Battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and battery electrode manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a battery electrode manufacturing apparatus capable of producing electrodes that sufficiently blend the sheet and active material while suppressing unevenness in the active material layer after rolling and preventing the sheet from excessively absorbing electrolyte.SOLUTION: A battery electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a sheet supply section 130 that supplies a sheet to an electrode composition placed on an electrode current collector, a rolling section 140 where a rolling roller rolls the electrode composition through the sheet while the rolling roller and the sheet surface are in contact, and an ejection device 150 that ejects electrolyte toward the sheet before the sheet supply device 130 overlays the sheet onto the electrode composition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and a battery electrode manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Secondary batteries such as lithium-ion secondary batteries that can be repeatedly charged and discharged are widely used in various technical fields, such as smartphones, personal computers, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and stationary power storage applications. For example, a lithium-ion secondary battery has a battery cell in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween.

[0003] For such secondary batteries, a battery electrode manufacturing apparatus has been disclosed that supplies active material stacked on a strip-shaped current collector on each of the positive and negative electrode sides with a strip-shaped separator sheet superimposed thereon, rolls the active material through the separator sheet, and allows an electrolyte to permeate the separator sheet from the active material, thereby obtaining a battery electrode (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This battery electrode manufacturing apparatus presses a roller against the active material layer through the separator sheet to roll it on each of the positive and negative electrode sides, thereby preventing unevenness from occurring in the active material layer after rolling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-3068 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a battery electrode is manufactured using the electrode manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the separator sheet will absorb excess electrolyte contained in the active material when it is supplied so as to be superimposed on the active material and then rolled. In particular, if the active material is in a wet powder state, there is a risk that it will be difficult (or difficult) for the separator sheet and the active material to be sufficiently compatible with each other when rolled.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and a battery electrode manufacturing method that manufacture an electrode that can suppress the occurrence of unevenness in an active material layer (electrode composition layer) after rolling, suppress the sheet that is overlaid on the active material layer from absorbing excessive electrolyte, and further enable the sheet and the active material to be sufficiently compatible with each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above object, the battery electrode manufacturing apparatus includes a sheet supply unit that supplies a sheet to an electrode composition placed on an electrode current collector, a rolling unit in which a rolling roller rolls the electrode composition through the sheet while the rolling roller and the surface of the sheet are in contact with each other, and a discharge unit that discharges an electrolyte toward the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and battery electrode manufacturing method of the present invention can produce an electrode that can suppress unevenness in the electrode composition (electrode composition layer) during rolling, suppress the electrode composition layer and the sheet from absorbing excessive electrolyte, and further enable the sheet and the active material to be sufficiently compatible with each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a secondary battery cell having an electrode manufactured by the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an electrode manufacturing process using an electrode manufacturing apparatus for a secondary battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In this specification, "and / or" means at least one of the two. For example, "X and / or Y" means X only, Y only, or both X and Y.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are used for similar components in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios. Furthermore, hereinafter, a plan view indicates that an object is viewed from the stacking direction of the battery cells. A cross-sectional view indicates that a cross section obtained by cutting the battery cell in the stacking direction is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the cross section. Furthermore, in this specification, a peripheral portion indicates a region having a predetermined width extending inward from the periphery of an object such as a current collector, a composition layer, or a separator.

[0012] <Present Embodiment> <Secondary battery> First, a secondary battery will be described. A secondary battery refers to a battery pack or the like modularized by combining a plurality of secondary battery cells (hereinafter also simply referred to as battery cells) using electrodes manufactured by the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. The secondary battery is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery, but may be another type of secondary battery. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the secondary battery cell is configured as a lithium ion secondary battery cell.

