Fuel cell control method and device, vehicle and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method of a fuel cell, a control device of the fuel cell, a vehicle and a computer readable storage medium, and the control method of the fuel cell comprises the following steps: when the vehicle is in a flameout state and the fuel cell is not powered off, judging whether the temperature of stack cooling liquid of the fuel cell reaches a preset temperature threshold; under the condition that the temperature of the galvanic pile cooling liquid does not reach the preset temperature threshold value, first consumption power of electric equipment of the vehicle is determined; determining a target output power according to the first consumption power, and adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack cooling liquid until the temperature of the stack cooling liquid reaches a preset temperature threshold; and under the condition that the temperature of the stack cooling liquid reaches a preset temperature threshold value, controlling the fuel cell to purge according to a preset purging strategy. According to the control method, the duration required for heating the electric pile cooling liquid can be shortened, and the shutdown purging efficiency of the vehicle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of battery technology, and in particular, relates to a fuel cell control method, a fuel cell control device, a vehicle, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] When a fuel cell generates electricity, water is generated inside the stack. To prevent hydrogen and air from being unable to circulate during the next cold start, or water freezing at low temperatures to damage the proton exchange membrane, catalyst layer, and gas diffusion layer of the stack, it is necessary to drain as much water as possible from the stack when shutting down.

[0003] In the related art, water is discharged from the inside of the stack by purging. However, when the temperature of the stack coolant is low, it is difficult to discharge the water by purging alone. In order to achieve a better purging effect, the stack coolant can be heated by the fuel cell heater to increase the temperature of the stack coolant, and then the water is discharged by purging. However, not only does the heater need to be installed additionally, but it also takes a long time to heat the stack coolant, which means that the purging time is long, making the shutdown purging efficiency low. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a fuel cell control method, a fuel cell control device, a vehicle and a computer-readable storage medium, which can shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant and improve the efficiency of shutdown purging.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a fuel cell control method, comprising:

[0006] When the vehicle is in an ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off, determining whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold;

[0007] When the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold, determining a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle;

[0008] Determining a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold;

[0009] When the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold, the fuel cell is controlled to be purged according to a preset purge strategy.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present application provides a control device for a fuel cell, comprising:

[0011] A judgment module, used to judge whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold when the vehicle is in an ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off;

[0012] A first determination module, configured to determine a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle when the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold;

[0013] a second determination module, configured to determine a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold;

[0014] The purge module is used to control the fuel cell to be purged according to a preset purge strategy when the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the method of the first aspect when executing the computer program.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method of the first aspect are implemented.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by one or more processors, it implements the steps of the method of the first aspect.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects: when the vehicle is in the off state, it indicates that the user will not use the vehicle in a short time. In order to ensure that the cold start performance of the vehicle will not be affected by the water inside the fuel cell stack when it is started next time, when the fuel cell is not powered off and the stack coolant needs to be heated to improve the shutdown purge effect, the output power of the stack can be increased, and the stack reaction can be allowed to release heat to heat the stack coolant, so that the water inside the stack can be easily purged.

[0019] If the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach the preset temperature threshold, if the water inside the stack is purged directly, the purging effect is poor. Based on this, the stack coolant can be heated to improve the purging effect. In order to improve the current situation of time-consuming heating of the stack coolant by the fuel cell heater in the related art, the present application changes the heating method, and heats the stack coolant by increasing the output power of the fuel cell to allow the stack reaction to release heat. However, considering that the amount of electricity consumed by the fuel cell itself is relatively small, the external output power of the fuel cell can be focused on. If the vehicle is in the off state, the power consumption of the electrical equipment other than the fuel cell itself is recorded as the first power consumption, then the target output power can be determined based on the first power consumption; the external output power of the fuel cell is adjusted to the target output power, so that the stack can release heat to heat the stack coolant. When the temperature of the stack coolant reaches the preset temperature threshold, it means that it is appropriate to purge the water inside the stack. At this time, the fuel cell is controlled to execute the preset purge strategy to complete the shutdown purge.

[0020] In this control method, by adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power, the reactor can release heat to the maximum extent to heat the stack coolant, shortening the time required to heat the stack coolant. After the stack coolant is heated to the preset temperature threshold, the fuel cell is controlled to execute the pre-set purge strategy, which can complete the shutdown purge in a shorter time and improve the efficiency of the shutdown purge.

[0021] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the second to fifth aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a fuel cell control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a control method of a fuel cell in a practical application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device for a fuel cell provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0028] In the related art, in order to achieve a better purging effect, the stack coolant is first heated by the fuel cell heater to increase the temperature of the stack coolant, and then the water is discharged by purging. However, the heater not only needs to be installed additionally, but also takes a long time to heat the stack coolant water, which means that the purging time is long, making the shutdown purging efficiency low.

