Cartridge having direction installation portion and secondary battery manufacturing

Abstract

The application discloses a cartridge having a direction indicating portion and a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including the same. The secondary battery manufacturing apparatus includes: a mounting table; a cartridge seated on the seating table, and wherein at least one electrode plate is loaded in the cartridge in a first direction; a direction indicating portion provided with a cartridge and indicating a direction of the cartridge relative to the seating table; and a direction recognition unit that senses the direction indicating portion and obtains a direction in which the cartridge is seated on the seating table, thereby preventing the cartridge from being seated on the seating table in a reverse direction rather than a preset forward direction.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0140311, filed on October 19, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The disclosure and implementation disclosed in this patent document generally relate to a magazine and a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including the same. Background Art

[0004] Recently, with the technological development of devices such as mobile devices and electric vehicles and the increase in demand for the devices, the demand for secondary batteries as energy sources has rapidly increased. A secondary battery is a battery that is repeatedly charged and discharged through reversible energy conversion between chemical energy and electrical energy.

[0005] This secondary battery includes an electrode assembly, which includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Electrodes such as the positive electrode and the negative electrode can be loaded into a magazine separately and then input into a secondary battery manufacturing device. The secondary battery manufacturing device can manufacture a secondary battery including the electrode assembly by alternately stacking the positive electrode and the negative electrode loaded in the magazine.

[0006] On the other hand, in terms of safety, it is important to ensure that the magazine containing the electrodes is inserted into the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus in a preset positive orientation.

[0007] This is because if the magazine is inserted into the secondary battery manufacturing device in the reverse direction, the electrodes loaded in the magazine can also be provided to the secondary battery manufacturing device in the reverse direction. In this case, as the electrodes with different polarities come into contact, safety problems may occur.

[0008] For example, in the case where the positive electrode magazine loaded with positive electrodes is introduced in the forward direction and the magazine loaded with negative electrodes is introduced in the reverse direction, the positive electrodes can be stacked in the forward direction and the negative electrodes can be stacked in the reverse direction. At this time, when the positive electrodes stacked in the forward direction and the negative electrodes stacked in the reverse direction come into contact with each other, fire or explosion may occur.

[0009] In detail, inserting the cartridge in a correctly designed positive direction is important not only in the secondary battery manufacturing process but also in terms of the safety of the manufactured secondary battery.

[0010] Therefore, a structure is needed that can effectively prevent the magazine from being inserted in the reverse direction. Summary of the invention

[0011] In some embodiments, the present disclosure may be implemented to improve safety during the manufacturing process of a secondary battery by preventing a magazine loaded with electrodes from being inserted in reverse.

[0012] In some embodiments, the present disclosure may be implemented to provide a size of a cartridge that is variable according to the size of an electrode to be loaded, so that the electrode can be stably supported.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a secondary battery manufacturing device includes: a placement table; a magazine box, which is placed on the placement table and one or more electrode plates are loaded in the magazine box in a first direction; a direction indicating portion, which is arranged in the magazine box and indicates the relative direction of the magazine box relative to the placement table; and a direction recognition unit, which senses the direction indicating portion and obtains the direction in which the magazine box has been placed on the placement table, thereby preventing the magazine box from being placed on the placement table in the reverse direction instead of the preset positive direction.

[0014] The magazine can be brought in and placed on the placement table in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] The direction indicating portion may be arranged on a surface of the magazine facing a direction perpendicular to the second direction.

[0016] The direction indicating portion may include a notch portion disposed on a surface of the mounting table on which the cartridge is mounted, and the direction identifying unit may include a notch sensor disposed to face the cartridge on the mounting table and to sense the notch portion.

[0017] The notch sensor may sense notch portions overlapping in the first direction.

[0018] The magazine may be mounted on the mounting table in a plurality of mounting directions, and when the magazine is mounted on the mounting table in a first mounting direction, the notch portion may be arranged to overlap the notch sensor in the first direction.

[0019] When the magazine is mounted on the mounting table in the second mounting direction instead of the first mounting direction, the notch portion may not overlap the notch sensor in the first direction.

[0020] The notch portion may be disposed to be offset in a predetermined direction in the magazine based on a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0021] The direction indicating portion may include a mark portion arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and exposed to the outside, and the direction identifying unit may include a mark sensor arranged to face the mounting table in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and sense the mark portion.

[0022] The mark sensor may sense a mark portion disposed on a facing first surface among surfaces of a magazine seated on the seating table.

[0023] The magazine may be mounted on the mounting table in a plurality of mounting directions, and the marking portion may be arranged on a first surface of the magazine when the magazine is mounted on the mounting table in a first mounting direction.

[0024] When the magazine is mounted on the mounting table in the second mounting direction of the magazine instead of the first mounting direction, the marking portion may be arranged not to face the mark sensor.

[0025] A plurality of mark sensors may be provided, and the plurality of mark sensors may be arranged not to face each other in a predetermined direction.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magazine includes: a loading space in which an electrode plate having an uncoated portion protruding in a predetermined direction is loaded in a first direction; a loading guide having the loading space; and a direction indicating portion indicating a protruding direction of the uncoated portion of the electrode plate. The direction indicating portion includes at least one of a notch portion arranged below the loading space in the first direction or a marking portion disposed on a surface perpendicular to the first direction to be exposed to the outside.

[0027] The magazine may further include a base plate supporting a lower portion of the loading guide, and the notch portion may be arranged in the base plate not to overlap with the loading space in the first direction.

[0028] The loading guide may be provided to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and to change a size of the loading space.

[0029] The magazine may further include a moving frame supporting an end of the loading guide in a first direction and having a moving guide hole provided in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the loading guide may move in the second direction along the moving guide hole of the moving frame.

[0030] The magazine may further include a side frame supporting a side portion of the loading guide and having a side guide hole extending in the second direction, and the loading guide may be movable in the second direction along the moving guide hole and the side guide hole.

[0031] The magazine may further include a base plate supporting the moving frame and having a base guide hole extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, and the moving frame may be configured to move along the base guide hole in the third direction together with the loading guide.

[0032] The magazine may further include a support plate arranged in the second direction of the loading guide, supporting the side frame, and having a support guide hole extending in the third direction, and the side frame may move in the third direction along the support guide hole together with the loading guide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The following detailed description, which refers to the accompanying drawings, describes certain aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosure.

[0034] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge according to some embodiments.

[0036] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a cassette being changed in a predetermined direction according to some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 4 are diagrams showing a cassette modified in different directions according to some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 5 2 is a diagram showing the magazine entering the placement table.

[0039] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a magazine is placed on a placement table.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of determining the placement direction by the notch portion and the notch sensor.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of determining the placement direction by using the marking part and the marking sensor.

[0042] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of using both a notch sensor and a mark sensor to determine the placement direction.

[0043] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method for determining a placement orientation of a magazine according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Features of the present disclosure disclosed in this patent document are described through exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0045] Prior to the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments, based on the principle that the inventors can appropriately define the concepts of terms to best explain their inventions, the terms or words used in the following descriptions and technical solutions should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary meanings or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts consistent with the technical concepts of the present disclosure.

