Fuel cell apparatus
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorsWoo Young Lee, Yoon Tae Kim, Jong Jun Lee, Hyeon Ju Jeong, Jae Ho Kim, Sae Kwon Chang, Joo Seung Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell apparatus includes a fuel cell; a voltage level conversion unit configured to boost stack voltage generated by the fuel cell in response to a first control signal; a main battery configured to store boosted voltage output from the voltage level conversion unit; an auxiliary unit configured to be driven by auxiliary power generated using voltage stored in a sub-battery and to generate the first control signal; and a pre-charging unit configured to pre-charge the voltage level conversion unit using pre-charging voltage generated through the auxiliary unit.
Claims20
A fuel cell apparatus, comprising:
- a fuel cell;
- a voltage level conversion unit configured to boost stack voltage generated by the fuel cell in response to a first control signal;
- a main battery configured to store boosted voltage output from the voltage level conversion unit;
- an auxiliary unit configured to be operated by auxiliary power generated using voltage stored in a sub-battery and to generate the first control signal;
- and
- a pre-charging unit configured to pre-charge the voltage level conversion unit using a pre-charging voltage generated through the auxiliary unit.
A method of controlling a fuel cell apparatus, the method comprising:
- outputting a boosted voltage through a first output terminal of a multi-output transformer as a turn-on voltage for charging a first capacitor;
- outputting a boosted voltage through a second output terminal of the multi-output transformer as a pre-charging voltage;
- switching off a main switching unit connected between a voltage level conversion unit and a main battery and switching on an auxiliary switching unit including an end connected to the second output terminal of the multi-output transformer;
- pre-charging an output capacitor connected between a cathode of a first diode and a negative output terminal of a fuel cell, by using the pre-charging voltage charged in a second capacitor;
- switching off the auxiliary switching unit;
- switching on the main switching unit;
- and
- driving the fuel cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.