JP2006176090A - Fuel cell system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent water from being scattered to a pedestrian on a walkway adjacent to a traveling lane and a parking vehicle on a road shoulder when a vehicle travels on a sharp curve road. <P>SOLUTION: In processing of step S1, a control device detects acceleration A relative to a lateral direction of the vehicle with reference to a detection result of an accelerometer and determines whether or not the detected acceleration A is predetermined set acceleration A (s) or less. Further, as a result of the determination, when the acceleration A is not the predetermined acceleration A (s) or less, the control device determines that the vehicle travels on the sharp curve road and controls it such that water is not discharged from a discharge port by controlling the opening/closing valve to the closure state. Thereby, when the vehicle travels on the sharp curve road, water can be prevented from being scattered to the pedestrian on the walkway adjacent to the traveling lane and the parking vehicle on the road shoulder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular fuel cell system having a fuel cell that generates power upon receipt of fuel gas and oxidant gas.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicular fuel cell system that efficiently discharges condensed water discharged from a fuel cell to the outside from the lower part of the vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, for the vehicle, the water generated by the fuel cell is prevented from splashing on the rear wheel by discharging the water generated by the fuel cell through the drain port disposed in the vehicle body side direction from the rear wheel of the vehicle. A fuel cell system is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-204126 JP 2001-313056 A

  However, conventional fuel cell systems for vehicles do not consider the influence of water discharged from the vehicle to the outside on the environment outside the vehicle. Therefore, according to the conventional fuel cell system for vehicles, when the vehicle is traveling on a sharply curved road, water is scattered on the pedestrians on the sidewalk adjacent to the traveling lane and the parked vehicle on the shoulder, causing trouble. there is a possibility.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to provide a pedestrian or a shoulder-shelf parked vehicle on a sidewalk adjacent to a traveling lane when the vehicle is traveling on a sharply curved road. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle fuel cell system capable of preventing water from being scattered.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle fuel cell system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an opening / closing means for opening and closing a discharge port for discharging water discharged from the fuel cell to the outside as power is generated, and a vehicle. Acceleration detecting means for detecting acceleration in the lateral direction and control means for controlling the amount of water discharged from the drain outlet by controlling opening and closing of the opening and closing means according to the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means.

  In addition, the vehicle fuel cell system according to the second aspect of the present invention detects opening and closing means for opening and closing a discharge port for discharging water discharged from the fuel cell to the outside upon power generation, and a current position of the vehicle. A position detection means for detecting the curvature of the road on which the vehicle is traveling with reference to map information around the current position of the vehicle, a speed detection means for detecting the speed of the vehicle, and a vehicle detected by the position detection means. Control means for controlling the amount of water discharged from the outlet by controlling the opening and closing means according to the position, the curvature of the road, and the speed detected by the speed detecting means.

  According to the fuel cell system for a vehicle according to the present invention, when the vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve road, water is prevented from being discharged from the drain port. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve road In addition, it is possible to prevent water from splashing on pedestrians on the sidewalk adjacent to the driving lane or on the roadside parking vehicles.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of a vehicle fuel cell system according to first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of vehicle fuel cell system]
A vehicle fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack 2 that is mounted on a vehicle 1 and in which a plurality of fuel cells that generate power upon receipt of fuel gas and oxidant gas are stacked; An open / close valve 4 for opening and closing a discharge port 3 for discharging pure water used when humidifying the battery or generated water generated by a power generation reaction, an accelerometer 5 for detecting acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle 1, and a vehicle And a control device 6 that controls the operation of the entire fuel cell system. In the vehicular fuel cell system having such a configuration, the control device 6 executes the following discharge control process, so that when the vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve road, it is on a sidewalk adjacent to the travel lane. Prevents water from splashing on pedestrians and roadside parking vehicles. Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 6 when executing the discharge control process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[Discharge control processing]
The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 starts in response to the fuel cell stack 2 starting power generation, and the emission control process proceeds to step S1. It is assumed that this discharge control process is repeatedly executed every predetermined control cycle, and that the opening / closing valve 4 is normally controlled to be open.

