JP2005302371A - Wiring for fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiring for a fuel cell that can be simply connected to each separator in the fuel cell. <P>SOLUTION: The wiring for the fuel cell 10 is provided with an electrode 14 to be an electrode part connected to an electric wire 12, and a pressing member 15 fitted on a face opposite to the electrode 14 through the electric wire 12 and a base film 11. The electrode 14 is in contact with one of a pair of separators and the pressing member 15 is in contact with the other. With this, the electrode 14 is pressed toward one of the separators by pressing force of the pressing member 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell wiring.

  The fuel cell has a configuration in which a pair of electrodes provided with an electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween is set as one set, and a separator is inserted between each set. In other words, it can be said that a plurality of single cells each composed of an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes are connected in series. Therefore, when an abnormality such as a drop in output voltage occurs in the fuel cell, the voltage between each set of separators or the potential of each separator is measured one by one in order to investigate where the abnormality has occurred. There is a need to continue to.

  Conventionally, such measurement has been performed by the following method, for example. That is, first, a hole is formed on the side surface of the separator. And a terminal with an electric wire is inserted in this hole, and it fixes with an adhesive agent etc. Then, the voltage between a pair of adjacent separators or the potential of each separator is measured at the end of each electric wire.

  In such a measuring method, since a plurality of electric wires are disturbed, there is a problem that workability is poor and the order of the electric wires is easily mistaken. There is also a problem that a large space is taken up by a plurality of electric wires. Furthermore, as the thickness of the separator is reduced, it is difficult to form a hole on the side surface of the separator.

As a related technique, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1.
International Publication Number WO02 / 001659

  An object of the present invention is to enable easy connection of wiring to each separator in a fuel cell.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.

That is, the fuel cell wiring of the present invention is
A conductive member provided on a flexible insulating substrate;
An electrode portion that contacts the separator of the fuel cell and electrically connects the separator and the conductive member;
A pressing member that is provided on a surface opposite to the contact side of the electrode portion with the separator and presses the electrode portion;
A planar fuel cell wiring having flexibility,
The insulating substrate is provided with a cut in part around the electrode part, and is configured so that the part including the electrode part can be bent.
In a state where the part including the electrode part is bent, the part including the electrode part is inserted into the gap between the pair of separators,
In a region outside a sealed region formed by a gasket provided between a pair of separators, the electrode portion abuts against one separator, and the electrode portion is pressed against the one separator by the pressing member. It is characterized by that.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the electrode portion is electrically connected to the separator by bending the portion including the electrode portion in the fuel cell wiring and inserting the portion between the pair of separators. Moreover, since an electrode part is pressed toward a separator by a press member, while making electrical connection more reliable, it can suppress that the part containing an electrode part falls out between between a pair of separators. In addition, since the fuel cell wiring is a flat surface having flexibility, the fuel cell wiring can be easily arranged at a free position. Furthermore, since the electrode portion is connected to the separator in a region outside the sealed region formed by the gasket, adverse effects on the sealing performance can be suppressed.

A plurality of conductive members are disposed on the insulating substrate, each of the conductive members is provided with an electrode portion, and a portion of each electrode portion is provided with a notch. It is configured to be able to bend the part including the part,
Among the multilayer separators provided in the fuel cell, a gap is formed between adjacent separators, and each electrode part is inserted into a gap between different separators,
The portion of the insulating substrate excluding the portion bent together with the electrode portion may be disposed so as to face the side surface of the multilayer separator.

  According to this structure, it becomes possible to connect an electrode part to the separator of several places with one wiring for fuel cells. In addition, since the portion of the insulating substrate excluding the portion bent together with the electrode portion is disposed so as to face the side surface of the multilayer separator, the installation space for the insulating substrate can be reduced. Furthermore, in general, it is often difficult to increase the dimensional accuracy of the gap between the separators in the fuel cell. However, according to the configuration of the present invention, the fuel cell wiring itself is flexible, and fine adjustment of the bent portion of the portion including the electrode portion makes it possible to appropriately fit each gap even if the dimensional accuracy is not high. A part including the electrode part can be inserted. In addition, a multilayer separator means that a plurality of separators are arranged, and does not necessarily mean that the separators are stacked in the vertical direction. Therefore, the case where the separators are arranged in the horizontal direction is also included. The same applies hereinafter.

  Further, the plurality of conductive members have parallel arrangement portions arranged in parallel to each other with respect to the insulating member, and each of the conductive members bends in the middle, and the plurality of electrode portions respectively provided at the tips of the respective conductive members are The parallel arrangement portion may be arranged so as to be parallel to the plurality of conductive members.

