JP2010003507A - Control unit rewriting system of fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control unit rewriting system of a fuel cell vehicle capable of conducting rewriting of a control program without damaging the equipment relating to scavenging of a fuel cell and a compressor or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The control unit rewriting system of the fuel cell vehicle 1 is provided with the fuel cell, an air-compressor for supplying scavenging gas to the fuel cell, a scavenging-related control unit 45 memorizing rewritable a control program relating execution of scavenging of the fuel cell by a rewriting tool 9 and controlling a scavenging-related unit including the air-compressor and the fuel cell based on the control program, and a rewriting execution determination part 462 prohibiting the rewriting of the control program memorized in the scavenging-related control unit 45 when it determines the scavenging of the fuel cell is to be executed or is in execution and if it is determined the scavenging is to be executed or in execution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle that performs scavenging inside the fuel cell.

  In recent years, fuel cell systems have attracted attention as a new power source for automobiles. The fuel cell system includes, for example, a fuel cell that generates power by chemically reacting a reaction gas, a reaction gas supply device that supplies the reaction gas to the fuel cell via a reaction gas flow path, and a control that controls the reaction gas supply device. An apparatus.

  The fuel cell has, for example, a stack structure in which several tens to several hundreds of cells are stacked. Here, each cell is configured by sandwiching a membrane electrode structure (MEA) between a pair of separators. The membrane electrode structure includes two electrodes, an anode electrode (anode) and a cathode electrode (cathode), and these electrodes. And a solid polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the two.

  When hydrogen gas as anode gas is supplied to the anode electrode of the fuel cell and air as cathode gas is supplied to the cathode electrode, power is generated by an electrochemical reaction. Since only harmless water is generated at the time of power generation, fuel cells are attracting attention from the viewpoint of environmental impact and utilization efficiency.

After the power generation of the fuel cell is stopped, the water generated during the power generation remains in the fuel cell, the reaction gas flow path, and the like. If the fuel cell system after power generation is stopped in an environment where the outside air temperature is below freezing, such residual water freezes inside the fuel cell and the reaction gas flow path, and the next time the fuel cell system is started, There is a risk that it is difficult to ensure the power generation performance of the fuel cell. Therefore, conventionally, a fuel cell system that scavenges a fuel cell by driving a compressor after stopping the power generation of the fuel cell and causing a scavenging gas to flow inside the fuel cell and the reaction gas channel has been proposed (Patent Document). 1).
Further, there has been proposed a system in which a compressor is automatically started by a predetermined timer to scavenge a fuel cell even during a stop period of the fuel cell vehicle (see Patent Document 2).

By the way, in executing such scavenging, the compressor and the fuel cell are controlled by a control device storing a predetermined program. Further, when rewriting this program, it is necessary to prevent an unexpected situation from occurring, for example, by rewriting the program while the control device is operating. For example, Patent Document 3 discloses an engine vehicle to which a technique for rewriting a program of a control device while preventing the occurrence of such an unexpected situation is applied.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-33112 JP 2005-302515 A JP-A-9-44216

  However, the fuel cell vehicle has a configuration that is significantly different from that of a gasoline automobile. That is, as described above, in the fuel cell vehicle, after the fuel cell power generation is stopped or the fuel cell vehicle is stopped, the control device may operate regardless of the operator's intention to execute scavenging. In such a fuel cell vehicle, if the rewriting of the program is executed during the scavenging, the scavenging being executed may not be completed normally, or the fuel cell may be damaged.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described points. In a fuel cell vehicle that performs scavenging of a fuel cell, the control program can be rewritten without damaging a device related to scavenging such as a fuel cell or a compressor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle capable of executing the above.

