JP4395056B2 - Mounting structure of pressure control valve of fuel cell system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a pressure control valve for controlling the pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell.

  In a fuel cell system that is a power source of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle, hydrogen that is fuel stored in a hydrogen tank mounted on the vehicle is supplied to the anode side of the fuel cell stack, and air drawn from outside the vehicle ( Hereinafter, it may be referred to as “reactive gas”) is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell stack, and hydrogen and oxygen are reacted to generate electric power in the fuel cell stack.

  In such a fuel cell system, a humidifier that humidifies the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell stack with moisture contained in the air discharged from the fuel cell stack (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “exhaust gas”). There is something to have. A pressure control valve is attached to the exhaust gas outlet of the humidifier, and the pressure of the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell stack is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the humidifier by the pressure control valve. The pressure is adjusted.

As the pressure control valve mounting structure, the pressure control valve is installed by attaching the inlet of the pressure control valve to the exhaust gas exhaust port of the humidifier through a mounting member made of an elastic member such as a rubber material. There is a structure supported by a humidifier (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this pressure control valve mounting structure, the vibration of the pressure control valve generated when the butterfly valve provided in the flow path of the pressure control valve is driven to adjust the flow rate of the exhaust gas can be absorbed by the mount member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce noise generated by the vibration of the pressure control valve being transmitted to the vehicle floor.
JP 2004-119123 A (paragraph 0012, FIG. 3)

  In the pressure control valve mounting structure described above, it is preferable to effectively absorb the vibration of the pressure control valve by using a highly flexible mount member. However, when the flexibility of the mount member is increased, it is proportional to it. As a result, the strength of the mount member is reduced. In the pressure control valve mounting structure described above, one end of the pressure control valve is attached to the humidifier, and the pressure control valve is supported by the humidifier in a cantilever state via the mount member. When the flexibility is increased, there is a problem that the mounting strength of the pressure control valve is lowered.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the pressure control valve mounting structure of the fuel cell system that solves the above-described problems, effectively absorbs the vibration of the pressure control valve, and can sufficiently secure the mounting strength of the pressure control valve. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a humidifier that humidifies the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell with moisture contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell. The pressure control valve introduction port for regulating the pressure is an attachment structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system attached to the exhaust gas exhaust port of the humidifier through the elastic member, and through the elastic member, A support member having a holding portion attached to the outer surface of the pressure control valve is provided , the support member is attached to the humidifier, and the holding portion is interposed via an annular elastic member externally fitted to the pressure control valve. It is attached to a pressure control valve .

Thus, in the fuel cell system pressure control valve mounting structure of the present invention, the pressure control valve inlet is attached to the humidifier outlet, and the support member attached to the pressure control valve and the humidifier is provided. It is provided and the pressure control valve is supported by the humidifier by a plurality of attachment points.
As a result, the weight of the pressure control valve is distributed to each mounting location, and the load acting on one location is reduced. Therefore, the pressure control valve and the support member are disposed between the inlet of the pressure control valve and the outlet of the humidifier. Even when an elastic member having high flexibility is provided between the holding portion and the holding portion, the load can be supported by each elastic member, and the mounting strength of the pressure control valve can be sufficiently secured.
The vibration of the pressure control valve can be effectively absorbed by the plurality of elastic members provided between the pressure control valve and the humidifier.

  Furthermore, since the pressure control valve is supported by a plurality of attachment points with respect to the humidifier having a large weight, vibration of the pressure control valve can be suppressed by the humidifier.

The invention described in Claim 2 is the mounting structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system of claim 1, the holding portion of the support member is formed in an annular shape, the holding portion, the elastic It is characterized by being externally fitted to the pressure control valve via a member.

  As described above, in the pressure control valve mounting structure of the fuel cell system of the present invention, the holding portion of the support member formed in an annular shape is externally fitted to the pressure control valve via the annular elastic member, and is elastic. Since the member absorbs vibration in the entire circumferential direction of the pressure control valve, the vibration of the pressure control valve can be effectively absorbed.

The invention according to claim 3 is the mounting structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure control valve is provided in the exhaust gas flow path and the flow path. A butterfly valve provided; a drive motor that is disposed on a side of the flow path and that drives the butterfly valve; and a motor housing that houses the drive motor, and the holding portion is fitted on the motor housing. It is a feature.