[0029] In order to solve this problem, the present application proposes a control method for a fuel cell, which changes the heating strategy without the need to install a heater, can shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant, and thus improve the efficiency of shutdown purging. The control method proposed in the present application will be described below through specific embodiments.

[0030] The control method of the fuel cell provided in the embodiment of the present application is mainly applied to vehicles, specifically, it can be a control system of the vehicle; of course, it is also applied to electronic devices that can establish a communication connection with the vehicle. Among them, the electronic device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-mounted device, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) device, a laptop computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and other electronic devices. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on the specific type of electronic device.

[0031] In order to illustrate the technical solution proposed in this application, each embodiment will be described below using a vehicle as the execution subject.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a fuel cell control method provided by the present application is shown, and the fuel cell control method includes:

[0033] Step 110: The vehicle determines whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

[0034] When the vehicle is turned off, that is, the user turns the vehicle key from "ON" to "OFF", it means that the user wants to shut down the vehicle. However, when the vehicle is turned on, water will be generated inside the fuel cell stack. If this water is not discharged in time during the shutdown process, it is easy to cause hydrogen and air to be unable to circulate during the next start of the vehicle, or the water is easy to freeze at low temperatures, causing irreversible damage to the proton exchange membrane, catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer of the stack, shortening the service life of the stack.

[0035] Therefore, in order to ensure the vehicle's starting performance and extend the life of the stack, the water inside the stack can be drained before the vehicle is shut down. Since the fuel cell is loaded during the vehicle shutdown, load reduction and purge process, in addition to determining that the vehicle is in the off state, it is also possible to determine whether the fuel cell is powered off, and if the fuel cell is not powered off, further determine whether it is necessary to heat the coolant of the stack.

[0036] When the temperature is low, it is difficult to drain the water inside the stack directly by purging. In other words, when the temperature of the stack coolant is low, the demand for heating is greater. On the contrary, when the temperature of the stack coolant is normal, the demand for heating is not great. Therefore, in order to reduce unnecessary energy loss, a preset temperature threshold can be set, and based on the preset temperature threshold, it can be determined whether heating is necessary.

[0037] Optionally, different battery stacks may be calibrated with different preset temperature thresholds. In actual applications, different battery stacks may determine their corresponding preset temperature thresholds through experimental tests.

[0038] Step 120: The vehicle determines a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle.

[0039] Specifically, when the vehicle is in the off state and the fuel cell has not been powered off, the vehicle can determine the temperature of the stack coolant in real time and compare the temperature of the stack coolant with a preset temperature threshold; when the temperature of the stack coolant is lower than the preset temperature threshold, it is considered necessary to take heating action.

[0040] In the related art, an additional heater is installed to heat the stack coolant of the stack so that the water inside the stack can be easily discharged. For example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater is installed in the fuel cell. However, the time required for the heater to heat the stack coolant is relatively long, which also makes the shutdown purge efficiency in the related art relatively low.

[0041] This embodiment changes the heating method, and heats the stack coolant of the stack through the heat released by the stack reaction. This not only eliminates the need for an additional heater, but also shortens the time required to heat the stack coolant to improve the efficiency of shutdown purging. However, considering that during the shutdown process of the vehicle, there are fewer parts of the fuel cell that are still in operation, and correspondingly, the fuel cell's output power to itself is also relatively small. In order to improve the ability of the stack reaction to release heat, the external output power of the fuel cell can be focused on. It can be understood that the external output power of the fuel cell does not include the power consumed by the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell itself.

[0042] In order to accurately adjust the external output power and avoid the adverse effects of excessive external output power on various components of the vehicle, the vehicle can first determine the first power consumption of electrical equipment other than the fuel cell when the vehicle is in the off state. Among them, the electrical equipment does not include the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell itself, and it can be considered that the first power consumption is the power consumed by the equipment other than the fuel cell.

[0043] Step 130: The vehicle determines a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjusts the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

[0044] After determining the first power consumption, the vehicle can accurately determine the target output power based on the first power consumption. By adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power, the vehicle can allow the stack to react and release heat to the maximum extent to heat the stack coolant. In order to reduce energy consumption, when the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold, the vehicle can adjust the external output power of the fuel cell and stop heating the stack coolant.

[0045] Step 140: The vehicle controls the fuel cell to purge according to a preset purge strategy.

[0046] In order to achieve a better purge effect, a better purge strategy can be pre-set. At the same time, in order to shorten the purge time, the vehicle can control the fuel cell to execute the purge strategy when the temperature of the stack coolant reaches the preset temperature threshold to complete the shutdown purge.