  A control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle (for example, a fuel cell vehicle 1 described later) of the present invention includes a fuel cell (for example, a fuel cell 10 described later) that generates power by supplying a reaction gas, and scavenging the fuel cell. A compressor for supplying gas (for example, air compressor 21 to be described later) and a scavenging execution means after stopping power generation in which scavenging gas is supplied to the fuel cell by the compressor after the fuel cell power generation is stopped, and the remaining reaction gas is scavenged. (For example, a scavenging process execution unit 43 to be described later) and a control program related to the execution of scavenging are stored in a rewritable manner, and the scavenging related apparatus controls the scavenging related device including the compressor and the fuel cell based on the control program. A control device (for example, scavenging related control devices 45 and 45B described later), and a control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle. The scavenging related control device determines whether or not the scavenging of the fuel cell is executed or is being executed. Rewriting prohibiting means (for example, rewriting execution determining units 462, 462A, and 462B described later) for prohibiting rewriting of the stored control program is provided.

According to this invention, when it is determined by the rewrite prohibiting means that scavenging of the fuel cell is being executed, rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is prohibited. Thereby, by rewriting the control program while the scavenging related control device is operating, it is possible to prevent the compressor and the fuel cell from being damaged due to malfunction of the compressor. Here, as malfunction of a compressor, it is assumed that the rotation speed of a compressor changes rapidly, for example. Due to such malfunction of the compressor, the compressor may be damaged, or the scavenging gas pressure inside the fuel cell may change abruptly and the fuel cell may be damaged.
In addition to this, even when it is determined by the rewrite prohibiting means that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed, rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the fuel cell and the compressor from being damaged due to the operation of the scavenging related control device during the rewriting of the control program.

  In this case, during the start-up period of the fuel cell vehicle (for example, the vehicle start-up period in FIG. 2 described later), an abnormal-time scavenging execution unit (for example, a scavenging process described later) that executes scavenging when the fuel cell is in a power generation disabled state The rewriting prohibiting means determines that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed during the start-up period of the fuel cell vehicle, and rewrites the control program stored in the scavenging related control device. Is preferably prohibited.

  According to the present invention, it is determined that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed during the startup period of the fuel cell vehicle, and rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is prohibited. Thereby, for example, while the control program is being rewritten, it is possible to reliably prevent the fuel cell and the compressor from being damaged due to the fuel cell being unable to generate power and being scavenged.

  In this case, when it is predicted that the internal temperature of the fuel cell will decrease to a predetermined temperature or less during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle (for example, the vehicle stop period of FIG. 2 described later), the scavenging related control is performed. The apparatus further includes automatic starting means (for example, RTC 44 described later) for automatically starting the apparatus and performing scavenging, and the rewriting prohibiting means is configured to start the fuel cell based on starting of the scavenging related control apparatus or starting of the compressor. Preferably, it is determined that the scavenging is performed, and rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is prohibited.

  According to the present invention, it is determined that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed based on activation of the scavenging related control device or compressor, and rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is prohibited. That is, when the scavenging related control device is automatically activated to perform scavenging during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle, rewriting of the control program is prohibited. Thereby, for example, while the control program is being rewritten, it is possible to prevent the scavenging related control device from being automatically activated and scavenging the fuel cell, thereby damaging the fuel cell and the compressor.

  In this case, the scavenging-related control device includes a fuel cell control device that controls the fuel cell (for example, a fuel cell ECU 452 described later) and a compressor control device that controls the compressor (for example, a compressor ECU 451 described later). Preferably, the rewrite prohibiting means is included in an overall control device (for example, an overall ECU 46 described later) that controls the fuel cell control device and the compressor control device in an integrated manner.

  According to the present invention, the overall control device that performs overall control of the fuel cell control device and the compressor control device determines that the rewrite of the control program for the fuel cell control device and the compressor control device is prohibited. That is, since it is not necessary to determine whether to prohibit rewriting of the control program for each fuel cell control device or compressor control device, the system can be simplified.

  In this case, rewriting execution means (for example, rewriting tools 9, 9A described later) is provided separately from the fuel cell vehicle, and is connected to the scavenging related control device and executes rewriting of a control program stored in the scavenging related device. 9B), and the rewrite prohibiting means is preferably included in the rewrite executing means.

