Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Keisuke Andou

Tadashi Nishiyama

Narutoshi Sugita

Hideaki Kikuchi

Toshihiko Suenaga

Masajiro Inoue

Naoyuki Enjoji

Kentaro Nagoshi

Daisuke Okonogi

Takayuki Ogawa

Masaaki Sakano

Kaoru Fukuda

Nobuaki Kimura

Mikihiko Kimura

Yoshihiro Nakanishi

Shinya Kawachi

Yoichi Asano

Nobuhiro Saito

Masaaki Nanaumi

Chikara Iwasawa

Junji Matsuo

Ken Takahashi

Seiji Sugiura

Hiroyuki Tanaka

Ryoichi Yoshitomi

Nagayuki Kanaoka

Hiroshi Sohma

Toshiaki Ariyoshi

Ryoichiro Takahashi

Toshiya Wakahoi

Takashi Komura

Daisuke Wachi

Ayumu Ishizuka

Masaki Tani

Takeshi Matsubara

Masajirou Inoue

Hidehiko Takase

In a solid polymer electrolyte membrane [film] type fuel cell of the invention, where a pair of electrodes are provided on opposite sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane [film], and the outside thereof is clamped by a pair of separators, and nonconductive picture frame-shaped membersare arranged at the outer edge portions of the separators, for allowing increase and decrease of a space between separators, while sealing a gap between the separators.

Fuel cell and fuel cell stack

A fuel cell includes a plurality of fuel cell units, each fuel cell unit including an electrode assembly formed by disposing electrodes on both sides of an electrolyte, a pair of separators that sandwich the electrode assembly, and gas sealing members that are disposed at an outer peripheral portion of the electrode assembly, and that seal respective reaction gas flow passages that are formed between each separator and the electrode assembly. In one of the separators of each of the fuel cell units, a through path is formed that penetrates the separator in the thickness direction thereof, and the through path formed in one of the separators of one of the fuel cell units and the through path formed in one of the separators of adjacent one of the fuel cell units are offset with each other as viewed in the thickness direction of the separators.

Fuel cell and separator thereof

A fuel cell stack includes a load receiver provided at an outer end of a fuel cell unit, a guide receiver provided in a box, and a pressure receiver provided in at least one corner in the box. The guide receiver abuts against the load receiver for receiving the external load. The pressure receiver protrudes toward the fuel cell unit. The pressure receiver abuts against a corner of the fuel cell unit for receiving the load. The pressure receiver has a resin receiver, and the resin receiver abuts against a curved portion of the fuel cell unit for supporting the fuel cell unit.

Fuel cell stack

In a solid polymer electrolyte membrane type fuel cell of the invention, where a pair of electrodes are provided on opposite sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and the outside thereof is clamped by a pair of separators, and nonconductive picture frame-shaped membersare arranged at the outer edge portions of the separators, for allowing increase and decrease of a space between separators, while sealing a gap between the separators.

Fuel cell stack with insulating members

Each of the fuel cell units making up a fuel cell stack includes a first separator, a second separator, and a third separator. A predetermined number of load receivers are provided integrally on outer ends of the first separator, the second separator, and the third separator. The load receivers of the second separator protrude toward the casing beyond the other load receivers. Resin clips are inserted into the load receivers, such that the first separator, the second separator, and the third separator are fixed together by the resin clips.

An injection-molding method made up of a step of preparing a first die (), a second die () and a third die (), a step of sandwiching a separator proper () with the first die () and the second die (), a step of molding a front side molded layer () by injecting silicone rubber () into the front side cavity () through a gate (), a step of replacing the second die () with a third die () while the front side molded layer () is still soft, and a step of molding a rear side molded layer () by piercing the front side molded layer () with an injection pressure injecting the silicone rubber () through the gate () and filling a rear side cavity () with silicone rubber () through the through hole ().

Injection-molding method and apparatus

An injection-molding method including preparing a first die, a second die and a third die, sandwiching a separator proper with the first die and the second die, molding a front side molded layer by injecting silicone rubber into the front side cavity through a gate, replacing the second die with a third die while the front side molded layer is still soft, and molding a rear side molded layer by piercing the front side molded layer with an injection pressure injecting the silicone rubber through the gate and filling a rear side cavity with silicone rubber through the through hole.

Method and device for injection molding

Anodes are provided on a porous resin film, a polymer electrolyte membrane is provided on the anodes, and cathodes are provided on the polymer electrolyte membrane to form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies as power generation units. An electrically conductive member is connected to the cathode of a membrane electrode assembly, and a metal film is electrically connected to the anode of an adjacent membrane electrode assembly. The electrically conductive member has an expansion connected to the metal film. The cathode of the membrane electrode assembly and the anode of the adjacent membrane electrode assembly are electrically connected by the electrically conductive member and the metal film.

