The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 16, 2012
Filed:
Feb. 10, 2012
Masanori Hayashi, Utsunomiya, JP;
Kenichiro Ueda, Utsunomiya, JP;
Yoshio Hosono, Utsunomiya, JP;
Minoru Uoshima, Utsunomiya, JP;
Junji Uehara, Utsunomiya, JP;
Tomoki Kobayashi, Utsunomiya, JP;
Yuji Matsumoto, Shioya-gun, JP;
Chihiro Wake, Shioya-gun, JP;
Masanori Hayashi, Utsunomiya, JP;
Kenichiro Ueda, Utsunomiya, JP;
Yoshio Hosono, Utsunomiya, JP;
Minoru Uoshima, Utsunomiya, JP;
Junji Uehara, Utsunomiya, JP;
Tomoki Kobayashi, Utsunomiya, JP;
Yuji Matsumoto, Shioya-gun, JP;
Chihiro Wake, Shioya-gun, JP;
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.