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:
Jul. 16, 2013
Filed:
Jul. 26, 2006
Keigo Suematsu, Susono, JP;
Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Susono, JP;
Koji Katano, Toyota, JP;
Nobuhiro Tomosada, Kodaira, JP;
Keigo Suematsu, Susono, JP;
Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Susono, JP;
Koji Katano, Toyota, JP;
Nobuhiro Tomosada, Kodaira, JP;
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota-shi, JP;
Abstract
In a fuel cell system of the invention, a hydrogen leakage detection process closes a shutoff valve, which shuts off a supply of hydrogen from a hydrogen supply unit into a hydrogen supply flow path, and opens a pressure regulator, which reduces a pressure of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path, so as to keep the hydrogen supply flow path in a state with no pressure regulation and make the fuel cell system in a leakage detectable state. In this leakage detectable state, the hydrogen leakage detection process measures at least one of a pressure and a flow rate as a state quantity of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply flow path that feeds the supply of hydrogen to fuel cells. The hydrogen leakage detection process analyzes a detected behavior of the state quantity in the leakage detectable process and specifies the occurrence of a hydrogen leakage in the downstream of the hydrogen supply unit. This arrangement enables highly accurate detection of a hydrogen leakage in the fuel cell system with the pressure regulator provided in the hydrogen supply flow path.