Fuel cell system and power supply control method

• US 8,580,449 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Naganuma, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUYETTE, KENNETH J
• Application Number:
  US12/594,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20100068574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: 429/430, 429/401, 429/400, 429/479, 429/432, 429/444
• US Class Current: 429/432
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04231 Purging of the reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04358 of the coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04365 of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04395 of cathode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04492 Humidity; Ambient humidity; Water content
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04649 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04865 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04873 of the individual fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04902 of the individual fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04992 characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

In order to determine the air stoichiometric ratio without using multidimensional mapping, a fuel cell system of the invention computes a command current value and command voltage value in a fuel cell during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on the required electrical power, estimates a reference voltage of the fuel cell from the command voltage value and the water temperature when the command current value is taken as a reference current, determines the difference between the reference voltage thus obtained and the command voltage value as an air concentration overvoltage target value, computes the air stoichiometric ratio based on the air concentration overvoltage target value, computes the air amount during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on the air stoichiometric ratio, and controls the amount of air supplied to the fuel cell according to the air amount thus computed.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system, which performs low-efficiency electrical power generation that generates power by setting an air amount to be supplied with a fuel cell at an air amount that is less than an air amount during a normal drive operation, comprising:

a command value computation portion programmed to compute a command current value and command voltage value for the fuel cell during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on a required power;

an air concentration overvoltage target value computation portion programmed to estimate a reference voltage value for the fuel cell when the command current value is taken to be a reference current value based on a reference current—

voltage characteristic defined in the normal drive operation, and compute the difference between the reference voltage value and the command voltage value as an air concentration overvoltage target value;

an air stoichiometric ratio computation portion programmed to compute the air stoichiometric ratio based on a one-dimensional mapping of the air concentration overvoltage target value and the air stoichiometric ratio; and

an air amount computation portion programmed to compute an air amount during the low-efficiency electrical power generation, based on the air stoichiometric ratio.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the air concentration overvoltage target value computation portion is programmed to detect the temperature of the fuel cell, and estimate the reference voltage value from the detected temperature and the command current value.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the air concentration overvoltage target value computation portion is programmed to estimate an impedance of the fuel cell, and estimate the reference voltage value from the estimated impedance and from the command current value.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the air concentration overvoltage target value computation portion is programmed to estimate an impedance of the fuel cell at the end of the previous operation, and estimate the reference voltage value from the estimated impedance and from the command current value.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the air stoichiometric ratio computation portion is further programmed to measure a water content of the fuel cell, and compute the air stoichiometric ratio referencing the measured water content.

6. A fuel cell system, which performs low-efficiency electrical power generation that generates power by setting an air amount to be supplied with a fuel cell at an air amount that is less than an air amount during a normal drive operation, comprising:

a command value computation portion programmed to compute a command current value and command voltage value for the fuel cell during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on a required power;

an air concentration overvoltage target value computation portion programmed to estimate a reference voltage value for the fuel cell when the command current value is taken to be a reference current value based on a reference current—

voltage characteristic defined in the normal drive operation, and compute the difference between the reference voltage value and the command voltage value as an air concentration overvoltage target value;

an air stoichiometric ratio computation portion programmed to compute the air stoichiometric ratio based on a two-dimensional mapping of the air concentration overvoltage target value, a measured water content of the fuel cell, and the air stoichiometric ratio; and

an air amount computation portion programmed to compute an air amount during the low-efficiency electrical power generation, based on the air stoichiometric ratio.

7. A power supply control method for a fuel cell system which performs low-efficiency electrical power generation that generates power by setting an amount to be supplied with a fuel cell at an air amount that is less than an air amount during a normal drive operation, comprising:

computing a command current value and a command voltage value for the fuel cell during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on a required power;

estimating a reference voltage value for the fuel cell when the command current value is taken as a reference current value based on a reference current—

voltage characteristic defined in the normal drive operation;

computing the difference between the reference voltage value and the command voltage value as an air concentration overvoltage target value;

computing an air stoichiometric ratio based on a one-dimensional mapping of the air concentration overvoltage target value and the air stoichiometric ratio; and

computing an air amount during the low-efficiency electrical power generation, based on the air stoichiometric ratio.

8. A power supply control method for a fuel cell system which performs low-efficiency electrical power generation that generates power by setting an air amount to be supplied with a fuel cell at an air amount that is less than an air amount during a normal drive operation, comprising:

computing a command current value and command voltage value for the fuel cell during low-efficiency electrical power generation based on a required power;

estimating a reference voltage value for the fuel cell when the command current value is taken to be a reference current value based on a reference current—

voltage characteristic defined in the normal drive operation, and compute the difference between the reference voltage value and the command voltage value as an air concentration overvoltage target value;

computing an air stoichiometric ratio based on a two-dimensional mapping of the air concentration overvoltage target value, a measured water content of the fuel cell, and the air stoichiometric ratio; and

computing an air amount during the low-efficiency electrical power generation, based on the air stoichiometric ratio.