KR20100045788A - Align device for membrane electrode assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An aligning device for a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel battery is provided to improve the alignment efficiency of a 3 layer membrane electrode assembly by automatically locating the membrane electrode assembly. CONSTITUTION: An aligning device(100) for a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel battery comprises the following: a frame(10); a base plate(20) installed on the upper side of the frame with a constant interval to move; an intake unit(30) connected to the base plate to be attached with the membrane electrode assembly on the base plate; sensing units(40) sensing a catalyst layer while penetrating the base plate; alignment units(60) to move the base plate by using signals from the sensing unit; and multiple supporting units(80) for maintaining the interval between the frame and the base plate while supporting the movement of the base plate.

Description

Membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device for fuel cell {ALIGN DEVICE FOR MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY}

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a membrane-electrode assembly position alignment apparatus of a fuel cell, and more particularly, to the three-layer membrane-electrode before bonding the gas diffusion membrane on each catalyst layer on both sides of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly. Membrane-electrode assembly positioner of a fuel cell for aligning the position of the assembly.

In general, a fuel cell is a power generation system that directly generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, and has a characteristic of continuously generating power by receiving a chemical reactant from the outside without a separate charging process.

The basic structure of a fuel cell is a structure in which a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and a metal separator (commonly known as "bipolar plates" in the art) are alternately stacked.

Among them, the membrane-electrode assembly includes a gas diffusion layer (GDL) as shown in FIG. 1C on both surfaces of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Are bonded to form a five-layer film-electrode assembly 9.

Here, the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 has a structure in which a catalyst layer 5 is formed inside each of both sides of the membrane membrane 3.

The five-layer membrane-electrode assembly 9 is formed by bonding a gas diffusion membrane 7 on each catalyst layer 5.

That is, the 5-layer membrane-electrode assembly 9 is formed by bonding the gas diffusion membrane 7 onto each catalyst layer 5 of the 3-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 through a membrane-electrode assembly bonding system.

Here, the alignment of the catalyst layer 5 and the gas diffusion membrane 7 of the three layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 serves as an important factor for the performance of the fuel cell.

Thus, in the prior art, before bonding the gas diffusion membrane 7 to each catalyst layer 5 of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 through the membrane-electrode assembly bonding system, three layers through a separate position alignment device. The position of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is aligned.

In the prior art, the position alignment device includes an alignment check point of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1, and is subjected to the operation of manually matching the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 to the alignment check point. The position of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 is aligned.

Therefore, in the prior art, as the position alignment of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 is performed by the position alignment device by hand, workability and productivity are reduced, and the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 according to the skill of the operator. This results in poor alignment of the fuel cell, resulting in poor fuel cell performance.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a membrane-electrode assembly position of a fuel cell that enables automatic alignment of the position of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly prior to bonding the gas diffusion membrane on each catalyst layer of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly. Provide an alignment device.

The membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a membrane-electrode assembly in which a catalyst layer having a non-transmissive film is formed inside both sides of the membrane of a light-transmitting membrane in a fuel cell manufacturing line. 정렬) a frame, ii) a base plate movably installed in the XY axis plane direction at a predetermined interval on the upper surface of the frame, and iii) a base plate configured to be connected to the base plate. A suction unit for adsorbing the membrane-electrode assembly on the upper surface; and iii) a plurality of detection units installed through the base plate in the frame to detect the catalyst layer, and iii) installed through the base plate in the frame. The base plate in the XY axis plane according to the detection signals of the detection units. A plurality of alignment units for moving in a direction, and iii) a plurality of supports configured to be connected to the frame and the base plate to maintain a distance between the frame and the base plate and to support the positional movement of the base plate. It includes units.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position control device, the base plate has a plurality of suction holes penetrating to the upper surface of the frame, the air flow hole of a predetermined pattern connected to the suction holes are provided therein Can be.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the suction holes may be formed in the base plate to be spaced apart from each other along the XY axis direction.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the air flow hole may be formed through the edge side of the base plate.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting apparatus, the suction unit may include at least one suction pipe connected to the air flow hole of the base plate, and a vacuum pump connected to the suction pipe.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the base plate may be provided with a plurality of first receiving holes for accommodating each sensing unit.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting apparatus of the fuel cell, the first receiving holes may be formed corresponding to both edges of the Y-axis of the catalyst layer according to the reference position of the membrane-electrode assembly.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting apparatus, each sensing unit is fixed to the frame corresponding to the first accommodating hole, and may be formed as a proximity sensor disposed inside the first accommodating hole. .