  According to this configuration, when the electrode portions form a row, a plurality of electrode portions are arranged at the same position with respect to the separator when viewed in the direction in which the separators are stacked (not necessarily in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction). Can be placed. However, the number of columns may be one column or two or more columns. An appropriate column may be set according to the gap between the separators.

  Here, the pressing member may be fixed to the back side of the electrode portion.

  In this way, the number of parts is reduced, and the fuel cell wiring is excellent in handling.

  The pressing member is configured as a separate body, and when the pressing member is inserted into the gap between the separators, the portion including the electrode portion may be inserted into the gap while being bent.

  In this case, it is not necessary to bend the portion including the electrode portion in advance, and the portion including the electrode portion is bent by the pressing member being pressed, so that the workability is excellent.

  The pressing force by the pressing member may be set to be smaller than the elastic repulsive force by the gasket.

  According to this structure, since the fall of the adhesive force to the separator by a gasket can be suppressed, the bad influence on sealing performance can be suppressed further.

  In addition, it is preferable that a reinforcing member is provided in a region including at least a part of the bent portion of the insulating substrate so that the insulating substrate can be easily bent and the strength of the insulating substrate is reinforced.

  In this way, when the insulating substrate is bent, a bending wrinkle is attached, so that the work for inserting the fuel cell wiring into the gap between the separators becomes easy. Moreover, it can suppress that a crack etc. generate | occur | produce in the bent part of an insulated substrate.

  Moreover, it is good for the front-end | tip part of the said press member to provide the inclined surface which assists introduction into the clearance gap between a pair of separators.

  If it does in this way, since introduction at the time of a pressing member being inserted between separators is assisted by an inclined surface, work at the time of inserting wiring for fuel cells in a crevice between separators will become easy.

  Moreover, it is good for the latching | locking part latched by a separator to be provided in the rear-end part of the said press member.

  If it does in this way, after inserting wiring for fuel cells in the crevice between separators, it can control that the wiring concerned slips out from a crevice.

  In addition, said each structure can be employ | adopted combining as much as possible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, wiring can be easily connected to each separator in the fuel cell.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. .

  With reference to FIGS. 1-8, the fuel cell wiring of the fuel cell which concerns on Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated.

<Overview of fuel cell>
The outline of the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is incorporated in a fuel cell.

Various known technologies can be applied to the fuel cell to which the fuel cell wiring according to this embodiment is connected. A fuel cell generally has a structure in which a plurality of unit cells are stacked. In addition, even if it says a laminated structure, it does not necessarily mean that it is used in the state piled up and down, and may be used in the state arranged in the horizontal direction. The basic configuration of the unit cell is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, provided with an electrolyte membrane 30, a pair of electrodes 40 provided so as to sandwich the electrolyte membrane 30, and further sandwiching these electrodes 40. And a gasket 50 for sealing the region where the electrode 40 is provided.

  One of the pair of electrodes 40 is an anode electrode (fuel electrode), and the other is a cathode electrode (air electrode). The pair of electrodes 40 generates electricity by exchanging ions with the electrolyte membrane 30. Further, fuel (usually hydrogen) is supplied to the anode electrode, and air (oxygen) and water are supplied to the cathode electrode. Therefore, a sealing region is formed by the gasket 50 so that they do not leak to the outside.

  The power generation of the single battery configured in this way is generally about 0.7V. Then, by stacking a plurality of the unit cells, a structure is obtained in which the plurality of unit cells are connected in series via the separator 20 made of a conductive material, and a large power generation is obtained in the entire fuel cell.

<Usage method and usage example of fuel cell wiring>
The usage method and usage example of the fuel cell wiring 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The fuel cell wiring 10 according to the present embodiment is used in a state where the tip is inserted into the gap between the pair of separators 20. Thereby, the electrode part of the separator 20 and the wiring 10 for fuel cells is electrically connected. Here, the connecting portion of the electrode part of the fuel cell wiring 10 to the separator 20 is outside the sealed region formed by the gasket 50. Therefore, the gasket 50 has little influence on the sealing performance.

  Thus, the voltage between the separators 20 can be measured by electrically connecting the electrode portions of the fuel cell wiring 10 to the separators 20. Therefore, when an abnormality such as a decrease in the output voltage of the fuel cell occurs, it is possible to inspect where a failure or other abnormality has occurred by measuring the voltage between the separators. .

<Details near the connection of the fuel cell wiring to the separator>
Details of the vicinity of the connecting portion of the fuel cell wiring to the separator according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the plane of the planar fuel cell wiring.

