Abstract: A coupler system includes: a coupler main body attached to a longitudinal direction end of a carbody of a railcar so as to be rotatable in a yaw direction; a curvature information acquiring portion configured to acquire curvature information of a track, the railcar being located on the track; a control portion configured to determine a target rotation angle of the coupler main body in accordance with the acquired curvature information and output a rotation signal regarding the determined target rotation angle; and a rotation angle changing portion configured to rotate the coupler main body to the target rotation angle based on the output rotation signal. When the railcar is stopped or when the railcar is traveling at a coupling speed, the control portion outputs the rotation signal to start rotating the coupler main body.

Abstract: A coupler system includes: a coupler main body attached to a longitudinal direction end of a carbody of a railcar so as to be rotatable in a yaw direction; a curvature information acquiring portion configured to acquire curvature information of a track, the railcar being located on the track; a control portion configured to determine a target rotation angle of the coupler main body in accordance with the acquired curvature information and output a rotation signal regarding the determined target rotation angle; and a rotation angle changing portion configured to rotate the coupler main body to the target rotation angle based on the output rotation signal. When the railcar is stopped or when the railcar is traveling at a coupling speed, the control portion outputs the rotation signal to start rotating the coupler main body.

Abstract: A close attachment region is provided on the outer side relative to an outer edge portion of a gas diffusion layer and on the inner side relative to the inner edge portion of a gasket as seen from the thickness direction of a polymer electrolyte membrane, such that separators and a frame member are closely attached to each other. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost and a reduction in the power generation performance, which is attributed to the impurity eluted from the gasket and flowing toward the gas diffusion layer.

Abstract: A fuel cell of the present invention includes: four fastening bolts which extend in a stack direction of a stack structure so as to penetrate through openings of end plates and nuts which are disposed at both ends of the fastening bolts and can adjust fastening forces applied by the fastening bolts to the stack structure sandwiched between the end plates. Each fastening bolt is disposed in the vicinity of an intermediate point of each side of the end plate. In an electrode facing region of the end plate, one or more springs are disposed on a first straight line passing through two fastening bolts one or more springs are disposed on a second straight line passing through two fastening bolts one or more springs are disposed on a third straight line passing through two fastening bolts and one or more springs are disposed on a fourth straight line passing through two fastening bolts.

Abstract: In an electrode-membrane-frame assembly production method, a principal part is formed by an electrolyte membrane, first and second catalyst layers and first and second gas diffusion layers, with the first and second gas diffusion layers arranged with their outer circumferences at different positions. The principal part is arranged in a molding die with a circumferential region of the principal part disposed on a flat region of a primary molded body. A circumferential portion of one of the gas diffusion layers is arranged to oppose a flat region of the primary molded body so that the membrane is interposed between the circumferential portion and the flat region. Subsequently, a secondary molded body is formed to integrate with the primary molded body and the principal part.

Abstract: A cell stack of a fuel cell comprises a cell stack body including a cell stack structure including plural cells stacked together; an elastic member disposed at an end of the cell stack structure in a direction in which the plural cells are stacked, and a pair of end plates sandwiching the cell stack structure and the elastic member, and a fastener band extending to surround the cell stack body and to cover a pair of end surfaces and a pair of opposing side surfaces of the cell stack body, the fastener band including a first band engagement portion and a second band engagement portion at both end portions thereof, respectively, and the cell stack body is fastened by the fastener band by direct or indirect engagement between the first band engagement portion and the second band engagement portion.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention includes: plate-shaped cells (10) each having a pair of plate-shaped separators (6a) and (6b) and a membrane-electrode assembly (5) disposed between the separators (6a) and (6b); a cell stack (50) configured by stacking and fastening the cells (10); and a covering member (60) covering a peripheral surface of the cell stack (50), and voltage measuring terminal insertion holes (61) used to measure the voltages of the cells (10) are formed on the covering member (60) so as to be located at positions corresponding to the separators (6a) and (6b) of the cells (10).