[0047] In the present embodiment, when the vehicle is in the off state and the fuel cell is not powered off, the vehicle first determines whether it is necessary to heat the stack coolant, that is, whether the temperature of the stack coolant of the fuel cell reaches the preset temperature threshold. When the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach the preset temperature threshold, it means that heating is necessary, and the vehicle can determine the first power consumption of the electrical equipment of the vehicle, and then determine the target output power; by adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power, the stack can react and release heat to the maximum extent to heat the stack coolant. When the temperature of the heated stack coolant reaches the preset temperature threshold, the vehicle can control the fuel cell to execute the purge strategy to achieve a better purge effect in a shorter time.

[0048] In some embodiments, it can be understood that when the vehicle is in a flameout state and the fuel cell is not powered off, if the temperature of the stack coolant is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold, it can be considered that there is no need to perform a heating operation to blow out the water inside the stack. Therefore, in order to reduce energy loss, in this case, the vehicle can directly control the fuel cell to execute the purge strategy.

[0049] Optionally, in order to ensure that the water inside the stack is easily purged, the temperature of the stack coolant can be determined by measuring the coolant outlet temperature of the stack. For ease of expression, the coolant outlet temperature of the stack is referred to as the outlet temperature below. When the outlet temperature is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold, it means that the outlet of the stack is not easily blocked and the water inside the stack can be easily discharged.

[0050] In some embodiments, the electrical equipment includes a power battery and / or an electrical load, the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power of the power battery and / or the second power consumption of the electrical load, and the electrical load includes at least one on-board electrical appliance that can be operated when the vehicle is in a ignition-off state. Among them, the on-board electrical appliances may include a high-voltage to low-voltage DC-DC converter, a fan for cooling the battery stack, or a water pump for cooling the battery stack, etc.

[0051] That is to say, when the electrical equipment includes a power battery, the power battery can be charged by the fuel cell, thereby increasing the external output power of the fuel cell.

[0052] Optionally, in addition to at least one on-board electrical appliance that is still in operation, the electrical load may also be an on-board electrical appliance that can be operated after the engine is turned off, such as a vehicle PTC heater or an air-conditioning compressor, in order to increase the external output power of the fuel cell without considering energy loss.

[0053] In some embodiments, when the electrical equipment includes a power battery and an electrical load, and the first power consumption includes a rechargeable power and a second power consumption, the above step 130 specifically includes:

[0054] Step 131: When the chargeable power is greater than or equal to the preset charging power, determine the target output power according to the chargeable power and the second consumed power.

[0055] As can be seen from the above content, when the electrical equipment includes a power battery, the vehicle mainly charges the power battery through the fuel cell to increase the external output power of the fuel cell. However, it is worth noting that as the external output power of the fuel cell increases, it may cause the power battery to be overcharged, thereby shortening the life of the power battery.

[0056] Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of power battery charging and extend the service life of the power battery, the vehicle can compare the rechargeable power of the front power battery with the pre-set safe charging power, that is, the preset charging power, to determine whether the external output power of the fuel cell can be increased by charging the power battery and increasing the heat released by the stack reaction.

[0057] The preset charging power may be determined based on the upper limit of the state of charge (SOC) of the power battery, the continuous feedback current, the SOC map, and the voltage platform.

[0058] Just as an example, first, the target SOC of the battery can be determined, for example, charging the battery from the current SOC to 80%. Then, the difference between the target SOC and the current SOC, that is, the differential SOC, is calculated. By referring to the SOC mapping diagram, the voltage difference corresponding to the differential SOC, that is, the voltage difference, can be determined. Next, based on the voltage difference and the internal resistance of the battery, the required charging current can be calculated, which will determine the current intensity required to charge the battery. At the same time, if the electric vehicle is driving, the continuous feedback current needs to be considered and included in the calculation of the charging power to ensure that the charging meets the power requirements of the car at the same time. Finally, the preset charging power can be determined by adding the required charging current to the continuous feedback current.

[0059] Of course, there may be other determination methods, and the specific method is not limited in this application.

[0060] When the rechargeable power is greater than or equal to the preset charging power, it means that the power battery is charged by the fuel cell at this time, and the risk of overcharging the power battery is low. In order to increase the external output power of the fuel cell, the vehicle can determine the target output power according to the rechargeable power and the second consumption power.

[0061] Step 132: When the chargeable power is less than the preset charging power, determine the target output power according to the second consumed power.

