Patents by Inventor Masanori Suehiro

Masanori Suehiro 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).

  • Patent number: 10886545
    Abstract: A fuel cell module includes: a housing; a cell stack; a reformer; and an oxygen-containing gas supply section. The cell stack comprises fuel cells which are arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction, and is housed in the housing. The reformer is disposed above the cell stack in the housing. The oxygen-containing gas supply section is disposed along the predetermined arrangement direction of the fuel cells so as to face the cell stack and the reformer, and has a gas flow channel through which an oxygen-containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell flows downwardly. Moreover, in the oxygen-containing gas supply section, the gas flow channel has a first region and a second region which is greater than the first region in flow channel width in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which an oxygen-containing gas flows, and the predetermined arrangement direction of the fuel cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Suehiro, Eizo Matsui, Tomoyuki Oda
  • Patent number: 10724144
    Abstract: A module of the present invention is formed by housing, in a housing container, a cell stack device that includes cell stacks comprising an arrangement of a plurality of cells. The housing container includes a housing chamber that houses the cell stack device; a first gas introduction section provided in a lower portion of the housing chamber and configured to introduce a first gas supplied into the housing chamber; and a first gas circulation section provided on a side of the housing chamber and connected to the first gas introduction section. The width of the first gas circulation section is narrower than the width of the first gas introduction section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Oda, Eizou Matsui, Takashi Ono, Masanori Suehiro
  • Publication number: 20190027764
    Abstract: A fuel cell module includes: a housing; a cell stack; a reformer; and an oxygen-containing gas supply section. The cell stack comprises fuel cells which are arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction, and is housed in the housing. The reformer is disposed above the cell stack in the housing. The oxygen-containing gas supply section is disposed along the predetermined arrangement direction of the fuel cells so as to face the cell stack and the reformer, and has a gas flow channel through which an oxygen-containing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell flows downwardly. Moreover, in the oxygen-containing gas supply section, the gas flow channel has a first region and a second region which is greater than the first region in flow channel width in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which an oxygen-containing gas flows, and the predetermined arrangement direction of the fuel cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Masanori Suehiro, Eizo Matsui, Tomoyuki Oda
  • Publication number: 20180287176
    Abstract: A fuel cell reformer includes a vaporizing section which vaporizes water into steam; a reforming section which generates a reformed gas by reacting the steam vaporized by the vaporizing section with raw fuel; and a water supply tube constituted so as to extend into the vaporizing section, the water supply tube having a peripheral wall portion, an upper part of the peripheral wall portion being provided with water discharge holes for discharging water inside the vaporizing section to generate a reformed gas by reacting raw fuel with steam. With this constitution, it is possible to improve power generation efficiency or electrolysis efficiency. Also, a fuel cell module and a fuel cell apparatus include the fuel cell reformer and achieve the same effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori SUEHIRO, Masato SUZUKI, Tomoyuki ODA, Yuuta HARA, Nobuhiro KOBAYASHI, Noriko OOHI
  • Publication number: 20180248211
    Abstract: A fuel cell module includes: a housing; cell stacks; a reformer; a gas supply section which supplies an oxygen-containing gas; heat insulators; and a burning section. The cell stacks are disposed in juxtaposition and each comprise fuel cells which are arranged along a predetermined arrangement direction. The reformer is disposed above the cell stacks. The gas supply section is disposed between the adjacent cell stacks. The heat insulators are disposed on both end sides in an arrangement direction of the cell stacks so that the cell stacks are sandwiched between the heat insulators. The burning section lies in corresponding one of spaces each located between the cell stacks and the reformer. The fuel cell module further comprises a communicating portion which communicates between the adjacent spaces, the communicating portion being disposed in at least one end of each of the cell stacks in the predetermined arrangement direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Masanori Suehiro, Naoki Kawabata, Tomoyuki Oda
  • Patent number: 9941537
    Abstract: Problem: To provide a fuel cell module and a fuel cell device with improved power output. Resolution means: A fuel cell module (27) according to the present invention includes: a housing (2); a plurality of cell stack devices (1) arranged inside the housing (2), each cell stack device (1) including a cell stack (3) in which a plurality of fuel cells (2) that generate power using fuel gas and oxygen-containing gas are arranged; and exhaust gas discharge paths (39, 40) formed between the cell stack devices (1) for discharging the exhaust gas from the fuel cells. Consequently, the exhaust gases can be efficiently discharged, thereby improving the power output. A fuel cell device (52) can have improved power output by being provided with the above-described fuel cell module (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Murase, Tomoyuki Oda, Masanori Suehiro
  • Publication number: 20170350025
    Abstract: A module of the present invention is formed by housing, in a housing container, a cell stack device that includes cell stacks comprising an arrangement of a plurality of cells. The housing container includes a housing chamber that houses the cell stack device; a first gas introduction section provided in a lower portion of the housing chamber and configured to introduce a first gas supplied into the housing chamber; and a first gas circulation section provided on a side of the housing chamber and connected to the first gas introduction section. The width of the first gas circulation section is narrower than the width of the first gas introduction section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Oda, Eizou Matsui, Takashi Ono, Masanori Suehiro
  • Publication number: 20160087296
    Abstract: Problem: To provide a fuel cell module and a fuel cell device with improved power output. Resolution means: A fuel cell module (27) according to the present invention includes: a housing (2); a plurality of cell stack devices (1) arranged inside the housing (2), each cell stack device (1) including a cell stack (3) in which a plurality of fuel cells (2) that generate power using fuel gas and oxygen-containing gas are arranged; and exhaust gas discharge paths (39, 40) formed between the cell stack devices (1) for discharging the exhaust gas from the fuel cells. Consequently, the exhaust gases can be efficiently discharged, thereby improving the power output. A fuel cell device (52) can have improved power output by being provided with the above-described fuel cell module (27).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Inventors: Koji MURASE, Tomoyuki ODA, Masanori SUEHIRO
  • Patent number: 8097371
    Abstract: A hydrogen generator comprises a reformer which generates a hydrogen-containing gas from a steam and a material gas, a first gas supply device which supplies the material gas, a combustor which combusts an exhaust gas exhausted from the reformer to heat the reformer, a combustion air supply device which supplies air to the combustor, a second gas supply device which supplies another gas different from the material gas to the reformer or to a passage connecting the reformer to the combustor, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the combustion air supply device to increase an amount of the air supplied to the combustor (S103), in association with start of supply of the another gas from the second gas supply device (S104), in a state where the material gas is supplied from the first gas supply device to the reformer and the exhaust gas is combusted in the combustor (S101).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Suehiro, Hideo Ohara, Masataka Ozeki, Kiyoshi Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20090280363
    Abstract: A hydrogen generator comprises a reformer which generates a hydrogen-containing gas from a steam and a material gas, a first gas supply device which supplies the material gas, a combustor which combusts an exhaust gas exhausted from the reformer to heat the reformer, a combustion air supply device which supplies air to the combustor, a second gas supply device which supplies another gas different from the material gas to the reformer or to a passage connecting the reformer to the combustor, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the combustion air supply device to increase an amount of the air supplied to the combustor (S103), in association with start of supply of the another gas from the second gas supply device (S104), in a state where the material gas is supplied from the first gas supply device to the reformer and the exhaust gas is combusted in the combustor (S101).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: Masanori Suehiro, Hideo Ohara, Masataka Ozeki, Kiyoshi Taguchi