Stack sealing ring position detection and analysis method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for detecting and analyzing the position of a sealing ring of a battery stack, wherein the method comprises the following steps: performing position detection on each sealing ring on the bipolar plate of the battery stack to obtain the 3D point cloud data of the current battery stack, and performing corresponding data comparison and storage; scanning the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer in turn according to the stacking sequence of each battery stack to obtain the information of each bipolar plate, and performing corresponding data binding; after the stacking installation is completed, performing a straightness detection on the current battery stack to obtain the posture of each bipolar plate in the battery stack; performing corresponding data analysis on all the data obtained in the above steps to analyze the distribution information of each sealing ring in the battery stack. The method for detecting and analyzing the position of the sealing ring of the battery stack of the present invention is adopted, which helps designers to perform more accurate analysis on the battery stack when there is a sealing problem in the battery stack, thereby optimizing the design and improving product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of new energy hydrogen fuel cell stack production, and in particular to the field of cell stack seal detection, and specifically refers to a method for detecting and analyzing the position of a cell stack seal ring. Background Art

[0002] As energy demand becomes more and more widespread and global material shortages become more and more serious, the development of new energy fields is increasingly valued by major countries. As part of the field of new energy technology, hydrogen fuel cell technology is becoming more and more mature and developing more and more rapidly. At the current stage, the battery stack is the core module of the fuel cell, and its overall sealing performance determines the safety and durability of the battery stack. Therefore, solving the sealing problem of the battery stack has always been a pain point in the industry.

[0003] The fuel cell stack is made up of hundreds of bipolar plates and membrane electrodes. There are many factors that affect its overall sealing performance, such as whether the position of the sealing ring is offset, whether the sealing ring is defective, whether the position of the upper and lower sealing rings after stacking meets the sealing requirements, etc. In addition, after the fuel cell stack is assembled, the position of the sealing ring is invisible, and it is impossible to determine whether the sealing ring meets the sealing requirements through external observation. When the fuel cell stack leaks, it is impossible to conduct a specific analysis of the problem. This situation has become an important factor affecting the quality of the fuel cell stack during mass production.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve and analyze the overall sealing of the battery stack is extremely important for the development of fuel cells. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art and provide a method for detecting and analyzing the position of a fuel cell stack sealing ring that can effectively improve the overall stability performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the stack sealing ring position detection and analysis method of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] The main feature of the method for detecting and analyzing the position of a stack seal ring is that the method comprises the following steps:

[0008] (1) Detect the position of each sealing ring on the bipolar plate of the battery stack to obtain the 3D point cloud data of the current battery stack, and perform corresponding data comparison and storage processing;

[0009] (2) Scan the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer in turn according to the stacking order of each battery stack to obtain the information of each bipolar plate and perform corresponding data binding;

[0010] (3) After the stack is installed, the straightness of the current stack is tested to obtain the posture of each bipolar plate in the stack;

[0011] (4) Perform corresponding data analysis and processing on all the data obtained in the above steps to analyze the distribution information of each sealing ring in the fuel cell stack.

[0012] Preferably, the battery stack is composed of a plurality of bipolar plates and membrane electrodes alternately stacked, a membrane electrode is arranged between every two bipolar plates, and the membrane electrode is arranged between the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring, and the bipolar plates are sealed by the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring.

[0013] Preferably, the step (1) specifically comprises the following steps:

[0014] (1.1) A 2D contour camera driven by a four-axis robot on the mounting table scans the product appearance dimensions of the current battery stack and the position of each cathode side sealing ring and anode side sealing ring, thereby obtaining the 3D appearance point cloud data of the current battery stack;

[0015] (1.2) Compare the acquired 3D appearance point cloud data with the product theoretical model, obtain the bipolar plates with poor sealing ring position, and record the corresponding positions;

[0016] (1.3) The outer contour of the current battery stack and the position information of the corresponding cathode side sealing ring and anode side sealing ring are stored, and the product QR code is attached.

[0017] Preferably, the step (2) is specifically as follows:

[0018] According to the stacking order of each battery stack, the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer are scanned in turn, and the acquired scanned data are bound to the number or product QR code corresponding to the stacking order of the battery stack, so as to obtain the component information at the corresponding position of each battery stack.

[0019] Preferably, the step (3) is specifically as follows:

[0020] On the marble platform, the three-axis module drives the 2D contour camera to measure the straightness from top to bottom along the positioning edges on the four planes of the battery stack, and obtains the positioning position information of each component in the battery stack based on each segment of data obtained by the scan. The obtained data is then spliced ​​into visual data of the entire line of the detection edge in the data processing software.

