JP2003045468A - Fuel cell device, fuel vessel used for it and fuel supply machine for it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell system capable of safely re-using a fuel vessel, in a portable or transportable fuel cell system. SOLUTION: This system comprises a portable or transportable fuel cell 1 and a vessel 7 for feeding fuel 17 to the fuel cell 1. The vessel 7 includes a fuel storage part 10 for storing the fuel 17 with an IC chip 12 for storing data for recognizing the fuel vessel itself built in, and is so structured to be attachable to and detachable from the fuel cell 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell device comprising a portable or portable fuel cell main body and a fuel container detachable from the main body, a fuel container used in the device, and a fuel container for the same. It concerns a refueling machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, fuel cell devices using solid polymer proton conductive membranes have been actively developed. Since this fuel cell device has a high conversion efficiency of fuel to electric energy, it is not only attracting attention as an effective energy source from the viewpoint of energy saving and environmental protection, but it also generates power as long as it continues to supply fuel, so it has a remarkable function. It has attracted attention as a power source used for portable personal computers, telephones, etc., whose power consumption is increasing with the progress, and also as a portable power source. As a result, it becomes possible to drive a device with large power consumption and drive for a long time as compared with a conventional rechargeable battery.

As a fuel cell system used in such a portable or portable device, for example, a portable personal computer is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-2133.
For the cellular phone, the one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59 is "Nikkei Science", October 1999 issue, p40-4.
5 and the homepage of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (address http: //www.ene)
rgylateddevices. com / ppts
/ Lucerne_640 / sld001 to sld0
Those described in 30) are known.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell system for a mobile phone described in the website. Charging stand 2 for charging a secondary battery (not shown) built in the mobile phone 200
A fuel cell 202 is provided at 01. The fuel cell 202 uses the fuel filled in the ampoule 203 to generate electricity. Methanol is used as the fuel. Methanol produces hydrogen by the reaction shown in (Chemical Formula 1) on a catalyst (not shown) provided in the fuel cell 202, and the hydrogen is further divided into protons and electrons on the catalyst as shown in (Chemical Formula 2). Protons pass through a proton conductive electrolyte membrane (not shown) in the fuel cell 202, and electrons pass through an external circuit to reach a counter electrode (air electrode, not shown). On the air electrode catalyst, protons, electrons, and oxygen in the air become
To produce water. Electricity is generated by the flow of electrons at this time. Therefore, by inserting the ampoule 203 into the charging base 201, the pipe-shaped needle 204 provided inside the charging base 201 pierces the ampoule 203, and methanol is supplied to the fuel cell 202 through the needle 204, whereby power generation is performed. When the mobile phone 200 is set on the charging base 201, the mobile phone 200 can be charged cordlessly anywhere, and the mobile phone 200 can be used for an extremely long time by carrying the charging base 201 together.

[0004]

[Chemical 1]

[0005]

[Chemical 2]

[0006]

[Chemical 3]

[0007]

Regarding the handling of the fuel container used in the above fuel cell system after the fuel has been used, there is no particular description in the above-mentioned conventional examples. Since it is an ampoule, it is expected to be disposable. However, it is difficult to completely use up the methanol in the ampoule, and it is considered that some amount remains in the ampoule. Since the ampoule has a hole formed when the needle was pierced, it is easy to assume that the remaining methanol will leak when the ampoule is removed from the charging stand. It is a well-known fact that methanol is toxic, and leaked methanol may adhere to the skin, inhale vapor, or ingest in some cases,
The possibility of adversely affecting the human body cannot be denied. further,
If for some reason the ampoule in use falls out,
Further, a large amount of methanol will leak out, increasing the risk to the human body.

The present invention solves this problem.
Fuel cell device that can safely reuse used fuel containers,
An object is to provide a fuel container and a refueling machine.

[0009]

To solve this problem, the present invention has the following constitution.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a portable or portable fuel cell main body, and a fuel storage unit configured to be detachable from the fuel cell main body and for storing the fuel supplied to the fuel cell main body. A fuel cell device including a fuel container including an IC chip that stores at least data for identifying the fuel container itself.
Since the fuel container itself can be managed based on the data stored in the IC chip, including the judgment of compatibility with the fuel cell main body, the fuel container can be reused.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell main body has an IC for storing data of at least a fuel container suitable for the fuel cell main body.
A fuel cell device having a built-in chip, the compatibility of the fuel container can be judged by exchanging data between the IC chips of the fuel container and the fuel cell body, and the safety of the fuel container can be improved when reused. It has the effect that it can be secured.

