Fuel cell throttle, fuel cell system and fuel cell vehicle

Abstract

The present invention discloses a fuel cell throttle, which includes a throttle body, an inlet and outlet arranged on both sides of the throttle body, and two closed valves arranged in the throttle body, the two closed valves are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closed valves are respectively connected with elastic reset parts; the fuel cell throttle also includes a driving mechanism for driving the two closed valves to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be connected to the two closed valves in a transmission manner. The fuel cell throttle proposed in the embodiment of the present invention can open the upper and lower closed valves by air pressure when the driving mechanism loses power or fails, so that air flows from the throttle inlet to the throttle outlet, thereby avoiding damage to the battery stack due to excessive pressure. In addition, the present invention also proposes a fuel cell system and a fuel cell vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular to a fuel cell throttle, a fuel cell system and a fuel cell vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cell throttle, such as Figure 1 As shown, it is installed at the end of the air supply system. After the fuel reacts with the air, the circulation of the air supply system is closed, and the reaction continues until all the oxygen in the air supply system is consumed, leaving only nitrogen. At this time, a throttle is needed at the outlet of the air supply system to close the air supply system to prevent oxygen from entering the fuel cell stack through the tail pipe and continuing to react, causing the fuel cell stack performance to deteriorate.

[0003] In the prior art, such as Figure 2 As shown, the fuel cell throttle generally includes a throttle inlet 1, a throttle body 2, a throttle opening and closing valve body 3, a throttle outlet 4, a drive motor 5, a drive gear 6 and a driven gear 7. When the drive motor 5 receives a throttle opening instruction, the drive motor 5 starts to rotate to drive the drive gear 6 to rotate, and then drives the driven gear 7 to rotate, and then the driven gear 7 drives the throttle opening and closing valve body 3 to open the throttle, and the air can flow from the throttle inlet 1 to the throttle outlet 4.

[0004] However, when the existing fuel cell throttle fails or is miscontrolled, it will cause irreversible damage to the fuel cell stack. Specifically, if the drive motor 5 fails, the throttle valve body 3 will not be able to open. If the fuel cell stack is opened at this time, the internal pressure of the fuel cell stack will be too high, damaging the fuel cell stack and directly causing the fuel cell stack to be scrapped. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell throttle, aiming to solve the technical problem that the existing fuel cell throttle will damage the fuel cell stack when a failure occurs.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a fuel cell throttle, which includes a throttle body, an inlet and outlet arranged on both sides of the throttle body, and two closing valves arranged in the throttle body, the two closing valves are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closing valves are respectively connected to elastic reset parts; the fuel cell throttle also includes a driving mechanism for driving the closing valves to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be transmission-connected to the two closing valves.

[0007] Preferably, the driving mechanism comprises a transmission rack and a driving motor for driving the transmission rack to perform a linear motion toward / away from the closed valve, and the driving motor is connected to the transmission rack via a lead screw.

[0008] Preferably, the driving motor is controlled by a PWM signal or a CAN signal.

[0009] Preferably, the driving mechanism comprises a transmission rack, an iron rod connected to the transmission rack, and a coil sleeved on the iron rod, and current is passed through both the iron rod and the coil.

[0010] Preferably, gears meshing with the transmission rack are respectively provided at one end of the two closing valves close to the transmission rack.

[0011] Preferably, the fuel cell throttle valve further comprises a sealing sleeve for preventing gas leakage from between the two gears, and the sealing sleeve is arranged between the elastic return member and the closing valve.

[0012] Preferably, the fuel cell throttle further comprises a Hall sensor disposed on the closing valve for detecting an opening angle of the closing valve.

[0013] Preferably, a sealing sheet is provided between the closing valve and the throttle body.

[0014] The present invention also proposes a fuel cell system, which includes the fuel cell throttle recorded in the aforementioned embodiment, wherein the fuel cell throttle includes a throttle body, an inlet and outlet arranged on both sides of the throttle body, and two closing valves arranged in the throttle body, the two closing valves are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closing valves are respectively connected to elastic reset parts; the fuel cell throttle also includes a driving mechanism for driving the closing valves to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be transmission-connected to the two closing valves.