[0013] <Secondary battery cell> Next, a secondary battery cell using an electrode manufactured by the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a secondary battery cell (battery cell 5) having an electrode manufactured by the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery cell 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and includes a positive electrode 1, a negative electrode 2, a separator 30, and a mesh 40. The positive electrode 1 includes a positive electrode current collector 10 and a positive electrode composition layer 11 disposed on the positive electrode current collector 10 (the upper surface (surface) of the positive electrode current collector 10 in FIG. 1). The negative electrode 2 includes a negative electrode current collector 20 and a negative electrode composition layer 21 disposed on the negative electrode current collector 20 (the lower surface (surface) of the negative electrode current collector 20 in FIG. 1). The battery cell 5 is arranged so that the positive electrode composition layer 11 and the negative electrode composition layer 21 face each other with the separator 30 and mesh 40 interposed therebetween, and the positive electrode 1, mesh 40, separator 30, and negative electrode 2 are stacked in this order.

[0014] The positive electrode current collector 10 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and is a resin current collector (resin current collector). The positive electrode current collector 10 contains a resin and a conductive filler, and may further contain a dispersant for the resin current collector. The surface of the positive electrode current collector 10 may be metal-plated. Examples of resin materials include polypropylene (PP). The peripheral edge of the positive electrode current collector 10 protrudes beyond the peripheral edge of the positive electrode composition layer 11 in a cross-sectional view. The positive electrode current collector 10 has a first surface (front surface) that faces the positive electrode composition layer 11, and a second surface (back surface) that is opposite the first surface.

[0015] The negative electrode current collector 20 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and is a resin current collector (resin current collector). The negative electrode current collector 20 contains a resin and a conductive filler, and may further contain a dispersant for the resin current collector. The surface of the negative electrode current collector 20 may be metal-plated. Examples of resin materials include polypropylene (PP). The peripheral edge of the negative electrode current collector 20 protrudes beyond the peripheral edge of the negative electrode composition layer 21 in a cross-sectional view. The negative electrode current collector 20 has a first surface (front surface) facing the negative electrode composition layer 21 and a second surface (back surface) opposite the first surface. Hereinafter, the positive electrode current collector 10 and the negative electrode current collector 20 will also be simply referred to as electrode current collectors.

[0016] The positive electrode composition layer 11 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and contains a positive electrode active material. Examples of the positive electrode active material include a composite oxide of lithium and a transition metal. In addition to the positive electrode active material, the positive electrode composition layer 11 may contain a coating resin, a conductive additive such as a metal or carbon, an electrolyte solution containing an electrolyte salt, and the like. The positive electrode active material may be coated with a coating material containing the coating resin and the conductive additive. The positive electrode composition layer 11 may or may not contain conductive fibers such as carbon fibers.

[0017] The negative electrode composition layer 21 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and contains a negative electrode active material. Examples of the negative electrode active material include hard carbon. In addition to the negative electrode active material, the negative electrode composition layer 21 may contain a coating resin, a conductive additive such as metal or carbon, and an electrolyte solution containing an electrolyte salt. The negative electrode active material may be coated with a coating material containing a coating resin and a conductive additive. The negative electrode composition layer 21 may or may not contain conductive fibers such as carbon fibers. Hereinafter, the positive electrode composition layer 11 and the negative electrode composition layer 21 will also be simply referred to as electrode composition layers.

[0018] The separator 30 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and may be, for example, a porous sheet made of a polymer or fiber that absorbs and retains an electrolytic solution or a gel polymer electrolyte. A nonwoven fabric separator may also be used. The size of the separator 30 is larger than the size of the negative electrode composition layer 21 in a plan view. The peripheral edge of the separator 30 protrudes beyond the peripheral edge of the negative electrode composition layer 21 in a cross-sectional view. The separator 30 has a first surface (front surface) that faces the positive electrode composition layer 11, and a second surface (back surface) that faces the negative electrode composition layer 21.

[0019] The mesh 40 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and may be, for example, a net-like material that absorbs and retains an electrolytic solution or a gel polymer electrolyte. The mesh 40 has higher ionic conductivity than the separator 30. The size of the mesh 40 is larger than the size of the positive electrode composition layer 11 in a plan view. The peripheral edge of the mesh 40 protrudes beyond the peripheral edge of the positive electrode composition layer 11 in a cross-sectional view. The mesh 40 has a first surface (front surface) that faces the negative electrode composition layer 21, and a second surface (back surface) that faces the positive electrode composition layer 11.

