Vehicular power source unit

• US 8,501,361 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Uemura, Takuro, Fujimaki, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRESO, AARON J
• Application Number:
  US13/602,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20120326501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 429/61, 429/62, 429/91, 429/402, 429/428, 429/429, 429/430, 429/433, 429/442, 429/512, 429/13, 700/286, 700/297, 701/99, 702/60
• US Class Current: 429/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0432 Temperature; Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04604 Power, energy, capacity or load
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04626 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04701 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04888 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• 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 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

Provided is a vehicular power source unit having an external electric power supply controlling element (94) configured to control the operation of a heater (16) and a recharger (22) operated by an electric power supplied from a commercial power source (70) via an external power source connector (25) according to a terminal voltage and temperature of a fuel cell (10) detected by a fuel cell state detecting element (91) and a state of a battery (20) detected by a battery state detecting element (92) when a fuel cell vehicle is halted, the supply of reactant gas to the fuel cell (10) by a fuel cell controlling element (93) is stopped and the external power source connector (25) is connected to the commercial power source (70).

Claims

1. A method of controlling operation of a vehicular power source unit, said method comprising:

detecting a state of a fuel cell using a fuel cell state detecting element;

detecting a state of an electric accumulator using an electric accumulator state detecting element;

determining that a vehicle powered by the vehicular power source unit is stopped;

determining that a supply of reactant gas to the fuel cell is stopped;

determining that an external power source is connected to the vehicular power source unit;

controlling operation of a heater and a recharger by electric power supplied from the external power source, based upon the detected state of the fuel cell, the detected state of the electric accumulator, the determining that the vehicle is stopped, the determining that the supply is stopped, and the determining the external power source is connected;

scavenging the reactant gas remaining in the fuel cell at a predetermined time after the supply of reactant gas to the fuel cell is stopped;

determining whether or not the scavenging has been performed on the fuel cell;

detecting a temperature of the fuel cell; and

when the scavenging has not been performed on the fuel cell, charging the electric accumulator by the recharger and prohibiting heating of the fuel cell, and, when the scavenging action has been performed on the fuel cell, heating the fuel cell by the heater and charging the electric accumulator by the recharger;

determining if the temperature of the fuel cell is equal to or lower than a pre-defined temperature when the vehicle is stopped, and stopping the supply of reactant gas to the fuel cell by the fuel controlling element.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a temperature and an amount of charge of the electric accumulator as the state of the electric accumulator; and

varying a magnitude of a charging current supply to the electric accumulator from the recharger according to the temperature and the amount of charge of the electric accumulator detected by the electric accumulator state detecting element.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a temperature and an amount of charge of the electric accumulator as the state of the electric accumulator; and

varying a magnitude of a charging current supply to the electric accumulator from the recharger according to the temperature and the amount of charge of the electric accumulator.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting the state of a fuel cell comprises detecting a temperature of the fuel cell, a terminal voltage of the fuel cell, an output current of the fuel cell, and supply pressure of reactant gases of the fuel cell, wherein the controlling is based on the detected temperature, the detected terminal voltage, the detected output current, and the detected supply pressure.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting the state of the electric accumulator comprises detecting a temperature of the electric accumulator, a terminal voltage of the electric accumulator, an output current of the electric accumulator, and a state of charge of the electric accumulator, wherein the controlling is based on the detected temperature, the detected terminal voltage, the detected output current, and the detected state of charge.