Power control apparatus for fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10150384-B2
Application number	US-201715469897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle which includes a fuel cell and which is driven by an electric motor that is supplied with electric power from the fuel cell. The power control apparatus includes an accelerator sensor that detects an operation of an accelerator, and a control unit that controls the fuel cell to increase the output power of the fuel cell so as to correspond to an increase in a requested acceleration output based on the detected accelerator opening degree. When the accelerator opening degree is less than a first accelerator determination value that is set in advance, the control unit controls the fuel cell to suppress an increase in the output power thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle which includes a fuel cell and which is driven by an electric motor that is supplied with electric power from the fuel cell, the power control apparatus comprising:
an accelerator sensor that detects an operation of an accelerator; and
a control unit that controls the fuel cell to increase an output power of the fuel cell so as to correspond to an increase in a requested acceleration output based on an accelerator opening degree that is detected;
wherein, when the accelerator opening degree is less than a first accelerator determination value that is set in advance, the control unit controls the fuel cell to suppress an increase in the output power of the fuel cell.

2. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell for a vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a charging/discharging unit that supplies electric power to the electric motor, wherein the control unit:
controls the fuel cell to increase the output power of the fuel cell to charge the charging/discharging unit when it is determined that a charging rate of the charging/discharging unit decreases to less than a predetermined charging rate that is set in advance; and
when the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, even in a case where the charging rate of the charging/discharging unit is less than the predetermined charging rate, controls the charging/discharging unit to suppress an increase in the output power of the charging/discharging unit.

3. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit sets the first accelerator determination value to an increase side in accordance with an increase in the charging rate of the charging/discharging unit.

4. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to stop increasing the output power of the fuel cell at a time that the charging rate of the charging/discharging unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined charging rate and the accelerator opening degree is less than a second accelerator determination value that is set, in advance, greater than the first accelerator determination value.

5. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to gradually relax suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell in accordance with an elapsed time from a start of the accelerator acceleration operation.

6. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell so that, the larger that the accelerator opening degree is in a region in which the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, the earlier that suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell is relaxed.

7. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising a predetermined charging rate setting unit into which an arbitrary predetermined charging rate can be input.

8. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to gradually relax suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell in accordance with an elapsed time from a start of the accelerator acceleration operation.

9. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell so that, the larger that the accelerator opening degree is in a region in which the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, the earlier that suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell is relaxed.

10. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to stop increasing the output power of the fuel cell at a time that the charging rate of the charging/discharging unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined charging rate and the accelerator opening degree is less than a second accelerator determination value that is set, in advance, greater than the first accelerator determination value.

11. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to gradually relax suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell in accordance with an elapsed time from a start of the accelerator acceleration operation.

12. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell so that, the larger that the accelerator opening degree is in a region in which the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, the earlier that suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell is relaxed.

13. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to gradually relax suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell in accordance with an elapsed time from a start of the accelerator acceleration operation.

14. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell so that, the larger that the accelerator opening degree is in a region in which the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, the earlier that suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell is relaxed.

15. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a predetermined charging rate setting unit into which an arbitrary predetermined charging rate can be input.

16. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell to gradually relax suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell in accordance with an elapsed time from a start of the accelerator acceleration operation.

17. The power control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 16 , wherein the control unit controls the fuel cell so that, the larger that the accelerator opening degree is in a region in which the accelerator opening degree is less than the first accelerator determination value, the earlier that suppression of an increase in the output power of the fuel cell is relaxed.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Motors Corp

Inventors

• Hiramitsu Yusuke
• Nakane Kazuyoshi
• Takei Chikara
• Tashiro Keisuke

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• B60L58/40

  for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• B60L50/75

  using propulsion power supplied by both fuel cells and batteries · CPC title

• B60L50/72

  Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title