Fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11764377-B2
Application number	US-202217838267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2022
Priority date	Jul 6, 2021
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A fuel cell system mounted on a vehicle includes a fuel cell, a humidity sensor configured to detect a humidity in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, a cathode off-gas exhaust passage through which cathode off-gas emitted from the fuel cell is exhausted to outside the vehicle, an introducing port for cathode off-gas, provided in the cathode off-gas exhaust passage, a cathode off-gas introducing unit configured to introduce cathode off-gas emitted from the fuel cell, into the vehicle cabin of the vehicle via the introducing port, and a cathode off-gas introducing amount control unit configured to control an amount of the cathode off-gas introduced into the vehicle cabin of the vehicle in accordance with a humidity in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detected by the humidity sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system that is mounted on a vehicle, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
a humidity sensor configured to detect a humidity in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle;
a cathode off-gas exhaust passage through which cathode off-gas emitted from the fuel cell is exhausted to outside the vehicle;
a plurality of introducing ports for cathode off-gas, provided in the cathode off-gas exhaust passage;
a cathode off-gas introducing unit configured to introduce the cathode off-gas emitted from the fuel cell, from the plurality of introducing ports into the vehicle cabin of the vehicle, the cathode off-gas introducing unit comprising:
a plurality of cathode off-gas introducing passages correspondingly connected to the plurality of introducing ports, and
a plurality of open-close valves correspondingly in the plurality of cathode off-gas introducing passages; and

a control unit configured to
control an amount of the cathode off-gas introduced into the vehicle cabin of the vehicle in accordance with the humidity in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detected by the humidity sensor, and
control an open-close state of each of the plurality of open-close valves corresponding to the plurality of introducing ports to adjust a humidity of the cathode off-gas introduced into the vehicle cabin of the vehicle.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an oxygen concentration sensor configured to detect an oxygen concentration in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle;
an oxidant gas supply passage through which oxidant gas is supplied to the fuel cell; and
a bypass passage that connects the cathode off-gas exhaust passage with the oxidant gas supply passage,
wherein the control unit is further configured to, in accordance with the oxygen concentration in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detected by the oxygen concentration sensor, adjust an amount of oxidant gas to be flowed through the bypass passage.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit is configured to, based on a condition of a humidity or a temperature in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle, change, among the plurality of introducing ports, the introducing port through which the cathode off-gas is introduced into the vehicle cabin.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of introducing ports is provided, in the cathode off-gas exhaust passage, at locations which are at different distances from the fuel cell.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of introducing ports comprises first through third introducing ports,
the cathode off-gas introduced via the first introducing port, the cathode off-gas introduced via the second introducing port, and the cathode off-gas introduced via the third introducing port are in descending order of temperature and descending order of humidity, and
the control unit is configured to adjust the humidity and a temperature of the cathode off-gas introduced into the vehicle cabin, by controlling the open-closed state of each of the open-close valves corresponding to the first through third introducing ports to change the introducing port through which the cathode off-gas is introduced into the vehicle cabin.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 5 , wherein
among the first through third introducing ports and along the cathode off-gas exhaust passage,
the first introducing port is closest to the fuel cell,
the third introducing port is farthest from the fuel cell, and
the second introducing port is between the first introducing port and the third introducing port.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hamada Shigetaka
• Ishiguro Fumihisa
• Yoshinaga Kiyoshi

Classifications

• H01M8/04761 Primary

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• H01M8/04828 Primary

  Humidity; Water content · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title