Fuel cell without Z-like connection plates and the method producing the same

A fuel cell includes a plurality of fuel cell units. Each fuel cell unit includes an electrode assembly having electrodes and an electrolyte, a pair of separators, and gas sealing members. At least two of the fuel cell units include at least two electrode assemblies and at least three separators. In each of the separators, reaction gas communication ports are provided. In one of the separators of one of the stacked fuel cell units that is located at the end in a direction of stacking, through paths are formed. In one of the separators of one of the stacked fuel cell units that is located at the other end in the direction of stacking, reaction gas communication paths are formed. Both the through paths and the reaction gas communication paths are formed in all separators that are located between two fuel cell units that are located at the ends.

A fuel cell separator is provided which has in a peripheral part () gas passages () for guiding reaction gases and reaction product passages () for guiding a reaction product. The separator () is made up of a central part () made of metal, a peripheral part () made of a resin material, and an elastic member () connecting the central part and the peripheral part together. As a result of the peripheral part being made of a resin material, the gas passages and product passages are resistant to corrosion.

Separator for fuel cell

In this fuel cell, among a pair of separators in which an electrically conductive portion which is made from an electrically conducting material is surrounded by an insulating portion which is made from an insulating material, a cell side terminal is provided in the inner surface of the insulating portion of at least one said separator, and extends from its interior circumferential side to its outer perimeter side, and is able to electrically connect the interior and exterior of the cell. This cell side terminal is made from a metallic plate, and its inner circumferential side end portion contacts the membrane electrode assembly, while its outer perimeter side end portion extends to the outer perimeter side of the insulating portion. This outer perimeter side end portion can be connected to a measurement side terminal.

Separator, fuel cell, and connection construction between cell voltage measurement device side terminal and fuel cell side terminal

A method for fabricating a seal-integrated separator for a fuel cell is presented, with which seals can be accurately positioned and the assembling time for the fuel cell units may be greatly reduced. The method comprises the steps of: forming a through hole in the separator body; providing a first mold having grooves respectively positioned corresponding to the inner and outer seals disposed on one side of the separator body, a connecting cavity for forming a seal bridge at least partially connecting the inner and outer seals to each other at a position corresponding to the through hole, and at least one gate communicating with each of the grooves, and a second mold having grooves respectively positioned corresponding to the inner and outer seals disposed on the other side of the separator body, and a connecting cavity for forming a seal bridge at least partially connecting the inner and outer seals to each other at a position corresponding to the through hole; holding the separator body between the first mold and the second mold; and injecting melted seal material to form the seals into each of the grooves in the first mold by supplying the melted seal material into the gate and injecting a portion of the melted seal material into each of the grooves in the second mold via the through hole. Through this method, a seal-integrated separator having first to fourth seals which are integrated on both sides of the separator body is fabricated.

Method for fabricating a seal-integrated separator

A fuel cell unit includes a plurality of fuel cells. Each of the fuel cells includes a plurality of power generation units. The power generation units are electrically connected in series for outputting a desired level of voltage. The fuel cells are stacked in a direction indicated by an arrow A for combining electrical currents outputted from the respective fuel cells, and the combined electric current is supplied to a power generation circuit. The power generation circuit is selectively connected to the fuel cells by switches.

Fuel cell system

A separator assembly for a fuel cell stack includes a diffusion layer including a porous metal body for diffusing and supplying fuel or oxidizer to an electrode of the fuel cell stack, and a separator including a metal plate which is disposed adjacent to the diffusion layer, and which is provided for separating the fuel and the oxidizer from each other. The diffusion layer and the separator are welded together by laser welding. Flow passage partitions of the metal forming the diffusion layer, which are formed by melting the metal by irradiation by a laser beam and by solidifying the metal, may be formed in the diffusion layer so as to define a flow passage for the fuel or oxidizer in the diffusion layer.

Fuel cell separator assembly with diffusion layer, manufacturing method therefor, fuel cell unit, and fuel cell stack

The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which is inexpensive and has an excellent efficiency of generating electric power, by using a material alternative to a perfluoroalkylene sulfonic acid polymer. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a pair of electrodes () consisting of an oxygen electrode () and a fuel electrode () both having a catalyst layer () containing a catalyst and an ion conducting material; and a polymer electrolyte membrane () sandwiched between the two catalyst layers () of the both electrodes (). The above ion conducting material contained in the above polymer electrolyte membrane () or in the catalyst () layer of at least one of the above electrodes () comprises a sulfonated polyarylene having sulfonic acid side-chain groups.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Keisuke Andou