Electrode Etching Equipment

Abstract

The present invention includes an electrode assembly support roller; and a laser irradiation device; The electrode assembly support roller includes two or more cylindrical roller segments, which are connected to a roller segment in contact with one fixed shaft while being spaced apart from each other, and the laser irradiation device is positioned so as to irradiate a laser beam into a space formed between the cylindrical roller segments, thereby providing an electrode etching device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrode etching apparatus used for etching electrode active materials, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0149907, dated November 3, 2021, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The demand for secondary batteries is rapidly increasing due to the increasing demand for mobile devices, electric vehicles, etc. In particular, lithium secondary batteries, which have high energy density and voltage, have become common and are widely used.

[0004] Lithium secondary batteries are constructed by impregnating an electrolyte containing lithium salt into an electrode assembly in which an active material is coated on a current collector, i.e., an electrode assembly with a porous separator interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The electrode is manufactured by a mixing process in which the active material, binder, and conductive material are mixed / dispersed in a solvent to produce a slurry, a coating process in which the active material slurry is coated on a current collector in the form of a thin film and dried, and a pressing process to increase the capacity density of the electrode after the coating process and improve the adhesion between the current collector and the active material, thereby forming an active material layer on the current collector.

[0005] When the active material slurry is applied to a current collector, a sliding portion where the thickness of the active material layer gradually decreases is formed at the edge of the active material layer, as shown in FIG. 1, resulting in a problem of reduced capacity of the active material layer. Furthermore, when the slurry is applied to both sides of the current collector, mismatching occurs, where the positions of the slurries applied to the top and bottom surfaces do not match. This mismatching causes the active material layers to shift position when the positive and negative electrodes are facing each other, reducing charge and discharge efficiency. In particular, the mismatching portion can cause lithium to deposit on the negative electrode surface, and if this lithium deposition continues for a long period of time, it can result in a decrease in battery capacity.

[0006] Therefore, in order to uniformly form the edges of the active material layer and prevent the formation of sliding portions and / or mismatching portions, a sliding portion etching process is performed. Conventional sliding portion etching is performed using the method shown in Figure 2. That is, an electrode assembly having an electrode active material layer formed on the upper or lower surface or both surfaces of a current collector sheet is transported using a roll-to-roll process, and a laser beam is irradiated from a laser irradiation device attached to the upper or lower surface or both surfaces of the electrode assembly to etch and remove the sliding portion of the electrode active material layer.

[0007] However, this method causes vertical undulations in the electrode assembly 50 located between the rolls, which causes fluctuations in the etching position and leads to poor laser focusing, resulting in frequent etching defects. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-251942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, The present invention provides an electrode etching apparatus that can improve the accuracy of etching (ablation) by stably fixing an electrode assembly to be etched, and can effectively prevent damage to the etching die caused by a laser beam and the resulting damage to the electrode assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides Electrode assembly support rollers; and a laser irradiation device; The electrode assembly support roller includes two or more cylindrical roller segments, and the two or more cylindrical roller segments are attached to a fixed shaft. next The roller segments are spaced apart and connected together. The laser irradiation device provides an electrode etching device positioned so as to irradiate a laser beam into the space formed between the cylindrical roller segments. In one embodiment of the invention, one or more of the cylindrical roller segments have features that allow them to be moved and fixed along a fixed axis.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the one or more movable and fixable cylindrical roller segments may be one cylindrical roller segment located at the outermost edge of one end of the support roller, two cylindrical roller segments located at the outermost edges of both ends of the support roller, or the entire cylindrical roller segment that constitutes the support roller.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the movable and fixable one or more cylindrical roller segments may be movable and fixed to fit the width of the electrode assembly.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed shaft may be a rotating shaft.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the cylindrical roller segments may have one or more suction holes formed on a circumferential surface thereof.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical roller segment having one or more suction holes may be one cylindrical roller segment located at the outermost edge of one end of the support roller, two cylindrical roller segments located at the outermost edges of both ends of the support roller, or the entire cylindrical roller segment constituting the support roller.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the suction holes may be connected to a suction device through an internal space of the cylindrical roller segment.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode etching apparatus may further include a traveling device that allows the electrode assembly to travel around the support roller while forming an interior angle of 70 degrees to 160 degrees.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the traveling facility may include traveling rollers located in front of and behind the support roller with respect to the moving direction of the electrode assembly.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the laser irradiation device may be positioned above an outer surface of an electrode assembly whose inner surface is supported by surface contact with the circumferential surface of the support roller.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser irradiation device may be installed to be movable along an axis parallel to the fixed axis of the cylindrical roller segment.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser irradiation device may be fixed to a guide rail positioned on an axis parallel to the axis of fixing the cylindrical roller segment.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly may have an inner surface formed of a current collector sheet and an outer surface formed of an electrode active material layer.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode etching apparatus may be used to etch an electrode active material layer in an electrode assembly including an electrode active material layer stacked on a current collector sheet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The electrode etching apparatus of the present invention stably fixes the electrode assembly to be etched, thereby improving the accuracy of etching (ablation), and effectively preventing damage to the etching die and the electrode assembly caused by the laser beam, thereby providing excellent etching quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of an electrode assembly. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an embodiment of a conventional electrode assembly etching process. [Figure 3] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating another embodiment of an electrode assembly etching step. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an embodiment of an electrode etching apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of an electrode etching apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of an electrode etching apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an electrode etching apparatus of the present invention in use. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily understand the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The same reference numerals are used throughout the specification to refer to similar parts.

[0027] When a component is said to be "connected to, provided on, or installed on" another component, it should be understood that it can be directly connected to or installed on the other component, but there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected to, provided on, or installed on" another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Meanwhile, other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "on top of" and "directly on top of," or "between" and "immediately between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted similarly.

[0028] 4 and 5 are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view showing an embodiment of the electrode etching apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the electrode etching apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the electrode etching apparatus of the present invention in use.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the electrode etching (ablation) apparatus 100 of the present invention includes an electrode assembly support roller 10 and a laser irradiation device 20. The electrode assembly support roller 10 includes two or more cylindrical roller segments 11, and the two or more cylindrical roller segments 11 are attached to a single fixed shaft 15. next The roller segments 11 are spaced apart and connected to each other. The laser irradiation device 20 is characterized in that it is positioned so as to be able to irradiate a laser beam into the space formed between the cylindrical roller segments 11 .

[0030] The electrode etching apparatus 100 of the present invention is characterized in that the electrode assembly support roller 10 is configured to include two or more cylindrical roller segments 11, thereby preventing damage to the electrode assembly support roller 10 and the resulting electrode assembly, which may occur if the electrode assembly 50 is damaged, as shown in Figure 3(a).Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(b), it is characterized in that it prevents damage to the electrode assembly support roller 10 and the resulting electrode assembly, which may occur if the laser beam passes through the electrode assembly 50 when the output of the laser irradiation device 20 fails to be adjusted.

[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the cylindrical roller segments 11 have a structure that allows them to move and be fixed along a fixed shaft 15. When one or more of the cylindrical roller segments 11 are configured to be movable and fixed as described above, an advantage can be provided that the electrode etching apparatus 100 can be used to accommodate electrode assemblies 50 of various sizes.

[0032] The movable and fixable cylindrical roller segment 11 may be one cylindrical roller segment 11 located at the outermost edge of one end of the support roller 10, or two cylindrical roller segments 11 located at the outermost edges of both ends of the support roller 10, or the entire cylindrical roller segment 11 that constitutes the support roller 10.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the one or more movable and fixable cylindrical roller segments 11 can be movable and fixed according to the width of the electrode assembly 50. That is, since the spacing between the cylindrical roller segments 11 to be irradiated with the laser beam changes depending on the width of the electrode assembly 50, the above configuration makes it possible to adjust the position of the cylindrical roller segments 11 according to such a change.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed shaft 15 may be configured as a rotating shaft. When the fixed shaft 15 is configured as a rotating shaft as described above, the cylindrical roller segments 11 constituting the support roller 10 can rotate, and the electrode assembly 50 being fed can be supported and run more smoothly, which is advantageous.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating shaft may be rotated passively while in contact with the electrode assembly 50 being fed, or may be rotated by a separately provided driving device.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the cylindrical roller segments 11 may be provided with one or more suction holes 12 on the circumferential surface.

