Pouch-type battery cell formation device

Abstract

The disclosed invention includes a charging unit that charges battery cells, a loading buffer unit where battery cells wait before being inserted into the charging unit, an unloading buffer unit where battery cells that have been fully charged and removed from the charging unit wait, a hole processing unit that forms a discharge hole in a gas pocket portion of the battery cell, and a sealing unit that seals the discharge hole of the battery cell.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a formation device for pouch-type battery cells.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to a pouch-type battery cell formation device that can prevent electrolyte from being discharged together with gas generated during a battery cell formation process when the gas is discharged.

[0003] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0113045 dated September 6, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0004] Generally, secondary batteries can be classified into cylindrical, rectangular, and pouch types depending on their shape. Among them, pouch-type secondary batteries are shaped using a pouch exterior material composed of a multi-layered film of a metal layer (foil) and a synthetic resin layer coated on the upper and lower surfaces of the metal layer, and therefore the weight of the battery can be significantly reduced compared to cylindrical or rectangular types using metal cans. Therefore, the battery can be made lighter and can be changed into various shapes, which has attracted much attention. In such pouch-type secondary batteries, electrode assemblies are stored in a stacked form, and electrode tabs and electrode leads are connected to the electrode assemblies, and the electrode leads protrude from the pouch exterior material. Such electrode leads are electrically connected by contacting an external device, and power is supplied from the external device.

[0005] A pouch-type secondary battery is manufactured through a process of assembling cells and a process of activating the battery. In the battery activation stage, the secondary battery cell is mounted in a charging / discharging device and charging and discharging are performed under the conditions required for activation. This process of performing a predetermined charging and discharging using a charging / discharging device for battery activation is called the formation process.

[0006] In this formation process, pressure may be applied to both sides of the battery cell during activation charging using a pressure means such as a zig including a flat pressure plate, which is also called jig formation.

[0007] The above-mentioned fixture formation can prevent the expansion of the negative electrode during the activation process, and can promote the chemical reaction of the battery to induce gas generation, and the generated internal gas is transferred to the gas pocket portion.

[0008] Here, when the electrode assembly is placed in the pouch, the electrolyte is injected, and the pouch is sealed and a formation process is performed, gas is generated due to a chemical reaction between the electrolyte and the electrodes, causing the gas pocket of the pouch-type secondary battery to expand.

[0009] If the gas pocket expands excessively in this way, interference and collision with the transport means may occur when the battery cells are transported from the jig formation equipment. In addition, interference between the battery cells during the transport process may result in poor appearance of the battery cells. In addition, there are problems in that an excessive number of pouches may be required to form sufficient internal space in the gas pocket.

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, exhaust holes are formed in gas pockets of the battery cells during the battery cell formation process to exhaust gas generated inside the battery cells. However, the process of forming exhaust holes in the battery cells to exhaust gas is complicated, and the process takes a long time because exhaust holes are formed in each battery cell in sequence.

[0011] In addition, when forming a vent hole in a gas pocket of a battery cell, the electrolyte may be discharged together with the gas due to an increase in the internal pressure of the battery cell when the gas is discharged, which may cause external contamination and lead to a safety accident. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0024807 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pouch-type battery cell formation device in which a hole processing unit that forms exhaust holes in the gas pocket portion of the battery cell is installed close to a charging unit that charges and discharges the battery cell, making the formation process easier.

[0014] The object of the present invention is to provide a pouch-type battery cell formation device that performs partial charging on a pouch-type battery cell to partially expand a gas pocket to a predetermined size, and then forms a vent hole in the gas pocket of the battery cell to vent only the internal gas to the outside without venting the electrolyte. The battery cell with the vent hole is then charged again for a remaining period, allowing the internal gas generated during the process to be naturally vented, thereby enabling stable charging and discharging.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pouch-type battery cell formation device that can discharge only the internal gas generated in the battery cells during the formation process, thereby preventing the discharge of electrolyte along with the gas discharge, thereby preventing contamination of the surrounding area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by including a charging unit that charges battery cells, a loading buffer unit in which battery cells wait before being inserted into the charging unit, an unloading buffer unit in which battery cells that have been fully charged and removed from the charging unit wait, a hole processing unit that forms a discharge hole in a gas pocket portion of the battery cell, and a sealing unit that seals the discharge hole of the battery cell.

[0017] In one embodiment, the charging unit may partially charge the battery cell to partially expand the gas pocket.

