JP2006333638A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a function for storing power without loss of space efficiency in a fuel cell system. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel cell system comprises a motor 2, a fuel cell 1 rotatable about a predetermined central axis by receiving a rotary power, a clutch 4 for connecting the rotary power of the motor 2 interruptibly to the fuel cell 1, a means 13 for detecting a demand power from the load of the fuel cell, and control means 3 and 5 for storing dump power as rotational energy of the fuel cell connected through the clutch by inputting output power exceeding the demand power to the motor when the output power from the fuel cell exceeds the demand power, and generating power by driving the motor with rotational energy of the fuel cell connected through the clutch when the output power from the fuel cell does not satisfies the demand power and supplying the generated power to the load along with the output power. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system.

  Conventionally, a system combining a fuel cell and a secondary battery has been proposed in order to accumulate surplus power of the fuel cell and to effectively use the power (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique described in this document, a fuel cell and a secondary battery are mounted on a vehicle, and regenerative power and surplus power generated during braking and the like are accumulated in the secondary battery. In the technique described in Patent Document 2, a flywheel is provided in the fuel cell, and surplus power is accumulated as rotational energy. In these conventional techniques, it is possible to effectively use electric power and increase the ratio of the amount of electric power that can be used with respect to the amount of fuel gas to be input, that is, the fuel utilization rate.

However, these prior art systems require space for a device for storing energy, such as a secondary battery or a flyhole, in addition to the fuel cell. Therefore, such a technique is not suitable for a vehicle that needs to improve the loading efficiency.
JP 2002-118979 A JP-A-5-217588 JP 2002-208423 A JP 2000-348753 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-208917 JP-A-2001-102081

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a function capable of storing electric power without reducing space efficiency in a fuel cell system using a fuel cell as a power source. Moreover, the objective of this invention is providing the technique which extinguishes the energy accumulate | stored safely in the case of an emergency, after suppressing the fall of such space efficiency.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the present invention relates to an electric motor, a fuel cell that can rotate around a predetermined central axis by receiving a rotational force, a clutch portion that connects the rotational force of the electric motor to the fuel cell so as to be cut off, and the fuel Means for detecting required power from the load of the battery, and when the output power of the fuel cell exceeds the required power, the surplus power exceeding the required power is input to the motor to be connected by the clutch unit When surplus power is stored as rotational energy of the fuel cell, and the output power of the fuel cell does not satisfy the required power, the motor is driven by the rotational energy of the fuel cell connected by the clutch unit to generate power, And a control means for supplying the generated power to the load together with the output power.

  According to the present invention, when the output power of the fuel cell exceeds the required power, the surplus power as the rotational energy of the fuel cell connected by the clutch unit by inputting the surplus power exceeding the required power to the motor. Accumulate. Further, when the output power of the fuel cell does not satisfy the required power, the motor is driven by the rotational energy of the fuel cell connected by the clutch unit to generate electric power, and the generated power is used as a load together with the output power. Supply. That is, surplus energy can be used by utilizing the rotation of the fuel cell itself and without providing any other energy storage means.

  The fuel cell system includes means for detecting a collision caused by a moving body mounted on a moving body, and the fuel cell includes a plurality of cell portions that can rotate around the central axis, and the cell portions that are arranged on the central axis. You may make it have a fastening means to fasten in a direction and a fastening / loosening means to loosen the said fastening and to decompose | disassemble into each cell part, when the said collision is detected. According to the present invention, when a collision of a moving body is detected, the fuel cell is disassembled into each cell portion, and the rotational energy of the fuel cell can be dispersed into small units, thereby improving safety.

  The fuel cell is configured to be capable of fastening with a plurality of cell portions rotatable around the central axis and the cell portions, and capable of sliding with the cell portions when the fastening force is relaxed, It may have a friction body rotatable around the central axis, a fastening control means for controlling a fastening force of the friction body to the cell portion, and a rotation suppressing means for suppressing the rotation of the friction body. . According to the present invention, heat is generated by the friction between the friction body sandwiched between the cell portion and the cell portion and the cell portion, so that the cell portion can be efficiently heated.

  Reusable energy can be stored as electric power without reducing the space efficiency of the fuel cell system. In addition, in the case of an emergency, it is possible to quickly reduce the accumulated energy while suppressing such a decrease in space efficiency.

