Drying device

Abstract

To provide a dryer capable of suppressing deterioration of the parallelism of its conveying rollers even when the holding members and the like of the conveying rollers are deformed by thermal expansion.SOLUTION: The dryer comprises a conveying path provided with a plurality of conveying rollers disposed therein, which conveying rollers are each held by a pair of holding members each holding either end of the corresponding roller, with one end of the holding member being firmly fixed, and the other end being movable in the arrangement direction of the plurality of conveying rollers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drying device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a drying device having a conveyance path defined by a plurality of conveyance rollers.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the conveyance rollers are fixed within the drying device, there is a risk that the conveyance rollers themselves and the fixing portions that fix the conveyance rollers may be distorted due to thermal expansion caused by hot air, deteriorating the parallelism of the conveyance rollers, and may hinder smooth conveyance due to meandering or the like.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a drying device capable of suppressing deterioration of the parallelism of conveyance rollers even when the fixing portions of the conveyance rollers are deformed due to thermal expansion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present application discloses a drying device including a conveyance path having a plurality of conveyance rollers therein, wherein the plurality of conveyance rollers are held by a pair of holding members that respectively hold both ends of the conveyance rollers, one end of the holding member is fixed, and the other end is movable in the arrangement direction of the conveyance rollers.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the drying device of the present disclosure, even if the fixed part of the conveying roller (holding member or the structure for fixing the holding member) is deformed due to thermal expansion, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the parallelism of the plurality of conveying rollers and to suppress the occurrence of conveyance defects such as meandering.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] 1. Configuration of the drying device FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show the structure of the drying device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of each component of the drying device 10 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path (the direction in which the conveyed object W is conveyed), and is a diagram corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of each component of the drying device 10 in the width direction of the conveyance path (the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the conveyed object W is conveyed), and is a diagram corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1.

[0010] The drying device 10 of this embodiment is a device that dries the conveyed material W while the conveyed material W in a belt shape is conveyed by the conveying roller 22 and the folding roller 23. The specific form of the conveyed material W is not particularly limited, but examples include battery electrodes. Taking the electrode for a lithium-ion secondary battery as an example of the conveyed material W, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 to be described later, the coating material W2 is applied to both sides of the belt-shaped metal foil W1 (however, in FIGS. 3 to 6, the coating material W2 is still laminated on one side of the metal foil W1). The coating material W2 becomes a layer of active material that is bound to the metal foil W1 by drying the coating material W2 with the drying device 10. Examples of the metal foil W1 include metal materials that constitute the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and specifically, aluminum, copper, etc. can be mentioned. On the other hand, examples of the coating material W2 also include materials that constitute the positive electrode and the negative electrode. For example, positive electrode active materials such as lithium composite oxides such as lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), lithium manganate (LiMnO2), and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), and negative electrode active materials such as carbon-based materials such as amorphous carbon, non-graphitizable carbon, graphitizable carbon, and graphite can be mentioned.

[0011] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the drying device 10 is configured to include an air supply unit 11, a drying unit 21, and an exhaust unit 31. Each configuration will be described below.

[0012] 1.1. Air supply unit The air supply unit 11 is a part that blows air to the drying unit 21, and has a heating unit 12 and a blowing unit 13.

[0013] 1.1a. Heating unit 12 The heating unit 12 is a part that heats the taken-in drying gas to a temperature suitable for drying. Therefore, the heating unit 12 has an air supply port 12a for taking in the drying gas from the outside, and is equipped with heating means such as a heater for adjusting the temperature of the drying gas. In this embodiment, an example of using air as the drying gas will be described. However, the drying gas used in the present disclosure is not limited to air. For example, when oxidation is a problem during drying, nitrogen or other inert gases may be used as the drying gas.

[0014] 1.1b. Blower section 13 The blower section 13 is a part that blows the air heated by the heating section 12 into the drying section 21. Therefore, a blowing means such as a blower is arranged in the blower section 13, and a blower port 13a that communicates with the drying section 21 and through which the air from the blowing means passes is provided. As can be seen from FIG. 1, in this embodiment, two blower sections 13 are provided and are arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path (the conveyance direction of the conveyed object W), and each has a role of blowing air halfway in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path.

