JP6606448B2 - Coating film inspection apparatus, coating film inspection method, and membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a coating film for inspecting a plurality of rectangular coating films formed intermittently along the conveyance direction of a long strip-shaped substrate such as an electrolyte film conveyed in the longitudinal direction by a conveyance mechanism. The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and method, and an apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly incorporating the coating film inspection apparatus.

In recent years, fuel cells have attracted attention as drive power sources for automobiles, homes, mobile phones and the like. A fuel cell is a power generation system that generates electric power by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen (H ₂ ) contained in fuel and oxygen (O ₂ ) in the air, and has a feature of high power generation efficiency and light environmental load. .

  There are several types of fuel cells depending on the electrolyte used, one of which is a polymer electrolyte fuel using a polymer electrolyte membrane (hereinafter also simply referred to as “electrolyte membrane”) as the electrolyte. There is a battery (PEFC: Polymer electrolyte fuel cell). Since the polymer electrolyte fuel cell can operate at room temperature and can be reduced in size and weight, it is expected to be applied to automobiles and portable devices.

  A polymer electrolyte fuel cell is generally configured by stacking a plurality of cells. One cell (single cell) is configured by sandwiching both sides of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) with a pair of separators. In the membrane / electrode assembly, a gas diffusion layer is further arranged on both sides of a membrane-catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) in which a catalyst layer is formed on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane. A catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer disposed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane constitute a pair of electrode layers, one of which is an anode electrode and the other is a cathode electrode. When the fuel gas containing hydrogen contacts the anode electrode and air contacts the cathode electrode, electric power is generated by an electrochemical reaction.

  Such a membrane / catalyst layer assembly is typically coated with a catalyst ink (electrode paste) in which catalyst particles containing platinum (Pt) are dispersed in a solvent such as alcohol on the surface of an electrolyte membrane. It is created by drying the catalyst ink (see Patent Document 1). In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, intermittent coating is performed in which catalyst ink is intermittently discharged from a slit nozzle having a slit-like discharge port.

  On the other hand, not only the membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell but also a coating liquid is applied to a sheet-like substrate to form a coating film, the physical property values of the coating film (for example, film thickness, It is important to uniformly manage the shape, the coating position on the substrate, and the like. For this purpose, it is necessary to accurately measure the film thickness of the coated film after coating. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a radiation thickness meter that measures the thickness of an object to be measured by irradiation of radiation. Has been. The radiation thickness meter described in Patent Document 2 is a method of measuring the thickness at each position of the object to be measured by reciprocally scanning the radiation source in the width direction while conveying the long object to be measured in the longitudinal direction. Is measured.

JP 2014-229370 A JP-A-11-142128

  However, when the film thickness of the coating film is measured by applying the thickness meter described in Patent Document 2 to an apparatus that performs intermittent coating of the coating liquid as disclosed in Patent Document 1, repeated scanning of the radiation source Since this timing depends on the calculation timing of the measuring instrument, it does not match the timing of intermittent coating. For this reason, the film thickness measurement line is different for each of a plurality of intermittently formed coating films, and there is a problem that statistical processing of measurement results becomes difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and incorporates a coating film inspection apparatus and method capable of performing a homogeneous inspection on a plurality of intermittently formed coating films, and the coating film inspection apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a plurality of rectangular coating films formed intermittently along the transport direction of a long strip-shaped substrate transported in the longitudinal direction by a transport mechanism In the coating film inspection apparatus for inspecting by contact, a measurement unit that measures the physical property values of the plurality of coating films in a non-contact manner, and the measurement unit is reciprocated along the width direction of the substrate perpendicular to the transport direction. The measurement point of each of the plurality of coating films is determined based on the detection result of the coating film detection unit. And a control unit that controls the scanning mechanism so that a trajectory drawn with respect to the film passes at least the front end and the rear end of the coating film.

  The invention of claim 2 is the coating film inspection apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the coating film detecting section is installed upstream of the measuring section at a predetermined interval along the transport direction. , Further comprising an encoder for detecting the transport distance of the base material from the time point when the coating film detection unit detects the tip of each coating film, and the control unit is configured to determine the transport distance based on the detection result of the encoder. The scanning mechanism is controlled so that the measurement point of the measurement unit passes through the tip of the coating film when the predetermined interval is reached.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit scans the trajectory so that the trajectory is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction. The mechanism is controlled.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating film inspection apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, the control unit controls the scanning mechanism so that the locus coincides with a diagonal line of each coating film. To do.

  Further, the invention of claim 5 is the coating unit inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage unit stores reference data of the distribution of the physical property values from the front end to the rear end of the coating film. And a determination unit that compares the physical property value from the front end to the rear end of each coating film measured by the measurement unit and compares the reference data with each other to determine whether the coating film is good or bad. And

  The invention of claim 6 is the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first threshold is set for a front end region including the front end of the coating film and a rear end region including the rear end, and A second threshold is set for the central region excluding the front end region and the rear end region, and the determination unit determines the physical property values of the front end region and the rear end region of each coating film measured by the measurement unit and the If the difference from the reference data is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the difference between the physical property value of the central region of the coating film measured by the measurement unit and the reference data is less than or equal to the second threshold The coating film is determined to be good.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the coating film inspection apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.

  The invention of claim 8 is the coating film inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the substrate is an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell, and the coating film is a catalyst layer. The said measurement part irradiates each coating film with radiation, and measures the film thickness of the said coating film, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The invention according to claim 9 is an apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell, wherein a coating part for coating a coating liquid on one surface of the electrolyte membrane and a coating on one surface of the electrolyte membrane are provided. A drying unit that forms the catalyst layer by drying the applied coating solution, and the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 8.

  The invention of claim 10 is a coating for inspecting a plurality of rectangular coating films formed in a non-contact manner intermittently along the transport direction of a long strip-shaped substrate transported in the longitudinal direction by a transport mechanism. In the film inspection method, a scanning step of reciprocally moving a measurement unit that measures physical property values of the plurality of coating films in a non-contact manner along the width direction of the base material orthogonal to the transport direction, and the plurality of coating films A coating film detection step for detecting a tip along each of the transport directions, and in the scanning step, based on the detection result of the coating film detection step, the measurement point of the measurement unit is applied to each coating film. The measurement unit is scanned so that a locus drawn on the coating film passes through at least the front end and the rear end of the coating film.

  Further, the invention of claim 11 is the coating film inspection method according to the invention of claim 10, wherein the coating film detecting section is installed upstream of the measuring section at a predetermined interval along the transport direction. In the scanning step, the transport distance has reached the predetermined interval based on a detection result of an encoder that detects the transport distance of the base material from the time when the coating film detection unit detects the tip of each coating film. The measurement unit is sometimes scanned so that the measurement point of the measurement unit passes through the tip of the coating film.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the coating film inspection method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein, in the scanning step, the measurement is performed so that the locus is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction. Scanning a part.

