JP7435407B2 - Conveying device and method for fuel cell separators - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a transportation device and a transportation method for a fuel cell separator.

Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying device that lifts and conveys a fuel cell separator placed on a protective sheet. This conveyance device separates the protective sheet from the separator by blowing air onto the protective sheet through the opening of the separator when lifting the separator so that the separator is not conveyed with the protective sheet still attached.

JP 2019-145417 Publication

Fuel cell separators are sometimes stored in a stacked state in order to reduce the area they occupy in a fuel cell assembly factory or the like. Separators are provided with flow channels for supplying and discharging fuel gas and oxidizing gas used in fuel cell power generation, so separators can be stored in stacks, making it possible to The channel grooves of the separator may mesh with each other and become stuck. In this case, even if air is blown, the separators cannot be separated from each other, and it may become difficult to transport the separators one by one.

The present disclosure can be realized as the following forms.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fuel cell separator conveying device is provided. This conveyance device includes a suction unit that suctions the upper surface of the uppermost separator among a plurality of rectangular separators arranged in a stack, and a suction unit that moves the suction unit with the separator suctioned upward. By this, when the separator is lifted by the moving unit that lifts the separator, the suction unit, and the moving unit, the position on the upper surface of the separator that is sucked by the suction unit is a short distance of the separator. A striking unit that strikes multiple times at different positions in the hand direction. The separator is provided at a central portion of the upper surface, includes a central groove portion having a plurality of grooves, and is provided at an outer portion of the upper surface with respect to the central groove portion, and has a plurality of grooves than the central groove portion. an outer peripheral groove having a plurality of wide grooves, and the striking unit applies a strike to the central groove.

(1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fuel cell separator conveying device is provided. This conveyance device includes a suction unit that suctions the upper surface of the uppermost separator among a plurality of rectangular separators arranged in a stack, and a suction unit that moves the suction unit with the separator suctioned upward. By this, when the separator is lifted by the moving unit that lifts the separator, the suction unit, and the moving unit, the position on the upper surface of the separator that is sucked by the suction unit is a short distance of the separator. A striking unit that applies strikes to different positions in the hand direction.
According to this type of conveyance device, even if the separators that overlap one another are stuck together, the overlapping separators can be separated by applying a blow to the upper separator using the striking unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of separators from being conveyed in an overlapping state.
(2) In the conveying device of the above embodiment, the striking unit includes a first striking part that strikes the upper surface of the separator, and a position on the upper surface of the separator that is struck by the first striking part. and a second striking section that strikes different positions, and the second striking section may strike the separator at the same timing as the first striking section strikes the separator. .
According to this embodiment of the conveying device, since the two impact parts simultaneously apply impact to two locations on the separator, the separator can be deformed over a wide range. Therefore, overlapping separators can be effectively separated.
(3) In the conveying device of the above embodiment, the striking unit includes a first striking part that strikes the upper surface of the separator, and a position on the upper surface of the separator that is struck by the first striking part. and a second striking section that strikes at different positions, and the second striking section may strike the separator at a timing different from the timing at which the separator is struck by the first striking section. good.
According to this embodiment of the conveyance device, since the two impact parts apply impact to two locations on the separator at mutually different timings, it is possible to cause torsional deformation of the separator. Therefore, overlapping separators can be effectively separated.
(4) In the conveying device according to the above aspect, the suction unit includes a first suction portion that suctions the upper surface of the separator, and a position on the upper surface of the separator that is suctioned by the first suction portion is set to a second suction part that suctions different positions in the longitudinal direction of the separator, and the striking unit is arranged between the first suction part and the second suction part in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of the separator. A blow may be applied to the position.
According to this embodiment of the conveyance device, it is possible to stabilize the posture of the separator and apply a blow to the separator.
(5) In the conveying device of the above embodiment, the striking unit may have an elastomer on the striking surface that collides with the separator.
According to this embodiment of the conveying device, it is possible to reduce noise caused by striking the separator with the striking unit.
The present disclosure can also be realized in various forms other than a fuel cell separator conveying device. For example, it can be realized in the form of a fuel cell separator transport system, a fuel cell separator transport method, or the like.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the first surface of the separator. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of separator conveyance processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing how the separator is deformed by the impact from the impact unit. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of displacement of the separator due to the impact from the impact unit. An explanatory diagram showing how a blow is applied to two stacked separators. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of separator conveyance processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of displacement of the separator due to the impact from the impact unit.