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the base plate may be provided with a plurality of second receiving holes for accommodating each of the alignment units.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device, the second receiving holes are respectively formed as ellipses at the center and both sides of one edge portion along the X-axis direction of the base plate, and the Y-axis direction at the center side thereof. It can be formed along the X-axis direction on both sides.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position control device, each alignment unit is fixed to the lower surface of the frame and a drive motor having a drive shaft penetrating the frame toward the second receiving hole, and It may include a rotary member installed to be connected to the drive shaft and supported by the lower surface of the frame, the cam shaft is formed eccentrically on the upper surface of the rotating member and disposed inside the second receiving hole.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the base plate may be provided with a plurality of third receiving holes for accommodating the respective support units.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting apparatus of the fuel cell, the third receiving holes may be formed corresponding to each corner of the catalyst layer according to the reference position of the membrane-electrode assembly.

In the membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device of the fuel cell, the frame may be provided with a plurality of mounting grooves for mounting the respective support units corresponding to the third receiving hole.

In the fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly position adjusting device, each support unit is fitted in the third receiving hole and bolt holes for bolting to the base plate are formed on both sides, and through holes are formed between the bolt holes. A cap member provided, a pin member provided to be movable in each of the mounting grooves and the through holes corresponding to each other, and having recesses formed at upper and lower ends, respectively, a set screw fastened to an upper portion of the through holes; It may include a ball member rotatably supported in each groove of the pin member.

According to the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of the fuel cell according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, unlike the conventional technique of manually aligning the position of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly, the three-layer membrane- Since the position of the electrode assembly can be aligned, workability and productivity can be improved, and the positional alignment of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly can be improved.

Therefore, the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of the fuel cell according to the present embodiment can accurately position the catalyst layer and the gas diffusion membrane of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly in a later step, thereby improving the performance of the fuel cell. have.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment apparatus of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a three-layer membrane-electrode assembly as shown in Figs. 1A and 1B in a fuel cell manufacturing line for automobiles. (1) to fabricate a five-layer film-electrode assembly 9 by joining a gas diffusion layer 7 (GDL) as shown in FIG. 1C on both surfaces of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). Is applied to a membrane-electrode assembly bonding system.

In this case, the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 is formed by forming a catalyst layer 5 having a non-transmissive light into each of the two side edges of the membrane 3 having a light transmissive property.

The five layer membrane-electrode assembly 9 is formed by bonding a gas diffusion membrane 7 on each catalyst layer 5.

The membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of the fuel cell includes the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 before bonding the gas diffusion membrane 7 onto each catalyst layer 5 of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1. To align the position of.

In other words, the alignment device is adapted to transfer the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 to a separate bonding apparatus in order to bond the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 and the gas diffusion membrane 7 in the correct positions. For aligning the position of the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1.

The apparatus 100 is composed of various components described below as shown in FIG. 2, and these components may be installed in the frame 10.

The frame 10 is for supporting the respective components, and various components such as brackets, support blocks, plates, housings, covers, and collars may be installed.

Since these accessory elements are for installing the respective components in the frame 10, the above-mentioned accessory elements are collectively referred to as the frame 10 except for the exceptional case in this embodiment.

The membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device 100 of the fuel cell according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the base plate 20 and the suction unit 30 is configured in the frame 10 as shown in FIG. ), Sensing units 40, alignment units 60, and support units 80.

To explain this by configuration, first, in the present embodiment, the base plate 20 is formed as a rectangular plate having an XY axis plane and a long length in the X axis direction and a short length in the Y axis direction.

The base plate 20 is installed to be movable in the XY axis plane direction at a predetermined interval on the upper surface of the frame 10.

The base plate 20 has a plurality of suction holes 21 penetrating to the upper surface of the frame 10, the air flow hole 22 of a predetermined pattern connected to the suction holes 21 as shown in FIG. ) Is provided inside.

