Fuel cell system, method of controlling fuel cell system, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11522207-B2
Application number	US-202017023415-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes fuel cell, an electrical storage device that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell, and a control device that controls generation of power by the fuel cell, that acquires a charging rate of the electrical storage device, when the electric power in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices, the control device performs first control which increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device and second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, and when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined temperature, a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control is reduced in comparison when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell;
an electrical storage device with a temperature sensor built thereinto or attached thereto and configured to store electric power generated by the fuel cell; and
a control device programmed to perform power generation control for at least the fuel cell,
wherein the control device acquires a charging rate of the electrical storage device,
wherein when the electric power stored in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices, the control device performs a first control which causes the fuel cell to generate power and increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device and a second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than that in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, and wherein the first control causes power generation at a power generation amount with a power generation efficiency being higher than a power generation efficiency of a power generation caused by the second control, and
wherein when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined temperature, a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control is reduced in comparison with a case in which the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature,
wherein the control device switches the first control to the second control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is increased to be equal to or greater than a first threshold in a case that the first control is performed, and
wherein the control device switches the second control to the first control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is decreased to be less than a second threshold in a case that the second control is performed.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell system is mounted on a vehicle, and
further comprises a feeding apparatus configured to feed the electric power stored in the electrical storage device to devices external to the vehicle.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2 , wherein the feeding apparatus is able to be connected to an external electrical storage device provided outside the vehicle,
when the first control is performed by the control device, the electric power generated by the fuel cell is supplied to the external electrical storage device and also supplied to the devices external to the vehicle, and
when the second control is performed by the control device, the electric power discharged from the electrical storage device and the electric power discharged from the external electrical storage device are supplied to the devices external to the vehicle.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 , wherein the feeding apparatus initially supplies the electric power discharged from the external electrical storage device to the devices when the second control is performed by the control device.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 , further comprising a heating part provided at a position at which heat is transferred to the electrical storage device and configured to generate heat using the electric power supplied from the electrical storage device,
wherein the control device supplies the electric power stored in the electrical storage device to the heating part so as to generate heat when the temperature of the electrical storage device is less than the predetermined temperature.

6. A method of controlling a fuel cell system, which is performed by a control device of a fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell; and
an electrical storage device with a temperature sensor built thereinto or attached thereto and configured to store electric power generated by the fuel cell,
the method comprising:
performing generation control of at least the fuel cell;
acquiring a charging rate of the electrical storage device;
performing a first control which causes the fuel cell to generate power and increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device when the electric power stored in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices and a second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than that in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, wherein the first control causes power generation at a power generation amount with a power generation efficiency being higher than a power generation efficiency of a power generation caused by the second control;
reducing a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is less than a predetermined temperature, in comparison with a case in which the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature;
switching the first control to the second control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is increased to be equal to or greater than a first threshold in a case that the first control is performed; and
switching the second control to the first control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is decreased to be less than a second threshold in a case that the second control is performed.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a program is stored, the program configured to cause a control computer of a fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell; and
an electrical storage device with a temperature sensor built thereinto or attached thereto and configured to store electric power generated by the fuel cell,
to perform
processing of performing generation control of at least the fuel cell;
processing of acquiring a charging rate of the electrical storage device;
processing of performing a first control which causes the fuel cell to generate power and increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device when the electric power stored in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices and a second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than that in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, wherein the first control causes power generation at a power generation amount with a power generation efficiency being higher than a power generation efficiency of a power generation caused by the second control;
processing of reducing a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is less than a predetermined temperature, in comparison with a case in which the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature
switching the first control to the second control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is increased to be equal to or greater than a first threshold in a case that the first control is performed; and
switching the second control to the first control when the charging rate of the electrical storage device is decreased to be less than a second threshold in a case that the second control is performed.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sakai Ryoji
• Matsui Akihiro

Classifications

• H01M8/04701

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/443

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/04537

  Electric variables · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

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