[0020] The materials of the components that make up the battery cell 5 are not limited to the above materials, and various materials may be used.

[0021] <Electrode manufacturing equipment for secondary battery cells> Next, an example of an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode for a secondary battery cell according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0022] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing only the characteristic components of the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the characteristic component of the secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus is a positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100. The secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment corresponds to a suitable example of the "battery electrode manufacturing apparatus" in the claims.

[0023] The positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a positive electrode composition supply unit 120, a mesh supply unit 130, a rolling unit 140, and a discharge unit 150. The positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a positive electrode current collector roll 110 and a positive electrode current collector sheet 111 drawn from the positive electrode current collector roll 110. The positive electrode current collector sheet 111 is conveyed in a conveying direction D1 by a conveying device (not shown). The positive electrode current collector sheet 111 corresponds to a suitable example of an "electrode current collector" in the claims. The positive electrode composition supply unit 120 includes a positive electrode composition 121 to be supplied onto the positive electrode current collector sheet 111, a hopper (not shown) that holds the positive electrode composition 121 therein, and a shutter that opens and closes the opening of the hopper. The positive electrode composition 121 corresponds to a suitable example of an "electrode composition" in the claims. The mesh supply unit 130 includes a mesh roll 131 and a mesh sheet 133 drawn from the mesh roll 131. The mesh supply unit 130 corresponds to a preferred example of a "sheet supply unit" in the claims. The mesh sheet 133 corresponds to a preferred example of a "sheet" in the claims. The mesh supply unit 130 is disposed before the rolling rollers of the rolling unit 140 in the conveyance direction D1. The mesh supply unit 130 preferably includes a tension roller 132 that adjusts the tension of the mesh sheet 133. Although not shown, the mesh supply unit 130 includes a drive mechanism that draws the mesh sheet 133 from the mesh roll 131. The rolling unit 140 includes a rolling roller. The rolling unit 140 uses the rolling roller to roll the positive electrode composition 121 through the mesh sheet 133 while the rolling roller and the mesh sheet 133 are in contact with each other. The discharge unit 150 includes a nozzle that discharges the electrolyte 151. The number of tension rollers 132 may be one or more. A preferred number may be selected depending on the electrode to be manufactured. When mesh sheet 133 is conveyed by this tension roller 132, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the tension so that mesh sheet 133 does not wrinkle (no wrinkles are formed on mesh sheet 133).

[0024] <Method of manufacturing electrodes for secondary battery cells> <Positive electrode manufacturing process> Next, an example of a method for manufacturing a secondary battery cell electrode according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The method for manufacturing a secondary battery cell electrode according to this embodiment corresponds to a preferred example of a battery electrode manufacturing method set forth in the claims.

[0025] 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a characteristic electrode manufacturing process included in a method for manufacturing a secondary battery cell electrode using a secondary battery cell electrode manufacturing apparatus. Here, as a preferred example of the characteristic electrode manufacturing process, a positive electrode manufacturing process according to this embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

[0026] In the positive electrode manufacturing process according to this embodiment, a positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 continuously feeds a strip-shaped positive electrode current collector sheet 111, which is drawn from a positive electrode current collector roll 110, in one direction (transport direction D1) at a predetermined speed using a conveying device (not shown). A positive electrode composition supplying unit 120 supplies the strip-shaped positive electrode composition 121 so that the positive electrode compositions 121 are continuously placed on the positive electrode current collector sheet 111. As the strip-shaped positive electrode current collector sheet 111 is fed, the strip-shaped positive electrode composition 121 placed on the positive electrode current collector sheet 111 is also conveyed. Here, the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 that is not in contact with the positive electrode current collector sheet 111 is referred to as the "surface" of the positive electrode composition 121. Here, the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 corresponds to a suitable example of the "surface of the electrode composition" in the claims.