  According to the present invention, the rewriting execution means provided separately from the fuel cell vehicle determines that the rewriting of the control program for the scavenging related device is prohibited. That is, since it is not necessary to determine whether to prohibit rewriting of the control program by a device provided in the fuel cell vehicle, the configuration of the fuel cell vehicle can be simplified.

  In this case, it is preferable that the scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited while the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is being rewritten.

  According to the present invention, scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited while the control program is being rewritten. Thereby, rewriting of the control program can be prevented from being interrupted. Since rewriting of such a control program may take about one hour from the start to the end, preventing interruption of rewriting is particularly effective in reducing the burden associated with rewriting.

  In this case, it is preferable that the scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited after the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is rewritten.

  According to this invention, after the control program is rewritten, scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited. For example, when a plurality of devices are included in the scavenging-related device, it may be necessary to rewrite the control program of each of these devices. Here, the scavenging is executed after the rewrite of the control program of a certain device is completed until the rewrite of the control program of another device is started, that is, the control program of all devices is not completely rewritten. If it is done, the fuel cell and the compressor may be damaged. According to the present invention, after the control program is rewritten, such a situation can be prevented by prohibiting the scavenging of the fuel cell.

  According to the control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle of the present invention, rewriting the control program while the scavenging related control device is operating causes the compressor to malfunction, and the compressor and the fuel cell are damaged. Can be prevented. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the fuel cell and the compressor from being damaged by operating the scavenging-related control device while the control program is being rewritten.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The fuel cell vehicle 1 includes a drive motor 4 that drives wheels, a fuel cell 10, a supply device 20 that supplies anode gas and cathode gas to the fuel cell 10, and a battery 3 that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell 10. And a control device 40 for controlling them.

  The fuel cell 10 has a stack structure in which, for example, several tens to several hundreds of cells are stacked. Each cell is configured by sandwiching a membrane electrode structure (MEA) between a pair of separators. The membrane electrode structure is composed of two electrodes, an anode electrode (anode) and a cathode electrode (cathode), and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between these electrodes. Usually, both electrodes are formed of a catalyst layer that performs an oxidation / reduction reaction in contact with the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and a gas diffusion layer in contact with the catalyst layer.

  In such a fuel cell 10, hydrogen gas as an anode gas is supplied to an anode flow path 13 formed on the anode electrode (anode) side, and oxygen is supplied to a cathode flow path 14 formed on the cathode electrode (cathode) side. When air (air) as the cathode gas is supplied, power is generated by these electrochemical reactions.

  The fuel cell 10 is connected to the battery 3, the drive motor 4, the supply device 20, and the control device 40 via a power distributor (not shown). The electric power generated by the fuel cell 10 is supplied to the battery 3, the drive motor 4, the supply device 20, and the control device 40.

  The battery 3 stores power generated by the fuel cell 10 and regenerative power from the drive motor 4 during deceleration. The electric power stored in the battery 3 is appropriately supplied to the drive motor 4 and the supply device 20 according to the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle 1.

  The supply device 20 includes an air compressor 21 that supplies air to the cathode flow path 14 of the fuel cell 10, and a hydrogen tank 31 and an ejector 32 that supply hydrogen gas to the anode flow path 13 of the fuel cell 10. The

  The air compressor 21 is connected to one end side of the cathode flow path 14 of the fuel cell 10 via the air supply path 22. An air discharge path 23 is connected to the other end side of the cathode flow path 14 of the fuel cell 10, and a diluter 50 described later is connected to the front end side of the air discharge path 23. In addition, the air discharge passage 23 is provided with a back pressure valve (not shown).

