Powder discharging device for secondary battery

Abstract

Provided is a powder discharge device for a secondary battery, comprising: a hopper having an accommodating space for accommodating a powder and a discharge port for discharging the powder; a mesh plate disposed inside the hopper; and a vibration transmission unit that transmits vibration to the mesh plate. According to the powder discharging device for the secondary battery, the agglomeration of the powder can be reduced, and the powder can be smoothly discharged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a powder discharge device for a secondary battery. Background Art

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries are conveniently chargeable and dischargeable, and therefore have attracted widespread attention as power sources for various mobile devices and electric vehicles, etc. For example, a battery module can be formed by connecting multiple high-energy-density secondary batteries that use non-aqueous electrolytes, and such a battery module can be used as a power source for electric vehicles.

[0003] As the secondary battery, lead secondary batteries, nickel-cadmium secondary batteries, nickel-hydrogen secondary batteries, and lithium-ion secondary batteries are mainly used. Among them, lithium-ion secondary batteries are small and light, have high energy density, and have excellent large current load characteristics.

[0004] Lithium salts such as lithium cobalt oxide are used as positive electrode active materials of lithium ion secondary batteries, and carbon materials such as graphite are used as negative electrode active materials. As carbon materials constituting the negative electrode of lithium ion secondary batteries, granular graphite-based materials are mainly used, and mixed graphite is used to ensure both cost and structural stability.

[0005] In the past, graphite was fed into the mixer using a hopper. Graphite can aggregate (Cluster) due to its characteristics, and the aggregation phenomenon of graphite near the discharge port may be more serious. If the graphite aggregation phenomenon is serious, there is a problem that powder cannot be fed into the mixer or the powder feeding speed may be slow. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] At least some embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a powder discharge device for a secondary battery that can reduce aggregation of powder.

[0008] At least some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a powder discharge device for a secondary battery that can discharge powder smoothly.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] As one aspect for achieving at least part of the above-mentioned purpose, a powder discharge device for secondary batteries is provided, comprising: a hopper having a storage space for storing powder and an outlet for discharging the powder; a mesh plate arranged inside the hopper; and a vibration transmission unit for transmitting vibration to the mesh plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the invention further comprises at least one guiding component disposed in the containing space to guide the moving direction of the powder, wherein the guiding component can contact the mesh plate to receive vibration from the mesh plate.

[0012] In one embodiment, the at least one guide member may be disposed on both sides of the mesh plate.

[0013] In one embodiment, the at least one guide member may be fixed to the mesh plate.

[0014] In one embodiment, the at least one guiding component may include an inclined portion formed on an outer side surface to allow the powder to slide.

[0015] In one embodiment, the at least one guide member may have a cone or truncated cone shape.

[0016] In one embodiment, the at least one guide component may include stainless steel.

[0017] In one embodiment, the hopper includes a tapered portion whose inner diameter gradually narrows, and the discharge port may be disposed at a lower portion of the tapered portion.

[0018] In one embodiment, the mesh plate may be disposed inside the tapered portion.

[0019] In one embodiment, the tapered portion may be in contact with the vibration transferring unit.

[0020] In one embodiment, the tapered portion is in contact with the mesh plate, and the vibration transmission unit may be disposed outside the hopper opposite to a configuration position of the mesh plate.

[0021] In one embodiment, the vibration transmission unit and the mesh plate are connected via a connecting member, and the connecting member may pass through a portion of the hopper.

[0022] In one embodiment, the powder discharge device for secondary batteries may further include a control unit for controlling the driving of the vibration transmission unit.

[0023] In one embodiment, the control part may receive a measurement value from a measurement sensor measuring a weight change amount of the powder contained in the hopper, and operate the vibration transmission unit according to the measurement value.

[0024] In one embodiment, a switchable valve may be connected to the outlet.

[0025] In one embodiment, the mesh plate may include stainless steel.

[0026] Technical Effects

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure having such a configuration, aggregation of powder can be reduced.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure having such a configuration, powder can be discharged smoothly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a conventional powder discharge device for secondary batteries;

[0030] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a powder discharge device for a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the I-I' line;

[0032] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A plan view of a mesh plate, a guide component and a vibration transmission unit;

[0033] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 3 A cross-sectional view showing a state in which powder is contained in a powder discharge device for a secondary battery.

[0034] Description of Reference Numerals

[0035] 10: Powder discharge device for secondary battery 100: Hopper

[0036] 200: Mesh plate 300: Vibration transmission unit

[0037] 400: Guide component DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Before explaining the present disclosure in detail, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims shall not be interpreted in a general or dictionary sense, but shall be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical concept of the present disclosure based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his invention in the best way. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the components shown in the drawings are only one embodiment of the present disclosure and do not fully represent the technical concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be multiple equivalents and modifications that can replace these when applying for this application.

