JP6024629B2 - Membrane electrode assembly and fuel cell manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a membrane electrode assembly, a method for producing a fuel cell, and a fuel cell.

  BACKGROUND ART A polymer electrolyte fuel cell (hereinafter simply referred to as “fuel cell”) generally has a membrane electrode assembly including a solid polymer electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes that sandwich the electrolyte membrane. Yes. As a manufacturing method of such a membrane electrode assembly, an electrolyte membrane layer or an electrode layer is formed on a surface of a belt-like substrate and is wound in a roll shape, and then the electrolyte membrane and electrode on the substrate are prepared. A method of continuously manufacturing a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies by joining the two, that is, a manufacturing method by a roll-to-roll method is known. In such a manufacturing method, the electrode layer formed on the belt-shaped base material is inspected by an inspection device arranged in an in-line manufacturing apparatus, and a mark indicating a defect is attached when a defective portion is detected. A configuration has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-036768 A JP 2012-243474 A

  However, when a mark indicating a defect is attached to the electrode layer, if the mark is attached to a portion other than the portion constituting the finally obtained membrane electrode assembly, the mark may not be recognized in a later process. There is sex. In particular, when a mark is attached to a base material on which an electrode layer is formed, a mark related to a defect in the electrode layer cannot be recognized in a step after peeling the base material from the electrode layer. In addition, when a mark is attached to a base material on which an electrode layer is formed, it is necessary to secure an area for attaching the mark in addition to the area for forming the electrode layer on the base material. There was a problem that the apparatus which conveys a material and a base material enlarges. Further, when manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, defects can occur in various processes other than the process of forming an electrode layer on a substrate, and countermeasures against defects that may occur in these various processes The method has not been fully studied. In addition, when a defective portion is detected in the electrode layer or the like constituting the membrane electrode assembly, a method of removing the defective portion each time and then performing bonding can be considered. However, such a method complicates the manufacturing process. The electrode layer and the electrolyte layer around the defective part may be wasted. Therefore, it has been desired to improve productivity as a whole manufacturing process of the membrane electrode assembly.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell, comprising an electrolyte membrane and an electrode formed on the electrolyte membrane. This manufacturing method was drawn out from the electrolyte membrane roll drawn out from the electrolyte membrane roll in which the electrolyte membrane was formed on the first base material, and from the electrode roll in which the electrode was formed on the second base material. A first step of joining the electrode to obtain a belt-like joined continuous sheet in which a joined body of the electrolyte membrane and the electrode for producing a fuel cell is formed; on the first base material; A plurality of types of defects selected from a defect in the electrolyte membrane formed on the substrate, a defect in the electrode formed on the second substrate, and a defect in the assembly formed in the first step. A second step of detecting; and a third step of providing, for each detected defect, a mark indicating that a defect has occurred with respect to an object for which the defect has been detected. The mark provided in the third step is provided such that the relative positions in the width direction of the electrolyte membrane roll and the electrode roll are determined differently for each type of defect. And after manufacturing the said membrane electrode assembly, each said mark is provided so that it can detect.
According to the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of this embodiment, by detecting the presence or absence of the mark after manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly, and the relative position of the mark in the width direction of the electrolyte membrane roll and the electrode roll, It is possible to analyze in which process during manufacturing the defect has occurred. Also, since the relative position in the width direction for marking is determined depending on the type of defect, when detecting a mark in a later process, it is only necessary to check the presence or absence of the mark at a predetermined position. The mark detection process can be simplified. In addition, in the case where an object with a mark is wound into a roll after the third step, in the obtained roll, marks corresponding to different types of defects may overlap in the roll thickness direction of the roll. There is no. Therefore, it can suppress that the thickness of a specific location becomes excessive in the said roll. Furthermore, since the mark is attached to the object in which the defect is detected, it is not necessary to secure a region for applying the mark on the first base material or the second base material, and the electrolyte membrane roll or electrode roll is large. Can be suppressed. Moreover, even if the first and second substrates are peeled off during the manufacturing process of the membrane electrode assembly, the mark is not lost.

(2) In the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to the above aspect, the third step provides the mark to the object by providing irregularities on the object, and the mark is formed on the membrane electrode assembly. It may be possible to detect the surface shape by following the unevenness.
According to the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of this embodiment, each mark can be detected by observing the irregularities on the surface of the membrane electrode assembly.

(3) In the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to the above aspect, the third step provides a colored mark as the mark, and the mark is a layer formed on the mark in the membrane electrode assembly. May be detected by transmitting the mark.
According to the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of this embodiment, each mark can be detected by observing the transmitted mark from the surface of the membrane electrode assembly.

(4) In the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to the above aspect, the mark given in the third step is relative to the electrolyte membrane roll and the electrode roll in the extending direction perpendicular to the width direction. It is good also as giving a position so that it may become the same position as the position where the said defect produced.
According to the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of this embodiment, the position where a defect has occurred can be known for each type of defect by detecting each mark in the step after the mark is attached.

(5) In the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to the above aspect, in the first step, at least one of the electrolyte membrane and the electrode corresponds to the first base material or the second base material. In the state formed on the base material, the electrolyte membrane and the electrode are overlapped and bonded by applying heat and pressure, and the second step is formed by at least the first step. It is good also as detecting the defect in.
According to the method of manufacturing a membrane / electrode assembly of this embodiment, it is possible to detect a defect in hot-pressure transfer in a bonded body in which an electrolyte membrane and an electrode are bonded by hot-pressure transfer.

(6) In the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to the above aspect, the electrode roll used in the first step includes an anode roll in which an anode is formed as the electrode, and a cathode roll in which a cathode is formed as the electrode. The first step includes a first bonding operation for bonding one surface of the electrolyte membrane to one electrode of the anode and the cathode, and the other surface of the electrolyte membrane. And a second bonding operation for bonding the other electrode of the anode and the cathode, and the failure of the electrode detected in the second step is caused by the operation of the first bonding. It is good also as including the defect in the joined body obtained, and the defect in the joined body obtained by operation | movement of said 2nd joining.
According to this form of membrane electrode assembly, a defect in the anode roll, a defect in the cathode roll, a defect in the electrolyte membrane roll, a defect in the joined body obtained by joining the electrolyte membrane and the anode, and a junction between the electrolyte membrane and the cathode Thus, all of the defects in the joined body obtained can be detected for each type of defect.

(7) According to another aspect of the present invention, a membrane electrode assembly in which an electrode is formed on an electrolyte membrane, and a gas diffusion layer disposed on a surface different from the surface on which the electrolyte membrane is disposed in the electrode And a method for manufacturing a fuel cell. This fuel cell manufacturing method is a fourth method for manufacturing the joined body continuous sheet to which the mark is attached by the manufacturing method of a membrane electrode assembly according to any one of (1) to (6). A fifth step of detecting the mark applied to the joined body continuous sheet; and the electrolyte membrane for producing the fuel cell by joining the gas diffusion layer to the joined body continuous sheet. And a sixth step of producing a joined body of the electrode and the gas diffusion layer. In the sixth step, the gas diffusion layer is bonded to a portion where the mark is not detected in the fifth step.
According to the fuel cell manufacturing method of this embodiment, when the gas diffusion layer is bonded to the joined body continuous sheet, the gas diffusion layer is bonded only to a portion where no defect is detected. Can reduce wasteful consumption.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms other than the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly or the method for manufacturing a fuel cell. For example, a membrane electrode assembly, a fuel cell including the membrane electrode assembly, a fuel cell manufacturing apparatus, a manufacturing apparatus control method, a computer program for realizing the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus control method, and the computer program recorded therein It can be realized in the form of a recording medium that is not temporary.

