Fuel Cell and Fuel Cell Stack

• US 20090029230A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shirahama, Junichi
• Application Number:
  US11/918,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20090029230A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/404
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0247 characterised by the form characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0263 having meandering or serpentine paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0267 having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0273 with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04313 characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/242 comprising framed electrodes or intermediary frame-like gaskets H01M8/2425, H01M8/244 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2465 Details of groupings of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2483 characterised by internal manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell stack is prepared by laminating multiple fuel cells. Each fuel cell has a first separator, a first resin frame, a second resin frame, and a second separator arranged in this sequence. A membrane electrode assembly or MEA is held between the two resin frames. A layered structure of the two resin frames and seal layers forms an inter-separator inclusion. In the fuel cell, a barcode is provided on an exposed outer surface of the inter-separator inclusion, which has a greater thickness than those of the respective separators. This arrangement enables the barcode to be readily provided and scanned, regardless of the thicknesses and the materials of the respective separators.

Claims

1. A fuel cell, comprising:

a pair of separators;

an inter-separator inclusion that is interposed between the pair of separators; and

an information recording element that is provided in the inter-separator inclusion and records information on the fuel cell.

2. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a greater thickness than those of the separators.

3. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a greater flexibility than those of the separators.

4. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the information recording element is set on an outer exposed surface of the inter-separator inclusion.

5. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 4, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a frame member keeping a membrane electrode assembly, and the exposed surface includes at least a side face of the frame member.

6. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 4, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a seal member arranged along an outer circumference of the inter-separator inclusion, and the exposed surface includes at least a side face of the seal member.

7. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the information recording element is embedded in the inter-separator inclusion.

8. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a frame member keeping a membrane electrode assembly, and the information recording element is embedded in the frame member.

9. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inter-separator inclusion has a seal member arranged along an outer circumference of the inter-separator inclusion, and the information recording element is embedded in the seal member.

10. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the information recording element records information visually recognizable by the human or information scannable in any of optical, magnetic, electric, and mechanical ways.

11. The fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pair of separators are made of thin metal plates.

12. A fuel cell stack that is prepared by laminating multiple fuel cells,

wherein the multiple fuel cells include at least one fuel cell in accordance with claim 1.

13. A fuel cell stack that is prepared by laminating multiple fuel cells,

wherein the multiple fuel cells include two adjacent fuel cells in accordance with claim 1, and the respective information recording elements of the two adjacent fuel cells are separated by at least the separators of the two adjacent fuel cells.