Gas monitoring system and gas monitoring method

Abstract

A gas monitoring system and a gas monitoring method make it possible to identify plural gas sensors having a single specification and which are connected to one trunk line. Trunk line connectors have identification configurations for allowing information concerning positions where the trunk line connectors to be identified are arranged. Hydrogen sensors have a single specification (the same specification). When connectors of the hydrogen sensors are fitted to the trunk line connectors, the hydrogen sensors store the sensor IDs, which are assigned to the hydrogen sensors, in memory units based on the identification configurations of the trunk line connectors.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A gas monitoring method using gas sensors equipped with connectors having a common specification, the connectors of the gas sensors being fittable to trunk line connectors with position-corresponding unique identifications provided at plural positions of one trunk line that is connected to a control device,
 the method comprising the steps of:   when the connectors of the gas sensors are fitted to the trunk line connectors along with the position-corresponding unique identifications, writing unique identifications corresponding to the position-corresponding unique identifications of the trunk line connectors in memory units of the gas sensors to assign the unique identifications to the gas sensors, which are equipped with the connectors fitted to the trunk line connectors;   transmitting the unique identifications, which are assigned to the gas sensors equipped with the connectors, to the control device through the trunk line; and   checking the unique identifications, which are assigned to the gas sensors equipped with the connectors and are received by the control device, for matching with the position-corresponding unique identifications corresponding to position information of positions, which is stored by the control device in correspondence with positions of the trunk line.   
     
     
         2 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 1 , wherein the trunk line connectors with position-corresponding unique identifications disposed at the plural positions are respectively provided with a plurality of poles, and
 each of the trunk line connectors includes a short circuiting wire connecting two of the plurality of poles at a different position from each other, so that the trunk line connectors are uniquely identified.   
     
     
         3 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of poles include a power supply pole, a ground pole, a communication pole and identification pole, and
 the short circuiting wire is positioned between the identification pole and the power supply pole or the ground pole.   
     
     
         4 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, in the step of checking the unique identifications, an abnormal condition determination threshold value setting step of storing, with respect to the gas sensors, abnormal condition determination threshold values in respective memory units of each of the gas sensors, for judging whether or not detection values of each of the gas sensors are abnormal, after the control device has identified the unique IDs of the gas sensors attached at the positions as corresponding to the position-corresponding unique identifications. 
     
     
         5 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 4 , wherein in the case that the abnormal condition determination threshold values are set to different values based on the information concerning the positions where the respective gas sensors that serve as gas leakage detecting targets are arranged, and any one of the detection values of the respective gas sensors is equal to or greater than the abnormal condition determination threshold values, further comprising a detection value transmitting step of transmitting to the control device through the trunk line the detected values that were equal to or greater than the abnormal condition determination threshold values. 
     
     
         6 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 5 , wherein the abnormal condition determination threshold values are determined such that the abnormal condition determination threshold values become smaller as the distance between the gas sensor and a target portion of leakage detection being closest to the gas sensor becomes large. 
     
     
         7 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 1 , implemented in a fuel cell vehicle that is equipped with a fuel cell system, wherein the connectors of the gas sensors are fitted to the trunk line connectors at least at two different positions of one trunk line that is connected to the control device. 
     
     
         8 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 7 , wherein the two different positions include a position above a fuel cell stack of the fuel cell vehicle and a position above a fuel tank. 
     
     
         9 . The gas monitoring method according to  claim 7 , wherein the gas monitoring method is implemented in the fuel cell vehicle equipped with the fuel cell system;
 the fuel cell vehicle includes at least two fuel tanks;   the gas sensors are provided above the fuel tanks, respectively; and   the control device further performs a fuel supply continuation step in which, when any one of the gas sensors provided above the fuel tanks has detected an abnormal condition, supply of fuel to a fuel cell is continued using only the fuel tank for which the gas sensor has not detected the abnormal condition.