JP2006282101A - Fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a high-precision control over a degree of opening of a fluid passage for discharged gas of a fuel cell and stabilize a generated power of the fuel cell vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A discharging means of a fuel cell motorcycle 10 is provided with a back pressure valve 58 for adjusting a pressure of discharged gas. The back pressure valve 58 is constituted of a body 113 being applied as a base and comprises a discoid butterfly valve 128 connected to a fluid passage 124 of circular crosssection passing through the body 123 and to a valve shaft 126 so as to open or close the fluid passage 124, a brushless motor 130 acting as a rotational driving source of the butterfly valve 128 and a deceleration mechanism 132 composed of a plurality of gears for decelerating the rotation of an output shaft 130a of the brushless motor 130 and transmitting it to the valve shaft 126. A rotary encoder 134 for outputting a pulse signal indicating an amount of rotation is connected to the output shaft 130a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle that travels using electric power generated by a fuel cell, and more particularly to a fuel cell vehicle that has a valve for regulating the pressure of gas discharged by reaction in the fuel cell.

  In a vehicle such as a motorcycle, a throttle valve is provided in the air supply passage in order to adjust the engine output in response to an accelerator operation, and the throttle valve is opened and closed in conjunction with the accelerator operation.

  Recently, by opening and closing the throttle valve via a controller and a motor, it is possible to more appropriately set the air supply amount to the engine in accordance with the vehicle running situation. In this case, the opening degree of the throttle valve is detected and fed back by a predetermined sensor, and is controlled by the controller so as to reach a predetermined target opening degree.

  An example of a throttle valve that opens and closes by a motor is described in Patent Document 1. In this throttle valve, the opening and closing control of the air supply pipe line is performed by rotating the butterfly valve via a reduction gear train under the action of a predetermined control unit. In this case, a potentiometer is provided in the final gear provided on the rotation shaft of the butterfly valve, and feedback control is performed by detecting the amount of rotation of the rotation shaft and supplying it to the control unit. This potentiometer is composed of a brush provided on the side surface of the rotation shaft and a resistor on the substrate facing the brush, and the amount of rotation is detected by sliding the brush against the resistor.

  Now, Cited Document 2 discloses a gas circulation pump system for a fuel cell. In the system disclosed in this document, hydrogen gas and air are supplied from the hydrogen gas supply device and the air supply device to the fuel cell. Hydrogen and oxygen that have passed through the fuel cell flow to the exhaust side through the corresponding pressure regulating valves. By providing such a pressure regulating valve, the internal pressure in the fuel cell can be controlled. For example, even if fluctuations occur in the pressure of hydrogen and oxygen supplied to the fuel cell, the power generation amount in the fuel cell is set to a predetermined value. Can be kept in. Therefore, the valve system disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be applied to the pressure regulating valve of the fuel cell system disclosed in Patent Document 2.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-343878 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-259912

  By the way, in the throttle valve described in Patent Document 1, since the rotation amount of the rotary shaft is detected by a potentiometer, the detection signal becomes an analog signal, and electrical noise is easily added. When feedback control is performed based on an analog signal to which electrical noise is added, there is a concern that fine movement may occur in the butterfly valve.

  Therefore, when the valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to the fuel cell system described in Patent Document 2, it becomes difficult to accurately control the internal pressure of the fuel cell, and the amount of power generation in the fuel cell varies. May occur.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and with an inexpensive configuration, by adjusting the opening of the fluid passage with high accuracy, the internal pressure in the fuel cell is accurately controlled, and power generation in the fuel cell is achieved. It aims at providing the fuel cell vehicle which stabilizes quantity.

  A fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention includes a fuel cell that generates electric power by reacting a reaction gas and hydrogen gas, a reaction gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the fuel cell, and a hydrogen gas to the fuel cell. In a fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle that travels with electric power generated in the fuel cell, comprising a hydrogen gas supply means for supplying gas and a valve for regulating the exhaust gas generated by the reaction in the fuel cell, the valve is A valve body connected to a rotating valve shaft, which opens and closes a fluid passage, a motor which rotationally drives the valve shaft, and a pulse signal which is connected to an output shaft of the motor and indicates the amount of rotation of the output shaft. An encoder, and a control unit that controls the drive of the motor so that the opening of the valve body matches a predetermined target opening based on the rotation amount supplied from the encoder It is characterized in.