Here, the suction holes 21 are formed in the base plate 20 to be spaced apart from each other along the XY axis direction.

In addition, the air flow holes 22 are formed in the base plate 20 corresponding to the suction holes 21 and penetrate through the edges of the base plate 20.

At this time, the air flow hole 22 is interconnected with a plurality of holes formed along the edge side of the base plate 20.

In addition, the base plate 20 is provided with a plurality of first accommodating holes 23 accommodating each sensing unit 40, and the first accommodating holes 23 are formed in the membrane-electrode assembly 1: It is formed corresponding to both edges in the Y-axis direction of the catalyst layer (see FIG. 1A below) according to the reference position of FIG. 1A).

In addition, the base plate 20 is provided with a plurality of second receiving holes 24 for accommodating each alignment unit 60.

These second receiving holes 24 are respectively formed as ellipses at the center and both sides of one edge portion along the X-axis direction of the base plate 20.

Here, the second receiving hole 24 of the center side is made of an oval toward the Y-axis direction, the second receiving holes 24 of both sides is made of an oval toward the X-axis direction.

In addition, the base plate 20 is provided with a plurality of third accommodating holes 25 for accommodating each support unit 80, and the third accommodating holes 25 are formed in the membrane-electrode assembly 1. ) Are formed corresponding to each corner of the catalyst layer 5 according to the reference position.

In this embodiment, the suction unit 30 is for sucking the membrane-electrode assembly 1 on the base plate 20 as a vacuum pressure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suction unit 30 includes suction pipes 31 installed to be connected to a plurality of air flow holes 22 of the base plate 20, and a vacuum pump connected to the suction pipes 31. (33: see FIG. 2).

Each suction pipe 31 is installed in a hole formed in the edge side of the base plate 20, and is provided as a pipe for sucking air in the air flow hole 22.

The vacuum pump 33 is formed as an air intake pump having a conventional structure capable of forming a vacuum in the air flow hole 22.

In this embodiment, each sensing unit 40 is for sensing the catalyst layer 5 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 and outputting the sensing signal to a controller (not shown).

Each sensing unit 40 is mounted as a bolt to the frame 10, as shown in Figure 4 is installed through the base plate 20.

That is, each sensing unit 40 is installed to be fixed to the frame 10 corresponding to the first receiving holes 23 of the base plate 20.

The sensing unit 40 is formed as a proximity sensor 41 disposed inside the first accommodating hole 23, the proximity sensor 41 having a light emitting part and a light receiving part (not shown). It is made as a proximity sensor.

In this case, the proximity sensor 41 is disposed to have a predetermined clearance in the first accommodation hole 23.

The proximity sensor 41 detects the presence or absence of the catalyst layer 5 by receiving the light signal transmitted from the light emitting part and reflected through the catalyst layer 5 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 through the light receiving part.

That is, when the optical signal emitted from the light emitting part passes through the membrane membrane 3 (see FIG. 1A) of the membrane electrode assembly 1, the proximity sensor 41 may not detect the catalyst layer 5.

On the contrary, when the optical signal is reflected by the catalyst layer 5 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 and received by the light receiving unit, the proximity sensor 41 detects the catalyst layer 5.

In the present embodiment, each of the alignment units 60 is for moving the base plate 20 in the XY axis plane direction according to the detection signals of the detection units 40.

Each of the alignment units 60 is installed through the base plate 20 in the frame 10.

Each of the alignment units 60 includes a drive motor 61, a rotation member 63, and a cam shaft 65 as in FIG. 5.

The drive motor 61 is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the frame 10, and the driving shaft 62 penetrating the frame 10 toward the second receiving hole 24 side of the base plate 20 is provided (FIG. 2).

In this case, the drive motor 61 is preferably made as a gear motor of a known technique well known in the art.

The rotating member 63 is formed as a circular plate, is installed to be connected to the drive shaft 62 of the drive motor 61, and is supported by the lower surface of the frame 10.

In addition, the camshaft 65 is formed to protrude in a circular shape on the upper surface of the rotating member 63, is formed eccentrically on the upper surface of the rotating member 63, inside the second receiving hole 24 of the base plate 20 Is placed on.