[0021] Preferably, the step (4) specifically comprises the following steps:

[0022] (4.1) Importing the position information of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate, the numbering information of each layer of the bipolar plate on the stack, and the posture information of the bipolar plate in the stack obtained in the above steps into the data analysis software;

[0023] The data analysis software described in (4.2) calls the imported position model of the corresponding bipolar plate sealing ring according to the bipolar plate information of each layer in the fuel cell stack, and adjusts the angle of the imported bipolar plate according to the posture of each bipolar plate in the fuel cell stack, so as to obtain the actual distribution of the sealing ring in the fuel cell stack.

[0024] By adopting the battery stack sealing ring position detection and analysis method of the present invention, the position of each sealing strip in the battery stack can be determined, thereby improving the sealing quality of the battery stack during the production process. It can also help analyze where the problem occurs when the battery stack has a problem, thereby directly optimizing the design at the design end, effectively improving the overall stability performance of the battery stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded view of the bipolar plate sealing structure.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a combined plan and side view of the bipolar plate sealing structure.

[0027] Figure 3 This is an overall and partial enlarged view of the battery stack.

[0028] Figure 4 The present invention is a flow chart of the method for detecting and analyzing the position of the stack sealing ring.

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of bipolar plate sealing ring position detection and data processing.

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagram for testing the straightness of the battery stack.

[0031] Figure 7 A scanning diagram for stack edge detection.

[0032] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the scan data results.

[0033] Reference numerals

[0034] 1 Bipolar Plate

[0035] 2 Anode side sealing ring

[0036] 3 Cathode side sealing ring

[0037] 4 Membrane Electrode

[0038] 5. Battery stack

[0039] 6 2D profile camera

[0040] 7 Plate flip structure

[0041] 8 Clamping adjustment structure

[0042] 9 Four-axis robot

[0043] 10 Three-axis module

[0044] 11 Marble Platform DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to more clearly describe the technical content of the present invention, further description is given below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0046] Before describing in detail embodiments according to the present invention, it should be noted that, hereinafter, the terms "comprises", "includes" or any other variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, whereby a process, method, article or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only these elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, article or apparatus.

[0047] See also Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the battery stack is the core of the fuel cell system. Although its product size and form are diverse, the overall structure is composed of bipolar plates and membrane electrodes alternately stacked and assembled. The sealing between the layered structures of the battery stack relies on the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring installed on the bipolar plate.

[0048] Since the sealing ring is generally made of silicone and is in the shape of a ring structure composed of several lines, the overall structural strength is low and it cannot be assembled separately. Therefore, it needs to be pre-installed on the bipolar plate. The structure after installation is as follows Figure 2 shown.

[0049] It can be seen from the structure of the bipolar plates and the fuel cell stack that after being stacked into a fuel cell stack, if the positions of the upper and lower sealing rings are misaligned or the upper and lower sealing rings have a small overlapping area at a certain position, this will be a weak link in the sealing of the fuel cell stack, and leakage will occur after the stack is installed or during use; therefore, the focus of the present technical solution is to perform unified inspection and data analysis from the packaging link of the bipolar plates to the assembly link of the fuel cell stack through means of detection and analysis, which can ultimately achieve the management of the production quality of the bipolar plates and fuel cell stacks, while also analyzing and processing the test data, and finally forming information on the distribution of the sealing rings in the fuel cell stack.

[0050] See also Figure 4 As shown, the stack sealing ring position detection and analysis method, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0051] (1) Detect the position of each sealing ring on the bipolar plate of the battery stack to obtain the 3D point cloud data of the current battery stack, and perform corresponding data comparison and storage processing;

[0052] (2) Scan the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer in turn according to the stacking order of each battery stack to obtain the information of each bipolar plate and perform corresponding data binding;

[0053] (3) After the stack is installed, the straightness of the current stack is tested to obtain the posture of each bipolar plate in the stack;

[0054] (4) Perform corresponding data analysis and processing on all the data obtained in the above steps to analyze the distribution information of each sealing ring in the fuel cell stack.

[0055] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the battery stack is composed of a plurality of bipolar plates and membrane electrodes alternately stacked, a membrane electrode is arranged between every two bipolar plates, and the membrane electrode is arranged between the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring, and the bipolar plates are sealed by the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring.