[0039] In the following description, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular descriptions include plural descriptions. It should be understood that terms such as "including" or "comprising" are used to specify the features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof that are recorded in the specification, rather than excluding the existence or additional possibility of one or more other features or numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof in advance.

[0040] Furthermore, it is hereby stated in advance that descriptions such as upper side, top, lower side, lower part, side, front, and back in the following description are described based on the directions shown in the figures, and different descriptions may be given when the directions of the objects are changed.

[0041] In addition, in order to distinguish constituent elements, terms including ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" may be used in this specification and claims. These ordinals are used to distinguish identical or similar constituent elements from each other, and the meaning of the terms cannot be limited by the use of these ordinals. For example, constituent elements combined with these ordinals cannot be limited in their order of use, arrangement order, etc. due to the numbers. As needed, the ordinals can also be used interchangeably.

[0042] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the concept of the present disclosure is not limited to the proposed embodiments. For example, a person of ordinary skill who understands the concept of the present disclosure may propose other embodiments within the scope of the concept of the present disclosure by adding, changing or deleting constituent elements, but this is also within the scope of the concept of the present disclosure. The shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for a clearer description.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a conventional powder discharge device for secondary batteries.

[0044] See also Figure 1 The conventional powder discharging device for secondary batteries is composed of a hopper 1 .

[0045] The hopper 1 includes an inclined surface 1a formed on the lower surface with an inner diameter gradually narrowing. The powder P1 near the inclined surface can slide along the inclined surface 1a toward the lower part of the hopper 1 and be discharged from the discharge port O formed at the lower end of the hopper 1. On the contrary, the movement amount of the powder arranged relatively far from the inclined portion may be less than the movement amount of the powder P1 located near the inclined portion. For example, the powder P2 located in the center of the internal space of the hopper will be relatively stagnant compared to the powder P1 located near the inclined portion. Therefore, when graphite powder is arranged, the powder P2 located in the center of the internal space of the hopper may be condensed due to the property of graphite that can be easily condensed. In the case where the powder is condensed, the speed of the powder being discharged from the discharge port O may slow down or the powder may not be discharged.

[0046] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a powder discharge device for a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is along Figure 1 Cross-sectional view along line I-I'.

[0047] See first Figure 2 and Figure 3According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a powder discharge device 10 for a secondary battery may include a hopper 100 , a mesh plate 200 , and a vibration transmission unit 300 .

[0048] The hopper 100 may be composed of an upper surface having an inlet I and a lower surface having an outlet O. As an example, the upper surface of the hopper 100 may be formed in a cylindrical shape, and a portion of the lower surface of the hopper 100 may be formed in a conical shape whose cross-sectional area becomes narrower as it goes downward.

[0049] The upper surface of the hopper 100 and the lower surface of the hopper 100 may be formed with a storage space S capable of storing powder. The hopper 100 may protect and store the powder stored therein from the external environment. The powder may be a carbon powder used as a negative electrode active material of a secondary battery, and the carbon powder may be artificial graphite or natural graphite. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the storage space S may contain slurry for a secondary battery instead of powder.

[0050] An inlet I may be formed on the upper surface of the hopper 100 . As an example, the inlet I is formed at the upper end of the upper surface and may have a circular cross section. Powder may be fed into the secondary battery powder discharge device 10 through the inlet I formed on the upper surface of the hopper 100 .

[0051] The hopper 100 may include a tapered portion 110 whose inner diameter gradually narrows. For example, the tapered portion 110 may be formed on the lower surface of the hopper 100, and may be in a form in which the inner diameter becomes smaller as the hopper 100 moves downward. The powder contained in the storage space S of the hopper 100 may move downward along the tapered portion 110.

[0052] A nozzle (not shown) for injecting air into the hopper 100 may be further disposed on the lower surface thereof. The nozzle may be disposed on the conical portion 110, and the nozzle may inject air into the powder layered on the inclined portion 410. The injected air may prevent the powder layered on the inclined portion 410 from agglomerating.

[0053] The lower end of the hopper 100 may be formed with a discharge port O. The discharge port O may be formed at the lower portion of the tapered portion 110. For example, the discharge port O is formed at the center of the lower end of the hopper 100 and may have a circular cross-section. The powder moving downward along the tapered portion 110 may be discharged to the outside of the hopper 100 through the discharge port O.

[0054] A switchable valve may be connected to the discharge port O. When the valve is opened, the powder can be discharged to the outside from the discharge port O. When the valve is closed, the powder is not discharged to the outside from the discharge port O.