  The invention of claim 13 is the coating film inspection method according to the invention of claim 12, characterized in that, in the scanning step, the measuring section is scanned so that the locus coincides with a diagonal line of each coating film. To do.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the coating film inspection method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the reference data of the distribution of the physical property values from the front end to the rear end of the coating film and the measurement The method further comprises a determination step of determining the quality of the coating film by comparing the distribution of the physical property values from the front end to the rear end of each coating film measured by the section.

  Further, the invention of claim 15 is the coating film inspection method according to the invention of claim 14, wherein a first threshold is set for a front end region including the front end of the coating film and a rear end region including the rear end, and A second threshold is set for the central region excluding the front end region and the rear end region, and in the determination step, the physical property values of the front end region and the rear end region of each coating film measured by the measuring unit and the If the difference from the reference data is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the difference between the physical property value of the central region of the coating film measured by the measurement unit and the reference data is less than or equal to the second threshold The coating film is determined to be good.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the invention, in the coating film inspection method according to the fifteenth aspect of the invention, the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.

  The invention of claim 17 is the coating film inspection method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the base material is an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell, and the coating film is a catalyst layer. The said measurement part irradiates each coating film with radiation, and measures the film thickness of the said coating film, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, since the trajectory drawn by the measurement point of the measuring unit with respect to each coating film passes through at least the front end and the rear end along the transport direction of the coating film, The vicinity of the front end and the vicinity of the rear end can be measured for all of the plurality of formed coating films, and a homogeneous inspection can be performed for the plurality of coating films.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, since the locus coincides with the diagonal line of each coating film, it can be inspected near the front end and the rear end of the coating film, and can be inspected over the entire width of the coating film, Reliability for the inspection result can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 10 to claim 17, since the trajectory drawn by the measurement point of the measurement unit with respect to each coating film passes through at least the front end and the rear end along the transport direction of the coating film. The vicinity of the front end and the vicinity of the rear end can be measured for all of the plurality of formed coating films, and a homogeneous inspection can be performed for the plurality of coating films.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 13, since the trajectory coincides with the diagonal line of each coating film, it can be inspected for the vicinity of the front end and the rear end of the coating film, and can be inspected over the entire width of the coating film, Reliability for the inspection result can be increased.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly based on this invention. It is an enlarged view near the lower part of the suction roller. It is a figure which shows the structure of a laminated base material. It is a figure which shows the structure of the film | membrane and catalyst layer assembly with which the 2nd support film was affixed. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a film thickness inspection apparatus. It is the top view which looked at the film thickness inspection apparatus from the upper part. It is a figure which shows the principal part structure of a film thickness meter. It is the block diagram which showed the connection of a control part and each part in a manufacturing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a film thickness test | inspection. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a film thickness test | inspection. It is a figure which shows the scanning locus | trajectory of a measurement part. It is a figure which shows the state which divided the catalyst layer into the some test | inspection area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of reference | standard data. It is a figure which shows an example of the measurement data of a film thickness. It is a figure which shows the other example of the scanning locus | trajectory of a measurement part. It is a figure which shows the scanning locus | trajectory of the measurement part when scanning irrespective of intermittent coating.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus 1 for a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to the present invention. The production apparatus 1 is an apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell by forming a catalyst layer on the surface of an electrolyte membrane that is a long belt-like substrate. As shown in FIG. 1, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes an adsorption roller 10, a porous substrate supply / recovery unit 20, an electrolyte membrane supply unit 30, a coating unit 40, and a drying furnace 50. The assembly recovery unit 60 and the control unit 70 are provided.

  The adsorption roller 10 is a roller that rotates while adsorbing and holding the porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92. The suction roller 10 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a plurality of suction holes. The diameter of the suction roller 10 is, for example, 200 mm to 1600 mm. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lower portion of the suction roller 10. As indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2, a rotation drive unit 11 having a drive source such as a motor is connected to the suction roller 10. When the rotation driving unit 11 is operated, the suction roller 10 rotates around an axis extending horizontally.

As the material of the suction roller 10, for example, a porous material such as porous carbon or porous ceramics is used. Specific examples of the porous ceramic include a sintered body of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) or silicon carbide (SiC). The pore diameter of the porous suction roller 10 is, for example, 5 μm or less, and the porosity is, for example, 15% to 50%.

  Note that a metal may be used as the material of the suction roller 10 instead of the porous material. Specific examples of the metal include stainless steel and iron. When a metal is used as the material of the suction roller 10, minute suction holes may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 by processing. The diameter of the suction hole is preferably 2 mm or less in order to prevent generation of suction marks.

  A suction port 12 is provided on the end face of the suction roller 10. The suction port 12 is connected to a suction mechanism (for example, an exhaust pump) not shown. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure is generated at the suction port 12 of the suction roller 10. A negative pressure is also generated in the plurality of suction holes provided on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 through the pores in the suction roller 10. The porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 are conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the adsorption roller 10 while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 by the negative pressure.

  Further, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 2, a plurality of water-cooled tubes 13 are provided inside the suction roller 10. The water cooling pipe 13 is supplied with cooling water adjusted to a predetermined temperature from a water supply mechanism (not shown). During operation of the manufacturing apparatus 1, the heat of the suction roller 10 is absorbed by the cooling water that is a heat medium. Thereby, the suction roller 10 is cooled. The cooling water that has absorbed the heat is discharged to a drainage mechanism (not shown).

  In addition, it replaces with the drying furnace 50 mentioned later, and heating mechanisms, such as a warm water circulation mechanism and a heater, may be provided in the inside of the adsorption | suction roller 10. FIG. In this case, the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 may be controlled by controlling a heating mechanism provided inside the suction roller 10 without providing a water cooling tube inside the suction roller 10.

  The porous substrate supply / recovery unit 20 is a part that supplies the long belt-like porous substrate 91 toward the suction roller 10 and collects the porous substrate 91 after use. The porous substrate 91 is a breathable substrate having a large number of fine pores. The porous base material 91 is preferably formed of a material that hardly generates dust. As shown in FIG. 1, the porous substrate supply / recovery unit 20 includes a porous substrate supply roller 21, a plurality of porous substrate carry-in rollers 22, a plurality of porous substrate carry-out rollers 23, and a porous substrate collection unit. It has a roller 24. The porous substrate supply roller 21, the plurality of porous substrate carry-in rollers 22, the plurality of porous substrate carry-out rollers 23, and the porous substrate collection roller 24 are all arranged in parallel with the suction roller 10.

