1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a) a plurality of controllable sub-systems; and
b) a central electronic controller for controlling said plurality of sub-systems of said fuel cell system.
2. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of sub-systems comprises at least two of an air handling sub-system, a reformer sub-system, and a customer interface sub-system.
3. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 2 further comprising a power electronics sub-system.
4. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 3 further comprising an application interface module.
5. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fuel cell is selected from the group of fuel cells consisting of solid oxide, proton exchange membrane, phosphoric acid, solid polymer, molten carbonate, alkaline, direct methanol, regenerative, zinc air, and protonic ceramic.
6. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fuel cell system is an auxiliary power unit.
7. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 6 wherein said auxiliary power unit is disposed in a vehicle for supplying output power thereto.
8. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 6 wherein said auxiliary power unit is a component of a power grid.
9. A fuel cell system in accordance with claim 6 wherein said auxiliary power unit is a component of a residential electrical system.
10. A vehicle comprising a fuel cell system including a plurality of controllable sub-systems and a central electronic controller for controlling said plurality of sub-systems of said fuel cell system.
11. A vehicle in accordance with claim 10 wherein said controllable sub-systems include sensors, actuators, and interconnect and control strategy.
12. A method for providing a fuel cell system having a plurality of individually-controllable components, comprising the steps of:
a) providing distributed electronic control means including an individual electronic control means for each of said individually-controllable components during a development phase of said fuel cell system; and
b) replacing said distributed electronic control means with a central electronic control means during a manufacturing phase of said fuel cell system.
13. A method for controlling a fuel cell system having a plurality of individually-controllable components, including a plurality of adjustable actuators and a plurality of independent sensors, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a central electronic control means with control algorithms for controlling said individually-controllable components;
b) sensing a plurality of signals from said plurality of sensors;
c) sending a plurality of input signal data to said central electronic control means;
d) applying said control algorithms to said input signal data to generate a plurality of output signal data; and
e) adjusting said actuators in response to said output signal data.
14. A method in accordance with claim 13 wherein said plurality of independent sensors includes sensors for temperature, pressure, voltage, and current.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An optical information recordingreproducing system comprising:
support means for removably supporting a volume holographic memory formed of a photorefractive crystal, having a shape of a rotary member having a rotational symmetry axis, with plane surfaces perpendicular to said rotational symmetry axis formed at respective opposite ends thereof;
reference beam-irradiating means for irradiating said volume holographic memory with a coherent reference beam having a first wavelength;
signal beam-irradiating means for irradiating said volume holographic memory with a coherent signal beam which has said first wavelength and is modulated according to image data, to cause said signal beam to intersect with said reference beam within said volume holographic memory and thereby to generate a refractive index grating of a three-dimensional optical interference pattern between said signal beam and said reference beam; and
means for detecting a diffracted light generated by irradiation of said reference beam on said refractive index grating of said optical interference pattern,
wherein said support means holds said volume holographic memory in a position allowing said signal beam to pass through said plane surfaces of said volume holographic memory at said respective opposite ends thereof.
2. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said support means holds said volume holographic memory in a position where said rotational symmetry axis of said volume holographic memory is parallel with an optical path of said signal beam.
3. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said reference beam-irradiating means irradiates said reference beam on a side surface of said volume holographic memory.
4. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 3, wherein said support means includes means for shifting said volume holographic memory along said rotational symmetry axis of said volume holographic memory.
5. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 3, wherein said support means includes means for rotating said volume holographic memory about said rotational symmetry axis of said volume holographic memory.
6. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 3, wherein said support means includes means for shifting said volume holographic memory along said rotational symmetry axis of said volume holographic memory, and rotating said volume holographic memory about said rotational symmetry axis.
7. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 1, further comprising gating beam-irradiating means for irradiating said volume holographic memory with a gating beam having a second wavelength for increasing photosensitivity of said volume holographic memory and causing one of activating and deactivating said refractive index grating depending on whether said optical interference pattern is present.
8. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 7, wherein said gating beam-irradiating means irradiates said gating beam on a side surface of said volume holographic memory.
9. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 8, wherein said gating beam-irradiating means applies said gating beam in a manner restricted to a limited area within said volume holographic memory, where said signal beam and said reference beam intersect with each other.
10. An optical information recordingreproducing system according to claim 1, further comprising a compensation lens having a curved surface complementary to said side surface of said volume holographic memory via which said reference beam and said gating beam enter said volume holographic memory and a plane surface on a side thereof opposite to said curved surface, said compensation lens being arranged such that said complementary curved surface is spaced from said side surface of said volume holographic memory by a predetermined distance.
11. A volume holographic memory formed of a photorefractive crystal that records a three-dimensional distribution of interference fringes generated by interference between a reference beam and a signal beam modulated according to image data, the volume holographic memory formed of a uniaxial crystal having a shape of a rotary member, and a rotational symmetry axis in parallel with an optical crystal axis of said uniaxial crystal, with plane surfaces perpendicular to said rotational symmetry axis formed at respective opposite ends thereof.
12. A volume holographic memory according to claim 11, wherein said shape of a rotary member is cylinderical.
13. A volume holographic memory according to claim 11, wherein said shape of a rotary member is a truncated cone.
14. An optical information recording system comprising:
support means for removably supporting a volume holographic memory formed of a photorefractive crystal, and having a shape of a rotary member with a rotational symmetry axis, with plane surfaces perpendicular to said rotational symmetry axis formed at respective opposite ends thereof;
reference beam-irradiating means for irradiating said volume holographic memory with a coherent reference beam having a first wavelength; and
signal beam-irradiating means for irradiating said volume holographic memory with a coherent signal beam which has said first wavelength and is modulated according to image data, to cause said signal beam to intersect with said reference beam within said volume holographic memory and thereby generate a refractive index grating of a three-dimensional optical interference pattern between said signal beam and said reference beam;
wherein said support means holds said volume holographic memory in a position allowing said signal beam to pass through said plane surfaces of said volume holographic memory at said respective opposite ends thereof.