Electrode body manufacturing apparatus and electrode body manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide an electrode body manufacturing apparatus and an electrode body manufacturing method capable of suppressing the occurrence of cracks.SOLUTION: An electrode body manufacturing apparatus 10 includes: a foil conveying machine 2 that continuously conveys electrode foil FF; an applicator 3 that intermittently applies an electrode material FA to a main surface FS of the continuously conveyed electrode foil FF to intermittently form a coated area FC coated with the electrode material FA and an uncoated area FU not coated with the electrode material FA; a laser irradiator 1 that irradiates the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF with laser light LL; a shield 4 capable of blocking the laser light LL; an acquisition unit that acquires the position of the uncoated area FU; and a shield conveying machine 5 that inserts the shield 4 between the uncoated area FU and the laser irradiator 1 during a period when the uncoated area FU is included in the irradiation range of the laser light LL.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and an electrode assembly manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] The electrode sheet heating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 inserts a stainless steel shield between the heating surface of the infrared heater and the heated surface of the electrode sheet when the temperature of the electrode sheet reaches a preset upper limit of the set temperature, thereby preventing the electrode sheet from overheating. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-010013 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present inventors have discovered the following problems. Such an electrode sheet heating device may be used to heat an electrode sheet having a coated area where the electrode material is coated and a non-coated area where the electrode material is not coated. In this case, the coated area and the non-coated area are heated in the same manner, which may cause cracks.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and an electrode assembly manufacturing method that can suppress the occurrence of cracks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The manufacturing apparatus for the electrode assembly according to the present disclosure comprises: a foil conveyor that continuously conveys the electrode foil; a coater that intermittently coats a main surface of the electrode foil that is being continuously transported with an electrode material to intermittently form a coated region where the electrode material is coated and an uncoated region where the electrode material is not coated; a laser irradiator that irradiates a main surface of the electrode foil with laser light; A shield capable of blocking the laser light; An acquisition unit that acquires the position of the uncoated region; and a shielding object transporter that inserts the shielding object between the uncoated area and the laser irradiator during a period in which the uncoated area is included in the irradiation range of the laser light.

[0007] In addition, in the above-mentioned electrode body manufacturing apparatus, the shielding object conveying machine may insert the shield during a period in which the uncoated area is included in the irradiation range of the laser light, and then convey the shield in accordance with the movement of the uncoated area that accompanies the conveyance of the electrode foil.

[0008] In the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus described above, the shield may include a cooling circuit through which a cooling medium can flow.

[0009] A method for producing an electrode assembly according to the present disclosure includes the steps of continuously transporting an electrode foil; intermittently applying an electrode material to a main surface of the electrode foil being continuously conveyed, thereby intermittently forming a coated region where the electrode material is applied and an uncoated region where the electrode material is not applied; obtaining a position of the uncoated area; irradiating a main surface of the electrode foil with laser light from a laser irradiator; and inserting a shield capable of blocking the laser light between the uncoated region and the laser irradiator during a period in which the uncoated region is included in an irradiation range of the laser light. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the occurrence of cracks can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the electrode assembly according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing the electrode assembly according to the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings are appropriately simplified for clarity of explanation.

[0013] <Embodiment 1> The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0014] Naturally, the right-handed XYZ coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 and other drawings is for the convenience of explaining the positional relationship of the components. Usually, the positive direction of the Z axis is vertically upward, and the XY plane is a horizontal plane, which is common to all drawings. The positive direction of the X axis is the feed direction of the electrode foil FF, which will be described later. Also, the Y axis direction is the width direction of the electrode foil FF.

[0015] <Manufacturing equipment> As shown in FIG. 1, an electrode body manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a laser irradiator 1, a foil conveyor 2, a coater 3, a shield 4, a shield conveyor 5, a sensor 6, and a control device 7.

[0016] The electrode foil roll FR is formed into a roll shape by winding the electrode foil FF. The electrode foil roll FR is rotatably arranged at a predetermined position. The electrode foil roll FR can rotate to feed the electrode foil FF in the feeding direction (here, the positive direction of the X-axis). A winding roll (not shown) may be arranged in the feeding direction. This winding roll (not shown) winds up the electrode foil FF fed by the electrode foil roll FR. The electrode foil FF is made of, for example, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, iron, titanium, carbon, or the like.

