JP2009148051A - Cell monitoring device for fuel cell and fuel cell system provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A cell monitoring device for a fuel cell capable of improving safety in a high voltage region of a control substrate, and a fuel cell system including the same.
A control board 29 is connected to a cell of a fuel cell stack 23 and uses cell information as a control signal. The control board 29 includes a low voltage region 29L on which low voltage components are arranged, and a high voltage area 29L. A cell monitoring device 1 for a fuel cell, which has a high voltage region 29H in which voltage components are arranged and is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the high voltage region 29H is located inside the vehicle 100 relative to the low voltage region 29L; And a fuel cell system including the cell monitoring device 1 for a fuel cell.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell monitor device for monitoring information (voltage or temperature information) of each cell of a fuel cell stack, and a fuel cell system including the fuel cell cell monitor device.

  Conventionally, a single cell of a general fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode (cathode) disposed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane, and a cathode electrode (anode) disposed on the other surface. It has a structure in which a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA: Membrane Electrode Assembly, hereinafter simply referred to as “MEA”) is provided, and separators are disposed on both sides of the MEA. In a fuel cell, a plurality of single cells are stacked to form a cell stack, and current collector plates (terminal plates), insulators, pressure plates, end plates, and the like are arranged at both ends of the cell stack in the cell stacking direction. Yes.

  In such a fuel cell, for each cell or for each of a plurality of cells, it is confirmed that normal power generation is performed in the cell, and the flow rate control of the reaction gas is performed based on the cell voltage, A cell monitoring device for monitoring the cell voltage is connected to guard the motor in the case of an abnormal voltage. This cell monitor device for a fuel cell is usually provided with a control substrate (cell monitor substrate) in which high voltage components and low voltage components are mixed, and is housed together with the fuel cell in a stack case.

  As such a fuel cell monitor device, for example, by setting the attachment position to the cell of the connector provided in the fuel cell monitor device at the cell end between the fuel cell stacks arranged in parallel, What improved collision safety is introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Further, as an in-vehicle box connected to a wire harness connected to a vehicle power source and fixed to the vehicle, a high voltage external connection connector receiving a high power supply voltage and a low voltage external connection receiving the low power supply voltage A vehicle-mounted box that prevents a misconnection by introducing a high-voltage external connection connector closer to a fixed position of the harness than the low-voltage external connection connector is introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

Further, a fuel cell is mounted under the floor of the vehicle, and a high voltage wiring connected to a high voltage component is routed between the fuel cell and one side of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, By laying the low-voltage wiring that connects to the weak electrical components between the battery and the other side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the arrangement of the electrical wiring and fluid piping is optimized, An electric wire routing structure that suppresses the influence of noise on the weak electric signal flowing in the low voltage wiring by securing and high voltage wiring is also introduced. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).
JP 2002-367656 A JP 2004-268611 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-12595

  Here, a cable for connecting each cell to the control board is required between the fuel cell and the fuel cell cell monitoring device, and the number of the cells is large, so the cell monitoring device is multi-channeled. It is necessary to. For this reason, the apparatus tends to be heavy, large, and expensive. In addition, since the fuel cell stack to be measured by the cell monitor device becomes a noise generation source and it is difficult to perform stable transmission / reception, the use of the wireless communication function increases the unit price of components. Therefore, in the control board provided in the conventional fuel cell cell monitoring device, parts are arranged to optimize the area efficiency, noise, etc. of the board alone. It is not designed to keep the voltage components safe.

