System and method for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell, comprising:
- a fuel cell that provides a DC current and a DC voltage;
a humidifier for humidifying said fuel cell;
a controller for determining the humidity level of said fuel cell and controlling said humidifier in response to said determined humidity level; and
a DC/DC converter that imposes an AC ripple current component on said DC current and AC ripple voltage component on said DC voltage, wherein resistance of said fuel cell is calculated by said controller by dividing said AC ripple voltage component by said AC ripple current component.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell is provided. The system includes a fuel cell, a humidifier for humidifying the fuel cell, and a controller for determining the humidity level of the fuel cell and controlling the humidifier in response to the determined humidity level. The resistance of the fuel cell varies as a function of the humidity level of the fuel cell. Thus, in a preferred system, the controller calculates the resistance of the fuel cell via measurements of AC preferred voltage and current components to determine the humidity level of the fuel cell. A method for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell is also provided. The steps of the method include: determining the humidity level of the fuel cell, and humidifying the fuel cell in response to the determined humidity level.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell, comprising:
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a fuel cell that provides a DC current and a DC voltage;
a humidifier for humidifying said fuel cell;
a controller for determining the humidity level of said fuel cell and controlling said humidifier in response to said determined humidity level; and
a DC/DC converter that imposes an AC ripple current component on said DC current and AC ripple voltage component on said DC voltage, wherein resistance of said fuel cell is calculated by said controller by dividing said AC ripple voltage component by said AC ripple current component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell, comprising:
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a fuel cell for providing a DC current and a DC voltage;
a DC/DC converter imposing an AC ripple current component on said DC current and an AC ripple voltage component on said DC voltage;
a humidifier for humidifying said fuel cell; and
a controller for measuring said AC ripple current component and said AC ripple voltage component, determining the humidity level of said fuel cell, and controlling said humidifier in response to said determined humidity level. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of controlling the humidity level of a fuel cell, comprising the steps of:
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providing a controller for determining the humidity level of the fuel cell;
humidifying the fuel cell in response to the determined humidity level;
operating said fuel cell to provide a DC current and DC voltage; and
providing a DC/DC converter that imposes an AC ripple current component on said DC current and an AC ripple voltage component on said DC voltage, wherein resistance of said fuel cell is calculated by said controller by dividing said AC ripple voltage component by said AC ripple current component. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification