Moving body

• US 20070000702A1
• Filed: 08/12/2004
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hibino, Masahiko, Yumita, Osamu, Kondo, Toshiyuki, Yoshida, Naohiro, Funayama, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,975,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/07 of gas tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04059 Evaporative processes for the cooling of a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04156 with product water removal
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04179 by purging or increasing flow or pressure of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• 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

Water contained in exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack 22 is separated by a gas-liquid separator 48 and is accumulated in a recovery tank 54. The procedure of the invention sets a release amount of water and selects one or multiple positions for water release, based on the driving conditions including the vehicle speed and the acceleration, the turning state, activation or non-activation of skid reduction control, the distance from any object detected by clearance sonars 94a through 94d, a distance from a subsequent vehicle measured by an extremely high frequency radar 92, and the presence of raindrops detected by a raindrop detection sensor, and releases the water accumulated in the recovery tank 54 from water outlets at the selected one or multiple positions among water outlets 58a through 58f at multiple different locations. This arrangement ensures adequate release of the water produced by the fuel cell stack 22 to the atmosphere.

Claims

1. A moving body with fuel cells that are mounted thereon as a power source and generate electric power with production of water as a by-product, said moving body comprising:

a water reservoir that accumulates therein water produced by the fuel cells;

a release module that releases the water produced by the fuel cells and the water accumulated in said water reservoir via at least one water outlet from outer surfaces of said moving body to the atmosphere;

a status detection module that detects a status of said moving body; and

a release control module that controls said release module to regulate release of the water in response to the detected status.

2. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects a moving state of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water in the moving state of said moving body detected by said status detection module, compared with release of the water in a stop state of said moving body.

3. A moving body in accordance with claim 2, wherein said release control module controls said release module to prohibit release of the water, when the moving state of said moving body detected by said status detection module corresponds to a predetermined moving state.

4. A moving body in accordance with claim 3, wherein the predetermined moving state represents a state in which said moving body moves at or over a preset moving speed.

5. A moving body in accordance with claim 2, wherein said release control module controls said release module to release the water within a first release quantity in response to detection of a stop state of said moving body by said status detection module, while controlling said release module to release the water within a second release quantity, which is less than the first release quantity, in response to detection of a moving state of said moving body by said status detection module.

6. A moving body in accordance with claim 2, wherein said status detection module measures a moving speed of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to decrease release of the water with an increase in moving speed measured by said status detection module.

7. A moving body in accordance with claim 2, wherein said status detection module measures a moving speed of said moving body, and

said release control module sets an allowable release limit, which tends to decrease with an increase in moving speed measured by said status detection module, and controls said release module to release the water within the setting of allowable release limit.

8. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects an acceleration state of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water in the case of detection of the acceleration status of said moving body by said status detection module, compared with release of the water in the case of no detection of the acceleration status of said moving body.

9. A moving body in accordance with claim 8, wherein said release control module controls said release module to prohibit release of the water when an acceleration of said moving body measured by said status detection module is not less than a preset level.

10. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects a moving state of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to make release of the water less than production of the water by the fuel cells, in response to detection of the moving state of said moving body by said status detection module.

11. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module measures a relative speed of an ambient air flow to said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to decrease release of the water with an increase in relative speed of the ambient air flow measured by said status detection module.

12. A moving body in accordance with claim 11, wherein said release control module controls said release module to prohibit release of the water when the relative speed of the ambient air flow measured by said status detection module is not less than a preset level.

13. moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects a braking state of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, in response to detection of the braking state of said moving body by said status detection module.

14. A moving body in accordance with claim 13, wherein said release control module controls said release module to prohibit release of the water when the braking state of said moving body detected by said status detection module corresponds to a predetermined braking state.

15. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects a specific turning state of said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water in the case of detection of the specific turning state by said status detection module, compared with release of the water in the case of no detection of the specific turning state.

16. A moving body in accordance with claim 15, wherein said release module has at least two water outlets located respectively on left and right sides of said moving body to release the water, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water from at least one water outlet located on an outer circumferential side by a turn, between the at least two water outlets of said release module on the left and right sides, in the case of detection of the specific turning state by said status detection module.

