Battery cell manufacturing device and manufacturing method

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be provided an apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell provided with a case accommodating an electrode assembly and having a sealing portion formed on at least one side edge, and a protruding portion protruding laterally from the case, the apparatus comprising: a pressing jig configured to press the electrode assembly and the protruding portion; a pressurizing step for pressurizing the sealing part with reference to a virtual folding boundary line, which is a reference for folding the protruding part, such that the protruding part is laterally exposed with reference to the folding boundary line; and a folding roller moving in a first direction along a side surface of the pressing jig and a side surface of the housing to fold the protruding portion exposed from the pressing jig in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries offer the convenience of being charged and discharged, thus attracting widespread attention as power sources for various mobile devices and electric vehicles. Such secondary batteries can include cells, which house an electrode assembly formed by stacking or winding positive and negative electrodes and a separator within a casing. Multiple cells can be stacked along a predetermined direction and housed in a battery module or battery pack.

[0003] On the other hand, multiple battery cells can be housed within the internal space of a battery module or battery pack. When unnecessary portions exist within the cell casing, the energy density of the battery module or battery pack may decrease. Summary of the Invention

[0004] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0005] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, unwanted protrusions formed on the casing of the battery cell can be removed or minimized.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, unnecessary portions protruding from the edges of the housing along with the outer casing material of the sealing housing can be minimized or eliminated.

[0007] The battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method disclosed herein can be widely applied in green technology fields such as electric vehicles, battery charging stations, and other battery-based solar and wind power generation. Furthermore, this disclosure can be used in eco-friendly electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles to prevent climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0008] (II) Technical Solution

[0009] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a battery cell manufacturing apparatus is disclosed. The battery cell is provided with a housing and a protrusion. The housing houses an electrode assembly and has a sealing portion formed on at least one side edge. The protrusion protrudes laterally from the housing. The battery cell manufacturing apparatus may include: a pressure clamp that applies pressure to the sealing portion based on a reference line for folding the protrusion, i.e., a virtual folding boundary line, so that the protrusion is exposed laterally based on the folding boundary line; and a folding roller that moves along the side of the pressure clamp and the side of the housing in a first direction to fold the protrusion exposed by the pressure clamp in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the fold boundary line may be a virtual line parallel to the side of the housing.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the folding roller can bend the protrusion with reference to the folding boundary line and press the protrusion against the side of the pressure fixture for folding.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the pressure clamp may include a first pressure clamp and a second pressure clamp, the first pressure clamp and the second pressure clamp facing each other across the housing in the second direction, and the folding roller may press the protrusion against either the side of the first pressure clamp or the side of the second pressure clamp.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the side of the pressure clamp may be arranged parallel to the folding boundary line with the second directional reference.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the protrusion can be pressurized between the side of the pressure clamp and the folding roller while the protrusion is folded in the second direction with reference to the folding boundary line.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the folding roller may be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an axis parallel to the second direction.

[0016] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a method for manufacturing a battery cell is provided, the battery cell having a housing and a protrusion, the housing accommodating an electrode assembly and having a sealing portion formed on at least one side edge, the protrusion protruding laterally from the housing and being folded, the method may include: a first step of preparing a battery cell with the protrusion protruding laterally from the housing; a second step of pressurizing the housing with a pressure clamp to expose the protrusion laterally; and a third step of moving a folding roller along the side of the pressure clamp and the side of the housing in a first direction to fold the protrusion exposed by the pressure clamp in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the second step may include: setting the fold boundary line of the protrusion as a boundary region, and the pressure clamp applying pressure to the sealing portion along the boundary region.

[0018] The above describes a solution based on this disclosure, but it is exemplary and any addition of other configurations not mentioned should be understood as belonging to this disclosure.

[0019] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0020] This disclosure provides a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method that can remove or minimize unwanted protrusions formed on the battery cell casing.

