Claims
- 1. A metal-air FCB power producing module of compact construction for supplying electrical power to a host system having a battery storage compartment, said metal-air FCB power producing module comprising:
a module housing of compact construction; a discharging head enclosed within said module housing and into which a metal-fuel card can be slide for discharging; and wherein said module housing has a pair of electrical terminals for contacting the power terminals of a host system when said module housing is loaded into said battery storage compartment.
- 2. A metal-air FCB power producing module comprising:
a housing of compact construction; 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 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; one or more printed circuit (PC) boards mounted within said housing for carrying electronic circuitry for realizing various functions within said metal-air FCB 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; a metal fuel card for carrying a plurality of metal fuel elements upon a thin 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 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 electronic circuitry on said one or more PC boards, for providing electrical power to an external load at a selected output voltage.
- 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 power producing module of claim 2, which further comprises means for producing electrical power over a range of different output voltages.
- 5. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 4, 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. A system for producing electrical power comprising:
a metal-air FCB module for producing electrical power using at least one metal-fuel card insertable within said metal-air FCB module, said metal-air FCB module including at least cathode structure and at least one anode contacting structure wherebetween each said metal-fuel is allowed to be inserted during a metal-fuel card loading operation; and a plurality of metal-fuel cards, each said metal-fuel card being insertable within said metal-air FCB module when electrical power is required from said metal-air FCB module.
- 7. The system of claim 6 which further comprises a card-storage/holding device for holding and storing said plurality of metal-fuel cards when not be used for production of electrical power within said metal-air FCB module.
- 8. The system of claim 6, which further comprises a replacement cathode structure for installation within said metal-air FCB module when said cathode structure has been consumed through a predetermined amount of power generation.
- 9. The system of claim 6, wherein said storage/holding device is a box-like structure having a plurality of recesses for storing said plurality of metal-fuel cards.
- 10. The system of claim 6, wherein said storage/holding device is a wallet-like folder having a plurality of pouches for storing said plurality of metal-fuel cards.
- 11. The system of claim 6, wherein each said metal-fuel card is packaged within an air-impervious material prior to use in said metal-air FCB module.
- 12. The system of claim 6, wherein said metal-fuel card loading operation comprises inserting said metal-air FCB module through a slot formed into said metal-air FCB module.
- 13. The system of claim 6, wherein an ionically-conducting medium is provided by said cathode structure or by said metal-fuel card.
- 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said metal-air FCB module has the form factor of a conventional battery device so as to useable within battery compartments conforming to said form factor.
- 15. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 2, wherein said multi-element cathode structure comprises means for dispensing water or electrolyte make-up solution between said cathode elements and said metal fuel elements during discharging operations.
- 16. A method of generating electrical power comprising the sequence of steps:
(a) packaging and distributing together
(i) a metal-air FCB module for producing electrical power using at least one metal-fuel card insertable within said metal-air FCB module, said metal-air FCB module including at least cathode structure and at least one anode contacting structure wherebetween each said metal-fuel is allowed to be inserted during a metal-fuel card loading operation, and (ii) a plurality of metal-fuel cards, each said metal fuel card being insertable within said metal-air FCB module when electrical power is required from said metal-air FCB module; (b) inserting at least one said metal-fuel card within said metal-air FCB module to enable said metal-air FCB module to generate electrical power for supply to an electrical power consuming device having a battery storage compartment; (c) installing said metal-air FCB module within the battery storage compartment of said electrical power consuming device; (d) discharging said metal-fuel card in said metal-air FCB module by providing electrical power to said electrical power consuming device; (e) removing said discharged metal-fuel card from said metal-air FCB module; (f) selecting one of said metal-fuel cards from said plurality thereof and inserting said selected metal-fuel card within said metal-air FCB module; (g) begin discharging said metal-fuel card in said metal-air FCB module by further providing electrical power to said electrical power consuming device; and (h) repeating steps (e) through (f) as often as required to continue supplying electrical power to said electrical power consuming device from said metal-air FCB module.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein after step (d) the method further comprises (d)(1) removing said metal-air FCB module from said battery storage compartment, and after step (f) said method further comprises (f)(1) installing said metal-air FCB module within said battery storage compartment.