  The fuel cell wiring 10 according to this embodiment is a flexible planar wiring. A more specific preferred example of the fuel cell wiring 10 is a flexible printed circuit (FPC).

  The fuel cell wiring 10 includes a base film 11 as an insulating substrate, an electric wire 12 as a conductive member formed on the base film 11, and a cover film provided on the opposite side of the base film 11 via the electric wire 12. 13. Both the base film 11 and the cover film 13 have insulating properties and flexibility, and are made of, for example, a heat resistant resin material such as polyimide. Moreover, although the copper 12 is mentioned as a suitable example as a material of the electric wire 12, the other material which has electroconductivity is also applicable. Although a plurality of the electric wires 12 are provided on the base film 11, only one electric wire 12 is shown in FIG. 3 because only a part of the tip of the fuel cell wiring 10 is shown.

Further, the fuel cell wiring 10 includes an electrode 14 serving as an electrode portion connected to the electric wire 12, and a pressing member 15 provided on the surface on the opposite side of the electrode 14 via the electric wire 12 and the base film 11. The electrode 14 is exposed to the outside without being covered with the cover film 13 so as to be in contact with the separator 20. In addition, as a material of the electrode 14, although gold is mentioned as a suitable example, the other material which has electroconductivity is also applicable. The electrode 14 may be entirely exposed at the tip of the fuel cell wiring 10, or the periphery (for example, the S region shown in FIG. 3) may be covered with the cover film 13. . The pressing member 15 is made of an elastic material such as fluorine rubber, silicon rubber, EP rubber, or a spring.

  Further, when the fuel cell wiring 10 is assembled to the fuel cell, the tip thereof is bent (portion indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). Therefore, it is preferable to provide the reinforcing member 16 in a region including at least a part of the bent portion. The reinforcing member 16 is provided to make it easier to attach the folding hooks of the fuel cell wiring 10 to improve workability, and to improve the strength so that cracks and the like do not occur in the bent portion. When the fuel cell wiring 10 is an FPC, unnecessary portions of the conductor on the insulating substrate (corresponding to the base film 11) are removed by a chemical or electrochemical method, whereby the electric wire 12 is formed. (So-called etching). Therefore, by this etching, the reinforcing member 16 can be easily formed by leaving the conductor in the region including at least a part of the portion to be bent together with the portion of the electric wire 12. In this case, the reinforcing member 16 is also made of the same material (copper or the like) as the material of the electric wire 12.

<Overall explanation of fuel cell wiring and how to incorporate it into the fuel cell>
The whole fuel cell wiring and how to incorporate it into the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an external view of the vicinity of the end portion of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 4A is an external view seen from the front, and FIG. 4B is an external view seen from the back. 5 to 7 are schematic views showing a procedure for incorporating the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention into the fuel cell. 5 shows a state before the vicinity of the electrode part of the fuel cell wiring is bent, FIG. 6 shows a state of the vicinity of the electrode part of the fuel cell wiring being bent, and FIG. 7 is bent. The state where the vicinity of the electrode portion is inserted into the gap between the separators of the fuel cell is shown. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a region into which the electrode part of the fuel cell wiring is inserted into the fuel cell (separator). In this embodiment, a fuel cell in which five unit cells are stacked will be described as an example.

  The fuel cell wiring 10 is provided with a plurality of electric wires 12 and electrodes 14 with respect to one base film 11 and cover film 13. The plurality of electric wires 12 have parallel arrangement portions arranged in parallel to each other. In addition, each wiring 12 has a portion that is bent vertically. Further, each wiring 12 is bent again vertically near the tip, and an electrode 14 is provided at the tip. And each electrode 14 is arranged in 1 row so that it may become parallel to each wiring 12 in the parallel arrangement part mentioned above.

  The base film 11 and the cover film 13 are provided with cuts K in part of the periphery of each electrode 14. That is, incisions K are provided on three sides of the rectangular portion around the electrode 14 except for the side to which the electric wire 12 is connected. Thereby, the part containing the electrode 14 can be bent now. In addition, the front-end | tip part of the electric wire 12 near the electrode 14 is bend | folded with the base film 11 and the cover film 13 (two-dot chain line part in FIG. 3). And the space | interval between this part to be bent (equal to the space | interval of the longitudinal direction between the adjacent electrodes 14) is set so as to correspond to the space | interval of the clearance gaps between the separators 20 in a fuel cell.