A third aspect of the present invention is the fuel cell device according to the first aspect of the invention, in which at least one of the fuel cell main body and the fuel container has a primary cell or a secondary cell built-in, and is in an unused state. It has an effect that data in the IC chip is not lost even if it continues for a long time.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the fuel cell device according to the first aspect, wherein the fuel cell main body is provided with an electric stopper at a mounting position of the fuel container, and only a compatible fuel container is provided. It has the effect that it can be attached and the safety at the time of reuse can be secured.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell body is read as a result of reading the data of the IC chip of the fuel container to be attached to the fuel cell body. A fuel cell device having means for activating the electric stopper only when the container is compatible to permit mounting of the fuel container to the fuel cell main body, and enables mounting of only the compatible fuel container. Has the effect of

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, as a result of reading the IC data of the fuel container to be attached to the fuel cell main body, the fuel container is A fuel cell device provided with means for turning off the power output of the fuel cell main body when the fuel cell main body is incompatible, and the operation of the fuel cell main body is stopped even if a fuel container that is improperly modified is attached. It has the effect of being able to.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the fuel cell main body has an IC of the fuel container when the fuel container is removed from the fuel cell main body.
Means for memorizing the fact that the fuel cell is removed on the chip, and rejecting the re-installation when the removed fuel container is re-installed on the fuel cell body, are judged to be an incompatible fuel container based on the memory of the IC chip The fuel cell device has a function that the used fuel container cannot be attached and the used fuel container is prevented from being resold by mistake.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable or portable fuel container configured to be detachable from a portable or portable fuel cell body, and the fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell body. A fuel container for use in a fuel cell device according to claim 1, further comprising a fuel storage section for storing the fuel cell, and having an IC chip for storing at least data showing compatibility with the fuel cell main body. Based on the data, the fuel container itself can be surely managed including compatibility with the fuel cell main body, and the fuel container can be reused.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided a fuel storage unit for storing the liquid fuel as the fuel, and the fuel storage unit as a whole including the fuel storage unit. A fuel container having a fixed part and an absorber for absorbing the liquid fuel arranged in the gap between the case and the fuel storage part, wherein fuel is removed from the fuel storage part when the spent fuel container is removed. Even if there is a leak, the fuel is absorbed by the absorber located in the gap between the fuel storage unit and the case, and the fuel can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the case.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to the ninth aspect, since the liquid fuel is an aqueous methanol solution, it is possible to efficiently generate power even near room temperature, and at the same time, supply water required for power generation to the fuel cell. It has the effect that it can be supplied.

The eleventh aspect of the present invention has the effect of being able to quickly absorb the leaked liquid fuel because the absorber is a fibrous base material in the ninth aspect.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect of the invention, since the absorber is a water-absorbent resin, it has an action of rapidly solidifying the leaked liquid fuel.

In the invention described in claim 13, in the invention described in claim 9, since the absorbent body is composed of a fibrous base material and a water-absorbent resin dispersed in the fibrous base material, leakage occurs. The liquid fuel can be quickly absorbed and solidified at the same time, and the possibility of leakage can be further reduced.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the ninth aspect, since the absorber has an amount capable of absorbing the entire amount of the fuel stored in the fuel storage portion, it is assumed that a new product is used. Even if the fuel leaks from the fuel storage unit that is fully filled with fuel, the entire amount can be absorbed, and the possibility of leaking to the outside of the case can be extremely reduced.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the ninth aspect, the liquid fuel is a needle-shaped pipe fuel pierced by tight plugs provided in a part of the case and a part of the fuel storage part, respectively. Since the fuel is supplied to the fuel cell main body through the inlet, it has an effect that the fuel can be supplied very easily and without leaking the fuel from the fuel storage section and the case.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifteenth aspect, the absorber is arranged most in the gap formed between the hermetic plug of the case and the hermetic plug of the fuel storage section. A large number of absorbers can be arranged around the hole of the sealed plug formed when the fuel cell is removed from the fuel cell main body, that is, at the most leaking location, and the fuel leakage to the outside of the case can be reduced as much as possible.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifteenth aspect, the water-absorbent resin is a granular material, and the particle diameter of the water-absorbent resin is larger than the inner diameter of the pipe of the fuel introduction port. It has an effect of avoiding a situation where the water absorbing resin enters the fuel inlet port and is clogged when the fuel container is attached to the cell body.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, the fuel container is a fuel container in which a hydrogen storage alloy is used, and the determination including the deterioration of the hydrogen storage alloy is performed by IC.
You can also make decisions based on data,
It has the effect of safely storing hydrogen.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the portable or portable fuel cell main body is configured to be detachable from the fuel cell main body, and the portable or portable fuel container removed from the fuel cell main body is filled with fuel. 7. A fuel refueling machine, comprising: an IC chip for exchanging data with an IC chip of the fuel container and storing data for reading the compatibility of the fuel container with the fuel cell main body. It is a refueling device for a fuel container used in the fuel cell device according to 1, and it is possible to judge whether or not the fuel container is suitable by exchanging data between the IC chips of the fuel container and the main body of the refueling device. Has the effect of.

According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to the nineteenth aspect, a record that the fuel container is detached from the fuel cell main body with respect to the IC chip of the fuel container is filled with fuel for filling the fuel container with fuel. It is a refueling machine that is erased from time to time, and has an effect of enabling the refilling of a spent fuel container with fuel.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, in the case of the invention according to the nineteenth aspect, it is determined that the fuel container is not compatible as a result of data exchange between IC data in filling the fuel into the fuel container. In addition, the fuel refilling machine is configured so that the fuel is not filled in the fuel container, and has an effect of preventing erroneous filling of fuel into fuel containers having different specifications or incompatible fuel containers.