[0046] The same reference numerals or symbols in the various drawings indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same function.

[0047] In the following description, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. Terms such as "comprising", "configuring", etc. are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof.

[0048] Furthermore, in the following description, expressions such as upper side, top, lower part, bottom, side, front, rear, etc. are expressed based on the directions shown in the drawings, and it is stated in advance that if the direction of the object is changed, it can be expressed differently.

[0049] In addition, in the following description and technical solutions, terms including ordinals such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to distinguish between components. These ordinals are used to distinguish identical or similar components from each other, and due to the use of these ordinals, the meaning of the terms should not be interpreted restrictively. For example, components combined with these ordinals should not be interpreted as having a limited order of use or arrangement based on the ordinals. If necessary, the corresponding ordinals can be used interchangeably.

[0050] A cassette used in a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus is described before describing the present disclosure.

[0051] The magazine may be input into the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, wherein a plurality of electrode plates are loaded in the loading space. Thereafter, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus may take out the electrode plates from the inserted magazine and perform subsequent manufacturing operations such as a stacking process.

[0052] At this time, if the magazine is inserted into the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus in a direction (hereinafter referred to as a reverse direction) other than a preset direction (hereinafter referred to as a forward direction), the electrode plates loaded in the magazine are also supplied to the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus in the reverse direction.

[0053] If the electrode plates are supplied in the reverse direction, fire or explosion may occur due to contact between the electrode plates loaded in the forward direction and the electrode plates having different electrodes loaded in the reverse direction during the secondary battery manufacturing process. Therefore, the direction of the magazine in which the electrode plates are loaded may be an important factor during the secondary battery manufacturing process.

[0054] Furthermore, depending on a device employing the secondary battery, electrode plates of various sizes may be required, and the magazine may provide the electrode plates of various sizes to the secondary battery manufacturing device.

[0055] At this time, if the loading space of the magazine is much larger than the size of the electrode plate, the alignment between the plurality of electrode plates loaded in the magazine may be disturbed, thereby causing defects. On the other hand, if the loading space of the magazine is smaller than the size of the electrode plate, the electrode plate may be bent or broken when the electrode plate is loaded into the magazine.

[0056] Therefore, it may be important to adjust the size of the loading space of the magazine to accommodate electrode plates of various sizes.

[0057] In the magazine 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the size of the loading space can be varied to correspond to the size of the electrode plate, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency. In addition, the magazine 100 according to some embodiments can prevent insertion into a secondary battery manufacturing device in reverse, thereby improving safety.

[0058] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to some embodiments, and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a magazine box according to one embodiment.

[0060] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to one embodiment, the magazine 100 may include: a loading guide 130, which supports the electrode plate 10 (see Figure 5 ) to form a loading space S; a moving frame 120 that supports a lower portion of the loading guide 130; and a substrate 110 that supports the moving frame 120 and can be mounted on a placement table 210 of a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus described later.

[0061] A plurality of loading guides 130 may be provided to form a loading space S, and the electrode plate 10 (see Figure 5 ) are loaded in the loading space S. A plurality of loading guides 130 may support corresponding corners of the electrode.

[0062] As an example, the loading guide 130 includes a first loading guide 131, a second loading guide 132, a third loading guide 133, and a fourth loading guide 134, and the loading guide 130 may support the electrode plate 10 (see Figure 5 ) at the four corresponding corners.

[0063] In addition, the loading guide 130 may be provided so that its size can be changed in one direction (eg, the Y-axis direction in the figure) and another direction perpendicular thereto (eg, the X-axis direction in the figure). Therefore, the size of the loading space S of the magazine 100 can be changed.

[0064] The loading guide 130 can move in one direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction in the figure) along the moving frame 120 and the side frame 140, which will be described later. In addition, the loading guide 130 can move in another direction (e.g., the X-axis direction in the figure). Therefore, the magazine 100 according to one embodiment can change the size of the loading space S.

[0065] A structure in which the loading space S of the magazine 100 is changed by the movement of the loading guide 130 will be described later.

[0066] The moving frame 120 may support a lower portion of the loading guide 130. The moving frame 120 may support one side and the other side of the loading guide 130, respectively.

[0067] For example, the moving frame 120 may include a first moving frame 121 and a second moving frame 122, the first moving frame 121 supporting the lower portions of the first loading guide 131 and the third loading guide 133 disposed on one side of the loading guide 130, and the second moving frame 122 supporting the lower portions of the second loading guide 132 and the fourth loading guide 134 disposed on the other side.

[0068] The first moving frame 121 and the second moving frame 122 may include first moving guide holes 121a and 122a provided on one side and second moving guide holes 121b and 122b provided on the other side, respectively. The loading guide 130 may move in the longitudinal direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction in the figure) of the moving frame 120 along the first moving guide holes 121a and 122a and the second moving guide holes 121b and 122b.

[0069] The substrate 110 may be disposed under the moving frame 120 to support the moving frame 120. When the substrate 110 is introduced into the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, the substrate 110 may be seated on the seating table 210 (see Figure 5 ), which will be described later.

[0070] In addition, the base plate 110 can guide the moving frame 120 to move in the width direction (eg, the X-axis direction in the figure). When the moving frame 120 moves in the width direction, the loading guide 130 moves together with the moving frame 120 in the width direction, and its width in the width direction can be changed.

[0071] As an example, the base plate 110 may include a first base guide hole 110a disposed on one side and a second base guide hole 110b disposed on the other side. The first base guide hole 110a may movably support one side of the first moving frame 121 and the second moving frame 122. The second base guide hole 110b may movably support the other side of the first moving frame 121 and the second moving frame 122.

[0072] According to some embodiments, a fixing member b for coupling the various components may also be included. For ease of understanding, Figure 2A case where the fixing member b is omitted is shown. The fixing member b may couple the base plate 110 and the moving frame 120 to each other while penetrating the base guide holes 110a and 110b and the moving guide holes 121a, 121b, 122a, and 122b.

[0073] In addition, the fixing member b may couple the lower portions of the moving frame 120 and the loading guide 130 to each other while penetrating the moving guide holes 121 a , 121 b , 122 a , and 122 b .

[0074] For example, the moving frames 120 may be coupled to the base plate 110 to be movable in the width direction, and the loading guides 130 may be respectively coupled to the moving frames 120 to be movable in the longitudinal direction.

[0075] Furthermore, the magazine 100 according to some embodiments may include a side frame 140 supporting a side of the loading guide 130 and a support plate 150 supporting a side of the side frame 140 .

[0076] The side frame 140 may support the side of the loading guide 130. In this case, the side may refer to, for example, a direction perpendicular to the entry direction (Y-axis direction, see Figure 5 ) direction, which will be described later.

[0077] The side frame 140 is disposed above the moving frame 120 and may be coupled to a side of the loading guide 130 by a fixing member b.