[0018] In a specific embodiment, after the battery cell is partially charged to partially expand the gas pocket portion, a discharge hole may be formed in the gas pocket portion of the battery cell through the hole processing portion.

[0019] In another specific embodiment, the charging unit may perform residual charging after discharging gas through the exhaust hole of the gas pocket unit.

[0020] In another embodiment, the hole processing unit may be provided on one side of the charging unit to form a vent hole in a gas pocket of a battery cell accommodated in the charging unit.

[0021] In one embodiment, the hole processing unit is formed in a plurality of parts corresponding to the battery cells arranged in the charging unit, and includes hole processing units that form exhaust holes in the gas pocket portions of each battery cell, hole processing unit moving members that are coupled to each hole processing unit and move the hole processing units forward and backward toward the battery cells, and a driving unit that drives the hole processing unit moving members, so that exhaust holes can be simultaneously formed in the gas pocket portions of the battery cells by the plurality of hole processing units.

[0022] As a specific embodiment, the hole processing unit may include a pair of gas pocket portion holding members that hold down the gas pocket portion of the battery cell, hole processing members that are respectively installed inside the gas pocket portion holding members and form exhaust holes in the holding surface of the gas pocket portion when the gas pocket portion is held down, and a hole processing unit main body that is coupled to one side of the gas pocket portion holding members and moves the gas pocket portion holding members in directions toward or away from each other.

[0023] In another embodiment, the hole processing unit includes a hole processing unit that forms exhaust holes in the gas pocket portions of the battery cells arranged in the charging unit, a hole processing unit moving member that is connected to the hole processing unit and moves the hole processing unit forward and backward toward the battery cells, and a driving unit that drives the hole processing unit moving member, so that the hole processing unit can sequentially form exhaust holes in the gas pocket portions of each battery cell.

[0024] As a specific embodiment, the hole processing unit may include a pair of gas pocket portion holding members that hold down the gas pocket portion of the battery cell, hole processing members that are respectively installed inside the gas pocket portion holding members and form exhaust holes on the holding surface of the gas pocket portion when the gas pocket portion is held down, and a hole processing unit main body that is coupled to one side of the gas pocket portion holding members and moves the gas pocket portion holding members in directions toward or away from each other, and is coupled to the hole processing unit moving member so as to be slidably movable.

[0025] In one embodiment, the battery may further include a hole processing buffer unit on the charging unit, where the charged battery cells wait to form discharge holes.

[0026] As a specific embodiment, the hole processing buffer unit may include a processing plate and a plurality of hole processing alignment guide members installed at regular intervals on the processing plate so that the battery cells are arranged on the upper part of the processing plate.

[0027] In another embodiment, the hole processing unit may be provided on one side of the hole processing buffer unit to form a discharge hole in a gas pocket of a battery cell accommodated in the hole processing buffer unit. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, the hole processing unit for forming a discharge hole in the gas pocket of the battery cell is installed adjacent to the charging unit for charging and discharging the battery cell, making the formation process easy.

[0029] In addition, partial charging of the pouch-type battery cell causes the vacuum-sealed portions of the gas pocket to partially expand so that they are separated from each other, preventing the gas pocket from expanding excessively. This makes it possible to prevent the electrolyte from being discharged when a discharge hole is formed in the gas pocket, and to stably discharge only the internal gas.

[0030] In addition, by partially charging the battery cell and then performing the remaining charge to discharge the internal gas through the discharge hole, it is possible to stably discharge only the internal gas without discharging the electrolyte, thereby preventing external contamination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a charging section and a hole processing section of a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a hole processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 2 is a perspective view showing a hole processing unit of a hole processing portion according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation process of a hole processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of a hole processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a loading buffer unit / unloading buffer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sealing portion according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]13 is a perspective view illustrating a hole processing buffer unit of a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a perspective view illustrating a hole processing buffer unit and a hole processing unit of a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The present invention will be described in detail below. Before that, the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted limitedly to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to best describe his own invention.

[0033] As used throughout the present specification, terms such as "comprise" and "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are understood as not precluding the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0034] Furthermore, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "on" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "under" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly under" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Furthermore, in the specification of the present invention, being "on" can include not only the case where it is located at the top, but also the case where it is located at the bottom.

[0035] Furthermore, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "on" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part is described as being "under" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly under" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Furthermore, in this application, being placed "on" can include not only the case where it is placed on the top, but also the case where it is placed on the bottom.

