Abstract: A power supply is provided, which is capable of stabilizing a generated output of the fuel cell using neither a voltage nor a current outputted from the fuel cell as a negative feedback signal. The power supply includes a fuel cell 110, a DC-DC converter 120 that adjusts a voltage outputted from the fuel cell 110 according to a PWM signal and then outputs the voltage to a load device 200, a switching controller 130 that generates the PWM signal and outputs this signal to the DC-DC converter 120, a voltmeter 140 that measures a voltage Vout outputted from the DC-DC converter 120, and a rechargeable battery 150 connected to the load device 200 in parallel. The DC-DC converter 120 calculates a duty ratio of the PWM signal by performing a specific computation using the voltage Vout and a target fuel cell voltage Vt.

Abstract: A method for operating a direct methanol fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes a fuel cell main body having a fuel electrode and an air electrode disposed in opposing positions on either side of an electrolyte film. In this method, an aqueous methanol solution is supplied directly to the fuel electrode. A quantity of the aqueous methanol solution supplied is controlled in accordance with an electric current value drawn from the fuel cell main body so as to minimize a quantity of unused methanol within a discharge fluid discharged from the fuel electrode.

Abstract: A method for operating a direct methanol fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes a fuel cell main body having a fuel electrode and an air electrode disposed in opposing positions on either side of an electrolyte film. In this method, an aqueous methanol solution is supplied directly to the fuel electrode. A quantity of the aqueous methanol solution supplied is controlled in accordance with an electric current value drawn from the fuel cell main body so as to minimize a quantity of unused methanol within a discharge fluid discharged from the fuel electrode.

Abstract: Electronic equipment is provided in which a bi-directional voltage converter is connected between a fuel cell and a secondary battery, and a load apparatus is connected in parallel to the fuel cell. Further, if a plurality of voltage converters are provided, when each output voltage is closer to an output voltage of the secondary battery than an output voltage of the fuel cell, they are classified into a first voltage-converter group, while being closer to the output voltage of the fuel cell than the output voltage of the secondary battery, they are sorted out as a second voltage-converter group. Then, the secondary battery is connected in parallel to the first voltage-converter group and the fuel cell is connected in parallel to the second voltage-converter group.

Abstract: A clean power supply unit with a high fuel utilization rate using a fuel cell is provided. The power supply unit of the present invention comprises a fuel cell using methanol as fuel; a secondary battery for supplying power to a load; a fuel cell control part for controlling the amount of fuel and/or air supplied to the above-mentioned fuel cell; and a power converter for converting the power output from the above-mentioned fuel cell to a predetermined voltage or current, supplying power to the load and/or the above-mentioned secondary battery and controlling the supplied power so as to fall within a predetermined range including the value at which the amount of methanol discharged from the above-mentioned fuel cell becomes minimized.

Abstract: A method for operating a direct methanol fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes a fuel cell main body having a fuel electrode and an air electrode disposed in opposing positions on either side of an electrolyte film. In this method, an aqueous methanol solution is supplied directly to the fuel electrode. A quantity of the aqueous methanol solution supplied is controlled in accordance with an electric current value drawn from the fuel cell main body so as to minimize a quantity of unused methanol within a discharge fluid discharged from the fuel electrode.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of manufacturing a stator for a dynamoelectric machine. The method includes a step of mounting a hollow cylindrical electric wire assembly, which includes a plurality of straight stacked portions of shaped electric wires, to a hollow cylindrical stator core that includes a plurality of slots formed in the radially inner surface thereof. The mounting step includes: (1) placing the electric wire assembly radially inside of the stator core so that each of the straight stacked portions of the electric wire assembly is radially aligned with a corresponding one of the slots of the stator core; and (2) radially expanding the electric wire assembly to insert the straight stacked portions of the electric wire assembly into the corresponding slots of the stator core.

