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AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsTakashi Sasaki, Hiroyuki Abe, Tsuyoshi Eguchi, Yasushi Kojima, Takashi Saito, Akihiro Suzuki
Estimating the term…
A degradation diagnosis method for simply performing degradation diagnosis of a gas sensor such as a hydrogen sensor. The hydrogen sensor has a reference detector member and common detector member, with each detector member respectively constituted of a detector element and temperature compensating element that form a pair. Power is normally supplied to the common detector member, which performs concentration detection of the hydrogen gas. When performing degradation diagnosis of this common detector member, concentration detection is performed simultaneously by each detector member for the gas of the prescribed hydrogen concentration by supplying power to both the common detector member and reference detector member and comparing the output value of the common detector member and the output value of the reference detector member.
A gas sensor degradation diagnosis method for diagnosing the degradation of a detection means employing a plurality of detector members that comprise detector elements and temperature compensating elements and that are disposed in close proximity to one another, with at least one of the plurality of detector members serving as a reference detector member, and the others serving as common detector members, the gas sensor degradation diagnosis method comprising the steps of:
A gas sensor degradation diagnosis device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Of an electrically-heated body in dependence upon change of temperature: caused by burning or catalytic oxidation of surrounding material to be…
General constructional details of gas analysers, e.g. portable test equipment: arrangements to check the analyser
Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration: of gaseous reactants
Concerning the detector: comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array
Term ended 16 Jul 2023 (estimated)
This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 national stage filing of International Application No. PCT/JP03/05897, filed 12 May 2003, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-137649 filed on 13 May 2002, Japanese Patent Application No 2002-374086 filed 25 Dec. 2002, and Japanese Patent Application No 2003-070227 filed 14 Mar. 2003, in Japan. The contents of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention relates to a method and device for diagnosing degradation in gas sensors such as hydrogen sensors.
A solid polymer membrane fuel cell, for instance, has a stack comprised by stacking a plurality of cells formed by sandwiching a solid polymer electrolyte membrane from both sides by an anode and a cathode, with hydrogen fed to the anode as fuel, and air fed to the cathode as an oxidant. Hydrogen ions generated at the anode by a catalytic reaction move through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane to the cathode, where they cause an electrochemical reaction with oxygen to generate electricity.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the gas sensor degradation diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main parts of the fuel cell system having the gas sensor degradation diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the hydrogen sensor shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.
Below, the gas sensor degradation diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention is explained referring to the drawings.
The gas sensor degradation diagnosis device according to the present embodiment includes a hydrogen sensor 11a for detecting hydrogen of the prescribed concentration, including zero, in the interior of a vehicle 1 such as a fuel cell vehicle as shown for example in FIG. 1 and devices such as control device 12, storage device 13 and alarm device 14 that diagnose whether or not each gas sensor is degraded with respect to the gas sensor such as hydrogen sensor 11b provided in the outlet side conduit 6 of the oxygen terminal side of the fuel cell system 7 including a fuel cell 2 and conduits 3, 4, 5, and 6 connected to the fuel cell 2, as shown for example in FIG. 2.
The control device 12 is connected to the hydrogen sensor 11a installed in the roof 1a of the vehicle and to hydrogen sensor 11b installed in the outlet side conduit 6 of the oxygen terminal side of the fuel cell 2, determines for example whether or not each hydrogen sensor 11a and 11b is degraded in accordance with the comparison result between the detection signal output from hydrogen sensors 11a and 11b and the prescribed judgment threshold value stored in storage device 13, and outputs an alarm and the like by means of alarm device 14 when degradation is determined. Here, storage device 3 stores maps and the like of the prescribed judgment threshold values for the detection values (outputs) of gas sensors 11a and 11b.