Fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647280-B2
Application number	US-201214111970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An object is to supply a sufficient amount of air to a fuel cell stack in a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell stack is mounted below a floor, the fuel cell stack configured to draw in air through an intake duct and discharge air to the exterior through an exhaust duct. An air introduction surface ( 26 ) faces upward or downward in a vehicle upper and lower direction, an intake passage portion ( 30 ) of the intake duct ( 28 ) extends along the air introduction surface ( 26 ) and vertical walls ( 31, 32 ) of left and right end portions of the fuel cell stack ( 11 ) while a pair of air introduction ports ( 33, 34 ) opens in left and right end portions of the intake passage portion ( 30 ), and an exhaust passage portion ( 39 ) of the exhaust duct ( 29 ) extends along an air discharge surface ( 27 ) and vertical walls ( 40, 41 ) of front and rear end portions of the fuel cell stack ( 11 ) while a pair of air discharge ports ( 42, 43 ) opens in front and rear end portions of the exhaust passage portion ( 39 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell stack including an air introduction surface and an air discharge surface at positions opposite to each other, the fuel cell stack being arranged below a floor;
an intake duct configured to draw in air, the intake duct being arranged on the air introduction surface side; and
an exhaust duct configured to discharge air, the exhaust duct being arranged on the air discharge surface side;
wherein the air introduction surface is arranged so as to face upward or downward in a vehicle upper and lower direction;
wherein an intake passage portion of the intake duct is arranged along the air introduction surface and vertical walls of left and right end portions of the fuel cell stack, and left and right air introduction ports opens in left and right end portions of the intake passage portion respectively;
wherein an exhaust passage portion of the exhaust duct is arranged along the air discharge surface and vertical walls of front and rear end portions of the fuel cell stack, and front and rear air discharge ports opens in front and rear end portions of the exhaust passage portion respectively;
wherein the left and right air introduction ports are positioned on air discharge surface side regions of the left and right end portions of the intake passage portion respectively; and
wherein the front and rear air discharge ports are positioned on air introduction surface side regions of the front and rear end portions of the exhaust passage portion respectively.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the air introduction surface is arranged so as to face downward in the vehicle upper and lower direction.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fuel cell stack has such a structure that a plurality of fuel cell units are arranged in a vehicle left and right direction so as to be apart from one another at a predetermined interval, and
the intake duct includes another air introduction port between the fuel cell units.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fuel cell stack is arranged in front of a rear bumper of the vehicle, and
one of the air discharge ports of the exhaust duct is arranged in front of the rear bumper, and the one of the air discharge ports is opened below a lower end of the rear bumper in the vehicle upper and lower direction.

5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
entire outer surfaces of the fuel cell stack are covered with the intake duct and the exhaust duct.

6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fuel cell stack is mounted on a rim-shaped frame which surrounds front and rear, left, and right side portions of the fuel cell stack, and
the intake duct and the exhaust duct are attached to an outer portion of the frame.

Assignees

• Matsumoto Shiro
• Ozawa Naoki
• Eguchi Toru
• Davies Damian Patrick
• Suzuki Motor Corp

Inventors

• Matsumoto Shiro
• Ozawa Naoki
• Eguchi Toru
• Davies Damian Patrick

Classifications

• B60K15/07

  of gas tanks · CPC title

• B60K2015/03315

  for hydrogen · CPC title

• Y02T90/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B60L2200/34

  Wheel chairs · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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