Method and device for starting fuel cell system, controller, vehicle and medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, an apparatus, a controller, a vehicle and a medium for starting a fuel cell system. The method includes receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The method further comprises the step of obtaining a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record comprises at least one of the following items: the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system keeping the shutdown state. Further, the method includes controlling a start-up process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, where the start-up process includes a hydrogen purge of an anode circuit and / or an air purge of a cathode circuit of the fuel cell system. In this way, the starting process of the fuel cell system can be controlled on the basis of the shutdown record, and therefore water and / or waste gas generated in the shutdown process can be discharged in the starting process of the fuel cell system. Therefore, normal start and operation of the fuel cell system can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and more particularly, to a method, an apparatus, a controller, a vehicle, and a medium for starting a fuel cell system. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cells have the advantages of high energy conversion rate and pollution-free emission, and have important applications in many fields. For example, fuel cells have become a widely used type of automotive power battery. During the startup and normal operation of the fuel cell system, the hydrogen concentration of the anode of the fuel cell stack and the humidity of the bipolar circuit need to be kept within a reasonable range. If the hydrogen concentration of the anode is insufficient or there is too much liquid water in the bipolar circuit, the performance of the fuel cell system may be reduced.

[0003] In order to ensure that the next startup of the fuel cell system can proceed normally, during the normal shutdown process of the fuel cell system, the cathode and anode of the fuel cell stack will be dried and actively discharged to keep the cathode and anode of the fuel cell stack dry and reduce the nitrogen that penetrates from the cathode into the anode in the shutdown state. In some cases, the fuel cell system will also experience an emergency shutdown due to a fault. In this case, the drying and active discharge process will not be performed, which will affect the next startup of the fuel cell system. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a method, device, controller, vehicle and medium for starting a fuel cell system. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the process of starting the fuel cell system, the shutdown record of the fuel cell system can be obtained first, and the shutdown record can indicate the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system and / or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state. Then, the hydrogen purge and / or air purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system can be controlled based on the shutdown record. In this way, the hydrogen purge and / or air purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system can be flexibly controlled to discharge the water and / or nitrogen generated in the fuel cell system due to the last shutdown process, thereby ensuring that the fuel cell system can be started and operated smoothly.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for starting a fuel cell system is provided. The method includes receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The method also includes obtaining a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record includes at least one of the following: the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in a shutdown state. In addition, the method also includes controlling the startup process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, wherein the startup process includes hydrogen purge of the anode circuit and / or air purge of the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for starting a fuel cell system is provided. The method includes receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The method also includes obtaining a current nitrogen concentration of the anode from a nitrogen sensor of the anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system. In addition, the method also includes controlling the fuel cell system to enter a startup process in response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, wherein the startup process includes starting a hydrogen purge of an anode loop of the fuel cell system to exhaust nitrogen in the anode.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a device for starting a fuel cell system is provided. The device includes a receiving module configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The device also includes an acquisition module configured to acquire a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record includes at least one of the following: the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in a shutdown state. In addition, the device also includes a control module configured to control the startup process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, wherein the startup process includes hydrogen purge of the anode circuit of the fuel cell system and / or air purge of the cathode circuit.

[0008] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a device for starting a fuel cell system is provided. The device includes a receiving module configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The device also includes an acquisition module configured to obtain the current nitrogen concentration of the anode from a nitrogen sensor of the anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system. In addition, the device also includes a control module configured to control the fuel cell system to enter a startup process in response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, wherein the startup process includes starting a hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system to exhaust nitrogen in the anode.

[0009] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is provided. The controller includes one or more processors; and a storage device for storing one or more programs, when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method provided according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, comprising the controller provided according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure.

[0011] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a machine-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the machine-readable storage medium stores machine-executable instructions, wherein the machine-executable instructions are executed by a processor to implement the method provided according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] It should be understood that the contents described in the summary of the invention are not intended to limit the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a fuel cell system in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0015] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a method for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 3 A flow chart showing a method for starting a fuel cell system based on a shutdown type according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 A flow chart showing a method for starting a fuel cell system based on shutdown duration according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method for starting a fuel cell system based on shutdown type and shutdown duration according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 6 A flow chart showing a method for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 7 A block diagram of an apparatus for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 8 A block diagram showing an apparatus for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Fig. 9 A block diagram of a device in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein, which are instead provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0024] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0025] As mentioned above, during the operation of the fuel cell system, if a fault occurs, an uncontrollable shutdown may occur, causing all systems to shut down at the same time. During this shutdown process, drying or active discharge may not be performed, which will affect the next startup of the fuel cell. For example, if active discharge is not performed, the hydrogen at the anode will react with the oxygen at the cathode, causing the pressure at the anode to decrease, which will increase the nitrogen that penetrates into the anode in the shutdown state, resulting in insufficient hydrogen concentration at the anode during startup. For another example, if drying is not performed, the water vapor in the fuel cell system will condense into liquid water in the shutdown state, which may block the gas transmission channel in the membrane electrode of the fuel cell stack, resulting in insufficient reaction gas and affecting the startup of the fuel cell system.

[0026] To this end, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a scheme for starting a fuel cell system. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system, a shutdown record of the fuel cell system can be obtained first, and the shutdown record can indicate the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system and / or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state, and then the hydrogen purge and / or air purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system can be controlled based on the shutdown record.

[0027] In this way, the startup process of the fuel cell system can be controlled based on the shutdown type and / or shutdown duration of the last fuel cell system. In this way, the startup process of the fuel cell system can be changed due to the shutdown type and / or shutdown duration of the last shutdown, so that the fuel cell can be kept dry and the exhaust gas of the anode can be discharged through the startup process. For example, when the shutdown type is a fault shutdown, the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system can be controlled to be purged with air during the startup process, so as to drain and dry the fuel cell stack. For another example, the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit during the startup process can be controlled based on the shutdown duration of maintaining the shutdown state, so that the exhaust gas of the anode can be fully discharged. In this way, the water and / or exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell system due to the shutdown process can be discharged during the startup process, and the fuel cell stack can restore normal working conditions through the startup process, thereby ensuring the normal startup and operation of the fuel cell system.

