Fuel cell vehicle, method for updating same, and recording medium storing program for executing method

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle, an updating method thereof, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. The fuel cell vehicle includes a battery, a stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, and a converter configured to boost a voltage of the battery, a load configured to be driven by the stack voltage and the boosted voltage of the storage battery; and an update unit connected to the storage battery and the cell stack and configured to adjust an update voltage for updating a catalyst of the cell stack according to a state of charge of the storage battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle, a method for updating the fuel cell vehicle, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. Background Art

[0002] The fuel cell stack installed in a fuel cell vehicle can supply electricity to an external load. This electricity is generated through an electrochemical reaction between air supplied to one surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane and hydrogen supplied to the other surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane. If a fuel cell vehicle is exposed to medium or high potentials while driving, an oxide film may form on the stack, degrading reversible performance. To remove this oxide film, a low-potential drive is required, and to implement low-potential drive in the vehicle, catalyst renewal control is required.

[0003] Figure 1A and Figure 1B It is a schematic diagram for explaining catalyst renewal.

[0004] Figure 1A The oxidation from the left catalyst to the right catalyst 1 and the reduction from the right oxidized catalyst to the left catalyst 2 are shown. Figure 1B , the horizontal axis indicates the current density, and the vertical axis indicates the battery voltage.

[0005] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B If the vehicle is usually driven in a low-output and high-potential (e.g., 0.7 volts or higher) mode (indicated by reference numeral 10), a reversible oxide may be formed on the surface of the chemical catalyst (Pt) through an electrochemical reaction. Due to this oxide, the effective area of the electrode may be reduced, and thus the current-voltage performance of the battery may be deteriorated.

[0006] When the potential of the battery stack is low, the reversible oxide can be removed. Therefore, the vehicle can be periodically driven in a high output and low potential (e.g., 0.7 volts or lower) mode (indicated by reference numeral 20) to temporarily reduce the stack voltage (indicated by reference numeral 30). In the present manner, catalyst renewal control (hereinafter referred to as "catalyst renewal") that removes reversible oxide from the catalyst to reduce the catalyst can be performed to improve the performance of the battery stack. The higher the output of the battery stack, the lower its voltage. However, since the driver does not always drive the vehicle in high output mode, catalyst renewal is periodically performed to reduce the voltage. In this case, the battery can be charged using electricity temporarily generated due to the remaining oxygen in the battery stack.

[0007] Catalyst replacement may cause damage to vehicles. Therefore, research is underway to solve this problem.

[0008] The information included in this Background of the Invention section is only intended to enhance understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a fuel cell vehicle, a method of updating the fuel cell vehicle, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0010] The embodiment provides a fuel cell vehicle configured to perform updating without causing damage thereto, a method of updating the fuel cell vehicle, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method.

[0011] Objects to be achieved by the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0012] Other advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will be described in part in the following description, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following or may be learned from practice of the present invention. The purposes and other advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained by the structures indicated in the written description, its claims, and the accompanying drawings.

[0013] A fuel cell vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may include a battery, a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, a converter configured to boost the voltage of the battery, a load configured to be driven by the stack voltage and the boosted voltage of the battery, and an update unit connected to the battery and the battery stack and configured to adjust a update voltage for updating a catalyst of the battery stack according to the state of charge of the battery.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the update unit may include a voltage calculation unit and a voltage determination unit, wherein the voltage calculation unit is configured to determine an expected voltage of the battery expected when updating the battery stack, and the voltage determination unit is configured to compare the target voltage for updating the battery stack with the expected voltage and determine the update voltage based on the result of the comparison.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery stack can be refreshed to the greatest extent at a target voltage.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when determining the expected voltage, the voltage calculation unit may use the expected update power of the battery stack reflecting the degree of deterioration of the battery stack.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the expected update power may be obtained experimentally or may be determined in real time.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell vehicle may further include a storage unit configured to store a zero-potential voltage of the battery and a resistance value of the battery for each state of charge of the battery.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the voltage calculation unit may read the zero potential voltage and the resistance value corresponding to the state of charge from the storage unit, and may determine the expected voltage using the zero potential voltage and the resistance value.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the voltage calculation unit may be configured to determine the expected voltage as follows.

