Articles of clothing and personal gear with on-demand power supply for electrical devices

• US 8,062,797 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ardica Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ardica Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Braithwaite, Daniel, Glassman, Jonathan L., Thomas, Jesse M., Fisher, Tobin J., Covington, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alejandro; Raymond
• Application Number:
  US11/124,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20050255349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 429/34, 429/18, 429/32, 429/12, 429/127, 290/5, 210/2, 210/8, 219/211
• US Class Current: 429/400
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0001 Body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0094 using a remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0233 connected to or incorporated in clothing or garments A61F2007/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/03 thermophore, i.e. self-heating, e.g. using a chemical reaction
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/30 Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/006 Flat
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2404 Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/241 with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2475 Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2483 characterised by internal manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/249 comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/905 Electric

Abstract

An article of clothing with an on-demand power supply for electrical devices is provided. The power supply includes stiff planar fuel cell devices that are distributed in a plane. The number of fuel cells is dependent on the power requirements for the electrical devices. The planar stiff fuel cells are flexibly interconnected in the plane by a flexible interconnection, which allows the fuel cells to move with respect to each other out of the plane. This further allows the power supply to be nicely integrated in an article of clothing and minimizes negative impact to a body region or to the article of clothing. The electrical and fuel connections between the fuel cells are integrated with the flexible interconnection. To further integrate and increase ease of operation a control system is included to control the on-demand power supply or control power levels for the electrical device.

Claims

1. An apparatus with on-demand power supply for an electrical device, comprising:

a. an article of clothing having an interior surface;

b. two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, distributed in a plane, that deliver electrical power to one or more electrical devices, wherein a broad face of each planar fuel cell device is substantially aligned in the plane; and

c. at least one flexible interconnection for interconnecting said two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, said flexible interconnection allowing said stiff planar fuel cell devices to move with respect to each other out of said plane, and said flexible interconnection having integrated therein or therewith electrical connections and fuel connections for each of stiff planar fuel cell devices;

c. wherein the fuel cell devices are removably coupled to the article of clothing substantially near the interior surface of the article of clothing, wherein the plane formed by the fuel cell devices substantially parallels the interior surface of the article of clothing, and wherein the fuel cell devices are polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible interconnection and said planar fuel cell devices are distributed and sized to minimize negative impact to a body region or to said article of clothing.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices are integrated to the article of clothing at a rear torso-covering region of the article of clothing.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprises a control system to control said on-demand power supply or control a power level for said electrical device.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a control system integrated in said article of clothing.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising wires passing through said article of clothing to said electrical device or to a control system.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fuel cell devices heat the body region.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fuel cell devices integrate to the jacket by reversibly sliding into a pocket on the interior surface of the article of clothing.

9. An apparatus for a living organism, the apparatus with on-demand power supply for an electrical device, comprising:

a. an article of personal gear;

b. two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, distributed in a plane, that removably couple to the article of personal gear to heat a body region of the organism and deliver electrical power to one or more electrical devices, wherein each of said planar fuel cells devices is an electro-chemical device; and

c. at least one flexible interconnection for interconnecting said two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, said flexible interconnection allowing said stiff planar fuel cell devices to move with respect to each other out of said plane, and said flexible interconnection having integrated therein or therewith electrical connections and fuel connections for each of stiff planar fuel cell devices;

wherein the fuel cell devices are removably coupled to the article of personal gear by fitting into a pocket disposed on the interior surface of the article of personal gear, and wherein the fuel cell devices are polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a control system to control said on-demand power supply or a power level for said electrical device.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a control system integrated in said article of personal gear.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising wires passing through said article of personal gear to said electrical device or to a control system.

13. An article of clothing with on-demand power supply for an electrical device, comprising:

a. two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, distributed in a plane, that deliver electrical power to one or more electrical devices, wherein a broad face of each of the planar fuel cell devices is substantially aligned in the plane; and

b. at least one flexible interconnection for interconnecting said two or more stiff planar fuel cell devices, said flexible interconnection allowing said stiff planar fuel cell devices to move with respect to each other out of said plane, and said flexible interconnection having integrated therein or therewith electrical connections and fuel connections for each of stiff planar fuel cell devices;

wherein the planar fuel cell devices integrate into the article of clothing by reversibly enclosing the fuel cell devices into a pocket located on the interior of an upper rear torso-covering region of the article of clothing, and wherein the fuel cell devices are polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

14. The article of clothing of claim 13 further including a control system that controls the power output of the fuel cell devices and is electronically coupled to one of the fuel cell devices.

15. The article of clothing of claim 13, wherein the flexible interconnection comprises of a flexible fuel line and a wire.