JP5428221B2 - How to create data on drainage of fuel cell systems - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of creating drainage data from a fuel cell system that can be used for designing a fuel cell system.

  Since fuel cells generate water with power generation, it is necessary to treat the generated water. In the case where the generated water is discharged to the outside, it is necessary to prevent inconvenience due to water splashing on surrounding objects, and various proposals have been made in the past. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a fuel cell vehicle that controls the amount of drainage according to the speed of the vehicle on which the fuel cell is mounted and the distance from the following vehicle.

JP 2005-153853 A JP 2006-185616 A JP 2006-141154 A JP 2001-141838 A JP-A-2005-195 566 JP 2006-308329 A

  The fuel cell vehicle is considered to have a certain effect in order to suppress water splashing on the following moving body in the completed vehicle. However, no evaluation has been proposed for how water droplets are scattered on surrounding objects. For this reason, the situation of water splashing around the environment has not been properly reflected in the design of the fuel cell system and the mobile body equipped with the fuel cell system.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a data creation method that can be used effectively when evaluating or adapting to the scattering of water from a fuel cell system. With the goal.

1st invention is the preparation method of the data regarding the waste_water | drain of the fuel cell system which produces | generates water with power generation,
A first step of causing a drainage body comprising a fuel cell system to be evaluated or a simulation system capable of performing drainage simulating the scattering of water from the fuel cell system to perform drainage;
A second step of creating situation data indicating a degree of water exposure to an object located around the drainage body from a scattering situation of water drained from the drainage body;
It is characterized by including.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The scattering state is a state of water adhesion on an object surface around the drainage body.

According to a third invention, in the second invention,
The drainage body is a first moving body equipped with a fuel cell system,
The first step is a step of causing the first moving body to perform drainage and causing the first moving body to follow the second moving body and travel.
The state of water adhesion is the state of water adhesion on the surface of the second moving body.
It is characterized by that.

4th invention is 2nd or 3rd invention,
The second step includes
Imaging the object surface;
Classifying the captured image into at least two parts: a part to which water droplets are attached and a part to which water drops are not attached;
Creating status data based on the classified results;
It is characterized by including.

A fifth invention is the fourth invention,
A step of storing the situation data in a storage unit in association with a condition at the time of imaging is included.

In a sixth invention according to any one of the second to fifth inventions,
The situation data is at least one of the number of water droplets adhering within a predetermined range, the water adhering area within the range, and the ratio of the portion with water adhering within the range. It is characterized by.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to acquire data indicating the degree of water exposure to objects around the fuel cell system. This data can be used to evaluate the drainage of the fuel cell system and to adapt the drainage system of the system. For example, set an allowable amount of watering separately, evaluate whether the fuel cell system satisfies this, or change the drainage system so that the amount of watering allowed is The drainage system of the fuel cell system can be designed.

  According to the second invention, by observing the surface of a surrounding object, it is possible to acquire data that can be evaluated and adapted with higher accuracy.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, when the fuel cell moving body is traveling, it is possible to acquire situation data that indicates the degree of wetness of the subsequent vehicle. When a fuel cell system is mounted on a moving body, water easily scatters to the rear side in the traveling direction of the moving body, and therefore, it is particularly important in design to apply water to an object that moves behind the moving body. According to the data acquired in the present invention, it is possible to acquire data on water splashing on these particularly important subsequent moving bodies, which can be suitably used for evaluating and adapting the drainage system of a moving body equipped with a fuel cell. Can do.

  According to the fourth invention, it is possible to easily create the situation data by classifying the captured image into a portion where water is attached and a portion where water is not attached. The classification can be performed, for example, by performing image processing on the captured image.

  According to the fifth aspect, situation data corresponding to the conditions at the time of the experiment can be acquired, and can be used for evaluation of the fuel cell moving body under various conditions.

