Band feeding device, band feeding method, electrode laminate manufacturing device, electrode laminate manufacturing method, power storage element manufacturing device, and power storage element manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a belt-like body delivery device, belt-like body delivery method, electrode laminated body manufacturing device, electrode laminated body manufacturing method, power storage element manufacturing device, and power storage element manufacturing method that can deliver a belt-like body (e.g., separator for a secondary battery) on low tension and increase the speed.SOLUTION: A belt-like body delivery device is used for supplying a belt-like body to a to-be-supplied part where the amount of belt-like body supply fluctuates. The belt-like body delivery device delivers a belt-like body from a belt-like body supply source and performs electronic control to adjust the amount of belt-like body supply to the fluctuating to-be-supplied part to the fluctuation in a state where the amount of delivery delivered from the belt-like body supply source is maintained at a constant level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a strip feeding device, a strip feeding method, an electrode laminate manufacturing device, an electrode laminate manufacturing method, a power storage element manufacturing device, and a power storage element manufacturing method.

Background Art

[0002] As a type of lithium-ion secondary battery, there is one that constitutes an electrode laminate formed by laminating a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator, which is an insulator, interposed therebetween (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the electrode laminate is formed by zigzag folding a strip-shaped separator 1 while sequentially forming a positive electrode accommodating portion 2 and a negative electrode accommodating portion 3 that open in opposite directions. A positive electrode plate 4 is inserted into the positive electrode accommodating portion 2, and a negative electrode plate 5 is inserted into the negative electrode accommodating portion 3.

[0004] FIG. 12 shows a conventional manufacturing apparatus for an electrode laminate. This manufacturing apparatus includes a separator supply source 20 around which a strip-shaped separator 1 is wound, and a guide mechanism 21 that guides the separator 1 sent out from the separator supply source 20 to a zigzag folding mechanism portion.

[0005] The separator supply source 20 includes a rotating shaft 20a and a pair of disk-shaped flanges 20b, 20b provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 20a, and the strip-shaped separator 1 is wound around the rotating shaft 20a.

[0006] The guide mechanism 21 includes a dancer roller 22, a first fixed roller 23 disposed between the dancer roller 22 and the separator supply source 20, a second fixed roller 24 disposed on the downstream side of the dancer roller 22, a third fixed roller 25 disposed on the downstream side of the second fixed roller 24, a first roller pair 26 disposed at a position below the third fixed roller 25, and a second roller pair 27 disposed at a position below the first roller pair 26.

[0007] By reciprocating the second roller pair 27 in the directions of arrows A1 and A2 along the horizontal direction, it becomes possible to perform zigzag folding. When performing such zigzag folding, as shown in FIG. 13, it is necessary to sequentially form the folding portion 6 for the positive electrode, which is the bottom of the positive electrode accommodating portion 2, and the folding portion 7 for the negative electrode, which is the bottom of the negative electrode accommodating portion 3. When forming such folding portions 6 and 7, a pair of first pressing claws that press the opposing side edge ends of the positive electrode plate 4 respectively to constitute the first folding fulcrum 8 of the separator 1, and a pair of second pressing claws that press the opposing side edge ends of the negative electrode plate 5 respectively to constitute the second folding fulcrum 9 of the separator 1 are provided.

[0008] However, when reciprocating in the directions of arrows A1 and A2 along the horizontal direction, the supply amount of the separator is not constant but fluctuates. For this reason, when a fixed amount of separator is fed out from the separator supply source 20, it cannot follow the fluctuation of this supply amount. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, by using a dancer roller, the separator is fed out by following the fluctuation through the dancer roller feedback control of the rotating shaft 20a of the separator supply source 20.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] Incidentally, the separator of the secondary battery has the role of allowing the electrolyte, Li ions, etc. to pass through while preventing the direct contact and short circuit of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. For this reason, resins such as polyolefin-based resins such as PP and PE are used as the material of the separator. Also, in some cases, a porous layer or the like is formed on the surface of the separator.

[0011] Therefore, if tension was applied to the separator, there was a risk of elongation. Thus, in the separator of a secondary battery, it is preferable to pay out (draw out) the separator from the separator supply source with low tension. However, when adjusting using a dancer roller, at low tension, the dancer roller may have difficulty following due to the sliding resistance between the dancer roller and the separator and the inertial mass of the dancer roller. Also, considering productivity, it is preferable to pay out (draw out) the separator at high speed, but there was also a limit to this high speed.

