Patent Application
20050110446
The present invention relates to a system and a method for starting a pump, and in particular to a starting in an environment of a low temperature.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-178782 discloses a fuel cell system which generates electricity through reaction of hydrogen gas and air. A part of the hydrogen gas which is supplied to a hydrogen electrode of a fuel cell stack is often contained in hydrogen off-gas without being reacted and is exhausted from the fuel cell stack. To effectively utilize the unreacted hydrogen gas, such a system is proposed that a hydrogen pump circulates the hydrogen off-gas to the hydrogen electrode of the fuel cell stack.
However, since water is produced with generation of electricity in the fuel cell system and this water is exhausted from the fuel cell stack with the hydrogen off-gas, moisture is introduced into the hydrogen pump with the hydrogen off-gas. Therefore, if the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped in an environment of a low temperature, there is fear that the moisture in the hydrogen pump condenses and freezes therein. Even in an air pump for supplying air to an oxygen electrode of the fuel cell stack, there is also fear that moisture in introduced air or a backflow of humidification air from an exhaust-side causes freeze inside the air pump.
If a roots pump shown in
The present invention is directed to a system and a method for starting a pump which is capable of being started even if moisture freezes inside the pump.
The present invention has the following first feature. A starting system for a pump includes a motor, an electric source, a selector switch, a starter sensor, a temperature sensor and a control unit. The motor drives the pump. The electric source is connected to the driving motor for supplying the driving motor with electric power. The selector switch is located between the driving motor and the electric source for reversing polarity of the electric power supplied from the electric source to the driving motor while selectively connecting the driving motor to the electric source and disconnecting the driving motor from the electric source. The starter sensor is provided with the driving motor for sensing whether or not the driving motor has been started. The temperature sensor is provided for sensing a temperature. The control unit is connected to electric source, the selector switch, the starter sensor and the temperature sensor. The control unit operates the selector switch so as to repeatedly give the driving motor indications of reverse rotation and normal rotation in a case where the starter sensor does not sense that the driving motor has been started even if the control unit operates the selector switch so as to give the driving motor the indication of normal rotation in a state where the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is below a preset temperature.
The present invention has the following second feature. A method of starting a pump including a motor for driving the pump includes the steps of: sensing a temperature; giving the driving motor an indication of normal rotation in a state where the sensed temperature is below a preset temperature; and starting the driving motor by giving the driving motor indications of reverse rotation and normal rotation repeatedly in a case where the driving motor is not started even if the indication of normal rotation is given to the driving motor.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to
When the selector switch 3 is switched, the polarity of electric power supplied from the battery 4 to the driving motor 2 is reversed while the battery 4 is selectively connected to the driving motor 2 and disconnected from the driving motor 2, thereby giving the driving motor 2 indications of normal rotation and reverse rotation selectively.
As the drive shaft 9 rotates by the driving motor 2, the driven shaft 10 is rotated in an opposite direction to the drive shaft 9 through the drive gear 11 and the driven gear 12. Thus, the first rotor 14 and the second rotor 15 are rotated in an opposite direction to each other (as shown by a pair of rotors 21 in
Operation of the present embodiment will now be explained with reference to a flow chart in
If the outdoor air temperature T is 4 degrees C. or below, it is estimated that the driving motor 2 is not started due to a freeze of moisture inside the roots pump 1, and the control unit 7 operates the selector switch 3 in a step S4 so as to reverse the polarity of the electric power supplied from the battery 4 to the driving motor 2, thereby giving the driving motor 2 a starting indication in a direction of reverse rotation. Subsequently, the control unit 7 judges whether or not the driving motor 2 has been started by the signature from the starter sensor 5 in a step S5. In a case where the control unit 7 judges that the driving motor 2 has not been started, the control unit 7 contrasts a charging capacity Ps of the battery 4 and a preset value Pm in a step S6.
If the charging capacity Ps exceeds in the preset value Pm, it is estimated that the control unit 7 is capable of proceeding with a starting process in this state, and the control unit 7 operates the selector switch 3 in a step S7 so as to reverse the polarity of the electric power supplied from the battery 4 to the driving motor 2 once again, thereby giving the driving motor 2 the starting indication in the direction of normal rotation this time. Subsequently, the control unit 7 judges whether or not the driving motor 2 has been started by the signature from the starter sensor 5 in a step S8. In a case where the control unit 7 judges that the driving motor 2 has not been started, the control unit 7 contrasts the charging capacity Ps of the battery 4 and the preset value Pm in a step S9. If the charging capacity Ps exceeds in the preset value Pm, the control unit 7 returns the process from the step S9 to the step S4, thereby giving the driving motor 2 the starting indication in the direction of reverse rotation.
Thus, the processes of the step S4 through the step S9 are repeated until the driving motor 2 is started, and the indications of the reverse rotation and the normal rotation are repeatedly given to the driving motor 2 by the control unit 7.
In a case where the control unit 7 judges that the driving motor 2 has been started by the signature from the starter sensor 5 in the step S1, S5 or S8, those steps proceed to a step S10. The control unit 7 gives the driving motor 2 the starting indication in the direction of normal rotation once more in a system starting loop, the fuel cell system as a whole is started while the operation of the roots pump 1 is started. It is noted that in a case where the driving motor 2 is started when the control unit 7 gives the driving motor 2 the instruction of starting in the direction of normal rotation, the driving motor 2 may continue the operation and be followed by the starting of the fuel cell system as a whole.
In a case where the control unit 7 judges that the charging capacity Ps of the battery 4 is the preset value Pm or below in the step S6 or S9, it is estimated that the charging capacity Ps is insufficient to start the operation of the fuel cell system as a whole after the operation of the pump is started even if the starting process proceeds in this state. In this case, those steps proceed to a step S11, in which the starting process is ended for the reason that the fuel cell system is incapable of being started.
