Lead sheet aligning device, battery manufacturing system comprising lead sheet aligning device and battery cell manufacturing method of battery manufacturing system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a lead tab alignment device, a battery manufacturing system including the same, and a battery cell manufacturing method of the battery manufacturing system, the lead tab alignment device comprising: a photographing part for photographing an assembled battery cell including a lead tab part, the assembled battery cell including an electrode assembly and a housing, a lead sheet part electrically connected with the electrode assembly is arranged on the shell; and an alignment correction portion detachably coupled to the lead tab portion to adjust a position of the lead tab portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lead sheet alignment device, a battery manufacturing system including the same, and a method for manufacturing a battery cell using the same. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a lead sheet alignment device that improves the efficiency of the battery cell manufacturing process, a battery manufacturing system including the same, and a method for manufacturing a battery cell using the same. Background Art

[0002] The battery cell may include an electrode assembly for generating electric energy, a case for accommodating the electrode assembly, and a lead piece portion electrically connected to the electrode assembly and protruding toward the outside of the case.

[0003] To assemble the battery cell, typical battery manufacturing systems utilize a lead tab alignment device to align the lead tabs after the electrode assembly and the lead tabs connected to the electrode assembly are positioned within the housing. Typical lead tab alignment devices align the lead tabs and position them in a predetermined, fixed position. However, since the lead tabs are simply aligned rather than fixed, misalignment of the lead tabs may occur during subsequent movement to the sealing device.

[0004] Furthermore, since the lead pieces need to be aligned again before the battery cell being assembled is sealed in the sealing device, there is a problem in that the time required to manufacture the battery cell is prolonged. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (1) Technical issues to be resolved

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a technical problem to be solved is to improve the efficiency of a battery cell manufacturing process.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a technical problem to be solved is to prevent lead pieces of a battery cell being assembled from being misaligned after alignment.

[0008] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a technical problem to be solved is to align lead pieces using vision.

[0009] On the other hand, the battery cells produced by the lead tab alignment device and battery manufacturing system including the same according to the present disclosure can be widely used in electric vehicles, battery charging stations, energy storage systems (ESS), and other green technology fields such as photovoltaic power generation and wind power generation using batteries. Furthermore, the battery cells produced by the lead tab alignment device and battery manufacturing system including the same according to the present disclosure can be used in eco-friendly mobility vehicles, including electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, which prevent climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0010] (2) Technical solution

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the lead piece alignment device according to the present disclosure may include: a shooting part, which shoots the assembled battery cell including the lead piece part, the assembled battery cell includes an electrode assembly and a battery cell, and the lead piece part electrically connected to the electrode assembly is arranged in the shell; an alignment correction part, which is detachably coupled to the lead piece part to adjust the position of the lead piece part; and a control part, which controls the shooting part and the alignment correction part, and the control part can move the lead piece part to a preset fixed position through the alignment correction part based on the position information of the lead piece part calculated by the captured image of the assembled battery cell captured by the shooting part.

[0012] The alignment correction portion may include: a gripper that clamps and moves the lead piece portion along a first direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes; and a lead piece alignment portion that moves the lead piece portion along a second direction that is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0013] In addition, the lead piece alignment portion may include a first alignment portion and a second alignment portion, which extend along the first direction and respectively contact two side surfaces of the lead piece portion along the second direction.

[0014] The photographing unit may be spaced apart from the assembled battery cells along the stacking direction and photograph the assembled battery cells.

[0015] On the other hand, the position information of the lead piece portion may include: a first length, which is the length of the lead piece portion protruding from one end of the shell along the direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes, that is, the first direction; and a second length, which is the length of the lead piece portion separated from the other end of the shell along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, wherein the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0016] In addition, the lead piece portion may include: a lead piece, electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode, respectively; and a lead film, extending along the second direction and wrapping a portion of the lead piece that overlaps with the shell. In the lead piece portion, the first length may be the length from one end of the shell to one end of the lead film, and the second length may be the length from the other end of the shell to a side of the lead piece.

[0017] On the other hand, the battery manufacturing system according to the present disclosure may include: a lead piece alignment device, including: a shooting part, which shoots the assembled battery cell including the lead piece part, wherein the assembled battery cell includes an electrode assembly and a shell, and the lead piece part electrically connected to the electrode assembly is arranged in the shell; and an alignment correction part, which is detachably coupled to the lead piece part to adjust the position of the lead piece part; a first sealing device, which seals a part of a preset sealing area of ​​the shell after aligning the lead piece part by the lead piece alignment device; and a second sealing device, which seals the sealing area after sealing a part of the sealing area.

