Valve control apparatus and valve control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880567-B2
Application number	US-201514938427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A valve control apparatus controls a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell. The valve control apparatus includes: an estimation portion that estimates a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and an opening adjustment portion that adjusts opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve control apparatus controlling a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell, the valve control apparatus comprising:
an estimation portion that estimates a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and
an opening adjustment portion that adjusts opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion, wherein:
the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area by calculating the valve effective cross-sectional area using the following Formula 1:

[

Formula
⁢

⁢
1

]

⁢

S
=

Q
A

×

T

273
×
PL
×
dP

S being the valve effective cross-sectional area,
Q being an amount of air passing through the valve,
A being a flow amount coefficient,
T being a temperature of air passing through the valve,
PL being a pressure of air after passing through the valve, and
dP being a differential pressure of air before and after passing through the valve, and

the opening adjustment portion estimates a difference of a reference value of a number of steps of opening in the valve corresponding to the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area, and a current number of steps of opening in the valve, as an amount of opening variation, and adjusts an opening degree of the valve with a control amount in accordance with the estimated amount of opening variation.

2. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area when the fuel cell is operated under conditions in which flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve is lower than a threshold flow amount and a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected with the valve is higher than a threshold differential pressure.

3. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , the valve control apparatus further comprising:
a storage portion for storing information based on the valve effective cross-sectional area estimated by the estimation portion; and
a deletion adjustment portion that adjusts a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve to a value higher than a threshold differential pressure when the information is deleted from the storage portion,
wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area in a state where the differential pressure is adjusted by the deletion adjustment portion.

4. The valve control apparatus according to claim 1 , the valve control apparatus further comprising:
a flow amount acquisition portion that acquires information indicating flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve;
a temperature acquisition portion that acquires information indicating temperature of the reaction gas;
a differential pressure acquisition portion that acquires information indicating a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve; and
a pressure acquisition portion that acquires information indicating a pressure of the secondary-side flow path,
wherein the estimation portion estimates the valve effective cross-sectional area based on the flow amount, the temperature, the differential pressure and the pressure.

5. A valve control method of controlling a valve for adjusting a pressure of a reaction gas supplied to a fuel cell, the valve control method comprising:
estimating a valve effective cross-sectional area of the valve; and
adjusting opening degree of the valve with control amount corrected based on the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area, wherein:
estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area includes calculating the valve effective cross-sectional area using the following Formula 1:

[

Formula
⁢

⁢
1

]

⁢

S
=

Q
A

×

T

273
×
PL
×
dP

S being the valve effective cross-sectional area,
Q being an amount of air passing through the valve,
A being a flow amount coefficient,
T being a temperature of air passing through the valve,
PL being a pressure of air after passing through the valve, and
dP being a differential pressure of air before and after passing through the valve, and

adjusting opening degree of the valve includes estimating a difference of a reference value of a number of steps of opening in the valve corresponding to the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area, and a current number of steps of opening in the valve, as an amount of opening variation, and adjusting an opening degree of the valve with a control amount in accordance with the estimated amount of opening variation.

6. The valve control method according to claim 5 , the valve control method further comprising estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area when the fuel cell is operated under conditions in which flow amount of the reaction gas flowing through the valve is lower than a threshold flow amount and a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected with the valve is higher than a threshold differential pressure.

7. The valve control method according to claim 5 , the valve control method further comprising:
storing information in a storage portion, the information being based on the estimated valve effective cross-sectional area;
adjusting a differential pressure between a primary-side flow path and a secondary-side flow path connected to the valve to a value higher than a threshold differential pressure when the information is deleted from the storage portion; and
estimating the valve effective cross-sectional area in a state where the differential pressure is adjusted when the information is deleted from the storage portion.

8. The valve contro

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Hiroyuki
• Yamanaka Tomio
• Naganuma Yoshiaki
• Nada Mitsuhiro

Classifications

• G05D16/2013 Primary

  using throttling means as controlling means · CPC title

• F16K31/00

  Actuating devices;} Operating means; Releasing devices {(regulating means G05D) · CPC title

• F16K37/0075

  For recording or indicating the functioning of a valve in combination with test equipment · CPC title

• G05D16/028

  Controlling a pressure difference (control of flow G05D7/00) · CPC title

• H01M8/0432

  Temperature; Ambient temperature · CPC title