Claims
- 1. A metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation, comprising:
a supply of metal-fuel tape wound on a supply spindle and taken up on a take-up spindle, and having a plurality of zones predefined along the length of said metal-fuel tape; power supply terminals for delivering to an electrical load electrical power generated from said supply of metal-fuel tape at a specified output voltage; a discharging head assembly for producing electrical power from said supply of metal-fuel tape as said metal-fuel tape is transported through said discharging head assembly during said discharging mode of operation; a bi-directional tape transport mechanism for transporting said metal-fuel tape thr V ough said discharging head assembly at a selected speed and direction relative to said discharging head assembly; metal-fuel determination means for determining the availability of metal-fuel along said zones of metal-fuel tape during said discharging mode of operation; and control means for controlling said bi-directional tape transport mechanism in response to said fuel determination means.
- 2. The metal-air fuel cell battery of claim 1, wherein said metal-fuel tape is transported through said discharge head assembly at a speed and direction relative to said discharging head assembly that ensures that metal-fuel of sufficient quantity is present along said metal-fuel tape for use in generating electrical power across said power supply terminals.
- 3. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 1, wherein said discharging head assembly comprises:
a cathode support structure supporting an electrically-conductive cathode element pervious to oxygen; anode-contacting structure supporting an electrically-conductive anode-contacting element for establishing electrical contact with said metal-fuel tape; and an ionic medium for providing a source of ions between said electrically-conductive cathode element and electrically-conductive anode-contacting element associated with said discharging head assembly.
- 4. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 3, wherein said bi-directional tape transport means comprises means for transporting said metal-fuel tape past each said cathode support structure and said anode-contacting element, while said ionic medium is disposed between said metal-fuel tape and said electrically-conductive cathode element.
- 5. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 1, wherein said supply spindle and said take-up spindle are driven by a motor.
- 6. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 5, wherein said motor is an electric motor.
- 7. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 1, wherein said supply of metal-fuel tape to be discharged comprises multiple metal-fuel tracks for use in generating different output voltages from said metal-air fuel cell battery system.
- 8. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 1, wherein each said zone of metal fuel predefined along the length of said metal-fuel tape is labelled with a digital code, through optical or magnetic means, for enabling the recording of discharge-related data and the computation of metal-fuel availability along said supply of metal-fuel tape during said discharging mode of operation.
- 9. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 8, wherein said discharge-related data is recorded a memory storage device.
- 10. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 9, wherein said memory storage device is operably connected to said control means.
- 11. A metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, comprising:
power supply terminals for receiving electrical power supplied from an electrical power supply at a specified input voltage; a supply of metal-fuel tape wound on a supply spindle and taken up on a take-up spindle, and having a plurality of predefined zones demarcated along the length of said metal-fuel tape; a recharging head assembly for receiving electrical power from said electrical supply as said metal-fuel tape is transported through said recharging head assembly during said recharging mode of operation; a bi-directional tape transport mechanism for transporting said metal-fuel tape through said recharging head assembly at a selected speed and direction relative to said recharging head assembly; metal-oxide determination means for determining the presence of metal-oxide along said zones of metal-fuel tape during said recharging mode of operation; and control means for controlling said bi-directional tape transport mechanism in response to said metal-oxide determination means.
- 12. The metal-air fuel cell battery of claim 11, wherein said metal-fuel tape is transported through said recharge head assembly at a speed and direction relative to said recharging head assembly that ensures that metal-oxide of sufficient quantity is present along said metal-fuel tape for conversion into metal-fuel during said recharging mode of operation.
- 13. The metal-air fuel cell battery of claim 11, wherein said recharging head assembly comprises:
a cathode support structure supporting an electrically-conductive cathode element pervious to oxygen; anode-contacting structure supporting an electrically-conductive anode-contacting element for establishing electrical contact with said metal-fuel tape; and an ionic medium for providing a source of ions between said electrically-conductive cathode element and electrically-conductive anode-contacting element associated with said recharging head assembly.
- 14. The metal-air fuel cell battery of claim 11, wherein said bi-directional tape transport means comprises means for transporting said metal-fuel tape past said cathode support structure and said anode-contacting element, while said ionic medium is disposed between said metal-fuel tape and said electrically-conductive cathode element.
- 15. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 11, wherein said supply spindle and said take-up spindle are driven by a motor.
