Equation based state estimator for cooling system controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11094950-B2
Application number	US-201715824986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2017
Priority date	Nov 28, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a fuel cell stack that receives a fluid, an actuator to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid, a pipe to facilitate flow of the fluid, and a memory designed to store a model of the fuel cell circuit. The system also includes an ECU that calculates mass flow values of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on a previously-determined mass flow value and the model of the fuel cell circuit. The ECU also calculates a plurality of pressure values corresponding to the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on the plurality of mass flow values and the model, controls the actuator position of the actuator to increase or decrease the fluid temperature based on at least one of the plurality of mass flow values and at least one of the plurality of pressure values.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for heating or cooling a fuel cell circuit of a vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells and configured to receive a fluid and to heat the fluid;
a radiator configured to transfer heat away from the fluid;
an actuator having an actuator position and configured to increase or decrease a fluid temperature of the fluid, the actuator including at least one of:
a valve having a valve position configured to adjust an amount of the fluid that flows through the radiator, or
a fan having a fan speed and configured to direct air over the radiator at a volume that corresponds to the fan speed;

a pipe configured to facilitate flow of the fluid through the fuel cell circuit;
a non-transitory memory configured to store a model of the fuel cell circuit; and
an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the actuator and the non-transitory memory and programmed to:
calculate a plurality of mass flow values of the fluid each corresponding to a mass flow of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on a previously-determined mass flow value and the model of the fuel cell circuit,
calculate a plurality of pressure values each corresponding to a pressure of the fluid at an inlet or an outlet of the fuel cell stack or the pipe based on the plurality of mass flow values and the model of the fuel cell circuit,
receive or calculate a desired temperature of the fluid at a location in the fuel cell circuit that is greater than a present temperature of the fluid at the location, and
control the actuator position of the actuator by at least one of adjusting the valve position of the valve to reduce a flow of the fluid through the radiator or decreasing the fan speed of the fan to increase the fluid temperature based on the desired temperature and based on at least one of the plurality of mass flow values and at least one of the plurality of pressure values.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further programmed to:
determine a temperature control signal corresponding to the desired temperature of the fluid at a fuel cell inlet or a fuel cell outlet of the fuel cell stack;
calculate a desired actuator position of the actuator based on the temperature control signal, at least one of the plurality of mass flow values, and at least one of the plurality of pressure values; and
control the actuator position to be equal to the desired actuator position.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a flow splitter configured to split the fluid into a first fluid flow and a second fluid flow, wherein:
the pipe includes a first pipe configured to receive the first fluid flow and a second pipe configured to receive the second fluid flow; and
the ECU is further programmed to calculate a first pipe mass flow of the first fluid flow through the first pipe and a second pipe mass flow of the second fluid flow through the second pipe based on previously-determined flow resistances of the first pipe and of the second pipe.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a reservoir configured to store the fluid at a reservoir pressure, wherein the ECU is further programmed to identify a current reservoir pressure of the fluid in the reservoir, and calculate the plurality of pressure values further based on the current reservoir pressure.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further programmed to:
calculate a plurality of density values each corresponding to a density of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe;
calculate a plurality of specific heat values each corresponding to a specific heat of the fluid through the fuel cell stack or the pipe; and
control the actuator position further based on at least one of the plurality of density values and at least one of the plurality of specific heat values.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further programmed to calculate a plurality of temperature values each corresponding to a temperature of the fluid at least one of a pump outlet of a pump or the outlet of the fuel cell stack based on a previously-determined temperature value at the at least one of the pump outlet or the outlet of the fuel cell stack and the model of the fuel cell circuit.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further programmed to calculate an amount of heat generated by the fuel cell stack and to control the actuator position further based on the amount of heat generated by the fuel cell stack.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Folick Daniel
• Farnsworth Jared
• Hasegawa Shigeki
• Fukuda Kentaro

Classifications

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04014

  Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title

• H01M8/04067

  Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins · CPC title

• H01M8/04134

  by coolants · CPC title