JP2018143037A - Saddle riding - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the output of a fuel cell in a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with a fuel cell, when the fuel cell is tilted when the vehicle body is banked, etc. Reduce the impact. SOLUTION: In a motorcycle 1 provided with a fuel cell 11 that receives supply of hydrogen gas to generate electric power and a battery 13 that assists the output of the fuel cell 11, a sensor 19 that detects an inclination angle of the fuel cell 11. Further, based on the detection result of the sensor 19, when the tilt angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold value, the ECU 30 further includes a control for stopping the power generation by the fuel cell 11 and switching to the drive by the battery 13. .. [Selection diagram] Fig. 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a saddle-ride type vehicle.

  Conventionally, a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with a fuel cell is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. This is provided with a hydrogen cylinder for storing hydrogen gas, a fuel cell for generating power by supplying hydrogen gas and oxygen-containing air, and a secondary battery for assisting the output of the fuel cell. .

JP 2009-78622 A

  However, when the fuel cell is tilted at the time of banking of the vehicle body, the concentration distribution of hydrogen gas and oxygen is biased in the fuel cell, which may affect the output of the fuel cell.

  Accordingly, the present invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle equipped with a fuel cell, and when the fuel cell is tilted when the bank of the vehicle body is tilted, the output of the fuel cell is caused by deviation in the concentration distribution of hydrogen gas and oxygen in the fuel cell. The purpose is to reduce the impact on the environment.

As a means for solving the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a fuel cell (11) for generating electric power for running the vehicle (1), and a secondary battery for assisting the output of the fuel cell (11). (13) In a saddle-ride type vehicle (1), a sensor (19) for detecting an inclination angle of the fuel cell (11), and the fuel cell based on a detection result of the sensor (19) A control unit (30) that performs control to stop power generation by the fuel cell (11) and switch to driving by the secondary battery (13) when the inclination angle of (11) exceeds a preset threshold value; It is further provided with the feature.
In the invention described in claim 2, the fuel cell (11) and the secondary battery (13) are connected in parallel, and between the fuel cell (11) and the secondary battery (13). It further comprises an intervening voltage control unit (16).
The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the sensor (19) is disposed on a vehicle body center line (CL).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the inclination angle of the fuel cell exceeds a preset threshold value based on the sensor that detects the inclination angle of the fuel cell and the detection result of the sensor, power generation by the fuel cell is performed. In addition, when the vehicle is banked, the control unit can automatically stop the power generation of the fuel cell at an appropriate timing. When the fuel cell is tilted, the influence on the output of the fuel cell due to the deviation in the concentration distribution of hydrogen gas and oxygen in the fuel cell can be suppressed. In addition, damage to the fuel cell can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the power generation by the fuel cell by the control unit and switching to the driving by the secondary battery, the driving of the vehicle can be continued even if the power generation by the fuel cell is stopped.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell and the secondary battery are connected in parallel, and the voltage control unit is further provided with a voltage control unit interposed between the fuel cell and the secondary battery. Since voltage control between the fuel cell and the secondary battery can be performed as appropriate, a constant voltage is always supplied even when the voltage fluctuates greatly when switching between the fuel cell and the secondary battery. Can do.
According to the invention described in claim 3, since the sensor is arranged on the vehicle body center line, the sensor can detect the bank angle of the vehicle body in addition to the inclination angle of the fuel cell.

1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment. It is a front view which shows arrangement | positioning of the sensor which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows the inclination angle of the fuel cell at the time of normal driving | running | working. It is a functional block diagram which shows the output to the inverter at the time of normal driving | running | working. It is a front view which shows the inclination-angle of the fuel cell at the time of a bank. It is a functional block diagram which shows the output to the inverter at the time of a bank. It is a figure which shows an example of the electric power generation state of the fuel cell at the time of normal driving | running | working. It is a flowchart which shows an example of control of ECU which concerns on embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the directions such as front, rear, left and right in the following description are the same as those in the vehicle described below unless otherwise specified. Further, in the drawings used for the following description, an arrow FR indicating the front of the vehicle, an arrow LH indicating the left side of the vehicle, and an arrow UP indicating the upper side of the vehicle are shown.

