Fuel tank for fuel cell and fuel cell system
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorsKenji Hasegawa, Masaru Odagiri, Masaru Higashionji, Masafumi Shimotashiro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel tank for a fuel cell includes a fuel valve which allows a methanol water solution to pass to a fuel supply portion from a fuel injecting portion after joining a fuel cell main body and the fuel tank for the fuel cell, and shuts off the passage of the methanol water solution before the fuel supply portion and the fuel injecting portion are disconnected. Accordingly, the fuel valve is properly opened and closed, the liquid fuel does not leak out from the fuel tank for the fuel cell at a time of attaching and detaching, and it is possible to improve a safety in the fuel supply in comparison with the conventional structure.
Claims16
(canceled)
A fuel tank for a fuel cell, the fuel tank accommodating a liquid fuel supplied to a fuel cell main body, and being detachable with respect to said fuel cell main body, the fuel tank comprising:
- a fuel injecting portion configured to be engaged with a fuel supply portion included in said fuel cell main body and inject said liquid fuel accommodated in said fuel tank of the fuel cell;
- and
- a flow path opening and closing member configured to be provided in said fuel injecting portion, allow said liquid fuel to pass to said fuel supply portion from said fuel injecting portion after a joint between said fuel supply portion and said fuel injecting portion in connection with a connection of said fuel tank for the fuel cell to said fuel cell main body, and shut off the passage of said liquid fuel to said fuel supply portion from said fuel injecting portion before a disconnection between said fuel supply portion and said fuel injecting portion in connection with a disconnection of said fuel tank for the fuel cell from said fuel cell main body, and
- wherein said flow path opening and closing member is constituted by at least one of a fuel valve and a closing valve provided in a flow path of said liquid fuel.
(canceled)
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel tank for a fuel cell, the fuel tank accommodating a liquid fuel supplied to a fuel cell main body, and being detachable with respect to said fuel cell main body, wherein said fuel tank comprises a fuel injecting portion configured to be engaged with a fuel supply portion included in said fuel cell main body and inject said liquid fuel accommodated in said fuel tank of the fuel cell, and a flow path opening and closing member configured to be provided in said fuel injecting portion, allow said liquid fuel to pass to said fuel supply portion from said fuel injecting portion after a joint between said fuel supply portion and said fuel injecting portion in connection with a connection of said fuel tank for the fuel cell to said fuel cell main body, and shut off the passage of said liquid fuel to said fuel supply portion from said fuel injecting portion before a disconnection between said fuel supply portion and said fuel injecting portion in connection with a disconnection of said fuel tank for the fuel cell from said fuel cell main body;
- and
- a fuel cell main body configured to be detachable with respect to said fuel tank for the fuel cell and configured to have a fuel supply portion engaging with said fuel injecting portion of said fuel tank for the fuel cell and a power generating portion generating an electric power by said supplied liquid fuel, and
- wherein said flow path opening and closing member included in said fuel tank for the fuel cell is constituted by at least one of a fuel valve provided in a flow path of said liquid fuel and an injecting portion side closing valve, and in a case that said fuel tank for the fuel cell has said injecting portion side closing valve, said fuel supply portion provided in said fuel cell main body has a supply portion side closing valve which is brought into contact with said injecting portion side closing valve so as to open and close the flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.