Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – With pressure equalizing means for liquid immersion operation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-10
2004-11-30
Kalafut, Stephen J. (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
With pressure equalizing means for liquid immersion operation
C429S009000, C429S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824905
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No.
2001-6127
, filed Jan. 15, 2001, No. 2001-309800, filed Oct. 5, 2001; and No. 2001-363082, filed Nov. 28, 2001, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply system, and more particularly to a power supply system applicable as a portable power supply system and having a power generation function capable of effectively utilizing an energy resource to generate, and to an electric device provided with the power supply system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In all household and industrial fields, various kinds of chemical cells are used. For example, a primary cell such as an alkaline dry cell or a manganese dry cell is often used in watches, cameras, toys, and portable acoustic devices, and it has a characteristic that its quantity of production is large from the global viewpoint and it is inexpensive and readily available.
A secondary cell such as a lead storage battery, a nickel-cadmium storage battery, a nickel-hydrogen storage battery, a lithium ion battery is often used in mobile phones or personal digital assistances (PDA) which are in widespread use in recent portable devices such as a digital video camera or a digital still camera, and it has a characteristic which is superior in the economical efficiency because it can be repeatedly charged and discharged. Among secondary cells, the lead storage battery is utilized as a start-up power supply for vehicles or marine vessels or an emergency power supply in industrial facilities or medical facilities and the like.
In recent years, with the rising interest in environmental concerns or energy problems, problems concerning waste materials generated after use of chemical cells such as described above or those concerning the energy conversion efficiency have come under close scrutiny.
The primary cell has its inexpensive product price and is readily available as described above, and there are many devices which utilize this cell as a power supply. Further, basically, when the primary cell is once discharged, the battery capacity can not be recovered, namely, it can be used only once (which is a so-called disposable battery). A quantity of waste materials per year, therefore, exceeds, several millions tons. Here, there is static information mentioning that a ratio of the entire chemical cells which are collected for recycling is only approximately 20% and remaining approximately 80% is thrown away in the natural world or subjected to landfill disposal. Thus, there is fear of environmental destruction and disfigurement of the natural environment by heavy metal such as mercury or indium included in such uncollected batteries.
Verifying the above-described chemical battery in the light of the efficiency of use of an energy resource, since the primary cell is produced by utilizing the energy which is approximately 300-fold of the dischargeable energy, the efficiency of use of the energy is less than 1%. Even in case of the secondary cell which can be repeatedly charged and discharged and is superior in the economical efficiency, when the secondary cell is charged from a domestic power supply (convenience outlet) or the like, the efficiency of use of the energy drops to approximately 12% due to the efficiency of power generation in an electric power plant or the transmission loss. Therefore, it can not be said that the energy resource is necessarily efficiency utilized.
Thus, the attention is recently drawn on various kinds of new power supply systems or power generation systems (which will be generically referred to as a “power supply system” hereinafter) including a fuel battery which has less influence (burden) on the environment and is capable of realizing the extremely high energy utilization efficiency of, e.g., approximately 30 to 40%. Furthermore, for the purpose of application to a drive power supply for vehicles or a power supply system for business use, a cogeneration system for domestic use and others, or substitution for the above-described chemical cell, study and development for practical application are carried out extensively.
In the future, however, in order to reduce the size and weight of a power supply system having a high energy utilization efficiency such as a fuel cell and apply this system as a substitute (compatible product) for a transportable or portable power supply, for example a chemical cell as described above, there are following problems.
Specifically, for example, in an existing chemical cell, basically, since a predetermined voltage and an electric current are supplied and a load can be driven by only connecting positive and negative electrode terminals to the load, there is an advantage that such a chemical cell can be easily handled.
On the contrary, since most of the power supply systems having the high energy utilization efficiency including a fuel cell basically have a function as power generating means using a predetermined power generation fuel (for example, a power generator which directly or indirectly converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electric power), they are largely different from the above-described chemical cell in the structure or the electrical characteristic.
That is, in the power supply system, as similar to the general-purpose chemical cell, predetermined electric power can not be supplied or shut off by only connecting or disconnecting the electrode terminals (terminals corresponding to the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal in the general-purpose chemical cell) used for supplying electric power with respect to the load. Therefore, the power supply system disadvantageously requires a complicated structure or control processing in order to drive or stop the load and the power supply system. Further, in case of applying such a power supply system as a portable power supply, since a quantity of the power generation fuel which can be carried or transported is restricted, the power generation fuel must be controlled to be efficiently consumed and the operating time (duration of life) as the power supply system must be further prolonged.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a power supply system which generates predetermined electric power by using a power generation fuel can be easily handled by connecting a load with an electrode terminal directly, as similar to the general-purpose chemical cell. Also, in the present invention there are advantages that loss of the power generation fuel may be controlled, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of an energy resource and making the operating time more prolonged.
The power supply system according to the present invention, to obtain above-mentioned advantages, uses the power generation fuel and generates supply electric power, and comprises at least a fuel charged portion in which the power generation fuel is charged, power generating means for generating the supply electric power by using the power generation fuel supplied from the fuel charged portion and including a fuel reforming type fuel cell for example, output controlling means for operating or stopping the power generating means, start-up controlling means for supplying start-up electric power used for operating the output controlling means to the output controlling means.
The start-up controlling means supplies electric power independent from the operation of the power generating means to the output controlling means as the start-up electric power at the time of starting up the power generating means, and supplies electric power based on the power generation electric power generated by the power generating means to the output control portion as the start-up electric power after starting up the power generating means. The start-up controlling means may include a primary cell which holds predetermined electric power indepe
Akao Hidetoshi
Shioya Masaharu
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Kalafut Stephen J.
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