Patents by Inventor Akira Hamada
Akira Hamada has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20040180248Abstract: A fuel cell, a method for operating a fuel cell and a fuel cell system, which ensure no dew condensation for a wet reaction gas in the inlet area of gas channels in plates in a fuel cell stack, are provided. Gas channels 2 and heat medium channels are disposed on one surface and the other surface of one plate 1, respectively. Gas channels are disposed on the other plate such that they face the gas channels 2 in the plate 1. A gas inlet header 3 is disposed at the upper part of the gas channel 2 in the plate 1 and a heat medium inlet header is disposed at the upper part of the heat medium channels such that they face the gas inlet header on the other side. Cooling water such as heat medium is supplied from the heat medium supply manifold hole 7 to the heat medium inlet header, thereby warming up the same. The water vapor in the reaction gas (wet fuel gas) is prevented from being condensed in the inlet area of the gas channels 2 by heating up the gas inlet header by the heat conduction.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2003Publication date: September 16, 2004Inventors: Takaaki Matsubayashi, Mitsuo Karakane, Yasunori Yoshimoto, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20040110057Abstract: An objective of this invention is to provide a separator for a fuel cell whereby a fuel, air or cooling water can be evenly and efficiently fed. In a separator for a fuel cell comprising fuel channels 105 in one side and cooling water channels 106 in the other side, the region where the fuel channels 105 and the cooling water channels 106 are formed is rectangular. The fuel gas is fed from a first fuel-feeding manifold 107 and discharged from a first fuel-discharging manifold 109 to the outside of the cell. The cooling water is fed from a first cooling-water-feeding manifold 111 and discharged from a first cooling-water-discharging manifold 113 to the outside of the cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2003Publication date: June 10, 2004Applicant: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yasunori Yoshimoto, Akira Hamada, Takaaki Matsubayashi, Mitsuo Karakane, Takashi Kawanabe
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Publication number: 20040023094Abstract: The fuel cell power generation system of present invention can supply the air pole of a fuel cell with a clean air free from impurities, by providing at least one or more humidification filters kept in a wet state by a water supply means, disposed in an oxidant gas supply passage of the fuel cell body. As a result, the cell output properties can be improved by preventing the decrease of gas dissipation ability or the decrease of electric conductance of the solid polymer film provoked by impurities.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 22, 2002Publication date: February 5, 2004Inventors: Tatsuji Hatayama, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20030182566Abstract: In an encryption storage apparatus (data storage apparatus) (1), when entered an allocation request signal (a1), a key management section (7) outputs a generation request signal (b) to a random number generation section (3). The random number generation section (3) generates a pseudorandom number as an encryption key (c) at the entering timing of the generation request signal (b), and the key management section (7) causes a volatile key storage section (4) to store the encryption key (c) and returns a corresponding key number (a2) to a user side. When the user enters an encryption instructing signal (a3) and the key number (a2) to the key management section (7), the key management section (7) reads out the corresponding encryption key (c), and an encryption section (5) converts entered data (d1) into encrypted data (d2) and stores the encrypted data (d2) in a nonvolatile storage section (2).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2002Publication date: September 25, 2003Inventors: Ryoko Kohara, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20030175580Abstract: To provide an electrode catalyst for a fuel cell comprising inexpensive materials substituting for a precious metal catalyst such as platinum, and a fuel cell using the same. Poly (furfuryl alcohol) containing ferrocene is prepared by dissolving ferrocene corresponding to 1 to 3 wt % on the iron atomic basis in furfuryl alcohol, adding hydrochloric acid (2 mol/dm3) thereto as a polymerization initiator, and then polymerizing them in the air at 70° C. for 48 hours. Random layers 2 developed into onion-like lamination layers around iron particles are produced by heating this poly (furfuryl alcohol) up to 700° C. at a temperature rising rate of 150° C./h, and then holding the state for an hour to carbonize it. The iron carbon complex having this structure of the random layers 2 is applied especially to the cathode side as the electrode catalyst, to form the cells for the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2003Publication date: September 18, 