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US 7,560,179 B2Granted
Fuel cell apparatus and method for controlling fuel
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorMasahiko Tahara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a fuel cell. The fuel cell includes an electricity generator which has an oxygen electrode, a fuel electrode, and a solid polymer type electrolyte membrane disposed between the oxygen electrode and the fuel electrode, and a method for controlling the fuel cell.
Claims5
A method for controlling a fuel cell, comprising:
- measuring an output voltage of the fuel cell including an electrolyte;
- increasing a load current on the fuel cell from a first load current to a second load current to recover from a dry state associated with the electrolyte at the output voltage equaling or less than a first threshold value based on the dry state, wherein the second load current is greater than the first load current;
- and
- decreasing the load current from the second load current to the first load current at the output voltage equaling or less than a second threshold value based on a wet state associated with the electrolyte, thereby supplying electric power with a device from the fuel cell.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.