Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tomohiro Ogawa

Yoshiaki Naganuma

Tsuyoshi Maruo

Masashi Toida

Tomio Yamanaka

Tomotaka Ishikawa

Mitsuhiro Nada

Kenji Umayahara

Hiroyuki Imanishi

Junichi Matsuo

Ryosuke Oya

Kazunori Shibata

Tomohiko Kaneko

Yohei Okamoto

Hiroyuki Tsunekawa

Shun Matsumoto

Ryota Kawaguchi

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Kazuo Yamamoto

Shigeki Hasegawa

Hiroaki Takeuchi

Masayuki Ito

Yasushi Araki

Satoshi Futami

Masaaki Kondo

Hitoshi Hamada

Shuya Kawahara

Takumi Taniguchi

Satoshi Shiokawa

Takashi Kajiwara

Tsutomu Shirakawa

Shinji Jomori

Sho Usami

Naohiro Takeshita

Ryoichi Nanba

Koichiro Ikeda

Ryouichi Nanba

Shinji Asou

Yuji Murata

Shota Okada

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an anode gas supply system, an anode gas circulatory system, a cathode gas supply-discharge system, a gas-liquid discharge passage, a gas-liquid discharge valve configured to open and close the gas-liquid discharge passage, a flow-rate acquisition portion, and a controlling portion. After the controlling portion instructs the gas-liquid discharge valve to be opened, the controlling portion executes a normal-abnormality determination such that, when a discharge-gas flow rate of anode gas is a predetermined normal reference value or more, the controlling portion determines that the gas-liquid discharge valve is opened normally, and when the discharge-gas flow rate is lower than the normal reference value, the controlling portion determines that the gas-liquid discharge valve is not opened normally.

Fuel cell system

An electric power system includes a secondary battery configured to supply electric power to a drive motor, configured to generate driving force of a vehicle, and an auxiliary having an auxiliary smoothing capacitor, a secondary battery relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the drive motor, a secondary battery smoothing capacitor connected between the secondary battery relay and the drive motor, an auxiliary relay configured to open or close an electrical contact between the secondary battery and the auxiliary, and a control unit configured to control a switching operation of each of the secondary battery relay and the auxiliary relay. The control unit is configured to, at startup of the vehicle, precharge the secondary battery smoothing capacitor by closing the secondary battery relay and then precharge the auxiliary smoothing capacitor by closing the auxiliary relay.

Electric power system and control method therefor

A fuel cell vehicle comprises a fuel cell, a power storage device, a drive motor, a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the fuel cell, a detector configured to detect an operation condition of the fuel cell, and a controller. At a start time of the fuel cell, in a case where the temperature of the fuel cell detected by the temperature sensor is below a freezing point, when an output condition of the fuel cell shown by the detected operation condition of the fuel cell continuously corresponds to a predetermined low output condition for a predetermined reference time period or longer, the controller sets a driving state of the fuel cell vehicle to a first driving state that stops power generation of the fuel cell, drives the drive motor by using only the power storage device as a power source and limits a motor output of the drive motor to be equal to or lower than a predetermined first upper limit output.

Fuel cell vehicle and control method of fuel cell vehicle

A fuel cell system is equipped with a plurality of subsystems. Each of the plurality of the subsystems is equipped with a fuel cell stack, a temperature sensor, a scavenging device, and a control unit. The control unit of that one of the subsystems having the fuel cell stack whose temperature is specified as being the lowest among the plurality of the subsystems when the fuel cell system is stopped from operating performs scavenging control including a determination on the carrying out of scavenging in the subsystem and the issuance of a command to carry out scavenging to all the subsystems in accordance with the determination.

Fuel cell system and control method

A fuel cell system has a battery, a gas supply portion, a temperature acquisition portion configured to acquire a presumed temperature that is presumed to reach during the operation stop of the fuel cell; and a scavenging controlling portion. When it is determined that the presumed temperature is a predetermined temperature or more at the time of the operation stop of the fuel cell, the scavenging controlling portion performs the stop-time scavenging operation with a first scavenging ability; and when it is determined that the presumed temperature is less than the predetermined temperature, the scavenging controlling portion performs the stop-time scavenging operation with a second scavenging ability higher than the first scavenging ability.

Fuel cell system and scavenging method of fuel cell

A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell, a gas-liquid separator, a drain flow path through which moisture is discharged from the gas-liquid separator, a valve configured to control discharge of the moisture from the gas-liquid separator, and a controller configured to control fuel cell operation and opening and closing of the valve, and determine whether the valve is frozen. Upon receipt of a stop request of the fuel cell during the fuel cell operation, the controller repeatedly determines whether the valve is frozen. If the controller determines that the valve is frozen, it continues the fuel cell operation until it determines that the valve is not frozen. If the controller determines that the valve is not frozen, it executes stop processing of the fuel cell including opening valve processing.