Hereinafter, a fuel cell system according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the following embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.
<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This fuel cell system is realized as a vehicle. This fuel cell system has a fuel cell main body 1 that supplies electric power to each part of a vehicle. This fuel cell is configured to be rotatable around a predetermined central axis.

  This fuel cell system receives power generated from a fuel cell main body through a power cable 10 and supplies power to each part of the vehicle, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 3 and power supplied from the PCU 3 to drive the wheels 20. The drive / regenerative motor 7 which is sent back to the PCU 3 as regenerative power when surplus power is supplied, and the surplus power is supplied from the PCU 3 to rotate the fuel cell main body 1 around the central axis. Is converted into electric energy and sent back to the PCU 3, the clutch 4 that connects the drive shaft 9 of the motor 2 and the drive shaft 8 that rotates the fuel cell body 1, and the acceleration of the driver provided in the driver's seat of the vehicle Accelerator pedal 13 for detecting a deceleration operation (corresponding to the means for detecting the required power of the present invention) and a driver's deceleration / stop instruction Driving by the brake pedal 14 to be detected, the acceleration sensor 50 (corresponding to the means for detecting a collision of the present invention) for detecting acceleration when a vehicle collision accident occurs, the accelerator pedal 13, the brake pedal 14, the acceleration sensor 50, etc. It has ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5 which detects operation and controls the driving | running state of a fuel cell system.

  During acceleration, the drive / regenerative motor 7 receives power supply from the PCU 3 and drives the wheels 20 to accelerate the vehicle. On the other hand, the drive / regenerative motor 7 functions as a generator when the vehicle is decelerated and supplies regenerative power to the PCU 3.

  Similarly, when the electric power is surplus, the motor 2 is rotatably connected to the fuel cell main body 1 via the drive shaft 9, the clutch 4 and the drive shaft 8, and rotates the fuel cell main body 1 around the central axis. On the other hand, when power is insufficient, the motor 2 functions as a generator by driving the drive shaft 9 by the rotating fuel cell main body 1. In this case, the motor 2 supplies power to the PCU 3.

  The clutch 4 (corresponding to the clutch portion of the present invention) is a single plate friction type, a multi-plate friction type, a type using electromagnetic fluid, or a type in which rotation is continuously controlled such as fluid coupling. Can be used.

  A fuel cell main body 1 (corresponding to the fuel cell of the present invention) includes a substantially cylindrical rotatable stack in which a plurality of disk-shaped single cells are stacked, and an oxidant pipe disposed near the center of the cylindrical portion. And a joining pipe combining fuel gas piping. Oxidant and fuel gas are supplied through the joint pipe. On the other hand, exhaust gas, waste heat, and generated water are discharged from the outer periphery of the cylinder.

  The PCU 3 includes, for example, a DCDC converter and an inverter. The DC-DC converter converts the voltage input to the input terminal (connection terminal on the fuel cell side) into a high voltage or a low voltage and supplies it to the output terminal. The inverter converts the output of the DCDC converter into alternating current and supplies it to the motor 2 or the drive / regenerative motor 7. Thereby, the PCU 3 supplies the power generated by the fuel cell to the motor 2 or the drive / regeneration motor 7.

  On the other hand, when there is no input from the fuel cell body 1 to the DCDC converter or when the input is less than the rotational energy of the motor 2 or the like including the fuel cell body 1, the motor 2 is forced to rotate by the rotation of the fuel cell body 1. As a result, an electromotive force is generated, and AC power is sent back to the inverter of the PCU 3. The PCU 3 supplies the electric power sent back to the inverter to the drive / regenerative motor 7. In this way, the PCU 3 can exchange electric power between the motor 2 and the drive / regenerative motor 7.

  In FIG. 2, the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the fuel cell main body 1 is shown. The fuel cell main body 1 is configured in a substantially cylindrical shape. A pipe 30 configured by combining a fuel gas pipe 30A for supplying fuel gas and an oxidant gas pipe 30B for supplying oxidant gas passes through the central axis of the cylindrical portion of the fuel cell body 1. One end (the right end in FIG. 2) of the pipe 30 is fixed to a predetermined fixed wall.

  The single cell 15 constituting the fuel cell main body 1 has a substantially disk shape, and has a hole near the center through which the pipe 30 passes. The single cells 15 are stacked in the length direction of the pipe 30 to form a stack.

