Apparatus for automatically stacking fuel cell stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979041-B2
Application number	US-201514878972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 9, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically stacking a fuel cell stack includes a component pick-up unit configured to simultaneously pick up one separating plate component accommodated in a first magazine and one membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) sheet component accommodated in a second magazine, and load the components onto a start end of a component transfer route of a conveyor; a component examining unit installed at an upper side of the component transfer route of the conveyor, a defective component extracting unit installed at a rear side of the component examining unit, a component stacking unit installed at a distal end of the component transfer route of the conveyor, and a component pressurizing unit installed at an upper side of a transfer route of the stack guide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for automatically stacking a fuel cell stack, comprising:
a component pick-up unit configured to simultaneously pick up one separating plate component accommodated in a first magazine and one membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) sheet component accommodated in a second magazine, and load the components onto a start end of a component transfer route of a conveyor;
a component examining unit installed at an upper side of the component transfer route of the conveyor and configured to examine the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component transferred along the conveyor;
a defective component extracting unit installed at a rear side of the component examining unit, and configured to grip each of the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component as a unit set determined to have a defect by the component examining unit, and load the gripped components onto a tray of an external side of the conveyor;
a component stacking unit installed at a distal end of the component transfer route of the conveyor, and configured to grip the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component, and stack the components on a stack guide provided to be transferred in a direction crossing the component transfer route of the conveyor; and
a component pressurizing unit installed at an upper side of a transfer route of the stack guide, and configured to pressurize the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component which are sequentially stacked on the stack guide.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first magazine accommodates a plurality of sheets of the separating sheet component, in which negative electrode metal separating plates are bonded to positive electrode metal separating plates, and
wherein the second magazine accommodates a plurality of sheets of the MEA sheet component, in which gas diffusion layers (GDL) are bonded to both surfaces of the MEA.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a lift unit configured to support at least a pair of first and second magazines, and lift the components accommodated in the first and second magazines by driving a motor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component pick-up unit includes:
a pair of first and second gripper brackets installed so as to reciprocate along the component transfer route of the conveyor, and installed so as to reciprocate in a vertical direction;
a first component gripper installed at the first gripper bracket, and configured to vacuum-adsorb the separating plate component accommodated in the first magazine and load the vacuum-adsorbed separating plate component onto the start end of the component transfer route of the conveyor; and
a second component gripper installed at the second gripper bracket, and configured to vacuum-adsorb the MEA sheet component accommodated in the second magazine and load the vacuum-adsorbed MEA sheet component onto the start end of the component transfer route of the conveyor.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the component pick-up unit further includes a paper gripper installed at the first gripper bracket, and configured to vacuum-adsorb paper interposed between the separating plate components in the first magazine through a manifold hole of the separating plate components.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the component pick-up unit further includes a paper separating member installed at the first gripper bracket, and configured to separate a paper through the manifold hole of the separating plate component in a state where vacuum of the paper gripper is released.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a paper collecting container for collecting the paper separated from the separating plate component by the paper separating member is installed at the start end of the component transfer route of the conveyor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component examining unit includes a pair of location sensing visions configured to detect edge locations of manifold holes provided at both sides of the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component and output detection signals to a controller.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the defective component extracting unit includes a plurality of defective component extracting grippers installed so as to reciprocate in a direction crossing the component transfer route of the conveyor and installed so as to reciprocate in a vertical direction, and configured to vacuum-adsorb the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component stacking unit includes a pair of stack grippers disposed at an upper side of a start end of the transfer route of the stack guide, installed so as to reciprocate in a transfer direction of the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component and installed so as to reciprocate in a vertical direction, and configured to vacuum-adsorb the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component pressurizing unit includes a press member installed so as to reciprocate in a vertical direction by a press cylinder, and provided to be rotatable by a motor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a pair of fixing rods for fixing a stack body, in which the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component are stacked, separately from the stack guide, is installed in the press member.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an air-tightness examining unit installed to be connected to the component pressurizing unit, and configured to supply a fluid to a stack body, in which the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component are stacked by the component pressurizing unit, and examine air-tightness of the stack body.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a stack examining unit installed at the component stacking unit side, and configured to examine the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component stacked on the stack guide; and
an end plate loading unit installed at an external side of the transfer route of the stack guide, and configured to grip each of upper and lower end plates and load the gripped end plates onto the stack guide.

15. An apparatus for automatically stacking a fuel cell stack, comprising:
a component pick-up unit configured to simultaneously pick up one separating plate component and one membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) sheet component accommodated in magazines, respectively, and load the components onto a start end of a component transfer route of a conveyor;
a component aligning unit installed to be connected to a distal end of the component transfer route of the conveyor, and configured to align the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component transferred through the conveyor at predetermined locations;
a component stacking unit installed at the component aligning unit, and configured to grip the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component and stack the components on a stack guide provided to be transferred in a direction crossing the component transfer route of the conveyor; and
a component pressurizing unit installed at an upper side of a transfer route of the stack guide, and configured to pressurize the separating plate component and the MEA sheet component which are sequentially stacked on the stack guide.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the component stacking unit includes:
a pair of stack grippers disposed at an upper side of a start end of the transfer route of the stack guide, installed so as to reciprocate in a transfer direction of the separating pla

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ju Hokyun
• Jang Yoon

Classifications

• H01M8/2404 Primary

  Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/2483

  characterised by internal manifolds · CPC title

• H01M8/248

  Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/2457

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised · CPC title

• H01M8/2475

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title