# US 10,770,761 B2 · Fuel cell control device, control method thereof, and fuel cell vehicle

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- Number: US 10,770,761 B2
- Document ID: US10770761B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/900,652
- Filed: 2018-02-20
- Published: 2018-08-23
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-20
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Takao Watanabe; Junichi Matsuo; Shinji Aso
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770761B2

## CPC

- H01M 10/46: Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus (circuits for charging H02J7/00)
- B60L 1/003: {to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors}
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- B60L 58/40: for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
- H01M 8/04302: applied during start-up
- H01M 8/04303: applied during shut-down
- H01M 8/04626: {of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors}
- H01M 8/04947: {of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors}
- H01M 8/04955: Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
- H01M 16/006: {of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries}
- H02J 1/06: Two-wire DC power distribution systems
- H02J 7/34: Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other DC sources, e.g. providing buffering (H02J7/14 takes precedence)
- H02J 7/933: {the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters}
- B60L 2210/14: Boost converters
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H02J 2101/30: Fuel cells
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- Y02B 90/10: Applications of fuel cells in buildings
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Under a condition that a command to stop a fuel cell system is received and a state of charge of a secondary battery is equal to or lower than a threshold which is a value obtained by adding a first predetermined value to a lower limit at which electric power required to stop and start the fuel cell system is supplied, forced charging of the secondary battery by a fuel cell is performed until the state of charge reaches the threshold. After the forced charging is performed, in a case where the command to stop the fuel cell system is received within a predetermined period, the controller sets the threshold to a value obtained by adding a second predetermined value lower than the first predetermined value to the lower limit under the condition.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fuel cell control device comprising:
a fuel cell system having a fuel cell and a secondary battery; and
a controller configured to control the fuel cell system, wherein:
the controller is configured to determine whether or not a state of charge of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than a threshold which is set to a first threshold value obtained by adding an addition value to a lower limit at which electric power required to stop and start the fuel cell system is supplied, the addition value being set to a first predetermined value;
in a case where the controller receives a command to stop the fuel cell system and determines that the state of charge of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than the threshold, the controller is configured to control the fuel cell system to perform a first forced charging of the secondary battery by the fuel cell until the state of charge reaches the threshold;
the controller is configured to stop the fuel cell system after the first forced charging is performed; and
after the fuel cell system is stopped, in a case where (i) the fuel cell system is started based on a request for starting the fuel cell system within a predetermined period and (ii) the controller receives the command to stop the fuel cell system within the predetermined period, the controller is configured to:
set the threshold to a second threshold value obtained by adding the addition value, which is set to a second predetermined value lower than the first predetermined value, to the lower limit, and
control the fuel cell system to perform a second forced charging of the secondary battery by the fuel cell if the state of charge of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than the threshold after being set to the second threshold value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to set the threshold based on a temperature of the secondary battery.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell control device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the second forced charging is performed within the predetermined period after the first forced charging is performed, the controller is configured to set a time for performing the second forced charging to be longer than a time for performing the first forced charging.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell control device according to claim 1, wherein a time for performing at least one of the first forced charging or the second forced charging is set based on a temperature of the secondary battery.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A fuel cell vehicle comprising the fuel cell control device according to claim 1.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The fuel cell control device according to claim 1, wherein as a number of times that traveling is continuously performed increases, the controller is configured to set the addition value, which is added to the lower limit to obtain the threshold, to be a lower addition value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 5, wherein as a number of times that traveling is continuously performed increases, the controller is configured to set the addition value, which is added to the lower limit to obtain the threshold, to be a lower addition value.

### Claim 8

A control method of a fuel cell control device including a fuel cell system having a fuel cell and a secondary battery and a controller configured to control the fuel cell system, the control method comprising:
under a condition that (i) an instruction to stop the fuel cell system is received and (ii) a state of charge of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than a threshold which is set to a first threshold value obtained by adding a first predetermined value to a lower limit at which electric power required to stop and start the fuel cell system is supplied, performing a first forced charging of the secondary battery by the fuel cell until the state of charge reaches the threshold;
stopping the fuel cell system after the first forced charging is performed; and
after the fuel cell system is stopped, in a case where (i) the fuel cell system is started based on a request for starting the fuel cell system and (ii) a command to stop the fuel cell system is output within a predetermined period, setting the threshold to a second threshold value obtained by adding a second predetermined value lower than the first predetermined value to the lower limit and performing a second forced charging of the secondary battery by the fuel cell if the state of charge of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than the threshold after being set to the second threshold value.