It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing schematic structure of a fuel cell. It is process drawing showing the manufacturing method of MEA. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the structure of a catalyst electrode formation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the position of a defect, and the provision position of a mark. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the structure of a catalyst electrode formation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the two-dimensional relationship between the position of a defect, and the provision position of a mark. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a MEA joining apparatus typically. It is sectional drawing which represents the mode of MEA in the middle of manufacture typically. It is explanatory drawing which represents the structure of a cutting device typically.

A. Fuel cell configuration:
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a fuel cell as an embodiment of the present invention. The fuel cell of the present embodiment is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates power upon receiving a supply of a reaction gas (a fuel gas containing hydrogen and an oxidizing gas containing oxygen). The fuel cell has a stack structure in which a plurality of single cells 10 are stacked, and FIG. 1 shows the structure of the single cells 10.

  The single cell 10 includes a membrane electrode assembly 27 (hereinafter referred to as MEA 27), gas diffusion layers 23 and 24, and gas separators 25 and 26. The MEA 27 includes an electrolyte membrane 20 and an anode 21 and a cathode 22 that are catalyst electrode layers formed on each surface of the electrolyte membrane 20. The MEA 27 is sandwiched between the gas diffusion layers 23 and 24, and the sandwich structure composed of the MEA 27 and the gas diffusion layers 23 and 24 is further sandwiched between the gas separators 25 and 26 from both sides.

The electrolyte membrane 20 is a proton conductive ion exchange membrane formed of a polymer electrolyte material, for example, a fluororesin, and exhibits good electrical conductivity in a wet state. Specifically, for example, a membrane made of a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer having a sulfo group (—SO ₃ H group) at the end of the side chain can be used.

The cathode 22 and the anode 21 include carbon particles supporting a catalytic metal that proceeds with an electrochemical reaction, and a polymer electrolyte having proton conductivity. As the catalyst metal, for example, platinum or a platinum alloy made of platinum and another metal such as ruthenium can be used. As the polymer electrolyte, for example, a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer having a sulfo group (—SO ₃ H group) at a side chain end can be used. The polymer electrolyte provided in the catalyst electrode layer may be the same kind of polymer as the polymer electrolyte constituting the electrolyte membrane 20 or may be a different kind of polymer.

  The gas diffusion layers 23 and 24 are made of a member having gas permeability and electronic conductivity, and are formed of, for example, a metal member such as foam metal or metal mesh, or a carbon member such as carbon cloth or carbon paper. can do.

  The gas separators 25 and 26 are formed of a gas-impermeable conductive member, for example, a carbon-made member such as dense carbon that has been made to be gas-impermeable by compressing carbon, or a metal member such as press-molded stainless steel. ing. In the gas separators 25 and 26, flow channel grooves 28 and 29 through which a reaction gas flows are formed on the surface facing the catalyst electrode layer. A porous body for forming an in-cell gas flow path may be disposed between the gas separators 25 and 26 and the gas diffusion layers 23 and 24. In this case, the flow path grooves 28 and 29 are provided. May be omitted.

  An inter-cell refrigerant flow path is further formed inside the fuel cell (not shown). Such a refrigerant flow path may be formed, for example, between all the stacked single cells, or may be formed every time a predetermined number of single cells are stacked.

  Furthermore, the fuel cell is formed with a plurality of flow paths that penetrate the fuel cell in the stacking direction (not shown). Specifically, a gas manifold for supplying / discharging the reaction gas to / from each cell and a refrigerant manifold for supplying / discharging the refrigerant to / from the refrigerant flow path described above are formed. Further, in the fuel cell, a seal member (not shown) is arranged at a predetermined position between the outer periphery of the MEA 27 or the gas separators 25 and 26. Such a seal member prevents fluid leakage and prevents short circuit between the gas separators 25 and 26.

B. Manufacturing method of MEA:
FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing the MEA 27. When manufacturing the MEA 27, first, an inspected anode roll is manufactured (step S100). The anode roll refers to a structure in which an electrode layer for forming the anode 21 is formed in a continuous band shape on one surface of a band-shaped substrate and wound in a roll shape. In step S100, after the anode 21 is formed on the substrate, the formed anode is inspected for defects. When a defect is detected, a mark indicating the presence of the defect is given to the anode on the substrate. Yes. Inspected anode rolls produced in step S100 are marked with such marks.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 used in step S100. The catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 includes a catalyst ink application unit 52, a drying unit 53, a defect detection unit 54, a mark applying unit 55, and a control unit 59. A base material roll 51 in which a strip-shaped base material 31 having a certain width is wound in a roll shape is attached to the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50, and the base material 31 is continuously drawn out from the base material roll 51. Examples of the base material 31 include a resin sheet made of a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE). Can be used. The thickness of the base material 31 may be, for example, 30 to 200 μm. The fed-out base material 31 is conveyed in a fixed direction in a state where a predetermined tension (tension) is maintained by rotational driving of the roller to which the base material roll 51 is attached, the conveyance roller 56, and the like. The rotational speed of the transport roller 56 and the roller to which the base roll 51 is attached is controlled by the control unit 59. In FIG. 3, the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed such as the base material 31 is illustrated by an arrow parallel to the conveyance path, and the rotation direction of each roller is illustrated by an arrow along the outer periphery of each roller. The control unit 59 and control units (control units 70 and 96) provided in other devices described later are configured as a computer having a ROM, a RAM, and the like in addition to a CPU that performs a logical operation, and drive-controls the entire device. . That is, the control unit 59 receives a detection signal from a sensor included in the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 and outputs a drive signal to each unit.

  In the catalyst ink application unit 52, the catalyst ink is applied on one surface of the substrate 31 that is fed from the substrate roll 51, and the catalyst ink layer that becomes the anode 21 is formed in a continuous band shape. Here, the “catalyst ink” is a dispersion liquid in which the conductive particles (for example, platinum-supported carbon) constituting the catalyst electrode and the polymer electrolyte are dispersed with an organic solvent or an inorganic solvent. In FIG. 3, only the die head that discharges the catalyst ink is illustrated as the catalyst ink application unit 52. However, the catalyst ink application unit 52 includes a tank that stores the catalyst ink, a pipe that connects the tank and the die head, and a tank interior. A pump for discharging the catalyst ink from the die head is provided (not shown). By driving the pump by the control unit 59, catalyst ink having a predetermined pressure is ejected from the die head to form a continuous layer of catalyst ink on the substrate 31. Note that the width of the layer of the catalyst ink applied on the base material 31 is a constant width that is slightly narrower than the width of the base material 31.

  The drying unit 53 is disposed on the downstream side of the catalyst ink application unit 52. The drying unit 53 is a dryer provided along the transport path on the base material 31 to which the catalyst ink is applied, and dries the catalyst ink layer applied on the base material 31 with warm air. As a result, a continuous layer of the anode 21 is formed on the substrate 31. The thickness of the anode 21 layer can be adjusted by the composition of the catalyst ink and the thickness of the catalyst ink to be applied, and may be, for example, 1 to 50 μm.