[0027] The mesh supply unit 130 supplies a strip-shaped mesh sheet 133 pulled out from a mesh roll 131 by conveying it in the conveying direction D1 via a tension roller 132. This operation corresponds to a preferred example of a sheet supplying step in the claims. The discharge unit 150 brings a nozzle close to the gap between the back surface of the mesh sheet 133 and the front surface of the positive electrode composition 121. As described below, the mesh sheet 133 is pressed against the positive electrode composition 121 to be superimposed thereon. The surface that contacts the positive electrode composition 121 is referred to as the "back surface" of the mesh sheet 133. Conversely, the surface that does not contact the positive electrode composition 121 is referred to as the "front surface" of the mesh sheet 133. Here, the back surface of the mesh sheet 133 corresponds to a preferred example of the "back surface of the sheet" in the claims. Similarly, the front surface of the mesh sheet 133 corresponds to a preferred example of the "front surface of the sheet" in the claims. The discharge unit 150 discharges the electrolyte 151 toward the mesh sheet 133 before superimposing the mesh sheet 133 on the electrode composition. In the example shown in Fig. 3, electrolyte 151 is discharged from the nozzle onto the surface of positive electrode composition 121. This discharge motion corresponds to a preferred example of the claimed discharge step. In the example shown in Fig. 3, discharge unit 150 performs such a discharge operation, but various modifications are possible for the target onto which electrolyte 151 is discharged. Details will be described later in <Modifications>.

[0028] After the discharge unit 150 discharges the electrolyte solution onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121, the mesh supply unit 130 presses and superimposes the mesh sheet 133 against the positive electrode composition 121 on the positive electrode current collector sheet 111, which is being transported at a predetermined speed along the transport direction D1, while transporting the mesh sheet 133 at the same predetermined speed. In other words, before the mesh supply unit 130 superimposes the mesh sheet 133 on the positive electrode composition, the discharge unit 150 discharges the electrolyte solution onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121. However, various variations of this discharge timing are possible. Details will be described later in <Variations>. Then, the rolling rollers of the rolling section 140 roll out the positive electrode composition 121 via the surface of the mesh sheet 133. After passing through the rolling section 140, the mesh sheet 133 and the positive electrode composition 121 are bonded together to form a layer 122. The layer 122 is called a meshed electrode, and is also called a positive electrode workpiece consisting of the positive electrode 1 and the mesh 40.

[0029] By pressing (contacting) the rolling roller with the mesh sheet 133 in between, it is possible to prevent the positive electrode composition 121 from adhering to the rolling roller and causing rolling unevenness in the positive electrode composition 121. Furthermore, since the discharge unit 150 discharges the electrolyte solution 151 onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 before rolling (i.e., before the mesh sheet 133 and the positive electrode composition 121 are superimposed), the electrolyte solution 151 can be permeated into the positive electrode composition 121, and the positive electrode composition 121 can sufficiently contain the electrolyte solution 151 even after rolling. Furthermore, since the electrolyte solution 151 is discharged onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 in advance, it is possible to make the mesh sheet 133 and the positive electrode composition 121 more intimately compatible with each other during rolling, thereby enabling them to be more closely attached to each other. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus and method for manufacturing an electrode for a secondary battery cell according to this embodiment can suppress unevenness in the positive electrode composition layer 11 after rolling, suppress the mesh sheet 133 from absorbing excessive amounts of the electrolyte solution 151, and further enable the mesh sheet 133 and the positive electrode composition layer 11 to be sufficiently compatible with each other.