  On the other hand, if the control board is damaged due to, for example, a vehicle collision or the like, there is a high possibility that the high-voltage components are short-circuited. In addition, since the cell monitor device and the cable also have a high voltage, it is necessary to prevent them from being short-circuited at the time of a vehicle collision, for example. Therefore, as in the prior art described above, by arranging the fuel cell monitoring device in a place where it is difficult to break, for example, in the event of a vehicle collision, the high voltage components of the control board can be kept safe. Yes.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even if the control board is damaged due to a vehicle collision or the like, the fuel cell can improve the safety of the control board in the high voltage region. An object of the present invention is to provide a cell monitoring device for a fuel cell and a fuel cell system including the cell monitoring device for a fuel cell.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a cell monitoring device for a fuel cell that includes a control board that is connected to a cell of a fuel cell stack and uses the cell information as a control signal, and monitors the cell information. The control board has a low voltage region in which low voltage components are disposed and a high voltage region in which high voltage components are disposed. When the control board is mounted on a vehicle, the high voltage region is the low voltage region. It is intended to provide a fuel cell cell monitoring device that is located inside the vehicle with respect to the region.

  When the fuel cell monitor device having this configuration is mounted on a vehicle, the high voltage region of the control board is located inside the vehicle relative to the low voltage region. That is, if the vehicle receives an impact due to a collision or the like, a low voltage region of the control board is located outside and around the vehicle that becomes a crushable zone. Therefore, even if the control board is damaged due to an impact due to a vehicle collision or the like, it is possible to suppress a short circuit of the high-voltage parts arranged in the high-voltage region of the control board, and Safety can be ensured.

  As an embodiment of the fuel cell monitoring device according to the present invention, when the fuel cell monitoring device is mounted in front of the vehicle, the high voltage region of the control board is located behind the vehicle rather than the low voltage region. It can arrange | position so that it may be located in.

  Further, as another aspect, when the fuel cell monitoring device is mounted in a substantially central portion of the vehicle, the low voltage region of the control board is disposed on both sides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle in the high voltage region. can do.

  As another aspect, when the fuel cell monitoring device is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle, the high-voltage region of the control board is disposed in front of the vehicle with respect to the low-voltage region. be able to.

  Further, the control board disposed in the fuel cell cell monitoring device according to the present invention has a plurality of high voltage components disposed in the high voltage region, and has the lowest voltage among the plurality of high voltage components. It is also possible to dispose the lowest voltage component and the highest voltage component having the highest voltage so as to be spaced apart from each other. By arranging in this way, it is possible to further suppress a short circuit of the high voltage component.

  In the case of this configuration, when the fuel cell monitoring device is mounted on a vehicle, the highest voltage component can be arranged so as to be located inside the vehicle with respect to the lowest voltage component. By arranging in this way, even if an impact is applied to the high voltage region, the low voltage component among the high voltage components arranged in the high voltage region is damaged (short-circuited). be able to.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell and the cell monitoring device for a fuel cell according to the present invention and is mounted on a vehicle. In the fuel cell system having this configuration, the high voltage region of the control board, which is a constituent element of the fuel cell cell monitoring device, is located inside the vehicle relative to the low voltage region. Even if the control board is damaged due to an impact, it is possible to suppress short-circuiting of high-voltage components arranged in the high-voltage region of the control board, and to ensure the safety of the high-voltage parts. . Therefore, the safety of the entire fuel cell system can be improved.

  The term “low voltage component” as used in the present invention refers to a component whose input / output supplies substantially the same voltage as an auxiliary battery that supplies power to the auxiliary device or a system similar to the auxiliary battery, Indicates a component whose input and output are substantially the same voltage as the fuel cell.

  When the fuel cell monitoring apparatus according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, the high voltage region of the control board is located inside the vehicle with respect to the low voltage region. Even if the control board is damaged, it is possible to suppress a short circuit of the high-voltage components arranged in the high-voltage region of the control board. As a result, it is possible to provide a highly reliable fuel cell cell monitoring device in which the safety of high-voltage components is ensured.

  Further, the fuel cell system according to the present invention improves the safety and reliability of the entire fuel cell system as a result of ensuring the safety of the control board disposed in the cell monitoring device for the fuel cell, which is a component. can do.