[0028] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a fuel cell system 100 in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. Figure 1 As shown, in the fuel cell system 100, a controller 110, a fuel cell stack 120, an anode loop 130, a cathode loop 140 and a direct current / direct current (DC / DC) converter 150 are included. In the fuel cell system 100, the anode loop 130 can provide hydrogen to the anode of the fuel cell stack 120, and the cathode loop 140 can provide air to the cathode of the fuel cell stack 120. In the fuel cell stack 120, the hydrogen at the anode and the oxygen in the air at the cathode can undergo an electrochemical reaction on the membrane electrode to generate electrical energy, and power the load through the DC / DC converter 150.

[0029] In the anode loop 130 of the fuel cell system 100, a hydrogen injector 131, a hydrogen circulation pump 132, a water separator 133, a hydrogen exhaust valve 134 and a drain valve 135 may be included. The hydrogen injector 131 can supply the hydrogen in the hydrogen storage system to the anode of the fuel cell stack 120 and control the pressure and flow of the hydrogen. The hydrogen circulation pump 132 can circulate the unreacted hydrogen at the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack 120 to the inlet of the anode of the fuel cell stack 120. The water separator 133 can separate the liquid water in the anode loop 130 and discharge it through the drain valve 135. The hydrogen exhaust valve 133 can discharge the impurity gas when the concentration of the impurity gas (such as nitrogen) at the anode becomes high. In the cathode loop 140 of the fuel cell system 100, an air compressor 141 and a back pressure valve 142 may be included. The air compressor 141 is used to pressurize the air and provide air for the cathode of the fuel cell stack 120. The back pressure valve 142 is used to adjust the gas pressure at the cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack 120 and discharge the cathode exhaust gas (mainly nitrogen) after the reaction.

[0030] The controller 110 can control the operation, opening and closing of each component in the fuel cell system 100, including the opening and closing of the hydrogen injector 131, the hydrogen circulation pump 132, the hydrogen exhaust valve 134 and the drain valve 135 in the anode loop 130, and the opening and closing of the air compressor 141 and the back pressure valve 142 in the cathode loop 140. The controller 110 can also control the current demand and current output of the DC / DC converter 150. The controller 110 can be, for example, a fuel cell control unit (FCCU).

[0031] In some embodiments, after receiving the power-off signal, the controller 110 can control the fuel cell system 100 to enter a shutdown process. During the shutdown process, the controller 110 can control the cathode loop 140 to perform air purge. The air purge controlled by the controller 110 includes controlling the air compressor 141 and the back pressure valve 142 to open, so that a large amount of air flows into and out of the cathode loop 140, thereby discharging the water vapor in the cathode loop 140 and achieving drying of the fuel cell stack 120. After the air purge of the cathode loop 140 is completed, the controller 110 can control the air compressor 141 and the back pressure valve 142 to close and stop the air supply to the cathode. The controller 110 can control the fuel cell stack 120 to perform active discharge. In the control of active discharge, the controller controls the DC / DC converter 150 to obtain electrical energy from the fuel cell stack 120, so that the fuel cell stack 120 continues to perform electrochemical reactions and depletes the oxygen in the cathode. The controller 110 can control the anode loop 130 to perform hydrogen purge. In the control of the hydrogen purge, the controller 110 can control the hydrogen injector 131 to open, and control the hydrogen exhaust valve 133 and the drain valve 134 to open and close at a predefined frequency, thereby achieving hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130 and discharging water in the anode loop 130.

[0032] In some embodiments, the controller 110 can control the fuel cell system 100 to perform various types of shutdown processes. In some embodiments, after receiving a power-off signal or detecting a fault signal, the controller 110 can control the fuel cell system 100 not to perform one or more of air purge, hydrogen purge, or active discharge. In some embodiments, after receiving a power-off signal or detecting a fault signal, the controller 110 can control the fuel cell system 100 not to perform air purge, hydrogen purge, and active discharge, but to control the DC / DC converter 150 to stop outputting current, and control the various components in the anode loop 130 and the cathode loop 140 to shut down, stop the hydrogen supply to the anode and the oxygen supply to the cathode, so that the fuel cell system 100 immediately enters a shutdown state.

[0033] In some embodiments, the controller 110 may store the shutdown type of the fuel cell system 100 in a local memory. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may store the time when the fuel cell system 100 is shut down in a local memory. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may record the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system 100. In some embodiments, after receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system 100, the controller 110 may obtain a shutdown record including the shutdown type and / or the shutdown duration, and the controller 110 may start the fuel cell system 100 based on the shutdown record. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may control the anode loop 130 to perform hydrogen purge during the process of starting the controller fuel cell system 100, and in some embodiments, the controller 110 may control the cathode loop 140 to perform air purge during the process of controlling the startup of the fuel cell system.

[0034] It should be understood that Figure 1 The fuel cell system 100 shown is only an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure, and cannot be a limitation of the scheme provided by the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system 100 may also include more or fewer components. Exemplarily, in some embodiments, the fuel cell system 100 may also include a cooling circuit. In some embodiments, a shut-off valve may be provided at the air inlet and air outlet of the anode of the fuel cell stack 120. In some embodiments, the cathode loop 140 may also include an intercooler and a humidifier. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system 100 may also be configured with various sensors, including but not limited to a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the fuel cell stack 120, a humidity sensor for detecting the air humidity of the cathode loop 140, a voltage sensor for detecting the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 120, etc., and the controller 110 may obtain the perception signals of these sensors respectively. It should also be understood that the fuel cell system in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to various scenarios and can be configured as a power supply or auxiliary power in various devices, including but not limited to vehicles, yachts, aerospace equipment, underwater power equipment, etc.