[0030] The cathode manufacturing process described above is carried out using the cathode manufacturing apparatus 100, whereby a cathode workpiece consisting of the cathode 1 and mesh 40 of the battery cell 5 shown in Fig. 1 is manufactured. In addition, although not specifically shown, a secondary battery (battery cell 5) can be obtained through a series of processes including (a) an anode manufacturing process, (b) a stacking process, and (c) a packaging process. Here, the (a) negative electrode manufacturing process is substantially the same as the positive electrode manufacturing process described above, so only the differences will be explained.The negative electrode manufacturing apparatus that executes the negative electrode manufacturing process is also substantially the same as the positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 described above, so only the differences will be explained. The negative electrode manufacturing apparatus includes a separator supply unit instead of the mesh supply unit 130, a separator roll instead of the mesh roll 131, and a separator sheet instead of the mesh sheet 133. The separator supply unit corresponds to a suitable example of a "sheet supply unit" in the claims. The separator sheet corresponds to a suitable example of a "sheet" in the claims. The separator supply unit supplies a strip-shaped separator sheet drawn from a separator roll by conveying it in a conveying direction D1. The separator supply unit presses the separator sheet against the negative electrode composition on the conveyed negative electrode current collector sheet while conveying it at the same predetermined speed, and the rolling rollers of the rolling unit roll the negative electrode composition via the surface of the separator sheet. That is, in the negative electrode manufacturing apparatus, a negative electrode current collector sheet is used in place of the positive electrode current collector sheet 111, and a negative electrode composition is used in place of the positive electrode composition 121. The negative electrode current collector sheet corresponds to a suitable example of an "electrode current collector" in the claims. Also, the negative electrode composition corresponds to a suitable example of an "electrode composition." The rolling unit performs the same operations as rolling unit 140 of positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100, but differs from positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 in that the objects to be rolled are a separator sheet and a negative electrode composition. As mentioned above, the process for manufacturing an electrode using such a negative electrode manufacturing apparatus is called the negative electrode manufacturing process. After passing through the rolling section, a layer in which the separator sheet and the negative electrode composition are bonded together is obtained. This layer is called a separator-attached electrode, and is also called a negative electrode workpiece consisting of the negative electrode 2 and the separator 30. Next, (b) the lamination process is a process carried out after the positive electrode manufacturing process and the negative electrode manufacturing process have been carried out. The positive electrode workpiece produced by the positive electrode manufacturing apparatus 100 and the negative electrode workpiece produced by the negative electrode manufacturing apparatus are transported to the lamination device. The lamination device rotates the negative electrode workpiece 180 degrees upside down relative to the positive electrode workpiece, and then bonds them face to face to form a laminate. Alternatively, the positive electrode workpiece 180 degrees upside down relative to the negative electrode workpiece. Next, (c) the packaging step is a step performed after the lamination step. The laminate produced by the lamination device is transported to a packaging device and packaged in an exterior body. The packaging device places the laminate on the exterior body, and then covers and seals the top surface (front surface) and side surfaces of the laminate with the exterior body, thereby storing the laminate in the exterior body. Examples of the exterior body include an aluminum laminate film or aluminum laminate sheet formed by coating a metal material such as aluminum with an insulating material. Furthermore, packaging may be performed so that a portion of the lead connected to the electrode is drawn out to the outside of the exterior body.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1, the battery cell 5 is formed by bonding a positive electrode 1 (positive electrode in-process) on which a mesh 40 is placed and a negative electrode 2 (negative electrode in-process) on which a separator 30 is placed face-to-face. In this way, the mesh 40 and the separator 30 are arranged adjacent to each other, and the mesh 40 has higher ionic conductivity than the separator 30. Therefore, the electrodes of this battery cell 5 can suppress a decrease in the conductivity of ions that move between the electrodes, compared to a battery cell having two separators stacked between the positive and negative electrodes.

