Film manufacturing device and film manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a film manufacturing device capable of easily manufacturing various types of sheet-like films.SOLUTION: There is provided a film manufacturing device that is configured in that: a transport mechanism 110 transports a long film; a valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms a valley fold in the film to be transported; a mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms mountain folds in the film to be transported; a cutting mechanism 140 cuts the film with formed folds so as to obtain sheet-like films: the transport mechanism 110, the valley fold forming mechanism 120, the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 and the cutting mechanism 140 operate independently of each other; and each time the valley fold forming mechanism 120 or the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms a fold in the film, the transport mechanism 110 transports the film.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a film manufacturing apparatus and a film manufacturing method, and more particularly to a film manufacturing apparatus and a film manufacturing method for manufacturing a sheet-like film for wrapping an electrode. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing an insulating film to be fitted into slots formed between core pieces of a stator core. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the upper and lower parts of a mold are closed to sandwich the insulating film between the concave and convex parts of the mold, thereby forming folds corresponding to the shape of the slot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-114123 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a mold is used to form multiple folds in the film at once. Therefore, when the dimensions of the film are changed, the mold needs to be replaced. Therefore, in order to manufacture various types of films, it is necessary to prepare molds corresponding to the various types of films, which requires time and cost. Therefore, it is difficult to manufacture various types of sheet-fed films using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a film production apparatus and a film production method that are capable of easily producing a wide variety of sheet-fed films. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The film manufacturing apparatus according to the present disclosure is a film manufacturing apparatus that manufactures sheet-like films for wrapping electrodes, and includes a conveying mechanism configured to convey a long film, at least one valley fold forming mechanism configured to form valley folds in the conveyed film, at least one mountain fold forming mechanism configured to form mountain folds in the conveyed film, and a cutting mechanism configured to cut the film with the folds formed therein so as to obtain the sheet-like film, wherein the conveying mechanism, the valley fold forming mechanism, the mountain fold forming mechanism, and the cutting mechanism operate independently of one another, and the conveying mechanism conveys the film each time the valley fold forming mechanism or the mountain fold forming mechanism forms a fold in the film.

[0007] The film manufacturing method disclosed herein is a film manufacturing method for manufacturing sheet-like film for wrapping electrodes, and includes a conveying step of conveying a long film, a valley fold forming step of forming valley folds in the conveyed film, a mountain fold forming step of forming mountain folds in the conveyed film, and a cutting step of cutting the film with the folds formed therein so as to obtain sheet-like film, wherein the conveying step, the valley fold forming step, the mountain fold forming step, and the cutting step are carried out independently of each other, and the film is conveyed in the conveying step each time a fold is formed in the film in the valley fold forming step or the mountain fold forming step. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a film production apparatus and a film production method that are capable of easily producing a wide variety of sheet-form films. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a film manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a film manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3]1 is a diagram showing a sheet of film produced by the film production apparatus according to the first embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a process diagram showing a film manufacturing method performed by the film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a process diagram showing a film manufacturing method performed by the film manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, the following description and drawings are appropriately simplified for clarity of explanation.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment transports a long film 20 in the direction indicated by an arrow A1 to manufacture a sheet of film for wrapping electrodes. The film manufacturing apparatus 100 manufactures a sheet of film having folds formed therein as shown in FIG. 3, which will be described later. The configuration of the film manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described later.

[0012] For ease of explanation, the following three-dimensional XYZ coordinate system is assumed. The direction along which the film manufacturing apparatus 100 transports the long film 20 is defined as the X-axis direction, and the direction in which the film 20 is transported (to the left in FIG. 1) is defined as the +X direction. Therefore, the upstream side of the transport direction corresponds to the -X direction, and the downstream side of the transport direction corresponds to the +X direction. Note that hereinafter, the upstream side of the transport direction may be simply referred to as the "upstream side," and the downstream side of the transport direction may be simply referred to as the "downstream side."

