Motor vehicles – Power – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-14
2004-01-20
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Motor vehicles
Power
Electric
C180S220000, C320S104000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679345
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel battery mounted motorcycle, and in particular, to the arrangement of the various components associated with the fuel battery on the motorcycle.
2. Description of the Background Art
Fuel battery mounted motorcycles are known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 3-109126 entitled “Fuel Battery Mounted Motorcycle”. As shown in
FIG. 1
of the above document, the above technique discloses an electric motorcar
1
using a fuel battery
13
as an energy source, wherein the fuel battery
13
is disposed in a lower central portion of a vehicular body
2
(note: reference numerals are cited from the document).
In the case of using the fuel battery
13
as an energy source, as will be described later, a motorcycle must be provided with, in addition to the fuel battery
13
, a fuel tank for storing methanol, a reformer for generating hydrogen, a secondary battery for storing an electric power generated by the fuel battery
13
, and the like. Further, in the case of mounting a fuel battery like the fuel battery
13
on a motorcycle, the layout of the fuel battery, reformer, secondary battery, and the like becomes important. The principle of power generation by a fuel battery and one example of a fuel battery system will be hereinafter described.
FIGS.
15
(
a
) and
15
(
b
) are diagrams illustrating the principle of power generation by a fuel battery, wherein FIG.
15
(
a
) shows the principle of electrolysis of water, and FIG.
15
(
b
) shows the principle of power generation by the fuel battery.
Referring to FIG.
15
(
a
), the electrolytic process of water (H
2
O) is performed by filling a water tank
101
with water (H
2
O) in which an electrolyte such as sulfuric acid (H
2
SO
4
) has been dissolved; setting electrodes
102
and
103
, each of which is typically made from platinum, in the water tank
101
; covering the electrodes
102
and
103
with containers
104
and
105
, respectively; and applying a current, from a DC power source
106
, between the electrodes
102
and
103
, whereby oxygen gas (O
2
) is generated on the electrode
102
side taken as the plus side and hydrogen gas (H
2
) is generated on the electrode
103
side taken as the minus side. In the figure, an arrow (e
−
) designates the flow of electrons and an arrow (H
+
) designates the flow of hydrogen ions.
Referring to FIG.
15
(
b
), the power generation process is performed in accordance with steps reversed to those shown in FIG.
15
(
a
), that is, by filling the container
104
with oxygen gas (O
2
) and the container
105
with hydrogen gas (H
2
); connecting a load
107
between the electrodes
102
and
103
; and making the oxygen gas (O
2
) and hydrogen gas (H
2
) electrochemically react with each other in water (H
2
O) in which sulfuric acid (H
2
SO
4
) as an electrolyte has been dissolved, whereby a current flows in the load
107
, and the oxygen gas (O
2
) is bonded to the hydrogen gas (H
2
) to produce water (H
2
O).
As shown in FIG.
15
(
b
), the process of power generation of a fuel battery is reversed to the process of electrolysis of water shown in FIG.
15
(
a
). The fuel battery system will be described with reference to FIG.
16
.
FIG. 16
is a block diagram showing one example of the fuel battery system. A fuel battery system
110
includes a fuel tank
111
for storing methanol; a reformer
112
for generating hydrogen from methanol and water; a fuel battery
113
for making hydrogen generated by the reformer
112
electrochemically react with oxygen in air; a first pump
115
for supplying outside air to the fuel battery
113
via an air cleaner
114
; a second pump
116
for supplying hydrogen from the reformer
112
to the fuel battery
113
; a catalyzer
117
for receiving water vapor from the fuel battery
113
and carbon dioxide gas from the reformer
112
via the fuel battery
113
and for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide gas; a water tank
118
for receiving water from the catalyzer
117
; a secondary battery
119
for storing an electric power generated by the fuel battery
113
; and a motor
122
connected to the secondary battery
119
via a control unit
121
. In addition, the secondary battery
119
also functions to store an electric power generated by the motor
122
.
In the figure, a hollow arrow (CH
3
OH) designates the flow of methanol; a hollow arrow (H
2
) is the flow of hydrogen gas; a hollow arrow (O
2
) is the flow of oxygen gas; a hollow arrow (H
2
O+CO
2
) is the flow of water vapor and carbon dioxide gas; and a hollow arrow (H
2
O) is the flow of water.
As described above, in the case of using the fuel battery
113
as an energy source of a motorcycle (not shown), it is required to provide, in addition to the fuel battery
113
, the fuel tank
111
for storing methanol, the reformer
112
for generating hydrogen, the secondary battery
119
for storing an electric power generated by the fuel battery
113
, and the like. In the case of actually mounting the fuel battery
113
, fuel tank
111
, reformer
112
, and the like on a motorcycle, it is required to examine the layout of the fuel battery system
110
including the fuel battery
113
, fuel tank
111
, reformer
112
, and the like from the viewpoint of various factors such as the weight balance, maintenance, and design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a technique of mounting a fuel battery on a motorcycle, which is capable of optimally arranging the fuel battery, a reformer, a secondary battery, and the like.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a fuel battery mounted motorcycle including a low level floor, characterized in that at least one of a fuel battery and a reformer for generating hydrogen is disposed in a lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, since at least one of the fuel battery and the reformer for generating hydrogen is disposed in a lower portion of the floor, it is possible to lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle.
The reformer for generating hydrogen may be disposed, together with the fuel battery, in a lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, since the reformer for generating hydrogen is disposed, together with the fuel battery, in the lower portion of the floor, it is possible to further lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle, and also to shorten pipes for connecting the fuel battery to the reformer.
A secondary battery may be disposed, together with the fuel battery, in a lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, since the secondary battery is disposed, together with the fuel battery, in the lower portion of the floor, it is possible to lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle.
The secondary battery may be located on the front side of the lower portion of the floor, and the fuel battery may be disposed on the rear side of the lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, since the secondary battery is located on the front side of the lower portion of the floor and the fuel battery is disposed on the rear side of the lower portion of the floor, it is possible to increase a load distributed on a front wheel and thereby keep the weight of the front wheel in balance against the weight of a rear wheel, and to improve the maintenance workability of the secondary battery.
The secondary battery and the fuel battery may be stacked in the vertical direction in the lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, it is possible to easily change the capacity of the secondary battery by disposing the secondary battery on the fuel battery, and to lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle by disposing the secondary battery under the fuel battery.
The reformer may be disposed, together with the fuel battery and the secondary battery, in the lower portion of the floor. With this configuration, since the reformer for generating hydrogen is disposed, together with the fuel battery and secondary battery, in the lower portion of the floor, it is
Hirayama Shuuji
Igarashi Masashi
Iseno Mitsuru
Toriyama Masayuki
Yamashita Noboru
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Johnson Brian L.
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