In the fuel cell wiring 10 configured as described above, first, a part including the electrode 14 is bent. The bending is performed by a pair of jigs (first jig 61 and second jig 62, respectively).
(Refer to FIG. 5). The first jig 61 is provided with a plurality of concave portions 61a, and the second jig 62 is provided with a plurality of convex portions 62a. The intervals between the plurality of recesses 61 a provided in the first jig 61 and the intervals between the plurality of projections 62 a provided in the second jig 62 are both between the electrodes 14 provided in the fuel cell wiring 10. Is set to correspond to the interval. Then, the front side (the side on which the electrode 14 is provided) of the fuel cell wiring 10 is brought into contact with the first jig 61. At this time, the fuel cell wiring 10 is brought into contact with the first jig 61 so that each electrode 14 coincides with the plurality of recesses 61 a provided in the first jig 61.

  Then, the plurality of convex portions 62a of the second jig 62 are pushed into the concave portions 61a while being pressed against the plurality of pressing members 15 provided on the fuel cell wiring 10 (see FIG. 6A). The recess 61a has such a shape that a portion including the electrode 14 can be bent by 90 ° or more. Thereafter, when the first jig 61 and the second jig 62 are removed, the portion including the electrode 14 in the fuel cell wiring 10 is bent by approximately 90 ° (see FIG. 6B). . In this manner, after the portion including the electrode 14 is bent, the third jig 63 is used to incorporate the fuel cell wiring 10 into the fuel cell. The third jig 63 is provided with a plurality of convex portions 63a. The intervals between the plurality of convex portions 63a are set so as to correspond to the intervals between the gaps between the separators in the fuel cell (see FIG. 7A).

  Using such a third jig 63, the portion including the electrode 14 is pushed into the gap between the separators 20 while pressing each convex portion 63 a against each pressing member 15 in the fuel cell wiring 10. Thereby, all the parts including the bent electrode 14 are inserted between the gaps of the different separators 20 (see FIG. 7B).

  As described above, when the portion including the electrode 14 is inserted into the gap between the separators 20, each electrode 14 comes into contact with one of the pair of separators 20, and the pressing member 15 comes into contact with the other separator 20. Accordingly, the electrode 14 is pressed against the one separator 20 by the elastic repulsive force of the pressing member 15. Moreover, the part except the bent part in the wiring 10 for fuel cells is arrange | positioned so that the side surface of the separator 20 provided in the multilayer form may be opposed. In addition, this part can contact | abut (adhere) along the side surface of the separator 20, and the installation space of the wiring 10 for fuel cells can be made very small. Further, since the electrodes 14 are arranged in one row, any of the electrodes 14 can be arranged near one corner T of the separator 20 (see FIG. 8).

<Effect obtained by the fuel cell wiring according to the present embodiment>
According to the fuel cell wiring 10 according to the present embodiment, the electrode 14 can be electrically connected to the separator 20 only by inserting the portion including the electrode 14 into the gap between the separators 20. Since the electrode 14 is pressed against the separator 20 by the pressing member 15, this electrical connection can be further ensured, and the portion including the electrode 14 can be prevented from falling out of the gap between the separators 20. . In addition, the electric wires 12 can be electrically connected to the plurality of separators 20 by a single fuel cell wiring 10. Therefore, the workability is far superior to the case where a plurality of independent wires are connected to each separator. Further, since the flexible planar fuel cell wiring 10 can be installed along the outer wall surface of the fuel cell, the installation space for the fuel cell wiring 10 can be reduced. Moreover, since the electrode 14 is installed outside the sealed region formed by the gasket 50, it is not necessary to insert the fuel cell wiring 10 into the sealed region, and adverse effects on the sealing performance can be suppressed. In particular, if the pressing force (elastic repulsive force) by the pressing member 15 is set to be smaller than the elastic repulsive force by the gasket 50, the adverse effect on the sealing performance can be more reliably suppressed. In general, it is often difficult to increase the dimensional accuracy of the gap between the separators in the fuel cell. However, according to the present embodiment, the fuel cell wiring 10 itself is flexible and the fine adjustment of the bent portion in the portion including the electrode 14 allows the gaps to be appropriately set in each gap even if the dimensional accuracy is not high. Each tip can be inserted.

  FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the case where the electrode portions are arranged in two rows is shown. The other basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 9 is an external view of the vicinity of the end portion of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  When the plurality of electrodes 14 are arranged in a line as in the first embodiment, it may not be possible to cope with a case where the gap between the separators 20 in the fuel cell is narrow. That is, as the distance between the gaps between the separators 20 becomes narrower, it is necessary to shorten the length of the part including the electrodes 14 to be bent, or to narrow the distance between the electrodes 14. For this reason, the amount of insertion into the gap between the separators 20 is reduced, or the strength of the portion between the electrodes 14 is reduced.

