A fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device, comprising a holder, a lifting mechanism, a vacuum suction cup and a tuyere, wherein the lifting mechanism is arranged in the holder, the gas diffusion electrode is stacked in the holder and supported by the lifting mechanism, the upper end of the holder is open and a movable vacuum suction cup is arranged on the upper side of the opening, a tuyere is arranged on the outer side of the upper end of the holder, and a ventilation hole is arranged on the side wall of the upper end of the holder, the air outlet of the tuyere is aligned with the corresponding ventilation hole, the uppermost gas diffusion electrode is lifted to the blowing position of the tuyere in the upper end of the holder by the lifting mechanism, and the uppermost gas diffusion electrode is in a dynamic floating state under the blowing of the tuyere airflow. Compared with the traditional manual transfer method, the present invention reduces the influence on the catalyst layer surface of the gas diffusion electrode, and improves the separation and transfer efficiency of the gas diffusion electrode, meeting the requirements of automated and industrialized production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fuel cells, in particular to a fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that can directly convert chemical energy stored in H2 and O2 into electrical energy. Its conversion process is not limited by the Carnot cycle process, so it has a high energy conversion efficiency. In addition, fuel cells also have the characteristics of no noise, no vibration, clean emissions, environmental friendliness, and modular layout, which makes fuel cell technology have broad application prospects in the fields of new energy vehicles and distributed power stations.

[0003] The gas diffusion electrode of the fuel cell membrane electrode is one of the core areas where electrochemical reactions occur. Its main components are a support layer woven from carbon fibers, a diffusion layer composed of carbon powder and a binder, and a catalytic layer composed of a catalyst and a binder. Its main function is to diffuse the reaction substances H2 and O2 so that they can fully contact with the catalyst and electrolyte to form a reaction interface. The surface quality of the gas diffusion electrode directly affects the performance and life of the membrane electrode.

[0004] At present, the main method for processing gas diffusion electrodes is manual transfer. During transfer, human hands will inevitably touch and scratch the catalyst layer, causing damage or contamination to the catalyst layer surface, thereby affecting the performance, consistency and life of the membrane electrode. At the same time, manual transfer efficiency is low, which directly affects the industrialization process of fuel cells. At present, no similar research has been carried out on efficient transfer methods and devices. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device, which reduces the impact on the catalyst layer surface of the gas diffusion electrode compared to the traditional manual transfer method, and improves the separation and transfer efficiency of the gas diffusion electrode, meeting the requirements of automated and industrialized production.

[0006] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device comprises a holder, a lifting mechanism, a vacuum suction cup and a tuyere, wherein the lifting mechanism is arranged in the holder, the gas diffusion electrodes are stacked in the holder and supported by the lifting mechanism, the upper end of the holder is open and a movable vacuum suction cup is arranged on the upper side of the opening, a tuyere is arranged on the outer side of the upper end of the holder, and a ventilation hole is arranged on the side wall of the upper end of the holder, the air outlet of the tuyere is aligned with the corresponding ventilation hole, the uppermost gas diffusion electrode is lifted to the blowing position of the tuyere in the upper end of the holder by the lifting mechanism, and the uppermost gas diffusion electrode is in a dynamic floating state under the blowing of the airflow from the tuyere.

[0008] A position sensor is arranged in the upper end of the retaining frame.

[0009] The vacuum suction cup is driven to move by a suction cup driving mechanism.

[0010] The suction cup driving mechanism includes a lifting component, a translation component, a mounting frame, a rotation drive motor and a moving arm, wherein the translation component is driven to lift and lower through the lifting component, the mounting frame is driven to translate through the translation component, the rotation drive motor is arranged on the mounting frame, and the moving arm is driven to rotate through the rotation drive motor, and the moving arm is connected to the transfer suction cup.

[0011] The rear end of the air nozzle is connected to the air source through an air guide pipe.

[0012] The air nozzles are evenly distributed on the outer side of the upper end of the retaining frame along the circumferential direction.

