What is claimed is:
1. A method for operating a system having a fuel cell for powering an electrical load, an energy storage device and an oxidant supply device, the method comprising: providing electrical power from the energy storage device to drive the oxidant supply device, in response to an increased electrical power demand from the electrical load, and then, when an increase in the fuel cell power output has been detected, providing electrical power from the energy storage device to the electrical load.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein no electrical power is supplied from the energy storage device to the electrical load until the increase in the fuel cell power output has been detected.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reducing the electrical power provided from the energy storage device to the oxidant supply device when the increase in the fuel cell power output has been detected.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of power provided by the energy storage device to the load compensates the power shortage between the electrical power demand of the electrical load and power available from the fuel cell to the electrical load.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the amount of power provided by the energy storage device to the load compensates the power shortage between the electrical power demand of the electrical load and power available from the fuel cell to the electrical load.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical storage device is a battery.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical storage device is a supercapacitor.
8. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell for powering an electrical load;
an oxidant supply device for supply oxidant to the fuel cell;
an energy storage device for providing at least temporary electrical power to drive the oxidant supply device and to the electrical load; and
a control device which, in response to an increased power demand from the electrical load, directs the energy storage device to provide electrical power to the oxidant supply device, and then, when an increase in the fuel cell power output has been detected, directs the energy storage device to provide power to the electrical load.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the control device, when the increase in the fuel cell power output has been detected, reduces the electrical power provided from the energy storage device to the oxidant supply device.
10. The system of claim 8 wherein the control device controls the amount of power provided by the energy storage device to the load to compensate the power shortage between the electrical power demand of the electrical load and power available from the fuel cell to the electrical load.
11. The system of claim 8 wherein the electrical storage device is a battery.
12. The system of claim 8 wherein the electrical storage device is a supercapacitor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for forming a bound network, comprising:
decomposing an asynchronous input network to form a network of base functions, wherein the network of base functions is selected to include simple base functions that include two-input threshold OR functions and two-input threshold AND functions with hysteresis if the simple base functions would not create hazards in the network of base functions, and selected to include complex base functions if the simple base functions would create hazards in the network of base functions, generated during the decomposing;
partitioning the network of base functions into at least one subject graph that includes a plurality of different portions, each portion of the at least one subject graph having a function;
determining matches between the at least one subject graph and one or more pattern graphs; and
forming the bound network by selecting at least one of the one or more pattern graphs to be used in the bound network for the function of each of the different portions of the at least one subject graph.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network was produced by cell merger.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network is one of the simple base functions.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network is an threshold OR function with two or more inputs.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the decomposing comprises registering a vertex of the asynchronous input network as a complex base function.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the one or more pattern graphs by decomposing cells of a technology library.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the partitioning partitions the network of base functions into at least two subject graphs at a vertex with multiple fan-outs in the network of base functions.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining matches comprises determining if one of the one or more pattern graphs is a leaf.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining matches comprises determining if one of the at least one subject graphs is a leaf.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining matches comprises determining if a cell function of one of the one or more pattern graphs is different from a cell function of the root of one of the at least one subject graph.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more pattern graphs has a root with fan-ins and one of the at least one subject graphs has a root with fan-ins, and wherein determining matches comprises determining if the fan-ins of the root of the one of the one or more pattern graphs matches the fan-ins of the root of the one of the at least one subject graph.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising manufacturing a circuit from the bound network.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the bound network is hazard-free.
14. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for forming a bound network, the method comprising:
decomposing an asynchronous input network to form a network of base functions, wherein the network of base functions is selected to include simple base functions that include two-input threshold OR functions and two-input threshold AND functions with hysteresis if the simple base functions would not create hazards in the network of base functions, and selected to include complex base functions if the simple base functions would create hazards in the network of base functions, generated during the decomposing;
partitioning the network of base functions into at least one subject graph that includes a plurality of different portions, each portion of the at least one subject graph having a function;
determining matches between the at least one subject graph and one or more pattern graphs; and
selecting at least one of the one or more pattern graphs to be used in the bound network for the function of each of the different portions of the at least one subject graph.
15. The medium of claim 14, wherein decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network was produced by cell merger.
16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network is one of the simple base functions.
17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the decomposing comprises determining if a vertex in the asynchronous input network is an threshold OR function with two or more inputs.
18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the decomposing comprises registering a vertex of the asynchronous input network as a complex base function.
19. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises generating the one or more pattern graphs by decomposing cells of a technology library.
20. The medium of claim 14, wherein the partitioning partitions the network of base functions into at least two subject graphs at a vertex with multiple fan-outs in the network of base functions.
21. The medium of claim 14, wherein determining matches comprises determining if one of the one or more pattern graphs is a leaf.
22. The medium of claim 14, wherein determining matches comprises determining if one of the at least one subject graphs is a leaf.
23. The medium of claim 14, wherein determining matches comprises determining if a cell function of one of the one or more pattern graphs is different from a cell function of the root of one of the at least one subject graph.
24. The medium of claim 14, wherein one of the one or more pattern graphs has a root with fan-ins and one of the at least one subject graph has a root with fan-ins, and wherein determining matches comprises determining if the fan-ins of the root of the one of the one or more pattern graphs matches the fan-ins of the root of the one of the at least one subject graph.
25. The medium of claim 14, wherein the bound network is hazard-free.