Vehicle and fuel cell vehicle-mounting method

• US 8,413,751 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Jufuku, Yasunobu, Arisawa, Hiroshi, Nagasawa, Junji, Kizuki, Miho, Nakamura, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, BRYAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/445,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20100044133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/65.31, 180/312
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/00 Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/247 Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
• 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 vehicle is equipped with fuel cells that is fastened to multiple side frames 810 arranged in parallel to each other and along a moving direction of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a support assembly arranged to span between the multiple side frames 810, a first fixation unit arranged to fasten the support assembly to the respective side frames 810, and a second fixation unit arranged to fix the fuel cells on the support assembly. This arrangement desirably reduces the influence of an external force applied to the fuel cells mounted on the vehicle and prevents an increase in total weight of the vehicle or a decrease in mounting space of the fuel cells.

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with fuel cells that are fastened to multiple side frames arranged in parallel to each other and along a moving direction of the vehicle, the vehicle comprising:

a support assembly arranged to span between the multiple side frames;

a first fixation unit arranged to fasten the support assembly to the multiple side frames; and

a second fixation unit arranged to fix the fuel cells on the support assembly,

wherein the support assembly includes multiple first members located in parallel to each other and multiple second members located in parallel to each other, the multiple first members and the multiple second members are arranged to intersect and overlap with each other,

the first fixation unit fastens the multiple first members to the multiple side frames,

the multiple first members are arranged to cross the respective side frames, and the multiple second members are arranged to be away from the respective side frames in a vehicle width direction,

the multiple first members are extended straightly between the respective side frames, and the multiple second members are extended straightly between the multiple first members, and

the second fixation unit fixes the fuel cells on the support assembly while penetrating the first members and the second members at the intersection of the first members and the second members.

2. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the fuel cells are mounted at least on the multiple second members.

3. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second fixation unit fixes the fuel cells to the support assembly at three different points.

4. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second fixation unit is fastened to the support assembly and includes a mount at least partly made of an elastic material and a mount fixation member used to fix the fuel cells.

5. The vehicle in accordance with claim 4, wherein at least a specific part of the mount in contact with the support assembly is made of an insulating material.

6. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, the vehicle further having:

a fuel cell casing constructed to receive the fuel cells therein.

7. The vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the fuel cell casing is connected with the second fixation unit.

8. The vehicle in accordance with claim 7, wherein a joint of the fuel cell casing with the second fixation unit is covered with either a rubber material or a resin material.

9. The vehicle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the fuel cell casing is made of a flexible material and is linked with the support assembly.

10. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first fixation unit fastens the support assembly to the respective side frames in a detachable manner.

12. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the support assembly is configured to be detachable from the multiple side frames by pulling down after removal of the first fixation unit.

13. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second fixation unit fastens the fuel cells to the support assembly at two intersections of the first members and the second members and at one point in a middle portion of one of the second members.

14. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the multiple first members are two first members in parallel to each other and the multiple second members are two second members that intersect and overlap the two first members.

11. A fuel cell vehicle-mounting method adapted to fasten fuel cells on multiple side frames provided in a vehicle and arranged in parallel to each other and along a moving direction of the vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle-mounting method comprising the steps of:

providing a support assembly used to support the fuel cells and constructed by combination of multiple first members located in parallel to each other with multiple second members located in parallel to each other;

arranging the support assembly to span between the multiple side frames;

fastening the support assembly and the respective side frames; and

fixing the fuel cells on the support assembly,

wherein the arranging step locates the multiple first members and the multiple second members to intersect and overlap with each other, arranges the multiple first members to cross the respective side frames, arranges the multiple second members to be away from the respective side frame in a vehicle width direction, arranges the multiple first members to extend straightly between the respective side frames, arranges the multiple second members to extend straightly between the multiple first members, and fixes the fuel cells on the support assembly with a fixation unit that penetrating the first members and the second members at the intersection of the first members and the second members and

the fastening step fastens the multiple first members to the multiple side frames.