Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell system including a fuel supply control mechanism which is disposed between the fuel tank and the fuel cell and capable of interrupting the supply of the fuel; and a temperature sensor provided to a circuit connecting the fuel supply control mechanism to the fuel cell, for changing a resistance value according to at least one of a temperature of the power generation of the fuel cell and a temperature of an electronic device supplied with electric power from the fuel cell, in which the fuel supply control mechanism is operated by a change in the resistance value of the temperature sensor so that the supply of the fuel is interrupted. The system enables more reliably interrupting a supply of a fuel by a passive structure in a control when a temperature of a power generation portion of a fuel cell exceeds an allowable range.

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell including a fuel cell stack having a fuel cell unit provided with, in order to enable appropriately controlling a wet state before power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced, a polymer electrolyte membrane having one surface thereof provided with an oxidizer electrode and another surface thereof provided with a fuel electrode. In the fuel cell: the fuel cell unit includes plural power generation cell units and a pair of wet state detection cell units; one of the pair of wet state detection cell units includes an excessively humidified state detection cell unit which is more sensitive of an excessively humidified state than the power generation cell units; and another one of the pair of wet state detection cell units includes a dry state detection cell unit which is more sensitive of a dry state than the power generation cell units.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell apparatus in which stable power generation can be performed by achieving both temperature control and humidity control with a simple structure, whereby enabling downsizing of the fuel cell apparatus. The fuel cell apparatus which uses air as an oxidizer includes: a fuel cell stack including multiple fuel cell units laminated to each other; an oxidizer flow path having a first opening portion and a second opening portion at both ends thereof, for supplying the air to the multiple fuel cell units; a manifold for covering at least a part of the first opening portion; a first blowing unit provided to the manifold, for ensuring an air amount required for power generation in the fuel cell stack; and a second blowing unit provided to the manifold, for controlling a humidity state of the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell including a fuel cell unit having a membrane electrode assembly having catalyst layers provided on both surfaces of a polymer electrolyte membrane, the membrane electrode assembly being sandwiched between an oxidizer electrode and a fuel electrode; the fuel cell unit further including a gas diffusion layer laminated on the catalyst layer on a oxidizer electrode side; a flow path forming member provided on the gas diffusion layer; and a support member surrounding a portion where the gas diffusion layer comes into contact with the membrane electrode assembly; the support member being disposed in a position between the flow path forming member and the polymer electrolyte membrane, the position being opposed, with respect to the polymer electrolyte membrane, to a sealing material disposed on a side of the fuel electrode, for sealing the fuel electrode.

Abstract: A fuel cell apparatus includes an electric power generation unit with a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies each having an oxidizer electrode to which an oxidizer is fed and a fuel electrode to which a fuel is fed, the oxidizer electrode and the fuel electrode being arranged through an electrolyte membrane. The plurality of membrane electrode assemblies are stacked through a fuel feed path and an oxidizer feed path. In addition, a fuel storage unit holds the fuel to be fed to the fuel electrode of the electric power generation unit, and a fuel flow path connects the fuel storage unit and the electric power generation unit. The fuel feed path and the oxidizer feed path arranged between the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies are formed by an elastic material.

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell in which produced water can be efficiently conveyed to an upstream region of hydrogen gas flow, thereby quickly increasing the power generation performance of an electrolyte membrane after activation in a short period of time and giving a stable output for a long period of time and in which the directions of hydrogen gas flows in a first and a second fuel supply layers that share one oxygen supply layer are set to be opposite to each other.

Abstract: In order to provide a fuel cell stack which can sufficiently use a current range that can originally be output by a fuel cell unit, and from which high output can be obtained even with a small size, a thickness of an oxygen flow field plate is made large for a fuel cell unit having a relatively high temperature during operation, and the thickness of the oxygen flow field plate is made small for a fuel cell unit having a relatively low temperature during operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell unit having a structure in which vapor is efficiently diffused in a fuel diffusion layer through a region having a reduced diffusion resistance, so that vapor is spread to every corner in a direction along an opening, thereby reducing variation in wetness of a polymer electrolyte membrane. As a result, as compared with a case where there is no region having a reduced diffusion resistance, a proper moistened state is maintained over a wider range of the polymer electrolyte membrane, thereby making it possible to enhance hydrogen ion transfer ability of the polymer electrolyte membrane as a whole.

Abstract: A fuel cell unit is provided which comprises at least one structural member, the structural member comprising two electrolyte/electrode bonded members (14) each comprising a first electrode (13) and a second electrode (12) and an electrolyte membrane (11) disposed between the electrodes, a conductive porous substrate (15) disposed between the two electrolyte/electrode bonded members (14) so as to be in contact with the two first electrodes (13) of the two electrolyte/electrode bonded members, a conductive support member (18) provided on the porous substrate (15) so as to be electrically connected to the porous substrate (15) and the two first electrodes (13), and an electrical connection means (16) for electrically connecting the two second electrodes (12) being not in contact with the porous substrate of the electrolyte/electrode bonded members, and which attains size reduction, has as less wiring as possible, and gives a large electromotive force.