[0036] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a charging section and a hole processing section of the pouch-type battery cell formation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a hole processing section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a hole processing unit of the hole processing section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation process of the hole processing section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the hole processing section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a loading buffer section / unloading buffer section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a sealing section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] As shown in the drawings, a pouch-type battery cell formation device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a charging unit 10 that charges battery cells 3, a loading buffer unit 20 in which battery cells 3 wait before being inserted into the charging unit 10, an unloading buffer unit 30 in which battery cells 3 that have been fully charged and removed from the charging unit 10 wait, a hole processing unit 50 that forms discharge holes 3b in gas pocket portions 3a of the battery cells 3, and a sealing unit 70 that seals the discharge holes 3b of the battery cells 3.

[0038] The charging unit 10 is intended to activate the battery cells 3 by charging and discharging them under set charging and discharging conditions, and includes a frame 12 that houses the battery cells 3, a charging and discharging unit (not shown) that charges and discharges the battery cells 3, and a pressure jig 11 that applies pressure to the battery cells 3.

[0039] The pressure jig 11 may include a jig frame 13 , a number of pressure plates 15 arranged inside the jig frame 13 , and a drive unit 16 that drives the number of pressure plates 15 .

[0040] Between each of the pressure plates 15, a battery cell 3 can be disposed for carrying out the formation process.

[0041] Here, the drive unit 16 includes a drive motor 16a and a drive shaft 16b. When the drive motor 16a rotates to rotate the drive shaft 16b, the multiple pressure plates 15 engaged with it move in one direction, thereby applying pressure to both sides of the battery cell 3.

[0042] The loading buffer unit 20 is a space provided for the battery cells 3 to wait before being inserted into the charging unit 10 , and the battery cells 3 are placed in the loading buffer unit 20 by a loader / unloader 90 .

[0043] Here, the loading buffer unit 20 includes a transfer unit 21 that transfers the battery cells 3, and a number of alignment guide members 23 installed at regular intervals along the transfer direction of the battery cells 3 so that the battery cells 3 are arranged in an upright state.

[0044] At this time, the state where the battery cell 3 is upright means that the gas pocket portion 3a is located at the top and the electrode assembly receiving portion (not shown in the drawing) is located at the bottom.

[0045] The loading buffer unit 20 has a structure in which the battery cells 3 are inserted into a space between one of the alignment guide members 23 and another alignment guide member 23 adjacent thereto.

[0046] For this purpose, the alignment guide member 23 may include a pair of guide bars 23a, 23b, where one guide bar 23a may be provided at a predetermined interval from each other so as to support the right side of the battery cell 3 and the other guide bar 23b may be provided at a predetermined interval from each other so as to support the left side of the battery cell 3.

[0047] At this time, the guide bars 23a, 23b may have a predetermined width and may extend in the height direction of the battery cell 3. In addition, the height of the guide bars 23a, 23b may be slightly higher or lower than the height of the battery cell 3, and it is preferable that the guide bars 23a, 23b are located in an area that can avoid interference with a hole processing unit 51 of a hole processing part 50, which will be described later, when the hole processing unit 51 approaches the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 to form a discharge hole 3b.

[0048] The unloading buffer unit 30 is a space provided for the battery cells 3 that have been transported from the charging unit 10 after the formation process has been completed to wait, and the sealing process may be carried out through the sealing unit 70 described below, and the battery cells 3 may be transported out of the formation device 1 by the loader / unloader 90 upon completion of the sealing process.

[0049] Here, since the unloading buffer unit 30 has the same configuration as the loading buffer unit 20, a detailed description of the unloading buffer unit 30 will be omitted below and will be replaced with the description of the loading buffer unit 20.

[0050] The hole processing section 50 is for forming exhaust holes 3b in the gas pocket sections 3a of the battery cells 3 to allow the internal gas of the battery cells 3 to be exhausted.

[0051] Here, the hole processing unit 50 is provided on one side of the charging unit 10 and can form a vent hole 3b in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 accommodated in the charging unit 10.

[0052] Specifically, the hole processing section 50 is formed in a plurality of parts corresponding to the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10, and includes hole processing units 51 which form exhaust holes 3b in the gas pocket portions 3a of each battery cell 3, hole processing unit moving members 57 which are connected to each hole processing unit 51 and move the hole processing units 51 forward and backward toward the battery cells 3, and a driving section (not shown) which drives the hole processing unit moving members 57.

