Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8119304?dq=%22Meaning-based+information+organization+and+retrieval%22
Timestamp: 2014-07-30 10:06:45
Document Index: 447938381

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 6', 'arts 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 18', 'art 17', 'arts 17', 'art 17', 'arts 207', 'arts 207', 'art 207', 'art 207']

Patent US8119304 - Fuel cell with fuel passage layer having a wiring pattern - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes a power generator incorporated in a housing having air intake ports, an electrical terminal connected to a printed-wiring board, and connectors and a fuel passage for supplying fuel. The terminals are formed in such configurations as to be insertion-mounted...http://www.google.com/patents/US8119304?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8119304 - Fuel cell with fuel passage layer having a wiring patternAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8119304 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/416,762PCT numberPCT/JP2002/009822Publication dateFeb 21, 2012Filing dateSep 25, 2002Priority dateSep 26, 2001Also published asCN1484869A, CN100449830C, EP1434292A1, EP1434292A4, US20040048132, WO2003028135A1Publication number10416762, 416762, PCT/2002/9822, PCT/JP/2/009822, PCT/JP/2/09822, PCT/JP/2002/009822, PCT/JP/2002/09822, PCT/JP2/009822, PCT/JP2/09822, PCT/JP2002/009822, PCT/JP2002/09822, PCT/JP2002009822, PCT/JP200209822, PCT/JP2009822, PCT/JP209822, US 8119304 B2, US 8119304B2, US-B2-8119304, US8119304 B2, US8119304B2InventorsYuichi Takai, Yasuhiro WatanabeOriginal AssigneeSony CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (1), Classifications (30), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetFuel cell with fuel passage layer having a wiring patternUS 8119304 B2Abstract A fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes a power generator incorporated in a housing having air intake ports, an electrical terminal connected to a printed-wiring board, and connectors and a fuel passage for supplying fuel. The terminals are formed in such configurations as to be insertion-mounted on the printed-wiring board or to be surface mounted on the printed-wiring board. The fuel cell is directly mounted on the printed-wiring board. Thus, a cell housing part or a fixing mechanism, a connector, for example, do not need to be provided on an electric device on which the fuel cell is mounted and the structure of the device itself is simplified and miniaturized.
The invention claimed is: 1. An electronic board comprising:
8. The electronic board according to claim 1, wherein the second wiring layer covers the inner fuel passage to prevent fuel leakage. Description
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Document Nos. P2001-294019 filed on Sep. 26, 2001; P2001-339444 filed on Nov. 5, 2001; P2002-002847 filed on Jan. 9, 2002; and P2002-262320 filed on Sep. 9, 2002 the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to a fuel cell. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fuel cell for generating an electromotive force in a power generator by supplying hydrogen and oxygen (air) as fuel gases and an electric device using the fuel cell.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new and improved fuel cell as compared to conventional fuel cells, such as those described above, and an electric device using this fuel cell. For example, the present invention provides a fuel cell without preventing an electric device using the fuel cell as a power source from being miniaturized and giving a restriction to the design of the electric device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing one example of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention which has a insertion-mount type package structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to fuel cells. In particular, the present invention relates to a fuel cell capable of generating an electromotive force in a power generator by supplying hydrogen and oxygen (air) as fuel gases and an electric device using the fuel cell.
FIG. 3 shows a state that the fuel cell to which the present invention is applied is disassembled. The fuel cell of this embodiment has a structure that the power generator 2 is sandwiched in between a pair of current collectors 6 and 7. The current collectors 6 and 7 respectively have opening parts 6 a and 7 a provided for taking fuel. Hydrogen as fuel and oxygen (air) are taken into the anode 2 b and the cathode 2 c through these opening parts 6 a and 7 a. The current collector 6 of the cathode 2 c side has a two-layer structure. The structure includes an insulating material layer 6 b made of an insulating material in an exposed side as the surface of the housing 1 and a current collecting part 6 c made of a conductive material in a side coming into contact with the power generator 2. The current collector 7 of the anode 2 b side is made of a conductive material, and is not especially provided with such an insulating material layer as that provided in the current collector 6 of the cathode 2 c, side. Here, as the conductive material which forms the current collecting part 6 c of the current collector 6 in the cathode 2 c side or the current collector 7 of the anode 2 b side, a metallic plate, a carbon sheet or the like may be used. In addition thereto, what is called a single-sided board that a conductive layer is formed on a polymer film, a glass epoxy board, a ceramic board, etc. may be used. Otherwise, a paste printing or plating may be applied to the power generator 2 to directly form a current collecting layer thereon.