  In the process of step S1, the control device 6 detects the acceleration A in the lateral direction of the vehicle 1 with reference to the detection result of the accelerometer 5, and the detected acceleration A is equal to or less than the set predetermined acceleration A (s). It is determined whether or not there is. The predetermined acceleration A (s) can be calculated, for example, by substituting the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the vehicle speed V into the formula A (s) = V ^ 2 / R.

  And as a result of discrimination | determination, when the acceleration A is below the predetermined acceleration A (s), the control apparatus 6 judges that the vehicle 1 is not driving | running on a sharp curve road, and complete | finishes a series of control processing. On the other hand, if the acceleration A is not equal to or less than the predetermined acceleration A (s), the control device 6 determines that the vehicle 1 is traveling on a sharply curved road, and advances this control process to the process of step S2.

  In the process of step S2, the control device 6 controls the open / close valve 4 to be closed so that water is not discharged from the discharge port 3 when traveling on a sharp curve road. Thereby, the process of this step S2 is completed and a series of control processes are complete | finished.

  In general, when a vehicle travels on a curved road, as shown in FIG. 3A, an inertial force acts on the lateral direction of the vehicle, more specifically, on the radially outer side of the curved road, according to the curvature of the curved road and the vehicle speed. The inertial force increases as the curvature of the curved road increases or the vehicle speed increases. When the inertial force is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, as shown in FIG. Water may scatter to pedestrians on the sidewalk adjacent to the driving lane or parked vehicles on the shoulder. On the other hand, in the vehicle fuel cell system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the control device 6 is equal to or less than the predetermined acceleration A (s) in which the acceleration A in the lateral direction of the vehicle 1 is set. If the acceleration A is not equal to or less than the predetermined acceleration A (s), it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a sharply curved road, and the opening / closing valve 4 is controlled to be closed, whereby the discharge port 3 is controlled so that water is not discharged. Thereby, according to the fuel cell system for vehicles which becomes the 1st embodiment of the present invention, it is prevented that water splashes on the pedestrian on the sidewalk adjacent to the driving lane and the parked vehicle on the shoulder by the influence of inertial force. it can.

[Configuration of vehicle fuel cell system]
A fuel cell system for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack 2 that is mounted on a vehicle 1 and in which a plurality of fuel cells that generate power upon receipt of fuel gas and oxidant gas are stacked; An open / close valve 4 that opens and closes a discharge port 3 that discharges pure water used when humidifying the battery or generated water generated by a power generation reaction, and detects the current position of the vehicle 1, and detects the current position of the vehicle 1 The navigation system 7 that detects the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle 1 is running with reference to the map information, the speed sensor 8 that detects the speed V of the vehicle 1, and the overall operation of the fuel cell system for the vehicle are controlled. The control device 6 is provided as a main component. The navigation system 7 may include a database in which map information is stored, or may acquire map information via a telecommunication line. When the navigation system 7 acquires map information via a telecommunications line, always use the latest map information to accurately detect the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling. Can do. In the vehicular fuel cell system having such a configuration, the control device 6 executes the following discharge control process, so that when the vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve road, it is on a sidewalk adjacent to the travel lane. Prevents water from splashing on pedestrians and roadside parking vehicles. Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 6 when executing the discharge control process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[Discharge control processing]
The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 starts in response to the fuel cell stack 2 starting power generation, and the discharge control process proceeds to step S11. It is assumed that this discharge control process is repeatedly executed every predetermined control cycle, and that the opening / closing valve 4 is normally controlled to be open.

  In the process of step S11, the control device 6 detects the speed V of the vehicle 1 with reference to the detection result of the speed sensor 8, and whether or not the detected speed V is equal to or less than the set predetermined speed V (s). Is determined. As a result of the determination, if the speed V is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed V (s), the control device 6 determines that water does not scatter even when traveling on a sharp curve road, and ends a series of control processes. To do. On the other hand, when the speed V is not equal to or lower than the predetermined speed V (s), the control device 6 determines that water is scattered when traveling on a sharply curved road, and advances this control process to the process of step S12.

