Abstract: A method of controlling a fuel cell system includes supplying a fuel gas from a fuel-gas storage container to a fuel cell via a drive valve provided in a fuel-gas path. A first pressure is detected in the fuel-gas path between a first decompression mechanism and a second decompression mechanism. A second pressure is detected in the fuel-gas path between the second decompression mechanism and the drive valve. An on-off valve is opened. The on-off valve is provided in a bypass path. The first pressure and the second pressure are compared after the on-off valve has been opened. The fuel cell system is controlled to decrease electric power generated by the fuel cell or to stop generating electric power in the fuel cell when the first pressure is not substantially equal to the second pressure.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a battery, a fuel cell, an air pump, and a processor. The battery stores electric power. The fuel cell supplies electric power to the battery. The air pump is driven with the electric power supplied from the battery to supply air to the fuel cell. The processor, when starting the fuel cell system, is configured to compare an amount of the electric power stored in the battery with a threshold electric power. If the amount of the electric power is higher than or equal to the threshold electric power, the air pump is driven. If the amount of the electric power is lower than the threshold electric power, the air pump is prohibited to drive.

Abstract: A method of shutting down a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell includes generating power via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. A shutdown command is output to the fuel cell to stop generating power. The fuel cell is controlled to continue generating power during an oxygen consumption process to consume oxygen in the oxidant gas remaining in a cathode system of the fuel cell even when the shutdown command is output to the fuel cell. At least one of voltage, current, and power output from the fuel cell is detected during the oxygen consumption process. Whether an abnormality occurs during the oxygen consumption process is determined based on at least one of the voltage, the current, and the power. The fuel cell is controlled to stop generating power during the oxygen consumption process when it is determined that abnormality occurs.

Abstract: A fuel battery system includes a fuel battery, an electric storage, a voltage adjuster, a pump, an abnormity detector, and circuitry. The fuel battery generates electricity using fuel gas and oxidant gas. The voltage adjuster is connected to at least one of the fuel battery and the electric storage. The voltage adjuster is configured to adjust voltage output from the fuel battery or the electric storage to output the adjusted voltage to a load. The pump supplies the oxidant gas to the fuel battery using electric power output from at least one of the fuel battery and the electric storage. The voltage adjuster is connected between the fuel battery and the pump. The abnormity detector detects abnormity in the voltage adjuster. The circuitry is configured to restrict the electric power supplied to the pump in a case where the abnormity detector detects the abnormity in the voltage adjuster.

Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a lid, a switch, a sensor, and circuitry. The lid opens and closes a fuel inlet through which fuel gas is to be supplied to a tank. The switch takes an opening position to open the lid and a closing position to close the lid. The sensor detects whether the lid opens or closes the fuel inlet. The circuitry is configured to prohibit the fuel cell vehicle from travelling when the sensor detects that the lid opens the fuel inlet while the switch takes the opening position.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a first temperature sensor to detect a valve temperature of a sealing valve. A second temperature sensor is provided in a refrigerant circulation circuit to detect a fuel cell temperature of a fuel cell through a refrigerant. The circuitry is configured to calculate a sealing valve estimated temperature by subtracting a correction value from the fuel cell temperature detected by the second temperature sensor after the fuel cell stops generating electric power and after the sealing valve is closed. The circuitry is configured to determine whether at least one of the valve temperature and the sealing valve estimated temperature is lower than a predicted freezing temperature. The circuitry is configured to open the sealing valve when it is determined that the at least one of the valve temperature and the sealing valve estimated temperature is lower than the predicted freezing temperature.

Abstract: A contactor electrically connects and disconnects a fuel cell from a load. When a failure-detecting mode for detecting a closing failure of a contactor is initiated, an opening command is transmitted to the contactor, and a DC/DC converter connected to a motor changes the load voltage. Then, the load voltage and a fuel cell voltage are compared with each other. If the contactor is in a normal open state, as a result of the opening command, the fuel cell voltage is constant, whereas the load voltage of the DC/DC converter decreases, thereby producing a voltage difference. A closing failure of the contactor is determined when it is detected that the fuel cell voltage is substantially equal to the load voltage.

Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle is provided that can suppress uneven torque. The fuel cell vehicle 1 includes a motor 4; a fuel cell 10; a battery 3; a battery drive unit 21 for driving the motor 4 using electricity from the battery 3 so as to serve as an battery drive mode, in which case the initialization of the fuel cell 10 to generate electricity is not complete; a fuel cell drive unit 22 for driving the motor 4 using electricity from the fuel cell 10 and battery 3 so as to serve as a fuel cell drive mode, in which case the initialization of the fuel cell 10 to generate electricity is complete; and a torque upper limit control unit 23 for controlling a torque upper limit value of the motor 4 under the battery drive mode and fuel cell drive mode.

Abstract: The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack which is supplied with reaction gas, and performs electricity generation; a reaction gas supplier which supplies the reaction gas to the fuel cell stack; a ground fault detector which detects a ground fault from the fuel cell stack; and a reaction gas increasing member which increases an amount of a reaction gas supply to the fuel cell stack, when the ground fault is detected by the ground fault detector.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a battery, and a DC/DC converter capable of connecting the fuel cell and the battery on a power feeding circuit. A method of starting operation of the fuel cell system includes the steps of connecting a bypass line connected to a battery for bypassing the DC/DC converter to the power feeding circuit, and directly supplying electrical energy from the battery to an air compressor of an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus through the bypass line in a state where the fuel cell is disconnected from the power feeding circuit.

