Patent ID: 8039168

Claim:
A flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cell including unit cells arrayed in a flat configuration, the flat-type polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising: a fuel-feed-side separator; and an oxygen-feed-side separator, each of the fuel-feed-side separator and oxygen-feed-side separator comprise: a collector portion including n unit conductive substrates wherein n is an integer of 2 or more, each conductive substrate having a plurality of through-holes through which fuel or oxygen passes, the conductive substrates are arrayed in a flat configuration via gaps, and a pair of insulating frames which have n openings in alignment with an array position of said unit conductive substrates and are integrated in such a way as to hold the collector portion therebetween, wherein 1 st to (n−1) th unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates that form the collector portion in one of the fuel-feed-side separator or the oxygen-feed-side separator, as counted from an end of an array direction thereof, and 2 nd to n th unit conductive substrates of the n unit conductive substrates that form the collector portion in another of the fuel-feed-side separator or the oxygen-feed-side separator, as counted from the end of the array direction thereof are successively joined together by) n−1) connecting hinges; wherein the conductive substrates of the fuel-feed-side separator and the oxygen-feed-side separator and the (n−1) connecting hinges are the same material.