Fuel cell module, positioning assembly component and assembly method thereof, and vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a fuel cell module, a positioning assembly component and an assembly method thereof, and a vehicle. The fuel cell module comprises a galvanic pile and a shell, and a gas inlet end side plate is attached to the end face of a gas inlet port of a main shell body of the shell, so that the galvanic pile and the shell are positioned in the stacking direction of the galvanic pile. Circular positioning structures are arranged on the two short edges of the air inlet end plate, kidney-shaped holes are correspondingly formed in the peripheral side of the air inlet port of the main shell, and the circular positioning structures and the kidney-shaped holes are used for positioning the electric pile and the shell in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The inner side face of the main shell is provided with an air inlet end boss used for supporting the air inlet end plate and a blind end boss used for supporting the blind end plate assembly, and positioning of the electric pile and the shell in the short edge direction of the air inlet end plate is achieved. Therefore, when the electric pile of the fuel cell module is assembled with the shell, common positioning in the stacking direction and the short-side direction and the long-side direction of the air inlet end plate can be realized, so that the accumulative error is obviously reduced, and the assembly precision is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular, relates to a fuel cell module and a positioning assembly component and assembly method thereof, as well as a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The fuel cell module is a collection of battery stacks, high-voltage modules, low-voltage modules, packaging modules, and sealing modules. The battery stack is composed of multiple single cells connected in series, with current collectors, insulating plates, air intake end plates, disc spring support plates, etc. distributed at both ends. A certain clamping force is applied to the single cell through fasteners such as tie rods, steel belts, and screws. According to the transmission path of the clamping force after the single cells are stacked and assembled, the fastening technology usually has four schemes: tie rod fastening, steel belt fastening, screw fastening, and shell fastening. The first three fastening schemes are that the single cell, current collector and other components are assembled into a freely movable independent power generation unit (defined as a bare stack) and then assembled with the shell; the shell fastening is that the shell transfers the pressing force of the press when the single cell is pressed by the press, and continues to provide the pressing force after the press is withdrawn.

[0003] When assembling a fuel cell module using a bare stack solution, the air intake end is connected to the outer shell through the air intake end plate, and the blind end is connected to the outer shell through a disc spring support plate. However, due to the large number of parts in the fuel cell stack and the outer shell, the cumulative error is large, which affects the assembly accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application proposes a fuel cell module and its positioning assembly component and assembly method, as well as a vehicle, wherein the fuel cell module has high assembly accuracy.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present application, a fuel cell module is provided, comprising:

[0006] The housing comprises an air inlet end side plate and a main housing provided with an air inlet port, wherein the air inlet end side plate is fitted with an end surface of the air inlet port of the main housing, is fixedly connected by fasteners and is sealed by an air inlet end sealing ring;

[0007] A fuel cell stack is installed in the housing, and an air intake end plate of the fuel cell stack serves as the air intake end side plate;

[0008] Wherein: circular positioning structures extending along the stacking direction of the fuel cell stack are provided on both short sides of the air intake end plate, and waist-shaped holes are correspondingly provided on the circumferential side of the air intake port of the main shell, and the waist-shaped holes are arranged as follows: the center coincides with the center of the corresponding circular positioning structure, the short axis length is the same as the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure, and the long axis is parallel to the short side direction of the air intake end plate; an air intake end boss and a blind end boss are provided on the inner side surface of the main shell, the air intake end boss is fitted with the air intake end plate in the short side direction of the air intake end plate, and the blind end boss is fitted with the blind end plate assembly of the fuel cell stack in the short side direction of the air intake end plate.

[0009] In some embodiments, centers of the two circular positioning structures are both located on the symmetry axis of the air intake end plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the circular positioning structure is a positioning pin; or a pin hole for installing a positioning pin.

[0011] In some embodiments, the main shell is also provided with a blind end port, and the outer shell also includes a blind end side plate, which is fitted with the end surface of the blind end port of the main shell, fixedly connected by fasteners and sealed by a blind end air inlet sealing ring.

[0012] In some embodiments, the fuel cell module further includes a blind end bracket connected to the main housing and a blind end plate assembly of the fuel cell stack.