  The porous substrate 91 before supply is wound around the porous substrate supply roller 21. The porous base material supply roller 21 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the porous base material supply roller 21 rotates, the porous base material 91 is fed out from the porous base material supply roller 21. The drawn porous substrate 91 is conveyed to the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 along a predetermined loading path while being guided by the plurality of porous substrate loading rollers 22. The porous substrate 91 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the adsorption roller 10 while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10. In FIG. 2, for easy understanding, the suction roller 10 and the porous base material 91 held by the suction roller 10 are illustrated with a space therebetween.

  The porous base material 91 is conveyed by 180 ° or more, preferably 270 ° or more, centering on the axis of the suction roller 10. Thereafter, the porous substrate 91 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10. The porous substrate 91 separated from the suction roller 10 is conveyed to the porous substrate recovery roller 24 along a predetermined unloading path while being guided by the plurality of porous substrate unloading rollers 23. The porous substrate recovery roller 24 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). As a result, the used porous substrate 91 is wound around the porous substrate collecting roller 24.

  The electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 supplies a laminated base material 94 composed of two layers of the electrolyte membrane 92 and the first support film 93 to the periphery of the suction roller 10 and peels the first support film 93 from the electrolyte membrane 92. It is a part to do. FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of the laminated base material 94.

  As the electrolyte membrane 92, for example, a fluorine-based or hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte membrane is used. Specific examples of the electrolyte membrane 92 include a polymer electrolyte membrane containing perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid (for example, Nafion (registered trademark) manufactured by DuPont of the United States, Flemion (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., and Asahi Kasei Corporation) Aciplex (registered trademark), and Goreselect (registered trademark) manufactured by Gore Co., Ltd.). The film thickness of the electrolyte membrane 92 is, for example, 5 μm to 30 μm. The electrolyte membrane 92 is swollen by moisture in the atmosphere, and contracts when the humidity is low. That is, the electrolyte membrane 92 has a property of being easily deformed according to the humidity in the atmosphere.

  The first support film 93 is a film for suppressing deformation of the electrolyte membrane 92. As the material of the first support film 93, a resin having a mechanical strength higher than that of the electrolyte membrane 92 and having an excellent shape holding function is used. Specific examples of the first support film 93 include PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) films. The film thickness of the 1st support film 93 shall be 25 micrometers-100 micrometers, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 includes a laminated base material supply roller 31 (electrolyte membrane supply roller), a plurality of laminated base material carry-in rollers 32, a peeling roller 33, a plurality of first support film carry-out rollers 34, and A first support film collection roller 35 is provided. The laminated base material supply roller 31, the plurality of laminated base material carry-in rollers 32, the peeling roller 33, the plurality of first support film carry-out rollers 34, and the first support film collection roller 35 are all arranged in parallel with the suction roller 10. The

  The laminated base material 94 before supply is wound around the laminated base material supply roller 31 so that the first support film 93 is on the outside. In the present embodiment, a catalyst layer (hereinafter referred to as “first catalyst layer 9a”) in advance on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 opposite to the first support film 93 (hereinafter referred to as “first surface”). Is formed (FIGS. 2 and 3). The first catalyst layer 9a is a device different from the manufacturing device 1 and transports a laminated base material 94 composed of two layers of the first support film 93 and the electrolyte membrane 92 as it is in a roll-to-roll system. On the other hand, it is formed by intermittently applying the catalyst ink to the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 and drying the applied catalyst ink.

  The laminated base material supply roller 31 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the laminated base material supply roller 31 rotates, the laminated base material 94 is fed out from the laminated base material supply roller 31. The fed laminated base material 94 is conveyed to the peeling roller 33 along a predetermined carry-in route while being guided by a plurality of laminated base material carry-in rollers 32.

  The peeling roller 33 is a roller for peeling the first support film 93 from the electrolyte membrane 92. The peeling roller 33 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface whose diameter is smaller than that of the suction roller 10. At least the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller 33 is formed of an elastic body. As shown in FIG. 2, the peeling roller 33 is disposed adjacent to the suction roller 10 slightly downstream in the rotation direction of the suction roller 10 from the position where the porous substrate 91 is introduced into the suction roller 10. The peeling roller 33 is pressurized toward the suction roller 10 by an air cylinder (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the laminated base material 94 carried in by the plurality of laminated base material carry-in rollers 32 is introduced between the suction roller 10 and the peeling roller 33. At this time, the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is in contact with the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the adsorption roller 10 together with the first catalyst layer 9 a, and the first support film 93 is the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller 33. To touch. Further, the laminated base 94 is pressed against the suction roller 10 side by the pressure received from the peeling roller 33. A negative pressure is generated on the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the suction roller 10 by the suction force from the suction roller 10. The electrolyte membrane 92 is adsorbed on the surface of the porous substrate 91 by the negative pressure. The electrolyte membrane 92 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the suction roller 10 while being held on the suction roller 10 together with the porous substrate 91. In FIG. 2, for easy understanding, the porous base material 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 held by the suction roller 10 are illustrated with a space therebetween.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the porous base material 91 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 and the electrolyte membrane 92. For this reason, the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 and the first catalyst layer 9a formed on the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 are not in direct contact. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a part of the first catalyst layer 9a from adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 or transferring foreign substances from the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 to the electrolyte membrane 92.

  On the other hand, the first support film 93 that has passed between the suction roller 10 and the peeling roller 33 is separated from the suction roller 10 and conveyed to the plurality of first support film carry-out rollers 34. Thereby, the first support film 93 is peeled from the electrolyte membrane 92. As a result, the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 opposite to the first surface (hereinafter referred to as “second surface”) is exposed. The peeled first support film 93 is conveyed to the first support film collection roller 35 along a predetermined carry-out path while being guided by the plurality of first support film carry-out rollers 34. The first support film collection roller 35 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). As a result, the first support film 93 is wound around the first support film collection roller 35.

  The coating unit 40 is a mechanism that applies catalyst ink to the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 around the suction roller 10. As the catalyst ink, for example, a catalyst ink in which catalyst particles containing platinum (Pt) are dispersed in a solvent such as alcohol is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the coating unit 40 has a nozzle 41. The nozzle 41 is provided downstream of the peeling roller 33 in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the suction roller 10. The nozzle 41 has a discharge port 411 that faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10. The discharge port 411 is a slit-like opening that extends horizontally along the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10.

  The nozzle 41 is connected to a catalyst ink supply source (not shown). When the coating unit 40 is driven, the catalyst ink is supplied from the catalyst ink supply source to the nozzle 41 through the pipe. Then, the catalyst ink is discharged from the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41 toward the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. As a result, the catalyst ink is applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92.