A. First embodiment:
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a transport system 10 including a transport device 11 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the transport system 10. The transport system 10 includes a transport device 11 , a magazine 200 , a dual-sheet detector 300 , and a transport slider 400 . Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 show arrows representing X, Y, and Z axes, which are three mutually orthogonal coordinate axes. The X-axis and Y-axis are coordinate axes along the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis is a coordinate axis along the vertical direction. Arrows representing the X, Y, and Z axes are appropriately illustrated in other figures so that the directions indicated by the arrows correspond to those in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The transport device 11 includes a suction unit 30, a movement unit 20, a striking unit 40, and a control unit 60. In this embodiment, the transport device 11 takes out and transports a plurality of fuel cell separators 100 stored in the magazine 200 in a vertically stacked state one by one from the top. In the following description, the fuel cell separator 100 will be simply referred to as a separator 100. Each separator 100 is housed in the magazine 200 with a first surface 101 (described later) facing upward. Note that the first surface 101 is sometimes referred to as an upper surface.

The moving unit 20 moves the suction unit 30 and the striking unit 40 three-dimensionally. In this embodiment, the moving unit 20 is configured by a robot arm. More specifically, the mobile unit 20 is configured by a vertically articulated robot. Note that the moving unit 20 may be configured by, for example, a horizontal articulated robot or an orthogonal robot instead of a vertical articulated robot. The moving unit 20 may be configured by combining a motor, a ball screw, etc. instead of a robot arm.

The suction unit 30 and the impact unit 40 are configured as end effectors that are attached to the distal end of the moving unit 20. The suction unit 30 and the striking unit 40 are fixed to a connecting member 50. A central portion of the connecting member 50 is connected to a distal end portion of the moving unit 20. That is, the suction unit 30 and the striking unit 40 are connected to the tip of the moving unit 20 via the connecting member 50.

The suction unit 30 grips the separator 100 by vacuum suction. The suction unit 30 includes two suction parts 31A and 31B. In the following description, the suction section 31A will be referred to as a first suction section 31A, and the suction section 31B will be referred to as a second suction section 31B. When describing the first suction section 31A and the second suction section 31B without particularly distinguishing them, the first suction section 31A and the second suction section 31B may be simply referred to as the suction section 31.

The first suction part 31A is fixed to one end of the connection member 50, and the second suction part 31B is fixed to the other end of the connection member 50. The second suction section 31B is spaced apart from the first suction section 31A.

A suction pad 35A for vacuum suctioning the separator 100 is provided at the lower end of the first suction part 31A, and a suction pad 35B for vacuum suctioning the separator 100 is provided at the lower end of the second suction part 31B. is provided. Each suction pad 35A, 35B is connected to an ejector or a vacuum pump that evacuates the inside of each suction pad 35A, 35B, for example, via a flexible tube.

The impact unit 40 applies impact to the separator 100 held by the suction unit 30. The striking unit 40 includes two striking parts 41A and 41B. In the following description, the striking section 41A will be referred to as a first striking section 41A, and the striking section 41B will be referred to as a second striking section 41B. When describing the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B without particularly distinguishing them, the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B may be simply referred to as the striking section 41.