[0013] The direction approximately perpendicular to the surface of the film 20 being transported is the Z-axis direction, the upward direction of the film 20 (upward direction in FIG. 1) is the +Z direction, and the downward direction of the film 20 (downward direction in FIG. 1) is the -Z direction. In other words, the surface of the film 20 in the +Z direction is the upper surface 20a, and the surface of the film 20 in the -Z direction is the lower surface 20b. The direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis is the Y-axis direction, and the left side (the front direction of the paper in FIG. 1) when looking at the transport direction (+X direction) is the +Y direction. The direction along the Y-axis direction of the film 20 is referred to as the width direction of the film 20. The film manufacturing apparatus 100 forms folds in the film 20 in the width direction, and cuts the film 20 with the folds formed in the width direction.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a sheet of film 10 manufactured by the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The sheet of film 10 is, for example, a laminate film. The sheet of film 10 is used to wrap electrodes of a battery. The sheet of film 10 can also be said to be an exterior body or a packaging body that wraps the electrodes. By wrapping the electrodes in the sheet of film 10, a battery called a laminate-packaged battery is formed.

[0015] The sheet of film 10 is shaped to match the shape and dimensions of the electrodes. The sheet of film 10 is manufactured by cutting a long film 20. A first end 10a and a second end 10b of the sheet of film 10 correspond to the places where the long film 20 is cut. In the first embodiment, the surface of the sheet of film 10 that comes into contact with the battery when the battery is wrapped in the sheet of film 10 (the inner surface of the sheet of film 10 shown in FIG. 3) corresponds to the upper surface 20a of the film 20 that is transported in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0016] Moreover, the sheet of film 10 has a plurality of folds 12 so that it can wrap an electrode having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Specifically, the sheet of film 10 has folds 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D in this order from the first end 10a to the second end 10b. The folds 12A, 12B, and 12C are valley folds with respect to the inner surface (upper surface 20a) of the sheet of film 10. On the other hand, the fold 12D is a mountain fold with respect to the inner surface (upper surface 20a) of the sheet of film 10.

[0017] The direction of dimension L0 of the sheet of film 10 corresponds to the width direction of the long film 20. The dimension between first end 10a and fold 12A is L1. The dimension between fold 12A and fold 12B is L2. The dimension between fold 12B and fold 12C is L3. The dimension between fold 12C and fold 12D is L4. The dimension between fold 12D and second end 10b is L5.

[0018] The film manufacturing apparatus 100 includes an edge cutting blade 102, a conveying mechanism 110, at least one valley fold forming mechanism 120, at least one mountain fold forming mechanism 130, a cutting mechanism 140, a pressing mechanism 150, a jig 160, and a control device 200. The valley fold forming mechanism 120 and the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 are disposed downstream of the conveying mechanism 110. The cutting mechanism 140 is disposed downstream of the valley fold forming mechanism 120 and the mountain fold forming mechanism 130. The pressing mechanism 150 and the jig 160 are disposed downstream of the cutting mechanism 140. In the first embodiment, the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 is disposed downstream of the valley fold forming mechanism 120, but is not limited to such a configuration.

[0019] The control device 200 is, for example, a computer. The control device 200 has a processing device such as a processor, and a storage device such as a memory. The control device 200 operates by the processing device executing a program stored in the storage device. The control device 200 controls the operation of each component of the film production apparatus 100 so that a sheet of film 10 having a predetermined size is produced. The control device 200 may be, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

[0020] The transport mechanism 110 is composed of, for example, a pair of rolls. The transport mechanism 110 transports the long film 20 in the direction indicated by arrow A1 by rotating the pair of rolls in the direction indicated by arrow B while sandwiching the film 20 between them. The transport mechanism 110 intermittently transports the long film 20 by a length corresponding to the dimensions of the sheet of film 10 under the control of the control device 200. The operation of the transport mechanism 110 will be described in detail later.

