Patents by Inventor Norishige Konno
Norishige Konno 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: 20220173413Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; first and second catalyst layers respectively formed on first and second surfaces of the electrolyte membrane; and a separator, the first catalyst layer being arranged between the separator and the electrolyte membrane, wherein the separator includes first and second grooves through which reactant gas flows between the first catalyst layer and the separator.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2022Publication date: June 2, 2022Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuaki NONOYAMA, Norishige KONNO, Masayuki ITO
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Patent number: 11283087Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; first and second catalyst layers respectively formed on first and second surfaces of the electrolyte membrane; and a separator, the first catalyst layer being arranged between the separator and the electrolyte membrane, wherein the separator includes first and second grooves through which reactant gas flows between the first catalyst layer and the separator.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2019Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobuaki Nonoyama, Norishige Konno, Masayuki Ito
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Patent number: 11145877Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; first and second catalyst layers respectively formed on first and second surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a separator disposed opposite to the electrolyte membrane with respect to the first catalyst layer.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2019Date of Patent: October 12, 2021Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobuaki Nonoyama, Norishige Konno, Masayuki Ito
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Patent number: 10998560Abstract: A fuel cell stack 11 includes a cell laminate 21 composed of a plurality of stacked cells 20, and air is introduced from an anode end part 21a of the cell laminate 21. The cell laminate 21 has two end cells 24 installed adjacently to a cathode end part 21b side, thereby providing the cathode end part 21b with high thermal insulation properties.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norishige Konno, Hiroki Okabe
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Patent number: 10505211Abstract: The invention relates to fuel cell unit arranged in an underfloor space of a fuel cell vehicle. The fuel cell unit includes a fuel cell that has a plurality of cells stacked together; and a cell monitor that is arranged in a side region of the fuel cell, and that monitors a state of each of the cells.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2013Date of Patent: December 10, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tsutomu Shirakawa, Norishige Konno, Kazuya Mori
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Patent number: 10468690Abstract: An anode-side separator 120 includes first grooves 202 and second grooves 204 that are formed alternately, by formation of a plurality of pit-and-bump stripes provided by press molding, in a separator central region 121 opposed to a power generation region 112 of a MEGA 110. Terminal first grooves 202t is extended at an upper edge of the separator central region 121 in which the first grooves 202 and the second grooves 204 are formed. The terminal first grooves 202t include a depressed corner recess 202tb made shallower in groove depth in a corner portion of the separator central region 121 on a fuel-gas supply hole side. The depressed corner recess 202tb connects between the second grooves 204 that extend below the terminal first grooves 202t, and the outer edge portion 123.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Norishige Konno
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Publication number: 20190305326Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; first and second catalyst layers respectively formed on first and second surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a separator disposed opposite to the electrolyte membrane with respect to the first catalyst layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2019Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuaki NONOYAMA, Norishige KONNO, Masayuki ITO
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Publication number: 20190305325Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; first and second catalyst layers respectively formed on first and second surfaces of the electrolyte membrane; and a separator, the first catalyst layer being arranged between the separator and the electrolyte membrane, wherein the separator includes first and second grooves through which reactant gas flows between the first catalyst layer and the separator.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2019Publication date: October 3, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Nobuaki NONOYAMA, Norishige KONNO, Masayuki ITO
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Publication number: 20190229353Abstract: A fuel cell stack 11 includes a cell laminate 21 composed of a plurality of stacked cells 20, and air is introduced from an anode end part 21a of the cell laminate 21. The cell laminate 21 has two end cells 24 installed adjacently to a cathode end part 21b side, thereby providing the cathode end part 21b with high thermal insulation properties.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2019Publication date: July 25, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Norishige KONNO, Hiroki OKABE
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Patent number: 10193165Abstract: A separator has a recess-projection shape formed by press working. The separator has one surface as a gas circulation surface and an opposite surface as a cooling surface, the gas circulation surface having a reactive gas flow path including a plurality of reactive gas flow path grooves resulting from the recess-projection shape, the cooling surface having a cooling water flow path including a plurality of cooling water flow path grooves resulting from the recess-projection shape.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2014Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Norishige Konno
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Patent number: 10164266Abstract: A separator to be used in a fuel cell includes a gas flow path including a plurality of gas flow path grooves that allow reactive gas to flow; a gas discharge hole used for discharging the reactive gas from the gas flow path; and an outlet flow path part positioned between the gas discharge hole and the gas flow path and used for flowing the reactive gas discharged from the gas flow path into the gas discharge hole. The plurality of gas flow path grooves includes a coupling flow path part coupled to the outlet flow path part. The coupling flow path part includes tilted gas flow path grooves tilted from a direction of gravitational force. A groove width of the tilted gas flow path groove in the coupling flow path part is set such that a force of a wall surface of the tilted gas flow path groove to retain water by means of a surface tension of the water is larger than a force applied to the water by the gravitational force.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2014Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norishige Konno, Daisuke Kanno
