Granted Patent B2

US 12,617,315 · App. 18/443,922 · Granted May 5, 2026

Inventors: Zhentao Xie (Auburn Hills, MI); Rudolf Kharpuri (Auburn Hills, MI)

Assignee: FCA US LLC

B60L58/40B60L7/10B60L50/75H01M8/04567H01M8/0494H01M10/425H01M10/482H01M16/006B60L2240/547H01M2010/4278H01M2220/20H01M2250/20

Abstract

Claims (48)

1 . A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), comprising:

an electric traction motor configured to drive the FCEV and generate power through regenerative braking;

a high voltage (HV) battery system including a HV bus and a HV battery configured to power the electric traction motor;

a fuel cell stack (FCS) configured to generate electricity to recharge the HV battery and/or power the electric traction motor; and

a powertrain control system for preventing over-voltage of the HV bus and HV battery, including a controller having one or more processors configured to control (i) a fuel cell power limit of the FCS, and (ii) a regenerative braking power limit of the electric traction motor,

wherein the controller is programmed to:

measure (i) a voltage of individual battery cells of the HV battery and (ii) a voltage of the HV bus;

determine an arbitrated measured voltage, which is a maximum of the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus, where the HV bus voltage has the same scale of the battery cell voltage by using the HV bus voltage divided by the number of individual battery cells;

first reduce the fuel cell power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a first threshold to prevent over-voltage of the HV bus and/or the HV battery; and

then reduce the regenerative braking power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, to further prevent over-voltage of the HV bus and/or the HV battery.

2 . The FCEV of claim 1 , further comprising:

a motor control processor in signal communication with the electric traction motor and the controller;

a battery pack control module in signal communication with the HV battery and the controller; and

a fuel cell processor in signal communication with the FCS and the controller.

3 . The FCEV of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to continuously arbitrate the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus.

4 . The FCEV of claim 3 , wherein the controller includes:

a fuel cell power limit controller to control the fuel cell power limit of the FCS; and

a regenerative brake power limit controller to control the regenerative braking power limit of the electric traction motor.

5 . The FCEV of claim 4 , wherein the fuel cell power limit controller and the regenerative brake power limit controller are propositional derivative (PD) controllers.

6 . The FCEV of claim 4 , wherein the fuel cell power limit controller is programmed to reduce the fuel cell power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds the first threshold.

7 . The FCEV of claim 6 , wherein the regenerative brake power limit controller is programmed to reduce the regenerative braking power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds the second threshold.

8 . The FCEV of claim 7 , wherein the fuel cell power limit is reduced to a minimum value before the regenerative braking power limit is reduced.

9 . A method of operating a powertrain control system to prevent over-voltage of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) having an electric traction motor, a high voltage (HV) battery system including a HV bus and a HV battery, a fuel cell stack (FCS), and a controller having one or more processors configured to control (i) a fuel cell power limit of the FCS and (ii) a regenerative braking power limit of the electric traction motor, the method comprising:

measuring, by the controller, a voltage of individual battery cells of the HV battery;

measuring, by the controller, a voltage of the HV bus;

determining, by the controller, an arbitrated measured voltage, which is a maximum of the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus, where the HV bus voltage has the same scale of the battery cell voltage by using the HV bus voltage divided by the number of individual battery cells;

reducing, by a fuel cell power limit controller, the fuel cell power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a first threshold to prevent over-voltage of the HV bus and/or the HV battery; and

reducing, by a regenerative brake power limit controller, the regenerative braking power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, to further prevent over-voltage of the HV bus and/or the HV battery.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising, by the controller, continuously arbitrating the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the fuel cell power limit is reduced to a minimum value before the regenerative braking power limit is reduced.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the FCEV further includes:

a motor control processor in signal communication with the electric traction motor and the controller;

a battery pack control module in signal communication with the HV battery and the controller; and

a fuel cell processor in signal communication with the FCS and the controller.

13 . A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), comprising:

an electric traction motor configured to drive the FCEV and generate power through regenerative braking;

a regenerative brake power limit controller to control the regenerative braking power limit of the electric traction motor;

a high voltage (HV) battery system including a HV bus and a HV battery configured to power the electric traction motor;

a fuel cell stack (FCS) configured to generate electricity to recharge the HV battery and/or power the electric traction motor;

a fuel cell power limit controller to control the fuel cell power limit of the FCS; and

a powertrain control system for preventing over-voltage of the HV bus and HV battery, including a powertrain controller having one or more processors configured to control (i) a fuel cell power limit of the FCS via the fuel cell power limit controller, and (ii) a regenerative braking power limit of the electric traction motor via the regenerative brake power limit controller,

wherein the powertrain controller is programmed to:

measure (i) a voltage of individual battery cells of the HV battery and (ii) a voltage of the HV bus;

continuously arbitrate the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus;

determine an arbitrated measured voltage, which is a maximum of the measured voltage of the individual battery cells and the measured voltage of the HV bus, where the HV bus voltage has the same scale of the battery cell voltage by using the HV bus voltage divided by the number of individual battery cells;

reduce, by the fuel cell power limit controller, the fuel cell power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a first threshold; and

reduce, by the regenerative brake power limit controller, the regenerative braking power limit when the arbitrated measured voltage exceeds a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, and

wherein the fuel cell power limit is reduced to a minimum value before the regenerative braking power limit is reduced.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (10)