Motor vehicle with a fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10714768-B2
Application number	US-201815956004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2018
Priority date	Apr 18, 2017
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

The fuel cell system of a motor vehicle has a fuel cell, comprising an anode side and a cathode side, a compressor, which is rotationally connected to a motor and connected by a feed line to the cathode side of the fuel cell, and a turbine, which is connected by an exhaust air line to the cathode side and which furthermore is rotationally connected only to a generator, which is connected at the output side to a second inverter and a low-voltage battery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system of a motor vehicle with a fuel cell, comprising:
a compressor rotationally connected to a motor, and connected by a feed line to a cathode side of the fuel cell;
a turbine connected by an exhaust air line to the cathode side, and rotationally connected only to a generator that is electrically connected to an auxiliary battery; and
a traction battery electrically connected to an output of the fuel cell, the auxiliary battery and traction battery lacking a converter therebetween for converting high voltage power to low voltage power, wherein values are set for a mass flow of air and for cathode pressure of the fuel cell according to voltage of the auxiliary battery.

2. The fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the traction battery has a second converter electrically connected upstream of the traction battery.

3. A vehicle comprising:
a compressor, fluidly connected with a gas inlet of a fuel cell, configured to be driven with power from a traction battery;
a turbine, fluidly connected with a gas outlet of the fuel cell, configured to drive a generator to deliver power to an auxiliary battery; and
a controller configured to regulate a pressure in the fuel cell via the compressor without a bypass valve spanning the fuel cell and to set a mass flow for the fuel cell based on a voltage of the auxiliary battery.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the traction battery and auxiliary battery lack a converter therebetween for converting high voltage power to low voltage power.

5. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein an electrical output of the fuel cell is electrically connected with the traction battery.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 further comprising a converter electrically between the electrical output and the traction battery.

7. A vehicle comprising:
a compressor, fluidly connected with a gas inlet of a fuel cell, configured to be driven with power from a traction battery;
a turbine, fluidly connected with a gas outlet of the fuel cell, configured to drive a generator to deliver power to an auxiliary battery, the traction battery and auxiliary battery lacking a converter therebetween for converting high voltage power to low voltage power; and
a controller configured to set a mass flow for the fuel cell based on a voltage of the auxiliary battery.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to regulate a pressure in the fuel cell via the compressor without a bypass valve spanning the fuel cell.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein an electrical output of the fuel cell is electrically connected with the traction battery.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 further comprising a converter electrically between the electrical output and the traction battery.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Orozco Julio
• Sponheimer Arnulf

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• B60L1/20 Primary

  Energy regeneration from auxiliary equipment · CPC title