Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takehiko Ise

Hidenobu Wakita

Junji Morita

Akinori Yukimasa

Masashi Morita

Yoshito Usuki

Jin Zhang

Yoshiaki Kurosawa

Atsunori Hashimoto

Miki Abe

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates electricity using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas; a fuel gas supply path through which a fuel gas to be supplied to an anode of the fuel cell flows; a recycle gas path through which an anode off-gas emitted from the anode of the fuel cell is returned to the fuel gas supply path; a water reservoir that holds water separated from the anode off-gas flowing through the recycle gas path; a drainage path through which water stored in the water reservoir is drained; a valve provided on the drainage path; and a controller that determines, on the basis of a history of a flow rate of the anode off-gas, a length of time for which the valve continues to be opened for draining the water stored in the water reservoir.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; an anode off-gas discharge path through which an anode off-gas exhausted from an anode of the fuel cell is discharged; a heating medium circulation path through which a heating medium that recovers heat generated in the fuel cell is circulated; a heat exchanger disposed in the heating medium circulation path; an electric power converter that converts the electric power output from the fuel cell; a case that houses the electric power converter; a first air feeder that supplies air to the case; a housing that houses the fuel cell, the case, and the first air feeder; and an air discharge path through which the air having passed through the case is discharged to outside of the housing. A downstream end of the anode off-gas discharge path is connected to the air discharge path.

A fuel cell system includes a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates electric power using fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply path through which the fuel gas is supplied to an anode inlet of the fuel cell, a recycle gas path through which anode off-gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell returns to the fuel gas supply path, a pressure booster that is arranged in the fuel gas supply path between a confluence portion and the anode inlet, the fuel gas supply path and the recycle gas path meeting each other in the confluence portion, and a discharge path through which an impurity mixed into the anode off-gas is discharged outside.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a fuel gas supply path supplying the fuel gas to the fuel cell; a recycling path returning discharged anode off-gas to an entrance of the fuel cell; an anode off-gas discharge path branching from the recycling path and discharging the anode off-gas to an outside; a first valve in the anode off-gas discharge path; a pressurizer pressurizing the anode off-gas; and a controller performing control to cause the pressurizer to act in at least one of a timing in execution of a purge action supplying the fuel gas from the fuel gas supply path and discharging the anode off-gas to the outside in a first valve open state and a timing in prescribed time after the purge action and assessing abnormality based on a pressure of the recycling path or anode off-gas discharge path or an action amount of the pressurizer.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a first supply flow path, a second supply flow path, a recycle flow path, a circulator, a discharge flow path, a reservoir, a valve, and a controller. The controller opens the valve, determines an open time, for which the valve is opened to discharge the anode off gas, on the basis of the amount of water stored in the reservoir, the discharge time of water that flows through the discharge flow path to be discharged, and the discharge amount of the anode off gas that flows through the discharge flow path to be discharged, and closes the valve when an elapsed time for which the valve is opened reaches the open time.

Fuel cell system with valve control for discharging anode off gas, and method of operating the same

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that generates electric power using fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply path through which the fuel gas is supplied to an anode inlet of the fuel cell, a recycle gas path through which anode off-gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell returns to the fuel gas supply path, and a pressure booster arranged in the recycle gas path, and the pressure booster is arranged above a confluence portion where the fuel gas supply path and the recycle gas path meet each other when gravity acts downward from above.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell which generates electric power by using a hydrogen gas and an oxidizing gas, a hydrogen gas supply route where the hydrogen gas to be supplied to an anode of the fuel cell flows, an anode off-gas discharge route for discharging an anode off-gas discharged from the anode of the fuel cell to outside, an anode off-gas discharge valve provided to the anode off-gas discharge route, and a controller which causes the anode off-gas discharge valve to be opened when a temperature of any of the hydrogen gas supply route, the anode of the fuel cell, the anode off-gas discharge route, and the anode off-gas discharge valve becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

A fuel cell system having a fuel cell using a fuel gas containing a combustible gas and an oxidant gas to generate power includes an exhaust gas route for an exhaust gas from the fuel cell to circulate, an air supplier absorbing air within the fuel cell system and supplying the air to the exhaust gas, an air supply route for the air to circulate, a merging part where the exhaust gas and the air merge, a discharge route discharging a mixed gas composed of the merged exhaust gas and the air to the atmosphere, and a combustible gas detector that detects the concentration of a combustible gas in the mixed gas. With respect to flow of the air circulating in the air supply route and the discharge route, from the upstream side, the air supplier, the merging part, and the combustible gas detector are disposed in this order.

Fuel cell system with merged gases for leak detection

A vehicle heating apparatus is a heating apparatus to be mounted on or built in a vehicle seat at a position below a sitting portion of the vehicle seat. The vehicle heating apparatus includes: a housing having an intake port, a blowing port, and an internal space serving as a flow path of air from the intake port to the blowing port; a fan provided in the internal space of the housing; and a heater provided in the internal space of the housing. In a usage state where the vehicle heating apparatus is mounted on or built in the vehicle seat, the blowing port is located above the intake port and opens downwardly with respect to a horizontal direction. Thereby, the amount of heating required for the heater is further reduced.

Vehicle heating apparatus and heater-equipped vehicle seat

A vehicle heating apparatus () to be mounted on or built in a vehicle seat () at a location below a sitting portion S of the vehicle seat () includes a housing (), a fan (), and a heater (). The housing () has an intake port (), a left nozzle (), a right nozzle (), an air curtain nozzle (), and an internal space () serving as air flow paths from the intake port () to the left nozzle (), to the right nozzle (), and to the air curtain nozzle (). The air curtain nozzle () is located between the left nozzle () and the right nozzle (), and is formed so as to, in the usage state, blow air delivered by the fan () in a direction inclined upward at an angle of not more than 90&#xb0; to a direction in which warm wind is blown out of the left nozzle () and the right nozzle ().

A vehicle heating apparatus (A) of the present disclosure is a heating apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle seat () at a position below a sitting portion (S) of the vehicle seat (). The vehicle heating apparatus (A) includes: a housing () having an intake port (), a blowing port (), and an internal space () serving as a flow path of air from the intake port () to the blowing port (); a fan () provided in the internal space (); a heater () provided in the internal space (); and a mounting structure () adapted to mount the housing () to the vehicle seat () in such a manner that the housing () is movable in a width direction of the vehicle seat (). Therefore, the vehicle heating apparatus (A) of the present disclosure is highly convenient for occupants.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Takehiko Ise