Power management module, device and apparatus for fuel cell system of electric vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a power management module for a fuel cell system, comprising: a fuel cell system control unit (FCCU) configured to control the fuel cell system such that the fuel cell system operates normally; an accessory system controller (BoPC) configured to control an accessory system of the fuel cell system such that the accessory system operates normally; the power management module further comprises a first relay (R1), and the fuel cell system control unit controls power-on / power-off operation of a wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller through the first relay. And the fuel cell system control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller through the second relay. The invention further relates to a power management device comprising the power management module and power management equipment comprising the power management device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a power management module for a fuel cell system. In particular, the present application relates to a power management module for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle. The present application also relates to a power management device including the power management module and a power management equipment including the power management device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, in electric vehicles using fuel cells, the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the fuel cell system control unit (FCCU) and the accessory system controller of the fuel cell (BoP Controller, abbreviated as BoPC) is connected to the low-voltage power supply LV of the vehicle's battery, and the wake-up signals KL15 of the FCCU and BoPC are controlled by the vehicle control unit VCU through a switch S P to control (see Figure 1 ). Figure 1 GND in

[0003] Figure 2 shows a logic diagram of the fuel cell system shutdown, the after-run process of the FCCU, and the after-run process of the BoPC when the KL15 of the FCCU is accidentally disconnected in the prior art. In Figure 2 , KL15 UO represents the accidental disconnection of KL15 of the FCCU. FCS_SD represents the shutdown process of the fuel cell system; FCS_SF represents the completion of the shutdown process of the fuel cell system. FCCU_ARCD represents the controllable stage of the after-run process of the FCCU; FCCU_ARUD represents the uncontrollable stage of the after-run process of the FCCU; FCCU_S represents the FCCU entering the sleep mode. BoPC_ARD represents the after-run process of the BoPC; BoPC_S represents the BoPC entering the sleep mode.

[0004] As can be seen from Figure 2 , during vehicle operation, when the switch S P is accidentally disconnected, the fuel cell system enters the shutdown process, and the FCCU and BoPC respectively enter their respective after-run processes. However, the duration of the after-run process of the BoPC is shorter than the duration of the controllable stage of the after-run process of the FCCU. After the after-run process of the BoPC ends, the BoPC enters the sleep mode, that is, the FCCU loses control of the BoPC, and at this time the shutdown process of the fuel cell system has not been completed, which causes the fuel cell system to be unable to complete the shutdown process. This may lead to the risk of reverse voltage, thus maintaining too high a voltage in the high-voltage bus, thus there is a high-voltage safety risk. It may also lead to stack flooding in the next driving cycle, making it difficult to protect the fuel cell stack.

[0005] On the other hand, after the fuel cell system completes the shutdown process, there is static power consumption in the FCCU and BoPC because they continuously consume low-voltage electrical energy through their respective KL30s. As a result, the low-voltage battery will experience a power deficit, making it impossible to provide sufficient low-voltage electrical energy for the next startup of the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a management module for managing the power supply of a fuel cell system to ensure the dormancy of the BoP controller after power-off and reduce power consumption.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power management module for a fuel cell system, which includes: a fuel cell system control unit configured to control the fuel cell system to enable the fuel cell system to operate normally; an accessory system controller configured to control the accessory system of the fuel cell system to enable the accessory system to operate normally; wherein, the power management module further includes: a first relay, through which the fuel cell system control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller; a second relay, through which the fuel cell system control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller.

[0008] In the power management module for a fuel cell system according to the present invention, due to the addition of the first relay, the KL15 of the BoPC of the fuel cell system is controlled by the FCCU through the first relay. Therefore, the FCCU can flexibly control the startup, operation, and shutdown of the BoPC, and the control logic of the fuel cell system has high flexibility. Moreover, when the KL15 of the FCCU is accidentally disconnected, the FCCU can still control the normal shutdown of the fuel cell system, thereby improving the working safety of the fuel cell system and making the stack life of the fuel cell system longer.

[0009] Furthermore, due to the addition of the second relay, after the fuel cell system shutdown process is completed and the BoPC enters the sleep mode, the KL30 of the BoPC is powered off. Therefore, the BoPC has no static power consumption, and only the FCCU has extremely low static power consumption (a static current of about ~0.1 mA). As a result, the standby time of the low-voltage battery is longer, and the service life of the BoPC is longer.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a power management device for a fuel cell system, which includes: the power management module according to the first aspect; a low-voltage power supply configured to supply power to the fuel cell system control unit and the accessory system controller.

[0011] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a power management device for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle, including: the power management module according to the first aspect; a vehicle control unit, wherein the vehicle control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the wake-up signal KL15 of the fuel cell system control unit through a switch. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments herein will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 Exemplarily shows the low-voltage architecture (LV architecture) of the power management module of a fuel cell in the prior art.