A twenty-second aspect of the present invention is the refueling machine according to the nineteenth aspect, wherein data exchanged with the IC chip of the fuel container is encrypted. It has the effect of preventing unauthorized rewriting by a third party.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the public key is stored in the IC chip of the fuel container, and the public key and the secret key are stored in the IC chip of the refueling machine main body. It is a refueling machine encrypted by the key encryption method, and the encryption key will not be deciphered by the IC chip analysis of the fuel cell and the fuel container in the hands of an unspecified number of consumers. This has the effect of preventing data tampering and forgery of the fuel container due to.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the invention, in the nineteenth aspect of the invention, when the fuel is filled in the fuel container, the number of times of filling is stored in an IC chip of the fuel container, and the number of times of filling the fuel container It is a refueling machine for which the life of the fuel container is judged, and has an effect of making it easy to judge the disposal of the fuel container.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a fuel cell device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
(A) is a side view of the main body in the same apparatus, and (b) is a sectional view thereof. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a distribution route of the fuel container of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of Embodiment 1 of the fuel container and the fuel container confirmation device of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a fuel cell main body incorporated in a portable device or a portable device. In this embodiment, an electrode composed of a proton conductive electrolyte membrane made of a fluorine-based polymer material and a platinum-based noble metal catalyst. The fuel cell stack 2 is formed by stacking the single cells constituted by. Further, the fuel cell main body 1 is provided with an IC chip 3 and a gold-plated contact 4 for exchanging data in the IC chip 3. Further, a stopper 5 is provided on the fuel container mounting portion of the fuel cell body 1. The stopper 5 has a built-in electric pin (not shown), and the electric pin moves in response to an electric signal from the outside so that the stopper 5 can move in the direction of the curved arrow shown in FIG. 2A.

6 has an outer diameter of 1 mm with the tip cut obliquely,
A fuel inlet consisting of a needle-shaped pipe with an inner diameter of 0.5 mm,
Fuel is supplied to the fuel cell stack 2 from here. The fuel container 7 is configured to be housed exactly in the fuel container mounting portion of the fuel cell main body 1, and when housed, the silicon rubber case sealing plug 9 provided in a part of the plastic case 8 of the fuel container 7 and the case Silicone rubber provided in a portion of the fuel storage unit 10 that is included in the casing 8 and fixed to a part of the case 8 (in the present embodiment, the right end portion in the cross-sectional view of the fuel container 7 of FIG. 2B). The fuel introduction port 6 is pierced into the fuel storage unit sealing plug 11 made of metal, and the fuel storage unit 10
The fuel 17 of the aqueous methanol solution filled inside the fuel cell stack 2 reaches the fuel cell stack 2 through the fuel inlet 6 without leaking to the outside. It should be noted that the reason why the aqueous methanol solution is used as the fuel 17 is that it is possible to efficiently generate power even near room temperature as compared with other hydrocarbon fuels, and to supply water necessary for power generation to the fuel cell main body at the same time. .

The fuel container 7 has an IC chip 12, and
A primary battery 13 for backing up data and for driving an electric pin in the IC chip 12 is provided in a state of being built in a part of the case 8. Here, a coin-type lithium battery is used as the primary battery 13. The IC chip 12 has an IC
A gold-plated terminal 14 for exchanging data in the chip 12 and an attachment detection terminal 15 of the fuel container 7 are connected. Here, the attachment detection terminal 15 has a shorter structure than the other terminals 14. This is the terminal 14 as described later.
Is the IC chip 3 and the IC chip 12 while the fuel container 7 is being removed and attached.
Because it is necessary to exchange data between
The attachment detection terminal 15 is short because it is sufficient to obtain conduction only at the position where it is attached securely. Reference numeral 16 is a display unit for displaying the life predicted from the cumulative number of times of fuel filling of the fuel container 7, and is displayed by liquid crystal in order to suppress the consumption of the primary battery 13 as much as possible.

18 is a fibrous base material made of pulp,
It is an absorber in which a powdery water-absorbent resin screened so as to have a particle size of 0.6 mm or more is evenly dispersed, and is arranged in a gap between the case 8 and the fuel storage unit 10.
As the water-absorbent resin, a starch-acrylate copolymer cross-linked product or a polyacrylate cross-linked product generally used in paper diapers and the like is used. Further, the particle diameter of the water absorbent resin is 0.6 mm or more, and the inner diameter of the fuel introduction port 6 is 0.5 m.
Since it is larger than m, the water-absorbent resin does not enter when the fuel introduction port 6 is inserted into the fuel container 7, and clogging of the fuel introduction port 6 can be avoided. Since the amount of the absorber 18 is sufficient to absorb the entire amount of the fuel 17 when fully filled, the fuel 17 may leak from the fuel storage unit 10 due to a shock during transportation of the new fuel container 7. However, the absorber 18 absorbs the whole amount, and the fuel 17 does not leak to the outside of the case 8. Further, since the absorber 18 is arranged most in the gap formed between the case stopper 9 and the fuel storage portion stopper 11,
A large number of absorbers are arranged around the holes of the case tight plug 9 and the fuel storage tight plug 11, which are formed by piercing the fuel inlet 6 when the fuel container 7 is removed from the fuel cell 1. Therefore, fuel leakage to the outside of the case 8 can be reduced as much as possible.