- 18. A metal-air FCB power producing module comprising:
a housing of compact construction; 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 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; one or more printed circuit (PC) boards mounted within said housing for carrying electronic circuitry for realizing various functions within said metal-air FCB 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 a pair of output power terminals extending through said housing and in electrical communication with said electronic circuitry on said one or more PC boards, for providing electrical power to an external load at a selected output voltage.
- 19. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 18, 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.
- 20. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 18, which further comprises means for producing electrical power over a range of different output voltages.
- 21. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 18, which further comprises a switch located on the exterior of said housing for selecting said output voltage from said range of different output voltages.
- 22. A metal-air FCB power producing module comprising:
a plurality of metal-air FCB submodules, each capable of producing electrical power for supply to a pair of output power terminals; and wherein each said metal-air submodule includes a metal-fuel card removably insertable within said submodule for replacement as required.
- 23. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 22, which further comprises means for recharging each said metal-air FCB submodule using an external source of electrical power.
- 24. The metal-air FCB power producing module of claim 22, wherein said electrical output can be supplied at any one of a range of output voltage levels.
- 25. A multi-element cathode structure insertable within a recess formed in the housing of a FCB power generation module, comprising:
a plurality of cathode element supported on support structure; and a plurality of current collecting conductors in electrical contact with said cathode elements and terminating in a first electrical connector attached to said support structure.
- 26. A metal fuel card for use in an FCB power generation module having a containing an anode contacting structure and a multi-element cathode structure and having a recess formed between said anode contacting structure and said multi-element cathode structure, said metal fuel card comprising:
a plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a thin support structure; and means for enabling a plurality of electrical contacts between said anode contacting structure and said plurality of metal-fuel elements, when said metal-fuel card is slid within said recess.
- 27. A metal fuel card for use in an FCB power generation module having a containing 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; a second plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a second side of said support structure; and means for enabling a first plurality of electrical contacts between said first plurality of metal-fuel elements, and enabling a first plurality of electrical contacts between said first plurality of metal-fuel elements.
- 28. A FCB 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, a second plurality of metal fuel elements supported on a second side of said support structure, and means integrated with said support structure for enabling a first plurality of electrical contacts between said first plurality of metal-fuel elements, and enabling a first plurality of electrical contacts between said first plurality of metal-fuel elements.
RELATED CASES
[0001] This Application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/167,148 entitled “METAL-AIR FCB-BASED POWER PRODUCING MODULES AND METAL-FUEL CARDS AND CATHODE CARTRIDGES FOR USE THEREWITH” by Sadeg M. Faris and Tsepin Tsai, filed Oct. 6, 1998, which is a Continuation-in-Part of the following U.S. applications: copending application Ser. No. 09/110,761 entitled “METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEM EMPLOYING A PLURALITY OF MOVING CATHODE STRUCTURES FOR IMPROVED VOLUMETRIC POWER DENSITY” filed Jul. 3, 1998; copending application Ser. No. 09/110,762 entitled “METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEM EMPLOYING METAL-FUEL TAPE AND LOW-FRICTION CATHODE STRUCTURES” filed Jul. 3, 1998; copending application Ser. No. 09/074,337 entitled “METAL-AIR FUEL-CELL BATTERY SYSTEM HAVING MEANS FOR MANAGING AVAILABILITY OF METAL-FUEL THEREWITHIN” filed May 7, 1998; copending application Ser. No. 08/944,507 entitled “HIGH-POWER DENSITY METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEM” by Sadeg Faris, et al. filed Oct. 6, 1997, said application being assigned to Reveo, Inc. and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09167148 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
Child |
09420155 |
Oct 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (4)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09110761 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
09167148 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
Parent |
09110762 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
09110761 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
09074337 |
May 1998 |
US |
Child |
09110762 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
08944507 |
Oct 1997 |
US |
Child |
09074337 |
May 1998 |
US |