2003Inventors: Junichi Ozaki, Asao Ooya, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20030129470Abstract: A water tank 21 for stocking processed water used for cooling of a solid polymer type fuel cell 6, etc., cooling water supply means for supplying the processed water to the fuel cell 6, reactant air supplying means for supplying the reactant air to the fuel cell 6, and fuel gas supply means for electrode reaction are provided, and the reactant air supply means passes the reactant air through the water tank 21 to add moisture to the gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2002Publication date: July 10, 2003Inventors: Osamu Tajima, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20030104265Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel cell devised to uniformly distribute and supply a reformed gas (or an oxidant or a coolant) while minimizing the increase in parts number, without making the construction complicated. The present invention has a gist of providing a fuel cell 5, piling up, by way of separators, multiple cells 1, and providing, in the stack 2, inner manifolds for distributing (or supplying or discharging) to these cells 1 a fuel, an oxidant or a coolant, wherein: a cylindrical/tubular piercing member 4 is provided in at least one inner manifold 6, and a proper gap is provided between the piercing member 4 and an inner wall of the inner manifold 6. The reformed gas supplied to the inner manifold 6, before being distributed to each cell 1, is flow-regulated by the piercing member 4. Thus, the reformed gas is distributed uniformly to each cell 1, a stable power generation is done, and performance of the fuel cell can be improved.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2002Publication date: June 5, 2003Inventors: Yasunori Yoshimoto, Takashi Yasuo, Akira Hamada
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Patent number: 6566002Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell shall be provided such that degradation of the fuel cell due to condensed water can be prevented. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention is provided wherein a plate A, a plate B, and a plate C are used; a passage is formed on each of the front and rear sides of each of the above-mentioned plates; a cell D or a permeable film E is interposed between two of the above-mentioned plates; a cell unit is thus formed; a plurality of such cell units are integrally laminated to form a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Fuel gas and cooling water are caused to flow into a humidifying chamber F to humidify fuel gas. The resulting humidified fuel gas is supplied to a fuel chamber G, and moreover, oxidant gas is supplied to an oxidant chamber, thereby generating electricity.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2001Date of Patent: May 20, 2003Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yasunori Yoshimoto, Mitsuo Karakane, Akira Hamada
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Publication number: 20030068543Abstract: The present invention provides a solid polymer type fuel cell capable of eliminating condensate water, and preventing flooding due to an excessively humidified electrode by a simple structure and easy processing composition.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2002Publication date: April 10, 2003Inventors: Takashi Yasuo, Akira Hamada, Hirokazu Izaki, Shuuichi Suzuki, Kunihiro Nakato, Yasuo Miyake
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Publication number: 20020068215Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a cheap gas diffusion layer for fuel cell excellent in gas permeability water repellency, and also excellent in mechanical strength, allowing a continuous formation, and to provide a manufacturing method of the same. A gas diffusion layer used for at least one of gas diffusion layers of a fuel cell where a fuel electrode side catalyst layer and an air electrode side catalyst layer are disposed at both faces of an electrolyte film, and further a gas diffusion layer is disposed respectively on the outer surface of the fuel electrode side catalyst layer and air electrode side catalyst layer, characterized by that the gas diffusion layer is formed of a mesh sheet having an heat resistance and an acid resistance, and a mixture of electrically conductive powder and water repellent filler for filling voids of the mesh sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2001Publication date: June 6, 2002Inventors: Akira Hamada, Kunihiro Nakato
