# US 10,770,738 B2 · Vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon

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- Number: US 10,770,738 B2
- Document ID: US10770738B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/957,191
- Filed: 2018-04-19
- Published: 2018-10-25
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-25
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Naohiro Yoshida
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770738B2

## CPC

- H01M 8/04559: {of fuel cell stacks}
- H01M 8/04089: of gaseous reactants
- H01M 8/04201: {Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes}
- H01M 8/04225: during start-up
- H01M 8/04302: applied during start-up
- H01M 8/247: Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
- H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Disclosed is a vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon, the fuel cell system including: a fuel cell; a plurality of tanks for storing therein fuel gas to be used for power generation of the fuel cell, each tank having an opening/closing valve for switching over between execution and halt of supply of the fuel gas; a plurality of supply flow paths connected to the opening/closing valves in the plurality of tanks to feed the fuel gas supplied from the plurality of tanks, respectively; a merging flow path for merging together the plurality of supply flow paths to feed the fuel gas to the fuel cell; and a controller for controlling opening and closing of the opening/closing valves. The merging flow path is fastened to a vehicle body of the vehicle, and at a start-up of the fuel cell system, the controller exerts such control as to open an opening/closing valve that is longest in total length out of the opening/closing valves in the plurality of tanks, the total length being a total sum of lengths of the merging flow path and the relevant supply flow path located within a range from a fastening position, at which the merging flow path is fastened to the vehicle body, to each opening/closing valve. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress the possibility that noise caused by vibrations due to discharge of hydrogen gas may be recognized by a passenger of the vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
a plurality of tanks configured to store fuel gas to be used for power generation of the fuel cell, each tank having an opening/closing valve for switching over between execution and halt of supply of the fuel gas;
a plurality of supply flow paths connected to the opening/closing valves in the plurality of tanks, each supply flow path being configured to feed the fuel gas supplied from a respective one of the plurality of tanks;
a merging flow path configured to merge together the plurality of supply flow paths to feed the fuel gas to the fuel cell;
a fastening part situated at a fastening position and configured to fasten the merging flow path to a vehicle body of the vehicle; and
a controller configured to control opening and closing of the opening/closing valves, wherein
the merging flow path is fastened to the vehicle body at the fastening position, and
at a start-up of the fuel cell system, the controller is configured to exert such control as to:
select one of the opening/closing valves having a longest total flow path length out of the opening/closing valves, the total flow path length of each opening/closing valve being a sum of:
a length of the supply flow path connected to the opening/closing valve, and
a length of a portion of the merging flow path extending between the fastening position and a downstream end of the supply flow path that is connected to the opening/closing valve; and
open the one of the opening/closing valves having the longest total flow path length.

### Claim 2

A vehicle with a fuel cell system mounted thereon, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
a plurality of tanks configured to store fuel gas to be used for power generation of the fuel cell, each tank having an opening/closing valve for switching over between execution and halt of supply of the fuel gas;
a plurality of supply flow paths connected to the opening/closing valves in the plurality of tanks, each supply flow path being configured to feed the fuel gas supplied from a respective one of the plurality of tanks;
a merging flow path configured to merge together the plurality of supply flow paths to feed the fuel gas to the fuel cell; and
a controller configured to control opening and closing of the opening/closing valves, wherein
the merging flow path is fastened to a vehicle body of the vehicle at a fastening position, and
at a start-up of the fuel cell system, the controller is configured to exert such control as to:
select one of the opening/closing valves having a longest total flow path length out of the opening/closing valves, the total flow path length of each opening/closing valve being a sum of:
a length of the supply flow path connected to the opening/closing valve, and
a length of a portion of the merging flow path extending between the fastening position and a downstream end of the supply flow path that is connected to the opening/closing valve;
given that the start-up is a first-time start-up since a last-time filling of the fuel gas into the plurality of tanks, open all of the opening/closing valves in the plurality of tanks; and
given that the start-up is a second-time start-up since the last-time filling of the fuel gas into the plurality of tanks, open the one of the opening/closing valves having the longest total flow path length out of the plurality of the opening/closing valves.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein after opening the one of the opening/closing valves having the longest total flow path length, the controller is configured to exert such control as to:
determine, for each closed opening/closing valve, a total flow path length difference that is a difference between the total flow path length of the closed opening/closing valve and the total flow path length of the one of the opening/closing valves having the longest total flow path length, and
thereafter open one of the closed opening/closing valves whose total flow path length difference is equal to or less than a predetermined total flow path length difference value.