Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yuji Matsumoto

Kenichiro Ueda

Junji Uehara

Chihiro Wake

Koichiro Miyata

Masanori Hayashi

Takuya Shirasaka

Tomoki Kobayashi

Minoru Uoshima

Yoshio Hosono

Kenji Taruya

Yoshikazu Murakami

Nobuki Koiwa

Satoshi Aoyagi

Kuniaki Ojima

Shinya Watanabe

Shinji Yoshikawa

Go Kikuchi

Yosuke Fujii

Kazunori Watanabe

Nobutaka Nakajima

Kentaro Nagoshi

Daishi Igarashi

Hideo Numata

Akiji Ando

Dai Saitoh

Takuto Nakagawa

Kazuhide Inoue

Osamu Ogami

Haruo Machida

Nobuyuki Kakiya

Toshimasa Koshimizu

Ikuo Kato

Tsunenari Futagi

Tadahisa Akiyama

Akitoshi Uchiumi

Shinichi Ohnaka

Masaki Hosoi

Hirokazu Ohara

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack of a plurality of power generation cells and an impedance measuring device for measuring the impedance in the fuel cell stack. When stopping the operation of the fuel cell system, a method for stopping the operation of the fuel cell system operates the plurality of power generation cells to generate electric power, until the impedance value becomes equal to or greater than an objective impedance value. After the impedance value has become equal to or greater than the objective impedance value, the operation stopping method still continues the power generation of the multiple power generation cells for a given period of time.

Method of stopping operation of fuel cell system

In a fuel cell system, an adhesion detection apparatus for detecting adhesion of a second switching valve for a sub tank is provided. The adhesion detection apparatus opens a first switching valve and a second switching valve for switching to a double switching valve open state where a fuel cell performs power generation, and thereafter, closes the first switching valve and opens the second switching valve for switching to a second switching valve open state where the fuel cell performs power generation, and detects adhesion of the second switching valve based on a change of a detection value of a pressure sensor in the second switching valve open state.

Method of inspecting a fuel cell system, and the fuel cell system

A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a first electric component, a second electric component, a battery, a first switch, a second switch, and circuitry. The first electric component is to operate the fuel cell. The second electric component is not to be used to operate the fuel cell. The first switch is to electrically connect the first electric component to the battery to supply electric power from the battery to the first electric component. The second switch is to electrically connect the second electric component to the battery to supply electric power from the battery to the second electric component. The circuitry is configured to control the first switch to electrically connect the first electric component to the battery and to control the second switch not to electrically connect the second electric component to the battery when the fuel cell is started.

Fuel cell vehicle and method of operating the same

A method for controlling a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, includes generating electric current via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas by the fuel cell including a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. An impedance of the fuel cell is detected. It is determined whether the impedance reaches a threshold impedance. The electric current generated by the fuel cell is increased when the impedance is determined to reach the threshold impedance.

Method for controlling fuel cell system

A method of controlling a fuel cell system includes circulating a coolant through a fuel cell circulation passage in which a fuel cell and a gas liquid separator are provided. A valve is controlled selectively to connect or disconnect the fuel cell circulation passage and an air conditioning equipment circulation passage in which an air conditioning mechanism is provided. The valve is maintained to connect the fuel cell circulation passage and the air conditioning equipment circulation passage to circulate the coolant through the air conditioning equipment circulation passage when it is determined that the coolant includes air bubbles more than or equal to the threshold amount, when the valve connects the fuel cell circulation passage and the air conditioning equipment circulation passage, and when a temperature of the fuel cell is higher than or equal to a threshold temperature even if the air conditioning mechanism stops.

Method of controlling fuel cell system

In a method for controlling a fuel cell system, a shutoff valve is opened to supply a fuel gas from a storage container to a fuel cell after a fuel cell system shutdown instruction is sent to the fuel cell system so that the fuel cell generates and discharges electricity. The storage container is supplied to the fuel gas supplied from a fuel supply source provided outside the fuel cell system in response to a filling instruction to supply the fuel gas to the storage container. A data signal indicating a state of the storage container is transmitted to the fuel supply source. The shutoff valve is closed and the storage container is supplied to the fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply source if the filling instruction is output while opening the shutoff valve after the fuel cell system shutdown instruction is sent.

Fuel cell system and method for controlling the same

An operation method of a fuel cell system includes providing a turbo pump to supply an oxidant gas to a fuel cell to generate power through a reaction between a fuel gas and the oxidant gas. A branch valve to regulate a flow rate of the oxidant gas which flows through a branch passage that connects an oxidant gas supply passage and an oxidant off-gas discharge passage is provided. The turbo pump and the branch valve are controlled to regulate a flow rate of the oxidant gas to be supplied to the fuel cell in an extremely low power generation mode in which an extremely low generation power is requested. The extremely low generation power is less than or equal to a predetermined generation power corresponding to a minimum flow rate of the oxidant gas that is supplied by the turbo pump.

