Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Leland Stanford Junior University

Other

Kyushu University

Tadahiro Kubota

Jun Sasahara

Nariaki Kuriyama

Yuji Saito

Toshifumi Suzuki

Sang-Joon John Lee

Friedrich B Prinz

Ryan Patrick O'Hayre

Tibor Fabian

Yuji Isogai

Suk-Won Cha

Daniel Braithwaite

Yaocheng Liu

Suk Won Cha

Hajime Goto

Juan G Santiago

Daisuke Okamura

Amy Chang-Chien

Hiroyuki Horimura

Takeshi Ohsato

John K Eaton

Tomohiro Imai

Hideaki Tsuru

Jonathan Posner

Kazuya Takahashi

Hisao Yoshida

Cullen Bule

Yuki Nishimura

Tuyoshi Baba

Kosuke Okusa

Shawn Litster

Yuka Egashira

Cullen Buie

Daejoogn Kim

Katustoshi Nosaki

Yuji Isogal

Shigekazu Higuchi

An arousal state estimation apparatus includes: a feature value acquisition unit acquiring a plurality of types of feature values regarding an arousal state of a human body from physiological data obtained by measuring the human body; and an estimation unit estimating the arousal state of the human body by using a principal feature value that is some type among the plurality of types of feature values. In a case where the principal feature value is unacquirable due to a defect of the physiological data, the estimation unit estimates the arousal state of the human body by using a different type of feature value than the principal feature value among the plurality of types of feature values acquired by the feature value acquisition unit instead of the unacquirable principal feature value.

Arousal state estimation apparatus and arousal state estimation method

In a method for forming a light absorber layer () of a thin film solar cell, the absorber layer is formed from a plurality of sub-layers each of which is formed by preparing a plurality of mixtures containing Cu, Se, In and Ga in a liquid medium, a composition ratio of In to Ga being progressively increased from one mixture to another, the mixtures optionally including a mixture containing no In or Ga; applying a layer of one of the mixtures onto a back electrode layer () formed on a substrate (); drying the applied layer of the mixture; and rapidly baking the dried layer of the mixture. By forming the absorber layer with a plurality of thin absorber sub-layers each having a controlled band gap, a solar cell having a large surface area can be fabricated at low cost and the efficiency of the solar cell can be improved by forming a favorable band gap gradient structure. As these sub-layers can be applied simply by any known processes, the method of the present invention is highly suited to be used for mass producing solar cells.

Method for forming an absorber layer of a thin film solar cell

There is provided a method for producing a force sensor including: a force sensor chip; and an attenuator, in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are joined at joint portions with a glass layer sandwiched therebetween. The method includes: a film forming step in which a glass film as the glass layer is formed on regions of the attenuator containing the joint portions or on regions of the force sensor chip containing the joint portions; and an anodic bonding step in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are stacked as a stacked body in close contact with each other at the joint portions, and the glass film and the force sensor chip, or the glass film and the attenuator, are joined.

Method for producing a force sensor

A method and device for fuel cell heat and water management is provided. A thermally and electrically conductive hydrophilic heat and mass transport element is provided to the fuel cell spanning from inside to outside the cell. The transport element is deposited between current collector and gas diffusion layers, where heat is transported along the transport element from an interior portion of the element inside the cell to an exterior portion of the element outside the cell. Liquid water is transported along the element into or out of the cell, and heat is removed from the exterior portion by any combination of radiation, free convection and forced convection, and where the liquid water is removed from the exterior portion by any combination of convection driven evaporation and advection. The water is added to the cell from the exterior to the interior by any combination of advection and capillary wicking.

Heat and water management device and method in fuel cells

Water flooding at the cathode of a fuel cell is a common problem in fuel cells. By integrating an electroosmotic (EO) pump to remove product water from the cathode area, fuel cell power can be increased. Integration of EO pumps transforms the designs of air channel and air breathing cathodes, reducing air pumping power loads and increasing oxidant transport. Hydration of gas streams, management of liquid reactants, and oxidant delivery can also be accomplished with integrated electroosmotic pumps. Electroosmotic pumps have no moving parts, can be integrated as a layer of the fuel cell, and scale with centimeter to micron scale fuel cells.