[0062] When the rechargeable power is less than the preset charging power, it means that the power battery is charged by the fuel cell at this time, and the risk of overcharging the power battery is relatively high. In order to reduce the risk of the power battery process, the vehicle does not charge the power battery, and accordingly, the vehicle can determine the target output power according to the second consumption power.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the vehicle is in a ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off, the vehicle first determines the chargeable power of the power battery, and when the chargeable power is greater than or equal to the preset charge power, determines the target output power according to the chargeable power and the second power consumption; when the chargeable power is less than the preset charge power, determines the target output power according to the second power consumption. In this way, the external output power of the fuel cell can be increased while ensuring that the power battery will not be overcharged, thereby improving the reliability of the control method of this embodiment.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the electrical equipment includes a power battery and an electrical load, and the first power consumption includes a rechargeable power and a second power consumption, the above step 120 specifically includes:

[0065] Step 121: Obtain the battery status of the power battery at preset time intervals, and determine and update the chargeable power according to the battery status.

[0066] When the vehicle controls the fuel cell to charge the power battery according to the target output power, the rechargeable power of the power battery will change as the charging time increases; that is, the longer the charging time, the smaller the corresponding rechargeable power will be. In this case, if the vehicle continues to control the fuel cell to charge the power battery according to the target output power, the risk of overcharging the power battery will increase.

[0067] In order to reduce the risk of overcharging the power battery, the vehicle can obtain the battery status of the power battery at a preset time interval, and then determine and update the rechargeable power based on the battery status. Among them, the battery status includes information such as battery SOC and charging current. Based on this information, the latest rechargeable power can be further determined.

[0068] As an example only, assuming that the preset time interval is 2 seconds, and after the vehicle determines the rechargeable power at time a, the vehicle can determine and update the rechargeable power at a+2 seconds. It can be understood that the vehicle determines the updated rechargeable power in a reciprocating cycle, and the determination step is stopped only when the updated rechargeable power meets the corresponding conditions, such as when the outlet temperature reaches the preset temperature threshold.

[0069] Optionally, in addition to being determined based on experience, the preset time interval can also be adjusted in real time based on the difference between the latest rechargeable power and the preset charging power. For example, the difference is divided into levels, the larger the difference, the lower the level, and the longer the corresponding preset time interval; the smaller the difference, the smaller the level, and the shorter the corresponding preset time interval. By determining the preset time interval in real time, the overcharge probability of the power battery can be determined in time, and corresponding measures can be taken when the overcharge probability is high, which can reduce the risk of overcharging of the power battery.

[0070] Step 122: Acquire the operating status of the electrical load at a preset time interval, and determine and update the second power consumption according to the operating status.

[0071] Similar to the rechargeable power of the power battery, as time goes by, some on-board electrical appliances may no longer operate, or may be started up by new on-board electrical appliances. In order to ensure the accuracy of the second power consumption, the operating status of the electrical load may also be determined at a preset time interval, so as to determine and update the second power consumption according to the operating status. The operating status includes information such as whether the power battery is operating and the current operating power. Based on this information, the latest second power consumption can be further determined.

[0072] In this embodiment, by regularly determining the chargeable power and the second consumption power, the target output power of the fuel cell can be dynamically and accurately determined, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of overcharging of the power battery or too low external output power of the fuel cell, thereby improving the reliability of the control method.

[0073] In some embodiments, in order to further shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant and improve the efficiency of shutdown purging, if the fuel cell has its own heater, then when controlling the fuel cell to charge the power battery based on the target output power, the vehicle can also control the fuel cell's PTC heater to heat the stack coolant synchronously. Of course, without considering the cost and energy consumption, if the fuel cell is not equipped with a PTC heater, then a PTC heater can be installed for the fuel cell.

[0074] Specifically, in the current stage, the PTC heater of the fuel cell is powered by the fuel cell. In the subsequent load reduction and purge stage, if the PTC heater of the fuel cell still needs to work, it can continue to be powered by the fuel cell.

[0075] In this embodiment, the vehicle can control the heat release of the battery stack reaction and the heat release of the PTC heater to synchronously heat the battery stack coolant, so that the battery stack temperature reaches the optimal condition for purging in a shorter time, thereby improving the shutdown purging efficiency.

[0076] In some embodiments, it can be understood that when the target output power is determined based on the second power consumption, it means that the heat released by the stack reaction is relatively low. In this case, the vehicle controls the fuel cell to maintain the current external output power, or turns on the heater while maintaining the current external output power to increase the power consumption of the fuel cell itself until the stack temperature reaches the preset temperature, and then controls the fuel cell to execute the preset purge strategy.

[0077] In some embodiments, in order to achieve a better purging effect, the aforementioned step 140 includes:

[0078] Step 141: The vehicle adjusts the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0.

[0079] When the vehicle controls the fuel cell to purge the water inside the stack, it means that the water inside the stack is easy to be purged; that is, at this time, the stack does not need to continue to react and release heat to heat the stack coolant. In order to avoid unnecessary energy dissipation, the vehicle can control the output power of the fuel cell.

