Method of utilizing power transistor of fuel cell stack diagnostic system

• US 9,428,078 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kangnam University Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kangnam University Industry-Academia Cooperation Foundation
• Inventors: Jeong, Kwi Seong, Kim, Uck-Soo, Lee, Young-Hyun, Kim, Sae Hoon, Park, Hyun-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Crepeau, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/135,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0053 relating to fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/72 Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/31 for starting of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/32 for controlling the temperature of fuel cells, e.g. by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/04 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• 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 8/04559 : of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04567 : of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04589 : of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A method and an apparatus using a power transistor in a fuel cell stack diagnostic system provides an apparatus using a power transistor in a fuel cell stack diagnostic system. The apparatus includes a regenerative braking detector that detects regenerative braking of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell stack diagnostic system; a voltage rise determiner that determines whether a voltage rise due to regenerative braking of a fuel cell vehicle is a predetermined value or more; and a power transistor controller that controls an AC signal generator so that the voltage due to the regenerative braking is discharged by the power transistor, when the voltage rise due to regenerative braking determined by the voltage rise determiner is a predetermined value or more.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a fuel cell stack;

a fuel cell stack diagnostic system including;

a diagnosis control analyzer that diagnoses and analyzes a status of the fuel cell stack by measuring a current and a voltage of the fuel cell stack;

an alternating current (AC) signal generator that generates a diagnostic AC signal in accordance with control of the diagnosis control analyzer; and

a power transistor that is driven in response to the diagnostic AC signal outputted from the AC signal generator and includes a diagnostic AC component into the current of the fuel cell stack;

a regenerative braking detector configured to detect regenerative braking of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with the fuel cell stack diagnostic system;

a voltage rise determiner configured to determine whether a voltage rise due to regenerative braking of the fuel cell vehicle is a predetermined value or more; and

a power transistor controller configured to control the AC signal generator so that the voltage due to the regenerative braking is discharged by the power transistor, when the voltage rise due to regenerative braking determined by the voltage rise determiner is the predetermined value or more.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack diagnosis system further includes:

one or more microprocessors that are programmed to be operated by a non-transitory computer program configured to perform the operations of;

generating, by the AC signal generator the diagnostic AC signal;

making, by the power transistor, the current of the fuel cell stack become an AC by the diagnostic AC signal to flow the AC into the fuel cell stack diagnostic system; and

diagnosing, by the diagnosis control analyzer, the fuel cell stack by analyzing a change in the AC which flows through the fuel cell stack diagnostic system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to detect the temperature of a motor room or an engine room or the temperature of a coolant in the fuel cell vehicle; and

a temperature determiner configured to determine whether the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is a predetermined temperature or less,

wherein the power transistor controller is configured to use heat generated by the power transistor for preheating the fuel cell vehicle, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is the predetermined temperature or less.

4. A method of using a power transistor in a fuel cell stack diagnostic system, which includes:

a diagnosis control analyzer that diagnoses and analyzes the status of the fuel cell stack by measuring the current and the voltage of the fuel cell stack;

an AC signal generator that generates a diagnostic AC signal in accordance with control of the diagnosis control analyzer; and

the power transistor that is driven in response to the diagnostic AC signal outputted from the AC signal generator and includes a diagnostic AC component into the current of the fuel cell stack, the method comprising;

detecting regenerative braking of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with the fuel cell stack diagnostic system;

determining whether a voltage rise due to regenerative braking of the fuel cell vehicle is a predetermined value or more; and

discharging the voltage due to the regenerative braking by the power transistor, when the voltage rise due to regenerative braking is a predetermined value or more.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a diagnostic AC signal;

adding the diagnostic AC signal to the current of the fuel cell stack so that the current of the fuel cell stack includes an AC component; and

diagnosing the fuel cell stack by analyzing a voltage change in the fuel cell stack according to the current of the fuel cell stack including the AC component.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting the temperature of a motor room or an engine room or the temperature of a coolant in the fuel cell vehicle;

determining whether the detected temperature is a predetermined temperature or less; and

making heat generated by the power transistor be used for preheating the fuel cell vehicle, when the detected temperature is the predetermined temperature or less.