SE541403C2 - Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based charger - Google Patents
Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based chargerInfo
- Publication number
- SE541403C2 SE541403C2 SE1751425A SE1751425A SE541403C2 SE 541403 C2 SE541403 C2 SE 541403C2 SE 1751425 A SE1751425 A SE 1751425A SE 1751425 A SE1751425 A SE 1751425A SE 541403 C2 SE541403 C2 SE 541403C2
- Authority
- SE
- Sweden
- Prior art keywords
- cartridge
- housing
- charger
- charging unit
- fuel cell
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
- C01B—NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C
- C01B3/00—Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen
- C01B3/02—Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen
- C01B3/06—Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen by reaction of inorganic compounds containing electro-positively bound hydrogen, e.g. water, acids, bases, ammonia, with inorganic reducing agents
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
- C01B—NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C
- C01B3/00—Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen
- C01B3/02—Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen
- C01B3/06—Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen by reaction of inorganic compounds containing electro-positively bound hydrogen, e.g. water, acids, bases, ammonia, with inorganic reducing agents
- C01B3/065—Production of hydrogen or of gaseous mixtures containing a substantial proportion of hydrogen by reaction of inorganic compounds containing electro-positively bound hydrogen, e.g. water, acids, bases, ammonia, with inorganic reducing agents from a hydride
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
- H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
- H01M8/04201—Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
- H01M8/04208—Cartridges, cryogenic media or cryogenic reservoirs
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
- H01M8/0606—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
- H01M8/0606—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
- H01M8/065—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M2250/00—Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system
- H01M2250/30—Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02B90/10—Applications of fuel cells in buildings
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
- Y02E60/36—Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
- Y02E60/50—Fuel cells
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
- Fuel Cell (AREA)
- Secondary Cells (AREA)
- Charge And Discharge Circuits For Batteries Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
A fuel cell based charger (CH) has a housing (10) with first and second ends (PE, DE)and a charging unit (11) comprising a fuel cell assembly (FCA), and a connecting mechanism for connecting the charging unit (11) to a fuel generator cartridge (12). The charging unit (11) is arranged in said housing (10) in a sliding relationship such that it is slidable out from said housing (10) at said second end (DE). The housing (10) is adapted for receiving a fuel generator cartridge (12) at said first end (PE). The connecting mechanism comprises a dual function latch mechanism (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24; 80, 82, 84, 86) for locking the charging unit (11) to the housing (10) in a non-operative condition and releasing it when a cartridge (12) is inserted into the housing (10), and to lock the charging unit (11) to the cartridge (12) during the inserting operation.
Description
LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A FUEL CELL BASED CHARGER The present invention relates to fuel cell based chargers utilizing single-use fuel generator cartridges and in particular to a mechanism for the cooperative function of these items in bringing them into an operative condition in which electricity is generated.
Background Fuel cell based chargers for electronic equipment have over the last decade become commercially available. Normally such chargers make use of single-use items for the generation of the fuel, mostly hydrogen, by initiating a chemical process for such generation. The most common chemical systems are based on hydrides reacting with water.
It is important that the chemical process is initiated only when the charger is to be used, i.e. hydrogen may never inadvertently be generated.
To this end there are provided mechanisms in the charger/ generator to ascertain proper initiation of the chemical process.
Summary of the Invention The object of the present application is to disclose and define a novel mechanism and system for the above described operation of a charger/ fuel generator.
Thus, a fuel cell based charger for electronic equipment comprising such mechanism is defined in claim 1.
A fuel generator cartridge adapted to mate in a cooperative manner with the charger is defined in claim 6.
Furthermore, a combination of a charger and a fuel generator is defined in claim 8.
Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings The novel system and devices will be described in detail with reference to the drawing figures in which Fig. 1-d illustrate a sequence of steps when using of a charger and a fuel generator; Fig. 2 illustrates the mechanism in the position according to Fig. 1a; Fig. 3 illustrates the mechanism in the position according to Fig. 1b; Fig. 4 illustrates the mechanism in the position according to Fig. 1c; Fig. 5 illustrates the mechanism in the position according to Fig. 1d; Fig. 6 shows a detail in the mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an exploded view of a charger; and Fig. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the mechanism.
Detailed Description In this application a mechanism for the cooperative function of a fuel generator cartridge and a fuel cell based charger is described. The actual generic function is described in applicants own co-pending Swedish patent application SE 1750817-7.
Fig. 1 shows the different positions of the charger and a cartridge in the process of activating the charger which illustrates the subject matter of the above mentioned patent application.
Thus, in Fig. 1a a charger, generally designated CH, comprising a housing 10 and a charging unit 11 comprising a fuel cell assembly (not visible in Fig. 1a-c but in Fig. 1d), and a fuel generator cartridge 12 are shown separately just prior to connecting them. In Fig. 1b the cartridge has just been inserted into the housing 10 in which position the mechanism which is the subject of the present application has locked the cartridge 12 to the charging unit 11.
In Fig. 1c the cartridge 12 is in the process of being slid further into the housing 10 of the charger CH, thereby beginning to push the charging unit 11 inside the housing out of the housing, and in Fig. 1d the final position is shown where the charging unit 11 has been pushed to an end stop in which position a switch has been activated so as to start charging.
A first embodiment of a mechanism for the cooperative function of a fuel generator cartridge and a fuel cell based charger will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2-5.
Fig. 2 shows the situation in Fig. 1a in detail, i.e. with the cartridge 12 separated from the charger CH and charging unit 11 but just before connecting them, wherein an embodiment of the mechanism for locking the cartridge to the fuel cell assembly can be seen in detail.
The housing 10 is also referred to as a heat sink since it suitably is provided on its outer surface with cooling flanges or fins for dissipation of heat generated during charging.
The mechanism, which is the main subject matter of this application, in the embodiment according to Fig. 2, comprises a pair of latch members 14 mounted on the actual charging unit 11, laterally on opposite sides of the fuel cell assembly in the charging unit and at the end thereof to which the cartridge is to be connected (herein referred to as the proximal end PE - consequently the opposite end is referred to as the distal end DE). The latches 14 are essentially L- shaped and are pivotable around pivot points P, in the corner of the ‘L’. The pivot points P are located close to the outer periphery of the fuel cell assembly.
A first leg 16 of each of the latches 14 extends inwards (horizontally in the figure) into the interior of the charging unit 11 and at its extremity it is suitably provided with a contact surface 17 on which a cartridge acts during insertion (to be described).
A second leg 18 extends essentially parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell assembly (vertically in the figures). The second leg 18 is provided with a first hook member 20 at its extremity, facing inwards, adapted to engage with the cartridge 12 by hooking in a first recess 26, as will be described in detail below. The second leg is provided also with a second hook member 22 facing outwards, and adapted to engage with a mating second recess 23 in the interior wall of the housing 10 for keeping the charging unit 11 in a releasable locked position in the housing 10 when the charger is not in use. The two hook members 20, 22 are thus pointing in opposite directions.
The latches are suitably biased by springs 24 acting on the first leg 16 of each latch 14, such that the latches are forced to pivot around the pivot point P and slightly outwards from the fuel cell assembly in order that the second hook member 22 on the second leg 18 will engage with the recess 23 in the interior wall of the housing 10. Thus, in non-activated state the legs 16, 18 of the latches 14 deviate slightly from vertical and horizontal, respectively.
In Fig. 3 the situation in Fig. 1b is shown in detail. Only the left side of the mechanism is shown with reference numerals in this figure.
