Nissan Motor Company Limited

Ikuhiro Taniguchi

Taketoshi Kawabe

Shigeru Nakajima

Hiromasa Sakai

Hiroshi Satoh

Nobutaka Takahashi

Yoshinori Yamamura

Kotaro Akashi

Hiroshi Kumaki

Keisuke Suzuki

Kensuke Ito

Katsunori Oshiage

Hayato Chikugo

Michihiko Matsumoto

Takeaki Obata

Mitsunori Kumada

Masatoshi Iio

Toshio Matsumura

Kouichi Akabori

Naoto Todoroki

Hitoshi Igarashi

Hisashi Niioka

Kenji Yonekura

Takatada Usami

Yuuki Nakajima

Kouichiro Yonekura

Hiroaki Hashigaya

Kazuto Koyama

Yasushi Tomita

Seigo Komatsu

Yoshinao Ootake

Masato Kondou

An abnormal torque evaluation apparatus is applied to an electrically driven vehicle configured to drive left and right driving wheels independently with respective electric motors and also configured to independently drive the left and right driving wheels by means of the electric motors driven responsively to respective torque commands. Also provided are a yaw jerk detection means for detecting a yaw jerk and an abnormal torque evaluator for evaluating, based on the yaw jerk, the presence or absence of the occurrence of abnormal motor torque at the electric motors.

Abnormal torque evaluation apparatus for electrically driven vehicle

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell supplied with fuel gas and oxidizing gas to generate electricity; a fuel gas supply unit supplying the fuel gas to the fuel cell; an oxidizing gas supply unit supplying the oxidizing gas to the fuel cell; an aftercooler cooling the oxidizing gas supplied to the fuel cell by heat exchange with a coolant; an oxidizing gas temperature detector detecting temperature of the oxidizing gas; and a coolant circulation controller starting circulation of the coolant when the detected temperature of the oxidizing gas exceeds a predetermined value. The predetermined value is set to a value of not higher than a minimum electricity generation temperature of the fuel cell, and a circulation timing and flow rate of the coolant for the aftercooler are controlled such that the supplied oxidizing gas does not become cold. This enables the fuel cell to generate electricity at cold start-up.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell stack includes a heat exchange unit that performs heat exchange between a gas mixture containing source hydrogen and a circulating gas and cooling water used for controlling the temperature of the fuel cell stack. A system controller adjusts the temperature of the cooling water by controlling a temperature control unit on the basis of the temperature of source hydrogen flowing into a junction at which the source hydrogen and a circulating gas are mixed such that the temperature of a source/recirculated hydrogen mixture that is mixed at the junction and that is supplied to the fuel cell stack is kept within a managed temperature range.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling fuel cell system

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell () supplied with fuel gas and oxidizing gas to generate electricity; a fuel gas supply unit supplying the fuel gas to the fuel cell (); an oxidizing gas supply unit supplying the oxidizing gas to the fuel cell (); an aftercooler () cooling the oxidizing gas supplied to the fuel cell () by heat exchange with a coolant; an oxidizing gas temperature detector () detecting temperature of the oxidizing gas; and a coolant circulation controller () starting circulation of the coolant when the detected temperature of the oxidizing gas exceeds a predetermined value. The predetermined value is set to a value of not higher than a minimum electricity generation temperature of the fuel cell (), and a circulation timing and flow rate of the coolant for the aftercooler () are controlled such that the supplied oxidizing gas does not become cold. This enables the fuel cell () to generate electricity at cold start-up.

An output limiting device for a fuel cell, including: an inlet coolant temperature sensor detecting an inlet coolant temperature at a coolant inlet of the fuel cell; an outlet coolant temperature sensor detecting an outlet coolant temperature at a coolant outlet of the fuel cell; and an output limiter limiting power or current extracted from the fuel cell according to the detected inlet coolant temperature and the detected outlet coolant temperature.

Output limiting device for fuel cell

A fuel cell system capable of learning its current-voltage characteristics precisely in a short time even when the current-voltage characteristics of a fuel cell varies due to reduction of a catalyst of an oxidizing agent electrode during the stop of operation of the fuel cell system. A controller () learns current-voltage characteristics of a fuel cell stack (), detects the amount of variation in voltage of current-voltage characteristics before a stop of power generation and those after restart of power generation, and corrects the learnt value of the current-voltage characteristics by the amount of variation in voltage.

Controller for fuel cell system

Carbon monoxide contained in reformate gas is removed by a preferential oxidation reaction in a catalyst, two preferential oxidation reactors (A,B) being disposed in series. Valves () supply air containing oxygen as an oxidizing agent individually to these preferential oxidation reactors (A,B). Temperature sensors () detect the catalyst temperatures of the preferential oxidation reactors (A,B), and a controller (), by adjusting the flow rate of the valves () based on the detected temperatures, maximizes the carbon monoxide removal performance of the preferential oxidation reactors (A,B), while preventing excessive catalyst temperature rise.