<Whole vehicle>
FIG. 1 shows a motorcycle 1 as an example of a saddle-ride type vehicle. Referring to FIG. 1, a motorcycle 1 includes a front wheel 3 that is steered by a handle 2, and a rear wheel 4 that is driven by a drive unit 10 that includes an electric motor 18 (see FIG. 4). Hereinafter, the motorcycle 1 may be simply referred to as “vehicle”.

  Steering system parts including the handle 2 and the front wheel 3 are pivotally supported by a head pipe 5a formed at the front end of the body frame 5 so as to be steerable. A handle steering shaft (not shown) connected to the handle 2 is inserted into the head pipe 5a. A swing arm 21 to which the drive unit 10 is attached is pivotally supported at the rear portion of the vehicle body frame 5 so as to swing up and down about a pivot shaft 22. A rear suspension 6 is interposed between the front part of the swing arm 21 and the rear part of the vehicle body frame 5.

  For example, the body frame 5 is formed by integrally joining a plurality of types of steel materials by welding or the like. The vehicle body frame 5 extends rearward from the head pipe 5a and extends from the pair of left and right main frames 5b disposed outside the fuel cell 11 in the vehicle width direction, and extends rearward from the head pipe 5a and from the pair of left and right main frames 5b. And a pair of left and right down frames 5c, a cross member (not shown) for fixing at least the pair of left and right down frames 5c and fixing the fuel cell 11, and a pair of left and right main frames 5b. A seat frame (not shown) extending rearwardly and upwardly from the rear wheel 4.

  Specifically, the left and right main frames 5b extend rearward and downward from the upper and lower central portions of the head pipe 5a and then bend and extend downward. The left and right down frames 5c are slightly inclined so as to be located rearward from the lower part of the head pipe 5a, extend downward, bend rearward, and are connected to the rear lower parts of the left and right main frames 5b.

  The vehicle body frame 5 is covered with a vehicle body cover 7. The vehicle body cover 7 includes an upper cowl 7a covering the upper part of the vehicle body frame 5, a front side cowl 7b covering the front side of the vehicle body frame 5, a rear cowl 7c covering the rear part of the vehicle body frame 5, and a rear side cowl 7b. And a side cover 7d that covers the side of the body frame 5 on the side. Reference numeral 8 in the figure denotes a seat on which a passenger sits, and reference numeral 9 in the figure denotes a rear fender that covers the front upper portion of the rear wheel 4.

  The seat frame (not shown) functions as an exhaust duct that supports the seat 8 and guides exhaust from the fuel cell 11 to the rear. The rear cowl 7c has an exhaust port (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, a power generation system that exchanges chemical energy into electric energy by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is employed. The vehicle includes a rectangular fuel cell 11, a cylindrical hydrogen tank 12, a hydrogen supply system (not shown), a battery 13 (secondary battery), an inverter 14, and a PDU 15 (Power Drive Unit) that controls the flow of electricity, A VCU (Voltage Control Unit) 16 for raising and lowering the voltage is mounted. Here, the VCU 16 corresponds to a voltage control unit described in claims. In the figure, reference numerals 17a, 17b, and 17c denote hydrogen sensors that detect hydrogen, and reference numeral 40 in the figure denotes a vehicle component housing portion that houses vehicle components such as the battery 13.

<Sensor>
The motorcycle 1 further includes a sensor 19 (see FIG. 2) that detects the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 19 is disposed on the vehicle body left-right center line CL. The sensor 19 is disposed at the center in front of the vehicle body. The sensor 19 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 5 via a stay 20. In the embodiment, the sensor 19 is fixed to the head pipe 5 a via the stay 20. For example, the sensor 19 is a bank angle sensor. The detection result of the sensor 19 (inclination angle of the fuel cell 11) is output to the ECU 30 (electronic control unit, see FIG. 4) via a transmission path (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, since the sensor 19 is disposed on the vehicle body left-right center line CL, the sensor 19 can detect the bank angle of the vehicle body in addition to the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11. That is, the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 and the bank angle of the vehicle body have the same phase.

