Management system for a fuel cell and method thereof

• US 20050014041A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: DeFilippis, Michael S., Becerra, Juan J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,553,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/415
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04186 of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04194 Concentration measuring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04447 of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04716 of fuel cell exhausts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a fuel supply system, and a fuel cell control system. The fuel cell converts fuel into electrical energy. The fuel supply system is connected to the fuel cell and the fuel cell control system is coupled to the fuel cell and the fuel supply system. The fuel cell control system manages fuel supplied from the fuel supply system to the fuel cell based on information about at least one of the fuel and the fuel supply system to control the conversion of the fuel into electrical energy

Claims

1. A fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell which converts fuel into electrical energy;

a fuel supply system that is in communication with the fuel cell; and

a fuel cell control system coupled to the fuel cell and the fuel supply system, the fuel cell control system manages fuel supplied from the fuel supply system to the fuel cell based on information about at least one of the fuel and the fuel supply system to control the conversion of the fuel into electrical energy.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuel control system determines if the fuel from the fuel supply system is appropriate for the fuel cell based on the information.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the fuel control system prevents the fuel supply system from supplying the fuel if the fuel control system determines that the fuel is not appropriate.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuel supply system further comprises a container for the fuel.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the fuel cell control system further comprises:

a delivery regulation system connected between the container and the fuel cell, the delivery regulation system regulates the fuel from the container to the fuel cell;

a container control system connected to the container, the container control system obtaining information about at least one of the container and the fuel;

a delivery control system coupled to the delivery regulation system, the delivery control system controlling the delivery regulation system to regulate the fuel from the container to the fuel cell; and

a replenishment control system coupled to the container control system and the delivery control system, the replenishment control system controlling the delivery control system based on the information from the container control system.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a sensor system that obtains the information, the sensor system is in the container and is coupled to the fuel cell control system.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the information is a reading of an amount of the fuel in the container.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a replenishment source connected to the fuel supply system, the fuel cell control system controlling the replenishment source to replenish the fuel if the amount from the reading is below a set replenishment level.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the fuel cell control system further comprises a display system, the display system providing an empty signal when the reading indicates that the fuel is substantially gone.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the information is a measurement of the concentration of the fuel in the fuel supply system.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the fuel cell control system adjusts the fuel supplied by the fuel supply system based on the measurement of the concentration of the fuel.

12. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a spent fuel storage connected to the fuel supply system, the fuel cell control system manages a removal of at least a portion of the fuel spent in the fuel cell to the spent fuel storage.

13. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fuel cell control system determines if new instructions to manage fuel supplied from the fuel supply system are available when the fuel supply system is connected.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the fuel cell control system obtains the new instructions from the fuel supply system when the fuel cell control system determines the new instructions are available.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the container is a replaceable container.

16. A method for controlling operation of a fuel cell system, the method comprising:

supplying fuel for conversion into electrical energy

converting the supplied fuel into electrical energy; and

regulating the supplying based on information about the supplied fuel to control the conversion of the fuel into electrical energy.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 further comprises obtaining the information about the fuel.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16 further comprising determining if the fuel is an appropriate type based on the information.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising preventing the supplying if the determining determines that the fuel is not the appropriate type.

20. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the information is a reading of an amount of the fuel remaining before the supplying.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising replenishing the fuel if the amount from the reading is below a set replenishment level.

22. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising stopping the supplying if the amount from the reading indicates that a container with the fuel is substantially empty.

23. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the information is a measurement of the concentration of the supplied fuel.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23 further comprising adjusting the regulating based on the measurement of the concentration of the fuel.

25. The method as set forth in claim 16 further comprising removing at least a portion of the fuel which is spent after the converting.

26. The method as set forth in claim 16 further comprising determining if new instructions regarding the regulating are available.

27. The method as set forth in claim 26 further comprising obtaining the new instructions if the determining determines the new instructions are available.