Fuel cell management system and audio system provided with the management system

• US 7,443,133 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fusayasu, Hirotsugu, Inoue, Hiroto, Mimura, Shoichi, Irikiin, Miyoko, Hamada, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm Enayet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US10/932,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101, 429/12, 429/13, 429/22, 429 90- 92, 700/286, 702/108
• US Class Current: 320/101
• 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 8/04425 at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners
• 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 8/04619 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04679 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04686 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

A management information display unit that is able to form management information for managing the power supply state of fuel cells and displays the management information while allowing the management information to be identified as to which electronic device pertains to the management information based on identification information inputted from a plurality of electronic devices that are able to output the formed management information in correlation with the identification information of the fuel cell, and an information transmitting part for transmitting the identification information and the management information while allowing the information to be inputted to the management information display unit are provided.

Claims

1. A fuel cell management system for managing plural fuel cells installed in plural electronic devices, respectively, said system comprising:

a plurality of electronic devices, each of which being operated with electric power supplied from respective fuel cell installed in each respective electronic device, each electronic device possessing identification information for identifying the respective electronic devices, for forming management information about a power supply state of the respective installed fuel cell and for outputting the formed management information in correlation with the identification information,

a management unit for receiving the identification information and the management information outputted from each of the electronic devices and displaying the management information and an indication of the electronic device that corresponds with the management information based on the received identification information; and

an information transmitting part for transmitting the identification information and the management information outputted from each of the electronic devices and allowing the information to be received by the management unit, wherein

each of the electronic devices comprises;

an electronic device control section, which has a management information forming section for forming the management information according to the power supply state of the respective fuel cell installed in the respective electronic device in response to a power turning-off operation of the respective electronic device and an information output section for outputting the management information about the power supply state of the fuel in the respective electronic device in correlation with the identification information to the management unit via the information transmitting part in response to a power turning-off operation of the respective electronic device, and

the management unit is operable to display the power supply state of the fuel cells of the electronic devices based on the inputted management information for managing each of the fuel cells.

2. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the management unit comprises:

an information input section for inputting the identification information and the management information via the information transmitting part;

an identification section for identifying the inputted management information as to which electronic device pertains to the management information based on the inputted identification information; and

a display section for displaying the management information and the indication of the electronic device that corresponds to the management information.

3. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the management information includes at least one piece of:

information regarding a residual quantity of fuel storage of the installed fuel cell, information regarding an output voltage in supplying the electric power, information regarding a temperature of the fuel cell, information regarding humidity of the fuel cell, and information regarding a leakage warning of the fuel,

each of the electronic device control sections further has a detection section for detecting the at least one piece of information so that the management information is formed in the management information forming section based on the information detected by the detecting section.

4. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the management information includes at least one piece of:

information regarding a fueling frequency of the installed fuel cell, information regarding an operating time of the fuel cell from a latest fueling time, and information regarding a specific fuel consumption of the fuel, and

each of the management information forming sections further has a calculation section for calculating the at least one piece of information.

5. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the electronic device control sections is operable to:

form the management information in the management information forming section when the respective detection section detects at least one of the following;

that the residual quantity of fuel storage becomes equal to or smaller than a prescribed quantity, that a fluctuation of the output voltage becomes equal to or greater than a prescribed value, that the temperature becomes equal to or higher than a prescribed temperature, that the humidity becomes equal to or higher than a prescribed humidity, and that a fuel leakage occurs;

output the formed management information from the information output section; and

transmit the management information to the management information display unit via the information transmitting part.

6. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the management information display unit further comprises a request signal output section for outputting a request signal for individually requesting each of the electronic device control sections to transmit the management information, and

each of the electronic device control sections further comprises a request signal input section for receiving the request signal, and each of the electronic device control sections is operable to output the management information formed in the management information forming section from the information output section.

7. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management information display unit comprises a stop signal output section for outputting a stop signal for stopping the operation of the electronic device identified by the identification information based on the inputted management information via the information transmitting part.

8. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management unit further comprises a management information storage section for retrievably storing the inputted management information so that the management unit displays the management information of the electronic device stored in the storage section in place of the management information to be inputted when the management information is not inputted from the electronic device via the information transmitting part.

9. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information transmitting part is wireless communication part.

10. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification information is an IP address.

11. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management unit is operable to output audio sounds correlated with the management information.

12. The fuel cell management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management unit is operable to display contact information of a dealer or repairer of the electronic devices or the fuel cells together with the management information.

13. An audio system for managing plural fuel cells installed in plural speaker components, respectively, said system comprising:

a plurality of speaker components, each of which being operated with electric power supplied from a respective fuel cell installed in each respective speaker component, each speaker component possessing identification information for identifying the respective speaker components, for forming management information about a power supply state of the respective installed fuel cell and for outputting the formed management information in correlation with the identification information,

a main audio component for outputting audio signals to each of the speaker components while allowing the signals to be reproduced by each of the speaker components, the main audio component having a management unit for receiving the identification information and the management information outputted from each of the speaker components and displaying the management information and an indication of the speaker component that corresponds with the management information based on the received identification information; and

an information transmitting part for transmitting the identification information and the management information outputted from each of the speaker components and allowing the information to be receive by the management unit, wherein

each of the speaker components comprises;

a device control section, including a management information forming section for forming the management information according to the power supply state of the respective fuel cell installed in the respective speaker component in response to a power turning-off operation of the respective speaker component and an information output section for outputting the information about the power supply state of the fuel in the respective speaker component to the management unit via the information transmitting part in response to a power turning-off operation of the respective electronic device, and

the management information display unit is operable to display the power supply state of the fuel cells of the speaker components based on the inputted management information for managing each of the fuel cells.

14. The audio system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information transmitting part transmits the management information from each of the speaker components to the main audio component and transmits the audio signals from the main audio component to each of the speaker components.

15. The audio system as claimed in claim 14, wherein

the main audio component further comprises an operation control section for forming and outputting operation control information for operation control of the fuel cell installed in each of the speaker components based on the management information,

each of the speaker components further comprises a secondary battery for backup of power necessary for transmitting the management information between each of the electronic device control sections and the main audio component,

the management information includes information regarding a residual quantity of accumulated electricity of the secondary battery of the fuel cells, and

the operation control section outputs an instruction signal for charging the secondary battery with electric power generated by the fuel cell as the operation control information based on the information regarding the residual quantity of the accumulated electricity of the secondary battery inputted from the electronic device control section via the information transmitting part and a power generation load estimate of the fuel cell based on the audio signals transmitted to the electronic device control section.

16. The audio system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the operation control section of the main audio component transmits the operation control information together with the audio signals to the electronic device control section of each of the speaker components via the information transmitting part.