Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090246580 | FUEL CELL AND FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; an anode provided on one face of the electrolyte membrane; a cathode provided on the other face of the electrolyte membrane; an anode chamber, located adjacent to the anode, which stores fuel gas supplied directly to the anode; a water absorbing member, placed within the anode chamber, which absorbs water, transmits the water and does not pass the fuel gas; and a communicating unit which communicates the anode chamber to the exterior via the water absorbing member. | 10-01-2009 |
20100248058 | FUEL CELL MODULE - A heat storage unit is provided between a gas sealing member and a hydrogen storage alloy tank, and is thermally connected to the gas sealing member and the hydrogen storage alloy tank. The latent heat storage unit includes a first heat storage material having a melting point (dry-out temperature) at or below which the dry-out begins during the operation of a fuel cell and a second heat storage material having a melting point (flooding temperature) at or below which the flooding begins during the operation of the fuel cell. | 09-30-2010 |
20100248069 | FUEL CELL - A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assembly has an electrolyte membrane, cathode catalyst layers, and anode catalyst layers disposed counter to the cathode catalyst layers with the electrolyte membrane disposed between the cathode catalyst layers and the anode catalyst layers. Cathode-side insulating layers, which are water-repellent, are provided between the adjacent cathode catalyst layers. The surface of the cathode-side insulating layer on the opposite side of the electrolyte membrane is protruded relative to the surface of the adjacent cathode catalyst layers. Anode-side insulating layers, which are water-repellent, are provided between the adjacent anode catalyst layers. The surface of the anode-side insulating layer on the opposite side of the electrolyte membrane is protruded relative to the surface of the adjacent anode catalyst layers. | 09-30-2010 |
20110189568 | FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel cell system has two fuel cell modules each arranged in a plane. In the fuel cell modules each including a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies arranged in a plane, hydrogen stored in a fuel cartridge is fed to anodes of the fuel cell modules. A control unit performs control of connecting the two fuel cell modules alternately to an external load, when the external load connected to a fuel cell system is within a prescribed threshold value and at least one of the temperature of one of the fuel cell modules and the temperature of the other of the fuel cell modules is at or below a prescribed threshold temperature. | 08-04-2011 |
20110294031 | COMPOSITE MEMBRANE AND FUEL CELL - Membrane electrode assemblies are disposed in openings provided in a substrate, respectively. Each membrane electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode catalyst layer, and a cathode catalyst layer. The substrate has an insulating region that insulates a conducting region used to connect an adjacent membrane electrode assembly in series, and an insulating region used to insulate the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly. The conducting region is provided between adjacent membrane electrode assemblies. The conducting region and the insulating region share the same material used for their base portions, and the electric conductivity increases continuously from the insulating region toward the conducting region. | 12-01-2011 |
20120077112 | FUEL TANK, HYDROGEN REMAINING LEVEL DETECTION SYSTEM, AND FUEL CELL SYSTEM - A fuel tank comprises: multiple pellets each formed of a hydrogen storage metal which is capable of storing hydrogen to be supplied to fuel cells; a support mechanism configured to support the multiple pellets such that they are layered mutually closest to one another while still permitting the volume of the multiple pellets to change; a housing unit configured to house the multiple pellets in a layered state which is maintained by the support mechanism; and a detection unit configured to detect the positions of both ends of the multiple pellets which change due to changes in the volume of the multiple pellets. | 03-29-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080206619 | Fuel cell and method for connecting current connectors thereto - In a planar-array cell structure, an area required by interconnectors is reduced and a fuel cell is made further compact. A connection part which connects adjacent cells in series is provided within a sealing member provided in a peripheral edge part of an electrolyte membrane where multiple cells are formed in a planar arrangement. For each cell, an anode terminal of a current collector is disposed counter to a cathode terminal of the current collector via the electrolyte membrane. The connection part penetrates the electrolyte membrane and connects the anode terminal of one of the adjacent cells to the cathode terminal of the other of the adjacent cells. | 08-28-2008 |
20080220307 | Membrane electrode assembly, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell including the same - A membrane electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode disposed on one face of the electrolyte membrane, and a cathode disposed on the other face of the electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane has a non-electrode-forming region where the cathode is not disposed on the surface of the non-electrode-forming region and an electrode-forming region where the cathode is disposed on the surface of the electrode-forming region. The non-electrode-forming region has a thin membrane region where the membrane is thinner than that in the electrode-forming region. The drop in power generation efficiency by water generated at the cathodes is prevented. | 09-11-2008 |
20080220314 | Catalyst layer for fuel cells and fuel cell using the same - A general purpose of the present invention is to improve the ion conductivity of a catalyst layer used in a fuel cell. The catalyst layer includes a catalytic metal, a carbon particle, and an ion exchanger. The catalytic metal is carried on the carbon particle. The ion exchanger includes a first functional group capable of being adsorbed or bound to the catalytic metal, and a second functional group providing the ion conductivity. The ion exchanger is adsorbed or bound to the catalytic metal via the first functional group. The bond between the catalytic metal and the ion exchanger includes a covalent bond, a coordinate bond or an ion bond, etc. | 09-11-2008 |
20080299435 | Fuel cell - A membrane electrode assembly is used for a planer type fuel cell. The membrane electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane, anodes and cathodes disposed counter to the anodes. Ends of current collectors are connected to one side of the anodes, respectively. Ends of current collectors are connected to one side of the cathodes, respectively. On a cathode side, the current collectors are provided in positions opposed respectively to the insulators provided on an anode side with the electrolyte membrane interposed in between. A cathode-side current collection and an anode-side current collector are connected by an interconnector, and adjacent cells are electrically connected in series with each other. | 12-04-2008 |