Method and system for managing and achieving a state of health to control the life of a fuel cell

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for determining, applying and / or managing the state of health of a fuel cell to control the life of the fuel cell in a vehicle and / or powertrain.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This nonprovisional application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 196,044, filed on June 2, 2021, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and any other applicable law or regulation, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for determining, applying and / or managing the state of health of a fuel cell to control the life of the fuel cell in a vehicle and / or powertrain. Background Art

[0004] Fuel cells are known for their efficient use of fuel to develop direct current (DC). Certain fuel cells (such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)) operate in large-scale power systems that provide electricity to meet industrial and municipal needs. Other common types of fuel cells include phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) and proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), all generally named after their electrolytes. Many of these types of fuel cells are useful for powering smaller portable applications (such as cars, trucks, industrial equipment and / or other types of vehicles or powertrains).

[0005] A fuel cell or fuel cell module generates electricity by electrochemically combining a fuel and an oxidant across an ion-conducting layer. Typically, fuel cells are electrically accumulated in series in an assembly of fuel cells to generate power at a useful voltage or current. Therefore, an interconnection structure is used to connect or couple adjacent fuel cells in series or in parallel to form a fuel cell stack or fuel cell system.

[0006] Through normal operation, fuel cells and fuel cell modules (such as those used in vehicles and / or powertrains) age, degrade and / or deteriorate over time. Aging, degradation and / or deterioration often reduce or prevent the fuel cell from providing optimal power and / or operating efficiently over the life span or lifetime of the fuel cell. Current methods and systems for determining or predicting fuel cell health (e.g., the health state of a fuel cell) are arranged in a manufacturer or laboratory setting, and / or are based on limited information, including but not limited to internal parameters related to the fuel cell itself. These current methods or systems for estimating or predicting the health state and / or life of a fuel cell pose complex problems, particularly with respect to unreliability and inaccuracy when those measurements are applied to real-world applications (such as, when or during use of a vehicle and / or powertrain).

[0007] For these and other reasons, the present disclosure relates to methods and systems for determining, applying and / or managing the health state and / or controlling the life of a fuel cell in a vehicle and / or powertrain. Specifically, the present methods and systems enable the estimation, prediction, utilization, management and control of the health state and life of any fuel cell by dynamically operating the fuel cell (such as, in real time and / or at the powertrain, power system, vehicle or drive level) so that any input and / or measurement data is ascertained and collected in real-world conditions. In doing so, the present methods and systems provide improved confidence, reliability and accuracy in the determination of health state and life predictions of fuel cells as integrated in applications and throughout their life cycle, which are further utilized by one or more controllers to achieve improved practicality, improved efficiency and increased life of the fuel cell and its operating performance. Summary of the invention

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention are included to meet these and other needs. The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling the life of a fuel cell. One embodiment of the method includes: receiving one or more inputs to a processor; and generating a life management and control strategy by the processor. The method for controlling the life of a fuel cell also includes: transmitting the life management and control strategy to a power source controller by the processor. In addition, the method includes: controlling the power output of one or more power sources by the power source controller, wherein the one or more power sources are selected from fuel cells, batteries, and combinations thereof.

[0009] In one embodiment, the method includes: positioning one or more power sources on a vehicle or powertrain, configuring one or more power sources to be located on a vehicle or powertrain, or attaching one or more power sources to a vehicle or powertrain. In one embodiment of the method, the vehicle or powertrain is a car, truck, aircraft, ship, train, locomotive, bus, or mining equipment. In a further embodiment of the method, the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell or a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

[0010] One embodiment of the method includes generating the life management and control strategy, which includes estimating the current health state of the one or more power sources. In one embodiment, generating the life management and control strategy includes: performing an online-offline process. In a further embodiment, performing an online-offline process includes: estimating the health state of the one or more power sources.

[0011] In one embodiment of the method, estimating the health status of the one or more power sources includes generating a trend line. In another embodiment of the method, the trend line reflects the estimated life of the one or more power sources. In a further embodiment of the method, the life management and control strategy includes the one or more inputs, the health status of the one or more power sources, and the estimated life. Finally, in one embodiment of the method, controlling the power output of the one or more power sources by the controller includes: delivering instructions to the one or more power sources.

[0012] The present disclosure also relates to a system for controlling the life of a fuel cell. An embodiment of the system includes: 1) a processor; 2) one or more real-time inputs; 3) a power source controller; and 4) one or more power sources. In an embodiment of the system, the one or more power sources are located on a vehicle or powertrain, configured to be located on a vehicle or powertrain, or attached to a vehicle or powertrain.

[0013] In another embodiment, the processor receives the one or more inputs, uses the one or more inputs to generate a lifetime management and control strategy, and transmits the lifetime management and control strategy to the power source controller. In a further embodiment, the power source controller controls power output for the one or more power sources based on the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0014] In one embodiment of the system, each of the one or more power sources includes a separate individual controller for controlling the power source. In another embodiment, the individual controller for each of the one or more power sources separately cooperates with the power source controller to control the power output for the one or more power sources. In a further embodiment of the system, the power output for the one or more power sources is driven by automated control. In another embodiment of the system, the automated control of the power output of the one or more power sources is based on the life management and control strategy.

[0015] In one embodiment of the system, the vehicle or powertrain is a car, truck, aircraft, ship, train, locomotive, bus or mining equipment. Finally, in one embodiment of the system, the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell or a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, and wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a method or system including a life management and control strategy for determining a state of health and increasing the life of a fuel cell.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing graph data of a fuel cell life estimate trend line determined by a life management and control strategy versus average fuel cell stack voltage when comparing operating times (in hours) at different power levels.

[0019] Figure 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a method for generating a lifetime management and control strategy to increase the lifetime of a fuel cell.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a life management and control system for increasing the life of a fuel cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present disclosure relates to a method and a system (e.g., a control system) that includes determining, applying, managing and / or controlling the state of health (SOH) and life of a fuel cell in a vehicle and / or powertrain. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a method and system for predicting, estimating, managing and / or utilizing the state of health (SOH) and life estimates of a fuel cell by applying specific life management and control strategies to maintain, sustain and / or extend the SOH and / or life of a fuel cell on a vehicle and / or powertrain. The method and system of the present disclosure also include: generating a life management and control strategy based on operational, performance and other input data ("inputs") as well as the state of health (SOH) and life, which is responsible for managing and controlling the allocation or segmentation in a vehicle and / or powertrain having one or more power sources.

[0022] In one embodiment, the vehicle and / or powertrain of the present disclosure may be a ship, a marine vehicle or ship, a train, a locomotive, a bus, a tram, or a mining rig. For example, the vehicle or powertrain of the present disclosure may be a car (e.g., a car), a truck, a ship (e.g., a marine ship), a train, a locomotive, a bus, or a mining rig. In one embodiment, the vehicle and / or powertrain may be equipment or devices used on rails, on waterways, on highways, off highways, in high altitudes, or underground.

[0023] In one embodiment, the vehicle and / or powertrain may include or be attached to a vessel used in the air. For example, the vehicle and / or powertrain may be or be attached to an airplane, a helicopter, or other aircraft or aerospace vehicle (e.g., a drone or a hot air balloon). In another embodiment, the vehicle and / or powertrain of the present system or method does not include an airplane, a helicopter, or any aircraft, aerospace vehicle, or other type of vessel used in the air.

[0024] The vehicle and / or powertrain of the present method or system can be powered by one or more of any type of fuel cell accompanied by one or more of any type of power source / sink (e.g., high voltage battery, ultracapacitor, etc.). Illustrative power sources for the vehicle and / or powertrain of the present method or system can include, but are not limited to, fuel cells or batteries. Importantly, the present method and system can be applicable to any brand or design of power source, such as any fuel cell, fuel cell stack, or battery, regardless of the manufacturer or designer of the fuel cell or vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0025] In particular, the present methods and systems may be applicable to any new fuel cell and / or new battery that is physically located on (e.g., mounted on), configured to be attached to, or in contact with a vehicle and / or powertrain (such as a new or newly built vehicle and / or powertrain). The methods and systems may be applicable to any fuel cell and / or battery for identifying, utilizing, and / or implementing inputs, internal parameters, and / or information that determines or defines the health state and / or life of a power source.

[0026] Further, the present method and system can be applicable to any type of fuel cell, fuel cell stack or fuel cell system. For example, in one embodiment, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) can be used with the present method and system. In another embodiment, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) can be utilized by the present method and system. In addition, the present method and system can be applicable to a fuel cell system or a power generation system, which includes one or more, several and / or multiple fuel cells, fuel cell stacks and / or fuel cell modules in the system.

[0027] Another embodiment of the power source of the present method or system includes a battery. In particular, the power source of the present method or system must also be a "power sink", which means that the power source can consume power as well as generate and output power. Accordingly, the power source of the present method and system does not include an engine, such as an internal combustion engine, a diesel engine, or a hydrogen-powered engine.

[0028] An exemplary power source for a vehicle and / or powertrain may be a hybrid power source. The hybrid power source of the present disclosure may include at least two different types of power sources (e.g., fuel cells and batteries / supercapacitors, etc.). An embodiment of a hybrid power source for a vehicle and / or powertrain may include at least a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack. Another embodiment of a hybrid power source for a vehicle and / or powertrain may include at least a battery. Another exemplary embodiment of a hybrid power source for a vehicle and / or powertrain may include at least a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack and a battery. Using a hybrid power source (such as a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack / battery hybrid power source) independently and / or in combination with the present method and system (e.g., a control system) may result in the generation and application of a life management and control strategy that provides management and control of one or more power sources or power generation components (e.g., fuel cells and batteries) of a vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0029] The present disclosure relates to methods and control systems for generating a life management and control strategy ("life management and control strategy") that can be applied to and / or implemented in a vehicle and / or powertrain (see Figure 1 In an exemplary embodiment, the present method and control system involves applying or implementing lifetime management and control strategies and processes to power sources (e.g., fuel cells and / or batteries) that are physically located on (e.g., mounted on), seated on, configured to be attached to, or in contact with a vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0030] In such an embodiment, operational testing of the fuel cell and / or battery for estimating or predicting the health, age, and / or life of the power source may be performed at the vehicle and / or powertrain level, such that indirect testing by other means is not necessary. Operational testing of the power source at the vehicle and / or powertrain level also obviates any need for direct testing at the power source level or directly on the power source. Thus, utilization and implementation of the present methods and systems are advantageous because they may be performed regardless of the brand or type of power source and regardless of vehicle and / or powertrain rate or torque requirements.

[0031] exist Figure 1One embodiment of the present life management and control system 100 for generating a life management and control strategy is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. The life management and control system or process 100 of the present disclosure includes a first step of determining a condition 110 that triggers or initiates a life management process. Typically, the life management process is initiated based on one or more inputs 115 that may come from one or more power sources 320 or inputs 115 from a vehicle and / or powertrain 330 (see FIG. Figure 1 and 3 ).

[0032] These inputs 115 / 404 may include, but are not limited to, battery power limits, battery or fuel cell state of charge (SOC), coolant flow, ambient temperature, fault-free operation or fault conditions, average or current power levels, voltage, current, etc. (see Figure 1 and 4 ). Input 115 / 404 may also include future-looking data and information, such as weather, road conditions, and / or sea conditions, and specific age, life, or health state parameters or metrics related to the power source. In other embodiments, generation of the life management and control strategy may include determining the power requirements of the vehicle and / or powertrain or the power output of the one or more power sources based on the data and / or information provided as input 115 / 404.

[0033] In some embodiments, the life management and control strategy may be generated and implemented based on input 115 / 404 distance and the conditions under which the vehicle and / or powertrain must travel. In some embodiments, the life management and control strategy may be generated and implemented based on input 115 / 404 of the vehicle and / or powertrain as it travels on the route (such as current rate, speed, current, voltage, faults, etc.). In some embodiments, the life management and control strategy may be generated and implemented based on input 115 time required to start, shut down, initiate, charge, or refuel one or more power sources on the vehicle and / or powertrain. In other embodiments, the life management and control strategy may be generated and implemented based on one or more of these, other, or system external input 115 / 404 factors.

[0034] Input data or inputs 115 / 404 are used to generate a life management and control strategy that includes a state of health and / or life of a power source. Generation of a life management and control strategy can utilize inputs 115 / 404 to estimate or predict a state of health of a power source. For example, in some embodiments, the state of health of a power source is estimated or predicted based on real-time operating parameters, metrics, and data compared to a "start of life" parameter of the power source. More specifically, internal qualitative or quantitative parameters (such as metrics, signals, sensors, data, algorithms, outputs, and / or inputs of a power source (e.g., a fuel cell)) can be evaluated or measured in real time and further utilized to determine an estimated and / or current state of health (SOH).

[0035] As is known in the art, typically, the "state of health" of a power source (such as a fuel cell or battery) is a normalized expression used to communicate the goodness of the condition of the power source. The condition of the power source used to determine the SOH can be compared to an ideal, unused, or normal "wear and tear" operating condition, as typically indicated in the manufacturer's specifications. For example, the state of health of a power source is often communicated as a percentage, where a 100% SOH reflects that the power source is operating near or in perfect condition (e.g., such as when new), and thus should have a lifespan as indicated in the manufacturer's specifications.

