The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 08, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 01, 2002
David H. Leach, Albany, NY (US);
MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., Albany, NY (US);
Abstract
This invention presents a method and apparatus for controlling the operating point, i.e. the output voltage or current, of a fuel cell to a desired value, efficiently transferring the available fuel cell power to a rechargeable battery and load, and isolating the fuel cell from the battery and load. Active control of the operating point of the fuel cell allows for optimized power output and fuel cell efficiency. This invention uses feedback from the input to regulate the input voltage or current. The output of the DC-DC converter either charges the battery or helps the battery supply the load, and is maintained equal to the battery voltage as the output of the DC-DC converter is directly connected to the battery.