Fuel cell vehicle

• US 7,703,564 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSZEWSKI, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/588,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20070039767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/65.8, 180/65.31
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• 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 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 15/063 Arrangement of tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/07 of gas tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0411 Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0638 the fuel tank is arranged in the rear of the vehicle

Abstract

In a fuel cell vehicle 10 of the invention, fuel cells 20 are integrally placed in a lower space 15 of a front seat 14, while a secondary battery 40 is integrally placed in a lower space 18 of a rear seat 17. The integral arrangements of the fuel cells 20 and the secondary battery 40 separately in the lower space 15 of the front seat 14 and in the lower space 18 of the rear seat 17 ensure high-performance operations of both the fuel cells 20 and the secondary battery 40 having different working environments. This arrangement also attains the effective use of the generally-dead, lower spaces 15 and 18 of the front and rear seats 14 and 17 to receive the fuel cells 20, the secondary battery 40, and their peripheral equipment.

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle that is equipped with a drive motor and fuel cells, wherein at least part of auxiliary machinery of the fuel cells is arranged in a hollow center tunnel raised from a level floor surface in the fuel cell vehicle, and the at least part of auxiliary machinery is any one of at DC-DC converter for lowering output voltage of the fuel cells, a fuel gas circulation pump for circulating non-reacted fuel gas exhaust discharged from the fuel cells, and a water pump for circulating a flow of cooling water through the fuel cells for cooling the fuel cells down.

2. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an accumulator,

wherein, a cooling system of the fuel cells, the fuel cells, and the accumulator are arranged in this order along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle from front to rear of the vehicle.

3. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 1,

further comprising an accumulator,

wherein the drive motor, the fuel cells, and the accumulator are arranged in this order along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle from front to rear of the vehicle, and

the fuel cells and the accumulator are protected by pillars formed upright on the left and right side faces of the fuel cells.

4. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the at least part of auxiliary machinery is a distributor for distributing output of the fuel cells.

5. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the at least part of auxiliary machinery is a gas pipe.

6. A fuel cell vehicle that is equipped with a drive motor, fuel cells, and an accumulator, comprising:

a vehicle floor that is rising or indented at two separate positions to form two rising or indented spaces, which are apart from each other across a preset interval,

wherein the fuel cells are integrally placed in one of the two rising or indented spaces, and the accumulator is integrally placed in the other of the two rising or indented spaces, and

wherein the accumulator is either of a secondary battery and a capacitor.

7. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein peripheral equipment of the fuel cells and the accumulator are arranged in any one of the two rising or indented spaces, a front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of front wheels, and a rear vehicle chamber in the vicinity of rear wheels.

8. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein neither of the two rising or indented spaces interferes with a foot space of any of the driver and the passenger.

9. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least part of auxiliary machinery of the fuel cells is arranged together with the fuel cells in either of the two rising or indented spaces.

10. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the at least part of the auxiliary machinery of the fuel cells is aligned with the fuel cells in a direction of width of the vehicle in either of the two rising or indented spaces.

11. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least part of auxiliary machinery of the fuel cells is arranged in a center tunnel.

12. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein center pillars are formed upright between one of the two rising or indented spaces and the other of the two rising or indented spaces.

13. A fuel cell vehicle equipped with a drive motor, fuel cells, and an accumulator in accordance with claim 6, wherein the drive motor, the fuel cells, and the accumulator are arranged in this order along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle from front to rear of the vehicle.

14. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 13, wherein the drive motor is located in a front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of front wheels, and

a fuel gas source for feeding a supply of fuel gas to the fuel cells is located in a rear vehicle chamber in the vicinity of rear wheels.

15. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 14, said fuel cell vehicle further comprising a control module that controls supplies of electric power from the fuel cells and the accumulator and thereby regulates an output of the drive motor,

wherein the control module is arranged together with the drive motor in the front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of the front wheels.

16. A fuel cell vehicle equipped with a drive motor, fuel cells, and an accumulator in accordance with claim 6, wherein a cooling system of the fuel cells, the fuel cells, and the accumulator are arranged in this order along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle from front to rear of the vehicle.

17. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 16, wherein the drive motor is located in a front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of front wheels, and

a fuel gas source for feeding a supply of fuel gas to the fuel cells is located in a rear vehicle chamber in the vicinity of rear wheels.

18. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 17, said fuel cell vehicle further comprising a control module that controls supplies of electric power from the fuel cells and the accumulator and thereby regulates an output of the drive motor,

wherein the control module is arranged together with the drive motor in the front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of the front wheels.

19. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least either one of the fuel cells and the accumulator is located in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

20. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the drive motor is located in a front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of front wheels, and

a fuel gas source for feeding a supply of fuel gas to the fuel cells is located in a rear vehicle chamber in the vicinity of rear wheels.

21. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 20, said fuel cell vehicle further comprising a control module that controls supplies of electric power from the fuel cells and the accumulator and thereby regulates an output of the drive motor,

wherein the control module is arranged together with the drive motor in the front vehicle chamber in the vicinity of the front wheels.

22. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 20, wherein the fuel gas source is a hydrogen tank.

23. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least part of the fuel cells is located above a floor level of the vehicle.

24. A fuel cell vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least part of the accumulator is located above a floor level of the vehicle.