Fuel cell system which measures impedance

• US 8,603,689 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Manabe, Kota, Orihashi, Nobuyuki, Hamada, Shigetaka, Shige, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Enin-Okut, Edu E
• Application Number:
  US11/922,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20090110985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 429428-432, 429/443, 429/444, 324/602, 702/65
• US Class Current: 429/430
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04649 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04753 of fuel cell reactants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a measurement unit which measures an impedance of a fuel cell in a predetermined frequency region, and a regulation unit which regulates an amount of a gas to be supplied to the fuel cell based on a measured value of the impedance in the predetermined frequency region. According to such a constitution, the impedance of the fuel cell in the predetermined frequency region (e.g., a low frequency region) is measured, and the amount of the gas (e.g., an amount of an oxidizing gas) to be supplied to the fuel cell is regulated based on this measured value of the impedance. Here, since the impedance of the fuel cell in the predetermined frequency region largely differs with a fuel supply state (see FIG. 2), the amount of the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell can be regulated based on the measured value of the impedance to realize a highly efficient and stable operation.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a measurement system for determining an impedance of a fuel cell in a predetermined frequency region;

a storage system for storing a plurality of optimum impedance adapted values in the predetermined frequency region based on output currents and temperatures of the fuel cell;

a determination system programmed to determine an optimum impedance adapted value from the plurality of impedance adapted values stored in the storage system based on a detected output current and temperature; and

a regulation system programmed to regulate an amount of a gas to be supplied to the fuel cell so that the measured value of the impedance is adjusted to the determined value of the impedance in the predetermined frequency region

wherein the predetermined frequency region is a low frequency region of 10 Hz or less.

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is an oxidizing gas or a fuel gas.

3. A fuel cell system, comprising:

a measurement system for determining a impedance value of a fuel cell in a predetermined frequency region;

a determination system programmed to determine an optimum impedance adapted value from a plurality of impedance adapted values based on a detected output current and temperature;

a regulation system programmed to regulate an amount of a gas to be supplied to the fuel cell so that the measured value of the impedance is adjusted to the determined value of the impedance in the predetermined frequency region; and

a voltage conversion system inserted in a discharge path of the fuel cell,

wherein the measurement system is further programmed to superimposes a signal for impedance measurement on an output target voltage of the voltage conversion system to determine the impedance value of the fuel cell based on the signal for impedance measurement which has passed through the voltage conversion system

wherein the predetermined frequency region is a low frequency region of 10 Hz or less.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a storage system for storing an optimum impedance adapted value in the predetermined frequency region based on an operation state of the fuel cell,

wherein the regulation system is programmed to compare the determined value of the impedance with the optimum impedance adapted value to regulate the amount of the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell based on a comparison result.

5. The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein the optimum impedance adapted value in the predetermined frequency region based on a voltage and a temperature of the fuel cell is stored in the storage system.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell is an oxidizing gas or a fuel gas.