  Thus, by controlling the opening of the valve body based on the pulse signal output from the encoder, the influence of electrical noise can be reduced, and the opening of the fluid passage can be reduced by suppressing the vibration of the valve body. It can be controlled with high accuracy. In addition, the encoder is superior in linearity, temperature characteristics, and the like as compared with an analog sensor such as a potentiometer, and can achieve a predetermined accuracy even if it is a relatively inexpensive type. By using such a valve as a pressure regulating valve of the fuel cell system, it is possible to accurately control the internal pressure in the fuel cell and stabilize the power generation amount in the fuel cell. By stabilizing the amount of power generation, for example, the traveling performance of the fuel cell vehicle is improved.

  In this case, a speed reduction mechanism may be provided between the motor and the valve shaft to decelerate and transmit the rotation of the output shaft of the motor to the valve shaft. Thereby, the rotation of the valve shaft is accelerated and transmitted to the encoder, and the resolution of the rotation detection of the valve shaft is substantially improved. Further, even if noise is added to the encoder output signal, the influence is reduced according to the reduction ratio of the speed reduction mechanism, and vibration generated by the valve body can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, the speed reduction mechanism includes a plurality of gears and a reinforcing means for reinforcing the meshing between the gears, thereby preventing slippage between the gears in the speed reduction mechanism and improving the valve opening accuracy. Can do.

  According to the fuel cell vehicle of the present invention, the influence of electrical noise can be reduced by controlling the opening degree of the valve body based on the pulse signal output from the encoder, thereby reducing the fine movement of the valve shaft. Generation | occurrence | production can be prevented and the opening degree of a fluid passage can be controlled with high precision. In addition, the encoder is superior in linearity, temperature characteristics and the like as compared with an analog type sensor such as a potentiometer, and can detect a predetermined accuracy even if it is a relatively inexpensive type.

  Further, by using such a valve as a pressure regulating valve of the fuel cell system, the internal pressure in the fuel cell is accurately controlled, the power generation amount that stabilizes the power generation amount in the fuel cell is stabilized, and the running performance of the fuel cell vehicle is improved. improves.

  Embodiments of a fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle 10 as a fuel cell vehicle according to the present embodiment is equipped with a fuel cell 12 and drives a motor 14 using electric power obtained from the fuel cell 12. Run. The fuel cell 12 is a solid polymer membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) configured by stacking a large number of terminal cells (unit cells), and is supplied to a fuel gas (hydrogen gas) supplied to an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. Electric power is generated by electrochemical reaction with the reaction gas (air). The fuel cell motorcycle 10 includes a front wheel 16 that is a steering wheel, a rear wheel 18 that is a driving wheel, a handle 20 that steers the front wheel 16, a frame 22, and a seat 24 on which a driver and a passenger are seated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell system 26 of the fuel cell motorcycle 10 includes a reaction gas supply means 28 for supplying a reaction gas to the fuel cell 12 and a hydrogen gas supply for supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 12. Means 30, exhaust means 32 for exhausting the exhaust gas generated by the reaction in the fuel cell 12, and ECU (Electric Control Unit) 34 for comprehensively controlling the operation of the system. The exhaust means 32 is provided with a back pressure valve 58 for regulating the exhaust gas.

  Hydrogen gas as fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell 12 from the hydrogen cylinder 36 through the shut-off valve 38 with a predetermined pressure, and is introduced into the hydrogen circulation passage 40 after being used for power generation. In the hydrogen circulation channel 40, unreacted hydrogen gas merges with hydrogen gas introduced from the hydrogen cylinder 36 and is supplied again to the fuel cell 12. Hydrogen gas circulating in the hydrogen circulation flow path 40 is introduced into the dilution device 44 via the purge valve 42.

