Contact Module for Monitoring a Fuel Cell Stack, Set of Contact Modules and Fuel Cell System

A set of contact modules for monitoring a substack of bipolar plates of a fuel cell stack that are stacked one above the other in a stacking direction, comprising:

• a first contact module comprising:
• a first plate contacting assembly configured to electrically contact said bipolar plates of said substack;
• and
• a first measuring device electrically connected to said plate contacting assembly and configured to measure a differential voltage between each two adjacent bipolar plates of said substack and to generate a voltage signal that is representative of said differential voltage.
• a second contact module comprising:
• a second plate contacting assembly configured to electrically contact said bipolar plates of said substack;
• and
• a second measuring device electrically connected to said plate contacting assembly and configured to measure a differential voltage between each two adjacent bipolar plates of said substack and to generate a voltage signal that is representative of said differential voltage;
• wherein said first contact module and said second contact module are each configured to be arranged next to each other in a spatially mutually complementary manner.

A fuel cell system comprising:

• a stack of bipolar plates arranged one above the other in said stacking direction and
• a set of contact modules, comprising:
• a first contact module comprising:
• a first plate contacting assembly configured to electrically contact said bipolar plates of said substack;
• and
• a first measuring device electrically connected to said plate contacting assembly and configured to measure a differential voltage between each two adjacent bipolar plates of said substack and to generate a voltage signal that is representative of said differential voltage.
• a second contact module comprising:
• a second plate contacting assembly configured to electrically contact said bipolar plates of said substack;
• and
• a second measuring device electrically connected to said plate contacting assembly and configured to measure a differential voltage between each two adjacent bipolar plates of said substack and to generate a voltage signal that is representative of said differential voltage;
• wherein said plate contacting assembly of said first contact module contacts said bipolar plates of a first substack of said bipolar plates, in an electrically conductively manner, and
• wherein said plate contacting assembly of said second contact module contacts said bipolar plates of a second substack of said bipolar plates in an electrically conductively manner,
• wherein said first substack and said second substack comprise at least one common bipolar plate that is contacted in an electrically conductively manner by said plate contacting assembly of said first contact module as well as by said plate contacting assembly of said second contact module.