  A stopper 31 and a bearing 24 are provided near the right end of the pipe 30. Further, a right end plate 37 </ b> B and a right end unit cell 15 </ b> B are disposed adjacent to the stopper 31 and the bearing 24.

On the other hand, the left side of the fuel cell main body 1 is provided with a drive unit for a fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 (corresponding to the tie-up means of the present invention) such as a hydraulic piston. The fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 presses the stack in the right direction from the left side of the drawing via the bearing 24. A left end plate 37A and a left end single cell 15A are disposed at the left end of the stack. Although omitted in FIG. 2, a stack is formed across a plurality of layers from the single cell 15A at the left end to the single cell 15B at the right end. Hereinafter, each single cell is collectively referred to as a single cell 15.

  Each single cell 15 and the left and right end plates 37 </ b> A and 37 </ b> B are configured to be rotatable while sliding around the outer periphery of the pipe 30. The single cells 15 are integrated between the left and right end plates 37 </ b> A and 37 </ b> B by the pressing force of the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23. However, the single cells 15 can be separated by loosening the pressing force of the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23.

  In the fuel cell system of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the acceleration sensor 50 detects the acceleration applied to the vehicle and notifies the ECP 5 of the detected acceleration. The ECU 5 determines that a collision accident has occurred when acceleration greater than or equal to a predetermined value is detected, and releases the pressing force of the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 when the rotational energy of the stack is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. (The ECU 5 that executes this process corresponds to the fastening and loosening means). As a result, the pressure on each single cell 15 of the end plate 37A disappears, and each single cell between the end plates 37A and 37B and the end plates 37A and 37B is cut off. As a result, the stack having a large rotational energy equal to or greater than a predetermined value is disassembled, each part becomes an object having a small kinetic energy, and the kinetic energy is dispersed.

  The left end plate 37 </ b> A is connected to the gear 21 through a pipe member 33 that slides and rotates on the outer periphery of the pipe 30. The gear 21 is engaged with the gear 8A. The gear 8A is directly connected to the drive shaft 8 connected to the motor 2 through the clutch 4 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the gear 21, the pipe material 33, the left and right end plates 37 </ b> A and 37 </ b> B, and the stack (single cell 15) are configured to be rotatable around the pipe 30 by the motor 2.

  Further, a gas seal 34 covering the entire stack is fixed to the pipe 30 and the stopper 31 separately from the stack. An opening 35 is provided at one end of the gas seal 34 to discharge off-gas after the reaction.

  FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fuel cell main body 1 in which the gas seal 34 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the single cell 15 includes a hydrogen electrode separator 25, an MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly) 26, and an air electrode separator 27.

  The hydrogen electrode separator 25 has a cylindrical hole that penetrates the vicinity of the central axis, and the inner wall of the hole is slidably in contact with the outer periphery of the pipe 30. On the other hand, the fuel gas pipe 30 </ b> A constituting the pipe 30 is provided with openings 28 </ b> A at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery at a position in contact with the hydrogen electrode separator 25. A circumferential slit 28B surrounding the pipe 30 is provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical hole of the hydrogen electrode separator 25 facing the opening 28A. The slit 28 </ b> B is connected to an electrode on the hydrogen electrode side by a fuel gas passage in the hydrogen electrode separator 25.

  Therefore, even when the hydrogen electrode separator 25 rotates around the pipe 30, the opening 28 </ b> A always remains connected to the slit 28 </ b> B. Further, a sealing member is added to the cylindrical hole inner wall surface of the hydrogen electrode separator 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 30. The sealing member is, for example, silicon rubber. Instead of silicon rubber, a labyrinth seal having a large number of pleats (labyrinth seal) may be attached. With such a sealing member, the opening 28 </ b> A and the slit 28 </ b> B are connected in an airtight state.

As a result, hydrogen, which is a fuel gas, is discharged from the opening 28A toward the circumferential slit 28B without leaking from the connection portion between the pipe 30 and the hydrogen electrode separator 25. The hydrogen released into the slit 28B moves through the fuel gas passage in the hydrogen electrode separator 25 as the hydrogen electrode separator 25 rotates, and reaches the electrode on the hydrogen electrode side.