[0036] However, over time and with use (particularly, detrimental use resulting in damage to the power source), the SOH percentage will decrease to an unusable condition, such as at or below about 50% to about 0% SOH. Such detrimental use, as reflected in a poor SOH, rapidly reduces the life of the power source, which is the amount of time (e.g., run-time hours) it takes for the power source to go from being usable to being unusable. Accordingly, assessment, estimation, and / or prediction of the health state of the power source in real time and / or at the vehicle or powertrain level is a key tool for better identifying and controlling the life of the power source.

[0037] For example, a fuel cell designed by the manufacturer to have a lifespan of 12 years should have a SOH of 50% at 6 years of use. If the fuel cell indicates (e.g., in real time) a SOH of 30% at 6 years of use, then the lifespan of the fuel cell will not be an additional 6 years. Therefore, the real-time normalized SOH is directly related to the lifespan of the fuel cell and can be used to indicate or estimate the lifespan of the fuel cell. Importantly, the present method and system enables the use of the SOH of a fuel cell in a vehicle or powertrain to be mathematically manipulated in order to manage, control and / or extend the lifespan of the fuel cell to the lifespan desired by its manufacturer.

[0038] Specifically, the real-time operating conditions of the fuel cell at a specific current and power level can be compared with the same conditions at the beginning of the life of the fuel cell to determine, estimate and / or predict the relative life of the fuel cell. The determination of the relative life of the power source can also be based on a comparison of the real-time operating conditions of the fuel cell at a specific current and power level compared to historical trends. In this regard, the life management and control strategy further includes and takes into account the estimated life of the power source.

[0039] The generation of the estimated lifetime for the lifetime management and control strategy may include performing, executing or running an online and / or offline operational power evaluation process (see Figure 1 ). Typically, during this operating process, a first power source (e.g., a fuel cell) is started online. The fuel cell is then powered up to operate at a first power level so as to draw a specific voltage or current (e.g., "15 kW") from the fuel cell 120. During this online and / or offline process or calibration process (110-175), the fuel cell is allowed to operate at a steady state at the first power level for a period of time, followed by the next power level (e.g., about 15 kW to about 20 kW), and so on, until a maximum power level 130 is reached.

[0040] Although any time period may be used to operate the power source at steady state 130, typical time periods range from about 2 minutes to about 20 minutes, including each time period subsumed therein. In another embodiment, the time period may range from about 5 minutes to about 10 minutes, including each time period subsumed therein. Exemplary time periods that allow a fuel cell or power source to operate at steady state are generally at, about, or no greater than about 5 minutes 130.

[0041] refer to Figure 1 , output data is generated during the operation process (110-200). Based on the output data ascertained during steady-state operation of the fuel cell, a life management and control strategy is further generated by using a moving average filter or any alternative method for calculating, estimating or determining the average fuel cell stack voltage 140. The average fuel cell stack voltage or current required to power up the fuel cell to the desired operating power level is noted, recorded and / or stored 150. If no other power levels are to be evaluated 170, the information generated by the online and / or offline process will be stored and transmitted to other components or systems as output data or "output".

[0042] Typically, this online and / or offline process (110-170) for operating a power source at a sequence of different power levels can be repeated several times over the entire course of the operational run time for the power source. As an example, the online and / or offline process can be repeated every 500 hours (or every 1000 hours, etc.) of operation of the fuel cell. The process can also be manually triggered during regular maintenance intervals by a service tool or other method, as described above. The process can also be triggered at the end of a line test of a new vehicle and / or powertrain with the power source. The first power source can be subsequently and repeatedly operated at the same time period and power level as the time period and power level described above at 120, but at different time intervals over the course of the complete operating time or life of the power source to generate output data or "output".

[0043] For example, the online-offline process (110-175) for operating the power source may be subsequently repeated within a time period that is the same as or different from the time period previously described at 130. Importantly, the online-offline process (110-175) for operating the power source may be repeated at a power level different from the power level utilized in 120. For example, a first power source may be powered up to operate at a second power level to draw a specific voltage or current (e.g., "xyz kW"). The online-offline process for operating the power source at the second power level may be repeated several times over the course of the operational runtime for the power source to generate an "output" at the second power level. Further, the online-offline process may be performed at a maximum power level ("MaxPower") and subsequently repeated over the course of the operational runtime as described above. Figure 1 This same online-offline process (110-175) shown in FIG. 1 is used to operate a power source to generate an "output" up to a maximum power level and at the maximum power level.

[0044] In a typical example, the process of running the online-offline process (110-175) can be repeated multiple times at different power levels. For example, the online-offline process (110-175) can start at or about 15kW, then run at or about 20kW, then run at or about 25kW, then run at or about 30kW, then run at or about 35kW, etc. In this illustrative example, the online-offline process (110-175) can continue to repeat in specific increments (e.g., 5kW increments) to or about 150kW and / or until the maximum fuel power has been reached. When all power levels are completed 160, final output data and / or "output" can be generated to continue the final process described in steps 180-200.

[0045] The output data generated by the online-offline process can be used to automatically and / or manually create a trend line that indicates, estimates and / or predicts the health, age and / or life of the power source. Ideally, the online-offline process is repeated a number of times ranging from about 4 times to about 20 times, including any specific number of repeated online-offline cycles included in the range. In an illustrative embodiment, the online-offline process is repeated about 8 times, about 8 times, or no more than about 8 times at various different power levels (see Figure 2 ). In particular, when the first power source of the hybrid power source is a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack, the online-offline operation process can be repeated indefinitely as long as conditions are favorable and so long as this is supported by the second power source (such as a battery).

[0046] At the end of multiple rounds of performing the online-offline process (110-170) for different time intervals and for different power levels using different power sources, the output of each process becomes an additional input 115 / 404. Those inputs 115 / 404 can be incorporated into the algorithms included in the processor to generate and / or estimate the health state of the power source. In one embodiment, the inputs 115 / 404 can be automatically entered or manually entered by a user, operator, or controller into a processor including a mathematical formula or algorithm. These mathematical algorithms process and / or manipulate the quantitative or qualitative inputs 115 / 404 including the outputs of the online-offline process to generate an estimated current health state (SOH) of the power source. The SOH can be further utilized and mathematically manipulated by the algorithms in the processor to generate life management and control strategies.

[0047] In one embodiment, the health status is automatically and / or algorithmically reflected by generating or creating a trend line. For example, an online-offline process (110-175) for operating a power source at multiple power levels (e.g., "abc kW", "xyz kW", or "MaxPower") at multiple time points and / or time periods over the entire course of operational runtime can generate a trend line 180. In one embodiment, as Figure 1 and 2 As shown in , a trend line can be represented by average fuel cell stack voltage or current output data 240 plotted on a graph along with the total operating time achieved in a time period 150. In additional embodiments, the trend line can be used to estimate or predict the health, age, and / or life 190 of a power source (e.g., a fuel cell).

[0048] like Figure 2As seen in FIG. 2 , this online-offline process for operating a power source at multiple power levels (e.g., “abc kW,” “xyz kW,” or “MaxPower”) when repeated over the course of operational runtime for the power source can be used to generate a trend line 280 to estimate or predict the state of health and life 290 of the power source (e.g., fuel cell) compared to the steady state 230. The estimated state of health of the power source at a specific power level 190 / 220, 190 / 260, 190 / 290 is then used to functionally normalize 200 the real-time or estimated present state of health of the power source so that the life of the power source can be estimated, maintained, maintained, and / or extended.

[0049] More specifically, the output data generated at each power level during the operation process (110-200) is Figure 2 The offline-online process (110-175) is run to generate data points at a time period of about 500 hours or at least every 500 hours. Those data points are used to generate data points. Figure 1 One or more trend lines are algorithmically generated during process step 180 of the present invention, wherein the trend lines are related to the health state of the fuel cell and are used to predict or estimate the life of the fuel cell during step 190 of the operating process (110-200).

[0050] The slope of the trend line, the stack voltage, and the run time may also be determined automatically, electronically, and / or algorithmically. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 2 , during step 200 of the process (110-200) of normalizing the health status information and determining the life of the fuel cell, the slope (K) of the trend line is typically determined by calculating the height (h) of a data point on the trend line from 0 to the data point divided by the length (l) of the trend line. The height (h) of the trend line represents the fuel cell stack voltage 240, and the length (l) of the trend line represents the operating time of the fuel cell in hours, so that the slope is determined as follows.

[0051] K = Height / Length = Volts / Hour Since the runtime hours for any fuel cell as designed by the manufacturer are known, the stack voltage can also be determined in real time or at the end of the life of the power source, where C is a constant. Conversely, the runtime hours at the end of life can also be determined as follows.

[0052] Stack voltage at end of life = K × operating time hours + C

[0053] Run time at end of life hours = (current stack voltage – C) / K

[0054] Once the run time hours at the end of life or remaining estimated life of the power source have been determined, this value can be used to determine, estimate or normalize the state of health of the fuel cell. The normalized or estimated state of health can be determined by dividing the present, current or real-time run time hours by the run time hours at end of life. More specifically, the normalized state of health can be calculated algorithmically as follows, and its use is advantageous because it is not necessary to know the actual or absolute state of health of the fuel cell to estimate the life of the power source as.

[0055] 1 – (Runtime hours used today / Runtime hours at end of life) × 100%

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown in step 200 of , the normalized health status information may be further used as input 115 / 404 by the processor 434 and / or the controller 402 / 430 including one or more control algorithms. Figure 4 , the normalized state of health may be communicated directly and / or used to generate a lifetime management and control strategy that is communicated 414 / 416 / 434 to the power source controller 430. For example, an algorithm in the power source controller 430 or processor 434 may generate a lifetime management and control strategy based on the estimated or normalized state of health, lifetime estimate, and / or additional inputs 115 / 404 communicated to one or more fuel cells or power sources so that their age or lifetime may be maintained, maintained, and / or extended (see Figure 4 ).

[0057] Additional methods for employing life management and control strategies to estimate or predict the real-time or estimated current state of health of a fuel cell or power source may include, but are not limited to, using trend line outputs, remaining age, remaining power, averaging the remaining life (in hours) at each power level, determining the minimum remaining life (in hours) at each power level, and utilizing normalized values ​​on a 0-100% scale at each power level, or a combination thereof. In particular, each of these methods or processes for ascertaining a relative or real-time or estimated current state of health may be implemented using vehicle and / or powertrain control (e.g., not power source control) to split power between multiple power sources. As an example, if the remaining life (in hours) of a fuel cell of a hybrid battery system at a certain power level is low compared to the life of the fuel cell when operating at other power levels, the vehicle and / or powertrain controller may operate the fuel cell below that specific power level to help improve the life of the vehicle and / or powertrain system and extend the life of the fuel cell.

[0058] Additionally, the operational procedures described herein for estimating and / or predicting fuel cell life, as often depicted in an in situ polarization curve, are described in detail in the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 110-200) can be triggered by multiple conditions. In one embodiment, the online-offline process described herein can be initiated or triggered, such as every 500 hours of operation of the fuel cell of the vehicle, automatically or manually, and / or when the average power drops or has been continuously below a specified threshold.

[0059] In one embodiment, the operational processes described herein may be triggered or initiated (such as by a service, engineering, dealership, or fleet maintenance controller) using a physical or electronic service tool during a regular maintenance inspection or preventive maintenance. Briefly, the operational processes described herein may be manually activated by an operator of the vehicle and / or powertrain, such as by pressing a specific button on a vehicle dashboard or console. Further, the operational processes described herein may be implemented using forward-looking electronic horizon data or other environmental, logistical, and / or geographic information to identify opportunities to perform the processes on the road.

[0060] Importantly, the operational processes described herein need not be performed in a single setting, but may instead be performed intermittently or simultaneously. For example, the controller may stagger the data capture for a specific power level over a number of hours or days. Additionally, the operational processes may also be staggered to the extent that the controller operates the fuel cell at a certain power level for a period of time in a steady-state operating window to capture data, and then reverts to normal operation. The controller may then target running the operational process at the next power level at the next available opportunity.

[0061] refer to Figure 3 , the life management and control strategy 300 of the present method and system can be applied or implemented by a power source controller 340 and a power source processor 310 on a power source (e.g., a fuel cell and / or a battery) 320. The power source controller 340 or operator can be located at or employed by a manufacturer, designer, factory, service center, distributor, and / or dealer of the vehicle and / or powertrain 330 or the fuel cell module or system 320. The power source controller 340 or operator can also be located near the fuel cell (e.g., attached to, connected to, or within the same chamber or vicinity of the fuel cell) or away from the fuel cell (e.g., outside the same chamber or general vicinity of the fuel cell) so that the power source controller 340 can control the fuel cell 330 from a distance or remotely.

[0062] In one embodiment, the power source controller 340 or the operator is a human. In another embodiment, the power source controller 340 or the operator is a robot or a computer. In yet another embodiment, the power source controller 340 can include both human intervention and automated application and / or implementation of the life management and control strategies of the present method and system on one or more power sources or fuel cells. In a further embodiment, the power source controller 340 does not include human intervention at all or includes substantially limited human intervention. Instead, the power source controller 340 can automatically and / or electronically apply and / or implement the life management and control strategies of the present method and system on one or more power sources 320 or fuel cells.

[0063] For example, in some cases, the disclosed embodiments of the present life management and control strategy 300 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. The disclosed embodiments of the life management and control strategy 300 may also be implemented as instructions carried by or stored on a transient or non-transient machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) storage medium that can be read and executed by one or more processors. The disclosed embodiments may initially be encoded as a preliminary instruction set (e.g., encoded on a machine-readable storage medium) that may require preliminary processing operations by a source computing device (e.g., a device to send instructions) (such as, one or more processors) to prepare the instructions for execution on a destination computing device (e.g., a device to receive and execute instructions). For example, a processor may include a control algorithm for determining a current or real-time health status of instructions and / or information that may be broadcast on a controller area network (CAN) or LIN system of a vehicle and / or powertrain system.