[0021] This disclosure may provide a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method that can minimize or eliminate the portion protruding from the edge of the bag as the outer casing is sealed with a sealed bag-type packaging material. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a process for manufacturing battery cells using a pressure fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 It is magnification Figure 2 The diagram for part A.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an additional process for manufacturing battery cells using folding rollers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5 It is magnification Figure 4 The diagram in part B.

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the angle of the folding rollers from the side of the battery cell.

[0028] Figure 7 This diagram shows the protrusions folded by folding rollers from the front of the battery cell.

[0029] Figure 8 This diagram shows the protrusions folded by folding rollers from above the battery cell.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a diagram of a battery cell with a protrusion folded according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a battery cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0033] 100: Battery cell; 20: Pressure clamp

[0034] 30: Folding roller; F: Folding boundary line Detailed Implementation

[0035] Before describing the embodiments in detail, it should be noted that the terms or words used in the following description and claims should not be limited to their general meaning or dictionary meaning, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical ideas of this disclosure, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms in order to best describe his invention.

[0036] The same reference numerals or symbols used in each figure indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same function. For ease of explanation and understanding, the same reference numerals or symbols may also be used in different embodiments.

[0037] In the following description, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. Terms such as “comprising” or “constituting” should be understood as being intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof described in the specification, rather than precluding the presence or additional possibilities of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0038] Additionally, it should be noted that in the following descriptions, terms such as top, upper, lower, side, front, and back are based on the direction shown in the diagram. If the direction of the corresponding object changes, it can be described in a different way.

[0039] Furthermore, in the following description and claims, terms including ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish components. These ordinal numbers are used to distinguish identical or similar components, and the meaning of the terms should not be interpreted restrictively by using these ordinal numbers. For example, the order of use or arrangement of components combined with these ordinal numbers should not be interpreted restrictively by these ordinal numbers. These ordinal numbers may be used interchangeably as needed.

[0040] Hereinafter, a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the battery cell used in the manufacturing apparatus of this disclosure will be described.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery cell 100 may include a housing 110 that houses an electrode assembly (not shown) and a lead tap 120 that is electrically connected to the electrode assembly and protrudes to at least one side of the housing.

[0043] The electrode assembly can be configured as a stacked structure with positive and negative plates facing each other across a separator. The positive plate can be formed by coating a positive active material onto a positive current collector, and the negative plate can be formed by coating a negative active material onto a negative current collector.

[0044] The separator can be configured to prevent electrical short circuits between the positive and negative plates and to allow ion flow. In one example, the separator may comprise a porous polymer membrane or a porous nonwoven fabric.

[0045] In addition, the electrode assembly is a jelly roll type formed by winding in a predetermined direction, and can be housed in the housing in various ways such as stacking type, Z-folding type, and stack-folding type.

[0046] Depending on the structure of the housing 110, the plurality of cells 100 can be pouch-type, prismatic-type, or cylindrical secondary batteries. In this disclosure, the cell 100 is shown as a pouch cell with the housing 110 made of pouch-type outer material, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. On the other hand, this disclosure is described based on a pouch-type cell, but this disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0047] The housing 110 may include: a main body 111, which houses the electrode assembly and electrolyte in an internal receiving space; and a sealing portion 112, formed on at least one side edge of the main body 111, and sealing the receiving space of the housing 110.

[0048] The main body 111 includes a space for accommodating the electrode assembly and can represent a portion of the housing 110 that is not sealed. That is, the main body 111 can represent a portion of the housing 110 that is not sealed by the sealing portion 112.

[0049] The sealing portion 112 is a portion used to seal the receiving space of the housing 110, and may represent at least one edge portion of the housing 110. The sealing portion 112 may be formed by welding the outer materials constituting the housing 110 together with each other in a facing state, such as by heat fusion. The sealing portion 112 may include a lead sheet sealing portion 113 with lead sheets 120 and a main body sealing portion 114 without lead sheets 120.

[0050] On the other hand, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the sealing portion 113 may be provided on three of the four edges of the cell 100. That is, the housing 110 folds an outer material to wrap the electrode assembly, and on the three folded edges, the outer material can face each other and seal. As described above, the housing 110 may be formed as a structure with three sealing portions 112 on three of the four edges.