  Thus, in the fuel cell system pressure control valve mounting structure of the present invention, the support member is mounted on the motor housing of the drive motor that protrudes from the exhaust gas flow passage to the side, and the drive motor that is heavy is attached. Since the support member supports it, twisting of the flow path can be prevented and vibration of the pressure control valve can be effectively suppressed.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the mounting structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fuel cell system is purged from the fuel cell. And a diluter that mixes and dilutes the hydrogen gas with the exhaust gas, and the discharge port of the pressure control valve is attached to the exhaust gas introduction port of the diluter via an elastic member. .

  Thus, in the mounting structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system of the present invention, the mounting position that supports the pressure control valve by mounting the discharge port of the pressure control valve to the exhaust gas inlet of the diluter. Can be increased. Thereby, since the load which acts on each attachment location can be reduced, the softness | flexibility of the elastic member of each attachment location can be improved, and the vibration of a pressure control valve can be effectively absorbed by each elastic member. it can.

  In the pressure control valve mounting structure of the fuel cell system of the present invention, a plurality of mounting locations are provided between the pressure control valve and the humidifier, and the weight of the pressure control valve is dispersed and acts on each mounting location. It will be. Thereby, even when a highly flexible elastic member is provided between the inlet of the pressure control valve and the outlet of the humidifier and between the pressure control valve and the holding portion of the support member, The load can be supported by the elastic member, and the mounting strength of the pressure control valve can be sufficiently secured. And since the vibration of the pressure control valve can be effectively absorbed by the plurality of elastic members provided between the pressure control valve and the humidifier, the vibration transmitted from the pressure control valve to the vehicle body is reliably reduced. can do.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a layout of a fuel cell system box in an electric vehicle with a fuel cell according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the cathode side path of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the mounting structure of the pressure control valve of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the pressure control valve of the present embodiment.
In the present embodiment, a structure for attaching a pressure control valve of a fuel system mounted on a fuel cell-mounted electric vehicle will be described as an example.
First, the configuration of the fuel cell system will be described, and then the pressure control valve mounting structure will be described.

(Configuration of fuel cell system)
As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system is housed in a fuel system box 2 mounted under the floor of a substantially central portion of the vehicle 1, and includes a fuel cell stack 3, a humidifier 4, a diluter 5, and the like. Then, hydrogen, which is fuel stored in a hydrogen tank (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 1, is supplied to the anode side of the fuel cell stack 3, and air sucked from outside the vehicle is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell stack 3. The fuel cell stack 3 is generated by supplying and reacting hydrogen and oxygen.

Next, the cathode side path in the fuel cell system will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the reaction gas (air) sucked from outside the vehicle is compressed by the supercharger 6, and the high-temperature reaction gas is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the intercooler 7 and then humidified by the humidifier 4. And supplied to the fuel cell stack 3. The exhaust gas (air) discharged after the hydrogen and oxygen react in the fuel cell stack 3 passes through the humidifier 4 again, and is supplied to the fuel cell stack 3 by the moisture contained in the exhaust gas. The reaction gas is humidified. Further, the exhaust gas discharged from the humidifier 4 is mixed with the hydrogen gas purged from the fuel cell stack 3 in the diluter 5 and then exhausted outside the vehicle.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a pressure control valve 10 is attached to the exhaust gas discharge port 4 a of the humidifier 4, and the flow rate of the exhaust gas discharged from the humidifier 4 by the pressure control valve 10. Is adjusted to adjust the supply pressure of the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell stack 3 (see FIG. 2).

(Configuration of pressure control valve)
Next, the configuration of the pressure control valve 10 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure control valve 10 is disposed between the humidifier 4 and the diluter 5, and has a metal main body 11 in which the longitudinal direction is horizontally disposed. Yes. On one end side (left side in FIG. 4) of the main body 11, an exhaust gas flow path 12 is provided that intersects the longitudinal direction of the main body 11 in the horizontal direction. Further, a motor housing 13 in which an electric drive motor (not shown) is accommodated is provided on the other end side (right side in FIG. 4) of the main body 11. Reference numeral 14 denotes a connector for connecting a power supply cable (not shown) for supplying power to the drive motor.

  Here, the exhaust gas flow path 12 is provided with a butterfly valve 15 including a horizontal shaft 15a arranged orthogonal to the flow direction and a disc-shaped shielding plate 15b attached to the horizontal shaft. It has been. Then, the horizontal shaft 15a is rotated around the axis by a drive motor (not shown), the inclination angle of the shielding plate 15b is changed, and the opening area of the flow channel 12 is adjusted, whereby the flow channel 12 is circulated. The flow rate of exhaust gas can be adjusted.