17. A moving body in accordance with claim 15, wherein the specific turning state represents a turn of said moving body at or below a preset moving speed with a turning radius of not greater than a predetermined value.

18. A moving body in accordance with claim 15, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

19. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, said moving body being a vehicle that is equipped with a skid control module to control a skid of at least one wheel,

wherein said status detection module detects a skid reduction control state in which said skid control module is activated to control the skid of the at least one wheel, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, in response to detection of the skid reduction control state by said status detection module.

20. A moving body in accordance with claim 19, wherein said release module has multiple water outlets at multiple different locations to release the water therefrom, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water from at least a water outlet affecting the wheel under control of the skid, among the multiple water outlets of said release module, in response to detection of the skid reduction control state by said status detection module.

21. A moving body in accordance with claim 19, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

22. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects an environment of said moving body.

23. A moving body in accordance with claim 22, wherein said status detection module detects a rainy state, and

said release control module controls said release module to permit release of the water without restriction, in response to detection of the rainy state by said status detection module.

24. A moving body in accordance with claim 23, wherein said release control module controls said release module to increase release of the water in the case of detection of a predetermined rainy state by said status detection module, compared with release of the water in the case of no detection of the rainy state.

25. A moving body in accordance with claim 22, said moving body being a vehicle,

wherein said status detection module detects a snowy-icy surface moving state of said moving body, in which said moving body moves on either a snowy surface or an icy surface, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, in response to detection of the snowy-icy surface moving state of said moving body by said status detection module.

26. A moving body in accordance with claim 25, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

27. A moving body in accordance with claim 22, wherein said status detection module measures an outside air temperature, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water with a decrease in outside air temperature measured by said status detection module.

28. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects a state of any object located in the vicinity of said moving body.

29. A moving body in accordance with claim 28, wherein said status detection module detects presence of any object within a predetermined distance from said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, in response to detection of the presence of any object within the predetermined distance from said moving body by said status detection module.

30. A moving body in accordance with claim 29, wherein said release module has multiple water outlets at multiple different locations to release the water therefrom,

said status detection module detects presence of any object within the predetermined distance in multiple different directions, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water from a water outlet corresponding to a direction with any object detected in the predetermined distance by said status detection module, among the multiple water outlets.

31. A moving body in accordance with claim 29, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

32. A moving body in accordance with claim 28, wherein said status detection module measures a distance between said moving body and another moving body located behind said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, when the distance from the another moving body measured by said status detection module is less than a preset distance.

33. A moving body in accordance with claim 32, wherein said status detection module measures a moving speed of said moving body, and

said release control module sets a distance calculated from the measured moving speed of said moving body to the preset distance and controls said release module to restrict release of the water in response to the preset distance.

34. A moving body in accordance with claim 32, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

35. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said status detection module detects an estimated loading-unloading state of a driver or a passenger loaded to or unloaded from said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water, in response to detection of the estimated loading-unloading state by said status detection module.

36. A moving body in accordance with claim 35, wherein said release module has multiple water outlets at multiple different locations to release the water therefrom,

said status detection module detects the estimated loading-unloading state at multiple different positions on said moving body, and

said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water from a water outlet corresponding to a position where the estimated loading-unloading state is detected by said status detection module, among the multiple water outlets.

37. A moving body in accordance with claim 35, wherein the restriction of the release of the water is prohibition of the release of the water.

38. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, said moving body further comprising:

an accumulation state detection module that detects an accumulation state of the water in said water reservoir, and

said release control module controls said release module to regulate release of the water, based on the accumulation state of the water detected by said accumulation state detection module.

39. A moving body in accordance with claim 38, wherein said release control module controls said release module to restrict release of the water when an accumulation level of the water detected as the accumulation state of the water by said accumulation state detection module is not greater than a preset first level.

40. A moving body in accordance with claim 38, wherein said release control module controls said release module to enhance release of the water when an accumulation level of the water detected as the accumulation state of the water by said accumulation state detection module is not less than a preset second level.

41. A moving body in accordance with claim 38, said moving body further comprising:

an output restriction instruction module that gives an instruction of output restriction of the fuel cells when an accumulation level of the water detected as the accumulation state of the water by said accumulation state detection module is not less than a preset third level.

