Cleaning system

Abstract

The present specification provides a cleaning system including two or more dummy cans for cleaning a surface of a crimping device for use in a crimping process of a cylindrical secondary battery sealing an open upper portion of a battery can accommodating an electrode assembly and a cap assembly, the two or more dummy cans each have a brush disposed on an outer surface thereof, and a surface of the crimping device is cleaned by the brush.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a cleaning system.

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0183448 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 23, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] A secondary battery is a battery that can be used repeatedly by charging even after the battery is discharged. A secondary battery can be used as an energy source for small devices such as portable phones, tablet PCs, and cleaners, and can also be used as an energy source for medium or large devices such as vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS) for smart grids.

[0004] Secondary batteries can be divided into can type batteries in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a cylindrical battery can and pouch type batteries in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch type case. Generally, cylindrical battery can type batteries are known to have a relatively high capacity and are excellent in structural stability.

[0005] A cylindrical secondary battery may be manufactured by housing an electrode assembly having a wound structure in a cylindrical battery can, injecting an electrolyte into the battery can, and then coupling a cap assembly having an electrode terminal to an open upper end of the battery can.

[0006] The cylindrical secondary battery may be formed to have a desired outer shape and sealed through a crimping process by sequentially performing a rolling process and a pressing process.

[0007] In this case, during the crimping process, the crimping device is contaminated with electrolyte, which causes the crimping device to be over-clamped or the crimping device to be stuck with foreign matter. In order to deal with the contamination of the crimping device in the prior art, air knives, vacuum suction, etc. have been used. However, since these parts use air, the cleaning effect is low and there are limitations in removing dried salts, etc.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technology that can fundamentally solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0009] Technical issues

[0010] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system capable of cleaning a crimping device used in a crimping process.

[0011] Technical Solution

[0012] The present specification provides a cleaning system comprising two or more dummy cans, wherein the two or more dummy cans are configured to clean the surface of a crimping device, wherein the crimping device is used in a process of crimping a cylindrical secondary battery to seal the open upper end of a battery can containing an electrode assembly and a cover assembly, wherein the two or more dummy cans each have a brush disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the surface of the crimping device is cleaned by the brush.

[0013] Beneficial Effects

[0014] According to the cleaning system of the present invention, even foreign matter attached to the crimping device that cannot be well removed by a cleaning method using air can be easily removed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a view showing a dummy tank of a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present specification.

[0016] Figure 2 2 is a view showing a state in which the crimping device of the cleaning system according to the embodiment of the present specification comes into contact with the brush of the dummy can and is cleaned.

[0017] Figure 3 is a view schematically illustrating a process of a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present specification.

[0018] Figure 4 is a view schematically illustrating a process of a cleaning system according to another embodiment of the present specification.

[0019] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0020] 1: Fake cans

[0021] 1-1: Main body

[0022] 1-2: Forming section

[0023] 2: Cylindrical secondary battery

[0024] 3: Crimping device

[0025] 4: Hydraulic cleaning unit

[0026] 5: Drying section

[0027] 6: First stop

[0028] 7: Second stop

[0029] 8: Brush DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, the present specification will be described in more detail.

[0031] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general or dictionary meaning, and should be interpreted as the meaning and concept of the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to describe his own invention in the best way. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed in this specification and the configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are merely the best preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical spirits of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modified examples that can replace the exemplary embodiments can be made when submitting this application.

[0032] In addition, to help understand the present invention, the drawings are not shown based on actual scale, but some constituent elements may be exaggerated in size. In addition, constituent elements in different embodiments may be assigned the same reference numerals.

[0033] In the present specification, the term "on..." not only means that a layer is located on a layer while being in physical contact with the layer, but also means that a layer is located above a layer. That is, another layer may exist between a layer and another layer located on the layer.

[0034] In this specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” or “comprising” and variations thereof will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated constituent elements but not the exclusion of any other constituent elements.