  On the other hand, after the air as the reaction gas is introduced into the charger 48 through the air cleaner 46, it is supplied to the fuel cell 12 in a state of being pressurized to a predetermined pressure, and is supplied to the power generator, and then diluted. 44. The intercooler 52 cools the supply air to the fuel cell 12, and the humidifier 54 supplies moisture to the reaction gas. The bypass valve 56 supplies air without passing through the intercooler 52 and the humidifier 54 when the fuel cell 12 is at a low temperature. The back pressure valve 58 adjusts the pressure of the reaction gas in the fuel cell 12. The configuration and operation of the back pressure valve 58 will be described later.

  When the purge valve 42 provided in the hydrogen circulation passage 40 is opened, the hydrogen gas after the reaction is introduced into the diluting device 44, and mixed and diluted with the exhaust gas from the fuel cell 12 in the diluting device 44. After that, it is released to the atmosphere via the silencer 60. Here, the produced water from the fuel cell 12 is collected when introduced into the humidifier 54 together with the exhaust gas, and is reused as moisture supplied to the reaction gas. Further, moisture (for example, water vapor) that has not been accumulated in the humidifier 54 is discharged together with the reacted gas after passing through the dilution device 44.

  Specifically, the ECU 34 receives a signal related to the pressure and temperature of the hydrogen gas and the reactive gas, a signal related to the vehicle speed and the rotational speed of the charger 48, a signal related to the fuel cell 12 and its cooling water temperature, and the like. Correspondingly, operations of the feeder 48, the bypass valve 56, the back pressure valve 58, the purge valve 42, the shutoff valve 38, and the like are controlled.

  Further, an acceleration request signal from the throttle grip 64 is input to the ECU 34, and the motor 14 for driving the rear wheels 18 is driven and controlled in response to the signal. The motor 14 is supplied and driven after the direct current from the fuel cell 12 or the battery 66 as a secondary battery is converted into a three-phase AC power source in a motor driver (control unit) 68 as an inverter unit. It is configured as a motor.

  The cooling system in the fuel cell system includes a water jacket for the fuel cell 12 and the motor 14, and a cooling water channel 72 that communicates each water channel in the intercooler 52 and the cooling plate (cooler) 70 adjacent to the motor driver 68. The cooling water passage 72 is provided with a water pump 74 and a radiator 76.

  In such a cooling system, the cooling water flows and circulates in the cooling water channel 72 by the operation of the water pump 74, so that the heat is absorbed from the fuel cell 12, the motor 14, the reaction gas, and the motor driver 68, and this heat is Heat is radiated by the radiator 76. The thermostat 78 circulates the cooling water without passing through the radiator 76 when the fuel cell 12 is at a low temperature.

  Next, the back pressure valve 58 provided in the discharge means 32 of the fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle 10 and the valve opening degree control device 100 that controls the back pressure valve 58 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the valve opening control device 100 is a controller driver that controls the back pressure valve 58 based on the back pressure valve 58 provided in the middle of the intake passage 112 and the target throttle opening θa instructed from the ECU 34. 118. The ECU 34 determines the power generation amount in the fuel cell 12 based on the operation amount Acc of the throttle grip 64, the remaining capacity of the battery 66, and the vehicle speed signal V, and controls the rotation of the adder 48 based on the determined amount of power and the target throttle opening θa. Is supplied to the controller driver 118. Between the ECU 34 and the controller driver 118, mutual communication regarding operation instruction information, error information, and the like is performed in addition to the target throttle opening degree θa. For communication of the operation amount Acc, the vehicle speed signal V, and the target throttle opening degree θa, a predetermined in-vehicle communication network that can communicate with other controllers may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the back pressure valve 58 has a body 123 as a base, and is connected to a fluid passage 124 having a circular cross section passing through the body 123 and a valve shaft 126 to open and close the fluid passage 124. A disc-shaped butterfly valve 128 as a valve body to be rotated, a brushless motor 130 as a rotational drive source of the butterfly valve 128, and an output shaft 130a of the brushless motor 130 for decelerating and transmitting the rotation to the valve shaft 126 And a speed reduction mechanism 132 composed of a plurality of gears. Further, a rotary encoder 134 that outputs a pulse signal indicating the rotation amount is connected to the output shaft 130a, and a potentiometer 136 that detects the rotation amount is connected to the valve shaft 126. The brushless motor 130 is a three-phase drive AC type of U, V, and W phases, and is pulse-driven under the action of the controller driver 118 (see FIG. 3). The potentiometer 136 and the controller driver 118 are connected by three lines Vcc and Gnd as power supply lines and Sg as a signal supply line (see FIG. 3).