  Next, a fuel cell monitoring apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a fuel cell system including the fuel cell monitoring apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is the illustration for demonstrating this invention, and this invention is not limited only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

  FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a stack case in which a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is housed and a cell monitor device for a fuel cell are mounted on a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a vehicle shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the entire fuel cell housed in the stack case shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the fuel cell shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the cell monitoring device for a fuel cell connected to the fuel cell shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the board | substrate for control arrange | positioned at this cell monitor apparatus for fuel cells. In the drawings, for easy understanding, the thickness, size, enlargement / reduction ratio, etc. of each member are not matched with the actual ones.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the cell monitoring device 1 for a fuel cell according to the present embodiment is disposed on the top of a stack case 2 that houses a fuel cell 10, and is in front of the vehicle 100 together with the stack case 2. Installed in the engine compartment.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the fuel cell 10 includes an electrolyte membrane 11 made of an ion exchange membrane, and an anode 14 (fuel electrode) made up of a catalyst layer 12 and a diffusion layer 13 disposed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane 11. And an MEA comprising a catalyst layer 15 and a cathode 17 (air electrode) comprising a catalyst layer 15 and a diffusion layer 16 disposed on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane 11, and a fuel gas (hydrogen) and an oxidizing gas (oxygen, normal) on the anode 14 and the cathode 17. A cell is formed by overlapping a fluid passage 27 (fuel passage 27a and air passage 27b) for supplying air and a separator 18 forming a cooling water passage 26 through which cooling water for cooling the fuel cell flows. A plurality of the cells are stacked to form a module 19, and the module 19 is stacked to form a module group. The terminals 19 are connected to both ends of the module 19 group in the cell stacking direction. The stack member 21 and the end plate 22 are arranged to form the stack 23, the stack 23 is fastened in the stacking direction, and the fastening member 24 extending in the cell stacking direction outside the stack 23 (for example, the tension plate, the fastening member 24 is the stack plate). A part of which is fixed with bolts 25. In addition, the cooling water flow path 26 is provided for every cell or every several cell.

  In the separator 18, the cooling water flow path 26 and the fluid flow path 27 are formed on a carbon plate, or the cooling water flow path 26 and the fluid flow path 27 are formed on a resin plate mixed with conductive particles to have conductivity. Or a superposition of a plurality of uneven metal plates forming the cooling water flow path 26 and the fluid flow path 27. In the present embodiment, the separator 18 is made of a carbon plate. The cooling water flow path 26 and the fluid flow path 27 are pipe parts (not shown) for cooling water supply / discharge and gas supply, which are attached to the end plate 22 via a cooling water manifold and a gas manifold in the stack 23, respectively.・ Connected to the discharge pipe). Separator 18 partitions either fuel gas and oxidizing gas, fuel gas and cooling water, or oxidizing gas and cooling water. The separator 18 is a conductive member, and forms an electrical path through which electrons flow from the anode to the cathode of adjacent cells. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, in one cell, the separator on the cathode side with the electrolyte membrane 11 sandwiched is a positive separator, the separator on the anode side is a negative separator, and the positive separator with the electrolyte membrane 11 sandwiched therebetween. A cell voltage (for example, about 1 V) is generated between the separator and the negative separator.

  The cell monitor device 1 for a fuel cell measures cell voltage. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, control is performed using a connector 30 connected to the cell and an analog voltage from the connector 30 as a control signal. And a wire harness (wiring) 33 that transmits an analog voltage signal of the connector 30 to the control board 29. The fuel cell monitoring device 1 is connected to a cell of the fuel cell 10 by a connector 30. The attachment position of the connector 30 to the cell is set on the side between the stacks 23 arranged in parallel (the center side in the direction perpendicular to the cell stacking direction of the plurality of stacks 23 arranged in parallel). . The order of the separators 18 in the cells of the fuel cell 10 is: the order from the right end to the left end in the front (front side) stack of the vehicle 100 and the order from the left end to the right end in the rear (rear side) stack. Designed to be the same as each other.