[0080] The vehicle is currently in the load-reducing stage of shutdown, and is mainly powered by the fuel cell. At this time, the output power that the vehicle can control is the external output power. Specifically, the vehicle can adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0. When the external output power is adjusted to 0, the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell are powered only by the fuel cell; when the external output power is adjusted to less than 0, the power battery powers the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell.

[0081] Step 142: The vehicle will perform a first purge within a first preset time period.

[0082] The vehicle is currently in the purge stage of shutdown, and the purge is loaded purge. After adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell, the vehicle can control the fuel cell to perform the first purge within the first preset time period. The first preset time can be determined based on the current ambient temperature of the vehicle, the stack temperature, the instantaneous output power of the fuel cell when the vehicle is in the off state, and the load reduction rate.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present application, in the process of controlling the fuel cell to perform purging, in order to reduce energy consumption, the vehicle may adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0, and control the vehicle to perform the first purging within a first preset time period, thereby discharging most of the water from the inside of the fuel cell stack.

[0084] In some embodiments, water is inevitably generated during the heat release of the battery stack reaction. In order to discharge the water inside the battery stack as much as possible, the control method may further include:

[0085] Step A1: After the first purge is completed, the vehicle controls the fuel cell to enter a preset operating state.

[0086] In order to prevent the stack reaction from continuing to generate water, the vehicle can control the fuel cell to enter a preset operating condition after executing the aforementioned step 142. The vehicle is currently in the power-off stage of shutting down, and the power is supplied by the power battery. Based on this, the preset operating condition refers to controlling the stack to stop outputting electrical energy, and supplying power to the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell through the power battery to ensure that the vehicle can control the fuel cell normally. Among them, the high-voltage parts include the stack, the PTC heater of the fuel cell, and the air compressor, etc.

[0087] Step A2: performing a second purge within a second preset time period.

[0088] After the vehicle controls the fuel cell to enter the preset operating conditions, it means that the stack no longer continues to react to release heat and generate water. At this time, controlling the fuel cell to perform a second purge can drain as much water as possible from the stack, further improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the vehicle shutdown purge.

[0089] In this embodiment, after executing the aforementioned step 142, the vehicle allows the fuel cell to enter a preset operating condition. Under the preset operating condition, the stack will no longer react to generate heat, and at this time, the fuel cell is controlled to perform a secondary purge, which can discharge the water inside the stack as much as possible, and can further improve the shutdown purge effect.

[0090] In some embodiments, or after executing step A2, the vehicle can control all high-voltage components of the fuel cell to power off and power off the entire vehicle, that is, the power battery no longer works, so that the vehicle enters a shutdown state.

[0091] Accordingly, it can be understood that if in the aforementioned step 110, the vehicle is in a flameout state and the fuel cell has been powered off, the vehicle can directly power off the entire vehicle, thereby controlling the vehicle to enter a shutdown state. Accordingly, when the vehicle is cold started, a cold start strategy in the relevant technology can also be used to improve the cold start performance of the vehicle.

[0092] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the steps in the above embodiments does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0093] For ease of understanding, the control method of the fuel cell proposed in this application is described below using an actual application scenario. Figure 2 The execution subject of the control method is still a vehicle, and the control method of the fuel cell specifically includes:

[0094] Step 210: Determine whether the vehicle is in an ignition-off state.

[0095] First, the vehicle can determine whether the vehicle is in an ignition-off state, that is, whether the vehicle is parked and the vehicle key is turned from "ON" to "OFF". When the vehicle is parked and the vehicle key is turned from "ON" to "OFF", it means that the vehicle is in an ignition-off state, and in this state, step 211 can be executed.

[0096] Step 211: Determine whether the fuel cell is powered off.

[0097] Shutdown purge can be divided into several stages: load reduction, purge, power off and shutdown, of which the first two stages are mainly powered by the fuel cell. Therefore, in order to control the fuel cell to perform shutdown purge, the vehicle can first determine whether the fuel cell has been powered off, that is, whether the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell have been powered off. Among them, if the high-voltage parts are powered off, it means that the fuel cell has been powered off. If it is determined that the fuel cell has been powered off, step 226 can be executed; if the high-voltage parts have not been powered off, it means that the fuel cell has not been powered off. If it is determined that the fuel cell has not been powered off, step 212 can be executed.

[0098] Step 212: Determine whether the outlet temperature of the fuel cell stack is greater than or equal to T 1 .