[0013] In a second aspect of the present application, there is provided a positioning assembly for assembling the fuel cell module of the first aspect, comprising:

[0014] A positioning pin, used to be inserted into the waist-shaped hole of the main housing and to cooperate with the circular positioning structure;

[0015] A ferrule is sleeved on at least two diagonal corners of the air inlet end plate and is located outside the air inlet end sealing ring, and the positioning end face of the ferrule is used to fit with the end face of the air inlet port of the main housing;

[0016] Among them, when the ferrule is arranged on the air intake end plate, taking the inner end surface of the air intake end plate as the reference plane, along the stacking direction of the fuel cell stack, the height h of the positioning end surface of the ferrule, the height h1 of the positioning pin and the height h2 of the air intake end sealing ring satisfy h2<h

[0017] In some embodiments, the ferrule includes a main body and a first supporting rib and a second supporting rib connected to two ends of the main body; an outer end surface of the second supporting rib serves as the positioning end surface.

[0018] ​In some embodiments, the main body is L-shaped; a handle portion is provided on the outer side of the main body.

[0019] In a third aspect of the present application, an assembly method is provided, wherein the positioning assembly assembly of the second aspect is used to assemble the fuel cell module of the first aspect;

[0020] The assembly method specifically comprises:

[0021] Assembling the battery stack;

[0022] The air intake end sealing ring, the positioning pin and the ferrule are installed on the air intake end plate of the fuel cell stack, and the ferrule is located at least on two diagonal corners of the air intake end plate;

[0023] The main housing is mounted on the battery stack so that the main housing fits the positioning end surface of the ferrule, and the positioning pin extends into the waist-shaped hole;

[0024] Adjust the position of the main housing so that the intake end boss and the intake end plate fit together in the short side direction of the intake end plate, and the blind end boss and the blind end plate assembly of the stack fit together in the short side direction of the intake end plate;

[0025] pre-tightening fasteners for connecting the air intake end plate and the main housing;

[0026] Taking out the ferrule and tightening the fastener;

[0027] The housing is closed to obtain the fuel cell module.

[0028] In a fourth aspect of the present application, a vehicle is provided, comprising the fuel cell module of the first aspect.

[0029] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, a fuel cell module is provided, including a stack and a shell, wherein the intake end plate of the stack and the intake end side plate of the shell are integrated into one, and the positioning assembly of the stack and the shell can be realized by the positioning connection between the intake end plate and the shell. In the fuel cell module, the intake end side plate fits the end face of the intake port of the main shell of the shell, thereby realizing the positioning of the stack and the shell in the stacking direction of the stack. Both short sides of the intake end plate are provided with circular positioning structures extending along the stacking direction, and waist-shaped holes are correspondingly provided on the peripheral side of the intake port of the main shell. The circular positioning structure and the waist-shaped hole are used to realize the positioning of the stack and the shell in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The center of the waist-shaped hole coincides with the center of the corresponding circular positioning structure, the short axis length is the same as the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure, and the long axis is parallel to the short side direction of the intake end plate. It can be seen that the circular positioning structure can realize the positioning of the long side direction of the intake end plate after cooperating with the waist-shaped hole, but it can be adjusted in the short side direction of the intake end plate. The inner side of the main shell is provided with an intake end boss and a blind end boss. The intake end boss fits with the intake end plate in the short side direction of the intake end plate, and the blind end boss fits with the blind end plate assembly of the stack in the short side direction of the intake end plate. By setting the boss to fit with the end plate in the short side direction of the intake end plate, the stack and the shell are positioned in the short side direction of the intake end plate.

[0030] Through the above structure, the stack of the fuel cell module and the housing can be co-positioned in the stacking direction, the short side direction and the long side direction of the air intake end plate when assembled, thereby significantly reducing the cumulative error and achieving high assembly accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell module during assembly in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown, with a ferrule already installed on the fuel cell module.

[0033] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 FF section view.

[0034] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of point A.

[0035] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 EE section view.

[0036] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 A local enlarged view of location I.

[0037] Figure 6 Shows Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point J.

[0038] Figure 7 Shows Figure 1 Left view of .

[0039] Figure 8 Shows Figure 7 GG section view.

[0040] Fig. 9 Shows Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of point C.

[0041] Fig.10 Shows Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of point D.

[0042] Fig.11 Shows Figure 7 HH section view.

[0043] Fig.12 Shows Fig.11 A partial enlarged view of point B.

[0044] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a ferrule in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0045] Fig.14 Shows Fig.13 A top view of the card sleeve.

