Abstract: To prevent inflow of liquid water into a power generating portion even if the liquid water remains in a manifold, and to enable size reduction by making constant the contact or surface pressure. According to the present invention, in a fuel cell comprising a power generating section including an electrolyte membrane joined between an anode and a cathode, and a manifold to cause inflow and outflow of an hydrogen containing gas and an oxygen containing gas separately from each other to the anode and cathode; the manifold is formed with an inflow preventing portion to prevent inflow of a liquid water remaining in the manifold, into the power generating portion.

Abstract: A cell system includes a laminated battery, a plurality of battery cells being laminated in the laminated battery, a first switch connected to a positive electrode of the laminated battery and configured to switch connection to the positive electrode to a shut-off state, and a second switch connected to a negative electrode of the laminated battery and configured to switch connection to the negative electrode to a shut-off state. Furthermore, the cell system includes a circuit to be connected at least either between the positive electrode and the first switch or between the negative electrode and the second switch; and a controller configured to shift control timings of the first switch and the second switch from the shut-off state to a connected state according to an electrical capacitance generated between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

Abstract: An impedance measuring device outputs an alternating current of a prescribed frequency to each of a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of a laminated type battery and detects an alternating-current potential difference between the positive electrode terminal and an intermediate-point terminal and an alternating-current potential difference between the negative electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal. The impedance measuring device adjusts an amplitude of the alternating current such that the alternating-current potential difference between the positive electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal and the alternating-current potential difference between the negative electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal coincide, and computes an impedance on the basis of the adjusted alternating current and alternating-current potential differences.

Abstract: An impedance measuring device outputs an alternating current of a prescribed frequency to a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of the laminated type battery. The impedance measuring device detects an alternating-current potential difference between the positive electrode terminal and an intermediate-point terminal, and an alternating-current potential difference between the negative electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal. The impedance measuring device adjusts an amplitude of the alternating current such that the alternating-current potential difference between the positive electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal, and the alternating-current potential difference between the negative electrode terminal and the intermediate-point terminal coincide. The impedance measuring device computes an impedance of the laminated type battery on the basis of the alternating current adjusted and the alternating-current potential difference.

Abstract: Conventional fuel cell systems had the problem of impurity gases flowing back from a buffer tank and a reduction in the voltages of unit cells when the supply pressure of an anode gas is caused to pulsate at startup. An operating method include setting any one of the amplitude and cycle of the pulsation of the supply pressure of the anode gas to a fuel cell stack (FS) in accordance with the permeability of a nitrogen gas from a cathode side to an anode side. The method makes it possible to suppress unnecessary pulsation of the supply pressure of the anode gas at startup, and thus to maintain the concentration of a hydrogen gas in the fuel cell stack (FS) at an optimum level while preventing degradation in the mechanical strength of a membrane electrode structure that constitutes each unit cell (FC) of the fuel cell stack (FS).

Abstract: A fuel cell stack obtained by stacking a plurality of fuel cells has an internal manifold that extends in a stacking direction of the fuel cells to externally discharge a gas used in the fuel cell, and an extension member that adjoins an inner wall surface of the internal manifold and extends in the stacking direction. The extension member is a bar-shaped member provided in an opposite side to a side where a gas from the fuel cells flows to the inside of the internal manifold and has a sloping surface making an acute angle with an inner-wall lower surface of the internal manifold.

Abstract: An anode gas non-recirculation type fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a buffer tank for purging impurity gas included in anode off-gas from the fuel cell stack, an impurity gas concentration detector for detecting impurity gas concentration in the buffer tank, and an anode gas supply unit for supplying anode gas to the fuel cell stack. When pressure-supplying impurity gas in the fuel cell stack to the buffer tank while pulsating a supply pressure by the anode gas supply unit, an activation control is executed by changing, by the anode gas supply unit, at least one of a pulsative pressure and a pulsative cycle of anode gas supply according to impurity gas concentration in the buffer tank. According to the system, it is possible to get adequate hydrogen gas concentration in a fuel cell stack and to remove impurity at its activation.

Abstract: A fuel cell system supplies a fuel cell with an anode gas and a cathode gas, thereby generating electric power. The fuel cell system includes: a control valve for controlling a pressure of the anode gas in the fuel cell; a buffer part for accumulating an anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell; an off-gas discharge passage for connecting the fuel cell and the buffer part with each other; a purge passage connected to the off-gas discharge passage; a purge valve; a purge unit configured to open the purge valve to discharge the gas in the buffer part to an outside of the fuel cell system; and a pressure control unit configured to decrease the pressure of the anode gas in the fuel cell from a first predetermined pressure to a second predetermined pressure, thereby controlling the gas in the buffer part to flow backward to the fuel cell side.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a control valve for controlling the pressure of anode gas to be supplied to a fuel cell, a buffer unit for storing anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell, and a start-up anode gas pressure control unit for feeding inert gas in an anode gas flow passage of the fuel cell under pressure to the buffer unit by controlling the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell when the fuel cell system is started. The start-up anode gas pressure control unit controls the pressure of the anode gas according to a temperature difference between the temperature of the fuel cell and that of the buffer unit.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a coolant circulation passage through which a coolant for cooling a fuel cell circulates; a pump that circulates the coolant; a radiation unit that cools the coolant by discharging heat from the coolant; a bypass passage connected to the coolant circulation passage so as to bypass the radiation unit; and an open/close valve that is provided in a convergence portion where low temperature coolant that has passed through the radiation unit and high temperature coolant that has passed through the bypass passage without passing through the radiation unit converge, and that opens when a temperature of the high temperature coolant reaches or exceeds a predetermined opening temperature, whereby the low temperature coolant and the high temperature coolant converge and are supplied thus to the fuel cell, wherein a basic discharge flow of the pump is calculated in accordance with a condition of the fuel cell, and when the temperature of the low temperature coolant is lower than a predetermin

Abstract: A fuel cell system that generates electric power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell includes a control valve adapted to control the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; a buffer unit adapted to store the anode-off gas to be discharged from the fuel cell; a pulsation operation unit adapted to control the control valve in order to periodically increase and decrease the pressure of the anode gas at a specific width of the pulsation; and a pulsation width correcting unit adapted to correct the width of the pulsation on the basis of the temperature of the buffer unit.