Further, if the outdoor air temperature T is above 4 degrees C. in the step S3, it is estimated that the driving motor 2 is incapable of being started for the causes other than the freeze of the moisture. In this case, the step S3 proceeds to a step S12, in which the cause of impossibility of the starting is investigated in a failure-diagnosis loop.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, since the indications of reverse rotation and normal rotation are repeatedly given to the driving motor in a case where the driving motor is not started even if the indication of normal rotation is given to the driving motor of the roots pump in an environment of low temperature, the frozen moisture is peeled from the rotor or the casing of the roots pump by torque of reverse rotation and normal rotation caused by the driving motor even if the moisture freezes inside the roots pump, thereby enabling the roots pump to be started.
A second preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to
The screw pump 30 has a front housing 8a, a rotor housing 8b, a rear housing 8c and a gear housing 8d. The front housing 8a is joined to the rotor housing 8b. The rotor housing 8b is joined to the rear housing 8c. The rear housing 8c is joined to the gear housing 8d. These housings 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d form a screw pump housing in which the drive shaft 9 and the driven shaft 10 are rotatably arranged. One end of the drive shaft 9 is provided with the drive gear 11, and one end of the driven shaft 10 is provided with the driven gear 12. The drive gear 11 engages with the driven gear 12. The rotor housing 8b has defined therein a main pump chamber 31 and an auxiliary pump chamber 32. The main pump chamber 31 has accommodated therein first and second main screw rotors 33, 34. The auxiliary pump chamber 32 has accommodated therein first and second auxiliary screw rotors 35, 36. The first main screw rotor 33 and the first auxiliary screw rotor 35 are integrally rotated with the drive shaft 9. The second main screw rotor 34 and the second auxiliary screw rotor 36 are integrally rotated with the driven shaft 10.
The main pump chamber 31, the first and second main screw rotors 33, 34 form a main pump 37. The auxiliary pump chamber 32, the first and second auxiliary screw rotors 35, 36 form an auxiliary pump 38. A first screw pitch p2 between the first and second auxiliary screw rotors 35, 36 is set to be smaller than a second screw pitch p1 between the first and second main screw rotors 33, 34. That is, since volume of the gas trapped in the auxiliary pump chamber 32 is smaller than that of the gas trapped in the main pump chamber 31, displacement of the auxiliary pump 38 is smaller than that of the main pump 37.
A part of the main pump chamber 31 is defined as a semi-exhaust chamber 311 communicating with a main exhaust port (not shown). The rotation of the first and second main screw rotors 33, 34 pumps the gas from a suction port side (not shown) to the main exhaust port side. The rotation of the first and second auxiliary screw rotors 35, 36 pumps a part of the gas in the semi-exhaust chamber 311 into the auxiliary pump chamber 32 through a passage 39 between the main pump chamber 31 and the auxiliary pump chamber 32 and then discharges the pumped gas outside the auxiliary pump chamber 32.
As is the case with the operation of the first embodiment, operation of the second embodiment is explained with reference to the flow chart in
In the second embodiment of the present invention, since the indications of reverse rotation and normal rotation are repeatedly given to the driving motor in a case where the driving motor is not started even if the indication of normal rotation is given to the driving motor of the screw pump in an environment of low temperature, the frozen moisture is peeled from the rotor or the casing of the screw pump by torque of reverse rotation and normal rotation caused by the driving motor even if the moisture freezes inside the screw pump, thereby enabling the screw pump to be started.
In the above first and second embodiments, as the starter sensor 5 which senses whether or not the driving motor 2 has been started, a torque sensor which senses torque of the driving motor 2, an electric current sensor which senses a value of an electric current flowing into the driving motor 2, a sensor which senses number of rotation of the driving motor 2, or a pressure sensor which senses a discharge pressure of the roots pump 1 (or the screw pump 30) are used.
In the above first and second embodiments, as the temperature sensor 6, a sensor which measures a temperature of the driving motor 2 instead of the outdoor air temperature T or a sensor which measures the temperature of the fuel cell stack may be used. However, since the temperature sensor 6 is intended to monitor the temperature at which the freeze of the moisture begins, it is efficiently estimated whether or not the driving motor 2 has been started if the outdoor air temperature T is measured. In addition, the preset temperature contrasted with the outdoor air temperature T in the step S3 of
In the above first embodiment, the roots pump 1 is transversely arranged such that the drive shaft 9 faces a horizontal direction, thereby locating a suction port which allows a working fluid to be introduced from the outside of the roots pump 1 to the rotor chamber 13 on the upside of the drive shaft 9 and a discharge port which allows the working fluid to be discharged from the rotor chamber 13 to the outside of the roots pump 1 on the downside of the drive shaft 9. It is noted that the roots pump 1 may be arranged such that the drive shaft 9 faces a vertical direction. In addition, the roots pump 1 may be longitudinally arranged such that the drive shaft 9 faces a vertical direction. Further, the roots pump 1 may be arranged at any angle.
The present invention is adapted for the roots pump or the screw pump, which is used as a hydrogen pump or an air pump supplying a fuel gas to a fuel cell in a fuel cell powered vehicle equipped with a battery. In addition, the present invention is also adapted for a roots blower which is used as an air conditioning apparatus in a fuel cell powered vehicle equipped with a battery.
Further, the present invention is also adapted for one of a roots pump, a screw pump and a roots blower used in a fixed power plant whose power source is supplied from a commercial power source instead of a battery. In this case, there is no need for measuring the charging capacity Ps of the battery 4 in the steps S6, S9 of
Therefore, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| P2003-394111 | Nov 2003 | JP | national |
