Fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017113531-A1
Application number	US-201615297136-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2015
Publication date	Apr 27, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A stack case includes a lower surface and at least one through hole. The lower surface is at a bottom of the stack case in a vehicle height direction of the vehicle. The at least one through hole opens to an inside of the stack case. An outer opening opens to an outside of a vehicle. The at least one vent pipe has one end and another end opposite to the one end along a length of the at least one vent pipe. The one end is connected to the at least one through hole provided in the stack case. The another end is connected to the outer opening in the vehicle body. The drain hole is provided in the lower surface of the stack case to be open to an inside of a motor compartment. The drain hole is located below the outer opening in the vehicle height direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell stack including a plurality of power generation cells that are stacked and each of which generates electric power by causing an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas; a stack case that accommodates the fuel cell stack; a vehicle body having a motor compartment in which the stack case is mounted; and a vent pipe one end of which is connected to an opening formed in the stack case and the other end of which is connected to an outer opening that is formed in the vehicle body and that opens to the outside of the vehicle, wherein a drain hole that opens in the motor compartment is formed in a lower surface of the stack case, and wherein the drain hole is located below the outer opening of the vehicle body in an up-down direction of the vehicle.

2 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vent pipe includes
a left pipe that connects the stack case and a left surface of the vehicle body to each other, and
a right pipe that connects the stack case and a right surface of the vehicle body to each other, and
wherein the fuel cell vehicle includes a bypass pipe that connects the left pipe and the right pipe to each other and that is independent from the stack case.

3 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein two or more of the left pipes and two or more of the right pipes are connected to four corners of an upper surface of the stack case, wherein the fuel cell vehicle includes a left joint portion at which the two or more left pipes are joined together and a right joint portion at which the two or more right pipes are joined together, and wherein a hydrogen sensor is disposed at each of the left joint portion and the right joint portion.

4 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein a drain pipe is disposed near the outer opening of the vehicle body.

5 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4 ,
wherein a lower end portion of the drain pipe is located below a lower portion of the stack case.

6 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein a device that becomes incapable of performing system start-up when the vehicle becomes inoperable is disposed in front of the stack case in a front-back direction of the vehicle so as to be located in front of the bypass pipe.

7 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein a reinforcement protrusion is disposed in the vent pipe.

8 . A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell stack comprising:
a plurality of power generation cells stacked and configured to generate electric power due to an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas;
a stack case accommodating the fuel cell stack and comprising:
a lower surface at a bottom of the stack case in a vehicle height direction of the vehicle; and
at least one through hole opening to an inside of the stack case;
a vehicle body comprising:
a motor compartment in which the stack case is mounted; and
an outer opening opening to an outside of the vehicle;
at least one vent pipe having one end and another end opposite to the one end along a length of the at least one vent pipe, the one end being connected to the at least one through hole provided in the stack case, the another end being connected to the outer opening in the vehicle body; and a drain hole provided in the lower surface of the stack case to be open to an inside of the motor compartment and located below the outer opening of the vehicle body in the vehicle height direction.

9 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein the at least one vent pipe includes
at least one left pipe connecting the stack case and a left surface of the vehicle body, and
at least one right pipe connecting the stack case and a right surface of the vehicle body, and
wherein the fuel cell vehicle includes a bypass pipe which connects the at least one left pipe and the at least one right pipe and which is independent from the stack case.

10 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 9 ,
wherein the at least one left pipe includes two or more left pipes, wherein the at least one right pipe includes two or more right pipes, wherein the two or more left pipes and the two or more right pipes are connected to four corners of an upper surface of the stack case, wherein the fuel cell vehicle includes a left joint portion at which the two or more left pipes are joined together and a right joint portion at which the two or more right pipes are joined together, and wherein a hydrogen sensor is disposed at each of the left joint portion and the right joint portion.

11 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein a drain pipe is disposed near the outer opening of the vehicle body.

12 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 11 ,
wherein a lower end portion of the drain pipe is located below a lower portion of the stack case.

13 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 9 ,
wherein a device to disable system start-up when the vehicle becomes inoperable is disposed in front of the stack case in the front-back direction of the vehicle so as to be located in front of the bypass pipe.

14 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein a reinforcement protrusion is disposed in the at least one vent pipe.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Imamura Yuki
• Ishikawa Choichi
• Kobayashi Norihisa
• Mito Toshinobu
• Matsumoto Mitsunori

Classifications

• H01M8/04089 Primary

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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

• B60K2001/0411

  Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle · CPC title

• H01M8/2475

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title