[0032] <Modification> In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the discharge unit 150 brings a nozzle close to the gap between the rear surface of the mesh sheet 133 and the surface of the positive electrode composition 121, and discharges the electrolyte solution 151 from the nozzle onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121. However, the manner in which the electrolyte solution 151 is discharged by the discharge unit 150 is not limited to the above example and can be modified into various other manners as long as the amount of electrolyte contained in the mesh sheet 133 is increased before rolling. For example, the discharge unit 150 may bring a nozzle close to the surface of the mesh sheet 133 and discharge the electrolyte solution 151 onto the surface of the mesh sheet 133. Alternatively, the discharge unit 150 may include multiple nozzles, with a first nozzle brought close to the gap between the rear surface of the mesh sheet 133 and the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 and a second nozzle brought close to the surface of the mesh sheet 133, and the electrolyte solution 151 may be discharged onto the surfaces of the positive electrode composition 121 and the mesh sheet 133. In this case, the timing at which the nozzles are brought close to each other and the timing at which the electrolytic solution 151 is discharged may be simultaneous or may be different.

[0033] The mesh supply unit 130 may overlap the mesh sheet 133 on the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 from several tens of centimeters or several meters before the rolling rollers of the rolling unit 140 in the conveyance direction D1. The mesh supply unit 130 may be disposed before the rolling rollers of the rolling unit 140, and may further include a flow roller for aligning the mesh sheet 133. Even in this case, the discharge unit 150 may be located before the flow rollers, and may have a nozzle close to the back surface of the mesh sheet 133 and the surface of the positive electrode composition 121. The discharge unit 150 may discharge the electrolyte 151 from the nozzle onto the surface of the positive electrode composition 121. Furthermore, the discharge unit 150 may be located behind the flow roller, and after the mesh sheets 133 are laid out along the surface thereof, the nozzle may be brought close to the surface of the mesh sheets 133 before they are rolled. After the mesh sheets 133 are laid out along the surface thereof, the discharge unit 150 may discharge the electrolytic solution 151 from the nozzle onto the surface of the mesh sheets 133 before they are rolled. Alternatively, the discharge unit 150 may include a plurality of nozzles, with a first nozzle located closer to the flow roller and between the rear surface of the mesh sheet 133 and the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 before the mesh sheet 133 is superposed, and a second nozzle located farther from the flow roller and closer to the surface of the mesh sheet 133 after the mesh sheet 133 has been superposed along the same line. With this configuration, the electrolyte solution 151 may be discharged onto both the surface of the positive electrode composition 121 before the mesh sheet 133 is superposed and the surface of the mesh sheet 133 after the mesh sheet 133 has been superposed along the same line. In this case, the timing at which the plurality of nozzles are brought close to each other and the timing at which the electrolyte solution 151 is discharged may be simultaneous or different.

[0034] Although the mesh supply unit 130 has been described as including a tension roller 132, it may further include an expander roll as a roller for removing wrinkles from the mesh sheet 133. The mesh supply unit 130 may further include a camera that photographs the mesh sheet 133 and a personal computer that controls communication between the camera and the expander roll, so that when the camera photographs a wrinkle in the mesh sheet 133, the personal computer appropriately controls the expander roll to automatically remove the wrinkle. The operations of these <modifications> also correspond to a preferred example of the "discharge step" in the claims. Also, the operations of these <modifications> correspond to a preferred example of the "sheet supply step" in the claims.

[0035] Discharge unit 150 is configured to discharge electrolytic solution 151 from a nozzle, but electrolytic solution 151 may be sprayed in a mist form or may be dripped. Discharge unit 150 may be provided with a brush at the tip of the nozzle or a brush separate from the nozzle, and electrolytic solution 151 may be applied with the brush.

[0036] In the positive electrode manufacturing process, a mesh sheet 133 is supplied and placed on the positive electrode composition 121, but a separator sheet may also be supplied and placed on the positive electrode composition 121. The positive electrode composition 121 may then be rolled through the surface of the separator sheet. In this case, in the paired negative electrode manufacturing process, a mesh sheet 133 may be supplied and placed on the negative electrode composition, and the negative electrode composition may then be rolled through the surface of the mesh sheet 133. It is preferable to use different sheets for the positive electrode side and the negative electrode side.

