Mobile body equipped with fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9669729-B2
Application number	US-201415025588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2014
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a technique of improving an intake structure that takes in the outside air in a fuel cell vehicle. A fuel cell vehicle 10 includes first and second grilles 11 and 12 that are configured to be open forward and take in the outside air. An air intake 100 is placed in a vehicle inner space 10 r of the fuel cell vehicle 10 . The air intake 100 is placed in a location behind and above the first grille 11 and is configured to take in the air as a reactive gas that is to be supplied to a fuel cell 21 . A flow path member 120 is placed in a location in front of and below the air intake 100 and behind the first grille 11 . The flow path member 120 has an inclined wall portion 121 that is arranged to face the first grille 11 and is inclined obliquely upward from front to rear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A moving body equipped with a fuel cell, the moving body comprising:
a first grille that is provided with a first air inlet, the first inlet being configured to be open forward of the moving body and take in the air outside of the moving body;
an inlet duct member that is placed in a location behind and above the first air inlet and is configured to take in the air as a reactive gas that is to be supplied to the fuel cell;
a flow path member that is configured to guide the air, the flow path member being placed in a location behind the first air inlet and in front of and below the inlet duct member, the flow path member having an inclined wall portion, the inclined wall portion is located away from the first grille and is arranged to face the first air inlet and is inclined obliquely upward from front to rear;
a second grille that is provided with a second air inlet, the second air inlet being placed in a location below the first air inlet and being configured to be open in a location below the flow path member and take in the air from outside of the moving body; and
a heat exchanger that is placed behind the second air inlet and is configured to exchange heat with the air.

2. The moving body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the flow path member has first and second side wall portions that are provided on both sides of the inclined wall portion in a width direction of the moving body and are extended from the inclined wall portion toward the first air inlet, and
a distance in the width direction of the moving body between end sides of the first and the second side wall portions facing the first air inlet is smaller than an opening width of the first air inlet in the width direction of the moving body.

3. The moving body according to claim 1 ,
wherein a cavity is formed between the first grille and the inclined wall portion of the flow path member to be open downward of the moving body.

4. The moving body according to claim 1 , further comprising
an opening wall member having a wall surface that is arranged to face an inclined surface of the inclined wall portion at a position above the inclined wall portion of the flow path member and in front of the inlet duct member and is extended in the width direction of the moving body, and at least one through hole that is formed in the wall surface to be open toward the inclined surface of the inclined wall portion.

5. The moving body according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inlet duct member has a flow path portion that is extended forward of the moving body and is configured to be open forward of the moving body.

6. The moving body according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an upper cover member that is arranged to cover at least an area from the first air inlet to a rear end of the inlet duct member and forms an upper surface of the moving body; and
a seal member that is extended in a direction intersecting with an extending direction of the flow path portion above the flow path portion of the inlet duct member and is pressed against the upper cover member to form a seal line that seals a region behind the flow path portion, wherein
the seal member is arranged to be locally placed backward of the moving body in a location above the flow path portion.

7. A moving body equipped with a fuel cell, the moving body comprising:
a first air inlet that is configured to be open forward of the moving body and take in the air outside of the moving body;
an inlet duct member that is placed in a location behind and above the first air inlet and is configured to take in the air as a reactive gas that is to be supplied to the fuel cell;
a flow path member that is configured to guide the air, the flow path member being placed in a location behind the first air inlet and in front of and below the inlet duct member, the flow path member having an inclined wall portion that is arranged to face the first air inlet and is inclined obliquely upward from front to rear;
a second air inlet that is placed in a location below the first air inlet and is configured to be open in a location below the flow path member and take in the air from outside of the moving body; and
a heat exchanger that is placed behind the second air inlet and is configured to exchange heat with the air, wherein
a cavity is formed between the first air inlet and the inclined wall portion of the flow path member to be open downward of the moving body,
the flow path member has first and second side wall portions that are provided on both sides of the inclined wall portion in a width direction of the moving body and are extended from the inclined wall portion toward the first air inlet,
a distance in the width direction of the moving body between end sides of the first and the second side wall portions facing the first air inlet is smaller than an opening width of the first air inlet in the width direction of the moving body, and
the first and second side wall portions are respectively located below one of both sides of an inlet opening of the inlet duct member viewed along a longitudinal direction of the moving body.

8. A moving body equipped with a fuel cell, the moving body comprising:
a first air inlet that is configured to be open forward of the moving body and take in the air outside of the moving body;
an inlet duct member that is placed in a location behind and above the first air inlet and is configured to take in the air as a reactive gas that is to be supplied to the fuel cell;
a flow path member that is configured to guide the air, the flow path member being placed in a location behind the first air inlet and in front of and below the inlet duct member, the flow path member having an inclined wall portion that is arranged to face the first air inlet and is inclined obliquely upward from front to rear;
a second air inlet that is placed in a location below the first air inlet and is configured to be open in a location below the flow path member and take in the air from outside of the moving body;
a heat exchanger that is placed behind the second air inlet and is configured to exchange heat with the air; and
an opening wall member having a wall surface that is arranged to face an inclined surface of the inclined wall portion at a position above the inclined wall portion of the flow path member and in front of the inlet duct member and is extended in the width direction of the moving body, and at least one through hole that is formed in the wall surface to be open toward the inclined surface of the inclined wall portion, wherein
the flow path member has first and second side wall portions that are provided on both sides of the inclined wall portion in a width direction of the moving body and are extended from the inclined wall portion toward the first air inlet,
a distance in the width direction of the moving body between end sides of the first and the second side wall portions facing the first air inlet is smaller than an opening width of the first air inlet in the width direction of the moving body, and
the first and second side wall portions are fixed at a wall surface of the opening wall member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohashi Yasuhiko

Classifications

• B60L2240/36

  Temperature of vehicle components or parts · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title

• B60L15/20

  for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed · CPC title

• B60Y2200/90

  Vehicles comprising electric prime movers · CPC title