[0035] In this specification, the term "secondary battery" refers to a battery that can be repeatedly used for a long time by recharging. According to the type of electrode active material, secondary batteries can be divided into nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium-ion secondary batteries, etc. According to the shape of the secondary battery, secondary batteries can be divided into pouch-type secondary batteries, prismatic secondary batteries, cylindrical secondary batteries, etc.

[0036] In this specification, a secondary battery may include a battery can accommodating an electrode assembly. The battery can may have a cylindrical shape.

[0037] For example, the cylindrical secondary battery may be a cylindrical secondary battery having a shape factor ratio greater than about 0.4 (the shape factor ratio is defined as a value obtained by dividing the diameter of the cylindrical secondary battery by the height of the cylindrical secondary battery, that is, a ratio of the diameter Φ to the height H).

[0038] In this case, the form factor refers to a value indicating the diameter and height of a cylindrical secondary battery.

[0039] In this specification, the term "cylindrical secondary battery" refers to a secondary battery having a cylindrical shape or a shape similar to a cylindrical shape. Since cylindrical secondary batteries have a high energy density per unit volume, cylindrical secondary batteries are widely used in high-capacity electronic and electrical devices. A plurality of cylindrical secondary batteries may be used and combined to constitute a battery pack.

[0040] In this specification, the term "cylindrical secondary battery" may be, for example, a 46110 cell, a 48750 cell, a 48110 cell, a 48800 cell, or a 46800 cell. In the numerical value indicating the form factor, the first two digits indicate the diameter of the cell, the next two digits indicate the height of the cell, and the last digit 0 indicates that the cross section of the cell is circular. If the height of the battery is 100 mm or more, three digits are required to indicate the height of the cell, so the last digit "0" can be omitted.

[0041] Furthermore, the term "first electrode" refers to a positive electrode, and the term "second electrode" refers to a negative electrode, and vice versa.

[0042] In addition, a battery can may refer to a container having an approximately cylindrical shape, having an opening portion on one side, and being made of a metal material having conductivity. The side surface of the battery can and the surface opposite to the opening portion may be substantially integral. That is, based on the height direction of the battery can, the battery can is generally configured so that its upper end is open and its lower end is closed in the remaining area except for the central portion. The lower surface of the battery can may have an approximately flat shape. The battery may accommodate an electrode assembly through an opening portion formed on one side based on its height direction.

[0043] The battery can may also contain electrolyte through the opening portion.

[0044] The present specification provides a cleaning system, the cleaning system comprising two or more dummy cans 1, the two or more dummy cans 1 being configured to clean the surface of a crimping device 3, the crimping device 3 being used in a process of crimping a cylindrical secondary battery to seal the open upper end of a battery can containing an electrode assembly and a cap assembly. The two or more dummy cans 1 each have a brush 8 disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the brush 8 cleans the surface of the crimping device 3.

[0045] In this specification, the crimping process refers to a process of sealing the open upper end of the battery can accommodating the electrode assembly and the cap assembly. More specifically, the battery can be formed to have a desired external shape and sealed by the crimping process of sequentially performing a rolling process and a pressing process after the cap assembly is coupled to the open upper end of the battery can.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present specification, two or more dummy cans may each include a brush, and the surface of the crimping device is cleaned by physical friction with the brush. That is, the crimping device and the brush are in physical contact with each other through the crimping process, so that foreign matter attached to the surface of the crimping device is removed by the brush.

[0047] In this specification, the dummy can 1 is loaded into a crimping process facility for cylindrical secondary batteries instead of cylindrical secondary batteries, and is used to remove foreign matter attached to the crimping device 3. Therefore, the dummy can 1 has substantially the same shape as the cylindrical secondary battery.

[0048] For example, the dummy can 1 is moved in a fixed state, and the crimping device 3 is operated by the same process as the process of manufacturing a cylindrical secondary battery in the related art, so that the crimping device 3 is cleaned by the brush 8 attached to the dummy can 1 .