[0013] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0014] 1. The present invention forms an air film to separate the uppermost gas diffusion electrode by blowing air through a tuyere, and then uses a vacuum suction cup to absorb the uppermost gas diffusion electrode to achieve transfer. Compared with the traditional manual transfer method, the impact on the surface of the catalyst layer of the gas diffusion electrode is reduced.

[0015] 2. The present invention utilizes a lifting mechanism to lift and separate the gas diffusion electrode, and utilizes a vacuum suction cup to move the gas diffusion electrode, thereby improving the separation and transfer efficiency of the gas diffusion electrode and meeting the requirements of automated and industrialized production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 The working state of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ,

[0017] Figure 2 The working state of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ,

[0018] Figure 3 The working state of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 3 ,

[0019] Figure 4 This is a simplified schematic diagram of the suction cup drive mechanism structure used in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Among them, 1 is a vacuum suction cup; 101 is a lifting component; 102 is a translation component; 103 is a mounting frame; 104 is a rotary drive motor; 105 is a moving arm; 2 is a gas diffusion electrode; 3 is a nozzle; 4 is a retaining frame; and 5 is a lifting mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention includes a holder 4, a lifting mechanism 5, a vacuum suction cup 1 and a tuyere 3, wherein the lifting mechanism 5 is arranged in the holder 4, the gas diffusion electrode 2 is stacked in the holder 4 and supported by the lifting mechanism 5, the upper end of the holder 4 is open and a movable vacuum suction cup 1 is arranged on the upper side of the opening, the outer side of the upper end of the holder 4 is provided with a tuyere 3, and the upper end side wall of the holder 4 is provided with a ventilation hole, and the air outlet of the tuyere 3 is aligned with the corresponding ventilation hole. When the present invention is working, the gas blown out after the tuyere 3 is opened enters the inner part of the upper end of the holder 4 through the corresponding ventilation hole, and forms a dynamic flow air film between the uppermost gas diffusion electrode 2 and the adjacent gas diffusion electrode 2, so that the uppermost gas diffusion electrode 2 is in a floating state, and then the vacuum suction cup 1 descends to adsorb the uppermost gas diffusion electrode and remove it.

[0023] The lifting mechanism 5 can be a linear output device such as a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, an electric push rod, etc. The upper end of the lifting mechanism 5 is provided with a lifting plate to abut against the gas diffusion electrode 2 at the bottom layer. In addition, a position sensor is provided in the upper end of the retaining frame 4 to accurately control the lifting height. When a layer of gas diffusion electrode 2 is removed, the lifting mechanism 5 drives to rise until the next layer of gas diffusion electrode 2 triggers the position sensor and stops moving. At this time, the gas diffusion electrode 2 to be adsorbed is in the retaining frame 4 and in the blowing range of the air nozzle 3. The position sensor is a well-known technology in the art and is a commercially available product.

[0024] The vacuum suction cup 1 is driven to move by a suction cup driving mechanism. Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the suction cup driving mechanism includes a lifting component 101, a translation component 102, a mounting frame 103, a rotation drive motor 104 and a moving arm 105, wherein the lifting component 101 includes a first lead screw, a first nut, a first motor and a lifting seat, the first lead screw is vertically arranged on a base, and is driven to rotate by a first motor arranged on the base, the first nut is arranged in the lifting seat and is sleeved on the first lead screw, and the rotation of the first lead screw drives the first nut to drive the lifting seat to rise and fall, the translation component 102 includes a second lead screw, a second nut and a second motor, wherein the second The lead screw is arranged horizontally and one end is connected to the lifting seat for rotation, and is driven to rotate by the second motor arranged in the lifting seat, the second nut is mounted on the second lead screw, the mounting frame 103 is fixed to the second nut, the second lead screw rotates to drive the second nut to drive the mounting frame 103 to move horizontally, the rotation drive motor 104 is installed on the mounting frame 103, one end of the mobile arm 105 is installed on the output shaft of the rotation drive motor 104, and the other end is connected to the transfer suction cup 12, the rotation drive motor 104 drives the mobile arm 105 to rotate, and then drives the transfer suction cup 12 to rotate. The suction cup drive mechanism can also use other devices as needed, such as a six-axis robot.

