JP2005093385A - Container incorporating fuel cell and the fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container incorporating a fuel cell in which a stable output is obtained, even when extracting a large current, and which can be used additionally as a washer, a heating/refrigerating cabinet, or a cooler box or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This container incorporating the fuel cell is provided with a container, the fuel cell which is installed along the external face of the container and which has a proton-conducting film, an air-side catalyst electrode installed at the external side face of the proton-conducting film, and a fuel-side catalyst electrode installed at the inner side face of the proton-conducting film, and a fuel supply means for supplying fuel to the fuel-side catalyst electrode in the fuel cell. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell built-in container, and in particular, a fuel having a space that can be used for various purposes such as a washing container, a cooler box, a refrigerator, and a warm storage box, while being able to obtain a stable output regardless of the size of a load. The present invention relates to a battery built-in container.

  Fuel cells are characterized by the possibility of achieving a higher power density than conventional primary and secondary batteries, and because they continue to generate electricity when fuel is replenished, so charging is unnecessary. .

  Therefore, in recent years, attention has been paid to the above-mentioned features of fuel cells, and it has been studied to use a fuel cell as a power source in portable devices that have conventionally used a primary battery or a secondary battery as a power source.

As a portable device using a fuel cell as a power source, for example, a camera using a fuel cell as a power source for a strobe has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-186087

  Since the fuel cell can be used for a long time without charging, there is no power source for outdoor use if it can be used as a power source for washing equipment such as shaves and glasses, portable refrigerators, warm storage boxes, and cooler boxes. It is suitable because it can be used in places.

However, the output of a fuel cell is determined by the cell area, in other words, the area of the proton conducting membrane. For example, if the output per unit cell area of a fuel cell is 50 mW / cm ² , the output is usually about 1 W in the case of a mobile phone, so the cell area is 1000 (mW) ÷ 50 (mW / cm ² ). = 20 cm ² is sufficient, but when used in a personal computer, if the output of the personal computer is 20 W, the cell area needs to be 20000 (mW) ÷ 50 (mW / cm ² ) = 400 cm ² .

  Therefore, a fuel cell having a large cell area is required for a digital camera or a personal computer that requires a large amount of power. In addition, since the fuel cell has a low single cell voltage, it is necessary to connect a plurality of cells in series. Therefore, when a fuel cell is used for a portable device, there is a problem that the portable device becomes large.

  In addition, since the voltage of the fuel cell decreases as the extracted current increases, there is also a problem that a stable output cannot be obtained with the fuel cell alone.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell built-in container that can obtain a stable output even when a large current is taken out, and can also be used as a washing device, a warm refrigerator, a cooler box, or the like.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a container, an air-side catalyst electrode provided on an outer surface of the proton conductive membrane, and an inner surface of the proton conductive membrane, provided along the outer surface of the container. And a fuel supply unit for supplying fuel to the fuel side catalyst electrode in the fuel cell, and a fuel cell built-in container.

  In the fuel cell built-in container, since the fuel cell is provided along the outer peripheral surface of the container, the cell area of the fuel cell can be increased. Moreover, the said container can be used as a washing | cleaning container, a refrigeration container, and a heating container mentioned later, and can also be utilized as a mere container which accommodates various articles | goods.

  Furthermore, in the fuel cell, since the oxygen side catalyst electrode is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane, the oxygen side catalyst electrode can be brought into direct contact with the outside air. Therefore, since a flow path for guiding outside air to the oxygen-side catalyst electrode is not necessary, the configuration of the fuel cell built-in container can be simplified and the configuration can be made compact.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the proton conductive membrane is formed in a cylindrical shape, the fuel side catalyst electrode is on the inner peripheral surface of the proton conductive membrane, and the air side catalyst electrode is on the outer peripheral surface of the proton conductive membrane. The present invention relates to a formed fuel cell container.

  In the fuel cell built-in container, since the fuel cell is formed on the entire outer surface of the container, the cell area can be particularly increased.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the fuel supply means has a fuel tank provided between the fuel side catalyst electrode and the container, and one end abutted on the inner peripheral side of the fuel side catalyst electrode, The other end is connected to the fuel tank, and has a fuel suction layer that sucks up the fuel in the fuel tank and supplies it to the fuel side catalyst electrode, and the space of the fuel cell is formed inside the fuel tank. The present invention relates to a fuel cell built-in container.