[0017] The foil conveyor 2 continuously conveys the electrode foil FF in the sending direction. The foil conveyor 2 may convey the electrode foil FF using a roll-to-roll method. The foil conveyor 2 includes, for example, a plurality of rolls 2A. The plurality of rolls 2A may be arranged between the electrode foil roll FR and the winding roll side FW on which the above-mentioned winding roll is arranged. Furthermore, the plurality of rolls 2A may be arranged at predetermined intervals below the electrode foil FF. A driving source (not shown) applies a rotational driving force to the plurality of rolls 2A, causing the plurality of rolls 2A to rotate. This allows the electrode foil FF to be conveyed in the sending direction.

[0018] The coater 3 intermittently coats the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF, which is continuously conveyed by the foil conveyer 2, with the electrode material FA. This intermittently forms coated regions FC and uncoated regions FU on the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. The length of the coated regions FC in the feed direction and the length of the uncoated regions FU in the feed direction may be set in advance. On the main surface FS, the coated regions FC and the uncoated regions FU are alternately arranged in the feed direction. The coated regions FC are coated with the electrode material FA. In the coated regions FC, the electrode material FA covers the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. The uncoated regions FU are not coated with the electrode material FA. In the uncoated regions FU, the electrode material FA does not cover the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF, and the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF is exposed.

[0019] The electrode material FA includes an electrode active material. The electrode active material is a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material.

[0020] The electrode material FA containing the positive electrode active material constitutes the positive electrode. The positive electrode active material is, for example, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4), LiCo 1 / 3 Ni 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 O2, Li 1+x Mn 2-x-y M y The Li-Mn spinel is substituted with different elements and has a composition represented by O4 (M is one or more metal elements selected from Al, Mg, Co, Fe, Ni, and Zn).

[0021] The electrode material FA containing the negative electrode active material constitutes a negative electrode. The negative electrode active material is, for example, a material capable of absorbing and releasing metal ions such as metallic lithium and lithium ions. The material capable of absorbing and releasing metal ions such as lithium ions is, for example, an alloy-based negative electrode active material or a carbon material. The alloy-based negative electrode active material is, for example, a Si alloy-based negative electrode active material or a Sn alloy-based negative electrode active material. The Si alloy-based negative electrode active material is silicon, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or a solid solution thereof. The Si alloy-based negative electrode active material may contain elements other than silicon, such as Fe, Co, Sb, Bi, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, In, Sn, Ti, etc. The Sn alloy-based negative electrode active material is tin, tin oxide, tin nitride, or a solid solution thereof. The Sn alloy-based negative electrode active material may contain elements other than tin, such as Fe, Co, Sb, Bi, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, In, Ti, Si, etc. The carbon material is, for example, hard carbon, soft carbon, graphite, or the like.

[0022] The electrode material FA may contain, as optional components, a conductive assistant, a binder, and even a solid electrolyte. The conductive assistant may be, for example, a carbon material such as VGCF (Vapor Grown Carbon Fiber) or carbon nanofiber, or a metal material. The binder may be, for example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), butadiene rubber (BR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), or a combination thereof.

[0023] The sensor 6 detects the uncoated region FU. The sensor 6 may be provided at an interval from the coater 3 in the sending direction. The sensor 6 may be disposed, for example, above the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. For example, a line scan camera may be used as the sensor 6.

[0024] The laser irradiator 1 irradiates a predetermined irradiation range with the laser light LL. Specifically, the laser irradiator 1 may be capable of constantly irradiating the predetermined irradiation range with the laser light LL uniformly. The laser irradiator 1 is, for example, a semiconductor laser. The laser irradiator 1 is disposed above the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. The laser irradiator 1 irradiates the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF with the laser light LL.

[0025] The shield 4 is made of a material capable of blocking the laser light LL irradiated by the laser irradiator 1. Such a material is, for example, stainless steel. The shield 4 may be provided with a cooling circuit through which a cooling medium can flow. When the cooling medium is supplied to the cooling circuit, heat is transferred from the shield 4 to the cooling medium. This prevents the shield 4 from overheating even when the shield 4 is exposed to the laser light LL, ensuring the shielding properties of the shield 4. The shape and size of the shield 4 may be determined according to the uncoated region FU.