[0049] The dummy can 1 according to the present specification may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel (such as SUS 420). After the dummy can 1 is processed into a can shape, a brush 8 made of a suede material may be attached to the outer surface of the dummy can 1. Since the dummy can 1 is made of a metal material as described above, in an apparatus for manufacturing a cylindrical secondary battery, the dummy can 1 can be easily fixed to a device for fixing a battery can by using a magnetic force or the like.

[0050] The dummy can 1 has the same size and shape as those of the cylindrical secondary battery.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present specification, the dummy can 1 for cleaning the crimping device 3 during the crimping process may have the same size and shape as the cylindrical secondary battery.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present specification, the dummy can 1 used to clean the crimping device 3 in the crimping process may have a size and shape different from that of the cylindrical secondary battery.

[0053] That is, the shape and size of the dummy can 1 may be appropriately changed and applied according to the type and size of the cylindrical secondary battery applied to the crimping line and the size and material of the brush 8 attached to the dummy can 1 .

[0054] In an embodiment of the present specification, the dummy can 1 may include a cylindrical main body 1-1 and a forming part 1-2 extending vertically from the upper end of the main body and having a molded external shape. The brush 8 may be disposed on the outer surface of the forming part. The outer surface of the forming part 1-2 refers to the side of the forming part except the upper surface and the lower surface of the forming part.

[0055] Figure 1 and Figure 21 is a view showing a dummy tank 1 for a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present specification, and shows a body part 1-1, a forming part 1-2 located at an upper end of the body part, and a brush 8 provided on a side surface of the forming part.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present specification, the dummy can 1 may include a cylindrical body part 1-1 and a forming part 1-2 vertically extending from the upper end of the body part 1-1 and having a molded outer shape. The brush 8 may be provided on a side surface of the forming part 1-2.

[0057] The formed outer shape of the formed portion 1 - 2 is not limited and may be appropriately changed according to the outer shape of the cylindrical secondary battery to be manufactured.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present specification, the forming part 1-2 may include one or more regions where the dummy can 1 is bent inwardly. The forming part 1-2 may include two or more regions or three or more regions.

[0059] In this manual, if Figure 2 As shown, two or more dummy cans 1 may each include a brush 8, and clean the surface of the crimping device 3 by using physical friction with the brush.

[0060] The brush may be made of a fiber material to remove foreign matter on the surface of the crimping device 3 of the cylindrical secondary battery and remove the foreign matter by physical friction. In particular, the brush may be made of a suede material. The suede material may be appropriately used because the suede material has low surface friction and excellent running performance when the suede material travels along a line in a manufacturing device, and the suede material is relatively cheap and easy to process.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present specification, the thickness of the brush 8 may be 0.5 to 2 mm, more specifically 1 to 1.5 mm. The thickness of the brush refers to the length from the upper surface of the brush to the lower surface of the brush in the vertical direction.

[0062] A thickness of less than 0.5 mm is not preferred because the brush may have durability problems such as the brush being torn while traveling. A thickness of more than 2 mm is not preferred because the brush hardly contacts the dummy can, tolerances in the process line increase, and thus the brush cannot travel smoothly.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present specification, the crimping device 3 may be a device that forms the outer shape of the battery can by pressing the open upper end of the battery can.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present specification, the crimping device 3 may include a roller and a punch configured to seal the cylindrical secondary battery by pressing the open upper end of the battery can.

[0065] The roller and the punch may be a rolling die and a punch die, which may apply pressure to deform the upper end of the battery can into a predetermined shape so as to seal the open upper end of the battery can.

[0066] In this specification, the roller may mean a plurality of dies that may apply pressure to deform the end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the battery can by pressing the end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the battery.

[0067] In the present specification, the punch is configured to apply pressure to deform the upper end of the battery can into a predetermined shape so as to seal the open upper end of the battery can. The plurality of dies are sequentially lowered in order of increasing diameter and are stacked on each other while squeezing the upper end of the battery can.

