Patent ID: 11913129
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Surface technology, coating (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C | IPC C

Claim 2:
3. A film formation device for a metallic coating, comprising:
an anode;
a solid electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and a substrate that serves as a cathode;
a housing that houses an electrolyte containing metal ions, the solid electrolyte membrane being mounted to the housing, the electrolyte being disposed between the anode and the solid electrolyte membrane;
an elevating device that moves up and down the housing in an interval from a position at which the solid electrolyte membrane is separated from the substrate to a position at which the solid electrolyte membrane contacts the substrate;
a pressing mechanism that pressurizes the electrolyte housed in the housing to press the substrate in contact with the solid electrolyte membrane by the solid electrolyte membrane; and
a power supply unit that applies a voltage between the anode and the substrate,
wherein a metallic coating derived from the metal ions is formed on a surface of the substrate by applying the voltage between the anode and the substrate in a state where the substrate is pressed,
wherein the film formation device further includes:
an impedance measurement device that measures an alternating current impedance between the anode and the substrate in a state where the solid electrolyte membrane is in contact with the substrate;
a re-tensioning mechanism that re-tensions the solid electrolyte membrane mounted to the housing with a constant tensile force; and
a control device that controls at least the moving up and down by the elevating device, the pressing by the pressing mechanism, the applying the voltage by the power supply unit, executing the measurement by the impedance measurement device, and the re-tensioning by the re-tensioning mechanism,

wherein the control device includes:
a measurement execution unit that causes the impedance measurement device to execute the measurement of the alternating current impedance in a state where the housing is moved down by the elevating device to the position at which the solid electrolyte membrane contacts the substrate to bring the solid electrolyte membrane into contact with the substrate;
a film formation execution determination unit that determines to permit the film formation of the metallic coating when an imaginary component at a predetermined frequency of the alternating current impedance measured by the measurement execution unit is equal to or more than a preliminarily set film-formable value at which the film formation becomes performable, and determines to inhibit the film formation of the metallic coating when the imaginary component is smaller than the film-formable value, the imaginary component at the predetermined frequency indicating a contact state between the solid electrolyte membrane and the substrate;
a film formation execution unit that forms the metallic coating by causing the pressing mechanism to press the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane and causing the power supply unit to apply the voltage when the film formation execution determination unit has determined to permit the film formation; and
a re-tensioning execution unit that causes the pressing mechanism to release the pressing of the substrate by the solid electrolyte membrane, causes the elevating device to move up the housing to the position at which the solid electrolyte membrane is separated from the substrate, and causes the re-tensioning mechanism to re-tension the solid electrolyte membrane with the constant tensile force when the film formation execution determination unit has determined to inhibit the film formation.