Apparatus, system and method for controlling temperature of hydrogen tank

Abstract

The invention relates to a device, a system and a method for controlling the temperature of a hydrogen tank. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a hydrogen tank temperature control apparatus, including: an air guide device between a stack cooling module configured to cool a fuel cell stack and one or more hydrogen tanks; and a processor configured to control a temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling one or more angles of the air directing device.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0145796, filed on October 27, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a hydrogen tank temperature control device, system and method. Background Art

[0004] Commercial hydrogen vehicles such as trucks consume more hydrogen than passenger vehicles, so a large-capacity hydrogen storage system must be installed and operated in the vehicle. The hydrogen storage system for commercial hydrogen vehicles stores high-pressure hydrogen in hydrogen tanks under sub-zero conditions and uses it for fuel cell operation, and is used under a limited gas temperature range of -40 to 85°C according to regulations such as SAE J2601.

[0005] The target use temperature of hydrogen is adjusted according to charging and use based on the thermodynamic laws and gas equations of state of the hydrogen tank.

[0006] In response to a situation where a commercial hydrogen vehicle operates at high power for a long time, the temperature of the hydrogen tank may drop to a management temperature below -40°C due to high hydrogen consumption, and in an instant, a situation occurs where it is impossible to drive the vehicle.

[0007] On the other hand, in response to a situation where the temperature of the hydrogen tank exceeds 85°C in summer, the control logic is designed to block the hydrogen valve system and shut down the vehicle fuel cell, making it impossible to increase the temperature unconditionally. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a hydrogen tank temperature control device, system, and method, and more particularly, to a technology for controlling the temperature of a hydrogen tank by installing an air guiding device.

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hydrogen tank temperature control device, system, and method, which are configured to solve the problem of inoperability caused by the low temperature of the hydrogen tank, and in the case where the hydrogen tank is at a low temperature, the temperature of the hydrogen tank is increased using hot air from the stack cooling module by adjusting the angle of the air guide device on the rear surface of the stack cooling module according to at least one of the external air temperature, the fuel cell stack output, the hydrogen tank temperature, or a combination thereof, so as to enable continuous driving.

[0010] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a hydrogen tank temperature control device, system, and method, which are configured to prevent the temperature of the hydrogen tank from rising by blocking hot air from the stack cooling module by adjusting the angle of an air guide device on the rear surface of the stack cooling module, and to improve vehicle driving stability by uniformly controlling the temperature between multiple hydrogen tanks according to at least one of the external air temperature, the fuel cell stack output, the hydrogen tank temperature, or a combination thereof when the hydrogen tank is at a low temperature.

[0011] The technical advantages of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited to the advantages mentioned herein, and other technical advantages may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art.

[0012] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a hydrogen tank temperature control device, comprising: a processor configured to control the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the angle of an air guide between a stack cooling module that cools a fuel cell stack and the one or more hydrogen tanks; and a memory configured to store data and algorithms driven by the processor.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to control the angle of the air guide by using at least one of the outside air temperature, the output of the fuel cell stack, the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks, or a combination thereof.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to horizontally move air passing through the stack cooling module to the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the initial air guide to 0 degrees after the vehicle is started.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to control the air guiding device at a selected, preset or predetermined angle to allow air passing through the stack cooling module to flow into one or more hydrogen tanks that are away from the stack cooling module in response to the outside air temperature being below a threshold, set, preset or predetermined first reference value.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to control the air passing through the stack cooling module to flow upward into the hydrogen tank at a selected, preset or predetermined angle by controlling the horizontal air guide device upward at a selected, preset or predetermined angle in response to the outside air temperature being lower than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined first reference value.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to compare an average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a threshold, a set, preset, or predetermined reference distance with an average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the threshold, a set, preset, or predetermined reference distance.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to determine that the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks is uniformly controlled in response to a situation in which the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance is the same as the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device to be greater than a selected, preset or predetermined angle in response to a situation in which an average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance is higher than an average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device to be less than a selected, preset or predetermined angle in response to a situation in which the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance is lower than the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to prevent air passing through the stack cooling module from flowing into one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling an angle of an air guide device in response to an external air temperature being higher than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined second reference value.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reference value may be a temperature at which the output of the fuel cell stack is limited, and the second reference value may be a temperature at which the fuel cell stack may be shut down.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a first threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference value, and in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than the threshold, a set, preset or predetermined first reference value, the processor is configured to prevent air passing through the stack cooling module from flowing into one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the angle of the air guide device.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a second reference value lower than a first reference value in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being equal to or less than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined first reference value.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be configured to compare, in response to a situation in which the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined second reference value, the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance with the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance, and control the angle of the air guide device based on the comparison result.

