Optical measurement method and apparatus for fuel cell components

摘要

Methods and systems for measuring a property of a component of a fuel cell system include performing a three-dimensional optical scan of at least a portion of a surface of the component to produce a three-dimensional representation of the topography of the at least a portion of the surface and measuring at least one property of the component based on the three-dimensional representation. Further embodiments include systems and methods for measuring dimensions of a fuel cell component using a line scan imaging device and/or a matrix camera.

主权项

1. A method for measuring a property of an interconnect for a fuel cell stack, the interconnect comprising a plurality of ribs and a plurality of channels between the ribs on a first surface of the interconnect, the method comprising:
performing a first three-dimensional optical scan of at least a portion of the first surface of the interconnect to produce a first three-dimensional representation of the topography of the at least a portion of the first surface, wherein performing the first three-dimensional optical scan comprises detecting optical radiation reflected from the first surface of the interconnect; performing a second three-dimensional optical scan of at least a portion of a second surface of the interconnect opposite the first surface to produce a second three-dimensional representation of the topography of the at least a portion of the second surface, wherein performing the second three-dimensional optical scan comprises detecting optical radiation reflected from the second surface of the interconnect; measuring at least one of the thickness and curvature of the interconnect based on the first and second three-dimensional representations; generating a virtual flattened representation of the interconnect based on at least one of a measured thickness and a measured curvature of the interconnect, the virtual flattened representation being configured to correct for variations due to at least one of the thickness and the curvature of the interconnect; and measuring topography of the interconnect based on the virtual flattened representation.