Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Shuji Hirakata

Keigo Suematsu

Tatsuaki Yokoyama

Takahide Izutani

Atsushi Matsuba

Kenji Umayahara

Katsuhiko Oshikawa

Hiroshi Fujitani

Masaaki Matsusue

Osamu Yumita

Makoto Ueno

An odorant addition device for adding odorant to fuel gas in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas, the device including: an addition unit for adding the odorant to fuel gas to be consumed by the gas system; an environmental condition detection unit for detecting in the gas system an environmental condition regarding diffusion of odorant in fuel gas; and an addition adjustment unit for adjusting mode of odorant addition by the addition unit based on the environmental condition detected by the environmental condition detection unit. In this way, it is possible to detect leakage of fuel gas more reliably and improve safety dramatically, in a gas system that consumes the fuel gas as fuel.

Odorant addition device and fuel gas supply system

A tank system includes a high-pressure tank, a detection unit for detecting a temperature increase in at least a portion of the high-pressure tank, a decompression unit for decompressing the high-pressure tank, and a control unit for controlling the decompression unit to decompress the high-pressure tank when a temperature increase in at least a part of the high-pressure tank is detected by the detection unit.

Storage tank system and method of decompressing the storage tank system

An in-vehicle hydrogen storage apparatus has a hydrogen gas filling passage connected from a hydrogen gas filling port up to the storage device that stores a hydrogen gas to be supplied to a fuel cell, and an odorizing agent supplying device that supplies an odorizing agent to hydrogen gas in at least one of the inside of the storage device and the inside of the hydrogen gas filling passage.

In-vehicle hydrogen storage apparatus

A hydrogen supply apparatus includes a hydrogen supply path by which hydrogen released from a hydrogen tank reaches a hydrogen supply target, a branching path from the hydrogen supply path, in which a part of hydrogen released from the hydrogen tank flows, addition means for adding an odorizing agent to the hydrogen flowing in the branching path, a buffer tank storing the hydrogen to which the odorizing agent is added by the addition means, and supplying means for supplying the odorizing agent treated hydrogen in the buffer tank to the hydrogen supply path.

Hydrogen supplying apparatus and method for controlling hydrogen supplying apparatus

The present invention provides a technology related to a fuel cell system capable of adjusting a discharge amount of an odorant discharged to an outside of a moving body according to a state of the moving body. The fuel cell system mounted to a moving body includes: a fuel cell which generates electric power by electrochemically reacting a hydrogen gas with an oxidation gas; and a adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of an odorant to be discharged to an outside of the moving body according to a state of the moving body, the odorant being included in an anode off-gas discharged from an anode side of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system

An alert method capable of preventing problems due to excessive lowering of a remaining fuel amount of a fuel cell system is provided. The alert method includes the following steps of: switching over operation/stopped states of the fuel cell system, detecting that the state of the fuel cell system is switched over to a stopped side, and communicating information related to the remaining fuel amount to a user when fuel of the fuel cell system is consumed in a state where the switch is switched over to a stopped side. According to the alert method, information related to the remaining fuel amount is communicated to the user when fuel is consumed by the fuel cell system while in a practically stopped state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent excessive lowering of the remaining fuel amount of the fuel cell system.

Alert method relating to remaining fuel amount of fuel cell system and fuel cell system using the same

An ECU () determines a connection state between a vehicle () and an external power supply () based on a resistance detected by a resistance detector (). When the vehicle () and the external power supply () are connected, power supply from an FC () to a drive motor () is interrupted by turning off a switch () to prevent wiring () from having breakage etc. by movement of the vehicle (), thus inhibiting movement of the vehicle ().

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that is capable of sensing unintended gas leakage from a discharge control means based on odor. A fuel cell system is provided with a bypass passageconnecting a fuel offgas passageat inlet of a odorant removal unitto the fuel offgas passagein the vicinity of outlet of the odorant removal unit, and the fuel cell system facilitates the removal of odor from the discharged fuel offgas, by closing a bypass valvein conjunction with opening a purge valve, and suppresses the removal of odor, by opening the bypass valvein conjunction with stop of discharge of fuel offgas caused by closing the purge valve

When a request to stop an operation of a fuel cell system is issued, a control unit stops the operation of the fuel cell system and cuts off the electrical connection between the fuel cell and a drive motor by shutting OFF a power supply relay. Where a shift position signal indicating that the shift position SP is at the P or N position is received from a shift selector and the parking brake is set, the control unit determines whether a coolant temperature Tfc detected via coolant detection sensors is at or below 20&#xb0; C. If it is determined that the detected coolant temperature Tfc is at or below 20&#xb0; C., the control unit commences a temperature-maintenance operation process.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Shuji Hirakata