Abstract: In a pre-replacement process, a replacement battery module is provided with a memory effect before being dispatched, by performing at least one of the process of performing a cyclic charge/discharge operation on the replacement battery module while limiting the width of SOC change to an intermediate range, and the process of setting an initial SOC and then letting the replacement battery module stand for a predetermined time in an environment of temperature above normal temperature. This pre-replacement process substantially eliminates the difference between the voltage characteristic of the replacement battery module yet to be used and the voltage characteristic of a battery module having a history of use, thereby achieving a uniform voltage characteristic of a battery pack as a whole.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing a stator coil for a rotary electric machine, which is formed by winding up a plurality of phase wires. The method includes a shaping step for shaping a plurality of shaped wire members from electrically conductive wires, an integrating step for integrating the plurality of shaped wire members with each other to form an integrated body, and a winding-up step for winding the integrated body about a core member to form a wound body. At the winding-up step, curve forming is performed by plastically deforming turn portions of the integrated body into a curved shape, during conveyance of feeding the integrated body to the core member.

Abstract: A first tool set holds a wire covered with an insulation film at a bending point of the wire to protrude the wire from the first tool set. A second tool set holds the protruded portion of the wire. The second tool set is rotated about the first tool set to bend the wire along a wall of the first tool set and to form a boundary corner in the wire at the same radius of curvature as the wall. The wire is released from the second tool set and is moved to place the first tool set at another bending point while protruding from the first tool set. The second tool set is placed at the protruded portion of the wire. When the wire is bent at a predetermined number of bending points and is rounded, a stator coil formed in a corrugated shape is manufactured.

Abstract: A stator coil to be wound in and around a stator is manufactured. An insulating-coating conducting wire is bent to alternately provide the wire with slot-held conductor sections held in slots of the stator and a coil-end conductor section mutually connecting the slot-held conductor sections outside the slots. The coil-end conductor section is deployed outside the stator in the circumferential direction thereof. In manufacturing the stator coil, three or more pairs of molds are located along a portion of the wire in its longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals. The coil-end conductor section is formed by moving the molds along a direction allowing paired molds of each mold to come closer to each other, and the slot-held conductor sections is formed by moving the molds, in parallel, in both a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the longitudinal direction thereof.

Abstract: A coil forming method, a coil forming die assembly and a coil manufactured by the coil forming method are disclosed. The coil forming method comprises conducting preliminary forming work on a coil under a linear state before conducting bending work on the coil. The preliminary forming work including conducting compression work on the coil under the linear state to compress the coil in a region covering a rounded corner portion formed when bending work is conducted to decrease a dimension of the coil in a widthwise direction. The dimension of the coil is decreased in the widthwise direction by the nearly same dimension as that of the coil bulged in the widthwise direction when bending work is conducted in the absence of the preliminary forming work. This prevents the occurrence of bulging of the coil during bending work with an increase in lamination factor.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an annular component part is disclosed wherein press forming is carried out to prepare an annular body having a cylindrical wall, having a root portion and a distal end, and an annular flange portion. The fabricating method comprises expanding an inner circumferential periphery of the cylindrical wall to an inner diameter corresponding to an inner diametric concave portion formed on the inner circumferential periphery and squeezing the cylindrical wall in a tapered profile such that the inner diameter of the cylindrical wall gradually decreases. During inner diametric expanding operation, an annular shoulder is formed on the inner circumferential periphery of the cylindrical wall and plays a role as an undercut of the annular component.

Abstract: A gear is manufactured in a half blanking stage, a punching stage and a separating stage. In the half blanking stage, half blanking is performed for a columnar portion of a metal sheet. A part of an outer circumferential surface of the blank is disconnected from the other portion of the sheet, while the other part of the outer circumferential surface of the blank is connected with the other portion of the sheet. In the punching stage, an inner portion of the blank is punched in a punching direction to form teeth on an inner circumferential surface of the blank. In the separating stage, the blank is separated from the other portion of the sheet as a gear toward a separation direction opposite to the punching direction by disconnecting the other part of the outer circumferential surface of the blank from the other portion of the sheet.

