Electrode plate manufacturing apparatus, electrode plate manufactured using the electrode plate manufacturing apparatus, and method therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a first laser radiation unit that radiates a first laser beam in a first direction perpendicular to an electrode film positioned between rollers of a transfer device to groove at least a part of the electrode film; and the second laser radiation unit radiates a second laser beam to the grooving area, grooved by the first laser radiation unit, of the electrode film so as to remove the material, melted by the first laser beam, on the surface of the electrode film.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0142641, filed on October 24, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to the manufacture of secondary battery electrode plates, and more specifically, to an electrode plate manufacturing device that can significantly reduce the occurrence of defects in secondary battery electrode plates and easily manufacture secondary battery electrode tabs of various shapes, an electrode plate manufactured using the electrode plate manufacturing device, and a method thereof.

[0004] 2. Related technical discussions

[0005] A notching device for manufacturing a secondary battery forms an electrode tab by cutting at least a portion of an electrode film. In the related art, a notching device using stamping has been used to form an electrode tab, but in recent years, a laser notching device that can reduce damage to the electrode and improve production efficiency compared to stamping has been mainly used. However, when the electrode tab is formed by the laser notching device, the material of the uncoated portion melts along the laser cutting path and is located on one surface of the coated portion, and scum is formed on one side of the coated portion. There is a problem that the scum passes through the separator during the battery assembly process or battery operation, causing an internal short circuit.

[0006] like Figure 1As shown, Korean Patent No. 10-2386254 (hereinafter referred to as "the prior art") discloses a laser grooving device, which includes: a grooving unit, which grooves an electrode film to be processed at each specific pitch; a vibration prevention device, which is located between a first roller and a second roller, to prevent the electrode film to be processed from shaking, thereby minimizing the vibration of the electrode film; a rotating pattern clamp unit, one side of which is located on the front surface of the grooving unit, the rotating pattern clamp unit having a plurality of pattern clamps and can be rotated to exchange a pattern clamp located on one side of the front surface of the grooving unit with another pattern clamp; and a cleaning unit, the cleaning unit having a pattern clamp cleaning unit located on the other side of the front surface of the rotating pattern clamp unit and capable of cleaning the pattern clamp by spraying air. Here, the cleaning unit includes: a main body; a fume suction unit that is coupled to the central portion of the main body and sucks the fume generated during the laser groove carving process; and a debris suction unit that is located below the fume suction unit and can suck the debris generated during the groove carving process. However, only the fume and the debris can be removed using this technology, and it is difficult to remove the molten material on the surface of the electrode film that causes the internal short circuit. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to provide an electrode plate manufacturing device and a method thereof, which is located in the region of a coating portion of an electrode plate of a secondary battery after being grooved and can quickly and effectively remove molten material causing an internal short circuit.

[0008] The present invention is also directed to providing an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus and method, which are capable of forming electrode tabs having various shapes without being restricted by space.

[0009] The present invention also aims to provide an electrode plate manufactured by the electrode plate manufacturing device and method.

[0010] An electrode plate manufacturing device comprises: a first laser irradiation unit (20), which irradiates a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to an electrode film (10) located between rollers of a conveying device to groove at least a portion of the electrode film (10); and a second laser irradiation unit (30), which irradiates a second laser beam (L2) to a grooved area of ​​the electrode film (10) grooved by the first laser irradiation unit (20) to remove material melted by the first laser beam (L1) on the surface of the electrode film.

[0011] The second laser irradiation unit (30) may be spaced apart from the first laser irradiation unit (20) in a second direction (-X axis direction), and irradiates the second laser beam (L2) at an angle inclined relative to the first direction.

[0012] The second laser irradiation unit (30) can irradiate the second laser beam (L2) at an angle of 1° to 179° relative to the first direction.

[0013] The second laser irradiation unit (30) can set the irradiation path of the second laser beam (L2) to remove the material melted by the first laser beam (L1).

