JP4857525B2 - FUEL CELL WIRING AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING FUEL CELL WIRING TO FUEL CELL - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell wiring and a method for assembling a fuel cell wiring to a fuel cell.

  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.

  Here, in order to detect various information (for example, temperature and pressure) for each unit cell, it is necessary to attach a sensor to each unit cell. In this case, for example, it is conceivable that a terminal with an electric wire with a sensor attached in the vicinity of the tip is arranged for each single cell, and various information sent from the sensor is detected for each single cell.

  However, in this detection 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.

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;
A sensor electrically connected to the conductive member;
An elastic member that is inserted into a gap between a pair of separators in a fuel cell and holds a part of the wiring body in the gap by its own elastic repulsion force;
A planar fuel cell wiring having flexibility,
The sensor is disposed in an insulated state with respect to the separator,
A plurality of conductive members are provided on the insulating substrate,
The insulating substrate is
A trunk portion in which the separator is disposed to face the side surface of the fuel cell provided in a multilayer shape, and a plurality of conductive members are arranged substantially parallel to the separator layer;
A plurality of branch portions branched from the trunk portion, and each conductive member is disposed obliquely with respect to the separator layer, and the sensor is provided at the tip thereof.
When assembling to the fuel cell, with the ends of each branch part bent, each is inserted into a gap between different separators,
At the tip of each branch portion, a part of the wiring body is held by the elastic member in a region outside a sealed region formed by a gasket provided between a pair of separators, and the sensor is connected to the separator. It is characterized by being positioned while maintaining an insulating state between them.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, a part of the wiring body (at least the part including the insulating substrate, the conductive member, and the sensor) is held by the elastic repulsive force of the elastic member. Thereby, it can suppress that the front-end | tip of the branch part of the insulated substrate in the wiring for fuel cells falls out between a pair of separators. And a sensor is positioned in the clearance gap between separators only by inserting the front-end | tip of a branch part 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 sensor is positioned in a region outside the sealed region formed by the gasket, adverse effects on the sealing performance can be suppressed. Moreover, it becomes possible to arrange sensors between the separator gaps at a plurality of locations with one fuel cell wiring, and the fuel cell wiring can be installed without taking up much space. Moreover, in this invention, it inserts between different separator gap | intervals in the state in which the front-end | tip of each branch part branched from a trunk part was each bent. Further, in each branch portion, the conductive member is disposed obliquely with respect to the separator layer, and a sensor is provided at the tip. From the above, it is possible to employ a layout that does not require a useless space between the tips of the branch portions, and it is possible to effectively cope with a case where the gap between the separators is narrow. 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 by adjusting the length of the branch portion and the portion where the branch portion is bent, even if the dimensional accuracy is not high, The tip of each branch part can be inserted into each gap appropriately. In order to keep the sensor insulated from the separator, an insulating part may be provided on the surface of the sensor on the fuel cell wiring side, or an insulating part may be provided on the separator surface on the separator side. it can. Further, the 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.

In addition, a plurality of branches are formed by a plurality of cuts provided in the insulating substrate,
A hole for relaxing stress may be provided at the front end of the notch between the adjacent branch portions.

  If comprised in this way, since stress concentration can be relieve | moderated when stress acts between branch parts, it can suppress that an insulated substrate tears.

  The elastic repulsive force by the elastic 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 edge part of the said elastic 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 an elastic member being inserted between separators will be assisted by an inclined surface, work at the time of inserting wiring for fuel cells in a crevice between separators will become easy. The inclined surface includes not only a flat inclined surface but also a curved inclined surface such as a spherical surface.

Moreover, it is good for the edge part of the said elastic member to provide the latching | locking part hooked and latched by the level | step-difference part of a separator.

  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, a reinforcing plate that makes the insulating substrate difficult to bend may be provided near the tip of the branch portion.

  In this way, when the fuel cell wiring is inserted into the gap between the separators, the vicinity of the tip of the branching portion is difficult to bend, so that the insertion work is facilitated.