[0035] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method 200 for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 200 may be executed by a device for starting a fuel cell system, which may be, for example, a controller for controlling the fuel cell system, such as an FCCU. Next, the method 200 is described by taking the controller as an example of an execution subject. Figure 2As shown, method 200 may include boxes 202 to 206. In box 202, the controller receives a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The power-on signal may be generated by the controller in response to a user's instruction, or received from another device or controller through a wired or wireless communication method. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system is configured in a fuel cell vehicle, and the FCCU of the fuel cell system may receive a power-on signal from the vehicle control unit (VCU) of the fuel cell vehicle through a controller area network (CAN) bus in the vehicle. After receiving the power-on signal, the controller may control the fuel cell system to start and run.

[0036] In box 204, the controller obtains a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, which includes at least one of the following: the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state. Based on the operating state of the fuel cell system, various types of shutdown processes may occur, such as normal shutdown without faults, or fault shutdown due to faults. In some embodiments, in the absence of faults, after receiving the power-off signal, the controller will enter a normal shutdown process. During the normal shutdown process, the controller first controls the cathode circuit to perform air purge to dry the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and then controls the DC / DC converter to obtain electrical energy from the fuel cell stack and perform active discharge, thereby depleting the oxygen in the cathode. The controller also controls the anode circuit to perform hydrogen purge to dry the anode circuit. After the air purge, active discharge and hydrogen purge are completed, the controller controls the fuel cell system to shut down completely. In some embodiments, the fuel cell may also shut down due to a fault, such as a fault in the hydrogen circulation pump, water separator, etc. of the anode loop, or a fault in the back pressure valve, etc. of the cathode loop, or a fault in the DC / DC converter. Air purge, hydrogen purge, or active discharge may not be performed during these shutdown processes.

[0037] In some embodiments, the controller may store the shutdown type of the fuel cell system in the memory as a shutdown record during the process of controlling the shutdown of the fuel cell system. In some embodiments, the controller may record the time when the fuel cell system is shut down. When the fuel cell system is started next time, the controller may determine the shutdown duration based on the current time and the shutdown time as a shutdown record. In some embodiments, the controller may store the shutdown type and shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the memory at the same time.

[0038] After receiving the power-on signal, the controller can obtain the shutdown record of the fuel cell from the memory. In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown, which can indicate whether the last shutdown was a fault shutdown, for example. In some embodiments, the shutdown type can indicate the specific process of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, such as whether it is an emergency shutdown, whether air purge is performed, whether active discharge is performed, or whether hydrogen purge is performed. In some embodiments, the controller can determine the specific process of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown type, such as whether it is an emergency shutdown, whether air purge is performed, whether active discharge is performed, or whether hydrogen purge is performed. In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state. In some embodiments, the controller can obtain the shutdown record from other devices, such as obtaining the duration of the vehicle remaining in the power-off state from the VCU of the fuel cell vehicle as the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system. In some embodiments, the controller can obtain both the shutdown type of the fuel cell system and the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system.

[0039] In box 206, the controller controls the startup process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, and the startup process includes hydrogen purge of the anode of the fuel cell system and / or air purge of the cathode. Traditionally, during the startup process of the fuel cell system, the controller will first start the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system to discharge the nitrogen that penetrates from the cathode of the fuel cell stack to the anode during the shutdown process. After the hydrogen purge is completed, the controller can start the hydrogen supply and air supply of the fuel cell stack, thereby starting the fuel cell system normally. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller can control the startup process of the fuel cell based on the shutdown record, for example, it can determine whether it is necessary to start the hydrogen purge of the anode, determine the duration of starting the hydrogen purge of the anode, determine whether it is necessary to start the air purge of the cathode, etc. The controller can execute the startup process corresponding to the shutdown record.

[0040] Through the above method 200, the controller can control the startup process of the fuel cell system based on the last shutdown process of the fuel cell system, and the same or different schemes can be executed in different situations. This can make the control of the startup of the fuel cell system more flexible and more adaptable. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, and the controller can control the cathode circuit to perform air purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system, thereby drying the fuel cell stack. In some embodiments, no active discharge was performed during the last shutdown process of the fuel cell system, and the controller can control the anode circuit to perform hydrogen purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system, thereby discharging excess exhaust gas in the cathode. In this way, the water and / or exhaust gas generated by the fuel cell system due to the shutdown process can be discharged during the startup process, thereby ensuring the smooth startup and operation of the fuel cell system.

[0041] In some embodiments, in the aforementioned block 204, the shutdown record acquired by the controller includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system. In some embodiments, during the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, the controller may only save the shutdown type, and during the startup process, the controller may only acquire the shutdown type. In some embodiments, the controller stores both the shutdown type and the shutdown duration of the last shutdown, and the controller may only acquire the shutdown type.

[0042] In some embodiments, the shutdown type obtained by the controller indicates that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, for example, the hydrogen purge of the anode loop was not performed due to a failure of a component of the anode loop, or the air purge of the cathode loop was not performed due to a failure of a component of the cathode loop. In the case where it is determined that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, in the aforementioned box 206, the controller can control the cathode of the fuel cell system to perform air purge during the startup of the fuel cell system. Taking the aforementioned fuel cell system 100 as an example, after receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system 100 and determining that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, the controller 110 can control the air compressor 141 to start and pass air into the cathode of the fuel cell stack 120 at a predefined large flow rate. The controller 110 can simultaneously control the back pressure valve 142 to remain in an open state, so that the air introduced from the cathode inlet is discharged at the cathode outlet to achieve air purge of the cathode loop 140.

[0043] In some embodiments, during the startup process, the duration of the air purge of the cathode loop of the fuel cell system may be predefined. In some embodiments, the controller may obtain the humidity of the fuel cell stack, which may be measured, for example, by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The controller may terminate the air purge of the cathode loop when the humidity of the fuel cell stack reaches a predefined humidity range.