[0015] The present invention further proposes a fuel cell vehicle, which includes the fuel cell system recorded in the aforementioned embodiment, and the fuel cell system includes the fuel cell throttle recorded in the aforementioned embodiment, and the fuel cell throttle includes a throttle body, an inlet and outlet arranged on both sides of the throttle body, and two closing valves arranged in the throttle body, the two closing valves are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closing valves are respectively connected to elastic reset parts; the fuel cell throttle also includes a driving mechanism for driving the closing valves to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be transmission-connected to the two closing valves.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the embodiments of the present invention are:

[0017] When receiving the signal to open the throttle, the drive mechanism starts to start, so as to drive the upper and lower closed valves to open, so that air flows from the throttle inlet to the throttle outlet; when the power is off or the drive mechanism fails, the drive mechanism stops working. In this state, the drive mechanism is in a disengaged state from the upper and lower closed valves, and the upper and lower closed valves are sealed and fitted with the throttle body and are in a closed state. When the power is off or the motor fails, if the stack is turned on, air will continuously enter the stack, and since the upper and lower closed valves are in a closed state, the air pressure inside the stack will gradually increase, and the air pressure inside the stack will act on the upper and lower closed valves to generate thrust toward the throttle outlet. When the air pressure inside the stack reaches a certain value, the thrust acting on the upper and lower closed valves will be greater than the pulling force of the elastic reset member on the upper and lower closed valves. At this time, the throttle of the fuel cell is turned on, and air will flow from the throttle inlet to the throttle outlet, avoiding irreversible damage to the stack due to excessive air pressure inside the stack, thereby achieving the effect of protecting the stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of a fuel cell system;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of an existing fuel cell throttle;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a fuel cell throttle according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] The present invention provides a fuel cell throttle. In one embodiment, see Figure 3 The fuel cell throttle includes a throttle body 10, inlets and outlets arranged on both sides of the throttle body 10, and two closing valves 40 arranged in the throttle body 10. The two closing valves 40 are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closing valves 40 are respectively connected to elastic reset parts 50; the fuel cell throttle also includes a driving mechanism for driving the two closing valves 40 to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be transmission-connected with the two closing valves 40.

[0023] The two closing valves 40 involved in this embodiment are used to open / close the throttle body 10 to control the on / off of the throttle inlet 20-throttle outlet 30. When the fuel cell is working, the upper and lower closing valves 40 can be opened to open the air passage of the throttle inlet 20-throttle outlet 30, thereby ensuring that the air flows from the throttle inlet 20 to the throttle outlet 30. When the fuel cell is working but the driving mechanism loses power or fails, since the closing valves 40 proposed in this embodiment are two vertically opposed closing valves 40, and the rotation direction of the closing valves 40 is perpendicular to the flow direction of the air, when the supplied air flows in from the throttle inlet 20, the air pressure generated by this air will act on the two closing valves 40 to generate a thrust toward the throttle outlet 30. There is also a pulling force on the closing valve 40 caused by the elastic reset member 50. When the thrust acting on the closing valve 40 is greater than the thrust acting on the closing valve 40, the closing valve 40 will slowly open under the action of this thrust, thereby discharging the air inside the fuel cell and avoiding irreversible damage to the fuel cell stack due to excessive air pressure.

[0024] The function of the driving mechanism involved in this embodiment is to drive the upper and lower closed valves 40 to open / close. The driving mechanism can adopt a cylinder structure, a motor structure, or an electromagnet structure, including but not limited to the above. Those skilled in the art can make a selection according to actual conditions, as long as the driving mechanism can realize the action of opening / closing the upper and lower closed valves 40. For example, if the driving mechanism adopts a cylinder structure, the opening / closing of the upper and lower closed valves 40 is driven by the extension and contraction of the cylinder. It should be noted that when the upper and lower closed valves 40 are in a closed state, the telescopic rod of the cylinder is retracted, and the telescopic rod is in a disengaged state from the upper and lower closed valves 40, so that when the driving mechanism fails, the upper and lower closed valves 40 can be pushed open under the action of air pressure.

