Fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11097636-B2
Application number	US-201916288300-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus, and an ECU. A pump of the oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus is a shaft floating type air pump having a rotatable element. The rotatable element floats from a wall around the rotatable element, as a result of rotation of the rotatable element. The ECU includes a travel permission determination instruction unit. The travel permission determination instruction unit determines whether or not a predetermined condition indicative of a floating state of the rotatable element is satisfied, and if the predetermined condition is satisfied, permits traveling of the fuel cell vehicle, and if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, restricts traveling of the fuel cell vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell;
an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus provided with a pump configured to make an oxygen-containing gas to flow into the fuel cell; and
a control unit configured to control driving of the pump,
wherein the pump is a shaft floating type having a rotatable element configured to float from a wall around the rotatable element, as a result of rotation of the rotatable element;
the control unit comprises a travel permission determination instruction unit configured to:
determine whether or not a predetermined condition indicative of a floating state of the rotating element is satisfied at start-up of the pump in start-up of the fuel cell vehicle, wherein in the floating state, an air bearing is formed by rotation of the rotating element to allow the rotating element to float from the wall around the rotatable element,
permit traveling of the fuel cell vehicle based on a determination that the predetermined condition is satisfied, and
restrict traveling of the fuel cell vehicle based on a determination that the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage battery,
wherein after the start-up of the fuel cell vehicle, even if traveling of the fuel cell vehicle becomes possible by consuming electrical energy supplied from the storage battery, the control unit is configured to restrict traveling of the fuel cell vehicle by the travel permission determination instruction unit until the predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit is configured to allow by the travel permission determination instruction unit the fuel cell vehicle to travel by consuming electrical energy supplied by the storage battery, regardless of a power generation state of the fuel cell.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotatable element in the fuel cell vehicle is oriented in parallel with a traveling direction of the fuel cell vehicle.

5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising a pump rotation number sensor configured to detect a number of rotation of the rotation element, wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the detected number of rotations of the rotatable element reaches a predetermined number or more, as the predetermined condition.

6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to measure an elapsed time from start-up of the pump, and determines that the predetermined condition indicative of the floating state of the rotating element is satisfied on a basis of the elapsed time becoming longer than a predetermined time.

7. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising a detector configured to measure a state of electrical energy supplied to the pump as detected values, wherein the control unit is configured to accumulate power consumption of the pump on a basis of the detected values, and determine that the predetermined condition indicative of the floating state of the rotatable element is satisfied based on the accumulated power consumption.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sakai Ryoji
• Matsui Akihiro
• Imai Naoki
• Sugawara Tatsuya

Classifications

• H01M16/006

  of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries · CPC title

• B60L58/30 Primary

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title