Abstract: A cell assembly is formed by stacking a first cell and a second cell. In the cell assembly, oxygen-containing gas flow passages are connected in series by an intermediate oxygen-containing gas flow passage, and fuel gas flow passages are connected in series by an intermediate fuel gas flow passage. An additional oxygen-containing gas is supplied to an oxygen-containing gas passage which includes the intermediate oxygen-containing gas flow passage. An additional fuel gas is supplied to a fuel gas passage which includes the intermediate fuel gas flow passage.

Abstract: One of male and female connectors (2, 3), which are to be fitted together, is provided with a high-speed connector-disengaging unit (4) for increasing the connector-disengaging speed, utilizing a resilient force produced by a resilient deformation. More specifically, one of the male and female connectors, which are to be fitted together, includes a connector housing (6), a slider (13) for sliding relative to the connector housing 6 in a connector disengaging direction during a connector disengaging operation, and a coil spring (resilient member) (14) which is interposed between the connector housing and the slider, and is resiliently deformed to produce the resilient force when the slider is slid.

Abstract: A cell voltage measuring device for a fuel cell includes a terminal member to be connected to a separator of the fuel cell, the terminal member including a first end and a second end, and a voltage measuring unit which measures cell voltage of the fuel cell through the terminal member. The first end of the terminal member is fixed to the voltage measuring unit, and the second end of the terminal member makes contact with the separator, and an elastic portion is provided between the first end and the second end of the terminal member. The cell voltage measuring device may further includes a holder member which is capable of maintaining a state in which the second end of the terminal member is separated from each other, and the holder member is movably attached in a stacking direction of the separator with respect to the voltage measuring unit.

Abstract: A cell voltage detector for fuel cell comprising terminals adapted to be brought into abutment with output terminals of separators for a stack, a voltage detecting unit for detecting the cell voltage of the stack through the terminals, a terminal holder for holding one end of the respective terminals and permitting the abutment of the terminals with the output terminals of the separators via a terminal opening opened in a fuel cell cover for encompassing the stack, the terminal holder having a leg portion adapted to be brought into abutment with the periphery of the terminal opening and a terminal cover retained onto the fuel cell cover, so that the terminal cover is brought into abutment with a head portion of the terminal holder on an inner surface thereof and covers the periphery of the terminal opening.

Abstract: An electrification preventing is disclosed in which granular and/or powdered Si or SiOx (0<x<2) which is charged with negative static electricity (negatively-ionized) is sealed in a glass container. The glass container that is placed in a body adjacent an area where the desired effect is to be achieved. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the glass container is embedded in the ground. The glass container, such as a tube, contains a negatively charged material such as Si/SiOx, the purpose of which is to interrupt stray electrical current in the body and thereby reduce positive static electricity in the environment.

Abstract: In order to provide an membrane electrode assembly having an electrolyte membrane in which bending and warping of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane are prevented so as to facilitate the handling ability, in the membrane electrode assembly having an electrolyte membrane comprising a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and a pair of gas diffusion electrodes which are disposed on both sides of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, a flat surface having the same size as the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is formed by disposing a frame-shaped seal member on an outer surface of the gas diffusion electrode, and the flat surface closely contacts to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane so as to be able to cover and support the solid polymer electrolyte membrane.

Abstract: A first unit cell of a fuel cell stack has a first joint body sandwiched between a first separator and a second separator. The second separator has a first metal sheet having a region where grooves and ridges alternate with each other and a second metal sheet having a region where grooves and ridges alternate with each other, and a leaf spring interposed between the first and second metal sheets. The leaf spring is held against crests of the ridges of the first and second metal sheets. The grooves of the first metal sheet face the ridges of the second metal sheet across the leaf spring, and the ridges of the first metal sheet face the grooves of the second metal sheet across the leaf spring.

Abstract: A cell stack, in which a plurality of cell units are stacked, is accommodated in a case which has a bottom plate, a first side plate, a second side plate, and a ceiling plate. End plates are arranged at both open ends of the case. The case and the end plates are connected to one another by a hinge mechanism in which pins are engaged into through-holes of tab sections to provide a fuel cell stack.

Abstract: The fuel cell of the present invention comprises: a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane held between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode; an anode side separator and a cathode side separator clamping the membrane electrode assembly; an oxidant gas channel provided on the cathode side separator, the oxidant gas channel starting from an oxidant gas channel inlet and reaching an oxidant gas channel outlet, the oxidant gas channel having a U-shape comprising a first route, a turning portion, and a second returning route; and a fuel gas channel provided on the anode side separator, the fuel gas channel starting from a fuel gas channel inlet and reaching a fuel gas channel outlet, the fuel gas channel having a U-shape comprising a first route, a turning portion, and a second returning route.