42. A moving body in accordance with claim 1, wherein said release module has multiple water outlets at multiple different locations, and

said release control module controls said release module to regulate release of the water from the multiple water outlets, in response to the status detected by said status detection module.

43. A moving body with fuel cells that are mounted thereon as a power source and generate electric power with production of water as a by-product, said moving body comprising:

a release module that releases water produced by the fuel cells from outer surfaces of said moving body to the atmosphere in a changeable release state;

a moving state detection module that detects a moving state of said moving body; and

a release control module that specifies the release state of the water corresponding to the detected moving state and controls said release module to release the water in the specified release state.

44. A moving body in accordance with claim 43, wherein said release module changes a release direction of the water, and

said release control module specifies the release direction of the water corresponding to the detected moving state and controls said release module to release the water in the specified release direction.

45. A moving body in accordance with claim 44, wherein said moving state detection module measures a moving speed of said moving body,

said release module is capable of changing the release direction to a specific release direction having a component in a lateral direction of said moving body, and

said release control module specifies the release direction to enhance the component in the lateral direction of said moving body with an increase in measured moving speed of said moving body and controls said release module to release the water in the specified release direction.

46. A moving body in accordance with claim 44, wherein said moving state detection module measures a moving speed of said moving body,

said release module is capable of changing the release direction to a specific release direction having a component in a backward direction of said moving body, and

said release control module specifies the release direction to enhance the component in the backward direction of said moving body with an increase in measured moving speed of said moving body and controls said release module to release the water in the specified release direction.

47. A moving body in accordance with claim 43, wherein said release module comprises a release rate varying module that varies a release rate of the water, and

said release control module specifies a condition of said release rate varying module corresponding to the detected moving state, adjusts said release rate varying module to attain the specified condition, and controls said release module to release the water.

48. A moving body in accordance with claim 47, wherein said release control module specifies the condition of said release rate varying module to lower a relative speed of the water to road surface in a moving direction of said moving body.

49. A moving body in accordance with claim 47, wherein said release rate varying module regulates an opening area of a water outlet for release of the water therefrom, so as to vary the release rate of the water.

50. A moving body in accordance with claim 47, wherein said release rate varying module regulates a pressure in a pathway to a water outlet for release of the water therefrom, so as to vary the release rate of the water.

51. A moving body in accordance with claim 43, wherein said release module releases the water together with exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells.

52. A moving body with fuel cells that are mounted thereon as a power source and generate electric power with production of water as a by-product, said moving body comprising:

an operation module that operates the fuel cells;

a release module that releases at least part of water, which is produced by the fuel cells, in the form of steam, together with exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells, from outer surface of said moving body to the atmosphere; and

a release control module that controls said operation module to make a release amount of liquid water released by said release module within a range of an allowable water release level.

53. A moving body in accordance with claim 52, wherein said operation module regulates a temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells, and

said release control module controls said operation module to regulate the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells, so as to vary an amount of steam included in the water produced by the fuel cells and thereby make the release amount of liquid water within the range of the allowable water release level.

54. A moving body in accordance with claim 53, wherein said operation module drives a cooling device to cool the fuel cells down, and

said release control module controls said operation module to adjust a driving condition of said cooling device and thereby regulate the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells.

55. A moving body in accordance with claim 53, wherein said operation module regulates a back pressure of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells, and

said release control module controls said operation module to adjust the back pressure of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells and thereby regulate the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells.

56. A moving body in accordance with claim 52, wherein said operation module comprises a humidifier module that humidifies a supply of a gas fed to the fuel cells with water content included in the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells, and

said release control module regulates a humidification level by said humidifier module and thereby makes the release amount of liquid water within the range of the allowable water release level.

57. A moving body in accordance with claim 52, said moving body further comprising:

an operation state detection module that detects an operation state of the fuel cells,

wherein said release control module computes the release amount of liquid water in response to the operation state of the fuel cells detected by said operation state detection module, sets a control parameter in said operation module to make the computed release amount of liquid water within the range of the allowable water release level, and controls said operation module with the setting of the control parameter.

58. A moving body in accordance with claim 57, wherein the control parameter is a target temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cells.