[0021] The edge cutting blade 102 cuts the film 20 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) to adjust the width of the film 20. This cuts the film 20 so that the width of the film 20 matches the width dimension L0 of the sheet-fed film 10. The edge cutting blade 102 may be composed of, for example, a pair of blades arranged in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the film 20. In this case, the distance between the pair of blades can be adjusted as appropriate. Therefore, the edge cutting blade 102 can cut the film 20 so that the width of the film 20 can be adjusted to any dimension L0.

[0022] The valley fold forming mechanism 120 is configured to form a valley fold in the film 20 that is intermittently transported. The valley fold forming mechanism 120 has a valley fold blade 122 and a receiving member 124. The valley fold blade 122 is disposed on the upper side (the side in the +Z direction) of the film 20 that is transported. In addition, the receiving member 124 is disposed on the opposite side of the valley fold blade 122 with respect to the film 20 that is transported so as to face the valley fold blade 122.

[0023] The valley fold blade 122 is configured to be movable in a direction along the Z axis under the control of the control device 200. The valley fold blade 122 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 (-Z direction), thereby shortening the distance between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124. Therefore, when the valley fold blade 122 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 with the film 20 between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124, the film 20 is sandwiched between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124. As a result, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms a valley fold in the film 20 between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124. At this time, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms one valley fold in one fold forming process.

[0024] The valley folding blade 122 is formed of, for example, metal. The valley folding blade 122 is formed so as to protrude downward (in the -Z direction) and be pointed. The valley folding blade 122 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 and the opposite direction by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor or a servo motor that is operated under the control of the control device 200.

[0025] The receiving member 124 may be formed of an elastic material such as rubber. In this case, when the valley fold blade 122 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 and the film 20 is sandwiched between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124, the receiving member 124 is deformed into a shape corresponding to the protruding shape of the valley fold blade 122 through the film 20. This causes the film 20 to deform between the valley fold blade 122 and the deformed receiving member 124. In this manner, a valley fold is formed in the film 20.

[0026] Alternatively, the receiving member 124 may be formed of, for example, a metal material having a recessed shape corresponding to the protruding shape of the valley folding blade 122 on the surface facing the valley folding blade 122. In this case, when the valley folding blade 122 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 and the film 20 is sandwiched between the valley folding blade 122 and the receiving member 124, the film 20 is deformed between the protruding shape of the valley folding blade 122 and the recessed shape of the receiving member 124. In this manner, a valley fold is formed in the film 20.

[0027] Mountain fold forming mechanism 130 is configured to form mountain folds in film 20 that is intermittently conveyed. Mountain fold forming mechanism 130 has mountain fold blade 132 and receiving member 134. Mountain fold blade 132 is disposed below (in the -Z direction) film 20 that is being conveyed. In addition, receiving member 134 is disposed on the opposite side of mountain fold blade 132 with respect to film 20 that is being conveyed so as to face mountain fold blade 132.

[0028] Mountain fold blade 132 is configured to be movable in a direction along the Z axis under the control of control device 200. As mountain fold blade 132 moves in the direction indicated by arrow A3 (+Z direction), the distance between mountain fold blade 132 and receiving member 134 becomes shorter. Therefore, when mountain fold blade 132 moves in the direction indicated by arrow A3 with film 20 present between mountain fold blade 132 and receiving member 134, film 20 is sandwiched between mountain fold blade 132 and receiving member 134. As a result, mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms a mountain fold in film 20 between mountain fold blade 132 and receiving member 134. At this time, mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms one mountain fold in one fold forming process.

[0029] The mountain folding blade 132 is formed of, for example, metal. The mountain folding blade 132 is formed so as to protrude upward (in the +Z direction) and be pointed. The mountain folding blade 132 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow A3 and the opposite direction by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor or a servo motor that operates under the control of the control device 200. The configuration of the receiving member 134 is substantially similar to that of the receiving member 124, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0030] The cutting mechanism 140 is disposed above (in the +Z direction) the film 20 being transported. The cutting mechanism 140 has a cutting blade 142, a support member 144, and an elastic member 146. The cutting blade 142 is formed of, for example, metal. The tip of the cutting blade 142 is sharply pointed to an extent that the cutting blade 142 can cut the film 20. The cutting mechanism 140 cuts (slashes) the film 20 by pressing the cutting blade 142 against the film 20. The cutting mechanism 140 is configured to cut the film 20 on which the folds 12 have been formed so that a sheet of film 10 is obtained. In other words, the cutting mechanism 140 cuts the film 20 on which the folds 12 have been formed, thereby obtaining a sheet of film 10.

