Fuel cell system and air system abnormality determination method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960437-B2
Application number	US-201514938483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

An object is to allow even a temporary increase in air pressure to be diagnosed as an abnormality. There is provided a fuel cell system including a fuel cell. The fuel cell system comprises an air system that is configured to supply the air to the fuel cell and discharge the air from the fuel cell; a pressure detector that is configured to detect an internal pressure in the air system; a pressure reduction controller that is configured to reduce the internal pressure in the air system to a target pressure reduction value, when the detected pressure becomes higher than a first abnormality detection value during a predetermined time period (S 150 and S 200 to S 220 ); and a first determiner that is configured to determine that the air system has an abnormality upon determination that number of times when it is determined that the detected pressure becomes higher than the first abnormality detection value is equal to or higher than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined time period (S 150 , S 180 , S 190 and S 160 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, the fuel cell system comprising
an air system that is configured to supply the air to the fuel cell and discharge the air from the fuel cell;
a pressure detector that is configured to detect an internal pressure in the air system;
a pressure reduction controller that is configured to reduce an internal pressure in the air system to a target pressure reduction value, when the detected pressure becomes higher than a first abnormality detection value during a predetermined time period;
a first determiner that is configured to count a number of times that the detected pressure becomes higher than the first abnormality detection value and determine that the air system has an abnormality when the number of times acquired by the count becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined time period; and
a second determiner that is configured to determine that the air system has an abnormality when the pressure detected becomes higher than a second abnormality detection value that is higher than the first abnormality detection value.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
after completion of pressure reduction by the pressure reduction controller, the fuel cell system returning control of the internal pressure in the air system to ordinary control based on an operating condition of the fuel cell.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the predetermined time period is a time period in which the fuel cell is in power generation operation.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
the fuel cell system stopping power generation of the fuel cell when it is determined that the air system has an abnormality.

5. In a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell, an air system that is configured to supply the air to the fuel cell and discharge the air from the fuel cell, and a pressure detector that is configured to detect an internal pressure in the air system, an air system abnormality determination method, comprising:
reducing the internal pressure in the air system to a target pressure reduction value, when the detected pressure becomes higher than a first abnormality detection value during a predetermined time period;
counting a number of times that the detected pressure becomes higher than the first abnormality detection value and determining that the air system has an abnormality when the number of times acquired by the count becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined time period; and
determining that the air system has an abnormality when the pressure detected becomes higher than a second abnormality detection value that is higher than the first abnormality detection value.

6. The air system abnormality determination method according to claim 5 , further comprising
after completion of pressure reduction, returning control of the internal pressure in the air system to ordinary control based on an operating condition of the fuel cell.

7. The air system abnormality determination method according to claim 5 ,
wherein the predetermined time period is a time period in which the fuel cell is in power generation operation.

8. The air system abnormality determination method according to claim 5 , further comprising
stopping power generation of the fuel cell when it is determined that the air system has an abnormality.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saito Hiromu

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04395

  of cathode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04089 Primary

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title