Patent Application
20060068251
The present invention pertains to the field of computer system design. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fuel cell device that enables mobile computing for longer periods of time without having to recharge a power source.
A fuel cell converts chemical energy to electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction. Air and a fuel are typically combined to generate the electrochemical reaction. Aside from electricity, the air and fuel mixture may also produce other byproducts, such as heat and water.
A fuel cell typically comprises a fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack is a plurality of connected individuals cells. Each cell in the fuel cell stack has a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The reactions that produce electricity take place at the electrodes. An electrolyte in the fuel cell carries electrically charged particles from one electrode to another.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
A fuel cell module that is integrated into an electronic device may increase the time the electronic device may be used without having to recharge the electronic device's power supply. For one embodiment of the invention,
The air compressor 110 may transfer ambient air to the fuel cell stack 120. Ambient air may be available to the air compressor 110 through a vent in the electronic device or fuel cell module 100. In addition to receiving air, the fuel cell stack 120 may also receive a fuel input. The fuel may be a hydrocarbon fuel. For example, the fuel may be natural gas, methanol, ethanol, butane, or propane. Alternatively, the fuel may be of another type such as hydrogen. The fuel may be stored in fuel storage 140. The fuel storage 140 in the fuel cell module 100 may be refueled or recharged, or replaced. A fuel pump 130 may deliver the fuel from the fuel storage 140 to the fuel cell stack 120. However, the fuel pump 130 may not be required if the fuel is pressurized.
The air compressor 110 may transfer ambient air to the fuel cell stack 120. The fuel cell stack 120 may also receive a fuel input from fuel conditioning unit 125. The fuel may be stored in fuel storage 140. A fuel pump 130 may deliver the fuel from the fuel storage 140 to the fuel conditioning unit 125. For another embodiment of the invention, the fuel pump 130 may be omitted from the fuel cell module 100 if the fuel is pressurized.
The fuel conditioning unit may extract hydrogen from the fuel. The fuel conditioning unit 125 may comprise a reforming technology such as steam reforming, partial oxidation reforming, or auto-thermal reforming.
Alternatively, the fuel stored in the fuel storage 140 may be compressed, liquefied hydrogen or adsorbed hydrogen. Reforming is not required if hydrogen is provided directly from fuel storage 140 or if the fuel cell is configured to work directly from the fuel such as methanol. The fuel cell module 100 of
The fuel cell stack 140 mixes hydrogen with air. The electrochemical reaction of the combination may generate electricity, heat, and water. The electricity may be used to power the electronic device of which the fuel cell module 100 is integrated. A thermal management unit 150 may be used to remove heat from the fuel cell module 100.
Further, to prevent water from being generated by the fuel cell stack 140, the thermal management unit 150 may monitor the temperature of the fuel cell stack 140 or other components of the fuel cell module 100 to keep the temperature above the dew point. The thermal management unit 150 may comprise a processor, a sensor and a fan. If the sensor detects a temperature above a predetermined threshold, the processor may enable the fan until the temperature in the fuel cell module 100 is decreased.
For one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device of having an integrated fuel cell module 100 may be a mobile computer.
The fuel cell module 100 may be removed from the device bay 215. The entire fuel cell module 100 may be taken out and replaced if the fuel stored in the fuel storage 140 is low. Alternatively, the fuel cell module 100 may be designed to allow the fuel storage 140 to be refueled directly or to be taken out and replaced with a full fuel storage.
For another embodiment of the invention, the electronic device having an integrated fuel cell module 100 may be a cellular phone. For yet another embodiment of the invention, the electronic device having an integrated fuel cell module 100 may be an mp3 player. For yet another embodiment of the invention, the electronic device having an integrated fuel cell module 100 may be an electronic calendar organizer.
If the fuel level is not detected to be low in operation 425, fuel is transferred to the fuel cell stack in operation 440. The electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack, caused by the mixture between fuel and air, generates electricity in operation 450. A byproduct of the electrochemical reaction may be heat. The fuel cell module is cooled in operation 460. The fuel cell module may comprise a thermal management unit to dissipate the generated heat.
The electricity generated by the fuel cell module is distributed to components of the electronic system in operation 470. The electricity is used to power the components of the electronic system. The system then returns to operation 420 in order to continuously monitor the fuel in the fuel storage.
For another embodiment of the invention, operations 440, 450, 460, and 470 may be combined into a single operation.
In the foregoing specification the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modification and changes may be made thereto without departure from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
