JP7536712B2 - Fuel Cell Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel cell system.

In a fuel cell system, in order to identify the cause of an error and restore normal operation, it is necessary to collect data related to the fuel cell system, such as sensor values and control variables, and send it to an information collection terminal. The information collection terminal then transmits the transmitted data to a higher-level device, the server, where it is used for abnormality analysis and design development.

For example, technology has been disclosed for a fuel cell system that can collect data such as measurement results from various instruments in the fuel cell system at an information collection terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-187830 A

However, uploading all data unrelated to errors in the fuel cell system to the information collection terminal or server is not desirable because it increases the amount of data communication, which may increase the power consumption of the information collection terminal and/or the communication charges between the information collection terminal and the server.

In addition, if the fuel cell system and the information collecting terminal are connected via a CAN, there is a problem that the load on the CAN bus between the fuel cell system and the information collecting terminal increases as the amount of data communication increases, which is not preferable.

In addition, if all data related to the fuel cell system is sent to the information collection terminal, the amount of data uploaded from the information collection terminal to the server will also increase. As a result, the amount of data stored on the server will increase, and the server's resources will have to be reinforced, which is undesirable as it raises concerns about increased management costs.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system that can reduce the amount of data communication transmitted from the fuel cell system to an information collection terminal by minimizing the amount of data communication related to errors in the fuel cell system.

A fuel cell system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit that controls a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, and a sensor that acquires data related to the fuel cell system. When a first error has not occurred in the fuel cell system, the control unit transmits the data acquired by the sensor to an information collection terminal at a first period, and when the first error has occurred in the fuel cell system, the control unit transmits the data acquired by the sensor to the information collection terminal at a second period that is shorter than the first period.

With the above configuration, when no error has occurred, the control unit transmits data related to the fuel cell system to the information collecting terminal at the minimum necessary interval. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data transmitted from the fuel cell system to the information collecting terminal. In contrast, when an error has occurred, the control unit transmits data related to the error in the fuel cell system to the information collecting terminal at intervals shorter than the interval at which data is transmitted when no error has occurred. In other words, when an error occurs, data such as sensor values, control variables, and error information can be transmitted to the information collecting terminal at a short frequency, making it possible to supply a necessary and sufficient amount of data to identify the cause of the error and operate normally.

The fuel cell system further includes a storage unit that stores the data acquired by the sensor. When the first error occurs, the control unit transmits, to the information collection terminal at the second cycle, data stored in the storage unit from a first predetermined time before the first error occurs to a second predetermined time after the first error occurs.

As a result, if an error occurs, the control unit will send data about the error to the information collection terminal from the time the error occurred, at a shorter interval than the interval at which data would be sent if no error occurred. This makes it possible to supply a sufficient amount of data to identify the cause of the error and enable normal operation.

In addition, if a second error different from the first error occurs while transmitting data from the first predetermined time before the first error occurs to the second predetermined time after the first error occurs to the information collecting terminal, the control unit of the fuel cell system appends and transmits to the information collecting terminal data from the second predetermined time after the first error occurs to the second predetermined time after the second error occurs.

As a result, if a new, separate, second error occurs during the transmission of data related to a first error, the control unit omits the transmission of duplicate data among the data corresponding to each error and adds and transmits only the differences. This allows the control unit to transmit the minimum necessary data related to the fuel cell system to the information collection terminal, and reduces the amount of data communication transmitted from the fuel cell system to the information collection terminal.

In addition, when a second error different from the first error occurs while transmitting to the information collecting terminal first data related to the first error acquired from the first predetermined time before the first error occurred to the second predetermined time after the first error occurred, the control unit of the fuel cell system distinguishes between the first data related to the first error and the second data related to the second error acquired from the first predetermined time before the second error occurred to the second predetermined time after the second error occurred, and transmits the data to the information collecting terminal in the second cycle.

As a result, if a new, different second error occurs while data related to an error is being sent, the control unit will send separate data corresponding to each error to the information collection terminal. This makes it possible to identify the cause of each error and supply data necessary for normal operation with a clear separation.

According to the present invention, by minimizing the amount of data communication related to errors in the fuel cell system, it is possible to reduce the amount of data communication sent from the fuel cell system to the information collection terminal.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information collecting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between buffer data and transmission data. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between buffer data and transmission data. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a connection relationship between a fuel cell system and an information collecting terminal; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a digital signal circuit between an FCECU of a fuel cell system and a main control board of an information collecting terminal. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a data transmission process executed by an FCECU of the fuel cell system.

