JP2004220594A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To thin and miniaturize an information processor by devising disposition of a power generation part and air vents of a positive electrode in the information processor representing a notebook computer formed by assembling the power generation part of a fuel battery in a casing of a display. <P>SOLUTION: The positive electrode of the power generation part is disposed in, at least, one selected from a rear side of and a display panel side of the display part and the vent holes for feeding air to the positive electrode are provided in, at least, one selected from the rear side and the display panel side of the casing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device using a fuel cell as a power supply.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of cordless devices such as personal computers and mobile phones, there is a demand for smaller and higher capacity secondary batteries as power sources. At present, lithium ion secondary batteries have been put to practical use as secondary batteries having a high energy density and can be reduced in size and weight, and demand for portable power sources is increasing. However, depending on the type of cordless device used, this lithium ion secondary battery has not yet reached a level that guarantees sufficient continuous use time.

  Under such circumstances, a fuel cell is expected as a battery that can meet the above demand. Among them, a liquid fuel such as a direct methanol fuel cell that directly uses the liquid fuel for the reaction of the cell can be miniaturized and is promising as a portable power source in the future.

A fuel cell suitable as a power source for a portable device such as a notebook personal computer is known in, for example, Patent Document 1. The power generation unit of the fuel cell disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has a flat plate shape in which a large number of unit cells are combined in a matrix. Each unit cell includes a positive electrode serving as an air electrode, a negative electrode serving as a fuel electrode, and an electrolyte layer disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.
JP-A-2002-56855

It is known, for example, in Patent Document 2 to incorporate a power generation unit of a fuel cell into a housing of a display unit of an information processing device represented by a notebook personal computer. In the information processing device of Patent Document 2, a fuel cartridge is disposed on an upper end surface of a display unit, and liquid fuel is supplied to the power generation unit from the fuel cartridge.
JP 2002-49440 A

  In the configuration described in Patent Literature 2, an air intake channel is formed vertically inside the display unit, and air is supplied to the positive electrode from the channel. For this reason, it is inevitable that the thickness of the display unit is increased by the thickness of the channel, and there is a disadvantage that the size of the notebook computer increases. In addition, when the fuel cartridge is mounted on the upper portion of the display unit, the cartridge is abnormally conspicuous and the appearance is poor.

  Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus typified by a notebook personal computer in which a power generation unit of a fuel cell is incorporated in a housing of the display unit. An object of the present invention is to minimize the increase in thickness and size of a body and contribute to the reduction in thickness and size of an information processing device.

  A second object of the present invention is to improve the external appearance of the information processing device by making the fuel cartridge inconspicuous by improving the arrangement position of the fuel cartridge, and to reduce the thickness of the information processing device. And contribute to miniaturization.

  Further, a third object of the present invention is to secure a wide air intake surface of the positive electrode, increase the effective power generation area ratio, and thereby improve battery performance.

  The present invention has a main unit including a control device, and a display unit that is swingably opened and closed via a hinge with respect to the main unit and includes a display panel. An information processing apparatus incorporating a power generation unit of a fuel cell including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte layer provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein a back side of the display unit and a display panel side of the display unit The positive electrode of the power generation unit is arranged on at least one selected from the group consisting of: and at least one selected from the rear side of the housing and the display panel side of the housing is provided with an air hole for supplying air to the positive electrode. It is characterized by having.

  The present invention arranges the positive electrode of the power generation unit of the fuel cell on at least one selected from the back side of the display unit and the display panel side of the information processing apparatus, and is selected from the back side of the housing of the display unit and the display panel side. By providing an air hole for supplying air to the positive electrode on at least one side, it is possible to minimize the increase in thickness and size of the housing due to the incorporation of the power generation unit of the fuel cell in the housing of the display unit. Accordingly, the information processing device can be made thinner and smaller.

  In addition, by incorporating a fuel cartridge that supplies liquid fuel to the power generation unit into the main body, the fuel cartridge can be made inconspicuous, the appearance of the information processing device can be improved, and the thickness of the information processing device can be reduced. The size can be reduced.

  Furthermore, by arranging the positive electrode of the power generation unit on the back side of the display unit, the occupied area of the power generation unit can be made approximately the same occupied area as the housing of the display unit, and a wide air intake surface of the positive electrode is secured. Therefore, the battery performance can be improved.

