CELL VOLTAGE MONITORING CONNECTOR SYSTEM FOR A FUEL CELL STACK
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
United States of America Patent
Stats
-
N/A
Issued Date -
Oct 1, 2015
app pub date -
Oct 11, 2013
filing date -
Oct 15, 2012
priority date (Note) -
Abandoned
status (Latency Note)
Importance
Abstract
A fuel cell stack assembly comprising an electrical connection system for cell voltage monitoring is described. The fuel cell stack (80) has a plurality of fuel cells disposed in a stacked configuration, each cell having a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) sandwiched between an anode flow field plate and a cathode flow field plate. The flow field plates (21) each extend to a lateral face of the fuel cell stack and each has an exposed portion generally coplanar with the lateral face of the fuel cell stack surface. A connector assembly has an array of contacts (83) each configured to bias against, and form electrical contact with, a respective one of selected flow field plates (21) at a contact zone thereof and each contact is biased against its respective flow plate (21) in a direction in the plane of the respective flow field plate. The exposed portion may be an exposed edge of the respective flow field plate and each contact is biased against the exposed edge of its respective flow plate. Alternatively, the exposed portion may be a buckled or folded peripheral portion of the respective flow field plate and each contact is biased against the buckled or folded portion of its respective flow plate.
First Claim
Other Claims data not available