The following describes the embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information collection system 1 includes a fuel cell unit 100 and a server 200. The information collection system 1 may include other components not shown in Figure 1.

The fuel cell unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on vehicles such as industrial vehicles, such as forklifts, and electric vehicles, and supplies power to a load. The load may be a power source for supplying power to a driving motor, a loading motor, electrical components, a computer, memory, etc.

The fuel cell unit 100 includes a fuel cell system 10 and an information collection terminal 20. The fuel cell unit 100 may include other configurations not shown in FIG. 1. The fuel cell system 10 includes a fuel cell 11, a power storage device 12, a sensor 13, a memory 14, an FC main control board (hereinafter referred to as "FC ECU") 15, and a relay 16. The fuel cell system 10 may include other configurations not shown in FIG. 1.

The fuel cell 11 generates electrical energy through a chemical reaction between hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen tank and oxygen in the air supplied from the atmosphere. In other words, the fuel cell 11 generates electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The power storage device 12 stores the electricity generated by the fuel cell 11 according to the power generation status and load status of the fuel cell 11.

The sensor 13 acquires sensor values and control variables related to the fuel cell 11 and the power storage device 12. The sensor value is a type of data collected by the information collection terminal 20. The control variable is one of the variables necessary for controlling the fuel cell system 10. The sensor 13 is a sensor that inputs reference information that the FCECU 15 refers to when controlling the control target. The sensor values acquired by the sensor 13 include, for example, sensor values such as voltage, current, temperature, pressure, flow rate, and concentration. The sensor values acquired by the sensor 13 include, for example, various information such as the voltage and temperature of each cell constituting the fuel cell 11, the temperature of the exhaust (off-gas) of the fuel cell 11, and the temperature of the outside air. The FCECU 15 is equipped with, for example, a dedicated OS (Operating System) that is different from a general-purpose OS.

The memory 14 is configured with a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores data such as programs, various sensor values and control variables acquired by the sensor 13, and error information. The memory 14 may also store thresholds corresponding to the sensor values and control variables. The data such as the various sensor values, control variables, and error information may be stored in, for example, a non-volatile storage device of the memory 14. The memory 14 is provided inside the fuel cell system 10. In FIG. 1, the memory 14 is configured separately from the FCECU 15, but this is not limited thereto, and the memory 14 may be configured inside the FCECU 15.

The FCECU 15 controls the processing and operation of the entire fuel cell system 10. The FCECU 15 corresponds to a control unit. The FCECU 15 is configured, for example, by a general-purpose IC. Instead of a general-purpose IC, the FCECU 15 may be configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a multi-core CPU, or a programmable device (FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or PLD (Programmable Logic Device)). The fuel cell 11, the power storage device 12, the sensor 13, and the memory 14 are electrically connected to the FCECU 15 as objects to be controlled.

The FCECU 15 acquires the sensor values and control variables acquired by the sensor 13. The FCECU 15 also determines whether the sensor values and control variables acquired by the sensor 13 are erroneous, i.e., whether an error has occurred in the fuel cell system 10. The error determination result is stored in the memory 14 as error information. The determination of whether the sensor values and control variables are erroneous can be determined, for example, by comparison with a predetermined threshold value stored in the memory 14. The determination of whether the sensor values and control variables are erroneous, i.e., whether an error has occurred in the fuel cell system 10, may be performed by other methods.

When an error occurs in a sensor value or control variable, the FCECU 15 notifies the fuel cell system 10 of error information corresponding to the error. The FCECU 15 may also notify the fuel cell system 10 of error information corresponding to an error related to an operation phase of the fuel cell system 10. The operation phases may be classified into a plurality of phases including, for example, a substrate power ON phase, a sensor check phase, a relay/contactor ON phase, a hydrogen supply phase, an air supply phase, and a power generation phase.

Error information is identification information associated with sensor values and control variables necessary for analyzing errors in the fuel cell system 10. Error information may be set in association with each operation phase of the fuel cell system 10. Therefore, for example, any identification symbol can be used as error information corresponding to an operation phase. If there is an error in the sensor value or control variable, the FCECU 15 notifies the fuel cell system 10 itself of the error information corresponding to the error.

Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams explaining the relationship between buffer data and transmission data. Figure 2 (1) shows the relationship between buffer data and transmission data when no error occurs in the fuel cell system 10. Figure 2 (2) shows the relationship between buffer data and transmission data when an error occurs in the fuel cell system 10. Figure 3 shows the relationship between buffer data and transmission data when multiple errors occur in the fuel cell system 10.

The FCECU 15 stores the sensor values and control variable information obtained from the sensor 13, and the notified error information, as buffer data in the memory 14 at an arbitrary sampling period c1. The sampling period c1 may be set to any period between 1 ms and several hundred ms, for example. In the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, the sampling period c1 is set to 100 ms.

The FCECU 15 transmits data from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at an arbitrary sampling period c1 to the information collecting terminal 20 at an arbitrary transmission period. Hereinafter, the data from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 that is transmitted to the information collecting terminal 20 at an arbitrary transmission period is referred to as "transmission data". The arbitrary transmission period may be set to an arbitrary period between 1 ms and several tens of seconds (seconds), for example. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the transmission period c2 (first transmission period) when no error occurs is set to 1 s (second), and the transmission period c3 (second transmission period) when an error occurs is set to 100 ms. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the sampling period c1 and the transmission period c3 when an error occurs are set to the same period. The sampling period c1 and the transmission period c3 when an error occurs may be set to different periods.

The FCECU 15 transmits transmission data to the information collecting terminal 20 at different periods depending on whether an error e1 (first error) has occurred in the fuel cell system 10. When the error e1 has not occurred in the fuel cell system 10, the FCECU 15 transmits transmission data selected at a transmission period c2 from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at an arbitrary sampling period c1 to the information collecting terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 2 (1). In contrast, when the error e1 has occurred in the fuel cell system 10, the FCECU 15 transmits transmission data selected at a transmission period c2 from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at an arbitrary sampling period c1 to the information collecting terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 2 (2). The transmission period c3 is set to a period shorter than the transmission period c2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the arbitrary sampling period c1 and the transmission period c3 are set to the same period, but this is not limited thereto and they may be set to different periods. If they are set to different periods, the transmission period c3 is set to a period longer than the arbitrary sampling period c1 and shorter than the transmission period c2.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2(1), when an error e1 does not occur in the fuel cell system 10, the FCECU 15 transmits to the information collecting terminal 20 transmission data selected from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at a sampling period c1 of 100 ms at a transmission period c2 of 1 s (seconds). Therefore, when no error occurs, the FCECU 15 transmits the buffer data related to the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20 at the minimum necessary period. In this way, the FCECU 15 can reduce the amount of data communication transmitted from the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20 by transmitting only thinned data from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 to the information collecting terminal 20 as transmission data.

In contrast, as shown in FIG. 2(2), when an error e1 occurs in the fuel cell system 10, the FCECU 15 transmits to the information collecting terminal 20 transmission data selected from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at a sampling period c1 of 100 ms at a transmission period c3 of 100 ms. Therefore, when an error occurs, the FCECU 15 transmits buffer data related to the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20 at a transmission period c3 of 100 ms, which is shorter than the transmission period c2 of 1 s (second) when no error occurs. This makes it possible to transmit data related to the fuel cell 11, such as sensor values, control variables, and error information, to the information collecting terminal 20 more frequently and at a shorter frequency when an error occurs. This makes it possible to supply a necessary and sufficient amount of buffer data for identifying the cause of the error and operating normally.

In addition, when an error e1 occurs, the FCECU 15 transmits to the information collection terminal 20, in a transmission cycle c3, transmission data corresponding to the buffer data stored in the memory 14 from a time t1 (first predetermined time) before the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs to a time t2 (second predetermined time) after the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the time t1 is set to 3 s (seconds), and the time t2 is set to 1 s (seconds). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), when an error e1 occurs in the fuel cell system 10, the FCECU 15 transmits transmission data ef1 corresponding to the buffer data ed1 for a total of 4 s (seconds) from 3 s (seconds) before the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs to 1 s (seconds) after the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs, among the buffer data stored in the memory 14, to the information collecting terminal 20 at a transmission cycle c3 of 100 ms. In this case, the transmission data ef1 (buffer data ed1) for a total of 4 s (seconds) is transmitted to the information collecting terminal 20 over approximately 4 s (seconds) at a transmission cycle c3 of 100 ms.

