US 11,888,193 B2
Fuel cell system
Masaaki Matsusue, Mishima (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Jan. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/649,235.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-015629 (JP), filed on Feb. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0246964 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04 (2016.01); H01M 8/04746 (2016.01); H01M 8/0438 (2016.01); H01M 8/04537 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/04753 (2013.01) [H01M 8/0438 (2013.01); H01M 8/04582 (2013.01); H01M 2250/20 (2013.01)] 1 Claim
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell,
an ejector,
a fuel gas supplier which supplies fuel gas to the ejector,
a circulation flow path which recovers fuel off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to return the fuel off-gas to the ejector as circulation gas,
a fuel gas supply flow path which connects the ejector with the fuel gas supplier to supply the fuel gas to the ejector,
a fuel gas flow rate control valve which is disposed on the fuel gas supply flow path to control a flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to the ejector,
a mixed gas supply flow path which connects the ejector with the fuel cell to supply mixed gas containing the fuel gas and the circulation gas from the ejector to a fuel electrode of the fuel cell,
a pressure detector which detects pressure information on a fuel electrode side of the fuel cell,
a current detector which detects a current amount of the fuel cell, and
a controller,
wherein the fuel gas flow rate control valve is a linear solenoid valve to control an opening degree of the fuel gas flow rate control valve;
wherein, from the current amount, the controller determines whether or not the amount of power generated by the fuel cell is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold;
wherein, when the amount of the power generated by the fuel cell is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the controller issues an intermittent supply command to intermittently supply the fuel gas to the fuel cell;
wherein the intermittent supply command includes a first intermittent supply command and a second intermittent supply command;
wherein the first intermittent supply command increases the flow rate of the fuel gas by setting the opening degree during pressure rise of the linear solenoid valve to relatively more than the second intermittent supply command;
wherein, after the first intermittent supply command, the second intermittent supply command decreases the flow rate of the fuel gas for a predetermined time by setting the opening degree during pressure rise of the linear solenoid valve to relatively less than the first intermittent supply command, and
wherein, for the first intermittent supply command, the opening degree during pressure rise of the linear solenoid valve is 100%.