  In the present embodiment, the catalyst ink is intermittently discharged from the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41 by opening and closing a valve connected to the nozzle 41 at a constant cycle. Thereby, the catalyst ink is intermittently applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 at regular intervals in the transport direction. The catalyst ink is intermittently applied to the second surface of the same region where the first catalyst layer 9a is formed on the first surface.

  For the catalyst particles in the catalyst ink, a material that causes a fuel cell reaction at the anode or cathode of the polymer fuel cell is used. Specifically, particles of platinum (Pt), a platinum alloy, a platinum compound, etc. can be used as catalyst particles. Examples of platinum alloys include, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), iridium (Ir), iron (Fe), and the like. An alloy of metal and platinum can be mentioned. Generally, platinum is used for the catalyst ink for the cathode, and platinum alloy is used for the catalyst ink for the anode. The catalyst ink discharged from the nozzle 41 may be for the cathode or for the anode. However, catalyst inks having opposite polarities are used for the catalyst layers 9a and 9b formed on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92.

  The nozzle 41 and the piping of the coating unit 40 need to be periodically subjected to maintenance such as disassembly and cleaning. For this reason, this manufacturing apparatus 1 has the maintenance space 80 for performing the maintenance of the coating part 40. In the present embodiment, a maintenance space 80 is disposed between the coating unit 40 and the first support film collection roller 35. When maintenance of the coating unit 40 is performed, an operator 89 stands on a scaffold 801 provided in the maintenance space 80 and cleans the components constituting the coating unit 40.

  The drying furnace 50 is a part that dries the catalyst ink applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. The drying furnace 50 of the present embodiment is disposed on the downstream side of the coating unit 40 in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the suction roller 10. The drying furnace 50 is provided in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10. The drying furnace 50 blows heated gas (hot air) on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 around the suction roller 10. Then, the catalyst ink applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is heated, and the solvent in the catalyst ink is vaporized. As a result, the catalyst ink is dried, and a catalyst layer (hereinafter referred to as “second catalyst layer 9 b”) is formed on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. As a result, a membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 composed of the electrolyte membrane 92, the first catalyst layer 9a, and the second catalyst layer 9b is obtained. Since the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b are formed at the same position on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92, the electrolyte membrane 92 is sandwiched between the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b. It becomes composition.

  The joined body collection unit 60 is a part that attaches the second support film 96 to the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 and collects the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. As shown in FIG. 1, the joined body collection unit 60 includes a second support film supply roller 61, a plurality of second support film carry-in rollers 62, a laminate roller 63, a plurality of joined body carry-out rollers 64, and a joined body collection roller 65 ( Electrolyte membrane recovery roller). The second support film supply roller 61, the plurality of second support film carry-in rollers 62, the laminating roller 63, the plurality of joined body carry-out rollers 64, and the joined body collection roller 65 are all arranged in parallel with the suction roller 10.

  The second support film 96 before being supplied is wound around the second support film supply roller 61. The second support film supply roller 61 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the second support film supply roller 61 rotates, the second support film 96 is fed out from the second support film supply roller 61. The fed-out second support film 96 is conveyed to the laminating roller 63 along a predetermined carry-in route while being guided by a plurality of second support film carry-in rollers 62.

  As the material of the second support film 96, a resin having higher mechanical strength than the electrolyte membrane 92 and having an excellent shape holding function is used. Specific examples of the second support film 96 include PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) films. The film thickness of the second support film 96 is, for example, 25 μm to 100 μm. The second support film 96 may be the same as the first support film 93. Alternatively, the first support film 93 wound around the first support film collecting roller 35 may be fed out from the second support film supply roller 61 as the second support film 96.

  The laminating roller 63 is a roller for attaching the second support film 96 to the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. As the material of the laminating roller 63, for example, rubber having high heat resistance is used. The laminating roller 63 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a smaller diameter than the suction roller 10. The laminating roller 63 is disposed adjacent to the suction roller 10 on the downstream side of the drying furnace 50 in the rotation direction of the suction roller 10 and on the upstream side of the position where the porous substrate 91 is separated from the suction roller 10. . The laminating roller 63 is pressurized toward the suction roller 10 by an air cylinder (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, a heater 631 that generates heat when energized is provided inside the laminating roller 63. For example, a sheathed heater is used as the heater 631. When the heater 631 is energized, the outer peripheral surface of the laminating roller 63 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature higher than the environmental temperature by the heat generated from the heater 631. Note that the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the laminating roller 63 is measured using a temperature sensor such as a radiation thermometer, and the output of the heater 631 is adjusted so that the outer peripheral surface of the laminating roller 63 has a constant temperature based on the measurement result. May be controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second support film 96 carried in by the plurality of second support film carry-in rollers 62 is between the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 and the laminating roller 63 conveyed around the adsorption roller 10. To be introduced. At this time, the second support film 96 is pressed against the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 by the pressure from the laminating roller 63 and is heated by the heat of the laminating roller 63. As a result, the second support film 96 is attached to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. FIG. 4 is a view showing the structure of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 to which the second support film 96 is attached. The second catalyst layer 9 b formed on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is sandwiched between the electrolyte membrane 92 and the second support film 96.

  The membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 with the second support film 96 that has passed between the adsorption roller 10 and the laminating roller 63 is conveyed in a direction away from the adsorption roller 10. As a result, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is peeled from the porous substrate 91.

  In the present embodiment, a pressing roller 632 is disposed in the vicinity of the laminating roller 63. The pressing roller 632 is disposed adjacent to the laminating roller 63 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 with respect to the gap between the suction roller 10 and the laminating roller 63. The pressing roller 632 is pressed toward the laminating roller 63 by an air cylinder (not shown). The membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 with the second support film 96 away from the porous substrate 91 subsequently passes between the laminating roller 63 and the pressing roller 632. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the 2nd support film 96 with respect to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 improves.

  Thereafter, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 with the second support film 96 is conveyed to the assembly recovery roller 65 along a predetermined delivery path while being guided by the plurality of assembly delivery rollers 64. The joined body collection roller 65 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). As a result, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 with the second support film 96 is wound around the assembly recovery roller 65 so that the second support film 96 is on the outside.

  As described above, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the laminated base material 94 is fed out from the laminated base material supply roller 31, the first support film 93 is peeled off from the electrolyte membrane 92, and the catalyst ink is applied to the electrolyte membrane 92. The steps of drying by the drying furnace 50, attaching the second support film 96 to the electrolyte membrane 92, and winding the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 onto the assembly recovery roller 65 are sequentially performed. Thus, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 used for the electrode of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is manufactured. The electrolyte membrane 92 is always held on the first support film 93, the suction roller 10, or the second support film 96. Thereby, deformations such as swelling and shrinkage of the electrolyte membrane 92 in the manufacturing apparatus 1 are suppressed.

