IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,239,405
Granted Patent B2
US 10,239,405 · App. 16/062,439 · Granted Mar 26, 2019

Fuel cell equipped vehicle system and control method for fuel cell equipped vehicle system

Inventors: Kenta Suzuki (Kanagawa, JP); Mitsunori Kumada (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
B60L3/0053B60L3/0046B60L11/1887B60L11/1892H01M8/0488H01M8/0494H01M8/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,239,405
App. No.
16/062,439
Granted
Mar 26, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fuel cell equipped vehicle system in which an external power supply is coupled to an electric power supply line, the electric power supply line being coupled to a fuel cell, an electric power being input/output to/from a vehicular battery through the electric power supply line, the fuel cell equipped vehicle system performing an insulation test of the electric power supply line before charging the vehicular battery, the fuel cell equipped vehicle system including an insulation test unit configured to perform the insulation test of the electric power supply line; a switch that couples and cuts off between the fuel cell and the electric power supply line; and a control unit configured to control a coupling and a cutoff to/from the electric power supply line of the vehicular battery and control the switch, wherein the control unit is configured to cut off the vehicular battery from the electric power supply line and control the switch to cut off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line, and then drive the insulation test unit.

Claims (69)

1. A fuel cell equipped vehicle system in which an external power supply is coupled to an electric power supply line, the electric power supply line being coupled to a fuel cell, an electric power being input/output to/from a vehicular battery through the electric power supply line, the fuel cell equipped vehicle system performing an insulation test of the electric power supply line before charging the vehicular battery, the fuel cell equipped vehicle system comprising:

an insulation test unit configured to perform the insulation test of the electric power supply line;

a switch that couples and cuts off between the fuel cell and the electric power supply line; and

a control unit configured to control a coupling and a cutoff to/from the electric power supply line of the vehicular battery and control the switch, wherein

the control unit is configured to cut off the vehicular battery from the electric power supply line and control the switch to cut off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line, and then drive the insulation test unit.

2. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein

the control unit is configured to cut off the vehicular battery from the electric power supply line after cutting off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line.

3. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 2 , wherein:

the fuel cell is coupled to the electric power supply line via a coupling line coupled to the switch,

the fuel cell equipped vehicle system includes an auxiliary machine for the fuel cell coupled to the coupling line, and

the control unit is configured to control the switch to cut off the coupling line from the electric power supply line so as to cut off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line.

4. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein:

the fuel cell is coupled to the electric power supply line via a coupling line coupled to the switch,

the fuel cell equipped vehicle system includes an auxiliary machine for the fuel cell coupled to the coupling line, and

the control unit is configured to control the switch to cut off the coupling line from the electric power supply line so as to cut off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line.

5. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 4 , wherein

the auxiliary machine includes:

a first auxiliary machine that supplies an anode gas to the fuel cell; and

a second auxiliary machine that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell, and the control unit includes:

a stop control unit configured to stop the first auxiliary machine and drive the second auxiliary machine for a stop control of the fuel cell; and

a switching control unit configured to perform a switching control that drives the first auxiliary machine while maintaining the driving of the second auxiliary machine before the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line.

6. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 5 , comprising

a fuel cell battery coupled to the coupling line, wherein

the switching control unit is configured to perform the switching control using electric power of the fuel cell and the fuel cell battery.

7. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 6 , wherein

the stop control unit is configured such that a control state in the stop control is maintained using the electric power of the fuel cell battery when an amount of charge of the fuel cell battery is equal to or more than a predetermined amount when the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line, and

the switching control unit is configured such that the switching control is performed when the amount of charge of the fuel cell battery is decreased to lower than a predetermined amount after the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line.

8. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 5 , wherein

the control unit is configured such that the vehicular battery and the external power supply are electrically coupled to the electric power supply line, and then the coupling line is coupled to the electric power supply line and a control state of the auxiliary machine is returned to a state before the switching control after the insulation test of the electric power supply line is performed when the switching control is performed.

9. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 4 , wherein

the auxiliary machine includes:

a first auxiliary machine that supplies an anode gas to the fuel cell;

a second auxiliary machine that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell; and

a third auxiliary machine that applies an electromotive force that opposes an electromotive force of the fuel cell to the fuel cell from an outside, and

the control unit includes:

a stop control unit configured to stop the first auxiliary machine and the second auxiliary machine and drive the third auxiliary machine for a stop control of the fuel cell; and

a switching control unit configured to perform a switching control that drives the first auxiliary machine and the second auxiliary machine and stops the third auxiliary machine before the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line.

10. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 4 , wherein

the auxiliary machine includes:

a first auxiliary machine that supplies an anode gas to the fuel cell;

a second auxiliary machine that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell; and

a third auxiliary machine that applies an electromotive force that opposes an electromotive force of the fuel cell to the fuel cell from an outside, and

the control unit includes:

a stop control unit configured to drive the second auxiliary machine and the third auxiliary machine and stop the first auxiliary machine for a stop control of the fuel cell; and

a switching control unit configured to perform a switching control that drives the first auxiliary machine and stops the third auxiliary machine while maintaining the driving of the second auxiliary machine before the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line.

11. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 4 , comprising

a fuel cell battery coupled to the coupling line, wherein

the auxiliary machine includes:

a first auxiliary machine that supplies an anode gas to the fuel cell;

a second auxiliary machine that supplies a cathode gas to the fuel cell; and

a third auxiliary machine that applies an electromotive force that opposes an electromotive force of the fuel cell to the fuel cell from an outside, and

the control unit includes:

a stop control unit configured to drive the second auxiliary machine and the third auxiliary machine and stop the first auxiliary machine for a stop control of the fuel cell; and

a switching control unit configured to perform a switching control that stops the second auxiliary machine while maintaining the stop of the first auxiliary machine and the driving of the third auxiliary machine before the coupling line is cut off from the electric power supply line.

12. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein

the switching control unit is configured such that a control to drive the first auxiliary machine and the second auxiliary machine and stop the driving of the third auxiliary machine is performed when an amount of charge of the fuel cell battery is decreased to lower than a predetermined amount after the switching control.

13. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein

the control unit is configured such that the vehicular battery and the external power supply are electrically coupled to the electric power supply line, and then the fuel cell is electrically coupled to the electric power supply line after the insulation test of the electric power supply line is performed.

14. The fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 1 , comprising

a charging terminal configured to couple to the external power supply, wherein

the control unit is configured to detect that the external power supply is coupled to the charging terminal and cut off the vehicular battery and the fuel cell from the electric power supply line.

15. A control method for a fuel cell equipped vehicle system in which an external power supply is coupled to an electric power supply line, the electric power supply line being coupled to a fuel cell, an electric power being input/output to/from a vehicular battery through the electric power supply line, the fuel cell equipped vehicle system performing an insulation test of the electric power supply line before charging the vehicular battery, the control method comprising

performing the insulation test after the vehicular battery and the fuel cell are cut off from the electric power supply line.

16. The control method for a fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 15 , comprising

cutting off the vehicular battery from the electric power supply line after the fuel cell is cut off from the electric power supply line.

17. The control method for a fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 16 , comprising

cutting off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line in a state where an auxiliary machine for the fuel cell is electrically coupled to the fuel cell.

18. The control method for a fuel cell equipped vehicle system according to claim 15 , comprising

cutting off the fuel cell from the electric power supply line in a state where an auxiliary machine for the fuel cell is electrically coupled to the fuel cell.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2018
From: SUZUKI, KENTA; KUMADA, MITSUNORI
To: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 046097/0455 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2015-243954 · Dec 15, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180370366A1 · Dec 27, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,620,823