A long pile positioning assembly fixture

Abstract

The present invention provides a long stack positioning assembly fixture, including a precision guide structure, which is composed of a subassembly I and a subassembly II; the subassembly I and the subassembly II are arranged diagonally, and the internal space formed by the subassembly I and the subassembly II is used to place a fuel cell; a tie rod fixing seat is provided on the outer wall of the two first rods, and a notch is provided on the tie rod fixing seat, and a tie rod hinge seat is provided on the outer wall of the two second rods, and the tie rod hinge seat is connected to one end of the tie rod through a pin shaft, and the other end of the tie rod passes through the end extending out of the notch and is connected with a locking nut; the tie rod hinge seat, the pin shaft, the tie rod, the tie rod fixing seat and the locking nut constitute a self-locking structure, and the subassembly I and the subassembly II and the self-locking structure constitute a stable frame; the inside of the first rod and the second rod are both connected with a rough guide plate; the two ends of the diagonal formed by the subassembly I and the subassembly II are both provided with positioning rods, and the upper part of the positioning rods at both ends is connected with a pressing plate. The present invention can realize the reliable press-fitting of the stack, and does not require the positioning tool to slot on the end plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular to a long stack positioning and assembling fixture. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a clean energy power generation device that converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy. Because it is an electrochemical reaction, there is no combustion and heat release, and it is not restricted by the "Carnot cycle", so the energy conversion efficiency is higher than that of ordinary heat engines. Fuel cells are increasingly loved and used by people for their high energy conversion efficiency, low noise, low carbon, zero emissions, flexible and convenient use, low operating temperature, and high energy density. They are often used in the power systems of vehicles, ships, aerospace and other vehicles, and can also be used as mobile or fixed power stations for power generation, and have very broad market prospects.

[0003] The core of the fuel cell is the stack, which is usually composed of several battery cells connected in series to output a suitable voltage when used. The voltage operating range of each layer of battery cells is generally 0.5 to 1.2V. Usually, a cooling structure is connected in series between the battery cells, and the thermal management of the stack is achieved by gas or liquid. The main structure of the battery cell is a bipolar plate and a membrane electrode (MEA, Membrane Electrode Assembly) located between the bipolar plates, wherein the membrane electrode is generally provided with two layers of gas diffusion layers, and a proton exchange membrane is sandwiched in the middle of the gas diffusion layer. The function of the bipolar plate is mainly to realize the macroscopic mass transfer of reactants and products. The gas diffusion layer generally uses carbon paper or carbon cloth with a porous structure, which can further evenly transfer the reactants (hydrogen, air, etc.) to the proton exchange membrane and quickly separate the product water from the proton exchange membrane.

[0004] In the prior art, fuel cell integration mainly relies on experience and manual assembly. Fuel cell stack assembly is usually tightened after pressurization, which has low process efficiency and many errors. Generally, the end plate, buffer plate, conductive plate and multiple single cells are pressed tightly, tightened by tie bars, and the sealing performance test is carried out after the stack is taken out. Its shortcomings are:

[0005] 1) If the stack seal test fails, it can only be moved back to the press-fitting table and tested after the pre-tightening force is removed. Generally, a large number of high-power stack cells are heavy, which can easily lead to repeated assembly and even damage the battery. It is not convenient for testing and increases costs.

[0006] 2) The external positioning tooling realizes the positioning and fixation of the fuel cell stack through the side baffle, which has low precision and large sealing fit deviation, increases the contact resistance of the fuel cell stack, has poor airtightness, and affects the performance and service life of the fuel cell stack.