[0044] If the fuel cell system is not dried during shutdown, the water vapor and liquid water generated by the operation of the fuel cell stack will not be discharged. During shutdown, the water vapor will condense into liquid water, further increasing the liquid water in the fuel cell stack and causing the fuel cell stack to be flooded, which will prevent the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen on the membrane electrode. During startup, air purge of the cathode can remove moisture from the fuel cell stack, keeping the humidity of the fuel cell stack within a suitable range, thereby avoiding insufficient reaction gas caused by flooding, thus ensuring the smooth startup and operation of the fuel cell system.

[0045] In some embodiments, in the aforementioned box 204, the shutdown type obtained by the controller indicates that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process, for example, the fuel cell stack did not perform active discharge due to a DC / DC converter failure. In the case of determining that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process, in the aforementioned box 206, the controller can turn on the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system during the startup of the fuel cell system. Taking the aforementioned fuel cell system 100 as an example, after receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system 100 and determining that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process, the controller 110 can turn on the hydrogen injector 131 to pass hydrogen into the anode of the fuel cell stack 120. After the hydrogen at the anode reaches a predefined pressure, the controller can control the opening and closing of the hydrogen exhaust valve 133 with a predetermined opening duration and opening frequency, thereby realizing the hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130.

[0046] In some embodiments, when the shutdown type indicates that the last shutdown of the fuel cell system is a normal shutdown, the controller can also start the hydrogen purge of the anode loop to discharge the nitrogen in the fuel cell stack. For the sake of distinction and explanation, this hydrogen purge process is referred to as the first hydrogen purge process, and the hydrogen purge process performed because the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process is referred to as the second hydrogen purge process. In some embodiments, the duration of the second hydrogen purge process is greater than the duration of the first hydrogen purge process. In some embodiments, the opening frequency of the hydrogen exhaust valve during the second hydrogen purge process is greater than the opening frequency of the hydrogen exhaust valve during the first hydrogen purge process. That is, compared with the first hydrogen purge process, the total amount of gas introduced into and discharged from the anode of the fuel cell stack during the second hydrogen purge process can be greater. It should be understood that the duration of the first hydrogen purge process and the second hydrogen purge process can be predefined, and the opening frequency of the hydrogen exhaust valve in the first hydrogen purge process and the second hydrogen purge process can also be predefined.

[0047] If the fuel cell system is not actively discharged during shutdown, oxygen will exist in the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and the hydrogen in the anode of the fuel cell stack will slowly react with the oxygen in the cathode, thereby reducing the pressure of the anode. In this case, more nitrogen will penetrate into the anode from the cathode of the fuel cell stack. Through the method in the embodiment of the present disclosure, if the fuel cell system is not actively discharged during shutdown, the controller can control the anode circuit to purge hydrogen for a longer time, or control the hydrogen exhaust valve to open at a higher frequency during the hydrogen purge process, so that the nitrogen in the anode can be discharged, so that the hydrogen in the fuel cell stack can reach a suitable concentration during the startup process, so that the fuel cell system can be started smoothly.

[0048] In some embodiments, in the aforementioned block 204, the shutdown type acquired by the controller may indicate whether drying was performed during the last shutdown process, or whether active discharge was performed during the last shutdown process. In the case where it is determined that no drying and no active discharge were performed during the last shutdown process of the fuel cell system, in the aforementioned block 206, the controller may control both the cathode circuit to perform air purge and the anode circuit to perform hydrogen purge during the startup process of the fuel cell system, and the air purge of the cathode circuit and the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit may be performed in parallel.

[0049] For example, reference Figure 3 , Figure 3 1 is a flowchart of a method 300 for starting a fuel cell system based on a shutdown type in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be executed by a controller, which may be, for example, Figure 1 The controller 110 in FIG. Figure 3As shown, method 300 may include boxes 302 to 316. In box 302, the controller receives a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. In box 304, the controller obtains the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system. In box 306, the controller determines whether the fuel cell system has dried the fuel cell stack during the last shutdown process, such as whether the air purge of the cathode circuit has been performed, based on the shutdown type. If not, execute box 308, and if so, execute box 310. In box 308, the controller starts the air purge of the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system, and the duration of the air purge can be predefined. In box 310, the controller determines whether the fuel cell system has been actively discharged during the last shutdown process based on the shutdown type. If so, execute box 312, and if not, execute box 314. In box 312, the controller starts the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit of the fuel cell system and keeps the hydrogen purge for a first duration. In box 314, the controller starts the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit of the fuel cell system and keeps the hydrogen purge for a second duration. The second time period in block 314 is greater than the first time period in block 312. In block 316, the controller adjusts the hydrogen supply to the anode loop and the air supply to the cathode loop of the fuel cell system to put the fuel cell system in a normal operating state.

[0050] It should be understood that although Figure 3 306 is shown before the block 310, but it is not intended to limit the order of the operations performed at the blocks 306 and 310. On the contrary, the operations performed at the blocks 306 and 310 can be performed in a reverse order or simultaneously. That is, the controller can control the air purge of the cathode loop and the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system in parallel. Next, in combination with the aforementioned Figure 1 In the fuel cell system 100 in the embodiment, the method for controlling the start-up of the fuel cell in the method 300 is exemplarily described. It should be understood that this is only a schematic diagram given for the convenience of description and cannot be a limitation of the technical solution provided by the present disclosure. The method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can also be applied to other types of fuel cell systems.

[0051] In the fuel cell system 100, the controller 110 receives a power-on signal, and the controller 110 can obtain the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system 100 from the local memory. If the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system 100 was not dried and did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process, the controller can start the hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130 and the air purge of the cathode loop 140. The controller 110 can start the air compressor 141 and open the back pressure valve 142 to start the air purge of the cathode loop 140. After the duration of the air purge reaches a predefined duration, or after the controller 110 detects that the humidity of the membrane electrode of the fuel cell stack 120 reaches a predetermined humidity range, the controller 110 can control the back pressure valve 142 and the air compressor 141 to make the pressure of the cathode of the fuel cell stack 120 reach the normal operating pressure range, thereby ending the air purge of the cathode loop 140.