  Similarly, the air electrode separator 27 has a cylindrical hole that penetrates the vicinity of the central axis, and the inner wall of the hole is slidably in contact with the outer periphery of the pipe 30. Also, in the oxidant gas pipe 30 </ b> B constituting the pipe 30, openings 29 </ b> A are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery at a position in contact with the air electrode separator 27. A circumferential slit 29B surrounding the pipe 30 is provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical hole of the air electrode separator 27 facing the opening 29A. The slit 29 </ b> B is connected to the electrode on the air electrode side by an oxidant gas passage in the air electrode separator 27.

  Therefore, even if the air electrode separator 27 rotates around the pipe 30, the opening 29A is always kept connected to the slit 29B. Further, a sealing member similar to that described above is also added to the cylindrical hole inner wall surface of the air electrode separator 27 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 30. With such a sealing member, the opening 29A and the slit 29B are connected in a state in which the airtightness is maintained.

  As a result, air, which is an oxidant gas, is discharged from the opening 29A toward the circumferential slit 29B. The air released into the slit 29B moves through the oxidant gas passage in the air electrode separator 27 as the air electrode separator 27 rotates, and reaches the electrode on the air electrode side.

  A disc-shaped MEA 26 is provided between the hydrogen electrode separator 25 and the air electrode separator 27. The MEA 26 also has a cylindrical hole and is in contact with the outer periphery of the pipe 30 so as to be slidable and rotatable. The hydrogen supplied to the hydrogen electrode separator 25 is deprived of electrons at the electrode on the hydrogen electrode side to become protons, diffuses in the MEA 26 and reaches the air electrode side.

  In the electrode on the air electrode side, water is generated by combining electrons that have passed through an external circuit, protons that have diffused through the MEA 26, and oxygen in the air. By continuing such a reaction, an electromotive force is generated at both ends of the electrode in the single cell 15, and a stack in which the single cells 15 are stacked functions as a fuel cell.

  The water produced by the above reaction, the fuel gas that did not contribute to the reaction, and the air (hereinafter referred to as off-gas etc.) are gas seals 34 through openings (not shown) provided on the outer periphery of the hydrogen electrode separator 25 and the air electrode separator 27, respectively. To the space covered with. Then, off-gas and the like are discharged from an opening 35 provided in the gas seal 34.

  In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, a sealing member such as silicon rubber or a labyrinth seal is also added to the contact portion 34A between the left end plate 37A and the gas seal 34. Therefore, most of the off-gas in the gas seal 34 is discharged from the opening 35 without leaking from the contact portion 34A between the end plate 37A and the gas seal 34.

  The processing of the ECU 5 that controls the fuel cell system will be described with reference to FIG. ECU5 detects the sensor signal accompanying the change of the inclination of the accelerator pedal 13, and calculates required electric power. When the required power is even smaller than the minimum generated power of the fuel cell main body 1, the ECU 5 instructs the PCU 3 to send a part of the generated power to the drive / regenerative motor 7 to drive the vehicle, and surplus power. Is supplied to the motor 2 (the ECU 5 and the PCU 3 that execute the following processing correspond to the control means of the present invention).

  Then, the ECU 5 connects the clutch 4, drives the drive shaft 8 and the gears 8 </ b> A, 21 by the motor 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and rotates the fuel cell main body 1 around the pipe 30. As a result, surplus power exceeding the required power is stored as rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1.

  On the other hand, when the required power is larger than the minimum generated power of the fuel cell main body 1, the ECU 5 disconnects the clutch 4 and stops applying the rotational force to the fuel cell main body 1. Further, the ECU 5 controls a fuel gas system valve (not shown), an oxidizer system valve, an air compressor, and the like to increase the supply amount of hydrogen gas and air and increase the generated power. When the required power is larger than the maximum generated power of the fuel cell main body 1, the ECU 5 controls the PCU 3 to stop the supply of motor driving power to the motor 2 and connects the clutch 4 in that state.

  Then, the motor 2 is driven by the rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1 via the clutch 4 and functions as a generator. At this time, the PCU 3 supplies the electric power generated by the motor 2 to the drive / regeneration motor 7. As a result, in addition to the electric power generated by the fuel cell main body 1, the drive / regenerative motor 7 is driven by the electric power generated by the motor 2 converted from the rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1.

  Further, the ECU 5 detects a sensor signal accompanying a change in the inclination of the brake pedal 14 and decelerates the drive / regeneration motor 7. As a result of the deceleration, regenerative electric power is generated and supplied to the motor 2 through the PCU 3. Also in this case, the ECU 5 connects the clutch 4 and rotates the fuel cell body 1 around the pipe 30 by the motor 2. As a result, the regenerative power at the time of deceleration is accumulated as rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1.