[0007] In the prior art, there are several methods for assembling a fuel cell stack: 1) An assembly method using a fixing frame and positioning posts to solve the problem of cell misalignment that is prone to occur when assembling the stack manually. However, there are problems such as the inability to expand the single cell form of the assembled fuel cell stack, and the single cell is easily broken under the tight squeezing of the fixing frame. In addition, when there is uneven force and slight offset between the single cells, the single cell is easily broken under the tight squeezing of the fixing frame, which affects the quality of the fuel cell stack; 2) An assembly method using multiple limit posts and positioning rods to improve the problem of easy misalignment of the bipolar plate and the membrane electrode during the assembly process, which can ensure the assembly conditions of the battery stack, but there are problems such as complex assembly, large positioning through-slots at the end plate, which causes stress concentration and weakening of the strength of the three-cavity side end plate; 3) An assembly method that changes the size of the fixed area by adjusting the relative position of the fixing post and the fixing base to meet the assembly requirements of different fuel cells. The problem is that the assembly device cannot control the misalignment of the bipolar plate MEA of the stack, and also requires a complex assembly process.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a fuel cell assembly device that can adapt to the assembly of various types of fuel cells, has uniform force, good assembly effect and high assembly efficiency, so as to reduce the work intensity of small-batch production and provide certain data support for mass production. Summary of the invention

[0009] According to the above-mentioned proposed single cell form of assembled fuel cell stack cannot be expanded, and the single cell is easy to be broken under the tight squeezing of the fixed frame; when there is uneven force and slight offset between single cells, the single cell is easy to be broken under the tight squeezing of the fixed frame, affecting the quality of the fuel cell stack; the assembly device is complicated to assemble; the misalignment of the MEA bipolar plate of the stack cannot be controlled, and a long stack positioning assembly fixture is provided. The present invention mainly utilizes the sub-assembly I and sub-assembly II to constrain the end plate of the fuel cell, the coarse guide plate to constrain the core roll, and the positioning rod to constrain the bipolar plate, thereby solving the work intensity of the stack assembly and the assembly failure caused by the misalignment of the bipolar plate. In combination with the leak detection pressure plate, online leak detection can be realized, and the sub-assembly structure can realize tool-free assembly of the tooling, and there is no need to open a through groove on the end plate, which can improve the assembly accuracy.

[0010] The technical means adopted by the present invention are as follows:

[0011] A long pile positioning and assembly fixture comprises: a precision guide structure, which is composed of a subassembly I and a subassembly II; the subassembly I is composed of two vertical L-shaped first rods and a first crossbeam and a first foot seat vertically connected between the two first rods, the first foot seat is located at the bottom, and the first crossbeam and the first foot seat are spaced apart from each other; the subassembly II is composed of two vertical L-shaped second rods and a second crossbeam and a second foot seat vertically connected between the two second rods, the second foot seat is located at the bottom, and the second crossbeam and the second foot seat are spaced apart from each other; the subassembly I and the subassembly II are diagonally arranged, and the internal space formed by the subassembly I and the subassembly II is used to place a fuel cell; wherein, the diagonal arrangement means that a first rod in the subassembly I is diagonally arranged with a second rod in the subassembly II, and another first rod in the subassembly I is diagonally arranged with another second rod in the subassembly II.

[0012] A pull rod fixing seat is provided on the outer wall of the two first rod members, and a notch is provided on the pull rod fixing seat; a pull rod hinge seat is provided on the outer wall of the two second rod members, and the pull rod hinge seat is connected to one end of the pull rod through a pin shaft, and the other end of the pull rod passes through the end extending out of the notch and is connected to a locking nut; the pull rod hinge seat, the pin shaft, the pull rod, the pull rod fixing seat and the locking nut constitute a self-locking structure, and the sub-assembly I and sub-assembly II and the self-locking structure constitute a stable frame;

[0013] The first rod and the second rod are both connected with a rough guide plate inside;

[0014] Both ends of the diagonal formed by the subassembly I and the subassembly II are provided with positioning rods, and the positioning rods are connected to the holes on the fuel cell; the upper parts of the positioning rods at both ends are connected with pressure plates used for online leak detection of the fuel cell stack.

[0015] Furthermore, the subassembly I and the subassembly II are profiles or processed parts, wherein the profile refers to the subassembly I and the subassembly II formed by welding profiles and standard parts, and the processed part refers to a processed part composed of several parts.