[0025] The elastic reset member 50 involved in this embodiment is used to automatically close the upper and lower closed valves 40 when the driving mechanism fails. When the driving mechanism fails, if the fuel cell is in working state, the upper and lower closed valves 40 will be opened under the action of air pressure, and then, if the fuel cell stops working, the air supply will be stopped, that is, the air pressure inside the fuel cell will gradually decrease, causing the thrust acting on the upper and lower closed valves 40 to gradually decrease until the upper and lower closed valves 40 are closed under the pulling force of the elastic reset member 50. The elastic reset member 50 can be a spring, a reed, or an elastic band, including but not limited to these, and those skilled in the art can make a selection according to actual conditions, as long as the elastic reset member 50 can achieve the automatic closing action of the upper and lower closed valves 40.

[0026] When receiving the signal to open the throttle, the drive mechanism starts to start, driving the upper and lower closing valves 40 to open, so that air flows from the throttle inlet 20 to the throttle outlet 30; when the power is off or the drive mechanism fails, the drive mechanism stops working. In this state, the drive mechanism and the upper and lower closing valves 40 are in a disengaged state, and the upper and lower closing valves 40 are sealed and fitted with the throttle body 10 and are in a closed state. When the power is off or the motor fails, if the battery stack is turned on, air will continue to enter the battery stack, and because the upper and lower closing valves 40 are in a closed state, the air pressure inside the battery stack will gradually increase, and the air pressure inside the battery stack will act on the upper and lower closing valves 40, generating a thrust toward the throttle outlet 30. When the internal air pressure of the fuel cell stack reaches a certain value, the thrust acting on the upper and lower closed valves 40 will be greater than the pulling force of the elastic reset member 50 acting on the upper and lower closed valves 40. At this time, the fuel cell throttle is turned on, and air will flow from the throttle inlet 20 to the throttle outlet 30, avoiding irreversible damage to the fuel cell stack due to excessive internal air pressure, thereby achieving the effect of protecting the fuel cell stack.

[0027] In one embodiment, the driving mechanism proposed by the present invention includes a transmission rack 61 and a driving motor 62 for driving the transmission rack 61 to move linearly toward / away from the closed valve 40, and the driving motor 62 is connected to the transmission rack 61 through a lead screw. In this embodiment, the driving motor 62 is connected to a control line / power line, and the function of the power line is to provide power to the driving motor 62 to drive the transmission rack 61 to move toward / away from the closed valve 40, and the function of the control line is to receive a control signal from the control system, such as a PWM signal or a CAN signal, to control the movement of the driving motor 62 according to the signal. When the fuel cell is working, a control signal is sent from the control system to the driving motor 62, and the driving motor 62 is powered on, and then the driving motor 62 drives the transmission rack 61 to move linearly toward the closed valve 40 according to the received control signal, so as to open the upper and lower closed valves 40, so that air can flow from the throttle inlet 20 to the throttle outlet 30. It can be understood that the movement form of the driving motor 62 is rotation, while the movement of the transmission rack 61 is linear motion. Therefore, the rotational motion of the driving motor 62 can be converted into the linear motion of the transmission rack 61 through a lead screw.

[0028] In another embodiment, the driving mechanism proposed by the present invention includes a transmission rack 61, an iron rod connected to the transmission rack 61, and a coil sleeved on the iron rod, and current is passed through the iron rod and the coil. In this embodiment, a magnetic field is generated after the coil is energized, and the magnetic field generates a force on the energized iron rod, and this force is the Ampere force. The generated force causes the iron rod to move in the direction of approaching / moving away from the closed valve 40. For the movement in the two directions of approaching / moving away from the closed valve 40, the iron rod can be controlled to move in two opposite directions by simply changing the direction of the current.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the two closing valves 40 proposed by the present invention are respectively provided with gears 41 meshing with the transmission rack 61 at one end close to the transmission rack 61. In this embodiment, when the output execution end of the driving mechanism is connected to the transmission rack 61, the gears 41 are provided on the upper and lower closing valves 40, and when the transmission rack 61 moves along the direction close to the closing valve 40, the teeth at the rear end of the rack mesh with the teeth on the gear 41 to drive the upper and lower closing valves 40 to move, thereby achieving the purpose of opening the throttle body 10.