Fuel cell system and method for controlling the fuel cell system

When the fuel cell stack is operated in a state in which the air stoichiometric ratio is smaller than the predetermined value, the controller calculates the amount of retained water that has been retained in the cathode flow path of the fuel battery cell per fixed time in such a way that the calculated amount includes an extra amount therein, integrates the amount of retained water per fixed time that has been calculated in such a way that the calculated amount includes the extra amount therein, and executes air blow in the cathode flow path of the fuel battery cell when the integrated value of the amount of retained water becomes equal to or larger than the threshold.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling the same

A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell; a reactive gas supply mechanism configured to supply a reactive gas to the fuel cell; a discharge flow path configured to discharge an off-gas and water discharged from the fuel cell; a valve provided in the discharge flow path; a remaining water purging controller configured to control a remaining water purging process of the fuel cell by using the reactive gas supply mechanism and the valve; a heating portion configured to heat the valve; and a failure detector configured to detect a failure of the heating portion. When a failure of the heating portion is detected, the remaining water purging controller performs the remaining water purging process and increases a water discharge power in the remaining water purging process than a water discharge power in the remaining water purging process performed when no failure of the heating portion is detected.

Fuel cell system and remaining water purging control method

A technique that suppresses excessive water drainage from a fuel cell is provided. A water drainage device that drains water from inside of a fuel cell includes: a purge gas supply system; an operation unit; a water drainage controller; and a water content acquirer. The operation unit receives a water drainage command from a water drainage switch configured to control execution of a purge process by the purge gas supply system. When the water content obtained by the water content acquirer is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the water drainage controller performs either one of: (i) invalidating the received water drainage command; and (ii) changing a processing condition of the purge process to decrease an amount of water drained by the purge process, compared with an amount of water drainage when the obtained water content is higher than the predetermined value.

Water drainage device for fuel cell, fuel cell system, moving body and control method of fuel cell system

There is provided a fuel cell system, wherein a controller configured to set the flow volume of a fluid in an anode flow path at an outlet of an anode of the fuel cell to a first flow volume, then set thereafter the flow volume of the fluid in the anode flow path at the outlet of the anode to a second flow volume which is smaller than the first flow volume, and discharge the water in the hydrogen discharge flow path by opening an exhaust and drain valve while the fluid is flowing at the second flow volume.

Fuel cell system and method for discharging fluid in the system

An object is to maintain the voltage of a fuel cell at a desired voltage level and suppress a voltage variation, even in the case of a low load request. A power supply system including a fuel cell causes at least part of a required electric power to be supplied from the fuel cell in an ordinary load state. In a low load state, the power supply system supplies an amount of oxygen that is required to make the voltage of the fuel cell equal to a predetermined target voltage and that is less than an amount of oxygen supplied to the fuel cell in the ordinary load state, to the fuel cell. In a first low load state, the power supply system sets the target voltage to a first target voltage and supplies oxygen to the fuel cell. After a subsequent shift to a state that the required electric power becomes higher than a predetermined reference value to cause the fuel cell to generate electric power at an output voltage that is higher than the first target voltage, in a further shift to a second low load state, the power supply system sets the target voltage to a second target voltage that is higher than the first target voltage and supplies oxygen to the fuel cell.

Power supply system and voltage control method of fuel cell

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of cells each having hydrogen channels, a hydrogen channel inlet, and a hydrogen channel outlet, a load supplied with power from the fuel cell stack, a circulation passage connecting the channel inlet with the channel outlet, a hydrogen pump provided in the circulation passage, and a controller. The controller rotates the hydrogen pump in a positive direction so as to feed the hydrogen gas in a first amount into each cell through the channel inlet, at a flow rate larger than a minimum flow rate required for power generation, and then rotate the hydrogen pump in a negative direction so as to feed the hydrogen gas into each cell through the channel outlet, during a period from stop of power supply to the load, to the next start of power supply.

The method comprises: determining whether or not an inlet temperature is equal to or above a lower-limit temperature of a temperature range in which generated water does not freeze within the fuel cell; and adjusting the flow rate of the cooling medium in the circulation flow path to become more than the normal flow rate when it is determined that the inlet temperature is equal to or above the lower-limit temperature, and adjusting the flow rate of the cooling medium in the circulation flow path to be equal to or below the normal flow rate when it is determined that the inlet temperature is not equal to or above the lower-limit temperature.

Flow control method of cooling medium in a fuel cell system, and fuel cell system

At an ordinary stop time of a fuel cell system, a controller of the fuel cell system completes an ordinary stop process that includes at least one of a water drainage process that discharges water from at least one of the fuel gas flow path and the oxidizing gas flow path and a cathode sealing process that seals the oxidizing gas flow path, and subsequently stops the fuel cell system. When the fuel cell system satisfies a predetermined emergency stop condition, the controller does not perform at least part of the ordinary stop process but performs an emergency stop process that sets the fuel cell system to be restarted after elapse of a first time period since a stop of the fuel cell system and subsequently stops the fuel cell system. The controller restarts the fuel cell system after elapse of the first time period since stop of the fuel cell system and performs a restart process that performs the ordinary stop process.

Fuel cell system and emergency stop method

The operation control method of a fuel cell includes acquiring a startup temperature of the fuel cell; acquiring a present temperature of the fuel cell; setting a present target operation point of the fuel cell that is identified by an output voltage value and an output current value based on the startup temperature, or based on the startup temperature and the present temperature; controlling at least one of the flow of the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell, and an output voltage of the fuel cell so that the operation point of the fuel cell becomes the target operation point, and setting the target operation point includes a process of setting an operation point having a low output voltage value as the target operation point when the startup temperature is low as compared to the case when the startup temperature is high, if the present temperature is the same.

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Miyoshi, Japan

Tomohiro Ogawa