[0064] In one embodiment, preliminary processing of the life management and control policy may be performed. The preliminary processing of the life management and control policy may include: combining the instructions with data present on the device; translating the instructions into a different format; performing compression, decompression, encryption, and / or decryption; combining several files including different sections of the instructions; integrating the instructions with other code or information present on the device (such as a library or an operating system); or the like.

[0065] The preliminary processing may be performed by a source computing device, a destination computing device, or an intermediate computing device. A machine-readable storage medium may be embodied as any storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a volatile or non-volatile memory, a media disk, or other media device).

[0066] refer to Figure 3 and 4, the method and control system 400 further includes a system controller or computing device 402 to facilitate data from one or more power source controllers 340 / 430 (e.g., a fuel cell controller and a battery controller) and / or other network communications as input 404. The control system 400 may include a computing device 402 that communicates over a network 416 with other components of the control system 400, including but not limited to the power source controllers 340 / 430, one or more power sources 320 / 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain 330 / 440, and other components 422 of the vehicle and / or powertrain 330 / 440 that determine and / or implement functions and performance.

[0067] The system controller or computing device 402 and the power source controllers 340 / 430 may be embodied as any type of computing or computer device capable of performing the functions described herein, including but not limited to servers (e.g., stand-alone, rack-mounted, blade, etc.), network appliances (e.g., physical or virtual), high performance computing devices, web appliances, distributed computing systems, computers, processor-based systems, multi-processor systems, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, and mobile computing devices.

[0068] In one embodiment, the system controller 402 and the power source controller 340 / 430 are included in the same device. In another embodiment, the system controller 402 and the power source controller 340 / 430 are independent and directly connected to one or more power sources 320 / 420 (see Figure 4 ) and communicates with it. In another embodiment, only the power source controller 340 / 430 is directly connected to and communicates with one or more power sources 320 / 420. In a further embodiment, each of the one or more power sources 320 / 420 has a power source controller 340 / 430 that is directly connected to and communicates with the one or more power sources 320 / 420.

[0069] Figure 4 The illustrative computing device 402 and / or power source controller 430 may include one or more of an input / output (I / O) subsystem 406, a memory 408 / 432, a processor 410 / 434, a data storage device 412, a communication subsystem 414 / 436, and a display 418, which may be connected to each other, communicate with each other, and / or be configured to communicate via wired, wireless, and / or power line connections and associated protocols (e.g., Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.) are connected and / or communicated with each other.

[0070] The computing device 402 and / or the power source controller 430 may also include additional and / or replaceable components, such as those commonly found in computers (e.g., various input / output devices). In other embodiments, one or more of the illustrative computing device 402 and / or power source controller 430 components may be incorporated into another component or otherwise form part of another component. For example, the memory 408 / 432 or portions thereof may be incorporated into the processor 410 / 434.

[0071] Processor 410 / 434 may be embodied as any type of computing processing tool or equipment capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, processor 410 / 434 may be embodied as a single-core or multi-core processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, or other processor or processing / control circuit. Memory 408 / 432 may be embodied as any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0072] In operation, the memory 408 / 432 may store various data and software used during operation of the computing device 402 / 430 (such as an operating system, applications, programs, libraries, and drivers). The memory 408 / 432 may be coupled to the processor 410 / 434 directly and communicatively or via the I / O subsystem 406, which may be embodied as circuits and / or components that facilitate input / output operations with the processor 410 / 434, the memory 408 / 432, and other components 422 of the computing device 402 / 430.

[0073] For example, the I / O subsystem 406 may be embodied as or otherwise include a memory controller hub, an input / output control hub, a sensor hub, a host controller, a firmware device, communication links (i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, optical guides, printed circuit board traces, etc.), and / or other components and subsystems that facilitate input / output operations.

[0074] In one embodiment, memory 408 / 432 may be directly coupled to processor 410 / 434, for example via an integrated memory controller hub. Additionally, in some embodiments, I / O subsystem 406 may form part of a system on a chip (SoC) and be incorporated on a single integrated circuit chip (not shown) along with processor 410 / 434, memory 408 / 432, and / or other components of computing device 402 / 430.

[0075] The data storage device 412 may be embodied as one or more devices of any type configured for short-term or long-term storage of data, such as, for example, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, hard disk drives, solid-state drives, or other data storage devices. The computing device 402 also includes a communication subsystem 414 / 436, which may be embodied as any communication circuit, device, or collection thereof that enables communication between the computing device 402 / 430 and other remote devices over the computer network 416.

[0076] The components of the communication subsystem 414 / 436 may be configured to communicate using any one or more communication technologies (e.g., wired, wireless, cloud-based, and / or power line communications) and associated protocols (e.g., Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.) to implement such communications between system components and devices. The vehicle and / or powertrain power source controller 430, power source 420, additional devices or components 422, system computing device 402, and additional features or components 440 can be connected to each other, communicate, and / or be configured to use one or more communication technologies (e.g., wired, wireless, cloud-based, and / or power line communications) and associated protocols (e.g., Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.) connect or communicate with each other on network 416.

[0077] The computing device 402 and the power controller 430 may also include any number of additional input / output devices, interface devices, hardware accelerators, and / or other peripherals. The computing device 402 and the power controller 430 of the control system 100 of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 may be configured into separate subsystems for managing data and coordinating communications throughout the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0078] The display 418 of the computing device 402 or the power controller 430 (not shown) may be embodied as any type of display capable of displaying digital and / or electronic information, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), a plasma display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), or other types of display devices. In some embodiments, the display 418 may be coupled to or otherwise include a touch screen or other input device.

[0079] In one embodiment, life management and control strategies are generated by processor 410 / 434 based on a number of inputs 404 and applied or implemented by power source controller 430 to affect the function of one or more power sources 420 and ultimately the function of vehicle and / or powertrain 440. Input 404 is provided by an operator or is publicly or privately available information. In one embodiment, life management and control strategies are generated by processor 410 / 434 based on a number of inputs 404 and applied or implemented by power source controller 430 in real time or automatically to affect the function of one or more power sources 420 and vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In one embodiment, power source controller 430 and its corresponding components 432 / 434 / 436 are in the same system controller or computing device 402 as system processor 410. In other embodiments, power source controller 430 may include memory 432, processor 434, and communication system 436, as previously described.

[0080] The generation of the life management and control strategy also depends on the power sources 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 and the information related to the performance, health status, age, and life that the processor 434 can access from each power source 420 present in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 over the communication network 416. The power source controller 430 is capable of controlling the operating functions and / or performance of one or more power sources 420 (e.g., fuel cells or fuel cell stacks, engines, and / or batteries) and other equipment and / or parts included in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 to ultimately control, maintain, manage, or maintain the age and life of the power sources 420 and / or the performance and operating functions of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440.

[0081] The power source controller 430 can control the operational functions and / or performance of various aspects 440 of the vehicle and / or powertrain. For example, the power source controller 430 can be configured to connect to and / or communicate with other components 422 in the power source 420, such as a fuel cell or battery system, which can include but is not limited to valves, pipes, wires, wires, modems, conduits, manifolds, actuators, sensors, storage tanks (e.g., water, hydrogen, air and / or fuel storage tanks), air supplies, motors, generators, and drive trains. Communications from the power source controller 430 to these other power source components 422 can alter, reduce, increase, negate, or enhance the functions or performance of one or more power sources 420.

[0082] In one embodiment, the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented by a power source controller 430 present on the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In other embodiments, the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented by a power source controller 430 not present on the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In other embodiments, the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented by a power source controller 430 that is remotely, automatically, programmatically, systematically, or locally controlled and / or activated (such as by a user or operator) on the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In one embodiment, the generation of the life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 and the application or implementation of the life management and control strategy by the power source controller 430 may occur in real time.

[0083] In one embodiment, generating the life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 includes identifying a primary power source selected from all available power sources 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 to generate power for the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. The primary power source 420 may be a single power source or a combination of more than one power source (e.g., a hybrid power source).

[0084] In one embodiment, the power source 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain may include a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack and a battery. In a further embodiment, the power source 420 may consist essentially of a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack and a battery.

[0085] In one embodiment, generating a lifetime management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include identifying a power need of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 based on certain inputs 404 / 115, as previously described. Generating a lifetime management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include receiving inputs 404 / 115 that may enable determination of a duration during which power is needed and from what power source the required power will be obtained. In one embodiment, the duration during which power is needed may be the duration during which the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 is traveling. In other embodiments, the duration during which power is needed may be different.

[0086] In one embodiment, generating a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include determining the power required to maneuver the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 to a desired location. In other embodiments, generating a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include determining the power required to power the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 from one or more power sources 420 to reach a destination and return to an original location.

[0087] In one embodiment, generating the life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include using a battery as the primary power source 420. Generating the life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include obtaining inputs 404 / 115 that may enable a determination of when to charge the battery or utilize the battery as the power source 420 as compared to using a fuel cell as the power source 420 in order to maintain, preserve, and / or extend the life of one or more of the power sources (e.g., fuel cells) 420. In other embodiments, generating the life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include obtaining inputs 404 / 115 that may enable a determination of how much to charge the battery to ensure that the health, age, or life of the fuel cell is maintained, extended, and / or maintained.

[0088] In one embodiment, generation of a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include methods for determining whether a power source 420 in a vehicle and / or powertrain 440 or any of the inputs 404 / 115 required by the processor 434 / 410 to generate a life management and control strategy has been tampered with or altered. In some embodiments, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications or manual actions by an operator may be implemented to verify the life management and control strategy and determine whether tampering has been detected. For example, if a battery or fuel cell utilization or charging strategy has been altered or compromised by software or hardware tampering, such verification of tampering and correction or compensation of an appropriate life management strategy for the power source 420 may be performed automatically (e.g., by a processor and controller) or manually by an operator.

[0089] In one embodiment, validation of the life management and control strategy generated by the processor 434 / 410 may be performed to protect the power source 420 and prevent any damage to them. In some embodiments, the power source 420 (such as a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack, or a battery) may be protected from overheating, overuse, improper utilization, depletion, improper charging, and / or improper startup or shutdown. In other embodiments, validation may be performed to obtain all inputs 404 / 115 used to generate the life management and control strategy. In some embodiments, validation may be performed automatically (e.g., by a processor and controller) or manually by an operator.

[0090] In one embodiment, the life management and control strategy generated by the processor 434 / 410 can be adjusted by the operator based on the operating conditions of the power source 420, the inspection of the input 404 / 115, the inspection of any tampering, the location, region or condition where the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 is operating, or the time required for the vehicle and / or powertrain to travel and / or return from any destination. Adjustment refers to the manipulation of the system and / or method input, control and / or performance by the operator. Typically, when specific, detailed and / or updated information is more available to the operator than the information available via the input 404 / 115 of the system or method when the manipulation or adjustment occurs, the adjustment is based on and utilized. In some embodiments, the operator can use the adjustment to help maintain or extend the health, age and / or life of the power source 420.

[0091] In one embodiment, generating a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include obtaining an additional input 404 / 115 associated with a fuel cell or battery state of charge (SOC). If the power source 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 is an engine and a battery, the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 may be sensitive to the battery SOC. In other embodiments, if the battery is powered by a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack, the vehicle and / or powertrain may be less sensitive to the battery SOC because the fuel cell or fuel cell stack may be able to power the battery.

[0092] In one embodiment, the generation of a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include: engaging only a subset of the fuel cells or fuel cell stacks present on the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In other embodiments, the vehicle and / or powertrain is powered by an engine, a fuel cell or fuel cell stack, and a battery. The generation of a life management and control strategy by the processor 434 / 410 may include: utilizing different power sources 420. The life management and control strategy generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 to be transmitted to one or more of the power sources 420 may cause the vehicle and / or powertrain to use one or more power sources 420 as the primary power source.

[0093] For example, the life management and control strategy 100 generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 for communication to one or more of the power sources 420 may result in a switch in the power source. More specifically, when the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 receives an instruction from the controller that a switch in the power source 420 is necessary and / or recommended to preserve, maintain and / or extend the life of one or all of the power sources 420, the vehicle and / or powertrain may switch the power source 420 from using a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack as the primary power source 420 to using a battery as the primary power source 420.

[0094] The life management and control strategy 100 generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 for communication to one or more of the power sources 420 may result in using a fuel cell or fuel cell stack as the primary power source for one portion of a journey or route and using a battery as the primary power source for another portion of the journey or route. One or more life management and control strategies may be generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 for independent communication to each specific power source 420, such as each primary power source 420.

[0095] For example, a first life management and control strategy 100 may be generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 to selectively control a first primary power source (e.g., a fuel cell or fuel cell stack) 420 of a vehicle and / or powertrain 440. Similarly, a second life management and control strategy may be generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 to selectively control a second primary power source (e.g., a battery) 420 of a vehicle and / or powertrain 440. Additional life management and control strategies may be generated by the processor 434 / 410 and implemented by the controller 430 / 402 to selectively control additional primary power sources 420 located within the vehicle and / or powertrain 440.