  In addition, the inlet 12a (upper side in FIG. 4), which is the end of the flow path 12 on the humidifier 4 side, opens to the outer surface of the main body 11, and a flange 12b is formed on the periphery of the opening. . A through hole is formed at each corner of the flange portion 12b of the flow path 12.

  Furthermore, the discharge port 12c (lower side in FIG. 4), which is the end of the flow path 12 on the side of the diluter 5, protrudes from the outer surface of the main body 11, and one end of a rubber hose 40, which will be described later, is provided at the tip. A fitting portion 12d for external fitting is formed.

(Pressure control valve mounting structure)
Next, the pressure control valve mounting structure will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure control valve 10 is attached to the exhaust gas outlet 4 a of the humidifier 4 via the insulator 20, and is provided with a support member 30 attached to the outer surface of the humidifier 4. Furthermore, it is attached to the exhaust gas inlet 5 a of the diluter 5 via a rubber hose 40.

  First, the attachment structure of the pressure control valve 10 and the exhaust gas discharge port 4a of the humidifier 4 is such that the introduction port 12a of the pressure control valve 10 is humidified via an insulator 20, as shown in FIGS. It is attached to an exhaust gas outlet 4 a of the vessel 4.

  Here, the insulator 20 has a rubber member 21 that is an elastic member in which a through hole communicating with the flow path 12 is formed, and metal flange portions 22 and 23 are formed at both ends of the rubber member 21. Has been. The flange portion 22 on the pressure control valve 10 side is provided with a bolt member inserted into each through hole of the flange portion 12 b of the pressure control valve 10, and the humidifier 4 side has a humidifying portion 23. A through hole communicating with a screw hole (not shown) formed in the vessel 4 is formed.

  Then, each bolt member of the flange portion 22 on the pressure control valve 10 side of the insulator 20 is inserted into each through hole of the flange portion 12b of the pressure control valve 10, and a nut is screwed to each bolt member from the pressure control valve 10 side. At the same time, the through hole of the flange portion 23 on the humidifier 4 side of the insulator 20 is communicated with the screw hole of the humidifier 4, and a bolt is screwed into the screw hole from the insulator 20 side, thereby introducing the pressure control valve 10. The port 12 a is attached to the exhaust gas discharge port 4 a of the humidifier 4 via the insulator 20.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting structure of the pressure control valve 10 and the outer surface of the humidifier 4 is such that the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10 and the outer surface of the humidifier 4 are interposed via a support member 30. Are connected.

Here, the support member 30 includes a stay member 31 that is an L-shaped flat plate in plan view and an annular holding portion 32 that is attached to one end of the stay member 31.
The holding portion 32 is fitted on the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10 via a rubber ring 33 that is an annular elastic member fitted on the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10.

Further, one end (right side in FIG. 3) of the stay member 31 is attached to the uppermost portion of the holding portion 32 by a bolt. The stay member 31 extends from the holding portion 32 side to the flow path 12 side along the axis of the main body portion 11, and is humidified at a substantially central portion of the main body portion 11 in the longitudinal direction, that is, near the center of gravity of the pressure control valve 10. Bent toward the vessel 4 side.
Furthermore, a through hole communicating with a screw hole formed on the outer surface of the humidifier 4 is formed at the end of the stay member 31 opposite to the holding portion 32 side.

  Then, the through hole of the stay member 31 is communicated with the screw hole of the humidifier 4, and the bolt inserted into the through hole from the stay member 31 side is screwed into the screw hole of the humidifier 4, thereby The motor housing 13 and the outer surface of the humidifier 4 are connected via a support member 30.

  Next, the attachment structure of the discharge port 12c of the pressure control valve 10 and the exhaust gas introduction port 5a of the diluter 5 is formed in the discharge port 12c of the pressure control valve 10, as shown in FIGS. One end of a rubber hose 40, which is a tubular elastic member, is externally fitted to the fitting portion 12d, and the other end of the rubber hose 40 is externally fitted to the introduction port 5a of the diluter 5, whereby the pressure control valve 10 The exhaust port 12 c is attached to the exhaust gas introduction port 5 a of the diluter 5 via the rubber hose 40.

(Function and effect of pressure control valve mounting structure)
The pressure control valve mounting structure of the fuel cell system configured as described above has the following operational effects.
In the pressure control valve mounting structure of the present embodiment, the introduction port 12a of the pressure control valve 10 is attached to the discharge port 4a of the humidifier 4, and is attached to the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10 and the outer surface of the humidifier 4. Further, a support member 30 is provided, and a discharge port 12 c of the pressure control valve 10 is attached to an exhaust gas introduction port 5 a of the diluter 5. Thus, the pressure control valve 10 is supported by the three attachment locations.

