Monitoring system for fuel cell stack

• US 7,233,883 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2005
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shen-Li High Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shen-Li High Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Hu, Liqing, Fu, Mingzhu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff; Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US11/155,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 702/35, 702/63, 702/64, 702/68, 702/130, 702/179, 702/183, 702/188, 702/193, 702/190, 702/198, 320/116, 324/430, 701/33
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04559 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04679 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A monitoring system includes a plurality of monitoring devices adjacently provided to a group of integrated fuel cell stacks for measuring a voltage of the fuel cell units. Each of the monitoring devices includes a plurality of monitoring sensors adapted for electrically connecting to a predetermined set of fuel cell units and a MCU (Micro-Chip-Unit) for sequentially and circularly switching each two neighboring monitoring sensors for reading the voltage of each respective fuel cell. A CAN bus is provided for electrically and collectively interconnecting the monitoring devices with a central operator which is arranged in such a manner that when said the voltage of the respective fuel cell unit exceeds a safety range, the central operator generates an alert signal for indicating an abnormal operation of the respective fuel cell.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring at least a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cell units, comprising said steps of:

a) communicatively connecting a plurality of monitoring sensors to a MCU and said fuel cell units of said fuel cell stack respectively, wherein the step (a) further comprises a sub-step of initializing said MCU to activate a diagnosing loop for checking said fuel cell units circularly;

b) sequentially and circularly switching each neighboring pair of said monitoring sensors for reading a voltage of the respective fuel cell unit until said voltage of a last one of said fuel cell unit is read;

c) digitally converting and processing said voltage of said fuel cell units via said MCU to obtain a digital message;

d) transmitting the digital message to a central operator via a CAN bus;

e) diagnosing said digital message of said fuel cell units, wherein when said voltage value of said respective fuel cell exceeds a safety range, said central operator generates an alert signal for indicating an abnormal operation of said respective fuel cell unit of said fuel cell stack.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the step (b), said preceding monitoring sensor is automatically switched off when said subsequent monitoring sensor is switched on such that only said neighboring pair of said monitoring sensors are switched on at the same time for reading said voltage of said respective fuel cell unit.