  The body 123 includes a pipe 140 that connects one of the fluid passages 124 to the intake passage 112, and a block portion 142 that connects the other of the fluid passages 124 to a predetermined fluid supply device (for example, the charger 48) by bolt fastening. And have. The valve shaft 126 is connected to a circular butterfly valve 128 provided in the fluid passage 124 and is rotatably inserted into a support shaft hole 144 orthogonal to the fluid passage 124. The valve shaft 126 rotates. As a result, the butterfly valve 128 tilts, and the opening degree of the fluid passage 124 is adjusted according to the tilt angle θ. The fluid passage 124 is fully closed when the tilt angle θ of the butterfly valve 128 is 0 °, and is fully open when the butterfly valve 128 is 90 ° (see FIG. 7).

  The valve shaft 126 is rotatably supported by thrust bearings 146a and 146b on both sides of the body 123, and can rotate smoothly. In addition, O-rings 148a and 148b that contact the valve shaft 126 are provided in the support shaft holes 144 on both sides of the fluid passage 124, so that leakage of fluid passing through the fluid passage 124 is prevented and the fluid passage 124 is provided. This prevents foreign matter from entering from the outside.

  The speed reduction mechanism 132 includes a first gear 150 having a small number of teeth connected to the output shaft 130a of the brushless motor 130, a first intermediate gear 152 having a large number of teeth meshing with the first gear 150, and the first intermediate gear 152. A second intermediate gear 154 with a small number of teeth rotating coaxially and a final gear 156 with a large number of teeth meshing with the second intermediate gear 154 is provided. The final gear 156 is connected to one end of the valve shaft 126, and the rotation of the brushless motor 130 is decelerated by the reduction mechanism 132 and transmitted to the valve shaft 126. The potentiometer 136 is connected to the other end of the valve shaft 126.

  Further, the final gear 156 is formed in a sector shape of about 180 ° sufficient to make the tilt angle θ of the butterfly valve 128 a movable range of 0 ° ≦ θ ≦ 90 ° (see FIG. 5). The body 123 is provided with a first stopper 158 and a second stopper 160 that prevent the final gear 156 from excessively rotating clockwise and counterclockwise. The first stopper 158 and the second stopper 160 are provided with adjusting bolts 162a and 162b whose projecting amounts can be adjusted, and the respective end surfaces of the fan-shaped circumferential direction of the final gear 156 are in contact with the ends of the adjusting bolts 162a and 162b. This prevents further rotation. The mechanical movable angle of the tilt angle θ is adjusted by adjusting bolts 162a and 162b so as to satisfy −2 ° ≦ θ ≦ 92 ° in consideration of an operational margin.

  On the other hand, the target throttle opening degree θa supplied from the ECU 34 is expressed as 0 ° ≦ θa ≦ 90 °, and a state in which the final gear 156 strongly presses the first stopper 158 or the second stopper 160 during normal operation, that is, a so-called thrust. The occurrence of the contact state is prevented, and overcurrent to the brushless motor 130 based on the existence of a deviation between the target throttle opening degree θa and the tilt angle θ can be prevented.

  A return spring 164 is provided around the valve shaft 126 between the body 123 and the final gear 156 to urge the final gear 156 clockwise in FIG. Thus, when the brushless motor 130 is in a non-energized state, the final gear 156 contacts the adjustment bolt 162a (the state shown in FIG. 5), and the tilt angle θ of the butterfly valve 128 is θ = −2 °. Retained. Further, the return spring 164 acts as a reinforcing means for reinforcing the meshing between the gears so as to apply a preload to the speed reduction mechanism 132, thereby preventing the gears from slipping and improving the opening degree accuracy of the valve. . For the return spring 164, for example, a torsion spring is used.

