Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Michitaro Itoga

Yutaka Hotta

Tateki Takayama

Makoto Takeyama

Hiroaki Nishiumi

Hitoshi Hamada

Takami Hosoi

Hideyuki Kanazawa

Masahiko Nishikawa

Yuma Takabatake

Michihiko Masuda

A fuel cell case includes: a casing portion provided with a through hole that communicates between an internal space for accommodating a fuel cell stack and outside of the casing portion; a lid portion attached to an outer surface of the casing portion by a first connection portion so as to close the through hole; and a cover portion arranged on the lid portion and attached to the outer surface of the casing portion. It is configured that at least one of the lid portion and the first connection portion is fractured when an internal pressure of the casing portion is increased to be equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure and that the cover portion remains to be attached to the casing portion even after at least one of the lid portion and the first connection portion is fractured.

Fuel cell case

An FC (fuel cell) system includes: a compressor supplying air to a CE (cathode electrode) of FC; an OV (outlet valve) connected to a discharge port through which air is discharged from CE; an injector supplying hydrogen gas to an AE (anode electrode) of FC; a CP (circulation pump) provided in a circulation path that returns the hydrogen gas discharged from AE to AE; and a controller controlling power generation of FC. In a case of removing a component that allows air to enter CE when removed, before the component is removed, the controller executes a first step of opening OV, driving the compressor, and supplying air to CE, and a second step of driving CP to cause hydrogen gas that remains inside AE and the circulation path to be circulated in a state in which the hydrogen gas is not supplied to AE from the injector.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling fuel cell system

To reduce a manufacturing cost on anodization in an aluminum-type fuel cell case, a method of manufacturing a fuel cell case made of one of aluminum and aluminum alloy and for accommodating a fuel cell is provided, which includes forming, in a fuel cell case, through-holes for receiving pins when the fuel cell case is mounted on a vehicle, and forming alumite on a surface of the fuel cell case by anodizing the surface using the through-hole as a contact.

Method of manufacturing fuel cell case

When a shut-off valve is opened, gas is discharged via a main passage which is disposed at a predetermined height from a bottom of a gas-liquid separator. Water which gathers in the bottom of the gas-liquid separator flows from a bypass passage to the main passage and is discharged when water level difference&#x3e;height is satisfied. When water which gathers in the bottom of the gas-liquid separator is supercooled water, discharge of water is avoided by controlling an open pressure and a passage pressure such that water level difference&#x3c;height is satisfied.

Fuel cell system

The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack, a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen outlet, an air inlet, and an air outlet; a hydrogen supply flow path; a hydrogen circulation flow path for circulating gas from the hydrogen outlet to a merging point of the hydrogen supply flow path; a hydrogen pump on the hydrogen circulation flow path; and a gas-liquid separator on the hydrogen circulation flow path. The hydrogen inlet is positioned above the hydrogen outlet, the air inlet is positioned on an upper side of the air outlet, and a direction of connection between the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet and a direction of connection between the air inlet and the air outlet intersect each other. An upper end of the hydrogen pump is positioned below the stack. The gas-liquid separator is provided at the lowest site of the hydrogen circulation flow path.

Fuel cell system and vehicle

There is provided a fuel cell comprising a cell stacked body and a case configured to surround at least stacked body side faces of the cell stacked body. The case comprises a first case configured to include a first case side wall and a pair of first opposed side walls that are arranged to rise from a circumference of the first case side wall such as to have a draft angle; and a second case configured to include a second case side wall and a pair of second opposed side walls that are arranged to rise from a circumference of the second case side wall such as to have a draft angle. A first edge of each of the first opposed side walls is joined with a second edge of each of the second opposed side walls. This configuration suppresses size expansion of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell and manufacturing method of fuel cell

A gas-liquid separator includes a gas-liquid separator forming portion that is provided in an end plate, and a cover member. The gas-liquid separator forming portion includes a first inner wall portion that serves as a flow path for an off-gas and forms a part of an accumulating portion, the first inner wall portion having a shape recessed in a thickness direction of the end plate. The cover member includes a second inner wall portion that has a shape recessed in a thickness direction of the cover member, the second inner wall portion being disposed to face the first inner wall portion in a stack direction and forming the accumulating portion together with the first inner wall portion.