  According to the sixth invention, since the situation data is one or more of the number of water droplets, the area of the portion to which water is attached, and the ratio of the portion to which water is attached, The degree can be grasped as an objective numerical value.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated in this embodiment. The fuel cell vehicle 10 has a fuel cell 12 mounted under the floor. The fuel cell vehicle 10 generates power with the fuel cell 12 and travels by driving a motor with the electric power. The fuel cell 12 generates power by receiving supply of hydrogen and air as reaction gases, and generates water along with power generation. The fuel cell 12 is connected to an exhaust port 16 via an off-gas flow path 14, and part of the generated water is discharged from the exhaust port 16 at the rear of the vehicle together with the reaction off-gas. The water discharged during traveling may be rolled up by the traveling wind and scattered around. Therefore, the vehicle design needs to take into account the influence of the discharged water on the surroundings.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the front vehicle 10 to be evaluated (corresponding to the first moving body described in the claims) and the rear vehicle 20 running behind the front vehicle (invoice) And corresponding to the second moving body described in the range). The rear wheel 20 is a moving body used for the evaluation of the front wheel by attaching water droplets discharged from the front wheel to the surface thereof (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a wet moving body). In the present embodiment, In order to evaluate the front vehicle, the rear vehicle 20 is caused to travel following the front vehicle. The front vehicle 10 is the fuel cell vehicle 10 described above, and the rear vehicle 20 follows the front vehicle 10 while maintaining a predetermined distance behind the front vehicle 10 at a predetermined distance. The rear vehicle 20 is equipped with a digital video camera 22. The camera 22 images the entire windshield of the rear vehicle 20. The state of water scattering from the fuel cell vehicle is determined based on the captured image. That is, in this embodiment, the state of water scattering is determined from the state of water adhesion to the windshield of the rear wheel 20. Further, the rear wheel 20 includes a memory 24 as a storage unit, and stores captured images.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of data acquisition in this embodiment. First, the speed at which the front vehicle 10 travels and the distance between the front vehicle 10 and the rear vehicle 20 are set (S101). The speed and the inter-vehicle distance may be set according to the purpose of evaluation. For example, a speed actually assumed in an urban area, a highway, etc., such as an inter-vehicle distance of 20 kilometers at an hour of 30 kilometers and an inter-vehicle distance of 100 meters at an hour speed of 100 kilometers, and an inter-vehicle distance slightly narrower than that are set. Next, a running test is performed while maintaining the set speed and inter-vehicle distance (S102). As described above, the front wheel 10 generates water along with power generation and travels while discharging the water. Therefore, it is considered that a part of the discharged water adheres to the windshield of the rear wheel 20. In this state, the windshield is imaged with a digital video camera (S103). Next, image processing is performed on the captured image (S104). Image processing is performed by an image processing apparatus. That is, the calculation means of the image processing apparatus acquires the captured image and performs image processing on the acquired image. By the image processing, the image is classified into a portion where water droplets are attached and a portion where water droplets are not attached. In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned classification is performed by binarizing the calculation unit by assigning white to the portion where the water droplet is attached and black to the portion where the water droplet is not attached. . Then, the calculation means calculates the situation data from the binarized image (S105), and stores it in the storage means of the image processing apparatus in association with the experimental conditions. In the present embodiment, the status data is specifically the number of water droplets attached to the windshield and the ratio of the portion of the windshield where the water is attached (hereinafter referred to as the moisture content). .

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for specifically explaining the step of binarizing an image. FIG. 4A is an image obtained by imaging the windshield. As shown in the figure, a plurality of water droplets 26 are attached to the windshield. FIG. 4B is a binarized image in which white is assigned to the portion where the water droplet 26 is attached in FIG. 4A and black is assigned to the portion where the water droplet is not attached. In the present embodiment, this is corrected in consideration of the inclination of the windshield. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating an image after the correction is performed. Step S105 in FIG. 3 obtains the number of water droplets by accumulating the number of white portions in the image shown in FIG. 4C, and divides the number of pixels to which white is assigned by the total number of pixels in the image. Therefore, the water coverage is obtained.

  Here, an evaluation example of the fuel cell vehicle 10 based on the data obtained in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle 10 is evaluated by comparing the obtained data with a threshold value determined in advance by a separate experiment or the like. That is, when a threshold value is set in advance for each of the number of water droplets and the water content, and both the number of water droplets and the water content fall below the threshold, it is determined that the design is preferable.

  Here, an example of an experiment for deriving a threshold will be described. The experiment is performed using an object that simulates the adhesion of water droplets from the drainage of a fuel cell vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an adherend). First, the adherend is created. In the present embodiment, the same experimental vehicle as the rear wheel 20 shown in FIG. 2 is stopped, and water is attached to the windshield to make an adherend. That is, in the present embodiment, the above-described adherend is a model of a windshield of an automobile to which drainage from a fuel cell is adhered (hereinafter referred to as a simulated windshield). The attachment of water may be performed with an instrument capable of ejecting water droplets, but it is preferable to use a device capable of adjusting the size of the water droplets and the amount of water.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for deriving a threshold value. In the experiment, first, the range of the size of the water droplet to be attached and the range of the amount of water are set (S201). The amount of water and the size of the droplets of water droplets are set based on the assumed amount of drainage of the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated. In the following experiment, while changing the amount of water and the size of water droplets at a predetermined rate, data is acquired over the entire range of the amount of water and the size of water droplets determined here. For this reason, the amount of change when the size of the water droplet is changed at this time, that is, the step size when the size of the water droplet is shaken in the experiment, is also determined.