[0046] Fig.15 A structural block diagram of a vehicle in one or more embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0047] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 1-fuel cell module; 10-fuel cell stack, 11-inlet end plate, 11a-circular positioning structure, 11b-bend corner, 12-inlet end sealing ring, 13-blind end plate assembly; 20-hospital, 21-main shell, 211-inlet end boss, 212-blind end boss, 21a-waist hole, 21b-inlet port, 21c-blind end port; 22-inlet end side plate, 23-blind end side plate; 30-blind end bracket; 40-locating pin; 50-ferrule, 51-main body, 52-first support rib, 53-second support rib, 54-hand holding part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the technical personnel in the technical field to which the present application belongs to understand the present application more clearly, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0049] In addition, the present application may repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0050] For ease of understanding, the specific meanings of the concepts such as "inlet end", "blind end", and "stacking direction" in this application are explained as follows: In a certain fuel cell, the end close to the reaction medium input end is defined as the inlet end, and the end far from the reaction medium input end is defined as the blind end. Correspondingly, the end plate of the stack located at the inlet end is defined as the inlet end plate, and the end plate located at the blind end is defined as the blind end end plate. In a conventional stack, the end plate at the inlet end, the insulating plate at the inlet end, the current collecting plate at the inlet end, the core, the current collecting plate at the blind end, the insulating plate at the blind end, and the end plate at the blind end are stacked in sequence. The stacking direction of the various components of the stack is defined as the stacking direction, also known as the X direction; the long side direction of the inlet end plate / bipolar plate of the stack is the Y direction; the short side direction of the inlet end plate / bipolar plate of the stack is the Z direction. When the fuel cell is installed on the vehicle, it is usually installed with the large surface (the side with the largest area of ​​the fuel cell, the side extending in the long side direction and the stacking direction) facing downward. In the installation posture, the lower surface of the fuel cell is the "bottom surface", and the corresponding direction is the "bottom end"; the upper surface is the "top surface", and the corresponding direction is the "top end". For the convenience of description, the following embodiments use the abbreviations of the respective definitions.

[0051] See also Figure 1 and Figure 8 , the first aspect of the present application is an embodiment, providing a fuel cell module 1, adopting a bare stack solution, including a fuel cell stack 10 and a shell 20, and the fuel cell stack 10 is fastened by fasteners to provide a press-fitting force. The shell 20 includes an air intake end side plate 22 and a main shell 21, and the main shell 21 opens on one side toward the air intake end to form an air intake port 21b, and the air intake end side plate 22 fits the end surface of the air intake port 21b of the main shell 21, and is fixedly connected by fasteners and sealed by an air intake end sealing ring 12. The shell and the fuel cell stack 10 share the same plate at the air intake end, specifically, the air intake end plate 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 serves as the air intake end side plate 22, and all other components of the fuel cell stack 10 except the air intake end plate 11 are located in the shell 20.

[0052] Since the air intake end plate 11 and the air intake end side plate 22 of the outer shell 20 are integrated into one, the positioning and assembly of the stack 10 and the outer shell 20 can be achieved by positioning and connecting the air intake end plate 11 and the outer shell 20. In the fuel cell module 1, the air intake end side plate 22 fits with the end face of the air intake port 21b of the main shell 21, thereby realizing the positioning of the stack 10 and the outer shell 20 in the stacking direction of the stack 10. Since the design reference and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell module 1 in the X direction are both the fitting surface of the air intake end plate 11 and the outer shell 20, the X-direction positioning of the stack 10 and the outer shell 20 is also realized by fitting the end face of the air intake end side plate 22 and the air intake port 21b of the main shell 21 during assembly, thereby realizing the unification of assembly, design and manufacturing references and reducing cumulative errors.

[0053] See also Figure 2 , circular positioning structures 11a extending along the stacking direction are provided on both short sides of the air intake end plate 11. The circular positioning structures 11a can be positioning pins 40 or pin holes for installing positioning pins 40. When the circular positioning structures 11a are pin holes, the diameter of the pin holes should be slightly larger than the positioning pins 40 (clearance fit or transition fit) to ensure that the positioning pins 40 can be installed in the pin holes. Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the main shell 21 has a waist-shaped hole 21a on the side of the air inlet port 21b. The circular positioning structure 11a and the waist-shaped hole 21a are used to realize the positioning of the stack 10 and the shell 20 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The center of the waist-shaped hole 21a coincides with the center of the corresponding circular positioning structure 11a, the length of the short axis is the same as the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure 11a, and the long axis is parallel to the short side direction of the air inlet end plate 11, that is, the short axis of the waist-shaped hole 21a is in the Y direction and the long axis is in the Z direction. Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 When the circular positioning structure 11a or the positioning pin 40 extends into the waist-shaped hole 21a, since the minor axis length of the waist-shaped hole 21a is the same as the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure 11a, the circular positioning structure 11a and the waist-shaped hole 21a cannot move relative to each other in the Y direction, thereby achieving the Y-direction positioning of the stack 10 and the housing 20. Since the design reference and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell module 1 in the Y direction are both the center points of the two circular positioning structures 11a or the two waist-shaped holes 21a, during assembly, the Y-direction positioning of the stack 10 and the housing 20 is also achieved by aligning the center of the waist-shaped hole 21a with the center of the corresponding circular positioning structure 11a and the Y-direction position, thereby achieving the unification of assembly, design, and manufacturing references and reducing cumulative errors.