As a result, when an error e1 occurs, the FCECU 15 transmits data relating to the error e1 in the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20, going back from the time et1 when the error e1 occurred, at a transmission period c3 that is shorter than the transmission period c2 transmitted when the error e1 does not occur. This makes it possible to supply a sufficient amount of data necessary to identify the cause of the error and operate normally. After the transmission data is transmitted at a transmission period c3 of 100 ms, which is a total of 4 s (seconds), the FCECU 15 again transmits the buffer data stored in the memory 14 to the information collecting terminal 20 at the transmission period c2.

Furthermore, the FCECU 15 may append and transmit transmission data to be transmitted to the information collecting terminal 20 depending on whether an error e2 different from the error e1 occurs during transmission of the transmission data ef1 corresponding to the buffer data ed1 of the error e1. For example, the FCECU 15 determines whether an error e2 occurs during a period (hereinafter referred to as the "data transmission period dt1") during which the transmission data ef1 corresponding to the buffer data ed1 from a time t1 before the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs to a time t2 after the time et1 at which the error e1 occurs is transmitted to the information collecting terminal 20.

When an error e2 occurs during the data transmission period dt1, the FCECU 15 appends the buffer data ed2 from time et3, which is a time t2 after time et1 when the error e1 occurs, to time t2 after time et2 when the error e2 occurs, as transmission data ef2 and transmits it to the information collection terminal 20. That is, in this case, the buffer data ed2 from time t3 before time et2 when the error e2 occurs to time et2 after time et2 when the error e2 occurs is appended and transmitted as transmission data ef2.

If a new error e2 occurs during the data transmission period dt1 related to error e1, the FCECU15 must transmit 4 s (seconds) of data related to error e1 plus 4 s (seconds) of data related to error e2, totaling 8 s (seconds). However, the FCECU15 can omit transmitting the duplicated data and transmit only the difference.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the FCECU 15 appends and transmits transmission data ef2 corresponding to buffer data ed2 for a total of 2 seconds from 1 second after the time et1 when error e1 occurs to 1 second after the time et1 when error e1 occurs and 1 second after the time et1 when error e1 occurs, to transmission data ef1 corresponding to buffer data ed1 for a total of 4 seconds from 3 seconds before the time et1 when error e1 occurs to 1 second after the time et1 when error e1 occurs, and to transmission data ef2 corresponding to buffer data ed2 for a total of 2 seconds from 1 second after the time et1 when error e1 occurs to 1 second after the time et2 when error e2 occurs.

As a result, the FCECU 15 only needs to transmit 6 s (seconds) worth of transmission data, and can omit the transmission of the overlapping 2 s (seconds) worth of data from the transmission data corresponding to each error e1 and error e2, and can add and transmit only the difference. This allows the FCECU 15 to transmit the minimum necessary data related to the fuel cell system 10 to the information collection terminal 20, and reduces the amount of data transmitted from the fuel cell system 10 to the information collection terminal 20. This allows the power consumption of the information collection terminal 20 required for communication to be kept to a minimum. In addition, the load on the CAN bus connecting the fuel cell system 10 and the information collection terminal 20 can be reduced, resulting in reduced power consumption and communication charges.

The information collecting terminal 20, which is equipped with a general-purpose OS, starts up slower than the FCECU 15 of the fuel cell system 10. Therefore, when the information collecting terminal 20 is not started, the FCECU 15 temporarily stores data including the sensor values and control variables acquired by the sensors 13 in the memory 14 until the information collecting terminal 20 starts up. After that, when the information collecting terminal 20 starts up, the FCECU 15 transmits the data temporarily stored in the memory 14 to the information collecting terminal 20.

Based on the control of FCECU 15, relay 16 starts or stops the supply of 12V power from the power storage device 12 to the information collection terminal 20. When the key is turned ON, FCECU 15 turns relay 16 ON to start the supply of power to the information collection terminal 20, causing the information collection terminal 20 to start operating. When the key is turned OFF, FCECU 15 turns relay 16 OFF to stop the supply of power to the information collection terminal 20, causing the information collection terminal 20 to stop operating.

The information collection terminal 20 includes a power supply control unit 21, a main control board 22, and a mobile communication antenna 23.

The power supply control unit 21 is electrically connected to the fuel cell system 10 and supplies 12V power supplied from the fuel cell system 10 to the main control board 22.