[0012] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a strip feeding device, a strip feeding method, an electrode laminate manufacturing device, an electrode laminate manufacturing method, a power storage element manufacturing device, and a power storage element manufacturing method that can pay out a strip (for example, a separator of a secondary battery, etc.) with low tension and can also achieve high speed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] The strip feeding device of the present invention is a strip feeding device for feeding a strip to a supply target portion where the strip supply amount fluctuates, and includes a strip supply source that supplies the strip, strip conveying means for conveying the strip of this strip supply source to the supply target portion side, and supply amount control means that is disposed between the strip conveying means and the supply target portion and controls the strip supply amount to the supply target portion. The supply amount control means performs electronic control to adjust the strip supply amount to the supply target portion in accordance with the fluctuation so as to maintain the delivery amount of the strip sent out from the strip supply source constant.

[0014] According to the strip feeding device of the present invention, the strip can be supplied to the supply target while maintaining a constant feeding amount sent out from the strip supply source. Moreover, the supply amount of the strip to the supply target corresponds to the variation in the supply amount to be supplied to the supply target. For this reason, at the supply target, the strip can be stably supplied without under-supply or over-supply. Moreover, since the feeding amount sent out from the strip supply source can be maintained constant, there is no need to accelerate or decelerate against the inertial force of the strip supply source, so the loss can be reduced and high speed operation becomes possible. Moreover, it is possible to pull out with low tension.

[0015] The strip conveying means can be configured to include a drive shaft that sends out the strip to the supply target side by rotating, a rotational drive mechanism that rotates this drive shaft, and a control means that controls the rotation of the drive shaft by this rotational drive mechanism to manage the feeding amount of the strip.

[0016] By configuring the strip conveying means in this way, it is possible to stably send out the strip with a constant feeding amount from the strip supply source, and moreover, it can be controlled with high precision with a simple configuration.

[0017] The supply amount control means includes a movable body that increases the supply amount of the strip to the supply target side when moving upstream in the running direction of the strip and decreases the supply amount of the strip to the supply target side when moving downstream in the running direction of the strip, a movable mechanism that moves this movable body, and a movable mechanism control unit that controls the movable mechanism. The movable mechanism control unit preferably adjusts the moving direction and moving amount of the movable body and performs control to match the supply amount of the strip to the supply target to the variation.

[0018] By driving the movable mechanism to move the movable body, the supply amount of the strip to the supply target side can be varied. In this case, the movable mechanism that moves the movable body is controlled by the movable mechanism control unit, and it can be matched to the variation in the supply amount of the strip to the supply target, stably respond to the varying supply amount, and provide a high-quality product without damaging the strip.

[0019] Position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information of the supplied part, and delivery amount detection means for detecting the delivery amount of the strip-shaped body. The delivery amount detection means detects the delivery amount according to the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means, calculates the position of the movable body for absorbing the fluctuation of the delivery amount, and thereby performs electronic cam control for driving the movable body corresponding to the position information of the supplied part until at least one of the data on the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body can be acquired in order to keep the delivery amount sent from the strip-shaped body supply source constant. That is, it means a process (data acquisition operation) for creating at least one of the data on the desirable moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body. In this way, by adopting electronic cam control, processing at a higher speed becomes possible beyond the limit of the processing speed due to cam inertia in a mechanical cam. Also, the response ability to setup changes such as type change is remarkably improved.

[0020] In the supplied part, the strip-shaped body may be pleated or flat wound. That is, it is possible to respond to various supplied parts whose required amount varies with time at high speed and flexibly.

[0021] The electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is an electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electrode laminate formed by laminating a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator which is an insulator interposed therebetween, and is provided with the strip-shaped body feeding device to which the insulator separator can be applied as the strip-shaped body.

[0022] According to the electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the separator can be supplied to the supplied part while keeping the delivery amount sent from the strip-shaped body supply source constant. Moreover, the supply amount of the separator to the supplied part corresponds to the fluctuation of the supply amount to be supplied to the supplied part. For this reason, in the supplied part, the separator can be stably supplied without shortage or excess of supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent from the strip-shaped body supply source can be kept constant, and there is no need to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to the fluctuation of the strip-shaped body supply amount to the supplied part, the controllability is stable, and it is possible to draw out with low tension.

[0023] The manufacturing apparatus for a power storage element of the present invention is a power storage element manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a power storage element formed by winding a strip-shaped laminate in which a positive electrode plate, a separator as an insulator, a negative electrode plate, and a separator as an insulator are laminated. The strip-shaped laminate is used as the strip, and a front strip feeding device is provided.