[0096] Accordingly, the present vehicle and / or powertrain 440 may include methods and systems that utilize a first life management and control strategy that can be generated by a processor 434 / 410 and implemented by a controller 430 / 402 for independent transmission to a first main power source 420, and a second life management and control strategy that can be generated by a processor 434 / 410 and implemented by a controller 430 / 402 for independent transmission to a second main power source 420.

[0097] The method further includes: selectively controlling the first main power source 420 using a first life management and control strategy, and selectively controlling the second main power source 420 using a second life management and control strategy. In some embodiments, the one or more life management and control strategies can enable selective utilization of more than one fuel cell stack. In addition to selectively utilizing the first main power source 420 and / or the second main power source 420, the selective utilization of one or more power sources (such as the first main power source 420 and / or the second main power source 420) of the present method and system can include utilizing only a portion of the main power source 420 compared to the entire main power source 420. In one embodiment, the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 can include a main power source 420, the main power source 420 including one or more of the plurality of power sources 420. For example, the vehicle or powertrain can have a main power source including a plurality of duplicate power sources (such as a plurality of fuel cell stacks, a plurality of batteries, or a combination thereof).

[0098] In an illustrative embodiment, the main power source 420 of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 can be a fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack can include one or more, several and / or multiple fuel cells. As known in the art, the multiple fuel cells can be configured to be connected in series and / or stacked so that the fuel cell stack generates the power required to operate the vehicle and / or powertrain 440.

[0099] During selective utilization of a primary power source (such as a first fuel cell stack), a life management and control strategy of the present method or system may be generated by processor 434 / 410 and implemented by controller 430 / 402 to operate only a portion of the fuel cell stack in order to reduce and / or prevent aging and / or deterioration of the fuel cell stack. Preferably, the fuel cell stack is operated in a strategic manner in order to maintain, preserve and / or extend its life or age based on a determination of the current or real-time health state of the fuel cell stack as described herein.

[0100] In an illustrative embodiment, selective utilization of a fuel cell stack including a number of fuel cells may include limiting, reducing, and / or adjusting the number of fuel cells operated. For example, a fuel cell stack including 12 fuel cells may operate only a portion of the fuel cell stack, such as any subset or number of fuel cells (e.g., only 10 fuel cells, 6 fuel cells, or 4 fuel cells) that provide the power necessary to operate the vehicle and / or powertrain at an acceptable level.

[0101] In additional embodiments, selective utilization of a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells may include limiting, reducing and / or adjusting the power capacity provided by any proportion of the fuel cells of the total fuel cell stack in operation. For example, a fuel cell stack comprising any number of fuel cells operating at 100% capacity may be selectively utilized to operate at any capacity ranging from 0% to about 100% (including any specific operating capacity percentages subsumed therein).

[0102] Input 404 / 115 to processor 434 / 410 from, for example, one or more sensors (e.g., hydrogen sensors) on the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 may determine that the health of one or more power sources 420 is suboptimal. Instructions established by processor 434 / 410 may then be communicated to controller 430 / 402 and further additional vehicle components (e.g., exhaust, tank, etc.) 422 to implement or utilize different power sources 420 to provide part or all of the power to the vehicle and / or powertrain 420.

[0103] Alternatively, the controller may instruct the power source 420 to change, reduce, and / or shut down the operating level of the suboptimal power source 420, and / or start or increase the power provided by a separate or different power source 420. More specifically, in one embodiment, applying or implementing the life management and control strategy by the controller 430 / 402 may include: changing, reducing, increasing, negating, restricting, or enhancing the functionality of the power sources 120 used in the vehicle and / or powertrain 420 (particularly those power sources 420 that are not identified as the primary power source 420 or are identified as not being the primary power source 420). In other embodiments, applying or implementing the life management and control strategy by the controller 430 / 402 may include: controlling, changing, restricting, and / or managing the functionality or power output of one or more power sources 420.

[0104] In one embodiment, preparing, applying and / or implementing the life management and control strategy by the controller 430 / 402 includes preparing, accounting for and / or managing the time required for a startup sequence or shutdown sequence of one or more power sources 420 in the vehicle and / or powertrain 440. In some embodiments, preparing to implement the life management and control strategy by the controller 430 includes preparing, accounting for and / or managing the time required for a startup sequence or shutdown sequence of a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack and / or a battery.

[0105] In a specific embodiment, provision for implementation of the present life management and control strategy in a vehicle and / or powertrain including a fuel cell or fuel cell stack and a battery as a primary power source 420 includes incorporating times to allow for a startup and / or shutdown sequence of the fuel cell or fuel cell stack and a time for sufficient charging of the battery (e.g., by the fuel cell or fuel cell stack). Incorporating such timing into the present life management and control strategy not only ensures successful and compliant travel of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440, but also ensures that minimal to no damage is incurred by either power source (e.g., fuel cell or fuel cell stack and battery) 420. Inadequate timing to allow each primary power source to successfully ramp up or down will result in damage to one or both primary power sources, and thus increase aging and reduce the health and life of the power sources 420.

[0106] For example, a typical fuel cell stack may take about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes to start or shut down. In some embodiments, a hydrogen fuel cell stack (such as, including one or more proton exchange membrane fuel cells also known as polymer exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC)) can have a variable start time. In one embodiment, the start time of the hydrogen fuel cell stack in a non-frozen condition can vary in the range of from about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes, including any specific time included therein, such as from about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes. In another embodiment, the start time of the hydrogen fuel cell stack in a frozen condition can vary in the range of from about 30 seconds to about 15 minutes, including any specific time included therein, such as from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes.

[0107] In some embodiments, a hydrogen fuel cell stack (such as a hydrogen fuel cell stack including one or more PEMFCs) may have a variable shutdown time. In one embodiment, the shutdown time of a hydrogen fuel cell stack in a non-refrigerated condition may vary in a range from about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes, including any specific time included therein, such as from about 1 minute to about 2 minutes. In another embodiment, the startup time of a hydrogen fuel cell stack in a frozen condition may vary in a range from about 30 seconds to about 15 minutes, including any specific time included therein, such as from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes.

[0108] In one embodiment, the processor 434 / 410, the controller 430 / 402, and the power source 420 are part of a feedback loop. In one such embodiment, the processor 434 / 410 generates a life management and control strategy based on the input 404 from the power source 420 along with the additional input 404 from any other source, and the controller 430 / 402 implements the generated strategy by modifying, reducing, increasing, negating, or enhancing the functionality of other components 422, which may be linked to the functionality and performance of one or more power sources 420.

[0109] The present method and / or life management and control system 400 including the life management and control strategy 100 / 200 / 300 can estimate and / or predict the current or real-time health state, age and / or life of one or more power sources by performing operational performance testing on one or more power sources 420 of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440 infrastructure. This information can be further implemented by the control system into the power source 420 to implement, promote, maintain and / or maintain the estimated current health state of the power generating components (e.g., fuel cells and / or batteries) in order to meet or exceed the power needs, operational performance and / or life of those power sources, and ultimately improve the overall performance and function of the vehicle and / or powertrain 440.

[0110] The following numbered embodiments are contemplated without limitation:

[0111] 1. A method for controlling the life of a fuel cell, the method comprising: i) receiving one or more inputs to a processor; ii) generating a life management and control strategy by the processor; iii) transmitting the life management and control strategy to a power source controller by the processor; iv) controlling the power output of one or more power sources by the power source controller, wherein the one or more power sources are selected from fuel cells, batteries and combinations thereof.

[0112] 2. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the method enables the use of the health state of the fuel cell to be mathematically manipulated in order to manage, control and / or extend the life of the fuel cell to the life intended by its manufacturer.

[0113] 3. The method of claim 2, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the health state is estimated or predicted based on real-time operating parameters, metrics, signals, sensors, data, algorithms, outputs, inputs and / or data compared to "start of life" parameters of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0114] 4. The method of clause 2, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the health status is automatically and / or algorithmically reflected by generating or creating a trend line.

[0115] 5. The method of clause 4, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the trend line is represented by average fuel cell stack voltage or current output data plotted on a graph together with total operating time achieved in a time period.

[0116] 6. The method of clause 4, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the trend line is used to estimate or predict the health state, age, and / or life span of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0117] 7. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the method includes a system controller or computing device to facilitate passing data and / or other network communications from the one or more power source controllers as input.

[0118] 8. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device communicates over a network with other components of the control system, the power source controller, the one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain, and / or other components of the vehicle and / or powertrain that determine and / or implement functions and performance.

[0119] 9. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device is a stand-alone server, a rack-mounted server, a blade server or another server, a physical network appliance, a virtual network appliance, a high performance computing device, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, a computer, a processor-based system, a multi-processor system, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, or any type of computing or computer device capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0120] 10. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller and the power source controller are included in the same device, or are separate and distinct controllers that are independently and directly connected to and communicate with the one or more power sources.

[0121] 11. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device includes one or more of the following: an input / output subsystem, a memory, a processor, a data storage device, a communication subsystem, and a display, which can be connected to each other, communicate with each other, and / or be configured to communicate via wired, wireless, and / or power line connections and associated protocols or via Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G are connected and / or communicate with each other.

[0122] 12. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is incorporated into the processor.

[0123] 13. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor is a single-core or multi-core processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, or other processor or processing / control circuit, or any type of computing processing tool or equipment capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0124] 14. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0125] 15. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory stores an operating system, applications, programs, libraries, drivers, or various data and software used during operation of the system controller.

[0126] 16. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is coupled to the processor directly and communicatively and / or via an integrated memory controller hub and / or via the input / output subsystem.

[0127] 17. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem is or otherwise includes a memory controller hub, an input / output control hub, a sensor hub, a host controller, a firmware device, a communication link, a point-to-point link, a bus link, wires, cables, optical guides, printed circuit board traces, and / or other circuits and / or components and subsystems that facilitate input / output operations.

[0128] 18. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem forms part of a system on a chip.

[0129] 19. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem, the processor, the memory, and / or other components of the system controller are incorporated onto a single integrated circuit chip.

[0130] 20. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the data storage device is a memory device and circuit, a memory card, a hard drive, a solid state drive, or one or more devices of any type configured for short-term or long-term storage of data.

[0131] 21. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is any communication circuit, device, or collection of communications capable of enabling communication between the system controller and other remote devices over the computer network.

[0132] 22. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is configured to use any one or more of wired, wireless, cloud-based, and / or power line communications, and Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G or other related protocols.

[0133] 23. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, a plasma display, a cathode ray tube, or any type of display device capable of displaying digital and / or electronic information.

[0134] 24. The method of clause 11, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the display is coupled to or otherwise includes a touch screen or other input device.

[0135] 25. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device includes any number of additional input / output devices, interface devices, hardware accelerators, other peripheral devices, and / or additional and / or replaceable components commonly found in computers or various input / output devices.

[0136] 26. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller and the power source controller are configured into separate subsystems for managing data and coordinating communications through the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0137] 27. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein one or more of the components of the system controller are incorporated into or otherwise form part of another component.

[0138] 28. The method of clause 7, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller, the power source controller, the one or more power sources, additional devices or components, and / or additional features or components of the vehicle and / or powertrain are connected to, communicate with, and / or are configured to connect or communicate over a network using one or more communication technologies, wherein the one or more communication technologies are wired, wireless, cloud-based and / or power line communications, and Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G or other related protocols.

[0139] 29. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the method comprises selectively controlling a first main power source using a first life management and control strategy, and selectively controlling a second main power source using a second life management and control strategy.

[0140] 30. The method of clause 29, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more lifetime management and control strategies enable selective utilization of one or more power sources.

[0141] 31. The method of clause 30, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of the one or more power sources comprises: utilizing only a portion of the main power source compared to the entire main power source.

[0142] 32. The method of clause 30, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of one or more power sources comprises limiting, reducing and / or regulating the power capacity provided by any proportion of the fuel cells of the total fuel cell stack in operation.

[0143] 33. The method of clause 30, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of the one or more power sources comprises operating the one or more power sources at any capacity ranging from about 0% to about 100% or any specific operating capacity percentage included therein.

[0144] 34. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the method comprises: performing an operational performance test on the one or more power sources.

[0145] 35. The method of clause 34, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein operational performance testing is performed on the one or more power sources to estimate and / or predict the current or real-time health state, age, and / or life span of the one or more power sources.

[0146] 36. The method of clause 35, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein information collected from conducting operational performance testing is implemented into one or more of the power sources to effectuate, promote, preserve and / or maintain an estimated current state of health of the one or more power sources.

[0147] 37. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a phosphoric acid fuel cell, or a molten carbonate fuel cell.

[0148] 38. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell is in a vehicle and / or a powertrain.

[0149] 39. The method of clause 38, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is a ship, marine vehicle or vessel, train, locomotive, bus, tram, mining equipment, automobile, equipment or equipment for use on rails, on waterways, on highways, off highways, at high altitudes, or underground, or an airplane, helicopter, drone, hot air balloon, or other aircraft or aerial vehicle.

[0150] 40. The method of clause 38, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is powered by one or more fuel cells accompanied by one or more high voltage batteries, ultracapacitors, or any type of power source or sink.

[0151] 41. The method of clause 38, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is powered by an engine, the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, and the battery.

[0152] 42. The method of clause 38, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain may include a main power source comprising a plurality of duplicate power sources, a plurality of fuel cell stacks, a plurality of batteries, or a combination thereof.

[0153] 43. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell comprises one or more, several and / or a plurality of fuel cells, fuel cell stacks and / or fuel cell modules in a system.