H22H++2e� In the cathode 2 c side, a reaction represented by a reaction formula described below is generated.
�O2+2H++2e-H2O+heat of reaction Q
In the entire part, a reaction represented by H2+�O2 H2O is generated. That is, in the anode 2 b side, hydrogen discharges an electron to become a proton, passes through the ion conductive film 2 a to move to the cathode 2 c side, and receives the supply of the electron in the cathode 2 c to react with oxygen. An electromotive force is obtained in accordance with such an electrochemical reaction.
FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a state that the fuel cell shown in FIG. 5 is disassembled. The structure of the contained power generator 12 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment. An ion conductive film 12 a has a structure that the conductive film is held at both sides between electrodes, that is, an anode 12 b and a cathode 12 c and peripheries thereof are sealed with a seal 12 d. The power generator 12 is sandwiched in between a base substrate 17 and a hydrogen supply part 18. The base substrate 17 forms a part of the housing 11 and employs, for instance, a resin substrate such as glass epoxy, phenolic resin, polyimide, and/or the like, or an inorganic substrate such as ceramics, glass, silicon, and/or the like. The base substrate 17 has a recessed part 17 a capable of housing the power generator 12. Air intake opening parts 17 b are formed on the bottom part of the recessed part 17 a. Cathode current collectors 19 are formed on the inner surface of the base substrate 17 as a surface that comes into contact with the cathode 12 c of the power generator 12.
Now, as shown in FIG. 10 b, two wiring boards 113 and 114 are prepared and positioned respectively on the surfaces of the double-sided wiring board 111 and superposed on the double-sided wiring board 111 on which the punched holes 112 are formed through adhesive layers 115 and 116. Wiring patterns 113 a and 113 b or wiring patterns 114 a and 114 b are also formed on these wiring boards 113 and 114 likewise the above-described double-sided wiring board 111. Respective layers are electrically connected through holes 113 c. Under this state, a laminated body is pressed. Thus, as shown in FIG. 10C, the printed-wiring board in which the three wiring boards 111, 113 and 114 are formed integrally is obtained. In this printed-wiring board, after the three wiring boards are laminated and integrated, a through hole 117 passing through the three wiring boards 111, 113 and 114 is formed so that an electric connection is realized between these wiring boards 111, 113 and 114. Further, in the wiring board 114, fuel holes 118 are formed at positions corresponding to the punched holes 112 to serve as fuel inlet ports or fuel outlet ports of the punched holes 112 as the fuel passages. The manufactured printed-wiring board has the fuel passages incorporated and is formed as a multi-layer wiring board so that the electric connection and the supply of fuel can be achieved through the printed-wiring boards.
Firstly, as shown in FIG. 12A, a single-sided copper-clad board 131 serving as a fuel passage form layer is prepared and punched holes 132 as fuel passages are formed by what is called a router cutting. A copper foil 131 b is bonded to a base material 131 a to form the single-sided copper-clad board 131 and the punched holes 132 pass through the base material 131 a and the copper foil 131 b. Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, a double-sided wiring board 134 is bonded to the single-sided copper-clad board 131 through an adhesive layer 133. The double-sided wiring board 134 has wiring layers formed on both surfaces. In this step, only one wiring layer on one surface in contact with the adhesive layer 133 undergoes a patterning process to form a wiring pattern 134 a and a copper foil 134 b on the other surface is not patterned.