  A coil spring 166 is further provided around the valve shaft 126 to apply an urging force as a preload to the end face of the thrust bearing 146a to prevent rattling. The speed reduction mechanism 132, the return spring 164, and the coil spring 166 are covered with a cover 168 for protecting from dust and the like. However, in the side view shown in FIG. It is illustrated with 168 removed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first stage gear 150 is provided at one end of the output shaft 130 a of the brushless motor 130, and the other end is connected to the rotary encoder 134.

  The rotary encoder 134 is a so-called incremental type, and a detection shaft 134a connected to the output shaft 130a of the brushless motor 130, a disc 134b provided on the detection shaft 134a, and an opposing position across the disc 134b. A plurality of light emitting elements 134c and a plurality of light receiving elements 134d provided, and an amplifier 134e for adjusting a detection signal of the light receiving element 134d are provided. The disk 134b is provided with a number of slits corresponding to the rotation angle, and the light receiving element 134d supplies a detection signal received through the slit to the amplifier 134e. In such a rotary encoder 134, based on the slit pattern, an A-phase signal that is a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation angle, a B-phase signal that is 90 ° out of phase with the A-phase signal, and a predetermined reference angle are set. Z signals are output and supplied to the controller driver 118, respectively. The controller driver 118 supplies power to the rotary encoder 134 via Vcc and Gnd as power supply lines (see FIG. 3).

  Next, the operation of the valve opening degree control apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The processing shown in FIG. 8 is started when power is supplied to the controller driver 118 based on an operation of turning on an ignition key (not shown) by the passenger, and specifically, an internal CPU (Central Processing) is started. This is performed as software processing by reading and executing a program from a predetermined storage unit by (Unit).

  First, in step S1, a predetermined initialization process is performed. That is, the signal Sg related to the angle obtained from the potentiometer 136 is confirmed to confirm that there is no abnormality such as disconnection, and other predetermined failure investigations are performed. When an abnormality such as a disconnection is recognized by the failure investigation, the fact is notified to the ECU 34, and the process proceeds to step S11 which is a predetermined failure handling process. If no abnormality is recognized, the process proceeds to the next step S2.

  In step S1, since it is assumed that θ≈−2 ° because the final gear 156 is urged from the return spring 164, the valve shaft 126 is tilted based on the signal Sg. It is confirmed that the angle θ is a value in the vicinity of −2 °.

  Further, at this time, the value of the up / down counter Cn for measuring the rotation angle of the output shaft 130a is reset to zero. Thereafter, in a parallel dedicated process (or interrupt process or the like) (not shown), the up / down counter Cn is increased or decreased in real time based on the pulses of the A phase signal and the B phase signal obtained from the rotary encoder 134.

  In step S2, upon receiving an operation start instruction from the ECU 34, the brushless motor 130 is driven as an initial operation. The brushless motor 130 is rotated until the tilt angle θ is 0 ° and the Z signal is received from the rotary encoder 134, and the Z signal is When it is received, the driving is temporarily stopped and a predetermined position holding process is performed.

  In addition, as a setting for the position correction parameter Cz when the Z signal is received, substitution processing is performed as Cz ← Cn. Thereafter, by subtracting the position correction parameter Cz from the up / down counter Cn, it is possible to accurately detect the angle based on the position where the tilt angle θ is 0 °. That is, the tilt angle θ is expressed as θ = Cn−Cz.

  In step S3, it is confirmed whether or not the operation permission signal from the ECU 34 is valid at that time. If the operation permission signal is invalid, the process waits. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the power supply voltage value supplied from the predetermined power supply circuit is confirmed. If it is within the specified range, the process proceeds to step S5. That is, if the power supply voltage is excessive, the brushless motor 130 may be damaged, and if it is too small, the necessary rotational torque may not be obtained. This prevents the occurrence of such a situation.

  In step S5, the value of the target throttle opening θa supplied from the ECU 34 is confirmed, and a branching process based on the presence or absence of a change is performed as compared with the previous value. That is, when the target throttle opening degree θa is unchanged, the process proceeds to step S8 to perform a predetermined current position holding process, and when there is a change, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the number of output pulses Po for driving the brushless motor 130 in pulses is calculated based on the following equation (1).