The first striking portion 41A and the second striking portion 41B are fixed to a portion of the connecting member 50 between the first suction portion 31A and the second suction portion 31B. The second striking part 41B is spaced apart from the first striking part 41A. As shown in FIG. 2, the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the first attracting section 31A to the second attracting section 31B when viewed from above. and the second adsorption section 31B are arranged at different positions. The first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B are arranged so that the direction from the first striking part 41A to the second striking part 41B and the direction from the first suction part 31A to the second suction part 31B are parallel to each other. has been done.

As shown in FIG. 1, each striking part 41A, 41B is constituted by an air cylinder. Each of the striking parts 41A, 41B is connected to a compressor via a flexible tube, for example, and expands and contracts up and down by compressed air from the compressor. Stopping and restarting the supply of compressed air from the compressor to each striking part 41A, 41B is switched by, for example, a solenoid valve. In addition, each striking part 41A, 41B may be comprised not with an air cylinder but with a hydraulic cylinder or an electric cylinder, for example.

A striking surface 45A that collides with the separator 100 is provided at the lower end of the first striking portion 41A, and a striking surface 45B that collides with the separator 100 is provided at the lower end of the second striking portion 41B. Each striking surface 45A, 45B can move below the contact surface between each suction pad 35A, 35B and separator 100. In this embodiment, each striking surface 45A, 45B is made of urethane rubber. Note that each striking surface 45A, 45B may be formed of, for example, an elastomer other than urethane rubber, a metal material, or a resin material.

The control unit 60 is configured as a computer including a CPU, memory, and an input/output interface. In this embodiment, the control unit 60 controls the moving unit 20, the suction unit 30, and the hitting unit 40 by executing a separator conveying process to be described later, and sequentially moves the stacked separators 100 one by one from the top. Convey sheets one by one. Note that the control unit 60 may be configured not by a computer but by a combination of a plurality of circuits.

As shown in FIG. 2, a two-sheet detector 300 and a transport slider 400 are arranged around the transport device 11. The double-sheet detector 300 inspects whether two or more separators 100 being conveyed by the conveying device 11 are in a stacked state. The two-sheet detector 300 includes, for example, a sensor that measures the thickness of the separator 100, and by measuring the thickness of the separator 100 using the sensor, determines whether two or more separators 100 are overlapped. Inspect whether or not. After the separator 100 has been inspected by the two-sheet detector 300 to determine whether two or more sheets are overlapped, the separator 100 is placed on the transport slider 400 by the transport device 11. The conveyance slider 400 slides the placed separator 100 to a predetermined location.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the first surface 101 of the separator 100 in this embodiment. The separator 100 is a rectangular plate member having a longitudinal direction LD and a lateral direction SD. A rectangle is not limited to a rectangle, but also includes a square. In this embodiment, the separator 100 is a rectangular plate member. When the separator 100 is a square plate member, the direction along one of the four sides of the square is defined as the longitudinal direction LD, and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction LD is defined as the lateral direction SD. In FIG. 3, the center line CL of the separator 100 in the transverse direction SD is represented by a dashed line. One surface of the separator 100 is referred to as a first surface 101.

At both ends of the separator 100 in the longitudinal direction LD, manifold parts 111 to 116 having through holes for supplying and discharging fuel gas, oxidant gas, and refrigerant are provided. The separator 100 is provided with a central groove portion 121 and an outer circumferential groove portion 122 having a plurality of grooves between the manifold portions 111 to 113 on one end side in the longitudinal direction LD and the manifold portions 114 to 116 on the other end side. The central groove portion 121 is provided at the center of the separator 100. The central groove portion 121 is provided, for example, as a flow path for fuel gas that flows from the manifold portion 113 toward the manifold portion 114 on the first surface 101 side of the separator 100 during power generation by the fuel cell. The outer circumferential groove portion 122 is provided on the outer circumferential portion of the separator 100, that is, on the outer side of the central groove portion 121 of the separator 100. The outer peripheral groove 122 is used, for example, to suppress the fuel gas flowing through the central groove 121 from flowing out to the outer peripheral part of the separator 100, or to heat the membrane electrode assembly provided with the electrode catalyst layer and the outer peripheral part of the separator 100. Provided to adjust heat input during crimping. The width of the groove provided in the outer circumferential groove portion 122 is wider than the width of the groove provided in the central groove portion 121.