[0078] In addition, the side frame 140 may include a first side frame 141 supporting one side of the loading guide 130 and a second side frame 142 supporting the other side. The first side frame 141 and the second side frame 142 may include first side guide holes 141a and 142a provided on one side in the longitudinal direction and second side guide holes 141b and 142b provided on the other side, respectively.

[0079] Therefore, the loading guide 130 may move in the longitudinal direction of the side frame.

[0080] The support plate 150 may be arranged in a direction adjacent to the side frame 140 relative to the loading guide 130. For example, the side frame 140 may be arranged perpendicular to the entry direction of the magazine 100, and the support plate 150 may be arranged parallel to the entry direction of the magazine 100.

[0081] The support plate 150 may include a first support plate 151 movably supporting one side of the side frame 140 and a second support plate 152 movably supporting the other side.

[0082] The first and second support plates 151 and 152 may respectively include first support guide holes 151 a and 152 a guiding the movement of the first side frame 141 and second support guide holes 151 b and 152 b guiding the movement of the second side frame 142 .

[0083] The side frame 140 may be moved in the width direction along the support plate 150 , and thus the size of the loading guide 130 in the width direction may also be changed.

[0084] The fixing member b passes through the support guide holes 151 a , 151 b , 152 a , and 152 b and is coupled to the first and second side frames 141 and 142 , thereby fixing the support plate 150 and the side frames 140 .

[0085] On the other hand, the cartridge 100 according to some embodiments may further include a direction indicating portion 170 recognized by a direction recognition unit 270 of a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, which will be described later.

[0086] The direction indicator 170 is provided in the magazine 100 and can indicate the relative direction of the magazine 100 relative to the mounting table 210, which will be described later. For example, it can be determined by the direction indicator 170 whether the magazine 100 is arranged on the mounting table 210 in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

[0087] The direction indicating portion 170 may include at least one of a notch portion 171 disposed on the lower portion of the magazine 100 (in detail, on the base plate 110) or a marking portion 173 disposed on the side portion of the magazine 100 (in detail, on the side frame 140). Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the direction indicating portion 170 may include both the notch portion 171 and the marking portion 173. Alternatively, the direction indicating portion 170 may include only one of the notch portion 171 and the marking portion 173.

[0088] Will refer to it later Figures 5 to 9 A structure for determining the placement direction of the magazine 100 by the direction indicating portion 170 and the direction recognition unit 270 that recognizes the direction indicating portion 170 is described.

[0089] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Describe the structure in which the loading space S is variable.

[0090] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a change in the width direction of the accommodation space of a magazine according to some embodiments, and Figure 4 is a diagram showing a change in the accommodation space of a magazine in a longitudinal direction according to some embodiments.

[0091] In this case, as described above, the “width direction” may be the X-axis in the drawing, and the “longitudinal direction” may be the Y-axis in the drawing.

[0092] refer to Figure 3 According to some embodiments, the width of the loading space S may be changed in the width direction of the loading guide 130, so that the width of the loading space S may be changed. In the figure, the width of the loading space S is shown to be reduced, but the embodiment is not limited thereto, and of course, unlike the figure, the loading space may be changed to increase in width in the width direction.

[0093] A lower portion of the loading guide 130 may be coupled to the moving frame 120 and the base plate 110 by a fixing member b, and a side portion of the loading guide 130 may be coupled to the side frame 140 by a fixing member b.

[0094] In this case, the first and second moving frames 121 and 122 may move toward or away from each other in the width direction along the first and second base guide holes 110 a and 110 b , respectively.

[0095] In addition, the first and second side frames 141 and 142 may be moved toward or away from each other in the width direction along the first and second support guide holes 151 a and 152 a and 151 b and 152 b , respectively.

[0096] In detail, a lower portion of the loading guide 130 may be moved in the width direction of the base plate 110 by the moving frame 120 , and a side portion of the loading guide 130 may be moved in the width direction of the support plate 150 by the side frame 140 .

[0097] Therefore, the widths of the first and second loading guides 131 and 132 and the third and fourth loading guides 133 and 134 facing each other in the width direction may become closer to or farther from each other.

[0098] When the width of the loading guide 130 changes, the width of the loading space S may also change.

[0099] refer to Figure 4 According to some embodiments, the width of the loading guide 130 in the width direction may be changed so that the width of the loading space S in the longitudinal direction is reduced. In the figure, the longitudinal width of the loading space S is shown to be reduced, but the embodiment is not limited thereto, and of course, unlike the figure, the longitudinal width of the loading space S may be changed to be increased.

[0100] As described above, the lower portion of the loading guide 130 may be coupled to the moving frame 120 to be movable in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the side portion of the loading guide 130 may be coupled to the side frame 140 to be movable in the longitudinal direction.

[0101] In detail, the lower portion of the loading guide 130 may move in the longitudinal direction along the first moving guide holes 121 a and 122 a and the second moving guide holes 121 b and 122 b extending longer in the longitudinal direction.

[0102] In addition, the side portions of the loading guide 130 may move in the longitudinal direction along the first side guide holes 141 a and 142 a and the second side guide holes 141 b and 142 b extending longer in the longitudinal direction.

[0103] Therefore, widths of the first and third loading guides 131 and 133 and the second and fourth loading guides 132 and 134 facing each other in the longitudinal direction may be changed to approach or move away from each other in the longitudinal direction (the extending direction of the guide holes).

[0104] For example, when the width of the loading guide 130 changes as it moves in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal size of the loading space S may also change.

[0105] In this manner, the loading space S of the magazine 100 according to some embodiments may vary in the width direction (eg, the X-axis direction in the drawings) and / or the longitudinal direction (eg, the Y-axis direction in the drawings).

[0106] Hereinafter, before describing a structure in which the direction of the cassette 100 can be sensed by the cassette 100 equipped with the direction indicator 170 according to some embodiments, a configuration of a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 related to the cassette 100 equipped with the direction indicator 170 according to an embodiment is first described.

[0107] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a magazine entering a placement station according to some embodiments, and Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing a state where a magazine box according to an embodiment is placed on a placement table. Figures 1 to 4 Description of content overlap in .

[0108] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus according to some embodiments may include a magazine 100 and a mounting table 210 on which the magazine 100 is mounted.

[0109] The mounting table 210 may provide a space in which the magazine 100 may be mounted. The secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 may perform a secondary battery manufacturing process by pulling out the electrode plate 10 loaded on the magazine 100 mounted on the mounting table 210.

[0110] On the other hand, the electrode plate 10 is a part of a secondary battery produced as a result of a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, and the electrode plate 10 may include a positive electrode plate coated with a positive active material and a negative electrode plate coated with a negative active material.

[0111] The electrode plate 10 may include a body portion 11 to which an active material is applied and an uncoated portion 12 protruding to one side of the body portion 11 and to which the active material is not applied.

[0112] As described above, if the magazine 100 is inserted into the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 in the reverse direction, the protruding direction of the uncoated portion 12 is also arranged in the reverse direction, so in the subsequent manufacturing process, a fire may occur due to contact with the uncoated portion of the electrode plate having a different electrical polarity.