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Patent number: 6365293Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide fuel cell including a cell that is formed by sandwiching solid polymer membrane between an anode and a cathode that generates electricity with stability and high performance by evenly moistening the solid polymer membrane. For this purpose, in a gas diffusion layer 24, which is positioned adjacent to a cathode catalyst layer 22, the content of fluororesin in an area on the side of the entrance for the oxidizer is set to be higher than in another area on the side of the exit so that the water repellency in the entrance side area is higher than in the exit side area. As a result, a water permeation suppressing part 24A, where the water permeability is relatively low, is formed in the area on the entrance side, while a water permeable part 24B, where the water permeability is relatively high, is formed in the area on the exit side.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2000Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Isono, Yasuo Miyake, Akira Hamada, Minoru Kaneko, Kunihiro Nakato
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Patent number: 6329094Abstract: A solid polymer fuel cell which can stably generate electric power for long, because the cell is enabled to uniformly supply a fuel gas to all anodes by means of extended flow passages which are extended from anode-side flow passages and formed on a anode-side plate on the downstream side of the ends of the anodes in the direction of fuel gas flow, a water absorbing means for nearly uniformly performing water absorption, water retention, and drainage on all channels provided at the ends of the extended flow passages, and a selective gas discharging means for discharging a gas more selectively than water on the upstream side of the water absorbing means.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1999Date of Patent: December 11, 2001Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takashi Yasuo, Toru Nakaoka, Akira Hamada, Yasuo Miyake, Yasunori Yoshimoto, Mitsuo Karakane
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Publication number: 20010038935Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell shall be provided such that degradation of the fuel cell due to condensed water can be prevented. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention is provided wherein a plate A, a plate B, and a plate C are used; a passage is formed on each of the front and rear sides of each of the above-mentioned plates; a cell D or a permeable film E is interposed between two of the above-mentioned plates; a cell unit is thus formed; a plurality of such cell units are integrally laminated to form a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Fuel gas and cooling water are caused to flow into a humidifying chamber F to humidify fuel gas. The resulting humidified fuel gas is supplied to a fuel chamber G, and moreover, oxidant gas is supplied to an oxidant chamber, thereby generating electricity.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2001Publication date: November 8, 2001Inventors: Yasunori Yoshimoto, Mitsuo Karakane, Akira Hamada
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Patent number: 6083638Abstract: A current collector includes a thin porous substrate and a hydrophilic material, where the hydrophilic material is provided to holes of the thin porous substrate or surfaces of skeleton elements of the porous substrate so that hydrophilic areas formed by the hydrophilic material successively pass through the thin porous substrate between both surfaces of the thin porous substrate. In the current collector, water is let out through the hydrophilic areas and does not stay on an interface between an electrode and the current collector so that reaction gas is not hampered and is supplied, unlike a conventional current collector. When the current collector is applied to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, water is supplied with reliability through the hydrophilic areas to a polymer electrolyte membrane so that the polymer electrolyte membrane is effectively humidified.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 1998Date of Patent: July 4, 2000Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shunsuke Taniguchi, Akira Hamada, Yasuo Miyake, Minuro Kaneko
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Patent number: 6080500Abstract: There is provided a movable fuel cell apparatus comprising a movable housing, a power supply, and a fuel gas cylinder. The housing is divided into a front portion and a rear portion by a partition, and composed of a main housing body, a housing cover and a door. The main housing body has a front opening. The housing cover covers the upper portion of the front opening and the door is openably connected with the main housing body. The power supply included in the rear portion comprises a fuel cell for generating electric power by electrochemical reaction using fuel gas and air supplied. The fuel gas cylinder is placed removably in the front portion of the housing.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 1998Date of Patent: June 27, 2000Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd.Inventors: Akira Fuju, Yosio Azegami, Nobuyoshi Nishizawa, Akio Kawakami, Katsuyuki Makihara, Taketoshi Ouki, Akira Hamada, Koji Shindo, Tatsuji Hatayama, Satoshi Yamamoto, Osamu Tajima