[0053] At this time, the hole processing unit 51 is formed in a plurality of units corresponding to the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10, so that the plurality of hole processing units 51 can simultaneously form exhaust holes 3b in the gas pocket portions 3a of the battery cells 3.

[0054] Here, the hole processing unit moving member 57 is configured to move forward toward the battery cell 3 in order for the hole processing unit 51 to perform the hole processing process on the battery cell 3, or to move backward to its original position after the hole processing process is completed. For this reason, the hole processing unit moving member 57 may have a sliding structure or a cylinder structure capable of moving forward and backward toward the battery cell 3. Since the above structure is a common structure, detailed description thereof will be omitted below.

[0055] Meanwhile, the hole processing unit 51 includes a pair of gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' that hold down the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3, hole processing members that are respectively installed inside the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' and form a discharge hole 3b by penetrating a part of the holding surface when the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' hold down the gas pocket portion 3a, and a hole processing unit main body 55 on which the pair of gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' are installed so as to be movable toward the gas pocket portion 3a, and the hole processing unit main body 55 is connected to a hole processing unit moving member 57 and moved forward and backward toward the battery cell 3.

[0056] Here, the gas pocket portion retaining members 52, 52' are intended to retain and fix the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3, and retain the battery cell 3 so as to maintain the fixed state of the battery cell 3 when the hole processing member 53 forms the exhaust hole 3b on the gas pocket portion 3a.

[0057] The hole processing unit body 55 has a surface coupled to the gas pocket portion restraining members 52, 52' connected to a sliding structure, and slides the pair of gas pocket portion restraining members 52, 52' in a direction approaching or receding from each other.

[0058] As a result, the gas pocket portion restraining members 52, 52' slide toward each other when restraining the gas pocket portion 3a, and when the hole processing step is completed, they slide away from each other to release the restrained state.

[0059] Here, the pair of gas pocket portion restraining members 52, 52' can restrain the gas pocket portion 3a with the gas pocket portion 3a interposed therebetween. In such a case, when the sliding movement is made to restrain the battery cell 3, the sliding movement can be stopped at a point where the distance between them becomes the length of the thickness of the gas pocket portion 3a.

[0060] On the other hand, the gas pocket portion restraining members 52, 52' have a restraining surface on the inner side facing the battery cell 3 so as to contact and restrain both thickness-wise sides of the gas pocket portion 3a, and a hole-processed member 53 is installed in a partial area of ​​the restraining surface.

[0061] Here, the hole processing member 53 is preferably made of a shape and material capable of forming an exhaust hole 3b in the gas pocket portion 3a, and more preferably, the hole processing member 53 may be made of a needle-shaped member 53a having a pointed end and a needle-shaped member groove 53b in which an indentation is formed that indents inwardly toward the pointed portion of the needle-shaped member 53a.

[0062] Also, the hole processing member 53 may be a punching die, and various other modifications may be made.

[0063] Meanwhile, the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' may have an elastic pressure pad 52a attached to one side extension thereof in order to prevent damage to the battery cell 3 when holding the battery cell 3. Here, the one side extension refers to one side portion of the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' that extends toward the battery cell 3.

[0064] With the above-mentioned structure, as the hole processing unit moving member 57 moves, the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' move forward and backward toward the battery cell 3, and the pair of gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' that have moved forward toward the battery cell 3 move in directions approaching each other toward the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3, and then, while holding down the gas pocket portion 3a, a discharge hole 3b can be formed in the gas pocket portion 3a by the hole processing member 53, and discharge holes 3b can be simultaneously formed in the gas pocket portions 3a of the multiple battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10 via the multiple gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' formed therein and each hole processing member 53 formed thereon.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present invention, the hole processing section 50 is provided with a plurality of hole processing units 51 to simultaneously form gas pockets 3a for a large number of battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the hole processing section 50 is provided with one hole processing unit 51, and a hole processing unit body 55 connected to a pair of gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' of the hole processing unit 51 moves the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' in a direction toward or away from each other and is connected to the hole processing unit moving member 57 so as to be capable of sliding movement in the longitudinal direction, so that the hole processing unit 51 sequentially forms exhaust holes 3b in the gas pockets 3a of each battery cell 3.