[0031] The cutting blade 142 is fixed to a support member 144. The elastic member 146 is, for example, a spring or the like, but may be made of other elastic materials. The elastic member 146 is connected to the support member 144 and a pressing mechanism 150, which will be described later. In other words, the support member 144 of the cutting mechanism 140 is connected to the pressing mechanism 150 via the elastic member 146. In addition, a receiving member 104 for the cutting mechanism 140 is disposed below the cutting mechanism 140 (in the -Z direction) so as to face the cutting mechanism 140 across the transported film 20.

[0032] With pressing mechanism 150 pressing film 20 towards receiving member 104, supporting member 144 moves in the direction indicated by arrow A4 (-Z direction) against the elastic force of elastic member 146, thereby cutting blade 142 cutting film 20. Supporting member 144 (cutting blade 142) is operated in the direction along the Z axis by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor or a servo motor. Details of the operation of cutting mechanism 140 will be described later.

[0033] The jig 160 is configured to convey the manufactured sheet-shaped film 10 to a post-process. The "post-process" is a process following the manufacturing process of the sheet-shaped film 10 performed by the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment in the manufacturing process of the battery. The post-process is, for example, a process of wrapping the electrodes with the sheet-shaped film 10, but is not limited thereto. The jig 160 is arranged to be movable relative to the conveying mechanism 110. That is, the jig 160 is a movable jig that can be moved to a work area where the post-process is performed. The jig 160 may be moved by the control of the control device 200. The jig 160 may be moved by being suspended in the air by, for example, an electromagnetic force. Alternatively, the jig 160 may be moved by being guided by a guide mechanism. Alternatively, the jig 160 may be moved by the rotation of a ball screw.

[0034] The jig 160 also has one or more suction members 162 on an adsorption surface 160a to which the film 20 is adsorbed. The adsorption members 162 can adsorb the film 20 by pressing the film 20 with the adsorption members 162. The adsorption members 162 are, for example, suction cups, but are not limited thereto. When the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption surface 160a, a corner 164 on the +X side of the adsorption surface 160a of the jig 160 can be aligned with the fold 12 formed in the film 20. The jig 160 may also have an adjustment mechanism 166 capable of adjusting the length of the adsorption surface 160a in the X-axis direction. The adjustment mechanism 166 may be capable of adjusting the length of the adsorption surface 160a by sliding a bolt into an elongated hole.

[0035] The pressing mechanism 150 is configured to press the film 20 against the adsorption member 162 of the jig 160. The pressing mechanism 150 is operated in a direction along the Z axis by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as a motor or a servo motor. The pressing mechanism 150 has an adsorption unit 152 and a holding unit 154. The adsorption unit 152 is disposed so as to face an adsorption surface 160a of the jig 160 via the film 20 being transported. When the pressing mechanism 150 moves in the -Z direction (downward) with the film 20 between the adsorption unit 152 and the jig 160, the adsorption unit 152 presses the film 20 against the adsorption member 162 of the jig 160. As a result, the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162.

[0036] Holding unit 154 is disposed to face receiving member 104 for cutting mechanism 140 via film 20 being transported. Holding unit 154 is connected to support member 144, which supports cutting blade 142, via elastic member 146. When pressing mechanism 150 moves in the -Z direction (downward) with film 20 between holding unit 154 and receiving member 104, holding unit 154 presses film 20 against receiving member 104. By cutting mechanism 140 cutting film 20 in this state, cutting mechanism 140 can perform stable cutting.