  An example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 corresponding to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, an example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention is connected to a main body 3 having a control device via a hinge 4 so that the main body 3 can swing open and close. A display panel 5 and a power generation section 11 of a fuel cell are incorporated in a housing 7 of the display section 5. The power generation unit 11 includes a positive electrode 23 for reducing oxygen, a negative electrode 24 for oxidizing fuel, and an electrolyte layer 25 provided between the positive electrode 23 and the negative electrode 24. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, in the thickness direction of the display unit 5, the positive electrode 23 is disposed so as to be located on at least one of the rear surface side of the display unit 5 and the display panel 10 side opposite thereto. An air hole 27 for supplying air to the positive electrode 23 is provided on at least one of the rear surface side of the housing 7 and the display panel 10 side. In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the supply of the liquid fuel to the power generation unit 11 may be performed from outside the information processing apparatus. 3, the portability of the information processing apparatus can be improved, and the appearance and the design can be improved.

  The information processing device according to the present invention is not limited to the notebook personal computer shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but is a concept including various mobile devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) and a mobile phone. It is applied to an information processing device requiring a power supply. The display panel 10 is not limited to a liquid crystal display panel, but may be an organic electroluminescence display panel or the like.

  In one embodiment of the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the power generation unit 11 is incorporated in the housing 7 of the display unit 5, and is disposed such that the positive electrode 23 of the power generation unit 11 is located on the back side of the display unit 5. 27 is provided on the back side of the housing 7 of the display unit 5 or on the display panel 10 side. This can contribute to a reduction in the thickness and size of the processing device. The power generation unit 11 can be formed in a flat plate shape so as to have an occupied area substantially equal to that of the housing 7 of the display unit 5, so that a large electrode area can be secured, thereby contributing to an improvement in battery performance. In addition, if the air holes 27 are provided on the rear side of the housing 7 of the display unit 5, the air holes 27 are provided over the entire rear surface of the housing 7, and a wide air intake surface of the positive electrode 23 can be secured. By increasing the power generation effective area ratio of the positive electrode 23, battery performance can be improved.

  Further, in an embodiment in which the positive electrode 23 of the power generation unit 11 is disposed so as to be located on the display panel 10 side of the display unit 5 and the air hole 27 is provided on the back side of the housing 7 of the display unit 5 or on the display panel 10 side. Similarly to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to minimize the thickness and the size of the display unit 5 and minimize the thickness and size of the information processing apparatus. The power generation unit 11 may be formed in a flat plate shape and disposed on substantially the same plane as the display panel 10, thereby further reducing the thickness. Further, if the air holes 27 are provided on the display panel 10 side of the housing 7 of the display unit 5, the inflow path of the air to the positive electrode can be shortened, and the thickness can be further reduced.

  The negative electrode 24 may be disposed so as to be located inside the display unit 5 with respect to the positive electrode 23 in the thickness direction of the display unit 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power generation unit 11 is generally configured by arranging a plurality of unit cells 16 in a plate shape. The unit cell 16 includes a positive electrode 23, a negative electrode 24, and an electrolyte layer 25. In this case, the space inside the housing 7 of the display unit 5 can be effectively used, and not only can the display unit 5 be made thinner and smaller, but also the number of components constituting the power generation unit 11 decreases. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced, which can contribute to a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the information processing apparatus.

  In addition, the fuel cartridge 14 for supplying the liquid fuel to the power generation unit 11 is mounted not on the display unit 5 but on the main body 3, particularly, on the main body 3 near the hinge 4. Is not so noticeable, and an information processing apparatus having an excellent appearance is obtained. In addition, in the main body 3 of this type of notebook personal computer, the rear end near the hinge 4 generally has a dead space. By installing the fuel cartridge 14 in this portion, the dead space can be effectively reduced. This makes it possible to minimize the increase in the size of the information processing apparatus due to the incorporation of the fuel cartridge 14. Here, the fuel cartridge 14 can be detachably attached to the main body 3 near the hinge 4. By making the fuel cartridge 14 detachable from the main body 3, the cartridge 14 can be removed when the information processing device is not used, and the supply of fuel to the main body 3 can be reliably stopped. Can be. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the wasteful consumption of fuel caused by standby power and the like, and to extend the life of the cartridge.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing a gas-liquid separation film 58 on the fuel cartridge 14, the carbon dioxide and the like generated by the discharge reaction are released to the atmosphere while preventing the liquid fuel in the cartridge 14 from leaking. Can be done.

