Fuel Cell System and Method for Operating the System

Abstract

The present invention is a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, an injector which is provided in a hydrogen supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a gas state of an upstream side of the hydrogen supply channel to supply a gas toward a downstream side, and a control device which drives and controls the injector. The control device controls an operation of the injector based on a driving state of an associated device including the fuel cell system 1.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
   
   
       20 . A fuel cell system comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device allows or prohibits an operation of the injector, or changes a drive cycle so as to hide or obscure an operation sound of the injector from an operator by a radiant sound of an auxiliary device required for operating the fuel cell or a device attached to the auxiliary device which generates the radiant sound in accordance with driving of the device.   
   
   
       21 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 20 , wherein the auxiliary device is a pump which supplies a fluid to the fuel cell. 
   
   
       22 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 21 , wherein the pump is an air compressor which feeds an oxidizing gas under pressure to the fuel cell. 
   
   
       23 . A fuel cell system which is mounted on a mobile body, comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device allows or prohibits an operation of the injector, or changes a drive cycle so as to hide or obscure an operation sound of the injector from an operator based on an operation sound of an air conditioner in a passenger chamber of the mobile body or a blowing sound.   
   
   
       24 . A fuel cell system which is mounted on a mobile body, comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device allows or prohibits an operation of the injector, or changes a drive cycle so as to hide or obscure an operation sound of the injector from an operator based on an operation sound or a blowing sound of a fan for use in cooling the fuel cell or a motor or a blower for use in blowing air from an air conditioner in a passenger chamber.   
   
   
       25 . A fuel cell system which is mounted on a mobile body, comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device allows or prohibits an operation of the injector, or changes a drive cycle based on a movement speed or an accelerated state of the mobile body so as to hide or obscure an operation sound of the injector from an operator.   
   
   
       26 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 20 , wherein the control device controls a drive frequency of the injector based on a frequency of the radiant sound from an auxiliary device required for operating the fuel cell or a device attached to the auxiliary device which generates the radiant sound in accordance with driving of the device. 
   
   
       27 . A fuel cell system comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device changes a permissible range of a pressure deviation of the injector based on a radiant sound from a device which generates the radiant sound, and   the permissible range of a pressure deviation is changed by changing a first control state in which an opening/closing operation of the injector is subjected to feedback control based on a deviation between a detected value of a secondary pressure of the injector and a target control value to a second control state in which execution of the feedback control is prohibited to raise the pressure to a predetermined target pressure at a time when the secondary pressure of the injector lowers to a predetermined lower limit pressure.   
   
   
       28 . A fuel cell system comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for driving and controlling the injector,   wherein the control device changes a permissible range of a pressure deviation of the injector based on a radiant sound from a device which generates the radiant sound, and   the permissible range of a pressure deviation is changed by changing a first control state in which when a deviation between a detected value of a secondary pressure of the injector and a target control value is less than a predetermined value, the deviation is regarded as “0”, whereas when the deviation has the predetermined value or more, an opening/closing operation of the injector is subjected to feedback control based on the deviation to a second state in which the predetermined value is increased as compared with the first control state.   
   
   
       29 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 27 , which is mounted on a mobile body,
 wherein the control device changes the permissible range of a pressure deviation of the injector only during an idle operation of the mobile body.   
   
   
       30 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 28 , which is mounted on a mobile body,
 wherein the control device changes the permissible range of a pressure deviation of the injector only during an idle operation of the mobile body.   
   
   
       31 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 20 , wherein in a case where the radiant sound from the device which generates the radiant sound is hidden or obscured from the operator, the control device prohibits the operation of the injector until a secondary pressure of the injector lowers to a predetermined lower limit pressure. 
   
   
       32 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 31 , wherein when the secondary pressure of the injector lowers to the lower limit pressure, the control device allows the operation of the injector to raise the secondary pressure to a predetermined pressure. 
   
   
       33 . A fuel cell system which is mounted on a mobile body, comprising:
 a fuel cell which receives supply of a gas to generate a power;   an injector which is provided in a gas supply channel of the fuel cell and which adjusts a state of the gas on an upstream side of the gas supply channel to supply the gas to a downstream side; and   a control device for allowing or prohibiting an operation of the injector or changing a drive cycle based on a movement state of the mobile body so as to hide or obscure an operation sound of the injector from an operator.   
   
   
       34 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 20 , wherein the injector includes an inner channel which connects an upstream side of the injector to a downstream side thereof, a valve body which is movably arranged in the inner channel and in which an opening area of the inner channel is varied based on a movement position of the valve body, and a valve body driving section which drives the valve body with an electromagnetic driving force. 
   
   
       35 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 33 , wherein the injector includes an inner channel which connects an upstream side of the injector to a downstream side thereof, a valve body which is movably arranged in the inner channel and in which an opening area of the inner channel is varied based on a movement position of the valve body, and a valve body driving section which drives the valve body with an electromagnetic driving force.