  Next, water is attached to the experimental vehicle with a predetermined water droplet size and water amount within the above range (S202). The amount of water to be attached at this time is an amount corresponding to the lower limit value in the range determined in step S201, and the size of the water droplet is also a size corresponding to the lower limit value in the range determined in step S201. In a state where such water droplets are attached, a sensory test is performed on the forward visibility through the windshield (S203). Further, the windshield with water attached is imaged with a digital video camera (S204). Next, the captured image is binarized (S205), and wet data indicating the degree of water adhesion is acquired from the binarized image (S206). In the present embodiment, the water coverage data is the number of water droplets and the water coverage. Steps S204 and S205 are the same processes as steps S103 and S104 in FIG. The acquired number of water droplets and moisture content are stored in storage means such as a memory in association with the sensory value acquired in step S203. That is, the wet water data is associated with the visibility.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the experiment in the range set in step S201 is completed (S207). If not completed, the size of the water droplet or the amount of water is changed (S208), and the experiment is performed again. That is, for example, if the amount of water that has been tested is less than the amount of water determined in step S201, the amount of water to be deposited is increased by the increment determined in step S201, and water droplets are deposited again. In this way, the experiment is performed again, and it is determined that the process has been completed when both the amount of water and the size of the water droplets reach the upper limit of the set range. If completed, the correlation between the acquired number of water droplets and the sensory value and the correlation between the acquired moisture content and the sensory value are respectively obtained (S209), and the result is stored in the storage means.

  FIG. 6A is a graph showing the correlation between the number of water droplets and the sensory value, and FIG. 6B is a graph showing the correlation between the moisture content and the sensory value. FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are graphs of a single log in which only the horizontal axis is logarithmic. In this study, it was found that the graph of one log can be fitted with a straight line from the number of water droplets or the water content and the sensory level. In this graph, the sensory level allowed in design is designated, and the number of water droplets and the water coverage corresponding thereto are threshold values used for the evaluation of the fuel cell vehicle 10. Specifically, α is a threshold for the number of water droplets, and β is a threshold for the water coverage. In this way, by setting the threshold value in advance, it is not necessary to perform a sensory test on the difference in the experiment for acquiring the situation data.

  That is, in the present embodiment, when the number of water drops obtained in step S105 in FIG. 3 is α or less and the water coverage is β or less, the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated is designed in terms of drainage. It will be judged preferable.

[Effect of Embodiment 1]
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to evaluate the fuel cell vehicle on the basis of water on the following vehicle. Therefore, it can be used for the design of a fuel cell vehicle in which water splashing on the following vehicle is suppressed to an appropriate level. Moreover, since the image is binarized and the number of water droplets and the water coverage are obtained, objective data can be easily acquired. Further, since the rear vehicle is driven following, the drainage performance of the fuel cell can be evaluated from the viewpoint of the following vehicle.

[Variation 1 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle is evaluated by comparing the acquired situation data with a threshold derived in a separate experiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Since the acquired data objectively indicates the degree of water splash, various usage modes can be considered when evaluating the fuel cell vehicle. For example, situation data may be acquired for two or more fuel cell vehicles having different vehicle body configurations and compared. By comparing, it is possible to evaluate which fuel cell vehicle is preferable in design. For example, two fuel cell vehicles having different exhaust port inclination angles are prepared, and the number of water droplets and the moisture content are obtained for each of them, and a fuel cell vehicle having a small value is evaluated as a preferable exhaust port angle. Can do. Note that only one fuel cell vehicle itself may be used, and after obtaining the situation data, the configuration of the vehicle body may be changed to obtain the situation data again.

[Modification 2 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, in order to determine the scattering situation, a vehicle (rear wheel 20) is used as a wet moving body, and the windshield of the rear wheel 20 is imaged by a digital video camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when evaluating the scattering of water on the windshield of a succeeding vehicle, at least the windshield portion or a water moving body simulating the windshield may be followed. At that time, for example, the front wheel 10 may be caused to follow the to-be-watered moving body with a wire or the like. Moreover, in Embodiment 1, although the whole windshield of the rear vehicle 20 was imaged, you may image a part. In that case, it is preferable to take an image centering on the position of the line of sight of the driver of the rear vehicle 20. The position of the line of sight may be the position of the headrest of the driver seat of the rear vehicle 20.