[0051] Wherein, at the folded edge where the sealing portion 112 is not formed (located at the edge in the -Z axis direction in the figure), a protrusion 130 may be formed in that direction, in which the outer material of the housing 110 protrudes laterally (in the -Z axis direction) by a predetermined length a1 beyond the main body portion 111. The protrusion 130 may be referred to as a so-called shark fin or delta fin.

[0052] The battery cell 100', which is folded over the protrusion 130 described later (see reference). Figure 9 In contrast, a cell 100 with such a protrusion 130 may occupy more unnecessary space along the predetermined length a1. That is, the protrusion 130 is an unnecessary part of the cell 100 in terms of energy, so it is important to remove or minimize the protrusion 130 in order to increase energy density.

[0053] On the other hand, for ease of explanation, in this disclosure, 'side' may refer to the direction in which the protrusion 130 protrudes (in the -Z-axis direction), and 'side face' may refer to the surface facing said side (facing opposite each other in the -Z-axis direction) in each structure. For example, the side face 100a of the cell 100 and the side face 111a of the main body 111 may refer to the side (in the -Z-axis direction) facing the protrusion 130.

[0054] The following describes a battery cell manufacturing apparatus that folds the protrusion 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a process for manufacturing battery cells using a pressure fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 It is magnification Figure 2 The diagram in part A, Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an additional process for manufacturing battery cells using folding rollers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 It is magnification Figure 4 Figure 6 is a diagram showing the angle of the folding rollers from the side of the battery cell.

[0056] Simultaneously refer to Figure 2As shown in Figure 6, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus 10 of this disclosure is a manufacturing apparatus for a battery cell 100 having a housing 110 that houses the electrode assembly (not shown) and has a sealing portion 113 formed on at least one side edge, and a protrusion 130 protruding laterally from the housing 110. The apparatus may include: a pressure clamp 20 that applies pressure to the sealing portion 113 with reference to a virtual folding boundary line F of the folding of the protrusion 130, so that the protrusion 130 is exposed laterally with reference to the folding boundary line F; and a folding roller 30 that moves along the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 and the side 110a of the housing 110 in a first direction (Y-axis direction) to fold the protrusion 130 exposed from the pressure clamp 20 in a second direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the first direction (Y-axis direction).

[0057] More specifically, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of this disclosure may include: a pressure clamp 20, which applies pressure to the battery cell 100 in the vertical direction (X-axis direction) along the folding boundary line F; and a folding roller 30, which moves along the side 100a of the battery cell 100 where the protrusion 130 is formed, to fold the protrusion 130.

[0058] Reference Figure 2 The pressurizing clamp 20 may include a first pressurizing clamp 21 for pressurizing the top surface (the surface in the +X axis direction) of the battery cell 100 and a second pressurizing clamp 22 for pressurizing the bottom surface (the surface in the -X axis direction). The first pressurizing clamp 21 and the second pressurizing clamp 22 may face each other across the housing in a second direction.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the protrusion 130 may be formed on both sides along the length direction (Y-axis direction), and the pressure clamp 20 may apply pressure to the cell 100 in the vertical direction (X-axis direction) near where the protrusion 130 is formed.

[0060] Specifically, the first pressure clamp 21 and the second pressure clamp 22 of the pressure clamp 20 can apply pressure to the lead sheet sealing portion 113 in a facing-to-face state. The pressure clamp 20 can expose the protrusion 130 to the side with reference to the fold boundary line. That is, the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 can be exposed in the height direction ( Figure 1 It is set parallel to the fold boundary line F in the Z-axis direction.

[0061] On the other hand, in this disclosure, "parallel" not only means that the fold boundary line F extends parallel to the side surface 100a of the cell 100 along the length direction (Y-axis direction), but also means that it is separated from the side surface 100a of the cell 100 by a predetermined interval. In other words, the interval between the fold boundary line F and the side surface 100a of the cell 100 in the height direction (Z-axis direction) and the length direction (Y-axis direction) can be 0 mm or more.