<Control of fuel cells, etc.>
The motorcycle 1 further includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 30 that controls each element of the vehicle (see FIG. 4). Here, the ECU 30 corresponds to a control unit described in the claims. The ECU 30 performs control for switching the fuel cell 11 on and off based on the detection result of the sensor 19.

Specifically, based on the detection result of the sensor 19, the ECU 30 determines whether the fuel cell 11 has exceeded the preset threshold (hereinafter also referred to as “fuel cell tilt angle threshold”). While stopping power generation, control to switch to driving by the battery 13 is performed. Here, the fuel cell tilt angle threshold is set to be equal to or less than an angle at which the concentration distribution of hydrogen gas and oxygen in the fuel cell 11 may be biased.
In other words, the ECU 30 performs control to stop power generation by the fuel cell 11 and switch to driving by the battery 13 when the bank angle of the vehicle body exceeds a preset threshold (hereinafter also referred to as “bank angle threshold”). Do.

<During normal driving>
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 during normal running. Here, the normal traveling means the traveling when the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 is equal to or less than the fuel cell inclination angle threshold. That is, during normal travel, the ECU 30 (see FIG. 4) continues power generation by the fuel cell 11. In FIG. 3, reference sign CL indicates the left-right center line of the vehicle body, and reference sign B <b> 1 indicates an angle at which power generation by the fuel cell 11 is stopped (hereinafter also referred to as “power generation stop angle”).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fuel cell 11 and the hydrogen tank 12 are connected by a fuel path via a pressure regulating valve (not shown). The hydrogen tank 12 stores high-pressure hydrogen as hydrogen gas. A hydrogen supply system (not shown) supplies the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank 12 to the fuel cell 11. The fuel cell 11 uses the air flowing from an outside air inlet (not shown) when supplying and cooling oxygen. For example, air containing oxygen as an oxidant gas is supplied to the fuel cell 11 by traveling wind. The fuel cell 11 generates electricity by the supplied hydrogen and oxygen in the outside air. This electricity is supplied to the battery 13 and supplied to the inverter 14 and an electrical component (not shown).

  The operation of the fuel cell 11 is controlled by the ECU 30. Specifically, the ECU 30 receives a signal relating to the pressure and temperature of hydrogen gas and oxidant gas, a signal relating to the vehicle speed, a signal relating to the fuel cell 11 and its cooling temperature, a signal relating to the remaining amount of the battery 13, and the like. In response to these signals, the ECU 30 controls operations of a pressure regulating valve, a fuel cell contactor, a battery contactor, and the like (not shown).

  The fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 are connected in parallel. The VCU 16 is interposed between the fuel cell 11 of the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13. A command related to the output of the fuel cell 11 is input from the ECU 30 to the VCU 16. The output (DC power) of the fuel cell 11 is controlled by the VCU 16. Specifically, the direct current voltage of the fuel cell 11 is stepped down by the VCU 16 and set to a voltage value commensurate with the control of the electric motor 18.

  The ECU 30 controls the operation of the VCU 16 to control the voltage, and supplies a load current to the battery 13 and the inverter 14. Reference numeral 25 in the figure indicates a transmission path (battery side transmission path) between the VCU 16 and the battery 13, and reference numeral 26 in the figure indicates a transmission path (inverter side transmission path) between the VCU 16 and the inverter 14. The ECU 30 controls the operation of the VCU 16 to open and close the transmission paths 25 and 26, and the electric flow from the fuel cell 11 to the inverter 14, the electric flow from the battery 13 to the inverter 14, and the fuel cell 11 to the battery 13. Selectively allow electrical flow. During normal travel, the ECU 30 controls the operation of the VCU 16 and permits the flow of electricity from the fuel cell 11 to the inverter 14 and the flow of electricity from the battery 13 to the inverter 14.