[0037] The cylindrical roller segment 11 provided with one or more suction holes may be one cylindrical roller segment 11 located at the outermost edge of one end of the support roller 10, or two cylindrical roller segments 11 located at the outermost edges of both ends of the support roller 10, or the entire cylindrical roller segment 11 that constitutes the support roller 10.

[0038] In the present invention, the electrode assembly 50 may be composed of, for example, a current collector sheet 51 and an electrode active material layer 52 laminated on the upper surface or lower surface, or both the upper and lower surfaces, of the current collector sheet, and the electrode etching apparatus 100 of the present invention may irradiate a laser beam to etch and remove the electrode active material layer 52.

[0039] For example, the electrode etching apparatus 100 of the present invention can be preferably used to etch (ablate) and remove the sliding portion formed at the end of an electrode active material coating, and can also be used to remove the electrode active material from the current collector sheet 51 to form a non-coated portion.

[0040] Therefore, the suction holes 12 can suck and remove the electrode active material particles generated during the removal of the electrode active material, and can also suck and fix the lower surface of the electrode assembly 50.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the suction holes 12 may be connected to a suction device through the internal space of the cylindrical roller segment. At this time, the suction holes 12 may be connected to the suction device by an exhaust pipe. Also, the exhaust pipe may be connected to the suction device by passing through the internal space of the fixed shaft 15, or the internal space of the fixed shaft 15 itself may function as the exhaust pipe.

[0042] The suction holes 12 may be formed on the entire circumferential surface of the cylindrical roller segment 11, but they may be formed in various shapes in consideration of the type of etching object, suction efficiency, etc.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode etching apparatus 100 may further include a traveling device for allowing the electrode assembly 50 to travel around the support roller 10 while forming an interior angle of 70 degrees to 160 degrees, preferably 80 degrees to 130 degrees, and more preferably 85 degrees to 95 degrees, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0044] When the electrode assembly 50 travels while forming the interior angle as described above, the curved surface portion of the electrode assembly 50 forms a large contact area with the support roller 10, which is preferable because the electrode assembly 50 can be more stably supported by the support roller 10.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the traveling facility may include traveling rollers 61 located in front of and behind the support roller 10 based on the moving direction of the electrode assembly.

[0046] The traveling roller 61 may be rotated passively while in contact with the electrode assembly 50 being fed, or may be rotated by a separately provided driving device.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser irradiation device 20 may be positioned above the outer surface of the electrode assembly 50, the inner surface of which is supported by surface contact with the circumferential surface of the support roller 10. That is, the laser irradiation device 20 may irradiate a laser beam onto the electrode assembly 50 at such a position to perform etching.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser irradiation device 20 may be installed to be movable along an axis parallel to the cylindrical roller segment fixing axis 15. That is, in the present invention, a space where the laser beam is irradiated can be formed by the movement of the cylindrical roller segment 11, and it is preferable that the laser irradiation device 20 is movable as described above, since it is easier to set up the electrode etching device 100 to match the size of the electrode assembly 50.

[0049] 4 and 7, the laser irradiation device 20 may be fixed to a guide rail 21 positioned on an axis parallel to the fixed axis of the cylindrical roller segment 11. For example, a protrusion may be formed on one of the guide rail 21 and the laser irradiation device 20, and a guide groove 22 may be formed on the other, so that the laser irradiation device 20 can move by sliding, and these may be coupled to each other to form a sliding portion.

[0050] In the present invention, the laser irradiation device 20 may be any known laser irradiation device that can be used for etching (ablation) of a material without any limitation.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly 50 may have an inner surface formed of a current collector sheet 51 and an outer surface formed of an electrode active material layer 52 .

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode etching apparatus 100 may be used to etch the electrode active material layer 52 in an electrode assembly including the electrode active material layer 52 stacked on a current collector sheet 51.

[0053] In the electrode etching apparatus 100 of the present invention, except for the configuration specified above, various components known in the art can be adopted without limitation, and if the structure of each component included in the electrode etching apparatus 100 also includes the relevant technical features, it can be manufactured with a structure known in the art.