[0018] The first sealing device may perform spot sealing for intermittently sealing the sealing area.

[0019] The lead tab aligning device and the first sealing device may align the lead tab portion at the same position and seal a portion of the sealing area.

[0020] The alignment correction portion may include: a gripper that clamps and moves the lead piece portion along a first direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes; and a lead piece alignment portion that moves the lead piece portion along a second direction that is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction. The electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0021] The lead piece alignment portion may include a first alignment portion and a second alignment portion extending along the first direction and respectively contacting two side surfaces of the lead piece portion along the second direction.

[0022] The photographing unit may be spaced apart from the assembled battery cells along the stacking direction and photograph the assembled battery cells.

[0023] On the other hand, the battery cell manufacturing method of the battery manufacturing system according to the present disclosure may include: a step of aligning the lead piece portion, moving the lead piece portion by the alignment correction portion to align the lead piece portion based on the position information of the lead piece portion calculated by the captured image of the battery cell being assembled captured by the shooting portion; a first sealing step, after aligning the lead piece portion, sealing a part of the sealing area of ​​the shell including the protruding part of the lead piece portion by the first sealing device; and a second sealing step, after the first sealing step, moving the battery cell being assembled by the second sealing device to seal the sealing area.

[0024] According to the battery cell manufacturing method of the battery manufacturing system disclosed herein, after performing the step of aligning the lead piece portions and the first sealing step, the battery cell being assembled can be moved to perform the second sealing step.

[0025] The cell manufacturing method of the battery manufacturing system according to the present disclosure may further include the following steps: after the second sealing step, injecting the electrolyte into the shell by an injection device for injecting the electrolyte.

[0026] On the other hand, the position information of the lead piece portion may include: a first length, which is the length of the lead piece portion protruding from one end of the shell along the direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes, that is, the first direction; and a second length, which is the length of the lead piece portion separated from the other end of the shell along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, wherein the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0027] In addition, the lead piece portion may include: a lead piece, electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode, respectively; and a lead film, wrapping the portion of the protruding portion of the lead piece portion that overlaps with the sealing area of ​​the shell extending along the second direction. In the lead piece portion, the first length may be the length from one end of the shell to one end of the lead film, and the second length may be the length from the other end of the shell to a side surface of the lead piece.

[0028] (3) Beneficial effects

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the efficiency of a battery cell manufacturing process can be improved.

[0030] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent lead pieces of a battery cell being assembled from being misaligned after alignment.

[0031] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the lead piece parts may be aligned using vision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 An example of a battery cell being assembled is shown, wherein the battery cell being assembled includes an electrode assembly, a lead piece portion electrically connected to the electrode assembly, and a case.

[0033] Figure 2 An example of a battery cell being assembled is shown.

[0034] Figure 3 A method of aligning the lead tab portions using the lead tab alignment device is schematically shown.

[0035] Figure 4 This is an example of capturing an image of the battery cell being assembled including the lead piece portion by a capturing unit.

[0036] Figure 5 Shows part of a battery cell manufacturing system.

[0037] Figure 6 An example is shown in which a portion of the sealing area of ​​the housing is sealed after the lead tab portions are aligned.

[0038] Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example of a battery cell manufacturing method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the device or the control method described below is only used to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than to limit the scope of the rights of the present disclosure, and the same reference numerals used throughout the specification represent the same components.

[0040] Specific terms used in this specification are for convenience of description only and are not intended to limit the illustrated embodiments.

[0041] For example, expressions such as “same” and “identical” indicate not only a state of being strictly the same but also a state of being different with tolerance or a degree of achieving the same function.

[0042] For example, expressions such as "any direction", "along any direction", "parallel", "perpendicular", "centered", "concentric" or "coaxial" indicating relative or absolute arrangements not only indicate a strictly such arrangement but also indicate a state of relative displacement with a tolerance or angle or distance to achieve the same degree of functionality.

[0043] The use of terms such as "first," "second," and "third" before the components described below is intended to avoid confusion regarding the components and has no bearing on the order, importance, or hierarchy between the components. For example, an invention may include only the second component without the first component.