In the method of assembling the fuel cell wiring of the present invention to the fuel cell,
A step of bending all the ends of the plurality of branch portions in any of the fuel cell wirings;
The trunk portion of the insulating substrate is placed on the side of the fuel cell so that the bent portion at the tip of each branch portion does not contact the fuel cell, and the bent portion is positioned corresponding to the gap between the separators. A step of disposing them so as to face each other,
And a step of sliding the trunk portion of the insulating substrate along the side surface side of the fuel cell and pulling each bent portion between the separator gaps.

  According to the present invention, even when there is a variation in the bending method of the bent portion at the tip of the branching portion, the portion is pulled between the separator gaps, so that it is easier than when the portion is inserted from the tip. The portion can be inserted between the separator gaps.

In the method for assembling the fuel cell wiring of the present invention to the fuel cell,
A trunk portion of an insulating substrate disposed so as to face the side surface of the fuel cell, and a plurality of branch portions branched from the trunk portion and respectively inserted between different separator gaps in the fuel cell, and the trunk portion and Each of the branch portions is provided with a conductive member, and each branch portion is electrically connected to a conductive member provided on an insulating substrate and arranged in an insulated state with respect to the separator. In the method of assembling the fuel cell wiring to the fuel cell provided with an elastic member that is inserted into the gap between the separator and the separator and holds the part of the wiring body in the gap by its own elastic repulsive force.
Bending all the ends of the plurality of branch portions;
The trunk portion of the insulating substrate is placed on the side surface of the fuel cell so that the bent portion at the tip of each branch portion does not contact the fuel cell, and the bent portion is located at a position corresponding to the gap between the separators. A step of arranging so as to face the side,
Executives insulating substrate by sliding along the side surface of the fuel cell, each folded portion, a tensile write Mukoto into the gap between the separators, a sensor located respectively at the tip of each branch portion between the separators The sensor is insulated from the separator by pulling into the gap and holding the tip of each branching portion with the elastic member in the area outside the sealed area formed by the gaskets provided between the separators. And a step of positioning while maintaining the state.

  According to the present invention, even when there is a variation in the bending method of the bent part at the tip of the branching part, the part is pulled between the separator gaps, so that it is easier than when inserting the part from the tip. The portion can be inserted between the separator gaps.

Further, the stem of the insulating substrate is slid along the side surface of the fuel cell, the time of each folded portion, hook into the gap between the separators,
The trunk portion may be slid while guiding the surface of the trunk portion opposite to the fuel cell by the guide member facing the side surface of the fuel cell so that the trunk portion of the insulating substrate is not separated from the side surface of the fuel cell by a predetermined distance or more. .

  In this way, the trunk portion of the insulating substrate is not separated from the side surface of the fuel cell by more than a predetermined distance, so that the operation of inserting the tip of the branch portion becomes even easier.

  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. 1-7, 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. The unit cells are stacked in multiple layers, whereby a plurality of unit cells are connected in series via the separator 20 made of a conductive material, and a large power generation can be 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 in which the portion provided with the sensor at the tip is inserted into the gap between the pair of separators 20. Thereby, a sensor is disposed in the gap between the separators 20. Here, the position where the sensor of the fuel cell wiring 10 is disposed is outside the sealed region formed by the gasket 50. Therefore, the gasket 50 has little influence on the sealing performance.

  As described above, by arranging the sensors in the gaps between the separators 20, various information in each single cell can be detected. Needless to say, desired information can be obtained according to the type of sensor. Specifically, the temperature of each part can be detected using a temperature sensor, and the pressure between the separators can be detected using a pressure sensor. In this embodiment, a case where a temperature sensor is used will be described below as an example.

<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 plan view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along AA in FIG.

  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. A plurality of the electric wires 12 are provided on the base film 11.