In such a fuel container 7, the fuel 17 made of toxic methanol is absorbed by the absorber 18 so as not to leak from the time of new use, during use, and after use (after removal). However, the absorber 18
The fibrous base material made of pulp merely physically absorbs the fuel 17 by a capillary phenomenon, and the starch-
A water-absorbent resin consisting of cross-linked acrylate copolymer or cross-linked polyacrylic acid salt swells and solidifies into a jelly by absorbing water, and only methanol dissolved in water is fixed in it. . Therefore, no matter how much the absorber 18 is used, methanol is not converted into a harmless substance,
It merely prevents the liquid from leaking from the case 8 as a liquid. From this, even if the fuel 17 is absorbed by the absorber 18, the methanol still exists, and if the case 8 is damaged and the absorber 18 is exposed to the outside,
There is undeniable possibility that methanol will be ingested by the human body.

Therefore, the used fuel container 7 is recovered,
The manufacturer collectively processes the remaining methanol,
A recycling sale system in which the fuel storage unit 10 is filled with the fuel 17 again and sold is useful. In order to increase the recovery rate of the fuel container 7 which is a problem at that time, for example, application of a beer bottle recovery system that has been put into practical use can be considered. The beer bottle collection system is a system in which when a bottled beer is sold, the consumer pays the total price of the contents (beer) and the deposit money of the bottle, and the empty bottle is refunded to the consumer only. By doing this, there is a residual value even for empty bottles, so consumers do not dispose of them unnecessarily and a high collection rate (for beer bottles,
It is said to be about 90%) and can be collected and reused.

FIG. 3 shows the flow of a metal product when this system is applied to a fuel container for a fuel cell. The consumer 100 is a mobile phone 101 or a portable personal computer 102.
When purchasing a fuel container 103 filled with fuel for driving a fuel cell (not shown) built in the fuel tank 104, a fuel price 104 and a deposit 105 of the fuel container 103 are sold.
Pay 06. If you run out of fuel, you can bring an empty fuel container 107 to the store 108 and deposit 1
09 will be refunded. As described above, the shop that brings the empty fuel container 107 does not necessarily have to be the shop (the shop 106) where the fuel container 103 was purchased (the shop 108 may be the shop). This means that the dealer 108 has to pay the consumer 100 a deposit 109 for the empty fuel container 107, but the deposit 109 is required to be returned to the manufacturer 111 together with the other empty fuel container 110 collected. This is because the deposit 112 can be received from the manufacturer 111 according to the above, and there is no disadvantage for the store 108. The empty fuel container 110 thus recovered is processed by the manufacturer 111 in a batch process of the residual methanol and the absorber that has absorbed the methanol, and is newly filled with the fuel and the absorber, and is sold again. In addition, even when the empty fuel container 110 is discarded, the manufacturer can collectively dispose of it safely.

A counterfeit countermeasure is an important issue in such a fuel container recovery and reuse system. That is, since the fuel container can be exchanged for cash by bringing it to a store, if a third party forges the fuel container, the manufacturer will be seriously damaged.

Therefore, an IC chip is built in the fuel cell, the fuel container, and the fuel container confirmation device, and data is exchanged between these IC chips to determine whether or not the fuel container is a proper one. The detailed operation will be described below.

First, the operation of attaching the fuel container 7 shown in FIG. 1 to the fuel cell body 1 will be described.

In the IC chip 12 of the fuel container 7 which has been filled with the fuel 17 purchased from the dealer, this fuel container 7 is a genuine product, and the fuel is fully filled with the regular fuel (methanol aqueous solution) at the factory of the authorized manufacturer. The data indicating that the fuel has been filled and the fuel filling frequency data are encrypted and recorded in the memory. Further, the removal history data recorded when the previous consumer removed the fuel container 7 from the fuel cell main body 1 is in a deleted state. The data encryption method uses a public key encryption method. When the fuel cell body 1 and the fuel container 7 refer to these data, the public key stored in the IC chips 3 and 12 is used for encryption. Decrypt. Here, the public key cryptosystem may be, for example, the RSA cryptosystem widely used at present, but the fuel cell 1
When the number of the fuel containers 7 increases with the spread of the above, the elliptic curve cryptography is preferable because the possibility of decrypting the private key by a third party increases.

When the fuel container 7 is attached to the fuel cell main body 1, the contact 4 first comes into contact with the terminal 14. The data recorded in the IC chip 12 at this moment is transmitted to the IC chip 3 through the terminal 14 and the contact 4. IC chip 3
Uses the public key to decrypt the data and confirms whether the fuel container 7 is a genuine product.

As a result of the confirmation, if the product is judged to be a genuine product, the electric pin is moved by the command of the IC chip 3 and the stopper 5
Can move in the direction of the curved arrow in FIG. Therefore, the fuel container 7 is housed exactly in the fuel cell main body 1, and the fuel introduction port 6 has the case sealing plug 9 and the fuel storage sealing plug 11.
Pierce into. At the same time, the mounting detection terminal 15 contacts the contact 4
To inform the IC chips 3 and 12 that the fuel cell main body 1 and the fuel container 7 are normally connected. By these operations, the fuel cell main body 1 starts power generation.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the product is not a genuine product, data is not normally exchanged between the IC chips 3 and 12, or if there is a record once removed from the fuel cell body 1, the stopper 5 is It can't move while being fixed,
Therefore, the fuel container 7 cannot be physically inserted deeper than the position of the stopper 5. By doing so, the fuel inlet 6 and the fuel cell stack 2 can be protected from foreign matter such as a counterfeit fuel container, and the recovered fuel container which is empty of fuel and has a small remaining amount is falsely false. The act of selling can be prevented. Even if the stopper 5 is forcibly moved to insert the counterfeit fuel container, the IC
The chip 3 turns off the switch or the power transistor provided in the power output part of the fuel cell stack 2,
The fuel cell reactions shown in (Chemical formula 4) and (Chemical formula 5) are stopped. As a result, it is possible to reduce damage to the fuel cell stack 2 caused by, for example, low-quality fuel filled in the counterfeit fuel container. That is, when impurities such as metal ions are contained in the fuel, if the fuel cell reaction is continued as it is, the metal ions will be taken into the electrolyte membrane that constitutes the fuel cell stack 2, and the proton conductivity will decrease. However, normal power generation cannot be performed. Therefore, when it is determined that the fuel container is a non-genuine fuel container, the power output is turned off in order to prevent damage such as metal ion incorporation into the electrolyte membrane as much as possible.