Fuel cell with electroosmotic pump

A simple, inexpensive and highly efficient fuel cell has boundary structures made of a photo-sensitive material in combination with selective patterning. Printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication techniques combine boundary structures with two and three dimensional electrical flow path. Photo-sensitive material and PCB fabrication techniques are alternately or combined utilized for making micro-channel structures or micro stitch structures for substantially reducing dead zones of the diffusion layer while keeping fluid flow resistance to a minimum. The fuel cell assembly is free of mechanical clamping elements. Adhesives that may be conductively contaminated and/or fiber-reinforced provide mechanical and eventual electrical connections, and sealing within the assembly. Mechanically supporting backing layers are pre-fabricated with a natural bend defined in combination with the backing layers' elasticity to eliminate massive support plates and assist the adhesive bonding. Proton insulation between adjacent and electrically linked in-plane cell elements is provided by structural insulation within the central membrane.

Fuel cell

In a fuel cell assembly (), a diffusion layer () comprises an electroconductive film () formed integrally with a separator () so as to form a unitary separator-diffusion layer assembly (). The electroconductive film of the diffusion layer can be formed on the separator by a process comprising physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spin coating, sputtering or screen printing.

Fuel cell assembly, separator-diffusion layer assembly for fuel cell assembly and manufacturing method therefor

In a fuel cell assembly () comprising a pair of separators () each for defining a recess () serving as a conduit for a fuel fluid or an oxidizer fluid, a feedthrough conductive path for connecting top and under surfaces of each separator is achieved by a second electroconductive film () formed on a side wall of a through-hole () extending through each separator () in such a manner that the second electroconductive film () connects a first electroconductive film () constituting a top surface of a protrusion () provided in the recess () to a third electroconductive film () formed on a surface opposite to that formed with the recess ().

Fuel cell assembly and a separator therefor

In a fuel cell assembly () comprising an electrolyte layer () having a frame () and an electrolyte () retained in the frame, a pair of separators () are bonded to the electrolyte layer by that a metallic material () is deposited on one of the frame and each separator and a laser beam is irradiated onto the metallic material through the frame or the separator in a state that the frame and each separator contact each other whereby the metallic material forms a eutectic with the other of the frame and each separator.

Fuel cell assembly and method for bonding a separator and an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell assembly

In a fuel cell comprising a tubular casing, an electrolyte layer received in the tubular casing, and a pair of gas diffusion electrodes interposing the electrolyte layer and defining a fuel gas passage and an oxidizing gas passage, respectively, each gas diffusion electrode is formed by stacking a plurality of layers of material therefor, for instance in the axial direction of the casing. Because the gas diffusion layers are formed layer by layer, components can be formed in highly fine patterns so that a highly compact tubular fuel cell can be achieved. Similarly, the dimensions of the various elements of the fuel cell can be controlled in a highly accurate manner. Also, the geometric arrangement can be changed at will in intermediate parts of each gas passage.

Fuel cell and method for making the same

In a fuel cell assembly with at least one cell including an electrolyte layer, a pair of gas diffusion electrode layers interposing said electrolyte layer between them, and a pair of flow distribution plates () for defining passages () for fuel and oxidizer gases that contact said gas diffusion electrode layers, a heaterand various sensors (,and) are formed on at least one of the flow distribution plates so that the work needed for installing the heater and sensors is simplified. By embedding them in a substrate, the need for a complex sealing arrangement can be eliminated. In particular, if each flow distribution plate is formed by performing an etching process on a substrate, and forming the heater and sensors in succession to the step of forming each flow distribution plate, the installation of sensors and fabrication of the fuel call are simplified.

Fuel cell assembly and method for making the same

Growing community of inventors

Asaka, Japan

Tadahiro Kubota