[0066] At this time, the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' move forward toward the battery cell 3 via the hole processing unit moving member 57, and then form a discharge hole 3b in the gas pocket portion 3a of one of the battery cells 3. After the discharge hole 3b is formed, the gas pocket portion holding members 52, 52' move backward to return to their original position, and the hole processing unit main body 55 moves on the hole processing unit moving member 57 and moves in the thickness direction of the battery cell 3, and then moves forward toward the battery cell 3 via the hole processing unit moving member 57 to form a discharge hole 3b in the gas pocket portion 3a of the other battery cell 3. In this way, the hole processing unit 51 moves forward and backward toward the battery cell 3 via the hole processing unit moving member 57, and the hole processing unit main body 55 makes a sliding movement on the hole processing unit moving member 57 to form a discharge hole 3b in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3, thereby sequentially forming the discharge holes 3b in the battery cells 3.

[0067] The sealing portion 70 is for sealing and sealing the exhaust hole 3b formed in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3. In the present invention, sealing the exhaust hole 3b is a concept including sealing the exhaust hole 3b or sealing the periphery of the exhaust hole 3b to seal the exhaust hole 3b.

[0068] Specifically, the sealing part 70 includes a sealing unit 71 which seals the exhaust hole 3b while holding down both sides of the gas pocket part 3a, a sealing unit moving member 77 which is coupled to one side of the sealing unit 71 and moves the sealing unit 71 forward or backward toward the battery cell 3, and a driving part (not shown) which drives the sealing unit moving member 77.

[0069] Here, the sealing unit 71 includes a pair of discharge hole holding members 72, 72' that hold down the discharge hole 3b and its surroundings, a pair of sealing members 73 that are installed inside the pair of discharge hole holding members 72, 72' and seal the discharge hole 3b and its surroundings when the discharge hole holding members 72, 72' hold down the discharge hole 3b and its surroundings, and a sealing unit body 75 that is installed so that the pair of discharge hole holding members 72, 72' can move toward the discharge hole 3b, and the sealing unit body 75 is connected to a sealing unit moving member 77 to move forward and backward toward the battery cell 3.

[0070] Here, the exhaust hole holding members 72, 72' are intended to hold and fix the exhaust hole 3b of the gas pocket portion 3a, and hold the battery cell 3 so that the battery cell 3 remains fixed when the exhaust hole 3b is sealed by the sealing member 73.

[0071] The sealing unit body 75 has a surface coupled to the discharge hole stopper members 72 and 72' connected to a sliding structure, so that the pair of discharge hole stopper members 72 and 72' slide toward or away from each other.

[0072] Accordingly, the discharge hole pressing members 72, 72' slide toward each other when pressing the discharge hole 3b or its periphery, and slide away from each other to release the pressing state after the sealing process is completed.

[0073] With the above-described structure, the exhaust hole holding members 72, 72' hold the battery cell 3 to maintain the battery cell 3 in a fixed state, and then the exhaust hole holding members 72, 72' can hold and seal the exhaust hole 3b of the battery cell 3 and its surroundings.

[0074] Here, it is preferable that the sealing unit 70 is provided on one side of the unloading buffer unit 30 and seals the exhaust hole 3b formed in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 that has been fully charged, but is not limited thereto.

[0075] Also, the sealing unit 71 of the sealing part 70 may be formed in a plurality of units to seal the discharge holes 3b of the plurality of battery cells 3 arranged in the unloading buffer part 30, but is not limited thereto.

[0076] Meanwhile, the pair of sealing members 73 is composed of a pair of sealing tools (not shown) for sealing the periphery of the discharge hole 3b, and is configured to thermally seal the pouch by thermally compressing the periphery of the discharge hole 3b.

[0077] In this case, the sealing tool may be made of a hard metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, but is not limited thereto.

[0078] Here, the shape of the sealing tool may be formed in various ways. For better sealing of the discharge hole 3b and its surroundings, the sealing tool may be in a "U" shape or a " JPEG2025513905000002.jpg1230" type, "L" type, or " However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various methods disclosed at the time of filing of the present application may be adopted.

[0079] Meanwhile, the sealing member 73 may be formed of a tape that seals the area including the exhaust hole 3b, and may be configured to bond the exhaust hole 3b.

[0080] At this time, the discharge hole pressing members 72, 72' may have an elastic pressure pad 72a attached to one side extension thereof in order to prevent damage to the pouch when pressed.

[0081] Here, the operational process of the sealing part 70 approaching the battery cell 3 is the same as the operational process of the hole processing part 50 approaching the battery cell 3, so the explanation of the operational process of the sealing part 70 will be substituted for that, and detailed explanation will be omitted below.