[0026] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system, comprising: a stack cooling module configured to cool a fuel cell stack; one or more hydrogen tanks; an air guiding device configured to guide air passing through the stack cooling module into the one or more hydrogen tanks; and a hydrogen tank temperature control device configured to control the temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the angle of the air guiding device between the stack cooling module and the one or more hydrogen tanks.

[0027] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an air guiding device may be provided between the stack cooling module and the one or more hydrogen tanks.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air guide device may be configured to include a body and a driver provided at the center of the body to drive rotation of the body.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the hydrogen tank temperature control device may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device by using at least one of the external air temperature, the output of the fuel cell stack, the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks, or a combination thereof.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the hydrogen tank temperature control device can be configured to control the air guide device at a selected, preset or predetermined angle to allow air passing through the stack cooling module to flow into a hydrogen tank away from the stack cooling module among one or more hydrogen tanks in response to the outside air temperature being lower than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined first reference value.

[0031] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a hydrogen tank temperature control method, comprising: determining, by a processor, an angle of an air guide device between a stack cooling module for cooling a fuel cell stack and one or more hydrogen tanks; controlling, by the processor, the angle of the air guide device according to the determined angle of the air guide device, and controlling, by the processor, the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks by allowing air passing through the stack cooling module to flow evenly into the one or more hydrogen tanks according to the angle of the air guide device.

[0032] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the problem of inoperability caused by the low temperature of the hydrogen tank can be solved, and when the hydrogen tank is at a low temperature, the temperature of the hydrogen tank can be increased by using hot air from the stack cooling module by adjusting the angle of the air guide device on the rear surface of the stack cooling module according to at least one of the outside air temperature, the fuel cell stack output, the hydrogen tank temperature, or a combination thereof, so that the vehicle can perform continuous driving.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is also possible to prevent the temperature of the hydrogen tank from rising by blocking the hot air from the stack cooling module by adjusting the angle of the air guide device on the rear surface of the stack cooling module, and to improve the driving stability of the vehicle by uniformly controlling the temperature between multiple hydrogen tanks according to at least one of the external air temperature, the fuel cell stack output, the hydrogen tank temperature, or a combination thereof when the hydrogen tank is at a high temperature.

[0034] Furthermore, various effects that can be directly or indirectly recognized through the present specification can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 is a dimensional diagram showing a configuration of an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of an exemplary air guide device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 3is a block diagram showing a configuration of an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 4 is a diagram for describing a change in an angle of an air guide device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 6 is a graph for describing an example of a temperature drop in a hydrogen tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0042] Figure 7 is a graph for describing an example of improving a temperature drop in a hydrogen tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. It should be noted that when adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of each drawing, even if the same constituent elements may be shown on different drawings, they may include reference numerals that are as identical as possible. When describing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known configuration or function associated with the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, the detailed description may be omitted.

[0044] When describing constituent elements according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, terms such as “first”, “second”, “A”, “B”, “(a)”, “and “(b)” may be used. Such terms may be used only to distinguish constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the nature, order or sequence of the constituent elements is not necessarily limited by such terms. In addition, unless defined differently, all terms used herein including technical scientific terms may include the same meanings as those generally understood by technicians (e.g., those skilled in the art) in the technical field of the present disclosure to which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries may be interpreted as having meanings matching the meanings in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted as having idealized or overly formal meanings unless they are clearly defined in this specification.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a technology is disclosed in which a hydrogen tank temperature control device is installed with at least one air guide device on the rear surface of a stack cooling module to control the temperature of the hydrogen tank by adjusting the angle of the air guide device according to at least one of the external air temperature, the fuel cell stack output, the hydrogen tank temperature, or a combination thereof.

[0046] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 7 Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail.

[0047] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of an exemplary air guide device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] The vehicle 10 may include a hydrogen tank temperature control device 100, a hydrogen tank 200, an air guide 300, a stack cooling module 400, and a cooling fan 500. As an exemplary case, the vehicle 10 may include a commercial hydrogen vehicle driven by hydrogen as fuel.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be implemented inside the vehicle 10, may be formed integrally with an internal control unit of the vehicle, or may be implemented as a separate device connected to the control unit of the vehicle through a separate connection or communication.