[0021]

[0022] Here, Vb represents the expected voltage, Vo represents the read zero-potential voltage, R represents the read resistance value, and P represents the expected update power.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the voltage determination unit may include a comparison unit and a voltage selection unit, wherein the comparison unit is configured to compare the target voltage with the expected voltage, and the voltage selection unit is configured to output the target voltage or the expected voltage as the determined update voltage in response to the comparison result of the comparison unit.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the updating unit may check whether the battery is in a fully charged state, and may adjust the updating voltage in response to a result of the checking.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell vehicle may further include a battery management unit configured to check a charge state of the battery and output a result of the check to the update unit.

[0026] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for updating a fuel cell vehicle (which includes a battery, a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, and a converter configured to boost the voltage of the battery) may include checking whether the catalyst of the battery stack needs to be updated, and when updating is required, adjusting the update voltage for updating the catalyst of the battery stack according to the charge state of the battery.

[0027] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include: when updating is required, checking whether the battery is in a fully charged state, and when the battery is not in a fully charged state, adjusting the updating voltage.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment may include: when updating is required, determining the expected voltage of the battery expected when updating the battery stack; checking whether the target voltage for updating the battery stack is higher than the determined expected voltage; when the target voltage is higher than the expected voltage, determining the target voltage as the adjusted update voltage; and when the target voltage is lower than the expected voltage, determining the expected voltage as the adjusted update voltage.

[0029] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a non-volatile computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing a method for updating a fuel cell vehicle (which includes a battery, a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, and a converter configured to boost the voltage of the battery) can store a program that implements the following functions: a function of checking whether the catalyst of the battery stack needs to be updated, and a function of adjusting the update voltage for updating the catalyst of the battery stack according to the charge state of the battery when updating is required.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the program may further implement a function of checking whether the battery is in a fully charged state when updating is required, and when the battery is not in a fully charged state, the program may adjust the updating voltage.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment functions may include: a function of determining an expected voltage of the battery expected when updating the battery stack when an update is required; a function of checking whether the target voltage for updating the battery stack is higher than the determined expected voltage; a function of determining the target voltage as the adjusted update voltage when the target voltage is higher than the expected voltage; and a function of determining the expected voltage as the adjusted update voltage when the target voltage is lower than the expected voltage.

[0032] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

[0033] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages that will be apparent from or will be described in more detail in the accompanying drawings and subsequent detailed description incorporated herein, which together serve to explain the specific principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1A and Figure 1B is a schematic diagram for explaining catalyst renewal;

[0035] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a fuel cell vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an update unit is shown;

[0037] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a voltage determination unit is shown;

[0038] Figure 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of updating a fuel cell vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6A and Figure 6B is a graph for explaining a first application example of the updating method according to the embodiment;

[0040] Figure 7A and Figure 7B is a graph for explaining a second application example of the updating method according to the embodiment;

[0041] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example;

[0042] Figure 9A and Figure 9B are graphs respectively showing normal voltage and output characteristics of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example;

[0043] Figure 10A and Figure 10B are graphs respectively showing abnormal voltage and output characteristics of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example.

[0044] It will be appreciated that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but rather present a suitably simplified representation of various features illustrating the basic principles of the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention as included herein (including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes) will be determined in part by the specific intended application and use environment.

[0045] In the drawings, like reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the examples may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be more comprehensive and complete and will more fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0047] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being 'on' or "under" another element, it can be directly on / under the other element, or one or more intervening elements may also be present.

[0048] When an element is referred to as being 'on' or 'under', 'under the element' as well as 'on the element' can be included based on the element.

[0049] Furthermore, relational terms such as "first," "second," "upper / upper component / above," and "lower / lower component / below" are used merely to distinguish between one subject or element and another subject or element and do not necessarily require or relate to any physical or logical relationship or order between the subjects or elements.

[0050] Hereinafter, a fuel cell vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle") 100 according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram of a fuel cell vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Vehicle 100 may include a battery stack 110, a battery 120, a converter 130, a load 140, and an update unit 150. Furthermore, vehicle 100 may further include a storage unit 160. Furthermore, vehicle 100 may further include a battery management unit 170 including a processor. Furthermore, vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include peripheral auxiliary devices (balance-of-plant (BOP)).

[0052] First, an example of a fuel cell that may be included in the vehicle 100 will be briefly described below. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited to any particular form of fuel cell included in the vehicle 100.

[0053] The fuel cell may be, for example, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (or proton exchange membrane fuel cell) (PEMFC), which has been most widely studied as a power source for driving vehicles. The fuel cell may include a cell stack 110 .

