Liquid hydrogen tank control device and control method thereof

1 . A liquid hydrogen tank control device comprising:

a control board capable of wireless communication and measuring a level of liquid hydrogen stored in a storage space of an inner tank of a liquid hydrogen tank based on a plurality of temperature values measured by a plurality of temperature sensors provided at different heights from each other on an outer surface of the inner tank located inside an outer tank of the liquid hydrogen tank,

wherein the control board is configured to:

control On/Off of an opening/closing valve provided in a gas discharge pipe connected to the liquid hydrogen tank through a wireless communication module,

control an electrical output of a fuel cell through the wireless communication module, and

control On/Off of a heater through the wireless communication module.

2 . The liquid hydrogen tank control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the control board is configured to determine that liquid hydrogen is filled from a bottom of the storage space of the inner tank to a height of a temperature sensor outputting a temperature value equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature value based on temperature values measured by the plurality of temperature sensors.

3 . The liquid hydrogen tank control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the control board is configured to determine a status of the liquid hydrogen tank based on a pressure value measured by a pressure sensor capable of wireless communication and configured to measure a pressure in the storage space of the inner tank.

4 . The liquid hydrogen tank control device according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a memory configured to store status information including a received temperature value of the inner tank; and

a display configured to display status information including the received temperature value of the inner tank,

wherein the control board is configured to control operation of the heater configured to increase pressure of the liquid hydrogen tank.

5 . The liquid hydrogen tank control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a control panel provided in the liquid hydrogen tank control device and configured to allow a user to control at least one of On/Off of the opening/closing valve, operation of the heater, and the electrical output of the fuel cell.

6 . A method of controlling a liquid hydrogen tank using a liquid hydrogen tank control device,

wherein the liquid hydrogen tank control device comprises:

a plurality of temperature sensors provided at different heights from each other on an outer surface of an inner tank located inside an outer tank of the liquid hydrogen tank;

at least one pressure sensor configured to measure pressure of a storage space in which liquid hydrogen in the inner tank is stored; and

a control board capable of wireless communication and measuring a level of liquid hydrogen stored in the storage space of the inner tank based on a plurality of temperature values measured by the plurality of temperature sensors,

wherein the method comprises:

determining a level of liquid hydrogen in the inner tank based on the temperature values measured by the plurality of temperature sensors;

determining whether pressure in the inner tank is within an appropriate pressure range based on pressure values measured by the pressure sensor; and

controlling On/Off of an opening/closing valve provided in a gas discharge pipe connected to the liquid hydrogen tank, electrical output of a fuel cell, and a heater through a wireless communication module of the control board.

7 . The method according to claim 6 ,

wherein the determining the level of liquid hydrogen stored in the storage space of the inner tank based on the temperature values measured by the plurality of temperature sensors comprises:

(a) converting electrical signals received from the plurality of temperature sensors into a plurality of temperature values;

(b) branching the determination based on a determination of whether all of the plurality of converted temperature values are the same, such that:

(i) when all of the plurality of converted temperature values are determined to be the same, the method further comprises:

determining that the inner tank is full of liquid hydrogen if the plurality of temperature values are within a first temperature value range;

determining that the storage space of the inner tank is empty up to a warning level if the plurality of temperature values exceed a second temperature value higher than the first temperature value range and a pressure value of the storage space is smaller than a first pressure value;

determining that the level of the storage space of the inner tank is at an empty level if the plurality of temperature values exceed the second temperature value and the pressure value is not smaller than the first pressure value;

(ii) when all of the plurality of converted temperature values are determined not to be the same, the method further comprises:

determining that the level of the storage space of the inner tank is at a medium level if the temperature values of the middle temperature sensor and a lowest temperature sensor are within the first temperature value range;

determining that the level of the storage space of the inner tank is at a low level if the temperature value of only the lowest temperature sensor is within the first temperature value range; and

determining that the level of the storage space of the inner tank is at an empty level if the temperature value of the lowest temperature sensor is not within the first temperature value range; and

(c) controlling, by the control board, the opening/closing valve, the fuel cell, and the heater through the wireless communication module based on the determined level.

8 . The method according to claim 6 ,

wherein the determining whether the pressure of the inner tank is within the appropriate pressure range based on the pressure values measured by the pressure sensor comprises:

switching either the opening/closing valve or the heater for adjusting a pressure in the storage space of the inner tank to a predetermined pressure to an operating status contingent upon a measured pressure value being smaller than a first pressure value; and

switching the operating status of either the opening/closing valve or the heater to an interrupted status contingent upon the measured pressure value being larger than a second pressure value higher than the first pressure value.