[0051] The hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to control the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 by adjusting the angle of the air guide device 300 according to at least one of the external air temperature, the output of the fuel cell stack, the current temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 , or a combination thereof.

[0052] The hydrogen tank 200 may include one or more hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 , and each of the hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 may be configured to store hydrogen.

[0053] The air guide device 300 may be controllably installed to be controlled by the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 to change the direction of the airflow, and the angle of the air guide device 300 may be controlled by the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 to allow or not to output hot air from the stack cooling module 400 to the hydrogen tank 200. The air guide device 300 may include one or more air guide devices 301, 302, 303, 304, and 305.

[0054] like Figure 2As shown, the air guide device 301 may include an air guide driver 310 and an air guide body 320. The air guide driver 310 may be provided with a motor as an actuator and may be located at the center of the air guide body 320 to minimize space. The air guide driver 310 may be configured to control (rotate or pivot) the angle of the air guide body 320 to allow or prevent hot air from being discharged into the hydrogen tank 200.

[0055] The stack cooling module 400, which is a module for lowering the temperature of the fuel cell stack by cooling the hot air of the stack cells, may be configured to lower the temperature of the hot air. To this end, the stack cooling module 400 may include a cooling rod, a coolant, and the like.

[0056] The cooling fan 500 may be configured to provide external cool air to the stack cooling module 400 to reduce the temperature of hot air at one side of the stack cooling module 400 .

[0057] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] refer to Figure 3 The hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may include a communication device 110 , a memory 120 , and a processor 130 .

[0059] The communication device 110 may be a hardware device implemented with various electronic circuits to transmit and receive signals through wireless or wired connections, and may transmit and receive information based on vehicle-mounted devices and vehicle-mounted network communication technologies. As an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle-mounted network communication technology may include, for example, controller area network (CAN) communication, local interconnect network (LIN) communication, flexible ray communication, etc.

[0060] As an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication device 110 may be configured to receive external air temperature information from an onboard device and output information of the fuel cell stack. However, in the present disclosure, an example of receiving information through onboard CAN communication is disclosed, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and an external temperature sensor may be further provided to receive external temperature information from the external temperature sensor.

[0061] The memory 120 may be configured to store data and / or algorithms for the processor 130 to operate to balance or adjust the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 .

[0062] For example, the memory 120 may be configured to store reference values ​​A and B for determining the outside air temperature and reference values ​​C and D for determining the output of the fuel cell stack, and the reference values ​​may be selected, preset or predetermined based on experimental values, for example.

[0063] In addition, the memory 120 may be configured to store external temperature information received from the vehicle-mounted device and output information of the fuel cell stack.

[0064] For example, the memory 120 may include at least one type of storage medium such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a microprocessor (micro), a card (e.g., a secure digital (SD) card or an extreme digital (XD) card), a random access memory (RAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a magnetic memory (MRAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or any combination thereof.

[0065] The processor 130 may be electrically connected to the communication device 110 , the memory 120 , etc., may electrically control each component, and may be a circuit that executes software commands, thereby performing various data processing and calculations described below.

[0066] The processor 130 may process signals transmitted between the constituent elements of the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100. The processor 130 may perform general control so that each component may perform its function normally. The processor 130 may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The processor 130 may be implemented as a microprocessor, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or other sub-controller installed in a vehicle.

[0067] The processor 130 can be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 between the stack cooling module 400 for reducing the temperature of the fuel cell stack and one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 to control or uniformly control the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207.

[0068] The processor 130 may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 by using at least one of the outside air temperature, the output of the fuel cell stack, the temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 , or a combination thereof.

[0069] In response to ignition start of the vehicle, the processor 130 may be configured to control the angle of the initial air guide 300 to 0 degrees to allow hot air from the stack cooling module 400 to move horizontally to one or more hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 .

[0070] The air introduced from the outside air may pass through the stack cooling module 400 to flow into at least one hydrogen tank 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, and 207 through the air guide device 300. In response to the case where the angle of the air guide device 300 is 0 degrees, the air guide device 300 is in a state as shown in FIG. Figure 4 The horizontal state shown. Figure 4 2 is a diagram for describing a change in an angle of an air guide device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] like Figure 1 As shown, in response to the situation where the angle of the air guide device 300 is 0 degrees, hot air can flow into the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 corresponding to the level of the stack cooling module 400, and the amount of hot air flowing into the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 located above the stack cooling module 400 can be less than the amount of hot air flowing into the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207, and therefore, there may be a difference between the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 corresponding to the level of the stack cooling module 400 and the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 located above the stack cooling module 400.