[0154] 44. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are from the fuel cell or the one or more power sources and / or the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0155] 45. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs include battery power limit, state of charge of the battery or the fuel cell, coolant flow, ambient temperature, trouble-free operation or fault conditions, average or current power level, voltage, current, forward-looking data and information, weather, road conditions and / or sea conditions, or specific age, life or health status parameters or metrics associated with the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0156] 46. ​​The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are used to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0157] 47. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are collected from one or more sensors or hydrogen sensors on the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0158] 48. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are collected from one or more sensors or hydrogen sensors on the vehicle and / or powertrain to determine that the health state of the one or more power sources is suboptimal.

[0159] 49. The method of claim 48, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein when the health state of one or more of the power sources is suboptimal, instructions established by the processor are transmitted to the controller and the exhaust pipe, tank or additional vehicle components to implement or utilize a different power source, or to change, reduce and / or shut down the operating level of a suboptimal power source, and / or to start or increase power provided by a separate or different power source.

[0160] 50. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the processor is a system controller, a power source controller processor, or both.

[0161] 51. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor receives the one or more inputs, uses the one or more inputs to generate the life management and control strategy, and transmits the life management and control strategy to the power source controller.

[0162] 52. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, the controller, and the one or more power sources are part of a feedback loop.

[0163] 53. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the life management and control strategy includes the one or more inputs, the estimated current state of health, and the estimated life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0164] 54. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy includes and takes into account an estimated lifetime of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0165] 55. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the life management and control strategy is adopted by using trend line outputs, remaining age, remaining power, averaging the remaining life (in hours) at each power level, determining the minimum remaining life (in hours) at each power level, and utilizing normalized values ​​on a 0-100% scale at each power level, or a combination thereof.

[0166] 56. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy is implemented using vehicle and / or powertrain control.

[0167] 57. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented by the power source controller and the power source processor on the fuel source, the battery and / or the one or more power sources.

[0168] 58. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof, or as instructions carried by or stored on a transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or a transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium.

[0169] 59. The method of clause 58, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or the transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium is read and executed by one or more processors.

[0170] 60. The method of clause 58, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or the transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium is any storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine, computer, volatile or non-volatile memory, media disk, or other media device.

[0171] 61. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is encoded as a preliminary instruction set and / or on a machine-readable or computer-readable storage medium that requires preliminary processing operations to be performed by a source computing device.

[0172] 62. The method of clause 61, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the source computing device is one or more processors.

[0173] 63. The method of clause 62, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more processors include a control algorithm for determining a current or real-time health status of instructions and / or information broadcast on a controller area network or LIN system of a vehicle and / or powertrain system.

[0174] 64. The method of clause 61, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the source computing device prepares instructions for execution on a destination computing device.

[0175] 65. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the life management and control strategy is generated by the processor based on a number of inputs and applied or implemented by the power source controller to affect the functionality of the one or more power sources and the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0176] 66. The method of clause 65, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input is provided by an operator or is publicly or privately available information.

[0177] 67. The method of clause 65, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the implementing by the power source controller is performed in real time or automatically.

[0178] 68. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is adjusted by an operator based on the operating conditions of the one or more power sources, checks on the inputs, checks for any tampering, the location, region or conditions in which the vehicle and / or powertrain is operating, and / or the time required for the vehicle and / or powertrain to travel to and / or return from any destination.

[0179] 69. The method of clause 68, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustment of the life management and control strategy is by operator manipulation of system and / or method inputs, controls, and / or performance.

[0180] 70. The method of clause 68, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustments to the life management and control strategy are justified and utilized when specific, detailed and / or updated information is available to an operator.

[0181] 71. The method of clause 68, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustment of the lifetime management and control strategy is used to help maintain or extend the health, age, and / or lifetime of the one or more power sources.

[0182] 72. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy causes the vehicle and / or powertrain to use one or more power sources as a primary power source.

[0183] 73. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy results in a switch in a power source.

[0184] 74. The method of clause 73, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the switch in the power source may be: from using the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack as the primary power source to using the battery as the primary power source when the vehicle and / or powertrain receives an instruction from the controller that a switch in power source is necessary and / or recommended to preserve, maintain and / or extend the life of one or all of the power sources.

[0185] 75. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the life management and control strategy results in using the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack as the primary power source for one portion of a journey or route and using the battery as the primary power source for another portion of the journey or route.

[0186] 76. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifespan management and control strategy comprises one or more lifespan management and control strategies.

[0187] 77. The method of clause 76, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more lifetime management and control strategies are independently transmitted to each of the one or more power sources or each main power source.

[0188] 78. A method of clause 76, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein a first life management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control a first main power source or the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, and / or a second life management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control a second main power source or the battery.

[0189] 79. The method of clause 78, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an additional lifetime management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control an additional primary power source.

[0190] 80. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy alters, reduces, increases, negates, or enhances the functionality of the one or more power sources, or the one or more power sources are not identified as the primary power source or are identified as not being the primary power source.

[0191] 81. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preparing, applying and / or implementing the life management and control strategy comprises preparing, accounting for and / or managing a start-up sequence, a shutdown sequence and / or the time required to fully charge the one or more power sources, the fuel cell, the fuel cell stack and / or the battery in the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0192] 82. The method of clause 81, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the startup sequence or shutdown sequence requires about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 1 minute to about 2 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 15 minutes in refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes in refrigerated conditions, any specific time within the above ranges, or a variable time or range.

[0193] 83. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller controls power output to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources based on the life management and control strategy.

[0194] 84. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the power source controller or processor has an algorithm that generates the life management and control strategy based on an estimated or normalized state of health, life estimate, and / or additional inputs transmitted to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources so that their age or life can be maintained, sustained, and / or extended.

[0195] 85. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the power source controller or operator is located at or employed by: a manufacturer, designer, factory, service center, distributor, and / or dealer of the vehicle and / or powertrain and / or fuel cell module or system; and / or the power source controller or operator is located near, attached to, connected to, in the same room, in the vicinity of, and / or away from the fuel cell and / or outside the same room or general vicinity of the fuel cell.

[0196] 86. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is present on the vehicle and / or powertrain, is not present on the vehicle and / or powertrain, is remotely, automatically, programmatically, systematically or locally controlled and / or activated on the vehicle and / or powertrain, or is remotely, automatically, programmatically, systematically or locally controlled and / or activated on the vehicle and / or powertrain by a user or operator.

[0197] 87. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller can control the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources from a distance or remotely.

[0198] 88. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the power source controller or operator is a human, a robot, a computer, includes both human intervention and automated application and / or implementation of the life management and control strategy, includes no human intervention at all or includes substantially limited human intervention, and / or automatically and / or electronically applies and / or implements the life management and control strategy on the fuel cell and / or one or more power sources.

[0199] 89. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is a stand-alone server, a rack-mounted server, a blade server or another server, a physical network appliance, a virtual network appliance, a high performance computing device, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, a computer, a processor-based system, a multi-processor system, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, or any type of computing or computer device capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0200] 90. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein only the power source controller is directly connected to and in communication with the one or more power sources.

[0201] 91. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller and its corresponding components are in the same system controller or computing device as the system processor.

[0202] 92. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller includes one or more of the following: an input / output (I / O) subsystem, a memory, a processor, a data storage device, a communication subsystem, and / or a display, which can be connected to each other, communicate with each other, and / or be configured to communicate via wired, wireless, and / or power line connections and associated protocols or via Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G are connected and / or communicate with each other.

[0203] 93. The method of clause 92, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem, the processor, the memory, and / or other components of the power source controller are incorporated onto a single integrated circuit chip.

[0204] 94. The method of clause 92, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is any communication circuit, device, or collection capable of enabling communication between the power source controller and other remote devices over the computer network.

[0205] 95. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller or computing device includes any number of additional input / output devices, interface devices, hardware accelerators, other peripheral devices, and / or additional and / or replaceable components commonly found in computers or various input / output devices.

[0206] 96. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is capable of controlling the operating functions and / or performance of the one or more power sources and other equipment and / or parts included in the vehicle and / or powertrain to ultimately control, maintain, manage or sustain the age and life of the power sources and / or the performance and operating functions of the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0207] 97. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the power source controller is configured to connect to and / or communicate with other components in the one or more power sources or a fuel cell or battery system, and the fuel cell or battery system may include valves, pipes, wires, wires, modems, conduits, manifolds, actuators, sensors, water storage tanks, hydrogen storage tanks, air storage tanks, fuel storage tanks, air supplies, motors, generators, and / or transmission systems.

[0208] 98. The method of clause 97, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein communication from the power source controller to components of the one or more power sources alters, reduces, increases, negates, or enhances functionality or performance of the one or more power sources.

[0209] 99. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein one or more of the components of the power source controller are incorporated into or otherwise form part of another component.

[0210] 100. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein power output to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources is driven by automated control.

[0211] 101. The method of clause 100, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein automated control of power output of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources is based on the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0212] 102. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more power sources are located on, configured to be located on, or attached to the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0213] 103. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources comprises a separate individual controller for controlling the power source.

[0214] 104. The method of clause 104, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an individual controller for each of the one or more power sources separately cooperates with the power source controller to control power output for the one or more power sources.

[0215] 105. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources is a power sink, or can consume power as well as generate and output power.

[0216] 106. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources is a hybrid power source.

[0217] 107. The method of clause 106, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the hybrid power source comprises at least two different types of power sources, at least the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, at least the battery, and / or at least the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack and the battery.

[0218] 108. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources has a power source controller directly connected to and in communication with the one or more power sources.

[0219] 109. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the battery.

[0220] 110. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein receiving one or more inputs to the processor comprises: performing preliminary processing of the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0221] 111. The method of clause 110, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preliminary processing for executing the life management and control strategy includes: combining the instructions with data present on the device; translating the instructions into a different format; performing compression, decompression, encryption and / or decryption; combining several files comprising different segments of the instructions; integrating the instructions with other code or information present on the device.

[0222] 112. The method of clause 111, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the device is a library or an operating system or the like.

[0223] 113. The method of clause 110, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preliminary processing to execute the lifetime management and control policy is performed by the source computing device, the destination computing device, or an intermediate computing device.

[0224] 114. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy depends on the one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain and information related to the performance, health status, age, and life that can be accessed by the processor of the power source controller over the communication network from each power source present in the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0225] 115. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises estimating a present state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0226] 116. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy comprises: identifying a primary power source selected from all available one or more power sources.

[0227] 117. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the primary power source is a single power source, a combination of more than one power source, a hybrid power source, or the battery.

[0228] 118. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy comprises: identifying power requirements of a vehicle and / or powertrain based on certain inputs.

[0229] 119. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy comprises receiving inputs that enable determination of a duration during which power is required and from what power source the required power will be obtained.

[0230] 120. The method of clause 119, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the duration for which power is required may be the duration for which the vehicle and / or powertrain is traveling or another duration.

[0231] 121. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises determining the power required from the one or more power sources to maneuver the vehicle and / or powertrain to a desired position and / or return to an original position.

[0232] 122. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises obtaining input that enables determination of when to charge the battery or utilize the battery as the power source versus using the fuel cell as the power source in order to maintain, preserve and / or extend the life of one or more of the power sources.

[0233] 123. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises obtaining input that enables a determination of how much to charge the battery to ensure that the health, age, or life of the fuel cell is maintained, extended, and / or sustained.

[0234] 124. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy includes a method for determining whether one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain or any of the inputs required to generate the life management and control strategy has been tampered with or altered.

[0235] 125. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises obtaining additional input associated with a fuel cell or battery state of charge.

[0236] 126. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises engaging only a subset of the one or more power sources, the fuel cells, or the fuel cell stack present on the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0237] 127. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy comprises: validating the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0238] 128. The method of clause 127, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein verifying the life management and control strategy includes: enabling vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, automatic action, automatic action by the processor and / or the controller, or manual action by an operator.

[0239] 129. The method of clause 127, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein it is verified that the lifetime management and control strategy is executed to protect the one or more power sources and prevent any damage thereto.

[0240] 130. The method of clause 129, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more power sources are protected from overheating, overuse, improper utilization, depletion, improper charging, and / or improper startup or shutdown.

[0241] 131. The method of clause 127, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is verified to be executed to check all inputs used to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0242] 132. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy comprises: conducting, executing, or running an online and / or offline operational power assessment process.

[0243] 133. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process generates output data and / or “output” during steady-state operation of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0244] 134. The method of claim 133, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the output data and / or "output" is used to automatically and / or manually create a trend line that indicates, estimates, and / or predicts the health, age, and / or life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0245] 135. The method of clause 133, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the output data and / or "output" becomes additional input.

[0246] 136. The method of clause 135, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the additional input is incorporated into, automatically entered, or manually entered by a user, operator, or controller into a processor comprising a mathematical formula or algorithm.

[0247] 137. The method of claim 136, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the mathematical formula or algorithm processes and / or manipulates quantitative or qualitative inputs to generate an estimated current state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0248] 138. The method of clause 137, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated current state of health is utilized and mathematically manipulated by an algorithm in the processor to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0249] 139. A method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process comprises: starting the first of the one or more power sources online; powering up the first of the one or more power sources to operate at a first power level to draw a specific voltage or current from the first of the one or more power sources; and / or allowing the first of the one or more power sources to operate at a steady state at the first power level for a certain period of time, followed by at a second power level and additional power levels until a maximum power level is reached.