  The defect detection unit 54 is disposed on the downstream side of the drying unit 53 and detects a defect of the anode 21 formed on the substrate 31. The defect detection unit 54 may include, for example, a line camera or an area camera constituted by a CCD camera. In FIG. 4, the defect detection unit 54 is disposed between the conveyance roller 57 and the conveyance roller 58 for applying tension to the base material 31 on which the anode 21 is formed. In the present embodiment, the surface of the anode 21 is continuously imaged from the direction perpendicular to the surface by the camera, and the data of the captured image is analyzed by the control unit 59, so that the presence / absence of defects (of the anode 21) is detected. The position of the appearance) and the position of the defect are determined. The appearance of the anode 21 includes, for example, the presence or absence of wrinkles and scratches, and the shape of the anode 21 (for example, the width of the anode 21 and the relative position of the anode 21 with respect to the width of the base material 31).

  The mark imparting unit 55 is arranged on the downstream side of the defect detecting unit 54 and imparts a mark 41 indicating the presence of a defect at a position where a defect is detected in the anode 21. The mark imparting section 55 imparts the mark 41 by attaching a label to the anode 21. The label to be attached can be formed of various materials such as paper, cloth, and resin.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a two-dimensional relationship between the position of the defect in the anode 21 and the position where the mark 41 is applied. In FIG. 4, the position of the defect is shown as position A, and the position where the mark 41 is applied is shown as position B. Although the base material 31 and the anode 21 are formed in a continuous band shape, FIG. 4 shows only a part of the rectangular region. In FIG. 4, the position of each position is shown assuming that one point at the upper left end of the region shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the direction in which the base material 31 is conveyed is indicated by arrows. In the present specification, in each member to be described later for forming the base material 31, the anode 21, or the MEA 27, a direction corresponding to the transport direction perpendicular to the width direction is referred to as a stretching direction.

  The mark imparting unit 55 imparts the mark 41 to the anode 21 so that the relative position of the mark 41 in the extending direction is the same position as the detected defect. In addition, the mark 41 is applied to the anode 21 so that the relative position in the width direction of the mark 41 is a predetermined position as a mark applying position indicating a defect of the anode 21. That is, when the position A where the defect of the anode 21 is detected is the distance x in the extending direction with respect to the origin O and the distance in the width direction with respect to the origin O is a, the position B to which the mark 41 is attached is The distance in the extending direction with respect to the origin O is x, and the distance in the width direction with respect to the origin O is the distance b determined corresponding to the defect of the anode 21. Although the mark assigning unit 55 and the defect detecting unit 54 are provided at different positions, the control unit 59 is configured such that the conveyance speed of the base material 31, the distance between the mark applying unit 55 and the defect detecting unit 54, and the defect detecting unit. Based on the elapsed time since the defect was detected at 54, the position to which the mark 41 is to be applied is specified in the mark application unit 55, and the mark application unit 55 is driven. Hereinafter, the laminated structure including the base material 31 and the anode 21 formed on the base material 31 and provided with the mark 41 is also referred to as an anode laminated body 30 (see FIG. 3).

  On the downstream side of the mark applying unit 55 shown in FIG. 3, there is provided an anode collection unit (not shown) including a winding roller that winds the anode laminate 30 that is continuously conveyed. By winding up the anode laminate 30, an inspected anode roll is obtained, and step S100 ends.

  As the defect detection unit 54, a thickness sensor that detects the thickness of the anode 21 may be used instead of or in addition to the camera that images the surface of the anode 21. The thickness sensor may be provided upstream of the catalyst ink application unit 52 in addition to the downstream position of the drying unit 53 similar to the defect detection unit 54 of FIG. Then, the thickness of the anode 21 may be obtained as a difference between the thickness of the anode laminate 30 detected downstream of the drying unit 53 and the thickness of the base material 31 detected upstream of the catalyst ink application unit 52. The thickness of the anode 21 can be obtained continuously by obtaining the difference while referring to the conveyance speed of the base material 31 and the distance between the upstream thickness sensor and the downstream thickness sensor. If the derived thickness is out of the predetermined allowable thickness range, it may be determined that a defect has occurred in the anode 21 at that location. As a thickness sensor, for example, a sensor that measures thickness based on the amount of X-ray, radiation, or infrared light that is attenuated when passing through an object, a sensor that includes a pulse transmitter and a receiver, or an object A reflective sensor that irradiates an object with light and analyzes reflected light can be used.

  In addition, the operation of applying the mark 41 by the mark applying unit 55 may be marking by ejecting ink to the anode 21, marking, or marking by punching, in addition to attaching a label.

  When the defect of the anode 21 detected by the defect detection unit 54 is formed over a certain range, the position in the extending direction of the mark 41 indicating the position of the defect is, for example, the position on the most upstream side of the defect, The position can be a representative position such as a position on the most downstream side of the defect or a center position of the defect in the extending direction. Alternatively, for example, the marks 41 may be attached continuously over a range in the extending direction in which defects are formed at a predetermined interval so that the range of defects in the extending direction can be recognized.

  When manufacturing the MEA 27, a further tested cathode roll is prepared (step S110). The cathode roll refers to a structure in which a belt-like base material on which an electrode layer for constituting the cathode 22 is formed is wound in a roll shape. In step S110, after the cathode 22 is formed on the substrate, the formed cathode is inspected for defects. When a defect is detected, a mark indicating the presence of the defect is given to the cathode on the substrate. Yes. Such a mark is attached to the cathode of the inspected cathode roll manufactured in step S110.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150 used in step S110. Since the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150 has a configuration similar to that of the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 of FIG. 3 used for producing the anode roll, the same reference numerals are assigned to the parts common to the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50. Detailed description will be omitted. Below, it demonstrates focusing on a different point from the catalyst electrode formation apparatus 50. FIG.

  Instead of the base material roll 51, a base material roll 151 in which a belt-like base material 35 having a certain width is wound in a roll shape is attached to the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150. Is continuously fed out. The base material 35 can be made of the same material as the base material 31, and the base material 35 has the same width as the base material 31 in this embodiment.

  The catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150 includes a catalyst ink application unit 152 having the same configuration as the catalyst ink application unit 52 instead of the catalyst ink application unit 52. The catalyst ink application unit 152 applies the catalyst ink on the substrate 35 and forms a layer of the catalyst ink to be the cathode 22 on the substrate 35. However, unlike the catalyst ink application unit 52, the catalyst ink application unit 152 intermittently discharges the catalyst ink from the die head. Therefore, the catalyst ink layer serving as the cathode 22 is different from the catalyst ink layer serving as the anode 21, and has a plurality of rectangular layers spaced apart from each other at a constant interval (layers corresponding to the cathodes 22 included in the individual fuel cells). Formed as.

  The catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150 includes a defect detection unit 154 having the same configuration as the defect detection unit 54 instead of the defect detection unit 54. The defect detection unit 154 detects a defect of the cathode 22 formed on the base material 35.

  The catalyst electrode forming apparatus 150 includes a mark applying unit 155 having the same configuration as the mark applying unit 55 in place of the mark applying unit 55. The mark imparting unit 155 imparts a mark 42 indicating the presence of a defect at a position where a defect in the cathode 22 is detected.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a two-dimensional relationship between the position of the defect in the cathode 22 and the position where the mark 42 is applied. In FIG. 6, the position of the defect is shown as position A, and the position where the mark 42 is applied is shown as position C. The substrate 35 is formed in a continuous band shape, but FIG. 6 shows only a part of the region including one cathode 22. In FIG. 6, the position of each position is shown assuming that one point at the upper right end of the region shown in FIG. 6 is the origin O for convenience. The origin O is a place where the upstream end of the cathode 22 extends in the width direction and intersects the right side line in the drawing of the base material 35. In FIG. 6, the direction in which the base material 31 is conveyed is indicated by arrows.