  Therefore, as in the fuel cell wiring 10a according to the present embodiment, the electrodes 14 are arranged in two rows so that the plurality of electrodes 14 are alternately displaced so that the portion including the electrodes 14 is bent. It is possible to cope with the case where the gap between the separators 20 is narrow without shortening the length of the electrode 14 and without narrowing the gap between the electrodes 14. Needless to say, by providing three or more electrodes 14, it is possible to cope with a case where the gap between the separators 20 is narrower.

  FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, various specific examples of the shape of the pressing member will be described. The shape of the pressing member provided on the surface opposite to the electrode part described above is mainly the workability when inserting the part including the electrode part into the gap between the pair of separators, and of this part after insertion. It can be appropriately selected from the viewpoint of the stability of the installation state. A specific example is shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an external view showing a shape example of a pressing member according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 10A, 10B, and 10C are external views as viewed from the side, and FIGS. 10D and 10E are external views as viewed from the front. In addition, in FIG. 10, the main-body part (a base film, a cover film, an electric wire, an electrode) of the wiring for fuel cells except a press member is simplified and shown collectively.

  The pressing member 15a shown in (a) has a shape obtained by cutting a cylinder so as to pass through the center of the shaft (the shape of the side surface is a semicircle). The pressing member 15b shown in (b) has a rectangular parallelepiped part, and has a shape in which a side part shown in (a) is provided with a semicircular part in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped part. The pressing member 15c shown in (c) has a shape in which an inclined surface that gradually increases in thickness from the tip is provided at the tip. The pressing member 15d shown in (d) has a rectangular parallelepiped portion, and a hemispherical protrusion portion is provided near the center of the rectangular parallelepiped portion in the width direction. The pressing member 15e shown in (e) has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in the width direction. In addition, the dotted line provided in each figure has shown the position of the interference. That is, the distance from the surface to this dotted line corresponds to the gap between the pair of separators 20.

Here, after the fuel cell is assembled, a portion including the electrode 14 in the fuel cell wiring 10 is inserted into the gap between the separators 20, so that a flat inclined surface (FIG. ) And curved inclined surfaces (including spherical surfaces) (examples shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10D) are preferably provided. By providing such an inclined surface, the portion including the electrode 14 in the fuel cell wiring 10 is guided to an appropriate position in the gap between the separators 20, so that the insertion workability is improved. In addition, when it is necessary to place importance on the stability of the installation state after insertion of the portion including the electrode 14, a type having a flat bottom surface is desirable as shown in FIG. However, the above points assume that the upper surface on the separator 20 side is simply planar. Therefore, it goes without saying that the situation is somewhat different when special measures are taken to insert the portion including the electrode 14 in the fuel cell wiring 10 into the separator 20 side. For example, even in the type shown in FIG. 10D, if the groove corresponding to the hemispherical protrusion of the pressing member 15d is provided on the separator 20 side, the stability of the installed state after insertion is sufficient. Secured.

  FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which a mechanism including a pressing member locked to a separator is provided so that the portion including the electrode 14 is inserted into a gap between a pair of separators, and the portion does not fall out of the gap. FIG. 11: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode that the press member and separator which concern on Example 4 of this invention are latched. In addition, in FIG. 11, the main-body part (a base film, a cover film, an electric wire, an electrode) of the wiring for fuel cells except a press member is simplified and shown collectively.

  The pressing member 15f according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. And the flat inclined surface (C surface) is provided in the front end side so that thickness may become thick gradually. On the other hand, the rear end side is not provided with an inclined surface but is an edge.

  On the other hand, the separator 21 according to the present embodiment is provided with a step portion 22 at the end thereof. Thus, after the portion including the electrode 14 in the fuel cell wiring 10 is inserted into the gap between the separators 21, the edge portion of the rear end portion of the pressing member 15f is applied even if a force acts on the portion in the pulling direction. The (locking portion) is caught on the step portion 22. Therefore, falling off of the part is prevented.

  FIG. 12 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the pressing member has a feature so that the part including the electrode part can be inserted into the gap between the pair of separators using a jig while the part is properly bent. The configuration shown is shown. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the pressing member according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is fitted to a jig. However, FIGS. 12A and 12C are schematic diagrams viewed from the front side, and FIGS. 12B and 12D are schematic diagrams viewed from the side surface side. In addition, in FIG. 12, the main-body part (a base film, a cover film, an electric wire, an electrode) of the wiring for fuel cells except a press member is simplified and shown collectively.