[0250] 140. The method of clause 139, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the time period ranges from about 2 minutes to about 20 minutes, varies within the range from about 5 minutes to about 10 minutes, every time period included in those ranges, or at, around, or not more than about 5 minutes.

[0251] 141. The method of clause 139, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein said first of said one or more power sources is said fuel cell.

[0252] 142. The method of claim 139, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is subsequently and repeatedly operated at the same time period and power level but at different time intervals over the course of the total operating time or life of the power source to generate output data and / or "output".

[0253] 143. The method of claim 139, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is powered up to operate at a second power level to draw a specific voltage or current, and / or is repeated a number of times over an operational run time for the power source to generate an "output" at the second power level.

[0254] 144. A method of clause 139, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is powered up to perform at a maximum power level, and / or is subsequently repeated throughout an operational run time to reach the maximum power level and to generate output data and / or “output” at the maximum power level.

[0255] 145. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process is repeated approximately eight times and / or several times, approximately eight times and / or several times, or no more than approximately eight times and / or several times at different power levels.

[0256] 146. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated indefinitely when the first of the one or more power sources is a fuel cell or a fuel cell stack, as long as conditions are favorable and so long as doing so is supported by a second of the one or more power sources and / or a battery.

[0257] 147. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated a number of times ranging from approximately 4 to 20 times, including any specific number included within that range.

[0258] 148. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operating power assessment process begins at or about 15 kW and is repeated in specific increments or 5 kW increments to or about 150 kW, any specific power therein, and / or until maximum fuel power has been reached.

[0259] 149. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process generates output data and / or "output" after being repeated a number of times.

[0260] 150. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process generates information.

[0261] 151. The method of clause 150, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the information is stored and transmitted to other components or systems as output data or "output".

[0262] 152. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated several times over the entire operational run time for each of the one or more power sources, is repeated every 500 hours of operation of each of the one or more power sources, is repeated every 500 hours of operation of the fuel cell, is repeated every 1000 hours of operation of each of the one or more power sources, or is repeated every 1000 hours of operation of the fuel cell.

[0263] 153. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is manually or automatically triggered by a physical or electronic service tool or other method (such as by a service, engineering, dealership, or fleet maintenance controller) during regular maintenance intervals, maintenance inspections, and / or preventive maintenance, manually activated by an operator of a vehicle and / or powertrain by pressing a specific button on a vehicle dashboard or console or other method, initiated or triggered at the end of a line test of a new vehicle and / or powertrain having one or more power sources, initiated or triggered when average power drops to or has been continuously below a specified threshold, and / or achieved by using forward-looking electronic horizon data or other environmental, logistical, and / or geographic information to identify opportunities for on-the-road execution of the process.

[0264] 154. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process is performed intermittently or simultaneously, and / or is staggered to the extent that the controller operates the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at a power level for a time period in a steady-state operation window to capture data and return to normal operation.

[0265] 155. The method of clause 154, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the controller staggers data capture for specific power levels over several hours or several days.

[0266] 156. The method of clause 154, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the controller targets running the online and / or offline operational evaluation process at a next power level at a next available opportunity.

[0267] 157. The method of claim 132, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is used to generate trend lines to estimate or predict the health state and life span of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources compared to a steady state.

[0268] 158. The method of clause 157, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at a specific power level is used to functionally normalize the real-time or estimated current state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources so that the life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources can be estimated, maintained, maintained and / or extended.

[0269] 159. The method of clause 157, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated or normalized health status information is used as input by a processor and / or controller including one or more control algorithms, and / or is transmitted and / or used to generate a life management and control strategy that is transmitted to the power source controller.

[0270] 160. The method of clause 132, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is run to generate more than one data point.

[0271] 161. The method of clause 160, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the more than one data point is used to algorithmically generate one or more trend lines.

[0272] 162. The method of claim 161, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the one or more trend lines are related to the health status of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and are used to predict or estimate the life span of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0273] 163. The method of clause 161, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more trend lines has a slope.

[0274] 164. The method of claim 163, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the slope of each of the one or more trend lines is determined by calculating the height of a data point on the trend line from the same data point to 0 and dividing it by the length of the trend line.

[0275] 165. The method of clause 164, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the height of the trend line represents a voltage of the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack.

[0276] 166. The method of clause 164, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the length of the trend line represents an operating time of the fuel cell in hours.

[0277] 167. The method of clause 163, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is measured in volts per hour.

[0278] 168. The method of clause 163, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is used to calculate the voltage of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at the end of their life.

[0279] 169. The method of clause 168, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the voltage at end of life is calculated by multiplying the slope by the manufacturer's operating hours of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and adding a constant.

[0280] 170. The method of clause 163, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is used to calculate operating time hours of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at the end of their life.

[0281] 171. The method of clause 170, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the run time hours at end of life are calculated by subtracting a constant from the present voltage of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and dividing that total by the slope.

[0282] 172. The method of clause 170, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein end-of-life operating time hours are used to determine, estimate, or normalize a state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0283] 173. The method of clause 172, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the normalized or estimated health state is determined by: dividing the present, current, or real-time operating hours by the operating hours at end of life; and / or taking that number, subtracting it from 1, and multiplying it by 100%.

[0284] 174. A method according to claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises determining the power requirements of the vehicle and / or powertrain or the power output of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources based on data and / or information provided as the one or more inputs, based on the distance and conditions under which the vehicle and / or powertrain must travel, based on the current rate, speed, current, voltage and / or faults of the vehicle and / or powertrain as it travels on its route, based on the time required to start, shut down, initiate, charge and / or refuel the one or more power sources on the vehicle and / or powertrain, or based on one or more of the above and / or other system external input factors.

[0285] 175. The method of claim 1, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein generating the life management and control strategy comprises using a moving average filter or any alternative method to calculate, estimate, or determine an average fuel cell stack voltage or current based on output data ascertained during steady-state operation of the fuel cell.

[0286] 176. The method of clause 175, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an average fuel cell stack voltage or current required to power up the fuel cell to a desired operating power level is noted, recorded, and / or stored.

[0287] 177. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein generating the lifetime management and control strategy includes utilizing different power sources.

[0288] 178. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein controlling the power output of the one or more power sources by the controller comprises delivering instructions to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0289] 179. The method of clause 1, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein controlling the power output of the one or more power sources by the controller includes extending the life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0290] 180. A system for controlling the life of a fuel cell, the system comprising a processor, one or more real-time inputs, a power source controller, and one or more power sources, wherein the one or more power sources are located on a vehicle or powertrain, configured to be located on a vehicle or powertrain, or attached to a vehicle or powertrain, wherein the processor receives the one or more inputs, uses the one or more inputs to generate a life management and control strategy, and transmits the life management and control strategy to the power source controller, wherein the power source controller controls power output for the one or more power sources based on the life management and control strategy.

[0291] 181. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system enables the use of the health state of the fuel cell to be mathematically manipulated in order to manage, control and / or extend the life of the fuel cell to the life intended by its manufacturer.

[0292] 182. A system of clause 181, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the health state is estimated or predicted based on real-time operating parameters, metrics, signals, sensors, data, algorithms, outputs, inputs and / or data compared to "start of life" parameters of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0293] 183. The system of clause 181, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the health status is automatically and / or algorithmically reflected by generating or creating a trend line.

[0294] 184. The system of clause 183, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the trend line is represented by average fuel cell stack voltage or current output data plotted on a graph together with a total operating time achieved during a time period.

[0295] 185. The system of clause 183, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the trend line is used to estimate or predict the health, age, and / or life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0296] 186. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system is a control system.

[0297] 187. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system includes a system controller or computing device to facilitate transmission of data from the one or more power source controllers and / or other network communications as input.

[0298] 188. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device communicates over a network with other components of the control system, the power source controller, the one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain, and / or other components of the vehicle and / or powertrain that determine and / or implement functions and performance.

[0299] 189. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device is a stand-alone server, a rack-mounted server, a blade server or another server, a physical network appliance, a virtual network appliance, a high performance computing device, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, a computer, a processor-based system, a multi-processor system, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, or any type of computing or computer device capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0300] 190. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller and the power source controller are included in the same device, or are separate and distinct controllers that are independently and directly connected to and communicate with the one or more power sources.

[0301] 191. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device includes one or more of the following: an input / output subsystem, a memory, a processor, a data storage device, a communication subsystem, and a display, which can be connected to each other, communicate with each other, and / or be configured to communicate via wired, wireless, and / or power line connections and associated protocols or via Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G are connected and / or communicate with each other.

[0302] 192. A system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is incorporated into the processor.

[0303] 193. A system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor is a single-core or multi-core processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, or other processor or processing / control circuit, or any type of computing processing tool or equipment capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0304] 194. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0305] 195. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory stores an operating system, applications, programs, libraries, drivers, or various data and software used during operation of the system controller.

[0306] 196. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the memory is coupled to the processor directly and communicatively and / or via an integrated memory controller hub and / or via the input / output subsystem.

[0307] 197. A system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem is or otherwise includes a memory controller hub, an input / output control hub, a sensor hub, a host controller, a firmware device, a communication link, a point-to-point link, a bus link, wires, cables, optical guides, printed circuit board traces, and / or other circuits and / or components and subsystems that facilitate input / output operations.

[0308] 198. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem forms part of a system on a chip.

[0309] 199. Wherein the input / output subsystem, the processor, the memory, and / or other components of the system controller are incorporated onto a single integrated circuit chip.

[0310] 200. A system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the data storage device is a memory device and circuit, a memory card, a hard drive, a solid state drive, or one or more devices of any type configured for short-term or long-term storage of data.

[0311] 201. A system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is any communication circuit, device, or collection of communications circuits, devices, or collections capable of enabling communications between the system controller and other remote devices over the computer network.

[0312] 202. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is configured to use any one or more of wired, wireless, cloud-based, and / or power line communications, and Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G or other related protocols.

[0313] 203. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode, a plasma display, a cathode ray tube, or any type of display device capable of displaying digital and / or electronic information.

[0314] 204. The system of clause 191, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the display is coupled to or otherwise includes a touch screen or other input device.

[0315] 205. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller or computing device includes any number of additional input / output devices, interface devices, hardware accelerators, other peripheral devices, and / or additional and / or replaceable components commonly found in computers or various input / output devices.

[0316] 206. The system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller and the power source controller are configured into separate subsystems for managing data and coordinating communications through the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0317] 207. A system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein one or more of the components of the system controller are incorporated into or otherwise form part of another component.

[0318] 208. The system of clause 187, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system controller, the power source controller, the one or more power sources, additional devices or components, and / or additional features or components of the vehicle and / or powertrain are connected to, communicate with, and / or are configured to connect or communicate over a network using one or more communication technologies, wherein the one or more communication technologies are wired, wireless, cloud-based and / or power line communications, and Ethernet, WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G or other related protocols.

[0319] 209. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system is configured to selectively control a first main power source using a first life management and control strategy, and selectively control a second main power source using a second life management and control strategy.

[0320] 210. The system of clause 209, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more lifetime management and control strategies enable selective utilization of one or more power sources.

[0321] 211. The system of clause 210, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of the one or more power sources comprises: utilizing only a portion of the main power source compared to the entire main power source.

[0322] 212. The system of clause 210, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of one or more power sources comprises limiting, reducing, and / or regulating the power capacity provided by any proportion of the fuel cells in the total fuel cell stack being operated.

[0323] 213. A system of clause 210, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the selective utilization of the one or more power sources includes operating the one or more power sources at any capacity ranging from about 0% to about 100% or any specific operating capacity percentage included therein.

[0324] 214. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the system is configured to: perform an operational performance test on the one or more power sources.

[0325] 215. A system of clause 214, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein operational performance testing is performed on one or more of the power sources to estimate and / or predict the current or real-time health state, age, and / or lifespan of the one or more power sources.

[0326] 216. A system of clause 215, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein information collected from conducting operational performance testing is implemented into one or more of the power sources to effectuate, promote, preserve and / or maintain an estimated present state of health of the one or more power sources.

[0327] 217. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a phosphoric acid fuel cell, or a molten carbonate fuel cell.

[0328] 218. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell is in a vehicle and / or a powertrain.

[0329] 219. A system of clause 218, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is a ship, marine vehicle or vessel, train, locomotive, bus, tram, mining equipment, automobile, equipment or equipment for use on rails, on waterways, on highways, off highways, at high altitudes, or underground, or an airplane, helicopter, drone, hot air balloon, or other aircraft or aerial vehicle.

[0330] 220. The system of clause 218, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is powered by one or more fuel cells accompanied by one or more high voltage batteries, ultracapacitors, or any type of power source or sink.

[0331] 221. The system of clause 218, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain is powered by an engine, the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, and the battery.

[0332] 222. The system of clause 218, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain may include a main power source comprising a plurality of duplicate power sources, a plurality of fuel cell stacks, a plurality of batteries, or a combination thereof.

[0333] 223. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the fuel cell comprises one or more, several and / or a plurality of fuel cells, fuel cell stacks and / or fuel cell modules in the system.

[0334] 224. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the processor is a system controller processor, a power source controller processor, or both.

[0335] 225. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor receives the one or more inputs, uses the one or more inputs to generate the life management and control strategy, and transmits the life management and control strategy to the power source controller.

[0336] 226. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, the controller, and the one or more power sources are part of a feedback loop.

[0337] 227. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor is configured to perform preliminary processing of the life management and control strategy after receiving the one or more inputs.

