Fuel-cells system, electric vehicle with fuel-cells system, and method of controlling supply of electric power
First Claim
1. A fuel-cells system comprising a stack of fuel cells and a storage battery connected parallel to each other and to a loading and giving a supply of electric power from said stack of fuel cells and said storage battery to said loading, said fuel-cells system comprising:
- remaining charge detection means for detecting a remaining charge of said storage battery; and
output control means for, when said detected remaining charge of said storage battery is less than a predetermined level, restricting the supply of electric power to said loading.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a fuel-cells system 10 including a stack of fuel cells 20 and a storage battery 30, the remaining charge of the storage battery 30 is measured by a remaining charge monitor 46. In case that the observed remaining charge of the storage battery 30 is less than a predetermined reference value, a control unit 50 outputs a driving signal to an inverter 80, in order to restrict the consumption of electric power by a motor 32. When it is determined that the output state of the storage battery 30 is in the discharging state, based on the output electric current of the storage battery 30 measured by a current sensor 90, the control unit 50 further limits the electric power consumed by the motor 32. These processes are repeatedly carried out to charge the storage battery 30 and recover the remaining charge of the storage battery 30 to a sufficient level.
101 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A fuel-cells system comprising a stack of fuel cells and a storage battery connected parallel to each other and to a loading and giving a supply of electric power from said stack of fuel cells and said storage battery to said loading, said fuel-cells system comprising:
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remaining charge detection means for detecting a remaining charge of said storage battery; and output control means for, when said detected remaining charge of said storage battery is less than a predetermined level, restricting the supply of electric power to said loading. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An electric vehicle having a motor rotated by electrical energy and means for transmitting a rotational force of said motor to an axle, thereby producing a driving force for said vehicle,
said electric vehicle having a fuel-cells system mounted thereon, said power supply system comprising a stack of fuel cells and a storage battery connected parallel to each other and to said motor and giving a supply of electric power from said stack of fuel cells and said storage battery to said motor, said fuel-cells system comprising: -
remaining charge detection means for detecting a remaining charge of said storage battery; and output control means for, when the remaining charge of said storage battery detected by said remaining charge detection means is less than a predetermined level, restricting the supply of electric power to said motor. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A method of controlling the supply of electric power to said loading, using a fuel-cells system comprising a stack of fuel cells and a storage battery connected parallel to each other and to said loading and giving a supply of electric power from said stack of fuel cells and said storage battery to said loading, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) detecting a remaining charge of said storage battery; and (b) restricting the supply of electric power to said loading when the remaining charge of said storage battery detected in said step (a) is not greater than a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification