Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Shatai Kabushiki Kaisha

Kazunori Shibata

Satoshi Futami

Takashi Kajiwara

Tomohiro Ogawa

Hiroki Okabe

Kousuke Kawajiri

Takamasa Kanie

Yasushi Araki

Hiroya Nakaji

Atsushi Ida

Masayuki Ito

Nobuaki Nonoyama

Keiji Hashimoto

Masaaki Kondo

Shuya Kawahara

Masahiko Hibino

Tsutomu Shirakawa

Sogo Goto

Sho Usami

Yoshinori Shinozaki

Sachio Okada

Daisuke Hayashi

Shuji Kurita

Naohiro Hoshikawa

Kohsei Yoshida

Joji Tomiyasu

Koji Fukunaga

Yuki Sugino

Syo Usami

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell separator, includes: stacking a first separator plate and a second separator plate having first and second protruding portions so that the first and second protruding portions protrude in a direction away from the first separator plate, the first and second protruding portions being adjacent to both sides of a first junction portion to be joined to the first separator plate; pressing the first and second protruding portions toward the first separator plate so that the first junction portion is pressed against the first separator plate; and joining the first junction portion to the first separator plate while the first junction portion is being pressed against the first separator plate, wherein in the pressing, the first junction portion is pressed against the first separator plate by elastic deformation of a first bent portion bent between the first junction portion and the first protruding portion.

Method of manufacturing fuel cell separator

A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly in which a membrane electrode assembly is sandwiched by a pair of gas diffusion layers; an insulating member formed into a frame shape, and being in contact with an outer peripheral portion of the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; and first and second separators sandwiching the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly and the insulating member.

Fuel cell

A manufacturing method of a unit cell of a fuel cell, includes: preparing a membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly; preparing a frame member; bringing an inner peripheral edge of the frame member into contact with a first gas diffusion layer by pushing a convex surface and by deforming a curved portion, in a state where a surface of the frame member is in contact with a peripheral region through an adhesive bond; and joining the frame member and the membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly with the adhesive bond, in a state where the inner peripheral edge of the frame member is in contact with the first gas diffusion layer.

Manufacturing method of unit cell of fuel cell

A fuel cell includes: a membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly; a separator positioned in one side with respect to the membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly; a frame member supporting the membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly and joined to the separator, wherein the frame member includes: a base layer; an adhesive layer having thermoplasticity, having a linear expansion coefficient greater than that of the base layer, and joining the base layer and the separator; and a coating, layer provided on a side, opposite to the adhesive layer, of the base layer, having a liner expansion coefficient greater than that of the base layer, and not containing an adhesive component.

Fuel cell including frame member

A manufacturing method of a unit cell of a fuel cell, includes: preparing a frame member made of resin, first adhesive bonds being provided on one surface of the frame member and being separated from each other and each having thermoplasticity; preparing a separator; and joining the frame member and the separator by heating and pressing the frame member and the separator in a state where the one surface of the frame member faces the separator through the first adhesive bonds, so as to melt the first adhesive bonds to be brought into contact with each other.

A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of single cells stacked and a manifold. The plurality of single cells each include a first separator including a seal portion surrounding the manifold and including a hollow protrusion and a fluid passage portion allowing the fluid to flow between the manifold and a space on the opposite side of the seal portion from the manifold via the hollow of the seal portion, a second separator disposed on the side opposite to the side on which the seal portion projects, of the first separator, and an electric insulating frame disposed on the opposite side of the second separator from the first separator. The second separator includes a flat-and-bulge portion in a surface facing the seal portion, along an abutment region of the seal portion and the electric insulating frame.

Fuel cell stack

A channel forming body used in a fuel cell module has a gas channel, a water conduit, and a communication path that provides communication between the gas channel and the water conduit. When a ridge is seen in a cross-section perpendicular to a channel extension direction, one of both ends of an external shape of the ridge is shaped so as to be located closer to a center of the ridge than an imaginary surface of the channel assumed to extend in a straight line along the channel extension direction. Portions of the ridge located closer to the center of the ridge are formed opposite from each other at left and right ends of the external shape of the ridge with the communication path interposed therebetween.