[0024] According to the manufacturing apparatus for a power storage element of the present invention, the strip-shaped laminate can be supplied to the supply target while maintaining a constant delivery amount sent from the strip supply source. Moreover, the supply amount of the strip-shaped laminate to the supply target corresponds to fluctuations in the supply amount to be supplied to the supply target. For this reason, at the supply target, the strip-shaped laminate can be stably supplied without under-supply or over-supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent from the strip supply source can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to fluctuations in the strip supply amount to the supply target, the controllability is stable, and it is possible to draw out with low tension.

[0025] Further, the strip feeding method of the present invention is a strip feeding method for supplying a strip to a supply target in which the strip supply amount fluctuates. The strip is sent out from a strip supply source, and electronic control is performed to adjust the strip supply amount to the supply target according to the fluctuations while maintaining a constant delivery amount sent from the strip supply source.

[0026] At the supply target, the strip can be stably supplied without under-supply or over-supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent from the strip supply source can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to fluctuations in the strip supply amount to the supply target, the controllability is stable, and it is possible to draw out with low tension.

[0027] Further, in order to maintain a constant delivery amount sent from the strip supply source, until at least one of the data on the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body can be acquired, the delivery amount is detected according to the position information of the supply target, the position of the movable body for absorbing the fluctuations in the delivery amount is calculated, and thereby, it is preferable to perform electronic cam control for driving the movable body corresponding to the position information of the supply target.

[0028] By configuring in this way, the supply amount of the belt-like body to the part to be supplied can be made to precisely match the above-described variation, and unnecessary tension is not applied to the belt-like body during conveyance of the belt-like body, nor does the belt-like body slack in the conveyance path, and the belt-like body can be stably supplied to the part to be supplied.

[0029] The method for manufacturing an electrode laminate of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electrode laminate formed by laminating a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator, which is an insulator, interposed therebetween, and uses the above-described belt-like body feeding method with the separator as the belt-like body.

[0030] According to the method for manufacturing an electrode laminate of the present invention, in the part to be supplied, the separator can be stably supplied without shortage or excess of supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent out from the belt-like body supply source can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side to match the variation in the supply amount of the belt-like body to the part to be supplied, the controllability is stable, and it is possible to draw out with low tension. For this reason, an electrode laminate can be manufactured with high precision.

[0031] The method for manufacturing an electric storage element of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electric storage element formed by winding a belt-like laminate in which a positive electrode plate, a separator which is an insulator, a negative electrode plate, and a separator which is an insulator are laminated, and uses the above-described belt-like body feeding method with the belt-like laminate as the belt-like body.

[0032] According to the method for manufacturing an electric storage element of the present invention, in the part to be supplied, the belt-like laminate can be stably supplied without shortage or excess of supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent out from the belt-like body supply source can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side to match the variation in the supply amount of the belt-like body to the part to be supplied, the controllability is stable, and it is possible to draw out with low tension. For this reason, an electric storage element can be manufactured with high precision.

Effects of the Invention

[0033] In the present invention, a strip (e.g., a separator of a secondary battery, etc.) can be fed out with low tension, and moreover, the supply of the strip to the supply target can be accelerated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagram of an electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention using a strip feeding device, and FIG. 2 shows a simplified block diagram of the strip feeding device.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, an electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus equipped with a strip feeding device manufactures an electrode laminate 35 in which a first electrode plate, which is a positive electrode plate 32, and a first electrode plate, which is a negative electrode plate 33, are alternately laminated with a folded strip-shaped separator 36 (strip 31) interposed therebetween.

[0037] The strip feeding device is a strip feeding device for supplying a supply unit 30 in which the strip supply amount fluctuates, and includes a strip supply source 37 that supplies the strip 31, which is the separator 36, a strip conveying means 38 that conveys the strip 31 of the strip supply source 37 to the supply unit side, and a supply amount control means 39 that is disposed between the strip conveying means 38 and the supply unit 30 and controls the strip supply amount to the supply unit 30.

[0038] The strip supply source 37 includes a rotating shaft 37a and a pair of disk-shaped flanges 37b, 37b provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 37a. The strip-shaped separator 36 is wound around the rotating shaft 37a, and the wound body is sandwiched between the pair of flanges 37b, 37b. In addition, a delivery amount detection means 40 such as an encoder is installed on the second roller 52 to detect the delivery amount of the separator 36. Further, a displacement sensor 41 (for example, a laser displacement sensor or the like) for detecting the winding amount of the separator 36 is provided near the strip supply source 37. The rotating shaft 37a is rotated by a drive motor (not shown). In this case, as the drive motor, a motor that is driven and controlled by any one of a pulse signal, an analog signal, or a network communication signal such as a stepping motor or a servo motor is used. The drive motor is also controlled by a control means. Note that as this control means, a controller such as a microcomputer, a PLC, or a motion controller of a management means 44 described later can be used.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, the belt conveyor means 38 includes a drive shaft 42, a rotary drive mechanism 43 for rotating the drive shaft, and a control means 44 for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft 42 by the rotary drive mechanism 43. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the drive shaft 42 is supported by a pair of rollers 45, 45. That is, the belt conveyor means 38 forms a so-called nip structure. The rotary drive mechanism 43 uses a motor that is driven and controlled by any one of a pulse signal, an analog signal, or a network communication signal, such as a stepping motor or a servo motor. Therefore, when the motor of the rotary drive mechanism 43 is driven, the drive shaft 42 rotates about its axis, and the separator 36 sandwiched between the drive shaft 42 and the rollers 45, 45 is sent out toward the supply section 30 side.

