Control device for fuel cell vehicle

• US 20070088468A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Hiroshi, Kimura, Kenichiro, Yoshikawa, Shinji, Uenodai, Asao
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/402 Combination of fuel cell with other electric generators combination of fuel cells with other electrochemical generator H01M16/003
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04589 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0491 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04955 Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• 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

The present invention intends to provide a control device for a fuel cell vehicle which suppresses the deterioration of driveability upon acceleration without increasing the size of a driving electric motor or a motor driver. When a requested output (PD_CAL) exceeds a first output limit determined depending on a continuous output rating of an electric motor 10 or a motor driver 5 and an increasing rate of the requested output (PD_CAL) exceeds a reference increasing rate, an upper-limit target output determining unit 52 determines an assist time used as a time during which the electric motor 10 can be operated continuously by the requested output (PD_CAL) on the basis of the requested output (PD_CAL) and an open-circuit voltage (Vbat_o) of a battery 3. Until the assist time is elapsed, the upper-limit target output (PD_LMT) is set to a second output limit (>the first output limit) determined depending on a short-time output rating of the electric motor 10 or the motor driver 5.

Claims

1. A control device for a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

motor-requested-output determining means for determining a requested output for a driving electric motor;

motor-target-output calculating means for calculating a target output of the electric motor while limiting the target output to a predetermined upper-limit target output or lower depending on the requested output;

motor driving means for outputting a driving electric energy depending on the target output to the electric motor;

a fuel cell which is used as a power supply for the motor driving means; and

an electric storage device which is connected parallel to the fuel cell so as to be charged by the fuel cell and to be discharged for compensation for the insufficient amount of generated electric energy when the amount of electric energy generated by the fuel cell is insufficient;

wherein

when the requested output is not in an abruptly increasing state in which the requested output exceeds a first output limit, the motor-target-output calculating means sets a first output limit to the upper-limit target output, the first output limit being determined in accordance with a continuous output rating of the electric motor or the motor driving means, and when the requested output is in the abruptly increasing state, the motor-target-output calculating means sets a second output limit larger than the first output limit to the upper-limit target output.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising assist time calculating means for calculating an assist time used as a time during which the motor can be operated continuously by the requested output, wherein the motor-target-output calculating means sets the second output limit to the upper-limit target output within the assist time.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the motor-target-output calculating means sets the second output limit on the basis of a short-time output rating of the motor driving means or the electric motor.

4. The device according to claim 2, further comprising charging-amount recognizing means for recognizing the amount of electric energy charged into the electric storage device, wherein the assist time calculating means calculates the assist time on the basis of the requested output and the amount of electric energy charged into the electric storage device.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the motor-target-output calculating means reduces the upper-limit target output to the first output limit at a predetermined decreasing rate after the assist time has passed.