  One example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a fuel flow path from the fuel cartridge 14 to the negative electrode 24 of the power generation unit 11. The fuel flow path may be provided with a fuel wicking member 18 which impregnates and holds the liquid fuel and abuts against the negative electrode 24 to supply the negative electrode 24 with the liquid fuel. In a mode in which liquid fuel is forcibly sucked up by a pump, power consumption is increased by the driving force of the pump, and the number of movable mechanisms increases, making it difficult to reduce the size and weight. In addition, when the amount of fuel in the fuel cartridge 14 is reduced, the pumping ability of the pump is significantly reduced, and there is a disadvantage that the fuel cannot be consumed to the end. In this respect, if the fuel flow path includes the fuel wicking member 18 and the fuel is sucked up by the capillary phenomenon, there is no problem that the power consumption is increased unlike the pump, and furthermore, the size of the information processing apparatus is reduced. And contribute to weight reduction. Further, since all the fuel in the cartridge 14 can be consumed, there is an advantage that the life of the cartridge 14 is extended.

  Next, an embodiment of the information processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Example 1)
1 to 3 show an example in which the information processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a notebook computer. In FIG. 1, a notebook computer 1 includes a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, a main body 3 having a keyboard 2 as an input device, and a hinge 4 at a rear end of the main body 3. And a display unit 5 that is swingably opened and closed.

  In FIG. 2, a housing 7 of the display unit 5 is formed by combining a square dish-shaped rear cover 8 having an open front surface and a square frame-shaped front cover 9 in a lid-to-cover manner. Further, a liquid crystal display panel 10 as an output device and a power generation unit 11 of a fuel cell as a built-in power supply of the notebook computer 1 are incorporated therein. The front and rear covers 8.9 are made of a plastic material such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), hard polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or polyethylene. It may be made of a metal material such as a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel, aluminum and its alloys, and magnesium and its alloys. The front cover 9 has a square opening 13 in the center of the front surface, and the liquid crystal display panel 10 largely appears on the front side from the opening 13. The liquid fuel is supplied to the power generation unit 11 from a fuel cartridge 14 which is detachably attached to a rear end of the main body 3 near the hinge 4 via a fuel guide member 55 described later.

  The power generation unit 11 of the fuel cell includes a flat power generation unit 17 including a plurality of unit cells 16, a fuel suction material 18 that supplies fuel to the power generation unit 17, and a display panel 5 in the thickness direction of the display unit 5. An inner case 19 is provided to cover the entire front surface of the fuel wicking material 18, and a partition wall 20 is provided on the power generation unit 17 side in the thickness direction of the display unit 5 and covers the entire back surface of the fuel wicking material 18. . A large number of independent through-holes 21 are formed in the partition wall 20 corresponding to the individual cells 16, and the through-holes 21 are also filled with the fuel wicking material 18.

  The cell 16 includes a positive electrode 23 for reducing oxygen, a negative electrode 24 for oxidizing fuel, and an electrolyte layer 25 provided between the positive electrode 23 and the negative electrode 24. Are arranged in a matrix. The power generation unit 11 including the power generation unit 17 is mounted on the back surface of the liquid crystal display panel 10. The surface size of the power generation unit 17 is set substantially equal to the inner surface size of the rear wall 8a of the rear cover 8, and the power generation unit 17 is mounted on the inner surface of the rear wall 8a in close contact.

  More specifically, each cell 16 has a rectangular shape of, for example, 80 mm in length and 5 mm in width. Then, in the thickness direction of the display unit, the plurality of unit cells 16 are planarized so that the positive electrode 23 is located on the back side of the display unit 5 and the negative electrode 24 is located on the inner side of the display unit 5 with respect to the positive electrode 23. The positive electrode 23 of one unit cell 16 and the negative electrode 24 of the other unit cell 16 adjacent to each other are electrically connected in series by a conductive connection plate 26 to form the power generation unit 17. A large number of independent air holes 27 are provided in a portion of the rear wall 8a of the rear cover 8 that contacts the positive electrode 23, and air (oxygen) is supplied to the positive electrode 23 through these air holes 27. As described above, the power generation unit 17 of the present embodiment is set to be substantially equal to the inner surface size of the rear wall 8a of the rear cover 8. Therefore, here, a large number of air holes 27 are formed over the entire surface of the rear wall 8a.