In this embodiment, the separator 100 is made of a titanium alloy. Manifold parts 111 to 116, a central groove part 121, and an outer peripheral groove part 122 are formed in the separator 100 by press molding. Therefore, unevenness corresponding to the central groove 121 and the outer peripheral groove 122 is formed on the surface opposite to the first surface 101. Note that the separator 100 may be made of stainless steel, for example, instead of titanium alloy.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the separator conveyance process. This process is executed by the control unit 60 when a predetermined start command is supplied to the control unit 60. For example, a start command is supplied from a computer connected to the transport device 11. First, in step S110, the control unit 60 moves the suction unit 30 to the original position by controlling the movement unit 20.

Next, in step S120, the control unit 60 controls the moving unit 20 to move the suction unit 30 to remove the separator placed at the top of the plurality of separators 100 accommodated in the magazine 200. Each suction pad 35A, 35B is brought into contact with the first surface 101 of 100. The control unit 60 arranges each suction pad on the first surface 101 so that the direction from the suction pad 35A of the first suction part 31A to the suction pad 35B of the second suction part 31B is parallel to the longitudinal direction LD of the separator 100. 35A and 35B are brought into contact.

In step S130, the control unit 60 controls the suction unit 30 to suction the first surface 101 of the uppermost separator 100 among the plurality of separators 100 accommodated in the magazine 200. In this embodiment, under the control of the control unit 60, the suction unit 30 suctions a position on one end side of the first surface 101 in the lateral direction SD. As shown in FIG. 3, sucking the position of one end of the first surface 101 in the transverse direction SD means that the center point CA of the suction position by the first suction part 31A and the suction position by the second suction part 31B are This means that the first surface 101 is suctioned by the suction unit 30 such that the center point CB is included in a region of the first surface 101 on one end side with respect to the center line CL. The suction position by the second suction part 31B is different from the suction position by the first suction part 31A in the longitudinal direction LD. Note that step S130 may be referred to as the first step of the separator transport method.

In step S140, control unit 60 moves suction unit 30 upward by controlling moving unit 20, and lifts separator 100 suctioned to each suction pad 35A, 35B upward. At this time, the control unit 60 lifts the separator 100 with the first surface 101 of the separator 100 facing upward. The control unit 60 lifts the separator 100 so as not to exceed the upper end surface of the magazine 200. Note that step S140 may be referred to as the second step of the separator conveying method.

In step S150, the control unit 60 controls the striking unit 40 to strike the separator 100 in the lifted state. In the present embodiment, under the control of the control unit 60, the striking unit 40 is positioned on the other end side in the lateral direction SD of the first surface 101 of the separator 100, in other words, on the other end side of the first surface 101 of the separator 100. A blow is applied to a position different from the position sucked by the suction unit 30 in the lateral direction SD. Applying a blow to the position on the other end side in the lateral direction SD of the first surface 101 means, as shown in FIG. The striking unit 40 hits the first surface 101 so that the center point CD of the striking position is included in the region of the first surface 101 on the other end side opposite to the one end side described above with respect to the center line CL. It means to inflict a blow. The striking position by the second striking part 41B is different from the striking position by the first striking part 41A.

In this embodiment, the striking unit 40 strikes the central groove 121 on the other end side of the first surface 101 in the lateral direction SD. A higher stress acts on the outer circumferential portion of the first surface 101 including the outer circumferential groove portion 122 than on the central portion including the central groove portion 121 during press molding. Therefore, deterioration of the separator 100 can be suppressed by applying a blow to the central groove portion 121 instead of the above-mentioned outer peripheral portion. Moreover, the warpage caused by press molding is greater in the outer peripheral portion described above than in the central portion described above. Therefore, by applying a blow to the central groove portion 121 instead of the above-mentioned outer peripheral portion, it is possible to suppress excess or deficiency in the amount of pushing of the striking surfaces 45A, 45B against the separator 100 due to warping of the separator 100.