[0054] The battery stack 110 may include a plurality of single cells stacked one above the other in a first direction. The number of single cells may be determined based on the power intensity to be generated by the fuel cell. The first direction may be the direction of travel of the fuel cell vehicle 100, or may be a direction intersecting the direction of travel of the fuel cell vehicle 100. The battery stack 110 generates a stack voltage and outputs it to a load 140.

[0055] Converter 130 may be a DC-DC converter that converts a direct current (DC) input voltage into a DC output voltage having a higher level than the DC input voltage. Converter 130 may boost the voltage of battery 120 (hereinafter referred to as "battery voltage") and output the boosted battery voltage to load 140. For example, converter 130 may boost the battery voltage to the level of the stack voltage.

[0056] The battery stack 110 is configured to generate main power required for the vehicle 100, and the storage battery 120 is configured to generate auxiliary power required for the vehicle 100. Therefore, energy stored in the storage battery 120 can be supplied to the load 140 as auxiliary power.

[0057] The load 140 may include an inverter and a motor.

[0058] The inverter converts a DC voltage received from the battery stack 110 or a battery voltage boosted by the converter 130 into an alternating current (AC) voltage according to a driving state of the vehicle 100 , and outputs the converted AC voltage to the motor.

[0059] The motor can be driven in response to an AC voltage output from the inverter. That is, the motor can rotate when receiving the AC voltage for the motor from the inverter, and can thus be used to drive vehicle 100. For example, the motor can be a three-phase AC rotating device including a rotor embedded with permanent magnets. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited to any particular form of motor.

[0060] Although not shown, the load 140 of the vehicle 100 may include components required for driving the vehicle, such as a motor-driven power steering (MDPS) device, a radiator fan, and headlights. The load 140 may be driven by receiving the battery voltage boosted by the converter 130 or the stack voltage output from the battery stack 110 as a driving voltage.

[0061] The stack voltage and battery voltage output from two different power supplies 110 and 120 have different levels, and the two power supplies 110 and 120 have different discharge characteristics. Therefore, converter 130 is configured to increase the battery voltage to the stack voltage level. In other words, the main voltage used to drive load 140 is the stack voltage, and converter 130 boosts the battery voltage, which has a lower level than the stack voltage, to the stack voltage level and transmits the boosted battery voltage to load 140.

[0062] The updating unit 150 can adjust the voltage (hereinafter referred to as "updating voltage") required to update the catalyst of the battery stack 110 (i.e., perform "catalyst updating") according to the state of charge of the battery 120. To this end, the updating unit 150 can check whether the battery 120 is fully charged, that is, whether the battery 120 is in a fully charged state, and can adjust the updating voltage in response to the result of the check.

[0063] When the adjusted refresh voltage VF is used to refresh the battery stack 110, the refresh voltage VF may be supplied from the refresh unit 150 to the battery stack 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 Alternatively, when updating the battery stack 110 , the updating unit 150 may be configured to control the battery stack 110 so that the level of the stack voltage becomes VF.

[0064] “Catalyst refresh” is a technique that temporarily lowers the level of the stack voltage of a fuel cell to remove an oxide film from the cell's catalyst.

[0065] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the updating unit 150 for updating the battery stack 110 in the vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0066] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment 150A of the update unit 150 is shown.

[0067] The updating unit 150A may include a voltage calculating unit 152 and a voltage determining unit 154 .

[0068] The voltage calculation unit 152 may be configured to determine an expected voltage Vb of the storage battery 120 that is expected when the battery stack 110 is updated, and may output the determined expected voltage Vb to the voltage determination unit 154 .

[0069] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when determining the expected voltage Vb, the voltage calculation unit 152 may use the expected update power P of the battery stack 110 reflecting the degree of degradation of the battery stack 110. The expected update power P may be obtained experimentally or may be determined in real time.

[0070] Furthermore, the voltage calculation unit 152 may be configured to determine the expected voltage Vb using the zero-voltage voltage Vo corresponding to the state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 and the resistance value R. Here, the zero-voltage voltage is the battery voltage when no current flows, and is determined based on the SOC value of the battery. For example, the battery management unit 170 may check the SOC value of the battery 120 and output the check result to the voltage calculation unit 152 of the update unit 150.

[0071] Figure 2 The illustrated storage unit 160 may store the zero-potential voltage Vo and the resistance value R for each SOC value of the battery 120 .

[0072] Table 1 below shows an example of the zero-potential voltage Vo and the resistance value R stored in the storage unit 160 for each SOC value of the battery.

[0073] [Table 1]

[0074]

[0075]

[0076] Here, SoC represents the state of charge of the battery 120 .