  In addition, an anode scavenging introduction path 24 is branched from the air supply path 22. The tip side of the anode scavenging introduction path 24 is connected to a hydrogen supply path 33 described later. The anode scavenging introduction path 24 is provided with an anode scavenging introduction valve 241. When the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 is closed, the air supply path 22 and the hydrogen supply path 33 are shut off, and when the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 is opened, the air supply path 22 and the hydrogen supply path 33 communicate with each other. Can be supplied to the hydrogen supply path 33.

  The hydrogen tank 31 is connected to one end side of the anode flow path 13 of the fuel cell 10 through a hydrogen supply path 33. An ejector 32 is provided in the hydrogen supply path 33. In addition, between the hydrogen tank 31 and the ejector 32 in the hydrogen supply path 33, a shut-off valve and a regulator (not shown) for reducing the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 31 are provided.

  A hydrogen reflux path 34 is connected to the other end side of the anode flow path 13 of the fuel cell 10. The distal end side of the hydrogen reflux path 34 is connected to the ejector 32. The ejector 32 collects the hydrogen gas flowing through the hydrogen reflux path 34 and returns it to the hydrogen supply path 33.

Further, a hydrogen discharge path 35 is branched from the hydrogen reflux path 34. A diluter 50 is connected to the distal end side of the hydrogen discharge path 35.
The hydrogen discharge path 35 is provided with a hydrogen discharge valve 351 that opens and closes the hydrogen discharge path 35. When performing the scavenging process described later, the hydrogen discharge valve 351 is opened, and the gas flowing through the hydrogen reflux path 34 is introduced into the diluter 50.

  The diluter 50 uses the cathode off-gas introduced through the air discharge passage 23 as a dilution gas, and mixes and dilutes the anode off-gas introduced through the hydrogen discharge passage 35 and the dilution gas. The mixed gas is discharged out of the fuel cell vehicle 1.

In the present embodiment, the anode flow path 13, the hydrogen supply path 33, the hydrogen recirculation path 34, and the hydrogen discharge path 35 constitute an anode gas system through which the anode gas and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 circulate.
Further, the cathode flow path 14, the air supply path 22, the air discharge path 23, and the anode scavenging introduction path 24 constitute a cathode gas system through which the cathode gas and the cathode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 circulate. In FIG. 1, the anode gas system is indicated by a white arrow, and the cathode gas system is indicated by a solid arrow.

  The air compressor 21, the back pressure valve, the anode scavenging introduction valve 241, the shutoff valve, the hydrogen discharge valve 351, and the anode scavenging discharge valve 361 are electrically connected to the control device 40 and controlled by the control device 40. .

  Further, an ignition switch 41 and a start button 42 that can be operated by the driver are connected to the control device 40. The ignition switch 41 and the start button 42 are provided in a driver's seat (not shown) of the fuel cell vehicle 1 and transmit various signals to the control device 40 in accordance with the operation of the driver. Specifically, the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle 1 can be switched by operating the ignition switch 41 and the start button 42 (see FIG. 2 described later).

The ignition switch 41 can be switched between an on state and an off state.
Hereinafter, the operation of switching the ignition switch 41 from the off state to the on state is referred to as a “first activation operation”.
In addition, an operation of pressing the start button 42 with the ignition switch 41 turned on after performing the first activation operation is hereinafter referred to as a “second activation operation”.
In addition, the operation of switching the ignition switch 41 from the on state to the off state after performing the second activation operation is hereinafter referred to as “stop operation”.

After starting the fuel cell vehicle 1, the control device 40 controls the supply device 20 to generate power in the fuel cell 10 as follows.
That is, hydrogen gas is supplied from the hydrogen tank 31 to the anode flow path 13 of the fuel cell 10 through the hydrogen supply path 33. Further, by driving the air compressor 21, air is supplied to the cathode flow path 14 of the fuel cell 10 through the air supply path 22.
The hydrogen gas and air supplied to the fuel cell 10 are used for power generation, and then the diluter 50 through the hydrogen discharge path 35 and the air discharge path 23 together with residual water such as produced water on the anode side from the fuel cell 10. And is diluted by the diluter 50 and then discharged to the atmosphere.