A plurality of terminal pins 206 a and 206 b connected to anodes (fuel electrodes) or cathodes (air electrodes) of the power generators 203 are drawn out from the upper housing 201 and the board side housing 202. An electric connection to the printed-wiring board 210 is carried out through the terminal pins 206 a and 206 b. That is, the fuel cell 241 having a structure shown in FIGS. 17A to 17C is mounted on the printed-wiring board 210 provided in an electric device in the following manner. That is, the terminal pins 206 a and 206 b are inserted into or allowed to come into contact with connecting terminals provided on the printed-wiring board 210 incorporated in the electric device side to solder them and mount the fuel cell on the printed-wiring board. Thus, the electrodes of the fuel cell 241 are electrically connected to wiring formed on the printed-wiring board 210 so that electric power is supplied to the circuit of the electric device side.
FIG. 19 shows a state that the fuel cell 241 shown in FIGS. 17A to 17C is disassembled. The fuel cell 241 of this embodiment has a structure that the power generator 203 shown in FIG. 18 is sandwiched in between a pair of current collectors 207 and 208. The current collectors 207 and 208 respectively have opening parts 207 a and 208 a provided respectively for taking fuel. Hydrogen as fuel and oxygen (air) are taken into the anode 203 b and the cathode 203 c through these opening parts 207 a and 208 a. The current collector 207 of the cathode 203 c side has a two-layer structure. The structure includes an insulating material layer 207 b made of an insulating material in an exposed side as the surface of the upper housing 201 and a current collecting part 207 c made of a conductive material in a side coming into contact with the power generator 203. The current collector 208 of the anode 203 b side is made of a conductive material, and is not especially provided with such an insulating material layer as that provided in the current collector 207 of the cathode 203 c side. Here, as the conductive material which forms the current collecting part 207 c of the current collector 207 in the cathode 203 c side or the current collector 208 of the anode 203 b side, a metallic plate, a carbon sheet or the like may be used. In addition thereto, what is called a single-sided board that a conductive layer is formed on a polymer film, a glass epoxy board, a ceramic board, and/or the like may be used. Otherwise, a paste printing or plating may be applied to the power generator 203 to directly form a current collecting layer thereon.
H22H++2e� In the cathode 203 c side, a reaction represented by a reaction formula described below is generated.
�O2+2H++2e�H2O+heat of reaction Q
In the entire part, a reaction represented by H2+�O2 H2O is generated. That is, in the anode 203 b side, hydrogen discharges an electron to become a proton that passes through the ion conductive film 203 a to move to the cathode 203 c side and receives the supply of the electron in the cathode 203 c to react with oxygen. An electromotive force is obtained in accordance with such an electrochemical reaction.
The lower layer 210 c is made of a plate shaped synthetic resin and covers the fuel passages 214 a and 214 b formed on the inner layer 210 b from a surface opposite to the upper layer 210 a to prevent the leakage of fuel from the fuel passages 214 a and 214 b. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a positional relation when the above-described upper layer 210 a, the inner layer 210 b and the lower layer 210 c are combined and bonded together to form the printed-wiring board 210. The upper layer 210 a, the inner layer 210 b and the lower layer 210 c are bonded together by an adhesive. At this time, the fuel support ports 211 formed on the upper layer 210 a are located so as to be opposed to the fuel passages 214 a and 214 b formed on the inner layer 210 b. Here, although the three-layer structure is described, the inner layer 210 b may be formed while the inner layer 210 b is formed integrally with the lower layer 210 c. Further, when the printed-wiring board having a multi-layer wiring structure is formed, layers may be increased and wiring may be properly provided respectively between the layers.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As mentioned above, the fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention can be directly mounted on a mounting board and a fuel cell housing part does not need to be provided on the electric device on which the fuel cell is mounted. Accordingly, the wiring or the connector from the device, the space for housing, the fixing means, the cover, or the like are not necessary so that the structure of the device can be simplified and miniaturized. The fuel cell or the power generator is directly mounted on the mounting board so that a restriction in design such as the arrangement of the device or wiring patterns, etc. can be reduced. Free layouts can be realized, for instance, the fuel cell can be disposed near the device having large consumed power or plural fuel cells can be arranged. Therefore, unnecessary wiring or space and the loss of output, etc. can be decreased.
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