Metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) electrical power producing module with multi-element cathode structure and insertable metal-fuel card(s)

• US 6,562,504 B2
• Filed: 10/18/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• 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:
  US09/420,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 429/27, 429/66, 429/68, 429/80, 429/127, 429/208
• 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

A metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) electrical power producing module for supplying electrical power to a host system that incorporates a module housing with a multi-element discharging head enclosed within the module housing and a recess formed therein into which a metal-fuel card can be slid for discharging. The module housing has a pair of electrical terminals for contacting the power terminals of a host system.

Claims

1. A metal-air FCB electrical power producing module for supplying electrical power to a host system, said metal-air FCB power producing module comprising:

a module housing;

a multi-element discharging head enclosed within said module housing, having a plurality of cathode structures formed on a first unitary support structure spatially arranged with respect to a plurality of anode contacting elements formed on a second unitary support structure;

wherein said module housing has a first recess formed therein into which a metal-fuel card can be slid such that the metal-fuel card is operably disposed between said cathode structures and said anode contacting structures for discharging; and

wherein said module housing has a pair of electrical terminals, in electrical connection with said multi-element discharging head, for contacting the power terminals of a host system.

2. A metal-air FCB electical power producing module comprising:

a housing;

a multi-element cathode structure insertable within a recess formed in said housing and having a plurality of current collecting conductors terminating in a first electrical connector;

an air-pervious aperture formed in at least one surface of said housing for allowing ambient air to passively flow through a plurality of cathode elements provided in said multi-element cathode structure;

a multi-element anode contacting structure integrally formed with said housing, and including a plurality of electrical contacts which are in electrical communication with the electrical conductors associated with a second electrical connector;

a metal fuel card for carrying a plurality of metal fuel elements upon a support structure and allowing said plurality of electrical contacts associated with said anode contacting structure to engage said plurality of metal-fuel elements, respectively, when said metal-fuel card is slid within a recess formed in said housing between said anode contacting structure and said multi-element cathode structure; and

a pair of output power terminals extending through said housing and in electrical communication with said first and second electrical connectors, for providing electrical power to an external load.

3. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 2, wherein said multi-element cathode structure is releasably inserted within said housing and can be replaced as required by its continued use in discharging operations.

4. The metal-air FCB electrical power producing module of claim 2, which further comprises an output voltage controller for producing electrical power over a range of different output voltages.

5. The metal-air FCB electrical power producing module of claim 4, wherein said output voltage controller comprises circuitry carried on one or more PC boards mounted within said housing, wherein said circuitry is operably coupled between said fist and second electrical connectors and said pair of output power terminals, and wherein said one or more PC boards are substantially perpendicular to said multi-element cathode structure and said multi-element metal-fuel card when said multi-element metal-fuel card is inserted within said metal-air FCB module.

6. The metal-air FCB electrical power producing module of claim 2, which further comprises one or more printed circuit (PC) boards mounted within said housing for carrying electronic circuitry for realizing power regulation functions within said metal-air FCB electrical power producing module and supporting electrical connectors for establishing electrical contact with the first and second electrical connectors associated with said multi-element cathode structure and said multi-element anode contacting structure.

7. A metal-air FCB electrical power producing module comprising:

a housing;

a first multi-element cathode structure insertable within a first recess formed in said housing and having a first plurality of current collecting conductors terminating in a first electrical connector;

a second multi-element cathode structure insertable within a second recess formed in said housing and having a second plurality of current collecting conductors terminating in a second electrical connector, said first and second multi-element cathode structures substantially parallel to each other when installed within said housing;

an air-pervious aperture formed in at least one surface of said housing for allowing ambient air to passively flow through a first plurality of cathode elements provided in said first multi-element cathode structure and through a second plurality of cathode elements provided in said second multi-element cathode structure;

a metal fuel card insertable within a recess formed between said first and second multi-element cathode structures, and carrying a first plurality of metal fuel elements supported upon a first side of a support structure and establishing electrical contact with a first plurality of electrical conductors terminating in a third connector mechanism formed on said support structure, and also a second plurality of metal fuel elements supported upon a second side of said support structure and establishing electrical contact with a second plurality of electrical conductors terminating in said third connector mechanism; and

a pair of output power terminals extending through said housing and in electrical communication with said first and second electrical connectors associated with said first and multi-element cathode structures, and said third connector mechanism associated with said metal-fuel card when said metal fuel card is inserted within the recess provided within said housing, for providing electrical power to an external load.

8. The metal-air FCB electrical power producing module of claim 7, further comprising one or more printed circuit (PC) boards mounted within said housing for carrying electronic circuitry for realizing power regulation functions within said metal-air FCB electrical power producing module and supporting electrical connectors for establishing electrical contact with said first and second electrical connectors associated with said first and multi-element cathode structures, and said third connector mechanism associated with said metal-fuel card when said metal fuel card is inserted within the recess provided within said housing, and wherein said one or more PC boards are substantially perpendicular to said first and second multi-element cathode structures and said metal-fuel card when said metal-fuel card is inserted within said metal-air FCB module.

9. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 7, which further comprises means for producing electrical power over a range of different output voltages.

10. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 7, which further comprises a switch located on the exterior of said housing for selecting said output voltage from said range of different output voltages.

11. The metal-air FCB electrical power producing module of claim 7, which further comprises one or more printed circuit (PC) boards mounted within said housing for carrying electronic circuitry for realizing power regulation functions within said metal-air FCB electrical power producing module and supporting electrical connectors for establishing electrical contact with said first and second electrical connectors associated with said first and multi-element cathode structures, and said third connector mechanism associated with said metal-fuel card when said metal fuel card is inserted within the recess provided within said housing.

12. A cathode structure for use in a FCB electrical power generation module having a housing and a recess formed in said housing, said cathode structure comprising:

a support structure supporting a plurality of cathode elements thereon; and

a plurality of current collecting conductors in electrical contact with said cathode elements and terminating in an electrical connector attached to said support structure,

wherein said cathode elements, support structure, conductors and electrical connector of said cathode structure are insertable within said recess formed in said housing.

13. A metal fuel card for use in an FCB electrical power generation module having first and second multi-element cathode structures and having a recess formed between said first and second multi-element cathode structures, said metal fuel card comprising:

a first plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a first side of a support structure that are operably aligned with elements of said first multi-element cathode structure when the card is inserted into said recess;

a second plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a second side of said support structure that are operably aligned with elements of said second multi-element cathode structure when the card inserted into said recess; and

first and second sets of electrical contacts integrated with said support structure for providing electrical communication between an external load and said first plurality of metal-fuel elements and said second plurality of metal-fuel elements, respectively, when the card is inserted into said recess during discharging operations.

14. A FCB electrical power generation module comprising:

a housing;

first and second multi-element cathode structures disposed in said housing;

a recess formed between said first and second multi-element cathode structures; and

a metal-fuel card insertable within said recess and having

a first plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a first side of a support structure that are operably aligned with elements of said first multi-element cathode structure when the card inserted into said recess,

a second plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a second side of said support structure that are operably aligned with elements of said second multi-element cathode structure when the card inserted into said recess, and

first and second sets of electrical contacts integrated with said support structure for providing electrical communication between an external load and said first plurality of metal-fuel elements and said second plurality of metal-fuel elements, respectively, when the card is inserted into said recess during discharging operations.