Fuel cell activation apparatus, fuel cell activation method, and fuel cell activation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10497953-B2
Application number	US-201414387588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A fuel cell activation apparatus including: a storage battery; a first current sensor detecting a current outputted by the storage battery; a first switch switching between supplying the current outputted by the storage battery and supplying a current provided from the system power supply; a second switch switching between transmitting a result of detecting by the first current sensor and transmitting a result of detecting by a second current sensor which detects the current provided from the system power supply; and a control unit switching between a normal mode for activating, based on the result of detection performed by the second current sensor, the fuel cell using the current provided from the system power supply and a self-sustained mode for activating, based on the result of detection performed by the first current sensor, the fuel cell using the current outputted by the storage battery.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell activation apparatus used for a fuel cell, the fuel cell activation apparatus comprising:
a storage battery;
a first current path including a first switch configurable to electrically connect the fuel cell with a power system that is external to the fuel cell activation apparatus;
a second current path including the first switch configurable to electrically connect the storage battery with the fuel cell;
a first sensor configured to detect a current discharged from the storage battery;
a first sensor path including a second switch configurable to connect the first sensor and the fuel cell; and
a controller configured to control the second switch, when a current is not supplied from the power system, to execute a self-sustained mode in which the first sensor and the fuel cell are connected by the first sensor path, and configured to control the first switch to supply a current to the fuel cell from the storage battery by the second current path to activate the fuel cell.

2. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the fuel cell activation apparatus is configured to be connected to a second sensor configured to detect a current supplied from the power system; and connected to a second sensor path including the second switch configurable to connect the second sensor and the fuel cell,
wherein the controller is configured to control the first switch to execute a normal mode in which a current is supplied to the fuel cell from the power system by the first current path to activate the fuel cell and configured to control the second switch to connect the fuel cell to the second sensor.

3. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, in the normal mode,
the fuel cell is activated using the current supplied from the power system and sensor information related to at least one of a direction and a magnitude of the current supplied from the power system is detected by the second sensor, and
the first sensor detects at least one of a direction and a magnitude of a current supplied from the storage battery.

4. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein
the first switch switches each of the first current path and the second current path between a conductive state and a non-conductive state,
the second switch switches between the first sensor and the second sensor for connecting, respectively, the first sensor and the second sensor to the fuel cell,
wherein the controller is configured to perform switching between the normal mode and the self-sustained mode by controlling switching of the first switch and the second switch.

5. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 4 ,
further comprising
a first operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for performing the switching between the normal mode and the self-sustained mode, and
when the user's operation is received, switching is performed on the first switch and the second switch in accordance with the user's operation for performing the switching between the normal mode and the self-sustained mode.

6. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller is configured to control the first switch to cause the fuel cell to be supplied with the current outputted by the storage battery when the second sensor detects that a current is not being supplied from the system power supply.

7. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the current outputted by the storage battery is a direct current,
the fuel cell activation apparatus further comprises
a DC/AC converter which converts the direct current outputted by the storage battery into an alternating current and outputs the alternating current, and
the first sensor detects the alternating current outputted by the DC/AC converter.

8. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 6 ,
further comprising
a third switch disposed between the storage battery and the DC/AC converter, the third switch switching between causing and not causing the current outputted by the storage battery to be inputted into the DC/AC converter,
wherein the controller is configured to,
when the first switch is switched to cause the current outputted by the storage battery to be supplied to the fuel cell, control switching of the third switch to cause the current outputted by the storage battery to be inputted into the DC/AC converter.

9. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the controller is configured to,
when the first switch is switched to cause the current outputted by the storage battery to be supplied to the fuel cell, control the second switch to cause the first sensor to be connected to the fuel cell, after controlling the switching of the third switch to cause the current outputted by the storage battery to be inputted into the DC/AC converter.

10. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 6 ,
further comprising:
a first power line connecting the first switch with the DC/AC converter; and
a second power line connected to the first power line, the second power line being for supplying a current to an external appliance outside the fuel cell activation apparatus.

11. The fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising
an outlet connected to the second power line, the outlet being for connecting the external appliance.

12. A fuel cell activation system, comprising:
the fuel cell activation apparatus according to claim 1 , and
the fuel cell which is activated by the fuel cell activation apparatus.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Toya Shoichi
• Takebe Yasuo

Classifications

• H02J2101/30

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04888

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title

• H01M8/04597 Primary

  of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors · CPC title

• H02J9/062

  for AC powered loads · CPC title

• H02J7/34

  Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other DC sources, e.g. providing buffering (H02J7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title