Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – With pressure equalizing means for liquid immersion operation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-25
2004-10-19
Kalafut, Stephen J. (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
With pressure equalizing means for liquid immersion operation
C429S006000, C429S006000, C429S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805986
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gasket for a fuel battery which is used as a seal portion in the fuel battery.
BACKGROUND ART
About 100 to 400 sheets of separators (current collecting plates) are used in a stack for the fuel battery in correspondence to a number of lamination of unit cells. At this time, there are a case of simply laminating the cells so as to form the stack and a case of laminating modules, one unit of which is formed by a plurality of the cells, so as to form the stack. In the fuel battery stack mentioned above, in the case that the cell or the module does not normally operate, a reduction of a power generating efficiency, an abnormality or a trouble is caused. However, in the stack state, it has not been easily known which of the cells or modules generates a problem. For example, in the case that a voltage drop or a current reduction is generated due to a defect of the separator, a problem of an electrode, an abnormality of a fuel gas concentration, an abnormality of an electrolyte membrane or the like, it has been conventionally unknown which of the cells or modules the voltage drop or the current reduction is generated in. Accordingly, under the present circumstances, the stack is dissembled and the cells or the modules are checked by a tester one by one.
The present invention is made by taking the matters mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gasket for a fuel battery which is provided with a function capable of performing an operation of specifying a cell or a module generating a voltage drop or a current reduction without disassembling a stack for a fuel battery, by directly measuring a voltage or a current of the cell or the module by a print circuit being electrically in contact with a separator, an a function of taking out an output of a gas sensor or a temperature sensor built in the cell or the module.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the object mentioned above, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery characterized in that gaskets are provided on both surfaces of a print circuit for taking out an electric signal within a cell or a module.
Further, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery as recited in the first aspect mentioned above, characterized in that the print circuit is a flexible print circuit.
Further, in accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery characterized in that a detecting portion having a function of taking out an output of a gas sensor built in a cell or a module is integrally assembled.
Further, in accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery as recited in the third aspect mentioned above, characterized in that the gasket has a substrate mounted to an electrolyte membrane of a reaction electrode portion, a flexible print circuit lapped over the substrate, an electrode provided in the flexible print circuit and being in contact with the separator, and a gasket fixed to the substrate and holding the flexible print circuit between the gasket and the substrate.
Further, in accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery characterized in that a detecting portion having a function of taking out an output of a gas sensor build in a cell or a module is integrally assembled.
Further, in accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery characterized in that a detecting portion having a function of taking out an output of a temperature sensor build in a cell or a module is integrally assembled.
Further, in accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery characterized in that a signal line for taking out an electric signal within a cell or a module is integrally formed with a gasket substrate in accordance with a printing method or an etching method, and a gasket is integrally formed with the substrate.
Further, in accordance with an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery as recited in the seventh aspect mentioned above, characterized in that the signal line takes out an electric signal of a current application diagnosis, a temperature, a gas or the like.
Further, in accordance with a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery as recited in the seventh aspect mentioned above, characterized in that the gasket is formed in a double structure, the signal line is arranged between the gaskets, and an electrode is also arranged there.
Further, in accordance with a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gasket for a fuel battery as recited in any one of the first to ninth aspects mentioned above, characterized in that a front surface of a circuit formed in the substrate is coated with a protecting member constituted of an insulating membrane.
By measuring the voltage or the current between the separators at the print circuit terminal in a stack state formed by laminating a plurality of cells in which the gasket for the fuel battery with the print circuit in accordance with the present invention provided with the structure mentioned above is built, or by taking out the sensor output, it is possible to check only on connecting a tester to the detecting portion without dissembling the stack. As a particular structure of the detecting portion and the gasket, as described in the third aspect, it is preferable to have a substrate mounted to an electrolyte membrane of a reaction electrode portion, a flexible print circuit lapped over the substrate, an electrode provided in the flexible print circuit and being in contact with the separator, and a gasket fixed to the substrate and holding the flexible print circuit between the gasket and the substrate. The circuit portion may be formed by directly adhering a metal foil to the substrate or printing a conductive ink. Further, the present invention is structured such that the gasket for the fuel battery having the gaskets on both surfaces of the print circuit for taking out the electric signal within the cell or the module is held between the separators, and the electric signal take-out portion for taking out the electric signal (the voltage, the current or the like) is integrally assembled with the seal.
Further, as the gasket for a fuel battery in accordance with the sixth aspect of the present invention provided with the structure mentioned above, in the case that the signal line for taking out the electric signal within the cell or the module is integrally formed with the gasket substrate in accordance with the printing method or the etching method, an occupying space is hardly expanded in comparison with the structure having no signal line, so that it is possible to provide the gasket which saves space and has an excellent practicability in this view.
In this case, the following technical matters are included in the present application.
(1) That is, at first, in order to achieve the object mentioned above, one gasket proposed by the present application is a gasket with a print circuit used in the stack for the fuel battery. When the print circuit is the flexible print circuit, it is advantageous to make the structure thin.
(2) Further, the substrate is made of a heat-resistant resin sheet such as a polyimide (PI), a polyether nitrile (PEN), a polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an epoxy-based resin, a phenol-based resin or the like, and the circuit portion is formed by using a conductive ink, a copper, a nickel, a stainless steel, a titanium, a tungsten, a gold, a Permalloy, a Nichrome, an aluminum foil or the like. In this case, the metal foil or the like such as the copper or the aluminum which is easily corroded by an electrolyte solution or the like can be covered by a metal having a corrosion r
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Kalafut Stephen J.
NOK Corporation
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