Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yoshinobu Hasuka

Hiroyuki Abe

Hibiki Saeki

Satoshi Aoyagi

Yusuke Hasegawa

Chihiro Wake

Kenichiro Ueda

Takahiro Yonekura

Shinji Yoshikawa

Asao Uenodai

Shinji Kato

A control device for starting a fuel cell is provided which is capable of preventing an excessive reduction of the terminal voltage of the fuel cell. A primary precharge portion, provided with a high voltage switch and a current limiter, is disposed at the output portion of a power storage unit, and a secondary precharge portion, provided with a DC-DC chopper and a control portion, is disposed at the output side of a fuel cell. The primary precharge portion controls the output current to flow in a path via a resistor having a predetermined resistance. The secondary precharge portion controls an output current of the fuel cell based on a current command value IFCCMD for the fuel cell.

Control apparatus for starting fuel cell vehicle

A fuel cell vehicle system includes: a propulsion motor capable of driving a vehicle; a fuel cell which generates electric power by supplying a reactant gas to give an electrochemical reaction; an energy storage device which is charged by a generated output of the fuel cell and regenerative electric power of the propulsion motor; an output control device which controls an output current of the fuel cell; and a control device which calculates the regenerative electric power which can be generated by a regenerative operation of the propulsion motor as well as a chargeable power which can be charged to the energy storage device, controls the output control device so that the output current of the fuel cell is restricted when the chargeable power is less than the regenerative electric power, and controls the output control device so that restriction on the output current of the fuel cell is canceled when the chargeable power is equal to or greater than the regenerative electric power.

Fuel cell vehicle system

Control device for starting fuel cell vehicle

An idle control system applicable to a fuel cell vehicleis provided for improving the fuel efficiency. When the fuel cell vehicle is determined to be in a predetermined idle mode, the idle control system stops a compressor to thereby stop power generation of a fuel cell. In contrast, when the state of charge of the capacitorfalls below a predetermined value while the fuel cell vehicle is in the idle mode, the idle control system drives the compressorby means of the capacitor to drive the fuel cell in order to charge the capacitor.

Idle control system for fuel cell vehicle

A control apparatusis provided in order to improve the energy efficiency of a vehicle during regeneration by a propulsion motor. At the time of regenerative operation of a propulsion motor, calculates the regenerative electric power which can be generated based on the speed of the vehicle or the like, and calculates the chargeable power which can be charged to a capacitorbased on the detected value of the terminal voltage of the capacitoror the like. Then, the control apparatus, in the case where the chargeable power is greater than the regenerative electric power, sets the fuel celland the capacitorto a directly connected condition, and outputs to an S/C output controllera power generation command corresponding to the detection value of the terminal voltage of the capacitorwhich has become the same value as the output voltage of the fuel cell, to perform supply of reactant gas in accordance with the power generation command, so that the capacitoris charged by the power generation power of the fuel celland the regenerative electric power of the propulsion motor. In the case where the chargeable power is less than the regenerative electric power, the control apparatuselectrically disconnects the fuel celland the capacitor, and prohibits charging of the capacitorby the power generation power of the fuel cell

Control apparatus for fuel cell vehicle

A fuel cell vehicle can reduce the starting time while protecting the fuel cell. When starting the vehicle, a control apparatus execute an idle charging an output voltage (estimated output voltage) of the fuel cell immediately after the vehicle commences movement, in the condition where, while in the idle charging state at the time of starting the fuel cell vehicle, e.g., the state wherein generation of power by the fuel cell continues, and the value of the output current extracted from the fuel cell is being restricted to an appropriate value by a current and voltage controller, a capacitor is being charged with the restricted current. Then, the control apparatus, when detecting that the increased terminal voltage of the capacitor due to charging from the fuel cell has gone above the estimated output voltage, outputs to an output controller a control command to start power supply to a propulsion motor.

Fuel cell vehicle

A control apparatus calculates the capacitor maximum power (P) that can be supplied to a capacitor depending on the detected value of the temperature of the capacitor, and calculates the output power (P) of the fuel cell, the real power of the motor (P) that actually powers the drive motor, and the load power (P) that actually powers an electrical load, excluding the drive motor. The control apparatus calculates the motor power limiting value (P), which is the motor power that corresponds to the capacitor maximum power (P), based on the output power (P) of the fuel cell, the load power (P) that powers the electrical load, excluding the drive motor, and the capacitor maximum power (P). The control apparatus output to the output controller a control command that directs the real power of the motor (P) to take the value of the motor power limiting value (P) in the case that the real power of the motor (P) is larger than the motor power limiting value (P). The drivability of a fuel cell vehicle is improved while protecting the capacitor.

Control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle

A power supply management control unit 14 has a target output current calculator 50 including a correction processor 52 which compares an upper-limit output current (Ifc_LMT) of a fuel cell with a requested output current (Ifc_CAL) calculated by requested output current calculator 42. When the requested output current (Ifc_CAL) exceeds the upper-limit output current (Ifc_LMT), limiting the output current of the fuel cell, the correction processor 52 corrects a target output current (Ifc_CMD) to be equal to a current which is calculated by applying an open voltage (Vcap_o) of a capacitor to a map (Ifc/Vfc map) representing the correlation between an output current and an output voltage of the fuel cell. After the limitation of the out-put current of the fuel cell is canceled, the correction processor 52 keeps correcting the target output current (Ifc_CMD) until the open voltage (Vcap_o) of the capacitor becomes equal to or greater than the output voltage of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell power supply device

A function maintaining method for fuel cell system, the fuel cell system including a fuel cell that is supplied fuel and an oxidant to generate electricity, a fuel tank that supplies the fuel to the fuel cell, a tank pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the fuel tank, and a control apparatus that controls the same. The function maintaining method comprises calculating, when a failure of the tank pressure sensor has been detected, the pressure of the tank before a predetermined time interval from the time of this detection and a fuel consumption amount and fuel discharge amount after the detection of the failure, and estimation the pressure of the tank by using the same. A fuel cell system is obtained which can maintain the function and reliability of the fuel cell system.

Function maintaining method for a fuel cell system

An upper limit amount of discharged electric energy calculator calculates an upper limit amount of discharged electric energy (Pcap_LMT), which represents a discharged electric energy of a capacitor when the amount of electric energy discharged by a fuel cell stack is equal to an upper limit amount of electric energy (Ifc_LMT) generated by the fuel cell stack. An output limit electric energy calculator calculates an output limit electric energy (PLD), which represents an upper limit amount of the electric energy that can be outputted to a motor. A torque command determining unit determines a torque command (TRQ_CMD) such that the electric energy consumed by the motor and a motor driver will not exceed the output limit electric energy (PLD).

Apparatus for controlling fuel cell vehicle

A system for discriminating engine-starting of a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a generator-motor connected to the engine to rotate the engine to start and to be rotated to generate electric power after the engine is started. In the system, elapse of time is measured after the current command value supplied to the generator-motor becomes less than a reference value, and it is determined whether the detected engine speed is greater or equal to a combustion-completion discriminating speed after the measured time has reached a predetermined value. Then, it is determined whether the detected engine speed is determined to be greater or equal to the combustion-completion engine speed, and if it is, it is discriminated that the engine is definitely started. With the arrangement, the engine starting is discriminated in a relatively short time with highly accuracy.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Yoshinobu Hasuka