[0338] 228. A system of clause 227, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preliminary processing for executing the life management and control strategy includes: combining the instructions with data present on the device; translating the instructions into a different format; performing compression, decompression, encryption and / or decryption; combining several files comprising different segments of the instructions; integrating the instructions with other code or information present on the device.

[0339] 229. A system of clause 228, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the device is a library or an operating system or similar operation.

[0340] 230. The system of clause 227, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preliminary processing to execute the lifetime management and control policy is performed by the source computing device, the destination computing device, or an intermediate computing device.

[0341] 231. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to rely on the one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain and information related to the performance, health status, age, and life that the processor of the power source controller can access over the communication network from each power source present in the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0342] 232. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: estimate a present state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0343] 233. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: identify a primary power source selected from all available one or more power sources.

[0344] 234. The system of clause 233, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the primary power source is a single power source, a combination of more than one power source, a hybrid power source, or the battery.

[0345] 235. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: identify power requirements of the vehicle and / or powertrain based on certain inputs.

[0346] 236. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the lifetime management and control strategy, is configured to: receive inputs that enable determination of a duration during which power is required and from what power source the required power will be obtained.

[0347] 237. The system of clause 236, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the duration for which power is required may be the duration for which the vehicle and / or powertrain is traveling or another duration.

[0348] 238. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: determine the power required from the one or more power sources to maneuver the vehicle and / or powertrain to a desired position and / or return to an original position.

[0349] 239. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: obtain input that enables determination of when to charge the battery or utilize the battery as the power source versus using the fuel cell as the power source in order to maintain, preserve and / or extend the life of one or more of the power sources.

[0350] 240. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: obtain input that enables a determination of how much to charge the battery to ensure that the health, age or life of the fuel cell is maintained, extended and / or sustained.

[0351] 241. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: determine whether one or more power sources in the vehicle and / or powertrain or any of the inputs required to generate the life management and control strategy have been tampered with or altered.

[0352] 242. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: obtain additional input associated with a fuel cell or battery state of charge.

[0353] 243. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: engage only a subset of the one or more power sources, the fuel cells, or the fuel cell stack present on the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0354] 244. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the lifetime management and control strategy, is configured to: validate the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0355] 245. A system of clause 244, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein verifying the life management and control strategy includes: enabling vehicle to infrastructure communications, automatic action, automatic action by the processor and / or the controller, or manual action by an operator.

[0356] 246. The system of clause 244, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein it is verified that the lifetime management and control strategy is executed to protect the one or more power sources and prevent any damage thereto.

[0357] 247. The system of clause 246, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more power sources are protected from overheating, overuse, improper utilization, depletion, improper charging, and / or improper startup or shutdown.

[0358] 248. The system of clause 244, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is verified to be executed to check all inputs used to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0359] 249. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the lifetime management and control strategy, is configured to: perform, execute, or run an online and / or offline operational power assessment process.

[0360] 250. The system of claim 249, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process generates output data and / or “output” during steady-state operation of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0361] 251. A system of clause 250, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the output data and / or "output" is used to automatically and / or manually create trend lines that indicate, estimate and / or predict the health, age and / or life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0362] 252. The system of clause 250, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein said output data and / or "output" becomes additional input.

[0363] 253. A system of clause 252, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the additional input is incorporated into, automatically entered, or manually entered by a user, operator, or controller into a processor comprising a mathematical formula or algorithm.

[0364] 254. A system of claim 253, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the mathematical formula or algorithm processes and / or manipulates quantitative or qualitative inputs to generate an estimated current state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0365] 255. The system of clause 254, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated current state of health is utilized and mathematically manipulated by an algorithm in the processor to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0366] 256. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process comprises: starting the first of the one or more power sources online; powering up the first of the one or more power sources to operate at a first power level to draw a specific voltage or current from the first of the one or more power sources; and / or allowing the first of the one or more power sources to operate at a steady state at the first power level for a certain period of time, followed by at a second power level and additional power levels until a maximum power level is reached.

[0367] 257. A system of clause 256, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the time period ranges from about 2 minutes to about 20 minutes, varies within the range from about 5 minutes to about 10 minutes, every time period included within those ranges, or at, around, or not greater than about 5 minutes.

[0368] 258. The system of clause 256, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein said first of said one or more power sources is said fuel cell.

[0369] 259. A system of clause 256, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is subsequently and repeatedly operated at the same time period and power level but at different time intervals over the course of the total operating time or life of the power source to generate output data and / or "output".

[0370] 260. A system of clause 256, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is powered up to operate at a second power level to draw a specific voltage or current, and / or repeated a number of times over the course of an operational run time for the power source to generate an "output" at the second power level.

[0371] 261. A system of clause 256, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the first of the one or more power sources is powered up to perform at a maximum power level and / or is subsequently repeated throughout an operational run time up to the maximum power level and to generate output data and / or "output" at the maximum power level.

[0372] 262. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process is repeated approximately eight times and / or several times, approximately eight times and / or several times, or no more than approximately eight times and / or several times at different power levels.

[0373] 263. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated indefinitely when the first of the one or more power sources is a fuel cell or fuel cell stack, as long as conditions are favorable and so long as doing so is supported by a second of the one or more power sources and / or a battery.

[0374] 264. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated a number ranging from approximately 4 to 20 times, including any specific number included within that range.

[0375] 265. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operating power assessment process begins at or about 15 kW and is repeated in specific increments or 5 kW increments to or about 150 kW, any specific power therein and / or until maximum fuel power has been reached.

[0376] 266. The system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process generates output data and / or "output" after being repeated a number of times.

[0377] 267. The system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment process generates information.

[0378] 268. A system of clause 267, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the information is stored and transmitted to other components or systems as output data or "output".

[0379] 269. A system of claim 249, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is repeated several times over the entire operational run time for each of the one or more power sources, is repeated every 500 hours of operation of each of the one or more power sources, is repeated every 500 hours of operation of the fuel cell, is repeated every 1000 hours of operation of each of the one or more power sources, or is repeated every 1000 hours of operation of the fuel cell.

[0380] 270. A system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is manually or automatically triggered by a physical or electronic service tool or other method (such as by a service, engineering, dealership, or fleet maintenance controller) during regular maintenance intervals, maintenance inspections, and / or preventive maintenance, manually activated by an operator of a vehicle and / or powertrain by pressing a specific button on a vehicle dashboard or console or other method, initiated or triggered at the end of a line test of a new vehicle and / or powertrain having one or more power sources, initiated or triggered when average power drops to or has been continuously below a specified threshold, and / or achieved by using forward-looking electronic horizon data or other environmental, logistical, and / or geographic information to identify opportunities to perform processes on the road.

[0381] 271. A system of claim 249, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operation power assessment processes are performed intermittently or simultaneously, and / or are staggered to the extent that the controller operates the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at a power level for a time period in a steady-state operation window to capture data and return to normal operation.

[0382] 272. The system of clause 271, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the controller staggers data capture for specific power levels over several hours or days.

[0383] 273. The system of clause 271, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the controller targets running the online and / or offline operational evaluation process at a next power level at a next available opportunity.

[0384] 274. A system of claim 249, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is used to generate trend lines to estimate or predict the health state and life span of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources compared to a steady state.

[0385] 275. A system of clause 274, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at a specific power level is used to functionally normalize the real-time or estimated current state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources so that the life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources can be estimated, maintained, maintained and / or extended.

[0386] 276. A system of clause 274, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the estimated or normalized health status information is used as input by a processor and / or controller including one or more control algorithms, and / or is transmitted and / or used to generate a life management and control strategy that is transmitted to the power source controller.

[0387] 277. The system of clause 249, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the online and / or offline operational power assessment process is run to generate more than one data point.

[0388] 278. The system of clause 277, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the more than one data point is used to algorithmically generate one or more trend lines.

[0389] 279. A system of clause 278, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more trend lines are related to the health status of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and are used to predict or estimate the life span of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0390] 280. The system of clause 278, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more trend lines has a slope.

[0391] 281. A system of clause 280, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope of each of the one or more trend lines is determined by calculating the height of a data point on the trend line from the same data point to 0 and dividing it by the length of the trend line.

[0392] 282. The system of clause 281, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the height of the trend line represents the voltage of the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack.

[0393] 283. The system of clause 281, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the length of the trend line represents an operating time of the fuel cell in hours.

[0394] 284. The system of clause 280, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is measured in volts per hour.

[0395] 285. The system of clause 280, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is used to calculate a voltage of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at the end of their life.

[0396] 286. The system of clause 285, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the voltage at end of life is calculated by multiplying the slope by the manufacturer's run time hours of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and adding a constant.

[0397] 287. The system of clause 280, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the slope is used to calculate operating time hours of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources at the end of their life.

[0398] 288. The system of clause 287, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the run time hours at end of life are calculated by subtracting a constant from the present voltage of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and dividing that total by the slope.

[0399] 289. The system of clause 287, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the run time hours at end of life are used to determine, estimate, or normalize the state of health of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0400] 290. A system of clause 289, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the normalized or estimated health state is determined by: dividing the present, current, or real-time operating hours by the operating hours at end of life; and / or taking that number, subtracting it from 1, and multiplying it by 100%.

[0401] 291. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: determine the power requirements of the vehicle and / or powertrain or the power output of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources based on data and / or information provided as one or more inputs, based on the distance and conditions under which the vehicle and / or powertrain must travel, based on the current rate, speed, current, voltage and / or faults of the vehicle and / or powertrain as it travels on its route, based on the time required to start, shut down, initiate, charge and / or refuel the one or more power sources on the vehicle and / or powertrain, or based on one or more of the above and / or other system external input factors.

[0402] 292. A system of claim 180, any other suitable claim, or any combination of suitable claims, wherein the processor, when generating the life management and control strategy, is configured to: use a moving average filter or any alternative method to calculate, estimate or determine an average fuel cell stack voltage or current based on output data ascertained during steady-state operation of the fuel cell.

[0403] 293. The system of clause 292, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an average fuel cell stack voltage or current required to power up the fuel cell to a desired operating power level is noted, recorded, and / or stored.

[0404] 294. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the processor is configured to utilize different power sources when generating the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0405] 295. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are from the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources and / or the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0406] 296. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs include battery power limit, state of charge of the battery or the fuel cell, coolant flow, ambient temperature, trouble-free operation or fault conditions, average or current power level, voltage, current, forward-looking data and information, weather, road conditions and / or sea conditions, or specific age, life or health status parameters or metrics associated with the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0407] 297. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are used to generate the life management and control strategy.

[0408] 298. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are collected from one or more sensors or hydrogen sensors on the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0409] 299. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more inputs are collected from one or more sensors or hydrogen sensors on the vehicle and / or powertrain to determine that the health state of the one or more power sources is suboptimal.

[0410] 300. A system of clause 299, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein when the health state of one or more of the power sources is suboptimal, instructions established by the processor are transmitted to the controller and the exhaust, tank, or additional vehicle components to implement or utilize a different power source, or to change, reduce and / or shut down the operating level of a suboptimal power source, and / or to start or increase power provided by a separate or different power source.

[0411] 301. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller controls power output to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources based on the life management and control strategy.

[0412] 302. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller or processor has an algorithm that generates the life management and control strategy based on an estimated or normalized state of health, life estimate, and / or additional inputs transmitted to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources so that their age or life can be maintained, sustained, and / or extended.

[0413] 303. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller or operator is located at or employed by: a manufacturer, designer, factory, service center, distributor, and / or dealer of the vehicle and / or powertrain and / or fuel cell module or system; and / or the power source controller or operator is located near, attached to, connected to, in the same room, in the vicinity of, and / or away from the fuel cell and / or outside the same room or general vicinity of the fuel cell.

[0414] 304. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is present on the vehicle and / or powertrain, is not present on the vehicle and / or powertrain, is remotely, automatically, programmatically, systematically or locally controlled and / or activated on the vehicle and / or powertrain, or is remotely, automatically, programmatically, systematically or locally controlled and / or activated on the vehicle and / or powertrain by a user or operator.

[0415] 305. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller can control the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources from a distance or remotely.

[0416] 306. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller or operator is a human, a robot, a computer, includes both human intervention and automated application and / or implementation of the life management and control strategy, includes no human intervention at all or includes substantially limited human intervention, and / or automatically and / or electronically applies and / or implements the life management and control strategy on the fuel cell and / or one or more power sources.

[0417] 307. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is a stand-alone server, a rack-mounted server, a blade server or another server, a physical network appliance, a virtual network appliance, a high performance computing device, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, a computer, a processor-based system, a multi-processor system, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a mobile computing device, or any type of computing or computer device capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0418] 308. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein only the power source controller is directly connected to and in communication with the one or more power sources.

[0419] 309. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller and its corresponding components are in the same system controller or computing device as the system processor.

[0420] 310. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller comprises one or more of an input / output (I / O) subsystem, a memory, a processor, a data storage device, a communication subsystem, and / or a display ... WiMAX, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G are connected and / or communicate with each other.

[0421] 311. The system of clause 310, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input / output subsystem, the processor, the memory, and / or other components of the power source controller are incorporated onto a single integrated circuit chip.

[0422] 312. A system of clause 310, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the communication subsystem is any communication circuit, device, or collection of communications circuits, devices, or collections capable of enabling communications between the power source controller and other remote devices over the computer network.

[0423] 313. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller or computing device includes any number of additional input / output devices, interface devices, hardware accelerators, other peripheral devices, and / or additional and / or replaceable components commonly found in computers or various input / output devices.

