Foreign substance removal device

Abstract

To remove a foreign substance attached to an electrode body even when the electrode body is conveyed at high speed.SOLUTION: A foreign substance removal device 10 includes: a conveyance part 20 for conveying an electrode body 12 formed into a sheet shape; and a cleaner 22 provided along the electrode body 12 within the whole range in a width direction perpendicular to a length direction of the electrode body 12. A surface on the electrode body 12 side in the cleaner 22 is inclined within the range of 5° or more and 10° or less opposite to a conveyance direction A of the electrode body 12 with respect to the surface of the electrode body 12. The cleaner 22 recovers a foreign substance attached to the electrode body 12 while jetting compressed air toward the electrode body 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foreign matter removal device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an electrode manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electrode that constitutes a part of a secondary battery. The electrode manufacturing apparatus described in this document includes a transport roll that transports an electrode body, which is an electrode material, and a suction unit that sucks in foreign matter adhering to the electrode body. The suction unit is in the form of a long, thin pipe and is connected to a negative pressure source. When the electrode body passes through a location adjacent to the suction unit, the foreign matter adhering to the electrode body can be sucked in by the suction unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-18767 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the electrode manufacturing apparatus described in the above Patent Document 1, if the transport speed of the electrode body is increased, there is a possibility that the suction unit will not be able to completely suck up the foreign matter adhering to the electrode body.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a foreign matter removal device capable of removing foreign matter adhering to an electrode body even when the electrode body is transported at high speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The foreign matter removal device of the first embodiment comprises a transport section which transports an electrode body formed in a sheet shape, and a cleaner which is provided along the electrode body over the entire width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the electrode body, the surface facing the electrode body being inclined at an angle of 5° or more and 10° or less toward the opposite side to the transport direction of the electrode body relative to the surface of the electrode body, and which collects foreign matter adhering to the electrode body while spraying compressed air toward the electrode body.

[0007] In the foreign matter removal device of the first aspect, the electrode body formed in a sheet shape is transported by a transport unit. The cleaner is provided along the electrode body over the entire range in the width direction perpendicular to the length direction of the electrode body. The cleaner collects foreign matter attached to the electrode body while spraying compressed air toward the electrode body. Here, the surface of the cleaner facing the electrode body is inclined in the range of 5° to 10° toward the opposite side to the transport direction of the electrode body with respect to the surface of the electrode body. This allows the foreign matter attached to the electrode body to remain near the cleaner even when the electrode body is transported at high speed. This allows the foreign matter to be collected and removed.

[0008] The second aspect of the foreign matter removal device is the foreign matter removal device of the first aspect, in which a foreign matter adsorption section is provided on the transport direction side of the electrode body relative to the cleaner, which adsorbs the foreign matter that has slipped through between the cleaner and the electrode body.

[0009] In the foreign matter removal device of the second aspect, foreign matter that has slipped through between the cleaner and the electrode body can be adsorbed by the foreign matter adsorption section.

[0010] A third aspect of the foreign matter removal apparatus is the foreign matter removal apparatus of the first aspect, wherein the transport section transports the electrode body at a speed of 500 m / s or more.

[0011] In the foreign matter removal device of the third aspect, even when the electrode body is transported at a high speed of 500 m / s or more, foreign matter adhering to the electrode body can be collected and removed.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the foreign matter removal apparatus is the foreign matter removal apparatus of the first aspect, wherein the transport section transports the electrode assembly having a dimension of 1000 mm or more in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction.

[0013] In the foreign matter removal device of the fourth aspect, even when an electrode body having a width dimension of 1000 mm or more is transported, foreign matter adhering to the electrode body can be collected and removed.

[0014] A fifth aspect of the foreign matter removal device is the foreign matter removal device of the first aspect, wherein the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the cleaner is set in the range of more than 5 kPa and less than 7.5 kPa.

[0015] In the foreign matter removal device of the fifth aspect, the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the cleaner is set in the range of more than 5 kPa and less than 7.5 kPa. This makes it possible to more reliably collect foreign matter adhering to the electrode body and to prevent the electrode body from being displaced so as to be sucked into the cleaner, compared to a configuration in which the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the cleaner is set outside the above range. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The foreign matter removal device according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to remove foreign matter adhering to an electrode body even when the electrode body is transported at high speed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a foreign matter removal device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a foreign matter removal device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the cleaner angle and the foreign matter removal rate. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating a schematic diagram of a foreign matter removal device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic view of a foreign matter adsorption portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A foreign matter removal device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the foreign matter removal device 10 of this embodiment is for removing foreign matter 14 attached to the surface of an electrode body 12. The foreign matter 14 is copper or zinc dust or the like that is attached to the surface of the electrode body 12 during the manufacture of the electrode body 12. Here, as shown in Figure 1, the electrode body 12 is formed in a sheet shape, and as one example, is configured such that an active material layer 18 is formed on the surface of a metal layer 16. The dimension W of the electrode body 12 in the width direction perpendicular to the length direction is 1000 mm or more.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the foreign matter removal device 10 is configured to include a transport section 20 that transports the electrode body 12, and a cleaner 22 and a suction section 24 that collect foreign matter adhering to the electrode body 12.