[0054] Since the long axis of the waist-shaped hole 21a (parallel to the short side of the air intake end plate 11) is larger than the short axis, the Z-direction dimension of the corresponding waist-shaped hole 21a is larger than the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure 11a, that is, the relative position of the air intake end plate 11 and the main housing 21 in the Z direction is adjustable. Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The inner side surface of the main shell 21 is provided with an air intake end boss 211 and a blind end boss 212. When adjusting the Z-direction position of the main shell 21, ensure that the air intake end boss 211 fits with the air intake end plate 11 in the Z-direction, and the blind end boss 212 fits with the blind end plate assembly 13 of the battery stack 10 in the Z-direction, so that the battery stack 10 and the outer shell 20 can be positioned in the Z-direction. Since the design reference and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell module 1 in the Z-direction are both the fitting surface of the air intake end boss 211 and the air intake end plate 11 and the fitting surface of the blind end boss 212 and the blind end plate assembly 13, the Z-direction positioning of the battery stack 10 and the outer shell 20 is also achieved by fitting the boss and the end plate during assembly, thereby unifying the assembly with the design and manufacturing references and reducing the cumulative error.

[0055] Through the above structure, the stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1 and the housing 20 can be co-positioned in the X, Y and Z directions when assembled, so that the design, manufacturing and assembly standards are unified, the cumulative error can be reduced, and the assembly accuracy can be improved. In addition, since the fuel cell is usually installed on the whole vehicle with the large surface facing down, that is, the Z direction of the fuel cell is parallel to the vertical direction, when the stack 10 is stimulated by external vibration, impact, etc., the gravity superposition effect causes the Z direction acceleration to be usually greater than the X and Y directions. Therefore, the intake end boss 211 and the blind end boss 212 of the main housing 21 can also provide stable Z-direction support for the stack 10.

[0056] The air intake end plate 11 is generally a symmetrical or approximately symmetrical structure. Figure 2 The centers of the two circular positioning structures 11a are both located on the symmetry axis of the air intake end plate 11, and the centerline of the two circular positioning structures 11a divides the air intake end plate 11 into two equal parts. Considering the difficulty of the manufacturing process of the air intake end plate 11, the circular positioning structures 11a are preferably pin holes. Pin holes are generally the reference for design, manufacturing and assembly. The pin hole position is selected at the position where the air intake end plate 11 is divided into two equal parts, which is more conducive to improving the manufacturing accuracy of all areas of the parts and reducing deformation.

[0057] To facilitate the fixation of the blind end of the battery stack 10, please refer to Fig.11In some embodiments, the main housing 21 is opened on one side toward the blind end to form a blind end port 21c. The housing 20 also includes a blind end side plate 23, which fits the end surface of the blind end port 21c of the main housing 21, is fixedly connected by fasteners, and is sealed by the blind end air inlet end sealing ring 12. The setting of the blind end port 21c can serve as a visual window when the main housing 21 and the battery stack 10 are assembled, so as to observe the distance between the main housing 21 and the side of the battery stack 10, and on the other hand, it is convenient to connect the blind end of the battery stack 10 to the housing 20.

[0058] In some embodiments, the fuel cell module 1 further includes a blind end bracket 30, the root of which is connected to the main housing 21, and the end of which is connected to the blind end plate assembly 13 of the fuel cell stack 10. Figure 8 The root of the blind-end bracket 30 is connected to the top plate and the bottom plate of the main shell 21 to jointly resist the Z-direction impact.

[0059] When assembling the fuel cell module 1, the stack 10 is usually assembled first and then the outer shell 20 is installed. Specifically, the assembled bare stack is placed vertically so that the air intake end plate 11 is facing, and then the main shell 21 is put on the blind end of the stack 10 and slowly lowered, and placed on the air intake end plate 11. The main shell 21 has a large mass and is easy to crush the air intake end sealing ring 12 when assembled with the near end plate. In particular, when the main shell 21 is lowered and the relative position of the main shell 21 and the stack 10 in the long side direction and the short side direction is adjusted, the main shell 21 moves on the air intake end plate 11, which is more likely to over-squeeze the air intake end sealing ring 12, causing the sealing ring to be damaged or squeezed out of the sealing groove, affecting the assembly accuracy. To this end, the second aspect of the present application provides a positioning assembly component for assembling the above-mentioned fuel cell module 1.