  In the fuel cell built-in container, since the fuel tank is provided along the outer peripheral surface of the container, the inner capacity can be increased even if the thickness in the radial direction is reduced. Furthermore, since the fuel in the fuel tank is supplied to the fuel side catalyst electrode, the wick effect of the fuel suction layer is used, so that no moving parts are required and the system can be simplified.

  The invention described in claim 4 relates to a fuel cell built-in container having a secondary battery charged by the fuel cell.

  In general, a fuel cell tends to have a voltage that is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the current to be extracted. However, in the fuel cell built-in container, a secondary battery that is charged by the fuel cell is provided. Even when a large current is taken out, the voltage can be kept constant.

  The invention described in claim 5 relates to a fuel cell built-in container in which a cleaning means for cleaning an article to be cleaned in the container with a cleaning medium is provided inside the container.

  The cleaning means provided in the cleaning container is operated by the electric power from the fuel cell and / or the secondary battery, and therefore does not need to be charged for a long period of time. It can also be used where there is no external power supply. Furthermore, since the secondary battery is in a state of being charged by the fuel cell, a constant current is supplied to the cleaning means regardless of load fluctuations.

  The invention described in claim 6 relates to a fuel cell built-in container in which the cleaning means is an ultrasonic element.

  In the fuel cell built-in container, since an ultrasonic element is used as a cleaning means, a high cleaning effect can be obtained, and since the cleaning means does not have a movable part, the configuration becomes simple and mechanical failure is not caused. Almost no.

  The invention according to claim 7 relates to a fuel cell built-in container in which the article to be cleaned is an electric razor.

  The fuel cell built-in container is an example in which the fuel cell built-in container according to claim 5 or 6 is used for cleaning an electric razor.

  The invention according to claim 8 relates to a fuel cell built-in container in which cooling heating means for cooling or heating is provided inside the container.

  The said fuel cell built-in container is an example which provided the cooling heating container in the space of the center part of the said fuel cell.

  Since the cooling and heating means provided in the cleaning container is operated by electric power from the fuel cell and / or the secondary battery, the fuel cell built-in container can be used even in a place without an external power source. Further, since the fuel cell is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerated container, even if it is thin, the cell area and the capacity of the fuel tank are large, and a large current can be taken out. Therefore, since a large-capacity cooling / heating means can be used, it is desirable to keep the inside of the cooling / heating container at a low temperature for a long time, such as when the internal capacity of the cooling / heating container is large or when ice cream is kept cold for a long time. In this case, even when it is desired to keep the inside of the cooling and heating container at a high temperature for a long time, such as when warm food or a warm beverage is kept warm in a cold region for a long time, efficient operation is possible. Furthermore, since the secondary battery is in a state of being float-charged by the fuel cell, a constant current is supplied to the cooling and heating means regardless of load fluctuations. Is easy.

  The invention according to claim 9 relates to a fuel cell built-in container in which the cooling and heating means is a Peltier element.

  The Peltier element used in the fuel cell built-in container is compact and has a simple structure, and is used to transmit the cold heat of the Peltier element into the cooling and heating container even when a refrigerant is used. Unlike a normal heat pump, the refrigerant is not compressed and adiabatic expansion is not performed by a heat absorber. Therefore, there is no failure such as leakage of high-pressure refrigerant. Furthermore, unlike a normal heater, it does not glow red, so the risk of fire is small.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention relates to a fuel cell built-in container comprising the secondary battery disposed on a bottom surface of the container.

  The invention according to claim 11 is a proton conductive membrane formed in a ring shape, a first catalyst layer formed on the outer surface of the proton conductive membrane, and a first catalyst layer formed on the inner surface of the proton conductive membrane. The present invention relates to a fuel cell comprising two catalyst layers.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while taking out a large electric current, while being able to obtain a stable output, the fuel cell built-in container which can be used also as a washing | cleaning machine, a warm refrigerator, a cooler box, etc. is provided.