Carbon monoxide removal from reformate gas

A valve-clearance estimating apparatus estimates a valve-clearance that is a minute spacing between a valve drive element, and a valve element, which form an essential part of a moving body of an electro-magnetically operated valve. A position sensor determining an instant position of the valve drive element, a mass-change estimating portion estimate the mass of the moving body moving together with the valve drive element, and a valve-clearance estimating portion estimates the valve-clearance on the basis of a given position of the valve drive element determined by the position sensor at a time when a change in the mass of the moving body is estimated and when the valve drive element reaches proximate to one of its extreme positions.

Apparatus for estimating valve-clearance of an electro-magnetically operated valve and valve-operation controller for the electro-magnetically operated valve

A control system for an electromagnetic actuator actuates an intake or exhaust valve. The actuator includes first and second electromagnets which develop an electromagnetic attraction force the strengths of which depend on the amount of current supplied thereto. A spring biases an armature between the electromagnets to a neutral position therebetween. The control system comprises a control circuit which (a) controls the amount of current supplied to the first electromagnet thereby restricting a moving velocity of the armature, at a first stage in a course of changing the armature from a first position to a second position; and (b) supplies current to the second electromagnet at a timing at which the armature approaches the second electromagnet upon the biasing force of the spring thereby attracting the armature to the second position, at a second stage in the course of changing the armature from the first position to the second position.

Control system for electromagnetic actuator

A valve control system for controlling an electromagnetic valve unit is arranged to execute an initialization control for moving a movable member to a start position by alternatively energizing valve opening and closing electromagnets according to a natural frequency of a vibration system of the electromagnetic valve unit. The valve control system detects amplitudes of oscillation of the movable member during the initialization control and calculates an increase-degree of the detected amplitudes. Further, the valve control system estimates a friction quantity of the vibration system on the basis of the calculated increase-degree and controls electric current supplied to the electromagnets on the basis of a control parameter reflecting the estimated friction quantity.

Valve control system for electromagnetic valve

In an electromagnetically operable engine valve assembly including a controller for an internal combustion engine, a stable initialization is achieved which suppresses a collision of a movable element against an electromagnet to cope with a viscosity of a lubricating oil during an engine start under an engine low temperature. A supplied current value is feedback controlled in accordance with a position of movable element when an initialization control such that a current is continuously supplied to one of electromagnets is executed. At this time, the feedback control gain G is, first, set to a relatively small value and is, thereafter, switched to a relatively large value at a gradual pace for each execution of the initialization control until the initialization control has succeeded in moving the movable element to an initial position.

Apparatus and method for controlling electromagnetically operable engine valve assembly

An electromagnetically actuated valve includes generally an electromagnet, an armature member driven by the electromagnet and a valve driven by the armature member. The armature member and the valve are movable together to constitute a movable unit. For controlling the electromagnetically actuated valve, there is provided a control system which comprises a position detecting unit that detects a position of the movable unit; a speed detecting unit that detects a moving speed of the movable unit; a target speed deriving section that derives a target speed of the movable unit by processing the position of the movable unit; a comparator section that compares the speed detected by the speed detecting unit with the target speed derived by the target speed deriving section; and a control section that, in accordance with the result of the comparison by the comparator section, controls the electromagnet.

System for controlling electromagnetically actuated valve

A valve control system for controlling an electromagnetic valve unit is arranged to detect a characteristic of a free vibration of a vibration system in the electromagnetic valve unit when a pair of electromagnets of the electromagnetic valve unit are de-energized and to estimate at least one of a friction quantity and a spring constant of the vibration system on the basis of the detected characteristic of the free vibration. The control system executes the control of the electromagnetic valve unit on the basis of a control parameter determined by one of the estimated friction quantity and the estimated spring constant. This arrangement improves a certainty of softly landing a movable member of the electromagnetic valve unit on the electromagnets.

Control system of electromagnetically operated valve

A longitudinal driving/braking force control system for controlling the vehicle speed and/or the headway vehicle-to-vehicle distance is arranged to bring a vehicle to a stop and to hold the vehicle in a stop condition with a stop holding braking force in a predetermined situation. When an accelerator pedal is depressed by a driver in the stop condition, a controller decreases the braking force from the stop holding braking force to zero according to a predetermined brake releasing characteristic to allow a start of the vehicle. In response to a driver's accelerator operation, the controller calculates a driver's input driving force, estimates a grade resistance of the vehicle and further calculates a brake actuation quantity corresponding to the grade resistance. Then, the controller modifies the brake releasing characteristic to ensure a smooth start in accordance with the calculated driver's input driving force, the estimated grade resistance and the calculated brake actuation quantity.

Vehicle longitudinal force control

This device controls a vehicle such that a relative distance between the vehicle and a vehicle in front of it becomes a target distance. When the relative distance becomes shorter than the target distance, the device automatically operates the brake actuator to increase the relative distance, but if the driver operates the accelerator pedal while the brake actuator is operating, this device decreases the target value output to the brake actuator according to the variation rate of a throttle opening.

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Zushi, Japan

Ikuhiro Taniguchi