Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A fuel cell is formed by laminating a plurality of cells. Each cell includes a membrane electrode assembly and two separators, which hold the membrane electrode assembly in between. Each separator includes a base member made of a metal material. A first layer is provided on the surface of the base member. The first layer includes a resin film and conductive particles that have greater hardness than the oxide film of the base member. Between the separators that are adjacent to each other, the first layers are in contact with each other.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A mounting structure for a vehicular resin component provided with a panel body having a design surface on a surface of the panel body; a reinforcement rib arranged upright on a back surface of the panel body; and a mounting member for a vehicle. The reinforcement rib includes a proximal end portion connected to the panel body and formed with a thickness thinner than a thickness of a distal end portion. The distal end portion of the reinforcement rib includes an inclined surface formed between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion with increasing thickness toward the leading end side, and is provided with a locking hole with a hole direction inclined in the direction of inclination of the inclined surface. In the mounting member, a locking claw capable of being fitted in the locking hole is formed.

Abstract: A cellulose nanofiber (CNF) powder of the present invention contains cellulose nanofibers, and a hydrophobic polymer that is chemically bonded to at least some of the —OH groups of the cellulose nanofibers. The CNF powder has the ability to be dispersed in water and to return to a powder form again when an aqueous dispersion of the CNF powder is dried. The distance between the fibers in the CNF powder in a dry state is 3 nm or more, and preferably 8 to 12 nm. Since the distance between the fibers in the conventional cellulose nanofibers is about 1 nm, the present invention reduces the Van der Waals force between the fibers (i.e., the force of attraction between the fibers) to one millionth of that of the conventional cellulose nanofibers. Thus, the present invention provides the CNF powder that can be used in a powder form, and that can also be reversibly changed between a powder state and a dispersed state in water, and a method for producing the CNF powder.

Abstract: A window display device includes a display screen provided in a transparent rear window glass pane of a vehicle, an operating device adapted to detect an action for operating the display screen, and a control device, which displays a shade on the display screen. The shade is movable to selectively open and close the display screen based on an action performed on the operating device.

Abstract: A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of cells that are stacked in a stacking direction. Each cell includes a power generating body and a pair of separators. The separators respectively are arranged on opposite surfaces of the power generating body in the stacking direction. Each separator includes a first surface and a second surface. A titanium nitride layer is formed on the first surface, and a conductive carbon layer is formed on the titanium nitride layer. A titanium nitride layer is formed on the second surface. Each separator is in contact with the power generating body via the titanium nitride layer and the carbon layer on the first surface and is in contact with one of the separators of an adjacent cell via the titanium nitride layer on the second surface.

Abstract: A fuel cell stack includes: a plurality of power generation cells stacked on top of each other; a dummy cell provided on at least one of both ends of the plurality of power generation cells, the dummy cell being configured not to generate electric power; and a reaction gas supply manifold extending through the plurality of power generation cells and the dummy cell. The dummy cell includes one or more dummy cell reaction gas introduction channels as a reaction gas introduction channel that introduces reaction gas from the reaction gas supply manifold to a center area of the dummy cell. At least one of the dummy cell reaction gas introduction channels is provided so as to connect to a bottom face at a lower side of the reaction gas supply manifold in a direction of gravitational force.

Abstract: A vacuum forming apparatus is provided that forms an article having a covering bonded to the surface of a substrate in a molding space using a first mold and a second mold. The vacuum forming apparatus is provided with clamps for grasping the covering between the first and second molds arranged at the open positions. The clamps are movable between an interfering position, at which the clamps are located in the movement ranges of the first and second molds, and standby positions, at which the clamps are outside the movement ranges. After the covering is heated, the clamps grasping the covering move to the standby positions and stretch the covering. The first and second molds move to the closed positions and the article is molded between the first and second molds so that the stretched covering and the substrate are bonded to each other.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes stacked power cells and an end cell. Each power cell includes a first plate and two first separators sandwiching the first plate. The end cell includes a second plate and two second separators sandwiching the second plate. Through holes formed in each plate and each separator form a power generating gas inlet passage extending in the power cells. The end cell has at least one of a “first structure,” in which a bottom wall of the through hole of the second plate or an upstream one of the second separators is downwardly recessed compared to corresponding portions of the power cells, and a “second structure,” in which a bottom wall of the through hole of the second plate or a downstream one of the second separators upwardly projects compared to corresponding portions of the power cells.