Fuel cell module with arranged ridge segments

A gas flow passage-forming member is disposed between a membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly and a separator of a fuel cell, and the gas flow passage-forming member is configured to form a gas flow passage. The gas flow passage-forming member has a corrugated shape such that groove portions and ridge portions are provided on each of a front side and a back side of the gas flow passage-forming member. The groove portions each serve as the gas flow passage. The gas flow passage-forming member has communication holes providing communication between the front side and the back side, and the communication holes are provided in a region downstream of an upstream region in a gas flow direction. The upstream region is a non-communication region with no communication hole.

Gas flow passage-forming member and cell for fuel cell

A fuel-cell unit cell comprises: a membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly; a cathode-side separator made of a press-molded plate, the cathode-side separator forming a plurality of cathode gas flow paths and non-flow-path portions therebetween on a cathode-side surface of the membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly; and an anode-side separator made of a press-molded plate, the anode-side separator forming a plurality of anode gas flow paths and non-flow-path portions therebetween on an anode-side surface of the membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly. At least one gas flow path among the plural cathode gas flow paths and the plural anode gas flow paths includes a constricting portion that is configured to reduce a flow-path height in a stacking direction of the fuel-cell unit cells as well as to reduce a flow path cross-sectional area of the gas flow path. When projected and observed along the stacking direction, the plural cathode gas flow paths and the plural anode gas flow paths are configured to have mutually different two-dimensional shapes, there exist intersect positions at which the cathode gas flow paths and the anode gas flow path intersect each other, and the constricting portion is provided at a position other than the intersect positions.

Fuel-cell unit cell

A gas channel forming plate includes protrusions, which extend parallel with each other, gas channels that are respectively located between each adjacent pair of the protrusions, and water channels, which are respectively formed on the back surface of each protrusion. Each protrusion includes first communication portions and second communication portions. Each first communication portion includes a first opening. Each second communication portion includes a second opening. The second communication portions of each protrusion constitute an expanding region, in which the opening area of the second opening in each second communication portion is greater than the opening area of the first opening of each first communication portion, to limit introduction of water to the water channel on the back side of the protrusion using capillary action by the second communication portions.

Gas channel forming plate for fuel cell and fuel cell stack

A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly; a frame configured to support the membrane electrode assembly from its outer edge; a first separator plate and a second separator plate configured to sandwich the membrane electrode assembly and the frame therebetween; and an elastomer. The first separator plate includes an elastically deformable protruding portion projecting toward an opposite side to the frame. The frame has a recessed cavity portion facing the protruding portion of the first separator plate. The elastomer is placed in at least part of the cavity portion.

A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a first reactive gas channel that is provided on a first surface side of the electrolyte membrane; a second reactive gas channel that is provided on a second surface side of the electrolyte membrane; and a coolant channel. The coolant channel is configured such that a flow direction of the first reactive gas flowing in the first reactive gas channel is opposite to a flow direction of the second reactive gas flowing in the second reactive gas channel, and a downstream portion of the flow of at least one of the first and second reactive gases, in a plane of the electrolyte membrane, is cooled from the central portion within the plane.

Fuel cell and fuel cell system

A fuel cell systemremoves water retaining in a cathode catalyst layerin a fuel cell, after a start-up of the fuel celland before feed of coolant to the fuel cell

A fuel cell includes: a first discharge mechanism that connects an inlet of a discharge flow path directly to a porous body so as to cause liquid in the porous body and liquid in the discharge flow path to be continuous, thereby discharging the liquid in preference to the offgas; and a second discharge mechanism that connects an inlet of a discharge flow path to the porous body via a hollow portion of a predetermined size to prevent liquid in the porous body and liquid in the discharge flow path from becoming continuous, thereby discharging the offgas in preference to the liquid. The fuel cell is easy-to-manufacture with long-lasting effectiveness, and is capable of separating and discharging offgas and liquid in a porous body.

Fuel cell including a liquid discharge mechanism

Variation of the amount of power to be produced by a fuel cell unit is limited in accordance with a relationship between an output voltage of the full cell unit and an oxidization-reduction potential of catalyst of a fuel cell of the fuel cell unit. The amount of power to be used to charge or discharged from a battery is then corrected according to the limited variation of the amount of power to be produced by the fuel cell unit, so as to meet the required system power output.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Kazunori Shibata