[0424] 314. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is capable of controlling the operating functions and / or performance of the one or more power sources and other equipment and / or parts included in the vehicle and / or powertrain to ultimately control, maintain, manage or sustain the age and life of the power sources and / or the performance and operating functions of the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0425] 315. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller is configured to connect to and / or communicate with other components in the one or more power sources or a fuel cell or battery system, the fuel cell or battery system may include valves, pipes, wires, wires, modems, conduits, manifolds, actuators, sensors, water storage tanks, hydrogen storage tanks, air storage tanks, fuel storage tanks, air supplies, motors, generators, and / or drive trains.

[0426] 316. A system of clause 315, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein communication from the power source controller to components of the one or more power sources alters, reduces, increases, negates, or enhances functionality or performance of the one or more power sources.

[0427] 317. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein one or more of the components of the power source controller are incorporated into or otherwise form part of another component.

[0428] 318. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller, when controlling the power output of the one or more power sources, is configured to: deliver instructions to the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0429] 319. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the power source controller, when controlling the power output of the one or more power sources, is configured to: extend the life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0430] 320. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more power sources are selected from a fuel cell, a battery, and combinations thereof, wherein the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0431] 321. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more power sources are located on, configured to be located on, or attached to the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0432] 322. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources comprises a separate individual controller for controlling the power source.

[0433] 323. The system of clause 322, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an individual controller for each of the one or more power sources separately cooperates with the power source controller to control power output for the one or more power sources.

[0434] 324. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources is a power sink, or can consume power as well as generate and output power.

[0435] 325. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources is a hybrid power source.

[0436] 326. A system of clause 325, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the hybrid power source comprises at least two different types of power sources, at least the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, at least the battery, and / or at least the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack and the battery.

[0437] 327. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein each of the one or more power sources has a power source controller directly connected to and in communication with the one or more power sources.

[0438] 328. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy includes the one or more inputs, the estimated current state of health, and the estimated life of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0439] 329. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy includes and takes into account an estimated lifetime of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources.

[0440] 330. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is adopted by using trend line outputs, remaining age, remaining power, averaging the remaining life (in hours) at each power level, determining the minimum life remaining (in hours) at each power level, and utilizing normalized values ​​on a 0-100% scale at each power level, or a combination thereof.

[0441] 331. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of the suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy is implemented using vehicle and / or powertrain control.

[0442] 332. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented by the power source controller and the power source processor on the fuel source, the battery and / or the one or more power sources.

[0443] 333. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is applied or implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof, or as instructions carried by or stored on a transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or a transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium.

[0444] 334. The system of clause 333, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or the transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium is read and executed by one or more processors.

[0445] 335. A system of clause 333, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the transient or non-transient machine-readable storage medium and / or the transient or non-transient computer-readable storage medium is any storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine, computer, volatile or non-volatile memory, media disk, or other media device.

[0446] 336. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is encoded as a preliminary instruction set and / or on a machine-readable or computer-readable storage medium that requires preliminary processing operations to be performed by a source computing device.

[0447] 337. The system of clause 336, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the source computing device is one or more processors.

[0448] 338. A system of clause 337, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more processors include a control algorithm for determining a current or real-time health status of broadcasting instructions and / or information on a controller area network or LIN system of a vehicle and / or powertrain system.

[0449] 339. The system of clause 336, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the source computing device prepares instructions for execution on a destination computing device.

[0450] 340. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is generated by the processor based on a number of inputs and applied or implemented by the power source controller to affect the functionality of the one or more power sources and the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0451] 341. The system of clause 340, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the input is provided by an operator or is publicly or privately available information.

[0452] 342. The system of clause 340, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein implementation by the power source controller is performed in real time or automatically.

[0453] 343. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy is adjusted by an operator based on the operating conditions of the one or more power sources, checks on the inputs, checks for any tampering, the location, region, or conditions in which the vehicle and / or powertrain is operating, and / or the time required for the vehicle and / or powertrain to travel to and / or return from any destination.

[0454] 344. The system of clause 343, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustment of the life management and control strategy is by operator manipulation of system and / or method inputs, controls, and / or performance.

[0455] 345. A system of clause 343, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustments to the life management and control strategy are justified and utilized when specific, detailed and / or updated information is available to an operator.

[0456] 346. The system of clause 343, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein adjustment of the life management and control strategy is used to help maintain or extend the health, age, and / or life of the one or more power sources.

[0457] 347. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy causes the vehicle and / or powertrain to use one or more power sources as a primary power source.

[0458] 348. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy results in a switch in a power source.

[0459] 349. A system of clause 348, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein a switch in a power source may be from using the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack as the primary power source to using the battery as the primary power source when the vehicle and / or powertrain receives an instruction from the controller that a switch in power source is necessary and / or recommended to preserve, maintain and / or extend the life of one or all of the power sources.

[0460] 350. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy results in using the fuel cell or the fuel cell stack as the primary power source for one portion of a journey or route and using the battery as the primary power source for another portion of the journey or route.

[0461] 351. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy comprises one or more life management and control strategies.

[0462] 352. The system of clause 351, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the one or more lifetime management and control strategies are independently transmitted to each of the one or more power sources or each main power source.

[0463] 353. A system of clause 351, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein a first life management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control a first main power source or the fuel cell or fuel cell stack, and / or a second life management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control a second main power source or the battery.

[0464] 354. A system of clause 353, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein an additional life management and control strategy is generated and implemented to selectively control an additional primary power source.

[0465] 355. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the life management and control strategy alters, reduces, increases, negates, or enhances the functionality of the one or more power sources, or the one or more power sources are not identified as the primary power source or are identified as not being the primary power source.

[0466] 356. A system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein preparing, applying and / or implementing the life management and control strategy includes preparing, accounting for and / or managing a start-up sequence, a shutdown sequence and / or the time required to fully charge the one or more power sources, the fuel cell, the fuel cell stack and / or the battery in the vehicle and / or powertrain.

[0467] 357. A system of clause 356, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein the startup sequence or shutdown sequence requires about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 1 minute to about 2 minutes in non-refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 15 minutes in refrigerated conditions, from about 30 seconds to about 10 minutes in refrigerated conditions, any specific time or variable time or range within the above ranges.

[0468] 358. The system of clause 180, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein power output to said fuel cell and / or said one or more power sources is driven by automated control.

[0469] 359. The system of clause 358, any other suitable clause, or any combination of suitable clauses, wherein automated control of power output of the fuel cell and / or the one or more power sources is based on the lifetime management and control strategy.

[0470] The above embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement the claimed content, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0471] As used herein, an element or step recorded in the singular and beginning with the word "one" or "an" should be understood as not excluding a plurality of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. In addition, reference to "one embodiment" of the subject matter currently described is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recorded features. The specified numerical ranges of units, measurements and / or values ​​include, are substantially composed of, or are composed of the following: all numerical values, units, measurements and / or ranges including or within those ranges and / or endpoints, regardless of whether those numerical values, units, measurements and / or ranges are explicitly specified in the present disclosure.

[0472] Unless otherwise limited, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. As used herein, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. do not indicate any order or importance, but are used to distinguish one element from another element. The terms "or" and "and / or" are intended to be inclusive, and mean any one, all or any combination of the listed items. In addition, the terms "connect" and "couple" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and may include electrical connections or couplings, whether directly or indirectly. Direct connection and / or coupling may include such connection and / or coupling, wherein there is no intermittent connection or component between two endpoints, components or items. Indirect connection and / or coupling may include: wherein, there are one or more intermittent or intermediate connections and / or couplings between corresponding endpoints, components or items.

[0473] In addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, embodiments that "comprise," "include," or "have" one or more elements having a particular property may include additional such elements that do not have that property. The term "comprising" refers to an inclusive composition, composition, formulation, or method, and does not exclude additional elements, components, and / or method steps. The term "comprising" also refers to an inclusive composition, composition, formulation, or method embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not exclude additional elements, components, or method steps. The phrase "consisting of" refers to a composition, ingredient, formulation, or method that excludes the presence of any additional elements, components, or method steps.

[0474] The term "consisting of" also refers to compositions, ingredients, formulations, or methods of the present disclosure excluding the presence of any additional elements, components, or method steps. The phrases "consisting essentially of" or "consisting essentially of" refer to compositions, compositions, formulations, or methods that contain additional elements, components, or method steps that do not substantially affect the properties of the composition, composition, formulation, or method. The phrase "consisting essentially of" also refers to compositions, compositions, formulations, or methods of the present disclosure that contain additional elements, components, or method steps that do not substantially affect the properties of the composition, composition, formulation, or method step.

[0475] Approximate language as used throughout the specification and claims herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that may be permitted to vary without causing a change in the basic function associated therewith. Accordingly, values ​​modified by one or more terms such as "about" and "substantially" should not be limited to the specified exact values. In some instances, approximate language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring a value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and / or interchanged. Such a range is identified and includes all subranges contained therein, unless the context or language indicates otherwise.

[0476] As used herein, the terms "may" and "may be" indicate the following: the possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; the possession of a specified property, characteristic, or function; and / or modify another verb by expressing one or more of an ability, skill, or possibility associated with the modified verb. Accordingly, the use of "may" and "may be" indicates the following: while taking into account that the modified term may sometimes be inappropriate, unable, or unsuitable in some circumstances, the modified term is clearly suitable, capable of use, or suitable for the indicated capacity, function, or use.

[0477] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. For example, the embodiments described above (and / or aspects thereof) can be used individually, together, or in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications can be made to adapt specific situations or materials to the teachings of the subject matter set forth herein without departing from its scope. Although the size and type of materials described herein are intended to limit the parameters of the disclosed subject matter, they are by no means restrictive, but exemplary embodiments. To those skilled in the art, upon reviewing the above description, many other embodiments will be apparent. Therefore, the scope of the subject matter described herein should be determined with reference to the appended claims together with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0478] This written description uses examples to disclose several embodiments of the subject matter set forth herein, including the best mode, and also to enable those skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, including making and using devices or systems and performing methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter described herein is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that are not incompatible with the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements that are insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

[0479] Although only certain features of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the life of one or more power sources, the method comprising: include: receiving one or more real-time inputs to a processor, the one or more real-time inputs comprising travel distance or travel conditions; generating, by the processor, a life management and control strategy using the one or more real-time inputs, the life management and control strategy comprising an estimated present state of health and an estimated life of the one or more power sources; transmitting, by the processor, the lifetime management and control strategy to a power source controller; controlling, by the power source controller, a power output of the one or more power sources based on the lifetime management and control strategy, wherein the one or more power sources are selected from a fuel cell, a battery, and combinations thereof, and Generating the life management and control strategy includes: performing an online-offline process, including starting one of the one or more power sources, powering the one of the one or more power sources to operate at a first power level, allowing the one of the one or more power sources to operate at the first power level for a first time period, powering the one of the one or more power sources to operate at a second power level, and allowing the one of the one or more power sources to operate at the second power level for a second time period. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more power sources are located on, configured to be located on, or attached to a vehicle or a powertrain.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle or powertrain is a car, truck, aircraft, ship, train, locomotive, bus, or mining equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell or a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the lifetime management and control strategy is generated include: A present state of health of the one or more power sources is estimated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the online-offline process is performed include: An estimated present state of health of the one or more power sources is estimated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein estimating the estimated current state of health of the one or more power sources include: Generate a trend line. The method of claim 7 , wherein the trend line reflects an estimated lifetime of the one or more power sources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the power output of the one or more power sources is controlled by the power source controller include: Instructions are delivered to the one or more power sources.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the power output of the one or more power sources is controlled by the power source controller include: The life of the one or more power sources is extended.

11. A system for controlling the life of a power source, the system include: processor, Based on one or more real-time inputs from current data, the one or more real-time inputs including travel distance or travel conditions, a power source controller, and one or more power sources, wherein the one or more power sources are located on, configured to be located on, or attached to a vehicle or a powertrain, wherein the processor receives the one or more real-time inputs, uses the one or more real-time inputs to generate a life management and control strategy, and transmits the life management and control strategy to the power source controller, the life management and control strategy including the one or more real-time inputs, the estimated current state of health and the estimated life of the one or more power sources, wherein the power source controller controls power output for the one or more power sources based on the lifetime management and control strategy, and The processor generates the life management and control strategy by performing the following operations: performing an online-offline process, including starting one of the one or more power sources, powering the one of the one or more power sources to operate at a first power level, allowing the one of the one or more power sources to operate at the first power level for a first time period, powering the one of the one or more power sources to operate at a second power level, and allowing the one of the one or more power sources to operate at the second power level for a second time period.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more power sources includes a separate individual controller for controlling the power source.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein an individual controller for each of the one or more power sources separately cooperates with the power source controller to control power output for the one or more power sources.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein power output to the one or more power sources is driven by automated control.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein automated control of power output of the one or more power sources is based on the lifetime management and control strategy.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle or powertrain is a car, truck, aircraft, ship, train, locomotive, bus, or mining equipment.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more power sources are selected from a fuel cell, a battery, and combinations thereof, and wherein the fuel cell is a solid oxide fuel cell or a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more real-time inputs include weather data, road conditions, sea conditions, age of the one or more power sources, or a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more real-time inputs include weather data, road conditions, sea conditions, age of the one or more power sources, or a combination thereof.

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