[0040] Further, the control means 44 for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft 42 is constituted by a control means, and this control means is, for example, a microcomputer in which a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. are mutually connected via a bus centering around a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Further, a storage means (not shown) is connected to the control means. The storage means includes an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) drive, a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) drive, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), etc., respectively. Note that programs and data executed by the CPU are stored in the ROM.

[0041] A dancer means 46 is provided between the belt supply source 37 and the belt conveying means 38. In this case, as the dancer means 46, a dancer roller 48 that swings like the arrows X1 and X2 in FIG. 1 by a rotation mechanism (not shown) around the detection axis of the potentiometer 47 is used. By the swinging of the dancer roller 48, the variation in the feed amount can be absorbed. That is, it is for absorbing the variation in the feed amount that is difficult to follow with a supply roll having a large inertial mass even during the data acquisition operation.

[0042] A first roller 51, a second roller 52, and a third roller 53 are arranged between the belt supply source 37 and the belt conveying means 38. The separator 36 from the belt supply source 37 is wound around the dancer roller 48 via the first roller 51 and supplied to the belt conveying means 38 from the dancer roller 48 via the second roller and the third roller. The second roller 52 has a measuring function by a detection means 40 such as an encoder.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the supply amount control means 39 includes a pair of movable bodies 55, 55 that can move upstream and downstream in the running direction of the belt 31 which is the separator 36, a movable mechanism 56 that moves the movable bodies 55, 55, and a movable mechanism control unit 57 that controls the movable mechanism 56.

[0044] The pair of movable bodies 55 are rollers that reciprocate in the directions of the arrows B1 and B2 along the guide portion 58 and are connected via a connecting body 59 to move integrally. In this case, a fourth roller 60 is disposed at the intermediate height position between the upper and lower movable bodies 55, and a fifth roller 61 is disposed below the fourth roller 60 and below the lower movable body 55. The fourth roller 60 and the fifth roller 61 are fixed rollers. Also, a sixth roller 62 which is a fixed roller is disposed below the fifth roller 61.

[0045] The movable mechanism 56 uses a motor that is driven and controlled by any one of a pulse signal, an analog signal, or a network communication signal such as a stepping motor or a servo motor. The movable mechanism control unit 57 performs electronic cam control to move the movable bodies 55, 55 by driving and controlling the motor in electronic cam control that moves the movable bodies 55, 55 based on the position information of the guide roller pair 63. For this reason, the supply amount control means 39 is provided with a position information acquisition means 50 for obtaining the position information of the guide roller pair 63. This movable mechanism control unit 57 can be configured by the control means constituting the management means 44. Note that this position information acquisition means 50 can be configured by an encoder or the like.

[0046] In this case, the output of the position information acquisition means 50 that obtains the position information of the guide roller pair 63 for the first time is associated with and recorded together with the output (feed amount) of the encoder of the detection means 40, and the drive amount of the movable mechanism 56 that can make the feed amount from the strip supply source 37 constant is calculated and saved. Also, during actual production, based on the output of the position information acquisition means 50 that obtains the position information of the guide roller pair 63, electronic cam control is performed in which the movable mechanism 56 is driven via the movable mechanism control unit 57.

[0047] In this case, due to the driving of the movable mechanism 56 controlled by the movable mechanism control unit 57, each of the movable bodies 55, 55 reciprocates in the directions of arrows B1 and B2. If it moves in the direction of arrow B1 (upstream side in the traveling direction), the supply amount of the separator 36 to the supply target portion 30 can be increased, and conversely, if it moves in the direction of arrow B2 (downstream side in the traveling direction), the supply amount of the separator 36 to the supply target portion 30 can be decreased.

[0048] By the way, as described above, since this electrode laminate 35 is zigzag folded, a guide roller pair 63 that reciprocates (oscillates) like arrows A1 and A2 is provided on the supply target portion side, and above this guide roller pair 63, a fulcrum portion 64 where the guide roller pair 63 reciprocates like arrows A1 and A2 is provided.