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell system which can prevent the drying of a proton exchange membrane and prevent the generation of liquid droplets at a hydrogen tank surface which blocks the supply of air, at the same time, and which includes a hydrogen tank, a fuel cell stack disposed such that a first air hole thereof faces the hydrogen tank and a second air hole thereof is open to the atmosphere, and a water holding member provided on a surface of the hydrogen tank facing the first air hole of the fuel cell stack, for collecting and holding water generated in the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A fuel cell apparatus includes a fuel cell stack of a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected in series with each other and a controller configured to control the fuel cell stack by using a part of electric power generated by the fuel cell stack. The controller is electrically connected in parallel with at least one of the fuel cells constituting the fuel cell stack, and short-circuit current of the at least one of the fuel cells is larger than that of at least one of the fuel cells constituting the fuel cell stack and not being electrically connected in parallel with the control means. With such a structure, a large electromotive force can be obtained by connecting the fuel cells in series and, simultaneously, the power generation characteristics of each fuel cell can be sufficiently utilized. Thus, the fuel cell apparatus having high power generation density can be provided.

Abstract: There is provided a fuel cell apparatus including: an electric power generation unit including a membrane electrode assembly having an oxidizer electrode to which an oxidizer is fed and a fuel electrode to which a fuel is fed, the oxidizer electrode and the fuel electrode being arranged through an electrolyte membrane; a fuel storage unit for holding the fuel to be fed to the fuel electrode of the electric power generation unit; and a fuel flow path for connecting the fuel storage unit and the electric power generation unit, wherein the fuel flow path has a variable volume. The fuel flow path is provided with a connecting valve and a purge valve, whereby the present invention can provide a small fuel cell apparatus allowing gas replacement in the fuel flow path through a simple method with little fuel consumption, and allowing continuous operation for a long time.

Abstract: In a manufacturing process of an image forming apparatus (electron beam device) using electron emission elements, particularly, surface conduction type electron emission elements, wirings on an electron source substrate on which the wirings and element electrodes are formed are opposite to electrodes for a face plate, and a given voltage is applied between the wirings and the electrodes to thereby generate a discharge phenomenon in advance, thus removing a protrusion or the like. In this way, when an electric field applying process is conducted on the electron source substrate, a factor such as a protrusion in an electron source which induces a discharge phenomenon in driving an electron beam device represented by an image forming apparatus is removed, thus realizing an image forming apparatus excellent in display characteristic with no defective pixel even in image display for a long period of time.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electron-emitting device constructed by a pair of electroconductors which are disposed so as to be opposite to each other on a substrate and a pair of deposited films which are arranged so as to be connected to the pair of electroconductors, which are disposed so as to sandwich a gap, and which contain carbon as a main component. In each of the deposited films, phosphorus is contained in a range of 5 mol percent to 15 mol percent with respect to carbon.

Abstract: There are here disclosed an electron-emitting device, comprising a pair of conductors arranged on a substrate so as to face each other, and a pair of deposited films containing carbon as a main component which are connected to the pair of conductors respectively and which ate arranged putting a gap therebetween, wherein silver is contained in a ratio of 5 mol % to 10 mol % with respect to carbon in the deposited film, an electron source comprising the plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged on a substrate and a wire connected to the electron-emitting devices and an image-forming apparatus comprising the electron source and an image-forming member which performs image formation by the collision of electrons emitted from the electron source.

Abstract: An electron-emitting device includes, a pair of electroconductors disposed on a substrate so as to face each other, and a pair of deposit films connected to the pair of electroconductors, respectively, disposed with a gap therebetween and mainly containing carbon. Lead is contained in the deposit films in a rate of from 1 mol % to 5 mol %% with respect to carbon.

Abstract: When high luminance is obtained by increasing an anode voltage in an image-forming apparatus constructed by anode and cathode substrates, a surface discharge (flash over) is generated between anode electrodes at a generating time of an abnormal discharge and an anode is broken. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, the electric potential of an anode electrode on an anode substrate (51) is set to a uniform electric potential V1 by a first power source (53). Thereafter, the first power source (53) is separated from the anode electrode. Subsequently, the electric potential of one of the anode electrodes arranged in proximity to each other through an insulating face is set to an electric potential V2 by a second power sourced (54) to apply a voltage to a cut-in portion (52) (see FIG. 3C). Thus, a voltage Vc equal to or greater than an electric potential difference Ve generated at the generating time of the abnormal discharge is applied to the cut-in portion (52).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cathode substrate on which an electron emitting device is disposed, and an anode substrate disposed opposite to the cathode substrate. The anode substrate includes an anode electrode including a plurality of conductive films connected in series and arranged to form gaps between neighboring films.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image forming apparatus which can effectively inhibit various damages such as a pixel defect attributed to abnormal discharge, and which is extremely high in reliability. Adjacent sections of a conduction path 8a are electrically insulated from one another via cutouts 3 in a metal back surface 8, and the metal back surface 8 is constituted by the presence of the cutouts 3 to have a single detour-like conduction path 8a electrically interconnected (in series) at a high-voltage extracting section 7 as an end. Specifically, the conduction path 8a preferably has a zigzag or spiral shape. The conduction path 8a constituted in this manner also functions as an inductor and a resistor.

Abstract: A stabilizer for a magnetic tape includes a roller, a weight, and a holder for supporting the weight. The stabilizer may be located within a small space in the vicinity of a rotary head drum provided in a VTR and attenuates longitudinal vibration of the magnetic tape just before the position at which the tape contacts the periphery of a rotary head drum mounted in a VTR. The roller has the weight on its upper end and is positioned so as to keep in contact with the tape so as to absorb longitudinal vibration thereof and thereby provide a high quality jitter free picture.