  Further, the fuel cell wiring 10 includes a temperature sensor 14 that is electrically connected to the two electric wires 12, and an elastic member 15 that is provided on the opposite surface of the temperature sensor 14 via the electric wires 12 and the base film 11. Is provided. The surface of the temperature sensor 14 is covered with a cover film 13 so as to maintain an insulating state with the separator 20. However, when the surface of the separator 20 can be insulated from the temperature sensor 14 such as when the surface of the separator 20 is covered with an insulating film, the surface of the temperature sensor 14 may be exposed. The elastic 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 (a portion indicated by a line L1 in FIG. 2). 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 a plan view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 5 and 6 are process diagrams for incorporating the fuel cell wiring into the fuel cell according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the fuel cell wiring and the fuel cell in a state where the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in the fuel cell. 8 and 9 are external views showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is incorporated in the fuel cell. In addition, in FIG. 8, the external view seen from the side which integrated the wiring for fuel cells was shown, and FIG. 9 has shown the external view seen from the side surface side. In this embodiment, a fuel cell in which six 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 temperature sensors 14 with respect to one base film 11 and cover film 13. The base film 11 and the cover film 13 are arranged so as to face the side surface of the fuel cell (preferably, closely attached along the side surface), and branch from the trunk portion A into a plurality at the tip of the trunk portion A. And a plurality of branch portions B.

  In trunk A, a plurality of electric wires 12 are arranged in parallel. These electric wires 12 are arranged so as to be parallel to the layers of the separators 20 provided in a multilayer shape when the fuel cell wiring 10 is assembled to the fuel cell (see FIG. 8). Further, the pitch between each pair of the two electric wires 12 in the trunk A is substantially equal to the pitch between the separators 20. Then, a plurality of cuts are provided in the base film 11 and the cover film 13 in an oblique direction with respect to the trunk A on the tip side of the trunk A. Thereby, a plurality of branch parts B are formed. Two electric wires 12 arranged on the trunk portion A are extended by two for each branch portion B. In the branch portion B, the electric wires 12 are disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the layers of the separators 20 provided in a multilayer shape in a state where the fuel cell wiring 10 is assembled to the fuel cell ( (See FIG. 8). And the temperature sensor 14 is provided in the front-end | tip of each of these branch parts B so that it may electrically connect with the two electric wires 12, respectively.

  It is preferable to provide a hole (round hole) 17 at the tip of the notch provided between the branch portions B (see FIG. 2). That is, when a stress such as a pulling force is applied to the fuel cell wiring 10 during an operation of incorporating the fuel cell wiring 10 into the fuel cell, stress concentration tends to occur at the tip of the cut. Therefore, by providing the holes 17 as described above, the stress is dispersed and the concentration of stress on the cutting tip can be reduced. Therefore, it can suppress that the base film 11 and the cover film 13 tear from the front-end | tip of this notch.

  In the fuel cell wiring 10 configured as described above, first, all the ends of the branch portions B are bent. This bending can be performed with fingers, or using a jig or the like as appropriate. FIG. 5 shows a state where the branch portion B is bent. 5A shows a state seen from the cover film 13 side, and FIG. 5B shows a state seen from the P direction in FIG. 5A.

  Next, the fuel cell wiring 10 is set so that the trunk A faces the side surface on the assembly side of the fuel cell. FIG. 6A schematically shows the arrangement relationship between the separator 20 constituting the fuel cell and the fuel cell wiring 10 (the arrangement relationship seen in the direction in which the separators 20 are stacked) at the time of setting. Yes. The lower side surface 20a of the separator 20 in this figure is the surface on the side where the fuel cell wiring 10 is assembled. At the time of this setting, the bent portion (the portion where the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 are provided) at the tip of the branch portion B is positioned outside the end portion of the side surface 20a so as not to interfere with the fuel cell. (See FIG. 6A). At this time, the bent portion at the tip of each branch portion B is set so as to be at a position corresponding to a different gap between the separators.

Then, the trunk A is slid along the side surface on the assembly side of the fuel cell (the side surface 20a of the separator 20) (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6A). Thereby, the bent part of the tip of each branch part B, that is, the part where the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 are provided,
It is pulled between the separators 20. In FIG. 6A, the portion where the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 are provided is pulled between the separators 20 from the side surface 20b adjacent to one side of the side surface 20a. Here, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 6A, the temperature sensor 14 is positioned in a region indicated by TI at one corner in the drawing. FIG. 7 schematically shows an arrangement relationship in a state where the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 are provided after being pulled between the separators 20. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), when it is desired to place the temperature sensor 14 near the center of the separator 20 (region indicated by T2 in the figure), the trunk A is compared with the case of FIG. 6 (a). Can be further slid.

