Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyo Roki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha

Toshiya Wakahoi

Hiroyuki Tanaka

Narutoshi Sugita

Seiji Sugiura

Junichi Sato

Shuhei Goto

Tadashi Nishiyama

Hideaki Kikuchi

Katsumi Hayashi

Yosuke Fujii

Masahiro Mohri

Keisuke Andou

Masaaki Nanaumi

Hiromitsu Adachi

Noriaki Osao

Jun Kondo

Yohei Hidaka

Hiroshi Morikawa

Junichi Yano

Ichiro Harada

Naokazu Kawase

Hiroaki Yamashita

Takeo Abe

Yosuke Fuji

Tetsuya Komori

Hiroyuki Shirokawa

Koji Imai

Keiichi Terada

A fuel cell stack is provided with a plurality of stacked separators. This fuel cell stack includes: terminals that extend from the separators; packing in which are formed a plurality of through holes through which the terminals are inserted; a packing casing that has a packing housing concave portion that envelops side surfaces of the packing and supports a bottom surface of the packing, and has through holes through which the terminals are inserted; and a connector housing that has a pressing surface that presses a top surface of the packing. Mountain-shaped protruding portions whose apex portions are formed by circumferential edges of apertures of the respective through holes are provided on the top surface of the packing, and the pressing surfaces of the connector housing are formed in a configuration that conforms to the side surfaces of the protruding portions. Internal surfaces of the through holes in the packing are in contact without a gap in between with external surfaces of the terminals. The sealing performance in extraction portions of terminals that are used for cell voltage detection is improved.

Fuel cell stack

A power generation cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, and a cathode side metal separator and an anode side metal separator sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly. A seal member covers inner surfaces of inlet through holes. The seal member includes a plurality of flow grooves and a plurality of receivers. The flow grooves guide a fuel gas from the inlet through holes to a fuel gas flow field through an inlet buffer. The receivers directly contact an anode.

Fuel cell having a seal member

A first seal memberis integrated with the surfaceof a first metal separator, and is provided with a body base portionhaving a trapezoidal-shaped cross-section and two protruded portionsandintegrated to the leading end of the body base portion, where said body base portionis set to a height H1 for keeping a desired spring constant necessary for impact absorptions, and the protruded portionsandare set to a height H2 for preventing the line pressure of the seal member from being abruptly changed and for keeping the strengths of the protruded portionsandthemselves.

Fuel cell

A membrane electrode assembly includes an anode, a cathode, and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode. The anode and the cathode include gas diffusion layers and electrode catalyst layers. Mixture layers are provided over predetermined areas H around surfaces of the electrode catalyst layers. The electrode catalyst layers and adhesive layers are mixed in the mixture layers, respectively.

Membrane electrode assembly and fuel cell

A seal space is formed between first and second metal separators of a power generation cell. A device body is disposed in the seal space. The device body includes a voltage measurement sensor and a transmission mechanism. The voltage measurement sensor measures the voltage generated during operation of the power generation cell. The transmission mechanism transmits information of the voltage measured by the voltage measurement sensor via wireless communication. The voltage measurement sensor and the transmission mechanism are embedded in an electromagnetic/heat resistant shield member, and attached to a surface of the second metal separator.

Monitor device for fuel cell

A membrane electrode assembly includes an anode, a cathode, and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode. The membrane electrode assembly has a substantially rectangular shape as a whole. Extensions extend outwardly from four corners of the membrane electrode assembly. Each of the extensions has an inclined end to have a substantially triangle shape. The membrane electrode assembly has a substantially rectangular power generation area.

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell. A current density measuring apparatus is provided on a cathode side of the fuel cell. The current density measuring apparatus includes a plurality of Hall elements provided at positions corresponding to measuring positions in an electrode surface. Each of the Hall element is attached to a ferrite core fitted to a pole of a sensor mounting plate. The ferrite core and the Hall element attached to the pole make up a current sensor.