[0072] In response to the outside air temperature being lower than a first threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference value (e.g., -10°C), the processor 130 may be configured to control the air guiding device 300 at a selected, preset or predetermined angle (e.g., 45 degrees) so that hot air from the stack cooling module flows into one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 that are away from the stack cooling module 400.

[0073] In response to the situation that the outside air temperature is lower than the first threshold, the set, preset or predetermined reference value, the processor 130 may be configured to control the air guide device 300 upward from the horizontal angle (0 degrees) through a selected, preset or predetermined angle (e.g., 45 degrees), so that the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 may be controlled to flow upward into the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 at a selected, preset or predetermined angle. Figure 4 As shown, the air directing device 300 can be pivoted or rotated to stand upright 45 degrees from a horizontal position.

[0074] The processor 130 can be configured to compare the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is farther than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance with the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is closer than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0075] Therefore, the processor 130 can be configured to determine that the temperatures of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 are uniformly controlled in response to the situation that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 among the one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance is equal to the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 among the one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is closer than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0076] The processor 130 can be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to be greater than a selected, set or predetermined angle in response to a situation in which the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance is greater than the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is closer than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0077] The processor 130 can be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to be less than a selected, set or predetermined angle in response to the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance being lower than the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is closer than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance being higher than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance being higher.

[0078] In response to the situation that the external air temperature is higher than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined second reference value (e.g., 30° C.), the processor 130 may be configured to prevent hot air from the stack cooling module 400 from flowing into one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 by controlling the angle of the air guide device 300. Figure 4 As shown, the angle of the air guide device 300 may be 90 degrees, so that hot air from the stack cooling module 400 may not move to one or more of the hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 .

[0079] For example, in the present case, the first reference value may be a temperature that limits the output of the fuel cell stack, and the second reference value may be a temperature that shuts down the fuel cell stack.

[0080] The processor 130 can be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a first threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference value (e.g., 80%), and in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than the first threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference value, hot air from the stack cooling module 400 can be prevented from flowing into one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 by controlling the angle of the air guide device 300.

[0081] The processor 130 can be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a second reference value that is lower than the first reference value in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being equal to or less than the first reference value, and can be configured to compare the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance with the average temperature of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than the second reference value, and control the air guiding device 300 based on the comparison result.

[0082] The processor 130 can be configured to determine that the temperatures of one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 are uniformly controlled in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than a second reference value and the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 among the one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance is equal to the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 among the one or more hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 whose distance from the stack cooling module 400 is closer than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference distance.

[0083] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 A hydrogen tank temperature control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary hydrogen tank temperature control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] In the following, as an exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that Figure 1 The hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 performs Figure 5 In addition, Figure 5 In the description, the operations described as being performed by the system may be understood as being controlled by the processor 130 of the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100, for example.

[0085] refer to Figure 5 After the vehicle is started (operation S101), the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to set the initial angle of the air guide device 300 to 0 degrees (operation S102). In response to the angle of the air guide device 300 being 0 degrees, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, by positioning the air guide device 300 horizontally, the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 can be configured to move toward the hydrogen tanks 205, 206, and 207 through the air guide device 300. However, in response to the situation where the angle of the air guide device 300 is 0 degrees, the hot air may be difficult to move toward the upper hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, and 204. In addition, the air resistance of the vehicle can be minimized by setting the angle of the initial air guide device 300 to 0 degrees. However, an example of setting the angle of the initial air guide device 300 to 0 degrees is disclosed, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the angle of the initial air guide device 300 can be set to other angles according to the initial external air temperature or the known tank temperature. For example, in response to the situation where the external air temperature is lower than a threshold, a set, preset, or predetermined reference value A, the angle of the initial air guide device 300 can be set to 45 degrees. In addition, when starting the engine, the angle of the air guide device 300 can be set based on the temperature of each tank.

