ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

• US 20080297113A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: SHIRASAKA, Takuya, SAEKI, Hibiki, AOYAGI, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,222,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0432 Temperature; Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0438 Pressure; Ambient pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04492 Humidity; Ambient humidity; Water content
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04589 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04626 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0494 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04947 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04955 Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

An electric power supply system can determine a sharing ratio of an electric power so as to increase and decrease an output electric power supplied by an electric power generator in accordance with an output electric power value required for the electric power supply system, in a fuel cell following region where a frequency of a magnitude of the electric power is equal to or higher than a predetermined value in a frequency distribution of a magnitude of the electric power, and can determine the sharing ratio of the electric power so as to increase an output electric power supplied by an electricity storage device, in an assist region where the frequency is lower than a predetermined value in the frequency distribution, and can prevent an excess of discharging from an electricity storage device.

Claims

1. An electric power supply system comprising:

an electric power generator for generating an electric power;

an electricity storage device for being charged with the electric power from the electric power generator, and supplying the electric power to an electrical load;

an electric power distributing device for distributing the electric power to be supplied to the electrical load, from the electric power generator and the electricity storage device at a sharing ratio therebetween; and

a control unit for determining the sharing ratio of the electric power and controlling the electric power distributing device, wherein

the control unit detects a frequency distribution of the electric power of the electric power supply system regarding a magnitude of the electric power, which includes an assist region and a fuel cell following region, the fuel cell following region having a high frequency of the magnitude of the electric power, and an assist region having a low frequency of the magnitude of the electric power, wherein

the control unit determines to operate the electric power distributing device to output the electric power from the electric power generator and the electricity storage device at the sharing ratio, and wherein,

a value of the sharing ratio of the electricity storage device in the assist region is higher than a value of the sharing ratio of the electricity storage device in the fuel cell following region.

2. The electric power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates a following upper limit value by adding an average value of the electric power of the electric power supply system and a value corresponding to a standard deviation determined by the frequency distribution for the electric power, wherein, when the electric power of the electric power supply system is lower than the following upper limit value, a high frequency of the magnitude of electric power is in the fuel cell following region of the frequency distribution of the electric power of the electric power supply system regarding the magnitude of the electric power, and wherein, when the electric power of the electric power supply system is equal to or higher than the following upper limit value, a low frequency of the magnitude of the electric power is in the assist region of the frequency distribution of the output electric power of the electric power supply system.

3. The electric power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generator is a fuel cell, and the control unit computes an efficiency of the electric power of the fuel cell in operation and selects a following lower limit value from a value of an output electric power of the fuel cell that maximizes the efficiency of the output electric power of the fuel cell, and a predetermined value of the output electric power in a light-load region where deterioration of the fuel cell progresses, and wherein, when the output electric power of the fuel cell is equal to or higher than the following lower limit value, the control unit determines the sharing ratio of the output electric power to the fuel cell and the electricity storage device so as to increase and decrease the output electric power supplied by the fuel cell in accordance with the output electric power required for the electric power supply system.

4. The electric power supply system according to claim 3, further comprising an auxiliary device electric power consumption detecting unit for detecting an electric power consumption by auxiliary devices of the fuel cell, a voltage detecting unit, and a current detecting unit, wherein the control unit computes an efficiency of the output electric power of the fuel cell on a basis of the electric power consumption by the auxiliary devices and current-voltage characteristics of the fuel cell, of which a voltage is detected by the voltage detecting unit, and a current is detected by the current detecting unit.

5. The electric power supply system according to claim 3, further comprising a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the fuel cell wherein the control unit computes an efficiency of the output electric power of the fuel cell on a basis of the temperature of the fuel cell detected by the temperature detecting unit.

6. The electric power supply system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit comprises a humidity detecting unit for detecting a humidity of the fuel cell and computes an efficiency of the output electric power of the fuel cell on a basis of the humidity of the fuel cell which the humidity detecting unit detects.

7. The electric power supply system according to claim 3, further comprising a pressure detecting unit for detecting a pressure of the fuel cell wherein the control unit computes an efficiency of the output electric power of the fuel cell on a basis of the pressure of the fuel cell detected by the pressure detecting unit.

8. The electric power supply system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit stops electricity generated by the fuel cell when a value of the output electric power required for the fuel cell is lower than the following lower limit value.

9. The electric power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit raises the following upper limit value as a temperature of the fuel cell detected by a temperature detecting unit lowers.

10. The electric power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit raises the following upper limit value as a remaining capacity of the electricity storage device detected by a remaining capacity detecting unit decreases.

11. A method of limiting an excess of discharging from a fuel cell system comprising:

an electric power supply system comprising;

an electric power generator for generating an electric power;

an electricity storage device for receiving and charging the electric power from the electric power generator, and supplying the electric power to an electrical load;

an electric power distributing device for distributing the electric power to the electrical load, from the electric power generator and the electricity storage device at a sharing ratio therebetween; and

a control unit for determining the sharing ratio of the electric power and controlling the electric power distributing device,

wherein the method comprising the steps of;

detecting a frequency distribution of the electric power of the electric power supply system regarding a magnitude of the electric power, which includes an assist region and a fuel cell following region, the fuel cell following region having a high frequency of the magnitude of the electric power, and an assist region having a low frequency of the magnitude of the electric power; and

determining to operate the electric power distributing device to output the electric power from the electric power generator and the electricity storage device at the sharing ratio, and wherein

a value of the sharing ratio of the electricity storage device in the assist region is higher than a value of the sharing ratio of the electricity storage device in the fuel cell following region.