  The positive electrode 23 is configured by stacking, for example, a diffusion layer 30 made of a porous carbon material and a catalyst layer 31 made of carbon powder supporting a catalyst. Examples of the catalyst contained in the catalyst layer 31 include platinum fine particles and alloy fine particles of platinum with iron, nickel, cobalt, tin, ruthenium, gold, or the like. The catalyst layer 31 can include PTFE resin particles and proton exchange resin particles. As the proton exchange resin particles, for example, particles such as polyperfluorosulfonic acid resin, sulfonated polyethersulfonic acid resin, and sulfonated polyimide resin can be used. A paste of carbon powder containing PTFE resin particles can be applied to the surface of the diffusion layer 30 on the side of the catalyst layer 31 to improve water repellency.

  The electrolyte layer 25 is made of a material having no electron conductivity and capable of transporting protons. As the material, for example, a polyperfluorosulfonic acid resin membrane can be mentioned, and specifically, "Nafion membrane" manufactured by Dipon, "Flemion membrane" manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., "Aciplex" manufactured by Asahi Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. And the like. A sulfonated polyether sulfonic acid resin film, a sulfonated polyimide resin film, a sulfuric acid-doped polybenzimidazole film, or the like may be used.

  The negative electrode 24 includes a diffusion layer 33 and a catalyst layer 34 and has a function of generating protons from the fuel, that is, a function of oxidizing the fuel. For example, the negative electrode 24 can have the same configuration as the positive electrode 23. The connection plate 26 is made of, for example, a noble metal such as platinum or gold, a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel, or carbon.

  The fuel wicking member 18 is a nonwoven fabric made of glass fiber, and is housed in a gap formed by the inner case 19 and the partition wall 20. As a material of the fuel wicking agent 18, another material can be used as long as its size does not change much due to fuel impregnation and is chemically stable.

  Adjacent cells 16 are sealed with an insulator 35 so that the fuel does not flow out to the positive electrode 23 side or outside the cell. The insulator 35 is made of synthetic rubber such as silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, butyl rubber, urethane rubber, or elastic insulating synthetic resin such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a mounting portion 40 having a recess toward the inside is provided at the center of the rear side end of the main body portion 3, and the fuel cartridge 14 is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 40. Be attached. Specifically, flanges 42, 42 long in the front-rear direction are formed to protrude from the lower ends of the left and right side walls 41, 41 that define the mounting portion 40 on the side of the main body 3, facing the flanges 42, 42. Escape grooves 43 are cut out at corners of the left and right wall surfaces of the fuel cartridge 14 extending in the front-rear direction. After the flange 42 and the clearance groove 43 are aligned with each other, the fuel cartridge 14 is inserted into the mounting portion 40 and operated so that the cartridge 14 is slidably supported along the flange 42 and the main body 3 Attached to. The cartridge 14 can be removed from the main body 3 by pulling out the fuel cartridge 14 to the rear side in the reverse procedure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel cartridge 14 has an L-shaped cross section having a long portion 45 in the front-rear direction and a short portion 46 in the vertical direction in the vertical direction. The mounting portion 40 on the side has a stepped shape including a first receiving surface 47 located on the rear side and a second receiving surface 48 located on the front side of the first receiving surface 47. A fuel supply nozzle 50 made of rubber is formed in the short portion 46 of the fuel cartridge 14 so as to protrude toward the front side, and an opening 51 for receiving the nozzle 50 is formed in the first receiving surface 47 of the mounting portion 40. It is provided. When the fuel cartridge 14 is inserted into the mounting portion 40 and operated, the fuel supply nozzle 50 is fitted into the opening 51 with an elastic restoring force as shown in FIG. 3 is completely mounted. That is, the fuel cartridge 14 in the mounted state can be locked and held so as not to slide.

