Power supply system and control method of the same

• US 7,575,825 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Equos Research, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Equos Research, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Kenji, Sugiura, Hiroshi, Ando, Masao, Ishikawa, Tetsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan; Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALKER, KEITH D
• Application Number:
  US10/401,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20030194586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,332 Days
• Field of Search: 429/13, 429/22
• US Class Current: 429/483
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• 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

A power supply unit operation is switched depending on a load requirement. Namely, when the load requirement is smaller than a predetermined value, operation of a fuel cell system is stopped and electric power is obtained from a secondary battery during an intermittent operation mode. Alternatively, when the load requirement is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the electric power is obtained from a fuel cell during a steady operation mode.

Claims

1. A control method of a power supply system in which a fuel cell and a battery are connected in parallel by a power supply wiring, comprising the steps of:

activating the fuel cell, which has stopped generating electric power, in response to a request to apply a load which is larger than zero to the fuel cell;

obtaining a load requirement that indicates electric power that is required by the power supply system;

measuring a time which has elapsed since the fuel cell was activated;

obtaining information regarding an amount of fuel actually supplied to the fuel cell;

comparing the elapsed time with a predetermined reference time;

setting a target electric power which needs to be output from the fuel cell based on the obtained load requirement without considering the obtained information regarding the amount of the fuel actually supplied to the fuel cell when it is determined that the elapsed time is equal to or shorter than the reference time; and

setting the target electric power which needs to be output from the fuel cell in accordance with the obtained information regarding the amount of the fuel actually supplied to the fuel cell when it is determined that the elapsed time exceeds the reference time.

2. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply system further includes a first operation mode in which operation of the fuel cell is stopped and electric power is supplied to a load by the battery, and a second operation mode in which electric power is generated using the fuel cell, and continuing the operation of the power supply system while switching between the first operation mode and the second operation mode depending on the load requirement, the activation of the fuel cell being performed when the operation mode is switched from the first operation mode to the second operation mode.

3. A power supply system, comprising:

a fuel cell;

a battery which is connected to the fuel cell in parallel by power supply wiring;

a load requirement obtaining portion which obtains a load requirement that indicates electric power required of the power supply system;

an elapsed time measuring portion which measures time that has elapsed since the fuel cell was activated, prior to the fuel cell having been activated, the fuel cell being in a state in which the fuel cell has stopped generating electric power, the fuel cell having been activated in response to a request to apply a load which is larger than zero to the fuel cell;

a supplied fuel amount detecting portion which detects an amount of fuel that is supplied to the fuel cell;

a target power setting portion which sets a target electric power that needs to be output from the fuel cell; and

a control portion which controls the fuel cell such that the fuel cell outputs the target electric power that is set by the target power setting portion,

wherein the target power setting portion sets (i) the target electric power based on the obtained load requirement without considering the detected amount of the fuel that is supplied to the fuel cell when the elapsed time which is measured by the elapsed time measuring portion is equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference time, and (ii) sets the target electric power based on the detected amount of the fuel that is supplied to the fuel cell when the elapsed time which is measured by the elapsed time measuring portion exceeds the predetermined reference time.

4. The power supply system according to claim 3, further comprising:

an operation state switching portion which switches the power supply system between a first operation mode in which operation of the fuel cell is stopped and electric power is supplied to the load by the battery and a second operation mode in which electric power is generated using the fuel cell, depending on the load requirement,

wherein the elapsed time measuring portion measures time which has elapsed since the fuel cell was activated when the operation mode is switched from the first operation mode to the second operation mode.

5. The power supply system according to claim 3, wherein the battery is a secondary battery which is connected to the power supply wiring through a DC/DC converter, and the control portion sets an output voltage at which the fuel cell outputs the target electric power that is set by the target power setting portion as an output voltage from the DC/DC converter.

6. The power supply system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an inverter which is connected to the power supply wiring, and which outputs electric power that is output from the fuel cell and/or the secondary battery to a predetermined external load,

wherein the control portion drives the inverter such that the load consumes electric power corresponding to the load requirement when the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring portion is equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference time.

7. The power supply system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a DC/DC converter which converts a voltage when electric power output from the fuel cell is transmitted to the power supply wiring,

wherein the battery is a secondary battery, and the control portion sets an output voltage from the DC/DC converter such that a voltage in the power supply wiring becomes a voltage at which the secondary battery is not charged or discharged when the elapsed time that is measured by the elapsed time measuring portion is equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference time.

8. The power supply system according to claim 7, further comprising:

an inverter which is connected to the power supply wiring and which outputs electric power output from the fuel cell and/or the secondary battery to the predetermined external load,

wherein the control portion drives the inverter such that the load consumes electric power corresponding to the load requirement when the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring portion is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time.