Fuel cell system, controller thereof and method

• US 6,645,653 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kashiwagi, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Gulakowski, Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCALTRITO, DONALD V
• Application Number:
  US09/863,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20010051290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 429/12, 429/13, 429/22, 429/23, 429/24, 429/25
• US Class Current: 429/415
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04373 of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04619 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04626 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04738 of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04783 Pressure differences, e.g. between anode and cathode
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04947 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• 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

A fuel cell system 10 has a fuel cell 16 and a battery 24. An external load 30 is supplied with output power produced by the fuel cell and output power discharged from the battery. The fuel cell system includes a battery charge level monitoring unit 26 which monitors and detects a battery charge level, an accelerator'"'"' displacement sensor 32 which detects an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value and a control unit 11 which calculates demand power to be produced by the fuel cell and varying rate of the displacement value. The control unit corrects the demand power by using a control map having a power correction pattern that is in response to a varying rate of the displacement value and the charge level of the battery.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell producing output power;

a battery discharging output power;

a battery charge level monitoring unit monitoring and detecting a charge level of the battery;

an accelerator'"'"'s displacement sensor detecting an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value; and

a controller calculating demand power to be produced by the fuel cell based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value detected by the accelerator'"'"'s displacement sensor, calculating an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value, and correcting the demand power based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery detected by the battery charge level monitoring unit.

2. A fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the controller corrects to increase the demand power.

3. A fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor combusting fuel to produce thermal energy; and

a hydrogen generator supplied with the thermal energy and producing hydrogen gas to be supplied to the fuel cell;

and wherein surplus hydrogen gas expelled from the fuel cell is recycled to the combustor for combustion therein, and the controller controls temperature of the combustor based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

4. A fuel cell system according to claim 3, further comprising a fuel supply unit supplying fuel to the combustor, and wherein the controller controls amount of the fuel supplied to the combustor based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

5. A fuel cell system according to claim 4, further comprising a compressor supplying air to the combustor, and wherein the controller controls amount of the air supplied to the combustor based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

6. A fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein the controller controls to supply the fuel and the air to the combustor at a predetermined delayed time after the demand power is corrected.

7. A fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein when the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time exceeds a predetermined value and the charge level of the battery exceeds a predetermined value, the controller interrupts the operation of the compressor.

8. A fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor combusting fuel to produce thermal energy;

a hydrogen generator supplied with the thermal energy and producing hydrogen gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; and

a temperature sensor detecting temperature of the combustor,

and wherein surplus hydrogen gas expelled from the fuel cell is recycled to the combustor for combustion therein, and the controller controls temperature of the combustor based on the temperature of the combustor detected by the temperature sensor and the charge level of the battery.

9. A fuel cell system according to claim 8, further comprising a fuel supply unit supplying fuel to the combustor, and wherein the controller controls amount of the fuel supplied to the combustor based on the temperature of the combustor and the charge level of the battery.

10. A fuel cell system according to claim 9, further comprising a compressor supplying air to the combustor, and wherein the controller controls amount of the air supplied to the combustor based on the temperature of the combustor and the charge level of the battery.

11. A fuel cell system according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls to supply the fuel and the air to the combustor at a predetermined delayed time after the demand power is corrected.

12. A fuel cell system according to claim 10, wherein when the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time exceeds a predetermined value and the charge level of the battery exceeds a predetermined value, the controller interrupts the operation of the compressor.

13. A fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the controller corrects the demand power by using a control map including a power correction pattern determined in terms of the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

14. A fuel cell system according to claim 13, wherein the power correction pattern has a threshold value linearly changing in response to the charge level of the battery.

15. A fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the temperature of the combustor by using a control map including a power correction pattern determined in terms of the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

16. A fuel cell system according to claim 15, wherein the power correction pattern has a threshold value linearly changing in response to the charge level of the battery.

17. A fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the temperature of the combustor by using a control map including a power correction pattern determined in terms of the temperature of the combustor and the charge level of the battery.

18. A fuel cell system according to claim 17, wherein the power correction pattern has a threshold value linearly changing in response to the charge level of the battery.

19. A controller of a fuel cell system provided with a fuel cell producing output power and a battery discharging output power, the controller comprising:

means for monitoring and detecting a charge level of the battery;

means for detecting an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value;

means for calculating demand power to be produced by the fuel cell based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value;

means for calculating an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value; and

means for correcting the demand power based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.

20. A method of controlling a fuel cell system provided with a fuel cell producing output power and a battery discharging output power, the method comprising:

monitoring and detecting a charge level of the battery;

detecting an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value;

calculating demand power to be produced by the fuel cell based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value;

calculating an accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value; and

correcting the demand power based on the accelerator'"'"'s displacement value per unit time and the charge level of the battery.