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Patent number: 10153498Abstract: An anode-side separator 120 includes first grooves 202 and second grooves 204 that are located alternately in a separator central region 121 opposed to a power generation region 112 of a MEGA 110 by formation of a plurality of pit-and-bump stripes provided by press molding. The first grooves 202 extend in the separator central region 121 on the gas surface side of the anode-side separator 120, while the second grooves 204 extend in the separator central region 121 on the cooling surface side opposite to the as surface side. Terminal first grooves 202t that are first grooves 202 extending on the outer edge portion 123 side outside the separator central region have lower terminal-side rising height Ht than the other first grooves 202 positioned on the separator central region 121 side.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: December 11, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Norishige Konno
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Publication number: 20180233754Abstract: A fuel cell stack 11 includes a cell laminate 21 composed of a plurality of stacked cells 20, and air is introduced from an anode end part 21a of the cell laminate 21. The cell laminate 21 has two end cells 24 installed adjacently to a cathode end part 21b side, thereby providing the cathode end part 21b with high thermal insulation properties.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2018Publication date: August 16, 2018Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Norishige KONNO, Hiroki OKABE
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Patent number: 10038202Abstract: A fuel cell separator 10 includes a power generation section 10B provided in a central region on a surface of the separator formed into a plate, a plurality of manifolds 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B provided in a region closer to the outer periphery than the power generation section 10B, and a reinforcing portion 14A provided so as to extend from a manifold beam portion 15 formed between the plurality of manifolds 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B to a gap region 13 formed between the power generation section 10B and the manifolds 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2015Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroki Okabe, Norishige Konno
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Patent number: 9799897Abstract: In a fuel cell, a cathode passage extends from an oxidizing gas supply hole to an oxidizing gas discharge hole. A turn interval at which a flow direction of an oxidizing gas returns to an original direction in an upstream-side passage region is different from the turn interval in a downstream-side passage region. A ratio between the turn interval in the upstream-side passage region and the turn interval in the downstream-side passage region is set to 1.1:1 to 3:1. The upstream-side passage region is overlapped with a most downstream-side passage portion of an anode passage with a membrane electrode assembly interposed between the upstream-side passage region and the most downstream-side passage portion.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2015Date of Patent: October 24, 2017Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroya Nakaji, Naohiro Takeshita, Hideki Kubo, Takashi Kondo, Seiji Mizuno, Norishige Konno
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Publication number: 20160248104Abstract: An anode-side separator 120 includes first grooves 202 and second grooves 204 that are formed alternately, by formation of a plurality of pit-and-bump stripes provided by press molding, in a separator central region 121 opposed to a power generation region 112 of a MEGA 110. Terminal first grooves 202t is extended at an upper edge of the separator central region 121 in which the first grooves 202 and the second grooves 204 are formed. The terminal first grooves 202t include a depressed corner recess 202tb made shallower in groove depth in a corner portion of the separator central region 121 on a fuel-gas supply hole side. The depressed corner recess 202tb connects between the second grooves 204 that extend below the terminal first grooves 202t, and the outer edge portion 123.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2014Publication date: August 25, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Norishige KONNO
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Publication number: 20160233522Abstract: An anode-side separator 120 includes first grooves 202 and second grooves 204 that are located alternately in a separator central region 121 opposed to a power generation region 112 of a MEGA 110 by formation of a plurality of pit-and-bump stripes provided by press molding. The first grooves 202 extend in the separator central region 121 on the gas surface side of the anode-side separator 120, while the second grooves 204 extend in the separator central region 121 on the cooling surface side opposite to the as surface side. Terminal first grooves 202t that are first grooves 202 extending on the outer edge portion 123 side outside the separator central region have lower terminal-side rising height Ht than the other first grooves 202 positioned on the separator central region 121 side.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2014Publication date: August 11, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Norishige KONNO
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Publication number: 20160226082Abstract: A separator has a recess-projection shape formed by press working. The separator has one surface as a gas circulation surface and an opposite surface as a cooling surface, the gas circulation surface having a reactive gas flow path including a plurality of reactive gas flow path grooves resulting from the recess-projection shape, the cooling surface having a cooling water flow path including a plurality of cooling water flow path grooves resulting from the recess-projection shape.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2014Publication date: August 4, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Norishige KONNO
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Patent number: 9406920Abstract: A connector includes a housing for holding connector terminals and a side fitting slot located at a side of the housing. The side fitting slot is defined by an arm provided on the housing and receives a mating part to which the connector terminals are connected when the mating part is inserted in the side fitting slot.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2013Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Tyco Electronics Japan G.K.Inventors: Sumiyoshi Furuya, Norishige Konno, Sogo Goto
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Publication number: 20160218374Abstract: A separator to be used in a fuel cell includes a gas flow path including a plurality of gas flow path grooves that allow reactive gas to flow; a gas discharge hole used for discharging the reactive gas from the gas flow path; and an outlet flow path part positioned between the gas discharge hole and the gas flow path and used for flowing the reactive gas discharged from the gas flow path into the gas discharge hole. The plurality of gas flow path grooves includes a coupling flow path part coupled to the outlet flow path part. The coupling flow path part includes tilted gas flow path grooves tilted from a direction of gravitational force. A groove width of the tilted gas flow path groove in the coupling flow path part is set such that a force of a wall surface of the tilted gas flow path groove to retain water by means of a surface tension of the water is larger than a force applied to the water by the gravitational force.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2014Publication date: July 28, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Norishige KONNO, Daisuke KANNO