| 摘要 |
A fuel cell stack assembly (3, figure 1) comprises fuel cells (1, figure 1) disposed in a stacked configuration, each cell substantially parallel to an x-y plane and including a tab (2, figure 1) extending laterally from an edge of a plate in the cell in the x-direction to form an array of tabs extending along a side face of the fuel cell stack in a z-direction orthogonal to the x-y plane. A connector 21 engages with the tabs of the fuel cell stack. The connector comprises a support region 27 and engagement regions 22, each engagement region bounded by the support region and configured to receive one of the array of tabs 25 by engagement in the x-direction. The connector comprises flexible conductors 24, each of the flexible conductors laterally extending from the support region 27 over at least a portion of one of the engagement regions 22 and configured to be deflected away from the support region by a received tab 25. In a further aspect, a connector for engaging with an array of tabs in a fuel cell stack is disclosed and claimed. In this aspect, the connector 21 comprises a plan substrate 27 defining a plurality of apertures 22, and flexible conductors 24 each extending into one of the apertures in the plane of the substrate and configured to be deflected out of the plane of the substrate by, and engaged with, a tab 25 that is received in the aperture. In an alternative embodiment, the substrate may comprise a flexible PCB, with support regions (52a, 52b, figure 5) having flexible, preferably resilient, regions (54a-d, figure 5) separated by a gap (53, figure 5), which regions can be deflected out of the plane of the support regions by a tab (65, figures 6a-b) to provide an electrical connection and grip the tabs. The assembly is preferably used to monitor fuel cell voltage. |
