Apparatus and method for monitoring individual cells in a fuel-cell based electrical power source

An apparatus for testing the health of one or more individual cell(s) in an electrochemical power source comprising a fuel cell, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one of the one or more individual cell(s);
• a capacitor;
• a first switch network coupled between the at least one individual cell(s) and the capacitor that can be operatively engaged to momentarily couple the at least one individual cell(s) to the capacitor for inducing a voltage from the at least one individual cell(s) onto the capacitor;
• a voltage measurement circuit;
• and
• a second switch network coupled between the capacitor and the voltage measurement circuit that can be operatively engaged to momentarily couple the capacitor to the voltage measurement circuit for permitting the measurement circuit to measure the induced voltage across the capacitor for testing the health of the at least one individual cell(s).

A method for monitoring the voltage of at least one individual cell(s) in a fuel cell of an electrochemical power source, the method comprising:

• a. selecting for a voltage measurement one or more individual cell(s) that are electrically coupled between the terminals of a bus of the electrochemical power source;
• b. coupling the selected individual cell(s) to a floating capacitor for inducing the voltage of the selected individual cell(s) onto the floating capacitor;
• c. disconnecting the selected individual cell(s) from the floating capacitor;
• and
• d. coupling the floating capacitor to a measurement circuit for measuring the floating capacitor's induced voltage for monitoring the selected individual cell(s)' voltage.

A method for monitoring the health of at least one individual cell(s) in a fuel cell of an electrochemical power source, the method comprising:

• a. selecting for a voltage measurement one or more individual cell(s) that are electrically coupled between the terminals of a bus of the electrochemical power source;
• b. coupling the selected individual cell(s) to a floating capacitor for inducing the voltage of the selected individual cell(s) onto the floating capacitor;
• c. disconnecting the selected individual cell(s) from the floating capacitor;
• and
• d. coupling the floating capacitor to a measurement circuit for measuring the floating capacitor's induced voltage for monitoring the selected individual cell(s)' voltage;
• and
• e. determining, for each of the selected individual cell(s), whether the selected individual cell is operating at not less than a predetermined voltage.

An apparatus for monitoring one or more individual cell(s) in an electrochemical power source comprising a fuel cell, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one of the one or more individual cell(s) comprising selected individual cell(s), the selected individual cell(s)comprising a first terminal and a second terminal;
• a capacitor comprising first and second terminals;
• a first switch network comprising first and second output terminals coupled, respectively, to the capacitor's first and second terminals, and further comprising a plurality of selectable input terminals that can be switch coupled to the first switch network's output terminals, and a control interface for receiving control data for momentarily coupling the terminals of the selected individual cell(s) to the terminals of the capacitor through the first switch network for inducing a voltage from the selected fuel cell onto the capacitor;
• a voltage measurement circuit comprising first and second terminals;
• and
• a second switch network coupled that can be operatively engaged to momentarily couple the capacitor terminals to the voltage measurement circuit terminals through the second switch network for permitting the measurement circuit to measure the induced voltage across the capacitor terminals for monitoring the selected individual cell(s).