Abstract: A close attachment region is provided on the outer side relative to an outer edge portion of a gas diffusion layer and on the inner side relative to the inner edge portion of a gasket as seen from the thickness direction of a polymer electrolyte membrane, such that separators and a frame member are closely attached to each other. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost and a reduction in the power generation performance, which is attributed to the impurity eluted from the gasket and flowing toward the gas diffusion layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell including a reaction gas supply path which makes it difficult to cause water condensation in a region near an end plate. A fuel cell of the present invention comprises a cell stack 2 having a reaction gas passage 13a inside thereof and having on one end surface thereof a reaction gas supply inlet 17 from which a reaction gas is supplied to the reaction gas passage 13a, a joint 5 connecting the reaction gas supply inlet 17 to an external pipe P for supplying the reaction gas, plate-shaped end members 3, 4 which are disposed on one end surface of the cell stack 2 and have through-holes 21, 23 into which the joint 5 is inserted so as not to contact inner wall surfaces thereof, and a closing member 9 for substantially closing a space formed between the joint 5 and the inner wall surfaces of the through-holes 21, 23.

Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell comprising one or more cells (102) stacked therein, each of the cells (102) including: an MEA (4) having a polymer electrolyte membrane (7) and a pair of gas diffusion layers (5) sandwiching the polymer electrolyte membrane (7) except a peripheral region of the polymer electrolyte membrane (7); and a pair of self-sealing separators (1) disposed so as to sandwich the MEA (4), each of the self-sealing separators (1) being formed in a plate-like shape as a whole and composed of a separating part (41) having electrical conductivity and a sealing part (40) having more elasticity than the separating part (41), at least the separating part (41) being in contact with an associated one of the gas diffusion layers (5), the sealing part (40) being in contact with the peripheral region of the polymer electrolyte membrane (7) so as to enclose the associated one of the gas diffusion layers (5), wherein each self-sealing separator (1) has a lower area (11) for accommodating a raised por

Abstract: A controller (15) performs a stop operation of stopping electric power generation by a fuel cell (3); then performs an activity recovery operation of stopping the supply of a fuel gas by a fuel gas supply unit (10) to an anode (2a), causing an anode inert gas supply unit (13) to supply an inert gas to the anode (2a), and causing an oxidizing gas supply unit (11) to supply an oxidizing gas to a cathode (2b); and performs control such that the fuel gas supply unit (10) resumes supplying the fuel gas to the anode (2a) to resume the electric power generation by the fuel cell (3) after the cell voltage of the fuel cell (3) which is detected by a voltage detector (14) has decreased to a first voltage or lower.

Abstract: A fuel cell separator having a turn portion of a serpentine-shaped reaction gas passage region. In the turn portion, a recessed portion is defined by an outer end of the turn portion and oblique boundaries between the recessed portion and a pair of passage groove group. In the turn portion, a plurality of protrusions, which vertically extend from a bottom face of the recessed portion and are arranged in an island form, are disposed such that one or more protrusions form a plurality of columns lined up and spaced apart from each other with a gap in a direction in which the outer end extends and one or more protrusions form a plurality of rows lined up and spaced apart from each other with a gap in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the outer end extends.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell is provided with a fuel cell stack assembled by sandwiching a plurality of stacked single cell modules with a plurality of fastening members through a pair of end plates. The fuel cell includes a first elastic member arranged between the fastening member and the end plate and a plurality of second elastic members arranged between the end plate and the end of the fuel cell stack. Each of the second elastic members is arranged on the surface of the end plate corresponding to the electrode portion of a membrane electrode assembly in each of the single cell module, and each of the first elastic members is arranged on the surface of the end plate corresponding to a seal member arrangement region in which the seal member is arranged between the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separator plates in each single cell module.

Abstract: In a solid polyelectrolyte fuel cell, with a frame including a frame body main part placed along a peripheral edge portion of a membrane, a plurality of first retaining portions which are arrayed so as to protrude from an inner edge of the frame body main part and which retain the front surface side of the membrane, and a plurality of second retaining portions which are arrayed so as to protrude from the inner edge of the frame body main part and which retain the back surface side of the membrane, the first retaining portions and the second retaining portions are so arrayed that retaining positions of the membrane by the first retaining portions and retaining positions of the membrane by the second retaining portions are alternately placed.