[0037] 4 and 5 are process diagrams showing the film manufacturing method performed by the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The film manufacturing apparatus 100 starts manufacturing the sheet-fed film 10 in a state in which the leading end 20c of the film 20 faces the leading end of the cutting blade 142 in the Z-axis direction (step S102). The leading end 20c of the film corresponds to the first end 10a of the sheet-fed film 10. The conveying mechanism 110 then conveys the film 20 as shown by the arrow A1. At this time, the control device 200 controls the conveying mechanism 110 to convey the film 20 until the length from the leading end 20c (first end 10a) of the film 20 to the position facing the valley fold forming mechanism 120 corresponds to the dimension L1 of the sheet-fed film 10 (conveying step).

[0038] The valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms a valley fold in the film 20 (step S104; valley fold forming step). Specifically, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 moves the valley fold blade 122 in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 under the control of the control device 200, thereby forming a valley fold in the film 20. Then, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 returns the valley fold blade 122 to its original position (step S106). In this manner, the fold 12A is formed at a position that is a distance L1 from the first end 10a of the sheet of film 10.

[0039] The conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1 (step S108; conveying step). At this time, the control device 200 controls the conveying mechanism 110 to convey the film 20 until the length from the fold 12A in the film 20 to a position facing the valley fold forming mechanism 120 corresponds to the dimension L2 of the sheet of film 10.

[0040] The valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms a valley fold in the film 20 (step S110; valley fold forming step). Specifically, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 moves the valley fold blade 122 in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 under the control of the control device 200, thereby forming a valley fold in the film 20. Then, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 returns the valley fold blade 122 to its original position (step S112). In this manner, the fold 12B is formed in the sheet of film 10 at a position spaced a distance L2 from the fold 12A.

[0041] The conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1 (step S114; conveying step). At this time, the control device 200 controls the conveying mechanism 110 to convey the film 20 until the length from the fold 12B in the film 20 to a position facing the valley fold forming mechanism 120 corresponds to the dimension L3 of the sheet of film 10.

[0042] The valley fold forming mechanism 120 forms a valley fold in the film 20 (step S116; valley fold forming step). Specifically, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 moves the valley fold blade 122 in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 under the control of the control device 200, thereby forming a valley fold in the film 20. Then, the valley fold forming mechanism 120 returns the valley fold blade 122 to its original position (step S118). In this manner, the fold 12C is formed in the sheet of film 10 at a position spaced a distance L3 from the fold 12B.

[0043] The conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1 (step S120; conveying step). At this time, the control device 200 controls the conveying mechanism 110 to convey the film 20 until the length from the fold 12C in the film 20 to a position facing the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 corresponds to the dimension L4 of the sheet of film 10.

[0044] The mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms a mountain fold in the film 20 (step S122; mountain fold forming step). Specifically, the mountain fold forming mechanism 130, under the control of the control device 200, moves the mountain fold blade 132 in the direction indicated by the arrow A3 to form a mountain fold in the film 20. The mountain fold forming mechanism 130 then returns the mountain fold blade 132 to its original position (step S124). In this manner, the fold 12D is formed in the sheet of film 10 at a position spaced a distance L4 from the fold 12C.

[0045] The conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow A1 (step S126; conveying step). At this time, the control device 200 controls the conveying mechanism 110 to convey the film 20 until the length from the fold 12D in the film 20 to a position facing the cutting mechanism 140 (cutting blade 142) corresponds to the dimension L5 of the sheet of film 10.

[0046] The pressing mechanism 150 moves (descends) in the -Z direction under the control of the control device 200 to press the film 20 (step S128; pressing step). Specifically, the adsorption portion 152 of the pressing mechanism 150 presses the film 20 against the adsorption member 162 of the jig 160. As a result, the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162. At this time, the corner portion 164 of the jig 160 is aligned with the fold 12B. That is, the pressing mechanism 150 presses the film 20 against the adsorption member 162 so that a predetermined position of the film 20 after the fold 12 is formed and before the film 20 is cut is aligned with a predetermined position of the jig 160, and the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162. In addition, the holding portion 154 of the pressing mechanism 150 presses the film 20 against the receiving member 104. As a result, the portion of the film 20 to be cut in the next step is held (fixed).