  As a result, the weight of the pressure control valve 10 is distributed to each mounting location, and the load acting on one location is reduced. Therefore, the pressure control valve 10 is provided between the inlet 12a of the pressure control valve 10 and the outlet 4a of the humidifier 4. The rubber member 21 of the insulator 20, the rubber ring 33 provided between the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10 and the holding portion 32 of the support member 30, and the discharge port 12 c of the pressure control valve 10 and the introduction of the diluter 5. Even when the flexibility of the rubber hose 40 provided between the port 5a is increased, the load can be supported by each mounting location, and the mounting strength of the pressure control valve 10 can be sufficiently secured. .

Moreover, since the pressure control valve 10 is supported by the two attachment places with respect to the humidifier 4, the vibration of the pressure control valve 10 can be suppressed by the humidifier 4 with a heavy weight.
The support member 30 is attached to the humidifier 4 above the vicinity of the center of gravity of the pressure control valve 10, and the pressure control valve 10 is supported near the center of gravity, so that the vibration of the pressure control valve 10 is effectively prevented. Can be suppressed.
Further, the holding portion 32 of the support member 30 is attached to the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10, and a heavy driving motor (not shown) is supported by the support member 30. The vibration of the valve 10 can be effectively suppressed and the twist of the flow path 12 can be prevented.

  Further, the holding portion 32 of the support member 30 is externally fitted to the motor housing 13 of the pressure control valve 10 via the rubber ring 33, and the rubber ring 33 absorbs vibration in the entire circumferential direction of the motor housing 13. Therefore, the vibration of the pressure control valve 10 can be effectively absorbed.

  Therefore, in the pressure control valve mounting structure of the fuel cell system of the present invention, the pressure control valve 10 is supported by a plurality of mounting locations, and the weight of the pressure control valve 10 is dispersed and acts on each mounting location. Therefore, even if it is a case where the flexible members 21, 33, and 40 with high flexibility are provided in each attachment location, a load can be supported by each attachment location. As a result, the mounting strength of the pressure control valve 10 can be sufficiently secured, and the vibration of the pressure control valve 10 can be effectively absorbed, and the floor of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 1) from the pressure control valve 10. It is possible to reliably reduce the vibration transmitted to.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure control valve 10 configured to drive the butterfly valve 15 by an electric drive motor (not shown) is used. As long as the flow rate of the discharged exhaust gas can be adjusted, the configuration of the butterfly valve 15 driven by a wire is not limited.

  The materials of the rubber member 21, the rubber ring 33, and the rubber hose 40 of the insulator 20 that are elastic members are not limited to rubber materials, and various materials having high flexibility can be used.

It is a figure which shows the layout of the fuel cell system box in the fuel cell mounting type electric vehicle of this embodiment. It is the schematic of the cathode side path | route of this embodiment. It is the perspective view which showed the attachment structure of the pressure control valve of this embodiment. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the pressure control valve of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Fuel cell stack 4 Humidifier 5 Diluter 10 Pressure control valve 11 Main part 12 Flow path 13 Motor housing 20 Insulator 21 Rubber member 30 Support member 31 Stay member 32 Holding part 33 Rubber ring 40 Rubber hose

Claims (4)

Comprising a humidifier for humidifying the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell with moisture contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell;
A pressure control valve mounting structure for a fuel cell system in which an inlet of a pressure control valve for regulating the supply pressure of the reaction gas is attached to the exhaust gas outlet of the humidifier via an elastic member, ,
Through the elastic member, the support member is provided with a holding portion attached to the outer surface of the pressure control valve, the support member is attached to said humidifier,
The structure for attaching a pressure control valve of a fuel cell system, wherein the holding portion is attached to the pressure control valve via an annular elastic member externally fitted to the pressure control valve. A structure for mounting a pressure control valve of a fuel cell system according to claim 1,
The holding portion of the supporting member is formed in an annular shape, the holding portion, through the pre-Symbol bullets member, characterized in that it is fitted on the pressure control valve. A pressure control valve mounting structure for a fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2,
The pressure control valve is
The exhaust gas flow path;
A butterfly valve provided in the flow path;
A drive motor disposed on the side of the flow path for driving the butterfly valve;
A motor housing that houses the drive motor,
The holding portion is externally fitted to the motor housing. It is the attachment structure of the pressure control valve of the fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The fuel cell system includes a diluter that mixes and dilutes hydrogen gas purged from the fuel cell with the exhaust gas,
The discharge port of the pressure control valve is attached to the exhaust gas introduction port of the diluter via an elastic member.

Images