  The mark imparting unit 155 imparts the mark 42 to the cathode 22 so that the relative position of the mark 42 in the extending direction is the same position as the detected defect. Further, the mark 42 is applied to the cathode 22 so that the relative position in the width direction of the mark 42 is a predetermined position as a mark applying position indicating a defect of the cathode 22. That is, when the position where the defect of the cathode 22 is detected is the distance in the extending direction with respect to the origin O is x and the distance in the width direction with respect to the origin O is a, the distance in the extending direction with respect to the origin O is x. Therefore, the mark 42 is given to the position C where the distance in the width direction with respect to the origin O is the distance c determined corresponding to the defect of the cathode 22. Hereinafter, the laminated structure including the base material 35 and the cathode 22 formed on the base material 35 and provided with the mark 42 is also referred to as a cathode laminated body 34 (see FIG. 5).

  On the downstream side of the mark applying unit 55 shown in FIG. 5, a cathode collection unit (not shown) including a winding roller that winds the cathode laminate 34 continuously conveyed is provided. By winding up the cathode laminate 34, an inspected cathode roll is obtained, and step S110 ends.

  When manufacturing the MEA 27, a further inspected electrolyte membrane roll is prepared (step S120). The electrolyte membrane roll refers to a structure in which a belt-like base material on which an electrolyte layer for constituting the electrolyte membrane 20 is formed is wound in a roll shape. In step S120, after the electrolyte membrane 20 is formed on the substrate, the formed electrolyte membrane is inspected for defects. When a defect is detected, a mark indicating the presence of defects is displayed on the electrolyte membrane on the substrate. Has been granted. The inspected electrolyte membrane roll produced in step S120 is an electrolyte membrane roll having such a mark attached to the electrolyte membrane.

  The inspected electrolyte membrane roll is manufactured by an electrolyte membrane forming apparatus having a configuration similar to that of the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, differences from the catalyst electrode forming apparatus 50 in the electrolyte membrane forming apparatus will be described.

  In the electrolyte membrane forming apparatus, instead of the base material roll 51, a base material roll in which a strip-shaped base material 33 having a certain width is wound in a roll shape is attached, and the base material 33 is continuously formed from the base material roll. It is drawn out. As the substrate 33, for example, a resin sheet made of a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and ethylene / tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE). Can be used. The thickness of the base material 33 should just be 30-200 micrometers, for example. The base material 33 can be comprised by resin sheets, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), for example. In the present embodiment, the base material 33 has the same width as the base material 31.

The electrolyte membrane forming apparatus includes a resin application unit having a configuration similar to that of the catalyst ink application unit 52 instead of the catalyst ink application unit 52. The resin application unit discharges a resin liquid instead of the catalyst ink to form a resin layer on the base material 33 for forming the electrolyte membrane 20. The resin application part continuously discharges the resin liquid to form a continuous belt-shaped resin layer having a certain width. Here, the “resin liquid” refers to a resin obtained by heating and melting a resin that is a precursor of a polymer electrolyte that constitutes the electrolyte membrane 20, or a solvent that is selected according to the resin. It means what was dissolved. When the perfluorosulfonic acid polymer membrane is used as the electrolyte membrane 20, the precursor resin is a fluororesin similar to the electrolyte membrane 20, and is a sulfo group (—SO ₃ H group) that is an ion exchange group. ), A polymer solution of perfluorocarbon sulfonyl fluoride having “—SO ₂ F group” can be used. What is necessary is just to select suitably the kind of resin which a resin liquid contains, and the adjustment method of a resin liquid according to the solid polymer which comprises the electrolyte membrane 20 made into the objective.

The electrolyte membrane forming apparatus further includes a hydrolysis unit (not shown) downstream of the drying unit 53. The hydrolysis part hydrolyzes the resin layer on the base material 33 and converts the sulfo group in the resin into “—SO ₃ H group”, thereby converting the resin layer into an electrolyte layer (electrolyte layer) having ion conductivity. Membrane 20). Specifically, the hydrolysis treatment includes, for example, the following treatment. That is, the resin layer is immersed in an alkaline solution (NaOH solution) to modify the “—SO ₂ F group” of the resin into “—SO ₃ Na group”, and after washing the resin layer with water, the acidic solution (H ₂ In the SO ₄ solution or HNO ₃ solution, the “—SO ₃ Na group” modified in the previous step is further modified to “—SO ₃ H group”. Thereby, the electrolyte membrane 20 is formed on the base material 33. The thickness of the electrolyte membrane 20 can be adjusted by the composition of the resin liquid and the thickness of the resin liquid to be applied, and may be, for example, 5 to 100 μm. In addition, when preparing the polymer electrolyte which comprises the electrolyte membrane 20 in a liquid form, what is necessary is just to apply | coat a polymer electrolyte solution in a resin application part, and a hydrolysis part becomes unnecessary in this case.

  The electrolyte membrane forming apparatus includes a failure detection unit having the same configuration as the failure detection unit 54 downstream of the hydrolysis unit. This defect detection unit detects a defect of the electrolyte membrane 20 formed on the base material 33.

  The electrolyte membrane forming apparatus includes a mark applying unit having the same configuration as the mark applying unit 55. The mark applying unit applies a mark 40 indicating the presence of a defect at a position where a defect in the electrolyte membrane 20 is detected. In this mark provision part, the mark 40 is provided to the electrolyte membrane 20 so that the relative position in the stretching direction is the same position as the detected defect. Further, the mark 40 is applied to the electrolyte membrane 20 so that the relative position in the width direction is a predetermined position as a mark applying position indicating a defect of the electrolyte membrane 20. When providing a hydrolysis part, the damage and peeling of the mark resulting from a hydrolysis process can be prevented by providing a mark provision part downstream from a hydrolysis part.

  The position where the mark 40 indicating the defect of the electrolyte membrane 20 is attached will be described with reference to FIG. 4 described above. FIG. 4 shows that the mark 41 is given to the position B of the anode 21 when a defect occurs in the position A of the anode 21. Here, in the MEA 27 in which the electrolyte membrane 20 and the anode 21 are overlapped, the position where the defect position of the electrolyte membrane 20 is projected perpendicularly to the surface direction with respect to the surface of the anode 21 is the defect of the anode 21. Assume that it matches the position A. In this case, the position when the position of the mark 40 attached to the electrolyte membrane 20 is projected perpendicularly to the surface of the anode 21 is the position D. That is, the distance in the stretching direction with respect to the origin O is x, the distance in the width direction with respect to the origin O is a distance different from the distance b, and is a distance d determined corresponding to a defect in the electrolyte membrane 20. A mark indicating a defect of the electrolyte membrane 20 is provided at a position corresponding to the position D. In FIG. 4, the position of the mark 42 attached to the cathode 22 when the MEA 27 assumes that the origin O of FIG. 4 and the origin O of FIG. A position when vertically projected is shown as a position C in an overlapping manner. Hereinafter, the laminated structure including the base material 33 and the electrolyte membrane 20 formed on the base material 33 and provided with the mark 40 is also referred to as an electrolyte membrane laminate 32 (see FIG. 7 described later).

