US 8,617,757 B2Granted

Fuel cell system

AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorMasaaki Matsusue

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Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a storage device, a fuel cell, a power circuit, a controller, and a memory. The memory stores a favorable combination range in which the combination of a water distribution condition of the fuel cell and the state of charge of the storage device is suitable for the required power of the vehicle, and the controller includes a water distribution condition estimating and acquiring unit that acquires the water distribution condition of the fuel cell, a state-of-charge acquiring unit that acquires the state of charge of the storage device, a combination status determining unit that determines whether the combination of the acquired water distribution condition and the acquired state of charge is within the favorable combination range, and a combination status improving unit that improves the water distribution condition of the fuel cell when the combination is not within the favorable combination range.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A fuel cell system for a vehicle, comprising:

a fuel cell;
and
a controller programmed to estimate and acquire a water distribution condition of the fuel cell;
wherein the controller acquires a state of charge of a storage device;
wherein the controller is programmed to set a favorable combination range as a combination range in which a combination of the water distribution condition of the fuel cell and the state of charge of the storage device is suitable for a required power of the vehicle, according to predetermined criteria, and to determine whether an actual combination of the acquired water distribution condition and the acquired state of charge is within the favorable combination range, wherein the favorable combination range is obtained by adding a lower-state-of-charge-side operating range and a higher-state-of-charge-side operating range to an optimum range in which the water distribution condition of the fuel cell is within a recommended operating range and the state of charge of the storage device is within a recommended operating range;
wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust the water distribution condition of the fuel cell using an output of the storage device when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range, so as to move the actual combination to within the favorable combination range,
wherein, even in a case where the water distribution condition is in a permissible operating range in which the fuel cell is operable without deteriorating characteristics of the fuel cell and the state of charge of the storage device is in a permissible operating range in which the storage device is operable without deteriorating characteristics of the storage device, the controller is further programmed to adjust the water distribution condition of the fuel cell using the output of the storage device when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range in which a proportion between an output of the fuel cell and the output of the storage device is appropriately determined, so as to move the actual combination to within the favorable combination range;
and
wherein, even in a case where the water distribution condition of the fuel cell is within the recommended operating range, when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range and the state of charge of the storage device is lower than the recommended operating range, the output of the storage device is intensively used early so as to perform a purging operation on the fuel cell.

6 more elements

A method of controlling a fuel cell system, comprising:

estimating and acquiring a water distribution condition of a fuel cell;
acquiring a state of charge of a storage device;
setting a favorable combination range as a combination range in which a combination of the water distribution condition of the fuel cell and the state of charge of the storage device is suitable for a required power of a vehicle, according to predetermined criteria;
determining whether an actual combination of the acquired water distribution condition and the acquired state of charge is within the favorable combination range, wherein the favorable combination range is obtained by adding a lower-state-of-charge-side operating range and a higher-state-of-charge-side operating range to an optimum range in which the water distribution condition of the fuel cell is within a recommended operating range and the state of charge of the storage device is within a recommended operating range;
and
adjusting the water distribution condition of the fuel cell using an output of the storage device when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range, so as to move the actual combination to within the favorable combination range,
wherein, even in a case where the water distribution condition is in a permissible operating range in which the fuel cell is operable without deteriorating characteristics of the fuel cell and the state of charge of the storage device is in a permissible operating range in which the storage device is operable without deteriorating characteristics of the storage device, the water distribution condition of the fuel cell is adjusted using the output of the storage device when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range in which a proportion between an output of the fuel cell and the output of the storage device is appropriately determined, so as to move the actual combination to within the favorable combination range, and
wherein, even in a case where the water distribution condition of the fuel cell is within the recommended operating range, when the actual combination is not within the favorable combination range and the state of charge of the storage device is lower than the recommended operating range, the output of the storage device is intensively used early-so as to perform a purging operation on the fuel cell.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/698,818Filed 9 May 2011
Priority: JP 2010-11601520 May 2010
Published: US 2013/0065150 A114 Mar 2013
Granted: 31 Dec 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

H01M 16/006
Of fuel cells with other electrochemical devices, e.g. capacitors, electrolysers: of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
H01M 8/04179
With product water removal: by purging or increasing flow or pressure of reactants
H01M 8/04231
During start-up or shut-down; Depolarisation or activation, e.g. purging; Means for short-circuiting defective fuel cells: purging of the reactants
H01M 8/04492
Characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function: humidity;…