  In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes film thickness inspection apparatuses 120 and 220 that inspect the film thicknesses of the catalyst layers 9a and 9b formed on the electrolyte membrane 92. As shown in FIG. 1, the film thickness inspection device 120 is provided on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92 of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 that is provided in the assembly recovery unit 60 and conveyed by the assembly discharge roller 64. The total film thickness of the catalyst layers 9a and 9b is measured and inspected. On the other hand, the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 measures the film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a that is provided in the electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 and formed in advance on the laminated base material 94 that is conveyed by the laminated base material carry-in roller 32. inspect.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the film thickness inspection apparatus 120. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the film thickness inspection apparatus 120 as viewed from above. Although the film thickness inspection apparatus 120 will be described here, the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 has the same configuration. The film thickness inspection apparatus 120 includes a film thickness meter 121, a fiber sensor 124, and an encoder 125.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a main configuration of the film thickness meter 121. FIG. 7 is a view of the film thickness meter 121 as viewed from the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The film thickness meter 121 includes a measurement unit 123 and a scanning mechanism 122 in a rectangular annular frame. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the main measurement unit 123 and the scanning mechanism 122 are illustrated except for the annular frame.

  The measurement unit 123 includes a radiation source 123a that irradiates the object to be measured and a radiation detection unit 123b that detects the radiation irradiated from the radiation source 123a and transmitted through the object to be measured, and measures the dose. Various known radiation thickness meters can be employed as the radiation source 123a and the radiation detection unit 123b. For example, an X-ray source can be used as the radiation source 123a. Further, a scintillation detector or the like can be employed as the radiation detection unit 123b.

  The measurement unit 123 transmits the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer based on the radiation dose transmitted through the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 of the radiation irradiated from the radiation source 123a and detected by the radiation detection unit 123b. The film thickness of 9b is measured. That is, the measuring unit 123 measures the catalyst layer thickness of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 in a non-contact manner. Since the radiation source 123a irradiates the beam converged in a beam shape, the thickness of the catalyst layer at the spot where the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is irradiated with the radiation is measured. Hereinafter, a pair of the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b formed on the front and back surfaces of the same region of the electrolyte membrane 92 are collectively referred to simply as the catalyst layer 9.

  The scanning mechanism 122 is provided above and below the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 that is an object to be measured, and scans the radiation source 123a and the radiation detection unit 123b, respectively. As indicated by an arrow AR6 in FIG. 6, the scanning mechanism 122 includes a radiation source 123a and a radiation detection unit 123b along the width direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 orthogonal to the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. Is repeatedly moved back and forth.

  The scanning mechanism 122 performs scanning while synchronizing the radiation source 123a and the radiation detection unit 123b. Therefore, the radiation source 123a and the radiation detection unit 123b reciprocate while always facing each other with the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 interposed therebetween. Hereinafter, scanning the scanning mechanism 122 while synchronizing the radiation source 123a and the radiation detection unit 123b is simply referred to as scanning the measurement unit 123.

  The fiber sensor 124 guides the laser beam emitted from a laser light source (not shown) and emits the laser beam toward the second surface of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The fiber sensor 124 is fixedly installed on the upstream side (side closer to the suction roller 10) than the measurement unit 123 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The distance between the fiber sensor 124 and the measurement unit 123 can be set appropriately, for example, about several mm. The fiber sensor 124 receives the reflected light (or transmitted light) of the laser light and detects the presence / absence of the catalyst layer 9 in the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. Since the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is conveyed at a constant speed in the longitudinal direction by the assembly recovery unit 60, the fiber sensor 124 is connected to the tip of the catalyst layer 9 along the conveyance direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. Can be detected.

  The encoder 125 has, for example, a roller that contacts the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95, and detects the transport distance of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 from the rotation angle of the roller. The encoder 125 is not limited to the one that directly contacts the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. For example, the encoder 125 detects the transport distance of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 from the rotation angle of the assembly carry-out roller 64. May be.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 70 is means for controlling the operation of each unit in the manufacturing apparatus 1. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 70 and each unit in the manufacturing apparatus 1. The configuration of the control unit 70 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 90 includes a CPU that is a circuit that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, control software, data, and the like. A storage unit 72 such as a magnetic disk for storage is provided. A computer program P for executing the manufacturing process of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is installed in the storage unit 72. When the CPU of the control unit 70 executes the computer program P, each operation mechanism provided in the manufacturing apparatus 1 is controlled, and the manufacturing process of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 proceeds.

  The control unit 70 also has a function as a control mechanism of the film thickness inspection apparatuses 120 and 220. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 70 includes a transport mechanism of the manufacturing apparatus 1 such as the suction roller 10 and the joined body recovery roller 65, the scanning mechanism 122 of the film thickness inspection apparatus 120, the measurement unit 123, the fiber sensor 124, and the like. Each of the encoders 125 is communicably connected.

  The determination unit 71 is a function processing unit realized in the control unit 70 when the CPU of the control unit 70 executes the computer program P. The processing content of the determination unit 71 will be further described later.

  The manufacturing procedure of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 in the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is as described above. Hereinafter, the procedure of the film thickness inspection by the film thickness inspection apparatus 120 will be further described. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the film thickness inspection.

  First, conveyance of the electrolyte membrane 92 is started in the manufacturing apparatus 1 (step S1). Specifically, the adsorption roller 10, the laminated base material supply roller 31, and the joined body collection roller 65 start rotating, and the transport of the laminated base material 94 including the electrolyte membrane 92 and the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is started. The The long belt-shaped electrolyte membrane 92 is conveyed at a constant speed (for example, 25 mm / second) along the longitudinal direction thereof.

  As described above, the catalyst ink is intermittently applied from the coating unit 40 to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 to be conveyed, and the catalyst ink is dried by the drying furnace 50 to form the second catalyst layer 9b ( Step S2). The first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b are formed at the same position on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92, and both the planar shapes are the same rectangle. The membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 in which the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b are intermittently formed on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92 is guided by the plurality of assembly unloading rollers 64, and the film thickness inspection device. 120 is reached.

  When performing a film thickness inspection by the film thickness inspection apparatus 120, first, detection of the catalyst layer 9 by the fiber sensor 124 is started (step S3). The fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 (step S4). When the fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of any of the plurality of catalyst layers 9 formed on the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95, the encoder value of the encoder 125 at that time is stored (step S5). The encoder value is stored in the memory of the control unit 70, for example.