Abstract: The compounds represented fey the following general formula is is thermally stable and has excellent characteristics as a charge transport material [Ar1 represents a single bond, a benzene ring, etc.; X1 represents a linking group that links via an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom or a silicon atom; either one of L1 and L2, and L3 and L4 bond to each other to represent a linking group that links via an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom or a silicon atom; the other of L1 and L2, and L3 and L4 represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent; Y1 represents a linking group that links via a nitrogen atom, a boron atom or a phosphorus atom; R1, R2, R5 to R7 and R10 to R12 represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent; and n1 indicates an integer of 2 or more.].

Abstract: To prevent inflow of liquid water into a power generating portion even if the liquid water remains in a manifold, and to enable size reduction by making constant the contact or surface pressure. S According to the present invention, in a fuel cell comprising a power generating section including an electrolyte membrane joined between an anode and a cathode, and a manifold to cause inflow and outflow of an hydrogen containing gas and an oxygen containing gas separately from each other to the anode and cathode; the manifold is formed with an inflow preventing portion to prevent inflow of a liquid water remaining in the manifold, into the power generating portion.

Abstract: An anode gas non-recirculation type fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a buffer tank for purging impurity gas included in anode off-gas from the fuel cell stack, an impurity gas concentration detector for detecting impurity gas concentration in the buffer tank, and an anode gas supply unit for supplying anode gas to the fuel cell stack. When pressure-supplying impurity gas in the fuel cell stack to the buffer tank while pulsating a supply pressure by the anode gas supply unit, an activation control is executed by changing, by the anode gas supply unit, at least one of a pulsative pressure and a pulsative cycle of anode gas supply according to impurity gas concentration in the buffer tank. According to the system, it is possible to get adequate hydrogen gas concentration in a fuel cell stack and to remove impurity at its activation.

Abstract: Conventional fuel cell systems had the problem of impurity gases flowing back from a buffer tank and a reduction in the voltages of unit cells when the supply pressure of an anode gas is caused to pulsate at startup. An operating method include setting any one of the amplitude and cycle of the pulsation of the supply pressure of the anode gas to a fuel cell stack (FS) in accordance with the permeability of a nitrogen gas from a cathode side to an anode side. The method makes it possible to suppress unnecessary pulsation of the supply pressure of the anode gas at startup, and thus to maintain the concentration of a hydrogen gas in the fuel cell stack (FS) at an optimum level while preventing degradation in the mechanical strength of a membrane electrode structure that constitutes each unit cell (FC) of the fuel cell stack (FS).

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell for causing reactant gas to be electrochemically reacted to generate power, a reactant gas supply path for supplying reactant gas to the fuel cell, a reactant gas recirculation path for recirculating exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell and combining the recirculating exhaust gas with reactant gas flowing through the reactant gas supply path to the fuel cell, and a pump unit disposed in the reactant gas recirculation path to pump the recirculating exhaust gas through the reactant gas recirculation path. A pump-tempering apparatus increases the temperature of the pump unit and a controller controls the pump-tempering apparatus. After the controller receives a fuel cell system stop signal, the controller controls the pump-tempering apparatus such that the temperature of the pump unit becomes higher than the temperature of piping in the reactant gas recirculation path.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a fuel cell for causing reactant gas to be electrochemically reacted to generate power, a reactant gas supply path for supplying reactant gas to the fuel cell, a reactant gas recirculation path for recirculating exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell and combining the recirculating exhaust gas with reactant gas flowing through the reactant gas supply path to the fuel cell, and a pump unit disposed in the reactant gas recirculation path to pump the recirculating exhaust gas through the reactant gas recirculation path. A pump-tempering apparatus increases the temperature of the pump unit and a controller controls the pump-tempering apparatus. After the controller receives a fuel cell system stop signal, the controller controls the pump-tempering apparatus such that the temperature of the pump unit becomes higher than the temperature of piping in the reactant gas recirculation path.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device and a method for manufacturing the same that prevents the reproduction characteristic of an optical image from being affected by diagonal light on a semiconductor substrate surface. A CCD image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, light receiving pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a color filter arranged above the light receiving pixels and including filters transmitting light having different wavelengths. Dummy wires, which shield light that passes through the color filter and which are electrically isolated from clock wires, are arranged at locations corresponding to boundaries of regions, each defining one of the light receiving pixels.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device and a method for manufacturing the same that prevents the reproduction characteristic of an optical image from being affected by diagonal light on a semiconductor substrate surface. A CCD image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, light receiving pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a color filter arranged above the light receiving pixels and including filters transmitting light having different wavelengths. Dummy wires, which shield light that passes through the color filter and which are electrically isolated from clock wires, are arranged at locations corresponding to boundaries of regions, each defining one of the light receiving pixels.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device and a method for manufacturing the same that prevents the reproduction characteristic of an optical image from being affected by diagonal light on a semiconductor substrate surface. A CCD image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, light receiving pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a color filter arranged above the light receiving pixels and including filters transmitting light having different wavelengths. Dummy wires, which shield light that passes through the color filter and which are electrically isolated from clock wires, are arranged at locations corresponding to boundaries of regions, each defining one of the light receiving pixels.