METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEMS HAVING A METAL-FUEL CARD STORAGE CARTRIDGE, INSERTABLE WITHIN A FUEL CARTRIDGE INSERTION PORT, CONTAINING A SUPPLY OF SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR DISCRETE METAL-FUEL CARDS, AND FUEL CARD TRANSPORT MECHANISMS THEREIN

• US 6,472,093 B2
• Filed: 05/07/1998
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reveo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reveo, Inc.
• Inventors: Faris, Sadeg M., Tsai, Tsepin
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/074,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20010014416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 429/22, 429/25, 429/27, 429/127, 429/68
• US Class Current: 429/404
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4214 Arrangements for moving electrodes or electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/06 with one metallic and one gaseous electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/08 composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/024 Insertable electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0085 Immobilising or gelification of electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/42 Alloys based on zinc
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8605 Porous electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/46 Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by their combination with electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5011 for several cells simultaneously or successively
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/184 Regeneration by electrochemical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/186 by electrolytic decomposition of the electrolytic solution or the formed water product
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/22 Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising carbon or oxygen or hydrogen and other elements; Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising only elements other than carbon, oxygen or hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Disclosed are various types of metal-air FCB-based systems comprising a housing having an insertion port; a discharging subsystem disposed within the housing for generating electrical power from at least one metal-fuel card in a discharging mode of operation; and a tray-shaped cartridge, insertable within said insertion port, containing a supply of substantially planar discrete metal-fuel cards. When the tray-shaped cartridge is inserted within the insertion port, one or more of the metal-fuel cards are loadable into the discharging subsystem for generating and discharging electrical power during the discharging mode of operation. The system may include a recharging subsystem disposed within the housing for recharging at least one metal-fuel card in a recharging mode of operation. These inventive features allow automatic management of the supply (and recharge) of metal-fuel in a metal-air fuel cell battery system so as to obtain improvements in both operating efficiency and system performance.

Claims

1. A metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation, the system comprising:

a housing having an insertion port;

a discharging subsystem disposed within said housing for generating electrical power from at least one metal-fuel card in said discharging mode of operation; and

a tray-shaped cartridge containing a supply of substantially planar discrete metal-fuel cards, wherein the insertion port is configured to receive the tray-shaped cartridge;

wherein, when the tray-shaped cartridge is inserted within said insertion port, one or more of the substantially planar discrete metal-fuel cards are loadable into the discharging subsystem for generating and discharging electrical power during said discharging mode of operation.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recharging subsystem disposed within said housing for recharging at least one metal-fuel card in a recharging mode of operation,

wherein one or more substantially planar discrete metal-fuel cards are automatically loadable from the tray-shaped cartridge into the recharging subsystem when the tray-shaped cartridge is inserted within said insertion port.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recharging subsystem for recharging substantially planar discrete metal fuel cards that have been oxidized during the discharging mode of operation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises a metal-fuel layer applied to a substantially planar card shaped substrate.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said metal-layer comprises zinc.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder and a binding material, and then applying the mixture as a coating to said substrate.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by electroplating zinc onto said substrate.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder with a plastic material.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein said substrate comprises a metal layer that collects current from said metal-fuel layer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said metal layer comprises one of nickel and brass.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises an electrically insulating casing.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises a metal-fuel layer applied to a substantially planar card shaped substrate.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said metal-fuel layer comprises zinc.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder and a binding material, and then applying the mixture as a coating to said substrate.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by electroplating zinc onto said substrate.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder with a plastic material.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said substrate comprises a metal layer that collects current from said metal-fuel layer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said metal layer comprises one of nickel and brass.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises an electrically insulating casing.

20. The system of claim 3, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises a metal-fuel layer applied to a substantially planar card shaped substrate.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said metal-fuel layer comprises zinc.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder and a binding material, and then applying the mixture as a coating to said substrate.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by electroplating zinc onto said substrate.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said metal-fuel layer is formed by mixing zinc powder with a plastic material.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein said substrate comprises a metal layer that collects current from said metal-fuel layer.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said metal layer comprises one of nickel and brass.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein each metal-fuel card comprises an electrically insulating casing.

28. The system of claim 1, further comprising card transport means for transporting at least one metal-fuel card from the tray-shaped cartridge to the discharging subsystem.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising card transport means for transporting at least one metal-fuel card from the discharging subsystem to the tray-shaped cartridge.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a recharging subsystem disposed within said housing for recharging at least one metal-fuel card in a recharging mode of operation.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising card transport means for transporting at least one metal-fuel card from the tray-shaped cartridge to the recharging subsystem.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising card transport means for transporting at least one metal-fuel card from the recharging subsystem to the tray-shaped cartridge.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one metal-fuel card has a plurality of metal-fuel tracks,

and wherein said discharging subsystem generates electrical power by enabling discharge of a selective set of a plurality of metal-fuel tracks on the at least one metal-fuel card.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said recharging subsystem recharges the at least one metal-fuel card by enabling recharge of a selective set of the plurality of metal-fuel tracks of the at least one metal-fuel card.