Power supply system

• US 10,029,579 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Norimoto, Michito
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US14/382,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 307 91, 307 91, 307 101, 307 102, 307 107, 307 66, 307 64, 307 43, 429 25, 429 23, 429 30, 701 22, 701 24, 701 23, 701 21, 320134, 320119, 318800, 318504
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/033 characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

A power supply system includes a fuel cell system having a fuel cell that is mounted on a vehicle, and a controller for controlling the fuel cell system. The controller performs control to operate the fuel cell by switching as appropriate between a driving mode in which the vehicle travels, and an external power supply mode for supplying electric power to an external load. In the driving mode, a first voltage is set as a high-potential avoiding voltage, and in the external power supply mode, a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage is set as the high-potential avoiding voltage.

Claims

1. A power supply system comprising:

a fuel cell mounted on a vehicle; and

a controller including a processor for executing a computer program stored in memory, the controller programmed to;

operate the fuel cell in a driving mode to supply electric power to the vehicle when the vehicle travels; and

operate the fuel cell in an external power supply mode when electric power is supplied from the fuel cell to an external load,

wherein;

in the driving mode, the controller is programmed to set a high-potential avoiding voltage that is an upper limit voltage for avoiding a high potential during power generation by the fuel cell to a first voltage; and

in the external power supply mode, the controller is programmed to set the high-potential avoiding voltage during the power generation by the fuel cell to a second voltage higher than the first voltage, wherein the external load is located outside of the vehicle.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein:

the fuel cell includes a catalyst metal; and

the second voltage is set to a voltage higher than a range of oxidation and reduction potentials for the catalyst metal.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to control a power generation parameter of the fuel cell such that a unit cell voltage of the fuel cell does not exceed the high-potential avoiding voltage.

4. A power supply system comprising:

a fuel cell mounted on a vehicle to supply electric power to the vehicle when the vehicle travels; and

a controller including a processor for executing a computer program stored in memory, the controller programmed to;

control a power generation parameter of the fuel cell so that a unit cell voltage of the fuel cell does not exceed a high-potential avoiding voltage that is an upper limit voltage for avoiding a high potential when electric power is supplied from the fuel cell to an external load, and

control the power generation parameter so that the unit cell voltage when the vehicle travels is lower than the unit cell voltage when the electric power is supplied from the fuel cell to the external load

wherein the external load is located outside of the vehicle.