  The encoder value of the encoder 125 increases as the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is conveyed from the time when the fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of the catalyst layer 9. The controller 70 monitors the encoder value of the encoder 125 (step S6). Then, when the encoder value becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined set value (step S7), the control unit 70 causes the scanning mechanism 122 to start scanning the measurement unit 123 (step S8). The predetermined set value is an encoder value corresponding to the distance between the fiber sensor 124 and the measurement unit 123.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a scanning locus of the measurement unit 123. To be more precise, FIG. 11 shows the locus of the measurement point (beam irradiation point) of the measurement unit 123 in the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. When the measurement unit 123 does not face the catalyst layer 9, that is, when the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 is out of the catalyst layer 9, the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 coincides with the end of the catalyst layer 9 in the width direction. The measuring unit 123 is on standby so as to be positioned on the line. Then, when the encoder value of the encoder 125 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined set value, that is, when the tip of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 reaches the measurement point of the measurement unit 123. The control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so that the measurement unit 123 starts scanning along the width direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 orthogonal to the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. In other words, based on the encoder value of the encoder 125, the transport distance of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 from the time when the fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of the catalyst layer 9 is the distance between the fiber sensor 124 and the measurement unit 123. When reaching, the control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so that the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 passes through the tip of the catalyst layer 9. Since the measurement unit 123 was on standby so that the measurement point is located on a line that coincides with the end in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9, as shown in FIG. 11, scanning of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9 is performed. The starting point of the locus is the corner of the rectangular catalyst layer 9.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so that the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9 coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9. Then, the measurement unit 123 is scanned. Specifically, since the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 is transported at a constant speed along the transport direction, the measurement point of the measuring unit 123 is the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The controller 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so as to reach the end in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9 simultaneously with reaching the rear end. As a result, the scanning trajectory of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 passes through the front and rear ends of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95.

  The measuring unit 123 measures the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 (that is, the total film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b) while being scanned by the scanning mechanism 122 (step S9). The measurement part 123 measures the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 at the measurement point. Then, when the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9 reaches the corner opposite to the start point of the scanning locus, the control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so as to temporarily stop scanning of the measurement unit 123. (Step S10). Thereby, the film thickness measurement about one catalyst layer 9 among the plurality of catalyst layers 9 formed intermittently is completed.

  Next, the quality determination of the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 for which the film thickness measurement has been completed is performed (step S11). The determination of film quality is performed by the determination unit 71 of the control unit 70 comparing actual measurement data obtained by the measurement unit 123 with reference data R (see FIG. 8) acquired in advance and stored in the storage unit 72. The The reference data R is a standard value of the film thickness distribution from the front end to the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The reference data R may be acquired by measuring the thickness of the catalyst layer 9 that has been accurately applied in advance. Moreover, when intermittent coating is performed by the manufacturing apparatus 1, the thickness of the third and subsequent catalyst layers 9 after the start of processing is relatively stable. Data R may be acquired. Alternatively, an optimum film thickness distribution may be set as the reference data R.

  The determining unit 71 determines whether the difference between the measured data of the film thickness distribution from the front end to the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 measured by the measuring unit 123 and the reference data R is within a predetermined threshold or less. The pass / fail judgment is performed. Further, the quality determination of the film thickness is performed for each inspection region by dividing the catalyst layer 9 into a plurality of inspection regions.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the catalyst layer 9 is divided into a plurality of inspection regions. As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, each catalyst layer 9 is divided into three inspection regions: a front end region 17, a rear end region 19, and a central region 18. The tip region 17 is a region having a predetermined length from the tip of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The rear end region 19 is a region having a predetermined length from the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The central region 18 is a region excluding the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 in the catalyst layer 9.

  When the coating unit 40 performs intermittent coating, disturbance is likely to occur at the start and end of discharge of the catalyst ink from the nozzle 41. That is, the film thickness in the vicinity of the front end and the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 tends to be nonuniform. The lengths of the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 can be set to appropriate values, but are preferably matched with the lengths of the portions where the film thickness tends to be non-uniform. Further, the length of the front end region 17 and the length of the rear end region 19 may be the same.

  In the present embodiment, a first threshold value TH1 is set for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19, and a second threshold value TH2 is set for the central region 18. The second threshold TH2 is set to a value smaller than the first threshold TH1. That is, the judgment criterion is stricter in the central region 18 than in the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19. The set first threshold value TH1 and second threshold value TH2 are stored in the storage unit 72 of the control unit 70, for example.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference data R that is a reference for determining whether the film thickness is good or bad. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of film thickness measurement data obtained by the measurement unit 123. The vertical direction in FIGS. 13 and 14 corresponds to the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9, and the horizontal direction corresponds to the position of the catalyst layer 9 along the conveying direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. The reference data R in FIG. 13 is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. As described above, the reference data R in FIG. 13 is a standard value of the film thickness distribution from the front end to the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. 14 is a film thickness distribution from the front end to the rear end of the catalyst layer 9 actually measured by the measuring unit 123.

  The determination unit 71 determines whether or not the difference D1 between the actual measurement data by the measurement unit 123 and the reference data R for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 of the catalyst layer 9 is equal to or less than the first threshold value TH1. It is determined whether or not the difference D2 between the actual measurement data by the measurement unit 123 and the reference data R for the central region 18 is equal to or less than the second threshold value TH2. When both the determination results are satisfied, that is, the difference D1 between the actual measurement data for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 and the reference data R is equal to or less than the first threshold value TH1, and the actual measurement for the central region 18 is performed. If the difference D2 between the data and the reference data R is equal to or less than the second threshold value TH2, the determination unit 71 determines that the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 is good. Conversely, if any one of the determination results is not satisfied, that is, the difference D1 between the measured data and the reference data R for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 is larger than the first threshold value TH1, and / or the central region 18 If the difference D2 between the actual measurement data and the reference data R is greater than the second threshold value TH2, the determination unit 71 determines that the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 is defective.

  In this way, the film thickness quality determination for one catalyst layer 9 among the plurality of catalyst layers 9 is completed. The result of the pass / fail judgment may be displayed on, for example, a display of the control unit 70. If the determination result is poor, a processing abnormality alarm may be issued.

  Subsequently, when performing film thickness measurement and pass / fail judgment for the next catalyst layer 9, the process returns from step S12 to step S3, and the same process as described above is repeated. That is, the tip of the next catalyst layer 9 is detected by the fiber sensor 124, and scanning of the measurement unit 123 is started when the tip reaches the measurement point of the measurement unit 123. If the measurement unit 123 remains stopped at the position where the measurement of the film thickness of the previous catalyst layer 9 is completed, the measurement unit 123 is located on a line that coincides with the width direction end of the catalyst layer 9 (however, The starting point of the scanning trajectory of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9 is the corner of the catalyst layer 9. Then, the control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 to scan the measurement unit 123 so that the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9 coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9.