[0049] Between this fulcrum portion 64 and the supply amount control means 39, a tension pickup mechanism 65 and a tension adjustment mechanism 66 for adjusting the tension based on the tension detected by the tension pickup mechanism 65 are provided.

[0050] The tension pickup mechanism 65 includes a pair of pressing rollers 67a and 67b, an intermediate roller 68 disposed between the pressing rollers 67a and 67b, and a load converter 69. That is, it reaches the upper part of the roller 68 through the lower part of the pressing roller 67a, and is further supplied to the fulcrum portion 64 side through the lower part of the pressing roller 67b.

[0051] Therefore, the separator 36 passing through the upper part of the roller 68 presses the roller 68 downward. As a result, a load is applied to the load converter 69 (for example, a load cell), and this load is converted into an electric signal by this load converter 69.

[0052] Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the tension adjustment mechanism 66 includes a movable body 72 having a roller that reciprocates along the guide portion 71, a drive mechanism 73 for moving the movable body 72, and a control portion 74 for controlling this motor, similar to the supply amount control means 39 described above. This control portion 74 can also use the microcomputer of the management means 44.

[0053] In this case, the drive mechanism 73 uses a motor that is driven and controlled by a pulse signal such as a stepping motor or a servo motor, and controls the motor based on the electric signal from the load converter 69. That is, when the movable body 72 moves in the direction of arrow C1, the tension applied to the separator 36 is reduced, and when the movable body 72 moves in the direction of arrow C2, the tension applied to the separator 36 is adjusted to maintain a constant tension.

[0054] The fulcrum portion 64 includes a roller 64a and a cylinder mechanism 64b that cooperates with the roller 64a to sandwich the separator 36. In this case, the separator 36 can be sent to the supply unit 30 while being sandwiched. Note that a roller may be used instead of the cylinder mechanism 64b.

[0055] Next, a method for manufacturing an electrode laminate using the electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the separator 36, which is a strip, is supplied from the strip supply source 37 to the strip conveying means 38 via the first roller 51, the dancer roller 48, the second roller 52, and the third roller 53. Further, it is supplied to the fulcrum portion 64 via the supply amount control means 39, the tension adjustment mechanism 66, and the tension pickup mechanism 65, and then from this fulcrum portion 64, it is supplied to the guide portion 63.

[0056] Then, by reciprocating the guide portion 63 in the directions of arrows A1 and A2 along the horizontal direction via a drive mechanism (not shown), as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the belt-like separator 36 is folded in a zigzag manner. As a result, the positive electrode accommodating portion 90 and the negative electrode accommodating portion 91 that open in opposite directions are sequentially formed, the positive electrode plate 32 is inserted into the positive electrode accommodating portion 90, and the negative electrode plate 33 is inserted into the negative electrode accommodating portion 91. When folding in this zigzag manner, the positive electrode folding portion 92 that becomes the bottom of the positive electrode accommodating portion 90 and the negative electrode folding portion 93 that becomes the bottom of the negative electrode accommodating portion 91 are sequentially formed.

[0057] When folding the separator 36 (strip 31) in a zigzag manner, at the time of folding back, since the separator 36 (strip 31) is instantaneously consumed in a large amount, the supply amount of the separator 36 (strip 31) to the supply unit 30 fluctuates as shown by the dotted line. For this reason, when the supply amount control means 39 and the like are not provided, the speed (rotation angle) of the drive shaft (unwinding shaft) 37a of the supply source 37 is, as shown by the solid line (thick line) (horizontal axis) in FIG. 11, constant speed operation in forward rotation, decelerating operation in forward rotation, stop, reverse operation, accelerating operation in reverse rotation, constant speed operation in reverse rotation, decelerating operation in reverse rotation, stop, operation in forward rotation, accelerating operation in forward rotation, constant speed operation in forward rotation, and the same operations are sequentially repeated hereinafter.

[0058] However, as shown by the solid line (thin line) (linear function graph) in FIG. 11, the ideal is that the delivery amount of the separator 36 from the strip supply source 37 should be linear like the graph of a linear function so that the delivery amount per unit time is constant.