Abstract: A framework structure of a body-on-frame vehicle, the framework structure comprises a first framework, a second framework, and a battery. The first framework includes: a pair of left and right side rails extending in a vehicle body front-and-rear direction, a first cross-member and a second cross-member, both extending in a vehicle body left-and-right direction and linking the side rails. The second framework is structured in a rectangular shape in plan view and includes: a front cross portion and a rear cross portion that are formed in chamber shapes and extend in the vehicle body left-and-right direction, and a left side cross portion and a right side cross portion that are formed in chamber shapes and extend in the vehicle body front-and-rear direction. The battery is disposed in a cavity surrounded by the first framework and the second framework.

Abstract: A gas channel forming member is located between a separator and a membrane electrode assembly. The gas channel forming member includes gas channels, which are arranged in parallel with each other on a surface that faces the membrane electrode assembly, water channels, which are formed on a surface that faces the separator, and inner communication passages. The water channels are each located between adjacent two of the gas channels. The inner communication passages communicate the gas channels and the water channels with each other. Each water channel is formed such that the flow cross-sectional area in an outlet section including an outlet opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of an upstream section, which is upstream of an adjacent to the outlet section in the flow direction of the oxidant gas.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes power generation cells and an end cell. Each power generation cell has in it a gas passage, through which power generation gas passes. The fuel cell includes an introducing conduit, which distributes and introduces the power generation gas into the gas passages, and a discharging conduit, which merges flows of the power generation gas after passing through the gas passages and discharges the merged flow. The end cell has in it a bypass passage, which connects the introducing conduit and the discharging conduit to each other. The bypass passage is composed of parallel channels, each of which is independently connected to the introducing conduit. The parallel channels include lower parallel channels and upper parallel channels. The pressure loss in each of the lower parallel channels is smaller than the pressure loss in each of the upper parallel channels.

Abstract: A separator for a fuel cell includes a base member, a first layer, and a second layer. The base member is made of a metal material. The first layer is made of a plastic material containing first conductive particles and covers the surface of the base member. The second layer is made of a plastic material containing graphite particles and second conductive particles smaller than the graphite particles, and covers the surface of the first layer.

Abstract: Gas flow channels are provided between protrusions arranged in parallel on a first surface of a partition wall of a gas flow channel forming body, and water introduction channels are provided in valleys on the opposite side of each protrusion, on a second surface. In order to allow the gas flow channels and the water introduction channels to communicate so that water can pass there through, communication channels is provided to the partition wall. Intermediate structures are correspondingly provided inside the water introduction channels to the communication channels. A set of communication channels is formed by a pair of communication channels positioned at a first interval. A set of communication channels and another set of communication channels adjacent thereto are positioned on each protrusion with a second interval therebetween.

Abstract: A coating forming device forms a coating on a substrate, which is a component of a fuel cell separator, by thermal transfer. The device includes a lower die and an upper die each having a heating portion. A pressing surface of the lower die and a pressing surface of the upper die are both formed by a heat-resistant elastic member.

Abstract: A work region evaluating system includes an imaging unit and a processing unit. The processing unit includes an image processing section that converts a three-dimensional image of a vehicle body component recorded by the imaging unit to three-dimensional image data, an extraction section that extracts work regions and reference regions respectively from both the three-dimensional image data and three-dimensional design data, an alignment section that aligns the three-dimensional image data with the three-dimensional design data with reference to the reference regions, and an evaluation section that evaluates a relation between the work region extracted from the three-dimensional image data and the work region extracted from the three-dimensional design data, based on the three-dimensional image data and the three-dimensional design data which are aligned with each other by the alignment section.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A cathode-side gas flow path of a cell that forms part of a fuel cell is formed by a first expanded metal arranged on a gas inlet side, and a second expanded metal arranged on a downstream side. The first expanded metal is such that mesh is arranged in a straight line, and gas that flows on a gas diffusion layer side is separated from gas that flows on a separator side. The gas flowrate on the gas inlet side is reduced, so the amount of produced water that is carried away is reduced. As a result, the gas inlet side is inhibited from becoming dry at high temperatures.

Abstract: A gas channel forming plate is arranged between a membrane electrode assembly and a flat separator base. The gas channel forming plate includes gas channels arranged on a surface that faces the membrane electrode assembly, water channels each formed on the back side of the protrusion between an adjacent pair of the gas channels, communication passages that connect the gas channels and the water channels to each other, and guide portions formed by causing an inner wall surface of a gas channel to protrude inward in the gas channel. The guide portions are formed such that the upstream edge of each communication passage is arranged in a range in which, in the velocity vector of the gas flowing in the gas channel, the directional component directed from the side corresponding to the membrane electrode assembly toward the flat separator base has a positive value.