  Moreover, in Embodiment 1, in order to observe the scattering state of water, the surface of the mobile body was imaged, but the observed object surface is not limited to the mobile body. That is, it is sufficient if the object is around the fuel cell moving body and can discriminate the water on the surface. For example, a side wall of a course on which the fuel cell vehicle has traveled, a guard rail, a roadside tree, and the like may be captured without causing the rear vehicle to travel. In that case, it is preferable to set a value corresponding to the allowable amount of water splashing as the threshold value. Further, the state of water scattering may be the state of water scattering in the air, not the state of water adhesion on the surface of the object. For example, the scattering situation may be determined by imaging the space around the exhaust port and performing image analysis.

[Modification 3 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated is traveled as a front vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any vehicle that simulates the drainage of a fuel cell to be evaluated (hereinafter referred to as a “simulated evaluation object”) may be used. For example, a vehicle that simulates the amount of drainage of the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated, the shape of the exhaust port, and the gas flow rate may be used. That is, the front vehicle of the first embodiment may be the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated itself or a simulated object to be evaluated (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as an evaluation drainage body). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a simulated object to be evaluated. Although the simulated evaluation object 30 does not include a fuel cell, it can perform drainage equivalent to a vehicle including a fuel cell. The simulated evaluation object 30 includes an air compressor 32. The air sent out from the air compressor 32 passes through the off gas passage 34 and is discharged from the exhaust port 36. There is a hydration means 38 on the off-gas flow path, and moisture can be added to the exhausted air. In such a simulated object to be evaluated 30, by adjusting the flow rate of air by the air compressor 32 and adjusting the amount of water added by the hydrating means 38, the drainage of the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated is simulated. Can do.

[Modification 4 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, water is attached to the windshield of a vehicle when making an adherend that simulates the attachment of water droplets due to drainage, but this is not restrictive. If the adherend is a simulated windshield, it suffices if the number of water drops and the water coverage that are allowed are obtained in consideration of the visibility through the simulated windshield. For example, water may be attached to a vehicle that simulates only a windshield portion of a vehicle used as a rear vehicle in an experiment for acquiring situation data, such as a glass plate. The wet water data is acquired by imaging the glass plate and binarizing it, and the sensory value may be determined from the visibility through the glass plate.

  Further, by attaching water droplets to the vehicle by drainage from the simulated object to be evaluated as described in the third modification of the first embodiment, an adherend that simulates adhesion of water droplets by drainage may be made. For example, by running a simulated object to be evaluated and causing the vehicle to travel behind it, water droplets adhere to the surface of the vehicle, and an object to be adhered can be obtained.

[Modification 5 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, in order to obtain the threshold value, an adherend that simulates the attachment of water droplets due to drainage is made. However, it is sufficient if the wet data indicating the amount of water splash can be associated with the sensory value. Not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to use the one in which water droplets are actually attached by the drainage of the fuel cell moving body. For this purpose, for example, a sensory test may be performed at the time of an experiment for acquiring situation data. Thereby, the sensory value under the experimental condition can be acquired. By storing the sensory value in association with the situation data in the storage unit, processing corresponding to steps S202 to S206 in FIG. 5 can be performed. By performing the experiment for acquiring the situation data a plurality of times while changing the conditions, a graph (see FIG. 6) that correlates the wet data and the sensory level can be created.

[Modification 6 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, the acquired image is binarized in order to obtain the number of water droplets and the water coverage, but it is sufficient if the data is obtained. For example, the number of water drops may be counted directly from the acquired image. Further, it is sufficient that the situation data to be acquired is data that objectively indicates the degree of water splashing on surrounding objects due to drainage from the evaluation drainage body. For example, it may be the area of the portion of the windshield where water is attached, or the amount of water attached (weight, volume, etc.). The area can be obtained as the number of pixels to which white is assigned in the binarized image, and the amount of water can be obtained by collecting attached water and measuring the weight. The status data may be at least one of the data indicating the degree of water dripping. In addition, as for the wet data, it is sufficient if it is data that objectively indicates the degree of water application, and it is sufficient that this can be associated with the sensory value. Therefore, like the situation data, it may be the area of the portion where the water is attached, the amount of the attached water, and the like.