[0030] Furthermore, the fuel cell throttle valve proposed in the present invention further includes a sealing sleeve 80 for preventing gas from leaking from between the two gears, and the sealing sleeve 80 is arranged between the elastic reset member 50 and the closing valve 40. In this embodiment, since the upper and lower closing valves 40 are driven by a gear rack structure, when the upper and lower closing valves 40 are in a closed state, in order to prevent gas from leaking from the gap between the two closing valves 40, a sealing sleeve 80 is arranged in front of the closing valve 40 to ensure that no gas leaks from the gap between the upper and lower closing valves 40 when the upper and lower closing valves 40 are in a closed state.

[0031] In another embodiment, the fuel cell throttle proposed by the present invention further includes a Hall sensor 90 disposed on the closing valve 40 for detecting the opening angle of the closing valve 40. In this embodiment, when the fuel cell system is working, a throttle opening signal with an opening angle of a certain value can be sent to the driving mechanism through the control line. After the driving mechanism drives the upper and lower closing valves 40 to open, the Hall sensor 90 detects the opening angle of the upper and lower closing valves 40, and feeds back the opening angle to the control system. The control system determines whether the fuel cell throttle proposed in this embodiment is faulty based on the set opening angle and the actual opening angle, that is, if the actual opening angle is consistent with the set angle, it indicates that the fuel cell throttle is normal, and if the actual opening angle is inconsistent with the set angle, it indicates that the fuel cell throttle is faulty, and then an audible and visual alarm signal can be sent through the audible and visual alarm to remind the staff to repair it. Further, in order to provide a stable magnetic field to the Hall sensor 90, a magnet 100 is provided on the throttle body 10.

[0032] In yet another embodiment, a sealing sheet 70 is provided between the closing valve 40 and the throttle body 10. In this embodiment, by providing the sealing sheet 70 between the closing valve 40 and the throttle body 10, it is ensured that when the closing valve 40 is in a closed state, the air flowing in from the throttle inlet 20 will not flow to the throttle outlet 30 from the gap between the closing valve 40 and the throttle body 10.

[0033] The present invention further proposes a fuel cell system including the fuel cell throttle recorded in the aforementioned embodiment. The specific structure of the fuel cell throttle refers to the above embodiment. Since the fuel cell system adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the technical effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0034] The present invention further proposes a fuel cell vehicle, which includes the fuel cell system recorded in the aforementioned embodiment, and the fuel cell system includes the fuel cell throttle recorded in the aforementioned embodiment. The specific structure of the fuel cell throttle refers to the above embodiment. Since the fuel cell vehicle adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the technical effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0035] The above description is only a partial or preferred embodiment of the present invention. Neither the text nor the drawings can limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the overall concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell throttle valve, characterized in that: The fuel cell throttle comprises a throttle body, an inlet and outlet arranged on both sides of the throttle body, and two closing valves arranged in the throttle body, the two closing valves are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the two closing valves are respectively connected with elastic reset parts; the fuel cell throttle also comprises a driving mechanism for driving the two closing valves to open, and the output execution end of the driving mechanism can be drivingly connected with the two closing valves; The driving mechanism is arranged on the axis of the throttle body, and comprises a transmission rack and a driving motor for driving the transmission rack to move linearly toward / away from the closing valve, and the driving motor is connected to the transmission rack through a lead screw; one end of the two closing valves close to the transmission rack is respectively provided with a gear meshing with the transmission rack; The fuel cell throttle valve further comprises a Hall sensor disposed on the closing valve for detecting the opening angle of the closing valve; a boss is disposed on the inner wall of the throttle valve body, and a magnet is disposed on the boss for providing a stable magnetic field; The fuel cell throttle also includes a sealing sleeve for preventing gas leakage from between the two gears, and the sealing sleeve is arranged between the elastic return member and the closing valve; the closing valve is arranged obliquely along the flow direction of air, and a sealing sheet is arranged between the closing valve and the throttle body, and the sealing sheet can abut the boss to achieve sealing.

2. The fuel cell throttle valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving motor is controlled by a PWM signal or a CAN signal.

3. The fuel cell throttle valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises a transmission rack, an iron rod connected to the transmission rack and a coil sleeved on the iron rod, and current is passed through the iron rod and the coil.

4. A fuel cell system, characterized in that: The fuel cell throttle valve comprises the fuel cell throttle valve as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A fuel cell vehicle, characterized in that: A fuel cell system comprising the fuel cell system of claim 4.

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