# US 12,179,633 B2 · Fuel cell system power-split control for component durability management

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- Number: US 12,179,633 B2
- Document ID: US12179633B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/367,054
- Filed: 2023-09-12
- Published: 2024-03-21
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-21
- Assignees: UT-Battelle, LLC
- Applicants: UT-Battelle, LLC
- Inventors: Vivek Sujan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179633B2

## CPC

- B60L 58/40: for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
- B60L 3/0053: {relating to fuel cells}
- B60L 50/75: using propulsion power supplied by both fuel cells and batteries
- B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
- B60L 58/16: responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
- B60W 20/13: in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
- Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
- 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
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

An improved power-split control system for managing a load profile of a fuel cell in a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is provided. The power-split control system is operable to actively manage the power demand between the fuel cell and the battery of a FCEV to optimize the operational life of the fuel cell. The power-split control system can use information gathered solely from historical drive cycle data or from historical drive cycle data combined with look-ahead eHorizon data. The power-split control system meets a power demand by operating the powertrain in either a battery charge sustaining mode or a battery charge depletion mode. The power-split control system is also configured to control the power distribution (to the electric motor) from the fuel cell and the battery in a manner that minimizes the degradation of the fuel cell.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for operating a powertrain of a vehicle, wherein the powertrain includes a fuel cell and a traction battery, the system comprising:
a controller communicatively coupled to a fuel cell controller module and a battery controller module;
wherein the controller is configured to:
obtain a power demand based at least in part on input from a user of the vehicle, a signal indicative of a state-of-charge of the traction battery, information about a characteristic of the traction battery, and information about a characteristic of the fuel cell,
produce a fuel cell power signal that indicates a power to be output by the fuel cell and a battery power signal that indicates a power to be output by the traction battery, such that the power to be output by the fuel cell and the power to be output by the traction battery together add up to the power demand obtained by the controller,
transmit the fuel cell power signal to the fuel cell controller module to cause the fuel cell to provide to the powertrain a corresponding fuel cell power, and
transmit the battery power signal to the battery controller module to cause the traction battery to provide to the powertrain a corresponding battery power;
wherein, to produce the fuel cell power signal, the controller is configured to determine a fuel cell life metric based at least in part on the characteristic of the fuel cell.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein, to produce the fuel cell power signal, the controller is further configured to:
monitor an average of the fuel cell power signal over time and detect whether the average of the fuel cell power signal has achieved a convergence condition; and
in response to the average of the fuel cell power signal achieving a convergence condition, determine the fuel cell power signal, wherein the fuel cell power signal is determined based at least in part on the fuel cell life metric, the state-of-charge of the traction battery, and the characteristic of the traction battery.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive eHorizon information; and
if the monitored average of the fuel cell power signal has not achieved a convergence condition, determine the fuel cell power signal based at least in part on the power demand signal, the eHorizon information, and a vehicle dynamics parameter including at least one of mass, coefficient of drag, and coefficient of rolling resistance.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to produce the fuel cell power signal to respond to the combination of the power demand signal, the eHorizon information, and the vehicle dynamics parameter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein to produce the fuel cell power signal, the controller is configured to:
if the monitored average of the fuel cell power signal has not achieved a convergence condition, determine the fuel cell power signal based at least in part on the state-of-charge of the battery without regard to the fuel cell life metric.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the fuel cell power signal to maximize the operational life of the fuel cell while sustaining the charge of the battery.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to determine the fuel cell power signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive information about battery charge depletion range and mission duration;
determine a battery charge depletion trajectory over the battery charge depletion range and for the mission duration to maximize the fuel cell's operational life; and
generate the fuel cell power signal to maximize the operational life of the fuel cell while depleting the battery charge.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to generate the fuel cell power signal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine the battery charge depletion trajectory.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine the battery charge depletion trajectory to include a battery charge sustaining portion followed by a battery charge depletion portion or to include a battery charge depletion portion followed by a battery charge sustaining portion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a life metric of the traction battery based at least in part on the battery characteristic information; and
produce the fuel cell power signal based at least in part on a combination of the fuel cell life metric and the battery life metric to maximize the operational life of the fuel cell and the operational life of the traction battery.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising:
the fuel cell controller module, and
the battery controller module.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system is disposed onboard the vehicle.

### Claim 15

A method for power-split control of a fuel cell electric vehicle including a fuel cell and a traction battery, the method comprising:
obtaining a power demand based at least in part on an input from an operator of the fuel cell electric vehicle;
determine a fuel cell power output and a battery power output, wherein the fuel cell power output in combination with the battery power output meets or exceeds the power demand;
wherein the fuel cell power output is determined according to a battery charge sustaining mode while a convergence condition is not met and is determined according to a battery charge depletion mode while the convergence condition is met;
wherein the convergence condition is met when a historical average of the fuel cell power output approaches a steady state condition within upper and lower bounds;
wherein, in the battery charge sustaining mode, the fuel cell power output is determined based on a state of charge of the traction battery;
wherein, in the battery charge depletion mode, the fuel cell power output is determined based on the state of charge of the traction battery and based on a fuel cell life metric.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the fuel cell life metric is a mathematical model of the remaining operational life of the fuel cell.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein in the battery charge depletion mode, the state of charge of the battery after a drive cycle is less than the state of charge of the battery before the drive cycle.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein in the battery charge sustaining mode, the state of charge of the battery after a drive cycle is equal to the state of charge of the battery before the drive cycle.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein in the battery charge sustaining mode, the fuel cell power demand is a product of the power demand and a gain function, the gain function being based on the measured state of charge of the battery relative to a nominal state of charge of the battery.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein in the battery charge depletion mode, the fuel cell power demand is a sum of an average power output of the fuel cell after the convergence condition is met and a product of a power delta and at least one gain function, wherein the power delta is equal to the power demand less the power output of the fuel cell, wherein the at least one gain function is based on the fuel cell life metric.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one gain function is based on an integral of the fuel cell life metric, the fuel cell life metric representing the operational life of the fuel cell.

### Claim 22 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further including:
determining a life metric of the traction battery based at least in part on the battery characteristic information; and
determining the fuel cell power signal based at least in part on a combination of the fuel cell life metric and the battery life metric to maximize the operational life of the fuel cell and the operational life of the traction battery.