[0055] The mesh plate 200 may be disposed inside the hopper 100. Specifically, the mesh plate 200 may be disposed inside the conical portion 110. As an example, the mesh plate 200 may be in contact with the inner side surface of the conical portion 110 and may be placed in the conical portion 110. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The form of the mesh plate 200 will be described in detail.

[0056] The vibration transmission unit 300 may be disposed outside the hopper 100. The vibration transmission unit 300 may be disposed in contact with the hopper 100. As an example, the vibration transmission unit 300 may be in contact with the tapered portion 110 and may transmit vibration to the tapered portion 110. Therefore, the vibration may be transmitted to the powder disposed near the tapered portion 110, and the powder near the tapered portion 110 may move toward the lower portion of the hopper 100 along the tapered portion 110 without being aggregated.

[0057] The vibration transmission unit 300 can transmit vibration to the mesh plate 200. The vibration transmission unit 300 can be arranged outside the hopper 100 opposite to the arrangement position of the mesh plate 200. The vibration transmission unit 300 transmits vibration through the tapered portion 110, and the transmitted vibration can be transmitted to the mesh plate 200. Therefore, the mesh plate 200 can receive the vibration from the vibration transmission unit 300 to vibrate, but the method of transmitting vibration to the mesh plate 200 is not limited to this.

[0058] The mesh plate 200 may be connected to the vibration transmission unit 300 through another connection member 310. The mesh plate 200 can vibrate by receiving the vibration from the vibration transmission unit 300. In order to connect the vibration transmission unit 300 disposed outside the hopper 100 and the mesh plate 200 disposed inside the hopper 100, the connection member 310 may pass through a portion of the hopper 100. In order to prevent the powder disposed inside the hopper 100 from flowing out, the surrounding portion of the connection member 310 in the hopper 100 may be sealed.

[0059] At least one guide member 400 may be disposed inside the hopper 100 .

[0060] The guide member 400 may be arranged to contact the mesh plate 200. The guide member 400 may be arranged on both sides of the mesh plate 200, and may be arranged to protrude from the mesh plate 200 in the first direction. As an example, the guide member 400 may have a cone or a truncated cone shape. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the guide member 400 may be smaller as it protrudes from the mesh plate 200.

[0061] The guide component 400 may be arranged in the accommodation space S to guide the moving direction of the powder. For example, the powder cannot move through the guide component 400, but may move through the space where the guide component 400 is not arranged. Figure 2, the powder may move through the space between the guide member 400 and the tapered portion 110 .

[0062] The guide member 400 may receive vibration from the mesh plate 200. Thus, the guide member 400 can vibrate.

[0063] The mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 may be fixed to avoid separation due to vibration. For example, the mesh plate 200 may be fixed to the inner side of the hopper 100, and the guide member 400 may be fixed to the mesh plate 200. The mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 may be fixed by welding, but are not limited thereto. For example, in order to fix the mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400, a fixing method or a bonding method that is easy for ordinary technicians may be used.

[0064] The hopper 100, the mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 may be made of stainless steel, but are not limited thereto. For example, the hopper 100, the mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 may be made of a material that does not react with the secondary battery powder such as graphite and has a certain strength.

[0065] The powder discharge device 10 for a secondary battery according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a support frame 500 and a control unit 600 .

[0066] The support frame 500 may be composed of a first support frame 500 a contacting the hopper 100 and a second support frame 500 b supporting the hopper 100 and the first support frame 500 a .

[0067] The first support frame 500a may contact a portion of the hopper 100. As an example, the first support frame 500a may have a circular plate shape with a hole formed therein, and may include a flange portion protruding from the circular plate shape. A plurality of flange portions may be provided to contact the tapered portion 110 and support the hopper 100.

[0068] The second support frame 500b may be disposed below the first support frame 500a and may support the first support frame 500a and the hopper 100. For example, the second support frame 500b may contact the vibration transmission unit 300 and the measurement sensor 610 and may fix the vibration transmission unit 300 and the measurement sensor 610.

[0069] The first support frame 500a and the second support frame 500b may be provided with a measuring sensor 610 for measuring the weight of the hopper 100. The measuring sensor 610 can measure the weight change of the powder contained in the hopper 100 and transmit the measured value to the control unit 600. In order to accurately measure the weight of the hopper 100, a plurality of measuring sensors 610 may be provided.