In this embodiment, the control unit 60 simultaneously applies a blow to two locations on the first surface 101 using the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B. The control unit 60 applies a blow to the separator 100 by expanding and contracting each of the striking parts 41A and 41B by a predetermined amount at a predetermined speed and causing the striking surfaces 45A and 45B to collide. The striking unit 40 repeatedly expands and contracts each of the striking parts 41A and 41B to strike the separator 100 multiple times. The expansion/contraction speed and amount of expansion/contraction of each striking part 41A, 41B, and the number of times of striking by each striking part 41A, 41B can be determined by a test conducted in advance. In addition, the number of times that the impact is applied to the separator 100 by the impact unit 40 may be one time instead of a plurality of times. Note that step S150 may be referred to as the third step of the separator transport method.

In step S160, the control unit 60 controls the moving unit 20 to transport the separator 100 taken out from the magazine 200 to the transport slider 400 via the double-sheet detector 300. The double-sheet detector 300 inspects whether two or more separators 100 being sucked by the suction unit 30 are stacked. When the two-sheet detector 300 detects that two or more separators 100 are overlapped, the control unit 60 controls the moving unit 20 to move the two or more overlapping separators 100 into the magazine. After returning to 200, the process may be restarted from step S150. For example, the control unit 60 places the two or more overlapping separators 100 in a predetermined separator storage area provided above the two-sheet detector 300 without returning the two or more overlapping separators 100 onto the magazine 200. After that, the process may be returned to step S110 and an operation for taking out the next separator 100 from the magazine 200 may be started. Even if the control unit 60 cancels this process after notifying that an error has occurred without returning two or more overlapping separators 100 onto the magazine 200 or placing them on the separator storage area described above, the control unit 60 good.

In step S170, control unit 60 releases suction of separator 100 by suction unit 30. For example, the separators 100 placed on the transport slider 400 by the transport device 11 are transported one by one to an ultraviolet irradiation device by the transport slider 400, and are subjected to a hydrophilic treatment by the ultraviolet irradiation device.

In step S180, control unit 60 determines whether conveyance of all separators 100 has been completed. For example, when the separators 100 have been transported a predetermined number of times, the control unit 60 determines that the transport of all the separators 100 has been completed. The control unit 60 repeats the processes from step S110 to step S180 until it is determined that all the separators 100 have been transported. If it is determined that all the separators 100 have been transported, the control unit 60 ends this process.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the separator 100 is deformed by the impact from the impact unit 40. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of displacement of the separator 100 due to the impact from the impact unit 40. In FIG. 5, the external shape of the separator 100 when a blow is applied by the striking unit 40 is represented by a solid line, and the external shape of the separator 100 when no blow is applied is represented by a chain double-dashed line. There is. In FIG. 5, illustration of the central groove portion 121 and the outer peripheral groove portion 122 is omitted. In FIG. 5, four points A to D are shown at the four corners of the central groove portion 121. FIG. 6 shows the amount of displacement of the separator 100 along the vertical direction at four points A to D shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the separator 100 is struck by the striking unit 40, the separator 100 undergoes elastic deformation due to bending. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the separator 100 is displaced upward at points A and B on one end side of the separator 100 that are sucked by the suction unit 30, and the other end of the separator 100 is hit by the hitting unit 40. At side points C and D, the separator 100 is displaced downward. The absolute value of the displacement amount of separator 100 at point A and point B is larger than the absolute value of the displacement amount of separator 100 at point C and point D.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing how the separators 100 lifted in a stacked state are bent. In FIG. 7, among the plurality of separators 100 housed in the magazine 200, the separator 100 placed at the top is suffixed with the letter "A," and the separator 100 placed second from the top is The letter "B" is added to the end of the code 100, and the letter "C" is added to the end of the code 100 placed third from the top. The two separators 100A and 100B stored in the magazine 200 in a vertically overlapping manner may be fixed together due to the engagement of their grooves. Therefore, when the upper separator 100A is lifted, the lower separator 100B may be lifted together with the separator 100A. In this embodiment, after the separator 100A is lifted and before the separator 100A is transported, the striking unit 40 applies a blow to the separator 100A, thereby causing bending deformation in the separator 100A and the separator 100B. At this time, since a difference occurs between the curvature of the separator 100A and the curvature of the separator 100B, a shearing force is applied from the separator 100A to the separator 100B, and the separator 100B falls off from the separator 100A, causing the separator placed below the separator 100B to Return to the top of 100C.