[0015] 1.2. Drying section The drying section 21 is a part that introduces the conveyed object W into its inside, conveys it along the conveyance path, and blows the air from the blower section 13 against the conveyed object W to dry the conveyed object W. In the example of this embodiment, the coating material W2 laminated on the metal foil W1 is dried as described above. In this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 1, it is arranged to form a conveyance path in which the conveyed object W is folded so as to change its direction halfway and conveyed from top to bottom. In this embodiment, the folding is performed twice and it is made into three stages. The drying section 21 has conveyance rollers 22, folding rollers 23, nozzles 24, and pipes 25.

[0016] 1.2a. Conveyance rollers [Configuration of conveyance rollers] The conveyance rollers 22 are rollers that rotate in contact with the conveyed object W so that the conveyed object W is conveyed along the conveyance path, and a plurality of them are arranged at predetermined intervals along the conveyance path inside the drying section 21. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the part indicated by III in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the part indicated by IV in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the part indicated by V in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the part indicated by VI in FIG. 2, respectively. In this embodiment, the conveying path (the conveyed object W) turns and folds so as to have three stages. Therefore, in the uppermost first stage and the lowermost third stage, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the metal foil W1 rides on the conveying roller 22 in contact therewith, and the coating material W2 is disposed thereon. On the other hand, in the second stage, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the metal foil W1 is disposed so as to contact from below the conveying roller 22, and the coating material W2 is disposed thereunder. A known conveying roller itself can be used.

[0017] [Conveying Roller Holding Means] A plurality of the above-described conveying rollers 22 are disposed in the drying unit 21 by holding a plurality of conveying rollers 22 constituting one stage by one holding member 50 and fixing the holding member 50 to the column 60. In FIGS. 1 to 6, the holding member 50 and the column 60 are omitted for easy viewing. FIGS. 7 to 10 show views for explaining the holding member 50 and the column 60. FIG. 7 is a view from the same viewpoint as FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a view seen from the direction of arrow VIII in FIG. 7 (from above).

[0018] The holding member 50 is a frame body, and a plurality of conveying rollers 22 constituting one stage are rotatably held in the frame. More specifically, the holding member 50 has a frame member 51, a frame member 52 disposed to face the frame member 51, a frame member 53 disposed to bridge one end of the frame member 51 and one end of the frame member 52, and a frame member 54 disposed to bridge the other end of the frame member 51 and the other end of the frame member 52. One end of the conveying roller 22 in the rotation axis direction is rotatably held by the frame member 51, and the other end in the rotation axis direction is rotatably held by the frame member 52. Therefore, the conveying roller 22 is disposed so as to bridge the frame member 51 and the frame member 52, and a plurality of conveying rollers 22 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the frame members 51 and 52.

[0019] FIGS. 9 and 10 show views focusing on the portion of the frame member 53. As can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, the frame member 53 is provided with a long hole 53a having a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the frame members 51 and 52. This long hole 53a is preferably provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the frame member 53. Then, a fixing member 55 such as a bolt is passed through the long hole 53a and fixed to the column 60. On one side, instead of a long hole, a normal hole is provided in the frame member 54, and a fixing member 55 such as a bolt is passed through this hole and fixed to the column 60. This hole is preferably provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the frame member 54.

[0020] In this embodiment, since the conveying path is configured in three stages by folding as described above, three holding members 50 are arranged in the vertical direction, and a plurality of conveying rollers 22 are held by each of them.

[0021] The column 60 is a columnar member, and two columns are provided so as to face each other with a space therebetween. And the holding member 50 is arranged so as to span these two columns 60. More specifically, the frame member 53 of the holding member 50 is fixed to one column 60 by a fixing member 55, and the frame member 54 of the holding member is fixed to the other column 60 by a fixing member 55. Therefore, a plurality of conveying rollers 22 are arranged between the two columns 60. Also, three holding members 50 are arranged in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the column 60.

