Fuel cell vehicle

• US 8,715,876 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kazuno, Shuichi, Saeki, Hibiki, Shirasaka, Takuya, Watanabe, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Maples, John S
• Application Number:
  US13/605,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 429/432
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• 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 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0053 relating to fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/72 Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• 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: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 : of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0488 : of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell vehicle is provided. At the time of regeneration of electric power by a motor, an ECU places a DC/DC converter in a direct connection state under control, and stores electric power in a battery while decreasing oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration by a gas supply unit to decrease electric power generated by a fuel cell.

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising:

a fuel cell for performing power generation by inducing, by catalyst, reaction of a first gas containing oxygen and a second gas containing hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell;

a gas supply unit for supplying at least one of the first gas and the second gas to the fuel cell;

a voltage regulator for regulating output voltage of the fuel cell;

a drive motor as a load driven by electric power outputted from the fuel cell;

an energy storage device for storing electric power regenerated by the drive motor; and

a control unit for controlling the fuel cell, the gas supply unit, the voltage regulator, the drive motor, and the energy storage device,

wherein at the time of regeneration of electric power by the drive motor, the control unit operates the voltage regulator as a direct connection type converter, and stores electric power in the energy storage device while decreasing oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration by the gas supply unit to decrease electric power outputted from the fuel cell.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at the time of decreasing the electric power outputted from the fuel cell, the control unit decreases the electric power outputted from the fuel cell to a high efficiency power generation range of the fuel cell.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at the time of regeneration of electric power by the drive motor, if the voltage of the energy storage device is equal to or smaller than a lower limit voltage value of an oxidation reduction progress voltage range of the fuel cell where oxidation reduction proceeds, the control unit operates the voltage regulator as a direct connection type converter, and stores electric power in the energy storage device while decreasing the oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration by the gas supply unit to decrease electric power outputted from the fuel cell.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3, wherein at the time of placing the voltage regulator in the direct connection state during regeneration of electric power by the drive motor, the control unit determines whether or not regeneration torque of the drive motor exceeds a threshold value torque, and if the control unit determines that the regeneration torque does not exceed the threshold value torque, the control unit operates the voltage regulator as a direct connection type converter, and stores electric power in the energy storage device while decreasing the oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration by the gas supply unit to decrease electric power outputted from the fuel cell.

5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, wherein if the control unit determines that the regeneration torque exceeds the threshold value torque, the control unit does not operate the voltage regulator as a direct connection type converter and regulates, by the voltage regulator, the voltage of the fuel cell to a value which is equal to or greater than an upper limit voltage value of an oxidation reduction progress voltage range of the fuel cell where oxidation reduction proceeds, and further the control unit stores electric power in the energy storage device while decreasing the oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration by the gas supply unit to decrease electric power outputted from the fuel cell.