[0113] The mounting table 210 may include a mounting portion 211 , on which the base plate 110 of the magazine 100 may be mounted, and a mounting guide 213 , which guides the magazine 100 to be placed on the mounting table 210 .

[0114] The seating portion 211 provides a space in which the base plate 110 of the cassette 100 may be seated. The seating portion 211 may be provided with a notch sensor 271 that senses the notch portion 171, which will be described later.

[0115] As an example, when the magazine 100 is placed on the placement portion, the placement table 210 is provided with a sensor hole 215 at a position parallel to the notch portion 171 and the height direction (Z-axis direction in the figure), and the notch sensor 271 can be accommodated in the sensor hole 215.

[0116] Therefore, the notch sensor 271 may not protrude from the seating portion 211 , external noise may be reduced, and the notch portion 171 may be recognized more accurately.

[0117] On the other hand, the meaning of “seat” explained in the present disclosure does not refer to the process of placing the cassette 100 on the seating table 210, but rather to the state in which the cassette 100 enters completion, and may refer to the state in which the cassette 100 is completely arranged on the seating table 210 and does not enter further so that the direction recognition unit 270 described later can recognize the direction indicating portion 170 provided in the cassette 100.

[0118] As an example, the seated state may refer to a state in which the magazine 100 is supported by the seat guides 213 and the seat stoppers 214 .

[0119] on the other hand, Figure 5 and Figure 6The magazine 100 is shown to enter the mounting table 210 in the +Y axis direction and be mounted on the mounting table 210, but the entry direction of the magazine 100 in the present disclosure is not particularly limited. For example, the magazine 100 can be mounted on the mounting table 210 while entering the mounting table 210 from above (entering in the Z axis direction).

[0120] The seating guide 213 may guide the cassette 100 to be seated on the seating table 210. The seating guide 213 may include a first seating guide 213a arranged in a direction perpendicular to the entry direction of the cassette 100 and guiding one side of the cassette 100, and a second seating guide 213b guiding the other side of the cassette 100.

[0121] The seating guides 213 may be provided to protrude from both ends of the seating portion 211 in the width direction to guide the substrate 110 and support both sides of the substrate 110 in the width direction.

[0122] For example, a spaced distance between the first seating guide 213 a and the second seating guide 213 b may correspond to the width of the substrate 110 in the width direction.

[0123] Therefore, the magazine 100 may enter the seating table 210 while being guided by the seating guides 213 at both sides of the base plate 110 .

[0124] The seating table 210 may further include a seating stopper 214 that blocks an entry surface of the magazine 100. In this case, the entry surface may be a surface facing the seating table 210 based on the traveling direction of the magazine 100. In the figure, the entry surface may refer to at least one of the substrate 110 or one side surface of the second support plate 152.

[0125] The magazine 100 may be arranged and seated on the seating table 210 through the seating guide 213 and the seating stopper 214 so that the direction indicating portion 170 may be recognized by the direction recognition unit 270 .

[0126] In addition, according to some embodiments, a direction recognition unit 270 may be further included, which can recognize the direction indicating portion 170 of the magazine 100 and recognize the direction of the magazine 100 placed on the placement table 210 .

[0127] As an example, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus in the present disclosure may determine whether the cassette 100 is seated on the seating table 210 in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the degree to which the direction recognition unit 270 recognizes the direction indicator 170 .

[0128] On the other hand, in the present disclosure, the direction recognition unit 270 can not only recognize the direction indicating portion 170 indicating the direction, but also determine whether the magazine 100 is placed in the right direction based on the result of recognizing the direction indicating portion 170. In detail, the direction recognition unit 270 can not only recognize the direction indicating portion 170, but also derive the placement direction of the magazine 100.

[0129] In addition, in the present disclosure, the function of the direction recognition unit 270 is described as 'recognition', but this is only an example and may refer to both detection or sensing. In detail, if the direction recognition unit 270 can derive the placement direction of the magazine 100 through the presence of the direction indicating portion 170, the function of the direction recognition unit 270 is not particularly limited.

[0130] On the other hand, before describing the direction indicating portion 170 indicating the placement direction of the magazine 100 and the direction identifying unit 270 identifying the direction indicating portion 170 , the concepts of the forward direction and the reverse direction described in the present disclosure are explained.

[0131] In the present disclosure, the forward direction and the preset direction may be used in a relative sense. In detail, the "forward direction" may refer to any of the preset placement directions of the magazine 100. The "reverse direction" is determined relative to the forward direction, and the reverse direction may refer to any placement direction except the forward direction.

[0132] For example, among various situations related to the placement direction of the magazine 100, any one situation may be set as the positive direction.

[0133] For example, in the present disclosure, the forward direction may refer to a direction in which the electrode plate 10 accommodated in the magazine 100 is arranged in a correct pre-designed direction, and the reverse direction may refer to any direction except the forward direction.

[0134] Furthermore, whether the magazine 100 is mounted on the mounting table 210 in the forward or reverse direction is determined not only by the relationship between the magazine itself and the mounting table, but can also be defined as a relative concept including the placement direction of the electrodes accommodated in the magazine 100 .

[0135] For example, Figure 5 As shown, the forward direction may be preset as the same direction in which the uncoated portion 12 of the electrode plate 10 protrudes and the insertion direction of the cartridge. In this case, the reverse direction may refer to a direction in which the cartridge 100 is placed so that the uncoated portion 12 of the electrode plate 10 loaded in the cartridge 100 protrudes in a direction different from (e.g., the opposite direction to) the insertion direction of the cartridge 100. However, this is merely an example, and the user may set the forward direction of the cartridge regardless of the insertion direction of the cartridge.

[0136] In addition, the placement direction of the magazine 100 can be preset by the direction recognition unit 270, which will be described later. In detail, the direction recognition unit 270, which will be described later, can relatively determine whether the magazine 100 is arranged in any one of the preset directions.

[0137] As an example, the state in which the direction recognition unit 270 recognizes the direction indicating portion 170 may be preset as a forward direction, in which case the state in which the direction recognition unit 270 does not recognize the direction indicating portion 170 may be referred to as a reverse direction. In detail, the state in which the sensor of the direction recognition unit 270 (e.g., the notch sensor 271 or / and the mark sensor 273 to be described later) senses the direction indicating portion 170 (e.g., the state in which the sensor is turned on) may refer to the state in which the direction recognition unit 270 has recognized the direction indicating portion 170. In this case, the direction recognition unit 270 may generate a forward input signal.

[0138] On the other hand, this is only an example, and it is needless to say that the sensor-off state of the direction recognition unit 270 may be modified to recognize the direction indicator 170 and generate a forward input signal.

[0139] In detail, any structure that can determine the placement direction of the magazine 100 by identifying the direction indicating portion 170 may belong to the present disclosure, which will be referred to later. Figures 7 to 9 Give a description.

[0140] In this way, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, by presetting the placement direction of the magazine 100 in relation to the above-mentioned direction identification unit 270, reverse insertion of the magazine 100 can be prevented more quickly and accurately.

