Fuel cell system and fuel cell system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022013796-A1
Application number	US-202117366056-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 2, 2021
Priority date	Jul 10, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell system for a vehicle includes a plurality of unit fuel cell groups, which are connected, each of unit fuel cell groups including a hydrogen tank, a fuel cell and a fuel cell controller configured to control power generation of the fuel cell, a tank controller configured to control filling and discharge of hydrogen in the hydrogen tank of each of at least two of the unit fuel cell groups, each of the unit fuel cell groups includes a hydrogen supply line configured to bring hydrogen to the fuel cell, the hydrogen supply lines of the at least two unit fuel cell groups are linked with each other, and the tank controller stops supply of hydrogen into the fuel cell of a unit fuel cell group in which an abnormality has been detected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell system in which a plurality of unit fuel cell groups are connected, each of the unit fuel cell groups comprising a hydrogen tank, a fuel cell, and a fuel cell controller configured to control power generation of the fuel cell, the fuel cell system comprising:
a tank controller configured to control filling and discharge of hydrogen in the hydrogen tank of each of at least two of the unit fuel cell groups, wherein each of the unit fuel cell groups comprises a tank-side hydrogen line having one end connected to the hydrogen tank, and a hydrogen filling line and a hydrogen supply line that are branched off from other end of the tank-side hydrogen line, the hydrogen filling line and the hydrogen supply line extending toward a hydrogen filling port and the fuel cell, respectively, the hydrogen supply line brings hydrogen to the fuel cell, the hydrogen supply lines of the at least two unit fuel cell groups are linked with each other, a check valve configured to prevent a reverse flow of hydrogen from the tank-side hydrogen line is provided in the hydrogen filling line, the hydrogen filling lines of the at least two unit fuel cell groups are linked with each other at upstream of the check valve, each of the unit fuel cell groups comprises a pressure reducing valve, and the tank controller stops supply of hydrogen into the fuel cell of a unit fuel cell group in which an abnormality has been detected.

2 . The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen tank of the other unit fuel cell group to the fuel cell of the unit fuel cell group in which the abnormality has been detected.

3 . A fuel cell system for a vehicle in which the fuel cell system according to claim 1 is mounted in the vehicle.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Igarashi Daishi
• Kawase Satoru
• Miura Kentaro
• Matsunaga Shinji

Classifications

• Y02T90/40

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

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L50/72

  Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H01M8/04089 Primary

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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