Drive unit and vehicle equipped therewith
First Claim
1. A drive unit comprising:
- a motor that can input/output motive power to/from a drive shaft;
a drive circuit that performs drive control of the motor;
a fuel cell that is connected to the drive circuit without the intervention of a voltage converter such that electric power can be output;
a charge/discharge portion that is connected to the fuel cell in parallel and to the drive circuit such that electric power can be output, and that has at least one capacitor whose voltage in a fully charged state is higher than an inter-open-terminal voltage of the fuel cell;
a diode that is installed between the fuel cell and the charge/discharge portion such that electric power can be output only in a direction from the fuel cell to the charge/discharge portion; and
a drive control portion that controls the drive circuit such that drive control of the motor is performed on the basis of required motive power to be transmitted to the drive shaft,whereinthe drive circuit performs drive control of the motor through the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion or the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion and the fuel cell.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A drive unit of the invention comprises a motor that can input/output motive power to/from a drive shaft, a drive circuit that performs drive control of the motor, a fuel cell that is connected to the drive circuit without the intervention of a voltage converter such that electric power can be output, a charge/discharge portion that is connected to the fuel cell in parallel and to the drive circuit such that electric power can be output and that has at least one capacitor whose voltage in a fully charged state is higher than an inter-open-terminal voltage of the fuel cell, a diode that is installed between the fuel cell and the charge/discharge portion such that electric power can be output only in a direction from the fuel cell to the charge/discharge portion, and a drive control portion that controls the drive circuit such that drive control of the motor is performed on the basis of required motive power to be transmitted to the drive shaft. This drive unit is characterized in that the drive circuit performs drive control of the motor through the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion or the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion and the fuel cell.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A drive unit comprising:
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a motor that can input/output motive power to/from a drive shaft; a drive circuit that performs drive control of the motor; a fuel cell that is connected to the drive circuit without the intervention of a voltage converter such that electric power can be output; a charge/discharge portion that is connected to the fuel cell in parallel and to the drive circuit such that electric power can be output, and that has at least one capacitor whose voltage in a fully charged state is higher than an inter-open-terminal voltage of the fuel cell; a diode that is installed between the fuel cell and the charge/discharge portion such that electric power can be output only in a direction from the fuel cell to the charge/discharge portion; and a drive control portion that controls the drive circuit such that drive control of the motor is performed on the basis of required motive power to be transmitted to the drive shaft, wherein the drive circuit performs drive control of the motor through the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion or the output of electric power from the charge/discharge portion and the fuel cell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling a drive unit having a motor that can input/output motive power to/from a drive shaft, a drive circuit that performs drive control of the motor, a fuel cell that outputs electric power to the drive circuit, a charge/discharge portion that is connected to the fuel cell in parallel and that outputs electric power to the drive circuit, a braking force application portion that applies a braking force to the drive shaft through mechanical operation, and a drive control portion that controls the drive circuit and the braking force application portion such that drive control of the motor is performed on the basis of required motive power to be transmitted to the drive shaft, comprising the steps of:
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measuring electric power input to the drive circuit; determining whether or not the required motive power to be transmitted to the drive shaft is a braking force; and applying a braking force produced through regenerative control of the motor to the drive shaft as a force larger than a braking force produced by the braking force application portion if the required motive power is a braking force while the electric power is within a predetermined range.
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Specification