[0099] If the fuel cell is not powered off, it means that the fuel cell can be shut down and purged. At this time, the vehicle can 1 Compare to determine whether there is a heating demand. When the outlet temperature is greater than or equal to T 1 In the case of , it is considered that there is no heating demand, and steps 220 to 226 can be executed to complete the shutdown purge. 1 In this case, it is considered that there is a heating demand, and step 213 can be executed.

[0100] It is understood that in order to shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant, after determining that there is a heating demand, the vehicle can also control the PTC heater of the fuel cell to heat the stack coolant. In other words, the stack coolant can be heated by the heat released by the stack reaction and the heat released by the PTC heater at the same time, so as to shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant and thus improve the efficiency of shutdown purging.

[0101] Step 213: Determine the chargeable power of the power battery of the vehicle.

[0102] In order to increase the external output power of the fuel cell and increase the heat released by the stack reaction, it can be determined whether the fuel cell can be controlled to charge the power battery. Although controlling the fuel cell to charge the power battery can increase the external output power of the fuel cell, in order to reduce the risk of overcharging the power battery, the vehicle can first determine the rechargeable power of the vehicle's power battery. It can be understood that the rechargeable power will change over time. Therefore, at different times, the value of the rechargeable power may be the same or different, and it is a real-time updated value.

[0103] Step 214: Determine whether the chargeable power is greater than or equal to P bat,in .

[0104] After the available charging power is determined, the available charging power and the preset safe charging power P can be compared. bat,in To compare, determine whether the fuel cell can charge the power battery. Specifically, when the chargeable power is greater than or equal to P bat,in In the case of P, it means that the fuel cell can charge the power battery, and step 215 can be executed; when the chargeable power is less than P bat,in In the case of the above, it indicates that the fuel cell cannot charge the power battery, and step 216 can be executed.

[0105] Step 215: Adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to P bat,in .

[0106] When the power battery can be charged, the target output power P of the fuel cell fc,1 =P bat,in +P fc,2 Among them, P fc,2 It is understood that when there are fewer parts that can be operated, or it is difficult to control other parts to continue working, or the power value of the parts is unstable, P can be used for the convenience of calculation. fc,2 Set to 0.

[0107] Step 216: Adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to Pfc,2.

[0108] When the power battery cannot be charged, the external output power of the fuel cell can be directly adjusted to P fc,2 This target output power can be understood by relying on the PTC heater and the heat released by the stack reaction to heat the stack coolant.

[0109] Step 217: Determine t 2 -t 1 ≥Δt.

[0110] Δt is a preset time interval, for example, 2 seconds; t1 Initialized to 0, t 2 is the current time, i.e., the real time. In order to execute steps 220 to 226 in time to complete the shutdown purge, step 219 can be executed at every interval Δt. Specifically, t 2 Time to t 1 At this moment, whether the heating time of the stack coolant reaches Δt, when t 2 -t 1 When t is less than Δt, it means that the preset time interval has not been reached, and step 218 can be executed; when t 2 -t 1 When it is greater than or equal to Δt, it indicates that the preset time interval has been reached, and step 219 may be executed.

[0111] It can be understood that if step 215 is currently executed, then in the process of the timing cycle, in addition to timely determining whether the outlet temperature reaches T 1 , it can also be determined in time whether the power battery has an overcharge risk, and when there is an overcharge risk, the external output power of the fuel cell can be adjusted to P in time based on step 214. fc,2 , thereby ensuring that the power battery is not affected during the process of receiving charging from the fuel cell.

[0112] Step 218: Update t 2 .

[0113] As the heating time increases, t 2 The value of is also increasing. In order to accurately judge t 2 -t 1 ≥Δt, when t 2 -t 1 When it is less than Δt, t can be updated in time 2 .

[0114] Step 219: 2 =t 1 .

[0115] In order to accurately evaluate the preset time interval, t 2 -t 1 ≥Δt, based on t 2 Update t with the value of 1 , and returns to execute step 212 and subsequent steps.

[0116] It can be understood that the above steps are steps used by the vehicle to determine whether the fuel cell can be controlled to execute the purge strategy, and the following steps 220 to 226 are specific steps of the purge strategy.

[0117] Step 220: Adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0.

[0118] Entering this step indicates that the water inside the stack is easy to drain. At this time, there is no need to continue heating the stack coolant. In order to avoid energy dissipation, the external output power of the fuel cell can be adjusted to 0 or less than 0. When the external output power is adjusted to 0, the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell are powered only by the fuel cell; when the external output power is adjusted to less than 0, the power battery supplies power to the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell.

[0119] Step 221: at Δt 1 The internal control fuel cell performs the first purge.

[0120] For water that is easy to discharge, the fuel cell can be controlled at Δt 1 Give it a first purge inside to remove most of the water.

[0121] Step 222: The fuel cell stack stops outputting electrical energy.

