fuel cell vehicle

Abstract

To provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of switching between EV start and HV start according to a temperature of a power source.SOLUTION: A fuel cell vehicle 10 comprises: a temperature acquisition part for acquiring a temperature of a power source, that includes an FC stack 14 and a battery 16 as power sources for supplying power to a driving unit 12; an SOC acquisition part for acquiring an SOC of the battery 16; and a power supply control part. The power supply control part selects a power source for supplying power to the driving unit 12, on the basis of a temperature of the power source and an SOC of the battery 16, at startup of the fuel cell vehicle 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into fuel cells has been conducted to contribute to energy efficiency, ensuring that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below discloses a fuel cell vehicle driven by electric power from a fuel cell. In this fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell stack is warmed up when the fuel cell vehicle is started in temperatures below freezing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-208001 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 above has the problem that when starting a fuel cell vehicle, it does not take into consideration the need to switch between an EV start, in which power is supplied from the battery to the drive unit, and an HV start, in which power is supplied from the battery and fuel cell to the drive unit.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a fuel cell vehicle having a fuel cell and a battery as power sources for supplying power to a drive unit, and including a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of the power source, a SOC acquisition unit that acquires the SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery, and a power supply control unit that selects the power source for supplying power to the drive unit based on the temperature of the power source and the SOC of the battery when the fuel cell vehicle is started. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to switch between EV start and HV start depending on the temperature of the power source. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a fuel cell vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a map of conditions under which the power supply control unit outputs permission to travel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [First embodiment] [Configuration of fuel cell vehicle] Figure 1 is a system diagram of a fuel cell vehicle 10 according to this embodiment. The fuel cell vehicle 10 uses electric power to operate a drive unit 12 (hereinafter referred to as DU 12) that drives the drive wheels. The fuel cell vehicle 10 has a fuel cell stack 14 (hereinafter referred to as FC stack 14) and a battery 16 as power sources for the DU 12. The FC stack 14 corresponds to the fuel cell of the present invention.

[0011] The intelligent power unit 18 (hereinafter referred to as IPU 18) includes a DC-DC converter, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for battery control, etc. in addition to the above-mentioned battery 16. The battery 16 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

[0012] The electric power generated by the FC stack 14 is boosted by a fuel cell boost converter 20 (hereinafter referred to as FCVCU 20) and supplied to the DU 12. In addition, the DU 12 is supplied with electric power stored in a battery 16.

[0013] The fuel cell vehicle 10 switches between EV start and HV start depending on the conditions when starting the fuel cell vehicle 10. In EV start, the DU control unit 36 ​​operates the DU 12 using only the power supplied from the battery 16. In HV start, the DU control unit 36 ​​operates the DU 12 using the power supplied from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16.

[0014] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 22. The control device 22 controls the DU 12 and the FC stack 14.

[0015] The control device 22 includes a calculation unit 24 and a storage unit 26. The calculation unit 24 is a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The calculation unit 24 includes an activation signal acquisition unit 28, a temperature acquisition unit 30, a SOC acquisition unit 32, a power supply control unit 34, and a DU control unit 36. The activation signal acquisition unit 28, the temperature acquisition unit 30, the SOC acquisition unit 32, the power supply control unit 34, and the DU control unit 36 ​​are realized by the calculation unit 24 executing a program stored in the storage unit 26. At least a portion of the activation signal acquisition unit 28, the temperature acquisition unit 30, the SOC acquisition unit 32, the power supply control unit 34, and the DU control unit 36 ​​may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). At least a part of the activation signal acquisition unit 28, the temperature acquisition unit 30, the SOC acquisition unit 32, the power supply control unit 34, and the DU control unit 36 ​​may be realized by an electronic circuit including discrete devices.

[0016] The storage unit 26 is configured by a volatile memory (not shown) and a nonvolatile memory (not shown), which are computer-readable storage media. The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, etc. Data, etc., are stored in the volatile memory. Programs, tables, maps, etc., are stored in the nonvolatile memory. At least a part of the storage unit 26 may be provided in the above-mentioned processor, integrated circuit, etc.

