Fuel cell system

Abstract

Accurately determine the lifespan of the filter. [Solution] The fuel cell system 20 is equipped with an air flow meter 31 that detects the flow rate of air that has passed through the air cleaner 23 and before it is drawn into the air compressor 22. The fuel cell system 20 is equipped with a higher-level ECU 33. The higher-level ECU 33 functions as an integrated value calculation unit that calculates the integrated value of the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter 31, a collected dust amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter 29 by multiplying the calculated integrated value by a dust concentration preset based on the operating environment, and a notification unit that notifies when the calculated collected dust amount exceeds a collection allowance which is a preset threshold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell system.

Background Art

[0002] For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, an air compressor, and an air cleaner. The air compressor supplies air to the fuel cell stack. The air cleaner has a filter. The filter collects dust contained in the air before it is inhaled by the air compressor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in such a fuel cell system, when the filter of the air cleaner clogs, the load on the air compressor increases, so it is necessary to replace the filter with a new one. Therefore, in order to efficiently replace the filter, it is necessary to accurately determine the life of the filter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A fuel cell system that solves the above problems comprises a fuel cell stack, an air compressor that supplies air to the fuel cell stack, and an air cleaner having a filter that collects dust contained in the air before it is drawn into the air compressor, the fuel cell system comprising: an air flow meter that detects the flow rate of air that has passed through the air cleaner and before it is drawn into the air compressor; an integrated value calculation unit that calculates an integrated value of the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter; a collected dust amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter by multiplying the integrated value calculated by the integrated value calculation unit by a dust concentration that is set in advance based on the operating environment; and a notification unit that notifies that the amount of dust collected calculated by the collected dust amount calculation unit has exceeded a collection allowance which is a set threshold.

[0006] According to this system, if the amount of collected dust calculated by the dust collection amount calculation unit exceeds a preset threshold, which is the allowable collection amount, the notification unit will notify the user. Therefore, the filter's lifespan can be determined with accuracy.

[0007] In the fuel cell system described above, the dust collection amount calculation unit may calculate the dust collection amount based on the dust concentration set using a display provided on the forklift.

[0008] This configuration is suitable for accurately determining the filter lifespan in a fuel cell system mounted on a forklift. In the fuel cell system described above, the notification unit may display a notification screen on a display provided on the forklift indicating that it is time to replace the filter.

[0009] This configuration is suitable for notifying the user of the time to replace the air cleaner filter in a fuel cell system mounted on a forklift. The notification unit can notify the user that the amount of dust collected, calculated by the dust collection amount calculation unit, has exceeded a preset threshold, which is the allowable amount of dust collected, by displaying a notification screen on the display indicating that it is time to replace the filter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this invention, the lifespan of a filter can be determined with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side view showing a forklift in an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the control of the higher-level ECU. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a graph showing the change in the amount of dust collected. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] An embodiment of the fuel cell system will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The fuel cell system of this embodiment is mounted on a forklift, which is an industrial vehicle. <Forklift> As shown in Figure 1, the forklift 10 comprises a body 11, a travel motor 12, a cargo handling motor 13, and a fuel cell system 20. The forklift 10 also comprises drive wheels 14 and a cargo handling device 15. The travel motor 12 drives the drive wheels 14. The cargo handling motor 13 drives the cargo handling device 15. The fuel cell system 20 is housed inside the body 11. The body 11 is equipped with a display 16. Therefore, the forklift 10 is equipped with a display 16.

[0013] <Fuel cell system> As shown in Figure 2, the fuel cell system 20 includes a fuel cell stack 21. The fuel cell stack 21 is composed of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. The battery cells are of the solid molecular type. The fuel cell stack 21 generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen as a fuel gas and oxygen from the air as an oxidizing gas. The travel motor 12 and the load handling motor 13 of the forklift 10 are driven by the electricity generated by the fuel cell stack 21. The electricity generated by the fuel cell stack 21 is also used to charge a battery (not shown).

[0014] The fuel cell system 20 comprises an air compressor 22, an air cleaner 23, and an intercooler 24. The air compressor 22 is an electric compressor. The air cleaner 23 is connected to the intake port 22a of the air compressor 22 via a first pipe 25. The discharge port 22b of the air compressor 22 is connected to the inlet port 24a of the intercooler 24 via a second pipe 26. The outlet port 24b of the intercooler 24 is connected to the supply port 21a of the fuel cell stack 21 via a third pipe 27. A fourth pipe 28 is connected to the discharge port 21b of the fuel cell stack 21.