Abstract: A direct oxidation fuel cell (DOFC) system, comprises at least one fuel cell assembly including a cathode and an anode with an electrolyte positioned therebetween; a source of liquid fuel in fluid communication with an inlet of the anode; an oxidant supply in fluid communication with an inlet of the cathode; a liquid/gas (L/G) separator in fluid communication with outlets of the anode and cathode for: (1) receiving unreacted fuel and liquid and gaseous products, and (2) supplying a solution of fuel and liquid product to the anode inlet; and a control system for measuring the amount of liquid product and controlling oxidant stoichiometry of the system operation in response to the measured amount of liquid product. Alternatively, the control system controls the concentration of the liquid fuel in the solution supplied to the anode inlet, based upon the system operating temperature or output power.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells connected in series; a fuel supply portion supplying a fuel to each fuel cell; a current regulation portion regulating an electric current flowing from the fuel cell stack in such a way that an output voltage of the fuel cell stack is a predetermined set voltage; a voltage detection portion detecting an output voltage of each fuel cell; a fuel-supply control portion regulating a fuel supply to each fuel cell by the fuel supply portion in such a way that the difference decreases between an output voltage of each fuel cell detected by the voltage detection portion; a fuel-stoichiometric ratio detection portion detecting a fuel stoichiometric ratio of the fuel cell stack; and a fuel-stoichiometric ratio control portion regulating the set voltage in such a way that a fuel stoichiometric ratio detected by the fuel-stoichiometric ratio detection portion is a target fuel stoichiometric ratio set in advance.

Abstract: A direct oxidation fuel cell of this invention has at least one unit cell including: a membrane-electrode assembly comprising an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between an anode and a cathode, each of the anode and the cathode including a catalyst layer and a diffusion layer; an anode-side separator with a fuel flow channel for supplying a fuel to the anode; and a cathode-side separator with an oxidant flow channel for supplying an oxidant containing oxygen gas to the cathode. The fuel flow channel and the oxidant flow channel are so structured that the concentration of the oxygen gas in the oxidant flow channel is higher at a part opposing an upstream part of the fuel flow channel than at a part opposing a downstream part of the fuel flow channel.

Abstract: A driving force transmitting devices is able to engage a main clutch with a small amount of hydraulic pressure. The driving force transmitting device includes an input shaft and an output shaft, and a main clutch. The device is formed of a primary clutch that intermittently transmits the driving force transmitted from the input shaft, a hydraulic pump that generates a hydraulic pressure, a piston that presses the primary clutch by the hydraulic pressure by the hydraulic pump, and a cam mechanism that presses the main clutch with a press-contact force amplified more than the press-contact force of the piston by utilizing the driving force from the input shaft through the primary clutch, so as to engage the main clutch.

Abstract: A power supply is provided, which is capable of stabilizing a generated output of the fuel cell using neither a voltage nor a current outputted from the fuel cell as a negative feedback signal. The power supply includes a fuel cell 110, a DC-DC converter 120 that adjusts a voltage outputted from the fuel cell 110 according to a PWM signal and then outputs the voltage to a load device 200, a switching controller 130 that generates the PWM signal and outputs this signal to the DC-DC converter 120, a voltmeter 140 that measures a voltage Vout outputted from the DC-DC converter 120, and a rechargeable battery 150 connected to the load device 200 in parallel. The DC-DC converter 120 calculates a duty ratio of the PWM signal by performing a specific computation using the voltage Vout and a target fuel cell voltage Vt.

Abstract: There is provided a battery pack system with estimation accuracy of a remaining capacity of a secondary batter enhanced. A current accumulation coefficient correction section 109 calculates a correction amount ? with respect to a current accumulation coefficient k in accordance with a battery electromotive force Veq from an electromotive force calculation section 105. A remaining capacity calculation section 112 estimates a remaining capacity SOC by current accumulation, based on the current accumulation coefficient k calculated from a correction amount ?, and a charging efficiency ? based on a currently estimated remaining capacity calculated by a charging efficiency calculation section 110.