US3821626A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Battery peaking unit for fuel cell power plants
Assignee: RTX Corp
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Filing: 1973-06-18
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Granted: 1974-06-28
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Expires: 1993-06-18
Abstract
Abstract An auxiliary storage battery or other DC rechargeable power source is connected in parallel with a fuel cell to supply additional current to a load when an overload such as the starting of a motor causes the fuel cell voltage to drop. The fuel cell voltage is sensed and when it reduces below a preselected value the auxiliary battery supplies current to the load for a preselected timed interval. The storage battery is recharged by power supplied by the fuel cell only during periods when the battery is not supplying current to the load. Excessive battery drain is prevented by shutting down the peaking unit whenever fluctuations in the fuel cell voltage cause multiple peaking cycles.
Inventors
- 👤 W Maver
- 👤 D Rosati
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 09:37
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M8/00; H01M8/04; H01M8/04298; H01M8/04313; H01M8/04537; H01M8/04544; H01M8/04559; H01M16/00; H01M16/003; H01M16/006; H01M8/04567; H01M8/04694; H01M8/04955; H02; H02J; H02J3/00; H02J3/38; H02J3/46; H02J3/466; H02J7/00; H02J7/34; H02J9/00; H02J9/04; H02J9/06; H02J9/061; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B90/00; Y02B90/10; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/10; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S320/00; Y10S320/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
165 words
A battery peaking unit for a fuel cell comprising a fuel cell having a pair of output terminals through which current is supplied to a load, a battery adapted to supply additional current to said load and connected across said fuel cell output terminals, normally high impedance switch means connected in series with said battery, voltage comparator means connected across said fuel cell output terminals and generating a triggering signal when the output voltage from said fuel cell drops below a predetermined valve, a monostable multivibrator connected to receive said triggering signal and producing a single output pulse in response thereto, said output pulse being of a predetermined duration and having a reset time approximately equal to said predetermined duration, said multivibrator being unresponsive to additional triggering signals until reset, and first means connecting said output pulse to said switch means to cause said switch means to activate and provide current from said battery to said load only during the duration of said output pulse.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
165 words
A battery peaking unit for a fuel cell comprising a fuel cell having a pair of output terminals through which current is supplied to a load, a battery adapted to supply additional current to said load and connected across said fuel cell output terminals, normally high impedance switch means connected in series with said battery, voltage comparator means connected across said fuel cell output terminals and generating a triggering signal when the output voltage from said fuel cell drops below a predetermined valve, a monostable multivibrator connected to receive said triggering signal and producing a single output pulse in response thereto, said output pulse being of a predetermined duration and having a reset time approximately equal to said predetermined duration, said multivibrator being unresponsive to additional triggering signals until reset, and first means connecting said output pulse to said switch means to cause said switch means to activate and provide current from said battery to said load only during the duration of said output pulse.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 and including a battery charging circuit connected across said battery and adapted to supply a portion of the load current to recharge said battery when the voltage across said battery drops below a preselected value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 2 and including means for inhibiting operation of said battery charging circuit when said switch means is activated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 2 and including an inverter receiving the DC current from said fuel cell and providing an AC current to said load, said battery charging circuit including a rectifier connected to receive said AC current and to convert said AC current to a DC current, and means for supplying the DC output from said rectifier to said battery.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 4 and including a second switch means connected in series in the current path between said rectifier circuit and said battery, said battery charging circuit including oscillator means for alternately opening and closing said second switch means whereby the charging current is supplied to said battery in the form of current pulses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 and including means for varying the duration of said output pulse from between approximately 1/2 and 5 seconds.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 and including optical isolation means connected between said pulse circuit means and said first switch means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 in which said first switch means is a transistor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 and including a diode connected in series with said battery for preventing current flow from said fuel cell to said battery.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A battery peaking unit as in claim 1 and including fuse means for disabling said battery peaking unit upon the occurrence of a plurality of output pulses within a specified time period.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-06-27 | 1977-12-27 | 1978-06-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-27 | 1981-12-27 | 1982-06-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-27 | 1985-12-27 | 1986-06-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |