Abstract: A fuel cell system, which includes a fuel cell for generating electric power and which discharges externally water remaining in the fuel cell by supplying a gas to the fuel cell, includes discharge amount estimating means, for estimating, based on the state of the fuel cell (the amount of residual water or an inclination angle), the amount of water to be discharged from the fuel cell.

Abstract: There is disclosed a vehicle assistance system including an assistance vehicle provided with a power source; an assisted vehicle driven by power; and an electric cable which electrically connects the assistance vehicle to the assisted vehicle, wherein the power of the power source is supplied from the assistance vehicle to the assisted vehicle via the electric cable.

Abstract: In order to reliably avoid freezing in the generation stop state during intermittent operation, in the control device of the present invention that controls a fuel cell system to operate intermittently by switching between the generation state and the generation stop state of a fuel cell, it is determined whether to stop the generation operation during intermittent operation based on at least the temperature of a specific component that contains moisture from among the components constituting the fuel cell system. A valve, a passage, or a humidifier arranged on a flow path for a fuel gas or oxidizing gas may be selected as the specific component mentioned above. The temperature of the specific component is measured either directly by a temperature sensor provided corresponding to the specific component or indirectly based on either the operating state of the fuel cell system or the external air temperature.

Abstract: A fuel cell system capable of reliably and rapidly discharging liquid in a fuel cell stack to the outside is provided. In a fuel cell system having a discharge path (76) that allows discharge of at least liquid in a fuel cell stack (20), at the time of actuation of the fuel cell stack (20), reaction gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack (20) at a higher speed or in a greater amount than during normal operation of the fuel cell stack (20). By supplying the reaction gas at a high speed or in a great amount before actuation, residual liquid in the fuel cell stack (20) can be blown off and thus reliably and rapidly discharged to the outside. The residual liquid can be discharged more easily when a volume (30) is provided in the discharge path (76) or the pressure inside the fuel cell stack (20) is set to a negative level at the time of actuation thereof.

Abstract: A fuel cell system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a fuel cell, measurement means for measuring impedances of the fuel cell in two kinds or more of frequency regions, and first judgment means for judging two or more parameters concerned with an internal state of the fuel cell based on measurement results of the impedances in the respective frequency regions. According to such a constitution, the impedances in the two or more types of frequency regions (a high frequency region, a low frequency region and the like) are measured to judge two or more parameters such as a wet state of an electrolytic film of the fuel cell and a supply state of a fuel gas, which are concerned with the internal state of the fuel cell based on this measurement result. Since such judgment is performed, as compared with the conventional technology, the internal state of the fuel cell can accurately be grasped, and highly efficient and highly robust control of the fuel cell system can be performed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel cell system including a fuel cell for generating electric power by a reaction of a fuel gas an oxidation gas, and a power storage device, and being configured to perform a scavenging operation when an operation of the fuel cell is stopped for discharging a moisture from the fuel cell by supplying a gas into the fuel cell by using the power supplied from the power storage device. The fuel cell system further includes control means for setting an operating condition of the fuel cell so that a moisture content of the fuel cell when it is in operation is less than a target moisture content set in accordance with a state of the power storage device.

Abstract: There is provided an anomaly judgment device that is capable of detecting an abnormal state of a system highly accurately and obtaining an accurate result. The anomaly judgment device may include a plurality of anomaly judgment devices for judging an anomaly of the system and, in cases where it is judged by the plurality of anomaly judgment devices that there is an anomaly, a judgment device judges that a system anomaly exists. Hence, even in the event of a localized abnormal state judgment by one anomaly judgment device or failure, a final judgment is not made based on that anomaly alone, and at least one other anomaly judgment is made, whereby erroneous judgments can be eliminated and a highly accurate anomaly judgment is possible.

Abstract: A high-precision gas leak judgment comparable to that when the fuel cell is operating normally is achieved even when a fuel cell is restarted. A gas leak judgment unit (for example ECU 13) for judging gas leak in a closed space formed in a fuel gas system refers to a gas leak judgment value based on pressure change in the closed space detected by a pressure sensor to judge gas leak and, in addition, varies the fuel gas leak judgment level in response to nitrogen concentration in a fuel electrode. The varying of gas leak judgment level in response to the nitrogen concentration takes into account a temporary rise in the nitrogen concentration in the fuel electrode that occurs when a fuel cell stack is restarted and, in this case, it is preferable that the gas judgment value be altered in response to the nitrogen concentration.

Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel cell system including a fuel cell for generating electric power by a reaction of a fuel gas an oxidation gas, and a power storage device, and being configured to perform a scavenging operation when an operation of the fuel cell is stopped for discharging a moisture from the fuel cell by supplying a gas into the fuel cell by using the power supplied from the power storage device. The fuel cell system further includes control means for setting an operating condition of the fuel cell so that a moisture content of the fuel cell when it is in operation is less than a target moisture content set in accordance with a state of the power storage device.