[0077] The voltage calculation unit 152 may read the zero-potential voltage Vo and the resistance value R corresponding to the SOC value of the battery 120 from the storage unit 160 , and may determine the expected voltage Vb using the zero-potential voltage Vo and the resistance value R.

[0078] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the voltage calculation unit 152 may be configured to determine the expected voltage Vb using Equation 1 below.

[0079] [Equation 1]

[0080]

[0081] Equation 1 can be obtained as follows.

[0082] First, the expected update power P is shown in Equation 2 below.

[0083] [Equation 2]

[0084] P=V b ×I

[0085] Here, I represents the current of the battery, and Vb may be as shown in the following Equation 3.

[0086] [Equation 3]

[0087] V b =Vo-I×R

[0088] For the expected voltage Vb, the following Equation 4 can be obtained by substituting Equation 3 into Equation 2.

[0089] [Equation 4]

[0090] R×I 2 -Vo×I+P=O

[0091] I in Equation 4 can be obtained using Equation 5 below.

[0092] [Equation 5]

[0093]

[0094] The above equation 1 for Vb can be obtained by substituting the current I in equation 4 into equation 2.

[0095] Reference again Figure 2 The voltage determination unit 154 may compare the target voltage VT of the update battery stack 110 with the expected voltage Vb determined by the voltage calculation unit 152 and may be configured to determine the update voltage VF based on a result of the comparison.

[0096] The target voltage VT is the voltage at which the battery stack 110 is refreshed to the greatest extent and may be predetermined. That is, the target voltage VT is the voltage at which the oxide film removal effect is highest and includes a fixed value. Therefore, performing refresh at the target voltage VT may be optimal.

[0097] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment 154A of the voltage determination unit 154 is shown.

[0098] The voltage determination unit 154 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a comparison unit 202 and a voltage selection unit 204 .

[0099] The comparison unit 202 compares the target voltage VT supplied from the outside thereof with the expected voltage Vb determined by the voltage calculation unit 152 , and outputs the result of the comparison to the voltage selection unit 204 .

[0100] The voltage selection unit 204 may output the target voltage VT or the expected voltage Vb as the determined update voltage VF in response to the comparison result of the comparison unit 202 .

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the updating unit 150 may include a processor for executing the voltage calculating unit 152 and the voltage determining unit 154 .

[0102] Hereinafter, a method 300 of updating a fuel cell vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0103] Figure 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method 300 of updating a fuel cell vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] In the following, Figure 5 The method 300 shown will be referred to as Figure 3 The updating unit 150 is shown to execute the updating operation. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. Figure 5 The method 300 shown may also be implemented in a manner that includes Figure 3 The present invention is implemented in fuel cell vehicles of different configurations.

[0105] First, it is checked whether an update of the battery stack 110 is required (step 310 ).

[0106] If an update is required, the battery 120 is checked to see if it is fully charged (step 320). Figure 5 The method 300 is shown to terminate.

[0107] If the battery 120 is not in a fully charged state, the refresh voltage for refreshing the catalyst of the battery stack 110 is adjusted according to the SOC value of the battery 120 (steps 330 to 360 ).

[0108] Specifically, when the battery stack 110 needs to be updated, the expected voltage Vb of the battery 120 expected when the battery stack 110 is updated is determined (step 330). Step 330 can be performed by Figure 3 The voltage calculation unit 152 shown executes. For example, the expected voltage Vb can be determined as in Equation 1 above.

[0109] After step 330, it is checked whether the target voltage VT for updating the battery stack 110 is higher than the determined expected voltage Vb (step 340). Step 340 may be performed by Figure 4 The comparison unit 202 is shown to perform.

[0110] If the target voltage VT is higher than the expected voltage Vb, the target voltage VT is determined as the adjusted update voltage VF (step 350). That is, if the target voltage VT is higher than the expected voltage Vb, the stack voltage and the battery voltage will not overlap when the update is performed. Accordingly, the target voltage VT can be determined as the final update voltage VF.

[0111] If the target voltage VT is lower than the expected voltage Vb, the expected voltage Vb is determined as the adjusted update voltage VF (step 360). In other words, if the target voltage VT is lower than the expected voltage Vb, the stack voltage and the battery voltage may overlap when the update is performed. Accordingly, the expected voltage Vb may be determined as the final update voltage VF.

[0112] If the target voltage VT is equal to the expected voltage Vb, step 350 or step 360 may be performed.

[0113] The adjusted final update voltage VF can be adjusted between the target voltage VT and the expected voltage Vb.