In this embodiment, each support unit 80 maintains the distance between the frame 10 and the base plate 20 as shown in Figure 6 and the position of the base plate 20 relative to the upper surface of the frame 10 To support movement.

Each support unit 80 is configured to be connected to the frame 10 and the base plate 20.

Here, the frame 10 is formed with a plurality of mounting grooves 13 for mounting each support unit 80, the mounting groove 13 is the third receiving hole 25 of the base plate 20 It is formed correspondingly.

Each of the supporting units 80 includes a cap member 81, a pin member 85, a set screw 87, and a ball member 89.

The cap member 81 is fitted into the third receiving hole 25 of the base plate 20, and bolt holes 82 for bolting to the base plate 20 are formed at both sides thereof, and the bolt holes are formed. A through hole 83 is provided between the 82.

The pin member 85 is formed as a rod having a predetermined length, and flows in the XY axis direction in each of the mounting groove 13 and the through hole 83 of the cap member 81 corresponding to each other. It is possible.

In this case, the grooves 86 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the pin member 85, and the ball member 89 is rotatably supported by the grooves 86.

And the set screw 87 is for supporting the rotation of the ball member 89 according to the flow of the pin member 85, the screw is fastened to the upper portion of the through-hole 83 of the cap member 81.

Hereinafter, the operation of the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device 100 of the fuel cell according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the above-described drawings and the following drawings. .

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the three-layer membrane-electrode assembly 1 is loaded onto the upper surface of the base plate 20 by a handling robot.

Next, when the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is in contact with the upper surface of the base plate 20, when the vacuum pump 33 of the suction unit 30 is driven as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an air flow Air inside the hole 22 is discharged to the outside through the suction pipes 31.

At the same time, the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the base plate 20 by the suction force of the vacuum pump 33, and thus the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is connected to the suction holes of the base plate 20 ( 21).

Then, the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is firmly supported on the upper surface of the base plate 20.

During the above process, the proximity sensor 41 of the sensing units 40 as in FIG. 4 senses the catalyst layer 5 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 and controls the detection signal to a controller (not shown). Will output

In this case, when the membrane-electrode assembly 1 is abnormally seated on the base plate 20 as shown in FIG. 7, at least one of the proximity sensors 41 of the plurality of proximity sensors 41 may include the catalyst layer 5. ) Will not be detected.

That is, when the optical signal emitted from the at least one proximity sensor 41 passes through the membrane membrane 3 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1, the proximity sensor 41 does not detect the catalyst layer 5, The corresponding signal is output to a controller (not shown).

Accordingly, the controller (not shown) applies a drive signal to the drive motor 61 of the alignment units 60 as shown in FIG. 5 to drive the drive motor 61.

Then, as the driving shaft 62 of the drive motor 61 rotates in one side or the other one direction, the rotating member 63 rotates, and the cam shaft 65 also rotates together with the rotating member 63.

Accordingly, the base plate 20 has the cam shaft 65 eccentrically formed on the rotating member 63 as shown in FIG. 8 and has an elliptical second accommodating hole 24 formed along the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Since it is arrange | positioned at, it moves to the XY-axis plane direction as the camshaft 65 rotates.

In this process, the base plate 20 is moved in the XY axis plane direction while being supported by the support units 80 as shown in FIG. 9.

That is, the pin members 85 of the support units 80 flow in the XY axis direction in each of the mounting grooves 13 of the frame 10 and the through holes 83 of the cap member 81, and the pins Since the ball member 89 provided at the upper and lower ends of the member 85 makes a rolling motion, the base plate 20 is smoothly moved in the XY axis plane direction.

During this process, the proximity sensor 41 of the sensing units 40 as in FIG. 4 continuously detects the catalyst layer 5 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 and transmits the detection signal to a controller (not shown). Will output

In the process where the base plate 20 is aligned by the alignment units 60 as described above, all of the sensing units 40 have the catalyst layer 5 according to the reference position of the membrane-electrode assembly 1. It detects the Y-axis edge of.

Then, the controller (not shown) applies a drive stop signal to the drive motor 61 of the alignment units 60 as shown in FIG. 5 to stop driving of the drive motor 61.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the membrane-electrode assembly 1 can be aligned as a reference position through the above series of processes.

