Fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9586499-B2
Application number	US-201514818562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2015
Priority date	Aug 6, 2014
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A fuel cell electric automobile includes a fuel cell stack, a traction motor, a first control device for controlling output of the fuel cell stack, and a second control device for controlling electrical energy supplied to the traction motor. The first control device is provided vertically above the fuel cell stack, and the second control device is provided vertically below the fuel cell stack and on a lateral side of the traction motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell configured to generate electrical energy by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas;
a traction motor driven by the electrical energy generated by the fuel cell;
a first control device configured to control output of the fuel cell; and
a second control device configured to control the electrical energy supplied to the traction motor,
wherein the first control device is provided vertically above the fuel cell; and
the second control device is provided vertically below the fuel cell and on a lateral side of the traction motor.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first control device and the second control device are connected by a high voltage cable.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the high voltage cable is provided such that the high voltage cable is not overlapped with a rear surface of the fuel cell in a front view in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein a first connector connecting the high voltage cable and the first control device and a second connector connecting the high voltage cable and the second control device are provided within a plane surface area of the fuel cell in a plan view of the fuel cell.

5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the second connector is provided vertically below the fuel cell and vertically above the traction motor.

6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell is enclosed in a fuel cell casing; and
in a state where the first control device is provided within an upper surface area of the fuel cell casing, the first control device is fixed to the fuel cell casing.

7. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the traction motor is provided such that an axial direction of the traction motor extends in a vehicle width direction; and
the second control device is provided on a front side of the traction motor in a vehicle longitudinal direction and within an area of a size of the traction motor in the vehicle width direction.

8. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a front end of the second control device in a vehicle longitudinal direction is provided on a back side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, with respect to a front end of the fuel cell in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

9. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a vehicle frame provided below the fuel cell;
a rear mount provided at a rear portion of the fuel cell in a vehicle longitudinal direction; and
a motor mount provided at a rear portion of the traction motor in the vehicle longitudinal direction,
wherein the rear mount and the motor mount are formed as a single piece component fixed to the vehicle frame; and
a space is formed between a lower surface of the fuel cell and an upper surface of the traction motor.

10. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein a cell voltage detection device configured to detect cell voltage of the fuel cell is provided at the lower surface of the fuel cell and within a lower surface area of the fuel cell.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fushimi Takaaki
• Amano Atsushi
• Suzuki Takanori
• Nishiyama Kosuke
• Gotou Yusuke

Classifications

• B60K1/00

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B60K2001/0411

  Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60L50/70

  using power supplied by fuel cells (in combination with batteries B60L50/75) · CPC title

• B60Y2306/01

  Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection · CPC title

• B60L58/30

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title