Patent Application
20240313252
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0030407 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Mar. 8, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus of an electrode assembly and a manufacturing method of the electrode assembly.
In manufacturing a cylindrical secondary battery, controlling meandering is an important factor. However, positional precisions of an electrode and a separator deteriorate, and as a result, meandering may occur upon winding and a safety accident such as ignition, etc., may occur.
When a jelly-roll type electrode assembly is manufactured by winding a positive electrode, the separator, a negative electrode, and the separator at a winding core while consecutively supplying the positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator, positions of the positive electrode, each of the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator is measured using an edge position sensor (EPS) and the meandering is controlled through a relative comparison of the measurement value in related art.
In general, the relative comparison is performed by a method such as a method for measuring a non-overlap width between the positive electrode and the negative electrode by an X-ray or a method for checking a real thing by disassembling a jelly-roll by an actual worker, and there is a problem in that this is not delicate by depending on a subjective judgment of the worker. However, the subjective judgment of the worker causes a problem in that the jelly-roll in which the meandering occurs is mis-sorted as an adequate product in some cases, and as a result, an accident that multiple defective jelly-rolls leak in a subsequent process.
Further, a meandering inspection of the jelly-roll is temporarily performed through a sampling inspection or only when there is a change such as material replacement. However, there is a problem in that the meandering inspection is not performed except for the case where the meandering inspection is temporarily performed as such.
As described above, the relative comparison which depends on the subjective judgment of the worker and the meandering inspection which is intermittently performed cannot but be incomplete, and as a result, it is necessary to improve this.
In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention has been made in an effort to provide a manufacturing apparatus of an electrode assembly and a manufacturing method of the electrode assembly, which implement automation, thereby achieving meandering prevention.
However, a problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-described problem, and other problems not mentioned in the present specification will be able to be clearly appreciated by those skilled in the art from a description of the invention to be described below.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a manufacturing apparatus of an electrode assembly, which includes:
Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a manufacturing method of an electrode assembly, which includes:
In a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of an electrode assembly according to one aspect of the present invention, since whether a defect occurs can be simultaneously discriminated upon manufacturing a jelly-roll type electrode assembly, a defect rate of a secondary battery in which a defective electrode assembly is embedded can be reduced.
Further, in the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of an electrode assembly according to the present invention, a human error which occurs from a worker can be reduced. Alternatively, meandering reverse can be confirmed in real time without sampling. Alternatively, an adequate product can be produced without meandering reverse in a subsequent process by collecting data.
However, the effects which can be obtained through the present invention are not limited only to the above-described effects, and other technical effects not mentioned herein will be able to be clearly understood from the description of the invention to be described later by those skilled in the art.
The present invention may have various modifications and various embodiments and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this does not limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present disclosure covers all the modifications, equivalents and replacements included within the technical spirit and technical scope of the present invention.
In the present specification, terms including as first, second, A, B, and the like are used for describing various constituent elements, but the constituent elements are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only to discriminate one element from another element. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In the present specification, a term “and/or” includes a combination of a plurality of related items or some of the plurality of related items.
In the present specification, when a certain component is expressed as a singular number, the certain component may include a plurality of concepts even though is not separately specified in the present specification.
In the present specification, in respect to terms such as “include”, “have”, etc., unless separately specified in the present specification, a feature, a number, a step, an operation, a process, a component, a member, etc., or a combination thereof mean an existence itself, and does not mean excluding another feature, another number, etc.
In the present specification, “secondary battery” refers to a battery which is repeatedly usable for a long time through recharging. The secondary battery may be categorized into a nickel-cadmium battery, a lithium-ion secondary battery, etc., according to an electrode active material. The secondary battery may be categorized into a pouch type secondary battery, a square type secondary battery, a cylindrical secondary battery, etc., according to a type.
In the present specification, the secondary battery may include a battery can receiving an electrode assembly. The battery can may be cylindrical.
In the present specification, the term “cylindrical secondary battery” refers to a secondary battery having a cylinder shape or a type similar thereto. The cylindrical secondary battery which is generally used for large-capacity electronic and electric devices due to a characteristic in which energy density per volume is high may be used in a form in which a plurality of cylindrical secondary batteries are combined to constitute a battery pack.
In the present specification, the cylindrical secondary battery may refer to, for example, a structure in which a rivet penetrated and inserted into a bottom surface opposite to the opening portion of the cylindrical secondary battery is used as a negative electrode and a battery can itself is used as a positive electrode.
In the present specification, the secondary battery may include a battery can receiving an electrode assembly. The battery can may be cylindrical, and in respect to a size of the battery can, circular diameters of both end portions may be 30 to 55 mm and a height may be 60 to 120 mm. For example, the circular diameter×the height of the cylindrical battery can may be 46 mm×60 mm, 46 mm×80 mm, or 46 mm×90 mm, or 46 mm×120 mm.