[0141] In this case, the direction recognition unit 270 itself may not be able to determine whether the magazine 100 is in the forward direction.

[0142] Specifically, whether the magazine 100 is in the forward direction (see FIG. 2 ) can be determined by whether the real-time recognition result of the direction recognition unit 270 matches the preset forward concept (the recognition result of the direction recognition unit 270 preset as the forward direction). Figures 7 to 9 ).

[0143] Hereinafter, the magazine 100 having the direction indicating portion 170 and the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 capable of recognizing the direction of the magazine 100 through the direction recognizing unit 270 are described with reference to the drawings.

[0144] The magazine 100 according to some embodiments may include a direction indicating portion 170 indicating a direction. The direction indicating portion 170 may indicate a direction of the electrode plate 10 accommodated in the loading space S or a direction in which the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 .

[0145] Direction indicator 170 is arranged in a specific direction of magazine 100 and can indicate the relative direction of magazine 100 relative to mounting table 210 when magazine 100 is mounted. Direction recognition unit 270, which will be described later, recognizes the relative direction of direction indicator 170 and can thereby derive the mounting direction of magazine 100.

[0146] As an example, when the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210, the direction indicator 170 arranged on the specific surface of the magazine 100 can be arranged at different positions on the placement table 210 according to the placement direction of the magazine 100 (see Figures 7 to 9 ). At this time, the predetermined position of the direction indicating portion 170 relative to the magazine 100 and the placement table 210 can be defined as the positive direction. Therefore, the direction identification unit 270 can determine the positive direction among the multiple placement directions of the magazine 100 by whether the direction indicating portion 170 is arranged at the predetermined position.

[0147] For example, the direction indicating portion 170 indicates the relative direction of the magazine 100 with respect to the placement platform 210 , thereby obtaining the placement direction of the magazine 100 .

[0148] On the other hand, regardless of the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200, the direction indicating portion 170 may indicate the direction of the electrode plate 10 (see FIG. 1 ) contained in the magazine 100. Figure 5 ) in the uncoated portion 12 (see Figure 5 In this case, whether the electrode plate 10 is accommodated in the magazine 100 in the positive direction can be determined by the relative relationship between the direction indicating portion 170 and the uncoated portion 12.

[0149] For example, if the forward direction is defined as a case where the direction indicating portion 170 is disposed parallel to the protruding direction of the non-coating portion 12 , a case where the non-coating portion 12 is not disposed parallel to the direction indicating portion 170 may be determined as the reverse direction.

[0150] Therefore, the user can easily determine whether the uncoated portion 12 is being loaded into the magazine 100 in the correct direction simply by observing the direction indicating portion 170 .

[0151] In detail, the direction indicator 170 may indicate the placement direction of the magazine 100 relative to the placement table 210 when the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210. In addition, the direction indicator 170 may indicate the loading direction of the electrode plates 10 accommodated in the magazine 100, for example, the protruding direction of the uncoated portion 12.

[0152] In addition, the direction indicating portion 170 may be provided to be exposed to the outside of the cassette 100 , and may be provided in a structure that can be recognized by the direction recognition unit 270 .

[0153] As an example, the direction indicator 170 may be provided on the outer surface of the magazine so that it can be recognized from the outside. The secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 recognizes or does not recognize the direction indicator 170 provided in the magazine 100 through the direction recognition unit 270, and thus, it can be determined whether the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210 in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

[0154] The direction indicating portion 170 may include at least one of a notch portion 171 or a marking portion 173, wherein the notch portion 171 is arranged to face the placement portion 211, and the marking portion 173 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the loading direction (first direction, Z-axis direction in the figure) of the electrode plate 10 loaded in the magazine 100.

[0155] The notch portion 171 may be provided at a portion (e.g., substrate 110) where the cassette 100 is placed on the placement table 210. The notch portion 171 may be provided in a shape that penetrates the substrate 110 in a first direction (Z-axis direction in the figure). In the example, the notch portion 171 may be located at the exact center of one side of the substrate 110, but may alternatively be located at an edge adjacent to the one side. In addition, the notch portion 171 may have a shape that is recessed from one side of the substrate 110, but may alternatively have a hole shape that completely penetrates the substrate 110. In this case, the direction recognition unit 270 may be formed at a position corresponding to the notch portion 171.

[0156] The notch portion 171 may be recognized by a notch sensor 271 described later. The notch sensor 271 may determine whether the cassette 100 is seated in the normal direction by whether the notch portion 171 is recognized in the base plate 110 .

[0157] To this end, the notch portion 171 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the center based on a direction perpendicular to the height direction (Z-axis direction) of the cassette 100. For example, the notch portion 171 may be arranged to be offset in a predetermined direction on the substrate 110. This is because if the notch portion 171 is arranged at the very center of the substrate 110, it is difficult to determine whether the cassette is arranged in the forward direction or the reverse direction even if the notch sensor 271 detects the notch portion 171.

[0158] For example, referring to the drawings, the notch portion 171 may be arranged to be offset to one side or the other side based on a predetermined direction (eg, a magazine entry direction) of the base plate 110 .

[0159] In this case, when the notch sensor 271 recognizes the notch portion 171, this state may represent "a state in which the magazine 110 is placed such that the notch portion 171 is disposed in front of the substrate 110" (this state may refer to the forward direction, refer to Figure 7 ).

[0160] In this manner, when the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 recognizes the notch portion 171 disposed in front of the magazine 100 through the notch sensor 271 , it can be determined that the magazine 100 is disposed on the mounting table 210 in the normal direction.

[0161] With the above structure, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 can determine the forward or reverse direction of the magazine 100 only by identifying the presence or absence of the notch portion 171 through the notch sensor 271 .

[0162] In addition, the notch portion 171 may be arranged not to overlap with the loading space S accommodating the electrode plate 10 in a predetermined direction (e.g., loading direction). As will be described later, the notch sensor 271 that recognizes the notch portion 171 may include a visual sensor that detects whether the notch portion 171 exists through a captured image.

[0163] In this case, the notch sensor 271 may capture an image in the first direction and recognize a blank space formed by the notch portion 171 or an outer boundary formed by the notch portion 171 in the captured image. For example, the notch sensor 271 may sense whether the notch portion 171 is recognized by using a difference in image data indicating whether a portion extending in the first direction is blocked by the substrate 110 or penetrated by the notch portion 171.

[0164] If the notch portion 171 is arranged to overlap with the loading space S based on the loading direction (Z-axis direction), there is a risk of reducing the accuracy of the notch sensor 271 due to image noise of the electrode plate 10 accommodated in the loading space S. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the notch portion 171 may be provided so as not to overlap with the accommodation space.

[0165] The marking portion 173 may be provided on a surface other than the lower surface of the cassette 100. Since the lower surface of the cassette 100 (in detail, the lower surface of the substrate 100) faces the mounting table 210, it may be difficult to recognize the marking portion with a sensor other than the notch sensor 271, and the notch portion 171 may have been provided on the lower surface of the cassette 100.

