Fuel cell vehicle

• US 8,342,275 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ojima, Kuniaki, Murakami, Yoshikazu, Saitoh, Dai
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIBOGU, CHIEDU A
• Application Number:
  US12/120,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20080283313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.31, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.265, 180/65.285, 180/65.29, 903/908, 903/944, 903/903, 903/907, 903/906
• US Class Current: 180/65.31
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell vehicle is provided that can suppress uneven torque. The fuel cell vehicle 1 includes a motor 4; a fuel cell 10; a battery 3; a battery drive unit 21 for driving the motor 4 using electricity from the battery 3 so as to serve as an battery drive mode, in which case the initialization of the fuel cell 10 to generate electricity is not complete; a fuel cell drive unit 22 for driving the motor 4 using electricity from the fuel cell 10 and battery 3 so as to serve as a fuel cell drive mode, in which case the initialization of the fuel cell 10 to generate electricity is complete; and a torque upper limit control unit 23 for controlling a torque upper limit value of the motor 4 under the battery drive mode and fuel cell drive mode.

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

a motor for driving wheels;

a fuel cell for generating electricity by way of a reaction of reactant gas, and supplying the electricity to the motor;

a power storage device for storing the electricity generated by the fuel cell, and supplying the electricity to the motor;

a power storage device drive means, for driving the motor using the electricity from the power storage device so as to serve as a power storage device drive mode, in a case of driving in a state in which initialization of the fuel cell to generate electricity has not been completed;

a fuel cell drive means, for driving the motor using the electricity from the fuel cell and the power storage device so as to serve as a fuel cell drive mode, in a case of driving in a state in which the initialization of the fuel cell to generate electricity has been completed; and

a target torque control means for controlling a target torque of the motor in the power storage device drive mode and fuel cell drive mode,

wherein the target torque control means determines first and second target torque values of the motor for the power storage device drive mode and the fuel cell drive mode, respectively, and imposes a greater restriction on the target torque of the motor for the power storage device mode than the fuel cell drive mode,

wherein the target torque control means calculates the first target torque value to be applied to the power storage device drive mode in accordance with a number of rotation of the motor,

wherein the target torque control means gradually releases the restriction imposed on the target torque after switching from the power storage device drive mode to the fuel cell drive mode, such that the target torque of the motor gradually approaches the second target torque value applied to the fuel cell drive mode, starting from the first target torque value of the power storage device drive mode at a time of the switching,

wherein the motor is powered by the electricity from the power storage device in the power storage device drive mode and by the electricity from the fuel cell in the fuel cell drive mode.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the power storage device is a battery.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the target torque control means obtains a target torque value dependent on an accelerator position by using a first torque calculation map in the power storage device drive mode, and a target torque value dependent on the accelerator position by using a second torque calculation map in the fuel cell drive mode, and

the target torque value obtained from the first torque calculation map is smaller than the target torque value obtained from the second torque calculation map, for a predetermined accelerator position.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the target torque control means obtains a target torque value dependent on an accelerator position, by using a torque calculation map in the fuel cell drive mode, and a target torque value dependent on the accelerator position, by using the torque calculation map in the power storage device drive mode, and further, takes a value obtained by multiplying the obtained torque value by a correction factor as the target torque value.

6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the target torque control means restricts the first target torque value of the motor to be greater in the power storage device drive mode than the second target torque value of the motor in the fuel cell drive mode.

5. A control method of a fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a motor for driving wheels;

a fuel cell for generating electricity by way of a reaction of reactant gas, and supplying the electricity to the motor; and

a power storage device for storing the electricity generated by the fuel cell, and supplying the electricity to the motor, the method comprising the steps of;

setting a power storage device drive mode by driving the motor using the electricity from the power storage device, in a case of driving in a state in which initiation of the fuel cell to generate electricity has not been completed;

setting a fuel cell drive mode by driving the motor using the electricity from the fuel cell and the power storage device, in a case of driving in a state in which the initiation of the fuel cell to generate electricity has been completed;

calculating a first torque upper limit value to be applied to the power storage device drive mode in accordance with a number of rotation of the motor;

imposing a restriction on a torque upper limit value of the motor so that the torque upper limit value in the power storage device drive mode is greater than the torque upper limit value in the fuel cell drive mode; and

gradually releasing the restriction imposed on the torque upper limit value of the motor after switching from the power storage device drive mode to the fuel cell drive mode, such that the torque upper limit value of the motor gradually approaches a second torque upper limit value applied to the fuel cell drive mode, starting from the first torque upper limit value applied to the power storage device drive mode at a time of the switching.