[0016] Furthermore, bottom surfaces of the first foot mount and the second foot mount are located on the same plane.

[0017] Furthermore, the first cross beam is provided with at least one and is arranged at intervals.

[0018] Furthermore, the second cross beam is provided with at least one and is arranged at intervals.

[0019] Furthermore, the rough guide plate is welded to the first rod member or the second rod member, or connected by screws, or integrally formed.

[0020] Furthermore, when the sub-assembly I and the sub-assembly II are combined with an automatic line, the self-locking structure is omitted and they are used separately as a part of the automatic line fixture to achieve automatic positioning and assembly.

[0021] Furthermore, at least one group of self-locking structures is provided on the same side and arranged at intervals.

[0022] Furthermore, the locking nut is any tool-free screw connection structure, which refers to a butterfly nut or a nut with a lever, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, the sub-assembly I and the sub-assembly II are not limited in connection form and application form.

[0024] Furthermore, at least two positioning rods are provided.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0026] 1. The long stack positioning assembly fixture provided by the present invention utilizes subassembly I and subassembly II to constrain the end plate of the fuel cell, utilizes a coarse guide plate to constrain the core inclination, and utilizes a positioning rod to constrain the bipolar plate, thereby solving the work intensity of the stack assembly and the assembly failure caused by the misalignment of the bipolar plate. In combination with the leak detection pressure plate, online leak detection can be realized. The subassembly structure can realize tool-free assembly of the tooling, and there is no need to open a through groove on the end plate. It can also improve the assembly accuracy and meet the assembly of any form of fuel cell stack.

[0027] 2. The long stack positioning assembly fixture provided by the present invention can be assembled without complicated operations and can be assembled almost without tools; it can realize reliable press-fitting of the fuel cell stack, and does not require the positioning tool to slot the end plate, thereby eliminating the influence of stress concentration; it improves the stiffness and strength of the end plate, reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the tool, and allows a part of the structure of the fuel cell stack to become a part of the tool, thereby reducing the dimensional deviation of the core assembly and the difficulty of assembly; and the stack can be quickly disassembled during assembly and maintenance; to reduce the operating intensity, only four nuts need to be tightened without tools; the two sub-assemblies have their own feet, which are interlocked by tightening.

[0028] In summary, the technical solution of the present invention can solve the problems in the prior art that the single cell form of the assembled fuel cell stack cannot be expanded, and the single cell is easily broken under the tight squeezing of the fixed frame; when there is uneven force and slight offset between the single cells, the single cell is easily broken under the tight squeezing of the fixed frame, affecting the quality of the fuel cell stack; the assembly device is complicated to assemble; and the misalignment of the bipolar plate MEA of the stack cannot be controlled.

[0029] Based on the above reasons, the present invention can be widely applied to the fields of fuel cell assembly using an assembly jig. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the self-locking structure of the pull rod in the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the subassembly I in the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sub-assembly II in the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the pull rod fixing seat in the present invention.

[0036] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the interlocking structure between the pull rod fixing seat and the pull rod in the present invention.