[0062] That is, it can be said that the fold boundary line F is parallel to the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 or the side 100a of the cell 100 in the height direction (Z-axis direction).

[0063] In this way, the present disclosure can fold the target (e.g., protrusion 130) at a predetermined interval from the side 100a of the cell 100, or fold it with the side 100a of the cell 100 as a reference. That is, the present disclosure can appropriately adjust the folding of the target according to the required folding length.

[0064] The folding roller 30 can move along the side surface 100a of the battery cell 100 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction), specifically, while moving along the side surface 111a of the main body 111 and the side surface 20a of the pressure clamp 20, it bends the protrusion 130 with the folding boundary line F as a reference, and folds the protrusion 130 tightly against the side surface of the pressure clamp 20. For example, the folding roller 30 can be tightly against the side surface of either the first pressure clamp 21 or the second pressure clamp 22 for folding. This will be discussed in detail later. Figure 4 and Figure 5 Please provide an explanation.

[0065] Refer again Figure 2 The fold boundary line F can be the side 100a of the casing of the cell 100 (refer to...). Figure 3 The virtual lines are set parallel to each other. The side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 can be set parallel to the fold boundary line F to expose and fix the protrusion 130 to the side.

[0066] For example, the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 can be arranged parallel to the side 100a of the housing along a first direction. In other words, the pressure clamp 20 can pressurize the sealing part 113 so that the side 20a is arranged parallel to the side 100a of the battery cell 100 in the length direction (Y-axis direction). The pressure clamp 20 can fix the battery cell 100 while pressing the top and bottom surfaces of the sealing part 113, so that it does not shake or move when the folding roller 30 is moved (described later).

[0067] In the figure, the pressure clamp 20 is shown as a thin rod shape, but this disclosure is not limited to this. Its specific shape is not particularly limited, as long as it is a structure that can support the battery cell 100 to fold the protrusion 130 with the folding boundary line F as a reference.

[0068] Reference Figure 3 The image shows the state in which the protrusion 130 is exposed to the side (in the -Z axis direction) from the pressure clamp 20.

[0069] The phrase “the pressure clamp 20 exposes the protrusion 130” can mean that the pressure clamp 20 does not directly pressurize the protrusion 130, but pressurizes the lead sheet sealing portion 113 where the protrusion 130 is formed, so that the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 is set parallel to the fold boundary line F or the side 100a of the cell 100.

[0070] That is, it can be described as a setting state in which the lead sheet sealing part 113 does not fold together with the protrusion 130, but only the protrusion 130 is folded when the folding roller 30 described later moves along the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20.

[0071] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 With the pressure clamp 20 fixing the battery cell 100 and exposing the protrusion 130, the folding roller 30 can move along the length direction (Y-axis direction). However, the above-described direction of movement of the folding roller 30 is merely an example; it can also move along the thickness direction (X-axis direction) and the height direction (Z-axis direction). That is, this disclosure is not limited to the driving direction of the folding roller 30.

[0072] The folding roller 30 can rotate around a roller shaft (not shown). The folding roller 30 rotates around the roller shaft and moves along the side 111a of the main body 111 and the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20, thereby pushing the protruding portion (protrusion 130) in the pressure clamp 20 towards the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 or the side 111a of the main body 111 to fold the protrusion 130. That is, the folding boundary line F can represent the boundary line between the lead sheet sealing portion 113 and the protrusion 130. Therefore, pressure can be applied to the protrusion between the side of the pressure clamp 20 and the folding roller 30 while the protrusion 130 is folded in a second direction based on the folding boundary line.

[0073] The folding roller 30 can move along the side 100a of the battery cell 100, specifically, along the side 111a of the main body 111 in the length direction (Y-axis direction). In other words, the folding roller 30 can move along the side 111a of the main body 111 and the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20. Furthermore, the folding roller 30 can move along the length direction while being pressurized to fit tightly against the side 111a of the main body 111 and the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20.