[0052] While starting the air purge, the controller 110 can open the hydrogen injector 131 so that the pressure of the anode of the fuel cell stack 120 reaches a predetermined pressure, and the controller 110 can open the hydrogen exhaust valve 134 at a predefined frequency, thereby starting the hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130. After the duration of the hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130 is reached to a predefined duration, the controller 110 can adjust the hydrogen injected into the fuel cell stack 120 by the hydrogen injector 131 so that the pressure of the anode of the fuel cell stack 120 returns to the pressure value under normal operating conditions, and the controller 110 can adjust the opening frequency of the hydrogen exhaust valve 134 so that it opens and closes at the frequency under normal operation of the fuel cell system 100, thereby ending the hydrogen purge in the startup phase. During the hydrogen purge phase during the startup process of the fuel cell system 100, the pressure of the anode of the fuel cell stack 120 can be greater than the pressure of the anode after the hydrogen purge ends, and the opening frequency of the hydrogen exhaust valve 130 can also be higher than the opening frequency after the hydrogen purge ends. After the air purge of the cathode loop 140 and the hydrogen purge of the anode loop 130 are completed, the fuel cell system 100 completes startup and enters the normal operation stage.

[0053] If it is determined that the fuel cell system 100 was dried and actively discharged during the last shutdown process, the controller 100 can only control the anode loop 130 to perform hydrogen purge, and the hydrogen purge can last for a first time period. If the fuel cell system 100 was dried but not actively discharged during the last shutdown process, the controller 100 can also only control the anode loop 130 to perform hydrogen purge, and the hydrogen purge can last for a second time period, which is greater than the first time period.

[0054] Through the above technical solution, based on whether the fuel cell system was actively discharged and dried during the last shutdown process, the controller can control the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit and the air purge of the cathode circuit during the startup of the fuel cell system, so as to dry the fuel cell stack when there is too much water in the fuel cell stack, and discharge nitrogen when there is too much nitrogen in the anode, so as to ensure the normal startup and operation of the fuel cell system. If the fuel cell system was actively discharged or dried during the last shutdown process, it can also avoid unnecessary steps during the startup process, so as to avoid hydrogen waste and improve the efficiency of starting the fuel cell system.

[0055] In some embodiments, in the box 204 of the aforementioned method 200, the shutdown record obtained by the controller includes the shutdown duration of the last shutdown of the fuel cell. In the aforementioned box 206, the controller can control the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit during the startup of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown duration. In some embodiments, the controller can determine the opening duration of the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit based on the shutdown duration, and keep the hydrogen purge in the open state during the corresponding opening duration. That is to say, if the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system to maintain the shutdown state is different, the duration of the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit of the fuel cell system during the startup process can be different. The shorter the duration of the fuel cell system to maintain the shutdown state, the shorter the time to maintain the hydrogen purge during the startup of the fuel cell. Since the nitrogen that penetrates into the anode from the cathode of the fuel cell stack increases over time, by adaptively adjusting the duration of the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit of the fuel cell system, it is possible to avoid hydrogen waste and reduce the time required to start the fuel cell system while ensuring that the nitrogen in the anode of the fuel cell stack is completely removed.

[0056] The correspondence between the shutdown duration and the duration of the hydrogen purge may be predefined or preconfigured in a memory in the controller. In some embodiments, the controller may determine the degree of aging of the membrane electrode of the fuel cell stack, and update the locally stored correspondence between the shutdown duration and the hydrogen purge duration based on the degree of aging. In this way, in the case where the permeation rate of nitrogen from the cathode to the anode changes due to the aging of the membrane electrode, the nitrogen that permeates from the cathode to the anode during the shutdown process can also be exhausted to ensure the hydrogen concentration in the anode of the fuel cell stack, so that the fuel cell system can start normally in the case of aging of the membrane electrode.

[0057] In some embodiments, when the shutdown duration is less than a predetermined duration threshold, the controller can directly control the anode loop to pass hydrogen to the anode of the fuel cell stack during the startup of the fuel cell system, and keep the pressure of the anode at the pressure during normal operation. That is to say, the hydrogen purge of the anode loop can be started only when the shutdown duration is greater than the predetermined duration threshold. If the shutdown duration is less than the predetermined duration threshold, the hydrogen purge of the anode may not be required during the startup of the fuel cell system. Since there is little nitrogen permeating from the cathode of the fuel cell stack to the anode when the fuel cell system is shut down for a short time, the hydrogen at the anode can still reach a predefined normal operation concentration. In this way, unnecessary hydrogen purge can be avoided and hydrogen can be wasted while ensuring that the fuel cell system can be started normally. In addition, the startup time of the fuel cell system can be shortened, and rapid startup can be achieved in the case of a short shutdown. In some embodiments, the predetermined duration threshold can be determined based on the aging degree of the membrane electrode of the fuel cell stack.

[0058] For example, Figure 4 400 is a flowchart of a method 400 for starting a fuel cell system based on shutdown duration in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be executed by a controller, which may be, for example, Figure 1 The controller 110 in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, method 400 may include boxes 402 to 412. In box 402, the controller receives a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. In box 404, the controller obtains the shutdown time length during which the fuel cell system remains in a shutdown state. In box 406, the controller determines whether the shutdown time length is greater than a predetermined time length threshold. If so, execute box 408, if not, execute box 412. In box 408, the controller determines the opening time length for keeping the hydrogen purge of the anode loop turned on during the startup of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown time length. In box 410, the controller starts the hydrogen purge of the anode loop until the opening time length is reached. In box 412, the controller adjusts the hydrogen supply of the anode loop and the air supply of the cathode loop of the fuel cell system to put the fuel cell system in a normal operating state.

