Cell monitoring connector

Abstract

To provide a cell monitoring connector effective for a cell stack in which small fuel battery cells are stacked.SOLUTION: The cell monitoring connector includes a connector body, electrical contacts, and a locking member. The locking member has a swingable swing portion, an engagement portion, and a biasing portion. When the cell monitoring connector attached to a cell stack is viewed along the stacking direction in which a plurality of fuel battery cells are stacked, the engagement portion is located inside a region where the fuel battery cells overlap with one another, and the biasing portion is located outside the region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a cell monitoring connector, and in particular to a cell monitoring connector that is attached to a cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cell units are stacked. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a cell monitoring connector. This cell monitoring connector includes a connector main body configured to be detachable from a cell stack, electrical contacts that are electrically connected to each of a plurality of fuel cell cells when the connector main body is attached to the cell stack, and a locking member that locks the connector main body to the cell stack when the connector main body is attached to the cell stack.

[0003] The locking member described above includes a swinging part that can swing between a locked position and an unlocked position relative to the connector body, and an engaging part that engages with the fuel cell when the swinging part is in the locked position and disengages from the fuel cell when the swinging part is in the unlocked position. The fuel cell is provided with a notch, and the locking member is locked / unlocked to the fuel cell by engaging / disengaging the protrusion with the notch provided in the fuel cell. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-187050 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The inventors are developing a compact cell stack to expand the applications of fuel cell systems. Miniaturizing the fuel cells that make up the cell stack is effective for miniaturizing the cell stack. In this case, as an example, if the height dimension of the fuel cells is reduced by about half, it would be possible to produce twice as many fuel cells using conventional fuel cell production equipment. However, simply miniaturizing the fuel cells would increase the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector is attached relative to the total area of ​​the fuel cell. In other words, the area that contributes to actual power generation would decrease relative to the total area of ​​the fuel cell. Therefore, in order to miniaturize the cell stack, it is necessary not only to simply miniaturize the fuel cells but also to develop a cell monitoring connector that is suitable for them.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, this specification provides a cell monitoring connector that is effective for a cell stack in which small fuel cell cells are stacked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in a cell monitoring connector that is attached to a cell stack in which multiple fuel cells are stacked. In a first aspect, the cell monitoring connector includes a connector main body that is detachably attached to the cell stack, an electrical contact supported by the connector main body and electrically connected to one of the multiple fuel cells when the connector main body is attached to the cell stack, and a locking member supported by the connector main body and for locking the connector main body to the cell stack when the connector main body is attached to the cell stack. The locking member includes a swinging part that can swing between a locked position and an unlocked position with respect to the connector main body, an engaging part that is provided on the swinging part and engages with the fuel cell when the swinging part is in the locked position and disengages from the fuel cell when the swinging part is in the unlocked position, and a biasing part that is connected to the swinging part and biases the swinging part toward the locked position. When the cell monitoring connector attached to the cell stack is viewed along the stacking direction in which the multiple fuel cell cells are stacked, the engagement portion is located inside the area where the fuel cell cells overlap, and the biasing portion is located outside the area.

[0008] The above-described cell monitoring connector is provided with a locking member for locking the connector main body to the cell stack. The locking member has a swinging portion with an engaging portion with a fuel cell, and a biasing portion that biases the swinging portion toward the locked position. When the cell monitoring connector attached to the cell stack is viewed along the stacking direction of the multiple fuel cells, the engaging portion is located inside the area where the fuel cells overlap. Meanwhile, the biasing portion is located outside the area where the fuel cells overlap. With this configuration, the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector is attached can be made relatively small compared to the total area of ​​the fuel cell. This allows for the miniaturization of the fuel cell, and therefore the cell stack.

[0009] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the engaging portion may have a protrusion that engages with a hole, groove, or notch provided in the fuel cell.

[0010] In a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the protrusion may protrude in a direction perpendicular to the fuel cell when the connector body is attached to the cell stack, and engage with a hole provided in the fuel cell. With this configuration, the protrusion of the engaging portion engages with the hole provided in the fuel cell, thereby locking the connector body to the fuel cell.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, in the first or second aspect, the protrusion may engage with a notch provided in the fuel cell when the connector body is attached to the cell stack. With this configuration, the protrusion of the engagement portion engages with the notch provided in the fuel cell, thereby locking the connector body to the fuel cell.