[0059] Therefore, in the present invention, a supply amount control means 39 is provided so that the delivery amount of the separator 36 from the strip supply source 37 is constant per unit time. That is, the delivery amount detection means 40 detects the delivery amount according to the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means 50, calculates the position of the movable body 55 for absorbing the variation in the delivery amount, and thereby performs electronic cam control to drive the movable body 55 corresponding to the position information of the supply unit 30 until a certain variation data can be detected. Here, "until a certain variation data can be detected" means until at least one of the data of the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body 55 of the supply amount control means 39 can be created in order to keep the delivery amount of the strip 31 (the delivery amount delivered from the strip supply source 37) constant. That is, it is the process "data acquisition operation" of creating the electronic cam data in the electronic cam control at a low speed.

[0060] In this case, first, the drive shaft 37a of the strip supply source 37 is driven, and the guide roller pair 63 is reciprocated as shown by the arrows A1 and A2 to perform the zigzag folding operation of the separator 36. At this time, the delivery amount of the separator 36 at the second roller 52 is detected by the detection means 40 such as an encoder interlocked with the second roller 52, the relationship between this measurement data and the output of the position information acquisition means 50 of the guide roller pair 63 as the guide part is memorized, and in order to make the delivery amount from the strip supply source 37 constant, data on the desired moving amount and moving direction of the movable body 55 of the supply amount control means 39 is created in association with the position information acquisition means 5 of the guide roller pair 63. That is, a data acquisition operation is performed. This data acquisition operation shall be performed for at least one cycle when the supply amount of the separator 36 varies periodically.

[0061] Next, based on the data acquired and stored in the above data acquisition operation, by driving and controlling the movable body 55 of the supply amount control means 39 corresponding to the output of the position information acquisition means 50 of the guide roller pair 63, an electronically controlled cam is formed between the two. Even when the driving speed becomes high, the separator 36 can be supplied from the belt-like body supply source 37 to the supply portion 30 in a state where the delivery amount is constant. For this reason, in the supply portion 30, the belt-like body 31 can be stably supplied without shortage or excess supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent out from the belt-like body supply source 37 can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to the variation in the supply amount of the belt-like body to the supply portion 30, and the controllability is stabilized. That is, since it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to the variation in the supply amount of the belt-like body to the supply portion 30, it is not necessary to worry about a control phase delay or the like, and damage to the separator 36 due to a rapid speed change can also be reduced.

[0062] Also, in this apparatus, in the belt-like body conveying means 38, by using the conveying drive shaft 42 and having a nip structure (a structure for gripping the separator 36), the tension can be cut. Further, by using a servo motor for driving the conveying drive shaft 42, the delivery amount of the separator 36 can be accurately managed. Note that when returning to the origin (returning to the initial state), by driving the conveying drive shaft 42, the slack of the separator 36 can be removed.

[0063] By providing the tension adjustment mechanism 66 and the tension pickup mechanism 65, the tension applied to (acting on) the separator 36 downstream of the supply amount control means 39 can be set to be constant. For this reason, unnecessary tension is not applied to the separator 36, and the separator 36 will not stretch or be cut, and high-quality products (electrode laminates) can be manufactured.

[0064] As described above, in the present invention, the belt-like body 31 (for example, the separator 36 of a secondary battery, etc.) can be fed out with low tension, and moreover, the supply of the belt-like body 31 to the supply portion 30 can be speeded up.

[0065] Incidentally, as the supply amount control means 39, it is also possible to use a mechanical cam mechanism without using electronic cam control. That is, even with a mechanical cam mechanism, if the speed is low, the same operations as electronic cam control are possible. However, at high speeds, it becomes easy for follow-up failure to occur due to the inertia of the cam and the follower, making it difficult to cope with high-speed processing. In addition, the problem of low degree of freedom in arrangement and low responsiveness to type change (tool change (product type change)) cannot be solved either.

[0066] Also, by providing the dancer means 46, it becomes possible to draw out (feed out) the belt-like body from the belt-like body supply source 37 with a constant tension, and stable drawing out at a low tension can be performed.

[0067] The belt-like body conveying means 38 can be configured to include a drive shaft 42 that sends out the belt-like body 31 from the belt-like body supply source 37 by rotating, a rotation drive mechanism 43 that rotates the drive shaft 42, and a management means 44 that controls the rotation of the drive shaft 42 by the rotation drive mechanism 43 to manage the feed-out amount of the belt-like body 31. Therefore, it is possible to stably send out the belt-like body 31 with a constant send-out amount from the belt-like body supply source 37, and moreover, it can be controlled with high precision with a simple configuration.

[0068] As the supply amount control means 39, a configuration including a movable body 55, a movable mechanism 56 that moves the movable body 55, and a movable mechanism control unit 57 that controls the movable mechanism 56 can vary the supply amount of the belt-like body in the supplied portion 30 with high precision, and can provide high-quality products.