[0074] Referring to Figure 6, the folding roller 30 can be configured to move along the length direction (Y-axis direction) with a predetermined angle α as a reference, in a direction parallel to the pressure clamp 20 (height direction or X-axis direction), i.e., a second direction.

[0075] The folding roller can be tilted at an angle ranging from -45 degrees to +45 degrees, with an axis parallel to the X-axis as a reference.

[0076] For example, in the upper part of Figure 6, when the folding roller 30 moves to the left in the figure, the protrusion 130 can fold upward (in the +X axis direction), and when the folding roller 30 moves to the left as shown in the lower part of Figure 6, the protrusion 130 can fold downward (in the -X axis direction). As described above, the angle α of the folding roller 30 can be appropriately adjusted according to the folding direction of the protrusion 130, etc.

[0077] Figure 7 This diagram shows the protrusion 130 folded by the folding roller 30 from the front of the battery cell. Figure 8 This diagram shows the protrusions folded by folding rollers from above the battery cell.

[0078] Simultaneously refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 The protrusion 130 can be folded on the side 111a of the main body 111 by means of the pressure clamp 20 and the folding roller 30.

[0079] In other words, the folding roller 30 can push the protrusion 130 toward at least one of the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 or the side 111a of the main body 111, and fold it around the folding boundary line F.

[0080] In addition, the folding roller 30 can fold the protrusion 130 in either direction toward the side 21a of the first pressure clamp 21 or the side 22a of the second pressure clamp 22.

[0081] Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the folding roller 30 pushes the protrusion 130 toward the side 21a of the first pressure clamp 21 and the side of the second pressure clamp 22 to fold.

[0082] Specifically, the folding roller 30 can be configured to fold the protrusion 130 toward the first pressure clamp 21, pushing it toward the side 21a of the first pressure clamp 21. At this time, the pressure of the protrusion 130 is concentrated near the folding boundary line F by the pressure clamp 20 and the folding roller 30, thereby maintaining the folded state of the protrusion 130.

[0083] In addition, such as Figure 8 As shown, when the protrusion 130 is folded with reference to the folding boundary line F, the cell 100 can retain only the minimum thickness of the protrusion 130 on the side without unnecessary structure.

[0084] On the other hand, in this specification, "protrusion 130 folded" can mean that protrusion 130 is folded by pressure clamp 20 and folding roller 30, thereby reducing the length a1 protruding in one direction (-Z axis direction).

[0085] As described above, with the folding boundary line F determined by the pressure clamp 20, the folding roller 30 folds and presses the protrusion 130, thereby minimizing the elastic recovery of the protrusion 130 and reducing the protrusion length of the protrusion 130.

[0086] That is, such as Figure 8 As shown, when the protrusion 130 is folded with reference to the folding boundary line F by the pressure clamp 20 and the folding roller 30, the length protruding laterally (in the -Z axis direction) can be reduced. Figure 1 In contrast, the length a1 protruding due to the protrusion 130 can be reduced to the thickness of the protrusion 130 itself.

[0087] Figure 9 This is a diagram of a battery cell with a protrusion folded according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] To distinguish between the battery cell 100' manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus of this disclosure and the battery cell 100 with the protrusion 130 folded, different symbols will be used.

[0089] As shown in the figure, in the cell 100' with the protrusion 130 folded, the area occupied by the protrusion 130 is reduced, thus providing an advantage in terms of energy density when housed in a battery module or battery pack. In other words, in Figure 2 In the case of a 100-cell battery, unnecessary space may be wasted due to the protrusion 130; conversely, in Figure 9 In the case of the 100' battery cell, unnecessary space can be minimized because the protrusion 130 is folded.

[0090] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a battery cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] The battery cell manufacturing apparatus and its operating method disclosed herein have been described above, therefore, descriptions within the scope of repetition will be omitted.