  By repeating the scanning of the measurement unit 123 and the film thickness measurement, the measurement of the measurement unit 123 is performed for all of the plurality of catalyst layers 9 formed in the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 as shown in FIG. The scanning trajectory of the dots coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9. If the scanning timing of the measurement unit 123 is determined independently of the formation pattern of the intermittently applied catalyst layer 9, the scanning locus of the measurement points of the measurement unit 123 includes a plurality of catalyst as shown in FIG. Each layer 9 is different. If it becomes like this, a measurement line will differ for every catalyst layer 9, and the homogeneous test | inspection about the some catalyst layer 9 will become impossible. For example, for some catalyst layers 9, the film thickness measurement of the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 where the film thickness tends to be non-uniform is not performed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip of the catalyst layer 9 is detected by the fiber sensor 124, and using the detection result, the catalyst layer has a rectangular scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 in the catalyst layer 9. The control unit 70 controls the scanning of the measurement unit 123 so as to coincide with the 9 diagonal lines. For this reason, the measurement lines are the same for all of the plurality of catalyst layers 9 formed in the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95, and a homogeneous inspection can be performed. As a result, statistical processing on the measurement results of the plurality of catalyst layers 9 is also possible, and the accuracy of the film thickness inspection can be improved.

  In addition, since the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9, all the film thickness measurements of the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 where the film thickness tends to be relatively non-uniform are all performed. The catalyst layer 9 is executed. Furthermore, if the scanning trajectory of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 matches the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9, the film thickness distribution can be measured also in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9. If the nozzle 41 of the coating unit 40 has an abnormality such as liquid clogging, the film thickness distribution along the width direction of the catalyst layer 9 may be uneven. If the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9 as in this embodiment, the tip region 17 and the rear end region 19 where the film thickness tends to be non-uniform are inspected. In addition, since the inspection is also performed on the distribution in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9, the reliability of the inspection result can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the catalyst layer 9 is divided into three inspection regions, that is, a front end region 17, a rear end region 19 and a central region 18, and a first threshold value TH1 is set for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19. In addition, a smaller second threshold TH2 is set for the central region 18 than that. In general, the central region 18 is a region where the film thickness is stable as compared to the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 (region where there is less variation between different catalyst layers 9). This indicates that there may be a serious coating failure. Therefore, by setting the second threshold value TH2 for the central region 18 to a value smaller than the first threshold value TH1 and making the determination criteria stricter, the reliability of the film thickness inspection result can be improved. On the other hand, in the leading end region 17 and the trailing end region 19, inevitable film thickness fluctuations occur. Therefore, if the first threshold value TH1 is excessively reduced to make the determination criteria strict, the catalyst layer 9 is determined to have a poor film thickness. May be excessive, and the yield may be reduced. If the first threshold value TH1 is set to be larger than the second threshold value TH2 for the central region 18 for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 as in the present embodiment, the reliability of the test results and the yield are improved. Balance can be maintained.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the scanning trajectory of the measurement point of the measuring unit 123 coincides with the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the scanning trajectory is as shown in FIG. It may be a thing. As shown in FIG. 15, the scanning locus drawn by the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 with respect to the catalyst layer 9 passes at least the front and rear ends of the catalyst layer 9 along the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. If it is good. The control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 to cause the measurement unit 123 to scan so that the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 passes through the front and rear ends of the rectangular catalyst layer 9.

  If the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 passes at least the front end and the rear end of the catalyst layer 9, the front end region 17 and all of the plurality of catalyst layers 9 formed on the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 and The film thickness of the rear end region 19 can be measured, and a uniform inspection can be performed. In addition, since the film thickness of the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19 where the film thickness tends to be non-uniform for all the catalyst layers 9 is measured, the reliability of the inspection result can be increased.

  In the example shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 70 controls the scanning mechanism 122 so that the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 is inclined with respect to the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. If the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measuring unit 123 is inclined with respect to the transport direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95, the film thickness distribution can be measured also in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9, and the inspection result Can be further improved in reliability.

  Preferably, if the start point and the end point of the scanning locus of the measurement points of the measurement units 123 in the plurality of catalyst layers 9 are the same (that is, if the measurement lines are the same), a more uniform inspection can be performed.

  If the scanning locus of the measurement point of the measurement unit 123 matches the diagonal line of the rectangular catalyst layer 9 as in the above embodiment, the tip layer 17 and the rear end region 19 are inspected for film thickness and the catalyst layer 9 Therefore, the reliability of the inspection result is most preferable.

  In the above-described embodiment, the film thickness inspection apparatus 120 has been described. However, the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 (FIG. 1) provided in the electrolyte film supply unit 30 is also provided in the joined body collection unit 60. The thickness of the catalyst layer is inspected in substantially the same procedure. However, the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 provided in the electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 measures and inspects the film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a formed on the laminated base material 94. The film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a measured by the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 from the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 measured by the film thickness inspection apparatus 120 (total film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a and the second catalyst layer 9b). Is subtracted, the film thickness of the second catalyst layer 9b formed by the manufacturing apparatus 1 can be calculated. The determination unit 71 of the control unit 70 includes only the second catalyst layer 9b obtained by subtracting the film thickness of the first catalyst layer 9a measured by the film thickness inspection apparatus 220 from the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 measured by the film thickness inspection apparatus 120. The film thickness may be compared with the reference data R to determine pass / fail.

  In the above embodiment, the fiber sensor 124 is installed at a distance from the measurement unit 123, and the transport distance of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95 from the time when the fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of the catalyst layer 9 is determined. Although counted by the encoder 125, the fiber sensor 124 may be installed on the same line as the measurement unit 123 along the width direction of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 95. In this case, at the same time when the fiber sensor 124 detects the tip of the catalyst layer 9, the control unit 70 causes the scanning mechanism 122 to start scanning the measurement unit 123. In this case, the encoder 125 is unnecessary.

  Further, instead of the fiber sensor 124, a detector that can detect the presence or absence of the catalyst layer 9 such as a line sensor, a camera, or a displacement meter may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the catalyst layer 9 is divided into a plurality of inspection regions and a threshold value is set for each. However, a common threshold value is set for the entire catalyst layer 9 without performing special division. Anyway. Further, different threshold values may be set for the front end region 17 and the rear end region 19.