[0015] The air cleaner 23 has a filter 29. The filter 29 collects dust contained in the air before it is drawn into the air compressor 22. The air purified by the air cleaner 23 is then drawn into the air compressor 22 via the first pipe 25. The air compressor 22 compresses the air drawn in from the intake port 22a. The air compressed by the air compressor 22 is discharged into the second pipe 26 via the discharge port 22b. The air discharged into the second pipe 26 is supplied to the intercooler 24 and cooled by the intercooler 24. The air cooled by the intercooler 24 is then supplied to the fuel cell stack 21 via the third pipe 27. In this way, the air compressor 22 supplies air to the fuel cell stack 21. The oxygen contained in the air supplied to the fuel cell stack 21 contributes to the power generation of the fuel cell stack 21. After that, the air passing through the fuel cell stack 21 is discharged into the fourth pipe 28 from the exhaust port 21b as exhaust from the fuel cell stack 21.

[0016] A pressure regulating valve 30 is provided in the fourth pipe 28. The pressure regulating valve 30 is configured to adjust the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the fourth pipe 28. The pressure regulating valve 30 adjusts the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the fourth pipe 28 to regulate the pressure in the fuel cell stack 21. The pressure in the fuel cell stack 21 decreases as the opening of the pressure regulating valve 30 increases. Conversely, the pressure in the fuel cell stack 21 increases as the opening of the pressure regulating valve 30 decreases.

[0017] The fuel cell system 20 is equipped with an air flow meter 31. The air flow meter 31 is installed in the first piping 25. The air flow meter 31 is configured to detect the flow rate of air flowing through the first piping 25. Therefore, the air flow meter 31 detects the flow rate of air that has passed through the air cleaner 23 and before it is drawn into the air compressor 22.

[0018] The fuel cell system 20 includes a pressure sensor 32. The pressure sensor 32 is provided in the second pipe 26. The pressure sensor 32 is configured to be able to detect the pressure in the second pipe 26. Therefore, the pressure sensor 32 detects the pressure of the air discharged from the air compressor 22.

[0019] The fuel cell system 20 includes an upper ECU 33. The upper ECU 33 can be realized by, for example, one or more dedicated hardware circuits and / or one or more processors (control circuits) operating according to a computer program (software). The processor includes a CPU and memories such as RAM and ROM, and the memories store program codes or instructions configured to cause the processor to execute various processes, for example. The memory, that is, the computer-readable medium, includes any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0020] The upper ECU 33 is electrically connected to the air compressor 22. The upper ECU 33 is electrically connected to the pressure regulating valve 30. The upper ECU 33 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 32. And information regarding the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 32 is transmitted to the upper ECU 33. A control program for controlling the drive of the air compressor 22 and controlling the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve 30 so that the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 32 becomes the target pressure is stored in the upper ECU 33 in advance.

[0021] The upper ECU 33 is electrically connected to the air flow meter 31. And information regarding the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter 31 is transmitted to the upper ECU 33. A calculation program for calculating the integrated value of the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter 31 is stored in the upper ECU 33 in advance. Therefore, the upper ECU 33 functions as an integrated value calculation unit that calculates the integrated value of the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter 31.

[0022] The higher-level ECU 33 is electrically connected to the display 16. The display 16 allows setting the dust concentration. The dust concentration is the amount of dust contained in a unit volume of air. The dust concentration is uniquely determined based on the operating environment of the fuel cell system 20. The dust concentration is set by the user using the display 16 installed on the forklift 10. Therefore, the dust concentration is preset based on the operating environment of the fuel cell system 20. The dust concentration information set using the display 16 is transmitted to the higher-level ECU 33.

[0023] The upper-level ECU 33 receives dust concentration information transmitted from the display 16. The upper-level ECU 33 has a calculation map pre-stored in it that calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter 29 by multiplying the dust concentration, which is set in advance based on the operating environment, by the integrated value of the airflow rate. Therefore, the upper-level ECU 33 also functions as a dust collection amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter 29 by multiplying the dust concentration, which is set in advance based on the operating environment, by the integrated value calculated by the integrated value calculation unit. The upper-level ECU 33 calculates the amount of dust collected based on the dust concentration set using the display 16 provided on the forklift 10.

[0024] The upper-level ECU 33 has a pre-programmed determination program that determines whether the calculated amount of collected dust exceeds a pre-set threshold, which is the collection allowance. The upper-level ECU 33 also has a pre-programmed notification program that, if it determines that the amount of collected dust exceeds the collection allowance, displays a notification screen on the display 16 informing the user that it is time to replace the filter 29. Thus, the upper-level ECU 33 also functions as a notification unit that notifies the user when the amount of collected dust calculated by the collected dust amount calculation unit exceeds a pre-set threshold, which is the collection allowance. The upper-level ECU 33 then displays a notification screen on the display 16 on the forklift 10 informing the user that it is time to replace the filter 29.