[0012] In a fifth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the locking member may further include a fixing portion fixed to the connector body. In this case, the biasing portion may extend from the fixing portion to an intermediate portion of the swinging portion. The engaging portion may be located at one end of the swinging portion, and the other end of the swinging portion may include an operating portion operated by an operator. When the cell monitoring connector attached to the cell stack is viewed along the stacking direction, the fixing portion and the operating portion may be located outside the area where the fuel cell cells overlap. With this configuration, an operator can operate the operating portion to swing the swinging portion and disengage the engaging portion from the fuel cell. Here, the swinging portion is supported by the biasing portion connected to its intermediate portion. Therefore, the operating force or amount applied by the operator to the operating portion is amplified and transmitted to the engaging portion based on the principle of leverage. In other words, the operator can easily release the lock provided by the locking member. In addition, because the fixing portion and the operating portion are located outside the area where the fuel cell cells overlap, the area where the cell monitoring connector is attached can be made relatively small compared to the total area of ​​the fuel cell. This allows the fuel cell to be further miniaturized, thereby enabling the cell stack to be miniaturized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cell monitoring connector 10 and a fuel cell unit 100 to which the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a cell monitoring connector 10 is attached to a fuel cell unit 100. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configuration of a cell monitoring connector 10. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a locked position P1 and an unlocked position P2 of the swinging portion 22. [Figure 5] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the configuration of a locking member 18. [Figure 6]1 is a diagram for explaining a modified locking member 118. The diagram also shows the notch 108 of the fuel cell 102 with which the engaging portion 128 of the locking member 118 engages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A cell monitoring connector 10 according to an embodiment and a fuel cell unit 100 to which it is attached will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fuel cell unit 100 includes a plurality of fuel cell cells 102. Each fuel cell 102 generates electricity by chemically reacting fuel gas with oxidizing gas therein. Each fuel cell 102 is arranged parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the plurality of fuel cell cells 102 are stacked along the Z-axis direction. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are coordinate axes that are mutually orthogonal. The stacked plurality of fuel cell cells 102 form a cell stack 104. In this embodiment, a hole 106 is provided at the upper end of each fuel cell 102.

[0015] Although not particularly limited, the fuel cell unit 100 of this embodiment uses hydrogen gas as the fuel gas and air as the oxidizing gas. Furthermore, the specific configuration of the fuel cell 102 is also not particularly limited. For example, the fuel cell 102 may include a membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly (MEGA), a support frame, and a pair of separators. In this case, the membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly may include an electrolyte membrane, an anode catalyst layer, a cathode catalyst layer, an anode gas diffusion layer, and a cathode gas diffusion layer.

[0016] 1 and 2, the cell monitoring connector 10 is configured to be detachable from the cell stack 104. In this embodiment, the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached to the cell stack 104 from above. Although three cell monitoring connectors 10 are shown in FIG. 1, one or more cell monitoring connectors 10 are attached to the cell stack 104 depending on the number of fuel cell cells 102.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1-4, the cell monitoring connector 10 includes a connector body 12, multiple electrical contacts 14, a fixing member 16, and a locking member 18. The connector body 12 is configured to be detachable from a cell stack 104. A plurality of slits 13 are provided in the lower part of the connector body 12 at intervals equal to the stacking intervals of the fuel cell cells 102. When the connector body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104, a corresponding fuel cell cell 102 is inserted into each slit 13. The connector body 12 is made of, for example, resin.

[0018] Each of the multiple electrical contacts 14 is a contact for detecting voltage. The multiple electrical contacts 14 are supported by the connector body 12. The multiple electrical contacts 14 are arranged along the stacking direction of the fuel cell cells 102 (i.e., the Z-axis direction). When the connector body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104, each electrical contact 14 is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the fuel cell cells 102. Each electrical contact 14 is electrically connected to an external cell voltage monitor (not shown). The cell voltage monitor monitors the voltage of each fuel cell 102 based on the voltage input from each electrical contact 14.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, the connector body 12 has a plurality of contact accommodating holes 12a. A plurality of electrical contacts 14 are inserted into the plurality of contact accommodating holes 12a, respectively. The plurality of electrical contacts 14 inserted into the connector body 12 are fixed to the connector body 12 by fixing members 16. The fixing members 16 are made of, for example, resin. In this embodiment, one cell monitoring connector 10 is provided with four electrical contacts 14, and four contact accommodating holes 12a are provided corresponding to the four electrical contacts 14. However, the number of the plurality of electrical contacts 14 and the number of the plurality of contact accommodating holes 12a provided in one cell monitoring connector 10 is not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate depending on the number of the plurality of fuel cell cells 102.