[0059] Through method 400, based on the shutdown time of the fuel cell system, it can be determined whether to perform hydrogen purge of the anode loop during the next startup of the fuel cell system, and the duration of the hydrogen purge can be adjusted. In this way, the hydrogen purge of the anode loop during the startup of the fuel cell system can be flexibly controlled and the duration of the hydrogen purge can be reduced, thereby reducing hydrogen waste and shortening the startup time of the fuel cell system.

[0060] In some embodiments, method 300 and method 400 may be implemented in combination. That is, in block 204 of the aforementioned method 200, the shutdown record acquired by the controller may include both the shutdown type and the shutdown duration of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system. In the aforementioned block 206, the controller may control the hydrogen purge of the anode loop and the air purge of the cathode loop during the startup of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown type and the shutdown duration.

[0061] In some embodiments, the controller may also control the air purge of the cathode circuit during the startup of the fuel cell system based on the temperature of the fuel cell stack. In some embodiments, when it is determined that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown, the controller may obtain the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack, and may not perform air purge of the cathode circuit during the startup of the fuel cell system when the shutdown duration is less than the second predetermined duration threshold and the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack is greater than the predetermined temperature threshold. The controller starts the air purge of the cathode circuit during the shutdown of the fuel cell system only when it is determined that the shutdown duration is greater than the second predetermined duration threshold or the temperature of the cathode is less than the predetermined temperature threshold. In some embodiments, the controller may obtain the temperature of the coolant of the fuel cell system and use it as the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack.

[0062] If the downtime of the fuel cell system is short and the temperature of the cathode is high, the water in the cathode will exist in the form of water vapor and will not condense into liquid water, which will not affect the startup and operation of the fuel cell system. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform air purge of the cathode circuit during the startup process. In this way, the steps to be performed during the startup process of the fuel cell system can be further simplified, and the time required to start the fuel cell system can be shortened.

[0063] For example, Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 for starting a fuel cell system based on shutdown type and shutdown duration in some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 500 may be executed by a controller, which may be, for example, Figure 1 The controller 110 in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, method 500 may include blocks 502 to 522. In block 502, the controller receives a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. In block 504, the controller obtains a shutdown record, determines the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell and the shutdown duration of the shutdown state. In block 506, the controller determines a first predetermined duration threshold corresponding to the shutdown type.

[0064] In box 508, the controller determines whether the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state is greater than the first predetermined duration threshold. If so, execute box 510, if not, execute box 514. In box 510, the controller determines the opening duration of the hydrogen purge based on the shutdown duration and the shutdown type. Exemplarily, when the shutdown duration is the same, different shutdown types may correspond to different opening durations. In some embodiments, the controller may determine the shutdown duration-opening duration correspondence based on the shutdown type, and then determine the opening duration based on the shutdown duration and the shutdown duration-opening duration correspondence. In box 512, the controller starts the hydrogen purge of the anode loop and keeps the hydrogen purge in the open state during the opening duration.

[0065] In box 514, the controller determines whether the fuel cell system was dried during the last shutdown process based on the shutdown type. If not, execute box 516, and if so, execute 522. In box 516, the controller obtains the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack. In box 518, the controller determines whether the shutdown time of the fuel cell system is less than the second predetermined time threshold, and whether the temperature of the cathode is greater than the predetermined temperature threshold. If not, execute box 520, and if so, execute box 522. The second predetermined time threshold and the aforementioned first predetermined time threshold can be the same value or different values. In box 520, the controller starts the air purge of the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system. In box 522, the controller adjusts the hydrogen supply of the anode circuit and the air supply of the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system to put the fuel cell system in normal operating state.

[0066] It should be understood that Figure 5 The flowchart shown is only an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure and cannot be a limitation of the method provided by the present disclosure. Figure 5 508 and 512 are shown before Frame 514, but it is not intended to limit the order of the operations performed at Frame 508 and 514. On the contrary, the operations performed at Frame 508 and 514 can be performed in reverse order or simultaneously. In some embodiments, Frame 514-Frame 520 can be performed after Frame 506, and then Frame 508-Frame 512 is performed. In some embodiments, Frame 506-Frame 512 can be performed simultaneously with Frame 514-Frame 520. That is, the controller's control of the air purge of the cathode loop and the control of the hydrogen purge of the anode loop can be independent of each other. In some embodiments, Frame 516 can be performed at any time between Frame 502-Frame 518, and in some embodiments, method 500 may not include Frame 516 and Frame 518.

[0067] Through method 500, based on the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system and the shutdown duration of the shutdown state, the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit and the air purge of the cathode circuit during the startup of the fuel cell system can be flexibly controlled to properly dry the fuel cell stack and discharge the nitrogen in the anode of the fuel cell stack. In this way, the startup time of the fuel cell system can be shortened as much as possible while ensuring the smooth startup of the fuel cell system.

[0068] In some embodiments, during the startup of the fuel cell system, such as during the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell or the air purge of the cathode loop, the controller can control the fuel cell system to maintain a low-power operating state, such as controlling the current output by the fuel cell stack to be lower than a predetermined current threshold, and / or controlling the voltage output by the fuel cell stack to be lower than a predetermined voltage threshold. During the hydrogen purge, the anode of the fuel cell stack cannot maintain a sufficient hydrogen concentration, and during the air purge, the cathode of the fuel cell stack cannot maintain a sufficient oxygen concentration. When the fuel cell stack is not dried, the hydrogen at the anode and the oxygen at the cathode cannot fully react on the membrane electrode. Therefore, it is difficult for the fuel cell stack to output a higher power. By maintaining the fuel cell stack outputting a lower power, damage to the membrane electrode can be avoided and the normal operation of the fuel cell system can be ensured.