[0166] Furthermore, the marking portion 173 may be arranged on a surface in a direction (eg, an X-axis direction in the figure) perpendicular to the entry direction of the cassette 100 (eg, a Y-axis direction in the figure).

[0167] When the marking portion 173 is provided on a surface in the entry direction (e.g., the second support plate 152 in the figure), the cassette 100 can be identified only when the cassette 100 is completely seated on the seating table 210. For example, in a case where the facing direction between the marking portion 173 and the mark sensor 273 is parallel to the entry direction, since the marking portion 173 can be identified only when it is close to the mark sensor 273, it may be difficult to quickly identify.

[0168] Meanwhile, when arranged on a surface perpendicular to the entry direction (e.g., the first side frame 141 in the figure), the gap between the marking portion 173 and the marking sensor 273 may not be different from the above case while the magazine 100 enters the placement table 210. For example, when the facing direction between the marking portion 173 and the marking sensor 273 is arranged perpendicular to the entry direction, the marking portion 173 may be quickly recognized by the marking sensor 273 even before the magazine 100 is completely placed on the placement table 210.

[0169] Furthermore, in the case of the above arrangement, when a plurality of magazines 100 are provided and the plurality of magazines 100 enter the mounting table 210 side by side, the marking portions 173 of the plurality of magazines 100 can be recognized by one marking sensor 273 .

[0170] In addition, a plurality of marking portions 173 may be provided. In this case, the plurality of marking portions 173 may be arranged not to face each other in a predetermined direction.

[0171] For example, it may be assumed that the marking portions 173 are respectively arranged on both sides of the magazine 100, in detail, on the first side frame 141 and the second side frame 142. In this case, regardless of whether the magazine 100 is arranged in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the mark sensor 273 to be described later can always recognize the marking portion 173, so the reliability of direction recognition can be reduced.

[0172] On the other hand, the information itself contained in the marking portion 173 is not particularly limited as long as it indicates that the marking portion is arranged on a specific surface of the cassette 100 .

[0173] For example, the marking portion 173 may include a barcode containing information such as the type and quantity of the electrode plates 10 accommodated in the cartridge 100. For example, the marking portion 173 itself may include information that is independent of the orientation in which the cartridge 100 is placed.

[0174] In detail, the information contained in the marking portion 173 itself does not indicate the direction of the cassette 100, but the marking portion 173 may indicate a specific surface of the cassette 100. The mark sensor 273 may determine whether the cassette 100 is in the forward direction by sensing whether the marking portion 173 exists on a specific surface. The detailed structure of the mark sensor 273 will be described later.

[0175] One or more direction recognition units 270 may be provided. According to some embodiments, when a plurality of direction recognition units 270 are arranged, the respective direction recognition units 270 may be arranged not to overlap with each other in a predetermined direction to prevent duplicate recognition.

[0176] As an example, the direction recognition unit 270 may include at least one of a notch sensor 271 disposed below the magazine 100 or a mark sensor 273 disposed at one side of the magazine 100 .

[0177] Figure 7 2 is a schematic diagram showing how to determine the placement direction of a magazine using a notch portion and a notch sensor. Figure 7 In an embodiment, the notch sensor 271 may recognize the notch portion 171 formed on the bottom of the cartridge 100 .

[0178] Figure 7 The left figure of FIG. 2 shows that the notch sensor 271 recognizes the notch portion 171 (see “O” in the figure), and Figure 7 The right figure of shows that the notch sensor 271 does not recognize the notch portion 171 (see “X” in the figure).

[0179] As described above, the definition of "positive direction" may indicate a preset direction. For example, a state in which the notch sensor 271 recognizes the notch portion 171 while the magazine 100 is seated may be set as the positive direction.

[0180] In this case, it can be determined that Figure 7 In the left figure, the magazine box 100 is placed in the positive direction, and Figure 7 In the right figure, the magazine 100 is placed in the reverse direction instead of in the forward direction.

[0181] Furthermore, the notch sensor 271 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the notch portion 171 of the cartridge 100 .

[0182] For example, the notch sensor 271 may be disposed on the mounting table 210 to face the substrate 110. In this case, in order to prevent a step of the mounting portion 211 due to the notch sensor 271, a sensor hole 215 is formed in the mounting portion 211, and the notch sensor 271 may be accommodated in the sensor hole 215 and embedded in the mounting table 210.

[0183] Furthermore, the notch sensor 271 is provided as a sensor of a type corresponding to the type of the notch portion 171 , and can recognize whether the notch portion 171 exists.

[0184] As described above, the notch portion 171 may be provided in the substrate 110 in a penetrating shape. In this case, the notch sensor 271 may include a visual sensor at a predetermined position to detect the penetrating empty space. The notch sensor 271 recognizes whether there is a penetrating shape (notch portion 171) of the substrate 110, and thereby determines the placement direction of the cartridge 100 (see Figure 7 ).

[0185] However, the type of the notch sensor 271 is not limited thereto. For example, the notch sensor 271 according to the embodiment is arranged to overlap with the notch portion 171 in the first direction (Z-axis direction in the figure) when the cassette 100 is placed on the placement table 210, and any structure that can detect the presence or absence of the notch portion 171 by this structure may belong to the present disclosure.

[0186] In this case, “overlap” may mean that the notch portion 171 and the notch sensor 271 are arranged side by side in the first direction, and that the notch portion 171 is arranged at a position where the notch sensor 271 is projected in the first direction.

[0187] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating sensing of the orientation of the cassette 100 by the mark sensor 273 according to some embodiments.

[0188] refer to Figure 8 In an embodiment, the mark sensor 273 recognizes the mark portion 173 formed on the side surface of the magazine 100, so that it can be determined whether the magazine 100 is placed in the right direction.

[0189] Figure 8 The left figure of FIG. 2 shows that the mark sensor 273 recognizes the mark portion 173 (see “O” in the figure) on the facing side of the magazine 100, and Figure 8 The right figure of FIG. 1 is a figure showing that the mark sensor 273 does not recognize the mark portion 173 on the facing side of the cassette 100 (see “X” in the figure).

[0190] As described above, the definition of 'positive' may be provided based on a relatively pre-established concept. For example, in a state where the mark sensor 273 is arranged to sense a surface in one direction (+X axis direction), recognition of the mark portion 173 may be set to positive.

[0191] In this case, it can be determined that Figure 8 In the left figure, the magazine 100 is placed in the positive direction, and Figure 8 In the right picture, the magazine is placed in reverse instead of upward.

[0192] On the other hand, in the present disclosure, "facing" means directly facing each other (face-to-face), and Figure 8 In the left figure, the marking sensor 273 and the marking portion 173 face each other, but in Figure 8 In the right figure of , the mark sensor 273 and the marking portion 173 are opposite to each other but not facing each other.

[0193] For example, the mark sensor 273 is provided on the facing surface of the magazine 100, and can identify the mark portion 173 (see Figure 8 left image).

[0194] In addition, the mark sensor 273 is disposed to face the mark portion 173, and can recognize the mark portion 173. When the mark sensor 273 recognizes the mark portion, the mark sensor 273 can determine a specific surface of the magazine 100 on which the mark portion 173 is placed.

