# US 2014/0195031 A1 · Serialization of Fuel Cell Components > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195031 A1 - Document ID: US20140195031A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/149,187 - Filed: 2014-01-07 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-08 - Assignees: Bloom Energy Corporation - Applicants: Bloom Energy Corporation - Inventors: Stephen Couse; Tulin Akin; Matthias Gottmann; Harald Herchen; Arne Ballantine - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195031A1 ## CPC - G05B 19/4183: {characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification} - G05B 2219/49302: Part, workpiece, code, tool identification - G06T 7/00: Image analysis - G06T 7/001: {using an image reference approach} - H01M 8/00: Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof - H01M 8/04952: {of fuel cell stacks} - H01M 2250/00: Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Systems and methods for fuel cell stack part serialization and tracking. In an embodiment, a barcode may be applied to a fuel cell stack part which may identify the fuel cell stack part. In an embodiment, the barcode may be applied as ink on a green fuel cell stack part prior to sintering. In an embodiment, a portion of a fuel cell stack part may be imaged and pattern recognition techniques may be utilized to identify the fuel cell stack part based on the unique features of fuel cell stack part. In an embodiment, portion of a fuel cell stack part may be measured to generate one or more series of unique volume/area values and one or more series of unique volume/area values may be utilized to identify the fuel cell stack part. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for tracking a fuel cell stack part, comprising: forming a green fuel cell stack part; applying a serialization to the green fuel cell stack part; associating the serialization and the fuel cell stack part in a part tracking database; sintering the green fuel cell stack part to create a sintered fuel cell stack part; identifying the serialization on the sintered fuel cell stack part; and updating a status of the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database based on the identified serialization. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the serialization is a barcode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the barcode is selected from the group comprising a single dimension barcode and a multi-dimensional barcode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the serialization to the green fuel cell stack part comprises applying an ink to a surface of the green fuel cell stack part to print the serialization on the surface of the green fuel cell stack part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein applying an ink to a surface of the green fuel cell stack part to print the serialization on the surface of the green fuel cell stack part comprises inkjet printing the serialization on the surface of the green fuel cell stack part. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack part is an interconnect or a fuel cell. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the fuel cell stack part is an interconnect and the ink comprises TiO2 or the fuel cell stack part is a fuel cell and the ink comprises iron manganese oxide. ### Claim 8 A method for tracking a fuel cell stack part, comprising: imaging a portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a unique surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part; and associating the unique surface feature map and the fuel cell stack part in a part tracking database. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: performing a manufacturing, assembly, or disassembly operation on or with the fuel cell stack part; imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack part following the manufacturing, assembly, or disassembly operation to generate a current surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part; identifying the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database by matching the current surface feature map to the unique surface feature map; and updating a status of the identified fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a current surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part; and identifying the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database by matching the current surface feature map to the unique surface feature map. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein imaging a portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a unique surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part and imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a current surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part comprise imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack part at a fixed magnification and a fixed illumination to generate the unique surface feature map or the current surface feature map. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the unique surface feature map and the current surface feature map are a particle map. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the particle map is a map of features visible under a microscope left behind from the sintering of particles of the fuel cell stack part, including light areas, dark areas, ridges, cracks, low areas, or high areas. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein imaging a portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a unique surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part and imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack part to generate a current surface feature map of the portion of the fuel cell stack part comprise imaging the portion of the fuel cell stack under a microscope to generate the unique surface feature map or the current surface feature map. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database by matching the current surface feature map to the unique surface feature map comprises matching the current surface feature map to the unique surface feature map using a pattern recognition technique. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database by matching the current surface feature map to the unique surface feature map comprises: analyzing the current surface feature map to identify one or more key feature in the current surface feature map; comparing the one or more key feature to the unique surface feature map; determining a probability of a match between the one or more key feature and the unique surface feature map based on the comparison of the one or more key feature; determining whether the probability is above a match threshold; and identifying the fuel cell stack part in the part tracking database as the fuel cell stack part associated with the unique surface feature map in response to determining the probability is above the match threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the fuel cell stack part is an interconnect or a fuel cell. ### Claim 18 A method for tracking a fuel cell interconnect, comprising: measuring areas of one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of unique area values; and associating the unique area values and the fuel cell interconnect in a part tracking database. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: performing a manufacturing, assembly, or disassembly operation on or with the fuel cell interconnect; measuring the areas of the one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect following the manufacturing, assembly, or disassembly operation to generate one or more series of current area values; identifying the fuel cell stack interconnect in the part tracking database by matching one or more series of current area values to the one or more series of unique area values; and updating a status of the identified fuel cell stack interconnect in the part tracking database. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: measuring the areas of the one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of current area values; and identifying the fuel cell stack interconnect in the part tracking database by matching one or more series of current area values to the one or more series of unique area values. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect is one or more fuel or air flow channels of the fuel cell interconnect. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more fuel or air flow channels of the fuel cell interconnect are two or more fuel or air flow channels of the fuel cell interconnect. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein measuring areas of one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of original area values and measuring the areas of the one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect following the manufacturing operation to generate one or more series of current area values comprises measuring using laser triangulation. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein measuring areas of one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of unique area values comprises measuring volumes of one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of unique volume values, and wherein associating the unique area values and the fuel cell interconnect in a part tracking database comprises associating the unique volume values and the fuel cell interconnect in a part tracking database. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein measuring areas of one or more portions of the fuel cell interconnect to generate one or more series of unique area values comprises: measuring a volume of same length (L) portions of a channel of the fuel cell interconnect channel to generate a series of volume values; factoring out the length (L) from each volume value to generate a series of area values; squaring each area value of the series of area values to generate a series of area squared values; and assigning a numeric value to each area squared value of the series of area squared values to generate a series of numeric values, and wherein associating the unique area values and the fuel cell interconnect in the part tracking database comprises associating the series of numeric values with the fuel cell interconnect in the part tracking database. ### Claim 26 A method for tracking a fuel cell stack part, comprising: forming a fuel cell stack part; applying a serialization to the fuel cell stack part; and associating the serialization and the fuel cell stack part in a part tracking database. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein the serialization is a barcode printed using an ink tolerant to at least 1250 degrees Celsius and wherein the part comprises a solid oxide fuel cell ceramic electrolyte or a chromium iron alloy interconnect for a solid oxide fuel cell stack. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the barcode is selected from the group comprising a single dimension barcode and a multi-dimensional barcode.