[0026] The shielding object conveying machine 5 can convey the shielding object 4 so that the shielding object 4 can be inserted between the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF and the laser irradiator 1. The shielding object conveying machine 5 can convey the shielding object 4 in the sending direction after inserting the shielding object 4 between the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF and the laser irradiator 1. The shielding object conveying machine 5 is, for example, a conveying device or an arm robot that can be synchronized with the foil conveying machine 2.

[0027] The control device 7 can be configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In other words, the control device 7 can have a function as a computer. The control device 7 can execute a program stored in a storage device (not shown) and perform various processes.

[0028] Moreover, the control device 7 executes this program to realize the functions of the components for performing the necessary operations of the manufacturing apparatus 10 as appropriate. For example, the control device 7 acquires various information from each component of the manufacturing apparatus 10, such as the coater 3 and the sensor 6. The control device 7 may store the acquired various information in a storage device. The various information is, for example, the completion of coating of the electrode material FA on the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF by the coater 3, the uncoated area FU detected by the sensor 6, and the like. The control device 7 may store information such as the conveying speed of the electrode foil FF by the foil conveyer 2 and the distance between the coater 3 and the irradiation range of the laser light LL in the storage device. The control device 7 can calculate the position of the uncoated area FU based on the stored information. The control device 7 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires the position of the uncoated area FU. Based on the acquired position of the uncoated area FU, the control device 7 sends to the shield conveyer 5 a signal to insert the shield 4 between the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF and the laser irradiator 1, and a signal to convey the shield 4 in accordance with the conveyance of the electrode foil FF.

[0029] <Manufacturing method> Next, a method for manufacturing an electrode body using the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. For ease of understanding, in Figure 3, the illustration of each component such as the foil conveyor 2, coater 3, shielding conveyor 5, sensor 6, and control device 7 has been omitted as appropriate.

[0030] The foil conveyor 2 continuously conveys the electrode foil FF (step ST1). The coater 3 intermittently coats the main surface FS of the continuously conveyed electrode foil FF with the electrode material FA (step ST2). As a result, coated regions FC coated with the electrode material FA and uncoated regions FU not coated with the electrode material FA are intermittently formed on the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. Note that steps ST1 and ST2 may be started substantially simultaneously, or may be performed simultaneously in parallel with the next step ST3.

[0031] Next, the control device 7 acquires the position of the uncoated area FU1 (step ST3). Specifically, the control device 7 calculates the position of the uncoated area FU based on the uncoated area FU detected by the sensor 6, the conveying speed of the electrode foil FF by the foil conveyor 2, etc.

[0032] Next, the laser irradiator 1 irradiates the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF with the laser light LL (step ST4). In the example shown in Fig. 3, the irradiation range of the laser light LL includes a coating area FC1 on the main surface FS of the electrode foil FF. The electrode material FA1 coated on the coating area FC1 is irradiated with the laser light LL and heated.

[0033] Next, the shielding object conveying machine 5 inserts the shielding object 4 between the uncoated area FU and the laser irradiator 1 during the period when the uncoated area FU is included in the irradiation range of the laser light LL (step ST5). In the example shown in Fig. 3, during the period when the uncoated area FU1 is included in the irradiation range of the laser light LL, the shielding object 4 is inserted between the uncoated area FU1 and the laser irradiator 1. The shielding object 4 blocks the laser light LL. Therefore, the uncoated area FU1 is hardly irradiated with the laser light LL.

