Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100248054 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - Electric power generation is properly controlled during a high potential avoidance operation. A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell for generating an electric power upon receiving supply of a reactant gas and a controller for performing control for high potential avoidance with the upper limit of the output voltage of the fuel cell as a high potential avoidance voltage lower than the open end voltage thereof. The controller computes a larger system requirement power out of a system requirement power calculated from a load requirement and a system requirement power calculated from the high potential avoidance voltage as a system requirement power for the fuel cell. To compute the system requirement power for the fuel cell, not only the system requirement power calculated from the load requirement but also the system requirement power calculated from the high potential avoidance voltage are taken into account, and therefore the electric power can be stably generated without causing fuel shortage. The amount of the electric power to be generated can be properly controlled, and hence battery overcharging can be thus prevented. | 09-30-2010 |
20100273071 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND FUEL CELL DEGRADATION JUDGMENT METHOD - Provided is a fuel cell system which can measure an air blow interval and consider an exceptional condition such as a high-potential-avoiding operation, thereby enabling an accurate judgment of degradation of an electrolyte. An actual air blow time interval is measured while estimating a theoretical air blow time interval when an increase of a hydrogen consumption amount corresponding to a cell voltage in the high-potential-avoiding operation according to an output current by using a relationship table which contains a record of a relationship between a hydrogen consumption amount consumed for maintaining the function of a fuel cell and the air supply time interval varying with the increase of the hydrogen consumption amount. The degradation of the electrolyte of the fuel cell is judged according to whether the measured actual air blow time interval is shorter than the theoretical air blow time interval corresponding to the hydrogen consumption amount. | 10-28-2010 |
20110187298 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND MOTOR DRIVING METHOD - A motor can be driven while reducing the power loss of the entire system where a plurality of devices that causes power losses exists. The system is provided with an inverter connected to a motor, a first converter that is connected between a fuel cell and the inverter and sets an output voltage of the fuel cell, a second converter that is connected between a power storage device and the inverter and sets an input voltage Vin of the inverter, and a controller that controls the first converter and the second converter. Under the operating condition (torque, number of revolutions) required for the motor, an input voltage of the inverter which minimizes a power loss of at least one of the motor, the first converter, the second converter and the inverter is determined, and the determined input voltage is output as a necessary voltage for the inverter. | 08-04-2011 |
20120015268 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD FOR THE FUEL CELL SYSTEM, AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, and a control portion that determines whether there is leakage of the fuel gas. The control portion has start means for starting the fuel cell by raising the voltage of the fuel cell from a starting voltage to an operation voltage that is lower than an open-circuit voltage, and leakage determination means for determining whether there is leakage of the fuel gas before the voltage of the fuel cell reaches the operation voltage when the fuel cell is started. | 01-19-2012 |
20120020128 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system FCS includes a fuel cell FC, a motor ES | 01-26-2012 |
20120083940 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND POWER CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR - There are provided a fuel cell system capable of reducing power consumption by inhibiting an unnecessary operation of a DC-DC converter, and a power control method therefor. The fuel cell system having an inverter which is connected to a load device, a first converter which is connected between a fuel cell and the inverter and sets an output voltage of the fuel cell, and a second converter which is connected between a power storage device and the inverter and sets an input voltage of the inverter includes fuel cell required output voltage calculation means for calculating a required output voltage of the fuel cell, inverter required input voltage calculation means for calculating a required input voltage of the inverter, comparison means for comparing the required output voltage of the fuel cell and the required input voltage of the inverter, and converter operation control means for causing the operation of the first converter to be suspended when judgment is made that the required output voltage of the fuel cell is not less than the required input voltage of the inverter. | 04-05-2012 |
20120107709 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, and a converter which is connected between the fuel cell and a high voltage system and which sets an output ceiling voltage of the fuel cell, the fuel cell system comprising fuel gas supply stopping means for stopping the supply of fuel gas to the fuel cell in an intermittent operation mode, remaining fuel gas amount determination means for determining whether fuel gas in at least an amount capable of generating power remains in the fuel cell, converter driving means for driving the converter so that, when it is determined that fuel gas in at least the amount capable of generating power remains in the fuel cell, the output ceiling voltage of the fuel cell becomes a first voltage capable of preventing deterioration of the fuel cell, and converter stopping means for stopping the converter when it is determined that fuel gas in at least the amount capable of generating power does not remain in the fuel cell. | 05-03-2012 |
20120109444 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF SAME - Provided are a fuel cell system and a control method thereof capable of inhibiting the occurrence of problems caused by surplus electrical power even in cases where the torque able to be generated by the motor is limited due to a low motor drive voltage. A fuel cell system provided with a fuel cell and a motor is further provided with required output torque calculation means for calculating a required output torque based on an output requirement, torque upper limit value calculation means for calculating a torque upper limit value of torque able to be generated by the motor based on a drive voltage of the motor, required motor torque calculation means for calculating a required motor torque based on the required output torque and the torque upper limit value, required motor power calculation means for calculating a required motor power-based on the required motor torque, and required generated power calculation means forcalculating a required generated power of the fuel cell based on the required motor power. | 05-03-2012 |
20120146421 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - An output of a fuel cell is appropriately controlled. A required electric power generation amount calculation unit calculates and adds: an amount of electric power to be supplied to a traction motor; an amount of electric power to be supplied to an auxiliary apparatus; and an amount of electric power to be supplied to a battery and the traction motor in accordance with the charging and discharging of the battery, to calculate a required electric power generation amount. A lost electric power amount calculation unit calculates a lost electric power amount with reference to a lost electric power amount map based on: the required electric power generation amount; and a voltage increase ratio, output voltage and temperature in an FC converter. A lost electric power amount addition unit corrects the required electric power generation amount by adding the lost electric power amount to the required electric power generation amount. An electric power generation request unit outputs an instruction requesting power generation such that the electric power is generated in the required electric power generation amount after being corrected. | 06-14-2012 |