DE-102017102918-B4 - Power delivery methods and power delivery systems

Abstract

Power supply method carried out in a system comprising a fuel cell (14), a secondary battery (12), a motor (18) and an auxiliary unit (15) for the fuel cell, wherein the method comprises: Control of an intermittent operation, whereby switching intermittently between execution and termination of power generation by the fuel cell in order to supply power to electrical power loads which include the motor and the auxiliary unit; Determine whether or not an abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation; Instructing the engine to regenerate power under the condition that, in determining whether or not an abnormality occurs, it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the secondary battery; and Supplying power obtained by performing regeneration to the auxiliary unit.

Inventors

• Ryosuke OYA
• Hiromu Saito

Assignees

• TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20170214

Priority Date

20160222

Claims (10)

1. A power supply method performed in a system comprising a fuel cell (14), a secondary battery (12), a motor (18), and an auxiliary unit (15) for the fuel cell, comprising: controlling intermittent operation by which the fuel cell intermittently switches between performing and terminating power generation in order to supply power to electrical loads comprising the motor and the auxiliary unit; determining whether or not an abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation; instructing the motor to regenerate power under the condition that, in determining whether or not an abnormality occurs, it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the secondary battery; and supplying power obtained by performing the regeneration to the auxiliary unit.
2. Performance supply procedures according to Claim 1 , furthermore, comprehensively calculating the power that can be generated by the regeneration carried out by the motor when, in determining whether an abnormality occurs or not, it is determined that the abnormality in the secondary battery occurs during intermittent operation, wherein the regeneration is carried out when the power that can be generated is greater than or equal to a given value.
3. Performance supply procedures according to Claim 2 , furthermore, comprehensively measuring the velocity of a moving body to which the system is mounted, whereby the power that can be generated is calculated based on the measured velocity.
4. Performance supply procedures according to Claim 2 or 3 , where the instruction to carry out the Regeneration is granted if the power obtained by subtracting at least one power loss from the generateable power is greater than or equal to a power that allows the auxiliary unit to cause the fuel cell to start operating, where the power loss is required to obtain the generateable power.
5. Performance supply procedures according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , whereby power obtained by performing the regeneration is stored in a capacitor.
6. Power supply system comprising: a fuel cell (14); a secondary battery (12); a motor (18); an auxiliary unit (15) for the fuel cell; and a controller (11), wherein the controller is configured to control intermittent operation, by which the fuel cell intermittently switches between the execution and termination of power generation in order to supply power to electrical power loads, which include the motor and the auxiliary unit; the controller is configured to determine whether or not an abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation, to instruct the motor to regenerate power under the condition that the abnormality is determined to occur, and to supply the auxiliary unit with the power obtained by performing the regeneration.
7. Power supply system according to Claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate power that can be generated by the regeneration carried out by the motor when, in determining whether or not an abnormality occurs, it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation, and is also configured to cause the motor to carry out the regeneration when the power that can be generated is greater than or equal to a given value.
8. Power supply system according to Claim 7 , further comprising a vehicle speed sensor that measures the speed of movement of a moving body to which the power supply system is mounted, wherein the controller is designed to calculate the power that can be generated based on the measured speed of movement.
9. Power supply system according to Claim 7 or 8 , wherein the controller is designed to perform regeneration when the power obtained by subtracting at least one power loss from the generateable power is greater than or equal to a power that allows the auxiliary unit to cause the fuel cell to commence operation, wherein the power loss is required to obtain the generateable power.
10. Power supply system according to Claim 6 until 9 , further comprising a capacitor (20) which stores power obtained by performing the regeneration.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The invention relates to a power supply method and a power supply system. 2. Description of the related prior art A power supply system built using a fuel cell has attracted attention. The fuel cell includes an anode to which hydrogen-containing fuel gas is supplied and a cathode to which air is supplied, and generates electricity as a result of an electrochemical reaction between the fuel gas and oxidizer gas. The Japanese patent application publication with the number... JP 2011-036101 A reveals a power supply system in which a fuel cell is used. The electric vehicle in which the power supply system is installed is capable of switching between power supply from the fuel cell and a secondary battery as needed. For example, depending on the output requirements of a traction motor and auxiliary fuel cell components, as well as the charge level in the secondary battery, it is possible to switch between power supply from the fuel cell and the secondary battery, and power supply solely from the secondary battery. While power is supplied exclusively from the secondary battery, the fuel cell stops generating electricity. Thus, the fuel cell operates intermittently. This type of power supply is therefore referred to as intermittent operation. Furthermore, the DE 10 2014 224 890 A1 An operational control system and procedure for a fuel cell system, wherein the operational control procedure determines, by means of a controller, when a fuel cell stack exhibits a water deficiency, based on an oversupply of air to the fuel cell stack or deterioration of the fuel cell stack. A diagnostic level is then assigned to the fuel cell system and at least one regeneration driving mode corresponding to the assigned diagnostic level is carried out. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There are instances where a malfunction occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation, rendering it unable to supply power. In such cases, it is necessary to power a traction motor using energy from the fuel cell. However, auxiliary components required to switch the fuel cell from a non-power-generating to a power-generating state also need to be supplied with power. Since the malfunction in the secondary battery prevents it from supplying power to these auxiliary components, the electric vehicle may be unable to continue its journey. The invention provides a technology that enables a fuel cell to resume power generation even when an abnormality occurs in a secondary battery during intermittent operation. A power supply method according to the first aspect of the invention is carried out in a system comprising a fuel cell, a secondary battery, a motor, and an auxiliary unit for the fuel cell. The power supply method includes controlling intermittent operation, by which the fuel cell intermittently switches between power generation and power generation to supply power to electrical loads, including the motor and the auxiliary unit; determining whether or not an abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation; instructing the motor to regenerate power if the abnormality is determined to be in the secondary battery; and supplying the power obtained by regeneration to the auxiliary unit. In the foregoing aspect, the power supply method may further include calculating the power that can be generated by the regeneration carried out by the motor when, in determining whether an abnormality occurs or not, it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation, and the regeneration can be carried out when the power that can be generated is greater than or equal to a given value. In the above aspect, the power supply method can involve measuring the velocity of a moving body to which the system is mounted, and the power that can be generated can be determined based on the measured velocity. Their movement speed can be calculated. In the foregoing aspect, the instruction to carry out regeneration may be given if the power obtained by subtracting at least one loss power from the regenerable power is greater than or equal to a power that allows the auxiliary unit to cause the fuel cell to commence operation, the loss power being necessary to obtain the regenerable power. In the above aspect, power obtained by performing the regeneration can be stored in a capacitor. A power supply system according to the second aspect of the invention is provided with a fuel cell, a secondary battery, a motor, an auxiliary unit for the fuel cell, and a controller. The controller is configured to manage intermittent operation, by which the fuel cell intermittently switches between executing and terminating power generation in order to supply power to electrical loads, which include the motor and the auxiliary unit. The controller is also configured to determine whether an abnormality occurs in the secondary battery during intermittent operation, to instru