Moving object with fuel cells incorporated therein and method of controlling the same

• US 20060113129A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tabata, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,273,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.250
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/04 Tank inlets B60K15/077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/32 characterised by the fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/28 including control of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 : Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/105 : Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 : Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/28 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 : Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 : Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/28 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0047 : the gear ratios comprising five forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2012 : with four sets of orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/66 : composed of a number of gear trains without drive passing from one train to another
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 : of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/00 : Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/908 : Fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/91 : Orbital, e.g. planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/916 : with plurality of drive axles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 : Continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 : Stepped shift
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/944 : Characterized by control of fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/945 : Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 : Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

In a hybrid vehicle with fuel cells and an engine mounted thereon as energy output sources, the technique of the present invention adequately changes a working energy output source according to a driving state of the hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle has the engine and a motor, both enabling power to be output to an axle. The hybrid vehicle also has fuel cells as a main electric power supply for driving the motor. The technique of the present invention changes the working energy output source between the fuel cells and the engine, in order to reduce the output of the fuel cells with consumption of a fuel for the fuel cells. With a decrease in remaining quantity of the fuel, the technique narrows a specific driving range, in which the motor is used as the power source. The technique also causes the engine to drive the motor as a generator and charges a battery not with electric power of the fuel cells but with electric power generated by the motor. This arrangement effectively prevents the fuel for the fuel cells from being excessively consumed in one driving mode. The fuel cells can thus be used preferentially in a specific driving state of the hybrid vehicle where the fuel cells have a high efficiency.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A vehicle having a motor and a heat engine as power sources, said vehicle comprising:

a fuel cell and a secondary battery as electric power supplies of said motor;

a regulation unit that regulates supplies of electric power fed from said fuel cell and said secondary battery to said motor; and

a control unit that controls operations of said electric power supplies and said power sources according to a driving state of said vehicle.

29. A vehicle in accordance with claim 28, said vehicle further comprising:

a remaining charge measurement unit that measures a remaining charge of said secondary battery,

wherein said control unit drives said motor with said secondary battery as a working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is not less than a predetermined level, while said vehicle is in a specific driving state that has been set in advance to select said motor as a working power source.

30. A vehicle in accordance with claim 29, wherein said control unit drives said motor with said fuel cell as the working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is less than the predetermined level.

31. A vehicle in accordance with claim 30, wherein said control unit causes an insufficiency of electric power to be compensated with electric power output from said secondary battery in a transient period before said fuel cell ensures a sufficient supply of electric power required to drive said motor, while said fuel cell is selected as a working electric power supply, and

the predetermined level is a certain remaining quantity set based on a quantity of electric power that enables the compensation.

32. A vehicle in accordance with claim 28, said vehicle further comprising:

a high torque condition decision unit that determines whether or not said vehicle is in a specific driving state that satisfies a preset condition for requiring a high torque,

wherein said control unit drives both said heat engine and said motor as working power sources when it is determined that said vehicle is in the specific driving state that satisfies the preset condition for requiring a high torque.

33. A vehicle in accordance with claim 32, said vehicle further comprising:

an accelerator travel measurement unit that measures an accelerator travel,

wherein the preset condition is that a variation in accelerator travel is not less than a predetermined value.

34. A vehicle in accordance with claim 32, said vehicle further comprising:

a required torque input unit that inputs a required torque,

wherein the preset condition is that the required torque is not less than a predetermined value.

35. A vehicle in accordance with claim 32, said vehicle further comprising:

a drive mode switch that allows a driver of said vehicle to select a specific drive mode for requiring a high torque,

wherein said high torque condition decision unit carries out the determination, based on an operating condition of said drive mode switch.

36. A vehicle in accordance with claim 32, said vehicle further comprising:

a remaining charge measurement unit that measures a remaining charge of said secondary battery,

wherein said control unit drives said motor with said secondary battery as a working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is not less than a predetermined level.

37. A vehicle in accordance with claim 36, wherein said control unit drives said motor with said fuel cell as the working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is less than the predetermined level.

38. A vehicle in accordance with claim 28, said vehicle further comprising:

a second motor that is driven with said fuel cell and said secondary battery as the electric power supplies;

a regulation unit that regulates supplies of electric power respectively fed from said fuel cell and said secondary battery to said second motor; and

auxiliary machinery that is linked with said heat engine and said second motor, wherein said control unit drives said second motor while said heat engine is at a stop.

39. A vehicle in accordance with claim 38, said vehicle further comprising:

a remaining charge measurement unit that measures a remaining charge of said secondary battery,

wherein said control unit drives said second motor with said secondary battery as a working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is not less than a predetermined level.

40. A vehicle in accordance with claim 39, wherein said control unit drives said second motor with said fuel cell as the working electric power supply in the case where the observed remaining charge is less than the predetermined level.

44. A vehicle in accordance with claim 28, wherein said control unit activates said fuel cell, so as to cause said fuel cell to output a preset electric power, even when it is not required to supply electric power from said fuel cell to said motor.

41-43. -43. (canceled)

45-95. -95. (canceled)