- 16. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 15, wherein said motor is an electric motor.
- 17. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 11, wherein metal-fuel tape to be recharged comprises multiple metal-fuel tracks for use in generating different output voltages from said metal-air fuel-cell battery system.
- 18. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 11, wherein each zone of metal fuel predefined along the length of said metal-fuel tape is labelled with a digital code, through optical or magnetic means, for enabling the recording of recharge-related data and the computation of metal-oxide presence along said supply of metal-fuel tape during recharging operations.
- 19. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 18, wherein said recharge-related data is recorded a memory storage device.
- 20. The metal-air fuel cell battery system of claim 19, wherein said memory storage device is operably connected to said control means.
- 21. A metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation, comprising: a tape transport mechanism for transporting metal-fuel tape through a discharging head assembly in a bi-directional manner; and
metal-fuel management means for automatically managing the availability of metal-fuel along said metal-fuel tape in order to improve the performance of the system during said discharging mode of operation.
- 22. A metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, comprising:
a tape transport mechanism for transporting metal-fuel tape through a recharging head assembly in a bi-directional manner; and metal-oxide management means for automatically managing the presence of metal-oxide along said metal-fuel tape in order to improve the performance of the system during said recharging mode of operation.
- 23. A method of generating electrical power from a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a discharging mode of operation, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) supplying metal-fuel tape wound on a supply spindle and a take-up spindle, and having a plurality of zones predefined along the length of said metal-fuel tape; (b) producing electrical power from said supply of metal-fuel tape as said metal-fuel tape is transported through a discharging head assembly during said discharging mode of operation; (c) transporting said metal-fuel tape through said discharging head assembly at a selected speed and direction relative to said discharging head assembly; (d) determining the availability of metal-fuel along said predefined zones of metal-fuel tape during said discharging mode of operation; and (e) controlling said bi-directional tape transport in step (c) in response to said fuel determination in step (d) so that metal-fuel tape is transported through said discharge head assembly at a speed and direction relative to said discharge head assembly that ensures that metal-fuel of sufficient quantity is present along said metal-fuel tape for use in generating electrical power from said metal-fuel cell battery system.
- 24. A method of recharging metal-fuel tape using a metal-air fuel cell battery system having a recharging mode of operation, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) supplying metal-fuel tape wound on a supply spindle and a take-up spindle, and having a plurality of zones predefined along the length of said metal-fuel tape; (b) receiving electrical power from an electrical supply as said metal-fuel tape is transported through a recharging head assembly during said recharging mode of operation; (c) transporting said metal-fuel tape through said recharging head assembly at a selected speed and direction relative to said recharging head assembly; (d) determining the presence of metal-oxide along said predefined zones of metal-fuel tape during said recharging mode of operation; and (e) controlling said bi-directional tape transport in step (c) in response to said metal-oxide determination in step (d) so that metal-fuel tape is transported through said recharge head assembly at a speed and direction relative to said recharge head assembly that ensures that metal-oxide of sufficient quantity is present along said metal-fuel tape for conversion into metal-fuel during said recharging mode of operation.
RELATED CASES
[0001] This is a Continuation of: copending application Ser. No. 09/120,583, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,410,174, entitled “METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEM HAVING MEANS FOR BI-DIRECTIONALLY TRANSPORTING METAL-FUEL TAPE AND MANAGING METAL-FUEL AVAILABLE THEREALONG”, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/116,643, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,534 entitled “METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEMS EMPLOYING MEANS FOR DISCHARGING AND RECHARGING METAL-FUEL CARDS” filed Jul. 16, 1998 by Sadeg M. Faris and Tsepin Tsai; copending application Ser. No. 09/110,761 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,111,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, U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,997,entitled “IONICALLY-CONDUCTIVE BELT STRUCTURE FOR USE IN A METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME” 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; and copending application Ser. No. 08/944,507, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,960 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL POWER USING METAL-AIR FUEL CELL BATTERY TECHNOLOGY” by Sadeg Faris, et al. filed Oct. 6, 1997, each said applications being assigned to Reveo, Inc. and incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Continuations (6)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
10180223 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09116643 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
09110761 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
09110762 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Child |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
09074337 |
May 1998 |
US |
Child |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Parent |
08944507 |
Oct 1997 |
US |
Child |
09120583 |
Jul 1998 |
US |