  Here, in the operation of sliding the stem A, while guiding the surface of the stem A opposite to the fuel cell by the guide member 60 so that the stem A is not separated from the side of the fuel cell by a predetermined distance or more, It is good to slide the executive A. Thereby, the part in which the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 were provided can be more easily pulled between the gaps of the separator 20.

  As described above, the portion provided with the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 at the tip of each branch portion B is inserted (pulled) between the gaps of different separators 20, and the fuel cell wiring 10 is connected to the fuel cell. (See FIGS. 8 and 9). In this manner, the leading end of the branch portion B is pulled into the gap between the separators 20, so that the elastic member 15 provided at each leading end portion abuts one of the pair of separators 20. Thereby, the other side of the cover film 13 opposite to the elastic member 15 is pressed against the other separator 20 by the elastic repulsive force of the elastic member 15. Thereby, the front-end | tip of the branch part B is hold | maintained at the clearance gap between a pair of separators 20, and the temperature sensor 14 is positioned.

<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 temperature of the branch portion B is simply inserted (pulled) into the gap between the separators 20 (the portion where the temperature sensor 14 and the elastic member 15 are provided). The sensor 14 can be positioned in the gap between the separators 20. And since the front-end | tip of the branch part B is hold | maintained between the separator 20 gap | intervals by the elastic member 15, it can suppress that the said front-end | tip falls out of the clearance gap between the separators 20. FIG. In addition, the temperature sensor 14 can be disposed between the gaps of the plurality of separators 20 by the single fuel cell wiring 10. Therefore, the workability is much better than when a plurality of independent electric wires are attached 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. Further, since the temperature sensor 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 elastic repulsive force by the elastic 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, the length of the notch provided between the branch portions B (for example, the dimension W in FIG. 2), and the branch portion B are adjusted. Even if the dimensional accuracy is not high, the tip of the branch portion B can be appropriately inserted into each gap by fine adjustment of the bent portion of the tip. Note that the dimension W in FIG. 2 can be set as appropriate in consideration of an interval between the gaps of the separator 20, a dimension error, and the like. Of course, it does not matter if W = 0.

In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 14 provided at the tip of each branch part B is provided so as to be arranged in a line in the direction in which the separators 20 are overlapped. Further, the interval between the temperature sensors 14 after bending corresponds to the interval between the gaps between the separators 20 (see FIG. 8). In this embodiment, since the tip of the branching portion B that branches in an oblique direction with respect to the layer of the separator 20 is bent and inserted into the gap between the separators 20, it is wasted between the tips of the branching portion B. Space can be eliminated. That is, for example, when a configuration in which the branch portion is branched in a direction perpendicular to the separator layer is adopted, a layout in which an electric wire, a base film, and the like are inevitably disposed between the ends of the branch portion B is obtained. On the other hand, by adopting the layout as in the present embodiment, there is no need to interpose an electric wire, a base film, or the like between the tips of the branch portions B, and a useless space can be eliminated. In the illustrated example, a case where a slight gap (space) is provided between the tips of the branch portions B is shown, but this gap may not be provided. Further, according to the layout of the present embodiment, the width of the tip of the branch portion B is inserted into the gap between the separators 20. The width of the tip of the branch portion B can be increased up to a pitch between each pair of the two electric wires 12 in the trunk portion A (= the pitch of the gap between the separators 20) (the branch portion B). If there is no gap between the tips of the top). From the above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively cope with the case where the gap between the separators 20 is narrow.