[0050]

[Chemical 4]

[0051]

[Chemical 5]

When the regular fuel container 7 runs out of fuel, the fuel container 7 is pulled from the fuel cell body 1 and removed. At this time, first, the electrical connection between the attachment detection terminal 15 and the contact 4 is lost, so that the fact of removal is recorded in the IC chip 12. When the fuel container 7 is removed, the stopper 5 is pushed out by the action of a spring (not shown) as shown in FIG.

For the fuel 17 remaining in the fuel storage portion 10 of the removed fuel container 7, the fuel inlet 6 is inserted into the fuel storage portion sealing plug 1.
There is a case that it leaks from the open hole when piercing 1.
However, since the leaked fuel 17 is immediately absorbed and solidified by the absorber 18, it does not leak from the case 8 to the outside.

The removed fuel container 7 is collected at the store. At this time, the store confirms whether or not the recovered fuel container 7 is a genuine product. This is shown in FIG. 21
Is a fuel container confirmation device, which includes the fuel cell main body 1 shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell stack 2, the stopper 5, and
The configuration is such that the fuel inlet 6 is removed. By inserting the recovered fuel container 7 into the terminal 1 of the fuel container 7,
4 and the contact 22 of the fuel container confirmation device 21 come into contact with each other, and the data of the IC chip 12 provided in the fuel container 7 is changed to the fuel container confirmation device 2
1 is transmitted to the IC chip 23. IC chip 2
3 decrypts the data using the public key, and confirms whether the fuel container 7 is a genuine product. Only in the case of a genuine product, the deposit will be refunded to the consumer who brought the fuel container 7.

Here, the idea of setting the guarantee money is, but since the toxic methanol aqueous solution is used as the fuel 17, it is necessary to recover as much as possible, and therefore the security money needs to be set to be expensive to some extent. As a result, although the recovery rate increases, the possibility of illegal modification or forgery of the fuel container also increases because the cost can be exchanged for money, and thus the above-mentioned illegality preventing means is indispensable. On the other hand, if it is expensive, it becomes difficult to purchase fuel, and it is assumed that the distribution volume of fuel containers will be sluggish.

Therefore, a method is conceivable in which the fuel cell body 1 is supplied free of charge to manufacturers of portable devices and portable devices, and eventually to consumers. As a result, the consumer only has to pay for the fuel, which makes it reasonable even for expensive deposits. Further, by setting the cost of the fuel cell main body 1 to be included in the fuel price, the cost of the fuel cell main body 1 can be amortized as the consumer repeatedly consumes fuel, which will be a profit for the manufacturer thereafter. from these things,
The number of portable devices and portable devices that employ the fuel cell main body 1 that is supplied free of charge will increase, leading to an increase in the amount of fuel containers distributed. Therefore, by combining the recovery and reuse system of the fuel container and the free supply of the fuel cell, it is possible to contribute to the environment protection by highly efficient power generation and recycling of the fuel cell while benefiting both consumers and manufacturers.

The fuel container 7 collected at the store is transported to the manufacturer. The manufacturer confirms whether or not the recovered fuel container 7 is a genuine product by using a fuel container data rewriting device (not shown) having the same configuration as the fuel container confirmation device 21 shown in FIG. The procedure is exactly the same as the confirmation at the store. Only in the case of a genuine product, the security deposit corresponding to the quantity is refunded to the dealer who collected the fuel container 7.

Next, when the fuel container 7 is still reusable from the life shown on the display portion 16 of the fuel container 7, the case sealing plug 9 is removed, and the absorber 18 is removed from the portion where the case sealing plug 9 is removed. Then, the fuel storage unit stopper 11 is taken out. After cleaning the inside of the fuel storage unit 10 and the case 8 in this state,
The fuel storage unit 10 is fully filled with a methanol aqueous solution fuel 17, and a new fuel storage unit sealing plug 11 is attached. Further, a new absorber 1 is provided in the gap between the fuel storage unit 10 and the case 8.
Insert 8 and attach a new case stopper 9.

The fuel container 7 filled with fuel includes data indicating that the fuel container 7 is a genuine product and that the regular fuel is fully filled in the factory of the authorized manufacturer, and the fuel filling frequency data. The private key recorded in the fuel container data rewriting machine is used for encryption and recorded in the memory of the IC chip 12 of the fuel container 7. At this time, the removal history data of the fuel container 7 is deleted.