[0056] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step (1) specifically comprises the following steps:

[0057] (1.1) A 2D contour camera driven by a four-axis robot on the mounting table scans the product appearance dimensions of the current battery stack and the position of each cathode side sealing ring and anode side sealing ring, thereby obtaining the 3D appearance point cloud data of the current battery stack;

[0058] (1.2) Compare the acquired 3D appearance point cloud data with the product theoretical model, obtain the bipolar plates with poor sealing ring position, and record the corresponding positions;

[0059] (1.3) The outer contour of the current battery stack and the position information of the corresponding cathode side sealing ring and anode side sealing ring are stored, and the product QR code is attached.

[0060] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step (2) is specifically as follows:

[0061] According to the stacking order of each battery stack, the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer are scanned in turn, and the acquired scanned data are bound to the number or product QR code corresponding to the stacking order of the battery stack, so as to obtain the component information at the corresponding position of each battery stack.

[0062] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step (3) is specifically as follows:

[0063] On the marble platform, the three-axis module drives the 2D contour camera to measure the straightness from top to bottom along the positioning edges on the four planes of the battery stack, and obtains the positioning position information of each component in the battery stack based on each segment of data obtained by the scan. The obtained data is then spliced ​​into visual data of the entire line of the detection edge in the data processing software.

[0064] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step (4) specifically comprises the following steps:

[0065] (4.1) Importing the position information of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate, the numbering information of each layer of the bipolar plate on the stack, and the posture information of the bipolar plate in the stack obtained in the above steps into the data analysis software;

[0066] The data analysis software described in (4.2) calls the imported position model of the corresponding bipolar plate sealing ring according to the bipolar plate information of each layer in the fuel cell stack, and adjusts the angle of the imported bipolar plate according to the posture of each bipolar plate in the fuel cell stack, so as to obtain the actual distribution of the sealing ring in the fuel cell stack.

[0067] In actual application, the core of this technical solution is the QR code information of the product (which has the same technical features as the battery stack QR code). The specific implementation process is as follows:

[0068] 1. Bipolar plate sealing ring position detection and data processing

[0069] The position detection of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate is carried out by a robot in conjunction with a 2D contour camera. During the detection, the four-axis robot drives the detection camera to scan the product's outer dimensions and the position of the cathode side sealing ring and the anode side sealing ring, as shown below Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the 3D point cloud data of the product obtained after scanning can be modeled through special software, and then the 3D model of the product can be obtained. The 3D model information of the product can also be compared with the theoretical model of the product to detect parts with poor sealing ring positions, thereby improving the overall sealing quality of the plate. When storing data, the original 3D model data volume is relatively large, which is not conducive to subsequent analysis and modeling. Therefore, the model needs to be simplified to retain only the information of the outer contour and the position of the sealing rings on the yin and yang sides.

[0070] 2. Electrical stacking

[0071] During the stacking process of the battery stack, whether it is automatic stacking or manual stacking, the bipolar plates and membrane electrodes at each level must be scanned before stacking. The scanned data needs to be bound to the battery stack number or QR code information to obtain the component information at each position in each battery stack, so as to facilitate the subsequent import of 3D information of the components at the corresponding position during modeling.

[0072] 3. Stack Straightness Detection

[0073] After the battery stack is completed, due to factors such as product size tolerance, assembly positioning block clearance, and assembly positioning block position accuracy, the overall alignment accuracy of the battery stack after assembly will deviate. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the straightness of the six edges of the four faces of the battery stack. Figure 6 As shown, the positioning position information of each component in the battery stack is obtained, so as to analyze the posture of each bipolar plate in the battery stack.

[0074] The detection method for each edge line is that the 2D contour camera is driven by the three-axis module on the marble platform to scan from top to bottom along the positioning edge of the product, such as Figure 7 As shown. Each segment of data obtained by scanning is Figure 8 As shown, the data of the entire edge line can be spliced ​​into the data of the detection edge line in the data processing software.

[0075] 4. Data processing, product model reconstruction, and stack seal position analysis

[0076] Through the operations of the previous three steps, we can obtain the position model of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate, the number information of the bipolar plates at each level on the stack, and the posture of the bipolar plates in the stack. After the above information is imported into the software through the developed special software, the software will call and import the corresponding bipolar plate sealing ring position model according to the bipolar plate information at each level in the stack, and then adjust the angle of the imported bipolar plate according to the analyzed posture of each bipolar plate in the stack, and finally obtain the real distribution of the sealing ring in the stack.

[0077] The innovation of this technical solution is that by means of detection and analysis, the distribution position of each sealing strip in the battery stack can be determined, which can help improve the sealing quality of the battery stack during the production process. It can also help analyze the point where the problem occurs after the battery stack has a problem, so as to optimize the design end and improve the overall stability of the battery stack. It has the following obvious technical advantages:

[0078] ① A 3D database of fuel cell stacks can be established to help fuel cell stack companies accumulate production data.