  Further, it is conceivable that variations occur in how the bent portion at the tip of the branching portion B is bent. In addition, as the factor, it is mentioned that the base film 11 and the cover film 13 are hard to bend a crease, and are easy to return to the original state. As described above, when the bending method varies, the distance between the tip portions of the branching portion B after the bending varies. However, according to the assembling method in the present embodiment, the leading end of the branching portion B is pulled into the gap between the separators 20, so that these can be more easily compared with the case where this is pushed into the gap from the leading end. Can be inserted between the gaps of the separator 20.

  FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a specific example of the shape of the elastic member will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an elastic member according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3 described above. In FIG. 10, the main part of the fuel cell wiring (base film, cover film, electric wire, sensor) excluding the elastic member is shown. Simplified and summarized.

  As shown in the drawing, the elastic member 15a according to the present embodiment has a shape in which a portion (cross section is a semicircular portion 15b) obtained by cutting a cylinder around an axis is provided approximately in the vicinity of the center of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. Of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, a curved surface (so-called R) having a relatively large radius of curvature is provided at a corner portion on the side where the elastic member 15 a is drawn into the gap between the separators 20. Further, the thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinner than the distance between the separators 20. The total thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion and the portion obtained by cutting the cylinder is greater than the distance between the separators 20.

  If the elastic member 15a configured as described above is used, the work of pulling the tip of the branch portion B between the gaps of the separator 20 can be easily performed. That is, the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the elastic member 15a is smoothly guided to the gap by the curved surface portion of the corner portion. Next, the semicircular portion 15b is also pulled into the gap. As described above, since the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinned and the curved surface having a large curvature radius is provided at the corner portion, the elastic member 15a can be smoothly pulled between the separators 20.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, another specific example of the shape of the elastic member will be described. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of the tip of the branching portion in the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In addition, Fig.11 (a) is a top view of the branch part front-end | tip, FIG.11 (b) is BB sectional drawing in (a). In FIG. 11B, the main part (base film, cover film, electric wire, sensor) of the fuel cell wiring excluding the elastic member is shown in a simplified form.

  As shown in the drawing, the elastic member 15c according to the present embodiment has a shape in which two protrusions 15d and 15e are provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion. In the rectangular parallelepiped portion, a flat inclined surface (so-called C surface) is provided at a corner portion on the side where the elastic member 15 c is drawn into the gap between the separators 20. Further, the thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinner than the distance between the separators 20. The total thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion and the projections 15d and 15e is larger than the distance between the separators 20 gap.

  If the elastic member 15c configured as described above is used, the operation of pulling the tip of the branch portion B between the gaps of the separator 20 can be easily performed. That is, the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the elastic member 15c is smoothly guided into the gap by the inclined surface portion of the corner portion. Next, the protrusion 15e and the protrusion 15d are sequentially pulled into the gap. Thus, since the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinned and the inclined surface is provided at the corner portion, the elastic member 15c can be smoothly pulled between the gaps of the separator 20. Further, in this embodiment, since the two rows of protrusions 15d and 15e are provided in parallel, the installation state of the elastic member 15c after the elastic member 15c is inserted between the separators 20 is excellent. In FIG. 11A, the portion indicated by the dotted line indicates the tip positions of the protrusions 15d and 15e.

  FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, another specific example of the shape of the elastic member will be described. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of the tip of the branching portion in the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In addition, Fig.12 (a) is a reverse view of the branch part front-end | tip, FIG.12 (b) is CC sectional drawing in (a). In FIG. 12B, the main part (base film, cover film, electric wire, sensor) of the fuel cell wiring excluding the elastic member is shown in a simplified manner.

  As shown in the figure, the elastic member 15f according to the present embodiment has a shape in which a V-shaped protrusion 15g as viewed from the back surface is provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion. In the rectangular parallelepiped portion, a planar inclined surface (so-called C surface) is provided at a corner portion on the side where the elastic member 15 f is drawn into the gap between the separators 20. Further, the thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinner than the distance between the separators 20. The total thickness of the rectangular parallelepiped portion and the projection 15g portion is larger than the distance between the separators 20.