[0014] The electrode film (10) may include an uncoated portion (14) and a coated portion (12) arranged to face each other on both surfaces of the uncoated portion (14), and the first laser beam (L1) may be irradiated in the first direction to remove the coated portion (12) and the uncoated portion (14). The second laser irradiation unit (30) may irradiate the second laser beam (L2) to be inclined toward one side of the electrode film (10) in the second direction (-X axis direction) to remove the molten material remaining on the uncoated portion (14) and the coated portion (12).

[0015] A method for manufacturing an electrode plate comprises: a first operation of radiating a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to an electrode film (10) to perform a groove on at least a portion of the electrode film (10), and a second operation of radiating a second laser beam (L2) obliquely relative to the first direction to remove molten material melted by the first laser beam (L1) and located on the surface of the electrode film (10).

[0016] In the second operation, the second laser beam (L2) may be radiated at an angle of 1° to 179° relative to the first direction.

[0017] An electrode plate is provided, which is manufactured by a process comprising: a first operation of irradiating a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to an electrode film (10) to perform a groove on at least a portion of the electrode film (10), and a second operation of irradiating a second laser beam (L2) obliquely relative to the first direction to remove molten material melted by the first laser beam (L1) and located on the surface of the electrode film (10). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1is a schematic diagram of an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An enlarged view of part A of FIG.

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a view of removing a molten material by irradiating a second laser beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is used to compare the cross section of the electrode plate manufactured by die groove according to the related art (see Figure 5 A) and a cross section of an electrode plate manufactured by a method according to an embodiment of the present invention (see Figure 5 B) Electron micrograph;

[0024] Figure 6 is used to compare the state before the second laser irradiation unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is irradiated (refer to Figure 6 A) and the state after irradiation (ref. Figure 6 B) Electron microscope image of the cross section of the electrode plate;

[0025] Figure 7 is an experimental result table illustrating the material content of the surface of the coating portion according to the radiation angle of the second laser radiation unit during laser cutting of the secondary battery electrode plate; and

[0026] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an electrode plate according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Magnified view of part A.

[0029] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first laser irradiation unit 20 and a second laser irradiation unit 30 .

[0030] The first laser irradiation unit 20 may irradiate a first laser beam L1 in a first direction (−Z axis direction) perpendicular to the electrode film 10 between rollers of the conveying device and groove at least parts of the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 14 .

[0031] The second laser irradiation unit 30 may irradiate the second laser beam L2 onto the grooved area N_ing grooved by the first laser irradiation unit 20 in a direction inclined with respect to the first direction to thermally evaporate or etch the material melted by the first laser beam L1.

[0032] Unlike the method of stamping using a mold device according to the related art, the first laser irradiation unit 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention uses the first laser beam L1 for groove carving. The first laser irradiation unit 20 can control the path of the emitted first laser beam L1 using an internal reflector or the like, thereby achieving precise groove carving. As an embodiment, the first laser irradiation unit 20 can control the path of the first laser beam L1 to groove the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 14 of the electrode film 10 into various shapes. That is, the mold device according to the related art may only groove one shape using one device, but the electrode plate manufacturing device according to the embodiment of the present invention can groove the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 14 into various shapes.

[0033] In addition, the first laser irradiation unit 20 can accurately groove the electrode film 10 by accurately controlling the offset process of the path of the first laser beam L1 in contact with the electrode film 10. The path of the first laser beam L1 can be adjusted while moving the first laser irradiation unit 20, or the path of the reflected first laser beam L1 can be adjusted while moving a reflection mirror on which the first laser beam L1 is incident in the first laser irradiation unit 20.

[0034] The electrode film 10 includes a coating portion 12 where an active material is applied to a current collector and an uncoating portion 14 where an active material is not applied to the current collector. That is, the electrode film 10 refers to an electrode.

[0035] The molten material refers to a material obtained by being partially melted by the first laser beam L1 and mixing the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 14 exposed on the electrode film 10. The molten material may solidify while being located on the side surface of the electrode film 10.