[0020] The locking member 18 is supported by the connector body 12. The locking member 18 is a member for locking the connector body 12 to the cell stack 104 when the connector body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104. The locking member 18 is made of, for example, resin.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3-5 , the locking member 18 includes a fixed portion 20, a swinging portion 22, and a biasing portion 24. In this embodiment, the fixed portion 20 is provided with a protrusion 20a that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the fuel cell 102 (here, the +Z-axis direction). The protrusion 20a of the fixed portion 20 engages with a hole 12b of the connector body 12. In this manner, the fixed portion 20 is fixed to the connector body 12, thereby fixing the locking member 18 to the connector body 12. The swinging portion 22 is connected to the fixed portion 20 via the biasing portion 24. The biasing portion 24 is elastically deformable. The elastic deformation of the biasing portion 24 allows the swinging portion 22 to swing between a locked position P1 and an unlocked position P2 with respect to the connector body 12.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4 , one end of the swinging part 22 has a plurality of engagement pieces 26. Each of the plurality of engagement pieces 26 is provided with an engagement portion 28. The engagement portions 28 have a protruding shape that protrudes in the stacking direction of the fuel cell 102 (here, the +Z-axis direction). Therefore, when the connector main body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104, the engagement portions 28 protrude in a direction perpendicular to the fuel cell 102 (i.e., the +Z-axis direction) and engage with holes 106 provided in the fuel cell 102. In this way, the engagement portions 28 engage with the fuel cell 102 when the swinging part 22 is in the lock position P1. This allows the locking member 18 to lock the connector main body 12 to the cell stack 104 when the connector main body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104.

[0023] The other end of the swinging part 22 has an operating part 30. The biasing part 24 extends from the fixed part 20 to the middle part of the swinging part 22. That is, the swinging part 22 is supported by the biasing part 24 at its middle part and generally has a lever structure. Therefore, when an operator operates the operating part 30 by pushing it in, the swinging part 22 swings around a fulcrum near its middle part. At this time, the operating force or amount of operation applied by the operator to the operating part 30 is amplified and transmitted to the engaging part 28 due to the principle of leverage. As the swinging part 22 swings, the engaging part 28 disengages from the hole in the fuel cell 102. At this time, the biasing part 24 is elastically deformed, and the elastic force biases the swinging part 22 toward the locked position P1. When the swinging part 22 reaches the unlocked position P2, the engaging part 28 and the fuel cell 102 are disengaged.

[0024] In the cell monitoring connector 10 of this embodiment, the locking member 18 is relatively large. For example, the size of the locking member 18 is sufficiently larger than the size of the electrical contacts 14. Therefore, if the locking member 18 could be made smaller, the connector body 12 could also be made smaller accordingly, thereby enabling the cell monitoring connector 10 as a whole to be made smaller. However, considering the reliability of the locking function of the locking member 18 and the ease of operation of the locking member 18 by an operator, the locking member 18 cannot be made smaller easily. On the other hand, as mentioned above, in order to reduce the size of the fuel cell 102, it is effective to make the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached relatively small compared to the total area of ​​the fuel cell 102.

[0025] In this regard, the cell monitoring connector 10 of this embodiment is designed so that when the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached to the cell stack 104, most of the locking member 18 is located outside the cell stack 104. That is, as shown in Fig. 4, when the cell monitoring connector 10 attached to the cell stack 104 is viewed along the stacking direction of the multiple fuel cell units 102 (i.e., the Z-axis direction), the biasing portion 24, fixing portion 20, and operating portion 30 of the locking member 18 are each located outside the overlapping area of ​​the fuel cell units 102. On the other hand, the engaging portion 28 of the locking member 18 is required to engage with the fuel cell units 102, and is therefore located inside the overlapping area of ​​the fuel cell units 102.

[0026] As described above, in the cell monitoring connector 10 of this embodiment, when the cell monitoring connector 10 attached to the cell stack 104 is viewed along the stacking direction of the multiple fuel cells 102 (i.e., the Z-axis direction), the engaging portion 28 is located inside the area where the fuel cells 102 overlap. On the other hand, at least the biasing portion 24 is located outside the area where the fuel cells 102 overlap. With this configuration, the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached can be made smaller relative to the total area of ​​the fuel cells 102. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the fuel cells 102, and thereby the size of the cell stack 104.