1. Embodiment 1
An example of the cooler box which is an example of the fuel cell built-in container according to the present invention will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooler box 100 according to the first embodiment includes a short cylindrical refrigerated container 4 and a bottomed cylindrical fuel formed on the outer peripheral surface so as to surround the refrigerated container 4. A battery 2 is provided.

  Between the bottom surface of the fuel cell 2 and the refrigerated container 4, a secondary battery 6 that is float-charged by electric power from the fuel cell 2 is provided.

  The refrigerated container 4 is an example of the cooling and heating container in the present invention, and the planar shape can be a round shape as well as a circular shape. Moreover, you may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

  The refrigerated container 4 has a lid 40 and a refrigerated container main body 42. The lid 40 and the refrigerated container main body 42 both have a structure in which a heat-insulating core material such as polystyrene foam is covered with a hard jacket such as a synthetic resin, a glass fiber reinforced resin, or a metal plate. Can contain beverages in bottled or plastic bottles.

  A refrigeration (R) cooling unit 46 driven by electric power from the fuel cell 2 and / or the secondary battery 6 is provided on the bottom surface of the refrigerated container main body 42. The fridge star cooling unit 46 is an example of the cooling and heating means in the present invention, and is also a specific example of the cooling and heating means using a Peltier element.

  The refrigeration unit 46 is fixed to the refrigeration container 46A, which is fitted in an opening provided on the bottom surface of the refrigeration container body 42 so that the cooling side faces the room, and the cooling side surface of the refrigeration element 46A. A heat pipe 46 </ b> B protruding into the main body 42, and a heat sink 46 </ b> C fixed to the heating side surface of the fuser element 46 and protruding outside the refrigerator container main body 42.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the frigister element 46A has needle-shaped or rod-shaped N-type thermoelectric semiconductors and P-type thermoelectric carriers alternately passing through flexible separators such as glass epoxy substrates and in series with each other. Is connected to. Further, both sides of the transistor element 46A are covered with a flexible metal plate such as an aluminum plate. When a DC voltage is applied to the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor and the P-type thermoelectric carrier located at the end, one surface is heated and the other surface is cooled.

  Note that a Peltier element cooling unit using a normal Peltier element may be used in place of the freezer cooling unit 46. A heat pump cooling unit that cools by a normal heat pump can also be used.

  The fuel cell 2 is a passive direct methanol fuel cell, and is provided so as to surround the side surface of the refrigeration container 4. The fuel cell 2 has a cylindrical or annular outer diameter as a whole, and contains fuel methanol therein. A fuel tank 20, a cylindrical or annular proton conducting membrane 22 located outside the fuel tank 20, a first catalyst layer 24 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane 22, and a first catalyst layer 24 An oxygen side electrode 26 that is a carbon paper electrode provided on the outer peripheral surface, a second catalyst layer 28 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane 22, and an inner peripheral surface of the second catalyst layer 28. And a fuel side electrode 30 as a carbon paper electrode. The first catalyst layer 24, the oxygen side electrode 26, the second catalyst layer 28, and the fuel side station 30 are all formed in a cylindrical or annular shape like the proton conductive membrane 22. The fuel side electrode 30 and the fuel tank 20 are separated by a pair of annular spacers 32. One end of the adsorption sheet 34 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fuel side electrode 30. The other end of the adsorption sheet 34 is located inside the fuel tank 20. The adsorbing sheet 34 is obtained by covering both surfaces of a non-woven fabric in which thin fibers of about several μm to several tens of μm are formed in a cotton wool shape with a synthetic resin film, and has a function of sucking out methanol in the fuel tank 20 by a capillary phenomenon. The first catalyst layer 24 and the oxygen side electrode 26 correspond to the oxygen side catalyst electrode in the fuel cell built-in container of the present invention, and the second catalyst layer 28 and the fuel side electrode 30 correspond to the fuel side in the fuel cell built-in container of the present invention. It corresponds to a catalyst electrode. The adsorption sheet 34 corresponds to a fuel suction layer in the fuel cell built-in container. The proton conductive membrane 22, the first catalyst layer 24, and the second catalyst layer 26 are a proton conductive membrane formed in a ring shape, a first catalyst layer formed on the outer surface of the proton conductive membrane, This corresponds to the proton conducting membrane, the first catalyst layer, and the second catalyst layer in the fuel cell of the present invention, each comprising a second catalyst layer formed on the inside of the proton conducting membrane. In addition, the oxygen side electrode 26 is protected by a mesh 27 provided outside.