[0036] The second laser irradiation unit 30 irradiates the second laser beam L2 toward the side surface of the electrode film 10 where the molten material is located, thereby removing the molten material including the material of the uncoated portion 14. In addition, scum formed on one or more of the upper and lower sides of the coated portion 12 is removed together, thereby being able to prevent an internal short circuit caused by the scum and the molten material of the uncoated portion 14.

[0037] Meanwhile, the electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention further includes: a visual unit (not illustrated) for detecting the position of the material melted by the first laser beam L1; and a control unit for controlling the radiation path and size of the beams of the first laser beam L1 and the second laser beam L2.

[0038] The conveying device is a conveying unit for conveying the electrode film 10, and may include a conveying device including a roller (not illustrated) for unwinding the electrode film 10 wound before processing on one side thereof and rewinding the electrode film 10 on the other side thereof after laser cutting.

[0039] The first laser irradiation unit 20 includes an optical module for irradiating a first laser beam L1 in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to the electrode film 10. In this case, the optical module of the first laser irradiation unit 20 includes: a scanner device that emits a laser beam from a laser generator to cut the electrode film 10; a reflection mirror that emits the laser beam; and a beam expander that adjusts the size of the laser beam.

[0040] The second laser irradiation unit 30 includes an optical module for irradiating the second laser beam L2 to be inclined at an angle of 1° to 179° in the first direction of the groove area N_ing grooved by the first laser irradiation unit 20, that is, inclined at an angle of -89° to 89° in the second direction (-X axis direction) which is the lateral direction of the electrode film 10. As an embodiment, the second laser irradiation unit 30 includes an optical module for irradiating the second laser beam L2 to be inclined at an angle of 45° to 135° relative to the first direction of the groove area N_ing grooved by the first laser irradiation unit 20, that is, inclined toward one side of the electrode film 10 at an angle of -45° to 45° relative to the second direction (-X axis direction).

[0041] Meanwhile, according to an exemplary modification of the present invention, the second laser irradiation unit 30 further includes a rotational movement unit (not illustrated) that can rotate and move within an angle range relative to the electrode film 10. In this way, when the laser beam is continuously irradiated by the second laser irradiation unit 30 rotated by the rotational movement unit, the material melted by the first laser irradiation unit 20 can be effectively removed from the side surface and the upper and lower surfaces of the cut surface. In this case, the optical module of the second laser irradiation unit 30 includes: a scanner device that emits a laser beam from a laser generator to remove the molten material of the surface of the electrode film 10; a reflector that emits the laser beam; and a beam expander that adjusts the size of the laser beam.

[0042] The first laser irradiation unit 20 and the second laser irradiation unit 30 may be configured as a continuous waveform laser or a pulse laser. In addition, the central wavelength of the output laser beam is not limited.

[0043] The laser specifications of the first laser irradiation unit 20 and the second laser irradiation unit 30 may be configured as shown in Table 1 below.

[0044] [Table 1]

[0045] Laser Width Tens of picoseconds (ps) to hundreds of nanoseconds (ns) Spot repetition cycle 20kHz to 4000kHz Laser processing speed 100mm / s to 16000mm / s Spot size 5μm to several hundred μm Light spot energy 0.025mJ to 0.9mJ Repetitions 1 to 50 times Spot overlap rate 10% to 90%

[0046] In a state where the electrode film 10 is conveyed by the conveying device at a set speed or by the conveying device, the material grooved by the first laser irradiation unit 20 and melted by the second laser irradiation unit 30 can be removed. In this case, the first laser irradiation unit 20 and the second laser irradiation unit 30 irradiate the electrode film 10 with laser beams along a set irradiation path through a scanner device.

[0047] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second laser irradiation unit 30 is spaced apart from the first laser irradiation unit 20 by a set distance in the second direction and has the same Y coordinate value as the first laser irradiation unit 20. In this case, the irradiation path of the second laser beam L2 may be the same as the irradiation path of the first laser beam L1. In addition, the second laser irradiation unit 30 may be operated after a set time after the first laser irradiation unit 20 is operated.