The main control board 22 controls the processing and operation of the information collecting terminal 20 as a whole. The main control board 22 is configured, for example, by a general-purpose IC. The main control board 22 may be configured by a CPU, a multi-core CPU, or a programmable device (FPGA or PLD) instead of a general-purpose IC. The power supply control unit 21 and the mobile communication antenna 23 are electrically connected to the main control board 22 as control targets. The main control board 22 is equipped with a general-purpose OS, so it takes longer to start up than the fuel cell system 10. The main control board 22 of the information collecting terminal 20 is also electrically connected to the FCECU 15 of the fuel cell system 10.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between the fuel cell system 10 and the information collection terminal 20. As shown in Figure 4, the battery voltage, GND, digital signals, and CAN communication data are communicably connected between the fuel cell system 10 (FC ECU 15) and the information collection terminal 20 (main control board 22).

The digital signal is an ON or OFF signal output from the main control board 22 of the information collecting terminal 20 to the FCECU 15 of the fuel cell system 10. When the power of the information collecting terminal 20 is ON, i.e., when the information collecting terminal 20 is capable of CAN communication, the main control board 22 of the information collecting terminal 20 switches the digital signal output to the fuel cell system 10 from OFF to ON. When the power of the information collecting terminal 20 is OFF, i.e., when the information collecting terminal 20 is in a shutdown state, the main control board 22 of the information collecting terminal 20 switches the digital signal output to the fuel cell system 10 from ON to OFF.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a digital signal circuit between the FCECU 15 of the fuel cell system 10 and the main control board 22 of the information collection terminal 20. For example, a pull-up circuit can be used as the digital signal circuit. As shown in Figure 5, the digital signal circuit can determine whether the power supply is OFF or ON and CAN communication is possible by the ON/OFF (12V/0V) signal due to the terminal voltage between the connectors.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a data transmission process executed by the FCECU 15 of the fuel cell system 10.

First, the FCECU 15 determines whether an error e1 has occurred in the fuel cell system 10 (step S11). The process of determining whether an error has occurred in the fuel cell system 10 is executed separately or in parallel with the data transmission process shown in FIG. 6.

If error e1 has not occurred in the fuel cell system 10 (step S11: NO), the FCECU 15 acquires buffer data for one sampling period from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at the sampling period c1 (step S12). The FCECU 15 transmits transmission data corresponding to the acquired buffer data for one sampling period to the information collection terminal 20 at the transmission period c2 (step S13). After the transmission data is transmitted and the processing of step S13 is completed, the processing returns to step S11.

When an error e1 occurs in the fuel cell system 10 (step S11: YES), the FCECU 15 retrieves buffer data from the buffer data stored in the memory 14 at a sampling period c1 (step S14). In this process, the FCECU 15 retrieves buffer data from a period t1 before the time et1 at which the error e1 occurred to a period t2 after the time et1 at which the error e1 occurred. The FCECU 15 transmits transmission data corresponding to the retrieved buffer data from a period t1 before the time et1 at which the error e1 occurred to a period t2 after the time et1 at which the error e1 occurred to the information collection terminal 20 at a transmission period c3 (step S15).

The FCECU15 determines whether a new error e2 different from error e1 has occurred during the data transmission period dt1 of the transmission data sent in step S15 (step S16).

If a new error e2 occurs during the data transmission period dt1 of the transmission data transmitted in step S15 (step S16: YES), the FCECU 15 transmits additional transmission data ef2 corresponding to the total buffer data ed2 from time t2 after the time et1 when the error e1 occurred to time t2 after the time et2 when the error e2 occurred to the information collection terminal 20 in a transmission cycle c3 (step S17). When this process ends, the process proceeds to step S18. If a new error e2 does not occur during the data transmission period dt1 of the transmission data transmitted in step S15 (step S16: NO), the process proceeds to step S18.

In step S18, the FCECU 15 determines whether the transmission of the transmission data transmitted in step S15 or the additional transmission data transmitted in step S17 has been completed (step S18). If the transmission of the transmission data transmitted in step S15 or the additional transmission data transmitted in step S17 has not been completed (step S18: NO), the process returns to step S16, and the processes from step S16 to step S18 are repeatedly executed until the transmission of the transmission data transmitted in step S15 or the additional transmission data transmitted in step S17 has been completed.

When the transmission of the transmission data sent in step S15 and the additional transmission data sent in step S17 is completed (step S18: YES), the process returns to step S11, and steps S11 to S18 are repeatedly executed until an instruction to end the process is received.