Abstract: A fuel cell is provided wherein the production of a separator is easy and a reactant gas channel thereof can be easily arranged. The fuel cell is constituted by clamping an electrolyte membrane electrode assembly provided with an anode and a cathode at opposite positions on both sides of an electrolyte membrane, by a pair of separators via a sealing member. A part of a reactant gas channel formed between the electrolyte membrane electrode assembly and the cathode side separator is formed seamlessly by extended portions of the sealing member.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly having a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode side diffusion electrode and a cathode side diffusion electrode located at both sides of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and a pair of separators which holds the membrane electrode assembly. The fuel cell also includes a first seal and a second seal. The first seal is disposed between one of the separators and a periphery portion of whichever of the anode side diffusion electrode and the cathode side diffusion electrode has the larger surface area so as to surround whichever of the anode side diffusion electrode and the cathode side diffusion electrode has the smaller surface area. The second seal is disposed between the separators so as to surround whichever of the anode side diffusion electrode and the cathode side diffusion electrode has the larger surface area.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus for appropriately providing a driver with necessary information without offering an excessive amount of information. When there are a plurality of information to be provided to a driver, the navigation apparatus selects information having a high priority in accordance with a predetermined priority order (PR or RK in FIG. 6) and offers the selected information to the driver in the selected order.

Abstract: The material for inverting static electricity (or static electricity inverting material) of the present invention contains Si or SiOx (0<x<2) on the surfaces or inside of a base material. The Si or SiOx may be directly vapor-deposited on the base material. Or a silicon sheet prepared from a raw material of Si or SiOx may be attached to the base material. Furthermore, in the case where the static electricity inverting material contains the Si or SiOx thereinside, the Si or SiOx may be sandwiched or mixed in the base material. Moreover, the base material may be singly composed of the Si or SiOx. The invention provides also a method for removing static electricity by covering the surface of a static electricity producing body partly or totally with the static electricity inverting material, alternately, by covering a space accommodating a static electricity receiving body which is electrically charged through connection with the external space with the static electricity inverting material.

Abstract: A combination of a main navigation apparatus 2 which is fixed to the vehicle and a sub-navigation apparatus 3 which is detachable from the vehicle. When the sub-navigation apparatus 3 is attached, map information and current position information is displayed on a main display 25 under control of a sub-control unit 1, and state of the vehicle is displayed on a sub-display 33. When detaching the sub-navigation apparatus 3 from the vehicle, area map information necessary for waking outside of the vehicle is transmitted from an on-vehicle database 22 to a RAM 32. When the sub-navigation apparatus is detached from the vehicle, if the operation switch 36 is turned on, either the sub-display 33 or a speaker 34 is operated by an sub-navigation unit in a saving power control mode in which either the sub-display 33 or the speaker 34 is operated only for a predetermined period of time since the operation switch 36 is turned on.

Abstract: The communication state is evaluated on the basis of the current positions, velocities, and moving directions included in information obtained from another mobile station by radio communications and information of the own mobile station, and the electric field strength Bi of the radio communications (S31 to S34). When the obtained evaluation value is smaller than the relative distance Li between the mobile stations (S35), processing for generating a message in the own mobile station is done in correspondence with the current position (S36 to S42), or processing for generating a message in the other mobile station is done in correspondence with the direction the other mobile station is traveling (S43 to S48).

Abstract: A plant activator which is strip-shaped, and includes a silicon layer provided on one or both surfaces of the base sheet or within a base sheet and containing Si or SiO.sub.X (0<X <2) as a main component, wherein the silicon layer is provided by vapor-deposition or bonded by an adhesive. The plant activator is hung on or near the plants.

Abstract: A user inputs voice through a voice recognition program, a microphone and an A/D converter while pointing by use of a pointing gesture, touch pen or the like with reference to an image displayed on a display unit. For the result of recognition of the inputted voice, a processing or display indicated by a candidate having the first rank of reliability of recognition is performed and an indication showing a plurality of candidates having the second rank and the lower ranks than that is displayed in a menu form on a display screen.

Abstract: A cleaning of a plasma chamber is done by a NF.sub.3 plasma treatment (typically under 1 to 1.5 Torr). The etching rate of an oxide layer can be improved by inserting, between the NF.sub.3 plasma treatments, a low pressure (lower than 10.sup.-1 Torr) plasma treatment preferably in a plasma of oxygen, water vapor, silane, fluorine, a hydrate compound, nitrogen trifluoride, or a mixture of nitrogen trifluoride with at least one of hydrogen fluoride, fluorine, water vapor and hydride compounds.

Abstract: A welded metal container for a sheath 1 or 1A of gas insulated switch gear comprises a trunk pipe 2, 21 and a branch pipes 3, 31, 32 welded to the trunk pipe 2,21 by arc welding A or laser beam welding LB and flanges welded to the each end portion of the trunk pipe 2, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32 by the laser beam welding. After the arc welding A, the ends of trunk pipe 1, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32 are machined precisely and flanges 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4f and 4g are welded to the end portions of the trunk pipe 2, 21 and branch pipes 3, 31, 32.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a welded metal container by first arc welding a branch pipe to a trunk pipe. The arc welding of the pipes together causes both of the pipes to be thermally deformed. The end surfaces of the pipes are then cut by a laser cutting or mechanical cutting process so that the ends of the trunk pipe are in parallel and perpendicular to the end of the branch pipe. Subsequently flanges are laser welded to the ends of the pipes without further thermally deforming the pipes. The metal container made by this process can be used as a sheath for a gas insulated switch gear.