JP2005310391A - Fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of reducing power consumption by reducing the number of fuel gas sensors. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel cell vehicle 10 is equipped with a fuel supply source 20, a fuel cell 31 generating electric power by the reaction of fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply source 20 with oxidant gas, a fuel passage 22 through which fuel gas flows, a fuel gas sensor detecting the concentration of the fuel gas, a fuel gas sensor chamber 40 installed in a fuel cell vehicle body 11 and having the fuel gas sensor therein, and an introduction means introducing an atmosphere in at least two part of the fuel supply source 20, the fuel cell 31, the fuel passage 22, and a cabin 12 into the fuel gas sensor chamber 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle provided with a fuel gas sensor.

2. Description of the Related Art In a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell and equipment necessary for the operation of the fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as “fuel cell etc.”), a fuel cell etc. A fuel gas sensor is provided to confirm that no gas is leaking.
As an apparatus in which a fuel cell or the like is accommodated in a package and a fuel gas sensor is installed, a fuel cell main body and a fuel gas storage alloy cylinder for storing fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell main body are accommodated in the package. There has been proposed a portable power source in which an exhaust hole is provided above a fuel gas storage alloy cylinder and a fuel gas sensor for detecting fuel gas from a fuel cell is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust hole (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

A fuel cell is housed in the package, and a discharge port for discharging cooling air for cooling the fuel cell is provided above the fuel cell, and a fuel gas sensor for detecting fuel gas is installed in the vicinity of the discharge port. An improved fuel power plant has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Further, there has been proposed a fuel cell power generation facility in which an intake port, an exhaust port, and a ventilation fan are installed in a package, and a combustible gas detector that is a fuel gas sensor is installed in the vicinity of the exhaust port and the ventilation fan (for example, Patent Documents). 3).
JP-A-6-84536 JP-A-3-254070 JP-A-11-86891

  By the way, the fuel gas sensor is expensive and consumes a lot of electric power. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the number of fuel gas sensors as much as possible. However, when the fuel gas sensor is installed in the fuel cell vehicle, a large number of fuel gas sensors are installed, which causes a problem that the fuel cell vehicle becomes expensive. In addition, since the fuel cell vehicle is a moving body, it is difficult to secure a power source from the outside of the fuel cell vehicle. Therefore, a power source for operating the fuel cell vehicle must be secured in the fuel cell vehicle. . However, since there is a limit to the supply of power to the fuel cell vehicle, in order to effectively use the power of the fuel cell vehicle, the power consumption of the fuel gas sensors provided in many fuel cell vehicles must be reduced as much as possible. There is a problem of not becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of reducing power consumption by reducing the number of fuel gas sensors.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a fuel cell (for example, implementation) that generates power by a reaction between a fuel supply source (for example, the fuel tank unit 20 in the embodiment) and a fuel gas and an oxidant gas supplied from the fuel supply source. In the fuel cell vehicle (for example, the fuel cell vehicle 10 in the embodiment) provided with the fuel cell 31) in the embodiment and the fuel flow passage (for example, the fuel flow passage 22 in the embodiment) through which the fuel gas flows, A fuel gas sensor for detecting the concentration (for example, the hydrogen gas sensor 41 in the embodiment) and a fuel gas sensor chamber (for example, the sensor in the embodiment) installed in the fuel cell vehicle main body (for example, the fuel cell vehicle main body 11 in the embodiment) in which the fuel gas sensor is present. Unit 40), fuel supply source, fuel cell, fuel flow path and vehicle (E.g. passenger compartment 12 in the embodiment) is characterized in that a introducing means an atmosphere in at least two places in the introduction to the fuel gas sensor chamber (controller 50, for example in the embodiment).
According to the present invention, at least two atmospheres in the fuel supply source, the fuel cell, the fuel flow passage, and the vehicle interior are introduced into the fuel gas sensor chamber in which the fuel gas sensor is located, so that one fuel gas sensor has at least two atmospheres. Therefore, it is not necessary to install a fuel gas sensor for each detection location, that is, the number of fuel gas sensors can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the fuel cell vehicle, the atmosphere in any one of the at least two places is switched and introduced at a predetermined timing by the introduction means.
According to the present invention, when at least one of the two atmospheres is switched and introduced at a predetermined timing, it is switched when it is detected that the fuel gas concentration is higher than the allowable value after switching. It can be ascertained that the fuel gas concentration at the location is above the allowable value.