[0086] Thereafter, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to determine whether the outside air temperature is lower than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value A (operation S103), and in response to the outside air temperature being lower than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value A, the air guide device 300 may be controlled to move the hot air further toward the upper hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204, for example by controlling the angle of the air guide device 300 to 45 degrees (operation S104).

[0087] In an instant case, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured, for example, to receive outside air temperature information from an onboard device such as a vehicle control unit (VCU).

[0088] Next, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be configured to determine the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks affected by the hot air of the stack cooling module 400 (i.e., the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400), and can be configured to determine the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks not affected by the hot air of the stack cooling module 400 (i.e., the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400) to determine that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 and the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400 are the same (operation S105).

[0089] In response to the situation that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 is the same as the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 away from the stack cooling module 400, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be configured to maintain the angle of the air guide device 300 at 45 degrees because the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 are uniformly heated (operation S106).

[0090] On the other hand, in response to the situation that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 and the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400 are different, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be such that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 is higher than the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400 (operation S107).

[0091] Therefore, in response to the situation that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 is higher than the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 away from the stack cooling module 400, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to 60 degrees to further erect the air guide device 300 in the right angle direction, thereby allowing the hot air to move further upward (operation S108).

[0092] On the other hand, in response to the situation that the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 is lower than the average temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400, in order to uniformly increase the temperatures of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 while the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 farther away from the stack cooling module 400 are fully heated, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to 30 degrees to further lower the air guide device 300 in the horizontal direction, thereby allowing the hot air to move further downward (step S109).

[0093] In operation S103, in response to the fact that the outside air temperature is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value A, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to determine whether the outside air temperature is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value B (operation S110). In this case, the reference values ​​A and B used to determine the outside air temperature may be predetermined based on experimental values, for example. The reference value A may be a sub-zero temperature (e.g., -10°C), and the reference value B may be an image temperature (e.g., 30°C).

[0094] Therefore, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to perform the adjustment of the air guide device after generating hot air in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being higher than a certain level in a state where the outside air temperature is room temperature (greater than A and less than B). The hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to determine that the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, and 207 are heated by the air guide device 300 in winter in response to the outside air temperature being lower than a reference value A, and may be configured to determine that the hot air is prevented from moving to the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, and 207 through the air guide device 300 in summer in response to the outside air temperature being higher than a reference value B.

[0095] In response to the situation that the outside air temperature is greater than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value B, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to 90 degrees so that the air guide device 300 stands at a right angle, thereby preventing the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 from moving to the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 (operation S111). That is, in response to the situation that the outside air temperature is greater than the threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value B, the hot air may be blocked using the air guide device 300 to prevent the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 from further increasing. In addition, in response to the angle of the air guide device 300 becoming 90 degrees, hot air from the stack cooling module 400 can rise vertically to be discharged into the atmosphere, so that the temperature impact on the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 can be minimized.

[0096] In response to the fact that the outside air temperature is lower than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value B in operation S110, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value C (operation S112). The hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured, for example, to receive output information of the fuel cell stack from an onboard device such as a fuel cell control unit (FCU). The output information of the fuel cell stack may refer to voltage information from the fuel cell output for vehicle driving.

[0097] As the output of the fuel cell stack increases, the temperature of the hot air in the stack cooling module 400 may increase, and thus the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 may increase, and therefore, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device 300 to 90 degrees so that the air guide device 300 stands upright at a right angle, thereby preventing the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 from moving to the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 (operation S111).

[0098] On the other hand, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is less than or equal to a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value C and greater than a reference value D (operation S113 ).

[0099] In response to the output of the fuel cell stack being equal to or less than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value C and greater than a reference value D, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to perform the above operations S105 to S109 .

[0100] In response to the output of the fuel cell stack being equal to or greater than a threshold, a set, preset or predetermined reference value C and being equal to or less than a reference value D, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 may be configured to control the angle of the air guide device to 90 degrees (operation S111) or 0 degrees (operation S102). In this case, for example, the reference values ​​C and D for determining the output of the fuel cell stack may be predetermined based on experimental values. The reference value C (e.g., 80%) may be a value higher than the reference value D (e.g., 10%). For example, in response to the output of the fuel cell stack exceeding 80% of the total, the angle of the air guide device 300 may be controlled to 90 degrees to prevent the inflow of hot air (operation S111). In addition, in response to the output of the fuel cell stack exceeding 10% of the total output, the angle of the air guide device 300 may be determined and controlled according to the current temperature of the hydrogen tank (operations S105 to S109).