The fuel container 7 thus filled with the fuel
Will be sold again to consumers through the retail store.

The fuel filling work carried out by the manufacturer may be carried out at a store that has a regular contract. In this case, the fuel container data rewriting machine is arranged in place of the fuel container confirmation machine 21 in the store.

Further, the life of the fuel container 7 is comprehensively judged from the number of times of filling, mechanical wear due to attachment and detachment, increase in electrical contact resistance of the terminal 14 and the attachment detection terminal 15, the remaining amount of the primary battery 13, and the like. Then, it is displayed on the display unit 16. Here, the fuel container 7 that has reached the end of its life is discarded by the manufacturer, or only the defective portion is replaced and reused.
The cumulative number of fillings and the life of the fuel container 7 may be displayed on a display unit provided in a part of the fuel container data rewriting machine. In this case, although the life cannot be known by the fuel container 7 alone, it is not necessary to provide the display portion 16 on the fuel container 7, so that the cost and the consumption of the primary battery 13 can be reduced.

Here, the countermeasures against the supposed fraudulent means of the fuel container will be summarized.

First, regarding the forgery of the fuel container, even if the physical shape can be forged, the data of the IC chip 12 for judging whether it is a genuine product or not cannot be forged. This is because the data written in the memory of the IC chip 12 is always written after being encrypted using the secret key through the IC chip of the fuel container data rewriting machine. It is easy to protect the private key because the fuel container data rewrite machine is available only from the manufacturer or some authorized contract dealers. of course,
The IC chips 3, 12, and 23 incorporated in the fuel cell main body 1 and the fuel container 7 which are distributed to the unspecified number of consumers, and the fuel container confirmation device 21 installed in a general store, respectively, analyze the IC chip. There is a possibility that the key will be discovered, but
Since these IC chips 3, 12, and 23 contain only the public key, the data written in the IC chip 12 of the fuel container 7 cannot be encrypted even if they are used.

Next, although the data of the genuine fuel container is falsified (for example, the removal history written in the IC chip 12 of the once removed fuel container 7 is erased and the product is sold as a new product), the public key is also used in this case. Since I only know it, I cannot tamper with the data. That is, since the fact that it has been removed once is encrypted and recorded in the memory of the IC chip 12 using the public key, the private key is required for decryption, and if any data is tampered with, the history of removal of the fuel container 7 will be recorded. It is extremely difficult to know if it can be erased. Even if I knew it, I could encrypt it with the private key stored in the IC chip of the manufacturer's fuel container data rewrite machine to recover it.
There is no choice but to erase it by rewriting the memory of the C chip 12. When rewriting the memory of the IC chip 12,
First, the IC chip of the fuel container data rewrite machine sends to the IC chip 12 the encrypted data created with a secret key for obtaining authentication. The IC chip 12 decrypts with the public key, and if the authentication data is correct, the IC chip 12 permits reception of data stored in the memory of the IC chip 12. As a result, the IC chip of the fuel container data rewrite device sends the data encrypted with the secret key to the IC chip 12. Therefore, if there is no private key, IC
Since the authentication cannot be obtained from the chip 12, the tampering data cannot be stored in the memory of the IC chip 12.

Next, in the case where an unreasonably low-quality fuel (for example, an aqueous methanol solution containing a large amount of impurities or an extremely dilute concentration than the specified concentration) is filled in the regular fuel container 7, the fact of the filling is also stored in the fuel container 7. If it is not stored in the memory of the IC chip 12 with the encrypted data created using the private key,
Since the fuel container 1 is not judged to be a genuine product, such fraud can be prevented.

In any of the above-mentioned cases, it is clear that the non-genuine fuel container can be immediately discriminated on the spot, regardless of whether it is brought into the store or the manufacturer.

With the above configuration and operation, it is possible to prevent fuel leakage from the spent fuel container, and collect the fuel container.
In the reusable fuel container sales system, a fuel cell system capable of preventing forgery of the fuel container is obtained.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a second embodiment of the fuel cell device of the present invention, and FIG.
(A) shows the side view of a main body, (b) shows the side view of a fuel container. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of Embodiment 2 of the fuel container and the fuel filling machine of the present invention.

Since the fuel cell device of the present embodiment has almost the same structure as that described in the first embodiment, the same parts in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. That is, the feature of this embodiment is that the fuel storage unit 10
It uses a hydrogen storage alloy and uses hydrogen as a fuel. This eliminates the use of toxic fuel called methanol and enables high-efficiency power generation more than that of methanol, and the use of a hydrogen storage alloy makes it possible to safely store hydrogen having an extremely wide explosion limit. This is because the reaction of extracting hydrogen from the hydrogen storage alloy is an endothermic reaction,
Even if the fuel container 7 comes off during use of the fuel cell main body 1, the supply of heat cannot catch up with it, hydrogen does not continue to leak, and it is automatically guided to the safety side. Therefore, the first embodiment
Similar to the above, there is no fuel leakage, and the fuel cell can be operated safely. Further, since hydrogen fuel is a gas and has no toxicity, the absorber described in the first embodiment is unnecessary.

Since hydrogen is used as the fuel, the fuel inlet 6 is not the needle-like pipe described in the first embodiment, but a ball and spring (generally used for city gas safety cocks). The attachment is composed of (not shown).