[0037] In the figure: 1. sub-assembly I; 11. first rod; 12. first crossbeam; 13. first foot seat; 2. sub-assembly II; 21. second rod; 22. second crossbeam; 23. second foot seat; 3. pressure plate; 4. pull rod hinge seat; 5. locking nut; 6. pull rod fixing seat; 61. notch; 7. positioning rod; 8. pull rod; 9. coarse guide plate; 10. pin shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps described in these embodiments, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be clear that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, methods and equipment should be regarded as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0042] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention: the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0043] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below their position devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0044] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. If not otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] like Figure 1-6As shown, the present invention provides a long pile positioning assembly fixture, including: a precision guide structure for constraining an end plate, the precision guide structure is composed of a subassembly Ⅰ1 and a subassembly Ⅱ2. The subassembly Ⅰ1 is composed of two vertical L-shaped first rods 11 and a first crossbeam 12 and a first foot seat 13 vertically connected between the two first rods 11. The first foot seat 13 is located at the bottom and is L-shaped. The first crossbeam 12 is provided with one, and the first crossbeam 12 and the first foot seat 13 are arranged at intervals up and down. The first foot seat 13 and the first crossbeam 12 are fixedly connected to the first rod 11 by screws or the first crossbeam 12 is welded to the outer wall of the first rod 11. The subassembly II2 is composed of two vertical L-shaped second rods 21 and a second crossbeam 22 and a second footrest 23 vertically connected between the two second rods 21. The second footrest 23 is located at the bottom and is L-shaped. The second crossbeam 22 is provided with one. The second crossbeam 22 and the second footrest 23 are arranged at intervals from top to bottom. The second footrest 23 and the second crossbeam 21 are fixedly connected to the second rod 22 by screws or the second crossbeam 22 is welded to the outer wall of the second rod 21. The subassembly I1 and the subassembly II2 are arranged diagonally, which means that one of the first rods in the subassembly I1 and one of the second rods in the subassembly II2 are arranged diagonally, wherein the L-shaped first rod and the L-shaped second rod are both vertical long rods without bends, the openings of the L-shaped first rod and the L-shaped second rod are both facing inwards, and the two outer wall surfaces of the L-shaped first rod and the L-shaped second rod are both located in the same plane, so that the first rod and the second rod can enclose an internal space of a cuboid, and the internal space formed by the subassembly I1 and the subassembly II2 is used to place the fuel cell. The subassembly I1 and the subassembly II2 are profile structures, which are welded together by profiles and standard parts. The bottom surfaces of the first foot 13 and the second foot 23 are located on the same plane, and the bottom foot of the subassembly I1 and the subassembly II2 can be stably placed after being assembled, and manual assembly does not need to be fixed to other positions.

[0047] The outer walls of the two first rods are connected with a pull rod fixing seat 6 by bolts, and a notch 61 is provided on the pull rod fixing seat 6. The outer walls of the two second rods are welded with a pull rod hinge seat 4, and the pull rod hinge seat 4 is connected to one end of the pull rod 8 through a pin shaft 10. The other end of the pull rod 8 passes through the end extending out of the notch 61 and is connected with a locking nut 5, and the locking nut 5 is any tool-free nut structure. The pull rod hinge seat 4, the pin shaft 10, the pull rod 8, the pull rod fixing seat 6 and the locking nut 5 constitute a self-locking structure. After the locking nut 5 is tightened, the sub-assembly Ⅰ1 and the sub-assembly Ⅱ2 form a stable frame with the self-locking structure. Among them, the front and rear sides of the entire clamp are provided with self-locking structures, and the self-locking structures on the same side are provided with two groups, which are arranged at intervals up and down.

[0048] The first rod and the second rod are both connected to a coarse guide plate 9 for restraining the core roll, which can effectively restrain the movement of the fuel cell core. The coarse guide plate 9 is welded to the first rod or the second rod, or connected by screws, or integrally processed. In this embodiment, two coarse guide plates 9 are provided, respectively located on the inner side walls of the first rod and the second rod on the same side.

[0049] The subassembly Ⅰ1 and the subassembly Ⅱ2 form two diagonal lines, and positioning rods 7 are provided at both ends of one of the diagonal lines. The two positioning rods 7 penetrate the holes on the fuel cell to constrain the bipolar plates of the fuel cell. A pressure plate 3 for online leak detection of the stack is connected to the top of the positioning rods 7 at both ends. The positioning rods 7 penetrate the pressure plate 3. The pressure plate 3 is a movable part. After the pressure plate 3 is used, it can be taken out from the positioning rods 7.

