11/2/2010
7,824,817
Fuel cell
Ishikawa and Sugiura of Honda Motor, Japan, developed a power generation cell of a fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, and a first separator and a second separator sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly. First supply holes, first discharge holes, second supply holes and second discharge holes extend through the membrane electrode assembly in a stacking direction. The first supply holes connect a fuel gas supply passage and a fuel gas flow field. The first discharge holes connect a fuel gas discharge passage and the fuel gas flow field. The second supply holes connect an oxygen-containing gas supply passage and an oxygen-containing gas flow field. The second discharge holes connect an oxygen-containing gas discharge passage and the oxygen-containing gas flow field.  (RDC 3/2/2011)

7,824,816
Fuel cell system
Lee and Choi of Samsung, South Korea  developed a fuel cell system including: a fuel cell unit; a fuel cartridge; and a fuel actuator that is disposed between the fuel cartridge and the fuel cell unit, to control the fuel supply from the fuel cartridge to the fuel cell unit. The fuel cell unit comprises: a stack including unit cells oriented in parallel to one another; a phase change layer disposed adjacent to the stack and having a length perpendicular to the parallel orientation of the unit cells; a fuel diffusion layer disposed on the phase change layer.  (RDC 3/2/2011)

7,824,815
Fuel cell system
Yamazaki et al of Toyota, Japan, has developed a fuel cell system including an intake pipe for an oxidizing gas and an exhaust pipe for exhaust gas from an oxygen electrode side.  The fuel cell system has a circulating pipe  that connects the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe, a circulating valve  that is provided in the circulating pipe and operated to adjust a flow rate of the exhaust gas supplied from the exhaust pipe  to the intake pipe, and a pressure generating member that is provided in the exhaust pipe at a position at which the circulating pipe and the exhaust pipe  are joined and generates a pressure that is higher than at least an atmospheric pressure. (RDC 3/2/2011)

7,824,787
Fuel cell system with hydrous fluid flow compensation
Gottwick  of Robert Bosch, Germany, developed a  fuel cell with a cathode and an anode and constructed so that a hydrous fluid in a form of a cathode exhaust gas flows out of the cathode of the fuel cell unit. A conditioning unit is included to condition the hydrous fluid cathode exhaust gas flow upon exiting the cathode. (RDC 2/23/2011)

10/26/2010
7,820,338
Liquid fuel cartridge and direct liquid feed fuel cell having the same
Kang of Samsung, South Korea has developed a liquid fuel cartridge of a direct liquid feed fuel cell for storing liquid fuel, supplying the liquid fuel to a fuel cell, and recovering water from the cathode of the fuel cell stack.  The liquid fuel cartridge has a liquid fuel supplying hole formed at one end, a recovery hole formed at a second end, and a moveable wall that separates the water from the liquid fuel. When water is pumped in through the recovery hole, the moveable wall slides in the fuel cartridge and expels the liquid fuel into the fuel cell stack. (RDC 2/17/2011)

7,820,331
Fuel cell and fuel cell system
Bitoh of Casio Computer, Japan,has developed a fuel cell including an electrolyte membrane, a first separator in which a fuel path through which a fuel flows is formed so as to face one surface of the electrolyte membrane and which has thereinside a fuel supply amount adjuster for adjusting the supply amount of the fuel, and a second separator in which an oxidizer path through which an oxidizer flows is formed so as to face the other surface of the electrolyte membrane.  (RDC 2/17/2011)

7,820,316
Membrane electrode assembly and fuel cell
Nakanishi of Toyota, Japanhas developed a membrane electrode assembly including a fluorine-based ion exchange resin membrane, a diffusion layer and a catalyst layer that supports a battery reaction.  The catalyst layer is formed from Pt-carrying carbon nanotubes that is oriented on the fluorine-based ion exchange resin membrane, and non-Pt-carrying carbon nanotubes that is oriented on the diffusion layer.  (RDC 2/17/2011)

7,820,313
Fuel source recognition and gating apparatus and associated method
Winkler of Motorola, Illinois has developeda gating device for identifying a fuel container used to refill a fuel cell.  A fuel source identification device identifies a fuel container to verify that it is compatible with the fuel cell.  Upon identification, a gating engine opens a retractable barrier thereby providing access to the fuel cell.  The fuel container identification device consists of an impedance detector, a connectivity detector, a barcode reader, a memory reader, a radio-frequency identification device and a label reader (RDC 2/17/2011)

10/19/2010
7,816,051
Fuel cell system
Eun, An and Suh of Samsung, South Korea has developed a plate type fuel cell system includes: an electric generator including a membrane-electrode assembly with  anode electrodes and cathode electrodes on opposite surfaces of a proton-exchange membrane with separators and a a fuel distributor.  (RDC 1/24/2011)

7,816,049
Direct liquid feed fuel cell
Lee et al of Samsung, South Korea developed a direct liquid feed fuel cell with  a membrane electrode assembly including an anode electrode and a cathode electrode respectively disposed on either side of an electrolyte membrane.   The electrodes have flow channels for water.   (RDC 1/24/2011)

7,816,043
Water disposal system, method of disposing water, and power generation apparatus
Imazato, Yamaura and Hokari of Sony, Japan have developed a fuel cell witha separator with  an air supply groove for supplying air as to a cathode.  The separator is also provided with water-absorbing cloths.  Thus water generated during power generation is disposed in efficient and reliable manners.   (RDC 1/24/2011)

7,816,041
Fuel cell
Osaka, Momma and Park of Waseda University and Pansonic, Japan have developed a fuel cell with a grooved substrate and an electrolyte membrane defining flow channels.  There is a catalyst-bearing current collector layer on the inner wall of the grooves or the inside surface of the electrolyte membrane defining the channels.  A fuel liquid flows through the first channel to undergo anodic reaction, an oxidant liquid in the form of an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution flows through the second channel to undergo cathodic reaction, and hydrogen ions pass through the electrolyte membrane.  (RDC 1/24/2011)

10/12/1010
7,811,341
Reaction device, heat-insulating container, fuel cell device, and electronic apparatus  
Nakamura and Nomura of Casio Computer, Japan have developed a heat-insulating container and a reaction device that are able to maintain temperature difference between reaction units in the reaction device that comprises two or more reaction units, and a fuel cell device and electronic apparatus that uses the reaction device.  (RDC 1/7/2011)

10/5/2010
7,807,313
Compact fuel cell package
Kaye, Brantley and DeRenzi of UltraCell, California have developed a fuel cell package which includes a fuel processor that produces hydrogen from a fuel source.  One portable fuel cell package--including both a fuel cell and fuel processor--occupies less than one liter and provides 30 Watts of electrical output.  (RDC 12/21/2010)