  In the fuel cell vehicle 1, the scavenging process for scavenging the fuel cell 10 is appropriately executed by the control device 40. As functional blocks related to the execution of the scavenging process, the control device 40 includes a scavenging process execution unit 43 that executes the scavenging process, and an RTC (Real Time Clock) 44. In FIG. 1, only functional blocks related to the scavenging process of the fuel cell 10 are shown, and a specific circuit configuration of the control device 40 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

The scavenging process is a process of scavenging the reaction gas remaining in the cathode gas system and the anode gas system by supplying the scavenging gas into the cathode gas system and the anode gas system. In the present embodiment, air supplied from the air compressor 21 is used as the scavenging gas.
The scavenging process includes two processes, a cathode scavenging process for closing the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 and scavenging only in the cathode gas system, and an anode scavenging process for opening the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 and scavenging the inside of the anode gas system. It is comprised including.

In the cathode scavenging process, the air compressor 21 is driven with the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 closed, and the inside of the cathode gas system is scavenged by continuing to supply the scavenging gas into the cathode gas system for a predetermined time.
The anode scavenging process is performed by opening the anode scavenging introduction valve 241 and driving the air compressor 21 with the hydrogen discharge valve 351 opened to continue supplying the scavenging gas into the anode gas system for a predetermined time. Scavenge the anode gas system.

The scavenging process as described above may be executed after stopping the power generation of the fuel cell 10 or automatically when necessary based on the RTC 44 during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle 1.
More specifically, the RTC 44 predicts whether or not the internal temperature of the fuel cell 10 decreases to a predetermined temperature or less during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle 1. The general ECU 46 and the scavenging related control device 45 (see FIG. 3) are activated to execute the scavenging process. Further, when the scavenging process is executed during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle 1, the electric power related to the execution of the scavenging process is provided by the electric power stored in the battery 3.

In addition, even during the start-up period of the fuel cell vehicle 1, the scavenging process is executed when the fuel cell 10 is in a power generation disabled state.
Further, while a control program stored in a scavenging related control device 45 (see FIG. 3) described later is being rewritten, execution of the scavenging process by the scavenging process execution unit 43 is prohibited. Further, even after the control program is rewritten, execution of the scavenging process is prohibited for a predetermined time.

With reference to FIG. 2, the driving | running state of a fuel cell vehicle is demonstrated.
FIG. 2 is a time chart showing changes in the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle.
First, when the first activation operation described above is performed during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle, the driving state becomes “awaiting activation”. In this activation waiting state, the control device is activated by power from the battery.

  Next, when the above-described second activation operation is performed from this activation waiting state, the fuel cell vehicle is activated, and the operation state becomes the “fuel cell activation state”. In this fuel cell activation state, a predetermined activation process for starting power generation by the fuel cell is executed. When the start-up process is completed and the power generation by the fuel cell is started, the operation state becomes the “fuel cell power generation state”, and it is possible to travel with the power generated by the fuel cell.

Next, when the above-described stop operation is performed from this fuel cell power generation state, the operation state becomes the “fuel cell stop state”. In this fuel cell stop state, a predetermined stop process for stopping power generation by the fuel cell is executed. When this stop process is completed and the power generation by the fuel cell is stopped, the operation state becomes the “scavenging state”, and the scavenging process after the fuel cell power generation is stopped is executed. Further, when this scavenging process is completed, the fuel cell vehicle stops.
Next, when the fuel cell vehicle is stopped and started based on the above-described RTC, the operating state becomes the “scavenging state”, and the scavenging process is executed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the control device 40.
The control device 40 controls the overall system of the fuel cell vehicle including the scavenging related control device 45 that directly controls a plurality of devices related to the execution of the scavenging process and the scavenging related control device 45. ECU46.