[0050] The high-power stack positioning fixture structure provided in this embodiment is to place the fuel cell in the internal space of the fixture, which can effectively restrain the distortion of the stack and the movement of components such as the end plate and the bipolar plate. After the fixture positions the fuel cell, the press is pressed. The assembly of the fixture is simplified, the labor intensity of manual assembly is reduced, and the assembly quality of the stack can be guaranteed.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] Different from the embodiment 1, in this embodiment, when the subassembly Ⅰ1 and the subassembly Ⅱ2 are combined with the automatic line, the self-locking structure pull rod 8, the pin shaft 10, the pull rod fixing seat 6 and the locking nut 5 and other connecting structures are omitted, and the subassembly Ⅰ1 and the subassembly Ⅱ2 can be used separately on the automatic line, becoming a part of the automatic line fixture, and are used to realize automatic positioning and assembly. Among them, the subassembly Ⅰ1 is composed of two vertical L-shaped first rods 11 and two first crossbeams 12 and a first foot seat 13 vertically connected between the two first rods 11, and the subassembly Ⅱ2 is composed of two vertical L-shaped second rods 21 and a second crossbeam 22 and a second foot seat 23 vertically connected between the two second rods 21. A rough guide plate 9 is connected to the inner side wall of each subassembly Ⅰ1 or subassembly Ⅱ2 by screws. The subassembly Ⅰ1 and the subassembly Ⅱ2 are processed parts composed of several parts.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A long pile positioning assembly fixture, characterized in that: include: A precision guide structure, the precision guide structure is composed of a subassembly I (1) and a subassembly II (2); the subassembly I (1) is composed of two vertical L-shaped first rods (11) and a first crossbeam (12) and a first foot seat (13) vertically connected between the two first rods (11), the first foot seat (13) is located at the bottom, and the first crossbeam (12) and the first foot seat (13) are arranged at intervals up and down; the subassembly II (2) is composed of two vertical L-shaped second rods (21) and a second crossbeam (22) and a second foot seat (23) vertically connected between the two second rods (21), the second foot seat (23) is located at the bottom, and the second crossbeam (22) and the second foot seat (23) are arranged at intervals up and down; the subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2) are arranged diagonally, and the internal space formed by the subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2) is used to place a fuel cell; A pull rod fixing seat (6) is provided on the outer wall of the two first rod members, and a notch (61) is provided on the pull rod fixing seat (6); a pull rod hinge seat (4) is provided on the outer wall of the two second rod members, and the pull rod hinge seat (4) is connected to one end of the pull rod (8) through a pin shaft (10), and the other end of the pull rod (8) is connected to the end extending through the notch (61) and has a locking nut (5); the pull rod hinge seat (4), the pin shaft (10), the pull rod (8), the pull rod fixing seat (6) and the locking nut (5) constitute a self-locking structure, and the sub-assembly I (1) and the sub-assembly II (2) and the self-locking structure constitute a stable frame; A rough guide plate (9) is connected inside the first rod and the second rod; Positioning rods (7) are provided at both ends of the diagonal formed by the subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2), and the positioning rods (7) are connected to holes on the fuel cell; and pressure plates (3) for online leak detection of the fuel cell stack are connected above the positioning rods (7) at both ends.

2. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2) are profiles or processed parts, wherein the profile refers to the subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2) formed by welding the profiles and standard parts, and the processed parts refer to the processed parts composed of several parts.

3. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The bottom surfaces of the first foot seat (13) and the second foot seat (23) are located on the same plane.

4. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first cross beam (12) is provided with at least one and is arranged at intervals.

5. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second cross beam (22) is provided with at least one and is arranged at intervals.

6. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rough guide plate (9) is welded to the first rod member or the second rod member, or connected by screws, or integrally formed.

7. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the subassembly I (1) and the subassembly II (2) are combined with an automatic line, the self-locking structure is omitted and they are used alone as a part of the clamp of the automatic line for realizing automatic positioning and assembly.

8. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one group of self-locking structures is provided on the same side and arranged at intervals.

9. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking nut (5) is any tool-free screw connection structure, and refers to a butterfly nut or a nut with a lever.

10. The long pile positioning and assembly fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least two positioning rods (7) are provided.

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