Since the hydrogen storage alloy used in the fuel storage unit 10 of such a fuel container 7 is expensive, the fuel container recycling and sales system similar to that of the first embodiment is useful from the viewpoint of resource protection and economical efficiency. Is. In the case of the present embodiment, since the hydrogen storage alloy is expensive, it is inevitable that the deposit is expensive to some extent. Therefore, a high recovery rate can be expected, and at the same time, the possibility of forgery is increased.

Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the IC chip is built in the fuel cell, the fuel container, the fuel container confirming device, and the fuel filling device for the fuel container, and data is exchanged between these IC chips. By doing so, it is a system that determines whether or not the fuel container is legitimate.

Here, the operation of attaching and detaching the fuel container 7 to and from the fuel cell main body 1 in FIG. 5 and the confirming operation at the store are exactly the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description will be given. Omit it.

FIG. 7 shows the confirmation operation of the fuel container 7 by the manufacturer.
Shown in. Reference numeral 31 is an example of a fuel filling machine capable of filling up to eight fuel containers 7 with fuel (hydrogen) at the same time. Like the fuel container confirmation device 21 shown in FIG.
Have. Further, a fuel filling port 34 for filling the fuel into the fuel container 7 is arranged, and a fuel tank 35 is provided at the fuel filling port 34.
(Hydrogen cylinder) is connected. This fuel filling machine 31
When the recovered fuel container 7 is inserted into the fuel container 7, the terminal 14 of the fuel container 7 comes into contact with the contact 32 of the fuel filling machine 31,
The data of the IC chip 12 provided in the fuel filling machine 31 is transmitted to the IC chip 33 provided in the fuel filling machine 31. The IC chip 33 decrypts the data using the public key and confirms whether the fuel container 7 is a genuine product. Only in the case of a genuine product, the security deposit corresponding to the quantity is refunded to the dealer who collected the fuel container 7. In the case of a non-genuine product, fuel is not filled in the fuel container 7. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous filling of fuel in fuel containers or forged fuel containers having different specifications.

Next, from the life displayed on the display portion 16 of the fuel container 7, when the fuel container 7 is still reusable,
Fuel (hydrogen) is filled from the fuel tank 35 through the fuel filling port 34 into the fuel storage unit 10 made of a hydrogen storage alloy. The hydrogen storage alloy life depends on the composition used, as the conditions and rate of the disproportionation reaction differ, and the degree of deterioration due to trace impurities (water and oxygen) in hydrogen also varies. The cycle is evaluated in advance and the life is calculated from the number of cycles. Here, the fuel container 7 that has reached the end of its life is disposed of by the manufacturer,
Further, only the fuel storage unit 10 is replaced and reused. The cumulative number of fillings and the life of the fuel container 7 are determined by the fuel filling machine 31.
It may be displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided in a part of.
In this case, although the life cannot be known by the fuel container 7 alone, it is not necessary to provide the display portion 16 on the fuel container 7, so that the cost and the consumption of the primary battery 13 can be reduced.

The fuel container 7 filled with fuel is data indicating that the fuel container 7 is a genuine product, and is filled with the regular fuel (hydrogen) at the factory of the authorized manufacturer, and the filling of the fuel. The count data is encrypted by the IC chip 33 using the secret key and stored in the memory of the IC chip 12 of the fuel container 7. At this time, the removal history data of the fuel container 7 is deleted.

The fuel container 7 thus filled with the fuel
Will be sold again to consumers through the retail store.

When the fuel filling work performed by the manufacturer is carried out at a dealer who has a regular contract, a fuel filling machine 31 is arranged at the dealer instead of the fuel container confirmation machine 21.

With the above configuration and operation, a safe fuel cell system can be obtained without using toxic fuel, and in a fuel container sales system for recovering and reusing a fuel container, it is possible to prevent forgery of the fuel container. The system is obtained.

In the first and second embodiments, the construction in which the primary cell is built in the fuel container has been shown, but the primary cell may be built in the fuel cell main body or in both. In the former case, the primary cell is removed from the fuel container, so the IC
Although the memory of the chip 12 needs to be a non-volatile memory, the cost and weight of the primary battery can be reduced.
In the case where both are incorporated, even if one of the primary batteries is exhausted, the IC chip can continue to operate for a long time. Further, although the primary battery is used in the present embodiment, it may be a secondary battery. In this case, a part of the electricity generated by the fuel cell is used for charging the secondary battery, so that the IC chip can continue to operate for an extremely long life.

The data stored in the IC chip is not limited to the contents described in the first and second embodiments, and may include quality control data such as the manufacturing date and manufacturing lot number of the fuel container.

[0083]

As described above, the present invention comprises a portable or portable fuel cell main body and a fuel container for supplying fuel to the fuel cell main body, and the fuel container stores the fuel. Since the IC chip including the fuel storage unit that stores the data for recognizing the fuel container itself is built in and has a structure that can be attached to and detached from the fuel cell body, the safety of the used fuel container can be improved when it is reused. A system that can be secured is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a first embodiment of a fuel cell device of the invention.

FIG. 2A is a side view of a fuel cell main body in the same device. (B) Cross-sectional view of the fuel container in the same device

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a distribution route of the fuel container of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the first embodiment of the fuel container and the fuel container confirmation device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of Embodiment 2 of the fuel cell device of the invention.

