Fuel cell equipped vehicle

• US 20060102398A1
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizuno, Minobu
• Application Number:
  US10/527,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20060102398A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/063 Arrangement of tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/42 with use of more than one motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/71 Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

In a fuel cell equipped vehicle (10), hydrogen cylinders (18) storing hydrogen gas to be supplied to a fuel cell battery (30), a fuel cell (30), fuel cell accessories (31), a storage battery (40), and a PCU (50) that controls the supply of electric power from the fuel cell (30) and the storage battery (40) to a front wheels-driving electric motor (14) and a rear wheels-driving electric motor (16) are arranged in that order under a floor of a passenger compartment (R1). Therefore, these major component devices do not reduce the spaces of a passenger compartment (R1), a forward compartment (R2), and a rearward compartment (R3). Since the component devices disposed under the floor of the passenger compartment (R1) have relatively great weights, the center of gravity of the vehicle comes to a low position in a central portion of the vehicle, thus achieving good running stability of the vehicle.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A fuel cell equipped vehicle comprising:

a fuel cell that generates electric power through a reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas;

a fuel gas tank that stores the fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel cell;

a fuel cell accessory that operates when the fuel cell generates electric power;

a storage battery that stores electric energy; and

an electric power control unit that controls supply of electric power regarding the fuel cell and the storage battery, wherein the fuel cell, the fuel gas tank, the fuel cell accessory, the storage battery, and the electric power control unit are disposed below a floor of a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

14. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the fuel gas tank, the fuel cell, the storage battery, and the electric power control unit are arranged in that written order in a longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle.

15. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the fuel gas tank, the fuel cell, the electric power control unit, and the storage battery are arranged in that written order in a longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle.

16. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the fuel cell accessory is disposed at one or both of a right side and a left side of the fuel cell.

17. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein an upper surface of the fuel cell, an upper surface of the fuel gas tank, an upper surface of the fuel cell accessory, an upper surface of the storage battery, and an upper surface of the electric power control unit are at substantially equal heights.

18. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the fuel cell, the fuel gas tank, the fuel cell accessory, the storage battery, and the electric power control unit are mounted on an upper portion of a generally flat portion of a body frame of the vehicle which extends between a front wheel and a rear wheel.

19. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the fuel cell, the fuel gas tank, the fuel cell accessory, the storage battery, and the electric power control unit are disposed in a space formed between a right-side frame of a body frame of the vehicle which extends in a longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle in a right-side portion of the vehicle and a left-side frame of the body frame which extends in the longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle in a left-side portion of the vehicle.

20. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising a radiator that radiates heat from a cooling water for cooling the fuel cell, and that is disposed on a portion of a body frame of the vehicle which extends between a central portion of the body frame and a forward portion of the body frame.

21. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the radiator is disposed so as to lie between two frame rails of the body frame.

22. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of a front wheel-driving electric motor and a rear wheel-driving electric motor, wherein the electric power control unit controls supply of electric power from the fuel cell and the storage battery to the at least one of the front wheel-driving electric motor and the rear wheel-driving electric motor.

23. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising:

a gas pipe that supplies the fuel gas from the fuel gas tank to the fuel cell; and

an electrical wire that conducts electric power from the fuel cell and the storage battery to the electric power control unit, wherein the gas pipe is provided in one of a right-side portion and a left-side portion of the vehicle, and the electrical wire is provided in another one of the right-side portion and the left-side portion of the vehicle.

24. The fuel cell equipped vehicle according to claim 23, further comprising a coolant circulator device that circulates a coolant for cooling the fuel cell, wherein a coolant circulation path of the coolant circulator device and the gas pipe are provided in one of the right-side portion and the left-side portion of the vehicle, and the electrical wire is provided in another one of the right-side portion and the left-side portion of the vehicle.