[0069] It is preferable to configure the movable mechanism 56 to use a motor that is driven and controlled by a pulse signal, and the movable mechanism control unit 57 performs electronic cam control to move the movable body by driving and controlling the motor based on the variation value of the supply amount of the belt-like body to the supplied portion 30. In this way, by adopting electronic cam control, it is possible to cope with high-speed variations that cannot be handled by a mechanical cam mechanism (mechanical cam) with high precision, and the supply amount of the belt-like body to the supplied portion can be accurately adjusted to the variation.

[0070] Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, the supplied portion 30 folds the belt-like body 31 in a zigzag manner. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the belt-like body 31 may be flat-wound. That is, it may be for manufacturing the energy storage element 79 as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, the belt-like body 80 is formed by laminating a positive electrode sheet 81, a first separator 82, a negative electrode sheet 83, and a second separator 84, and the energy storage element 79 is formed by flat-winding this belt-like body 80. The four belt-like bodies of the positive electrode sheet 81, the separator 82, the negative electrode sheet 83, and the separator 84 are fed out from four independent belt-like body coils (not shown) and then formed (laminated) into one belt-like body 80.

[0071] That is, in FIG. 9, the supplied portion 30 includes a core member 85 having a flat elliptical or flat oblong cross-sectional shape, and rotates around the axial center axis 86 of the core member 85 to flat-wind the belt-like body 80. In this case, the core member 85 is rotated by a driving motor, and as the driving motor, a motor driven and controlled by a pulse signal such as a stepping motor or a servo motor can be used. Further, the rotation of this motor can be controlled by control means constituted by a controller such as the above-described microcomputer, PLC, or motion controller. Since the other configurations of the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 are the same as those of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0072] Next, a method for manufacturing an energy storage element using the energy storage element manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 9 will be described. In this case, since the belt-like body 80 is wound around the core member 85 having a flat elliptical or flat oblong cross-sectional shape, the supply amount of the belt-like body 80 to the supplied portion 30 varies. For this reason, similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, first, a data acquisition operation is performed. When winding, thickening may occur, and for this reason, the supply amount of the belt-like body 80 changes for each round (one winding), and the data acquisition operation is performed until the supply of one (one sheet) of the belt-like body 80 to the supplied portion 30 is completed.

[0073] That is, a supply amount control means 39 is provided so that the delivery amount of the strip 80 from the strip supply source 37 becomes constant per unit time. In this case, first, the drive shaft 37a of the strip supply source 37 is driven, and the core member 85 is rotated to wind the strip 80 around the core member. Further, this apparatus has an angle detection means 87 for detecting the rotation angle of the core member 85, and the delivery amount of the strip 80 is detected by a detection means 40 such as an encoder installed on the roller 52. The detection data (measurement data) and the rotation angle of the core member detected by the angle detection means 87 are associated and recorded. Then, in order to make the delivery amount of the strip 80 constant, data on the desired movement amount and movement direction of the movable body 55 of the supply amount control means 39 is created. That is, a data acquisition operation is performed.

[0074] Based on the data acquired and stored in the above data acquisition operation, the movable body 55 of the supply amount control means 39 is driven and controlled corresponding to the output of the position information acquisition means 50 of the guide roller pair 63, so that an electronically controlled cam is formed between the two. Even when the driving speed becomes high, the strip can be supplied from the strip supply source 37 to the supplied portion 30 with the delivery amount of the separator 36 being constant. For this reason, in the supplied portion 30, the strip 31 can be stably supplied without supply shortage or over-supply. Moreover, the delivery amount sent out from the strip supply source 37 can be maintained constant, and it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to the variation in the strip supply amount to the supplied portion 30, and the controllability is stabilized. That is, since it is not necessary to adjust the delivery amount on the supply source side according to the variation in the strip supply amount to the supplied portion 30, it is not necessary to worry about a control phase delay or the like, and damage to the separator 36 due to a rapid speed change can also be reduced.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be variously modified. For example, in the supply amount control means, in the above-described embodiment, two movable bodies 55 are used, but at least one such movable body 55 is sufficient. When there are a plurality of them, there is an advantage that the movable range of each movable body 55 can be reduced. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the two movable bodies 55 are structured to move synchronously, but they may move independently without being synchronized. Note that, as the movable body 55, in the above-described embodiment, a roller is used, but other than a roller, for example, a sliding member that slides on the belt-like bodies 31 and 80 may be used.

[0076] Also, as the data in the step (data acquisition operation) of creating the electronic cam data at the low speed described above, it may be any of only the moving direction of the movable body 55, only the moving amount of the movable body 55, and both the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body 55.

