Patents by Inventor Naoki Hara
Naoki Hara 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: 20070015033Abstract: A single cell for a solid oxide fuel cell, in which a solid electrolyte layer is sandwiched by an upper electrode layer and a lower electrode layer. This single cell includes a substrate having openings and an insulating and stress absorbing layer stacked on an upper surface of this substrate. The solid electrolyte layer is formed on an upper surface of the insulating and stress absorbing layer so as to cover the openings, the upper electrode layer is stacked on an upper surface of the solid electrolyte layer, and the lower electrode layer is coated on a lower surface of the solid electrolyte layer via the openings from a lower surface of the substrate. A cell plate, in which these single cells are disposed two-dimensionally on a common substrate. Furthermore, a solid oxide fuel cell, in which these cell plates and plate-shaped separators including gas passages on both surfaces thereof are alternately stacked.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2006Publication date: January 18, 2007Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Sato, Naoki Hara, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Masaharu Hatano, Makoto Uchiyama, Itaru Shibata, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa
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Patent number: 7157169Abstract: A fuel cell of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack (1) for being formed by stacking a plurality of cell plates (2) having a flat shape, the cell plates (2) being configured by arranging a plurality of cells, the cell having an electrolyte layer (2a), a fuel electrode layer (2b) and an air electrode layer (2c). A combustion heater plate (3) includes a porous combustion plate (3a) and a gas non-pass layer (3b) covering a surface of the porous combustion plate (3a). The combustion heater plate (3) is disposed between the cell plates (2).Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2002Date of Patent: January 2, 2007Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Masaharu Hatano, Itaru Shibata, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Dong Song, Yoshiko Hishitani, Fuminori Satou, Makoto Uchiyama, Mitsugu Yamanaka
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Publication number: 20060269822Abstract: A solid electrolyte fuel cell plate structure includes a cell element layer composed of a solid electrolyte, an air electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer, a porous base body supporting the cell element layer, and a gas-impermeable member having electric conductivity. The cell element layer is arranged such that the solid electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the air electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, with the air electrode layer or the fuel electrode layer being joined to the porous base body. The gas-impermeable member is associated with the solid electrolyte layer to allow gas internally passing through the porous base body to be separated from gas flowing outside the porous base body. Such a cell plate structure can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell stack, which in turn can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell electric power generation unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2006Publication date: November 30, 2006Inventors: Masaharu Hatano, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Fuminori Satou, Itaru Shibata, Keiko Kushibiki, Naoki Hara, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Makoto Uchiyama
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Patent number: 7122268Abstract: A solid electrolyte fuel cell plate structure includes a cell element layer composed of a solid electrolyte, an air electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer, a porous base body supporting the cell element layer, and a gas-impermeable member having electric conductivity. The cell element layer is arranged such that the solid electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the air electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, with the air electrode layer or the fuel electrode layer being joined to the porous base body. The gas-impermeable member is associated with the solid electrolyte layer to allow gas internally passing through the porous base body to be separated from gas flowing outside the porous base body. Such a cell plate structure can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell stack, which in turn can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell electric power generation unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2002Date of Patent: October 17, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masaharu Hatano, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Fuminori Satou, Itaru Shibata, Keiko Kushibiki, Naoki Hara, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Makoto Uchiyama
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Patent number: 7122265Abstract: A single cell for a solid oxide fuel cell, in which a solid electrolyte layer is sandwiched by an upper electrode layer and a lower electrode layer. This single cell includes a substrate having openings and an insulating and stress absorbing layer stacked on an upper surface of this substrate. The solid electrolyte layer is formed on an upper surface of the insulating and stress absorbing layer so as to cover the openings, the upper electrode layer is stacked on an upper surface of the solid electrolyte layer, and the lower electrode layer is coated on a lower surface of the solid electrolyte layer via the openings from a lower surface of the substrate. A cell plate, in which these single cells are disposed two-dimensionally on a common substrate. Furthermore, a solid oxide fuel cell, in which these cell plates and plate-shaped separators including gas passages on both surfaces thereof are alternately stacked.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2001Date of Patent: October 17, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Sato, Naoki Hara, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Masaharu Hatano, Makoto Uchiyama, Itaru Shibata, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa
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Patent number: 7108932Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell (9), an exhaust gas circulation passage (10) which circulates part of the exhaust gas from the fuel cell (9) back to the fuel cell (9), a fuel injector (3) which injects liquid fuel into the circulated exhaust gas, and a vaporizer (4) which vaporizes the injected fuel. The fuel cell system has a high response, as the liquid fuel injected into the exhaust gas rapidly vaporizes.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2002Date of Patent: September 19, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yasukazu Iwasaki, Naoki Hara
