Metal-air fuel cell battery system having means for recording and reading operating parameters during discharging and recharging modes of operation

• US 6,641,943 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1998
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• 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:
  US09/130,325
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 429/22, 429/27, 429/61, 429/68, 429/127, 429/13
• US Class Current: 429/402
• 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 8/04313 characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
• 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 Metal-Fuel Transport Subsystem, a Metal-Fuel Discharging Subsystem, and a Metal-Fuel Recharging Subsystem. The function of the Metal-Fuel Transport Subsystem is to transport metal-fuel material, in the form of tape, cards, sheets, cylinders and the like, to the Metal-Fuel Discharge Subsystem, or the Metal-Fuel Recharge Subsystem, depending on the mode of the system selected. When transported to or through the Metal-Fuel Discharge Subsystem, the metal-fuel is discharged by one or more discharging heads in order produce electrical power across an electrical load connected to the subsystem while H₂O and O₂ are consumed at the cathode-electrolyte interface during the electro-chemical reaction. When transported to or through the Metal-Fuel Recharging Subsystem, discharged metal-fuel is recharged by one or more recharging heads in order to convert the oxidized metal-fuel material into its source metal material suitable for reuse in power discharging operations, while O₂ is released at the cathode electrolyte interface during the electro-chemical reaction. In the illustrative embodiments, discharge and recharge parameters are detected, recorded, and processed in order to carry out discharging and recharging operations and metal-fuel/metal-oxide management operations in an efficient manner.

Claims

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

(a) supplying metal-fuel material to a discharging head assembly within a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation, wherein said metal-fuel material has a plurality of zones demarcated along said metal-fuel material and each said zone is indexed with a code uniquely identifying said zone;

(b) generating electrical power from said discharging head assembly during said discharging mode of operation;

(c) reading said code along each said zone of said metal-fuel material during the discharging of said zone during said discharging mode of operation;

(d) detecting a set of discharge parameters during the discharging of each said zone of metal-fuel material during said discharging mode of operation;

(e) correlating each detected set of discharge parameters with the code associated with the zone from which said set of discharge parameters have been detected;

(f) processing said set of discharge parameters detected at each said zone; and

(g) generating control data signals for controlling one or more discharge parameters while said zone is being discharged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said set of detected discharging parameters are recorded in memory and read out therefrom for processing during said discharging mode of operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said code is a digital code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said digital code is detected optically.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said digital code is a bar code symbol.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said digital code is detected magnetically.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein each said zone of metal-fuel material has a plurality of metal-fuel tracks;

wherein a set of discharge parameters are detected for each metal-fuel track along each said zone of metal-fuel material during said discharging mode of operation; and

wherein said code along each said zone is read during the discharging of said zone of metal-fuel material during said discharging mode of operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel tape.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel cards.

10. A method of operating a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) supplying metal-fuel material to a recharging head assembly within a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, wherein said metal-fuel material has a plurality of zones demarcated along said metal-fuel material and each said zone is indexed with a code uniquely identifying said zone;

(b) supplying electrical power to said recharging head assembly during said recharging mode of operation;

(c) reading said code along each said zone of said metal-fuel material during the recharging of the zone during said recharging mode of operation;

(d) detecting a set of recharge parameters during the recharging of each said zone of metal-fuel material during said recharging mode of operation;

(e) correlating each detected set of recharge parameters with the code associated with the zone from which said set of recharge parameters have been detected;

(f) processing said set of recharge parameters detected at each said zone; and

(g) generating control data signals for controlling one or more recharge parameters while said zone is being recharged.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said set of detected recharge parameters are recorded in memory and read out therefrom for processing during said recharging mode of operation.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said code is a digital code.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said digital code is detected optically.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said digital code is a bar code symbol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said digital code is detected magnetically.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein each said zone of metal-fuel material has a plurality of metal-fuel tracks;

wherein a set of recharge parameters are detected for each metal-fuel track along each said zone of metal-fuel material during said recharging mode of operation; and

wherein said code along each said zone is read during the recharging of said zone of metal-fuel material during said recharging mode of operation.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel tape.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel cards.

19. A method of operating a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation and a recharging mode of operation, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) supplying metal-fuel material to a discharging head assembly within a metal-air fuel cell system having a discharging mode of operation, and for supplying metal-fuel material to a recharging head assembly within said metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, wherein said metal-fuel material has a plurality of zones demarcated along said metal-fuel material and each said zone is indexed with a code uniquely identifying said zone;

(b) detecting a set of discharge parameters during the discharging of each said zone of metal-fuel material during said discharging mode of operation;

(c) reading said code along each said zone of said metal-fuel material during the discharging of said zone during said discharging mode of operation;

(d) recording, within a discharge parameter recording device, said set of discharge parameters detected at each said zone of metal-fuel material, wherein said recorded set of discharge parameters are associated with said code indexed to said zone;

(e) reading said recorded discharge parameters; and

(f) processing said recorded set of discharge parameters read from said discharge parameter recording device in order to generate a first set of control data signals for use in controlling said recharging parameters during said recharging mode of operation.

20. The method of claim 19, which further comprises:

(g) detecting a set of recharge parameters during the recharging of each said zone of metal-fuel material during said recharging mode of operation;

(h) recording, within a recharge parameter recording device, said set of recharge parameters detected at each said zone of metal-fuel material, wherein each said recorded set of recharge parameters is associated with said code indexed to said zone;

(i) reading said recorded set of recharge parameters; and

(j) processing said recorded set of recharge parameters from said recharge parameter recording device in order to generate a second set of control data signals for use in controlling said discharging parameters during said discharging mode of operation.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein steps (d) and (h) each involve the use of a memory device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said code is a digital code.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said digital code is detected optically.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said digital code is a bar code symbol.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said digital code is detected magnetically.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein step (f) comprises processing said recorded set of discharge parameters related to each zone of metal-fuel material so as to determine an amount of electrical power to be delivered to said zone when recharging said zone.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein step (j) comprises processing said recorded set of discharge parameters related to each zone of metal fuel so as to determine the amount of electrical power to be generated from said zone when discharging said zone.

28. The method system of claim 20, wherein each said zone of metal-fuel material has a plurality of metal-fuel tracks.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel tape.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein said metal-fuel material is realized in the form of metal-fuel cards.