  In the cooler box 100, the fuel tank 20 and the refrigeration container 4 are formed as separate bodies, but the refrigeration container 4 and the fuel tank 20 may be integrally formed.

  The bottom opening of the fuel cell 2 is covered with a circular dish-shaped product water receiving container 36.

  On the lower surface of the generated water receiving container 36, a charging unit 37 that floats and charges the secondary battery 6 with the current generated in the fuel cell 2, and the current from the secondary battery 6 and the fuel cell 2 is supplied to the register cooling unit 46. In addition, a temperature control unit 38 for controlling the temperature in the refrigerator container 4 by controlling the current is provided.

  In the cooler box 100, since the secondary battery 6 is provided on the bottom surface of the fuel cell 2 in this way, the entire inner space of the fuel cell 2 can be used as the refrigerated container 4.

  The charging unit 37 is provided with a charging circuit 37A that controls the output voltage of the fuel cell 2 to be constant so that the secondary battery 6 is stably float-charged. The charging circuit 37A is configured to automatically supply a current from the secondary battery 6 to the temperature control unit 38 when the voltage generated in the fuel cell 2 falls below a predetermined value.

  Further, the charging unit 37 determines whether or not the secondary battery 6 is fully charged. When the secondary battery 6 is not fully charged, the fuel cell 2 is refueled via the adsorption sheet 34 from the fuel tank 20. And the refueling may be stopped when the secondary battery is fully charged. In order to stop fuel supply via the suction sheet 34, for example, the suction sheet 34 may be tightened with a clamp or the like. The structure of the charging part 37 formed in this way is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the charging unit 37 having the above function includes a charging circuit 37 </ b> A that charges the secondary battery 6 with current from the fuel cell 2, and charging that determines whether or not the secondary battery 6 is fully charged. And a fuel replenishment control unit 37C that controls refueling from the fuel tank 20 through the adsorption sheet 34 to the fuel cell 2 based on the determination result in the charge degree determination unit 37B. The suction sheet 34 is provided with a clamp 35. Further, the charging circuit 37A is further provided with an external power output terminal 44 for outputting the power of the fuel cell 2 to the outside. Examples of the external power output terminal 44 include a charging terminal for a mobile phone or a digital camera.

  In the charging unit 37, the charging circuit 37A has a function of controlling the output voltage from the fuel cell 2 so that the secondary battery 6 is stably charged. While the charging circuit 37A is charging the fuel cell 2 to the secondary battery 6, the charge degree determination unit 37B measures the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 6 and sets the terminal voltage to a certain value. If it exceeds, it is determined that the secondary battery 6 is fully charged.

  When the charge level determination unit 37B determines that the secondary battery 6 is fully charged, the charge level determination unit 37B outputs a charge stop command to the charge circuit 37A, and the charge circuit 37A receives the charge stop command. Then, charging from the fuel cell 2 to the secondary battery 6 is stopped. At the same time, the degree-of-charge determination unit 37B outputs a fuel supply stop command to the fuel supply control unit 37C. When the fuel supply control unit 37C receives the fuel supply stop command, the fuel supply control unit 37C tightens the clamp 35. When the clamp 35 tightens the suction sheet 34, the fuel supply is stopped. Further, even if a valve is provided between the fuel tank and the adsorption sheet 34 and the valve is closed in response to the fuel supply stop command, the fuel supply can be stopped.

  The temperature control unit 38 sets the temperature in the refrigerated container 4 and the current value supplied from the fuel cell 2 or the secondary battery 6 to the register cooling unit 46 based on the temperature set by the setting unit. And a current controller for controlling.

  In addition to the above-described passive direct methanol fuel cell, the fuel cell 2 includes an active direct methanol fuel cell, a solid polymer fuel cell with a fuel reformer, and a boron hydride or a salt thereof as hydrogen. A borohydride fuel cell used as a source can be used.

