Control apparatus for fuel cell vehicle and control method for fuel cell vehicle

• US 7,413,044 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tohru, Yanagida, Hisanori, Uenodai, Asao, Shirasaka, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, HAU VAN
• Application Number:
  US11/479,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20070007058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/65.6, 180/65.8, 180/65.5, 180/301, 180/302, 318/139, 318/376, 318/432, 318/382, 318/729, 903/916, 903/918, 903/940, 903/908, 303/152, 303/163, 303/20, 303/151, 701/22
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/16 responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels brake control systems for vehicle drive stability B60T8/1755; arrangements responsive to a speed condition for adjusting wheel braking force B60T8/32; control of vehicle driving stability otherwise than by controlling the propulsion unit only B60W30/02; preventing wheel slippage by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/908 Fuel cell

Abstract

A control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle includes: a motor for driving the fuel cell vehicle; a motor control unit controlling driving and regenerative operations of the motor; a traction control unit suppressing slippage of drive wheels by controlling a driving force acting between tires and a road surface; a fuel cell generating electricity through electrochemical reaction by being supplied with reactant gases by a reactant gas supply unit and supplies electrical power to the motor; an electrical storage apparatus charged by power generated by the fuel cell and power regenerated by the motor; an output control unit controlling the output of the fuel cell; and a control unit controlling power consumption of the motor in advance of a change in a supply state of the reactant gases to the fuel cell due to execution of driving force control by the traction control unit.

Claims

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

a motor for driving the fuel cell vehicle;

a motor control unit that controls driving and regenerative operations of the motor;

a traction control unit that suppresses slippage of drive wheels by controlling driving force a between tires and a road surface;

a fuel cell that generates electricity through electrochemical reaction by being supplied with reactant gases by a reactant gas supply unit and supplies electrical power to the motor;

an electrical storage apparatus that is charged by power generated by the fuel cell and power regenerated by the motor;

an output control unit that controls the output of the fuel cell; and

a control unit that controls power consumption of the motor in advance of a change in a supply state of the reactant gases to the fuel cell due to execution of driving force control by the traction control unit.

2. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the supply state of the reactant gases in accordance with the power consumption of the motor when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit.

3. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a revolution rate sensor that measures a revolution rate of the motor,

wherein the control unit computes the power consumption of the motor based on a torque command for torque output from the motor and on the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor.

4. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:

a revolution rate sensor that measure a revolution rate of the motor; and

an accelerator opening degree sensor that measures an accelerator opening degree corresponding to an amount of operation of an accelerator applied by a driver, wherein

the control unit computes, when executing driving force control by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a traction-control-requested torque corresponding to the driving force control by the traction control unit, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor, and

computes, when driving force control is not executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a driver-requested torque corresponding to the accelerator opening degree measured by the accelerator opening degree sensor, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor.

5. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a supply state of the reactant gases when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit, irrespective of the driving force of the motor.

6. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising an accelerator opening degree sensor that measures an accelerator opening degree corresponding to an amount of operation of an accelerator applied by a driver,

wherein the control unit controls the supply state of the reactant gases in accordance with the accelerator opening degree measured by the accelerator opening degree sensor when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit.

7. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a revolution rate sensor that measures the revolution rate of the motor,

wherein the control unit computes the power consumption of the motor based on the driver-requested torque corresponding to the accelerator opening degree measured by the accelerator opening degree sensor, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor.

8. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a revolution rate sensor that measures the revolution rate of the motor,

wherein the control unit

computes, when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a driver-requested torque corresponding to the accelerator opening degree measured by the accelerator opening degree sensor, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor, and

computes, when driving force control is not executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a torque command for torque output from the motor, and the revolution rate measured by the revolution rate sensor.

9. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

a state of charge measuring unit that measures a state of charge of the electrical storage apparatus; and

a charging control unit that controls surplus power of an electrical output of the fuel cell exceeding power consumption in an electrical load of the vehicle to be charged to the electrical storage apparatus, in accordance with the state of charge measured by the state of charge measuring unit during execution of the driving force control by the traction control unit.

10. A control method for a fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a motor for driving the fuel cell vehicle;

a motor control unit that controls driving and regenerative operations of the motor;

a traction control unit that suppresses slippage of drive wheels by controlling driving force acting between tires and a road surface;

a fuel cell that generates electricity through electrochemical reaction by being supplied with reactant gases by a reactant gas supply unit and supplies electrical power to the motor;

an electrical storage apparatus that is charged by power generated by the fuel cell and power regenerated by the motor; and

an output control unit that controls the output of the fuel cell,

the control method comprising a step of controlling power consumption of the motor in advance of a change in a supply state of the reactant gases to the fuel cell accompanying the start of execution of driving force control by the traction control unit.

11. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising a step of controlling the supply state of the reactant gases in accordance with the power consumption of the motor when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit.

12. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising a step of computing the power consumption of the motor based on a torque command for torque output from the motor and on a revolution rate of the motor.

13. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising a step of

computing, when executing driving force control by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a traction-control-requested torque corresponding to the driving force control by the traction control unit, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on a revolution rate of the motor, and

computing, when driving force control is not executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a driver-requested torque corresponding to an amount of operation of an accelerator applied by a driver, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on the revolution rate of the motor.

14. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising a step of controlling the supply state of the reactant gases when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit, irrespective of the driving force of the motor.

15. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a step of controlling the supply state of the reactant gases in accordance with an accelerator opening degree corresponding to an amount of operation of an accelerator applied by a driver when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit.

16. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising a step of computing the power consumption of the motor based on the driver-requested torque corresponding to the accelerator opening degree, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on a revolution rate of the motor.

17. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising a step of

computing, when driving force control is executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a driver-requested torque corresponding to the accelerator opening degree, which is a command value for torque output from the motor, and on a revolution rate of the motor, and

computing, when driving force control is not executed by the traction control unit, the power consumption of the motor based on a torque command for torque output from the motor, and on the revolution rate of the motor.

18. The control method for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a step of charging surplus power of an electrical output of the fuel cell exceeding power consumption in an electrical load of the vehicle to the electrical storage apparatus, in accordance with a state of charge of the electrical storage apparatus during execution of the driving force control by the traction control unit.