  The inverter 14 receives a throttle opening signal from an APS (accelerator position sensor) (not shown), a motor rotation number signal from a motor angle sensor (not shown), and the like. The inverter 14 electrically generates AC power from DC power supplied from at least one of the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13. During normal travel, the inverter 14 electrically generates AC power from DC power supplied from both the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13. The electric motor is driven to rotate by the AC power generated by the inverter 14 and drives the rear wheel 4 (see FIG. 1).

  During normal travel, the inverter 14 is not only supplied with power from the fuel cell 11 but also supplied with power from the battery 13. That is, during normal travel, the power supplied to the inverter 14 (output) is the output from the VCU 16 (hereinafter also referred to as “VCU output”) and the output from the battery 13 (hereinafter also referred to as “battery output”). Is the combined output. The electric motor 18 is configured as a three-phase AC motor that is supplied and driven after the DC current from the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 is converted into a three-phase AC current in the inverter 14.

<When banking>
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 during banking. Here, banking means the time when the vehicle body is tilted when the tilt angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds the fuel cell tilt angle threshold. That is, at the bank time, the ECU 30 (see FIG. 4) stops the power generation by the fuel cell 11. In addition, at the time of banking, the ECU 30 switches to driving by the battery 13. In FIG. 5, symbol B <b> 2 indicates an angle at which the vehicle body cannot bank any more (hereinafter also referred to as “critical bank angle”).

  As shown in FIG. 6, at the time of banking, the ECU 30 closes a pressure regulating valve (not shown) between the fuel cell 11 and the hydrogen tank 12 and shuts off the supply of hydrogen from the hydrogen tank 12 to the fuel cell 11. In addition, at the bank time, the ECU 30 turns off the fuel cell contactor (not shown), stops the power generation by the fuel cell 11, and stops the VCU output. In addition, at the time of banking, the ECU 30 turns off the battery contactor (not shown) and interrupts the flow of electricity from the fuel cell 11 to the battery 13. That is, at the time of banking, the ECU 30 controls the operation of the VCU 16, blocks the flow of electricity from the fuel cell 11 to the inverter 14, and allows the flow of electricity from the battery 13 to the inverter 14. At the time of banking, the inverter 14 electrically generates AC power from the DC power supplied from the battery 13. The electric motor 18 is rotationally driven by the AC power generated by the inverter 14 and drives the rear wheel 4 (see FIG. 1).

  During banking, the inverter 14 is not supplied with power from the fuel cell 11, but is supplied only with power from the battery 13. That is, at the bank time, the power supplied (output) to the inverter 14 is only the battery output.

<Action of VCU>
By the way, when the vehicle is traveling, the normal traveling and the bank are alternately repeated a plurality of times. When switching between continuation and stop of the power generation of the fuel cell 11 between normal driving and banking, the voltage may fluctuate greatly.

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 are connected in parallel, and the VCU 16 interposed between the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 is further provided. 13 can be appropriately controlled. For example, the output from the fuel cell 11 (hereinafter also referred to as “fuel cell output”) can be stepped as shown in FIG. In addition, the VCU output can be stepped. Therefore, a constant voltage can always be supplied even when the voltage fluctuates greatly when the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 are switched. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time (s), and the vertical axis represents output (kW).

Next, an example of control of the ECU 30 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the sensor 19 first detects the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 (step S1).
Next, the ECU 30 determines whether or not the tilt angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold value (fuel cell tilt angle threshold value) based on the detection result of the sensor 19 (step S2).
When the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 is equal to or smaller than a preset threshold value (step S2: NO), the ECU 30 continues power generation by the fuel cell 11. The sensor 19 constantly detects the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11.

  On the other hand, when the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold (step S2: YES), the ECU 30 stops the power generation by the fuel cell 11 (step S3). For example, the ECU 30 controls the power source of the fuel cell 11 so as to stop the power generation by the fuel cell 11.

  In addition, the ECU 30 switches to driving by the battery 13 (step S4). That is, when the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold (step S2: YES), the ECU 30 stops power generation by the fuel cell 11 and switches to driving by the battery 13.