  As described above, in the fuel cell system of the present embodiment, the fuel cell functions as a livestock energy medium while the fuel cell body 1 itself has a rotating structure. Therefore, when the fuel cell main body 1 generates surplus power, the surplus power is accumulated as rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1 through the PCU 3 and the motor 2. Further, regenerative electric power generated when the drive / regenerative motor 7 is decelerated is accumulated as rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1 through the PCU 3 and the motor 2.

  On the other hand, when the power generation amount of the fuel cell main body 1 does not reach the power required by the user, the rotational energy of the fuel cell main body 1 is converted into electric power by the motor 2 and supplied to the drive / regenerative motor 7 through the PCU 3 to drive the vehicle. Contribute. In achieving such a function, the fuel cell system does not require a power storage device such as a secondary battery, or energy storage means such as a flywheel. Therefore, it provides a very effective power storage function in a system with a limited space such as a vehicle.

  Further, as described above, the fuel cell system detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and detects a large acceleration of a predetermined value or more in a state where the rotational energy of the stack is a predetermined value or more. When recognizing the occurrence of a collision accident, the ECU 5 releases the pressing force of the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 to disassemble the single cells 15 of the stack and distribute the rotational energy to a small value.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, a power storage device such as a secondary battery or a capacitor is not provided, but a power storage device may be further combined with the above configuration (see FIGS. 1 to 3). For example, when it is necessary to maintain the minimum number of rotations of the fuel cell main body 1 due to discharge of produced water, the fuel cell can be obtained only by the output of the fuel cell main body 1 and the output of the drive / regenerative motor 7. When the minimum rotation speed of the main body 1 cannot be maintained, the motor 2 may be driven from the power storage device via the PCU 3.

  In the first embodiment, the stack is integrated by pressing the single cell 15 by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 such as a hydraulic piston. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

  FIG. 4 shows a modification in which a stack is fastened by a bolt 43 having a movable piece 41 and a nut 42. Also in the case of FIG. 4, the gas seal 34 is omitted.

  The movable piece 41 is configured to be opened and closed by, for example, electromagnetic force. For example, the movable piece 41 is configured in a V shape that can be opened and closed by pivoting the ends of two bars, and the other ends of the two bars are connected by a removable support member to form a triangle. What is necessary is just to comprise a shape. What is necessary is just to comprise so that a supporting member may remove | deviate from two V-shaped bar materials by applying electromagnetic force to a supporting member. In addition, you may comprise the said supporting member with the leaf | plate spring which maintains V shape with the elastic force of the reverse direction to the said electromagnetic force.

  A stack including a single cell can be fastened by tightening the nut 42 with the movable piece 41 open. Further, the relative distance between the end plates 37A and 37B is increased by moving the movable piece 41 in the direction in which the movable piece 41 is folded (the V-shape is closed) by electromagnetic force. As a result, the fastening between the single cells can be loosened. When the movable piece 41 is completely folded, the fastening force no longer acts on the end plate 37A, and the end plate 37A is detached from the bolt 43. As a result, the single cells 15 can be separated separately.

  Therefore, as in the above embodiment, the ECU 5 monitors the output of the acceleration sensor 50 indicating the acceleration of the vehicle, detects a large acceleration of a predetermined value or more when the rotational energy of the stack is a predetermined value or more, and detects a collision accident. When the occurrence is recognized, by folding the movable piece 41, the stack can be decomposed into the respective single cells 15, and the rotational energy can be distributed to a small value.

  Here, the movable piece 41 is opened and closed by electromagnetic force, but may be opened and closed by a mechanism system such as hydraulic pressure. Alternatively, the movable piece 41 may be driven by a motor by supplying power from the outside.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, a fuel cell system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The fuel cell system of this embodiment also has a structure in which the single cell 15 is rotated around the central axis by the motor 2 as in the case of the first embodiment. Thereby, also in this embodiment, the fuel cell system is realized as a vehicle, and accumulates surplus power or regenerative power as rotational energy of the stack.

  However, in addition to such a function as a flywheel, the present fuel cell system has a friction plate between the single cells 15 and has a function of generating heat between the friction plates and the single cells 15. Other configurations and operations of the fuel cell system are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Further, the drawings in FIGS. 1 to 4 are referred to as necessary.

