US 11,705,560 B2
Fuel cell system
Hiroyuki Suganuma, Aichi-ken (JP); and Masaaki Matsusue, Mishima (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Jan. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/648,984.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-015882 (JP), filed on Feb. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0246956 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04089 (2016.01); H01M 8/04746 (2016.01); H01M 8/04791 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04097 (2013.01) [H01M 8/04761 (2013.01); H01M 2250/20 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell configured to generate electricity by causing reaction of a fuel component contained in fuel gas;
a supply path connected to a supply port of the fuel cell and configured to supply the fuel gas to the supply port;
a control valve that is provided on the supply path and that is able to adjust an opening degree of the control valve;
an ejector provided in a section on the supply path between the control valve and the fuel cell;
a return path connected between an exhaust port of the fuel cell and the ejector and configured to return off-gas discharged from the exhaust port to the supply path by suction force generated by the ejector; and
a controller configured to control the control valve, wherein the controller is configured to:
selectively execute a normal operation in which at least the one control valve is intermittently opened at a duty ratio corresponding to a target value for a supply amount of the fuel gas, and a particular operation for supplying, to the fuel cell, fuel gas containing the fuel component at a higher concentration than in the normal operation;
intermittently open the control valve to a first opening degree when the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell at a first supply amount in the normal operation; and
continuously or intermittently open the control valve to a second opening degree smaller than the first opening degree when the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell at the first supply amount in the particular operation.