Here, a cartridge 12 has just been inserted in the housing 10 whereby the end surface 25 of the cartridge 12 has acted on the contact surfaces 17 on the legs 16 of the latches 18 to press the legs 16 downwards thereby causing the latches to pivot inwards to release the fuel cell assembly from its locked position with respect to the housing, in which the second hook member 22 resides in the recess 23, and at the same time allow the first hook member 20 to engage in a mating recess 26 in the cartridge 12 so as to lock the cartridge 12 to the fuel cell assembly 11. Thus, the interlocked cartridge / fuel cell assembly 12, 11 is now free to slide further inside the housing 10, as can been seen in Fig. 4, which shows the situation in Fig. 1c in more detail, where the cartridge 12 has been pushed a little bit further into the housing 10 from the position shown in Fig 1b and Fig. 3, respectively. Here it is also clearly seen that the second hook member 22 is released from the recess 17 in the inner wall of the housing 10.
In Figs 2, 3 and 4 a micro-switch SW is shown, having a small lever L extending from the switch housing at about 45 degrees. This switch controls the initiation of the operation of the charger, and in the shown position it is in a non-activated state.
Fig. 5 shows the situation where the cartridge 12 has been inserted as far as allowed into the housing. In this position the combined and interlocked cartridge / fuel assembly 12, 11 encounters a stop which prevents them to move any further.
In this end position the lever L on the micro-switch SW is pivoted by a pusher element PEL located at the distal end DE of the housing and integrated therewith. Thus, when the combined and interlocked cartridge/ fuel assembly 12, 11 reaches the vicinity of the end position the pusher element PEL is brought in contact with the lever L and pushes on it, as schematically shown in Fig. 6, which is an enlargement of the encircled portion of Fig. 5, and in the end position of the combined and interlocked cartridge/ fuel assembly 12, 11 the switch SW has been activated thereby initiating the operation of the charger.
In Fig. 6 the situation prior to the pusher element PEL impacts the lever L is shown in ghost lines.
One embodiment of the end stop comprises a snap-lock function and can best be seen in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the charger CH, comprising the housing 10 and the charging unit 11. The charging unit has a protective shell 26’, 26” enclosing the fuel cell assembly FCA. The snap-lock comprises a spring biased (suitably using a spiral spring 28) knob 30 that is located in a hole 32 in the proximal end PE of an upper part 2 6 ’of the shell of the charging unit 11. The knob 30 fits in the hole 32 but is provided with an increased diameter portion that prevents it from coming out through the hole under the influence of the spring.
The housing 10 is provided at its distal end DE with a corresponding hole 34, such that when the charging unit 11 has been pushed by the cartridge 12 almost completely out from the housing 10, as described above (see Fig. 1d), the knob 30 will snap into the hole 34 in the housing thus preventing further movement. At the distal end of the housing there is provided a circumferential collar like structure 35 in which a push button 36 is mounted to enable releasing the knob from the housing 10, when charging is completed and it is desired to remove the cartridge 12.
The collar 35 also provides a stop function to prevent the charging unit 11 to come out of the housing in addition to the snap-lock and release function 28, 30, 32 described above.
The embodiment described with reference to Figs. 2-5 is only one possible way of achieving the inventive function.
Reference is now made to Figs. 8a-c.
Instead of the spring biased and pivotable latch members 14 described above, it is possible to provide a resilient latch member 80 integrated with the fuel cell assembly, either in the form of a separate metal tongue attached to or molded into the framework of the fuel cell assembly, or a tongue made of the same polymer material as the framework and formed during molding of said framework. The tongue 82 is essentially parallel with the longitudinal direction of the charger.
The tongue in this embodiment has a first hook member 84 and a second hook member 86 like in the first described embodiment, but instead of being spring biased to a locking position, the rest position of the tongue will be a locking position, Fig. 8a, in which the first hook member 84 rests in a recess 88 in the inner wall of the housing 10. When the cartridge 12 is inserted, Fig. 8b, the tongue 82 will be forced against its resiliency to enter into the position where the fuel cell assembly is released and the cartridge is locked, i.e. the first hook member 84 is released from the recess 88, and the second hook member 86 is brought in a recess 90 in the cartridge, thus much like in the first embodiment, but in this case the moving of the tongue will be caused by the cartridge acting on a contact surface 92 on the top of the tongue 82. This is schematically illustrated in Fig. 8c.
