Patent Application
20070224470
The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly, to a modular fuel cell that can be assembled flexibly based on the requirements.
Conventional fuel cells include not only the core components therein but also other mechanical and electrical peripherals, such as fuel tanks, pumps, valves, fans, and circuit devices. Traditionally, the way to assemble these mechanical and electrical peripherals of the fuel cells is to piece together separate mechanical and electrical peripherals. But such assembling method is not applied to mass production. It is also difficult to master quality control over producing fuel cells.
Therefore, an improved modular fuel cell is provided to overcome the aforesaid disadvantages, which can be assembled according to different requirements.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a modular fuel cell that includes modular mechanical and electrical peripherals. Accordingly, a fuel cell can be assembled flexibly.
In accordance with the aforesaid object of the invention, a modular fuel cell is provided. The modular fuel cell comprises a fuel cell module fabricated by a printed circuit board (PCB) process for performing an electrochemical reaction and generating power, a control module comprising a PCB and an electric circuit disposed on the PCB. The electric circuit comprises at least an electrical device. The modular fuel cell also comprises a fuel supply module including a fuel tank, and at least a pump and/or at least a valve. The pump and/or the valve are controlled by the control module, and at least a pump and/or at least a valve are connected to the fuel cell module. Manifold modular components including the fuel cell module, the control module, a sensor module, the fuel supply module, and a flow cycle module are thus assembled to meet different requirements.
The foregoing aspects, as well as many of the attendant advantages and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
As shown in
Reference is made to
According to the first and second embodiments, the modular fuel cell 10 further comprises a sensor module 104 for detecting the amount and the concentration of fuel in the fuel cell module 101, and transmitting detective signals to the control module 102. After determining the received signals, the control module 102 controls the pump 103b to regulate the flow rate of fuel. The sensor module 104 comprises a quantity sensor and a concentration sensor. Those sensors are disposed inside the fuel cell module 101.
According to the first and second embodiments, the sensor module 104 may include at least a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of an operated fuel cell module 101. The temperature sensor is electrically connected with the control module 102. The temperature sensor is, for example, a thermal coupler or a thermal sensitive resistor.
According to the first and second embodiments, the modular fuel cell 10 further comprises a flow cycle module 105 for adjusting temperatures of the fuel cell module 101 and conditions in an operated flowing field. The flow cycle module 105 is electrically connected to the control module 102, and is controlled by the control module 102. The flow cycle module 105 may include a fan, a heat pipe, a water-cooling system, and so on.
The control module 102 receives temperature signals from a temperature sensor, and controls the flow cycle module 105 in accordance with factual temperatures. Hence, adequate temperature is provided for the fuel cell module 101 to perform electrical reactions efficiently.
According to the first and second embodiments, the control module 102 also comprises a power-integrating circuit for regulating power generated by the fuel cell module 101 and then outputting steady specific voltage.
One feature of the modular fuel cell 10 consists in the modular structures of the fuel cell module 101, the control module 102, the fuel supply module 103, the sensor module 104, and the flow cycle module 105. Users may arrange various modular elements to assemble a desired fuel cell 10, depending on different requirements.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, these are, of course, merely examples to help clarify the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, and alterations in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.