  Here, R is the reduction ratio of the reduction mechanism 132, Pe is the number of pulses per rotation output from the rotary encoder 134, and both are fixed values. According to the first term on the right side of the equation (1), by dividing the target throttle opening θa supplied in units of 0 ° to 90 ° by 360 ° and multiplying by the reduction ratio R and the number of pulses Pe, Unit conversion is performed so that R × Pe per rotation. Further, the target throttle opening degree θa expressed as the rotation angle of the valve shaft 126 can be expressed as the rotation angle of the output shaft 130 a of the brushless motor 130. Assuming that R = 20 and Pe = 500, the target throttle opening θa of 0 ° to 90 ° is represented by 0 to 2500 pulses as the number of output pulses Po.

  Further, by subtracting the second term on the right side of equation (1) from this value (that is, the first term on the right side of equation (1)), the output pulse number Po is obtained as a value obtained by converting the angular deviation at that time into the pulse number. Desired. The second term on the right side of the equation (1) is a value obtained by subtracting the position correction parameter Cz from the up / down counter Cn, and indicates the rotation angle of the output shaft 130a based on the position where the tilt angle θ is θ = 0 °. .

  As is apparent from the equation (1), the unit of the output pulse number Po is 0.036 ° (= 90/2500), which can be a sufficiently small value. In other words, when the valve shaft 126 is rotated 1/4 (0 ° to 90 °), the output shaft 130a is increased in speed and rotated 5 times, and the number of output pulses Po (per rotation of the rotary encoder 134) ( Measurement accuracy of the number of pulses (= 2500) which is five times as large as (= 500).

  In step S7, the brushless motor 130 is pulse-driven based on the output pulse number Po obtained in step S6. As a result, the output shaft 130a rotates and the valve shaft 126 rotates in a driven manner, so that the tilt angle θ of the valve shaft 126 matches the target throttle opening θa. In this case, since the output torque of the brushless motor 130 is also increased according to the reduction ratio R and transmitted to the valve shaft 126, the valve shaft 126 can be reliably operated against fluid force, frictional force, and the like.

  Further, the output pulse number Po is obtained and outputted as a value obtained by converting the angular deviation at that time into the pulse number, and therefore, a kind of feedback control is performed.

  After the process of step S7 or step S8, in step S9, an overcurrent determination process is performed on the brushless motor 130. If it is determined that an overcurrent has occurred, the process proceeds to a fail process in step S11, and the current value is normal. If it is within the range, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, various abnormalities of the back pressure valve 58 are determined. If normal, the process returns to step S3 to continue the control of the brushless motor 130. If an abnormality is recognized, the process proceeds to fail processing in step S11. . The abnormality determination performed in step S10 includes, for example, confirmation determination that the signal Sg of the potentiometer 136 normally follows the driving of the brushless motor 130. If it is determined that the signal Sg does not follow, it is determined that the speed reduction mechanism 132 or the like is defective, and the process proceeds to step S11.

  Note that the process shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed in a very short time, and even if an abnormality occurs, the process immediately proceeds to step S11 which is a fail process by each abnormality determination process in steps S1, S4, S9 and S10. By shifting, the back pressure valve 58 can be appropriately protected. Step S11 is provided to cope with unforeseen circumstances, and it is of course set so that such an abnormality does not normally occur.

  As described above, in the fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment, the discharge means 32 is provided with the back pressure valve 58 that adjusts the pressure of the exhaust gas, and is controlled by the valve opening degree control device 100. Since the air supplied to the back pressure valve 58 is compressed by the adder 48 and the supply pipe has a relatively small diameter, it is necessary to adjust the tilt angle θ with high accuracy in order to keep the amount of air passing through properly. There is.