  The scavenging related control device 45 includes a compressor ECU 451 that controls the air compressor, a fuel cell ECU 452 that controls the fuel cell 10, and a battery ECU 453 that controls the battery. Each of the compressor ECU 451, the fuel cell ECU 452, and the battery ECU 453 stores a rewritable control program regarding the execution of the scavenging process, and controls the air compressor, the fuel cell, and the battery based on each control program. To do.

The control programs stored in the compressor ECU 451, the fuel cell ECU 452, and the battery ECU 453 of the scavenging-related control device 45 as described above can be rewritten by the rewriting tool 9, respectively.
Below, the structure which rewrites the control program of compressor ECU451 of the scavenging related control apparatus 45 using this rewriting tool 9 is demonstrated in detail.

The rewriting tool 9 stores a new control program for rewriting the control program stored in the compressor ECU 451.
The rewriting tool 9 executes a rewriting process of the control program stored in the compressor ECU 451 in response to receiving a rewriting permission signal to be described later that permits rewriting of the control program. That is, even if the rewriting tool 9 is connected to the compressor ECU 451, rewriting of the control program is prohibited until a rewriting execution permission signal is received.

  The overall ECU 46 permits or prohibits rewriting of the control program stored in the compressor ECU 451 based on the state determination unit 461 that determines the operation state of the fuel cell vehicle and the operation state determined by the state determination unit 461. A rewrite execution determination unit 462 for determining whether or not

The state determination unit 461 determines the driving state of the fuel cell vehicle based on the driver operation information and the driving information, and transmits information related to the driving state to the rewrite execution determination unit 462.
Here, the driver operation information input to the state determination unit 461 includes, for example, information related to the operation of the ignition switch and the start button by the driver. In addition, the operation information is necessary for determining the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle, such as, for example, the rotation speed of the air compressor, whether the fuel cell vehicle is running, and whether the fuel cell vehicle is activated by the RTC. Contains information.

  The rewrite execution determination unit 462 determines whether the scavenging process is being executed or whether the scavenging process is being executed based on the information regarding the operation state input from the state determination unit 461. Here, when it is determined that the scavenging process is being executed, or when it is determined that the scavenging process is being executed, rewriting of the control program stored in the compressor ECU 451 is prohibited.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure of the driving state determination process by the state determination unit. This operation state determination process starts when the rewriting tool is connected to the control device.
In step S1, it is determined whether or not a second activation operation has been executed. If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S4, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S2.
In step S2, it is determined whether the activation is based on RTC. If this determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S4, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, it is determined that the driving state of the fuel cell vehicle is “waiting for activation” (see FIG. 2), and information on the determined driving state is transmitted to the rewrite execution determination unit, and the driving state determination process is performed. finish.
In step S4, it is determined that the operation state of the fuel cell vehicle is any one of “a fuel cell start state”, “a fuel cell power generation state”, “a fuel cell stop state”, and “a scavenging state”. The information regarding the operated state is transmitted to the rewrite execution determination unit, and the operation state determination process is terminated.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure of the rewrite execution determination process by the rewrite execution determination unit. This rewrite execution determination process is triggered by the reception of information related to the operating state.

In step S <b> 11, it is determined whether or not the operation state is a start waiting state based on the received information regarding the operation state. If this determination is YES, the process moves to step S12, and rewriting of the control program is permitted. If this determination is NO, the process moves to step S13, and rewriting of the control program is prohibited.
That is, in this step S11, only when the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle is waiting for activation, it is determined that the scavenging process is not executed and the scavenging process is not being executed. Allow rewriting. On the other hand, when the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle is other than the standby state, it is determined that the scavenging process is being executed or the scavenging process is being executed, and rewriting of the control program is prohibited.

  In step S12, a rewrite permission signal indicating that rewriting of the control program is permitted is transmitted to the rewriting tool, and the rewriting execution determination process is terminated. In step S13, a rewrite prohibition signal indicating prohibition of rewriting of the control program is transmitted to the rewrite tool, and the rewrite execution determination process is terminated. As a result, rewriting of the control program is prohibited during a period other than the “waiting for activation” state of the operating state of the fuel cell vehicle.

