RESIDUAL CAPACITY DETECTION METHOD AND RESIDUAL CAPACITY DETECTION SYSTEM FOR FUEL CELL BATTERY

• US 20080176115A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAMIYA, Kunio
• Granted Patent: US 7,972,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04014 Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04052 Storage of heat in the fuel cell system
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04067 Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04216 characterised by the choice for a specific material, e.g. carbon, hydride, absorbent
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04328 of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04388 of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04955 Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1097 Fuel cells applied on a support, e.g. miniature fuel cells deposited on silica supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2475 Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Upon determining the temperature of and pressure in a flow path connecting between a fuel cell and a fuel storage container for supplying fuel to the fuel cell in order to detect a residual capacity of a fuel cell battery, the temperature is determined from those measured in electronic equipment connected to the fuel cell battery. Therefore, there can be provided a residual capacity detection method and a residual capacity detection system for a fuel cell battery, which can give a user accurate information on battery residual capacity even if there is no temperature detection part in a fuel cell system. The present invention can also be understood as a residual capacity detection system for a fuel cell battery.

Claims

1. A residual capacity detection method for a fuel cell battery connected to electronic equipment and having a fuel cell, a fuel storage container for supplying fuel to the fuel cell, and a flow path connecting between the fuel cell and the fuel storage container, the method comprising:

detecting temperature at a predetermined portion of the electronic equipment connected to the fuel cell battery;

detecting pressure in the flow path;

reading a temperature difference between the temperature of the electronic equipment and the temperature of the flow path from prestored reference data;

determining the temperature of the flow path based on the temperature difference; and

determining a residual capacity of the fuel cell battery from the temperature of the flow path and the pressure in the flow path.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell battery to which the residual capacity detection method is applied includes

a projection portion provided on a top face of the fuel cell to create a space for allowing air to pass through,

a heat radiation member for radiating heat from the fuel cell, and

a latent heat storage material residing between the fuel cell and the heat radiation member.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment connected to the fuel cell battery has at least a terminal for electric power output of the fuel cell and a terminal for pressure signal from the flow path.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment connected to the fuel cell battery has an error detection part for comparing the detected temperature output or the detected pressure with a predetermined temperature and pressure limit to detect an error in the fuel cell battery so as to disconnect the fuel cell battery from a device load part.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein upon detecting temperature, one of temperatures detected in a plurality of temperature detection portions in the electronic equipment is selected.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the temperature detection portions in the electronic equipment include at least one of a portion exposed on the electronic equipment, a portion in a fuel cell compartment, a portion in an IC chip for a lens drive circuit or in the vicinity of a lens drive circuit substrate, a portion in the vicinity of a secondary battery, a portion in the vicinity of a disk medium, and a portion in the vicinity of an image pickup device.

7. A residual capacity detection system for a fuel battery, the system including a fuel cell system and electronic equipment,

the fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell for generating electric power using hydrogen as fuel, a hydrogen storage alloy container for supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell, a microscopic fluid flow path connecting between the hydrogen storage alloy container and the fuel cell and having an on-off valve, a pressure control valve, and a pressure detection sensor formed thereon, and

the electronic equipment having a fuel cell compartment with a contact terminal and a temperature detection part,

the system comprising:

a measured data storage portion for storing values of temperature measured in the temperature detection part of the electronic equipment and pressure measured in the microscopic fluid flow path;

a reference data storage portion for storing a temperature difference between the temperature detection part of the electronic equipment and the microscopic fluid flow path, and temperature and pressure versus residual battery capacity data; and

a correction data storage portion for storing data for correcting the measured data stored in the measured data storage portion based on the reference data stored in the reference data storage portion;

wherein a residual capacity of the fuel cell battery is determined from output of the correction data storage portion and output of the measured data storage portion storing the measured pressure in the microscopic fluid flow path.

8. The system according to claim 7 further comprising the microscopic fluid flow path provided between the hydrogen storage alloy container and the fuel cell, and a projection portions provided on a top face of the fuel cell to project from a surface of an air inlet member,

wherein data stored in the reference data storage portion includes product information on manufacturer and date of manufacture as model information of the fuel cell system.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the contact terminal includes at least a terminal for the fuel cell and a signal terminal for the pressure detection sensor.

10. The system according to claim 7 further comprising a change-over switch arranged between a secondary battery and the fuel cell.

11. The system according to claim 7 further comprising an error detection part for comparing the detection output from the temperature detection part or detection output from the pressure detection sensor with a predetermined temperature and pressure limit to detect an error in the fuel cell so as to disconnect between the fuel cell and the electronic equipment

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the temperature detection part selects one of temperatures detected from a plurality of detection portions in the electronic equipment.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of detection portions in the electronic equipment include at least one of a portion exposed on the electronic equipment, a portion in a fuel cell compartment, a portion in an IC chip for a lens drive circuit or in the vicinity of a lens drive circuit substrate, a portion in the vicinity of a secondary battery, a portion in the vicinity of a disk medium, and a portion in the vicinity of an image pickup system.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein when the error detection part detects such a temperature to exceed a reference temperature, a change-over switch changes the connection to a secondary battery while closing the on-off valve to stop fuel supply to the fuel cell.