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Patent number: 7074513Abstract: A unit cell for a solid electrolyte type fuel cell is provided with a fuel electrode, an air electrode making a pair with the fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte interposed between the fuel electrode and the air electrode, a porous metallic base body disposed on at lease one of a surface of the fuel electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte and a surface of the air electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte such that the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, and a plurality of concave portions formed in the porous metallic base body so as to extend, in a laminating direction in which the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, the air electrode and the porous metallic base body are laminated, from a surface of the porous metallic base body.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2002Date of Patent: July 11, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Itaru Shibata, Masaharu Hatano, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Dong Song, Yoshiko Hishitani, Fuminori Satou, Keiko Kushibiki, Makoto Uchiyama, Mitsugu Yamanaka
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Patent number: 7045243Abstract: A cell plate structure for a fuel cell is provided with a porous substrate, a lower electrode layer formed on the porous substrate, an upper electrode layer opposed to the lower electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer having a layer element placed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer and composed of a plurality of divided electrolyte regions, a gas impermeable layer correspondingly covering an area where the solid electrolyte layer is absent on the porous substrate or on the lower electrode layer. The gas impermeable layer separates gas passing inside the porous substrate and gas passing outside the porous substrate. Such a cell plate structure is suited for use in a solid electrolyte type fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2002Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Satou, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Masaharu Hatano, Naoki Hara, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Itaru Shibata, Makoto Uchiyama
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Publication number: 20060051637Abstract: A fuel cell system is provided with a fuel cell (12) having a fuel electrode (19) supplied with fuel gas and an air electrode (16) supplied with oxidizer gas, a carbon dioxide separator (15, 52, 71) separating carbon dioxide from anode exhaust gas (25) expelled from the fuel electrode of the fuel cell, and a fuel vaporizer (13, 58) producing fuel gas by injecting fuel into anode exhaust gas, whose carbon dioxide is separated in the carbon dioxide separator and which is expelled from the carbon dioxide separator. Fuel gas produced in the fuel vaporizer is supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 16, 2004Publication date: March 9, 2006Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Yasushi Nakajima, Naoki Hara
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Patent number: 6969565Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell stack in which first and second cell plates are alternately stacked. The first cell plates comprises a substrate having a plurality of opening portions, a groove which extends through the plurality of opening portions formed on a lower surface of the substrate, a solid electrolyte layer which covers the opening portion formed on an upper surface of the substrate, a fuel electrode layer which covers the opening portions formed on the solid electrolyte layer, and an air electrode layer formed on the lower surface of the substrate so as to extend along the opening portions and the groove. The second cell plates has a structure in which the air electrode layer is replaced with the fuel electrode layer in the first cell plate. In this fuel cell stack, the air electrode layer of the first cell plate faces the air electrode layer of the second cell plate, and the fuel electrode layer of the first cell plate faces the fuel electrode layer of the second cell plate.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2001Date of Patent: November 29, 2005Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Sato, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Makoto Uchiyama, Masaharu Hatano
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Publication number: 20050186466Abstract: A single cell for a fuel cell in which an air electrode or a fuel electrode includes at least two layers. The air electrode includes an adhering cathode layer formed on one surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the air electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting cathode layer formed on the adhering cathode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function of the air electrode. Alternatively, the fuel electrode includes an adhering anode layer formed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the fuel electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting anode layer formed on the adhering anode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2005Publication date: August 25, 2005Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Itaru Shibata, Tatsuo Sugiyama, Masaharu Hatano, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Makoto Uchiyama, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Satou
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Patent number: 6926852Abstract: A cell plate structure for a solid oxide electrolyte type fuel cell is provided with a lower electrode layer, an upper electrode layer provided in opposition to the lower electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer provided between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, and an area provided in at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer. The area has a portion which is formed by removing a substance, contained in the at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer during formation thereof, after the at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer has been formed. Such a fuel cell plate structure can be applied to a solid electrolyte fuel cell representatively by being disposed between a pair of separators that have gas flow passages supplying the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer with gasses, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2002Date of Patent: August 9, 2005Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Fuminori Satou, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Makoto Uchiyama, Masaharu Hatano, Keiko Kushibiki, Naoki Hara, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Itaru Shibata
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Patent number: 6896989Abstract: An SOFC is provided with an oxidizing electrode layer, a reducing electrode layer opposite to the oxidizing electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer between the oxidizing electrode layer and the reducing electrode layer, and an alternating laminated structural section between the oxidizing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer or between the reducing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer. The alternating laminated structural section has a first thin film layer including a material of corresponding one of the electrode layers and a second thin film layer having a phase including the material of the corresponding one of the electrode layers and that of the solid electrolyte layer. The first thin film layer and the second thin film layer are alternately laminated.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2002Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Fuminori Satou, Masaharu Hatano, Keiko Kushibiki, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Itaru Shibata, Makoto Uchiyama