[0122] The heat released by the stack reaction can not only heat the stack coolant, but also cause water to continue to be generated inside the stack. During the power-off phase, the power is mainly supplied by the power battery. In order to drain the water inside the stack as much as possible, after executing step 221, the stack can be controlled to stop outputting electrical energy.

[0123] Step 223: The power battery supplies power to the high-voltage components of the fuel cell.

[0124] In order to continue to control the fuel cell, it is necessary to continue to power on the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell, and at this time these high-voltage parts can be powered by the power battery.

[0125] Step 224: at Δt 2 The internal control fuel cell performs the first purge.

[0126] After executing steps 222 and 223, it means that no new water is generated at this time. In order to discharge the water inside the battery stack as much as possible, the vehicle can control the fuel cell at Δt 2 The water inside the fuel cell stack is purged for the second time.

[0127] Step 225: Control the fuel cell to power off.

[0128] When step 224 is executed, it indicates that the purge work is finished. At this time, in order to control the whole vehicle to be powered off, the fuel cell can be controlled to be powered off first, that is, the power battery is controlled to stop outputting electrical energy to the fuel cell.

[0129] Step 226: Control the entire vehicle to power off.

[0130] When the fuel cell is powered off, the entire vehicle can be directly powered off. At this time, the power battery will no longer work, that is, the vehicle is controlled to be in a shutdown state.

[0131] In this application example, when the vehicle is in the off state, it is first determined whether the fuel cell is powered off, and if it is not powered off, whether there is a heating demand; if there is a heating demand, it is determined whether the fuel cell can be controlled to charge the power battery by determining whether the rechargeable power of the power battery is greater than or equal to the preset charging power. If the fuel cell can be controlled to charge the power battery, it means that the vehicle can increase the external output power of the fuel cell to P fc,1 , allowing the heat released by the stack reaction and the PTC heater to heat the stack coolant synchronously to shorten the time required for heating the stack coolant. During the heating process, in order to determine whether the outlet temperature of the stack has reached the preset temperature, it can be returned regularly to determine whether there is a heating demand. If there is still a heating demand, it can be further determined whether there is a risk of overcharging the power battery; if there is a risk of overcharging, it means that the fuel cell cannot continue to be controlled to charge the power battery. At this time, the external output power is reduced to P fc,2 Fuel cells in P fc,2 Under this external output power, the stack coolant is heated by the heat released by the PTC heater and the stack reaction. By timing to determine whether there is a heating demand, the purge strategy can be executed in time to improve the efficiency of shutdown purge. Specifically, if there is no heating demand, it means that the water inside the stack is easy to drain. At this time, the preset purge strategy can be executed until the vehicle is powered off, ending the entire process.

[0132] Obviously, in this application example, it can not only improve the efficiency of shutdown purge and improve the user experience, but also ensure that other parts of the vehicle, especially the power battery, are not affected, thereby improving the robustness of the entire vehicle.

[0133] Corresponding to the control method of the fuel cell in the above embodiment, Figure 3 A structural block diagram of a fuel cell control device 3 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. For ease of explanation, only the parts related to the embodiment of the present application are shown.

[0134] Reference Figure 3 , the control device 3 of the fuel cell comprises:

[0135] The judgment module 31 is used to judge whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold when the vehicle is in an ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off;

[0136] A first determination module 32, configured to determine a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle when the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold;

[0137] A second determination module 33 is used to determine a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold;

[0138] The purge module 34 is used to control the fuel cell to be purged according to a preset purge strategy when the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

[0139] Optionally, the electric device includes a power battery and / or an electric load, the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power of the power battery and / or the second power consumption of the electric load, and the electric load includes at least one on-board electrical appliance that can be operated when the vehicle is in an ignition-off state; when the electric device includes a power battery and an electric load, and the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power and the second power consumption, the second determining module 33 may include:

[0140] A first determining unit, configured to determine a target output power according to the chargeable power and the second consumed power when the chargeable power is greater than or equal to the preset charging power;

[0141] The second determining unit is used to determine the target output power according to the second consumed power when the chargeable power is less than the preset charging power.

[0142] Optionally, when the electric device includes a power battery and an electric load, and when the first power consumption includes a rechargeable power and a second power consumption, the first determining module 32 may include:

[0143] A third determining unit, configured to obtain a battery status of the power battery at a preset time interval, and determine and update a chargeable power according to the battery status;

[0144] The fourth determining unit is used to obtain the operating status of the electrical load at a preset time interval, and determine and update the second power consumption according to the operating status.

[0145] Optionally, the control device 3 may further include:

[0146] The heating module is used to start the PTC heater of the fuel cell to heat the stack coolant when the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach the preset temperature threshold, until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches the preset temperature threshold.