[0014] Figure 2 Exemplarily shows that when KL15 of the FCCU accidentally powers off according to an embodiment of Figure 1 the logical diagram of the power management module of the fuel cell.

[0015] Figure 3 Exemplarily shows the LV architecture of the power management module of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 Exemplarily shows that when KL15 of the FCCU accidentally powers off according to Figure 3 the logical diagram of the power management module of the fuel cell.

[0017] Figure 5 Exemplarily shows the flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system under the condition that KL15 of the FCCU is normally powered on according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 Exemplarily shows the flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system under the condition that KL15 of the FCCU is normally powered off according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 Exemplarily shows the flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system under the condition that KL15 of the FCCU accidentally powers off according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] According to the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings, other objects and features of the embodiments herein will become apparent. However, it should be understood that the drawings are only designed for the purpose of illustration and not for limiting the scope of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Figure 3 Exemplarily shows the LV architecture of the power management module of a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Compared withFigure 1 compared with the prior art in Figure 3 In the LV architecture of the power management module of the fuel cell system in the illustrated embodiment, two relays are added, namely the first relay R1 and the second relay R2. The FCCU controls the power-on / power-off operation of the KL15 of the BoPC through the first relay R1, and controls the power-on / power-off operation of the KL30 of the BoPC through the second relay R2.

[0022] Figure 4 Exemplarily shown according to Figure 3 the logic diagram of the post-operation process of the FCCU of the fuel cell system and the post-operation process of the BoPC when the KL15 of the FCCU accidentally powers off in the embodiment of Figure 4 In

[0023] As Figure 4 shown, when the switch S connecting the FCCU and the VCU I accidentally disconnects, resulting in the accidental power-off of the KL15 of the FCCU, the fuel cell system enters the shutdown process. At the same time, the FCCU enters the controllable stage FCCU_ARCD of the post-operation process. When the fuel cell shutdown is completed, the FCCU immediately disconnects the first relay R1, causing the KL15 of the BoPC to power off and thus enter the post-operation process BoPC_ARD of the BoPC, and ensuring that the BoPC enters the sleep mode BoPC_S before the KL30 of the BoPC powers off.

[0024] After the BoPC enters the sleep mode BoPC_S, the FCCU enters the uncontrollable stage FCCU_ARUD of the post-operation process. In the FCCU_ARUD, the second relay R2 loses control and powers off, causing the KL30 of the BoPC to power off. Then, after the end of the FCCU_ARUD, the FCCU enters the sleep mode FCCU_S.

[0025] Although the first relay R1 and the second relay R2 are provided in the above embodiment, it is easy to understand that the power management module of the present invention may only be provided with the first relay R1.

[0026] As Figure 3As shown, the power management module of the present invention preferably is provided with a first relay R1 and a second relay R2. In the embodiment of the power management module provided with the first relay R1 and the second relay R2, when the KL15 of the FCCU is accidentally disconnected, the FCCU can still control the normal shutdown of the fuel cell system, thereby improving the working safety of the fuel cell system and making the stack life of the fuel cell system longer. Moreover, since the BoPC quickly enters the sleep mode after the completion of the fuel cell system shutdown process, and then the KL30 of the BoPC is powered off, there is no static power consumption of the BoPC, and only the FCCU has a very small static power consumption (a static current of about 0.1 mA). Therefore, the standby time of the low-voltage battery is longer, and the service life of the BoPC is longer.

[0027] The following refers to Figures 5 - 7 the flowchart of Figure 3 and Figure 4 to detail the control logic of the power management module according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 Exemplarily shown is the flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system under the condition that the KL15 of the FCCU is normally powered on according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 5 shown, first, in step 500, the vehicle control unit VCU connects to the KL15 of the FCCU by closing the switch S I (see Figure 3 ) to wake up the fuel cell system. Then, in step 510, the FCCU controls the power-on of the KL30 and KL15 of the BoPC by connecting the second relay R2 and the first relay R1. Among them, the connection of the first relay R1 is later than the connection of the second relay R2, so that the KL30 of the BoPC is powered on before the KL15 of the BoPC is powered on. After both the KL30 and KL15 of the BoPC are powered on, in step 520, the BoPC of the fuel cell system is woken up. Subsequently, in step 530, the vehicle control unit VCU controls the start of the fuel cell system.

