Patent ID: 9673458
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H01M,Y02E

Claim:
1. A fuel cell comprising: a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte membrane therebetween; a separator having a surface and stacked on the membrane electrode assembly in a stacking direction perpendicular to the surface so that the surface faces the membrane electrode assembly; a fluid channel through which a fluid is to flow along the surface of the separator, the fluid including at least one of a fuel gas, an oxidant gas, and a coolant; a buffer portion having a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly; a fluid manifold through which the fluid is to flow in the stacking direction; a plurality of protruding elastic members between which a connection channel is provided to connect the fluid channel and the fluid manifold, the connection channel extending from the fluid manifold toward the buffer portion; a plurality of sealing members provided adjacent to the plurality of protruding elastic members in the stacking direction and extending in a direction to cross a flow direction in which the fluid flows along the connection channel; and each of the plurality of protruding elastic members having overlapping regions that overlap the plurality of sealing members as seen from the stacking direction, the overlapping regions being separated from each other in the flow direction, wherein the overlapping regions of at least two elastic members of the plurality of elastic members overlap a first sealing member of the plurality of sealing members as seen from the stacking direction, wherein each of the plurality of protruding elastic members is separated into portions a number of which is equal to a number of the plurality of sealing members, and wherein a first one of the protruding elastic member portions has a center in the flow direction, a center of the first sealing member overlapping the center of the first protruding elastic member portion.