On the other hand, the membrane-electrode assembly 1 aligned as the reference position through the apparatus 100 is moved to a separate gas diffusion film bonding apparatus (not shown) through the handling robot.

Accordingly, the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device 100 of the fuel cell according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a catalyst layer 5 and the gas diffusion membrane 7 of the membrane-electrode assembly 1 in a later process (see FIG. 1C). Position alignment can be improved, and as a result, the performance of the fuel cell can be maximized.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it belongs to the scope of the invention.

Since these drawings are for reference in describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the technical idea of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

1A is a plan view showing a three-layer membrane-electrode assembly of a typical fuel cell.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of FIG. 1A.

Figure 1c is a cross-sectional view showing a five-layer membrane-electrode assembly of a typical fuel cell.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a suction unit applied to a membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a sensing unit applied to a membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view illustrating an alignment unit applied to the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing a support unit applied to the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

7 to 9 are views for explaining the operation of the membrane-electrode assembly position alignment device of the fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

In order to align the position of the membrane-electrode assembly, each of which has a non-transmissive catalyst layer formed inside the two-sided edge of the transmissive membrane membrane in the fuel cell manufacturing line, frame; A base plate installed on the upper surface of the frame to be movable in the XY axis plane direction at a predetermined interval; A suction unit configured to be connected to the base plate to suck the membrane-electrode assembly on the base plate; A plurality of sensing units installed through the base plate in the frame to sense the catalyst layer; A plurality of alignment units installed through the base plate in the frame to move the base plate in an XY axis plane direction according to detection signals of the detection units; And A plurality of support units configured to be connected to the frame and the base plate to maintain a distance between the frame and the base plate and to support a positional movement of the base plate; Membrane-electrode assembly position control device of a fuel cell comprising a. According to claim 1, The base plate, And a plurality of suction holes penetrating the upper surface of the frame, and the air flow holes having a predetermined pattern connected to the suction holes are provided therein. The method of claim 2, The suction holes are formed to be spaced apart from each other along the XY axis in the base plate, And the air flow hole penetrates through an edge side of the base plate. According to claim 1, The suction unit, At least one suction pipe connected to the air flow hole of the base plate; Membrane-electrode assembly positioning device of a fuel cell comprising a vacuum pump connected with the suction pipe. According to claim 1, The base plate is provided with a plurality of first receiving holes for accommodating each sensing unit, And the first receiving holes are formed corresponding to both edges of the Y-axis of the catalyst layer according to the reference position of the membrane electrode assembly. 6. The method of claim 5, And each sensing unit is fixed to the frame corresponding to the first accommodating hole and formed as a proximity sensor disposed in the first accommodating hole. According to claim 1, The base plate is provided with a plurality of second receiving holes for accommodating each alignment unit, The second receiving holes are respectively formed as ellipses at the center and both sides of one side edge portion along the X-axis direction of the base plate, and are formed along the Y-axis direction at the center thereof, and formed along the X-axis direction at both sides thereof. Membrane-electrode assembly positioning device of a fuel cell. The method of claim 7, wherein Each align unit, A drive motor fixed to the lower surface of the frame and provided with a drive shaft penetrating the frame toward the second receiving hole; A rotating member installed to be connected to the drive shaft and supported by a lower surface of the frame; A camshaft formed eccentrically on an upper surface of the rotating member and disposed in the second receiving hole Membrane-electrode assembly position control device of a fuel cell comprising a. According to claim 1, The base plate is provided with a plurality of third receiving holes for receiving the respective support unit, The third receiving holes are formed corresponding to each corner of the catalyst layer according to the reference position of the membrane-electrode assembly. And the frame has a plurality of mounting grooves for mounting the respective support units corresponding to the third receiving holes, respectively. The method of claim 9, Each support unit, A cap member inserted into the third receiving hole and having bolt holes formed at both sides for fastening the bolt to the base plate, and having through holes provided between the bolt holes; A pin member provided to be movable in each of the mounting grooves and the through holes corresponding to each other, and having recesses formed at upper and lower ends, respectively; A set screw fastened to an upper portion of each through hole; Ball members rotatably supported in each groove of the pin member Membrane-electrode assembly position control device of a fuel cell comprising a.

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