  On the downstream side of the mark application unit, an electrolyte membrane recovery unit (not shown) including a winding roller that winds up the electrolyte membrane laminate 32 that is continuously conveyed is provided. By winding up the electrolyte membrane laminate 32, an inspected electrolyte membrane roll is obtained, and step S120 ends. In addition, the order which performs step S100, S110, and S120 is arbitrary, and should just be performed as a mutually independent process.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of the MEA bonding apparatus 60 used in the processes after step S130. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state of the MEA 27 being manufactured by the MEA bonding apparatus 60 of FIG. In FIG. 8, the mode of the cross section of the width direction of each roll used for operation | movement of joining is shown. In FIG. 8, when it is assumed that all defects detected in the manufacturing process of the MEA 27 have occurred at the same position in the extending direction, the positional relationship of the marks attached to the respective parts is shown in the width direction. This is schematically shown in cross section.

  The MEA bonding apparatus 60 continuously manufactures a plurality of MEAs 27 that are connected in a strip shape by a flow process using each roll manufactured in steps S100 to S120. The plurality of MEAs 27 connected in a strip shape manufactured by the MEA bonding apparatus 60 are separated from each other in a later step, and the separation operation will be described later. The MEA bonding apparatus 60 includes a first bonding portion 67, a first peeling portion 69, a second bonding portion 68, a second peeling portion 79, a first defect detection portion 75, a first mark applying portion 76, A second defect detection unit 77, a second mark applying unit 78, and a control unit 70 are provided. The MEA bonding apparatus 60 further includes a plurality of conveyance rollers 80 that constitute a conveyance path, but a detailed description of the conveyance rollers 80 is omitted. In FIG. 7, the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed is illustrated by arrows parallel to the conveyance path, and the rotation direction of each roller is illustrated by arrows along the outer periphery of each roller.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the MEA bonding apparatus 60 includes an inspected anode roll 62 in which the anode laminate 30 is wound in a roll in step S100, and an inspected in which the cathode laminate 34 is wound in a roll in step S110. The cathode roll 63 and the inspected electrolyte membrane roll 61 in which the electrolyte membrane laminate 32 is wound in a roll shape in step S120 are attached. Each of these rolls is continuously drawn out and used for the joining operation.

  The anode laminate 30 fed out from the anode roll 62 and the electrolyte membrane laminate 32 drawn out from the electrolyte membrane roll 61 are superposed and supplied to the first joint 67. At this time, the surface on which the anode 21 is formed on the base material 31 and the surface on which the electrolyte membrane 20 is formed on the base material 33 are arranged so as to face each other. The electrolyte membrane 20 is joined. When the anode laminate 30 and the electrolyte membrane laminate 32 are overlapped, alignment in the width direction is performed between the anode laminate 30 and the electrolyte membrane laminate 32.

The first joint portion 67 includes two hot rollers 71 and 72. As the hot rollers 71 and 72, for example, rollers formed of a metal such as stainless steel and having a surface covered with a heat resistant resin such as silicone rubber or PTFE can be used. The hot rollers 71 and 72 are arranged next to each other in parallel, and by adjusting the distance between them, it is possible to adjust the pressurizing force applied to the objects to be joined between them. In the 1st junction part 67, joining is performed by the pressure of 0.1-10 Mpa, for example on the heating conditions of 100-180 degreeC.

  FIG. 8A shows a state in which the anode laminate 30 and the electrolyte membrane laminate 32 provided for the joining operation in the first joining portion 67 face each other. As described above, when a defect is detected in the anode 21, the mark 41 indicating the defect of the anode 21 is attached in the same cross section in the width direction as the detected defect. Further, when a defect is detected in the electrolyte membrane, a mark 40 indicating a defect of the electrolyte membrane 20 is attached in the same cross section in the width direction as the detected defect. Since the relative positions in the width direction are different at the positions where the respective marks are attached, the marks 41 and 40 do not overlap in the thickness direction.

  The joined body of the anode 21 and the electrolyte membrane 20 drawn out between the hot rollers 71 and 72 is conveyed to the first peeling portion 69 while being sandwiched between the base material 31 and the base material 33. . The first peeling portion 69 peels the base material 31 from the joined body of the anode laminate 30 and the electrolyte membrane laminate 32. The first peeling unit 69 includes a peeling roller 82 for peeling the base material 31, and the peeled base material 31 is wound up by a winding roller to form a base material roll 64. The above-described bonding operation performed at the first bonding portion 67 and the above-described peeling operation performed at the first peeling portion 69 are the transfer of the anode to the electrolyte membrane in step S130 of FIG. Corresponds to the process.

  The joined body from which the base material 31 has been peeled off by the first peeling portion 69 is conveyed to a position where the inspection by the first defect detection portion 75 is received. The first defect detection unit 75 detects a defect of the anode 21 transferred onto the electrolyte membrane 20. The first defect detection unit 75 may include, for example, a line camera or an area camera configured by a CCD camera, similarly to the defect detection unit 54 of FIG. The exposed surface of the anode 21 from which the base material 31 was peeled off was continuously imaged from the direction perpendicular to the surface by the camera, and the captured image data was analyzed by the control unit 70 and transferred. The presence / absence of a defect in the anode 21 (defectiveness of the appearance of the anode 21) and the position of the defect are determined in the same manner as the defect detection unit 54 in FIG.

  The first mark imparting unit 76 is disposed on the downstream side of the first defect detection unit 75. When the first defect detection unit 75 detects a defect in the anode 21, the defect on the exposed surface of the anode 21 is detected. A mark 43 is given at a position corresponding to. The first mark imparting unit 76 can have the same configuration as the mark imparting unit 55 in FIG. Similar to the mark applying unit 55, the first mark applying unit 76 applies the mark 43 to the anode 21 so that the relative position in the extending direction of the mark 43 is the same position as the detected defect. . In addition, the mark 43 is applied to the anode 21 so that the relative position in the width direction of the mark 43 is a predetermined position as a mark application position indicating the transferred defect of the anode 21.

  FIG. 8B shows the relative positional relationship between the mark 43 and the marks 40 and 41 described above in a cross section in the width direction. The relative position in the width direction that is predetermined as the position to which the mark 43 is to be attached is different from the relative position that is predetermined for the mark 40 and the mark 41. Therefore, the mark 43 does not overlap the mark 41 and the mark 40 in the thickness direction. The process of performing the defect detection operation performed by the first defect detection unit 75 and the process of applying a mark performed by the first mark applying unit 76 correspond to the process of step S140 in FIG.

  The joined body to which the mark 43 is applied by the first mark applying unit 76 is conveyed to the second peeling unit 79. The second peeling portion 79 peels the base material 33 from the joined body shown in FIG. The second peeling unit 79 includes a peeling roller 182 for peeling the base material 33, and the peeled base material 33 is taken up by a take-up roller to form a base material roll 65.

  The joined body of the anode 21 and the electrolyte membrane 20 from which the base material 33 has been peeled off and the cathode laminated body 34 fed out from the inspected cathode roll 63 are superposed and supplied to the second joined portion 68. At this time, the exposed surface of the electrolyte membrane 20 from which the base material 33 is peeled and the surface on which the cathode 22 is formed on the base material 35 are disposed so as to face each other. The electrolyte membrane 20 is joined. When the joined body of the anode 21 and the electrolyte membrane 20 and the cathode laminated body 34 are overlapped, alignment in the width direction is performed between them. The second joining portion 68 includes two hot rollers 73 and 74 similar to the hot rollers 71 and 72 of the first joining portion 67.