[0060] See also Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The positioning assembly assembly includes a positioning pin 40 and a ferrule 50. The positioning pin 40 is used to penetrate the waist-shaped hole 21a of the main housing 21 and cooperate with the circular positioning structure 11a. If the circular positioning structure 11a is a pin hole, the positioning pin 40 extends into the pin hole and the waist-shaped hole 21a; if the circular positioning structure 11a is cylindrical and protrudes from the surface of the intake end plate 11, the circular positioning structure 11a constitutes the positioning pin 40. In some embodiments, the height of the positioning pin 40 should not be less than 2 times the diameter of the positioning pin 40 to facilitate guiding the main housing 21.

[0061] See also Figure 2, the ferrule 50 is sleeved on at least two diagonal corners of the intake end plate 11, and the ferrule 50 can be set in multiple numbers, and each ferrule 50 is sleeved on a bend 11b of the intake end plate 11. In some embodiments, the ferrule 50 can also be an integral structure, which has multiple sleeve cavities and can be sleeved on multiple bends 11b of the intake end plates 11. Regardless of the structure of the ferrule 50, it is necessary to ensure that when the battery stack 10 and the outer shell 20 are assembled, the ferrule 50 is sleeved on at least two of the opposite bends 11b of the intake end plate 11, and the positioning end face of the ferrule 50 is used to fit with the end face of the intake port 21b of the main shell 21, that is, the main shell 21 is sleeved on the blind end of the battery stack 10 and slowly lowered, and finally placed on the ferrule 50.

[0062] See also Figure 3 , the ferrule 50 is located outside the air inlet end seal ring 12, and its installation will not affect the air inlet end seal ring 12. When the ferrule 50 is sleeved on the air inlet end plate 11, with the inner end surface of the air inlet end plate 11 as the reference surface, the height h of the positioning end surface of the ferrule 50 in the X direction compared to the reference surface, the height h1 of the positioning pin 40 in the X direction compared to the reference surface, and the height h2 of the air inlet end seal ring 12 in the X direction compared to the reference surface satisfy h2<h Fig.12 The positioning end face of the ferrule 50 is between the positioning pin 40 and the end of the air inlet end sealing ring 12. When the main housing 21 is placed on the ferrule 50, it will not squeeze the air inlet end sealing ring 12, but the positioning pin 40 has extended into the waist-shaped hole 21a of the main housing 21.

[0063] See also Fig.13 and Fig.14 , shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the ferrule 50 in certain embodiments. There are multiple ferrules 50, and the structure of each ferrule 50 is the same, including a main body 51 and a first support rib 52 and a second support rib 53 connected to both ends of the main body 51, and the outer end face of the second support rib 53 serves as a positioning end face. When the ferrule 50 is sleeved on the air intake end plate 11, the first support rib 52 is located at the end of the air intake end plate 11 away from the main shell 21, and the second support rib 53 is located at the end of the air intake end plate 11 facing the main shell 21. The first support rib 52 is completely in contact with the end face of the air intake end plate 11 facing away from the main shell 21, that is, the outer end face, and a gap of no more than 0.5 mm is reserved between the second support rib 53 and the end face of the air intake end plate 11 facing the main shell 21, that is, the inner end face, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, the second support rib 53 is prevented from scratching the inner end surface of the intake end plate 11. The ferrule 50 is made of metal, which has a high structural strength and will not be crushed. The thickness of the first support rib 52 is greater than that of the second support rib 53, and it can be stably sleeved on the intake end plate 11. To facilitate the operation of the ferrule 50, in some embodiments, the main body 51 of the ferrule 50 is L-shaped, and a clearance opening can be opened at its corner to avoid the curved corner 11b of the intake end plate 11, such as Figure 3 ​In some embodiments, a handle portion 54 is disposed on the outer side of the main body portion 51 .

[0064] In a third aspect of the present application, an assembly method is provided, wherein the positioning assembly component of any one of the second aspects is used to assemble the fuel cell module 1 of any one of the first aspects.

[0065] The assembly method specifically includes:

[0066] 1. Assemble the battery stack 10. Specifically, assemble the air intake end plate 11, the current collecting plate, a plurality of battery cells, the blind end plate assembly 13, the fastening assembly, etc. of the battery stack 10 into a bare stack.