[0082] Meanwhile, in order to exhaust internal gas generated in the battery cell 3 during the formation process of the pouch-type battery cell through the formation device according to the present invention to the outside, an air supply unit (not shown) and a gas exhaust unit (not shown) may be included on the upper part of the formation device.

[0083] The air supply unit is adapted to introduce and supply external air into the formation device, and the gas exhaust unit is adapted to exhaust gas generated during the formation process to the outside.

[0084] Hereinafter, an operation process of a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to the drawings.

[0085] First, the manufactured pouch-type battery cells 3 are supplied to the loading buffer unit 20, and the battery cells 3 supplied to the loading buffer unit 20 are then supplied to the charging unit 10 for charging and discharging.

[0086] The battery cells 3 supplied to the charging section 10 undergo predetermined charging and discharging using a charging and discharging device in order to activate the batteries.

[0087] Specifically, the battery cell 3 supplied to the charging section 10 is partially charged, causing the gas pocket section 3a to partially expand.

[0088] At this time, partial charging can be performed at 50% or less of the total charge capacity of the battery cells 3.

[0089] In this manner, the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 is partially expanded to a predetermined size through the charging portion 10, and then a discharge hole 3b is formed in the gas pocket portion 3a through the hole processing portion 50 provided on one side of the charging portion 10.

[0090] At this time, when the hole processing units 51 of the hole processing section 50 are formed in multiple units corresponding to the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10, all the hole processing units 51 can move forward and backward toward the battery cells 3 to simultaneously form discharge holes 3b for all the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10.

[0091] In this manner, the hole processing unit 50 provided on one side of the charging unit 10 can move forward toward the battery cells 3 accommodated in the charging unit 10, and then form exhaust holes 3b in the gas pocket portions 3a of all the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging unit 10, and after forming the exhaust holes 3b in the gas pocket portions 3a, can move backward again to return to its original position.

[0092] On the other hand, when one hole processing unit 51 is provided in the hole processing section 50, the hole processing unit 51 slides and moves on the hole processing unit moving member 57 in a direction corresponding to the movement direction of the battery cell 3, and moves forward and backward toward the battery cell 3 to sequentially form discharge holes 3b in the battery cells 3 arranged in the charging section 10.

[0093] As described above, by forming exhaust holes 3b in the battery cells 3 that are arranged in the charging section 10 via the hole processing section 50 and have been partially charged to have their gas pocket sections 3a partially charged, it is possible to prevent both the gas and electrolyte inside the battery cells 3 from being exhausted when exhaust holes 3b are formed in the battery cells 3 due to excessive expansion of the gas pocket sections 3a during charging of the existing battery cells 3, and it is possible to prevent contamination of the formation device by the electrolyte.

[0094] That is, in the past, when electrolyte was injected into the pouch-type battery cell 3 in a vacuum state during the assembly stage, the electrolyte was discharged along with the pouch battery cell 3 when the internal gas of the pouch battery cell 3 was discharged during the formation of the discharge hole 3b due to the vacuum-sealed portion of the gas pocket 3a and the internal pressure. However, by partially charging the battery cell 3 using the formation device according to the present invention and expanding the vacuum-sealed portion of the gas pocket 3a to a predetermined size, the internal pressure of the battery cell 3 is formed to a constant level, and the vacuum-sealed portion of the gas pocket 3a is separated, allowing only the gas except for the electrolyte to be stably discharged.

[0095] The charging unit 10 discharges the gas through the discharge hole 3b of the gas pocket 3a and then performs residual charging.

[0096] That is, a discharge hole 3b is formed in the gas pocket portion 3a of the partially charged battery cell 3 through the hole processing unit 50 provided on one side of the charging unit 10, and only the gas inside the battery cell 3 is discharged to the outside, and then the remaining charge is performed on the battery cell 3 again through the charging unit 10.

[0097] Here, gas generated during residual charging of the battery cell 3 can be stably discharged again through the discharge hole 3b of the gas pocket portion 3a.

[0098] At this time, the remaining charge can be up to 70% of the total charge capacity of the battery cells 3.

[0099] In this way, after partially charging the battery cell 3, an exhaust port is formed in the partially charged battery cell 3 to exhaust only the gas inside the battery cell 3 to the outside, and then, while performing the remaining charge, only the gas inside the battery cell 3 is again exhausted to the outside, thereby making it possible to charge the battery cell 3 while stably exhausting only the gas without exhausting the electrolyte.

