Fuel cell vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019229357-A1
Application number	US-201916249991-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 17, 2019
Priority date	Jan 22, 2018
Publication date	Jul 25, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A drive upper limit electrical energy for an air compressor is set variably in correspondence with vehicle velocity Vv. In this manner, for example, surplus power generation electrical energy of a fuel cell stack is consumed (discarded) by the air compressor in a range where NV (noise and vibration) of the air compressor does not give passengers any sense of discomfort.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell configured to supply electrical energy to a load; an oxygen-containing gas supply unit configured to supply an oxygen-containing gas to the fuel cell; a fuel gas supply unit configured to supply a fuel gas to the fuel cell; a power generation control unit configured to control a power generation state of the fuel cell; an energy storage device; a charging state acquisition unit configured to obtain a charging state of the energy storage device; a surplus power generation electrical energy consumption control unit configured to charge the energy storage device with surplus power generation electrical energy of the fuel cell and control a drive state of the oxygen-containing gas supply unit up to drive upper limit electrical energy, in correspondence with the charging state of the energy storage device obtained by the charging state acquisition unit, to thereby consume the surplus power generation electrical energy of the fuel cell; and a vehicle velocity acquisition unit configured to obtain vehicle velocity, wherein the surplus power generation electrical energy consumption control unit is configured to variably set the drive upper limit electrical energy for the oxygen-containing gas supply unit so that the drive upper limit electrical energy depends on the vehicle velocity obtained by the vehicle velocity acquisition unit.

2 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a load requirement acquisition unit configured to obtain load requirement of the load required in traveling of the fuel cell vehicle;
the power generation control unit is configured to control power generation of the fuel cell in a power generation range higher than the load requirement obtained by the load requirement acquisition unit and in which degradation of the fuel cell is suppressed; and the surplus power generation electrical energy consumption control unit is configured to cause the oxygen-containing gas supply unit to consume the surplus power generation electrical energy at a time of controlling degradation suppression power generation, by controlling the drive state of the oxygen-containing gas supply unit.

3 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the charging state of the energy storage device obtained by the charging state acquisition unit reaches a charging state threshold value, when the vehicle velocity obtained by the vehicle velocity acquisition unit indicates an acceleration state, the surplus power generation electrical energy consumption control unit increases the drive upper limit electrical energy for the oxygen-containing gas supply unit in correspondence with the vehicle velocity.

4 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the charging state of the energy storage device obtained by the charging state acquisition unit reaches a charging state threshold value, when the vehicle velocity obtained by the vehicle velocity acquisition unit indicates a deceleration state,
the surplus power generation electrical energy consumption control unit decreases the drive upper limit electrical energy for the oxygen-containing gas supply unit in correspondence with the vehicle velocity.

5 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen-containing gas supply unit is provided with a bypass channel configured to release the oxygen-containing gas to outside through a valve.

6 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the drive upper limit electrical energy for the oxygen-containing gas supply unit has a minimum value during a stopping and idling state of the fuel cell vehicle, and a value of the drive upper limit electrical energy increases in accordance with increase in the vehicle velocity; and
in a case of a road having a small traveling noise, the increase in the value of the drive upper limit electrical energy is suppressed in comparison with a case of a travel road being in a rough road condition.

7 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen-containing gas supply unit comprises an air compressor;
during a stopping and idling state of the fuel cell vehicle where a value of the vehicle velocity is zero, power generation of the fuel cell is controlled to be in a high load state where high potential degradation is suppressed; and the energy storage device is charged with surplus power generation electrical energy, and when there is no more uncharged capacity of the energy storage device, a rotational speed of the air compressor is increased to thereby increase the uncharged capacity.

8 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the rotational speed of the air compressor is increased to thereby increase electrical energy for the air compressor to an upper limit value of a noise and vibration level where noise and vibration during the stopping and idling state of the fuel cell vehicle can be tolerated by a passenger of the fuel cell vehicle.

9 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the air compressor is equipped with a bypass channel configured to release the oxygen-containing gas to outside through a valve, and the valve is configured to be opened at a time of increasing the rotational speed of the air compressor.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ojima Kuniaki
• NAKAGAWA Takuto

Classifications

• B60W10/28

  including control of fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L58/30

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title

• B60W40/105

  Speed · CPC title

• B60L50/50

  using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L2270/142

  acoustic · CPC title