[0017] The start-up signal acquisition unit 28 acquires a start-up signal indicating that the start-up switch 38 has been turned on. The start-up switch 38 is operated by a driver or the like who drives the fuel cell vehicle 10. When the start-up switch 38 is turned on, the fuel cell vehicle 10 starts up.

[0018] The temperature acquisition unit 30 acquires the temperature of the IPU 18 from a temperature sensor 40 that detects the temperature of the IPU 18. The temperature sensor 40 detects the temperature around or inside the battery 16. Even if the SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery 16 is constant, the amount of power that the battery 16 can output changes depending on the temperature. The temperature sensor 40 may acquire a temperature at any position as long as the temperature correlates with changes in the amount of power that the battery 16 can output.

[0019] The SOC acquisition unit 32 acquires the SOC of the battery 16 from an SOC sensor 42 that detects the SOC of the battery 16 .

[0020] The power supply control unit 34 controls the FC stack 14 and IPU 18 based on the presence or absence of a start-up signal, the temperature of the IPU 18, the SOC of the battery 16, etc. When the start-up signal acquisition unit 28 acquires a start-up signal, the power supply control unit 34 prepares to supply power from the FC stack 14 and IPU 18 to the DU 12. When preparation is complete, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a travel permission signal to the DU control unit 36.

[0021] When the DU control unit 36 ​​receives a travel permission signal from the power supply control unit 34, it controls the DU 12 to cause the fuel cell vehicle 10 to travel.

[0022] [Selection of power supply method at startup] When the activation signal acquisition unit 28 acquires the activation signal, the power supply control unit 34 prepares to supply power from the FC stack 14 and the IPU 18 to the DU 12. When preparation is complete, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a travel permission signal to the DU 12.

[0023] 3 is a map showing conditions under which the power supply control unit 34 outputs a driving permission according to the temperature of the IPU 18 and the SOC of the battery 16. ,under The following conditions (1) to (4) One of the conditions is be selected. The selected one condition is set as the condition under which the power supply control unit 34 outputs permission to travel.

[0024] Condition (1) After the high-voltage device is ready Condition (2) After FC Stack 14 has started up Condition (3) After the FC stack 14 has been warmed up and has started up Condition (4) After the FC stack 14 has been warmed up and the battery 16 has been heated, the FC stack 14 has been started up.

[0025] If the above condition (1) is selected, an EV start is performed. If the above conditions (2) to (4) are selected, an HV start is performed.

[0026] The completion of preparation of the high-voltage device indicates, for example, that precharging of the capacitor in the DC-DC converter in the IPU 18 has been completed.

[0027] Completion of startup of the FC stack 14 means, for example, that the temperature of the produced water, gas, etc. discharged from the FC stack 14 has reached a predetermined temperature (for example, 70°C) or higher. Alternatively, completion of startup of the FC stack 14 means that the power output from the FC stack 14 has stabilized.

[0028] Warming up of the FC stack 14 means that the FC stack 14 generates power at a low voltage, increasing power generation loss and causing the FC stack 14 to self-heat.

[0029] Heating the battery 16 refers to supplying hot water heated by a heater (not shown) to the periphery of the battery 16. The heater operates using power from the battery 16 or power generated during warm-up of the FC stack 14. The battery 16 may also be heated by supplying air heated by the heater to the periphery of the battery 16.

[0030] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T1, the power supply control unit 34 selects condition (1). If condition (1) is satisfied, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a driving permission signal to the DU control unit 36. In this case, the power supply control unit 34 completes the startup of the FC stack 14 while operating the DU 12 using power from the battery 16. This allows the fuel cell vehicle 10 to start driving without waiting for the startup of the FC stack 14 to be completed. The predetermined temperature T1 is set to a lower temperature as the SOC of the battery 16 increases. The predetermined temperature T1 corresponds to the first predetermined temperature of the present invention.

[0031] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below predetermined temperature T1 but is equal to or higher than predetermined temperature T2, the power supply control unit 34 selects condition (2). If condition (2) is satisfied, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a travel permission signal to the DU control unit 36. If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below predetermined temperature T1, the power of the battery 16 may not be sufficient to meet the power request from the DU 12 when the fuel cell vehicle 10 starts traveling. The power supply control unit 34 ensures the power request from the DU 12 by supplying power from the FC stack 14 in addition to the power from the battery 16. The predetermined temperature T2 is set to, for example, 0°C. The predetermined temperature T2 corresponds to the second predetermined temperature of the present invention.

