STACK CASE AND OUTER RESTRAINING MEMBER FOR FUEL CELL

• US 20200136166A1
• Filed: 10/08/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKEUCHI, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 11,101,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/241 with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2457 with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2475 Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/248 Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A filling cover of which a surface facing a case insulator serving as a base member is in contact with a filling has at least side surface parts that cover side surfaces of the filling, and at least some of the side surface parts are not joined to the case insulator.

Claims

1. A stack case that houses a single-cell stack formed by a plurality of single fuel cells stacked together, the stack case comprising:

a filling provided at a case inner wall surface of the stack case to restrain the single-cell stack on the stack case;

a base member through which the filling is attached to the case inner wall surface; and

a filling cover of which a surface facing the base member is in contact with the filling, wherein

the filling cover has at least side surface parts that cover side surfaces of the filling, and at least some of the side surface parts are not joined to the base member.

2. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein the filling cover has a cover surface part of which a surface facing the base member is in contact with the filling, and the side surface parts having sloped portions inclined relative to the cover surface part are provided at both ends of the cover surface part.

3. The stack case according to claim 2, wherein:

the side surface parts having the sloped portions are provided at both ends of the cover surface part in an insertion direction of the single-cell stack; and

an inclination of the sloped portion provided in the side surface part on a side of an inlet opening of the stack case is smaller than an inclination of the sloped portion provided in the side surface part on a side opposite from the side of the inlet opening of the stack case.

4. The stack case according to claim 2, wherein:

the side surface parts having the sloped portions are provided at both ends of the cover surface part in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the single-cell stack; and

inclinations of the sloped portions relative to the cover surface part are not larger than 45°

.

5. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein the side surface parts cover an entire periphery of the side surfaces of the filling.

6. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein, of the side surface parts, side surface parts provided so as to face the direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the single-cell stack are not joined to the base member, while side surface parts provided so as to face the insertion direction of the single-cell stack are joined to the base member.

7. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein end portions of the side surface parts extend to the base member and are bent so as to abut against the base member.

8. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein the filling cover is an integrally molded part.

9. The stack case according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of fillings is disposed apart from one another in an insertion direction of the single-cell stack, and the filling cover is configured to cover the fillings collectively.

10. An outer restraining member that is disposed between a single-cell stack formed by a plurality of single fuel cells stacked together and a stack case housing the single-cell stack, and restrains the single-cell stack from an outer side, the outer restraining member comprising:

a filling that has a rear surface, a front surface, and side surfaces connecting the rear surface and the front surface to each other, and serves to restrain the single-cell stack on the stack case;

a base member which is provided on a rear surface side of the filling and through which the filling is attached to a case inner wall surface of the stack case; and

a filling cover which is provided on a front surface side of the filling and of which a surface facing the base member is in contact with the filling, wherein

the filling cover has at least side surface parts that extend to the base member and cover the side surfaces of the filling, and at least some of the side surface parts are not joined to the base member.

11. The outer restraining member according to claim 10, wherein, of the side surface parts, side surface parts provided so as to face a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the single-cell stack are not joined to the base member, while side surface parts provided so as to face the insertion direction of the single-cell stack are joined to the base member.

12. The outer restraining member according to claim 10, wherein end portions of the side surface parts extend to the base member and are bent so as to abut against the base member.

13. The outer restraining member according to claim 10, wherein the filling cover has a cover surface part of which a surface facing the base member is in contact with the filling, and the side surface parts having sloped portions inclined relative to the cover surface part are provided at both ends of the cover surface part.

14. The outer restraining member according to claim 13, wherein:

the side surface parts having the sloped portions are provided at both ends of the cover surface part in an insertion direction of the single-cell stack and at both ends of the cover surface part in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the single-cell stack;

an inclination of the sloped portion provided in the side surface part on a side of an inlet opening of the stack case in the insertion direction of the single-cell stack is smaller than an inclination of the sloped portion provided in the side surface part on a side opposite from the side of the inlet opening of the stack case; and

inclinations, relative to the cover surface part, of the sloped portions provided in the side surface parts facing the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the single-cell stack are not larger than 45°

.

15. The outer restraining member according to claim 10, wherein the filling cover is an integrally molded part.

16. The outer restraining member according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of fillings is provided apart from one another between the base member and the filling cover.