  When the fuel cartridge 14 is mounted as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge 14 are substantially flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 3. The rear surface of the cartridge 14 is also substantially flush with that of the main body 3. Therefore, the fuel cartridge 14 in the mounted state is inconspicuous, and the appearance of the notebook personal computer 1 is not impaired.

  The fuel cartridge 14 includes a fuel tank 53 and a fuel absorber 54 provided between the fuel tank 53 and the fuel supply nozzle 50. The fuel absorber 54 is a porous member such as a sponge. The fuel in the fuel tank 53 is supplied to the fuel supply nozzle 50 by utilizing the capillary phenomenon of the porous member. As the fuel filled in the fuel tank 53, for example, an aqueous methanol solution, an aqueous ethanol solution, dimethyl ether, an aqueous sodium borohydride solution, an aqueous potassium borohydride solution, an aqueous lithium borohydride solution, or the like is used. The fuel cartridge 14 is made of, for example, a plastic such as PTFE, hard polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, or polyethylene. It may be made of a metal material such as a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel, aluminum and its alloys, and magnesium and its alloys.

  A fuel guide member 55 is disposed between the opening 51 of the attachment section 40 and the fuel wicking member 18 of the power generation section 11 through the hollow inside of the hinge 4. The fuel guide member 55 is a fiber bundle filled in a flexible tube, and guides the fuel in one direction from the opening 51 toward the lower part of the fuel sucking material 18 by a capillary phenomenon. The fibers constituting the fuel guide member 55 are required to be chemically stable to the fuel and to have excellent wettability, and specific examples thereof include synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and polyurethane. be able to. Fibers such as metal, glass, and carbon may be used.

  When the fuel cartridge 14 is mounted as shown in FIG. 3, the fuel absorber 54 on the fuel supply nozzle 50 side and the fuel guide member 55 on the opening 51 side are brought into close contact with a predetermined pressing force. is there. Thus, a fuel flow path is formed from the fuel tank 53 of the fuel cartridge 14 to the negative electrode 24 of the power generation unit 17 via the fuel absorbing member 54, the fuel guiding member 55, and the fuel sucking member 18. Reference numeral 56 denotes a check valve provided between the fuel absorbing member 54 and the fuel guide member 55.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 57 is formed at two positions on the upper surface of the fuel cartridge 14 to reach the fuel tank 53, and a cap member 59 having a gas-liquid separation film 58 is provided in the through hole 57. It is detachably attached. The cap member 59 is made of rubber, and is fitted and engaged with the through hole 57 with an elastic restoring force. The gas-liquid separation film 58 is made of a PTFE sheet having pores, and discharges carbon dioxide and the like generated by the discharge reaction from the fuel tank 53 to the outside without leaking the fuel. Further, it is also possible to remove the cap member 59 and replenish the fuel into the fuel tank 53 through the through hole 57. That is, the through hole 57 also has a function as a replenishing port when replenishing the fuel.

  As described above, according to the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the power generation unit 11 is a flat plate having an occupied area substantially equal to the casing 7 of the display unit 5, a large electrode area is secured. Battery performance can be improved. Since the power generation unit 11 is formed in a flat plate shape, the thickness and size of the housing 7 of the display unit 5 due to the incorporation of the power generation unit 11 are minimized, contributing to the thinning and miniaturization of the information processing device. it can.

  In addition, in the thickness direction of the display unit 5, the positive electrode 23 is arranged so as to be located on the back side of the display unit 5, and the air hole 27 is provided on the back side of the housing 7 of the display unit 5. As shown in FIG. 2, an air hole 27 can be provided on the entire back surface of the housing 7. In this manner, a wide air intake surface of the positive electrode 23 can be secured, so that the power generation effective area ratio of the positive electrode 23 can be increased, and the battery performance can be improved. Further, the display unit 5 can be made thinner and smaller as compared with a conventional configuration in which an air intake channel is provided at the center of the display unit.

  In the main body 3 of this type of notebook personal computer, a dead space often occurs at the rear end near the hinge 4. Therefore, when the fuel cartridge 14 is mounted in the dead space as in the present embodiment, the increase in the size of the information processing apparatus due to the mounting of the cartridge 14 is minimized, and the information processing is performed. This can contribute to miniaturization and thinning of the device. Further, since the portion which was originally a dead space is utilized, the design change of the main body 3 can be minimized, which can contribute to a reduction in manufacturing cost. The mounted cartridge 14 is inconspicuous, and the appearance of the information processing apparatus is not impaired.