Abstract: A fuel cell system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a fuel cell, measurement means for measuring impedances of the fuel cell in two kinds or more of frequency regions, and first judgment means for judging two or more parameters concerned with an internal state of the fuel cell based on measurement results of the impedances in the respective frequency regions. According to such a constitution, the impedances in the two or more types of frequency regions (a high frequency region, a low frequency region and the like) are measured to judge two or more parameters such as a wet state of an electrolytic film of the fuel cell and a supply state of a fuel gas, which are concerned with the internal state of the fuel cell based on this measurement result. Since such judgment is performed, as compared with the conventional technology, the internal state of the fuel cell can accurately be grasped, and highly efficient and highly robust control of the fuel cell system can be performed.

Abstract: A fuel cell system, which includes a fuel cell for generating electric power and which discharges externally water remaining in the fuel cell by supplying a gas to the fuel cell, includes discharge amount estimating means, for estimating, based on the state of the fuel cell (the amount of residual water or an inclination angle), the amount of water to be discharged from the fuel cell.

Abstract: There is disclosed a vehicle assistance system including an assistance vehicle provided with a power source; an assisted vehicle driven by power; and an electric cable which electrically connects the assistance vehicle to the assisted vehicle, wherein the power of the power source is supplied from the assistance vehicle to the assisted vehicle via the electric cable.

Abstract: There is provided an anomaly judgment device that is capable of detecting an abnormal state of a system highly accurately and obtaining an accurate result. The anomaly judgment device comprises a plurality of anomaly judgment means for judging an anomaly of the system and, in cases where it is judged by the plurality of anomaly judgment means that there is an anomaly, judgment means judges that a system anomaly exists. Hence, even in the event of a localized abnormal state judgment by one anomaly judgment means or failure, a final judgment is not made based on that anomaly alone, and at least one other anomaly judgment is made, whereby erroneous judgments can be eliminated and a highly accurate anomaly judgment is possible.

Abstract: A high-precision gas leak judgment comparable to that when the fuel cell is operating normally is achieved even when a fuel cell is restarted. A gas leak judgment unit (for example ECU 13) for judging gas leak in a closed space formed in a fuel gas system refers to a gas leak judgment value based on pressure change in the closed space detected by a pressure sensor to judge gas leak and, in addition, varies the fuel gas leak judgment level in response to nitrogen concentration in a fuel electrode. The varying of gas leak judgment level in response to the nitrogen concentration takes into account a temporary rise in the nitrogen concentration in the fuel electrode that occurs when a fuel cell stack is restarted and, in this case, it is preferable that the gas judgment value be altered in response to the nitrogen concentration.

Abstract: A fuel cell system capable of reliably and rapidly discharging liquid in a fuel cell stack to the outside is provided. In a fuel cell system having a discharge path (76) that allows discharge of at least liquid in a fuel cell stack (20), at the time of actuation of the fuel cell stack (20), reaction gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack (20) at a higher speed or in a greater amount than during normal operation of the fuel cell stack (20). By supplying the reaction gas at a high speed or in a great amount before actuation, residual liquid in the fuel cell stack (20) can be blown off and thus reliably and rapidly discharged to the outside. The residual liquid can be discharged more easily when a volume (30) is provided in the discharge path (76) or the pressure inside the fuel cell stack (20) is set to a negative level at the time of actuation thereof.

Abstract: In order to reliably avoid freezing in the generation stop state during intermittent operation, in the control device of the present invention that controls a fuel cell system to operate intermittently by switching between the generation state and the generation stop state of a fuel cell, it is determined whether to stop the generation operation during intermittent operation based on at least the temperature of a specific component that contains moisture from among the components constituting the fuel cell system. A valve, a passage, or a humidifier arranged on a flow path for a fuel gas or oxidizing gas may be selected as the specific component mentioned above. The temperature of the specific component is measured either directly by a temperature sensor provided corresponding to the specific component or indirectly based on either the operating state of the fuel cell system or the external air temperature.

Abstract: According to the present invention, when means is provided for correcting a shift in phase of an engine rotation pulse and a dispersion in responses of an electromagnetic spill valve, and a control signal to a fuel injection pump is corrected in response to an output from the correcting means, if abnormality of output from the correcting means is detected, then the control signal to the fuel injection pump is corrected by use of a fixed valve. As a consequence, even when the output from the correcting means is abnormal, neither excessively large nor excessively small correction is performed and the running at the lowest level can be made, preventing the diesel smoke from being deteriorated and the engine from being damaged.

Abstract: In determining an optimum target fuel ignition timing in accordance with the engine operating conditions, including at least an engine load and an engine speed, the target ignition timing is determined on the basis of a corrected engine load and a corrected engine speed. The corrected engine load and corrected engine speed are obtained by making corrections, according to the engine operating conditions, to a detected engine load and a detected engine speed, respectively. In this way, the optimum target fuel ignition timing according to the engine operating conditions can be obtained without directly detecting a fuel injection quantity.