[0025] [Effect of the Embodiment] Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the upper-level ECU 33 first receives the dust concentration transmitted from the display 16 in step S11. Next, in step S12, the upper-level ECU 33 calculates the integrated value of the airflow rate detected by the airflow meter 31. Then, in step S13, the upper-level ECU 33 calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter 29 by multiplying the dust concentration by the integrated value of the airflow rate. In step S14, the upper-level ECU 33 determines whether the amount of dust collected exceeds the collection limit.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, assume that the amount of collected dust exceeds the collection limit after time T1. Then, as shown in Figure 3, the higher-level ECU 33 determines in step S14 that the amount of collected dust has exceeded the collection limit. The higher-level ECU 33 then proceeds to step S15 and displays a notification screen on the display 16 indicating that it is time to replace the filter 29. On the other hand, if the higher-level ECU 33 determines in step S14 that the amount of collected dust has not exceeded the collection limit, it proceeds to step S12.

[0027] [Effects of the Embodiment] The above embodiment can be achieved to obtain the following effects. (1) The higher-level ECU 33 notifies the user when the amount of collected dust calculated by the higher-level ECU 33 exceeds the preset threshold, which is the collection limit. Therefore, the lifespan of the filter 29 can be determined with accuracy.

[0028] (2) The higher-level ECU 33 calculates the amount of dust to be collected based on the dust concentration set using the display 16 installed on the forklift 10. This configuration is suitable for accurately determining the lifespan of the filter 29 of the air cleaner 23 in the fuel cell system 20 mounted on the forklift 10.

[0029] (3) The higher-level ECU 33 displays a notification screen on the display 16 provided on the forklift 10 indicating that it is time to replace the filter 29. This configuration is suitable for notifying the time to replace the filter 29 of the air cleaner 23 in the fuel cell system 20 mounted on the forklift 10. By displaying a notification screen on the display 16 indicating that it is time to replace the filter 29, the higher-level ECU 33 can notify that the calculated amount of collected dust has exceeded the collection limit which is a preset threshold.

[0030] (4) The lifespan of the filter 29 can be determined with accuracy, allowing for efficient replacement of the filter 29. Therefore, there is no need to use an unnecessarily large filter 29 in order to avoid the need to replace the filter 29 for a certain period of time. Consequently, the filter 29 can be made smaller.

[0031] (5) The lifespan of the filter 29 can be determined with accuracy, making it easy to determine when to replace it. Therefore, the user of the forklift 10 does not need to rely on a service technician to determine when to replace the filter 29. Consequently, the replacement of the filter 29 can be done efficiently.

[0032] [Example of changes] The above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0033] ○ In this embodiment, the higher-level ECU 33 may, for example, send a message to the cloud indicating that it is time to replace the filter 29, and notify a service technician who will perform the filter 29 replacement work.

[0034] ○ In this embodiment, the higher-level ECU 33 may, for example, notify the user that it is time to replace the filter 29 by illuminating a lamp provided on the forklift 10.

[0035] ○ In this embodiment, the integrated value calculation unit, the collected dust amount calculation unit, and the notification unit may each be separate ECUs. In short, the fuel cell system 20 just needs to be equipped with an integrated value calculation unit, a collected dust amount calculation unit, and a notification unit.

[0036] ○ In this embodiment, the fuel cell system 20 is mounted on a forklift 10, but it is not limited to this, and may be mounted on, for example, a towing vehicle used for transporting goods, or an order picker used for picking operations. In short, the fuel cell system 20 may be mounted on industrial vehicles other than the forklift 10.

[0037] ○ In this embodiment, the fuel cell system 20 may be installed in a fuel cell vehicle other than an industrial vehicle. ○ In this embodiment, the fuel cell system 20 may be mounted on a stationary power generation device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10...Forklift, 16...Display, 20...Fuel cell system, 21...Fuel cell stack, 22...Air compressor, 23...Air cleaner, 29...Filter, 31...Air flow meter, 33...Higher-level ECU that functions as an integrated value calculation unit, a collected dust amount calculation unit, and a notification unit.

Claims

1. Fuel cell stack and An air compressor that supplies air to the fuel cell stack, A fuel cell system comprising: an air cleaner having a filter for collecting dust contained in the air before it is drawn into the air compressor, An air flow meter that detects the flow rate of air that has passed through the air cleaner and is before being drawn into the air compressor, A unit for calculating the integrated value of the air flow rate detected by the air flow meter, A dust collection amount calculation unit calculates the amount of dust collected by the filter by multiplying the dust concentration, which is set in advance based on the operating environment, by the integrated value calculated by the integrated value calculation unit, A fuel cell system characterized by comprising a notification unit that notifies when the amount of dust collected calculated by the dust collection amount calculation unit exceeds a preset threshold amount which is the allowable amount of dust collection.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that the dust collection amount calculation unit calculates the dust collection amount based on the dust concentration set using a display provided on the forklift.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the notification unit displays a notification screen on a display provided on the forklift indicating that it is time to replace the filter.

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