Fuel cell vehicle

• US 7,896,115 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nagumo, Kenji, Nakashima, Akira, Kato, Takashi, Sato, Takaharu, Fukuma, Kazunori, Ono, Tohru, Moori, Takanori, Nozaki, Shujiro, Ogawa, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II; J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, BRIDGET D
• Application Number:
  US11/428,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20070007060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.22, 180/65.275, 180/65.285, 180/65.29, 180/68.3, 180/68.5, 180/69.4, 180/69.5, 180/311, 180/312
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• 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: B62D 25/025 Side sills thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/20 Floors or bottom sub-units sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/2036 the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars B62D21/157 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04029 Heat exchange using liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04253 Means for solving freezing problems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2484 characterised by external manifolds
• 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

A fuel cell vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a floor panel provided on the bottom of the vehicle body; a floor tunnel that is formed bulging upward in the center of the floor panel in the vehicle body width; a pair of front seats that are disposed on the floor panel, outside of the floor tunnel in the vehicle body width direction; center frames that support the floor tunnel, disposed at the center in the vehicle body width and extending along the vehicle body longitudinal direction; a sub-frame provided on the bottom of the floor panel and joined to the center frames; and a fuel cell stack mounted on the sub-frame and provided under the floor tunnel.

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

a floor panel provided on a bottom of the vehicle body;

a floor tunnel that is formed bulging upward in a center of the floor panel in a vehicle body width;

a pair of front seats that are disposed on the floor panel, outside of the floor tunnel in a vehicle body width direction;

center frames that support the floor tunnel, disposed at a center in the vehicle body width and extending along a vehicle body longitudinal direction;

a sub-frame provided on the bottom of the floor panel and joined to the center frames;

a fuel cell stack mounted on the sub-frame and provided under the floor tunnel;

an auxiliary component of the fuel cell stack provided between one of the center frames and one of side frames; and

a connecting member that connects the fuel cell stack and the auxiliary component,

wherein a recess is provided in at least one of the center frames and the sub-frame, and the connecting member is disposed so as to pass through the recess.

2. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

a floor panel provided on a bottom of the vehicle body;

a floor tunnel that is formed bulging upward in a center of the floor panel in a vehicle body width;

a pair of front seats that are disposed on the floor panel, outside of the floor tunnel in a vehicle body width direction;

center frames that support the floor tunnel, disposed at a center in the vehicle body width and extending along a vehicle body longitudinal direction;

a sub-frame provided on the bottom of the floor panel and joined to the center frames;

a fuel cell stack mounted on the sub-frame and provided under the floor tunnel; and

a partitioning member which blocks a communicative passage between the floor tunnel and a space at a front of the vehicle body, being provided under the floor tunnel;

wherein a top of the floor tunnel has an inclined portion that is formed to become lower toward the front of the vehicle body, and the partitioning member is provided under the inclined portion.

3. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

a floor panel provided on a bottom of the vehicle body;

a floor tunnel that is formed bulging upward in a center of the floor panel in a vehicle body width;

a pair of front seats that are disposed on the floor panel, outside of the floor tunnel in a vehicle body width direction;

center frames that support the floor tunnel, disposed at a center in the vehicle body width and extending along a vehicle body longitudinal direction;

a sub-frame provided on the bottom of the floor panel and joined to the center frames;

a fuel cell stack mounted on the sub-frame and provided under the floor tunnel;

a hydrogen supply portion that supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell stack, being provided under the floor tunnel and at a rear of the fuel cell stack; and

a hydrogen sensor provided in the floor tunnel and above the hydrogen supply portion;

wherein the floor tunnel is formed so that an upper portion under which the hydrogen sensor is disposed is a highest portion.

4. A fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

an air discharge portion provided under the floor tunnel and below the hydrogen supply portion.

5. A fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

an electromagnetic shield member provided on a periphery of the fuel cell stack;

a high-voltage line disposed on a first side that is outside of the fuel cell stack in the width direction; and

a low-voltage line disposed on a second side being an opposite side of the first side.

6. A fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising

an electrical control portion provided under the floor tunnel and above the hydrogen supply portion.