[0079] ② It helps designers to conduct more accurate analysis of the fuel cell stack when there are sealing problems with the fuel cell stack, thereby optimizing the design and improving product quality.

[0080] ③It helps to improve the sealing quality of bipolar plates during the production process.

[0081] ④ It helps to improve the stacking alignment of the battery stack, thereby improving the sealing quality of the entire stack.

[0082] In actual applications, the QR code is only a device-recognizable form of the product serial number. It is recognized before the product is tested, and then the test results and the corresponding product serial number are bound after the test is completed. The bipolar plate number corresponds to all the detection information of the bipolar plate, mainly including the position information of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate.

[0083] Any process or method description in a flowchart or otherwise described herein may be understood to represent a module, segment or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a specific logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present invention includes alternative implementations in which functions may not be performed in the order shown or discussed, including performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the reverse order depending on the functions involved, which should be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present invention belong.

[0084] It should be understood that each part of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution device.

[0085] A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that all or part of the steps of the method for implementing the above-mentioned embodiment may be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed, includes one of the steps of the method embodiment or a combination thereof.

[0086] The storage medium mentioned above can be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0087] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "embodiment" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0088] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0089] By adopting the battery stack sealing ring position detection and analysis method of the present invention, the position of each sealing strip in the battery stack can be determined, thereby improving the sealing quality of the battery stack during the production process. It can also help analyze where the problem occurs when the battery stack has a problem, thereby directly optimizing the design at the design end, effectively improving the overall stability performance of the battery stack.

[0090] In this specification, the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. However, it is apparent that various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and analyzing the position of a stack seal ring, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: (1) Detect the position of each sealing ring on the bipolar plate of the battery stack to obtain the 3D point cloud data of the current battery stack, and perform corresponding data comparison and storage processing; (2) Scan the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer in turn according to the stacking order of each battery stack to obtain the information of each bipolar plate and perform corresponding data binding; (3) After the stack is installed, the straightness of the current stack is tested to obtain the posture of each bipolar plate in the stack; (4) performing corresponding data analysis and processing on all the data obtained in the above steps to analyze the distribution information of each sealing ring in the fuel cell stack; The step (1) specifically comprises the following steps: (1.1) A 2D contour camera driven by a four-axis robot on the mounting table scans the product appearance dimensions of the current battery stack and the position of each cathode side sealing ring and anode side sealing ring, thereby obtaining the 3D appearance point cloud data of the current battery stack; (1.2) Compare the acquired 3D appearance point cloud data with the product theoretical model, obtain the bipolar plates with poor sealing ring position, and record the corresponding positions; (1.3) Store the outer contour of the current battery stack and the corresponding position information of the cathode side sealing ring and the anode side sealing ring, and attach the product QR code; The step (3) is specifically as follows: On the marble platform, the three-axis module drives the 2D contour camera to measure the straightness from top to bottom along the positioning edge lines on the four planes of the battery stack. Based on each segment of data obtained by scanning, the positioning position information of each component in the battery stack is obtained, and the obtained data is spliced ​​into visual data of the entire detection edge line in the data processing software; The step (4) specifically comprises the following steps: (4.1) Importing the position information of the sealing ring on the bipolar plate, the numbering information of each layer of the bipolar plate on the stack, and the posture information of the bipolar plate in the stack obtained in the above steps into the data analysis software; The data analysis software described in (4.2) calls the imported position model of the corresponding bipolar plate sealing ring according to the bipolar plate information of each layer in the fuel cell stack, and adjusts the angle of the imported bipolar plate according to the posture of each bipolar plate in the fuel cell stack, so as to obtain the actual distribution of the sealing ring in the fuel cell stack.

2. The method for detecting and analyzing the position of a stack seal ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery stack is composed of several bipolar plates and membrane electrodes alternately stacked, a membrane electrode is arranged between every two bipolar plates, and the membrane electrode is arranged between the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring, and the bipolar plates are sealed by the anode side sealing ring and the cathode side sealing ring.

3. The method for detecting and analyzing the position of a stack seal ring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step (2) is specifically as follows: According to the stacking order of each battery stack, the bipolar plates and corresponding membrane electrodes of each layer are scanned in turn, and the acquired scanned data are bound to the number or product QR code corresponding to the stacking order of the battery stack, so as to obtain the component information at the corresponding position of each battery stack.

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