[0070] The control unit 600 can control the driving of the vibration transmission unit 300. For example, the control unit 600 can control the vibration transmission unit 300 to operate or not. The control unit 600 can receive a measurement value of the weight of the powder contained in the hopper 100 from the measuring sensor 610, and decide whether to operate the vibration transmission unit 300 according to the measurement value. For example, when the weight change of the powder contained in the hopper 100 is above a specific value, it means that the powder is discharged normally through the discharge port O, so the control unit 600 can make the vibration transmission unit 300 not operate. On the contrary, when the weight change of the powder contained in the hopper 100 is below a specific value, it means that the powder cannot be discharged normally through the discharge port O, so the control unit 600 can operate the vibration transmission unit 300 to vibrate the powder. Therefore, the agglomerated powder can be dispersed by vibration and discharged from the discharge port O. See Figure 2 and Figure 3 The control part 600 may be configured to contact the second supporting frame 500 b , but is not limited thereto, and the position of the control part 600 may be changed in various ways.

[0071] See next Figure 4 and Figure 5 The shapes of the mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 and the movement mode of the powder will be described.

[0072] Figure 4 About Figure 2 A plan view of the mesh plate, guide component and vibration transmission unit. Figure 5 It shows that the powder is contained in Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a state of a secondary battery powder discharge device.

[0073] The mesh plate 200 may be configured to have a mesh shape, i.e., a mesh structure. The mesh shape may be configured in various forms. For example, the mesh plate 200 may be configured in a circular shape, but this shape is not specifically limited. As an example, the mesh structure may be configured in various shapes such as a lattice type, a twisted shape, a circle, etc., and is not limited to the aforementioned shapes.

[0074] There may be more than one mesh plate 200. As an example, a plurality of mesh plates 200 may be stacked. The plurality of mesh plates 200 do not need to have the same mesh shape or size, and mesh plates 200 having a variety of mesh shapes may be stacked.

[0075] The outer side surface of the guide member 400 may be formed with an inclined portion 410 to slide the powder P. The inclined portion 410 can diffuse the powder P located near the center of the internal space of the hopper 100 from the center to the outside. Therefore, the powder P can move to the space between the inclined portion 410 of the guide member 400 and the inner side surface of the tapered portion 110.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion of the powder P can move along the guide member 400 and contact the mesh plate 200. The powder P moving along the guide member 400 can receive vibration through the guide member 400, so most of the powder P will not condense.

[0077] The powder P that has not been vibrated and has aggregated can be dispersed in the process of passing through the meshes of the mesh plate 200. The mesh plate 200 can also be vibrated, so that most of the aggregated powder P that has passed through the mesh plate 200 can be dispersed.

[0078] If through Figure 1 As described above, the powder in the center of the internal space of the hopper often stagnates and aggregates. However, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the mesh plate 200 and the guide member 400 disposed inside the storage space S can transmit vibration to the powder P. Therefore, the powder P contained in the hopper 100 can be less aggregated and can be discharged smoothly from the discharge port O.

[0079] The above describes in detail the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications and variations can be made within the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure recorded in the claims, which is obvious to those skilled in the art. Moreover, some of the constituent elements in the aforementioned embodiments can be deleted for implementation, and the various embodiments can also be implemented in combination with each other.

Claims

1. A powder discharge device for a secondary battery, comprising: A hopper having a holding space for holding powder and a discharge port for discharging the powder; A mesh plate, arranged inside the hopper; as well as The vibration transmitting unit transmits vibration to the mesh plate.

2. The powder discharge device for secondary batteries according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: At least one guiding component is disposed in the containing space to guide the moving direction of the powder, and the guiding component is in contact with the mesh plate to receive vibration from the mesh plate.

3. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one guide member is disposed on both sides of the mesh plate.

4. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one guide member is fixed to the mesh plate.

5. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one guide member includes an inclined portion formed on an outer side surface for allowing the powder to slide.

6. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one guide member has a cone or truncated cone shape.

7. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one guide component comprises stainless steel.

8. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein: The hopper includes a tapered portion whose inner diameter gradually narrows. The discharge port is arranged at a lower portion of the tapered portion.

9. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 8, wherein: The mesh plate is arranged inside the tapered portion.

10. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 8, wherein: The tapered portion is in contact with the vibration transmitting unit.

11. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein: The tapered portion is in contact with the mesh plate, The vibration transmission unit is arranged outside the hopper so as to face the arrangement position of the mesh plate.

12. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 9, wherein: The vibration transmission unit and the mesh plate are connected by a connecting member, The connecting member passes through a portion of the hopper.

13. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: The control unit controls the driving of the vibration transmission unit.

14. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 13, wherein: The control unit receives a measurement value from a measurement sensor that measures the weight of the powder contained in the hopper, and operates the vibration transmission unit according to the measurement value.

15. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein: The discharge port is connected to a switchable valve.

16. The powder discharge device for secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein: The mesh plate comprises stainless steel.

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