[0069] In some embodiments, a sensor for detecting nitrogen concentration is configured in the fuel cell system, and the controller can directly obtain the current nitrogen concentration of the anode of the fuel cell stack from the sensor, and the controller can control the hydrogen purge of the anode loop during the startup of the fuel cell system based on the nitrogen concentration. Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method 600 for starting a fuel cell system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be executed by a controller, which may be, for example, Figure 1 The controller 110 in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, method 600 may include blocks 602 to 606 .

[0070] In box 602, the controller receives a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The power-on signal may be generated by the controller in response to a user's instruction, or may be received from another device or controller through a wired or wireless communication method. In box 604, the controller obtains the current nitrogen concentration of the anode from the nitrogen sensor of the anode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system. After the controller receives the power-on signal, the controller may first start the nitrogen sensor of the fuel cell stack, which may detect the nitrogen concentration in the anode of the fuel cell stack. The controller may obtain the current nitrogen concentration of the anode of the fuel cell stack from the nitrogen sensor.

[0071] In block 606, in response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than the predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, the controller controls the fuel cell system to enter a startup process, the startup process including starting a hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system to exhaust nitrogen in the anode of the fuel cell stack. That is, during the startup process of the fuel cell, the controller may start the hydrogen purge of the anode loop when it is detected that the current nitrogen concentration of the anode is greater than the predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold.

[0072] In some embodiments, the controller can determine the opening duration of the hydrogen purge of the anode loop based on the current nitrogen concentration, and keep the hydrogen purge turned on during the opening duration. Exemplarily, the higher the current nitrogen concentration, the longer the opening duration. In some embodiments, the corresponding relationship between the opening duration and the current nitrogen concentration is predefined, for example, it can be pre-stored in a memory configured by the controller, and the controller can determine the opening duration accordingly. In some embodiments, during the startup process of the fuel cell, if it is detected that the current nitrogen concentration of the anode is less than or equal to a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, the controller may not turn on the hydrogen purge of the anode loop, but directly put the anode loop of the fuel cell system into normal operation.

[0073] In some embodiments, method 600 may be implemented in combination with the aforementioned method 200. For example, in some embodiments, during the startup process of the fuel cell system, the controller may execute the aforementioned box 204 to obtain the shutdown time of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state. The controller may then determine the current nitrogen concentration of the anode of the fuel cell stack based on a predefined shutdown time-nitrogen concentration correspondence. Thereafter, the controller may execute the steps in the aforementioned box 606 to control the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system.

[0074] It should be understood that the controller can also control the air purge of the cathode circuit based on the shutdown type and / or shutdown duration while controlling the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit based on the current nitrogen concentration of the anode. The specific manner in which the controller controls the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit and the method for the controller to control the air purge of the cathode circuit can refer to the aforementioned method 200, method 300 or method 500, which will not be repeated here. Through method 600, during the startup of the fuel cell system, the hydrogen purge of the anode circuit can be controlled based on the current nitrogen concentration of the anode of the fuel cell stack, for example, determining whether to perform hydrogen purge, or the duration of hydrogen purge. In this way, the nitrogen in the anode can be discharged more accurately, hydrogen waste can be avoided, and the time to start the fuel cell system can be shortened.

[0075] Figure 7 1 shows a block diagram of a device 700 for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may correspond to the controller in the aforementioned method embodiment, for example. Figure 7 As shown, the device 700 includes a receiving module 710, which is configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The device 700 also includes an acquisition module 720, which is configured to obtain a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record includes at least one of the following: the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state. In addition, the device 700 also includes a control module 730, which is configured to control the startup process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, wherein the startup process includes hydrogen purge of the anode loop and / or air purge of the cathode loop of the fuel cell system.

[0076] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and the control module 730 includes: a first control unit, configured to start air purge of the cathode loop of the fuel cell system to discharge water in the cathode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system in response to the shutdown type indicating that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown.

[0077] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and the control module 730 includes: a second control unit, configured to start a hydrogen purge in the anode loop of the fuel cell system to discharge exhaust gas from the anode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system in response to the shutdown type indicating that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown.

[0078] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system remaining in a shutdown state, and the control module 730 includes: a third control unit configured to start a hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system to discharge exhaust gas from the anode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system in response to the shutdown duration being greater than a first predetermined duration threshold.

[0079] In some embodiments, the third control unit includes: a duration determination unit configured to determine the on duration of the hydrogen purge based on the shutdown duration; and a first purge control unit configured to keep the hydrogen purge in an on state within the on duration.

[0080] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state and the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and the third control unit also includes: a duration threshold determination unit, which is configured to determine the first predetermined duration threshold based on the shutdown type.

[0081] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state and the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and the third control unit also includes: a second purge control unit, configured to keep the hydrogen purge in an on state for a first duration when the shutdown type indicates a normal shutdown; and a third purge control unit, configured to keep the hydrogen purge in an on state for a second duration when the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system did not actively discharge during the last shutdown process, wherein the second duration is greater than the first duration.

[0082] In some embodiments, the shutdown record includes the shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in the shutdown state and the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, and the device 700 also includes: a temperature acquisition module, configured to obtain the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack of the fuel cell system; and wherein the control module 730 includes: a fourth control unit, configured to start air purge of the cathode circuit of the fuel cell system to discharge water in the cathode in response to the shutdown duration being greater than a second predetermined duration threshold or the temperature of the cathode being less than a predetermined temperature threshold.

[0083] In some embodiments, the control module 730 includes: a power control unit configured to control the fuel cell system to be in a low-power operating state during the startup process of the fuel cell system.

[0084] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an apparatus 800 for starting a fuel cell system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the device 800 includes a receiving module 810, which is configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system. The device 800 also includes an acquisition module 820, which is configured to obtain the current nitrogen concentration of the anode from the nitrogen sensor of the anode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system. In addition, the device 800 also includes a control module 830, which is configured to control the fuel cell system to enter a startup process in response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, wherein the startup process includes starting a hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system to discharge the nitrogen in the anode.