[0044] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, expressions in the singular used in this specification include expressions in the plural.

[0045] As used in this specification, the term "assembly cell" refers to a cell that has been placed in a housing after the electrode assembly and lead tabs are electrically connected during the cell manufacturing process. Specifically, the electrode assembly is housed within the housing, and a portion of the lead tabs may protrude and be positioned within the housing. Depending on the steps of the cell manufacturing method, the assembled cell may have the housing sealed, only partially sealed, or unsealed.

[0046] Figure 1 An example of a battery cell being assembled is shown, wherein the battery cell being assembled includes an electrode assembly, a lead piece portion electrically connected to the electrode assembly, and a case.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 The battery cell 100 may include an electrode assembly 10 for generating or storing electric energy, a shell 70 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10 , and lead pieces 41 , 45 electrically connected to the electrode assembly 10 and protruding outward from the shell 70 .

[0048] Referring to a cross section of the electrode assembly 10 taken along line AA, the electrode assembly 10 may include a positive electrode 101 coated with a positive active material, a negative electrode 103 disposed facing the positive electrode 101, and a separator 102 disposed between the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 103. A plurality of positive electrodes 101 and a plurality of negative electrodes 103 may be provided, respectively, and stacked along a predetermined stacking direction. The separator 102 is disposed between each of the plurality of positive electrodes 101 and the plurality of negative electrodes 103, thereby separating the positive electrode 101 from the negative electrode 103.

[0049] The lead pieces 41 and 45 may include lead pieces 21 and 22 electrically connected to the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 103 respectively, and lead films 16 and 17 extending along a second direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the lead pieces 41 and 45, i.e., the first direction, and wrapping a portion of the lead pieces 41 and 45.

[0050] More specifically, the lead sheet portions 41, 45 may include lead sheets 21, 22 connected to each lead (not shown) of the plurality of positive electrodes 101 and each lead (not shown) of the plurality of negative electrodes 103. In addition, the lead films 16, 17 may be provided in the sealing area 73 (refer to FIG. Figure 2 ) at overlapping positions, wrapping the lead pieces 21 and 22.

[0051] The lead films 16 and 17 are located between the lead pieces 21 and 22 and the housing 70 to provide a better seal when sealing the sealing areas 731 and 732 of the housing 70. To this end, the lead films 16 and 17 may be formed of a polymer material such as polypropylene.

[0052] The housing 70 may include a first body 71a and a second body 71b that define a housing space 76 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10. The first body 71a and the second body 71b may be formed by folding a sheet-like component 71, rather than being separate components. Specifically, the sheet-like component 71 may be folded along a folding line 72 to form the first body 71a and the second body 71b, respectively.

[0053] The first body 71a may include a first recessed space 76a that is recessed to form a portion of the accommodation space 76. Similarly, the second body 71b may include a second recessed space 76b that is recessed in a direction opposite to the first recessed space 76a to form a portion of the accommodation space 76.

[0054] When the first body 71 a and the second body 71 b are folded based on the folding line 72 , the openings of the first recessed space 76 a and the second recessed space 76 b are merged to form an accommodating space 76 .

[0055] The first body 71a may further include a first contact portion 73a that wraps around the outer edge of the first recessed space 76a and extends perpendicular to the stacking direction. The second body 71b may further include a second contact portion 73b that wraps around the second recessed space 76b and extends perpendicular to the stacking direction. The first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b may be collectively referred to as a folded portion 73.

[0056] When the first body 71a and the second body 71b are folded along the folding line 72 to form the receiving space 76, the first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b may contact and seal each other to prevent leakage of electrolyte (not shown) injected into the receiving space 76.

[0057] On the other hand, the lead pieces 41 and 45 can protrude outside the housing 70 for external electrical connection. Since the lead pieces 41 and 45 are thin metal plates, they can protrude outside the housing 70 through between the first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b. However, since the first and second contact portions 73a and 73b are to be sealed, the seal between the first and second contact portions 73a and 73b may be impaired due to interference with the lead pieces 41 and 45. To prevent this, either the first or second contact portion 73a and 73b may include a recessed portion 75 corresponding to the shape of the lead pieces 41 and 45.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 The second contact portion 73b may include lead pieces 21 and 22 that function as terminals for electrically connecting the electrode assembly 10 to the outside, and lead films 16 and 17 that wrap areas of the lead pieces 21 and 22 that overlap and contact the housing 70.