[0068] Since the brush 8 provided on the dummy can 1 is in a state of being contaminated by the electrolyte during the crimping process as described above, it is necessary to clean the brush.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present specification, a brush provided on a dummy can is cleaned in a cleaning line for cleaning cylindrical secondary batteries. The cleaning line for cleaning cylindrical secondary batteries can be connected to a crimping line for performing a crimping process on cylindrical secondary batteries and a drying line for performing a drying process on cylindrical secondary batteries.

[0070] In an embodiment of the present specification, a cleaning line for cleaning cylindrical secondary batteries may include a hydraulic cleaning section configured to mix water and a detergent and clean the cylindrical secondary batteries by spraying through a nozzle. At least one of a brush provided on a dummy can and an outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery that has been completely subjected to a crimping process may be cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section.

[0071] That is, after the crimping process of the cylindrical secondary battery, the cleaning process is continuously performed on the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery in the cleaning line. This means that during the cleaning process, the hydraulic cleaning unit 4 is usually used to clean at least one of the brush 8 provided on the dummy can 1 and the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery that has been completely subjected to the crimping process.

[0072] Therefore, the hydraulic cleaning section 4 has not only the original purpose of cleaning the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery completely subjected to the crimping process in the process of manufacturing the cylindrical secondary battery, but also has the purpose of cleaning the brush provided on the dummy can used in the cleaning system of the present invention. Figure 3 , the dummy cans and the cylindrical secondary batteries that have been subjected to the crimping process may be moved along the same cleaning line and cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning part 4 .

[0073] The hydraulic cleaning section 4 does not limit the cleaning order of the dummy tank and the cylindrical secondary battery. For example, after the dummy tank 1 is loaded into the hydraulic cleaning section 4, the cylindrical secondary battery that has been completely subjected to the crimping process can be loaded and cleaned. Alternatively, the dummy tank 1 and the hydraulic cleaning section 4 can be loaded in reverse order or loaded and cleaned at the same time.

[0074] In another embodiment of the present specification, the cleaning system may further include a first station 6 configured to clean a brush disposed on the dummy tank by dipping the brush into a detergent. That is, the brush 8 may be cleaned by dipping the brush into a container containing the detergent and then removing the brush from the container.

[0075] refer to Figure 4 The dummy can 1 of the crimping device, which has been completely cleaned, moves to the first station 6 (e.g., a separate cleaning line arranged separately from the cleaning line of the hydraulic cleaning section 4 configured to clean the dummy can and cylindrical secondary batteries) so that the brush arranged on the dummy can is cleaned.

[0076] That is, the brush 8 provided on the dummy can 1 that has undergone the crimping process can be cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning part 4, and can also be cleaned by the first station 6. The first station 6 is used only to clean the dummy can 1.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present specification, both the hydraulic cleaning portion 4 and the first station 6 may include a device (not shown) for supplying a cleaning agent.

[0078] The type of the cleaning agent is not limited as long as the cleaning agent can be used to remove electrolytes. For example, a cleaning agent made by mixing water and a surfactant, anhydrous ethanol, or dimethyl carbonate (DMC) can be used.

[0079] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, two or more dummy cans 1 can be loaded into the cleaning system, and the brush 8 for cleaning the used dummy cans of the crimping device can be cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section 4 or the first station 6 after the crimping device 3 is cleaned.

[0080] That is, in the process of cleaning the crimping device 3 by loading two or more dummy cans 1 , the brush 8 that has been used to clean the dummy cans of the crimping device may be cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning part 4 or the first station 6 .

[0081] In the embodiment of the present specification, the cleaning system cleans the crimping device 3 by continuously or intermittently loading two or more dummy cans 1. The brushes 8 of the remaining dummy cans not used to clean the crimping device 3 can be cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning part 4 or the first station 6.

[0082] That is, using a plurality of dummy cans 1 (to perform cleaning N times and drying M times) allows the brush 8 of the remaining dummy cans to be cleaned even during the cleaning of the crimping device 3. The reason for loading two or more dummy cans is to improve the performance of cleaning the crimping device.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present specification, the cleaning system may further include a drying section 5 for drying at least one of the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery and the brush after being cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section 4. Alternatively, the cleaning system may further include a second station 7 configured to dry the brush cleaned by the first station 6.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present specification, the drying line may include a drying part, and the drying line may be connected to the cleaning line.