  In the above embodiment, the film thickness (dry film thickness) of the catalyst layer 9 after drying is measured. For example, the film thickness (wet film) of the catalyst ink after coating and before drying by a laser displacement meter. The technique according to the present invention can also be applied when inspecting by measuring (thickness).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the measurement part 123 measured the film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 using a radiation, it is not limited to this, For example, the measurement part 123 uses a laser or infrared rays. The film thickness of the catalyst layer 9 may be measured. The measurement unit 123 may be a sensor that measures the temperature, surface roughness, and the like of the catalyst layer 9 in a non-contact manner. Further, the measurement unit 123 is not limited to the catalyst layer 9 of the fuel cell, and for example, the physical property value such as the thickness of the coating film of a plurality of electrode materials formed intermittently on the metal foil of the lithium ion secondary battery is not displayed. You may measure by contact. In short, the technology according to the present invention can be applied to an apparatus that inspects the physical property values of a plurality of coating films formed intermittently along the conveying direction of a long belt-like base material in a non-contact manner.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manufacturing apparatus 9 Catalyst layer 9a 1st catalyst layer 9b 2nd catalyst layer 10 Adsorption roller 17 Front end area | region 18 Center area | region 19 Rear end area | region 20 Porous base material supply collection | recovery part 30 Electrolyte membrane supply part 40 Coating part 41 Nozzle 50 Drying Furnace 60 Assembly recovery unit 70 Control unit 71 Determination unit 72 Storage unit 92 Electrolyte membrane 94 Laminated substrate 95 Membrane / catalyst layer assembly 120, 220 Film thickness inspection device 121 Film thickness meter 122 Scan mechanism 123 Measurement unit 124 Fiber sensor 125 Encoder R Reference data

Claims (17)

A coating film inspection apparatus that inspects a plurality of rectangular coating films formed intermittently along the conveyance direction of a long belt-shaped substrate conveyed in the longitudinal direction by a conveyance mechanism,
A measuring section for measuring the physical property values of the plurality of coating films in a non-contact manner;
A scanning mechanism for reciprocating the measurement unit along the width direction of the base material perpendicular to the transport direction;
A coating film detection unit for detecting a tip along the transport direction of each of the plurality of coating films;
Control that controls the scanning mechanism based on the detection result by the coating film detection unit so that the trajectory drawn by the measurement point of the measurement unit with respect to each coating film passes at least the front end and the rear end of the coating film And
A coating film inspection apparatus comprising: In the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The coating film detection unit is installed upstream of the measurement unit at a predetermined interval along the transport direction,
Further comprising an encoder for detecting the transport distance of the base material from the time when the coating film detection unit detects the tip of each coating film,
The control unit controls the scanning mechanism based on a detection result of the encoder so that a measurement point of the measurement unit passes a tip of the coating film when the transport distance reaches the predetermined interval. Coating film inspection device characterized by In the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The said control part controls the said scanning mechanism so that the said locus | trajectory may incline at a predetermined angle with respect to the said conveyance direction, The coating-film inspection apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 3,
The said control part controls the said scanning mechanism so that the said locus | trajectory may correspond to the diagonal of each coating film, The coating-film inspection apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the coating film inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A storage unit for storing reference data of the distribution of the physical property values from the front end to the rear end of the coating film;
A determination unit that determines the quality of the coating film by comparing the reference data with the distribution of the physical property values ranging from the front end to the rear end of each coating film measured by the measurement unit,
A coating film inspection apparatus further comprising: In the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 5,
A first threshold is set for the front end region including the front end of the coating film and the rear end region including the rear end, and a second threshold is set for the central region excluding the front end region and the rear end region,
The determination unit has a difference between the physical property value of the front end region and the rear end region of each coating film measured by the measurement unit and the reference data equal to or less than the first threshold value, and is measured by the measurement unit. If the difference between the physical property value of the central region of the coated film and the reference data is equal to or less than the second threshold value, the coating film inspection apparatus determines that the coating film is good. In the coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 6,
The coating film inspection apparatus, wherein the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value. In the coating film inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The base material is an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell;
The coating film is a catalyst layer;
The said measurement part irradiates each coating film with radiation, and measures the film thickness of the said coating film, The coating-film inspection apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. An apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell,
A coating part for coating a coating liquid on one side of the electrolyte membrane;
A drying section for drying the coating liquid applied to one surface of the electrolyte membrane to form a catalyst layer;
A coating film inspection apparatus according to claim 8;
An apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly comprising: It is a coating film inspection method for inspecting a plurality of rectangular coating films formed intermittently along the conveyance direction of a long strip-shaped substrate conveyed in the longitudinal direction by a conveyance mechanism,
A scanning step of reciprocating a measurement unit that measures physical property values of the plurality of coating films in a non-contact manner along the width direction of the base material orthogonal to the transport direction;
A coating film detection step for detecting a tip along the transport direction of each of the plurality of coating films;
With
In the scanning step, based on the detection result of the coating film detection step, the measurement is performed so that a trajectory drawn by the measurement point of the measurement unit with respect to each coating film passes at least the front end and the rear end of the coating film. A method for inspecting a coating film, comprising scanning a portion. In the coating-film inspection method of Claim 10,
The coating film detection unit is installed upstream of the measurement unit at a predetermined interval along the transport direction,
In the scanning step, when the transport distance reaches the predetermined interval based on a detection result of an encoder that detects the transport distance of the base material from the time when the coating film detection unit detects the tip of each coating film. A coating film inspection method, wherein the measurement section is scanned so that the measurement point of the measurement section passes through the tip of the coating film. In the coating-film inspection method of Claim 10 or Claim 11,
In the scanning step, the measurement unit is scanned so that the locus is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction. In the coating-film inspection method of Claim 12,
In the scanning step, the measurement unit is scanned so that the locus coincides with the diagonal line of each coating film. In the coating-film inspection method in any one of Claims 10-13,
The standard data of the distribution of the physical property values from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the coating film is compared with the distribution of the physical property values from the leading edge to the trailing edge of each coating film measured by the measuring unit to determine whether the coating film is good or bad The coating-film inspection method characterized by further providing the determination process which performs determination. In the coating-film inspection method of Claim 14,
A first threshold is set for the front end region including the front end of the coating film and the rear end region including the rear end, and a second threshold is set for the central region excluding the front end region and the rear end region,
In the determination step, the difference between the physical property value of the leading edge region and the trailing edge region of each coating film measured by the measuring unit and the reference data is equal to or less than the first threshold value, and is measured by the measuring unit. A coating film inspection method, wherein the coating film is determined to be good if the difference between the physical property value of the central region of the coated film and the reference data is equal to or less than the second threshold value. In the coating-film inspection method of Claim 15,
The coating film inspection method, wherein the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value. In the coating-film inspection method in any one of Claims 10-16,
The base material is an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell;
The coating film is a catalyst layer;
The said measurement part irradiates each coating film with radiation, and measures the film thickness of the said coating film, The coating-film inspection method characterized by the above-mentioned.

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