[0100] As described above, the battery cells 3 for which the remaining charge has been completed are transferred from the charging unit 10 to the unloading buffer unit 30, and the discharge holes 3b of the battery cells 3 transferred to the unloading buffer unit 30 are sealed by the sealing unit 70 provided on one side of the unloading buffer unit 30.

[0101] After the exhaust holes 3b formed in the gas pockets 3a have been sealed, the battery cells 3 are transferred to a post-process and manufactured into products.

[0102] Second embodiment Fig. 10 is a plan view that shows a schematic diagram of a pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a perspective view that shows a schematic diagram of a hole processing buffer unit of the pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a perspective view that shows a schematic diagram of a hole processing buffer unit and a hole processing unit of the pouch-type battery cell formation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] As shown in the drawings, a formation device 1' according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a hole processing buffer unit 80 in which a charged battery cell 3 waits to form a discharge hole 3b on the charging unit 10.

[0104] Here, the hole processing buffer unit 80 may include a processing plate 81 and a plurality of hole processing alignment guide members 83 installed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the processing plate 81 so that the battery cells 3 are arranged on the upper part of the processing plate 81.

[0105] That is, the hole processing buffer unit 80 includes a processing plate 81 on which a number of battery cells 3 are arranged, and a plurality of hole processing alignment guide members 83 installed at regular intervals along the thickness direction of the battery cells 3 so that the battery cells 3 are arranged upright on the processing plate.

[0106] Here, the battery cells 3 are inserted and installed in a space between any one of the plurality of hole processing alignment guide members 83 of the hole processing buffer unit 80 and another adjacent hole processing alignment guide member 83.

[0107] For this purpose, the hole processing alignment guide member 83 may include a pair of hole processing guide bars 83a, 83b, one of which may be provided at a predetermined interval from each other so as to support the right side of the battery cell 3, and the other hole processing guide bar 83b may be provided at a predetermined interval from each other so as to support the left side of the battery cell 3.

[0108] Meanwhile, in the case where the hole processing buffer unit 80 is provided on the charging unit 10 as in the present embodiment, the hole processing unit 50 is provided on one side of the hole processing buffer unit 80, and a discharge hole 3b can be formed in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 accommodated in the hole processing buffer unit 80.

[0109] With the above-described structure, after being transferred from the loading buffer unit 20 to the charging unit 10, partial charging is performed on the charging unit 10 to partially expand the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3, the partially expanded battery cell 3 is transferred to the hole processing buffer unit 80, and then a discharge hole 3b is formed in the gas pocket portion 3a of the battery cell 3 accommodated in the hole processing buffer unit 80 through the hole processing unit 50 provided on one side of the hole processing buffer unit 80, the battery cell 3 with the discharge hole 3b formed therein through the hole processing buffer unit 80 is transferred to the charging unit 10, and then the remaining charge of the battery cell 3 can be performed again through the charging unit 10.

[0110] Even in this case, when the hole processing units 51 of the hole processing section 50 are formed in a plurality of units corresponding to the battery cells 3 arranged in the hole processing buffer section 80, all the hole processing units 51 of the hole processing section 50 move forward toward the battery cells 3, and then form discharge holes 3b while holding down all the battery cells 3 contained in the hole processing buffer section 80, and after forming discharge holes 3b in the gas pocket sections 3a of all the battery cells 3, all the hole processing units 51 of the hole processing section 50 can move backward again.

[0111] In addition, when the hole processing unit 51 of the hole processing section 50 is formed as one unit, the hole processing unit 51 moves forward toward the battery cell 3, then moves toward one of the battery cells 3 accommodated in the hole processing buffer section 80, and then the hole processing unit 51 of the hole processing section 50 holds the battery cell 3 while forming a discharge hole 3b, moves backward after forming the discharge hole 3b, moves toward the next battery cell 3 in the thickness direction of the battery cell 3, and then moves forward again to form the discharge hole 3b in that battery cell 3. By repeating the above steps, the discharge holes 3b can be formed sequentially in all of the battery cells 3 arranged in the hole processing buffer section 80.