When the cartridge has been pushed to the end stop inside the housing 10, as described above, and the fuel generation and charging is completed, the charging unit is pushed back into the housing thereby expelling the cartridge 12.
Furthermore, there is optionally provided a lip 94 in the recess 90 on the cartridge. This lip 94 will lock the second hook member 86 also in the opposite direction such that the cartridge cannot be withdrawn without the charging unit 11 coming with it.
The interface between the charging unit 11 and the cartridge 12 will now be described.
In addition to the lock/ release function described above, there is also a gas transfer interface provided, and reference is made to Fig. 2. The cartridge 12 comprises an outlet O for gas generated therein, in the form of a snout like member 27 protruding from the distal end of the cartridge 12. This snout fits in a gas leak tight manner, suitably by employing an O-ring or the like, in a corresponding inlet I for the gas in the fuel cell assembly FCA in the charging unit 11. In Fig. 3 the snout O is shown inserted in the inlet I. In Fig. 3 the snout 27 is fit in the inlet I.
Claims (10)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
SE1751425A SE541403C2 (en) | 2017-11-20 | 2017-11-20 | Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based charger |
PCT/SE2018/051156 WO2019098911A1 (en) | 2017-11-20 | 2018-11-12 | Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based charger |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
SE1751425A SE541403C2 (en) | 2017-11-20 | 2017-11-20 | Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based charger |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
SE1751425A1 SE1751425A1 (en) | 2019-05-21 |
SE541403C2 true SE541403C2 (en) | 2019-09-17 |
Family
ID=66539119
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
SE1751425A SE541403C2 (en) | 2017-11-20 | 2017-11-20 | Locking mechanism for a fuel cell based charger |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
SE (1) | SE541403C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019098911A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2003297411A (en) * | 2002-03-29 | 2003-10-17 | Sharp Corp | Fuel cartridge for fuel cell and portable electronic apparatus using fuel cartridge |
US20040146769A1 (en) * | 2002-12-02 | 2004-07-29 | Michael Birschbach | Fuel cell cartridge for portable electronic device |
JP2005089253A (en) * | 2003-09-18 | 2005-04-07 | Iwatani Internatl Corp | Method and device for generating hydrogen |
US20130230784A1 (en) * | 2010-11-08 | 2013-09-05 | Signa Chemistry, Inc. | Water reactive hydrogen fuel cell power system |
USD784922S1 (en) * | 2016-01-04 | 2017-04-25 | Myfc Ab | Fuel cell based charger |
-
2017
- 2017-11-20 SE SE1751425A patent/SE541403C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2018
- 2018-11-12 WO PCT/SE2018/051156 patent/WO2019098911A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2003297411A (en) * | 2002-03-29 | 2003-10-17 | Sharp Corp | Fuel cartridge for fuel cell and portable electronic apparatus using fuel cartridge |
US20040146769A1 (en) * | 2002-12-02 | 2004-07-29 | Michael Birschbach | Fuel cell cartridge for portable electronic device |
JP2005089253A (en) * | 2003-09-18 | 2005-04-07 | Iwatani Internatl Corp | Method and device for generating hydrogen |
US20130230784A1 (en) * | 2010-11-08 | 2013-09-05 | Signa Chemistry, Inc. | Water reactive hydrogen fuel cell power system |
USD784922S1 (en) * | 2016-01-04 | 2017-04-25 | Myfc Ab | Fuel cell based charger |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
SE1751425A1 (en) | 2019-05-21 |
WO2019098911A1 (en) | 2019-05-23 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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NUG | Patent has lapsed |