[0048] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] According to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 As shown, the second laser irradiation unit 30 is spaced apart from the first laser irradiation unit 20 by a set distance in the second direction and the third direction. That is, the irradiation position of the second laser irradiation unit 30 is located behind the irradiation position of the first laser irradiation unit 20 based on the conveying direction of the electrode film 10. In this case, the position of the molten material is detected by the vision unit, and the irradiation path and beam size of the second laser irradiation unit 30 are set by the control unit, which receives information about the position of the molten material from the vision unit.

[0050] Figure 4 is a view of removing a molten material by irradiating a second laser beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] refer to Figure 4, the electrode film 10 includes an uncoated portion 14 and a coated portion 12 arranged to face each other on both surfaces of the uncoated portion 14. As described above, the first laser beam L1 is radiated in the first direction to remove the area of ​​the coated portion 12 and the area of ​​the uncoated portion 14. The second laser beam L2 is radiated to the surface of the coated portion 12 disposed in the second direction to remove the molten material of the remaining uncoated portion 14.

[0052] Figure 5 A is a photograph illustrating a cross section of an electrode plate manufactured by die notching according to the related art, and Figure 5 B is a photograph illustrating a cross section of an electrode plate manufactured by the electrode plate manufacturing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 A is a photograph of a cross section of an electrode plate before the molten material is removed by the second laser irradiation unit, Figure 6 B is a photograph after the molten material of the cross section of the electrode plate is removed by the second laser irradiation unit, and Figure 7 is an experimental result table illustrating the material content of the surface of the coating portion according to the irradiation angle of the second laser irradiation unit during laser cutting of a secondary battery electrode plate.

[0053] refer to Figure 5 A, the uncoated portion grooved using the mold device is cut to have a light-transmitting and smooth cross section. Depending on the state of the mold device, a wear line or a wear pattern having various shapes and patterns (such as a cut line scale or pattern in a corrugated pattern shape) may be provided on the cut surface of the uncoated portion. On the other hand, referring to Figure 5 B, the uncoated portion 14 has a cross section in a melted form by laser notching.

[0054] refer to Figure 7 It can be seen that the aluminum component as the material of the uncoated portion 14 is greatly reduced in the area of ​​the coated portion 12, and in this case, the aluminum content of the aluminum component is similar to the aluminum content in the cross section of the coated portion 12 manufactured by die groove according to the related art.

[0055] refer to Figure 6 A, it can be seen that aluminum, which is the material of the non-coating portion 14, is melted and located in the area of ​​the coating portion 12, and scum is formed on the upper and lower sides of the coating portion 12. That is, the second laser irradiation unit 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention can significantly reduce the defects of the secondary battery by removing the scum formed on one side of the coating portion 12 to prevent damage to the separator, while preventing the occurrence of a short circuit due to the molten material including the material of the non-coating portion 14.

[0056] At the same time, due to the arrangement structure of the first laser irradiation unit 20 and the second laser irradiation unit 30, the space used for grooving and removing the molten material can be minimized, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0057] Furthermore, it is preferred that the electrode plate manufacturing apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention further includes a suction unit 40 for guiding the thermally evaporated material to the outside when the material melted by the second laser beam L2 of the second laser irradiation unit 30 is thermally evaporated.

[0058] Figure 8 1 is a flow chart illustrating an electrode plate manufacturing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the electrode plate manufacturing method includes: a first operation of irradiating a first laser beam L1 in a first direction perpendicular to an electrode film 10 so that at least a portion of the electrode film 10 is grooved to form an electrode tab; and a second operation of irradiating a second laser beam L2 in a second direction toward one side of the electrode film 10 to remove a molten material formed by the first laser beam L1 after the first operation.

[0059] In the first operation and the second operation, the electrode film 10 may be conveyed at a set speed by the conveying device or may be stopped by the conveying device.