Preferably, the cylindrical secondary battery may be, for example, a cylindrical secondary battery in which a ratio of a form factor (defined as a value acquired by dividing the diameter of the cylindrical secondary battery by the height, i.e., a ratio of a diameter @ to a height H) is larger than approximately 0.4.
The present specification, the term “cylindrical secondary battery” may be, for example, a 46110 cell, a 48750 cell, a 48110 cell, a 48800 cell, and a 46800 cell. In a numerical value representing the form factor, two preceding numbers represents the diameter of the cell, two subsequent numbers represent the height of the cell, and the last number 0 represent that a cross section of the cell is circular. When the height of the cell is 100 mm or more, three numbers are required to represent the height of the cell, and as a result, a last number, 0 is omittable.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a cylindrical secondary battery in which the diameter is approximately 46 mm, the height is approximately 110 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is approximately 0.418.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a battery cell in which the diameter is approximately 48 mm, the height is approximately 75 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is approximately 0.640.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a cylindrical secondary battery in which the diameter is approximately 48 mm, the height is approximately 110 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is approximately 0.418.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a battery cell in which the diameter is approximately 48 mm, the height is approximately 80 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is approximately 0.600.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a battery cell in which the diameter is approximately 46 mm, the height is approximately 80 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is approximately 0.575.
The cylindrical secondary battery according to the present specification, for example, as a substantially cylinder shape cell may be a cylindrical secondary battery in which the diameter is approximately 46 mm, the height is approximately 90 mm, and the ratio of the form factor is 0.511.
Further, a terminology “first electrode” refers to a negative electrode (or anode) and a terminology “second electrode” refers to the positive electrode (or cathode), but vice versa.
If it is not contrarily defined, all terms used herein including technological or scientific terms have the same meanings as those generally understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art.
Hereinafter, the related art and a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
According to one implementation example of the present invention, provided is a manufacturing apparatus of an electrode assembly, which includes:
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
In the implementation example, “width direction” means a direction of a short side in each of the first electrode, the second electrode, the first separator, and the second separator. In general, the width direction means a direction orthogonal to a length direction.
Further, the vision data which the control unit 9 acquires from the first machine vision 8-1 and the second machine vision 8-2 is illustrated in
Further, the control unit 9 judges whether the computed third non-overlap width is defective, the data processing unit 10 accumulates and processes the defect judgment data through the machine learning, and the input unit 11 automatically inputs the meandering reference value (a width of at least one of the first electrode, the second electrode, the first separator, and the second separator) based on the data processed by the data processing unit 10.
In the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example, the non-overlap width may be measured in real time by installing the machine vision on the driving-direction front ends of the electrode and the separator, since the meandering reference value is automatically input while the defect judgment data is accumulated and processed through the machine learning, the non-overlap width is measured by the worker and it is judged whether the non-overlap width is defective, and an effect of minimizing a human error which occurs as the meandering reference value is automatically input is provided.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which further includes one or all of a third machine vision provided on the driving-direction front end of the first electrode from the winding core and inspecting at least one of a bending of a first electrode coating edge and a first electrode tab of the other width-direction end portion of the first electrode, and
a fourth machine vision provided on the driving-direction front end of the second electrode from the winding core and inspecting at least one of a bending of a second electrode coating edge and a second electrode tab of the other width-direction end portion of the second electrode.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which includes a first guide roller guiding the first electrode and the first separator to be in contact with each other at a portion spaced apart from the winding core by 5 to 60 mm or less, and a second guide roller guiding the second electrode and the second separator to be in contact with each other.
Selectively, each of the first guide roller and the second guide roller may be independently installed at a portion spaced apart from the winding core by 5 mm or more, 10 mm or more, 15 mm or more, 20 mm or more, 25 mm, or 30 mm or more. Alternatively, each of the first guide roller and the second guide roller may be independently installed at a portion spaced apart from the winding core by 60 mm or less, 55 mm or less, 50 mm or less, 45 mm or less, 40 mm, or 35 mm or less.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example provides an effect of accurately measuring the first non-overlap width of the first electrode and the first separator and the second non-overlap width of the second electrode and the second separator.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which further includes: a supply line of the first electrode, the supply line of the first separator, the supply line of the second electrode, and the supply line of the second separator; and
a winding core rotating and winding one length-direction end portion while fixing one length-direction end portion of each of the first electrode, the first separator, the second electrode, and the second separator.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
The winding core 12 is rotated while fixing a length-direction end portion of each of the first electrode 1, the first separator 3-1, the second electrode 2, and the second separator 3-2 to the winding core 12 to wind the length-direction end portion.
Selectively, the winding core 12 may be rotated in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction.