  The operation of the cooler box 100 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

  Methanol in the fuel tank 20 is sucked up by the adsorption sheet 34 by the wick effect and supplied to the fuel side electrode 30. Here, since the fuel side electrode 30 is formed of carbon paper, the supplied methanol penetrates the fuel side electrode 30 toward the second catalyst layer 28. Then, the second catalyst layer 28 is decomposed into carbon dioxide gas and protons and generates electrons. The generated carbon dioxide gas is released to the outside through a gap between the fuel tank 20 and the fuel side electrode 30, and the electrons move toward the oxygen side electrode 26 through an external load (such as the fridge star cooling unit 46). The protons move to the first catalyst layer through the proton conducting membrane 22.

  In the first catalyst layer 24, protons that have moved through the proton conducting membrane 22 are oxidized by oxygen in the air that has permeated the mesh 27 and the oxygen side electrode 26, thereby generating water. The generated water flows down the first catalyst layer 24 and the oxygen side electrode 26 and accumulates in the generated water receiving container 36. The water accumulated in the generated water receiving container 36 is discharged to the outside through a drainage pipe (not shown).

  On the other hand, a part of the current generated in the fuel cell 2 is supplied to the temperature control unit 38, and the rest is supplied to the charging circuit 37A of the charging unit 37, so that the secondary battery 6 is float-charged. In the temperature control unit 38, the current value supplied to the register cooling unit 46 is controlled based on the temperature setting value set by the setting unit, and thereby the cooling temperature in the register cooling unit 46 is also controlled.

  Since the cooler box 100 uses the fuel cell 2 as a power source, the cooler box 100 can be used even in places where there is no electric light line, such as outdoors.

  Moreover, since the inside of the refrigerated container 4 is cooled by the fridge star cooling unit 46, it is not necessary to put ice for cooling the beverage into the refrigerated container 4 together with an ordinary cooler box. Therefore, the internal volume of the refrigerated container 4 can be used effectively.

  Moreover, since the fuel cell 2 is provided so as to surround the side surface of the refrigerated container 4, the cell area can be increased and a large current can be taken out. Further, since the first catalyst layer 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane 22, the first catalyst layer 24 can be directly brought into contact with the outside air. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a flow path for guiding the outside air to the first catalyst layer 24, so that the fuel cell 2 can be greatly simplified.

  Moreover, since the fuel tank 20 is also provided integrally with the fuel cell 2, the internal capacity can be increased. Therefore, once methanol is replenished, it is not necessary to replenish methanol for a long time. Further, as described above, the first catalyst layer 24 and the second catalyst layer 26 are provided in the form of a sheet or a thin film on the outer peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane 22, respectively. Since the fuel side electrode 30 is also a thin sheet, the fuel cell 2 itself has a form in which a thin sheet is wound into a cylindrical shape. Therefore, if the fuel tank 20 is formed in a thin cylindrical shape, even if the fuel tank 20 and the fuel cell 2 are provided on the surface of the refrigeration container 4, they can be accommodated in almost the same diameter as the refrigeration container 4. Therefore, the cooler box 100 itself can also be configured with a diameter that is not significantly different from that of the refrigerated container 4, and the size increase due to the provision of the fuel ionization 2 and the fuel tank 20 on the surface is negligible.

  The register cooling unit 46 used as a cooling and heating means does not have a movable part other than a cold air fan that blows air to the heat pipe 46B to generate cold air, and the structure of the register element 46A itself is as shown in FIG. The simple structure and excellent flexibility make it extremely resistant to thermal distortion and extremely few failures. It is also lightweight and compact. Further, even when a refrigerant is used, the refrigerant is sealed in a heat pipe and transmits the cold heat of the ridge element 46A to the inside of the refrigeration container 4. Unlike a normal heat pump, the refrigerant is compressed, There is no adiabatic expansion with a heat absorber. Therefore, there is no failure such as leakage of high-pressure refrigerant. Furthermore, unlike a normal heater, it does not glow red, so the risk of fire is small.

  Furthermore, since the fuel cell 2 drives the fridge star cooling unit 46 and the secondary battery 6 that is float-charged by the fuel cell 2 also drives the fristister cooling unit 46, a predetermined current is supplied to the fristister cooling unit 46. Supplied. Therefore, when the outside air temperature is high, when the internal capacity of the refrigerated container 4 is large, when the inside of the refrigerated container 4 is kept at a low temperature for a long time like when ice cream is kept cold for a long time, Even when a large load is applied to the unit 46, stable cooling is possible.