  The connector 30 has a housing 32 and a pair of terminals 31 detachably held by the housing 32, and the terminals 31 of the connector 30 are connected to each cell or to a plurality of cells. Each terminal 31 is connected to a corresponding wire harness 33. The wire harness 33 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper tension plate among the upper and lower fastening members 24 positioned above and below the cell stack of each stack 23, and the control substrate 29 is positioned at the end in the width direction of the upper tension plate. Connected to the side.

  The control board 29 converts an analog signal from the wire harness 33 into a digital signal, and a plurality of high voltage components and a plurality of low voltage components are arranged. As shown in FIG. 7, the control board 29 has a low voltage region 29L in which low voltage components are arranged and a high voltage region H in which high voltage components are arranged. When 1 is mounted in front of the vehicle 100 (in this embodiment, in the engine compartment), the high voltage region 29H is arranged so as to be located on the inner side (that is, the rear side) of the vehicle 100 than the low voltage region 29L. It is installed.

  Here, if an impact is applied from the front of the vehicle 100 due to a collision or the like, the area A indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2 becomes a crushable zone that is a danger area of the front collision. Since the low voltage region 29L is disposed on the crushable zone side, the high voltage component disposed in the high voltage region 29H of the control board 29 is not affected by a vehicle collision or the like. Short-circuiting can be suppressed, and safety of high-voltage components can be ensured.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fuel cell cell monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present invention is disposed on the upper part of the stack case 2 in which the fuel cell 10 is accommodated. It may be mounted under the floor located in In the case of this configuration, when an impact is applied from the side surface of the vehicle 100 (a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle) due to a collision or the like, the two regions B indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. It becomes a crushable zone that is an area. Therefore, when the fuel cell monitoring device 1 is positioned substantially at the center of the vehicle 100, as shown in FIG. 10, the low voltage region 29L of the control board 29 is located on both sides of the high voltage region 29H in the vehicle front-rear direction (that is, , Inside). By doing the layout of the high voltage region 29H and the low voltage region 29L of the control board 29 in this way, even if a shock is applied from the side due to a vehicle collision or the like, the crushable zone (region B) side has Since the low voltage region 29L is disposed, it is possible to suppress a short circuit of the high voltage component disposed in the high voltage region 29H, and it is possible to ensure the safety of the high voltage component.

  Further, the fuel cell cell monitoring device 1 according to the present invention may be disposed behind the vehicle 100. In this case, for the same reason as described above, the control board 29 may be disposed so that the high voltage region 29H is positioned on the inner side (ie, the front side) of the vehicle 100 than the low voltage region 29L.

  In the high voltage region 29H of the control board 29, among the plurality of high voltage components, the lowest voltage component 129L that is the lowest voltage and the highest voltage component 129H that is the highest voltage are arranged at positions separated from each other. Thereby, it can further suppress that a high voltage component short-circuits. In the case of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 11, when the fuel cell monitoring device 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the highest voltage component 129H is arranged so as to be located inside the vehicle 100 relative to the lowest voltage component 129L. Even if an impact is applied to the high voltage region 29H, a component having a low voltage among the high voltage components disposed in the high voltage region 29H can be damaged (short-circuited).

  In the high voltage region 29H, among the high voltage components, it is preferable to arrange the high voltage components so as to be located inside the vehicle 100 rather than the low voltage components.

  Note that the cell voltage of the cell arranged in the middle part of the stack 23 in the cell stack direction is more stable than the cell voltage of the cell arranged in the cell stack direction end of the stack 23. For cells arranged in the middle of the direction, for example, the cell voltage may be monitored at a rate of one for each cell. By doing so, it is possible to shorten the time required to monitor the cell voltage by making a round of the entire cell stack. In this case, since the cell monitor device 1 for a fuel cell is connected to a plurality of cells at a ratio of one in the middle portion of the stack where the cell voltage is stable compared to the end of the stack 23, Compared with the case where the fuel cell monitoring device 1 is attached to the cell, the mounting structure of the fuel cell monitoring device 1 can be made compact and simple. Further, the time for scanning the cell monitor device 1 for all fuel cells can be shortened, and the responsiveness of the cell voltage check is improved.