According to the control device rewriting system of the fuel cell vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the following operational effects are obtained.
(1) When the rewrite execution determination unit 462 determines that scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is being performed, rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device 45 is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the air compressor 21 from malfunctioning and the air compressor 21 or the fuel cell 10 from being damaged by rewriting the control program while the scavenging related control device 45 is operating. Here, as malfunction of the air compressor 21, it is assumed that the rotation speed of the air compressor 21 changes rapidly, for example. Due to such malfunction of the air compressor 21, the air compressor 21 may be damaged, or the scavenging gas pressure inside the fuel cell 10 may change abruptly and the fuel cell 10 may be damaged.
In addition to this, even when the rewriting execution determination unit 462 determines that scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is to be performed, rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device 45 is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the fuel cell 10 and the air compressor 21 from being damaged by the operation of the scavenging related control device 45 during the rewriting of the control program.

  (2) During the startup period of the fuel cell vehicle 1, it is determined that scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is executed, and rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device 45 is prohibited. Thereby, for example, while the control program is being rewritten, it is possible to reliably prevent the fuel cell 10 and the air compressor 21 from being damaged because the fuel cell 10 is in a power generation disabled state and scavenging is executed.

  (3) It is determined that scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is executed based on the activation of the scavenging related control device 45 or the activation of the air compressor 21, and rewriting of the control program stored in the scavenging related control device 45 is prohibited. That is, when the scavenging related control device is automatically activated to perform scavenging during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle 1, rewriting of the control program is prohibited. As a result, for example, while the control program is being rewritten, the scavenging related control device 45 is automatically activated to perform scavenging of the fuel cell 10 and the fuel cell 10 and the air compressor 21 are damaged. Can be prevented.

  (4) The rewrite execution determination unit 462 provided in the overall ECU 46 that controls the fuel cell ECU 452 and the compressor ECU 451 as a whole makes a determination to prohibit rewriting of the control program for the fuel cell ECU 452 and the compressor ECU 451. That is, since it is not necessary to determine prohibition of rewriting of the control program for each fuel cell ECU 452 and compressor ECU 451, the system can be simplified.

  (5) While the control program is being rewritten, scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is prohibited. Thereby, rewriting of the control program can be prevented from being interrupted. Since rewriting of such a control program may take about one hour from the start to the end, preventing interruption of rewriting is particularly effective in reducing the burden associated with rewriting.

  (6) After rewriting the control program, scavenging of the fuel cell 10 is prohibited. For example, when a plurality of devices are included in the scavenging-related device 45, it may be necessary to rewrite the control programs of these devices. Here, the scavenging is executed after the rewrite of the control program of a certain device is completed until the rewrite of the control program of another device is started, that is, the control program of all devices is not completely rewritten. If it does, there exists a possibility that the fuel cell 10 and the compressor 21 may be damaged. According to the present embodiment, after rewriting the control program, such a situation can be prevented in advance by prohibiting the scavenging of the fuel cell 10.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following description of the second embodiment, the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the control device 40A for the fuel cell vehicle according to the present embodiment. The fuel cell vehicle of the present embodiment is different from the fuel cell vehicle 1 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the control device 40A and the rewriting tool 9A. That is, in this embodiment, the operation state of the fuel cell vehicle is determined by the state determination unit 461 of the overall ECU 46A, and the rewrite execution determination unit 462A of the rewrite tool 9A determines whether the rewrite of the control program is permitted or prohibited. Do.
According to the control device rewriting system for the fuel cell vehicle of the present embodiment, in addition to the same operations and effects as those of the control device rewriting system for the fuel cell vehicle 1 of the first embodiment, there are the following operations and effects.