[0101] Therefore, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can have a variable temperature of the hot air according to the output of the fuel cell stack, so that the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 can be prevented from being overcooled or overheated through the air guiding device according to the output range of the fuel cell stack.

[0102] Figure 5 An example is shown in which the angles of multiple air guide devices 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 are adjusted together, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this, and for example, the angle of each of the air guide devices 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 can be adjusted differently in a subgroup manner, or independently.

[0103] For example, in response to the outside air temperature being lower than a threshold, set, preset or predetermined reference value A, the hydrogen tank temperature control device 100 can be configured to maintain the angle of the air guide devices 303, 304 and 305 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 at 0 degrees, and can be configured to control the angle of the air guide devices 301, 302 and 303 further separated from the stack cooling module 400 to 45 degrees, so that hot air can be discharged upward at a temperature of 45 degrees, raising the temperature of the upper hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204, thereby uniformly raising the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207.

[0104] In addition, Figure 5 In the Figure 1 Among the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 shown, there are examples in which hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203 and 204 are positioned away from the stack cooling module 400 and hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 are positioned closer to the stack cooling module 400, but the angle of the air guide device 300 can be flexibly adjusted by distinguishing hydrogen tanks that are more affected by the hot air from hydrogen tanks that are less affected by the hot air according to the position changes of the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207.

[0105] Figure 6 is a graph for describing an example of a temperature drop in a hydrogen tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0106] Figure 7 is a graph for describing an example of improving a temperature drop in a hydrogen tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0107] refer to Figure 6In response to a situation where the vehicle starts to travel, the vehicle travels at a constant speed. As the vehicle travels, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery is consumed, the motor torque is output, and the output of the fuel cell stack is generated. In this case, the temperature of the hydrogen tank decreases as the vehicle travels and consumes hydrogen.

[0108] In response to a situation where the temperature of the hydrogen tank drops below a certain temperature, the output of the fuel cell stack may be limited for vehicle safety, thereby making driving of the vehicle impossible.

[0109] The output of the fuel cell stack may be limited based on the temperature of the hydrogen tank.

[0110] For example, the output of the fuel cell stack may be output at 100% until the temperature of the hydrogen tank drops to -35°C. In response to the temperature of the hydrogen tank dropping below -40°C, it may be set to output 10% of the output of the fuel cell stack. Thus, with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the temperature of the hydrogen tank may be increased with the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 to prevent the output of the fuel cell stack from deteriorating.

[0111] On the contrary, in response to the situation where the temperature of the hydrogen tank becomes higher than 85° C., the valve system can be blocked and the fuel cell can be shut down to ensure vehicle operation stability. In this case, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, hot air from the stack cooling module 400 can be blocked from flowing into the hydrogen tank.

[0112] refer to Figure 7 701 in FIG. 5 , it is shown that each of the hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 may have a difference in temperature reduction.

[0113] like Figure 1 As shown, among the hydrogen tanks 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207, the hydrogen tanks 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 207 can be arranged in a straight line, the hydrogen tank 201 can be positioned adjacent to the hydrogen tank 202, and the hydrogen tanks 205, 206 and 207 can be affected by the hot air from the stack cooling module 400.

[0114] The stack cooling module 400 is a module for cooling hot air, and hot air can pass therethrough, and therefore, the temperature of the hydrogen tanks 205 , 206 , and 207 adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 can be increased more than that of the hydrogen tanks 202 , 203 , and 204 not adjacent to the stack cooling module 400 .

[0115] In diagram 701 , it is shown that the temperatures of hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 and 205 are similar, the temperature of hydrogen tank 206 is higher than the temperatures of hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 and 205 , and the temperature of hydrogen tank 207 closest to stack cooling module 400 is higher than the temperature of hydrogen tank 206 .

[0116] In diagram 702 , it is shown that the temperatures of hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 can be almost uniformly controlled by adjusting the angle of the air guide device 300 by controlling the hot air from the stack cooling module 400 to better flow into the hydrogen tanks 202 , 203 , and 204 away from the stack cooling module 400 .

[0117] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the temperature of the hydrogen tank 200 can be increased by heating the low-temperature hydrogen tank 200 through hot air passing through the stack cooling module 400 to prevent the output of the fuel cell stack from being limited due to the temperature drop of the hydrogen tank 200, thereby enabling the vehicle to continue driving.