With the above configuration, when error e1 has not occurred, the FCECU 15 transmits transmission data related to the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20 at the minimum necessary transmission cycle c2. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of data transmitted from the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20. In contrast, when error e1 has occurred, the FCECU 15 transmits transmission data related to the error in the fuel cell system 10 to the information collecting terminal 20 at a transmission cycle c3 that is shorter than the transmission cycle c2. In other words, when error e1 has occurred, transmission data corresponding to buffer data such as sensor values, control variables, and error information can be transmitted to the information collecting terminal 20 at a short frequency, making it possible to supply a necessary and sufficient amount of data for identifying the cause of the error and operating normally.

In addition, when an error e1 occurs, the FCECU 15 transmits data related to the error e1 to the information collection terminal 20, going back from the time et1 when the error e1 occurred, in a transmission period c3 that is shorter than the transmission period c2 transmitted when the error e1 does not occur. This makes it possible to supply a necessary and sufficient amount of data for identifying the cause of the error and for normal operation.

In addition, if a new error e2 occurs during the transmission of transmission data related to error e1, the FCECU 15 omits the transmission of duplicate data among the transmission data corresponding to each error and adds and transmits only the differences. This allows the FCECU 15 to transmit the minimum necessary data related to the fuel cell system 10 to the information collection terminal 20, and reduces the amount of data communication transmitted from the fuel cell system 10 to the information collection terminal 20.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, when a new error e2 occurs during the data transmission period dt1 of the transmission data, the FCECU 15 transmits additional transmission data ef2 corresponding to the total buffer data ed2 from time t2 after the time et1 when the error e1 occurred to time t2 after the time et2 when the error e2 occurred to the information collecting terminal 20 in a transmission period c3, but this is not limited to this.

For example, if a new error e2 occurs during the data transmission period dt1 of the transmission data related to the error e1, the FCECU 15 may distinguish between the transmission data sd1 (first data) related to the error e1 and the second data related to the error e2 acquired from the time t1 before the time et2 when the transmission data sf2 (second data) occurred until the time t2 after the time et2 when the error e2 occurred, and transmit them to the information collection terminal 20 in the transmission cycle c3.

As a result, if a new error e2 occurs during transmission of transmission data related to error e1, the FCECU 15 transmits data corresponding to each error separately to the information collection terminal 20. This makes it possible to supply data that is clearly separated and is necessary to identify the cause of each error and operate normally.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information collection system 10 Fuel cell system 11 Fuel cell 12 Power storage device 13 Sensor 14 Memory 15 FCECU
16 Relay 20 Information collection terminal 21 Power supply control unit 22 Main control board 23 Mobile communication antenna 100 Fuel cell unit 200 Server

Claims (4)

A control unit that controls a fuel cell system including the fuel cell;
a sensor for acquiring data related to the fuel cell system;
A fuel cell system comprising :
The control unit is
storing data acquired by the sensor in the storage unit at a first period;
If a first error has not occurred in the fuel cell system, transmitting the data stored in the storage unit to an information collecting terminal at a second period;
A fuel cell system characterized in that, when the first error occurs in the fuel cell system, the data stored in the memory unit is transmitted to the information collection terminal at a third period that is longer than the first period and shorter than the second period . 2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 ,
The control unit is
a fuel cell system characterized in that, when the first error occurs, the data stored in the memory unit from a first predetermined time before the first error occurs to a second predetermined time after the first error occurs is transmitted to the information collection terminal in the third period. 3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2,
The control unit is
a second error different from the first error occurs while data from the first predetermined time before the first error occurs to the second predetermined time after the first error occurs is being transmitted to the information collecting terminal , and if the time from the second predetermined time after the first error occurs to the second error occurs is shorter than the first predetermined time, the fuel cell system further transmits to the information collecting terminal data from the second predetermined time after the first error occurs to the second error and data from the second error occurs to the second predetermined time after the second error occurs. 3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2,
The control unit is
a second error different from the first error occurs while first data regarding the first error, the second data being obtained from the first predetermined time before the first error occurs until the second predetermined time after the first error occurs, is transmitted to the information collecting terminal, the first data regarding the first error and the second data regarding the second error, the second data being obtained from the first predetermined time before the second error occurs until the second predetermined time after the second error occurs, are transmitted to the information collecting terminal in the third cycle.

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