[0092] Reference Figure 10According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery cell manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing a battery cell 100 having a housing 110 and a protrusion 130. The housing 110 accommodates an electrode assembly and has a sealing portion 112 formed on at least one side edge. The protrusion 130 protrudes laterally from the housing 110. The battery cell manufacturing method may include: a first step S100, preparing a battery cell 100 with the protrusion 130 protruding laterally from the housing 110; a second step S200, pressurizing the housing 110 by a pressure clamp 20 to expose the protrusion 130 to the side; and a third step S300, moving a folding roller 30 along the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 and the side 110a of the housing 110 in a first direction (Y-axis direction) to fold the protrusion 130 exposed by the pressure clamp 20 in a second direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the first direction (Y-axis direction).

[0093] More specifically, a battery cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a first step S100, preparing a battery cell 100 having a protrusion 130; a second step S200, fixing the battery cell 100 with a pressure clamp 20 to expose the protrusion 130; and a third step S300, moving a folding roller 30 along the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 to bend and fold the protrusion 130.

[0094] In the first step S100, the battery cell can be Figure 1 The battery cell 100, which has a protrusion 130, will be omitted from the description since it has already been described above.

[0095] The second step may include: setting a line parallel to the side 100a of the cell 100 as a folding boundary line F by a separate control unit (not shown); and pressurizing the sealing part 112 (specifically, the lead sheet sealing part 113) along the folding boundary line F by the pressurizing clamp 20.

[0096] The step of pressurizing the sealing portion 112 by the pressure clamp 20 described above may include pressurizing the lead sheet sealing portion 113 with the side 20a of the pressure clamp 20 parallel to the folding boundary line F in the height direction (Z-axis direction) (see [reference]). Figure 2 ).

[0097] In the third step S300, the folding roller 30, while in close contact with the side surface 111a of the main body 111, moves along the length direction (Y-axis direction) toward the side surface 20a of the pressure clamp 20 and folds the protrusion 130 (see reference). Figure 4 ).

[0098] The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, but the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the technical concept of this disclosure as set forth in the claims. In the above embodiments, some components may be deleted, or the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0099] The above description is merely an example of applying the principles of this disclosure, and other configurations may be included without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery cell manufacturing apparatus, the battery cell having a housing and a protrusion, the housing accommodating an electrode assembly and having a sealing portion formed on at least one side edge, the protrusion projecting laterally from the housing, wherein, The battery cell manufacturing apparatus includes: A pressure clamp, using the virtual folding boundary line as a reference for the folding of the protrusion, applies pressure to the sealing portion, causing the protrusion to be exposed laterally with reference to the folding boundary line; and The folding roller moves along the side of the pressure clamp and the side of the housing in a first direction to fold the protrusion exposed by the pressure clamp in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

2. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The fold boundary line is a virtual line parallel to the side of the shell.

3. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The folding roller bends the protrusion with the folding boundary line as a reference, and presses the protrusion against the side of the pressure fixture for folding.

4. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The pressure clamp includes a first pressure clamp and a second pressure clamp, which face each other across the housing in the second direction. The folding roller presses the protrusion against either the side of the first pressure fixture or the side of the second pressure fixture.

5. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The side of the pressure clamp is arranged parallel to the side of the housing along the first direction.

6. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, With the protrusion folded in the second direction with reference to the folding boundary line, pressure is applied to the protrusion between the side of the pressure clamp and the folding roller.

7. The cell manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The folding roller is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an axis parallel to the second direction.

8. A method for manufacturing a battery cell, the battery cell having a housing and a protrusion, the housing accommodating an electrode assembly and having a sealing portion formed on at least one side edge, the protrusion protruding laterally from the housing, wherein, The battery cell manufacturing method includes: The first step is to prepare the battery cell with the protrusion protruding to the side of the housing; The second step involves pressurizing the housing using a pressure clamp to expose the protrusion to the side; and In the third step, the folding roller moves along the side of the pressure clamp and the side of the housing in a first direction to fold the protrusion exposed by the pressure clamp in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

9. The cell manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein, The second step includes: The step of setting a virtual line parallel to the side of the battery cell as a folding boundary line, and pressurizing the sealing part along the folding boundary line by the pressurizing clamp.

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