Cogeneration system

• US 8,093,734 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yuri, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US12/221,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090045626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 290/2, 290/40.C, 290/40.R, 731/143.2, 701/29, 701/31
• US Class Current: 290/40.C
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 11/002 water heating system
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 11/006 air heating system
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 5/04 with return of the air or the air-heater
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/15 On-site combined power, heat or cool generation or distribution, e.g. combined heat and power [CHP] supply

Abstract

In a cogeneration system having at least with a generation unit comprising a generator connectable to an AC power feed line between a commercial power network and an electrical load, an internal combustion engine for driving the generator, and a battery, the cogeneration system producing hot air/water through exchange heat generated by the engine to supply to a thermal load, it is determined whether it is a predetermined self-diagnosis time, and when the result is affirmative, the generation unit is operated by an output of the battery and self-diagnoses is made on at least one of output voltage of the battery, a speed of the engine and an output of the generator, when it is determined to be the predetermined self-diagnosis time.

Claims

1. A cogeneration system having at least a generation unit-including a generator connectable to an AC power feed line between a commercial power network and an electrical load, an internal combustion engine for driving the generator, a battery and a power controller, the cogeneration system producing hot air or water through heat exchange with the engine to supply to a thermal load, comprising:

a self-diagnosis process configured to;

determine whether it is a predetermined self-diagnosis time;

start the engine by an output of the battery when it is determined to be the predetermined self-diagnosis time; and

self-diagnose on an output voltage of the battery, a speed of the engine, an output of the generator, boosting of a converter of the power controller and cranking of the engine.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined self-diagnosis time is one from among a time when a predetermined time period has lapsed, a time when a number of operations of the generation unit has reached a predetermined number, and a time when a total operating time period of the generation unit has reached a predetermined time period.

3. The system according to claim 1, further including:

an indicator that indicates a result of the self-diagnosis process.

4. The system according to claim 2, further including:

an indicator that indicates a result of the self-diagnosis process.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-diagnosis process is further configured to:

compare the output voltage of the battery at a plurality of comparison times including at least an engine starting time and a second time subsequent to the engine starting time respectively to a starting voltage threshold value and a stable voltage threshold value; and

determine that the battery is degraded when the output voltage of the battery is less than one of the starting voltage threshold value and the stable voltage threshold value at the respective comparison times.

6. A method of self-diagnosing a cogeneration system having at least a generation unit including a generator connectable to an AC power feed line between a commercial power network and an electrical load, an internal combustion engine for driving the generator, a battery and a power controller, the cogeneration system producing hot medium through heat exchange with the engine to supply to a thermal load, comprising the steps of:

determining whether it is a predetermined self-diagnosis time; and

starting the engine by an output of the battery when it is determined to be the predetermined self-diagnosis time; and

self-diagnosing on an output voltage of the battery, a speed of the engine, an output of the generator, boosting of a converter of the power controller and cranking of the engine.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined self-diagnosis time is one from among a time when a predetermined time period has lapsed, a time when a number of operations of the generation unit has reached a predetermined number, and a time when a total operating time period of the generation unit has reached a predetermined time period.

8. The method according to claim 6, further including the step of:

indicating a result of self-diagnosis by the step of self-diagnosing.

9. The method according to claim 7, further including:

indicating a result of self-diagnosis by the step of self-diagnosing.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

comparing the output voltage of the battery at a plurality of comparison times including at least an engine starting time and a second time subsequent to the engine starting time respectively to a starting voltage threshold value and a stable voltage threshold value; and

determining that the battery is degraded when the output voltage of the battery is less than one of the starting voltage threshold value and the stable voltage threshold value at the respective comparison times.