Fluid compressor and fuel cell vehicle

Abstract

An air compressor as a fluid compressor includes: a suction port and a delivery port provided at upper and lower portions, respectively, of a pump chamber; a suction passage in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the suction port; a delivery passage in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the delivery port ( 88 ); and a driving rotor and a driven rotor provided in the pump chamber. At least a part of the suction passage is located below the suction port.

1 . A fuel cell system, comprising:
 a fuel cell that generates electric power through a reaction of a reactant gas, and   
       a fluid compressor, 
       wherein the fluid compressor includes:
 a pump chamber defined within a housing; 
 an upper port that is provided at an upper portion of the pump chamber and a lower port that is provided at a lower portion of the pump chamber, wherein the upper port and the lower port are formed through a wall of the housing; 
 an upper passage that is in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the upper port and serves as a suction passage that directs a fluid into the pump chamber through the upper port; wherein an upper connection member, to which a pipe is connected is secured to an upper portion of the housing and the upper passage is defined within the upper connection member, and wherein the upper passage has a lower edge that is inclined or curved gradually downward from the upper port to a pipe connecting end of the upper passage; 
 a lower passage that is in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the lower port and serves as a delivery passage that delivers the fluid from the pump chamber through the lower port, wherein a lower connection member, to which another pipe is connected, is secured to a lower portion of the housing and the lower passage is defined within the lower connection member; and 
 a rotor that is provided in the pump chamber and that rotates to compress a fluid introduced into the pump chamber through the upper port and then discharge the compressed fluid through the lower port, 
 wherein at least a part of the upper passage is positioned below the upper port, and at least a portion of an upper passage side end of the upper port is located below a pump chamber side end of the upper port, and 
 wherein the fluid compressor is used as an air compressor that compresses oxidation gas as the reactant gases which is supplied to the fuel cell. 
 
     
     
         2 . A fuel cell system, comprising:
 a fuel cell that generates electric power through a reaction of a reactant gas, and   a fluid compressor,   wherein the fluid compressor includes:   a pump chamber defined within the housing;   an upper port that is provided at an upper portion of the pump chamber and a lower port that is provided at a lower portion of the pump chamber, wherein the upper port and the lower port are formed through a wall of the housing;   an upper passage that is in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the upper port and serves as a delivery passage that delivers a fluid from the pump chamber through the upper port, wherein an upper connection member, to which a pipe is connected, is secured to an upper portion of the housing and the upper passage is defined within the upper connection member, and wherein the upper passage has a lower edge that is inclined or curved gradually downward from the upper port to a pipe connecting end of the upper passage;   a lower passage that is in communication with the inside of the pump chamber via the lower port and serves as a suction passage that directs the fluid into the pump chamber through the lower port, wherein the lower connection member, to which another pipe is connected, is secured to a lower portion of the housing and the lower passage is defined within the lower connection member; and   a rotor that is provided in the pump chamber and that rotates to compress the fluid introduced into the pump chamber through the lower port and then discharges the compressed fluid through the upper port,   wherein at least a part of the upper passage is positioned below the upper port and at least a portion of an upper passage side end of the upper port is located below a pump chamber side end of the upper port, and   wherein the fluid compressor is used as an air compressor that compresses oxidation gas as the reactant gases which are supplied to the fuel cell.   
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least a portion of the lower passage is positioned below the lower port.   
     
     
         6 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the lower port includes a portion that is a lowermost end of an inner surface of the pump chamber, and extends downward from a bottom surface of the pump chamber or a side wall surface that includes the lowermost end.   
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the rotor has a spiral ridge.   
     
     
         10 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein an uppermost portion of a bottom of the upper passage is connected to a lowermost portion of the upper passage side end of the upper port.   
     
     
         11 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the uppermost portion of the bottom of the upper passage is connected to the lowermost portion of the bottom of the upper port.   
     
     
         12 . A fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The fuel cell vehicle according to  claim 12 ,
 further comprising: a control unit that controls the fluid compressor to rotatably drive the rotor if it is determined that an environmental temperature does not exceed a threshold temperature for a prescribed period of time after the fuel cell vehicle is shut down.   
     
     
         14 . The fuel cell vehicle according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the rotor is driven a plurality of times at regular time intervals if the control unit determines that the environmental temperature does not exceed the threshold temperature for a prescribed period of time after the fuel cell vehicle is shut down.   
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein at least a portion of the lower passage is positioned below the lower port.   
     
     
         18 . The fuel cell system-according to  claim 17 ,
 wherein the lower port includes a portion that is a lowermost end of an inner surface of the pump chamber, and extends downward from a bottom surface of the pump chamber or a side wall surface that includes the lowermost end.   
     
     
         19 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the rotor has a spiral ridge.   
     
     
         20 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein an uppermost portion of a bottom of the upper passage is connected to a lowermost portion of the upper passage side end of the upper port.   
     
     
         21 . The fuel cell system according to  claim 20 ,
 wherein an uppermost portion of a bottom of the upper passage is connected to a lowermost portion of the upper passage side end of the upper port.   
     
     
         22 . A fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system according to  claim 2 . 
     
     
         23 . The fuel cell vehicle according to  claim 22 ,
 further comprising: a control unit that controls the fluid compressor to rotatably drive the rotor if it is determined that an environmental temperature does not exceed a threshold temperature for a prescribed period of time after the fuel cell vehicle is shut down.   
     
     
         24 . The fuel cell vehicle according to  claim 23 ,
 wherein the rotor is driven a plurality of times at regular time intervals if the control unit determines that the environmental temperature does not exceed the threshold temperature for a prescribed period of time after the fuel cell vehicle is shut down.