  As described above, the portion including the electrode 14 is inserted between the separators in a state where the electric wire 12 is bent together with the base film 11 and the cover film 13. However, the base film 11 and the cover film 13 made of a resin material are generally difficult to be bent. As described above, if the reinforcing member 16 is provided, it is easy to bend the crease to some extent, but it may still be insufficient.

  If the bent folds are difficult to be attached, the bent portion tends to return to the original state, which may hinder the operation of inserting the portion including the electrode 14 into the gap between the separators. Therefore, a jig (a jig having a U-shaped part at the tip) including a part that sandwiches the part of the pressing member from both sides and a part that supports the pressing member from below so that the bent part does not return to its original state. ) To insert the portion including the electrode 14 into the gap between the separators.

In the example shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the shape of the pressing member 15g is the same width as the width of the electrode 14 (actually, the width of the base film 11 is equal) and narrower than that. And a shape having a portion. Then, the portion including the electrode 14 is inserted into the gap between the separators while the U-shaped portion of the jig 63b is sandwiched between the narrow portions of the pressing member 15g. Thereby, since both ends and the lower side in the width direction are supported, this portion is inserted into the gap between the separators while keeping the bent state. Therefore, it is possible to further facilitate the insertion work.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 9C and 9D, the shape of the pressing member 15 h has a shape having only a portion whose width is narrower than the width of the electrode 14. Then, the portion including the electrode 14 is inserted into the gap between the separators while the U-shaped portion of the jig 63c is sandwiched between the pressing members 15h. As a result, since both ends and the lower side in the width direction are supported, this portion is inserted into the gap between the separators while maintaining a bent state. Therefore, it is possible to further facilitate the insertion work.

  13 and 14 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the various embodiments described above, the case where the pressing member is fixed to the main body of the fuel cell wiring has been described. However, in this embodiment, a part of the pressing member is separated from the main body of the fuel cell wiring. An example is shown. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

  The basic configuration of the fuel cell wiring 10b according to this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the fuel cell wiring 10 shown in FIG. 1, but only the pressing member is different. That is, the pressing member 15 and the pressing members 15a to 15h in each of the above embodiments are configured to contact one of the pair of separators 20 and press the electrode 14 against the other separator 20 by the elastic repulsive force. It had been.

  On the other hand, in the fuel cell wiring 10b according to the present embodiment, the wiring body is provided with an elastic member 15i smaller than the pressing member 15 and the pressing members 15a to 15h. The elastic member 15i is a separator. 20 does not contact. In the present embodiment, the electrode 14 is pressed against the separator 20 via the elastic member 15 i by a rigid fitting member 70 fitted into the gap between the separators 20. That is, in this embodiment, the pressing member is constituted by the elastic member 15i fixed to the main body side of the fuel cell wiring 10b and the fitting member 70 provided separately from the elastic member 15i.

  In the fuel cell wiring 10b configured as described above, first, the main body (the portion excluding the fitting member 70) is arranged on the front side (the side on which the electrode 14 is provided) of the separator 20 arranged in a multilayer shape. Along the side. At this time, the main body portion is arranged so that the portion including the electrode 14 (the portion to be bent) corresponds to the position of the gap between the separators 20. Then, the fitting member 70 is inserted and fitted into the gap between the separators 20. By inserting the fitting member 70, the portion including the electrode 14 is bent and inserted into the gap between the separators 20. When the fitting member 70 is inserted, the electrode 14 is pressed against the separator 20 by the elastic repulsive force of the elastic member 15i.

  Thus, in the case of the present embodiment, the number of parts increases by the amount that the fitting member 70 is separated from the main body of the fuel cell wiring. However, it is not necessary to bend the part including the electrode 14 in advance, and the part including the electrode 14 can be bent by inserting the fitting member 70. Therefore, it is more excellent in workability.

The fitting member 70 is preferably provided with an inclined surface at the tip as shown in the drawing so that the portion including the electrode 14 can be smoothly bent. In the illustrated example, the fitting member 70 is dedicated to the gap between the separators 20 at one location, but it is also possible to connect a plurality of fitting members so as to be fitted to the plurality of gaps at a time. (Shape as shown in FIG. 7).

  FIG. 15 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 7 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

  In the sixth embodiment, the elastic member is provided on the main body side of the fuel cell wiring, and only the fitting member is separated. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the elastic member 71a is provided on the fitting member 71 made of a rigid body is employed. The elastic member 71a corresponds to the elastic member 15i in the sixth embodiment, and only whether the elastic member is fixed to the main body side of the fuel cell wiring or the fitting member side. Different from Example 6. Needless to say, this embodiment also exhibits the same effects as those of the sixth embodiment.