[0085] That is, this means that the drying section 5 is generally used to dry at least one of the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section 4 and the brush.

[0086] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the dummy can that has been completely cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section 4 is moved to the drying section 5, and the dummy can that has been completely cleaned by the first station 6 is moved to the second station 7 so that the brush 8 of the dummy can is dried.

[0087] Therefore, the drying section 5 has not only the original purpose of drying the outer surface of the completely cleaned cylindrical secondary battery, but also the purpose of drying the brush provided on the dummy can for the cleaning system of the present invention. Figure 3 , the dummy cans and the cylindrical secondary batteries that have been subjected to the cleaning process may be moved along the same drying line and dried by the drying section 5 in the drying line.

[0088] The drying section 5 does not limit the drying order of the dummy can and the cylindrical secondary battery. For example, after the dummy can 4 is loaded into the drying section 5, the cylindrical secondary battery 2 can be loaded and dried. Alternatively, the dummy can and the cylindrical secondary battery can be loaded in the opposite order or loaded simultaneously.

[0089] The second station is only used for drying the dummy pots.

[0090] In the embodiment of the present specification, the drying section 5 and the second station 7 may each include a drying device (not shown) configured to dry the brush.

[0091] The type of drying device is not limited. The drying device may be a drying device using heat or air flow.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present specification, the dummy can that has been completely dried by the drying part 5 or the second station 7 may be loaded back into the crimping process of the cylindrical secondary battery.

[0093] As described above, since the dummy can that has been completely cleaned and dried is loaded back into the crimping process, foreign matter attached to the crimping device can be effectively removed without interrupting the manufacturing process of the electrode assembly.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed in the claims.

Claims

1. A cleaning system, the cleaning system include: two or more dummy cans configured to clean the surface of a crimping device used in a process of crimping a cylindrical secondary battery to seal an open upper end of a battery can containing an electrode assembly and a cap assembly, Wherein, the two or more dummy cans each have a brush disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the surface of the crimping device is cleaned by the brush.

2. The cleaning system according to claim 1, in, The two or more dummy cans each have the brush, and the surface of the crimping device is cleaned by physical friction with the brush.

3. The cleaning system according to claim 1, in, The crimping device is a roller and a punch configured to seal the cylindrical secondary battery by pressing the open upper end of the battery can.

4. The cleaning system according to claim 1, in, The brush provided on the dummy can is cleaned in a cleaning line for cleaning the cylindrical secondary battery, and the cleaning line for cleaning the cylindrical secondary battery is connected to a crimping line for performing a crimping process on the cylindrical secondary battery and a drying line for performing a drying process on the cylindrical secondary battery.

5. The cleaning system according to claim 4, in, The cleaning line for cleaning the cylindrical secondary battery includes a hydraulic cleaning section, which is configured to mix water and a detergent and spray through a nozzle to clean the cylindrical secondary battery, and at least one of the brush provided on the dummy can and the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery that has been completely subjected to the crimping process is cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section.

6. The cleaning system according to claim 1, in, The cleaning system also includes a first station configured to clean the brush disposed on the dummy tank by dipping the brush into a cleaning agent.

7. A cleaning system according to claim 5 or 6, in, The cleaning system cleans the crimping device by loading two or more dummy cans, and the brush that has been used to clean the dummy cans of the crimping device is cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning part or the first station.

8. The cleaning system according to claim 5 or 6, in, The cleaning system further includes a drying section configured to dry at least one of the brush cleaned by the hydraulic cleaning section and the outer surface of the cylindrical secondary battery, or the cleaning system further includes a second station configured to dry the brush cleaned by the first station.

9. The cleaning system according to claim 8, in, The dummy can that has been completely dried by the drying part or the second station is loaded back into the process of crimping cylindrical secondary batteries.

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