[0059] That is, the lead films 16 and 17 can tightly fit the lead pieces 21 and 22 to the first contact portion 73 a and the second contact portion 73 b , so that the first contact portion 73 a and the second contact portion 73 b are better sealed to the lead pieces 21 and 22 .

[0060] To manufacture the battery cell 100, first, the electrode assembly 10 and the lead pieces 41 and 45 electrically connected to the electrode assembly 10 may be placed in the housing 70. The electrode assembly 10 is placed in the accommodation space 76, and the lead pieces 41 and 45 may protrude outward from the housing through the recess 75.

[0061] Reference Figure 1 The recessed portion 75 may include a first recessed portion 75 a and a second recessed portion 75 b into which the lead pieces 41 and 45 are inserted, respectively.

[0062] in addition, Figure 1The lead pieces 41 and 45 are shown protruding in opposite directions through the first recess 75a and the second recess 75b, but this is only an example. The first recess 75a and the second recess 75b can be located in the same direction, and the lead pieces 41 and 45 can protrude in the same direction.

[0063] On the other hand, in this specification, the stacking direction of the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 103 of the electrode assembly 10 is referred to as the stacking direction, and the direction in which the lead sheet portions 41 and 45 protrude in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction is referred to as the first direction (or X direction), and the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the first direction is referred to as the second direction (or Y direction).

[0064] Figure 2 An example of a battery cell being assembled is shown.

[0065] After the electrode assembly 10 and the lead tabs 41 and 45 are placed in the housing 70, electrolyte may be injected into the housing 70. To this end, the housing 70, except for the area where the electrolyte is injected, needs to be sealed (or enclosed).

[0066] Since the housing 70 is formed at the folding line 72 (refer to Figure 1 ) is used as a reference for folding to form the first body 71a and the second body 71b. Therefore, the three sides of the housing need to be sealed, excluding the area where the fold line 72 is located. Specifically, when the first body 71a and the second body 71b are folded, the portion where the first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b contact each other needs to be sealed.

[0067] The folded portion 73 (see Figure 1 ) may include sealing areas 731 , 732 extending along the second direction, and the sealing areas 731 , 732 include protruding portions of the lead piece portions 41 , 45 .

[0068] In addition, the folding portion 73 may include a bonding region 735 connecting the sealed regions 731 and 732 along the first direction. Specifically, the sealed regions 731 and 732 refer to regions where the first body 71a and the second body 71b contact each other along the second direction, while the bonding region 735 refers to regions where the first body 71a and the second body 71b contact each other along the first direction. The bonding region 735 may connect the sealed regions 731 and 732.

[0069] More specifically, the sealing areas 731, 732 may be areas formed by the contact between the portions of the first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b extending along the second direction, and the sealing areas 731, 732 may be areas formed by the contact between the portions of the first contact portion 73a and the second contact portion 73b extending along the first direction.

[0070] The joining area 735 may be located in a direction opposite to the folding line across the accommodation space 76 .

[0071] Before sealing the sealing areas 731, 732 and the bonding area 735, the battery cell manufacturing method according to the present disclosure requires alignment of the lead pieces 41, 45. If the electrode assembly 10 and the lead pieces 41, 45 are simply set on the housing 70, the lead pieces 41, 45 may not be located in the preset fixed positions due to errors in the manufacturing process. Currently, the lead pieces 41, 45 have not been fixed in the fixed positions, so there is a risk that the positions of the lead pieces 41, 45 may change due to vibration of the battery cell being assembled or movement of the battery cell being assembled.

[0072] To prevent this, the lead tab alignment device 500 according to the present disclosure may align the lead tab portions 41 , 45 before sealing the sealing areas 731 , 732 .

[0073] Figure 3 A method of aligning the lead tab portions using the lead tab alignment device is schematically shown.

[0074] The lead piece alignment device 500 according to the present disclosure may include: a photographing unit 580 for photographing the assembled battery cell 100 including the lead piece portion 41, wherein the assembled battery cell 100 includes the electrode assembly 10 and the housing 70, and the lead piece portion 41 electrically connected to the electrode assembly 10 (refer to FIG. Figure 1 ) is provided in the housing 70; and the alignment correction portion 571, 572, 574, which is detachably coupled to the lead piece portion 41 to adjust the position of the lead piece portion 41.