According to the conveyance device 11 in the present embodiment described above, the control unit 60 causes the impact unit 40 to impact the first surface 101 of the separator 100 that is lifted by the moving unit 20 and the suction unit 30. Therefore, even if a plurality of separators 100 that overlap one another are stuck together, the separators 100 can be bent to separate the separators 100 that overlap one another. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of separators 100 from being transported while being overlapped. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 60 uses the suction unit 30 to adsorb one end of the first surface 101 in the transverse direction SD, and the other end of the first surface 101 in the transverse direction SD. Since the impact is applied by the impact unit 40 to the side position, the separator 100 can be bent about the axis along the longitudinal direction LD of the separator 100. Therefore, it is possible to cause bending deformation in a wide range of the separator 100, and to effectively separate the separators 100 that overlap each other vertically. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the separator 100 is bent by the striking unit 40 around the axis along the longitudinal direction LD, so compared to the case where the separator 100 is bent around the axis along the lateral direction SD. , the amount of downward displacement of the ends of the separators 100 for separating the separators 100 that overlap one another can be reduced. Therefore, the end of the separator 100 bent by the striking unit 40 can be prevented from contacting and damaging the separator 100 placed below without being lifted.

Further, in this embodiment, the striking unit 40 is provided with the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B, and the control unit 60 uses the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B. A blow is applied to two locations on the separator 100 at the same time. Therefore, bending deformation can be caused in a wide range of the separator 100 compared to a case where the separator 100 is hit only at one location.

Further, in the present embodiment, the suction unit 30 is provided with the first suction section 31A and the second suction section 31B, and the control unit 60 uses the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B. , a blow is applied to the first surface 101 of the separator 100 at a position between the suction position by the first suction part 31A and the suction position by the second suction part 31B in the longitudinal direction LD. Therefore, a blow can be applied to the separator 100 while the posture of the separator 100 is stabilized.

Further, in this embodiment, since the striking surface 45A of the first striking section 41A and the striking surface 45B of the second striking section 41B are formed of urethane rubber, the separator 100 is struck by each striking section 41A, 41B. It is possible to reduce the noise generated when the separator 100 is separated, and also to prevent dents from remaining on the separator 100.

In the separator 100 made of a titanium alloy having a lower Young's modulus than stainless steel or the like, if the grooves of the separators 100 that overlap one another are engaged and fixed, it is difficult to separate the two separators 100 that overlap one another. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the separators 100 that overlap vertically can be separated using the striking unit 40.

With separators 100 made of titanium alloy, which is a non-magnetic material, it is not possible to separate the two separators 100 by vacuum adsorbing one of the overlapping separators 100 and magnetically adsorbing the other. In contrast, in this embodiment, the separators 100 that overlap one another can be separated without using magnetic attraction.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the separator conveyance process in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the contents of step S150B of the separator conveyance process are different from the contents of step S150 of the separator conveyance process of the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise described.