[0021] 2, the transport section 20 includes, as an example, a pair of cylindrical transport rolls 26. With the electrode assembly 12 sandwiched between the pair of transport rolls 26, the pair of transport rolls 26 rotate, thereby transporting the electrode assembly 12 in one direction. Furthermore, in the transport section 20 of this embodiment, the electrode assembly 12 can be transported at a speed of 500 m / s or more. In the following description, the direction in which the electrode assembly 12 is transported by the pair of transport rolls 26 will be referred to as the transport direction A.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the cleaner 22 includes an ejection section 28 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the transport direction A. A space is formed inside the ejection section 28 to which compressed air is supplied. An ejection hole (not shown) is formed in the surface 28A of the ejection section 28 on the electrode body 12 side. Compressed air is ejected from the ejection hole formed in the ejection section 28 toward the electrode body 12. The pressure of the compressed air supplied to the ejection section 28 is set to a range exceeding 5 kPa and less than 7.5 kPa. Here, in this embodiment, the ejection section 28 is provided along the surface 12A on one side of the electrode body 12 in a range covering the entire width direction perpendicular to the length direction of the electrode body 12. The surface 28A on the electrode body 12 side of the ejection section 28 is disposed close to the surface 12A on one side of the electrode body 12 and is disposed at an angle θ toward the opposite side of the transport direction A with respect to the surface 12A on one side of the electrode body 12. More specifically, surface 28A of spray part 28 facing electrode body 12 is inclined in the range of 5° to 10° toward the opposite side to transport direction A with respect to one surface 12A of electrode body 12. The angle θ is referred to as the cleaner angle.

[0023] The suction unit 24 is provided with a pair of suction nozzles 30 that suck in the surrounding air. The pair of suction nozzles 30 are disposed on both sides of the ejection unit 28 in the longitudinal direction of the ejection unit 28.

[0024] (Actions and Effects of the Present Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the foreign matter removal device 10 of this embodiment, the electrode body 12 formed in a sheet shape is transported in the transport direction A by the transport unit 20. Moreover, the foreign matter 14 attached to the one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12 transported by the transport unit 20 is collected and removed by the cleaner 22 and the suction unit 24. In detail, when the electrode body 12 is transported by the transport unit 20, compressed air is sprayed from the spray unit 28 of the cleaner 22 toward the electrode body 12. Here, the surface 28A of the spray unit 28 of the cleaner 22 facing the electrode body 12 is inclined in the range of 5° or more and 10° or less toward the opposite side to the transport direction A with respect to the one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12. Therefore, when the compressed air is sprayed from the spray unit 28 of the cleaner 22 toward the electrode body 12, most of the foreign matter 14 attached to the electrode body 12 remains near the spray unit 28 of the cleaner 22. Then, the foreign matter 14 remaining near the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 is sucked by the pair of suction nozzles 30 of the suction portion 24. In this manner, in this embodiment, the foreign matter 14 adhering to the electrode body 12 can be collected and removed.

[0026] 3 shows a graph illustrating the relationship between the cleaner angle θ and the foreign matter removal rate. The foreign matter removal rate is a value calculated by the following formula: Foreign matter removal rate=(amount of foreign matter 14 collected and removed by cleaner 22 and suction unit 24) / (amount of foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of electrode body 12)