[0060] In the second operation, the position of the molten material may be detected by the vision unit, and the radiation path and beam size of the second laser beam L2 may be set according to the information on the position of the molten material.

[0061] Meanwhile, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an electrode plate of a secondary battery manufactured through the above-mentioned process is included.

[0062] According to the present invention, the material melted by the laser notching and located in the region of the coating portion can be removed quickly and efficiently, so that an internal short circuit can be prevented during a battery assembly process or battery operation.

[0063] Furthermore, in the present invention, since the laser beam is radiated at a position separated from the electrode film when removing the molten material, the radiation path of the laser beam is not disturbed when grooves are cut to change the shape of the electrode tabs, thereby enabling various types of electrode tabs to be effectively formed without spatial limitations.

[0064] Furthermore, in the present invention, the second laser irradiation unit for removing the molten material includes a scanner device and a beam expander, so the molten material can be removed more efficiently by changing the irradiation path and the beam size.

[0065] In addition, in the present invention, since a laser beam is used to cut the electrode plate film and remove the molten material, the electrode plate film can be manufactured into various shapes, and the molten material located in the coating area and causing the internal short circuit can be removed, thereby reducing the occurrence of defects in the electrode plate.

[0066] Furthermore, in the present invention, when notching is performed to change the shape of the electrode tab, the electrode tab does not interfere with the laser radiation path, and thus it is possible to operate without spatial limitation.

[0067] Furthermore, in the present invention, the molten material can be effectively removed by changing the radiation path and the beam size.

Claims

1. An electrode plate manufacturing device, comprising: a first laser irradiation unit (20) configured to irradiate a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to the electrode film (10) between rollers of a conveying device, so as to groove at least a portion of the electrode film (10); and A second laser irradiation unit (30) is configured to irradiate a second laser beam (L2) to a grooved area of ​​the electrode film (10) grooved by the first laser irradiation unit (20) to remove material melted by the first laser beam (L1) on the surface of the electrode film (10).

2. The electrode plate manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the second laser irradiation unit (30) is spaced apart from the first laser irradiation unit (20) in a second direction (-X axis direction) and irradiates the second laser beam (L2) at an angle inclined relative to the first direction.

3. The electrode plate manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the second laser irradiation unit (30) irradiates the second laser beam (L2) at an angle of 1° to 179° relative to the first direction.

4. The electrode plate manufacturing device according to claim 3, wherein the second laser irradiation unit (30) sets an irradiation path of the second laser beam (L2) for removing the material melted by the first laser beam (L1).

5. The electrode plate manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode film (10) includes an uncoated portion (14) and a coated portion (12) arranged to face each other on two surfaces of the uncoated portion (14), and the first laser beam (L1) is radiated in the first direction to remove the coated portion (12) and the uncoated portion (14).

6. An electrode plate manufacturing device according to claim 5, wherein the second laser irradiation unit (30) irradiates the second laser beam (L2) to be inclined toward one side of the electrode film (10) relative to a second direction (-X-axis direction) to remove the molten material remaining on the uncoated portion (14) and the coated portion (12).

7. A method for manufacturing an electrode plate, the method comprising: irradiating a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to the electrode film (10) to perform a first operation of groove engraving on at least a portion of the electrode film (10); as well as A second operation of irradiating a second laser beam (L2) obliquely with respect to the first direction to remove molten material melted by the first laser beam (L1) and located on the surface of the electrode film (10).

8. The electrode plate manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein in the second operation, the second laser beam (L2) is irradiated at an angle of 1° to 179° relative to the first direction.

9. An electrode plate, which is manufactured by a process comprising the following items: a first operation of radiating a first laser beam (L1) in a first direction (-Z axis direction) perpendicular to an electrode film (10) to groove at least a portion of the electrode film (10), and a second operation of radiating a second laser beam (L2) obliquely relative to the first direction to remove molten material melted by the first laser beam (L1) and located on the surface of the electrode film (10).

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