In step S150B, control unit 60 controls striking unit 40 to strike separator 100 in the lifted state. In this embodiment, the control unit 60 applies impacts to two locations on the first surface 101 of the separator 100 at mutually different timings using the first impacting part 41A and the second impacting part 41B. The control unit 60 alternately applies impacts to two locations on the separator 100 by making the expansion/contraction phase of the first impacting part 41A different from the expansion/contraction phase of the second impacting part 41B by 180 degrees. Note that step S150B may be referred to as the third step of the separator transport method.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of displacement of the separator 100 due to the impact applied by the impact unit 40. FIG. 9 shows the amount of displacement of the separator 100 along the vertical direction at four points A to D shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows two cases in which the first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B simultaneously strike two places on the separator 100 for each point A to D, and a case in which the first striking part 41A strikes one part of the separator 100 at the same time. The amount of displacement when a blow is applied only to one place, and the amount of displacement when a blow is applied to only one place of the separator 100 by the second striking part 41B are shown.

At each point A to D, the absolute value of the displacement when the first striking part 41A hits only one place on the separator 100, and the second striking part 41B hits only one place on the separator 100. The absolute value of the amount of displacement in this case is smaller than the absolute value of the amount of displacement in the case where two locations of the separator 100 are simultaneously struck by the first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B. However, the absolute value of the displacement when the first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B simultaneously strike two places on the separator 100, and the first striking part 41A striking only one spot on the separator 100, The difference from the absolute value of the amount of displacement when the amount of displacement is added is relatively small. The absolute value of the displacement when the first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B strike two places on the separator 100 at the same time, and the absolute value of the displacement when the second striking part 41B strikes only one spot on the separator 100. The difference between the absolute value of the displacement amount and the case is small.

According to the conveyance device 11 in the present embodiment described above, the two striking parts 41A and 41B can strike two places on the first surface 101 of the separator 100 at mutually different timings. Compared to a configuration in which the parts 41A and 41B simultaneously apply a blow to two locations on the first surface 101 of the separator 100, the number of times the separator 100 is struck can be increased, and furthermore, the separator 100 is not caused to undergo complicated deformation. be able to. Therefore, the separators 100 that overlap one another can be effectively separated.

C. Other embodiments:
(C1) In the transport device 11 of each embodiment described above, the suction unit 30 has two suction sections 31A and 31B. On the other hand, the number of suction sections 31 provided in the suction unit 30 may be one, or three or more.

(C2) In the transport device 11 of the first embodiment described above, the striking unit 40 has two striking parts 41 and 41B. On the other hand, the number of striking parts 41 provided in the striking unit 40 may be one, or may be three or more.

(C3) In the transport device 11 of the second embodiment described above, the striking unit 40 has two striking parts 41 and 41B. On the other hand, the number of striking parts 41 provided in the striking unit 40 may be three or more. For example, when the striking unit 40 is provided with three striking parts 41, the three striking parts 41 may strike the separator 100 at mutually different timings, or two of the three striking parts 41 may strike the separator 100 at different timings. 41 may strike the separator 100 at the same timing.

(C4) In the conveyance device 11 of each embodiment described above, the first striking section 41A and the second striking section 41B are caused by the first suction section 31A in the longitudinal direction LD of the separator 100 on the first surface 101 of the separator 100. A blow is applied to a position between the suction position and the suction position by the second suction section 31B. On the other hand, at least one of the first striking part 41A and the second striking part 41B is located at a suction position on the first surface 101 by the first suction part 31A in the longitudinal direction LD of the separator 100 and a second suction position. The blow may be applied at a position other than the position where the part 31B is attracted. For example, in the longitudinal direction LD, the first surface 101 includes a striking position by the first striking part 41A, a suction position by the first suction part 31A, a suction position by the second suction part 31B, and a suction position by the second striking part 41B. The striking positions may be arranged in this order, and in the longitudinal direction LD, the striking position by the first striking part 41A, the suction position by the first suction part 31A, the striking position by the second striking part 41B, and the The suction positions by the two suction parts 31B may be arranged in this order.