  In addition, if the external power output terminal 44 is used in the cooler box 100, charging and driving of portable devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras can be performed.

  As described above, the cooler box 100 has been described. However, an apparatus in which the internal volume of the refrigerated container 4 is expanded and the cooling capacity of the refrigerator cooling unit 46 is increased accordingly can also be used as a portable refrigerator or freezer. In addition, since the inside of the refrigeration container 4 can be heated if the frigister element 46A is mounted so that the surface on the heating side is located inside the refrigeration container 4, a portable refrigeration that keeps warm dishes and hot drinks warm. Can also be used as a storage. Even in this case, since the fridge star cooling unit 46 is driven by the electric power from the fuel cell 2 and the secondary cell 6, a large load is applied to the fridge star cooling unit 46 as in the case of keeping warm dishes and warm beverages in a cold region for a long time. Even when heat is applied, stable heating is possible.

2. Embodiment 2
An example of an ultrasonic cleaner which is another example of the fuel cell built-in container according to the present invention will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ultrasonic cleaner 102 according to the second embodiment has a bowl-shaped cleaning container 8 fitted in the center of the fuel cell 2 similar to the cooler box 100 according to the first embodiment. It has a configuration. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same elements as those indicated by the reference numerals in FIG.

  A space is provided between the bottom surface of the cleaning container 8 and the generated water receiving container 36 in the fuel cell 2, and the secondary battery 6 is provided in the space. The charging from the fuel cell 2 to the secondary battery 6 is automatically performed by the charging unit 37 as in the cooler box according to the first embodiment. Further, as described in the cooler box according to the first embodiment, the charging unit 37 with the fuel supply control function having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 may be used. An external power output terminal 44 may be connected to the charging circuit 37 </ b> A of the charging unit 37.

  The cleaning container 8 is a cleaning container that cleans articles to be cleaned such as glasses, wristwatches, accessories, outer and inner blades of electric razors, and dentures, and has a cleaning medium 80 such as a surfactant aqueous solution, water, and alcohol inside. Is housed.

  Although the cleaning container 8 has a bowl shape in the example shown in the second embodiment, it may be used as a cleaning tank for an electric razor formed in a substantially inverted conical shape in accordance with a shaver head portion of an electric razor. In the electric razor washing tank, the shaver head is inserted into the washing container 8 filled with the washing liquid mainly composed of alcohol by mounting the electric razor to be washed upside down, and sterilized at the same time as washing. Can do.

  An ultrasonic element 10 is fixed to the bottom surface of the cleaning container 8. The ultrasonic element 10 is driven by a drive circuit 39 provided on the lower surface of the generated water receiving container 36. The drive circuit 39 is supplied with current from the fuel cell 2 and the secondary battery 6.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the ultrasonic cleaner 102 will be described.

  In the fuel cell 2, as described in the first embodiment, methanol is sucked up from the fuel tank 20 by the adsorption sheet 34 and supplied to the second catalyst layer 30 to generate power.

  A part of the current generated by the fuel cell 2 is supplied to the charging unit 37 to be used for floating charging of the secondary battery 6, and the rest is supplied to the drive circuit 39 to be used for driving the ultrasonic element 10. .

  Since the ultrasonic cleaning layer 102 uses the fuel cell 2 as a power source, the article to be cleaned can be cleaned even in a place where there is no power line. Moreover, it can be used simply by replenishing fuel, and charging is unnecessary.

  In the fuel cell 2, since the first catalyst layer 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the proton conductive membrane 22, the first catalyst layer 24 can be brought into direct contact with the outside air. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a flow path for guiding the outside air to the first catalyst layer 24, so that the fuel cell 2 can be greatly simplified.