[0114] Steps 340 to 360 can be performed by Figure 4 The voltage selection unit 204 is shown to perform.

[0115] Hereinafter, an example of a fuel cell vehicle 100 and an updating method 300 performed in the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] Figure 6A and Figure 6B is a graph for explaining a first application example of the updating method 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6A , the horizontal axis indicates time, the left vertical axis indicates voltage, and the right vertical axis indicates expected update power P. Figure 6B , the horizontal axis indicates time, the left vertical axis indicates voltage, and the right vertical axis indicates a state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 .

[0117] According to a first application example, the battery stack 110 is at the beginning of its service life (BOL), the state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 is 20%, the expected refresh power P is 36 kW, and the target voltage VT is 255 volts. The expected refresh power P and target voltage VT are provided externally. In this case, as shown in Table 1, it is assumed that the storage unit 160 stores the zero potential voltage Vo and the resistance value R for each state of charge (SoC).

[0118] When receiving information that the state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 is 20% from the battery management unit 170 , the voltage calculation unit 152 of the update unit 150 reads the zero potential voltage Vo of 225V and the resistance value R of 0.144Ω from the storage unit 160 (see Table 1).

[0119] Subsequently, the voltage calculation unit 152 substitutes the zero potential voltage Vo of 225 volts, the expected update power P of 36 kW (substituting -36,000 into Equation 1), and the resistance value R of 0.144Ω into Equation 1, thereby obtaining the expected voltage Vb of 246 volts.

[0120] Subsequently, since the expected voltage Vb of 246 volts is lower than the target voltage VT of 255 volts, the voltage determination unit 154 predicts that the target voltage VT and the expected voltage Vb will not overlap each other, and is therefore configured to determine the target voltage VT of 255 volts as the adjusted final update voltage VF.

[0121] Figure 7A and Figure 7Bis a graph for explaining a second application example of the updating method 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7A , the horizontal axis indicates time, the left vertical axis indicates voltage, and the right vertical axis indicates expected update power P. Figure 7B , the horizontal axis indicates time, the left vertical axis indicates voltage, and the right vertical axis indicates a state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 .

[0122] According to the second application example, the battery stack 110 is at the end of its service life (EOL), the state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 is 80%, the expected refresh power P is 50 kW, and the target voltage VT is 255 volts (this is the same as the first application example). The expected refresh power P and target voltage VT are provided externally. In this case, as shown in Table 1, it is assumed that the storage unit 160 stores the zero potential voltage Vo and resistance value R for each state of charge (SoC).

[0123] When receiving information that the state of charge (SOC) value of the battery 120 is 80% from the battery management unit 170 , the voltage calculation unit 152 of the update unit 150 reads the zero potential voltage Vo of 253V and the resistance value R of 0.157Ω from the storage unit 160 (see Table 1).

[0124] Subsequently, the voltage calculation unit 152 substitutes the zero potential voltage Vo of 253 volts, the expected update power P of 50 kW (substituting -50,000 into Equation 1), and the resistance value R of 0.157Ω into Equation 1, thereby obtaining the expected voltage Vb of 280 volts.

[0125] Subsequently, since the expected voltage Vb of 280 volts is higher than the target voltage VT of 255 volts, the voltage determination unit 154 predicts that the target voltage VT and the expected voltage Vb will overlap with each other when the update is performed, and therefore outputs the expected voltage Vb of 280 volts as the adjusted final update voltage VF. As long as the stack voltage and the battery voltage do not overlap with each other, the expected voltage Vb of 280 volts corresponds to the minimum value. The battery voltage and the stack voltage have the same magnitude, namely 280 volts. Since the update voltage VF (280 volts) in the second application example is higher than the update voltage VF (255 volts) in the first application example, the second application example has a poorer oxide film removal effect than the first application example. However, according to the second application example, hardware damage caused by the overlap between the stack voltage and the battery voltage can be prevented, and the oxide film can be removed to the greatest extent.

[0126] The vehicle 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include various types of electronic control units (ECUs). Each ECU is considered a type of computer that stores software for implementing various functions of the vehicle 100. The update method 300 according to the above embodiment may be executed by the ECU.

[0127] A recording medium recording a program for implementing a renewal method executed in a fuel cell vehicle may store a program for realizing a function of checking whether the catalyst of the fuel cell stack 110 needs to be renewed and, when renewal is necessary, adjusting a renewal voltage for renewing the catalyst of the fuel cell stack 110 according to the state of charge of the battery 120. The recording medium can be read by a computer system.