[0047] Cutting mechanism 140 cuts film 20 under the control of control device 200 (step S130; cutting step). Specifically, cutting mechanism 140 cuts the portion of film 20 held by holding portion 154 by moving cutting blade 142 in the direction indicated by arrow A4.

[0048] In step S128, the cutting mechanism 140 cuts the film 20 while the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162. The cutting mechanism 140 then returns the cutting blade 142 (step S132). Furthermore, the pressing mechanism 150 is controlled by the control device 200 to move (rise) in the +Z direction to its original position (step S134). This forms the second end 10b of the sheet of film 10. In addition, the above-described series of steps results in the production of a sheet of film 10 having folds 12A-12D and dimensions L0-L5.

[0049] Note that pressing mechanism 150 may operate together with cutting mechanism 140. In this case, pressing mechanism 150 may be configured integrally with cutting mechanism 140. Then, one drive mechanism may operate pressing mechanism 150 and cutting mechanism 140. In this case, the drive mechanism operates support member 144 to move pressing mechanism 150 and cutting blade 142 downward. Then, when pressing mechanism 150 is in a state of pressing film 20, the drive mechanism moves support member 144 against the elastic force of elastic member 146 to move cutting blade 142 downward.

[0050] The jig 160 carries out the manufactured sheet of film 10 to a subsequent process (step S136; carrying out step). Here, the film 20 is cut (cut) by the cutting mechanism 140 in a state where the fold 12B is aligned with the corner 164 of the jig 160 by the pressing mechanism 150 and the film 20 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162. Therefore, the manufactured sheet of film 10 is in a state where it is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162 of the jig 160. Therefore, the jig 160 carries out the sheet of film 10 obtained by cutting the film 20 to a subsequent process in a state where the sheet of film 10 is adsorbed to the adsorption member 162. As a result, the sheet of film 10 is carried out in a state where it is aligned with the jig 160, so that the sheet of film 10 can be processed with high accuracy in the subsequent process. The leading end of the film 20 being transported becomes the first end 10a of the sheet of film 10 to be manufactured in the next process.

[0051] As described above, in the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the conveying mechanism 110, the valley fold forming mechanism 120, the mountain fold forming mechanism 130, and the cutting mechanism 140 operate independently of one another. Furthermore, every time the valley fold forming mechanism 120 or the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms a fold in the film 20, the conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20. With this configuration, it is possible to manufacture a sheet of film having a plurality of folds formed therein without using a mold as used in the technology according to Patent Document 1. Therefore, the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment can easily manufacture a variety of sheet films.

[0052] In the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment described above, each of the valley fold forming mechanism 120 and the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms one fold in one fold forming process. With this configuration, various types of sheet films with different numbers of folds can be easily manufactured.

[0053] Furthermore, in the film manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the above-described first embodiment, the conveying mechanism 110 conveys the film 20 by a length according to the dimensions of the sheet of film 10 to be manufactured, during the period from when the valley fold forming mechanism 120 or the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms a fold in the film 20 until when the valley fold forming mechanism 120 or the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 forms the next fold in the film 20. With this configuration, a variety of sheet of film with different dimensions can be easily manufactured.

[0054] (Modification) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cutting mechanism 140 operates together with the pressing mechanism 150, but the cutting mechanism 140 may operate independently of the pressing mechanism 150.