[0077] In FIG. 10, the belt-like body 31 was flat-wound, but it is not limited to being flat-wound, and any shape (for example, a square cross-sectional shape, etc.) that causes a variation in the supply amount during winding may be used.

[0078] Note that the device according to the present invention is applicable to the manufacture of all elements (not only secondary batteries but also primary batteries, electric double layer capacitors, etc.) in which a separator is interposed between the positive and negative electrodes.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0079] 30 Supplied portion 35 Electrode laminate 31, 80 Belt-like bodies 36 Separator 37 Belt-like body supply source 38 Belt-like body conveyance means 39 Supply amount control means 40 Delivery amount detection means 42 Drive shaft 43 Rotational drive mechanism 44 Management means 50 Position information acquisition means 55 Movable body 56 Movable mechanism 57 Movable mechanism control unit 79 Energy storage element

Claims

1. A strip feeding device for feeding a strip to a supply section where the strip supply amount fluctuates, comprising: a strip supply source for supplying a strip; strip conveying means for conveying the strip from the strip supply source to the supply section side; and supply amount control means disposed between the strip conveying means and the supply section for controlling the strip supply amount to the supply section. The supply amount control means performs electronic control to adjust the strip supply amount to the supply section according to the fluctuation so as to keep the delivery amount of the strip sent out from the strip supply source constant. The supply amount control means includes a movable body that increases the strip supply amount to the supply section when moving upstream in the running direction of the strip and decreases the strip supply amount to the supply section when moving downstream in the running direction of the strip, a movable mechanism for moving the movable body, and a movable mechanism control section for controlling the movable mechanism. The movable mechanism control section adjusts at least one of the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body to adjust the strip supply amount to the supply section according to the fluctuation. A strip feeding device characterized by this.

2. The strip feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the strip conveying means includes a drive shaft that sends out the strip from the strip supply source by rotating, a rotary drive mechanism for rotating the drive shaft, and management means for controlling the rotation of the drive shaft by the rotary drive mechanism to manage the delivery amount of the strip.

3. The strip feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the supply section, and delivery amount detection means for detecting the delivery amount of the strip. The delivery amount detection means detects the delivery amount according to the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means, calculates the position of the movable body for absorbing the fluctuation of the delivery amount, and thereby performs electronic cam control to drive the movable body corresponding to the position information of the supply section until at least one of the moving direction and the moving amount of the movable body can be obtained to keep the delivery amount sent out from the strip supply source constant.

4. The strip feeding device according to claim 1, wherein in the supply section, the strip is folded in a zigzag manner.

5. The strip feeding device according to claim 1, wherein in the supply part, the strip is wound.

6. An electrode laminate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electrode laminate formed by laminating a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator, which is an insulator, interposed therebetween and opposed to each other, The manufacturing apparatus of an electrode laminate, wherein the separator, which is an insulator, is the strip, and the strip feeding device according to claim 1 is provided.

7. A power storage element manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a power storage element formed by winding a strip-shaped laminate in which a positive electrode plate, a separator which is an insulator, a negative electrode plate, and a separator which is an insulator are laminated, The manufacturing apparatus of a power storage element, wherein the strip-shaped laminate is used as the strip, and the strip feeding device according to claim 1 is provided.

8. A strip feeding method for feeding a strip to a supply part where the strip supply amount fluctuates, Using the strip feeding device according to claim 1, the strip is sent out from a strip supply source, and electronic control is performed to adjust the strip supply amount to the fluctuating supply part in accordance with the fluctuation so that the sending amount sent out from the strip supply source can be maintained constant. The strip feeding method is characterized by this.

9. In order to maintain the sending amount sent out from the strip supply source constant, until at least one of the movement direction and movement amount of the movable body can be acquired, the sending amount is detected according to the position information of the supply part, and the position of the movable body for absorbing the fluctuation of the sending amount is calculated, whereby the electronic cam control for driving the movable body corresponding to the position information of the supply part is performed. The strip feeding method according to claim 8 is characterized by this.

10. An electrode laminate manufacturing method for manufacturing an electrode laminate formed by laminating a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate with a separator, which is an insulator, interposed therebetween and opposed to each other, A method for manufacturing an electrode laminate, characterized in that the separator is sent out as the strip-shaped body by using the strip-shaped body feeding method according to claim 8 or claim 9.

11. A method for manufacturing a power storage element, which manufactures a power storage element formed by winding a strip-shaped laminate in which a positive electrode plate, a separator as an insulator, a negative electrode plate, and a separator as an insulator are laminated, A method for manufacturing a power storage element, characterized in that the strip-shaped laminate is sent out as the strip-shaped body by using the strip-shaped body feeding method according to claim 8 or claim 9.

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