Fuel cell water treatment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12489126-B2
Application number	US-202217983123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2022
Priority date	Jun 16, 2022
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A system for treating water produced from a fuel cell in a mobility device is provided. The system includes a fuel cell water storage to receive and store the fuel cell water discharged from the fuel cell in the mobility device, and a cleaning device configured to be extracted from or retracted into an inside of the mobility device. In particular, the cleaning device receives the fuel cell water from the fuel cell water storage and discharges the fuel cell water through a faucet head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for treating fuel cell water produced from a fuel cell in a mobility device, the system comprising:
a fuel cell water storage configured to receive and store the fuel cell water discharged from the fuel cell; a cleaning device configured to be extracted from or retracted into an inside of the mobility device and configured to receive the fuel cell water from the fuel cell water storage and to discharge the fuel cell water through a faucet head of the cleaning device; and a water treatment controller configured to control an amount of the fuel cell water stored in the fuel cell water storage such that the amount does not exceed a preset level when an external temperature of the mobility device is lower than a preset temperature.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device is configured to be slidably extracted from or retracted into an inside of the mobility device.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell water storage includes:
a first water tank configured to receive and store the fuel cell water from the fuel cell and including a first level sensor to sense a water level of the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank; a second water tank configured to receive and store the fuel cell water from the first water tank and including a second level sensor to sense a water level of the fuel cell water stored in the second water tank; and a first pump configured to move the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank into the second water tank.

4 . The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a filter interposed between the first water tank and the second water tank to filter out a pollutant from the fuel cell water moving from the first water tank to the second water tank.

5 . The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to sense an external temperature of the mobility device.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the water treatment controller is configured to: sense the external temperature of the mobility device through the temperature sensor; sense an amount of the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank through the first level sensor; and move the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank into the second water tank by operating the first pump when the external temperature of the mobility device is lower than the preset temperature and the amount of the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank is higher than the preset level.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the water treatment controller is configured to:
sense an amount of fuel cell water stored in the second water tank through the second level sensor; and when the amount of the fuel cell water stored in the second water tank is higher than a preset level, forcibly discharge the fuel cell water, which is stored in the second water tank, to an outside by opening an outlet of the second water tank.

8 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a drain switch configured to control an operation of the water treatment controller, based on handling of a user.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the drain switch includes:
a discharge switch controlled by the water treatment controller to forcibly discharge the fuel cell water; and a cleaning switch controlled by the water treatment controller to operate the first pump.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the water treatment controller is configured to:
sense the external temperature; and sense the amounts of the fuel cell water stored in the first water tank and the second water tank, when an ignition of the mobility device is turned off.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the water treatment controller is configured to:
stop forcibly discharging the fuel cell water when an ignition of the mobility device is turned on while the fuel cell water stored in the second water tank is forcibly discharged to the outside.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the water treatment controller is configured to:
before the fuel cell water is forcibly discharged, output a message for notifying necessity of forcibly discharging the fuel cell water to a user; and forcibly discharge the fuel cell water when an ignition of the mobility device is not turned on until a specific time is elapsed.

13 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the water treatment controller is configured to:
output a message for notifying a user of that forcibly discharging fuel cell water is in progress when the fuel cell water is forcibly discharged.

14 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a sewage container connected to a washbasin of the cleaning device to store sewage discharged through a drain pipe of the washbasin, the sewage container including a third level sensor to sense a water level of the sewage in the sewage container, wherein the water treatment controller is configured to: sense an amount of the sewage stored in the sewage container through the third level sensor; and output a message for notifying a user of that the amount of the sewage in the sewage container is higher than a preset level.

15 . The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a second pump configured to operate through handling of a faucet lever of the cleaning device and configured to discharge the fuel cell water, which is stored in the second water tank, through the faucet head.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Hong Jeong Hwan
• Jang Jong Min

Classifications

• B60R15/02

  Washing facilities {(in railway vehicles B61D35/002)} · CPC title

• H01M8/04164

  by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

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

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04303

  applied during shut-down · CPC title