation fills the hydrogen gas from the accumulator in which the hydrogen gas is accumulated into the tank at the temporary filling speed and thereafter at the filling speeds calculated by the calculating operation.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of correlations are stored in a coefficient table in the storage device storing coefficients of a second-order-or-higher-order polynomial determining the relationship between the filling speeds and the temperature differences, wherein the values of the coefficients are defined for each of the stored plurality of hydrogen gas supply temperatures.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of correlations are generated on the basis of data collected when hydrogen gas actually fills the tank.