[0037] The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment described above includes a sheet supply unit that supplies a sheet to the electrode composition placed on an electrode current collector, a rolling unit in which a rolling roller rolls the electrode composition through the sheet while the rolling roller is in contact with the surface of the sheet, and a discharge unit that discharges an electrolyte solution toward the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition. In the battery electrode manufacturing apparatus, the discharge unit may discharge the electrolyte onto the surface of the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet with the electrode composition. In the battery electrode manufacturing apparatus, the discharge section may discharge an electrolyte between the front surface of the electrode composition and the back surface of the sheet before the sheet supply section overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition. The discharge unit may also discharge the electrolyte solution between the front surface of the electrode composition and the back surface of the sheet and onto the front surface of the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition. The battery electrode manufacturing method according to the embodiment described above includes a sheet supplying step of supplying a sheet to an electrode composition placed on an electrode current collector; a rolling step of contacting a rolling roller with the surface of the sheet after the sheet has been superimposed on the electrode composition layer and rolling the electrode composition layer via the sheet; and a discharge step of discharging an electrolyte solution toward the sheet before the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supplying step. In the method for producing a battery electrode, the discharging step may involve discharging an electrolytic solution onto the surface of the sheet before the sheet is superposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supplying step. In the method for manufacturing a battery electrode, in the discharging step, an electrolyte solution may be discharged between the front surface of the electrode composition and the back surface of the sheet before the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supplying step, and the electrolyte solution may be discharged onto the front surface of the sheet before or after the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supplying step. The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and battery electrode manufacturing method according to the embodiment and its modifications of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, and it goes without saying that the present invention also includes additions, modifications, and omissions that a person skilled in the art may make as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0038] The secondary battery cells are described as lithium-ion secondary battery cells, but may be other secondary battery cells such as lead-acid battery cells or nickel-metal hydride battery cells. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] A secondary battery cell having an electrode manufactured by the battery electrode manufacturing apparatus and battery electrode manufacturing method according to the present invention can be used in, for example, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 positive electrode 2 negative electrode 5 battery cells 10 Positive electrode current collector 11 Positive electrode composition layer 20 Negative electrode current collector 21 Negative electrode composition layer 30 Separator 40 mesh 100 Positive electrode manufacturing equipment 110 Positive electrode current collector roll 111 Positive electrode current collector sheet 120 Positive electrode composition supply section 121 Positive electrode composition 130 Mesh supply section 131 mesh roll 132 Tension roller 133 Mesh Sheet 140 Rolling Section 150 Discharge part 151 Electrolyte

Claims

1. a sheet supply unit that supplies a sheet to the electrode composition placed on the electrode current collector; a rolling section in which a rolling roller rolls the electrode composition through the sheet in a state in which the rolling roller is in contact with the surface of the sheet; a discharge unit that discharges an electrolyte solution toward the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet with the electrode composition; A battery electrode manufacturing apparatus comprising:

2. the discharge unit discharges the electrolyte solution onto the surface of the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlays the sheet on the electrode composition. The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the discharge unit discharges an electrolyte solution between the front surface of the electrode composition and the back surface of the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition.

3. The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the discharge unit discharges an electrolyte solution between the front surface of the electrode composition and the back surface of the sheet and onto the front surface of the sheet before the sheet supply unit overlaps the sheet on the electrode composition. The battery electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. a sheet supplying step of supplying a sheet to the electrode composition placed on the electrode current collector; a rolling step of overlaying the sheet on the electrode composition layer, and then bringing a rolling roller into contact with the surface of the sheet to roll the electrode composition layer through the sheet; a discharge step of discharging an electrolyte solution toward the sheet before the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supply step; A method for manufacturing a battery electrode comprising:

6. In the discharging step, an electrolyte solution is discharged onto a surface of the sheet before the sheet is superposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supplying step. The method for manufacturing a battery electrode according to claim 5 .

7. In the discharge step, an electrolyte solution is discharged between a front surface of the electrode composition and a back surface of the sheet before the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supply step, and an electrolyte solution is discharged onto a front surface of the sheet before or after the sheet is superimposed on the electrode composition layer in the sheet supply step. The method for manufacturing a battery electrode according to claim 5 .

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