[0147] Optionally, the purge module 34 may include:

[0148] A regulating unit, used for regulating the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0;

[0149] The first purge unit is used to perform a first purge within a first preset time period.

[0150] Optionally, the purge module 34 may further include:

[0151] A control unit, used to control the fuel cell to enter a preset operating condition after the first purge is performed, under which the stack stops outputting electrical energy and the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell are powered by the power battery;

[0152] The second purge unit is used to perform a second purge within a second preset time period.

[0153] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of the present application. Their specific functions and technical effects can be found in the method embodiment part and will not be repeated here.

[0154] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the physical structure of a vehicle provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the vehicle 4 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 40 ( Figure 4 Only one is shown in the figure) a processor, a memory 41, and a computer program 42 stored in the memory 41 and executable on at least one processor 40. When the processor 40 executes the computer program 42, the steps in any of the above-mentioned fuel cell control method embodiments are implemented, for example Figure 1 Steps 110-140 are shown.

[0155] The processor 40 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0156] In some embodiments, the memory 41 may be an internal storage unit of the vehicle 4, such as a hard disk or memory of the vehicle 4. In other embodiments, the memory 41 may also be an external storage device of the vehicle 4, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc., equipped on the vehicle 4.

[0157] Furthermore, the memory 41 may also include both an internal storage unit and an external storage device of the vehicle 4. The memory 41 is used to store operating devices, applications, boot loaders, data, and other programs, such as program codes of computer programs, etc. The memory 41 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0158] The technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above-mentioned function allocation can be completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the above-mentioned device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiment can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. In addition, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above-mentioned system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0159] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be implemented.

[0160] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a vehicle, the vehicle can implement the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments when the computer program product is executed.

[0161] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present application implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, which can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The above-mentioned computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. Among them, the above-mentioned computer program includes computer program code, and the above-mentioned computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The above-mentioned computer-readable medium may at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the camera / vehicle, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), a random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a disk or an optical disk.

[0162] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0163] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0164] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / network equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / network equipment embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the above modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0165] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0166] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a fuel cell, characterized in that: include: When the vehicle is in an ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off, determining whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold; When the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold, determining a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle; determining a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold; When the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold, the fuel cell is controlled to be purged according to a preset purge strategy.

2. The fuel cell control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical equipment includes a power battery and / or an electrical load, the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power of the power battery and / or the second power consumption of the electrical load, and the electrical load includes at least one on-board electrical appliance that can be operated when the vehicle is in an ignition-off state; In the case where the electrical equipment includes the power battery and the electrical load, and the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power and the second power consumption, the step of determining the target output power according to the first power consumption includes: When the rechargeable power is greater than or equal to a preset charging power, determining the target output power according to the rechargeable power and the second consumed power; When the chargeable power is less than the preset charging power, the target output power is determined according to the second consumed power.

3. The fuel cell control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In a case where the electric device includes the power battery and the electric load, and the first power consumption includes the rechargeable power and the second power consumption, the step of determining the first power consumption of the electric device of the vehicle includes: Acquire the battery status of the power battery at preset time intervals, and determine and update the rechargeable power according to the battery status; The operating status of the electrical load is acquired at a preset time interval, and the second power consumption is determined and updated according to the operating status.

4. The fuel cell control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control method further comprises: When the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold, the PTC heater of the fuel cell is started to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

5. The fuel cell control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The controlling the fuel cell to perform purging according to a preset purging strategy includes: Adjusting the external output power of the fuel cell to 0 or less than 0; The first purge is performed within a first preset time period.

6. The fuel cell control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The control method further comprises: After the first purge is performed, the fuel cell is controlled to enter a preset operating condition, under which the fuel cell stack stops outputting electrical energy, and the high-voltage parts of the fuel cell are powered by the power battery; A second purge is performed within a second preset time period.

7. The fuel cell control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preset charging power is determined according to the upper limit of the state of charge of the power battery, the continuous feedback current, the SOC map and the voltage platform.

8. A control device for a fuel cell, characterized in that: include: A judgment module, used to judge whether the temperature of the fuel cell stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold when the vehicle is in an ignition-off state and the fuel cell is not powered off; A first determination module, configured to determine a first power consumption of an electrical device of the vehicle when the temperature of the stack coolant does not reach a preset temperature threshold; a second determination module, configured to determine a target output power according to the first power consumption, and adjust the external output power of the fuel cell to the target output power to heat the stack coolant until the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold; The purge module is used to control the fuel cell to be purged according to a preset purge strategy when the temperature of the stack coolant reaches a preset temperature threshold.

9. A vehicle comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the fuel cell control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the fuel cell control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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