METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING POWER OF FUEL CELL VEHICLE

• US 20140288737A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: CHOI, Seo Ho, RYU, Seongpil, KWON, Sang Uk, LEE, Kyuil, HAN, Jihun, PARK, Youngjin
• Granted Patent: US 9,238,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• 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 8/00 Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04694 characterised by variables to be controlled
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A method of controlling power of the fuel cell vehicle includes dividing an expected driving path of the fuel cell vehicle into a plurality of sections and setting the plurality of sections according to a gradient, and comparing whether a predicted battery state of charge variation is within a battery charging/discharging allowance range for each of the plurality of divided sections The method further includes comparing predicted power with a predetermined maximum allowance power for each of the plurality of divided sections, and setting the plurality of divided sections as a battery charging/discharging prohibition section and a battery charging/discharging allowance section in advance according to a result of the comparison of the predicted battery state of charge variation and the predicted power.

Claims

1. A method of controlling power of a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

dividing an expected driving path of the fuel cell vehicle into a plurality of sections and setting the plurality of sections according to a gradient;

comparing whether a predicted battery state of charge variation is within a battery charging/discharging allowance range for each of the plurality of divided sections;

comparing predicted power with maximum allowance power for each of the plurality of divided sections; and

setting the plurality of divided sections as a battery charging/discharging prohibition section and a battery charging/discharging allowance section in advance according to a result of the comparison of the predicted battery state of charge variation and the predicted power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the setting of the plurality of divided sections as the battery charging/discharging prohibition section and the battery charging/discharging allowance section in advance includes setting the plurality of divided sections as the battery charging/discharging prohibition section when the predicted battery state of charge variation is out of the battery charging/discharging allowance range.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the battery charging/discharging allowance range is set by an equation below, and

SOC_min−

SOC_current≦

Δ

SOC_PredictedSOC_max−

SOC_current

wherein, a SOC_min is a minimum battery state of charge, a SOC_max is a maximum battery state of charge, and a SOC_current is a current battery state of charge.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the comparing of the predicted power with the maximum allowance power is performed

when the predicted battery state of charge variation is within the battery charging/discharging allowance range.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the setting of the plurality of divided sections as the battery charging/discharging prohibition section and the battery charging/discharging allowance section in advance includes;

setting the plurality of sections as the battery charging/discharging prohibition section when the predicted power is larger than the maximum allowance power; and

setting the plurality of sections as the battery charging/discharging allowance section when the predicted power is smaller than the maximum allowance power.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the dividing of the expected driving path of the fuel cell vehicle into the plurality of sections and the setting of the plurality of sections according to the gradient includes;

searching for the expected driving path based on a current position and a received destination of the fuel cell vehicle; and

dividing the searched expected driving path into a plurality of sections and setting the plurality of sections according to a gradient.

7. A system for controlling power of a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

a navigator configured to provide information on a driving path of the fuel cell vehicle;

a battery;

a fuel cell which triggers oxidation-reduction reaction of oxygen supplied from an air supplier and hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen tank to generate electrical energy;

a motor driven by current applied from an inverter; and

a power controller operated by a program set to control the battery, the fuel cell, and the motor based on information input through the navigation system,

wherein the predetermined program includes a series of commands for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.