  FIG. 8C shows a state in which the joined body provided for the joining operation in the second joining portion 68 and the cathode laminate 34 are opposed to each other. As described above, the mark 41 indicating the defect of the anode 21 formed on the substrate 31, the mark 40 indicating the defect of the electrolyte membrane 20, the mark 42 indicating the defect of the cathode 22, and the substrate 31 are peeled off. The mark 43 indicating the defect of the anode 21 is formed on the same cross section in the width direction as each detected defect. And since each mark is provided so that the relative position in the width direction is a predetermined position for each type of defect, the marks 40 to 43 do not overlap in the thickness direction. The step of performing the above-described bonding operation performed at the second bonding portion 68 corresponds to the step of bonding the electrolyte membrane and the cathode in step S150 of FIG. By step S150, the MEA continuous sheet 36 in which a plurality of MEAs 27 are continuously provided on the belt-like base material 35 is obtained.

  The MEA continuous sheet 36 obtained by joining at the second joining portion 68 is conveyed to a position where the inspection by the second defect detecting portion 77 is received. The 2nd defect detection part 77 detects the defect in each MEA27 formed on the base material 35 in the MEA continuous sheet. The second defect detection unit 77 may be, for example, a line camera or an area camera configured by a CCD camera, similarly to the defect detection unit 54 of FIG. By continuously capturing the MEA 27 on the substrate 35 with the camera and analyzing the captured image data with the control unit 70, the presence or absence of defects in each MEA 27 (defectiveness of the appearance of the MEA 27) and the position of the defect Is determined in the same manner as the defect detection unit 54 of FIG.

  The second mark imparting unit 78 is arranged on the downstream side of the second defect detection unit 77, and when the defect of the MEA 27 is detected by the second defect detection unit 77, the exposed surface of the MEA 27 (of the anode 21). A mark 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the defect on the exposed surface. The second mark imparting unit 78 can have the same configuration as the mark imparting unit 55 of FIG. Similar to the mark applying unit 55, the second mark applying unit 78 applies the mark 44 to the anode 21 so that the relative position in the extending direction of the mark 44 is the same position as the detected defect. . In addition, the mark 44 is applied to the anode 21 so that the relative position in the width direction of the mark 44 is a predetermined position as a mark application position indicating a defect of the MEA 27.

  FIG. 8D shows a relative positional relationship between the mark 44 and the marks 40 to 43 described above in a cross section in the width direction. The relative position in the width direction that is predetermined as the position to which the mark 44 is to be attached is different from the relative position in the width direction that is predetermined for the marks 40 to 43. Therefore, the mark 44 does not overlap with the marks 41 to 43 in the thickness direction. The step of performing the defect detection operation performed by the second defect detection unit 77 and the step of performing mark application performed by the second mark application unit 78 correspond to the process of step S160 in FIG.

  The anode 21 formed on the substrate 31, the cathode 22 formed on the substrate 35, and the electrolyte membrane 20 formed on the substrate 33 may be formed with different widths. Even in such a case, the relative positions in the width direction, which are determined as positions where the marks 40 to 44 should be attached, are different from each other for each type of defect. As long as the position is included in the MEA 27 that is obtained automatically. The MEA continuous sheet 36 provided with the mark 44 by the second mark applying unit 78 is taken up by a take-up roller to form an MEA roll 66.

  As with the defect detection unit 54, the first defect detection unit 75 and the second defect detection unit 77 shown in FIG. 7 can be used to set the thickness of an object for detecting defects in place of or in addition to the camera. You may use the thickness sensor to detect. In this case, if the thickness of the joined body after joining is measured and the thickness before joining is measured, the presence or absence of a defect and the position of the defect are determined depending on whether or not the desired thickness is obtained after joining. Good.

  In the present embodiment, step S130 and step S150 correspond to the “first step” in the claims. In addition, the defect detection process by the defect detection units 75 and 77 included in step S140 and step S160 and the defect detection process by the defect detection unit 54 included in steps S100 to S120 are described as “second” in the claims. It corresponds to “Process”. Further, the step of applying marks by the mark applying units 76 and 78 included in step S140 and step S160 and the step of applying a mark by the mark applying unit 55 included in steps S100 to S120 are described in the third claim. It corresponds to “Process”.

  In the present embodiment, the defect detection and marking operation on the anode 21, the cathode 22, and the electrolyte membrane 20 formed on the substrate is performed by connecting the anode roll 62, the cathode roll 63, and the electrolyte membrane roll 61 to the MEA bonding apparatus 60. Although it was performed in advance before being used, it may be configured differently. For example, an anode roll 62, a cathode roll 63, and an electrolyte membrane roll 61 that are not subjected to defect detection and mark application may be prepared and attached to the MEA bonding apparatus 60. In this case, in the MEA bonding apparatus 60, prior to the bonding operation, the defect detection and mark application operations are performed on the anode roll 62, the cathode roll 63, and the electrolyte membrane roll 61 fed out from the respective rolls. Good.

  According to the manufacturing method of the MEA 27 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the mark attached to the object in which the defect is detected when the defect is detected is the roll after the MEA is formed. The relative positions in the width direction are assigned so as to be determined differently for each type of defect. Therefore, after manufacturing the MEA 27, by detecting the position of the mark attached to the MEA 27, it is possible to analyze which process during the manufacturing process has caused a defect. This makes it easier to take measures to suppress the occurrence of defects in the MEA 27 production line. In addition, since the marking position is determined according to the type of defect, it is only necessary to check the presence or absence of a mark at a predetermined marking position when inspecting the presence or absence of a defect in a later process. The process can be simplified.

  Further, according to the manufacturing method of the MEA 27 of the present embodiment, each mark is given so that the relative position in the width direction of the MEA is determined differently for each type of defect. In the MEA roll 66, marks corresponding to different types of defects do not overlap in the roll winding thickness direction. Therefore, even if the mark to be applied is accompanied by an increase in the thickness of the MEA 27 as in label sticking, it is possible to suppress the thickness of a specific portion of the MEA roll 66 from being excessively increased due to the applied mark. . For example, in the process after manufacturing the fuel cell using the MEA roll 66, the thickness of the winding of the MEA roll 66 is detected, and the tension applied to the MEA roll 66 when the MEA continuous sheet 36 is fed out is adjusted. There is a case. In such a case, the mark overlaps with the MEA roll 66, so that the winding thickness of the MEA roll 66 is locally thickened, and is recognized to be thicker than the actual thickness corresponding to the remaining amount of the actual MEA continuous sheet 36. As a result, excessive tension is applied to the MEA roll 66. According to this embodiment, since the winding thickness of the MEA roll 66 can be suppressed, damage to the MEA roll 66 due to excessive tension applied to the MEA roll 66 can be suppressed.

  Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of MEA27 of this embodiment, each mark provided with respect to the strip | belt-shaped sheet | seat in which MEA27 in the middle of manufacture was formed continuously is relative in the extending | stretching direction of this strip | belt-shaped sheet | seat. The position is given so that the position is the same as the position where the defect has occurred. Therefore, in the process after producing the MEA continuous sheet 36, by examining the position in the extending direction to which the marks 40 to 44 are attached, the position where the defect is likely to occur or the tendency of the defect to occur is determined for each type of defect. It can be used for analysis and measures to suppress defects.

  Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the MEA 27 of the present embodiment, each roll (anode roll 62, cathode roll 63, The enlargement of the electrolyte membrane roll 61) can be suppressed. Although the structure which attach | subjects the mark attached | subjected when a defect is detected on the base material in which MEA27 in the middle of manufacture was considered is also considered, in such a case, MEA27 is comprised in the base material which comprises each roll. It is necessary to secure an area for attaching a mark outside the area for forming each layer. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to secure the above-described region in each base material, it is possible to reduce the size. Moreover, when attaching a mark on a base material, if the base material is peeled in a later step, the mark will be lost together with the base material. In this embodiment, since the mark is attached to the object in which the defect is detected, the mark is not lost even in the process after peeling the base material (for example, the process shown in FIG. 9 described later). Therefore, it is possible to detect the mark and use the detection result in the process after the peeling of the base material, and it is possible to detect the mark after completion of the MEA 27 and perform analysis related to the occurrence of the defect.

C. Manufacturing method of fuel cell:
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view schematically showing the configuration of a cutting device 90 used for manufacturing a fuel cell using the MEA roll 66 obtained in the present embodiment. The cutting device 90 is a device that joins the gas diffusion layer 23 to each MEA 27 included in the MEA roll 66 and separates each MEA 27. The cutting device 90 includes a mark detection unit 91, a gas diffusion layer supply unit 94, a bonding unit 98, a punching unit 95, and a control unit 70. When the joining and separation processes described above are performed by the cutting device 90, first, the MEA continuous sheet 36 is fed out from the MEA roll 66, and the substrate 35 is peeled off from the MEA continuous sheet 36. The process of peeling the base material 35 from the MEA continuous sheet 36 is not shown. The band-like structure in which the substrate 35 is peeled from the MEA continuous sheet 36 is hereinafter referred to as an MEA continuous sheet 37.

  The mark detection unit 91 is supplied with the MEA continuous sheet 37 and detects the marks 40 to 44. The mark detection unit 91 may include, for example, a line camera or an area camera configured by a CCD camera. The image data captured by the camera is analyzed by the control unit 70, and the control unit 70 detects the presence / absence of a mark and the type of the mark in each MEA 27. As described above, in the case of applying the marks 40 to 44 by applying a label, between the surface of the MEA continuous sheet 37 where the mark detection unit 91 is arranged and each mark, A layer including the cathode 22 is disposed. However, since these layers are sufficiently thin with respect to the thickness of the label constituting the mark, the surface shape of the MEA continuous sheet 37 follows the unevenness of each mark. Therefore, each mark can be detected by detecting the convex portion based on the image data on the surface of the MEA 27.

In addition, when the mark is applied by engraving or punching, the MEA 27 forms a recess on the surface of the mark application location. Therefore, each mark is detected by detecting the recess based on the surface image data. Can be detected. In addition, when the mark is applied by ink ejection, the entire layer formed on the mark is sufficiently thin, and the image of the mark transmitted from the surface of the MEA 27 can be observed. Each mark can be detected based on. In the cutting device 90, based on the image data obtained by the mark detection unit 91, in addition to the presence / absence of a mark, the position of each MEA 27 that is continuously conveyed, specifically, the position of the cathode 22 Is detected.

  In addition, in the case of applying a mark by a method that causes unevenness such as labeling, engraving, or perforation, the mark detection unit 91 may replace the camera that captures the surface of the MEA 27, or in addition to the camera, the thickness of the MEA 27. You may use the thickness sensor already described which detects this. In the case of using a thickness sensor, the thickness sensor is arranged so that the thickness at each position in the width direction where the mark may be given can be detected, and the position in the width direction where the mark is not given can be detected. do it. Then, the difference between the thickness at the position where the mark is likely to be added and the thickness at the position where the mark is not detected is calculated, and when the obtained value exceeds a predetermined reference value, the mark is attached to the location. It may be judged that it is done.

  The gas diffusion layer supply unit 94 is disposed downstream of the mark detection unit 91 and supplies the gas diffusion layer 23 to the MEA continuous sheet 37. The gas diffusion layer supply unit 94 includes a conveyance device that continuously conveys the gas diffusion layer, and the gas diffusion layer 23 overlaps the surface of the MEA continuous sheet 37 on which the anode 21 is formed. 23 is supplied. At this time, the gas diffusion layer supply unit 94 determines the position information of the cathode 22 detected by the mark detection unit 91, the conveyance speed of the MEA continuous sheet 37, and the elapsed time after the specific cathode 22 is detected. Based on this, the position of the cathode 22 in the MEA continuous sheet 37 is recognized, and the gas diffusion layer 23 is arranged at a predetermined position on the surface of the anode 21 and determined with respect to each cathode 22. Further, the gas diffusion layer supply unit 94 does not arrange the gas diffusion layer 23 on the anode 21 of the MEA 27 where the mark is detected by using the information regarding the presence or absence of the mark detected by the mark detection unit 91. In FIG. 9, the MEA 27 in which the mark is detected and the gas diffusion layer 23 is not supplied is indicated by an arrow α.

  The joining portion 98 joins each MEA 27 included in the MEA continuous sheet 37 and the gas diffusion layer 23 supplied by the gas diffusion layer supply portion 94. The joint portion 98 has the same configuration as the first joint portion 67 and the second joint portion 68 described above, and includes two hot rollers 92 and 93. In the joining part 98, joining is performed on the heating conditions of 100-180 degreeC, adjusting a pressurizing force by adjusting the separation distance between the hot rollers 92 and 93, for example.

  The punching part 95 includes an upper mold part 96 that functions as a punch and a lower mold part 97 that functions as a die. The MEA continuous sheet 37 to which the gas diffusion layer 23 is bonded is conveyed between the upper mold part 96 and the lower mold part 97. The punching unit 95 determines the position of the cathode 22 based on the information on the position of the cathode 22 detected by the mark detection unit 91, the conveyance speed of the MEA continuous sheet 37, and the elapsed time since the specific cathode 22 was detected. Recognizing the position, each MEA 27 to which the gas diffusion layer 23 is bonded is punched and separated.

  After separating each MEA 27 to which the gas diffusion layer 23 is bonded, the gas diffusion layer 24 may be further bonded to the surface of the individual MEA 27 on which the cathode 22 is formed. Alternatively, in the cutting device 90, prior to separation by the punching portion 95, the gas diffusion layer 24 is also disposed together with the gas diffusion layer 23, and the MEA 27 is separated with both gas diffusion layers joined. Also good.

  According to the method of manufacturing the fuel cell of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the gas diffusion layers 23 and 24 are joined to the MEA 27, the gas diffusion is performed only for the MEA 27 in which no defect is detected. Layer bonding can be performed. Therefore, useless consumption of the gas diffusion layer can be suppressed.

  According to the fuel cell manufacturing method of the present embodiment, when the MEA 27 is continuously manufactured by the roll-to-roll method, the member that has failed in the upstream process of the manufacturing process is the downstream side. After the process is performed and the MEA 27 is completed, it is discarded. Therefore, when a defect occurs in the upstream process, the member joined in the downstream process with respect to the defective member is wasted. However, if an attempt is made to discard a member that has failed on the upstream side without subjecting it to the downstream process, for example, prior to the downstream process, the portion where the defect has occurred is cut off, and the roll is rolled before and after the defective portion. Need to join together. Therefore, the manufacturing process becomes complicated, and there is a possibility that the entire productivity including the manufacturing efficiency and the material utilization efficiency is greatly reduced. According to this embodiment, it is not necessary to perform a complicated cutting operation in the middle of manufacturing, and since it can be continuously processed using a roll, overall productivity when manufacturing a fuel cell can be improved.