[0054] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments mentioned above, various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10: Electrode assembly support roller 11: Cylindrical roller segment 12: Suction hole 15: Fixed axis 20: Laser irradiation device 21: Guide rail 22: Guide groove 50: Electrode assembly 51: Current collector sheet 52: Electrode active material layer 61: Traveling roller 100: Electrode etching equipment

Claims

1. Electrode assembly support rollers; and a laser irradiation device; the electrode assembly support roller includes two or more cylindrical roller segments, and the two or more cylindrical roller segments are connected to one fixed shaft in a spaced-apart state with an adjacent roller segment; the laser irradiation device is positioned so as to irradiate a laser beam into the space formed between the cylindrical roller segments; one or more of the cylindrical roller segments are movable and fixed along the fixed axis; the one or more movable and fixable cylindrical roller segments are movable and fixed to fit the width of the electrode assembly; the laser irradiation device is positioned above an outer surface of the electrode assembly, the inner surface of which is supported by surface contact with the circumferential surface of the electrode assembly support roller; the laser irradiation device is movably installed along an axis parallel to the fixed axis of the cylindrical roller segment; The electrode assembly has an inner surface formed of a current collector sheet and an outer surface formed of an electrode active material layer, An electrode etching apparatus used to etch and remove a sliding portion formed at an end portion of the electrode active material layer formed on the current collector sheet, where the thickness of the electrode active material layer gradually decreases.

2. 2. The electrode etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more movable and fixable cylindrical roller segments are one cylindrical roller segment located at the outermost edge of one end of the electrode assembly support roller, two cylindrical roller segments located at the outermost edges of both ends of the electrode assembly support roller, or an entire cylindrical roller segment constituting the electrode assembly support roller.

3. 2. The electrode etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fixed shaft is a rotating shaft.

4. 2. The electrode etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the cylindrical roller segments has one or more suction holes formed on a circumferential surface thereof.

5. 5. The electrode etching apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cylindrical roller segment having one or more suction holes is one cylindrical roller segment located at the outermost edge of one end of the electrode assembly support roller, two cylindrical roller segments located at the outermost edges of both ends of the electrode assembly support roller, or the entire cylindrical roller segment constituting the electrode assembly support roller.

6. The electrode etching apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the suction holes are connected to a suction device through an internal space of the cylindrical roller segment.

7. 2. The electrode etching apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a traveling device for allowing the electrode assembly to travel around the electrode assembly support roller while forming an interior angle of 70 degrees to 160 degrees.

8. 8. The electrode etching apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the traveling facility includes traveling rollers positioned in front of and behind the electrode assembly support roller in a moving direction of the electrode assembly.

9. 2. The electrode etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser irradiation device is fixed to a guide rail positioned on an axis parallel to the fixed axis of the cylindrical roller segment.

10. A method for removing a sliding portion of an electrode assembly, the method comprising: Electrode assembly support rollers; and a laser irradiation device; the electrode assembly support roller includes two or more cylindrical roller segments, and the two or more cylindrical roller segments are connected to one fixed shaft in a spaced-apart state with an adjacent roller segment; the laser irradiation device is positioned so as to irradiate a laser beam into the space formed between the cylindrical roller segments; one or more of the cylindrical roller segments are movable and fixed along the fixed axis; the one or more movable and fixable cylindrical roller segments are movable and fixed to fit the width of the electrode assembly; the laser irradiation device is positioned above an outer surface of the electrode assembly, the inner surface of which is supported by surface contact with the circumferential surface of the electrode assembly support roller; The laser irradiation device uses an electrode etching device that is installed movably along an axis parallel to the fixed axis of the cylindrical roller segment, The method comprises: an inner surface of the electrode assembly, the inner surface of which is formed of a current collector sheet and the outer surface of which is formed of an electrode active material layer, being supported by surface contact with a circumferential surface of the electrode assembly support roller; a sliding portion formed at an end of the electrode active material layer, the thickness of which gradually decreases, being positioned in a space formed between the cylindrical roller segments; and the laser beam is directed at the sliding portion to remove the sliding portion from the current collector sheet.

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