H - Electricity – 01 – M
Patent
H - Electricity
01
M
H01M 8/02 (2006.01) B60L 3/00 (2006.01) B60L 11/18 (2006.01) H01M 8/04 (2006.01)
Patent
CA 2277397
The present invention is directed to method and apparatus for monitoring the performance of a fuel cell stack in such a manner as to be able to safeguard failing cells therein against damage by detecting when undesirable operating conditions exist that portend major future stack difficulties that could result in polarity reversal of the cell. The invention uses optoisolators to monitor voltage across pairs of cells in a stack and alert an operator and/or initiate corrective action when an abnormal condition exists that leads to a drop in such voltage below the activation voltage of the photoemitter in the optoisolator. The photoemitter is coupled with a photo- detector which is series-connected to a plurality of other photo-detectors in a string. A constant current is caused to flow in the string when all the photoemitters are lit and the photo-detectors closed. Failure of one or more cells causes its associated photoemitter to extinguish and its associated photo-detector to open and interrupt the current flow in the string. When the current flow in the string ceases a signal is generated that alerts the operator and/or initiates action to safeguard the failed cell that caused the photoemitter to extinguish.
Clingerman Bruce Jeffrey
Meltser Mark Alexander
Mowery Kenneth David
General Motors Corporation
Gowling Lafleur Henderson Llp
LandOfFree
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