  In the process of step S12, the control device 6 refers to the detection result of the navigation system 7 to detect the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and the predetermined curvature 1 / R is set. It is determined whether or not the curvature is 1 / R (s) or less. If the curvature 1 / R is equal to or less than the predetermined curvature 1 / R (s) as a result of the determination, the control device 6 determines that the vehicle 1 is not traveling on a sharp curve road, and ends a series of control processes. To do. On the other hand, if the curvature R is not equal to or less than the predetermined curvature 1 / R (s), the control device 6 determines that the vehicle 1 is traveling on a sharp curve road, and advances this control process to the process of step S13.

  In the process of step S13, the control device 6 controls the open / close valve 4 to be closed so that water is not discharged from the discharge port 3 when traveling on a sharp curve road. Thereby, the process of this step S13 is completed and a series of control processes are complete | finished.

  As is clear from the above description, in the vehicle fuel cell system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, is the control device 6 not more than the predetermined speed V (s) at which the speed V of the vehicle 1 is set? If the speed V is not equal to or less than the predetermined speed V (s), it is determined that the water is scattered when traveling on a sharp curve road, and the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is It is determined whether or not the predetermined curvature 1 / R (s) or less is set. If the curvature R is not equal to or less than the predetermined curvature 1 / R (s), it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a sharp curve road. By controlling the open / close valve 4 to the closed state, control is performed so that water is not discharged from the discharge port 3. Therefore, according to the vehicle fuel cell system of the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent water from splashing on a pedestrian on the sidewalk adjacent to the traveling lane or a parked vehicle on the shoulder due to the influence of inertial force. .

  In the vehicle fuel cell system according to the second embodiment, the control device 6 determines the traveling state of the vehicle 1 based on the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling and the vehicle speed V. The opening / closing valve 4 may be controlled to open and close according to the predicted traveling state. According to such a configuration, for example, even when the vehicle 1 is about to travel on a curved road where the curvature rapidly increases near the entrance, the on-off valve 4 is closed before starting traveling on the curved road. It is possible to reliably prevent water from being scattered.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described, the present invention is not limited by the description and the drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. That is, it should be added that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on the above embodiments are all included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the discharge | emission control process used as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the influence of the inertia force with respect to the water discharged | emitted from the fuel cell system for vehicles. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the fuel cell system for vehicles used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the discharge control process used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Vehicle 2: Fuel cell stack 3: Discharge port 4: Open / close valve 5: Accelerometer 6: Control device 7: Navigation system 8: Speed sensor

Claims (4)

A fuel cell system for a vehicle having a fuel cell that generates power by receiving supply of fuel gas and oxidant gas,
Opening and closing means for opening and closing a discharge port for discharging water discharged from the fuel cell to the outside with power generation;
Acceleration detecting means for detecting acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle;
A vehicle fuel cell system comprising: control means for controlling the amount of water discharged from the drain outlet by controlling opening and closing of the opening and closing means according to the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means. A fuel cell system for a vehicle having a fuel cell that generates power by receiving supply of fuel gas and oxidant gas,
Opening and closing means for opening and closing a discharge port for discharging water discharged from the fuel cell to the outside with power generation;
Position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle and detecting the curvature of the road on which the vehicle is traveling with reference to map information around the current position of the vehicle;
Speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the vehicle;
The amount of water drained from the drain outlet is controlled by controlling the opening and closing means according to the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detecting means and the curvature of the road, and the speed detected by the speed detecting means. And a vehicle fuel cell system. The vehicle fuel cell system according to claim 2,
The vehicle fuel cell system, wherein the position detection means acquires the map information from an external information processing device. The vehicle fuel cell system according to claim 2 or 3,
The control means predicts a driving state of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle detected by the position detecting means and the curvature of the road, and the speed detected by the speed detecting means, and opens and closes according to the predicted driving state. A vehicle fuel cell system characterized in that the means is controlled to open and close.

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