  Further, since the cleaning container 8 is provided so as to surround the side surface, the cell area can be increased and a large current can be taken out. Further, since the fuel tank 20 is also provided integrally with the fuel cell 2, the internal capacity can be increased. Therefore, once methanol is replenished, it is not necessary to replenish methanol for a long time. In addition, as described above, the first catalyst layer 24 and the second catalyst layer 26 are provided in the form of a sheet or a thin film on the outer peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the proton conducting membrane 22, respectively. Since the fuel side electrode 30 is also a thin sheet, the fuel cell 2 itself has a form in which a thin sheet is wound into a cylindrical shape. Therefore, if the fuel tank 20 is formed in a thin cylindrical shape, even if the fuel tank 20 and the fuel cell 2 are provided on the surface of the cleaning container 8, they can be accommodated in almost the same diameter as the cleaning container 8. Therefore, the ultrasonic cleaner 102 itself can also be configured with a diameter that is not significantly different from that of the cleaning container 8, and the increase in size due to the provision of the fuel cell 2 and the fuel tank 20 on the surface is negligible.

  In addition, the ultrasonic element 10 can provide a high cleaning effect, and since the ultrasonic element 10 has no movable part, the configuration becomes simple and there is almost no mechanical failure.

  The fuel cell built-in container of the present invention includes a refrigerator and a freezer for refrigerated or frozen storage of food and drink, a warm storage for keeping warm dishes and hot drinks, and a cooler for cooling beverages in cans, jars, or plastic bottles. Can be used as a box.

  The container with a built-in fuel cell of the present invention is also equipped with glasses, a wristwatch, a jewelry, an outer and inner blades of an electric razor, a cleaning device for cleaning teeth, and an electric razor for inserting and cleaning an electric razor shaver head. It can also be used as a cleaning machine.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a cooler box according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the cooler box shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the configuration of the resistor element used in the cooler box according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a charging unit having a fuel supply control function. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic cleaner according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the ultrasonic cleaner shown in FIG. 5 as viewed obliquely from above.

Explanation of symbols

2 Fuel Cell 4 Refrigerated Container 6 Secondary Battery 8 Washing Container 10 Ultrasonic Element 20 Fuel Tank 22 Proton Conducting Film 22 Proton Conducting Film 24 Catalyst Layer 26 Oxygen Side Electrode 27 Mesh 28 Catalyst Layer 30 Fuel Side Electrode 32 Spacer 34 Adsorption Sheet 36 Container 37 Charging unit 38 Temperature control unit 39 Drive circuit 40 Lid 42 Refrigerated container body 46 Fridge star cooling unit 46A Fridge element 46B Heat pipe 46C Heat sink 80 Cleaning medium 100 Cooler box 102 Ultrasonic cleaner

Claims (11)

A container,
A fuel cell having a proton conducting membrane, an air side catalyst electrode provided on the outer surface of the proton conducting membrane, and a fuel side catalyst electrode provided on the inner surface of the proton conducting membrane, provided along the outer surface of the container When,
A fuel cell built-in container comprising fuel supply means for supplying fuel to a fuel side catalyst electrode in the fuel cell.   2. The proton conductive membrane is formed in a cylindrical shape, the fuel side catalyst electrode is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the proton conductive membrane, and the air side catalyst electrode is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the proton conductive membrane. A fuel cell built-in container.   The fuel supply means includes a fuel tank provided between the fuel side catalyst electrode and the container, one end abutting on the inner peripheral side of the fuel side catalyst electrode, and the other end connected to the fuel tank. 3. A fuel suction layer that sucks up fuel in the fuel tank and supplies the fuel side catalyst electrode to the fuel side catalyst electrode, and the space of the fuel cell is formed inside the fuel tank. The fuel cell built-in container as described.   The container with a built-in fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a secondary battery charged by the fuel cell.   The container with a built-in fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein cleaning means for cleaning an article to be cleaned in the container with a cleaning medium is provided inside the container.   The fuel cell built-in container according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning means is an ultrasonic element.   The container with a built-in fuel cell according to claim 6, wherein the article to be cleaned is an electric razor.   The container with a built-in fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein cooling and heating means for cooling or heating is provided inside the container.   The fuel cell built-in container according to claim 8, wherein the cooling and heating means is a Peltier element.   5. The fuel cell built-in container according to claim 4, further comprising the secondary battery disposed on a bottom surface of the container.   A proton conductive membrane formed in a ring shape; a first catalyst layer formed on the outer surface of the proton conductive membrane; and a second catalyst layer formed on the inner surface of the proton conductive membrane. Fuel cell.

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