[0128] In addition, the program stored in the computer readable recording medium can further realize the function of checking whether the battery 120 is in a fully charged state when an update is required. When the battery 120 is not in a fully charged state, the program can adjust the update voltage.

[0129] In addition, the adjustment function may include: a function of determining the expected voltage of the battery expected when updating the battery stack when updating is required; a function of checking whether the target voltage for updating the battery stack is higher than the determined expected voltage; a function of determining the target voltage as the adjusted update voltage when the target voltage is higher than the expected voltage; and a function of determining the expected voltage as the adjusted update voltage when the target voltage is lower than the expected voltage.

[0130] Computer-readable recording media include all types of storage devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices. Computer-readable recording media can also be distributed across networked computer systems to allow computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. Furthermore, the functional programs, codes, and code segments used to implement the above-described updating method can be easily interpreted by programmers skilled in the art.

[0131] Hereinafter, a fuel cell vehicle and a method of renewing the fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example and a fuel cell vehicle and a method of renewing the fuel cell vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0132] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example.

[0133] Figure 8The illustrated vehicle includes a battery stack 410, a storage battery 420, a converter 430, and a load 440. Since the battery stack 410, the storage battery 420, the converter 430, and the load 440 respectively perform functions corresponding to those of the battery stack 110, the storage battery 120, the converter 130, and the load 140 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0134] Unlike the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 1 , the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention Figure 8 The fuel cell vehicle of the comparative example in does not include the updating unit 150 .

[0135] Since the voltage boosted by converter 430 is achieved in only one direction, the level of the battery voltage should always be lower than the level of the stack voltage. If not, converter 430 may not operate. Elements located in the channel between battery 420 and battery stack 410 (e.g., elements in converter 430) may be damaged due to the difference between the battery voltage and the stack voltage and the uncontrollable current caused by the physical resistance present in the channel between battery 420 and battery stack 410. If the vehicle utilizes two converters, this damage can be prevented. However, if only one converter is utilized, measures to prevent this damage are required.

[0136] If catalyst regeneration is performed in a vehicle utilizing only one converter 430 , a reversal between the stack voltage and the battery voltage may occur, which may result in greater damage to the hardware.

[0137] Figure 9A and Figure 9B are graphs respectively showing normal voltage and output characteristics of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example, Figure 10A and Figure 10B are graphs showing abnormal voltage and output characteristics of a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example, respectively. 9A to 10B In FIG, the horizontal axis indicates time, the vertical axis indicates voltage, reference numerals 610, 622, 710, 722 represent the voltage and output of the battery stack 410, and reference numerals 620, 624, 720, 724 represent the voltage and output of the battery 420. Figure 9A and Figure 10A , it is assumed that the vehicle is stationary in a time period T1 from t0 to a predetermined time point before t2, the vehicle runs normally in a time period T2 starting from a predetermined time point after t2, and the update is performed in a time period T3 between T1 and T2.

[0138] The voltage of battery 420 and the voltage of battery stack 410 decrease during discharge. These voltages decrease or increase together depending on the load applied to the vehicle, not only during the stationary state T1 but also during normal conditions T2 when the output varies. Therefore, the battery voltage and the stack voltage do not overlap. Currently, the stack voltage and the battery voltage at the respective ends of non-isolated converter 430 should be separated from each other.

[0139] However, in the case T3 where the catalyst renewal is performed, the stack voltage level is instantaneously reduced (approximately 0.1 s), and the battery 420 is charged with the instantaneously increased output of the battery stack 410. Therefore, the battery voltage can be instantaneously increased to a peak value. In the current case T3, if the state of charge of the battery 420 is low, the stack voltage 610 and the battery voltage 620 do not overlap with each other, as shown in FIG. Figure 9A However, in the current situation T3, if the state of charge of the battery 420 is high and the output of the battery stack is high when the update is performed, the level of the battery voltage 720 may momentarily exceed the level of the stack voltage 710, and thus the stack voltage 710 and the battery voltage 720 may overlap each other, as shown in FIG. Figure 10A Accordingly, uncontrolled current may flow, causing damage to the hardware.

[0140] For example, at time t2 when the vehicle's accelerator pedal is depressed, i.e., at the time the requested output is generated, the voltage command is set low to place the fuel cell stack 410 in a low-potential state, thereby removing the oxide film from the catalyst. Typically, when performing catalyst refresh, the refresh voltage is fixed to the fuel cell system's lower voltage limit, which is set to take into account the drive voltage of auxiliary components. As a result, the battery voltage and stack voltage may overlap. If the refresh voltage itself is conservatively set high to avoid this, the catalyst refresh effect may be reduced, resulting in insufficient oxide film removal and failure to achieve the desired improvement in fuel cell stack performance.