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Patent number: 6893760Abstract: A single cell for a fuel cell in which an air electrode or a fuel electrode includes at least two layers. The air electrode includes an adhering cathode layer formed on one surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the air electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting cathode layer formed on the adhering cathode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function of the air electrode. Alternatively, the fuel electrode includes an adhering anode layer formed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the fuel electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting anode layer formed on the adhering anode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2002Date of Patent: May 17, 2005Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Itaru Shibata, Tatsuo Sugiyama, Masaharu Hatano, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Makoto Uchiyama, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Keiko Kushibiki, Fuminori Satou
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Patent number: 6849354Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) contains a first solid electrolyte layer of LaGa-based perovskite, an air electrode, a fuel electrode and a second solid electrolyte layer (having a hole transport number smaller than that of the first solid electrolyte layer), which is provided between the first solid electrolyte layer and an air electrode. Also, another SOFC contains a first solid electrolyte layer of LaGa-based perovskite, an air electrode, a fuel electrode and a third solid electrolyte layer (having electron and proton conductivity lower than that of the first solid electrolyte layer), which is provided between the first solid electrolyte layer and the fuel electrode. Still another SOFC contains the second solid electrolyte layer provided between a first solid electrolyte layer and an air electrode and the third solid electrolyte layer provided between the first solid electrolyte layer and a fuel electrode.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2001Date of Patent: February 1, 2005Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Fumio Munakata, Yasukazu Iwasaki
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Publication number: 20030207166Abstract: A cell body for a fuel cell comprises a metal support and an electrolyte layer and an air electrode layer. The electrolyte layer and the air electrode layer are formed on the metal support. A concave portion is formed in an arbitrary pattern on the metal support, and the bottom of the concave portion is made to be porous.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2003Publication date: November 6, 2003Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Itaru Shibata, Makoto Uchiyama
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Publication number: 20030104268Abstract: A unit cell for a solid electrolyte type fuel cell is provided with a fuel electrode, an air electrode making a pair with the fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte interposed between the fuel electrode and the air electrode, a porous metallic base body disposed on at lease one of a surface of the fuel electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte and a surface of the air electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte such that the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, and a plurality of concave portions formed in the porous metallic base body so as to extend, in a laminating direction in which the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, the air electrode and the porous metallic base body are laminated, from a surface of the porous metallic base body.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2002Publication date: June 5, 2003Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Itaru Shibata, Masaharu Hatano, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Dong Song, Yoshiko Hishitani, Fuminori Satou, Keiko Kushibiki, Makoto Uchiyama, Mitsugu Yamanaka
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Publication number: 20030082423Abstract: A fuel cell of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack (1) for being formed by stacking a plurality of cell plates (2) having a flat shape, the cell plates (2) being configured by arranging a plurality of cells, the cell having an electrolyte layer (2a), a fuel electrode layer (2b) and an air electrode layer (2c). A combustion heater plate (3) includes a porous combustion plate (3a) and a gas non-pass layer (3b) covering a surface of the porous combustion plate (3a). The combustion heater plate (3) is disposed between the cell plates (2).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2002Publication date: May 1, 2003Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiko Kushibiki, Masaharu Hatano, Itaru Shibata, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Naoki Hara, Dong Song, Yoshiko Hishitani, Fuminori Satou, Makoto Uchiyama, Mitsugu Yamanaka
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Publication number: 20030077504Abstract: This unit cell for a fuel cell is formed by laminating a fuel electrode (3), a solid electrolyte (2) and an air electrode (1) on a porous base material (4). The porous base material (4) has a plurality of fine pores (5) through which fuel gas can flow and has a reforming catalysis. The unit cells for the fuel cell are coupled and integrated two-dimensionally to make a stack for the fuel cell, and thus a solid oxide fuel cell having this stack as a power generating element is formed.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2002Publication date: April 24, 2003Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Keiko Kushibiki, Makoto Uchiyama, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Fuminori Satou, Dong Song, Yoshiko Hishitani, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Masaharu Hatano, Itaru Shibata
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Publication number: 20030044667Abstract: An SOFC is provided with an oxidizing electrode layer, a reducing electrode layer opposite to the oxidizing electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer between the oxidizing electrode layer and the reducing electrode layer, and an alternating laminated structural section between the oxidizing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer or between the reducing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer. The alternating laminated structural section has a first thin film layer including a material of corresponding one of the electrode layers and a second thin film layer having a phase including the material of the corresponding one of the electrode layers and that of the solid electrolyte layer. The fist thin film layer and the second thin film layer are alternately laminated. The second thin film layer may have a coefficient of thermal expansion with a value between that of thermal expansion of the corresponding one of the electrode layers or a value equivalent to that of the solid electrolyte layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2002Publication date: March 6, 2003Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Hara, Mitsugu Yamanaka, Fuminori Satou, Masaharu Hatano, Keiko Kushibiki, Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa, Itaru Shibata, Makoto Uchiyama