Patent ID: 11938840
Assignee: RENAULT S.A.S.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  H  Y | IPC B  H

Claim 0:
1. A control method for a fuel cell system for a vehicle including a fuel cell and a heater configured to warm up the fuel cell, the method comprising:
executing a stop control of the fuel cell system when an operation stop request of the fuel cell system is received;
determining, after the operation stop request is received, whether a next operation start time of the vehicle has been set;
calculating a first energy cost and a second energy cost at predetermined intervals, in response to determining that the next operation start time of the vehicle has been set, wherein:
the first energy cost is an energy cost required in a case where the fuel cell stops operation at a present time and a warm-up of the fuel cell using the heater is performed prior to the next operation start time of the vehicle, and
the second energy cost is an energy cost required in a case where the fuel cell continues to operate to maintain a temperature of the fuel cell at a warm-up temperature from the present time until the next operation start time of the vehicle; and

controlling the fuel cell to continue operation to maintain the temperature of the fuel cell at the warm-up temperature as long as the first energy cost is larger than the second energy cost.