  On the other hand, in the valve opening degree control device 100, the rotation amount of the output shaft 130a of the brushless motor 130 and the valve shaft are based on the A phase signal, the B phase signal, and the Z signal which are pulse signals output from the rotary encoder 134. By obtaining the tilt angle θ of 126, it is possible to reduce the influence of electrical noise, thereby preventing fine movement of the butterfly valve 128 and controlling the opening degree of the fluid passage 124 with high accuracy. Therefore, the internal pressure in the fuel cell 12 can be accurately controlled, and the power generation amount is stabilized. By stabilizing the power generation amount, for example, the traveling performance of the fuel cell motorcycle 10 is improved.

  Further, the rotary encoder 134 is superior in linearity, temperature characteristics and the like as compared with the analog type sensor, and can detect a predetermined accuracy even if it is a relatively inexpensive type. In the valve opening control device 100, an analog potentiometer 136 is used in combination, but the potentiometer 136 is basically for responding to unforeseen circumstances such as detection of an abnormality of the speed reduction mechanism 132. It is also possible to omit based on That is, the valve opening degree control device 100 can control the back pressure valve 58 using only the rotary encoder 134 for detecting rotation, and can be configured at low cost. Further, since many brushless motors are provided with a rotary echoer for rotation control, this can also be used for detecting the tilt angle θ of the valve shaft 126.

  Since the speed reduction mechanism 132 is provided between the brushless motor 130 and the valve shaft 126, the rotation of the valve shaft 126 is accelerated and transmitted to the rotary encoder 134. The resolution of rotation detection is improved. Further, even if noise is added to the output signal of the rotary encoder 134, the influence is reduced according to the reduction ratio R of the speed reduction mechanism 132, and the vibration generated by the butterfly valve 128 can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, the actuator is not limited to the brushless motor 130, and various motors can be used. The rotation detection sensor is not limited to the rotary encoder 134, and the same effect can be obtained by using a Hall IC or a resolver.

  In the valve opening degree control device 100 of the fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle 10, since the rotary encoder 134 is provided on the drive side brushless motor 130 side, there are restrictions on the structure, shape, and size of the valve body on the passive side. For example, the present invention may be applied to a needle valve or a spool valve driven by an actuator.

  The fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can of course adopt various configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a side view of a fuel cell motorcycle according to the present embodiment. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a fuel cell system in a fuel cell motorcycle. FIG. It is a block block diagram which shows schematic structure of a valve opening degree control apparatus. It is a cross-sectional front view of a throttle valve. It is a side view of a throttle valve. It is a cross-sectional top view of a throttle valve. It is a mimetic diagram showing operation of a butterfly valve in a fluid passage. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a valve opening degree control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel cell motorcycle 12 ... Fuel cell 26 ... Fuel cell system 28 ... Reaction gas supply means 30 ... Hydrogen gas supply means 32 ... Discharge means 58 ... Back pressure valve 100 ... Valve opening control device 112 ... Intake passage 118 ... Controller driver 124 ... Fluid passage 126 ... Valve shaft 128 ... Butterfly valve 130 ... Brushless motor 130a ... Output shaft 132 ... Reduction mechanism 134 ... Rotary encoder 150 ... First stage gear 164 ... Return spring (reinforcing means)
θ ... Tilt angle θa ... Target throttle opening

Claims (3)

A fuel cell that generates electric power by reacting a reaction gas with hydrogen gas; and
Reactive gas supply means for supplying a reactive gas to the fuel cell;
Hydrogen gas supply means for supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell;
A valve for regulating the exhaust gas generated by the reaction in the fuel cell;
In a fuel cell two-wheeled vehicle that travels by electric power generated in the fuel cell,
The valve is connected to a rotating valve shaft, and opens and closes a fluid passage; and
A motor that rotationally drives the valve shaft;
An encoder connected to the output shaft of the motor and outputting a pulse signal indicating the amount of rotation of the output shaft;
A fuel cell vehicle comprising: a control unit that performs drive control of the motor based on the rotation amount supplied from the encoder so that the opening degree of the valve body coincides with a predetermined target opening degree. . The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
A fuel cell vehicle characterized in that a speed reduction mechanism is provided between the motor and the valve shaft to decelerate the rotation of the output shaft of the motor and transmit it to the valve shaft. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
The speed reduction mechanism includes a plurality of gears and a reinforcing means for reinforcing meshing between the gears.

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