[0025] The rear end of the air nozzle 3 is connected to an air source through an air guide pipe, and the air source can be an air pump or a hair dryer.

[0026] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, when the present invention is working, the gas diffusion electrode 2 to be transferred is stacked in the retaining frame 4 and supported by the lifting mechanism 5. Then the lifting mechanism 5 lifts the gas diffusion electrode 2 to the upper end of the retaining frame 4 at the blowing position of the wind nozzle 3. The lifting distance is controlled by the position sensor at the upper end of the retaining frame 4. Then the wind nozzle 3 starts blowing. The top 2 to 3 gas diffusion electrodes 2 are in a dynamic floating state under the blowing of the airflow from the wind nozzle 3. The sheets are separated by an air film. In this embodiment, an air film of about 1 mm can be formed between adjacent gas diffusion electrodes 2 by controlling the air volume of the wind nozzle 3. The wind nozzles 3 in this embodiment are evenly distributed on the upper end of the retaining frame 4 along the circumferential direction. The size of the wind nozzle 3 can be designed according to actual needs. Figure 2 As shown, after the uppermost gas diffusion electrode 2 floats, the vacuum chuck 1 is driven by the chuck driving mechanism to move to the top of the holder 4 and starts to adsorb the uppermost gas diffusion electrode 2, and then Figure 3As shown, the lifting mechanism 5 is lowered back to its original position, so that the gas diffusion electrode 2 adsorbed by the vacuum suction cup 1 is completely separated from other gas diffusion electrodes 2, and then the vacuum suction cup 1 moves to drive the adsorbed gas diffusion electrode 2 to be transferred to the assembly station. The present invention uses the vacuum suction cup 1 for adsorption and transfer, which reduces the impact on the surface of the catalyst layer of the gas diffusion electrode 2 compared to the traditional manual transfer method, and improves the transfer efficiency of the gas diffusion electrode 2, meeting the requirements of automated and industrialized production. After the top gas diffusion electrode 2 is adsorbed and removed, the nozzle 3 is closed, and then the lifting mechanism 5 is restarted to lift the gas diffusion electrode 2 to the upper end of the retaining frame 4 at the blowing position of the nozzle 3, and the above process is repeated.

Claims

1. A fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a retaining frame (4), a lifting mechanism (5), a vacuum suction cup (1) and a tuyere (3), wherein the lifting mechanism (5) is arranged in the retaining frame (4), a gas diffusion electrode (2) is stacked in the retaining frame (4) and supported by the lifting mechanism (5), the upper end of the retaining frame (4) is open and a movable vacuum suction cup (1) is arranged on the upper side of the opening, a tuyere (3) is arranged on the outer side of the upper end of the retaining frame (4), and a ventilation hole is arranged on the side wall of the upper end of the retaining frame (4), the air outlet of the tuyere (3) is aligned with the corresponding ventilation hole, the uppermost gas diffusion electrode (2) is lifted to the blowing position of the tuyere (3) in the upper end of the retaining frame (4) by the lifting mechanism (5), and the uppermost gas diffusion electrode (2) is in a dynamic floating state under the blowing of the airflow of the tuyere (3).

2. The fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A position sensor is arranged inside the upper end of the retaining frame (4).

3. The fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum suction cup (1) is driven to move by a suction cup driving mechanism.

4. The fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The suction cup driving mechanism comprises a lifting component (101), a translation component (102), a mounting frame (103), a rotation driving motor (104) and a moving arm (105), wherein the translation component (102) is driven to lift and lower by the lifting component (101), the mounting frame (103) is driven to translate by the translation component (102), the rotation driving motor (104) is arranged on the mounting frame (103), and the moving arm (105) is driven to rotate by the rotation driving motor (104), and the moving arm (105) is connected to the transfer suction cup (10).

5. The fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear end of the air nozzle (3) is connected to an air source via an air guide pipe.

6. The fuel cell membrane electrode gas diffusion electrode transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air nozzles (3) are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the outer side of the upper end of the retaining frame (4).

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