[0022] According to the holding member of the conveying roller as described above, it is possible to suppress a change in the parallelism of the plurality of conveying rollers 22 even with respect to the deformation of the member due to the temperature change in the drying unit 21. Specifically, regarding the change in the height direction indicated by the arrow z in FIG. 7, all the conveying rollers 22 are connected to the column 60 via the holding member 50, so the parallelism is maintained. Regarding the change in the axial direction of the conveying roller 22 indicated by the arrow y in FIG. 8, since all the conveying rollers 22 constituting one stage are held in a two - supported manner by the same frame members 51 and 52, the parallelism is maintained. And regarding the change in the arrangement direction of the conveying roller 22 indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 8, as described above, the holding member 50 is movable within the range of the longitudinal size of the long hole 53a by the long hole 53a, and since it can absorb the change, the parallelism of the conveying roller 22 is maintained. That is, for any direction, the plurality of conveying rollers 22 are configured to be able to suppress the deterioration of the parallelism due to the deformation caused by the temperature change, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the parallelism of the conveying roller 22 due to the temperature change.

[0023] Furthermore, the above-described frame members 51 and 52 may be formed of the same material. For example, an iron-based material can be used as the material for the frame members 51 and 52. Also, the above-described conveying roller 22, frame members 53, and frame members 54 may be formed of the same material. For example, stainless steel can be used as the material for these conveying roller 22, frame members 53, and frame members 54.

[0024] 1.2b. Return Roller The return roller 23 is a roller provided for changing the direction of the conveyed object W and conveying it after turning it back. In this embodiment, it is used for the turning portion from the first stage to the second stage and the turning portion from the second stage to the third stage. The specific form of the return roller 23 is not particularly limited, and known free rollers can be cited.

[0025] 1.2c. Nozzle The nozzle 24 is a member that is disposed to face the conveyance path (conveyed object W) and injects air from the air supply portion 11 toward the conveyed object W. An external perspective view of the nozzle 24 is shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a view from a perspective where the side facing the conveyance path (conveyed object W) can be seen. Also, cross-sections of the nozzle 24 along the conveyance path (in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the conveyed object W) are shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the nozzle 24 is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member and has a blowout port 24a for blowing out the air introduced from the pipe 25 to the inside. In this embodiment, the blowout port 24a is a slit extending in the width direction of the conveyance path (width direction of the conveyed object W). Also, in this embodiment, as can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 5, the air is injected toward the conveyed object W such that the blowout port 24a is inclined upstream in the conveyance direction. Thereby, the injected air forms a countercurrent with respect to the conveyance direction, enabling efficient drying.

[0026] Also, in this embodiment, the nozzle 24 is disposed at a position opposite to the conveying roller 22 with the conveyance path (conveyed object W) interposed therebetween. Thereby, by the injection of air from the nozzle 24, the conveyed object W can be pressed against the conveying roller 22, and the posture maintenance and conveyance stability of the conveyed object W can be enhanced. In this embodiment, as described above, the conveyed material W is conveyed while being folded back in three stages in the vertical direction within the drying section 21. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in the first and third stages, air is jetted downward from the nozzle 24 to press the conveyed material W against the conveying roller 22. On the other hand, in the second stage, as shown in FIG. 5, air is jetted upward from the nozzle 24 to press the conveyed material W against the conveying roller 22.

[0027] 1.2d. Pipe The pipe 25 is a pipe that connects the air outlet 13a provided in the air blowing section 13 of the supply section 11 and the nozzle 24 to send air from the supply section 11 to the nozzle 24. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipe 25 is represented by a dotted line for easy viewing. The specific form of the pipe 25 is not particularly limited, and a known pipe can be used.