[0195] As an example, it can be assumed that when the magazine 100 is placed, the "side of the first side frame 141 facing the placement table 210 (+X axis direction in the figure)" is set as the positive direction (see Figure 8 left image).

[0196] At this time, in order to determine the forward direction, the mark sensor 273 may be pre-arranged to face the surface of the seating table 210 in one direction, and the mark portion 173 may be pre-arranged on the first side frame 141 .

[0197] In this case, the mark sensor 273 recognizes that the mark portion 173 means “the magazine 100 is placed so that the first side frame 141 faces one direction.” Therefore, through this relationship, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 can determine that the magazine 100 is placed in the right direction.

[0198] For example, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 of the embodiment may determine the installation direction of the magazine 100 by combining the installation position of the mark sensor 273 and whether the mark portion 173 is recognized.

[0199] The mark sensor 273 may be disposed to face a side of the cassette on which the marking portion 173 is disposed.

[0200] As described above, the mark sensor 273 may recognize whether the mark portion 173 exists by sensing a specific surface of the cartridge 100 facing thereto.

[0201] For example, when the marking portion 173 includes a barcode containing predetermined information, the marking sensor 273 may include a barcode reader that recognizes the barcode. In this case, the marking sensor 273 may recognize whether there is a barcode and recognize a specific surface of the magazine 100 where the marking portion 173 is placed.

[0202] In addition, as described above in the description of the marking portion 173, a plurality of mark sensors 273 may be provided. The plurality of mark sensors 273 may be provided so as not to face each other in a predetermined direction. This is because, if the mark sensors 273 are arranged on both sides (opposite surfaces in the X-axis direction) of the magazine 100, the mark sensors 273 can recognize the mark portion 173 regardless of whether the mark portion 173 is arranged on one side or the other side of the magazine.

[0203] For example, the mark sensor 273 may be disposed in one direction so that the value of the mark portion 173 recognized by the mark sensor 273 may be different depending on the forward or reverse direction of the magazine 100 .

[0204] Furthermore, according to some embodiments, a plurality of direction indicating portions 170 and a plurality of direction identifying units 270 respectively identifying the direction indicating portions 170 may be organically arranged. In detail, the notch portion 171 and the notch sensor 271 identifying the notch portion, and the marking portion 173 and the marking sensor 273 identifying the marking portion may be arranged together.

[0205] Reference Fig. 9 The placement direction of magazine 100 when arranged in this manner is described. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating sensing of a direction of a cassette 100 by a plurality of direction recognition units 270 according to some embodiments.

[0206] Fig. 9 The first figure on the left side of shows a state where the notch portion 171 and the mark portion 173 are recognized by the notch sensor 271 and the mark sensor 273 , respectively. Fig. 9 The second figure in FIG. 1 shows that the notch portion 171 is recognized by the notch sensor 271, but the mark sensor 273 does not recognize the mark portion 173 on one surface of the magazine 100 in one direction (in the figure, the surface in the +X axis direction). Fig. 9 In the third figure, the notch portion 171 is not recognized by the notch sensor 271 , but the mark portion 173 is recognized on the surface of one side direction of the magazine 100 by the mark sensor 273 . Fig. 9 The fourth figure shows a state in which the notch portion 171 and the mark portion 173 are not recognized by the notch sensor 271 and the mark sensor 273, respectively.

[0207] As mentioned above, in this case, "positive" can represent a relative concept of preset. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, a state in which both the notch portion 171 and the marking portion 173 are recognized may be defined as a positive state.

[0208] In this case, Fig. 9 The first image on the left can be set as 'forward'. 'Reverse' can be determined relative to the forward direction, and all other cases can be determined as reverse ( Fig. 9 2nd to 4th images).

[0209] For example, the magazine 100 may be seated on the seating table 210 in a plurality of seating directions, and one of the seating directions may be a forward direction.

[0210] In this way, compared with the case where only one direction recognition unit 270 is provided (see Figure 7 or Figure 8 ) compared to when multiple direction identification units 270 are provided, more reverse situations can be filtered out (see Fig. 9 ), thereby improving the reliability of determining the positive direction.

[0211] On the other hand, when the direction recognition unit 270 (e.g., the notch sensor 271) starts sensing before the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210, since the sensing is performed before the magazine 100 enters, the direction recognition unit 270 has no choice but to determine that all the direction indicators 170 are not recognized. In this case, in order to improve the reliability of direction recognition, it may be necessary to sense the direction indicators 170 after the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210.

[0212] Therefore, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment may further include a seating sensor (not shown) that senses whether the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210. For example, the direction recognition unit 270 may sense the direction indicating portion 170 after the seating sensor determines that the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210.

[0213] For example, when the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 , the seating sensor generates a seating signal, and when the seating signal is detected, the direction recognition unit 270 may sense the direction indicating portion 170 .

[0214] Hereinafter, a method of determining a placement direction of the magazine 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0215] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method of determining a forward orientation of a cassette according to an embodiment.

[0216] refer to Fig.10 , the secondary battery manufacturing method according to the embodiment may include: a placement determination operation (S110) to sense and determine whether the magazine 100 is placed on the placement table 210; a direction measurement operation (S120) in which the direction recognition unit 270 measures the placement direction of the magazine 100 by sensing the direction indicating portion 170 of the magazine 100; and a direction determination operation (S130) to determine whether the magazine 100 is placed in the right direction based on the sensed information.

[0217] The seating determination operation ( S110 ) is an operation of sensing and determining whether the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 using a seating sensor.

[0218] According to an embodiment, the direction recognition unit 270 can sense the direction indicator 170 only when it is determined that the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210. This is because the direction indicator 170 cannot be accurately sensed before the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210.

[0219] According to an embodiment, the above determination operation may be performed using a separate control unit (not shown). As an example, the placement sensor senses the cassette 100 and transmits sensing data about whether the cassette 100 is placed to the control unit, and the control unit may determine whether the cassette 100 is placed through the sensing data.

[0220] If the placement of the magazine 100 is not detected, it is possible to wait for the magazine 100 to be placed ( S110 , No).

[0221] The direction measuring operation ( S120 ) is an operation in which the direction recognition unit 270 measures whether the direction indicating portion 170 is recognized by sensing the direction indicating portion 170 provided in the cassette 100 .

[0222] As an example, the notch sensor 271 of the direction recognition unit 270 may detect whether the notch portion 171 exists, and the mark sensor 273 may detect whether the mark portion 173 exists.

[0223] The direction determining operation ( S130 ) is an operation of determining whether the magazine 100 seated on the seating table 210 is currently seated in the right direction based on the real-time sensing data of the direction recognition unit 270 .

[0224] As described above, 'forward' may be any preset direction, and 'reverse' may refer to anything except the forward direction.