Operation method of fuel cell system and fuel cell system

A method for stopping a fuel cell system includes supplying a fuel gas containing a fuel to an anode of a fuel cell which is to generate electric power. An oxidant gas containing an oxidant is supplied to a cathode of the fuel cell. A concentration of the oxidant gas in the cathode is reduced. An output voltage of the fuel cell is lowered while a slope of a change in the output voltage with respect to elapsed time is controlled such that an output current of the fuel cell has a predetermined relationship with a predetermined current reference value.

Method for stopping fuel cell system and fuel cell system

In a case where a load amount of a load is a predetermined value or less, a control device of an FC vehicle implements extremely low current control for performing power generation at an extremely low current below a lower limit current of an FC for normal operation. At the time of implementing the extremely low current control, upper and lower limit values of a target output voltage of the converter are set in correspondence with the extremely low current, and the output voltage of the FC is controlled to be within a range between the upper and lower limit values.

Method of controlling fuel cell vehicle

A fuel cell system includes an ECU that sets the fuel cell stack to a state of idling stop by lowering both a revolution speed of an air pump and a discharge current value of the fuel cell stack to less than during idling power generation within a range larger than 0, in response to a predetermined idling stop initiation condition having been satisfied during idling power generation. The ECU decreases the discharge current value further as the lowest cell voltage value CV_low of the fuel cell stack decreases so that the lowest cell voltage value CV_low does not fall below a cancellation threshold B, with an event of the lowest cell voltage CV_low of the fuel cell stack having fallen below the cancellation threshold B as a cancellation condition of idling stop.

Fuel cell system and control method thereof

A fuel cell system that can quickly transition to idling stop and can suppress degradation of the electrolyte membrane and decline in cell voltage during idling stop, without requiring a discharge resistor to be provided, and a control method thereof are provided. A fuel cell system () includes a fuel cell () configured by layering a plurality of fuel cell cells that generate power by reactant gas being supplied thereto, and a supply devicethat supplies reactant gas to the fuel cell (), in which idling stop control is initiated to supply air of a lower flow rate than during idling power generation to the fuel cell (), while producing lower current than during idling power generation from the fuel cell (), in a case of a predetermined condition being established during idling power generation.

A fuel cell system calculates amount of fluid discharged from a fuel gas circulation path with water and fuel gas in accordance with an ordinary process map if inside an anode is not scavenged when a fuel cell stops electrochemical reaction; measures amount of water remaining in a fuel gas circulation path in accordance with cumulative electricity output, temperature, or elapsed time after starting the electrochemical reaction if the inside the anode is scavenged previously; and determines whether the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in dry condition or humid condition. The fuel cell system calculates amount of fluid discharged from the fuel gas circulation path with water or the fuel gas in accordance with a map predetermined for the dry condition if the fuel cell system determines that the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in the dry condition. The fuel cell system calculates the amount of the fluid to be discharged with the water or the fuel gas in accordance with the ordinary map if the fuel cell system determines that the inside the fuel gas circulation path is in the humid condition. Accordingly, wasteful discharge of fuel gas can be prevented in a purging operation after starting up the fuel cell system.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell device is equipped with an ECUwhich executes a start-up control of a fuel cell stack, and executes a normal electric distribution control, after completion of the start-up control, for controlling a supply flow rate of a fuel gas to an anode electrode and a supply flow rate of an oxidant gas to a cathode electrode, so that a predetermined target current is supplied from the fuel cell stackto an electric load. The ECUmakes a current adjustment elementto be in a state where a current larger than a minimum current necessary for the fuel cell stackin the normal electric distribution control is supplied from the fuel cell stackto the electric load, in the start-up control, during the period from starting of the supply of hydrogen to the anode electrodeuntil a gas channel of the anode electrodeis filled with hydrogen.

Fuel cell device

A method includes an in-stop-mode power generating process and a first startup process. In the a first startup process, if an operation start instruction to start a fuel cell system is detected after the in-stop-mode power generating process, supply of a fuel gas from a fuel-gas supply apparatus is started, and supply of an oxide gas from an oxide-gas supply apparatus is started after a predetermined time has elapsed from the starting of supply of the fuel gas, when a pressure of an anode side is equal to or lower than a first threshold pressure.

Method for controlling fuel cell system with in-stop-mode power generating process and startup process

The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system enabling an improvement in fuel consumption and a method for controlling thereof. A fuel cell systemincludes a fuel cell, an air pump, an air supply channel, a hydrogen supply channel, a hydrogen tank, a hydrogen discharge channel, a hydrogen reflux channel, an air discharge channel, a purge valve, and a control device. The control deviceincludes a dilution judgment portionjudging whether dilution of hydrogen gas has been completed; an air increase portionfor increasing an air mass in the air discharge channel; a power production calculation portioncalculating an amount of power production based on the air mass increased; and a fuel cell drive portiondriving the fuel cellto produce electric power to obtain the amount of power production calculated.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Yuji Matsumoto