According to the fuel cell vehicle of the first aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to install a fuel gas sensor for each detection point, that is, the number of fuel gas sensors can be reduced, so that the power consumption of the fuel cell vehicle can be reduced. Can do.
According to the fuel cell vehicle of the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to easily grasp the location where the concentration of the fuel gas is equal to or higher than the allowable value, so that the maintenance of the fuel cell vehicle can be easily performed.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a fuel cell vehicle to which the present invention is applied.
The fuel cell vehicle 10 includes a fuel cell vehicle main body 11, a tank unit 20 as a fuel supply source, a fuel cell unit 30, and a sensor unit 40 as a fuel gas sensor chamber.
The fuel cell vehicle body 11 is provided with a passenger compartment 12, and passenger seats 13 are arranged in, for example, three rows in the passenger compartment 12.
The fuel tank unit 20 is installed in the lower part of the vehicle compartment 12 of the fuel cell vehicle main body 11. The fuel tank unit 20 stores a plurality of, for example, four fuel tanks 21 for storing hydrogen gas as fuel gas. The fuel tank unit 20 is connected to a fuel flow path 22 that is connected to the fuel cell unit 30 and distributes hydrogen gas from the fuel tank 21 to the fuel cell unit 30.

  The fuel cell unit 30 is installed adjacent to the fuel tank unit 20 in the lower part of the vehicle compartment 12 of the fuel cell vehicle body 11. The fuel cell unit 30 houses a fuel cell 31 that generates electric power by the reaction between the fuel gas supplied from the fuel tank 21 and the oxidant gas. The fuel cell 31 is, for example, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and includes a stack formed by stacking a plurality of cells formed by sandwiching a solid polymer electrolyte membrane between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. Electricity is generated by supplying hydrogen gas to the anode electrode and oxidant gas to the cathode electrode. This generated power is supplied to the drive motor of the fuel cell vehicle 10 and auxiliary equipment necessary to operate the fuel cell 31 (for example, an air compressor that supplies air to the fuel cell 31 or a water pump that circulates cooling water). To do. In the fuel cell 31, oxygen in the air is used as the oxidant gas, and air is taken in from the atmosphere and pumped to the fuel cell 31.

  The sensor unit 40 is installed below the seat 13 in the passenger compartment 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor unit 40 houses a hydrogen gas sensor 41 as a fuel gas sensor for detecting the concentration of hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas sensor 41 is a control device installed in the fuel cell vehicle body 11. 50. The sensor unit 40 is connected to gas introduction passages 42, 43, 44, 45 through which the atmosphere of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow path 22, and the fuel cell unit 30 can be introduced into the sensor unit 40. Yes.

  These gas introduction passages 42, 43, 44, 45 are provided with on-off valves 46, 47, 48, 49, respectively, and these on-off valves 46, 47, 48, 49 are connected to the control device 50. The control device 50 sends a signal to each of the open / close valves 46, 47, 48, 49 to switch the open / close state of the open / close valves 46, 47, 48, 49, and at a predetermined time, for example, every 10 seconds, the gas introduction path. Any one of 42, 43, 44, and 45 is selected. As a result, the atmosphere of any one of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow path 22 and the fuel cell unit 30 is introduced into the fuel tank unit 20 for a predetermined time. The gas introduction passages 42, 43, 44, 45, the on-off valves 46, 47, 48, 49, and the control device 50, the fuel tank unit 20, the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, and the fuel flow passage 22. And introducing means for introducing the atmosphere at any one of the fuel cell units 30.

In the fuel cell vehicle 10 as described above, the atmosphere of any one of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow path 22 and the fuel cell unit 30 is switched and introduced at a predetermined timing by the introduction means. The concentration of hydrogen in the introduced atmosphere is detected. That is, the hydrogen concentration in the atmosphere is detected by the following procedure.
First, in order to introduce the atmosphere in the passenger compartment 12, the on-off valve 46 is opened and the on-off valves 47, 48, 49 are closed so that only the gas introduction path 42 can pass through the atmosphere. Then, the state is maintained for a certain period of time, the atmosphere of the passenger compartment 12 is introduced into the sensor unit 40, and the concentration of hydrogen contained in the atmosphere is detected by the hydrogen gas sensor 41. Here, if the detected hydrogen concentration exceeds a certain concentration, it is determined that the vehicle compartment 12 has the hydrogen concentration exceeding the certain concentration.

  Next, after a certain time has elapsed, the introduction of the atmosphere in the passenger compartment 12 is stopped, and the on-off valve 47 is opened and the on-off valves 46 and 48 are introduced in order to introduce the atmosphere of the fuel tank unit 20. , 49 are closed so that only the gas introduction path 43 can pass through the atmosphere. Then, the state of the fuel tank unit 20 is introduced into the sensor unit 40 while maintaining that state for a certain period of time, and the hydrogen gas sensor 41 detects the concentration of hydrogen contained in the atmosphere. Here, if the detected hydrogen concentration exceeds a certain concentration, it is determined that the fuel tank unit 20 has the hydrogen concentration exceeding the certain concentration.