[0075] In addition, the lead sheet alignment device 500 may further include a control unit 590 , and the control unit 590 controls the imaging unit 580 and the alignment correction units 571 , 572 , and 574 .

[0076] In addition, the lead piece alignment device 500 may further include a driving unit 570 , and the driving unit 570 is controlled by the control unit 590 to control the movement of the alignment correction units 571 , 572 , and 574 .

[0077] The driving unit 570 is configured as a motor or an actuator, and can control the movement of the alignment correction units 571 , 572 , and 574 along the first direction and / or the second direction.

[0078] The alignment correction parts 571 , 572 , and 574 may include a gripper 574 that grips and moves the lead piece portion 41 along the first direction and lead piece alignment parts 571 and 572 that move the lead piece portion 41 along the second direction.

[0079] Reference Figure 3 The clamp 574 can grip one end of the lead piece 41 along the first direction, thereby changing the position of the lead piece 41 along the first direction.

[0080] The lead piece alignment portions 571 and 572 may be located at both ends of the lead piece portion 41 along the second direction, thereby changing the position of the lead piece portion 41 along the second direction.

[0081] The clamp 574 clamps and moves the lead piece portion 41. On the contrary, the lead piece alignment portions 571 and 572 extend parallel to the lead piece portion 41 along the first direction and can only contact the two ends of the lead piece portion 41 along the second direction without clamping the two ends of the lead piece portion 41.

[0082] The conventional lead piece alignment device 500 does not clamp the lead piece alignment portions 571 and 572, but simply aligns with the lead piece portions 41 and 45 (see FIG. Figure 1 ) contact and change the position of the lead piece portions 41, 45 along the first direction and the second direction to align them. On the contrary, the lead piece alignment device 500 according to the present disclosure uses the clamp 574 to fix the lead piece portions 41, 45, thereby minimizing the misalignment of the lead piece portions 41, 45 during the execution of other processes.

[0083] The lead tab alignment portions 571 and 572 may include a first alignment portion 571 and a second alignment portion 572 extending along the first direction and respectively contacting two side surfaces or ends of the lead tab along the second direction. The first alignment portion 571 and the second alignment portion 572 may extend parallel to the lead tabs 41 and 45 along the first direction.

[0084] On the other hand, the photographing unit 580 may be separated from the assembled battery cells 100 along the stacking direction and photograph the assembled battery cells 100. Figure 5, the photographing unit 580 is shown positioned along the Y direction on the assembled battery cell 100 , but from a three-dimensional perspective, the photographing unit 580 will observe the assembled battery cell 100 from above and photograph the assembled battery cell 100 .

[0085] In one example, the photographing unit 580 may be a camera or a video recorder.

[0086] The control unit 590 can move the lead pieces 41 and 45 to preset fixed positions through the alignment correction units 571, 572, and 574 based on the position information of the lead pieces 41 and 45 calculated from the image of the battery cell 100 being assembled taken by the photographing unit 580.

[0087] That is, the control unit 590 may control the driving unit 570 to control the movement of the clamp 574 and the lead tab aligning units 571 and 572 .

[0088] More specifically, the clamp 574 clamps the lead pieces 21 and 22 (see Figure 1 ), and align the lead pieces 21 and 22 along the first direction, and the lead piece alignment portions 571 and 572 are located on both sides of the lead pieces 21 and 22 along the second direction of the lead pieces 21 and 22, and align the lead pieces 21 and 22.

[0089] The lead pieces 21 and 22 are connected to the lead films 16 and 17 and the electrode assembly 10 , so the alignment of the lead pieces 21 and 22 may also affect the positions of the lead films 16 and 17 and the electrode assembly 10 located in the accommodating space 76 .

[0090] On the other hand, Figure 3 , it is shown that the lead piece alignment device 500 aligns only one lead piece portion 41 (refer to Figure 2 ), but the lead piece alignment device 500 can also align another lead piece portion 45 at the same time or at different times (refer to Figure 2 Even if a plurality of lead pieces 41 and 45 are arranged in the same direction on the housing 70 , the lead piece alignment device 500 can align the plurality of lead pieces 41 and 45 at the same time.

[0091] Figure 4 This is an example of capturing an image of the battery cell being assembled including the lead piece portion by a capturing unit.

