JPH05260611A - Electric road vehicle using fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate installations of a fuel cell, a storage battery and a peripheral unit of an electric road vehicle using the fuel cell and inspection and maintenance operations. CONSTITUTION:A space of a perpendicular direction to a traveling direction of an electric road vehicle is provided at an interval position of front wheels and rear wheels vehicle body. A power source 4 formed by unitizing a fuel cell 6 for generating a current by a chemical reaction of hydrogen with oxygen in the air, hydrogen storage means for supplying fuel hydrogen to the cell 6 and a storage battery 7 for storing power generated from the cell 6 is detachably stored in the space. The power source 4 is electrically connected to a vehicle drive motor 10 provided at the body side through a detachable connector 9.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric vehicle that runs on electric power from a fuel cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, from the viewpoint of protecting the global environment, efforts have been focused on the research and development of a fuel cell that emits less exhaust gas and can obtain highly efficient electric power. This fuel cell can directly obtain electric power by reacting hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen storage alloy tank with oxygen in the air, and there is a proposal to run an electric vehicle as a carrier using the generated electric power. Has been done.

[0003]

However, since the fuel cell used in the electric vehicle is a large-scale device and is fixedly installed in the vehicle body, a wide space for mounting the fuel cell is required. And Further, since the fuel cell cannot be taken out from the inside of the automobile body, there is a problem that workability is poor in maintenance and inspection.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is vertical to the traveling direction of an electric vehicle at a distance between a front wheel and a rear wheel below a vehicle body. A space for the fuel cell that generates electric power by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and hydrogen storage means for supplying fuel hydrogen to the fuel cell, and the electric power generated by the fuel cell is stored in the space. A power supply unit unitized with a storage battery is detachably stored, and the power supply unit and a vehicle drive motor provided on the vehicle body side are electrically connected via a removable connector. ..

[0005]

According to the present invention, by providing the space in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, the unitized power source unit can be removably housed and can be used in a narrow space. For maintenance and inspection, the work can be easily performed by removing only the power supply unit by removing the detachable connector.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a sectional view of an electric vehicle using a fuel cell according to the present invention, showing a golf cart used in a golf course, for example. 1 is the electric vehicle body,
Length 1.2m, width 1m, maximum speed 4-5km / h
A luggage stand 3 capable of traveling by manipulating the handle 2 while standing alone and having a golf bag or the like mounted thereon is provided on the front face of the handle 2. 4 is a power supply unit, height about 30 cm, width about 40 cm,
As shown in FIG. 3, the box body having a depth of about 90 cm is formed and is removably stored in a space perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle at a position between the front wheel and the rear wheel below the vehicle body. can do.

Further, the structure of the power supply unit 4 is shown in FIG. A hydrogen generator 5 produces fuel hydrogen and supplies the fuel hydrogen to the fuel cell 6. The fuel cell 6 is a phosphoric acid type fuel cell and has an output of 250 W and a weight of 10 kg, and is a cleaner capable of obtaining electric power by reacting the fuel hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen generator 5 with oxygen in the air. Energy converter. 7
Is a storage battery that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell 6, and is a nickel-hydrogen battery having a total output of 48 V and 40 Ah connected in series, 40 cells that output 1 A at 1.2 V per cell. Consists of. Reference numeral 8 denotes a control device for properly charging the storage battery 7 from the fuel cell 6 and for adjusting the electric power when the fuel cell 6 and the storage battery 7 are in an abnormal state such as preventing the storage battery 7 from being overcharged or overdischarged. is there. Reference numeral 9 denotes a connector provided in the power supply unit 4, which takes out the electric power stored in the storage battery 7 and connects it to a vehicle drive motor 10 provided between the rear wheels of the vehicle body 1 to drive it.

Next, when this automobile is run, the power supply unit 4 is slid and mounted on a space provided vertically below the vehicle body between the front and rear wheels in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the automobile. At this time, the connector 9 provided on the storage battery 7 of the power supply unit 4 is connected to the motor 10 between the rear wheels.

On the other hand, the fuel hydrogen from the hydrogen generator 5 is sent to the system of the fuel cell 6, where it reacts with oxygen in the air. The fuel cell 6 performs highly efficient power generation, and the generated power is stored in a storage battery 7 via a control device 8 that adjusts the power.
Stored in. In this manner, the electric power from the storage battery 7 drives the motor 10 via the connector 9 so that the automobile body 1 can travel.

Further, maintenance may be required due to the life of the main body of the fuel cell 6, replenishment of fuel to the hydrogen generator 5, or defective peripheral equipment. In these maintenance work, the maintenance work can be easily performed by removing the connector 9 and sliding the power supply unit 4 out of the vehicle body 1.

It should be noted that when the vehicle is driven, it may be used for a long time such as for a long time. At this time, it is possible to receive electric power from both the fuel cell 6 and the storage battery 7 for running the vehicle.

[0012]

According to the present invention, a space in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of an electric vehicle is provided in the space below the vehicle body between the front wheels and the rear wheels, and the space is provided with a chemistry of hydrogen and oxygen in the air. A fuel cell that generates power by reaction, a hydrogen storage unit that supplies fuel hydrogen to the fuel cell, and a storage battery that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell are unitarily inserted and removed. Since the electric connection between the power supply unit and the vehicle drive motor provided on the vehicle body side is made through a detachable connector, the device can be provided using a narrow space, and maintenance and inspection can be performed. By removing the detachable connector, the work can be easily performed by taking out only the power source section.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vehicle using a fuel cell of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an electric vehicle using the fuel cell of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing insertion of a power supply unit of an electric vehicle using the fuel cell of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a power supply unit of an electric vehicle using the fuel cell of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Power supply section 6 Fuel cell 7 Storage battery 9 Connector

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Akira Watanabe 2-18 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroyuki Ito 2-18 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Within the corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electric vehicle having a front wheel and a rear wheel, and a vehicle body mounted on the upper side of the wheels, in a space below the vehicle body between the front wheel and the rear wheel and perpendicular to the traveling direction of the electric vehicle. A fuel cell for generating electricity by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the air, a hydrogen storage means for supplying fuel hydrogen to the fuel cell, and electricity generated by the fuel cell. A storage battery that stores electric power and a unitized power supply unit are detachably stored, and the power supply unit and the vehicle drive motor provided on the vehicle body are electrically connected via a detachable connector. An electric vehicle using a fuel cell characterized by being performed.