  FIG. 16 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment. FIG. 16: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode after the fuel cell wiring which concerns on Example 8 of this invention was assembled | attached to the fuel cell.

  In the said Example 7, the case where an elastic member was provided in the fitting member which consists of rigid bodies was shown. In the present embodiment, the fitting member 72 itself is made of an elastic material, and the fitting member 72 is integrally provided with a convex portion 72a corresponding to the elastic member 71a. Needless to say, this embodiment also exhibits the same effects as those of the seventh embodiment.

  FIG. 17 shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

  In the said Example 6, what consists of a rigid body was used as a fitting member. In contrast, in this embodiment, a configuration using a metal leaf spring-like fitting member 73 is employed. Example 6 is the same as Example 6 except that the fitting member is different. Needless to say, this embodiment also exhibits the same effects as those of the sixth embodiment.

  FIG. 18 shows a tenth embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the ninth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 10 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

  In the ninth embodiment, the elastic member is provided on the main body side of the fuel cell wiring, and only the fitting member is separated. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the elastic member 73a is provided on the metal leaf spring-like fitting member 73 is employed. The elastic member 73a corresponds to the elastic member 15i in the ninth embodiment, and only whether the elastic member is fixed to the main body side of the fuel cell wiring or the fitting member side. Different from Example 9. Needless to say, this embodiment also exhibits the same effects as those of the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 19 shows Embodiment 11 of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the ninth and tenth embodiments. FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 11 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

  In the ninth and tenth embodiments, the case where the pressing member is configured by the metal leaf spring-like fitting member and the elastic member fixed to the fuel cell wiring main body side or the fitting member is shown. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case is shown in which the pressing member is configured by only the metal leaf spring-like fitting member 74.

  In the present embodiment, the fitting member 74 is fitted so that the protrusion 74a of the fitting member 74 is on the fuel cell wiring body side. Thereby, the electrode 74 is pressed against the separator 20 by the protrusion 74a pressing the wiring body for fuel cell. Also in the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the ninth and tenth embodiments.

  20 and 21 show a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell wiring according to Example 12 of the present invention. 20A is an external view of the main part of the fuel cell wiring viewed from the front side, and FIG. 20B is an external view of the main part of the fuel cell wiring viewed from the back side. (C) is the external view which looked at the main-body part of the wiring for fuel cells from the side surface side, FIG.20 (d) is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode that the wiring for fuel cells was integrated in the fuel cell. FIG. 21 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

  The main part of the fuel cell wiring in this embodiment has the same configuration as the main part of the fuel cell wiring in the sixth embodiment. The fitting member 75 in this embodiment includes a plurality of fitting projections 75 a and a locking protrusion 75 b that locks the separator 20. If the fitting member 75 of a present Example is used, the several fitting convex part 75a (equivalent to the fitting member 70 in Example 6) can be simultaneously fitted with one fitting member 75. FIG. Further, since the locking protrusion 75b is locked to the separator 20, the fitting member 75 can be prevented from falling off.

  FIG. 22 shows a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, an example in which the configuration of the pressing member is completely different from the above embodiments will be shown. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the fuel cell wiring according to Example 13 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 22A shows a state before assembly, and FIG. 22B shows a state after assembly.

  In the fuel cell wiring 10d in the present embodiment, a pressing member 15j made of a flat elastic material is fixed to the main body portion of the fuel cell wiring. The pressing member 15j includes a convex portion 15k provided at one end of the flat plate portion and a concave portion 151 provided at the center of the flat plate portion. When the fuel cell wiring 10d configured as described above is assembled to the fuel cell, the recess 15l is pushed into the gap between the pair of separators 20 by the rod-shaped member 76 (see FIG. 22A). As a result, the concave portion 15l is bent together with the main body portion of the fuel cell wiring, and at the same time, is inserted between the gaps of the separator 20. And the convex part 15k presses the other edge part of a flat plate part, and the electrode 14 is pressed by the separator 20 by the elastic repulsive force of the press member 15j whole (refer FIG.22 (b)). In this embodiment, the rod-shaped member 76 is pulled out after the pressing member 15j is inserted between the gaps of the separator 20.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing member is not separated from the fuel cell wiring, so the number of parts is not increased. In addition, it is not necessary to bend the part including the electrode 14 in advance, and the part including the electrode 14 can be bent by inserting the rod-shaped member.

  FIG. 23 shows a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the thirteenth embodiment. FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 14 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 23A shows a state before assembly, and FIG. 23B shows a state after assembly.