[0032] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below predetermined temperature T2 but equal to or higher than predetermined temperature T3, the power supply control unit 34 selects condition (3). If condition (3) is satisfied, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a driving permission signal to the DU control unit 36. If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below predetermined temperature T2, moisture generated in each cell of the FC stack 14 may freeze. The power supply control unit 34 thaws the moisture in the FC stack 14 by warming up the FC stack 14. The predetermined temperature T3 is set to a temperature lower than predetermined temperature T2, and decreases as the SOC of the battery 16 increases. The predetermined temperature T3 corresponds to the third predetermined temperature of the present invention.

[0033] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below the predetermined temperature T3, the power supply control unit 34 selects condition (4). If condition (4) is met, the power supply control unit 34 outputs a travel permission signal to the DU control unit 36. If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below the predetermined temperature T3, the power that the battery 16 can output is quite low. By warming the battery 16, the power supply control unit 34 can supply a relatively large amount of power from the battery 16 to the DU 12 when the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started in HV mode.

[0034] [Action and effect] In the fuel cell vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the power supply control unit 34 selects the power source that supplies power to the DU 12 based on the temperature of the IPU 18 and the SOC of the battery 16 when the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started.

[0035] When the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started, an EV start is performed in which the DU 12 is operated using only the power of the battery 16, allowing the fuel cell vehicle 10 to start running without waiting for the FC stack 14 to finish starting up. However, if the temperature of the IPU 18 is low, there is a risk that the power required by the DU 12 cannot be met with the power of the battery 16 alone. In this case, an HV start is performed in which the DU 12 is operated using the power of both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16. This allows the fuel cell vehicle 10 to meet the power required by the DU 12 by supplying power to the DU 12 from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16, which in turn contributes to energy efficiency.

[0036] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T1, the power supply control unit 34 supplies power from the battery 16 to the DU 12 when starting up the fuel cell vehicle 10. This allows the fuel cell vehicle 10 to start running early.

[0037] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is lower than the predetermined temperature T1, when the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started, the power supply control unit 34 Completed After that, power is supplied to the DU 12 from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16. As a result, the power supplied to the DU 12 from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16 can satisfy the power requirement of the DU 12.

[0038] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below the predetermined temperature T2, the power supply control unit 34 warms up the FC stack 14 when starting up the fuel cell vehicle 10. Then, after starting up of the FC stack 14 is complete, the power supply control unit 34 supplies power to the DU 12 from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16. This allows the FC stack 14 to generate power stably.

[0039] If the temperature of the IPU 18 is below the predetermined temperature T3, when the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started, the power supply control unit 34 warms up the FC stack 14 and also heats the battery 16. After the FC stack 14 has started up, the power supply control unit 34 supplies power to the DU 12 from both the FC stack 14 and the battery 16. This allows a relatively large amount of power to be supplied from the battery 16 to the DU 12.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the power supply control unit 34 selects the above conditions (1) to (4) based on the temperature of the IPU 18. Alternatively, the power supply control unit 34 may select the above conditions (1) to (4) based on the temperature of the FC stack 14. If the time between when the start switch 38 is turned off and the fuel cell vehicle 10 is stopped and when the start switch 38 is turned on and the fuel cell vehicle 10 is started is sufficiently long, the temperatures of the IPU 18 and the FC stack 14 will be approximately equal to the outside air temperature. Therefore, the power supply control unit 34 may select the above conditions (1) to (4) based on the outside air temperature.

[0042] [Inventions Obtained from the Embodiments] The invention that can be understood from the above embodiment will be described below.

[0043] A fuel cell vehicle (10) has a fuel cell (14) and a battery (16) as power sources for supplying power to a drive unit (12), and the fuel cell vehicle has a temperature acquisition unit (30) that acquires the temperature of the power sources, an SOC acquisition unit (32) that acquires the SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery, and a power supply control unit (34) that selects the power source for supplying power to the drive unit based on the temperature of the power sources and the SOC of the battery when the fuel cell vehicle is started. If the battery is selected as the power source for supplying power to the drive unit, the fuel cell vehicle can start traveling without waiting for the fuel cell to be fully started. If both the fuel cell and the battery are selected as the power sources for supplying power to the drive unit, the power required by the drive unit can be met at low temperatures.