[0225] For example, the forward direction may refer to the direction of the magazine 100 in which the plurality of direction indicating portions 170 are all detected. For example, when both the notch portion 171 and the marking portion 173 are detected, it may be determined that the direction is the forward direction, and if neither is detected, it may be determined that the reverse direction (in this example, Fig. 9 The first image on the left can be the positive direction).

[0226] As another example, in the present disclosure, the forward direction may refer to the placement direction of the magazine 100 in a state where none of the plurality of direction indicating portions 170 are detected. For example, the forward direction may be determined only when the notch portion 171 and the marking portion 173 are not detected, and the reverse direction may be determined when any one of them is detected. (In this example, Fig. 9 The fourth picture from the left in the figure can be the positive direction).

[0227] On the other hand, as described above, in the seating determination operation (S110), the direction recognition unit 270 may not only perform determination of the forward direction, but the control unit may also determine the forward direction by transmitting the direction sensing data to a separate control unit.

[0228] As an example, the direction recognition unit 270 transmits information such as whether each direction indicator 170 is recognized to the control unit, and the control unit can determine whether the cassette 100 is placed in the forward or reverse direction by comparing the received data with a preset definition of the forward direction.

[0229] When it is determined that the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 in the upright position ( S130 , Yes), the subsequent secondary battery manufacturing process may be continued.

[0230] For example, in the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200 , the electrode plates 10 loaded in the magazine 100 may be taken out from the magazine 100 , and then a stacking process of sequentially stacking the electrode plates 10 having different polarities may be performed.

[0231] If it is not determined that the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 in the upright position ( S130 , No), the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus may notify information through a notification unit (not shown) ( S140 ).

[0232] For example, when any of the direction indicators 170 is not recognized, the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus may notify the operator with perceptible information such as visual and auditory information.

[0233] After that, the placement direction of the magazine 100 mounted on the placement table 210 may be corrected (S150). This operation may be performed by correcting the placement direction of the magazine 100 by a separate position correction unit (not shown) in the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus 200, or by an operator correcting the placement direction of the magazine 100.

[0234] Next, the seating direction determining operation ( S110 ) may be re-performed by re-sensing whether the magazine 100 is seated on the seating table 210 through the seating sensor.

[0235] On the other hand, the above operations are only examples, and any operation may be omitted. For example, if the forward direction determination operation (S130) is performed after the direction measurement operation (S120), all other operations may be understood as belonging to the present disclosure even if all other operations are omitted or added therebetween.

[0236] As described above, according to some embodiments, a magazine and a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including the same may be provided, in which safety in a secondary battery manufacturing process may be improved by preventing a magazine loaded with electrodes from being inserted in a reverse direction.

[0237] According to some embodiments, a magazine in which a size of the magazine can be varied according to a size of an electrode loaded therein, thereby stably supporting the electrode, and a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including the same may be provided.

[0238] Only specific examples of implementations of certain embodiments are described. Variations, improvements, and enhancements of the disclosed embodiments and other embodiments may be made based on the disclosure of this patent document.

Claims

1. A secondary battery manufacturing device, comprising: Placement table; a magazine, which is placed on the placement table, and wherein at least one electrode plate is loaded in the magazine in a first direction; a direction indicating portion, which is provided with the magazine and indicates a relative direction of the magazine with respect to the placement table; and A direction recognition unit senses the direction indicating portion and obtains a direction in which the magazine is placed on the placement platform.

2. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein: The magazine enters in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and is placed on the placement table.

3. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein: The direction indicating portion is arranged on the first surface of the magazine, The first surface of the magazine is a surface of the magazine that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second direction.

4. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein: The bin box includes a base plate, and the base plate is mounted on the placement table. The direction indicating portion includes a notch portion provided on the base plate to face the placement table, and The direction recognition unit includes a notch sensor that is arranged on the mounting table to face the substrate and sense the notch portion.

5. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 4, wherein: The notch portion is provided in the substrate by penetrating the substrate in the first direction, and The notch sensor identifies whether the notch portion is located at a position extending from the notch sensor in the first direction.

6. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 5, wherein: When the magazine is placed on the placement table, the magazine is placed in one of a forward direction and a reverse direction other than the forward direction, in the forward direction, the notch portion is arranged at a position extending from the notch sensor in the first direction, and The notch sensor senses the magazine that has been mounted on the mounting table in the normal direction.

7. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 5, wherein: In a state where the substrate is mounted on the mounting table, the notch sensor senses whether the notch portion is arranged at a position where the notch sensor is projected in the first direction.

8. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 7, wherein: The notch portion is arranged closer to one side or the other side of the substrate based on a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

9. The secondary battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The direction indicating portion includes a marking portion that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first direction of the magazine and exposed to the outside, and The direction recognition unit includes a mark sensor disposed to face the magazine mounted on the mounting table in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the mark sensor senses the mark portion.

10. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 9, wherein: The magazine includes a first surface facing the mark sensor, and the magazine is mounted on the mounting table to be arranged in one of the following directions: a forward direction or a reverse direction other than the forward direction, and the marking portion is arranged on the first surface in the forward direction.

11. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 10, wherein: The mark sensor senses whether the marking portion is disposed on the first surface of the magazine.

12. The secondary battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: When the magazine is mounted on the mounting table, the mark sensor senses whether the marking portion is arranged on a surface facing the mark sensor among the surfaces of the magazine.

13. The secondary battery manufacturing device according to claim 1, further comprising a placement sensor, the placement sensor detecting whether the magazine is placed on the placement table and generating a placement signal, in, When the placement signal is detected, the direction recognition unit senses the direction indicating portion.

14. A bin box, comprising: a loading space, wherein an electrode plate is loaded in the loading space in a first direction, the electrode plate having an uncoated portion protruding in a predetermined direction; a loading guide having the loading space; and a direction indicating portion indicating a protruding direction of the uncoated portion of the electrode plate, The direction indicating portion includes at least one of a notch portion and a marking portion, the notch portion is arranged below the loading guide in the first direction, and the marking portion is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and exposed to the outside.

15. The magazine according to claim 14, further comprising a base plate that supports a lower portion of the loading guide, in, The notch portion is arranged in the base plate so as not to overlap with the loading space in the first direction.

16. The cartridge of claim 14, wherein: The loading guide is provided to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and to change a size of the loading space.

17. The cartridge of claim 16, wherein: The magazine further includes a moving frame that supports an end portion of the loading guide in the first direction and has a moving guide hole disposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and The loading guide is movable in the second direction along a moving guide hole of the moving frame.

18. The cartridge of claim 17, wherein: The magazine further includes a side frame supporting a side portion of the loading guide and having a side guide hole extending in the second direction, and The loading guide is movable in the second direction along the movement guide hole and the side guide hole.

19. The magazine according to claim 18, further comprising a base plate supporting the moving frame and having a base guide hole extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, in, The moving frame is configured to be movable in the third direction along the base guide hole together with the loading guide.

20. The cartridge of claim 19, wherein: The magazine box further includes a support plate arranged to support the side frame in the second direction of the loading guide and having a support guide hole extending in the third direction, and The side frame is movable in the third direction along the support guide hole together with the loading guide.

Images