FIG. 6 (a) is a side view of a fuel cell main body in the same device. (B) Side view of the fuel container in the same apparatus

FIG. 7 is a second embodiment of the fuel container and the fuel filling machine according to the present invention.
Schematic side view of

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a conventional fuel cell system for a mobile phone.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Fuel cell body 2 Fuel cell stack 3, 12, 23, 33 IC chips 4, 22, 32 contacts 5 stopper 6 Fuel inlet 7 Fuel container 8 cases 9 case stopper 10 Fuel storage 11 Fuel storage unit stopper 13 Primary battery 14 terminals 15 Mounting detection terminal 16 Display 17 Fuel 18 absorber 21 Fuel container confirmation machine 31 Fuel filling machine 34 Fuel filling port 35 Fuel tank 100 consumers 101 mobile phone 102 portable personal computer 103 Filled fuel container 104 price 105, 109, 112 deposit 106 Dealers 107, 110 empty fuel container 108 Dealers 111 Manufacturer

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. A portable or portable fuel cell main body,
A fuel container configured to be removable from the fuel cell main body and including a fuel storage unit for storing fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell main body, wherein the fuel container stores at least data for identifying the fuel container itself. Fuel cell device with built-in IC chip. 2. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell body has at least an IC chip for storing data of a fuel container suitable for the fuel cell body. 3. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein a primary cell or a secondary cell is built in at least one of the fuel cell body and the fuel container. 4. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell body is provided with an electric stopper at a mounting position of the fuel container. 5. As a result of reading the data of the IC chip of the fuel container to be attached to the fuel cell main body, the electric stopper is activated only when the fuel container is compatible with the fuel cell main body. The fuel cell device according to claim 4, further comprising means for permitting attachment of the fuel container to the fuel cell body. 6. The fuel cell main body turns off the power output of the fuel cell main body when the IC data of the fuel container to be attached to the fuel cell main body is read as a result of reading the IC data. The fuel cell device according to claim 4, further comprising: 7. The fuel cell main body stores, when the fuel container is removed from the fuel cell main body, that the IC chip of the fuel container is removed, and the removed fuel container is restored to the fuel cell main body. 5. The fuel cell device according to claim 4, further comprising means for recognizing the incompatible fuel container on the basis of the memory of the IC chip at the time of mounting and rejecting re-mounting. 8. A portable or portable fuel container configured to be attachable to and detachable from a portable or portable fuel cell body, comprising a fuel storage unit for storing fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell body. The fuel container used in the fuel cell device according to claim 1, further comprising an IC chip that stores at least data indicating compatibility with the fuel cell body. 9. A fuel storage part for storing a liquid fuel as a fuel, a case containing the entire fuel storage part and fixing a part of the fuel storage part, and a gap between the case and the fuel storage part. 9. The fuel container according to claim 8, further comprising an absorber for absorbing the liquid fuel disposed in the fuel container. 10. The fuel container according to claim 9, wherein the liquid fuel is an aqueous methanol solution. 11. The fuel container according to claim 9, wherein the absorber is a fibrous base material. 12. The fuel container according to claim 9, wherein the absorber is a water absorbent resin. 13. The fuel container according to claim 9, wherein the absorber comprises a fibrous base material and a water absorbent resin dispersed in the fibrous base material. 14. The fuel container according to claim 9, wherein the absorber has an amount sufficient to absorb the entire amount of the fuel stored in the fuel storage section. 15. The fuel according to claim 9, wherein the liquid fuel is supplied to the fuel cell main body through a fuel inlet of a needle-shaped pipe that is pierced by a tight plug provided in a part of the case and a part of the fuel storage part. container. 16. The absorber is disposed most in the gap formed between the case hermetic plug and the fuel storage unit hermetic plug.
The fuel container described in. 17. The fuel container according to claim 15, wherein the water-absorbent resin is a granular material, and the particle diameter of the water-absorbent resin is larger than the inner diameter of the pipe of the fuel introduction port. 18. The fuel container according to claim 8, wherein the fuel storage portion is a hydrogen storage alloy. 19. A refueling machine configured to be detachably attached to a portable or portable fuel cell body, for filling a portable or portable fuel container removed from the fuel cell body with fuel. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, further comprising an IC chip that stores data for exchanging data with an IC chip of the fuel container and reading the compatibility of the fuel container with the fuel cell body. Refueling machine for fuel container. 20. The record of the removal of the fuel container from the fuel cell main body with respect to the IC chip of the fuel container is erased when the fuel is filled in the fuel container.
A refueling machine for the fuel container according to 9. 21. The fuel container is not filled with fuel when it is determined that the fuel container is incompatible as a result of data exchange between IC data when filling the fuel container with fuel. Refueling machine for the fuel container. 22. The refueling machine for a fuel container according to claim 19, wherein data exchanged with the IC chip of the fuel container is encrypted. 23. The public key is stored in the IC chip of the fuel container, the public key and the secret key are stored in the IC chip of the main body of the refueling machine, and the public key is encrypted by the public key encryption system.
A refueling machine for the fuel container according to 9. 24. The fuel container according to claim 19, wherein when the fuel container is filled with fuel, the filling frequency is stored in an IC chip of the fuel container, and the life of the fuel container is judged from the filling frequency. Refueling machine.