Abstract: A fuel cell separator and a fuel cell are provided that can improve uniformity in reaction gas flow rate and can prevent flooding due to excessive condensed water in passage grooves appropriately. A reaction gas passage region (101) of a separator (2) has a flow splitting region (21) having a passage groove group where the reaction gas is split, and one or more flow merge regions (22) having a recessed portion in which the reaction gas is mixed and connecting a plurality of flow splitting regions so that the passage groove group of the adjacent flow splitting regions (21) are connected to the recessed portion, and protrusions (27) vertically extend from a bottom face of the recessed portion and arranged in an island form. A pair of passage groove groups connected to the recessed portion of the flow merge region (22) is formed so as to have a greater number of grooves in the upstream passage groove group than the number of grooves of grooves in the downstream passage groove group.

Abstract: In a manufacturing method for an electrode-membrane-frame assembly in a fuel cell, a first frame member and an electrolyte membrane member are arranged in a first mold for injection molding such that the edge of the electrolyte membrane member is arranged on the first frame member, a second mold is arranged to form a resin flow passage for forming a second frame member which is in contact with the first frame member by interposing the electrolyte membrane member, and a part of the edge of the electrolyte membrane member is pressed and fixed to the first frame member by a presser member mounted on the second mold and a molding resin material is injected into the resin flow passage to form a second frame member.

Abstract: A fuel cell separator of the present invention is provided with a reactant gas flow region (8) including a plurality of straight portions (11) and one or more turn portions (12). At least one of one or more turn portions (12) includes a gas mixing portion (12b), a gas meeting portion (12a), and a gas separating portion (12c). Second rib portions (14) are formed in the gas meeting portion (12a) and the gas separating portion (12c). The second rib portions (14) are formed such that the length of an inner second rib portion (14) is shorter than the length of an outer second rib portion (14) in a direction in which the second rib portions (14) extend. An outermost second rib portion (141) located farthest from a center rib portion (13A) is formed so as to be bent inward toward the center line (131).

Abstract: Even if reaction gas flows into a substantially rectangular anode-side and cathode-side gaps formed between an annular main body portion and a membrane electrode assembly in an anode side and a cathode side of a fuel cell, the reaction gas is prevented from flowing out from an outlet without passing through an electrode to cause degradation of power generation efficiency. At least one of anode-side gasket and cathode-side gasket in the fuel cell is provided with an extra sealing portion connected to an annular main body portion in such a manner that, among two pairs of gap portions opposing to each other in the anode-side gap and the cathode-side gap, the extra sealing portion intersects with one pair of gap portions having a larger pressure gradient of fuel gas and oxidant gas in a direction from an upstream side to a downstream side of a fuel gas flow channel and an oxidant gas flow channel.

Abstract: An MEA having an MEA body part 5C; a frame 6 made of a plate-like thermoplastic resin; and gaskets 7 formed on opposed surfaces of the frame 6 so as to hold the frame 6 between. The gaskets 7 each have an annular portion 7A that is annularly formed so as to extend along the inner periphery of the frame 6 and elongated portions 7B1 to 7B8 that extend from the annular portion 7A and come into contact with the side faces of an associated electrode layer 5C after passing over the inner periphery of the frame 6 and a peripheral region 5D of a polymer electrolyte membrane.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel cell stack which includes: a cell assembly formed of stacked unit cells, each composed of a membrane electrolyte assembly and separators which sandwich the membrane electrolyte assembly; a pair of collector plates A and B which sandwiches the cell assembly; a pair of end plates A and B which sandwiches the cell assembly and the collector plates; and an elastic member disposed between end plate A and collector plate A, wherein end plate A has a convexed portion and a concaved portion on a surface facing collector plate A, and the concaved portion of end plate A holds therein the elastic member, and a bottom surface of the concaved portion includes a second convexed portion and a second concaved portion.