[0044] In the above fuel cell vehicle, when the temperature of the power source is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature (T1) set according to the SOC of the battery, the power supply control unit may supply power from the battery to the drive unit at startup of the fuel cell vehicle, thereby enabling the fuel cell vehicle to start running sooner.

[0045] In the above fuel cell vehicle, when the temperature of the power source is below a first predetermined temperature set according to the SOC of the battery, the power supply control unit may supply power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit at startup of the fuel cell vehicle, thereby allowing the power supplied from the fuel cell and the battery to satisfy the power required by the drive unit.

[0046] In the fuel cell vehicle described above, if the temperature of the power source is below the first predetermined temperature, the power supply control unit may supply power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit after startup of the fuel cell is complete, thereby allowing the power supplied to the drive unit from the fuel cell and the battery to meet the power required by the drive unit.

[0047] In the above fuel cell vehicle, if the temperature of the power source is below a second predetermined temperature (T2), the power supply control unit may warm up the fuel cell during startup of the fuel cell vehicle, and after startup of the fuel cell is complete, supply power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit, and the second predetermined temperature may be set to a temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature. This allows the fuel cell to generate power stably.

[0048] In the above fuel cell vehicle, if the temperature of the power source is below a third predetermined temperature (T3) set according to the SOC of the battery, when starting up the fuel cell vehicle, the power supply control unit warms up the fuel cell and the battery, and after starting up of the fuel cell is complete, supplies power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit, and the third predetermined temperature may be set to a temperature lower than the second predetermined temperature. This allows a relatively large amount of power to be supplied from the battery to the drive unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10... fuel cell vehicle 12... drive unit 14...Fuel cell stack (fuel cell) 16...Battery 30...Temperature acquisition section 32...SOC acquisition section 34...Power supply control unit

Claims

1. A fuel cell vehicle having a fuel cell and a battery as a power source for supplying power to a drive unit, a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of the power supply; an SOC (State Of Charge) acquisition unit that acquires an SOC of the battery; a power supply control unit that selects the power source that supplies power to the drive unit based on the temperature of the power source and the SOC of the battery when starting up the fuel cell vehicle; and When the temperature of the power source is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature set according to an SOC of the battery, the power supply control unit supplies power from the battery to the drive unit at the start of the fuel cell vehicle; A fuel cell vehicle, wherein the first predetermined temperature is set to a lower temperature as the SOC of the battery becomes higher.

2. A fuel cell vehicle having a fuel cell and a battery as a power source for supplying power to a drive unit, a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of the power supply; an SOC (State Of Charge) acquisition unit that acquires an SOC of the battery; a power supply control unit that selects the power source that supplies power to the drive unit based on the temperature of the power source and the SOC of the battery when starting up the fuel cell vehicle; and When the temperature of the power source is lower than a first predetermined temperature set according to an SOC of the battery, the power supply control unit supplies power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit at the start of the fuel cell vehicle; A fuel cell vehicle, wherein the first predetermined temperature is set to a lower temperature as the SOC of the battery becomes higher.

3. 3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, A fuel cell vehicle, wherein when the temperature of the power source is lower than the first predetermined temperature, at the start-up of the fuel cell vehicle, the power supply control unit supplies power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit after the start-up of the fuel cell is completed.

4. 4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 3, When the temperature of the power source is lower than a second predetermined temperature, at the start-up of the fuel cell vehicle, the power supply control unit warms up the fuel cell, and after the start-up of the fuel cell is completed, supplies power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit; A fuel cell vehicle, wherein the second predetermined temperature is set to a temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature.

5. 5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, When the temperature of the power source is lower than a third predetermined temperature set according to the SOC of the battery, at the start of the fuel cell vehicle, the power supply control unit warms up the fuel cell and the battery, and after the start of the fuel cell is completed, supplies power from the fuel cell and the battery to the drive unit; A fuel cell vehicle, wherein the third predetermined temperature is set to a temperature lower than the second predetermined temperature.

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