As described above, in the above-described embodiment, in the motorcycle 1 including the fuel cell 11 that receives the supply of hydrogen gas and generates power, and the battery 13 that assists the output of the fuel cell 11, the inclination of the fuel cell 11. Based on the sensor 19 that detects the angle and the detection result of the sensor 19, when the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold, power generation by the fuel cell 11 is stopped and switching to driving by the battery 13 is performed. It further includes an ECU 30 that performs control.
According to this configuration, when the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 exceeds a preset threshold value (fuel cell inclination angle threshold value) based on the sensor 19 that detects the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11 and the detection result of the sensor 19. In addition, the ECU 30 can automatically stop the power generation of the fuel cell 11 at an appropriate timing by further including an ECU 30 that performs control for switching to driving by the battery 13 while stopping the power generation by the fuel cell 11. When the fuel cell 11 is tilted at the time of banking of the vehicle body, the influence on the output of the fuel cell 11 due to the deviation in the concentration distribution of hydrogen gas and oxygen in the fuel cell 11 can be suppressed. In addition, damage to the fuel cell 11 can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the power generation by the fuel cell 11 by the ECU 30 and switching to the driving by the battery 13, the driving of the vehicle can be continued even if the power generation of the fuel cell 11 is stopped.

  In the above embodiment, the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 are connected in parallel, and the VCU 16 interposed between the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 further includes the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13. Therefore, even when the voltage fluctuates greatly when the fuel cell 11 and the battery 13 are switched, a constant voltage can always be supplied.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the sensor 19 is arranged on the vehicle body left-right center line CL, so that the sensor 19 can detect the bank angle of the vehicle body in addition to the inclination angle of the fuel cell 11. For example, the ECU 30 stops power generation by the fuel cell 11 and switches to driving by the battery 13 when the bank angle of the vehicle body exceeds a preset threshold (bank angle threshold) based on the detection result of the sensor 19. Control can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the motorcycle 1 including the drive unit 10 including the electric motor 18 is described as an example of the saddle-ride type vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a saddle type hybrid vehicle having an engine mounted on the vehicle body side.

  Moreover, although the fuel cell 11 gave and demonstrated the example which generate | occur | produces electric power by receiving supply of hydrogen gas in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, the fuel cell may generate power upon receiving a supply of fuel gas other than hydrogen gas. That is, the fuel cell may function as a generator that generates electric power for running the vehicle.

  In the above embodiment, the cantilever swing arm in which the arm portion of the swing arm 21 is disposed only on one side in the vehicle width direction of the rear wheel 4 (only on the left side) has been described as an example. Not exclusively. For example, a double-supported swing arm in which the arm portion of the swing arm is disposed on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the rear wheel may be used.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the saddle-ride type vehicle includes all vehicles on which a driver rides across a vehicle body, and includes motorcycles (motorbikes and scooter type vehicles). As well as three-wheeled vehicles (including one front wheel and two rear wheels as well as two front wheels and one rear wheel vehicle) or four-wheeled vehicles.
The configuration in the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as replacing the component of the embodiment with a known component.

1 Motorcycle (saddle-ride type vehicle)
11 Fuel cell 13 Battery (secondary battery)
16 VCU (Voltage Control Unit)
19 sensor 30 ECU (control part)
CL Body left and right center line

Claims (3)

In a saddle-ride type vehicle (1) comprising a fuel cell (11) for generating electric power for running the vehicle (1) and a secondary battery (13) for assisting the output of the fuel cell (11) ,
A sensor (19) for detecting an inclination angle of the fuel cell (11);
Based on the detection result of the sensor (19), when the inclination angle of the fuel cell (11) exceeds a preset threshold, power generation by the fuel cell (11) is stopped and the secondary battery ( The saddle-ride type vehicle further includes a control unit (30) that performs control to switch to driving according to 13). The fuel cell (11) and the secondary battery (13) are connected in parallel,
The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage control unit (16) interposed between the fuel cell (11) and the secondary battery (13).   The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor (19) is disposed on a vehicle body left-right center line (CL).

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