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, when the cleaner angle θ is set to 0°, the foreign matter removal rate is about 86% to 88%. From this, it can be seen that when the cleaner angle θ is set to 0°, 12 to 14% of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 cannot be removed. Also, when the cleaner angle θ is set to 3°, it can be seen that the foreign matter removal rate is about 92% to 94%. From this, it can be seen that when the cleaner angle θ is set to 3°, 6 to 8% of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 cannot be removed. Also, when the cleaner angle θ is set to 13°, it can be seen that the foreign matter removal rate is about 86% to 89%. From this, it can be seen that when the cleaner angle θ is set to 13°, 11 to 14% of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 cannot be removed. It is also found that when the cleaner angle θ is set to 15°, the foreign matter removal rate is about 77% to 87%. From this, it is found that when the cleaner angle θ is set to 15°, 13 to 23% of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12 cannot be removed. In contrast, when the cleaner angle θ is set in the range of 5° or more and 10° or less, it is found that 97% or more of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12 can be removed. In this way, the inventor of the present application confirmed through experiments that by setting the cleaner angle θ in the range of 5° or more and 10° or less, most of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12 can be retained near the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 and collected and removed. As a result, in this embodiment, even when an electrode body 12 having a width dimension W of 1000 mm or more is transported at a high speed of 500 m / s or more, it is possible to collect and remove most of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12. In particular, even when an electrode body 12 having a fairly large width dimension W (an electrode body 12 having a width dimension W in the range of 1200 to 2000 mm) is transported at a high speed of 500 m / s or more, it is possible to collect and remove most of the foreign matter 14 adhering to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 is set in a range of more than 5 kPa and less than 7.5 kPa. The inventors of the present application have discovered that, compared to a configuration in which the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 is set outside the above range, this setting makes it possible to more reliably collect foreign matter adhering to one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12 and to suppress the electrode body 12 from being displaced so as to stick to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22. The inventors of the present application have confirmed through experiments that when the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 is set to 5 kPa or less, it becomes difficult to move the foreign matter 14 adhering to one side surface 12A of the electrode body 12. The inventors of the present application have also confirmed through experiments that when the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 is set to 7.5 kPa or more, the electrode body 12 is displaced so as to stick to the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 due to the generation of negative pressure.

[0029] Second embodiment Next, a foreign matter removal device 32 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In the foreign matter removal device 32 according to the second embodiment, members and parts corresponding to those of the foreign matter removal device 10 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the foreign matter removal device 10 according to the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0030] 4, the foreign matter removal device 32 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the foreign matter removal device 10 of the first embodiment, except that it is provided with a foreign matter adsorption unit 34. This foreign matter adsorption unit 34 is disposed adjacent to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 on the transport direction A side with respect to the spray unit 28 of the cleaner 22.

[0031] The foreign matter adsorption section 34 is formed in a rectangular plate shape with its longitudinal direction in the same direction as the ejection section 28. As shown in Fig. 5, a first electrode 36 and a second electrode 38 are provided adjacent to each other inside the foreign matter adsorption section 34. When a voltage is applied between the first electrode 36 and the second electrode 38, an electric field 40 is generated on the surface 34A of the foreign matter adsorption section 34 facing the electrode body 12. The foreign matter 14 is polarized by this electric field 40, so that the foreign matter 14 is attracted to and adsorbed on the surface 34A of the foreign matter adsorption section 34 facing the electrode body 12.

[0032] 4, in the foreign matter removal device 32 of this embodiment, foreign matter 14 that has slipped through between the ejection portion 28 of the cleaner 22 and the electrode body 12 can be adsorbed by the foreign matter adsorption portion 34. In this configuration, compared to a configuration in which the foreign matter adsorption portion 34 is not provided, it is possible to further prevent foreign matter 14 attached to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 from being left behind.

[0033] In each of the above-described embodiments, the foreign matter 14 attached to one surface 12A of the electrode body 12 is removable, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ejection portion 28 and the foreign matter adsorption portion 34 of the cleaner 22 may be provided along the one surface 12A and the other surface 12B of the electrode body 12, respectively, to remove the foreign matter 14 attached to the one surface 12A and the other surface 12B of the electrode body 12.

[0034] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement the present invention in various other modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Foreign matter removal device 12 Electrode body 14 Foreign object 20 Conveyor section 22 Cleaner 32 Foreign matter removal device 34 Foreign object adsorption part A Conveying direction

Claims

1. A conveying unit that conveys an electrode body formed in a sheet shape; a cleaner that is provided along the electrode body over the entire range in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction of the electrode body, the surface facing the electrode body being inclined at an angle of 5° or more and 10° or less toward the opposite side to the conveying direction of the electrode body with respect to the surface of the electrode body, and that collects foreign matter adhering to the electrode body while spraying compressed air toward the electrode body; A foreign object removal device comprising:

2. 2. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, further comprising a foreign matter attracting section disposed on the cleaner in the conveying direction of the electrode body, the foreign matter attracting section attracting the foreign matter that has slipped through between the cleaner and the electrode body.

3. The foreign matter removal apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transport section transports the electrode body at a speed of 500 m / s or more.

4. 2. The foreign matter removal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport section transports the electrode assembly having a dimension of 1000 mm or more in a width direction perpendicular to a length direction.

5. 2. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the cleaner is set in the range of more than 5 kPa and less than 7.5 kPa.

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