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:
Feb. 08, 2011
Filed:
Aug. 03, 2005
Clark G. Hochgraf, Rochester, NY (US);
Clark G. Hochgraf, Rochester, NY (US);
GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A technique for heating a fuel cell stack at stack start-up that includes using the vehicle motor drive system to generate waste heat independent from providing traction. Particularly, at fuel cell stack start-up, the electric traction inverter associated with the traction motor that drives the vehicle is controlled so that command signals provided by an inverter to a traction motor do not provide motor torque, but dissipates power into the motor windings and/or motor structure as waste heat. Thus, the output power generated by the fuel cell stack can be made high enough to quickly heat the fuel cell stack through inefficiencies in the stack operation, without providing driving torque. Additionally, the electric traction inverter can be operated so that waste heat is generated within the semiconductor power switches in the inverter.