  (7) The rewrite execution determination unit 462A provided in the rewrite tool 9A provided separately from the fuel cell vehicle determines to prohibit rewriting of the control program of the scavenging related device 45. That is, since it is not necessary to determine whether to prohibit rewriting of the control program by a device provided in the fuel cell vehicle, the configuration of the fuel cell vehicle can be simplified.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following description of the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the control device 40B for the fuel cell vehicle according to the present embodiment. The fuel cell vehicle of the present embodiment is different from the fuel cell vehicle 1 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the control device 40B and the rewriting tool 9B. That is, in this embodiment, the operation state of the fuel cell vehicle is determined by the state determination unit 461B of the compressor ECU 451B, and the rewrite execution determination unit 462B of the rewrite tool 9B determines whether the rewrite of the control program is permitted or prohibited. Do.
According to the control device rewriting system for the fuel cell vehicle of the present embodiment, there are the same effects as the control device rewriting system for the fuel cell vehicle 1 of the second embodiment.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within a scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fuel cell vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a time chart which shows the change of the driving | running state of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the control apparatus which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the driving | running state determination process which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the rewriting execution determination process which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the control apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fuel cell vehicle 10 ... Fuel cell 21 ... Air compressor (compressor)
40... Control device 43... Scavenging process execution unit (scavenging execution means after power generation is stopped, scavenging execution means when abnormal, automatic starting means)
44 ... RTC (automatic starting means)
46, 46A, 46B ... Overall ECU (Overall Control Device)
461, 461B ... state determination unit 462, 462A, 462B ... rewrite execution determination unit (rewrite prohibition means)
45, 45B ... Scavenging related control device 451, 451B ... Compressor ECU (compressor control device)
452 ... Fuel cell ECU (fuel cell control device)
453 ... Battery ECU
9, 9A, 9B ... Rewriting tool (rewriting execution means)

Claims (7)

A fuel cell that generates electricity by supplying reactive gas;
A compressor for supplying scavenging gas to the fuel cell;
After the power generation of the fuel cell is stopped, a scavenging gas is supplied to the fuel cell by the compressor and the remaining reaction gas is scavenged after the power generation is stopped.
A control program relating to execution of scavenging is stored in a rewritable manner, and a scavenging-related control device that controls the scavenging-related device including the compressor and the fuel cell based on the control program. A system,
It is determined whether or not scavenging of the fuel cell is executed, and when it is determined that it is executed or is determined to be executed, a control program stored in the scavenging related control device A control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle, comprising rewriting prohibiting means for prohibiting rewriting of the fuel cell vehicle. During the start-up period of the fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle further includes an abnormal-time scavenging execution unit that performs scavenging when the fuel cell is in a power generation disabled state,
The rewrite prohibiting unit determines that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed during a start-up period of the fuel cell vehicle, and prohibits rewriting of a control program stored in the scavenging related control device. The control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1. Automatic start means for automatically starting the scavenging related control device and executing scavenging when the internal temperature of the fuel cell is predicted to drop to a predetermined temperature or less during the stop period of the fuel cell vehicle Further comprising
The rewrite prohibiting unit determines that scavenging of the fuel cell is executed based on activation of the scavenging related control device or activation of the compressor, and prohibits rewriting of a control program stored in the scavenging related control device. The control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device is rewritten. The scavenging related control device includes a fuel cell control device that controls the fuel cell, and a compressor control device that controls the compressor,
4. The control apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite prohibiting means is included in an overall control apparatus that controls the fuel cell control apparatus and the compressor control apparatus in an integrated manner. Rewriting system. Rewriting execution means that is provided separately from the fuel cell vehicle, is connected to the scavenging related control device, and executes rewriting of a control program stored in the scavenging related device,
The control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rewriting prohibiting means is included in the rewriting executing means.   6. The control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited while the control program stored in the scavenging related control device is being rewritten.   7. The control device rewriting system for a fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein scavenging of the fuel cell is prohibited after rewriting a control program stored in the scavenging related control device.

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