[0141] In contrast, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refresh voltage VF is not fixed but is adjusted in consideration of various factors (e.g., Vb) and the state of charge of the battery 120. Therefore, when performing a refresh, damage to the hardware (H / W) due to overlap between the battery voltage and the stack voltage can be prevented, and catalyst refresh can be performed at the lowest possible voltage, thereby maximizing the removal of the oxide film and thereby ensuring high performance of the battery stack.

[0142] The fuel cell vehicle 100 according to the above-described embodiment can be applied not only to vehicles but also to aircraft, ships, stationary power generation systems, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0143] It is obvious from the above description that according to the fuel cell vehicle according to the embodiment, the method for updating the fuel cell vehicle, and the recording medium storing the program for executing the method, the update voltage is not fixed, but is adjusted in consideration of various factors and the state of charge of the battery, whereby, when the update is performed, damage to the hardware due to overlap between the battery voltage and the stack voltage can be prevented, and the catalyst update can be performed at the lowest possible voltage, thereby maximizing the removal of the oxide film and thereby ensuring the high performance of the battery stack.

[0144] Effects that can be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the above description.

[0145] The various embodiments described above can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention, unless they are incompatible with each other.

[0146] Furthermore, for any element or process not described in detail in any of the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise predetermined, reference may be made to the description of the element or process including the same reference numeral in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0147] In addition, terms related to control devices such as "controller," "control device," "control unit," "control means," "control module," "control circuit," or "server" refer to hardware devices including a memory and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute one or more steps interpreted as an algorithmic structure. The memory stores the algorithmic steps, and the processor executes the algorithmic steps to perform one or more processes of the method according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The control device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by a non-volatile memory and a processor, wherein the non-volatile memory is configured to store algorithms for controlling the operation of various components of the vehicle or data regarding software commands for executing the algorithms, and the processor is configured to perform the above-mentioned operations using data stored in the memory. The memory and the processor can be separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor can be integrated into a single chip. The processor can be implemented as one or more processors. The processor can include various logic circuits and arithmetic circuits, can be configured to process data according to a program provided from the memory, and can be configured to generate control signals based on the processing results.

[0148] The control device may be at least one microprocessor operated by a predetermined program, which may include a series of commands for executing the methods included in the aforementioned various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0149] The aforementioned invention may also be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium is any data storage device that is capable of storing data that can thereafter be read by a computer system, and storing and executing program instructions that can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state disks (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like, and are implemented as carrier waves (e.g., transmitted over the Internet). Examples of program instructions include, for example, machine language codes generated by a compiler and high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0150] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, each of the above-described operations may be performed by a control device, and the control device may be configured by a plurality of control devices or an integrated single control device.

[0151] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the memory and the processor may be provided as one chip, or as separate chips.

[0152] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the scope of the present invention includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) for enabling operations according to the methods of the various embodiments to be performed on a device or computer, including non-transitory computer-readable media on which such software or instructions are stored and executable on a device or computer.

[0153] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the control device may be implemented in the form of hardware or software, or may be implemented in a combination of hardware and software.

[0154] Furthermore, terms such as “unit”, “module” and the like included in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which can be implemented by hardware, software or a combination thereof.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle may be referred to as a concept based on various vehicles. In some cases, a vehicle may be interpreted as a concept that includes not only various land vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses that travel on roads, but also various vehicles such as airplanes, drones, and ships.

[0156] For ease of explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "above," "below," "upward," "downward," "front," "back," "inner," "outer," "inwardly," "outwardly," "interior," "exterior," "inside," "outside," "forward," and "rearward" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be further understood that the term "connected" or its derivatives refers to both direct and indirect connections.

[0157] The term "and / or" may include any one of a plurality of related listed items or a combination of a plurality of related listed items. For example, "A and / or B" includes all three cases such as "A", "B" and "A and B".

[0158] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, “at least one of A and B” may mean “at least one of A or B” or “at least one of a combination of at least one of A and B.” Furthermore, “one or more of A and B” may mean “one or more of A or B” or “one or more of a combination of one or more of A and B.”

[0159] In this specification, unless otherwise stated, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0160] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that terms such as “including” or “having” are intended to specify that the features, values, steps, operations, elements, parts, or a combination thereof described in the specification are present, and do not exclude the possibility of adding or existing one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements, parts, or a combination thereof.

