Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon

Details Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon

2000-04-19

2002-12-17

Vanaman, Frank (Department: 3618)

Motor vehicles

Power

Having specific motor-to-body-frame relationship

C180S065310

Reexamination Certificate

active

06494286

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, an electric vehicle is known as a vehicle driven by electricity. The electric vehicle has a motor for traveling. The electric vehicle requires accessories such as a water pump, an air-conditioner compressor, a brake negative pressure pump and the like for operating as a vehicle. Some conventional electric vehicles adapted a system wherein the accessory is driven by the motor for traveling.
There is a period of time in which the motor for traveling runs at idle, e.g., the electric vehicle is stopped, therefore, for driving the accessory, there is a case in which the vehicle is operated within an inefficient region of the motor for traveling. At start of the electric vehicle, the motor is put under heavy load and large capacity of a clutch is required in accordance with the load, therefore, the system is inefficient and costly.
To solve the above-described problems, accessories of a conventional electric vehicle is attached to the vehicle body directly. A motor is provided with respect to each accessory for driving the accessory.
The accessories and the motors for driving the accessories generate vibration and noise (hereafter referred to as vibration and the like), therefore, when the accessories and the motors are attached to the vehicle body directly, there is apprehension that the vibration and the like is increased. However, the accessories and the motors for driving the accessories do not generate significant vibration and the like. Therefore, even if the accessories and the motors are attached to the vehicle body directly, a rubber mount absorbs the vibration and the like sufficiently.
More recently, development of a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon, e.g., a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) has flourished. A fuel cell system used for the fuel cell electric vehicle is an electric power generation system having a fuel cell as the core, which supplies hydrogen as fuel gas to an anode of the fuel cell and supplies oxidized gas including oxygen such as air to a cathode of the fuel cell to generate electricity.
The fuel cell system has an air compressor for supplying the oxidized gas to the fuel cell and requires a drive motor for driving the air compressor.
However, the air compressor generates large vibration and the like, therefore, when the air compressor is attached to the vehicle body directly, vibration and the like is too large and an exclusive mount member for shutting out the vibration and the like must be provided. When the exclusive mount member is provided, there is problem that weight and cost are increased by an amount of the exclusive mount member.
On the other hand, a conventional electric vehicle is provided with a motor for driving each accessory, therefore, the conventional electric vehicle requires more motors by the number of accessories and there is problem that cost is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to restrain vibration and the like in a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon without using a mount member for exclusive use of an air compressor.
Another object of the present invention is to drive an accessory of a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon without providing many motors.
To solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon wherein
a motor for traveling is attached to a frame of a vehicle via a mount absorbing vibration;
an air compressor and an air compressor driving motor are attached with respect to the motor for traveling and the mount is placed to be a shared mount absorbing vibration of the motor for traveling, the air compressor and the air compressor driving motor.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the air compressor and the air compressor driving motor for driving the air compressor are attached with respect to the motor for traveling. Therefore, the mount absorbing vibration and the like of the motor for traveling absorbs vibration and the like of the air compressor and the air compressor driving motor and operates as the shared mount. Accordingly, vibration and the like of the air compressor can be restrained without providing an exclusive mount member.
A second aspect of the present invention according to the first aspect is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon wherein at least a part of accessories of a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon is attached to the motor for traveling.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the air compressor, accessories such as a water pump, an air-conditioner compressor, a brake negative pressure pump and the like are attached to the motor for traveling, therefore, vibration and the like generated on these accessories can be absorbed by the shared mount at the same time.
The term of “accessories of a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon” used in the present specification means accessories used for a fuel cell system including air compressor, in addition, e.g., accessories used for the vehicle itself such as a water pump, an air-conditioner compressor, a brake negative pressure pump, a power steering pump, a lubricating oil pump and an alternator.
A third aspect of the present invention according to the first or second aspect is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon wherein width of an area made up of the whole accessories attached to the motor for traveling in a fore-and-aft direction is narrower than width of the motor for traveling in a fore-and-aft direction, and the whole accessories is placed within the width of the motor for traveling in a fore-and-aft direction.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, width of the accessories attached to the motor for traveling in a fore-and-aft direction is placed within the width of the motor for traveling. Therefore, the accessories are not protruded from the width of the motor for traveling in a fore-and-aft direction. Accordingly, e.g., when a fuel cell electric vehicle causes an collision accident, a problem is prevented such that accessories, which are smaller than the motor for traveling, are protruded from the motor for traveling toward a seat side and the accessories are an obstacle to an occupant or the like.
A forth aspect of the present invention according to the second or third aspect is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon wherein a plurality of the accessories attached to the motor for traveling are driven integrally by the air compressor driving motor.
According to the forth aspect of the present invention, the accessories attached to the motor for traveling are driven integrally by the air compressor driving motor. Therefore, a motor for driving each accessory becomes unnecessary and the number of the motors can be reduced.
A fifth aspect of the present invention according to the forth aspect is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon comprising a control device for controlling the number of revolutions of the air compressor driving motor in accordance with an amount of load generated from the accessories driven by the air compressor driving motor.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the accessories are driven by only the air compressor driving motor and at the same time, the number of revolutions of the air compressor driving motor is controlled in consideration of the load of each accessory, i.e., current of the air compressor driving motor is corrected. Therefore, the air compressor driving motor is controlled suitably on the basis of the load of each accessory.


REFERENCES:
patent: 6223843 (2001-05-01), O'Connell et al.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2969268