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Patent number: 5958613Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell system with a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is made up of a cell main body, a mixture generator for generating a gas-liquid mixture by mixing fuel gas which has been supplied from a fuel gas supply with water, and a means for supplying the gas-liquid mixture to the anode-side channels. The gas-liquid mixture allows the solid-polymer film to be moistened without humidifying fuel gas and oxidant gas with a humidifier, and the cell main body to be cooled down without providing a cooling channel therein.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 1996Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akira Hamada, Takaaki Matsubayashi, Toru Nakaoka, Yasuo Miyake, Toshikazu Nakajima
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Patent number: 5543241Abstract: The present invention discloses a cell structure and a fuel cell that includes at least one cell structure. The cell structure comprises a cell including an electrolyte plate, an anode, and a cathode, the anode being formed on one surface of the electrolyte plate, the cathode being formed on the other surface of the electrolyte plate, an anode terminal electrode connected to the anode electrically, the anode terminal electrode being placed along an edge of the cell structure to be perpendicular with respect to a layered direction in which the cathode, the electrolyte plate, and the anode are layered, a cathode terminal electrode connected to the cathode electrically, the cathode terminal electrode being placed along another edge of the cell structure to be perpendicular with respect to the layered direction, a first gas channel for supplying a reactant gas to the anode in the layered direction, and a second gas channel for supplying the reactant gas to the cathode in the layered direction.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 1994Date of Patent: August 6, 1996Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Nishioka, Akira Hamada, Eiji Tateyama, deceased, Nobuyoshi Nishizawa, Masaru Tsutsumi
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Patent number: 5541015Abstract: A fuel cell comprising a stack including a stack including a plurality of cell units and a plurality of gas separators and at least one cooling plate, one of the gas separator and the cooling plate being interposed between adjacent cell units, the fuel cell being characterized in that; each gas separator and the cooling plate, respectively, have oxidant gas channels on one of surfaces that opposes to have contact with one of electrode surfaces of the cell unit to as to flow an oxidant gas in a direction vertical to a direction of a cooling air flowing through the cooling plate; each gas separator and the cooling plate, respectively, have fuel gas channels, a fuel-gas-supply inner manifold for taking in a fuel gas, and a fuel-gas-exhaust inner manifold for releasing the fuel gas having passed through the fuel gas channels on the other surface that opposes to have contact with the other electrode surface of the cell unit so as to flow the fuel gas in a direction parallel to the direction of the cooling air flowType: GrantFiled: November 21, 1994Date of Patent: July 30, 1996Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Tajima, Akira Hamada, Junji Tanaka, deceased, Yasunori Yoshimoto, Keigo Miyai, Nobuyoshi Nishizawa, Masaru Tsutsumi, Tomotoshi Ikenaga, Kunihiro Nakato, Kiyoshi Hori
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Patent number: 5314762Abstract: The present invention provides a portable power source comprising a fuel cell generating electricity using hydrogen as fuel, a hydrogen storage unit filled with hydrogen absorbing alloy for supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell, a case enclosing the fuel cell and hydrogen storage unit, and a lid for sealing a part of the case when the portable power source is not in use, wherein the lid seals a surface of the case on which at least one air inlet for taking in the air necessary for the fuel cell to generate electricity and a reactant gas outlet for exhausting reactant gas produced by the generation of electricity are formed.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1992Date of Patent: May 24, 1994Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akira Hamada, Nobuyoshi Nishizawa, Hiroshi Mukai, Isao Furukawa, Takashi Oda, Akira Watanabe, Takaaki Matsubayashi
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Patent number: 5302471Abstract: Disclosed is an operating method of a compact phosphoric acid fuel cell system whose operation is started and stopped repeatedly, comprising a lamination of a plurality of cell units each of which has an electrolyte matrix impregnated with a phosphoric acid electrolyte between a positive electrode and a negative electrode, characterized by being operated so that each of the cell units can have a phosphoric acid electrolyte whose density is partially less than 91.6 wt % during the operation.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 1992Date of Patent: April 12, 1994Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd.Inventors: Tsukasa Ito, Nobuyoshi Nishizawa, Akira Hamada, Akihiro Furuse