[0067] 2. Install the air intake end seal ring 12, the positioning pin 40 and the ferrule 50 on the air intake end plate 11 of the fuel cell stack 10. The ferrule 50 is located at least on two diagonal corners of the air intake end plate 11. Figure 2 and Figure 7 shown.

[0068] In some embodiments, a sealing groove is provided on the air intake end plate 11, and the air intake end sealing ring 12 is located in the sealing groove. If the circular positioning structure 11a of the air intake end plate 11 is a pin hole, the positioning pin 40 is inserted into the pin hole in this step. If the circular positioning structure 11a of the air intake end plate 11 is a cylindrical structure, the circular positioning structure 11a constitutes the positioning pin 40, and accordingly, no other positioning pins 40 need to be installed in this step.

[0069] In some embodiments, the number of the ferrules 50 is 4, and the four ferrules 50 are respectively mounted on the four corners of the air intake end plate 11. The ferrule 50 is assembled along the side wall of the air intake end plate 11, and the ferrule 50 is pushed until it cannot be pushed forward anymore. At this time, the inner wall of the ferrule 50 abuts against the side wall of the air intake end plate 11, and a certain gap is left between the ferrule 50 and the sealing ring, and the ferrule 50 will not touch the sealing ring.

[0070] 3. The main housing 21 is mounted on the battery stack 10 so that the main housing 21 fits the positioning end surface of the ferrule 50 and the positioning pin 40 extends into the waist-shaped hole 21 a.

[0071] Put the main housing 21 on the blind end of the battery stack 10 and slowly lower it. When approaching the positioning pin 40, adjust the position so that the positioning pin 40 extends into the waist-shaped hole 21a. Position the main housing 21 through the positioning pin 40. Since the short axis of the waist-shaped hole 21a matches the size of the positioning pin 40, the position of the battery stack 10 and the main housing 21 is fixed in the short axis direction, i.e., the Y direction. The main housing 21 is finally placed on the ferrule 50 and fits with the positioning end surface of the ferrule 50.

[0072] The Y-direction design and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell is defined as the center points of the two pin holes or the center points of the two waist-shaped holes 21a. The Y-direction assembly is unified with the design and manufacturing reference through the second and third steps.

[0073] 4. Adjust the position of the main housing 21 so that the intake end boss 211 fits with the intake end plate 11 in the short side direction of the intake end plate 11. Fig.10 and the blind end boss 212 fits with the blind end plate assembly 13 of the stack 10 in the short side direction of the intake end plate 11, as shown Fig. 9 shown.

[0074] Since the long axis of the waist-shaped hole 21a is larger than the diameter of the positioning pin 40, the position of the battery stack 10 and the main housing 21 can be adjusted in the long direction, i.e., the Z direction. The position of the main housing 21 is adjusted so that the intake end boss 211 fits with the intake end plate 11 in the Z direction, and the blind end boss 212 fits with the blind end plate assembly 13 of the battery stack 10 in the Z direction.

[0075] The Z-direction design and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell is composed of the two bosses and the fitting surface of the end plate. The Z-direction design and assembly are unified with the design and manufacturing reference through the fourth step of assembly and fitting. The lower bottom surface of the intake end plate 11 and the lower bottom surface of the blind end plate assembly 13 fit with the main housing 21, which can provide sufficient support for the stack 10 in the Z direction.

[0076] 5. Pre-tighten the fasteners used to connect the air intake end plate 11 and the main housing 21.

[0077] Since steps 3 and 4 respectively realize the positioning and assembly of the fuel cell stack 10 and the main shell 21 in the Y direction and the Z direction, the fasteners used to connect the intake end plate 11 and the main shell 21 can be pre-tightened at this time to establish a relatively stable mechanical connection between the intake end plate 11 and the main shell 21.

[0078] 6. Remove the ferrule 50 and tighten the fastener.

[0079] In the related art, the position adjustment of the housing 20 during assembly is used to adjust the relative position of the housing 20 and the battery stack 10 in the Y and Z directions. During the adjustment process, the housing 20 may over-exert the sealing ring or even crush the sealing ring. Since the battery stack 10 and the main housing 21 have been positioned and assembled in the Y and Z directions and fixedly connected in step 5, the ferrule 50 can be removed. Then, the fasteners are tightened, and the intake end plate 11 and the main housing 21 jointly squeeze the intake end sealing ring 12.

