# US 11,897,312 B2 · Air conditioner for fuel cell vehicle

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- Number: US 11,897,312 B2
- Document ID: US11897312B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/591,968
- Filed: 2022-02-03
- Published: 2022-08-11
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-02-10
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Takayuki Shimauchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897312B2

## CPC

- B60H 1/00764: {the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed (B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence)}
- B60H 1/00278: {for the battery}
- B60H 1/00385: {for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell}
- B60H 1/00735: {Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models}
- B60H 1/00885: {Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485)}
- B60H 1/143: {the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries}
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

An air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle includes a heater core configured to circulate a heat medium from a fuel cell stack and perform heating by heat exchange with air, and a control unit configured to calculate a travel resistance when the fuel cell electric vehicle travels on a road based on a road state affecting the travel resistance generated when the fuel cell electric vehicle travels and an environmental state, and control the heat exchange in the heater core based on the calculated travel resistance. When the travel resistance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit restricts an operation for the heating using waste heat of the fuel cell stack.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle that uses waste heat of a fuel cell stack for heating, the air conditioner comprising:
a heater core configured to circulate a heat medium from the fuel cell stack and perform the heating by heat exchange with air; and
a control unit configured to calculate a travel resistance when the fuel cell electric vehicle travels on a road based on a road state affecting the travel resistance generated when the fuel cell electric vehicle travels and an environmental state, and control the heat exchange in the heater core based on the calculated travel resistance, wherein
when the calculated travel resistance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit restricts an operation for the heating using the waste heat of the fuel cell stack.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the road state includes a road gradient of the road on which the vehicle travels and a friction coefficient of a standard road surface of the road.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the environmental state includes a temperature and a rainfall state during the traveling.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
when a difference between a standard travel resistance when the road state and the environmental state are standard and the calculated travel resistance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit restricts the operation for the heating using the waste heat of the fuel cell stack.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The air conditioner for a fuel cell electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:
a navigation device configured to perform route guidance on a set route, wherein
the control unit calculates a travel resistance along the set route, and restricts the operation for the heating using the waste heat of the fuel cell stack based on the travel resistance along the set route.