[Modification 7 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle is evaluated. However, the method according to the present embodiment can be applied to any mobile body equipped with a fuel cell. For example, a train equipped with a fuel cell can be evaluated.

[Modification 8 of Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, the drainage experiment is performed while maintaining the predetermined speed and inter-vehicle distance when evaluating the fuel cell vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to set suitably according to the driving | running state which should be evaluated. For example, the amount of drainage and the amount of exhaust from a discharge port varies depending on the amount of power generated in a fuel cell vehicle. For this reason, it is preferable to select a driving condition during the experiment by selecting a condition that is considered to increase the amount of water on the surroundings. This is because if the evaluation is performed under the condition that the amount of water is increased, it is possible to make an evaluation for the water only by the evaluation. As a condition that water is likely to increase around the environment, for example, there is a time when the load on the fuel cell transitions from a low load stable running to a high load. This occurs when driving conditions such as acceleration from stable driving at low speed. This is because the amount of exhaust gas decreases when the load is low, and the generated water stays inside the fuel cell, and the exhaust gas increases when the load is high, so that the retained water is discharged all at once.
For this reason, for example, the front vehicle accelerates from the state where both the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stably running at low speed and the rear vehicle follows this, and the vehicle starts and accelerates from the state where both the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are stopped Data under such conditions may be acquired. In addition, when it is desired to evaluate water splashing under other conditions, situation data may be acquired under the conditions.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, data is acquired by running a fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated. In the present embodiment, the situation data is acquired without running the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated. That is, in the present embodiment, power is generated by the fuel cell while the fuel cell vehicle 40 is stopped. A glass plate 42 is installed behind the fuel cell vehicle 40. A digital video camera 44 that can image the glass plate 42 is installed behind the glass plate 42.

  When power is generated by the fuel cell of the fuel cell vehicle 40, the generated water is discharged from the exhaust port together with the offgas. The discharged water adheres to the glass plate 42. The digital video camera 44 images the glass plate 42 to which the water is attached. The image obtained by imaging is binarized as in the first embodiment. Then, situation data, specifically, the number of water droplets adhering to the glass plate 42 and the moisture content are obtained from the binarized image.

  Further, the fuel cell vehicle to be evaluated is changed, and the situation data is acquired in the same manner. In the present embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle is evaluated by comparing the acquired situation data. Specifically, it is evaluated that the vehicle having a smaller number of water droplets or water coverage is superior in terms of drainage.

[Effect of Embodiment 2]
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to acquire situation data that can be used for evaluation of the fuel cell vehicle 40 without causing the fuel cell vehicle 40 to travel. Therefore, the space for the experiment can be reduced.

[Modification 1 of Embodiment 2]
In the second embodiment, the experiment was performed with the vehicle stopped. However, the experiment may be performed with the vehicle on the chassis dynamo. Further, the traveling wind may be reproduced by a wind tunnel device. In this way, it is possible to acquire situation data during traveling without causing the vehicle to travel.

[Modification 2 of Embodiment 2]
In the second embodiment, the glass plate 42 is installed behind the fuel cell vehicle 40, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any device can be used as long as it can confirm that water droplets are scattered on the surface by the drainage. For example, an opaque wall may be used. Moreover, when evaluating the scattering to those other than the back of a vehicle, you may install in parts other than back.

[Modification 3 of Embodiment 2]
In the second embodiment, the glass plate 42 is imaged by the digital video camera 44, but the present invention is not limited to this. Anything that can objectively acquire data such as water coverage is sufficient. For example, instead of a glass plate, a wall made of a material that generates heat due to adhesion of water may be used, and the wall may be imaged by thermography. In this way, the portion to which water droplets are attached can be regarded as a change in temperature and digitized.