[0028] 1.2e. Form of the drying section As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the conveyance path is folded back in three stages in the vertical direction within the drying section 21, and the conveyed material W is conveyed here. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first and second three-stage folded conveyance paths are arranged in the width direction of the conveyance path. The first three-stage folded conveyance path is a conveyance path for drying the coating material W2 disposed on one surface of the metal foil W1, and the second three-stage folded conveyance path is a conveyance path for drying the coating material W2 disposed on the other surface of the metal foil W1 of the conveyed material in which the coating material W2 is laminated on one surface of the metal foil W1. Therefore, the conveyed material W that exits the first three-stage folded conveyance path is reversed and coated with the coating material before entering the second three-stage folded conveyance path. The said inversion and coating are performed by known apparatuses and methods. As a result, the conveyed material W with the coating material W2 laminated on both surfaces of the metal foil W1 is obtained. The basic concept of the first three-stage folded conveyance path and the second three-stage folded conveyance path is the same as described above.

[0029] 1.3. Exhaust section The exhaust section 31 is a part that exhausts the exhaust from the drying section 21 to the outside. The specific form of the exhaust section 31 is not particularly limited, and a known form can be applied.

[0030] 2. Flow of drying gas (air) The drying device 10 operates as follows. The blower provided in the air supply section 11 of the air supply unit 13 operates, and air flows in from the air supply port 12a. The air flowing in from the air supply port 12a is heated in the heating section 12, enters the air supply section 13, flows out from the air supply port 13a, and flows into the pipe 28 of the drying section 21.

[0031] 2.1. Conveyance of the conveyed object In the drying section 21, the conveyed object W is conveyed along the conveyance path by the conveyance rollers 22 and the turning rollers 23. In this embodiment, it is conveyed so as to be turned in three stages. The turning conveyance from the first stage to the second stage and the turning conveyance from the second stage to the third stage are changed in direction by the turning roller 23, and the straight sections of each stage are conveyed by the conveyance rollers 22.

[0032] 2.2. Drying of the conveyed object On the other hand, air is distributed to each nozzle 24 by the pipe 25, and air is jetted from each nozzle 24 toward the coating material W2 of the conveyed object W to dry the coating material W2. As described above, in this embodiment, in the first stage and the third stage, as shown in FIG. 3, air is jetted downward from the nozzle 24 to press the conveyed object W against the conveyance roller 22. On the other hand, in the second stage, as shown in FIG. 5, air is jetted upward from the nozzle 24 to press the conveyed object W against the conveyance roller 22. Thus, by jetting air from the nozzle 24, the conveyed object W can be pressed against the conveyance roller 22, and the posture maintenance and conveyance stability of the conveyed object W can be improved.

[0033] The air jetted from the nozzle 27 to dry the conveyed object W flows out from both sides in the width direction of the conveyed object W (the width direction of the conveyance path), as can be seen from FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, flows toward the exhaust section 31, reaches the exhaust section 31, and is exhausted.

[0034] Also, according to this embodiment, as described above, due to the temperature change in the drying section 21, the change in the parallelism of the conveyance roller 22 can also be suppressed to a small level, so problems such as meandering of the conveyed object W can be suppressed, and smooth drying is possible.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0035] 10 Drying device 11 Air supply section 21 Drying section 22 Conveyor roller 23 Return roller 24 Nozzle 25 Pipe 31 Exhaust section 50 Holding member 60 Column

Claims

Claim 1 A drying apparatus comprising a conveyance path having a plurality of conveyance rollers inside, the plurality of conveyance rollers are held by holding members that respectively hold both ends of the conveyance rollers, and are arranged in a first direction, the holding members include a frame portion A that holds one end of the conveyance roller in the rotation axis direction, a frame portion B that holds the other end of the conveyance roller in the rotation axis direction, a frame portion C and a frame portion D that are arranged so as to span the frame portion A and the frame portion B, the frame portion C and the frame portion D are separated in the first direction, the frame portion D is provided with a long hole having the first direction as the longitudinal direction, the long hole is arranged between the frame portion A and the frame portion B, the frame portion C is fixed, the frame portion D is movable in the first direction, a drying apparatus.

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