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the fuel cell system, the single cell 15 is configured to be rotatable around the pipe 30 as in the case of the first embodiment. Each single cell 15 is integrated by a fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 such as a hydraulic piston to form a stack. Although omitted in FIG. 5, the stack is covered with a gas seal 34 as in the case of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, a disk-shaped friction plate 33 is inserted between the single cells 15. Each friction plate 33 is connected and integrated with another friction plate 33 by a connecting member in the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the disk surface of the friction plate 33).

  Further, the friction plate 33 can be braked to prevent rotation by the brake 40. As a result, the contact surface slides between the friction plate 33 and the single cell 15 to generate frictional heat. A temperature sensor 46 is provided on the surface of the unit cell 15 to notify the ECU 5 of the temperature of the unit cell.

  Thereby, the ECU 5 can control the temperature of the stack. For example, when the fuel cell is started, heat is generated by sliding between the friction plate 33 and the single cell 15, and the temperature of the single cell 15 is monitored. When the temperature of the single cell reaches a sufficiently high temperature, braking by the brake 40 is relaxed and heat generation is stopped.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fuel cell main body 1 in which the gas seal 34 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, a friction plate 33 is inserted between the single cell 15 and the single cell 15. The friction plate 33 is also disk-shaped and is in contact with the pipe 30 so as to be slidable and rotatable at the inner wall of the hole near the center.

  The temperature sensor 46 is inserted in the single cell. The temperature sensor 46 notifies the ECU 5 of a detection signal through the brush portion 46B and the sensor cable 46C provided on the outer periphery of the pipe 30 that does not rotate.

  FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the friction plate 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the friction plate 33 has a substantially disk shape, and has a hole 33 </ b> A near the center. The pipe 30 is slidably penetrated into the hole 33A. Further, a notch 33 </ b> B is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the friction plate 33. A connecting member for fastening the plurality of friction plates 33 is fitted into the notch 33B.

In the present embodiment, the material of the friction plate 33 is not limited, but the friction plate 33 is preferably a conductive material in order to ensure conduction between cells.
As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of friction plates 33 are detachably connected by a connecting member 32. The connecting member 32 is a metal or resin plate member, and is inserted into the notch 33 </ b> B of the friction 33.

  Further, the entire stack is sandwiched between end plates 37A and 37B located at both ends. The end plates 37A and 37B are also disk-shaped. A hole is provided in the vicinity of the center of the disk shape of the end plates 37 </ b> A and 37 </ b> B, and the inner surface of the hole slides in contact with the outer periphery of the pipe 30. The right end of the connecting member 32 is fixed to the end plate 37B in FIG. On the other hand, the left end portion of the connecting member 32 is slidably fitted into the hole portion of the end plate 37A (see the A circle portion in FIG. 6).

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the A circle portion of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the end plate 37 </ b> A is formed with a hole 36 into which the connecting member 32 can be inserted from the right side surface into which the connecting member 32 is inserted to a predetermined depth. The cross-sectional dimension of the hole 36 is slightly larger than the cross-sectional dimension of the connecting member 32, and the connecting part 32 can be inserted into the hole 36 so that it can be inserted and removed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the outer side surface (the right side surface in FIG. 6) of the right end plate 37 </ b> B faces the stopper 31 with the bearing 24 interposed therebetween. Further, the end plate 37 </ b> A can be pressed from the left in FIG. 6 by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 via the bearing 24.

Therefore, the ECU 5 controls the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 to sufficiently press the end plate 37A so that the stack including the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33 is sandwiched between the end plates 37A and 37B. can do. That is, the stack between the end plates 37 </ b> A and 37 </ b> B is pressed against the stopper 31 via the bearing 24. In this state, by driving the motor 2 as in the first embodiment, the ECU 5 can rotate the stack including the friction plate 33 around the pipe 30 via the clutch 4.

  Further, the end plate 37A can be slid leftward in FIG. 6 by weakening the pressing force of the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 under the control of the ECU 5. At this time, the connecting member 32 moves relatively in the direction of being pulled out from the hole 36 of the end plate 37A. As a result, the relative distance between the end plates 37A and 37B increases, and the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33 are loosely fastened. ECU5 which performs the above process is equivalent to a fastening control means.

