Voltage supplying apparatus using a fuel cell

• US 20070070654A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ching-Hsiung Liu, Jiann-Fuh Chen, Wei-Shih Liu
• Original Assignee: Ching-Hsiung Liu, Jiann-Fuh Chen, Wei-Shih Liu
• Inventors: Chen, Jiann-Fuh, Liu, Wei-Shih, Liu, Ching-Hsiung
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/16
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/00 Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0093 wherein the output is created by adding a regulated voltage to or subtracting it from an unregulated input
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/40 Fuel cell technologies in production processes

Abstract

A voltage supplying apparatus using fuel cell to be a voltage source is provided. The voltage supplying apparatus comprises a fuel cell, a DC-DC voltage converter and a control circuit. The DC-DC voltage converter is used to receive the voltage outputted from the fuel cell and then output another voltage. Then, the voltages outputted from the fuel cell and the DC-DC voltage converter are combined to be the output voltage of the voltage supplying apparatus. The control circuit is used to control the operation of the DC-DC voltage converter according to magnitude of the output voltage of the voltage supplying apparatus.

Claims

1. A voltage supplying apparatus, used to output a total output voltage, comprising:

a fuel cell used to output a first output voltage;

a DC-DC Voltage Converter used to receive said first output voltage and perform a conversion of said first output voltage to a second output voltage, where said total output voltage is the sum of said first output voltage and said second output voltage; and

a control circuit used to control said conversion performed by said DC-DC Voltage Converter.

2. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control circuit controls said conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter in accordance to the magnitude of said total output voltage and therefore controls the magnitude of said second output voltage.

3. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 1 wherein said DC-DC Voltage Converter is a flyback isolated converter, a forward isolated converter, a half bridge isolated converter, a full bridge isolated converter, or a push-pull isolated converter.

4. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a battery backup unit that is in a parallel circuit with said second output voltage and stores the electric energy supplied by said second output voltage.

5. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control circuit activates said conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter in accordance to the magnitude of voltage terminal of said battery backup unit.

6. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a DC Bulk Capacitor that is in a parallel circuit with said total output voltage.

7. A voltage supplying apparatus, used to output a total output voltage, comprising:

a fuel cell;

a DC-DC Voltage Converter where a positive input terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter and a negative input terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter are electrically connected with a positive output terminal of said fuel cell and a negative output terminal of said fuel cell respectively, a positive output terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter is electrically connected with a negative output terminal of said fuel cell, and a positive output terminal of said fuel cell with a negative output terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter are used to supply said total output voltage;

a control circuit used to control the voltage conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter.

8. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 7 wherein said control circuit controls said conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter in accordance to the magnitude of said total output voltage and therefore stabilizes the magnitude of said output voltage.

9. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 7 wherein said DC-DC Voltage Converter is a flyback isolated converter, a forward isolated converter, a half bridge isolated converter, a full bridge isolated converter or a push-pull isolated converter.

10. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a battery backup unit that is in parallel circuit between the positive output terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter and the negative output terminal of said DC-DC Voltage Converter and stores the electric energy supplied by said DC-DC Voltage Converter.

11. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 10 within said control circuit activates said conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter in accordance to the magnitude of voltage terminal of said battery backup unit.

12. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a DC Bulk Capacitor that is in a parallel circuit with said total output voltage.

13. A voltage supplying apparatus, used to output a total output voltage, comprising:

a fuel cell used to output a first output voltage;

a DC-DC Voltage Converter used to receive said first output voltage and perform a conversion of said first output voltage to a second output voltage where said total output voltage is the sum of said first output voltage and said second output voltage;

a control circuit used to control said conversion performed by said DC-DC Voltage Converter; and

a battery backup unit used to receive and store the electric energy supplied by said second output voltage.

14. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 13 within said control circuit activates said conversion of said DC-DC Voltage Converter in accordance to the magnitude of voltage terminal of said battery backup unit.

15. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 13 within said DC-DC Voltage Converter is a flyback isolated converter, a forward isolated converter, a half bridge isolated converter, a full bridge isolated converter, or a push-pull isolated converter.

16. The voltage supplying apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a DC Bulk Capacitor that is in parallel circuit with said total output voltage.