  If the elastic member 15f configured as described above is used, the work of pulling the tip of the branch portion B between the gaps of the separator 20 can be easily performed. That is, the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the elastic member 15f is smoothly guided to the gap by the inclined surface portion of the corner portion. Next, the protrusion 15g is also pulled into the gap. As described above, since the rectangular parallelepiped portion is thinned and the inclined surface is provided at the corner, the elastic member 15f can be smoothly pulled between the separators 20. In the present embodiment, since the V-shaped protrusion 15g is provided, the stability of the installed state of the elastic member 15f after the elastic member 15f is inserted between the separators 20 is excellent.

FIG. 13 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, an example is provided with a mechanism in which the elastic member is locked to the separator so that the tip portion does not fall out of the gap after the tip portion of the branch portion B is inserted into the gap between the pair of separators. Show. FIG. 13: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode that the elastic member and separator which concern on Example 5 of this invention are latched. In addition,
In FIG. 13, the main part (base film, cover film, electric wire, sensor) of the fuel cell wiring excluding the elastic member is shown in a simplified manner.

  The elastic member 15h according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. And the separator 21 which concerns on a present Example is provided with the level | step-difference part 22 in the edge part. Thereby, after the tip of the branch portion B in the fuel cell wiring 10 is inserted into the gap between the separators 21, a force acts on the tip of the branch portion B in the pulling direction (direction in which the trunk portion A is disposed). Even so, the edge portion (locking portion) at the end of the elastic member 15 h is caught by the stepped portion 22. Accordingly, the tip of the branch part B is prevented from falling off.

  FIG. 14 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a configuration is shown in which a reinforcing plate that makes the base film difficult to bend is provided at the tip of the base film (in the vicinity of where the branch portion B is provided). FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numeral is given to the same configuration, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the fuel cell wiring 10 a has a reinforcing plate 18 attached in the vicinity of the branch portion B, and an elastic member 15 is provided on the reinforcing plate 18. The reinforcing plate 18 may be made of the same material as the base film 11. Thus, by providing the reinforcing plate 18, the vicinity of the branch portion B can be made difficult to bend. Thereby, the operation | work which inserts the front-end | tip of the branch part B in the clearance gap between a pair of separators 20 can be made easier.

  The region where the reinforcing plate 18 is provided is preferably a region avoiding the bent portion of the tip portion, and may be provided only on the tip side of the bent portion, or only on the rear end side of the bent portion. Alternatively, it may be provided on both the front end side and the rear end side of the bent portion.

  In addition, since it is better that the portion excluding the vicinity of the branch portion B is easily bent in consideration of workability and ease of arrangement, it is meaningless to increase the thickness of the entire base film 11. In addition, it is not practical to increase the thickness of only a part of the base film 11 (the part where the reinforcing plate 18 is provided) because of technical difficulties. Of course, if it is not accompanied by technical difficulties, it is also possible to exert the same effect as that provided with the reinforcing plate by increasing the thickness of a part of the base film 11.

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 plan view showing a part of the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a process diagram for incorporating the fuel cell wiring into the fuel cell according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a process diagram of assembling the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention into the fuel cell. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the fuel cell wiring and the fuel cell in a state where the fuel cell wiring according to the first embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in the fuel cell. FIG. 8 is an external view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is incorporated in the fuel cell. FIG. 9 is an external view showing a state in which the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is incorporated in the fuel cell. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an elastic member according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of the tip of the branching portion in the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of the tip of the branching portion in the fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. FIG. 13: is typical sectional drawing which shows a mode that the elastic member and separator which concern on Example 5 of this invention are latched. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fuel cell wiring according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,10a Fuel cell wiring 11 Base film 12 Electric wire 13 Cover film 14 Sensor 15, 15a, 15c, 15f, 15h Elastic member 15b Semicircular part 15d, 15e, 15g Protrusion 16 Reinforcement member 17 Hole 18 Reinforcement plate 20, 21 Separator 22 Stepped portion 30 Electrolyte membrane 40 Electrode 50 Gasket 60 Guide member

Claims (10)