Abstract: The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack which is supplied with reaction gas, and performs electricity generation; a reaction gas supplier which supplies the reaction gas to the fuel cell stack; a ground fault detector which detects a ground fault from the fuel cell stack; and a reaction gas increasing member which increases an amount of a reaction gas supply to the fuel cell stack, when the ground fault is detected by the ground fault detector.

Abstract: A contactor electrically connects and disconnects a fuel cell from a load. When a failure-detecting mode for detecting a closing failure of a contactor is initiated, an opening command is transmitted to the contactor, and a DC/DC converter connected to a motor changes the load voltage. Then, the load voltage and a fuel cell voltage are compared with each other. If the contactor is in a normal open state, as a result of the opening command, the fuel cell voltage is constant, whereas the load voltage of the DC/DC converter decreases, thereby producing a voltage difference. A closing failure of the contactor is determined when it is detected that the fuel cell voltage is substantially equal to the load voltage.

Abstract: A contactor electrically connects and disconnects a fuel cell from a load. When a failure-detecting mode for detecting a closing failure of a contactor is initiated, an opening command is transmitted to the contactor, and a DC/DC converter connected to a motor changes the load voltage. Then, the load voltage and a fuel cell voltage are compared with each other. If the contactor is in a normal open state, as a result of the opening command, the fuel cell voltage is constant, whereas the load voltage of the DC/DC converter decreases, thereby producing a voltage difference. A closing failure of the contactor is determined when it is detected that the fuel cell voltage is substantially equal to the load voltage.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell which generates electricity by supplying hydrogen to an anode electrode, and a reaction gas to a cathode electrode, an anode gas supply device which supplies hydrogen to the anode electrode, and a cathode gas supply device which drives a compressor using electric power generated by the fuel cell, and supplies pressurized reaction gas to the cathode electrode. The fuel cell system further includes a target pressure setting device which sets a target value for cathode pressure of the fuel cell, a correction device which corrects the target value in accordance with atmospheric pressure, and a control device which controls the cathode pressure of the fuel cell to the corrected target value. Efficient electric power generation can be performed in accordance with the ambient environment.

Abstract: When a control device detects a request for stopping power generation of a fuel cell, electrical energy discharged from the fuel cell is supplied to an energy storage and other electrical devices such as an air compressor. At this time, electrical energy is supplied preferentially to the other electrical devices. Accordingly, discharge/charge losses in the energy storage can be reduced, compared to a technique in which an energy storage is charged preferentially at the time of stopping power generation of a fuel cell.

Abstract: A fuel cell system installed in a fuel-cell movable body. The system includes a fuel cell for generating electric power using reaction gases; a plurality of sensors for measuring states of the fuel cell; an abnormal state detecting device for detecting an abnormal state of at least one of said plurality of sensors; a substitution possibility determining device for determining whether there are one or more substitution sensors from among said plurality of sensors, each substitution sensor outputting a signal value used for setting a substitutional value for a signal value output from the sensor whose abnormal state has been detected; and a predetermined operation control device for operating the fuel cell in a predetermined operation state when the abnormal state of the sensor is detected by the abnormal state detecting device and it is determined by the substitution possibility determining device that there is no substitution sensor.

Abstract: The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack which is supplied with reaction gas, and performs electricity generation; a reaction gas supplier which supplies the reaction gas to the fuel cell stack; a ground fault detector which detects a ground fault from the fuel cell stack; and a reaction gas increasing member which increases an amount of a reaction gas supply to the fuel cell stack, when the ground fault is detected by the ground fault detector.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a battery, and a DC/DC converter capable of connecting the fuel cell and the battery on a power feeding circuit. A method of starting operation of the fuel cell system includes the steps of connecting a bypass line connected to a battery for bypassing the DC/DC converter to the power feeding circuit, and directly supplying electrical energy from the battery to an air compressor of an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus through the bypass line in a state where the fuel cell is disconnected from the power feeding circuit.

Abstract: The following control is performed. During startup of a fuel cell 1, a fuel gas is supplied to an anode 1b of the fuel cell 1 and an oxidant gas is supplied to a cathode 1c of the fuel cell 1, thereby starting power generation. Fuel gas externally emitted from the abode 1b is diluted with an oxidant gas externally emitted from the cathode 1c. From a start to end of discharge of a fuel gas from the anode 1b, a flow rate required for dilution of the oxidant gas, and a flow rate required for an external output, being calculated on the basis of the power requested for the fuel cell 1, are respectively calculated. The flow rate required for dilution and the flow rate required for an external output are compared, and a larger flow rate is set as a flow rate of the oxidant gas.

Abstract: A reaction gas supply apparatus for a fuel cell is able to adapt to various kinds of operating states, and can provide improved responsiveness with respect to a required output. The apparatus has: a compressor 2 that supplies pressurized air to a cathode electrode of a fuel cell 1; a hydrogen supply device 30 that supplies hydrogen to an anode electrode of the fuel cell 1; a control device 10 that regulates the pressure of the cathode electrode by controlling the compressor 2 according to an operating state of the fuel cell 1; and a regulator 5 that is applied with the air pressure of the cathode electrode as a reference pressure, and regulates the supply pressure to the anode electrode based on this air pressure. Moreover there is provided a pressure regulator 39 that is capable of regulating the reference pressure that is applied to the regulator 5, by discharging air from an air flow passage for the air pressure that is applied to the regulator 5.