  The pressing member 15j in the present embodiment has the same configuration as the pressing member in Embodiment 14. In this embodiment, a configuration in which a spherical portion 77a is provided at the tip of the rod-shaped member 77, and a configuration in which the rod-shaped member 77 is not pulled out while being inserted into the recess 15l is employed. Needless to say, this embodiment also obtains the same effects as those of the thirteenth embodiment. In the case of this embodiment, the rod-shaped member 77 also constitutes a part of the pressing member. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the number of parts is larger than that of the thirteenth embodiment. However, in the case of the configuration as in the thirteenth embodiment, it may be difficult to prevent the pressing member 15j from being pulled out again when the rod-shaped member 76 is pulled out. This is advantageous in that there is no such problem.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is incorporated in a fuel cell. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an external view of the vicinity of the end portion of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a procedure for incorporating the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention into the fuel cell. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a procedure for incorporating the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention into the fuel cell. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a procedure for incorporating the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention into the fuel cell. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a region into which the electrode part of the fuel cell wiring is inserted into the fuel cell (separator). FIG. 9 is an external view of the vicinity of the end portion of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an external view showing a shape example of a pressing member according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 11: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode that the press member and separator which concern on Example 4 of this invention are latched. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the pressing member according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is fitted to a jig. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 7 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 16: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode after the fuel cell wiring which concerns on Example 8 of this invention was assembled | attached to the fuel cell. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 10 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state after the fuel cell wiring according to Example 11 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell wiring according to Example 12 of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring is incorporated in the fuel cell. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the fuel cell wiring according to Example 13 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell. FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 14 of the present invention is assembled to the fuel cell.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10a, 10b, 10d Fuel cell wiring 11 Base film 12 Wiring 13 Cover film 14 Electrode 15, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15e, 15f, 15g, 15h, 15j Pressing member 15i Elastic member 15k Convex portion 15l Concavity 16 Reinforcing member 20, 21 Separator 22 Stepped portion 30 Electrolyte membrane 40 Electrode 50 Gasket 61 First jig 61a Concavity 62 Second jig 62a Convex part 63 Third jig 63a Convex part 63b, 63c Jigs 70, 71, 72 , 73, 74, 75 Fitting member 71a Elastic member 72a Convex portion 73a Elastic member 74a Protruding portion 75a Fitting convex portion 75b Locking protuberance 76, 77 Bar-shaped member 77a Spherical part

Claims (9)

A conductive member provided on a flexible insulating substrate;
An electrode portion that contacts the separator of the fuel cell and electrically connects the separator and the conductive member;
A pressing member that is provided on a surface opposite to the contact side of the electrode portion with the separator and presses the electrode portion;
A planar fuel cell wiring having flexibility,
The insulating substrate is provided with a cut in part around the electrode part, and is configured so that the part including the electrode part can be bent.
In a state where the part including the electrode part is bent, the part including the electrode part is inserted into the gap between the pair of separators,
In a region outside a sealed region formed by a gasket provided between a pair of separators, the electrode portion abuts against one separator, and the electrode portion is pressed against the one separator by the pressing member. A fuel cell wiring characterized by the above. A plurality of conductive members are disposed on the insulating substrate, each of the conductive members is provided with an electrode portion, and a portion of each electrode portion is provided with a notch. It is configured to be able to bend the part including the part,
Among the multilayer separators provided in the fuel cell, a gap is formed between adjacent separators, and each electrode part is inserted into a gap between different separators,
2. The fuel cell wiring according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the insulating substrate excluding a portion bent together with the electrode portion is disposed so as to face a side surface of the multilayer separator.   The plurality of conductive members have parallel arrangement portions arranged parallel to each other with respect to the insulating member, and each conductive member is bent in the middle, and the plurality of electrode portions respectively provided at the tips of the respective conductive members are The fuel cell wiring according to claim 2, wherein the wiring for the fuel cell is arranged so as to be parallel to the plurality of conductive members in the parallel arrangement portion.   4. The fuel cell wiring according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is fixed to the back side of the electrode portion. 5.   The said pressing member is comprised as another body, and when the said pressing member is inserted in the clearance gap between separators, the part containing an electrode part is inserted in the said clearance gap while being bent. Or the fuel cell wiring according to 3;   The fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a pressing force by the pressing member is set to be smaller than an elastic repulsion force by the gasket.   2. A reinforcing member is provided in a region including at least a part of the bent portion of the insulating substrate to make it easier to bend the insulating substrate and reinforce the strength of the insulating substrate. The fuel cell wiring according to any one of -6.   The fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an inclined surface that assists introduction into a gap between the pair of separators is provided at a tip portion of the pressing member.   The fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a locking portion that is locked to a separator is provided at a rear end portion of the pressing member.

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