[0092] The control unit 590 (refer to Figure 3) The lead piece portion 41 can be moved to a preset fixed position through the alignment correction portions 571, 572, and 574 based on the position information of the lead piece portion 41 calculated through the captured image of an area of ​​the battery cell 100 being assembled captured by the capturing portion 580.

[0093] The position information of the lead piece portion 41 may include: a first length, which is the length of the lead piece portion 41 protruding from one end of the shell 70 along the first direction; and a second length, which is the length of the lead piece portion 41 separated from the other end of the shell 70 along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the first direction.

[0094] More specifically, the first length may be a length LS along the first direction from one end of the housing 70 to one end of the lead films 16 and 17. The second length may be a length LT along the second direction from the other end of the housing 70 to one side of the lead pieces 21 and 22.

[0095] Reference Figure 4 The first length may be the length, along the first direction, from one end of the housing 70 to the free ends of the lead films 16 and 17 in a direction away from the one end of the housing 70. Furthermore, the second length may be the length, along the second direction, from the other end of the housing 70 located opposite to the folding line 72 to one side surface of the lead pieces 21 and 22 facing the folding line 72.

[0096] After calculating the placement position of the lead piece 41 based on the first and second lengths, the control unit 590 can move the lead piece 41 to a predetermined fixed position via the alignment correction units 571, 572, and 574. Because the control unit 590 calculates the first and second lengths based on images obtained by the camera unit 580, the lead piece alignment device 500 according to the present disclosure can be referred to as a visual lead piece alignment device 500.

[0097] Figure 4 Although the description is given using only one lead piece portion 41 , the remaining lead piece portions 45 can also be aligned by the alignment correction portions 571 , 572 , and 574 based on the image obtained by the imaging portion 580 .

[0098] Figure 5 Shows part of a battery cell manufacturing system.

[0099] The battery manufacturing system 1000 according to the present disclosure may include the lead tab alignment device 500 , a first sealing device 600 and a second sealing device 700 for sealing the battery cell 100 being assembled, and a filling device 900 for injecting electrolyte into the interior of the housing 70 .

[0100] Reference Figure 5 , the arrow indicates the moving direction of the battery cell 100 during assembly. Figure 5 The lead piece alignment device 500 and the first sealing device 600 can respectively align the lead piece portions 41 and 45 and seal a portion of the sealing areas 731 and 732 when the battery cell 100 being assembled is located at the same position.

[0101] Conventional battery manufacturing systems can seal the sealing areas 731 and 732 after aligning the lead tabs 41 and 45 and before injecting the electrolyte. However, since the assembled battery cell 100 needs to be moved for sealing, the lead tabs 41 and 45 may move during the movement, causing the aligned positions of the lead tabs 41 and 45 to be misaligned.

[0102] In order to prevent the alignment of the lead pieces 41 and 45 from being misaligned, the battery manufacturing system 1000 according to the present disclosure can utilize the first sealing device 600 to seal a portion of the sealing areas 731 and 732 before moving the battery cell 100 being assembled, so as to fix the lead pieces 41 and 45 in a preset fixed position.

[0103] Then, the battery cell 100 being assembled may be moved toward the second sealing device 700. The second sealing device 700 may seal the sealing areas 731 and 732. In addition, the battery cell 100 being assembled may be moved toward the filling device 900 to be injected with electrolyte.

[0104] The battery manufacturing system may further include a sealing device (not shown) for sealing the joint region 735 after the injection of the electrolyte is completed.

[0105] Figure 6 An example is shown in which a portion of the sealing area of ​​the housing is sealed after the lead tab portions are aligned.

[0106] More specifically, Figure 6 The battery cell 100 is shown in a state where the first sealing device 600 seals a portion of the sealing area 731 after the lead piece aligning device 500 aligns the lead piece portions 41 and 45 at the fixed positions.

[0107] As described above, the sealing area 731 refers to an area including the protruding portions of the lead pieces 41 and 45 in the housing 70 and extending along the second direction.

[0108] Reference Figure 6 As can be seen, the first sealing device 600 performs discontinuous (or intermittent) sealing along the second direction in the sealing areas 731 and 732 . This can be called spot sealing. This is done to secure the position of the lead piece 41 by sealing a portion of the housing 70 .

