State diagnostic apparatus of fuel cell stack

• US 10,106,051 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Jeong, Kwi Seong, Won, Sang Bok, Kum, Young Bum, Ko, Jae Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeng, Lingwen R
• Application Number:
  US14/562,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20160093903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,416 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04679 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An apparatus for diagnosing a state of a fuel cell stack is provided. The apparatus may diagnose the state of the fuel cell stack without including the DC-DC converter which boosts the DC voltage and the inverter which converts the boosted DC voltage into the AC voltage. In particular, the apparatus may diagnose the state of the fuel cell by applying the rectangular wave of the single frequency having a duty ration of about 0.5 to the fuel cell stack, measuring the voltage of the fuel cell stack, detecting the even multiple harmonic component of the frequency of the rectangular wave by performing the frequency conversion on the measured voltage, and then diagnosing the state of the fuel cell stack based on the magnitude of the detected harmonic component.

Claims

1. An apparatus for diagnosing a state of a fuel cell stack, comprising:

a driver configured to turn on and off a power transistor based on a driving frequency;

the power transistor driven based on a control of the driver to such that a rectangular wave current component of a single frequency is included in a current of the fuel cell stack; and

a diagnostic controller configured to set the driving frequency,

and the diagnostic controller further programmed to measure a voltage of the fuel cell stack, and convert the voltage into a frequency to detect even multiple harmonic components of a rectangular wave frequency, and diagnose a state of the fuel cell stack based on a magnitude of the detected even multiple harmonic components.

2. The state diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic controller is configured to:

measure an output voltage of the fuel cell stack;

convert the measured output into the frequency; and

diagnose the state of the fuel cell stack based on the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency in the converted frequency.

3. The according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic controller is configured to determine that the state of the fuel cell stack is abnormal when the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency is greater than a first threshold, and

determine that the state of the fuel cell stack is normal when the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency is less than a second threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold has a greater value than the second threshold.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rectangular wave current component of a single frequency having a duty ratio of about 0.5.

6. An apparatus of a fuel cell stack, comprising:

a rectangular wave generator configured to generate a rectangular wave of a single frequency;

a power transistor configured to be driven based on the rectangular wave output from the rectangular wave generator such that a rectangular wave current component of the single frequency is included in a current of the fuel cell stack; and

a diagnostic controller configured to set a frequency and an amplitude value of the rectangular wave,

and the diagnostic controller further programmed to measure a voltage of the fuel cell stack, and convert the voltage into a frequency to detect even multiple harmonic components of a rectangular wave frequency, and diagnose a state of the fuel cell stack based on a magnitude of the detected even multiple harmonic components.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the diagnostic controller is conjured to:

measure an output voltage of the fuel cell stack;

convert the measured voltage into the frequency; and

diagnose the state of the fuel cell stack based on the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency in the converted frequency.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the diagnostic controller is configured to determine that the state of the fuel cell stack is abnormal when the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency is greater than a first threshold, and

determine that the state of the fuel cell stack is normal when the magnitude of even multiple harmonic components of the rectangular wave frequency does is less than a second threshold.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first threshold has a larger greater value than the second threshold.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rectangular wave current component of a single frequency having a duty ratio of about 0.5.