[0080] The design and manufacturing positioning reference of the fuel cell in the X direction is the fitting surface between the air intake end plate 11 and the housing 20. The assembly and fitting in the sixth step realizes the unification of the assembly in the X direction with the design and manufacturing reference.

[0081] 7. Close the outer shell 20 to obtain the fuel cell module 1.

[0082] If the main housing 21 is a cylinder with only an air inlet end open, the enclosure 20 has been closed in step 6. In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the fixation of the blind end of the battery stack 10, an opening is usually also provided at the blind end of the main housing 21. In other embodiments, openings may also be provided at the installation locations of the high-voltage components and the low-voltage components.

[0083] by Fig.11 Taking the fuel cell shown as an example, the main shell 21 has an opening on one side facing the blind end to form a blind end port 21c. The outer shell 20 also includes a blind end side plate 23, which is fitted with the end surface of the blind end port 21c of the main shell 21, fixedly connected by fasteners and sealed by a blind end air inlet sealing ring 12. The fuel cell module 1 also includes a blind end bracket 30, the root of which is connected to the top plate and the bottom plate of the main shell 21 to jointly resist Z-direction impact. In step 7, it is necessary to first install the blind end bracket 30 to support the blind end of the stack 10, and then install the blind end side plate 23 to close the blind end port 21c of the main shell 21, thereby completing the closure of the outer shell 20 and obtaining the fuel cell module 1.

[0084] In step 7, it is also necessary to install high-voltage components and low-voltage components, but this content does not belong to the improvement points of this application. Therefore, the specific installation content can refer to the relevant disclosure of the prior art, such as CN115241511A-high-voltage components of fuel cell stack 10, fuel cell stack 10 and assembly method.

[0085] See also Fig.15 , the fourth aspect of the present application provides a vehicle, comprising at least one fuel cell module 1 as described in any embodiment of the first aspect. Specifically, the vehicle comprises a fuel cell power system, the fuel cell power system comprises a fuel cell system, a DC / DC converter, a drive motor and its motor controller, and an on-board energy storage device, the fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell module 1 and a fuel cell auxiliary system, and the fuel cell system can work normally under the condition of an external fuel supply source.

[0086] The fuel cell auxiliary system of the fuel cell system includes an air supply subsystem, a fuel supply subsystem, a thermal management subsystem and an automatic control system, wherein the air supply subsystem is used to provide air to each stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1, and can optionally filter, humidify, pressure regulate and other aspects of the air, and the air supply subsystem is connected to the air inlet and air outlet of each stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1; the fuel supply subsystem is used to provide fuel to each stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1, and can optionally humidify, pressure regulate and other aspects of the fuel to convert it into a fuel gas suitable for operation in the fuel cell stack. Taking hydrogen as a fuel, for example, the fuel supply subsystem is connected to the hydrogen inlet and hydrogen outlet of each stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1; the thermal management subsystem is connected to each stack 10 of the fuel cell module 1 to provide coolant to cool and / or heat the stack 10, and to recycle the water generated by the stack 10.

[0087] The automatic control system is electrically connected to the fuel cell module 1, the air supply subsystem, the fuel supply subsystem and the thermal management subsystem, respectively. The automatic control system is an assembly including sensors, actuators, valves, switches and control logic components to ensure that the fuel cell system can operate normally without human intervention. In other embodiments, the fuel cell auxiliary system may also include a ventilation system for exhausting the gas in the housing of the fuel cell system to the outside by mechanical means. In this embodiment, the fuel cell auxiliary system in the fuel cell system has not been improved, so more detailed content can refer to the relevant disclosure of the prior art, which will not be described here.

[0088] In the fuel cell power system, the DC / DC converter is electrically connected to each stack 10 of the fuel cell system to achieve voltage conversion, and the voltage generated by each stack 10 is output to the drive motor, the automobile air conditioning compressor and other high-voltage devices, and the battery and other power storage devices after voltage regulation. The drive motor is electrically connected to the DC / DC converter to provide the torque required for the vehicle to travel; the motor controller is electrically connected to the drive motor to control the start, stop, torque output, etc. of the drive motor. The motor controller is connected to the vehicle control to receive the driving signal sent by the vehicle controller, and the motor controller can also be electrically connected to the automatic control system of the fuel cell system. The on-board energy storage device is used to store electrical energy to power other electronic devices in the vehicle. The on-board energy storage device is electrically connected to the DC / DC converter, for example, the on-board energy storage device is a battery.