[0109] On the other hand, the battery cell 100 in the assembly can be positioned relative to the housing 70. Figure 6 In the opposite direction of the sealing area 731 shown, another sealing area 732 is included (refer to Figure 2 ) and another lead piece portion 45 (refer to Figure 1 The other sealing area 732 and the other lead piece portion 45 may also be applied to the cell manufacturing method described in this specification.

[0110] The spot sealing may be performed in areas 91 to 94 of the sealing area that do not overlap with the lead films 16 and 17. Alternatively, the spot sealing may be performed in areas 81 and 82 that overlap with the lead film 16. There may be multiple areas for spot sealing, and their positions may be varied.

[0111] In one example, the areas where the point sealing is performed may also be arranged into multiple columns, rather than being arranged into one column along the second direction.

[0112] During the execution of the point sealing, the lead piece alignment device 500 can also continue to correct the fixed position of the lead piece portion 41 through the alignment correction portions 571, 572, and 574 based on the image obtained through the shooting portion 580 to fix the lead piece portion 41 at the fixed position.

[0113] Since the area where the point sealing is performed overlaps with the sealing areas 731 and 732 , the point sealing performed by the first sealing device 600 may disappear or become indistinguishable after the sealing of the sealing areas 731 and 732 by the second sealing device 700 .

[0114] Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example of a battery cell manufacturing method.

[0115] According to the battery cell manufacturing system 1000 disclosed in the present invention, the battery cell manufacturing method may include: a step S30 of aligning the lead piece parts, moving the lead piece parts 41 and 45 by the alignment correction parts 571, 572, and 574 according to the position information of the lead piece parts 41 and 45 calculated through the image of the battery cell 100 being assembled taken by the shooting part 580 to align the lead piece parts 41 and 45; a first sealing step S50, after aligning the lead piece parts 41 and 45, sealing a part of the sealing area 731 and 732 of the shell 70 including the protruding part of the lead piece parts 41 and 45 by the first sealing device 600; and a second sealing step S70, after the first sealing step S50, moving the battery cell 100 being assembled by the second sealing device 700 to seal the sealing area 731 and 732.

[0116] The step S30 of aligning the lead pieces 41 and 45 may be performed by the lead piece alignment device 500. In addition, in the step S30 of aligning the lead pieces 41 and 45, the position of the assembled battery cell 100 may be the same as the position of the assembled battery cell 100 in the first sealing step S50.

[0117] When the first sealing step S50 is completed, the battery cell manufacturing method according to the present disclosure may perform a second sealing step S70 of sealing the sealing areas 731 and 732 by moving the battery cell 100 being assembled.

[0118] After the second sealing step S70 is completed, the battery cell manufacturing method according to the present disclosure can inject electrolyte into the unsealed area of ​​the housing 70, namely the joint area 735 (S90). Then, the battery cell manufacturing method according to the present disclosure can seal the joint area 735.

[0119] On the other hand, the battery cell manufacturing method according to the present disclosure may perform the step ( S10 ) of placing the electrode assembly 10 and the lead pieces 41 , 45 in the housing 70 before the step ( S30 ) of aligning the lead pieces 41 , 45 .

[0120] The present disclosure can be implemented in various forms, and its scope of rights is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, if the modified embodiments include components in the claims of the present disclosure, they should be considered to fall within the scope of rights of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A lead sheet alignment device, comprising: a photographing unit for photographing an assembled battery cell including a lead piece, wherein the assembled battery cell includes an electrode assembly and a housing, and the lead piece electrically connected to the electrode assembly is disposed on the housing; an alignment correction portion detachably coupled to the lead piece portion to adjust a position of the lead piece portion; and a control unit, controlling the photographing unit and the alignment correction unit, The control unit moves the lead piece to a preset fixed position through the alignment correction unit based on the position information of the lead piece calculated from the image of the battery cell being assembled captured by the imaging unit.

2. The lead piece alignment device according to claim 1, wherein: The alignment correction unit includes: a clamp for clamping and moving the lead piece portion along a first direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes; and A lead sheet alignment portion is moved along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, and the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

3. The lead piece alignment device according to claim 2, wherein: The lead piece alignment portion includes: The first alignment portion and the second alignment portion extend along the first direction and respectively contact two side surfaces of the lead piece along the second direction.

