Fuel cell system and control method for fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016064754-A1
Application number	US-201414784767-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2014
Priority date	Apr 16, 2013
Publication date	Mar 3, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes an auxiliary machine to be connected to a fuel cell, warm-up power control means for controlling generated power of the fuel cell by adjusting power supplied to the auxiliary machine during the warm-up of the fuel cell, and IV characteristic estimation means for temporarily reducing the power supplied to the auxiliary machine and estimating an IV characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of at least two pairs of current values and voltage values at that time during the warm-up of the fuel cell.

First claim

1 - 5 . (canceled)

6 . A fuel cell system for generating power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell, comprising:
an auxiliary machine to be connected to the fuel cell; a warm-up power control unit for controlling generated power of the fuel cell by adjusting power supplied to the auxiliary machine during the warm-up of the fuel cell; and an IV characteristic estimation unit for temporarily reducing the power supplied to the auxiliary machine and estimating an IV characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of at least two pairs of current values and voltage values at that time during the warm-up of the fuel cell.

7 . The fuel cell system according to claim 6 , wherein:
the auxiliary machine includes a battery for storing surplus power of the fuel cell and an electrical component to be driven when the fuel cell generates power; and the IV characteristic estimation unit reduces an output current of the fuel cell after the output current is increased by the supply of power to the battery and estimates the IV characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the at least two pairs of current values and voltage values when reducing the output current, during the warm-up in which the generated power of the fuel cell is so controlled that the output current of the fuel cell reaches a predetermined warm-up target output current by adjusting consumption power of the electrical component by the warm-up power control unit.

8 . The fuel cell system according to claim 7 , wherein:
the IV characteristic estimation unit increases the output current of the fuel cell by starting the supply of power to the battery when a difference between an upper limit output current obtained by adding a chargeable current of the battery to the output current of the fuel cell and a steady-state lower limit output current obtained by subtracting a dischargeable current of the battery from the warm-up target output current becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined value in a transient state where the output current of the fuel cell is gradually increased toward the warm-up target output current.

9 . The fuel cell system according to claim 7 , wherein:
the IV characteristic estimation unit increases the output current of the fuel cell by starting the supply of power to the battery when the output current of the fuel cell becomes equal to or larger than a steady-state lower limit output current obtained by subtracting a dischargeable current of the battery from the warm-up target output current in a transient state where the output current of the fuel cell is gradually increased toward the warm-up target output current.

10 . A control method for a fuel cell system configured to generate power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell and including an auxiliary machine to be connected to the fuel cell, comprising:
a warm-up power control step of controlling generated power of the fuel cell by adjusting power supplied to the auxiliary machine during the warm-up of the fuel cell; and an IV characteristic estimation step of temporarily reducing the power supplied to the auxiliary machine and estimating an IV characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of at least two pairs of current values and voltage values at that time during the warm-up of the fuel cell.

11 . A fuel cell system for generating power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell, comprising:
an auxiliary machine to be connected to the fuel cell; warm-up power control means for controlling generated power of the fuel cell by adjusting power supplied to the auxiliary machine during the warm-up of the fuel cell; and IV characteristic estimation means for temporarily reducing the power supplied to the auxiliary machine and estimating an IV characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of at least two pairs of current values and voltage values at that time during the warm-up of the fuel cell.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Hoshi Kiyoshi

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

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

• H01M2250/20

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

• H01M8/04268 Primary

  Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M16/006

  of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title