Power net system of fuel cell vehicle and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179513-B2
Application number	US-201514963786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	Jun 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

A power net system of a fuel cell vehicle is provided. The power net system includes a fuel cell and a high-voltage battery unit connected in parallel via a main bus and a first switching unit that is configured to form and block an electrical connection between an output terminal of the fuel cell and the main bus. A load device diverges and is connected between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the first switching unit. A reverse current blocking unit is connected between the first switching unit and a node from which the load device diverges. A second switching unit is configured to form and block an electrical connection between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the load device. A controller operates the first and second switching units and adjusts the electrical connection state between the main bus and the high-voltage battery unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power net system of a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:
a fuel cell and a high-voltage battery unit connected in parallel via a main bus;
a first switching unit configured to form and block an electrical connection between an output terminal of the fuel cell and the main bus;
a load device diverging and connected between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the first switching unit;
a reverse current blocking unit connected between the first switching unit and a node from which the load device diverges;
a second switching unit configured to form and block an electrical connection between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the load device; and
a controller configured to operate the first and second switching units and the electrical connection state between the main bus and adjust the high-voltage battery unit to cause power of the output terminal of the fuel cell to be consumed by the load device and a charge operation of the high-voltage battery, when a preset event occurs, wherein the preset event is a vehicle collision.

2. The power net system of claim 1 , wherein when the preset event occurs, the controller is configured to block the supply of hydrogen and oxygen to the fuel cell before operating the first and second switching units.

3. The power net system of claim 1 , wherein when the preset event occurs, the controller is configured to determine whether the high-voltage battery unit can be charged.

4. The power net system of claim 3 , wherein when the high-voltage battery unit can be charged, the controller is configured to operate the first and second switching units to be shorted, and operate a high-voltage converter in the high-voltage battery unit to decrease the voltage of the main bus.

5. The power net system of claim 3 , wherein when the high-voltage battery unit cannot be charged, the controller is configured to operate the first switching unit to be opened, operate the second switching unit to be shorted, and block the electrical connection between the high-voltage battery unit and the main bus.

6. The power net system of claim 1 , wherein when the voltage of the output terminal of the fuel cell decreases to be less than a preset voltage, the controller is configured to operate the first and second switching units to be opened, and block the electrical connection between the high-voltage battery unit and the main bus.

7. A method for controlling a power net system of a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:
sensing, by a controller, whether a preset event occurs, wherein the preset event is a vehicle collision;
determining, by the controller, whether a high-voltage battery unit connected in parallel to a fuel cell via a main bus can be charged; and
forming, by the controller, an electrical connection between an output terminal of the fuel cell and a load device and an electrical connection between the fuel cell and the high-voltage battery unit, in response to determining that the high-voltage battery unit can be charged,
wherein power of the output terminal of the fuel cell is consumed by the load device and a charge operation of the high-voltage battery unit, and
wherein a reverse current blocking unit is disposed between the output terminal of the fuel cell and a first switching unit configured to form or block electrical connection between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the main bus, in order to block a current flow to the output terminal of the fuel cell and the lead device from the main bus when the first switching unit is shorted.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to operate a high-voltage converter in the high-voltage battery unit to decrease the voltage of the main bus in response to determining that the high-voltage battery unit can be charged.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
forming, by the controller, the electrical connection between the fuel cell output terminal and the load device and blocking the electrical connection between the fuel cell and the high-voltage battery unit, in response to determining that the high-voltage battery unit cannot be charged.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
blocking, by the controller, hydrogen and oxygen supplied to the fuel cell, determining whether a high-voltage battery unit connected in parallel to a fuel cell via a main bus can be charged.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
comparing, by the controller, the voltage of the output terminal of the fuel cell to a preset voltage, after forming the electrical connections; and
blocking, by the controller, the electrical connection between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the load device, the electrical connection between the output terminal of the fuel cell and the main bus, and the electrical connection between the high-voltage battery unit and the main bus, in response to determining that the voltage of the output terminal of the fuel cell is less than the preset voltage.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Sang Uk

Classifications

• H02J2101/30

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04664

  Failure or abnormal function · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H02J1/108

  having arrangements for blocking reverse current flow, e.g. using diodes (H02J1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04559

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title