[0161] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, components may be combined with each other to be implemented as one, or some components may be omitted.

[0162] Hereinafter, the fact that a plurality of pieces of hardware are operably coupled may include the fact that direct and / or indirect connections between the plurality of pieces of hardware are established through wires and / or wirelessly.

[0163] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it is apparent that many modified and varied embodiments are possible in light of the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments are selected and described to illustrate the specific principles of the present invention and their practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to realize and utilize the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their various alternative implementations and modified embodiments. The scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle comprising: batteries; a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage; a converter electrically connected to the battery and configured to boost the voltage of the battery; a load configured to be driven by the stack voltage and the boosted battery voltage; and The refresh unit is configured to adjust a refresh voltage of a catalyst for refreshing the battery stack according to a state of charge value of the battery.

2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The updating unit includes: a voltage calculation unit configured to determine an expected voltage of the battery expected when refreshing the battery stack; and The voltage determination unit is configured to compare a target voltage for refreshing the battery stack with the expected voltage and determine a refreshing voltage based on a result of the comparison.

3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: At the target voltage, the battery stack can be refreshed to the greatest extent.

4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: In determining the expected voltage, the voltage calculation unit uses an expected update power of the battery stack that reflects a degree of degradation of the battery stack.

5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, wherein: The expected update power is obtained experimentally or determined in real time. 6 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4 , further comprising a storage unit configured to store a zero-potential voltage of the battery and a resistance value of the battery for each state of charge of the battery.

7. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, wherein: The voltage calculation unit reads a zero-potential voltage and a resistance value corresponding to the state of charge from the storage unit, and determines an expected voltage using the zero-potential voltage and the resistance value.

8. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7, wherein: The voltage calculation unit is configured to determine the expected voltage as follows: Wherein, Vb represents the expected voltage, Vo represents the read zero potential voltage, R represents the read resistance value, and P represents the expected update power.

9. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The voltage determination unit includes: a comparison unit configured to compare the target voltage with an expected voltage; and The voltage selection unit is configured to output a target voltage or an expected voltage as the determined update voltage in response to a comparison result of the comparison unit.

10. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The voltage selection unit is further configured to output the target voltage as the determined update voltage in response to the target voltage being higher than the expected voltage, and to output the expected voltage as the determined update voltage in response to the target voltage being lower than the expected voltage.

11. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The refresh unit checks whether the battery is in a fully charged state and adjusts the refresh voltage in response to a result of the check. 12 . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a battery management unit configured to check a state of charge of the battery and output a result of the check to the update unit.

13. A method for upgrading a fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle comprising a battery, a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, and a converter configured to boost the voltage of the battery, the method comprising: Using a processor to check whether the catalyst in the battery stack needs to be updated; When it is concluded that updating is required, the processor is used to adjust the updating voltage of the catalyst for updating the battery stack according to the state of charge value of the battery.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: When it is concluded that an update is required, the processor is used to check whether the battery is fully charged. When it is concluded that the battery is not fully charged, the update voltage is adjusted.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein The adjustments include: Upon concluding that an update is required, determining, using the processor, an expected voltage of the battery to be expected when updating the battery stack; checking, with a processor, whether a target voltage for updating the battery stack is higher than the determined expected voltage; When the target voltage is higher than the expected voltage, determining the target voltage as the adjusted update voltage using a processor; When the target voltage is lower than the expected voltage, the processor is used to determine the expected voltage as the adjusted update voltage.

16. A non-volatile computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing a method for updating a fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle comprising a battery, a battery stack configured to generate and output a stack voltage, and a converter configured to boost the voltage of the battery, the computer-readable recording medium storing the program to: Check if the catalyst of the battery stack needs to be updated; In response to a need for regeneration, a regeneration voltage for regenerating a catalyst of the stack is adjusted based on the state of charge value of the battery.

17. The non-volatile computer-readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein: The program further implements: In response to the need for an update, check whether the battery is fully charged, In response to the battery not being in a fully charged state, the process adjusts the update voltage.

18. The non-volatile computer-readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein: Adjusted features include: In response to a refresh being required, determining an expected voltage of the battery to be expected when refreshing the battery stack; checking whether a target voltage for updating the battery stack is higher than a determined expected voltage; In response to the target voltage being higher than the expected voltage, determining the target voltage as the adjusted update voltage; In response to the target voltage being lower than the expected voltage, the expected voltage is determined as the adjusted update voltage.

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