A conductive member provided on a flexible insulating substrate;
A sensor electrically connected to the conductive member;
An elastic member that is inserted into a gap between a pair of separators in a fuel cell and holds a part of the wiring body in the gap by its own elastic repulsion force;
A planar fuel cell wiring having flexibility,
The sensor is disposed in an insulated state with respect to the separator,
A plurality of conductive members are provided on the insulating substrate,
The insulating substrate is
A trunk portion in which the separator is disposed to face the side surface of the fuel cell provided in a multilayer shape, and a plurality of conductive members are arranged substantially parallel to the separator layer;
A plurality of branch portions branched from the trunk portion, and each conductive member is disposed obliquely with respect to the separator layer, and the sensor is provided at the tip thereof.
When assembling to the fuel cell, with the ends of each branch part bent, each is inserted into a gap between different separators,
At the tip of each branch portion, a part of the wiring body is held by the elastic member in a region outside a sealed region formed by a gasket provided between a pair of separators, and the sensor is connected to the separator. A fuel cell wiring, wherein the wiring is positioned while maintaining an insulating state between the two. A plurality of branches are formed by a plurality of cuts provided in the insulating substrate,
2. The fuel cell wiring according to claim 1, wherein a hole for relaxing stress is provided at a front end portion of a cut between adjacent branch portions. 3.   3. The fuel cell wiring according to claim 1, wherein an elastic repulsive force by the elastic member is set to be smaller than an elastic repulsive force by the gasket. 4.   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. , 2 or 3, fuel cell wiring.   5. The fuel cell wiring according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface that assists introduction into a gap between a pair of separators is provided at an end of the elastic member.   The fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a locking portion that is hooked and locked to a stepped portion of the separator is provided at an end portion of the elastic member.   The fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a reinforcing plate that makes the insulating substrate difficult to bend is provided near a tip of the branch portion. In the method of assembling the fuel cell wiring to the fuel cell,
A step of bending all the tips of the plurality of branch portions in the fuel cell wiring according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The trunk portion of the insulating substrate is placed on the side of the fuel cell so that the bent portion at the tip of each branch portion does not contact the fuel cell, and the bent portion is positioned corresponding to the gap between the separators. A step of disposing them so as to face each other,
A fuel cell wiring fuel cell comprising: a step of sliding a trunk portion of an insulating substrate along a side surface side of the fuel cell and pulling each bent portion between the separator gaps. Assembly method. A trunk portion of an insulating substrate disposed so as to face the side surface of the fuel cell, and a plurality of branch portions branched from the trunk portion and respectively inserted between different separator gaps in the fuel cell, and the trunk portion and Each of the branch portions is provided with a conductive member, and each branch portion is electrically connected to a conductive member provided on an insulating substrate and arranged in an insulated state with respect to the separator. In the method of assembling the fuel cell wiring to the fuel cell provided with an elastic member that is inserted into the gap between the separator and the separator and holds the part of the wiring body in the gap by its own elastic repulsive force.
Bending all the ends of the plurality of branch portions;
The trunk portion of the insulating substrate is placed on the side surface of the fuel cell so that the bent portion at the tip of each branch portion does not contact the fuel cell, and the bent portion is located at a position corresponding to the gap between the separators. A step of arranging so as to face the side,
Slide the trunk of the insulating substrate along the side of the fuel cell, and pull each bent part between the separator gaps, so that the sensors located at the tips of the branch parts are spaced between the separators. In the region outside the sealed region formed by the gasket provided between the separators, the tip of each branch portion is held by the elastic member, and the sensor is insulated from the separator. A method of assembling the fuel cell wiring to the fuel cell, comprising the step of positioning while maintaining Wherein the stem of the insulating substrate by sliding along the side surface of the fuel cell, the time of each folded portion, hook into the gap between the separators,
The stem is slid while guiding the surface of the trunk opposite to the fuel cell by the guide member facing the side of the fuel cell so that the trunk of the insulating substrate is not separated from the side of the fuel cell by more than a predetermined distance. The method for assembling a fuel cell wiring according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the wiring for a fuel cell is attached to a fuel cell.

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