[Modification 4 of Embodiment 2]
In Embodiment 2, the fuel cell vehicle is evaluated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, drainage of a stationary fuel cell system such as a household fuel cell power generation system may be evaluated.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell vehicle 50 used as an evaluation target in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the fuel cell vehicle 50 includes a fuel cell 52. The fuel cell 52 is connected to an exhaust port 56 via an off-gas channel 54. A gas-liquid separator 58 is provided on the off-gas flow path 54, and the gas-liquid separator 58 separates water generated by power generation from off-gas. The separated off gas is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 56 described above, and the generated water is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 60. The buffer tank 60 is connected to the drain port 64, and the generated water stored therein can be discharged from the drain port 64 to the outside of the vehicle. A drainage control valve 62 is provided between the buffer tank 60 and the drainage port 64, and the drainage control valve 62 can control the amount of water discharged from the drainage port 64. It is conceivable that the discharged water is scattered around by the traveling wind.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, an experiment is performed with the above-described fuel cell vehicle 50 as a front vehicle. The rear wheel 70 runs following the front wheel 50 behind the front wheel. Since the fuel cell vehicle described above includes a buffer tank and a drainage control valve, the amount of drainage can be controlled regardless of the amount of power generated by the fuel cell. In the present embodiment, the experiment is performed while changing the drainage conditions, specifically, the amount of drainage.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the present embodiment. First, the range of the amount of drainage for performing the experiment is set (S301). Next, the amount of drainage for the experiment is designated (S302). Here, the smallest drainage amount is specified within the range of the drainage amount. Next, the fuel cell vehicle is caused to travel while draining at the designated drainage amount (S303). At that time, the rear wheel 70 is caused to follow following a predetermined distance. At this time, a sensory tester is in the rear wheel 70, and the sensory tester performs sensory evaluation (S304). The sensory evaluation result is recorded in the storage device in association with the amount of drainage at that time. Next, it is determined whether or not the experiment is completed over the range of the drainage amount set in step S301 (S305). If not completed, the drainage amount condition is changed (S306) and the experiment is performed again. If completed, a correlation between the amount of drainage and the sensory level is taken (S307).

  According to the present embodiment, a correlation between the amount of discharged water and the sensory level can be obtained at a certain vehicle speed and between vehicles. Therefore, if it is set that a predetermined sensory level is allowed, the maximum drainage amount allowed in the above-mentioned inter-vehicle / vehicle speed can be calculated. Further, by performing the above-described experiment while changing the conditions of the inter-vehicle distance and the vehicle speed, the maximum allowable drainage amount under various traveling conditions can be obtained. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the maximum allowable drainage amount thus obtained. In the figure, curve 1 indicates the allowable drainage amount when the inter-vehicle distance is narrow, and curve 4 indicates the allowable drainage amount when the inter-vehicle distance is wide.

  The data thus obtained can be used for evaluation of a system that controls the drainage of a fuel cell vehicle. That is, the system can be evaluated depending on whether or not the discharge is set within a range not exceeding the maximum allowable drainage amount under each condition. As described above, the experiment can be performed by changing the drainage and running conditions without changing the fuel cell vehicle itself.

[Modification 1 of Embodiment 3]
In the third embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle is used as the front vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. A vehicle that can control the amount of drainage is sufficient. For example, a vehicle such as a gasoline vehicle provided with a water tank and a drainage control valve may be used. Also, when using a fuel cell vehicle, an experiment may be performed by adding water from the outside to the buffer tank.

1 is a diagram for illustrating a fuel cell vehicle according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of data acquisition according to the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram for explaining image processing according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for deriving a threshold value according to the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram for explaining a threshold value derivation method according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a simulated evaluation object that can be used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for illustrating a fuel cell vehicle according to a third embodiment. 10 is a diagram for explaining a data acquisition method according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of data acquisition according to the third embodiment. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of data obtained from Embodiment 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 40, 50 Fuel cell vehicle 12, 52 Fuel cell 14, 34, 54 Off gas flow path 16, 36, 56 Exhaust port 20, 70 Rear wheel 22, 44 Camera 24 Storage means 26 Water drop 30 Simulated object 32 Compressor 42 Glass plate 58 Gas-liquid separator 60 Buffer tank 62 Drain control valve 64 Drain port

Claims (4)

A method for creating data relating to drainage of a fuel cell system that generates water accompanying power generation,
A first step of performing drainage from a drainage body comprising a fuel cell system to be evaluated or a simulation system capable of performing drainage simulating the scattering of water from the fuel cell system;
The number of water droplets attached within a predetermined range of the surface of the object located around the drainage body by the image processing apparatus , the water adhesion area within the range, and the portion where the water adheres within the range A second step of creating status data that is at least one of
A method for creating the situation data, including: The drainage body is a first moving body equipped with a fuel cell system,
The object located around the drainage body is a second moving body that travels following the first moving body .
The method for creating status data according to claim 1 . The second step includes
A step acquire an image captured by the imaging means,
Classifying the captured image into at least two parts: a part to which water droplets are attached and a part to which water drops are not attached;
And creating the status data from the image the classification,
The creation method of the situation data of Claim 1 or 2 containing these. The method of creating situation data according to claim 3 , comprising storing the situation data in a storage unit in association with a condition at the time of imaging.

Images