[0055] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the valley fold blade 122 operates in the valley fold forming mechanism 120, but the receiving member 124 may move up and down instead of the valley fold blade 122. Alternatively, both the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124 may move in a direction that reduces the gap between the valley fold blade 122 and the receiving member 124. The same applies to the mountain fold forming mechanism 130.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 is disposed downstream of the valley fold forming mechanism 120, but the positional relationship between the valley fold forming mechanism 120 and the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 is arbitrary. For example, when the folds 12 are formed in the order from the fold 12A to the fold 12D, it is preferable that the valley fold forming mechanism 120 is disposed upstream of the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 as in the above embodiment 1. When the valley fold forming mechanism 120 is disposed downstream of the mountain fold forming mechanism 130 when the folds are formed in the above order, it may be necessary to return the conveying direction of the film 20 to the direction opposite to the arrow A1 after the last valley fold 12C is formed. In contrast, by disposing according to the above embodiment 1, the conveying direction of the film 20 by the conveying mechanism 110 can be made the same direction. Conversely, when the folds 12 are formed in the order from the fold 12D to the fold 12A, it is preferable that the valley fold forming mechanism 120 is disposed downstream of the mountain fold forming mechanism 130.

[0057] Furthermore, in the case where a mountain fold is formed after a valley fold, and then a further valley fold is formed, the valley fold forming mechanisms 120 may be disposed upstream and downstream of the mountain fold forming mechanism 130. Such an arrangement makes it possible to prevent the conveyance direction of the film 20 from being reversed, as described above. Similarly, in the case where a valley fold is formed after a mountain fold, and then a further mountain fold is formed, the mountain fold forming mechanisms 130 may be disposed upstream and downstream of the valley fold forming mechanism 120. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10 sheet of film, 12 fold, 20 film, 100 film manufacturing device, 104 receiving member, 110 conveying mechanism, 120 valley fold forming mechanism, 122 valley fold blade, 124 receiving member, 130 mountain fold forming mechanism, 132 mountain fold blade, 134 receiving member, 140 cutting mechanism, 142 cutting blade, 144 support member, 146 elastic member, 150 pressing mechanism, 152 suction portion, 154 holding portion, 160 jig, 162 suction member, 164 corner portion, 200 control device

Claims

1. A film manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a sheet-form film for wrapping an electrode, comprising: A conveying mechanism configured to convey a long film; at least one valley fold forming mechanism configured to form a valley fold in the conveyed film; at least one mountain fold forming mechanism configured to form a mountain fold in the film being conveyed; a cutting mechanism configured to cut the creased film so as to obtain the sheet of film; having the conveying mechanism, the valley fold forming mechanism, the mountain fold forming mechanism, and the cutting mechanism operate independently of each other; The conveying mechanism conveys the film every time the valley fold forming mechanism or the mountain fold forming mechanism forms a fold in the film. Film manufacturing equipment.

2. Each of the valley fold forming mechanism and the mountain fold forming mechanism forms one fold in a single fold forming step. The film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. During the time from when the valley fold forming mechanism or the mountain fold forming mechanism forms a fold in the film to when the valley fold forming mechanism or the mountain fold forming mechanism forms the next fold in the film, the conveying mechanism conveys the film by a length corresponding to the dimensions of the sheet of film to be manufactured. The film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. a jig having an adsorption member capable of adsorbing the film; a pressing mechanism configured to press the film against the suction member of the jig; and the pressing mechanism presses the film against the adsorption member so that a predetermined position of the film after the fold is formed and before the film is cut is aligned with a predetermined position of the jig, thereby adsorbing the film to the adsorption member; The cutting mechanism cuts the film while the film is adsorbed to the adsorption member, The jig conveys the sheet of film obtained by cutting the film to a subsequent process while the sheet of film is adsorbed to the adsorption member. The film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. A film manufacturing method for manufacturing a sheet-like film for wrapping an electrode, comprising the steps of: a conveying step of conveying a long film; a valley fold forming step of forming a valley fold in the film being conveyed; a mountain fold forming step of forming a mountain fold in the film being conveyed; a cutting step of cutting the film having the creases formed therein so as to obtain a sheet of film; having The conveying step, the valley fold forming step, the mountain fold forming step, and the cutting step are performed independently of each other, Each time a fold is formed in the film in the valley fold forming step or the mountain fold forming step, the film is transported in the transporting step. Film manufacturing method.

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