4. The lead piece alignment device according to claim 2, wherein: The photographing unit is spaced apart from the assembled battery cells along the stacking direction and photographs the assembled battery cells.

5. The lead piece alignment device according to claim 1, wherein: The position information of the lead piece portion includes: a first length, the first length being a length of the lead piece protruding from one end of the housing along a first direction in which the lead piece protrudes; and A second length, wherein the second length is the length of the lead piece portion separated from the other end of the shell along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, and the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

6. The lead piece alignment device according to claim 5, wherein: The lead piece portion includes: lead pieces, electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode respectively; and a lead film extending along the second direction and wrapping a portion of the lead sheet that overlaps with the housing; In the lead piece portion, the first length is a length from the one end of the housing to one end of the lead film, and the second length is a length from the other end of the housing to one side surface of the lead piece.

7. A battery manufacturing system comprising: A lead piece alignment device includes: a photographing unit for photographing an assembled battery cell including a lead piece, wherein the assembled battery cell includes an electrode assembly and a housing, and the lead piece electrically connected to the electrode assembly is disposed on the housing; and an alignment correction unit detachably coupled to the lead piece to adjust the position of the lead piece; a first sealing device for sealing a portion of a predetermined sealing area of ​​the housing after the lead piece portion is aligned by the lead piece alignment device; and The second sealing device seals the sealing area after sealing a portion of the sealing area.

8. The battery manufacturing system according to claim 7, wherein: The first sealing device performs a point seal that intermittently seals the sealing area.

9. The battery manufacturing system according to claim 7, wherein: The lead tab aligning device and the first sealing device align the lead tab portion at the same position and seal a portion of the sealing area.

10. The battery manufacturing system according to claim 7, wherein: The alignment correction unit includes: a clamp for clamping and moving the lead piece portion along a first direction in which the lead piece portion protrudes; and A lead sheet alignment portion is moved along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, and the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

11. The battery manufacturing system according to claim 10, wherein: The lead piece alignment portion includes: The first alignment portion and the second alignment portion extend along the first direction and respectively contact two side surfaces of the lead piece along the second direction.

12. The battery manufacturing system according to claim 10, wherein: The photographing unit is spaced apart from the assembled battery cells along the stacking direction and photographs the assembled battery cells.

13. A method for manufacturing a battery cell in a battery manufacturing system, the battery manufacturing system comprising: A lead piece alignment device includes: a photographing unit for photographing a battery cell being assembled, wherein the battery cell being assembled includes an electrode assembly and a housing, and a lead piece electrically connected to the electrode assembly is disposed on the housing; an alignment correction unit detachably coupled to the lead piece to adjust the position of the lead piece; and a first sealing device and a second sealing device for sealing a predetermined sealing area of ​​the housing. The method includes: a step of aligning the lead pieces, moving the lead pieces by the alignment correction unit based on position information of the lead pieces calculated from an image of the battery cell being assembled captured by the capturing unit, so as to align the lead pieces; a first sealing step of sealing a portion of a sealing area of ​​the housing including a portion where the lead piece protrudes, by the first sealing device after aligning the lead piece; and A second sealing step, after the first sealing step, moves the assembled battery cell by a second sealing device to seal the sealing area.

14. The method for manufacturing a battery cell in a battery manufacturing system according to claim 13, wherein: After performing the step of aligning the lead tabs and the first sealing step, the assembled battery cell is moved to perform the second sealing step.

15. The method for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 14, further comprising the following steps: After the second sealing step, the electrolyte is injected into the housing by an injection device for injecting the electrolyte.

16. The method for manufacturing a battery cell in a battery manufacturing system according to claim 13, wherein: The position information of the lead piece portion includes: a first length, the first length being a length of the lead piece protruding from one end of the housing along a first direction in which the lead piece protrudes; and A second length, wherein the second length is the length of the lead piece portion separated from the other end of the shell along a second direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator in the electrode assembly and the first direction, and the electrode assembly includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

17. The method for manufacturing a battery cell in a battery manufacturing system according to claim 16, wherein: The lead piece portion includes: lead pieces, electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode respectively; and a lead film covering a portion of the protruding portion of the lead piece that overlaps with the sealing area of ​​the housing extending along the second direction; In the lead piece portion, the first length is a length from the one end of the housing to one end of the lead film, and the second length is a length from the other end of the housing to one side surface of the lead piece.

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