[0089] In this embodiment, the DC / DC converter, the drive motor and its motor controller, and the on-board energy storage device in the fuel cell power system have not been improved. Therefore, more detailed contents can be referred to the relevant disclosure of the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0090] In addition, the vehicle also needs to include a transmission system and a fuel storage device for storing fuel. The transmission system transmits the torque of the drive motor to drive the wheels to rotate. The fuel storage device functions similarly to the fuel tank in a fuel vehicle. The fuel storage device is connected to the fuel supply subsystem of the fuel cell system through a pipeline.

[0091] Therefore, the vehicle can be a hydrogen energy vehicle or a hydrogen energy + charging hybrid electric vehicle, and can be a family car, a bus, a truck, etc. Since the specific structure of the vehicle is not improved in this embodiment, the structure of the vehicle that has not been changed in this embodiment can refer to the prior art, and the specific content is not described here. Therefore, the vehicle has all the features and advantages described above for the fuel cell module 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0092] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0093] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0094] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0095] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0096] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in this application are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0097] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. 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 application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do 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. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0098] In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in this field. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0099] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fuel cell module, characterized in that: include: The housing comprises an air inlet end side plate and a main housing provided with an air inlet port, wherein the air inlet end side plate is fitted with an end surface of the air inlet port of the main housing, is fixedly connected by fasteners and is sealed by an air inlet end sealing ring; A fuel cell stack is installed in the housing, and an air intake end plate of the fuel cell stack serves as the air intake end side plate; Wherein: circular positioning structures extending along the stacking direction of the fuel cell stack are provided on both short sides of the air intake end plate, and waist-shaped holes are correspondingly provided on the circumferential side of the air intake port of the main shell, and the waist-shaped holes are arranged as follows: the center coincides with the center of the corresponding circular positioning structure, the short axis length is the same as the diameter of the corresponding circular positioning structure, and the long axis is parallel to the short side direction of the air intake end plate; an air intake end boss and a blind end boss are provided on the inner side surface of the main shell, the air intake end boss is fitted with the air intake end plate in the short side direction of the air intake end plate, and the blind end boss is fitted with the blind end plate assembly of the fuel cell stack in the short side direction of the air intake end plate.

2. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The centers of the two circular positioning structures are both located on the symmetry axis of the air intake end plate.

3. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circular positioning structure is a positioning pin; or a pin hole for installing the positioning pin.

4. The fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The main shell is also provided with a blind end port, and the shell also includes a blind end side plate, which is fitted with the end surface of the blind end port of the main shell, fixedly connected by fasteners and sealed by a blind end air inlet sealing ring.

5. The fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The fuel cell module further comprises a blind end bracket connected to the main housing and a blind end plate assembly of the fuel cell stack.

6. A positioning assembly for assembling a fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: A positioning pin, used to be inserted into the waist-shaped hole of the main housing and to cooperate with the circular positioning structure; A ferrule is sleeved on at least two diagonal corners of the air inlet end plate and is located outside the air inlet end sealing ring, and the positioning end face of the ferrule is used to fit with the end face of the air inlet port of the main housing; Among them, when the ferrule is arranged on the air intake end plate, taking the inner end surface of the air intake end plate as the reference plane, along the stacking direction of the fuel cell stack, the height h of the positioning end surface of the ferrule, the height h1 of the positioning pin and the height h2 of the air intake end sealing ring satisfy h2<h<h1.

7. The positioning assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The ferrule includes a main body and a first supporting rib and a second supporting rib connected to two ends of the main body; the outer end surface of the second supporting rib serves as the positioning end surface.

8. The positioning assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The main body is L-shaped; a hand-holding part is arranged on the outer side of the main body.

9. An assembly method, characterized in that: Using the positioning assembly assembly described in any one of claims 6 to 8 to assemble the fuel cell module described in any one of claims 1 to 5; The assembly method specifically comprises: Assembling the battery stack; The air intake end sealing ring, the positioning pin and the ferrule are installed on the air intake end plate of the fuel cell stack, and the ferrule is located at least on two diagonal corners of the air intake end plate; The main housing is mounted on the battery stack so that the main housing fits the positioning end surface of the ferrule, and the positioning pin extends into the waist-shaped hole; Adjust the position of the main housing so that the intake end boss and the intake end plate fit together in the short side direction of the intake end plate, and the blind end boss and the blind end plate assembly of the stack fit together in the short side direction of the intake end plate; pre-tightening fasteners for connecting the air intake end plate and the main housing; Taking out the ferrule and tightening the fastener; The housing is closed to obtain the fuel cell module.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: A fuel cell module comprising the fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images