Fuel cell system

• US 10,644,334 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajiura, Ryo, Umayahara, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parsons, Thomas H.
• Application Number:
  US15/630,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20170373333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0297 Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other H01M8/0271 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04298 Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04917 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An MG-ECU obtains a rotational speed Na of an ACP. The MG-ECU transmits the obtained rotational speed (a PM reception rotational speed) Na of the ACP to a PM-ECU through communication. The PM-ECU obtains a rotational speed predicted value Np by adding a rotational speed change width Cvw to the PM reception rotational speed Na received from the delayed MG-ECU. A limit torque Tr12 is obtained through the use of the obtained rotational speed predicted value Np and an ACP permissible power level line L1.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell;

a battery;

an inverter to which the fuel cell and the battery are connected in parallel;

an air compressor that is connected to the inverter; and

a control unit programmed to control driving of the air compressor by a current command value supplied to the inverter, wherein

the control unit is equipped with a first control unit programmed to control driving of the air compressor, and a second control unit programmed to control an electric power of the system,

the first control unit is programmed to obtain a rotational speed of the air compressor based on a signal supplied from the inverter, transmit the rotational speed to the second control unit, and control the current command value supplied to the inverter based on a command torque transmitted from the second control unit, and

the second control unit is programmed to receive the rotational speed from the first control unit, receive a rotational speed command value of the air compressor corresponding to an output requirement of the fuel cell from a device outside the second control unit, obtain a rotational speed predicted value based on the received rotational speed command value, derive a limit torque of the air compressor from the obtained rotational speed predicted value, generate the command torque of the air compressor within a range of the derived limit torque, and transmit the generated command torque to the first control unit.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein

the second control unit is programmed to calculate a permissible electric power of the air compressor based on an electric generation target electric power of the fuel cell, and derive the limit torque based on the rotational speed predicted value and the permissible electric power of the air compressor.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein

the second control unit is programmed to calculate a steady torque based on the rotational speed command value, derive a rotational speed change width through use of the calculated steady torque and a last value of the command torque transmitted to the first control unit one cycle ago, and obtain the rotational speed predicted value by adding the rotational speed to the derived rotational speed change width.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third control unit programmed to control electric generation of the fuel cell, wherein

the third control unit is the device outside the second control unit, the third control unit is programmed to obtain the output requirement of the fuel cell based on a signal indicating an input accelerator depression amount, generate the rotational speed command value of the air compressor in accordance with the obtained output requirement, and transmit the generated rotational speed command value to the second control unit.