D. Variations:
Modification 1 (deformation of mark position):
In each of the above embodiments, each mark given when a defect is detected is given so that the relative position in the stretching direction of the belt-like sheet is the same as the position where the defect has occurred. On the other hand, each mark may be provided in each MEA 27 so that the relative position of the mark in the extending direction is a specific position regardless of the position where the defect has occurred. Even in such a configuration, if the mark is provided so that the relative position of the mark in the width direction is determined differently for each type of defect, the defect is classified for each type in a later process. The above-described effects due to being detectable can be obtained.

Modification 2 (electrode formation modification):
In the above embodiment, the anode 21 and the cathode 22 are formed on the electrolyte membrane 20 by hot-pressure transfer, but the electrodes may be formed by different methods. For example, the electrode layer may be formed by coating the catalyst ink directly on the electrolyte membrane by printing or spray coating. Even in this case, the electrode layers corresponding to the plurality of fuel cells are sequentially formed on the belt-like base material, and when a defect of the formed electrode layer is detected, the same mark as in the embodiment is attached to the electrode. The same effects as in the embodiment can be obtained. In the case where the electrode is formed by hot-pressure transfer as in the embodiment, the electrode is likely to be defective in the transfer process. Therefore, the effect of applying the mark indicating the defect by applying the present invention is particularly remarkable. It is done.

  In the above embodiment, both the anode 21 and the cathode 22 are formed by the roll-to-roll method. However, only one electrode is formed by the roll-to-roll method to detect defects and apply marks. May be. For example, the anode roll 62 is not manufactured in step S100, and the MEA bonding apparatus 60 in FIG. 7 performs only bonding of the electrolyte membrane 20 and the cathode 22, detection of a defect in the bonded body in which the cathode 22 is bonded, and marking. May be. In this case, for example, in the cutting device 90 of FIG. 9, the MEA 27 can be manufactured by using the gas diffusion layer 23 in which the anode 21 is previously formed on the surface. Even in such a case, when the joined body of the electrolyte membrane 20 and one electrode (cathode 22) is continuously manufactured by the roll-to-roll method, a mark is given to a different position for each detected defect. The same effects as in the embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the anode 21 is formed continuously on the base material 31 and the cathode 22 is formed as a plurality of cathodes 22 spaced apart from each other on the base material 35. However, different configurations may be adopted. When forming on a strip-shaped substrate, the cathode 22 may be formed continuously, the anode 21 may be formed as a member separated from each other, both electrodes may be formed in a continuous shape, and both electrodes may be connected to each other. You may form as a several member spaced apart.

Modification 3 (deformation related to defect detection):
It is not necessary to detect and mark all types of defects detected in the above embodiment. In the embodiment, the defect of the anode 21 formed on the substrate 31, the defect of the electrolyte membrane 20 formed on the substrate 33, the defect of the cathode 22 formed on the substrate 35, the first of FIG. All the defects in the joined body joined at the joint portion 67 and the failure in the joined body joined at the second joint portion 68 were detected, and a mark was given. On the other hand, it is good also as performing the detection of the some defect which is a part of said defect, and marking with respect to the detected defect. Even in such a case, it is possible to analyze the type of defect and the position of the defect in a later process for a plurality of types of defects given a mark.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the above effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Single cell 20 ... Electrolyte membrane 21 ... Anode 22 ... Cathode 23, 24 ... Gas diffusion layer 25 ... Gas separator 28 ... Channel groove 30 ... Anode laminated body 31 ... Base material 32 ... Electrolyte membrane laminated body 33 ... Base material 34 ... cathode laminated body 35 ... base material 40 to 44 ... mark 50, 150 ... catalyst electrode forming device 51, 151 ... base material roll 52, 152 ... catalyst ink application part 53 ... drying part 54, 154 ... defect detection part 55, 155 ... Mark imparting section 56 to 58 ... Conveying roller 59 ... Control section 61 ... Electrolyte membrane roll 62 ... Anode roll 63 ... Cathode roll 64, 65 ... Base roll 67 ... First joint section 68 ... Second joint section 69 ... 1st peeling part 70 ... control part 71-74 ... hot roller 75 ... 1st defect detection part 76 ... 1st mark provision part 77 ... 2nd defect detection part 78 ... 1st 2 mark applicator 79 ... second peeler 80 ... conveying roller 82,182 ... peel roller 90 ... cutting device 91 ... mark detector 92,93 ... hot roller 94 ... gas diffusion layer supply part 95 ... punching part 96 ... Upper mold part 97 ... Lower mold part 98 ... Joint part

Claims (7)

A method for producing a membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane and an electrode formed on the electrolyte membrane,
Joining the electrolyte membrane drawn from an electrolyte membrane roll having the electrolyte membrane formed on a first substrate and the electrode drawn from an electrode roll having the electrode formed on a second substrate A first step of obtaining a belt-like joined continuous sheet in which a joined body of the electrolyte membrane and the electrode for producing a fuel cell is formed;
Selected from the failure of the electrolyte membrane formed on the first substrate, the failure of the electrode formed on the second substrate, and the failure of the assembly formed in the first step A second step of detecting a plurality of types of defects,
A third step of providing, for each of the detected defects, a mark indicating that a defect has occurred with respect to an object for which the defect has been detected;
With
The mark provided in the third step is provided such that the relative positions in the width direction of the electrolyte membrane roll and the electrode roll are determined differently for each type of defect. And the manufacturing method of a membrane electrode assembly is provided so that each said mark becomes detectable after manufacturing the said membrane electrode assembly. It is a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly according to claim 1,
In the third step, the mark is imparted to the object by providing irregularities on the object,
The mark can be detected when the surface shape of the membrane electrode assembly follows the irregularities. It is a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly according to claim 1,
The third step provides a colored mark as the mark,
The mark can be detected when the mark passes through a layer formed on the mark in the membrane electrode assembly. It is a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mark given in the third step is perpendicular to the width direction, and the relative position in the stretching direction of the electrolyte membrane roll and the electrode roll is the same as the position where the defect occurs. A method for producing a membrane electrode assembly, which is applied to It is a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the first step, at least one of the electrolyte membrane and the electrode is formed on a corresponding substrate of the first substrate and the second substrate, and the electrolyte membrane and the electrode The electrodes are overlapped and bonded with heat and pressure,
The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, wherein the second step detects at least a defect in the assembly formed in the first step. A method for producing a membrane electrode assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The electrode roll used in the first step includes an anode roll in which an anode is formed as the electrode, and a cathode roll in which a cathode is formed as the electrode,
The first step includes a first bonding operation of bonding one surface of the electrolyte membrane to one electrode of the anode and the cathode, the other surface of the electrolyte membrane, and the anode. And a second bonding operation for bonding the other electrode of the cathode,
The defect of the electrode detected in the second step includes a defect in the bonded body obtained by the operation of the first bonding and a defect in the bonded body obtained by the operation of the second bonding. Manufacturing method of joined body. A fuel cell manufacturing method comprising: a membrane electrode assembly in which an electrode is formed on an electrolyte membrane; and a gas diffusion layer disposed on a surface different from the surface on which the electrolyte membrane is disposed in the electrode,
The 4th process which manufactures the said zygote continuation sheet to which the above-mentioned mark was given by the manufacturing method of the membrane electrode zygote given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 1-6,
A fifth step of detecting the mark applied to the joined body continuous sheet;
A sixth step of joining the gas diffusion layer to the joined body continuous sheet to produce a joined body of the electrolyte membrane, the electrode, and the gas diffusion layer for producing the fuel cell;
With
In the sixth step, the gas diffusion layer is joined to a portion where the mark is not detected in the fifth step.

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