Vehicle equipped with high pressure gas container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11472298-B2
Application number	US-202016737412-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2020
Priority date	Jan 11, 2019
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with an interior chamber apart from a passenger compartment, and a container chamber in which a high pressure gas container is accommodated. A heat generating body is accommodated in the interior chamber. Further, in the vehicle, there are formed introduction ports through which atmospheric air is introduced into the interior chamber, a communication passage that enables communication between the interior chamber and the container chamber, and a lead-out port through which the atmospheric air is led out from the container chamber. The atmospheric air that is introduced into the interior chamber through the introduction ports flows into the container chamber via the communication passage, and furthermore, is led out to the exterior of the container chamber from the lead-out port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container, in which a high pressure gas container having a high pressure gas stored therein is accommodated in a container chamber, wherein:
a heat generating body is accommodated in an interior chamber disposed on a more frontward side of the vehicle body than a passenger compartment in which a vehicle occupant is riding, and the container chamber is disposed in the vicinity of a rear wheel;
an introduction port through which atmospheric air is introduced into the interior chamber, a communication passage that is disposed below a floor defining the passenger compartment and enables communication between the interior chamber and the container chamber, and a lead-out port through which the atmospheric air is led out from the container chamber, the lead-out port being opened in facing relation to a lower side of the vehicle body;
the high pressure gas container is accommodated in the container chamber with a clearance formed between an upper end of the high pressure gas container and a ceiling surface of the container chamber in a height direction of the vehicle; and
the communication passage opens at a location forward of the high pressure gas container and below the upper end of the high pressure gas container;
whereby air that is introduced into the interior chamber through the introduction port will be brought into contact with the heat generating body to have an increased temperature, the air with the increased temperature will flow from the communication passage to the container chamber, a part of the air with the increased temperature will be caused to flow through the clearance to come into contact with the high pressure gas container, and the air will be led out to the exterior of the container chamber from the lead-out port.

2. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 1 , wherein:
the heat generating body includes at least one of a heater constituting a vehicle air conditioning device, a motor and a fuel cell is installed in the vehicle, and the communication passage opens below an intermediate location of the high pressure gas container in a height dimension along a vertical direction of the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 2 , wherein a guide wall, which is inclined upwardly from a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, is provided at an opening on a container chamber side of the communication passage.

4. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 2 , wherein an undercover is disposed below the floor, and the communication passage is formed between the floor and the undercover.

5. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 1 , further comprising another interior chamber that is disposed below the passenger compartment and is different from the interior chamber disposed on the more frontward side of the vehicle body than the passenger compartment, wherein a battery serving as the heat generating body is installed in said another interior chamber.

6. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 1 , further comprising an airflow assist device for causing the atmospheric air in the interior chamber or the communication passage to flow into the container chamber.

7. The vehicle equipped with a high pressure gas container according to claim 1 , further comprising another high pressure gas container which is accommodated in the container chamber and another clearance is defined between the high pressure gas containers.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawase Satoru
• Ogiwara Naoki
• Kanezaki Toshihiko
• Koyama Takatsugu

Classifications

• B60L50/71 Primary

  Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• F17C2201/035

  with substantially horizontal main axis · CPC title

• B60K2015/03315

  for hydrogen · CPC title

• F17C13/12

  Arrangements or mounting of devices for preventing or minimising the effect of explosion (flame traps A62C4/00 ){; Other safety measures} · CPC title

• F17C2221/012

  Hydrogen · CPC title