Further, in the implementation example, “length direction” means a direction of a long side in each of the first electrode, the second electrode, the first separator, and the second separator.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which further includes a feed motor that is provided between each of the supply line of the first electrode, the supply line of the first separator, the supply line of the second electrode, and the supply line of the second separator, and the winding core, and inputs each of the first electrode, the first separator, the second electrode, and the second separator into the winding core.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which further includes a third guide roller that is provided between each of the supply line of the first electrode, the supply line of the first separator, the supply line of the second electrode, and the supply line of the second separator, and the feed motor to move to the feed motor from the supply line of the first electrode, the supply line of the first separator, the supply line of the second electrode, and the supply line of the second separator.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
According to one implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which further includes a cutter that is provided between the wining core and the feed motor, and cutting an electrode assembly input into the winding core.
Referring to
According to one implementation example, provided is a manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly in which the cutter 14 glides between the winding core and the feed motor.
According to the implementation example, since the cutter 14 is a glidable model, terminals of the electrode and/or the separator may be controlled by adjusting a cutting location.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly, which includes an illumination between the feed motor and the first machine vision and/or the second machine vision.
According to an additional implementation example, the illumination may be a constant current type and/or a bar type.
According to an implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly in which the illumination is the bar type illumination.
In regard to the implementation examples, referring to
The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example provides an effect of providing a stable image to the machine vision.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly in which the illumination is installed at a portion a spaced part from the winding core by a distance of 130 to 170 mm.
According to an additional implementation example, the illumination 7 may be installed at a portion spaced apart from the winding core 12 by a distance of 130 mm or more, 135 mm or more, 140 mm or more, or 145 mm or more.
According to an additional implementation example, the illumination 7 may be installed at a portion spaced apart from the winding core 12 by a distance of 170 mm or less, 165 mm or less, 160 mm or less, or 155 mm or less.
According to an additional implementation example, the illumination 7 may be installed at a portion spaced apart from the winding core 12 by a distance of 150 mm.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly in which measurement portions of the first machine vision and the second machine vision are spaced apart from the winding core by 1 to 50 mm.
According to an additional implementation example, the measurement portions of the first machine vision 8-1 and the second machine vision 8-2 may be spaced apart from the winding core 12 by 1 mm or more, 5 mm or more, 10 mm or more, or 15 mm or more.
According to an additional implementation example, the measurement portions of the first machine vision and the second machine vision may be spaced apart from the winding core 12 by 50 mm or less, 45 mm or less, 40 mm less, 35 mm or less, 30 mm or less, or 25 mm or less.
According to an additional implementation example, the measurement portions of the first machine vision and the second machine vision may be spaced apart from the winding core 12 by 20 mm.
In regard to the implementation example, referring to
According to the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example, a system that directly monitors the locations of the electrode and the separator by the worker through the EPS installed in the winding corer portion in the related art is replaced and a region from the winding core by 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less is measured by the machine vision to provide an effect of reducing a human error.
According to one implementation example, provided is a manufacturing method of an electrode assembly, which includes: (A) measuring a first non-overlap width between one width-direction end portion of the first electrode and one width-direction end portion of a first separator by a first machine vision provided on a driving-direction front end of a first electrode from a winding core, and measuring a second non-overlap width between one width-direction end portion of a second electrode and one width-direction end portion of a second separator by a second machine vision provided on a driving-direction front end of a second electrode;
In step (A), the first machine vision 8-1 is provided on the driving-direction front ends of the first electrode 1 and the first separator 3-1 and the second machine vision 8-2 is provided on the driving-direction front ends of the second electrode 2 and the second separator 3-2. Here, the first machine vision 8-1 measures a first non-overlap width between one width-direction end portion of the first electrode 1 and one width-direction end portion of the first separator 3-1, and the second machine vision 8-2 measures a second non-overlap width between one width-direction end portion of the second electrode 2 and one width-direction end portion of the second separator 3-2.
Further, the vision data acquired from the first machine vision 8-1 and the second machine vision 8-2 are collected and a result thereof is illustrated in
The defect judgment data is accumulated and processed through the machine learning, and a meandering reference value is automatically input based on the processed data. Here, the meandering reference value may be a width of at least one of the first electrode, the second electrode, the first separator, and the second separator, or at least one of driving velocities and input amounts of the electrode and the separator.
In the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example, the non-overlap width may be measured in real time by installing the machine vision on the driving-direction front ends of the electrode and the separator, since the meandering reference value is automatically input while the defect judgment data is accumulated and processed through the machine learning, the non-overlap width is measured by the worker and it is judged whether the non-overlap width is defective, and an effect of minimizing a human error which occurs as the meandering reference value is automatically input is provided.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly, which further includes, before step (A),
Referring to
In step (A-2), the length-direction end portion of each of the first electrode 1, the first separator 3-1, the second electrode 2, and the second separator 3-2 is fixed to the winding core 12.
Concrete contents regarding the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example are described as above.
According to an additional implementation example, provided is the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly, in which step (B) further includes one or all of
Concrete contents regarding the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly according to the implementation example are described as above.
Although the preferred examples of the present invention are described through the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto and various medications can be made within the claims and the range the detailed description of the invention, and this also belongs to the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0030407 | Mar 2021 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2022/003054 | 3/3/2022 | WO |
