Patent ID: 8927169
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: B60L,H01M,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system including a fuel cell and an air cleaner for cleaning air to be supplied to the fuel cell, comprising: a compressor which takes air in through the air cleaner and pressure-feeds the air to the fuel cell; a flowmeter for measuring the pressure-feed amount of air to the fuel cell; a heating device for heating the air cleaner; and a controller which determines whether the air cleaner may freeze or has frozen, the controller being programmed to control the heating device to heat the air cleaner in a case where the controller determines that the air cleaner may freeze or has frozen, wherein the air cleaner includes a case having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the flowmeter measures the pressure-feed amount of air which is pressure-fed to outside of the case and the flowmeter being provided on an upstream side of the compressor; wherein the controller is programmed to control the amount of heating of the air cleaner by the heating device based on at least one of an external air temperature, the intake amount of air into the case, and the pressure-feed amount of air decreases, wherein when the air cleaner is heated, the controller is further programmed to determine whether there is a possibility of freeze in the case based on the intake temperature and to grasp the degree of elimination of the freeze by the flowmeter, and wherein the controller is further programmed to determine the amount of the heating needed by the heating device based on the grasped degree of elimination of the freeze by the flowmeter.