  On the other hand, a brake pad 40 is provided near the outer periphery of the end plate 37B and can be pressed by the hydraulic mechanism 40A. Therefore, by pressing the brake pad 40 against the outer periphery of the end plate 37B by the hydraulic mechanism 40A, braking can be applied to the rotational movement of the structural portion including the end plates 37A, 37B, the connecting member 32, and the friction plate 33. (The brake pad 40, the hydraulic mechanism 40A, and the ECU 5 that controls them correspond to the rotation control means). At this time, when a sufficient pressing force is applied by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23, braking is also applied to the single cell 15.

  However, when the brake pad 40 is pressed against the outer periphery of the end plate 37B by the hydraulic mechanism 40A in a state where sufficient pressing force is not applied by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23, the end plates 37A and 37B, the connecting member 32, and the friction plate Although braking is applied to the rotational movement of the structural portion 33, the single cell 15 is not braked. Therefore, the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33 constituting the stack slide on the contact surface, and frictional heat is generated between the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33.

  Therefore, for example, when the fuel cell is started, the pressing force by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 is set to a moderate value so that the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33 can slide. Then, braking is applied to the structural portion including the end plates 37A and 37B, the connecting member 32, and the friction plate 33 by the hydraulic mechanism 40A. In this state, by rotating the stack by the motor 2, the single cell 15 can be heated to a temperature required when starting the fuel cell. The ECU 5 monitors the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46, and when the single cell 15 reaches a predetermined temperature, the ECU 5 may release the braking by the brake pad 40 and strengthen the fastening of the stack by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23. . By such control, in a temperature state where steady operation is possible, the single cell 15 and the friction plate 23 do not slide, and generation of frictional heat is stopped.

  For example, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 is lower than a predetermined value when the fuel cell system is stopped, braking by the brake pad 40 is applied and the fastening of the stack by the fastening force adjusting mechanism 23 is weakened. . By such control, the warm-up operation can be performed until the stack reaches a predetermined temperature before the operation is stopped.

  In any case, in the present fuel cell system, frictional heat is generated between the single cell 15 and the friction plate 33. That is, the frictional heat is generated in the stack of the fuel cell body 1 covered with the seal member 34 and directly propagates to the stack. For this reason, the generated heat is hardly dissipated to the outside, and the single cell 15 can be efficiently heated.

1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a fuel cell main body. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a fuel cell body in which a gas seal is omitted. It is sectional structure drawing of the fuel cell main body which concerns on a modification. It is a conceptual diagram of the fuel cell system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a fuel cell body in which a gas seal is omitted. It is a top view of a friction board. It is an enlarged view of the A circle part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Fuel Cell Body 2 Motor 3 PCU
4 Clutch 5 ECU
7 Drive / regenerative motor 8, 9 Drive shaft 8A, 21 Gear 10, 11 Power cable 13 Accelerator pedal 14 Brake pedal 15 Single cell 20 Wheel 23 Fastening force adjusting mechanism 24 Bearing 28A, 29A Opening 28B, 29B Groove 30 Piping 30A Hydrogen gas Piping 30B Oxidant gas piping 31 Stopper 33 Friction plate 34 Gas seal 37A, 37B End plate 50 Acceleration sensor

Claims (3)

An electric motor,
A fuel cell capable of rotating around a predetermined central axis by receiving a rotational force;
A clutch part for connecting the rotational force of the electric motor to the fuel cell so as to be cut off;
Means for detecting required power from a load of the fuel cell;
When the output power of the fuel cell exceeds the required power, the surplus power exceeding the required power is input to the motor to accumulate surplus power as the rotational energy of the fuel cell connected by the clutch unit, Control in which when the output power of the fuel cell does not satisfy the required power, the motor is driven by the rotational energy of the fuel cell connected by the clutch unit to generate power, and the generated power is supplied to the load together with the output power And a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system is mounted on a moving body and includes means for detecting a collision by the moving body,
The fuel cell includes a plurality of cell portions rotatable around the central axis, fastening means for fastening the cell portions in the central axis direction, and loosening the fastening when the collision is detected, The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising fastening / loosening means that disassembles into cell portions. The fuel cell
A plurality of cell portions rotatable about the central axis;
A friction body that can be fastened with the cell portion and configured to be slidable with the cell portion when a fastening force is relaxed, and is rotatable about the central axis;
A fastening control means for controlling a fastening force of the friction body to the cell portion;
The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation suppression unit that suppresses rotation of the friction body.

Images