Gas-liquid separator and fuel cell system

The gas liquid separator comprises a gas liquid separator-forming portion formed in an end plate of a fuel cell to have an opening at an end face of the end plate and that constitutes part of the gas liquid separator; and a cover member located to cover the opening and is combined with the gas liquid separator-forming portion to constitute the gas liquid separator. The gas liquid separator-forming portion includes a first inner wall portion provided to serve as a flow path of the off-gas and form part of a reservoir and that is configured to include an off-gas outlet, to be connected with the opening and to be formed concave in a thickness direction of the end plate; and a surrounding portion protruded from the first inner wall portion along a first direction from the gas liquid separator-forming portion toward the cover member to surround the off-gas outlet.

Gas liquid separator and fuel cell system

A fuel cell system, includes: a fuel cell stack that is formed by stacking fuel cells for causing electrochemical reaction of a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas; a fuel gas supply system that is configured to supply the fuel gas to the fuel cell stack from a supply source of the fuel gas; a fuel gas recirculating system that is configured to resupply to the fuel cell stack the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell stack; and a piping member is configured to connect a junction between the fuel gas supply system and the fuel gas recirculating system with the supply source, the piping member having a bent portion that is curved such that a supply direction of the fuel gas from the supply source is reverse to a flowing direction of the fuel gas toward the junction.

A fuel cell vehicle which a fuel cell stack is mounted on comprises a stack case that is configured to place the fuel cell stack therein; mounts that are configured to fix the stack case to a vehicle body; ribs, each being provided to be extended from a position adjacent to the mount across an upper surface of the stack case; and a damping member that is provided between adjacent ribs on the upper surface of the stack case. The damping member is a material formed by applying an aluminum sheet on butyl rubber. This configuration reduces the noise and damps the vibration.

Fuel cell vehicle and method of mounting fuel cell stack on vehicle

A fuel cell case containing a fuel cell stack includes a side face that has an opening for ventilation; a frame body that is located outside of the case along the periphery of the opening; and a louver that is fixed to inside of the frame body. The louver has a plurality of blades arranged to be separated from one another. The fuel cell case also has a projection that is protruded outward of the case in a predetermined range including at least a region located on a gas blow direction side of the louver in an inner peripheral portion of the frame body. This configuration reduces the likelihood that an elongated material such as wire comes into contact with a high-voltage component relevant to the fuel cell inside of the case.

Fuel cell case and ventilation cover

A fuel cell system according to the present invention comprises a fuel gas supply system that supplies a fuel gas from a fuel supply source to a fuel cell that includes a stack including a plurality of cells, and a fuel off-gas circulation system that resupplies fuel off-gas to the stack. The fuel off-gas circulation system includes: a mixed fuel gas flow path formed such that a mixed fuel gas containing the fuel off-gas and the fuel gas flows in a direction along an inner surface of a manifold installed in the stack; and a point of merger where the fuel off-gas and the fuel gas merge with each other to produce the mixed fuel gas, the point of merger being arranged on one surface side of the manifold. With such configuration, the heat exchange efficiency of the fuel off-gas and the fuel gas can be increased, and ice resulting from water in the fuel off-gas can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell stack.

A fuel cell system to be mounted on an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. Cooling water is supplied from a cooling water inlet of a stack manifold, flows through a fuel cell stack, and returns to the stack manifold. A groove is formed on the rear surface side of the stack manifold, constituting, together with a terminal, a cooling water channel. The cooling water flows through the cooling water channel, and is discharged to the outside from a cooling water outlet. The cooling water channel is formed extending from the rear side to the front side of the vehicle, and warms an end plate. A pipe length of the cooling water channel to a radiator mounted in a front part of the vehicle is reduced.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction using a fuel gas; an insulating first passage member through which produced water that is produced by the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack and off-gas that is discharged from the fuel cell stack pass; a conductive second passage member that is connected to the first passage member; and a produced water flow disrupting portion that is provided on the first passage member and breaks up or stops the flow of the produced water that is introduced from an inside wall of the first passage member to the second passage member.

Fuel cell system having a water flow disruption portion

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell; a circulating system that circulates and supplies fuel off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel cell; a pump that pumps a fluid in the circulating system; a discharge valve through which the fluid in the circulating system is discharged to the outside; and a control device that controls the pump and the discharge valve. If operation of the fuel cell is started in a cold environment, the control device executes a control to start power generation in the fuel cell for a first period before activating the pump and executes a control to drive the pump while the discharge valve is closed for a second period.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Michitaro Itoga