[0118] In addition, the temperatures of the hydrogen tanks 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 , 206 , and 207 may be uniformly controlled by adjusting the angle of the air guide device 300 .

[0119] The above description is merely an illustration of the technical concept of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0120] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present disclosure, but to explain it, and the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited by these exemplary embodiments. The protection scope of the present disclosure can be interpreted by the attached claims, and the technical concept within the equivalent scope can be interpreted as included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A hydrogen tank temperature control device, comprising: an air guide disposed between a stack cooling module configured to cool the fuel cell stack and the one or more hydrogen tanks; a processor configured to control the temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling one or more angles of the air directing device; as well as A memory is configured to store data and algorithms driven by the processor.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to control the one or more angles of the air directing device by using any combination of one or more of a temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks, an outside air temperature, and an output of the fuel cell stack.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to horizontally move air passing through the stack cooling module to the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling an initial air guide to 0 degrees after vehicle startup.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to control the air guiding device by one or more selected angles to allow the air passing through the stack cooling module to flow into a first group of hydrogen tanks away from the stack cooling module among the one or more hydrogen tanks in response to the outside air temperature being lower than a first reference value.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to control the air passing through the stack cooling module to flow upward into the first group of hydrogen tanks at one or more selected angles by controlling the air guiding device in response to an external air temperature being lower than a first reference value.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The processor is configured to compare an average temperature of a first group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than a first reference distance with an average temperature of a second group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the first reference distance.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The processor is configured to determine that the temperatures of the one or more hydrogen tanks are uniformly controlled in response to the fact that the average temperature of the first group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than the first reference distance is the same as the average temperature of the second group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the first reference distance.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The processor is configured to control the one or more angles of the air guiding device to be greater than the selected one or more angles in response to the average temperature of the first group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than the first reference distance being higher than the average temperature of the second group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the first reference distance.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The processor is configured to control the one or more angles of the air guiding device to be smaller than the selected one or more angles in response to the average temperature of the first group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is greater than the first reference distance being lower than the average temperature of the second group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks whose distance from the stack cooling module is closer than the first reference distance.

10. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to prevent the air passing through the stack cooling module from flowing into the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the one or more angles of the air guiding device in response to the outside air temperature being higher than a second reference value.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The first reference value is a temperature that limits the output of the fuel cell stack, and the second reference value is a temperature that shuts down the fuel cell stack.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a first reference value, and in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than the first reference value, the processor is configured to prevent the air passing through the stack cooling module from flowing into the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling the one or more angles of the air guide device.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The processor is configured to determine whether the output of the fuel cell stack is greater than a second reference value in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being equal to or less than the first reference value, wherein the second reference value is lower than the first reference value.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The processor is configured to compare, in response to the output of the fuel cell stack being greater than the second reference value, an average temperature of a first group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks that are farther away from the stack cooling module than a first reference distance with an average temperature of a second group of hydrogen tanks among the one or more hydrogen tanks that are closer to the stack cooling module than the first reference distance, and control one or more selected angles of the air guide device based on the comparison result.

15. A hydrogen tank temperature control system, comprising: a stack cooling module configured to cool the fuel cell stack; one or more hydrogen tanks; an air directing device configured to direct air passing through the stack cooling module into the one or more hydrogen tanks; as well as A hydrogen tank temperature control device is configured to control the temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks by controlling one or more angles of the air guiding device between the stack cooling module and the one or more hydrogen tanks.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein: The air guiding device comprises: the subject; and A driver is disposed at the center of the body to drive the body to rotate.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein: The hydrogen tank temperature control device is configured to control the one or more angles of the air guide device using an output of the fuel cell stack and an outside air temperature.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein: The hydrogen tank temperature control device is configured to control the air guide device by one or more selected angles in response to an external air temperature being lower than a first reference value to allow the air passing through the stack cooling module to flow into a first hydrogen tank among the one or more hydrogen tanks that is farther away from the stack cooling module than other hydrogen tanks.

19. A method for controlling the temperature of a hydrogen tank, comprising: determining an angle of an air guide between a stack cooling module configured to cool the fuel cell stack and one or more hydrogen tanks; controlling the angle of the air guiding device according to the determined angle of the air guiding device; as well as The temperature of the one or more hydrogen tanks is controlled by allowing air passing through the stack cooling module to flow into the one or more hydrogen tanks according to the determined angle of the air guiding device.

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