  Moreover, since the wire harness 33 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper tension plate among the upper and lower fastening members 24, the wiring can be fixed in a compact and simple manner using the upper surface of the upper tension plate. Moreover, since it is fixed to the upper surface of the upper tension plate, the wire harness 33 can be fixed after the stack 23 is assembled to the vehicle, and the mounting of the stack 23 and the assembly and fixing of the wire harness 33 can be performed in separate steps. This is advantageous in mounting the fuel cell 10 on a vehicle.

  In addition, the fuel cell system according to the present embodiment includes a fuel cell 10 and a fuel cell cell monitoring device 1 connected to the cell of the fuel cell 10 and measuring the voltage of the cell, as well as fuel to the fuel cell 10. The fuel cell 10 is driven by a fuel gas supply source (not shown) that supplies gas, an oxidizing gas supply source (not shown) that supplies oxidizing gas to the fuel cell 10, and a circulation unit (not shown) that circulates the gas discharged from the fuel cell 10. It contains the desired equipment necessary for this.

It is a side view showing typically the state where the stack case where the fuel cell concerning the embodiment of the invention was stored, and the cell monitor device for fuel cells were carried in vehicles. It is a bottom view of the vehicle shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the whole fuel cell accommodated in the stack case shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of fuel cell shown in FIG. It is a side view of the cell monitor apparatus for fuel cells connected to the fuel cell shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VI-VI line shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the board | substrate for control arrange | positioned at the cell monitor apparatus for fuel cells concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a side view showing typically the state where the stack case where the fuel cell concerning other embodiments of the present invention was stored, and the cell monitor device for fuel cells were carried in vehicles. It is a bottom view of the vehicle shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows typically the board | substrate for control arrange | positioned at the cell monitor apparatus for fuel cells concerning other embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the board | substrate for control arrange | positioned at the cell monitor apparatus for fuel cells concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fuel cell cell monitoring apparatus, 2 ... Stack case, 10 ... Fuel cell, 23 ... Stack, 29 ... Control board, 29H ... High voltage area, 29L ... Low voltage area, 30 ... Connector, 33 ... Wire harness, 100 ... Vehicle, 129H ... Highest voltage component, 129L ... Lowest voltage component

Claims (7)

A cell monitoring device for a fuel cell, which is connected to a cell of a fuel cell stack and includes a control substrate that converts the cell information into a control signal, and monitors the cell information,
The control board has a low voltage region in which low voltage components are arranged, and a high voltage region in which high voltage components are arranged,
A cell monitor device for a fuel cell, wherein the high voltage region is located inside the vehicle with respect to the low voltage region when mounted on a vehicle.   2. The fuel cell cell monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage region is located further to the rear of the vehicle than the low voltage region when mounted in front of the vehicle.   2. The cell monitor device for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the low voltage region is located on both sides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle in the high voltage region when mounted on a substantially central portion of the vehicle.   The fuel cell cell monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage region is positioned in front of the vehicle with respect to the low voltage region when mounted on the rear of the vehicle.   A plurality of high voltage components are disposed in the high voltage region, and among the plurality of high voltage components, the lowest voltage component that is the lowest voltage and the highest voltage component that is the highest voltage are separated from each other. The cell monitoring device for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cell monitoring device is disposed in the fuel cell.   The fuel cell cell monitoring device according to claim 5, wherein when mounted on a vehicle, the highest voltage component is positioned inside the vehicle with respect to the lowest voltage component. A fuel cell;
A cell monitoring device for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A fuel cell system mounted on a vehicle.

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