[0085] Fig. 9A schematic block diagram of an example device 900 that can be used to implement an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown, the device 900 includes a computing unit 901, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to program instructions stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 902 or program instructions loaded from a storage unit 908 into a random access memory (RAM) 903. In the RAM 903, various programs and data required for the operation of the device 900 can also be stored. The computing unit 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 are connected to each other via a bus 904. An input / output (I / O) interface 905 is also connected to the bus 904.

[0086] A number of components in the device 900 are connected to the I / O interface 905, including: an input unit 906, an output unit 907, a storage unit 908, such as a disk, an optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 909, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 909 allows the device 900 to exchange information / data with other devices through a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0087] The computing unit 901 may be a variety of general and / or special processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the computing unit 901 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, digital signal processors (DSPs), and any appropriate processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc. The computing unit 901 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as method 200, method 300, method 400, method 500, or method 600. For example, in some embodiments, method 200, method 300, method 400, method 500, or method 600 may be implemented as a computer software program, which is tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as a storage unit 908. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or installed on the device 900 via ROM 902 and / or communication unit 909. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 903 and executed by the computing unit 901, one or more steps of the above-described method 200, method 300, method 400, method 500, or method 600 may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the computing unit 901 may be configured to execute the method 200, method 300, method 400, method 500, or method 600 in any other appropriate manner (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0088] The functions described above herein may be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include: field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chip systems (SOCs), load programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0089] The program code for implementing the method of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine as a stand-alone software package, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0090] In the context of the present disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be a tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or equipment. A machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A more specific example of a machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection based on one or more lines, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In addition, although each operation is depicted in a specific order, this should be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or requiring that all illustrated operations should be performed to obtain the desired result. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in a single implementation in combination. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0091] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological logical actions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. On the contrary, the specific features and actions described above are merely example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for starting a fuel cell system, include: receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system; Acquiring a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record includes at least one of the following: a shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or a shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in a shutdown state; and Based on the shutdown record, a startup process of the fuel cell system is controlled, wherein the startup process includes hydrogen purge of an anode circuit and / or air purge of a cathode circuit of the fuel cell system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shutdown record includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and wherein the startup process of the fuel cell system is controlled based on the shutdown record include: In response to the shutdown type indicating that the fuel cell system was not dried during a previous shutdown, air purge of a cathode loop of the fuel cell system is initiated to discharge water in a cathode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shutdown record includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and wherein the startup process of the fuel cell system is controlled based on the shutdown record include: In response to the shutdown type indicating that the fuel cell system was not actively discharged during a previous shutdown, a hydrogen purge of an anode loop of the fuel cell system is initiated to exhaust exhaust gas from an anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shutdown record includes a shutdown time length during which the fuel cell system remains in a shutdown state, and wherein a startup process of the fuel cell system is controlled based on the shutdown record. include: In response to the shutdown duration being greater than a first predetermined duration threshold, hydrogen purge of an anode loop of the fuel cell system is initiated to discharge exhaust gas from an anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system is started to discharge the exhaust gas in the anode include: Based on the shutdown duration, determining the start duration of the hydrogen purge; as well as The hydrogen purge is kept in the on state during the on time.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the shutdown record further includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and the method further includes: include: The first predetermined time threshold is determined based on the shutdown type.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the shutdown record further includes the shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, and wherein the hydrogen purge of the anode loop of the fuel cell system is started to discharge the exhaust gas in the anode include: When the shutdown type indicates a normal shutdown, keeping the hydrogen purge in an on state for a first time period; or When the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system did not perform active discharge during the last shutdown process, the hydrogen purge is kept in an on state for a second time period, wherein the second time period is greater than the first time period.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shutdown record includes a shutdown type of the fuel cell system and a shutdown time length of the fuel cell system in a shutdown state, wherein the shutdown type indicates that the fuel cell system was not dried during the last shutdown process, and the method further include: Acquiring the temperature of the cathode of the fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system; as well as The startup process of controlling the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record includes: In response to the shutdown time being greater than a second predetermined time threshold or the temperature of the cathode being less than a predetermined temperature threshold, air purge of a cathode circuit of the fuel cell system is initiated to discharge water in the cathode.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the startup process of the fuel cell system is controlled based on the shutdown record. include: The fuel cell system is controlled to be in a low power operation state.

10. A method for starting a fuel cell system, include: receiving a power-on signal for the fuel cell system; Acquiring a current nitrogen concentration of the anode from a nitrogen sensor of the anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system; and In response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, the fuel cell system is controlled to enter a startup process, wherein the startup process includes starting a hydrogen purge of an anode loop of the fuel cell system to exhaust nitrogen in the anode.

11. A device for starting a fuel cell system, include: A receiving module, configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system; An acquisition module is configured to acquire a shutdown record of the fuel cell system, wherein the shutdown record includes at least one of the following: a shutdown type of the last shutdown of the fuel cell system, or a shutdown duration of the fuel cell system in a shutdown state; as well as The control module is configured to control a startup process of the fuel cell system based on the shutdown record, wherein the startup process includes hydrogen purging of an anode loop and / or air purging of a cathode loop of the fuel cell system.

12. A device for starting a fuel cell system, include: A receiving module, configured to receive a power-on signal for the fuel cell system; An acquisition module, configured to acquire a current nitrogen concentration of an anode from a nitrogen sensor of an anode of a fuel cell stack in the fuel cell system; as well as The control module is configured to control the fuel cell system to enter a startup process in response to the current nitrogen concentration being greater than a predetermined nitrogen concentration threshold, wherein the startup process includes starting a hydrogen purge of an anode loop of the fuel cell system to exhaust nitrogen in the anode.

13. A controller, include: at least one processor; as well as A memory coupled to the at least one processor and having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the controller to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or to perform the method according to claim 11 when executed by the at least one processor.

14. A vehicle comprising a controller according to claim 13.

15. A machine-readable storage medium having machine-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the machine-executable instructions are executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the method according to claim 11.

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