[0112] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be readily apparent to anyone skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1, 1': Formation device (formation device for pouch-type battery cells) 3: Battery cell 3a: Gas pocket 3b: Discharge hole 10:Charging part 11: Pressurizing tool 12: Frame 13: Jig frame 15: Pressure plate 16: Drive unit 16a: Drive motor 16b: Drive shaft 20: Loading buffer section 21:Transfer section 23: Alignment guide member 23a, 23b: Guide bar 30: Unloading buffer section 50: Hole processing section 51: Hole processing unit 52, 52': Gas pocket portion restraining member 52a: Pressure pad 53: Hole processing parts 53a: Needle-shaped member 53b: Needle member groove 55: Hole processing unit body 57: Hole processing unit moving part 70: Sealing part 71:Ceiling unit 72, 72': Discharge hole holding member 72a: Pressure pad 73: Sealing material 75: Ceiling unit body 77: Sealing unit moving parts 80: Hole processing buffer section 81: Processing plate 83: Hole processing alignment guide member 83a, 83b: Hole processing guide bar 90: Loader / unloader

Claims

1. A charging unit that charges the battery cell; a loading buffer unit in which the battery cells wait before being charged into the charging unit; an unloading buffer unit in which the battery cells that have been fully charged and removed from the charging unit wait; a hole processing unit for forming a discharge hole in a gas pocket portion of the battery cell; a sealing part that seals the exhaust hole of the battery cell; A pouch-type battery cell formation device comprising:

2. The charging unit is 2. The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 1, wherein the battery cells are partially charged to partially expand the gas pockets.

3. 3. The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust hole is formed in the gas pocket portion of the battery cell via the hole processing portion after the battery cell is partially charged to partially expand the gas pocket portion.

4. The charging unit is 4. The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 3, wherein residual charging is performed after the gas is discharged through the exhaust hole of the gas pocket portion.

5. The hole processing unit is The pouch-type battery cell formation device of claim 1 , further comprising: a charging unit that is provided on one side of the charging unit and that forms the exhaust hole in the gas pocket of the battery cell accommodated in the charging unit.

6. The hole processing unit is a hole processing unit formed in a plurality of units corresponding to the battery cells arranged in the charging unit and forming a discharge hole in the gas pocket of each battery cell; a hole processing unit moving member coupled to each of the hole processing units for moving the hole processing unit forward and backward in a direction toward the battery cell; and a driving unit for driving the hole processing unit moving member; 6. The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 5, wherein the exhaust holes are simultaneously formed in the gas pocket portions of the battery cells by a plurality of the hole processing units.

7. The hole processing unit includes:

7. The pouch-type battery cell formation device of claim 6, comprising: a pair of gas pocket portion holding members that hold down the gas pocket portion of the battery cell; hole processing members that are respectively installed inside the gas pocket portion holding members and that form the exhaust holes in the holding surface of the gas pocket portion when the gas pocket portion is held down; and a hole processing unit main body that is coupled to one side of the gas pocket portion holding members and that moves the gas pocket portion holding members in a direction toward or away from each other.

8. The hole processing unit is a hole processing unit for forming the exhaust hole in the gas pocket of the battery cell arranged in the charging unit; a hole processing unit moving member coupled to the hole processing unit for moving the hole processing unit forward and backward in a direction toward the battery cell; and a driving unit for driving the hole processing unit moving member, The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 5 , wherein the hole processing unit sequentially forms the exhaust holes in the gas pocket portion of each battery cell.

9. The hole processing unit includes:

9. The pouch-type battery cell formation device of claim 8, comprising: a pair of gas pocket portion holding members that hold down the gas pocket portion of the battery cell; hole processing members that are respectively installed inside the gas pocket portion holding members and that form the exhaust holes in the holding surface of the gas pocket portion when the gas pocket portion is held down; and a hole processing unit main body that is coupled to one side of the gas pocket portion holding members and moves the gas pocket portion holding members in directions toward or away from each other and is coupled to the hole processing unit moving member so as to be slidably movable.

10. The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a hole processing buffer unit on the charging unit, where the charged battery cells wait to form the discharge holes.

11. The hole processing buffer unit includes:

11. The pouch-type battery cell formation device of claim 10, comprising: a processing plate; and a plurality of alignment guide members installed on the processing plate at regular intervals so that the battery cells are aligned on the processing plate.

12. The hole processing unit is The pouch-type battery cell formation device according to claim 10 , further comprising: a hole processing buffer unit configured to process a gas pocket of the battery cell received in the hole processing buffer unit and to form the exhaust hole in the gas pocket of the battery cell.

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