Apparatus for measuring current density of fuel cell

A fuel cell stack is disclosed, which improves productivity by employing metal separators while deformation in the stacked shape can be reduced, thereby preventing the decrease of the power generating capability and the decrease of the dimensional accuracy of the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of stacked unit fuel cells, each comprising a membrane electrode assembly which is placed between and supported by a pair of metal separators, wherein the membrane electrode assembly has an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte membrane which is placed between the anode and the cathode; and correction plates, made of carbon or metal, for correcting deformation of the metal separators, are inserted every predetermined number of the unit fuel cells.

Fuel cell stack having correction plates for correcting deformation of metal separators

A fuel cell stack is disclosed, so as to prevent the corrosion of the power output terminal plate due to coolant and the occurrence of electric short circuits through the coolant, and to improve the flexibility of selection of the coolant. The fuel cell stack has unit fuel cells, each comprising an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte which is placed between the anode and the cathode, wherein the unit fuel cells are stacked via separators. A pair of power output terminal plates are provided, one attached to each end face of the stacked unit fuel cells. A coolant supply and drainage passage and a gas supply and exhaust passage are formed through the stacked unit fuel cells and the power output terminal plates in the stacking direction, and the edge of each passage through the power output terminal plates is covered with a grommet having an insulating capability.

Fuel cell stack having grommet which covers each edge of communicating passages formed in terminal plate

A fuel cell that is small and light has separators having communication ports for reaction gases and cooling medium that are provided on an outer side of gas sealing members so as to penetrate each of the separators, and communication paths that detour around the gas sealing members in the thickness direction of the separators and connect the reaction gas communication ports with reaction gas flow passages. Furthermore, support members are provided to support the portions of the separators at which the gas sealing members and the cooling surface sealing member are disposed so as to be offset with respect to each other as viewed in the stacking direction.

A fuel cell stack for reducing the bending of the stacked body in the stacking direction is disclosed, thereby preventing the interference between the stacked body built into a vehicle and other structures in the vehicle. The fuel cell stack comprises a stacked body having stacked unit fuel cells, each being placed between separators, wherein each unit fuel cell has an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte membrane placed therebetween; fastening plates provided at either end of the stacked body; an intermediate plate provided at an intermediate position of the stacked body; and bolt members inserted through the intermediate plate in the stacking direction in a manner such that the movement of the bolt members with respect to the intermediate plate in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction is restricted. The stacked body is fastened together by fastening the fastening plates by using the bolt members.

Fuel cell stack having intermediate plate for restricting movement of bolt members for fastening stacked body

The present invention is to provide a sealing member for a fuel cell which is able to keep surface pressure low, and to enhance sealing performance. The fuel cell includes an anode electrode and a cathode electrode which are sandwiched on both sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and an anode side separator and a cathode side separator which are then layered against both sides of this combination. Sealing members are installed into grooves on these separators. The cross section of each sealing member is formed with projecting portions extending in the widthwise direction of its groove on both sides of a semicircular shaped sealing member main body, and with a pair of cutaway portions in positions symmetrical about the center of a chord portion of the sealing member main body.

Sealing member for fuel cell

A filter includes a case, filtering material housed within the case, a cover which covers the open end of the case and is non-rotatable relative to the case, and an annular fastener clamping the cover to the case. The case includes a large-diameter portion at an open end of the case, the large-diameter portion including a convexity forming an engagement tab. The cover has a concavity into which the convexity is received to prevent the cover from rotating relative to the case. Moreover, the cover includes a screw thread on the outer periphery thereof. The annular fastener has a screw thread on the inner periphery thereof mated with the screw thread on the outer periphery of the cover. On the other hand, the annular fastener has a small-diameter portion engaged with the large-diameter portion of the case by which engagement and mating of the screw threads the annular fastener secures the cover to the case. By preventing relative rotation between the cover and the case, the filter can be easily installed by being screwed onto a threaded member of an automotive engine or the like.

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Toshiya Wakahoi