  Since the fuel cartridge 14 is configured to be detachable from the main body 3, the supply of fuel to the main body 3 can be reliably stopped by removing the cartridge 14 when the information processing apparatus is not used. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the wasteful consumption of fuel caused by standby power or the like, and to extend the life of the cartridge 14.

  Since the fuel flow path is configured to include the fuel wicking member 18, the fuel absorber 54, and the fuel guide member 55, and the fuel is sucked up by the capillary action thereof, there is no increase in power consumption due to the fuel wicking. And contribute to power saving of the device. In addition, since the fuel in the cartridge 14 can be completely consumed, the life of the cartridge 14 is extended.

  Since the unit cell 16 is formed as a unit component including the positive electrode 23, the negative electrode 24, and the electrolyte layer 25, the number of components constituting the power generation unit 11 can be reduced. Therefore, the number of assembling steps can be reduced, which can contribute to a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the information processing apparatus.

(Example 2)
4 and 5 show another example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention. The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is significantly different from the first embodiment in that the power generation unit 17 is incorporated not only on the rear side of the display unit 5 but also on the liquid crystal display panel 10 side of the display unit 5. I do.

  Specifically, in the thickness direction of the display unit 5, the power generation unit 17 is also incorporated on the liquid crystal display panel 10 side so as to surround the liquid crystal display panel 10, and accordingly, the liquid crystal display panel 10 side of the housing 7, that is, the front cover An air hole 27 is also provided on the periphery 9a of the opening 9.

  According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described embodiment, the power generation unit 17 is incorporated only on the display panel 10 side in the thickness direction of the display unit 5, and the power generation unit 17 is provided on the display panel 10 side of the housing 7, that is, on the opening periphery 9 a of the front cover 9. The air hole 27 may be provided. Further, the configuration of the fuel cartridge 14 and the method of mounting the fuel cartridge 14 to the main body 3 are not limited to those described in the above embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the back. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and mainly shows a display unit. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, mainly showing a fuel flow path from a fuel cartridge to a power generation unit. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part of a display unit of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 information processing device 3 main body unit 4 hinge 5 display unit 7 display unit housing 10 display panel 11 fuel cell power generation unit 14 fuel cartridge 16 unit cell 18 fuel wicking material 23 positive electrode 24 negative electrode 25 electrolyte layer 27 air hole 50 fuel supply Nozzle 51 Opening 53 Fuel tank 54 Fuel absorber 55 Fuel guide 56 Check valve 58 Gas-liquid separation membrane

Claims (10)

A main unit having a control device, a display unit having a display panel connected to the main unit via a hinge so as to be swingably openable and closable, and a positive electrode and a negative electrode in a housing of the display unit. And an information processing device incorporating a power generation unit of a fuel cell including an electrolyte layer provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode,
A positive electrode of the power generation unit is arranged on at least one selected from the back side of the display unit and the display panel side of the display unit,
An information processing apparatus, wherein an air hole for supplying air to the positive electrode is provided on at least one selected from a rear side of the housing and a display panel side of the housing.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fuel cartridge for supplying liquid fuel to the power generation unit is incorporated in the main body. Further comprising a fuel flow path from the fuel cartridge to the negative electrode of the power generation unit,
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fuel flow path includes a fuel wicking material that impregnates and holds the liquid fuel and abuts on the negative electrode to supply the negative electrode with the liquid fuel.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fuel flow path passes through the inside of the hinge.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fuel cartridge is detachably attached to a main body near the hinge.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fuel cartridge includes a gas-liquid separation membrane.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the negative electrode is disposed so as to be located on the inner side of the display unit with respect to the positive electrode in a thickness direction of the display unit. . The power generation unit is configured by arranging a plurality of unit cells in a flat plate shape,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit cell is formed as a unit component including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte layer.   The positive electrode of the power generation unit is arranged on the back side of the display unit, and the power generation unit has an occupied area substantially equal to a housing of the display unit. Information processing device.   The positive electrode of the power generation unit is disposed on a display panel side of the display unit, and the power generation unit is disposed on substantially the same plane as the display panel. Information processing device.

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