[0027] Although not particularly limited, in the cell monitoring connector 10 of this embodiment, the locking member 18 has a fixed portion 20, and the biasing portion 24 extends from the fixed portion 20 to the middle portion of the swinging portion 22. With this configuration, the operating force or amount of operation applied by the operator to the operating portion 30 is amplified and transmitted to the engaging portion 28 due to the principle of leverage. In other words, the operator can easily release the lock provided by the locking member 18. In addition, because the fixed portion 20 and operating portion 30 of the locking member 18 are located outside the area where the fuel cell units 102 overlap, the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached can be made relatively small compared to the total area of ​​the fuel cell units 102.

[0028] In the above-described embodiment, the dimensions of each part of the locking member 18 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the distance from the engaging portion 28 located at one end of the swinging portion 22 to the middle portion of the swinging portion 22 to which the biasing portion 24 is connected can be shortened. In this case, it is advisable to increase the distance between the operating portion 30 and the fixed portion 20. As a result, the operating force or amount applied by the operator to the operating portion 30 is greatly amplified and transmitted to the engaging portion 28 due to the principle of leverage, and the lock by the locking member 18 is easily released. Furthermore, the area of ​​the portion where the cell monitoring connector 10 is attached can be made relatively small compared to the total area of ​​the fuel cell 102.

[0029] In the above-described embodiment, when the connector main body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104, the protruding engagement portion 28 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the fuel cell 102 and engages with the hole 106 provided in the fuel cell 102. However, the specific configuration in which the engagement portion 28 of the locking member 18 engages with the fuel cell 102 is not particularly limited. For example, FIG. 6 shows a modified locking member 118. This locking member 118 is provided with a hook-shaped engagement portion 128. The hook-shaped engagement portion 128 protrudes in a direction parallel to the fuel cell 102. When the connector main body 12 is attached to the cell stack 104, the hook-shaped engagement portion 128 engages with the notch 108 provided in the fuel cell 102. This configuration also allows the connector main body 12 to be locked to the fuel cell 102. In this way, the engagement portion of the locking member may have a protrusion that engages with a hole, groove, or notch provided in the fuel cell 102.

[0030] Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10: cell monitoring connector, 12: connector body, 12a: contact accommodating hole, 12b: hole, 13: slit, 14: electrical contact, 16: fixing member, 18: locking member, 20: fixing portion, 22: swinging portion, 24: biasing portion, 26: engaging piece, 28: engaging portion, 30: operating portion, 100: fuel cell unit, 102: fuel cell, 104: cell stack, 106: hole, 108: notch

Claims

1. A cell monitoring connector that is attached to a cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cell cells are stacked, a connector body configured to be detachably attached to the cell stack; an electrical contact supported by the connector body and electrically connected to one of the plurality of fuel cell cells when the connector body is attached to the cell stack; a locking member supported by the connector body for locking the connector body to the cell stack when the connector body is attached to the cell stack; Equipped with The locking member is a swinging portion that can swing between a locked position and an unlocked position relative to the connector body; an engaging portion provided on the swinging portion, which engages with the fuel cell when the swinging portion is in a lock position and which disengages from the fuel cell when the swinging portion is in an unlock position; a biasing portion connected to the swinging portion and biasing the swinging portion toward the lock position, When the cell monitoring connector attached to the cell stack is viewed along a stacking direction in which the plurality of fuel cell units are stacked, the engaging portion is located inside an area where the fuel cell units overlap, and the biasing portion is located outside the area. Cell monitoring connector.

2. The cell monitoring connector according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion has a protrusion that engages with a hole, a groove, or a notch provided in the fuel cell.

3. The cell monitoring connector of claim 1, wherein the protrusion protrudes along a direction perpendicular to the fuel cell when the connector body is attached to the cell stack and engages with the hole provided in the fuel cell.

4. The cell monitoring connector according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion engages with the notch provided in the fuel cell when the connector body is attached to the cell stack.

5. The locking member is The connector further includes a fixing portion fixed to the connector body, the biasing portion extends from the fixed portion to a middle portion of the swinging portion, the engaging portion is located at one end of the swinging portion, The other end of the swinging part has an operating part that is operated by an operator, The cell monitoring connector according to claim 1, wherein when the cell monitoring connector attached to the cell stack is viewed along the stacking direction, the fixing portion and the operating portion are located outside the area where the fuel cell cells overlap.

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