[0029] Figure 6 Exemplarily shown is the flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system under the condition that the KL15 of the FCCU is normally powered off according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 6As shown, first, in step 600, turn off the vehicle power supply (e.g., turn off the vehicle power supply with a key). Then, in step 610, the vehicle control unit VCU sends a normal shutdown request to the fuel cell system. After the fuel cell system completes the shutdown process, in step 620, the fuel cell system sends a signal indicating the completion of shutdown to the vehicle control unit VCU. In step 630, the vehicle control unit VCU controls the fuel cell system to enter the sleep mode, that is, disconnect KL15 of the FCCU. As KL15 of the FCCU is disconnected, in step 640, the FCCU enters the controllable stage FCCU_ARCD of the post-operation process, and the FCCU controls the first relay R1 to immediately disconnect, causing the KL15 of the BoPC to lose power (i.e., the BoPC enters the post-operation process BoPC_ARD). In step 650, after the BoPC completes the post-operation process, it enters the sleep mode BoPC_S. After the BoPC enters the sleep mode, in step 660, the FCCU enters the uncontrollable stage FCCU_ARUD of the post-operation process, and the second relay R2 disconnects due to loss of control, causing the KL30 of the BoPC to lose power. After the end of FCCU_ARUD, in step 670, the FCCU enters the sleep mode.

[0030] Figure 7 Exemplarily shown is a flowchart of the power management module controlling the fuel cell system in the case of an accidental power-off of KL15 of the FCCU according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 7 As shown, first, in step 700, the KL15 of the FCCU is accidentally powered off. Then, in step 710, the FCCU enters the controllable stage FCCU_ARCD of the post-operation process. In step 720, the FCCU controls the fuel cell system to perform a normal shutdown operation. After the fuel cell system completes the shutdown process, in step 730, the fuel cell system sends a signal indicating the completion of shutdown to the vehicle control unit VCU. Subsequently, in step 740, the FCCU controls the first relay R1 to immediately disconnect, causing the KL15 of the BoPC to lose power, and the BoPC enters the post-operation process BoPC_ARD. In step 750, after the BoPC completes the post-operation process, it enters the sleep mode BoPC_S. After the BoPC enters the sleep mode, in step 760, the FCCU enters the uncontrollable stage FCCU_ARUD of the post-operation process, and the second relay R2 disconnects due to loss of control, causing the KL30 of the BoPC to lose power. After the end of FCCU_ARUD, in step 670, the FCCU enters the sleep mode FCCU_S.

[0031] Although the features of the embodiments herein have been described, it is understood that those skilled in the art can make various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the methods shown, and the order of the steps of the above methods is only exemplary. Adjustments to the steps of the methods of the present invention are possible on the premise that the functions of the present invention can be achieved. For example, all combinations of method steps that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same manner to achieve the same result are equivalent.

Claims

1. A power management module for a fuel cell system, comprising: A fuel cell system control unit (FCCU) configured to control the fuel cell system to operate properly; An accessory system controller (BoPC) configured to control the accessory system of the fuel cell system to operate properly; Wherein, the power management module further includes: A first relay (R1), through which the fuel cell system control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller; A second relay (R2), through which the fuel cell system control unit controls the power-on / power-off operation of the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller.

2. The power management module according to claim 1, wherein The power management module is configured such that when the wake-up signal KL15 of the fuel cell system control unit is accidentally powered off, the fuel cell system control unit controls the fuel cell system to shut down properly, and after the fuel cell system shuts down properly, the fuel cell system control unit controls the first relay to disconnect, so that the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller is powered off.

3. The power management module according to claim 1, wherein, The power management module is configured such that after the wake-up signal KL15 of the fuel cell system control unit is properly powered off, the fuel cell system control unit controls the first relay to disconnect immediately, so that the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller is immediately powered off.

4. The power management module according to claim 2 or 3, wherein The power management module is configured such that after the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller is powered off, the fuel cell system control unit controls the accessory system controller to complete the shutdown process and then enter the sleep mode.

5. The power management module according to claim 4, wherein The power management module is configured such that after the accessory system controller enters the sleep mode, the fuel cell system control unit disconnects the second relay, thereby powering off the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller.

6. The power management module according to claim 1, wherein, The power management module is configured such that when the wake-up signal KL15 of the fuel cell system control unit is powered on, the fuel cell system control unit controls the second relay to connect, thereby powering on the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller, and at the same time as or after the low-voltage power supply KL30 of the accessory system controller is powered on, the fuel cell system control unit controls the first relay to connect, thereby powering on the wake-up signal KL15 of the accessory system controller.

7. The power management module according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The power management module is for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle.

8. A power management device for a fuel cell system, comprising: The power management module according to any one of claims 1-7; A low-voltage power supply (LV) configured to supply power to the fuel cell system control unit and the accessory system controller.

9. A power management device for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle, comprising: The power management module according to any one of claims 1-7; A vehicle control unit (VCU), wherein, The vehicle control unit controls the power-on / off operation of the wake-up signal KL15 of the fuel cell system control unit through a switch (S I ).

10. The power management device according to claim 9 further comprises: A low-voltage power supply (LV) configured to supply power to the fuel cell system control unit and the accessory system controller.

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