(C5) In the transport device 11 of each embodiment described above, the moving unit 20 is configured to be able to move the suction unit 30 and the impact unit 40 three-dimensionally. On the other hand, the moving unit 20 may be configured to be able to move the suction unit 30 and the striking unit 40 only up and down. In this case, for example, a transport slider that is movable below the separator 100 lifted by the moving unit 20 may be provided, and the separator 100 may be placed on the transport slider.

(C6) In the transport device 11 of each embodiment described above, the striking unit 40 is configured to be movable by the moving unit 20. On the other hand, the striking unit 40 may be fixed above the magazine 200, for example.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary column of the invention may be used to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve one of the above-mentioned effects. In order to achieve some or all of the above, it is possible to replace or combine them as appropriate. Further, unless the technical feature is described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Transportation system, 11...Transportation device, 20...Movement unit, 30...Suction unit, 31A, 31B...Suction part, 35A, 35B...Suction pad, 40...Blow unit, 41A, 41B...Beat part, 45A, 45B... Impact surface, 50... Connection member, 60... Control unit, 100... Fuel cell separator, 101... First surface, 111-116... Manifold part, 121... Central groove part, 122... Outer circumferential groove part, 200... Magazine, 300... Second Sheet taking detector, 400...conveyance slider

Claims (6)

A conveying device for a fuel cell separator, comprising:
an adsorption unit that adsorbs the upper surface of the uppermost separator among the plurality of rectangular separators arranged in a stack;
a moving unit that lifts the separator by moving the suction unit that has suctioned the separator upward;
With the separator lifted up by the suction unit and the moving unit, a plurality of blows are applied to a position on the upper surface of the separator that is different from the position to be suctioned by the suction unit in the lateral direction of the separator. a striking unit,
Equipped with
The separator is provided at a central portion of the upper surface, includes a central groove portion having a plurality of grooves, and is provided at an outer portion of the upper surface with respect to the central groove portion, and has a plurality of grooves than the central groove portion. an outer circumferential groove portion having a plurality of wide grooves;
The impact unit is a conveying device that applies impact to the central groove . The conveying device according to claim 1,
The striking unit has a first striking part that strikes the upper surface of the separator multiple times, and a position on the upper surface of the separator that is struck by the first striking part is different in the longitudinal direction of the separator. a second striking part that applies a plurality of strikes to the position;
The second striking section is a conveyance device in which the second striking section strikes the separator at the same timing as the first striking section strikes the separator. The conveying device according to claim 1,
The striking unit has a first striking part that strikes the upper surface of the separator multiple times, and a position on the upper surface of the separator that is struck by the first striking part is different in the longitudinal direction of the separator. a second striking part that applies a plurality of strikes to the position;
The second striking section is a conveyance device in which the second striking section strikes the separator at a timing different from the timing at which the first striking section strikes the separator. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The suction unit suctions a position on one end side in the transverse direction of the upper surface of the separator,
The said striking unit is a conveyance device which applies a strike multiple times to the position of the other end side in the said transverse direction of the said upper surface of the said separator. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The striking unit has an elastomer on a striking surface that collides with the separator. A method for transporting a fuel cell separator, the method comprising:
A first step of adsorbing the upper surface of the uppermost separator among the plurality of rectangular separators arranged in a stack;
a second step of lifting the adsorbed separator;
a third step of applying a plurality of blows to a position on the upper surface of the separator that is different in the lateral direction of the separator from the position where the separator is being attracted;
has
The separator is provided at a central portion of the upper surface, includes a central groove portion having a plurality of grooves, and is provided at an outer portion of the upper surface with respect to the central groove portion, and has a plurality of grooves than the central groove portion. an outer circumferential groove portion having a plurality of wide grooves;
In the third step, the conveyance method includes applying a blow to the central groove .

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