Power distribution method and system for fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249892-B2
Application number	US-201615241792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A power distribution method and system for a fuel cell vehicle is provided. The method includes deducing an amount of moisture in a stack of a fuel cell, when a supply amount of air of the stack of the fuel cell is decreased and determining a state of the fuel cell based on the amount of moisture. Additionally, the method includes deducing allowance power of a regenerative braking of a driving motor using maximum power of the regenerative braking of an air compressor and chargeable power of a high voltage battery based on the determined state. The regenerative braking of the driving motor is then adjusted to prevent actual power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor from exceeding the allowance power of the regenerative braking.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power distribution method for a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:
deducing, by a controller, an amount of moisture in a stack of a fuel cell, when a supply amount of air of the stack of the fuel cell is decreased;
determining, by the controller, a state of the fuel cell based on the amount of moisture;
deducing, by the controller, allowance power of a regenerative braking of a driving motor, wherein power of a regenerative braking of an air compressor and chargeable power of a high voltage battery based on the determined state are used for deducing the allowance power and the regenerative braking of the air compressor is performed by controlling rotation speed of a motor of the air compressor; and
adjusting, by the controller, the regenerative braking of the driving motor to prevent actual power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor from exceeding the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor.

2. The power distribution method of claim 1 , wherein in the deducing of the amount of moisture in the stack of the fuel cell, a water content ratio of a membrane electrolyte assembly (MEA) of the fuel cell is considered.

3. The power distribution method of claim 1 , wherein in the determining of the state of the fuel cell, the state of the fuel cell is determined as a first state when the amount of moisture is a first amount of moisture or less, the first amount of moisture being preset, is determined as a second state when the amount of moisture exceeds the first amount of moisture and is a second amount of moisture or less, the second amount of moisture being preset to a value greater than the first amount of moisture, and is determined as a third state when the amount of moisture exceeds the second amount of moisture.

4. The power distribution method of claim 3 , wherein in the deducing of the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor, when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the first state, the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor is deduced by subtracting the maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor from the chargeable power of the high voltage battery.

5. The power distribution method of claim 3 , wherein in the deducing of the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor, when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the third state, the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor is deduced as the chargeable power of the high voltage battery.

6. The power distribution method of claim 5 , wherein the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor is power when allowance power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor is set to OA.

7. The power distribution method of claim 3 , wherein in the deducing of the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor, when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the second state, the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor is deduced as the chargeable power of the high voltage battery.

8. The power distribution method of claim 7 , further comprising:
deducing, by the controller, a maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor using the chargeable power of the high voltage battery and the actual power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor; and
adjusting, by the controller, the regenerative braking of the air compressor to prevent actual power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor from exceeding the maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor.

9. A power distribution system for a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:
a fuel cell;
a driving motor of the fuel cell vehicle;
a high voltage battery of the fuel cell vehicle;
an air compressor configured to supply air to a stack of the fuel cell; and
a controller configured to:
deduce an amount of moisture in the stack of the fuel cell when a supply amount of air of the stack of the fuel cell is decreased;
determine a state of the fuel cell based on the amount of moisture;
deduce allowance power of a regenerative braking of the driving motor, wherein power of a regenerative braking of the air compressor and chargeable power of the high voltage battery based on the determined state are used to deduce the allowance power and the regenerative braking of the air compressor is performed by controlling rotation speed of a motor of the air compressor; and
adjust the braking of the driving motor to prevent actual power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor from exceeding the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor.

10. The power distribution system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the state of the fuel cell as a first state when the amount of moisture is a first amount of moisture or less, the first amount of moisture being preset, as a second state when the amount of moisture exceeds the first amount of moisture and is a second amount of moisture or less, the second amount of moisture being preset to a value greater than the first amount of moisture, and as a third state when the amount of moisture exceeds the second amount of moisture.

11. The power distribution system of claim 10 , wherein when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the first state, the controller is configured to deduce the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor by subtracting the maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor from the chargeable power of the high voltage battery.

12. The power distribution system of claim 10 , wherein when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the third state, the controller is configured to deduce the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor as the chargeable power of the high voltage battery.

13. The power distribution system of claim 10 , wherein when the state of the fuel cell is determined as the second state, the controller is configured to deduce the chargeable power of the high voltage battery as the allowance power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor, deduce a maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor using the chargeable power of the high voltage battery and the actual power of the regenerative braking of the driving motor, and adjust the regenerative braking of the air compressor to prevent actual power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor from exceeding the maximum power of the regenerative braking of the air compressor.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Dong Hun
• Ryu Jung Hwan

Classifications

• B60L7/18

  Controlling the braking effect (B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

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

• B60L15/2009

  for braking · CPC title

• H01M16/006

  of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries · CPC title

• H01M8/04492 Primary

  Humidity; Ambient humidity; Water content · CPC title