  Further, after a certain period of time has passed, the hydrogen flow sensor 22 and the fuel cell unit 30 are similarly configured in the same manner for the fuel flow path 22 and the fuel cell unit 30, respectively. 41. That is, in each of the fuel flow passage 22 and the fuel cell unit 30, the on-off valve 48 or the on-off valve 49 is opened so that the atmosphere can pass only through the gas introduction path 44 or the gas introduction path 45. The state of the fuel flow passage 22 or the fuel cell unit 30 is introduced into the sensor unit 40 while maintaining that state for a certain period of time, and the hydrogen gas sensor 41 detects the concentration of hydrogen contained in the atmosphere. Here, when the hydrogen concentration detected in the fuel flow path 22 or the fuel cell unit 30 exceeds a certain concentration, the hydrogen concentration exceeds the certain concentration in the fuel flow path 22 or the fuel cell unit 30. Judge that there is.

  In this case, the atmosphere of any one of a plurality of detection locations of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow passage 22, and the fuel cell unit 30 is changed into the gas introduction passages 42, 43, 44, 45 and the on-off valve 46. , 47, 48, 49 and the control device 50, the hydrogen gas sensor 41 detects the concentration of hydrogen gas contained in two or more atmospheres by introducing the sensor unit 40 into the sensor unit 40. Therefore, it is not necessary to install the hydrogen gas sensor 41 for each detection location. Thus, since the number of hydrogen gas sensors 41 can be reduced, the power consumption of the fuel cell vehicle 10 can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the atmosphere of any one of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow passage 22 and the fuel cell unit 30 is switched at a predetermined timing and introduced into the sensor unit 40 using the introduction means. Thus, when it is detected that the hydrogen gas concentration is equal to or higher than the allowable value after switching, it is possible to grasp that the hydrogen gas concentration at the switched location is equal to or higher than the allowable value. Thus, maintenance of the fuel cell vehicle 10 can be easily performed such that a portion where the concentration of hydrogen gas is higher than the allowable value is repaired.

  In the above embodiment, the gas introduction paths 42 to 45 connected to the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow path 22 and the fuel cell unit 30 are at least two places for detecting the concentration of hydrogen gas. As long as it is connected to By being connected to two or more locations, there is no need to install hydrogen gas sensors at each detection location, so the effect of reducing the number of hydrogen gas sensors 40 installed in the fuel cell vehicle 10 can be obtained.

  The gas introduction paths 42 to 45 only need to be arranged so that the atmosphere of the vehicle compartment 12, the fuel tank unit 20, the fuel flow path 22, and the fuel cell unit 30 can be easily introduced into the sensor unit 40. You may branch into multiple as needed. For example, the gas introduction path 43 may be arranged with its tip branched to each of the four fuel tanks 21 so that the atmosphere of each of the four fuel tanks 21 arranged in the fuel tank unit 20 can be introduced. .

Moreover, in the said embodiment, it is preferable that the sensor unit 40 is arrange | positioned in the position as close as possible to each said detection location, and is arrange | positioned so that the gas introduction paths 42-45 may become short. By being arranged in this way, when the hydrogen gas concentration at a certain detection location is equal to or higher than an allowable value, it is possible to detect such a state in a shorter time.
Moreover, the cost reduction of gas introduction paths 42-45 and simplification of arrangement | positioning can be aimed at by shortening gas introduction paths 42-45.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partial schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell vehicle 11 Fuel cell vehicle main body 12 Car compartment 20 Fuel tank unit (fuel supply source)
21 Fuel tank 22 Fuel flow passage 30 Fuel cell unit 31 Fuel cell 40 Sensor unit (fuel gas sensor chamber)
41 Hydrogen gas sensor (fuel gas sensor)
42-45 Gas introduction path (introduction means)
46-49 On-off valve (introducing means)
50 Control device (introduction means)

Claims (2)

A fuel supply,
A fuel cell that generates power by a reaction between a fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply source and an oxidant gas;
In a fuel cell vehicle comprising a fuel flow passage through which the fuel gas flows,
A fuel gas sensor for detecting the concentration of the fuel gas;
A fuel gas sensor chamber installed in the fuel cell vehicle main body and containing the fuel gas sensor;
A fuel cell vehicle comprising: the fuel supply source; the fuel cell; the fuel flow passage; and introduction means for introducing at least two atmospheres in the vehicle compartment into the fuel gas sensor chamber.     2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere at any one of the at least two locations is switched and introduced at a predetermined timing by the introduction means.

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