[0034] Finally, the shielding object conveying machine 5 conveys the shielding object 4 in accordance with the movement of the uncoated area FU accompanying the conveyance of the electrode foil FF (step ST6). In the example shown in Fig. 3, the shielding object conveying machine 5 conveys the shielding object 4 in accordance with the movement of the uncoated area FU1. Therefore, even if the uncoated area FU1 moves in the sending direction accompanying the conveyance of the electrode foil FF, the shielding object 4 moves in accordance with the uncoated area FU1. In other words, the shielding object 4 blocks the laser light LL while moving in accordance with the movement of the uncoated area FU1.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, when the uncoated region FU1 passes through the irradiation range of the laser light LL, the shielding conveyor 5 may remove the shielding 4 from between the uncoated region FU1 and the laser irradiator 1. Thereafter, by repeating the above-mentioned steps ST3 to ST6, the shielding 4 blocks the laser light LL, and irradiation of the laser light LL to another uncoated region FU included in the irradiation range of the laser light LL can be avoided. After the uncoated region FU1 passes through the irradiation range of the laser light LL, the uncoated region FU1 portion of the electrode foil FF may be wound up on a winding roll (not shown). Various treatments are performed on the electrode foil FF as necessary.

[0036] In this manner, the electrode assembly can be manufactured.

[0037] According to the configuration of the manufacturing method of the electrode body described above, the shielding transporter 5 inserts the shielding 4 between the uncoated area FU and the laser irradiator 1 during the period when the uncoated area FU is included in the irradiation range of the laser light LL. Therefore, the uncoated area FU1 is hardly irradiated with the laser light LL. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the irradiation of the laser light LL to the uncoated area FU while ensuring the irradiation amount of the laser light LL to the coated area FC. This suppresses the heat transfer from the uncoated area FU to the end of the coated area FC adjacent to the uncoated area FU, and suppresses the drying of the end of the adjacent coated area FC. As a result, the electrode material FA at the end of the adjacent coated area FC is less likely to crack. Therefore, the irradiation amount of the laser light LL can be changed according to the coated area FC and the uncoated area FU to suppress the occurrence of cracks. In addition, there is no need to extend the drying process and drying time in the entire process in order to suppress the occurrence of cracks. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the line length of the drying process and reduce the number of laser irradiators 1.

[0038] In addition, the shielding conveying device 5 conveys the shielding 4 in accordance with the movement of the uncoated region FU accompanying the conveyance of the electrode foil FF. The shielding 4 can block the laser light LL while moving in accordance with the movement of the uncoated region FU. This can further suppress the irradiation of the laser light LL to the uncoated region FU. This can further suppress the occurrence of cracks.

[0039] 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. In addition, the present invention may be implemented by appropriately combining the above-described embodiment and examples thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10. Electrode body manufacturing equipment 1 Laser irradiator 2 Foil conveyor 2A Roll 3 Coating machine 4 Shield 5. Shield transport machine 6 Sensors 7 Control device LL Laser light FF electrode foil FS, FS1 main surface FA, FA1, FA2 electrode materials FR electrode foil roll FW Winding roll side FC, FC1, FC2 application area FU, FU1 Uncoated area

Claims

1. a foil conveyor that continuously conveys the electrode foil; a coater that intermittently coats a main surface of the electrode foil that is being continuously transported with an electrode material to intermittently form a coated region where the electrode material is coated and an uncoated region where the electrode material is not coated; a laser irradiator that irradiates a main surface of the electrode foil with laser light; A shield capable of blocking the laser light; An acquisition unit that acquires the position of the uncoated region; and a shielding object conveying device that inserts the shielding object between the uncoated area and the laser irradiator during a period in which the uncoated area is included in the irradiation range of the laser light. Electrode body manufacturing equipment.

2. the shielding object conveying machine inserts the shielding object during a period in which the uncoated region is included in an irradiation range of the laser light, and then conveys the shielding object in accordance with a movement of the uncoated region accompanying the conveyance of the electrode foil. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly according to claim 1 .

3. The shield includes a cooling circuit through which a cooling medium can flow. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly according to claim 1 or 2.

4. continuously conveying the electrode foil; intermittently applying an electrode material to a main surface of the electrode foil being continuously conveyed, thereby intermittently forming a coated region where the electrode material is applied and an uncoated region where the electrode material is not applied; obtaining a position of the uncoated area; irradiating a main surface of the electrode foil with laser light from a laser irradiator; and inserting a shield capable of blocking the laser light between the uncoated region and the laser irradiator during a period in which the uncoated region is included in an irradiation range of the laser light. A method for manufacturing an electrode assembly.

Images