Battery manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing device for a battery capable of further suppressing dispersion of fume, etc., which may occur when welding a case and a lid body, and a manufacturing method of the battery.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a manufacturing method 10 for a battery comprising a lid body 3 closing an opening 5 formed on a top face 4 of a battery case 2 of a bottomed cylindrical body. The manufacturing device 10 includes: a device main body 11 in which a weld stage 12 is provided; and a transfer mechanism 14 in which the battery case 2 is held by a jig 13 and transferred to the weld stage 12. The manufacturing device 10 also includes: a laser welding section 15 which performs laser welding on the lid body 3 to a welding portion of the opening 5; an ejection device 16 which is provided in the device main body 11 and includes an ejection hole 17 from which an inert gas is ejected toward the welding portion; an exhaust port 18 by which the inert gas is collected and exhausted at a higher side than the ejection hole 17; and an atmosphere opening port 19 for introducing air between the ejection hole 17 and the jig 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery manufacturing apparatus. Place Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional battery manufacturing device is known in which a battery lid is placed over an opening formed on the top surface of a bottomed, rectangular cylindrical battery case into which an electrolyte or the like is poured, and then the battery lid is sealed by laser welding (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5849804 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When laser welding is performed, fumes, soot, spatter, etc. (hereinafter referred to as fumes, etc.) are dispersed around the welded area. The dispersed fumes, etc. adhere to the area around the welded area and degrade the appearance quality of the battery. For this reason, in conventional battery manufacturing equipment, when the battery case and the battery lid are laser-welded, fumes and the like are collected and exhausted together with the inert gas supplied to the welding point to prevent them from diffusing. However, even with this configuration, fumes and the like may not be sufficiently collected, and may end up adhering to the periphery of the welded portion as defective products, and further improvement is therefore required. Therefore, the present invention provides a battery manufacturing method that can further suppress the diffusion of fumes and the like that occur when welding a case and a lid. Place The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The battery manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a battery manufacturing apparatus provided with a lid that covers an opening formed on the top surface of a bottomed cylindrical battery case, and is characterized by comprising an apparatus main body provided with a welding stage, a transport mechanism that holds the battery case with a jig and transports it to the welding stage, a laser welding section that laser welds the lid that covers the opening at the welding section, an injection device provided in the apparatus main body and having an ejection hole that ejects gas toward the welding section, an exhaust port above the ejection hole that exhausts the gas, and an air opening that introduces air between the ejection hole and the jig. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, a battery manufacturing method can be provided that can further suppress the diffusion of fumes and the like that are generated when welding a case and a lid. Place Provided.

[0007] Specifically, the air introduced through the open air port is drawn in by the jet of gas and carried around. Therefore, fumes and other substances generated at the welded area are collected by a sufficient amount of air in addition to the gas and exhausted from the exhaust port. This reduces the risk of defective products adhering to the area around the welded area, improving the appearance quality.

[0008] In addition, gases and air containing fumes are collected at the exhaust port and captured (collected) in one place, which makes maintenance easier. The gas and air flow in the same direction, so the manufacturing equipment can easily deflect the plume generated by welding in the desired direction, preventing absorption and scattering of the laser welding light, thereby further improving the welding quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating the overall configuration of a battery manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a main part of the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 3]3 is a cross-sectional view of the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a partially enlarged view illustrating the configuration of part IV in FIG. 3 in the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 4, showing the ratio of the flow velocity of the flow field to the inert gas ejection velocity, in the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing velocity distribution vectors of part VI in FIG. 5, which shows the air flow velocity, in the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the flow of air in the battery manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart showing steps in a method for manufacturing a battery according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a view of a battery manufacturing apparatus according to Modification 1, which corresponds to FIG. 4 in Modification 1. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a view of a battery manufacturing apparatus according to Modification 2, which corresponds to FIG. 4 in Modification 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The manufacturing method of the battery of the present invention will be described below. Place An embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. FIG. 1 shows a battery manufacturing apparatus 10 according to a basic embodiment of the present invention. The batteries manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 10 are mainly secondary batteries 1. The secondary battery 1 has a cylindrical battery case 2 with a bottom, battery elements such as an electrolyte solution housed inside the battery case 2, and a lid 3. The battery case 2 has an opening 5 formed in the top surface 4. The opening 5 has a ring-shaped periphery 5a (see FIG. 4) that is approximately the same size as the outer periphery of the lid 3 and serves as a welding portion. The outer peripheral edge of the lid 3 is then laser-welded along substantially the entire circumference to the peripheral edge 5a of the opening 5. As a result, the opening 5 of the battery case 2 is closed by the lid 3, and the electrolyte filled inside is sealed to prevent leakage.

[0011] The battery manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes an apparatus main body 11 provided with a welding stage 12, and a transport mechanism 14 that holds the battery case 2 with a jig 13 and transports it to the welding stage 12. The manufacturing apparatus 10 also includes a laser welding unit 15 and a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls laser welding and air intake and exhaust in the welding process (described later), or the movement of the jig 13 in the transport process. The device body 11 has a pair of left and right intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b, and a welding stage 12 provided between these intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b. On the welding stage 12, a rail section 14a, which is part of a transport mechanism 14, is laid parallel to the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b.

[0012] The jig 13 is formed with a holding recess 13b (see FIG. 3) that opens to the top side. The holding recess 13b holds the battery case 2 with the top surface 4 facing upward. In the held state, the periphery 5a of the opening 5 protrudes upward from the top surface 13c of the jig 13 (see FIG. 4). In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a chamfered portion 13d is formed at the corner where the side surface 13a and the top surface 13c of the jig 13 intersect.

[0013] The transport mechanism 14 has a rail section 14a that transports the jig 13 holding the battery case 2 from the stage preceding the welding stage 12 between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b arranged symmetrically on the left and right, and a slider 14b that slides against the rail section 14a. When the transport mechanism 14 is operated under the control of the control unit, the jig 13 mounted on the slider 14b moves along the rail portion 14a between the stages of each process.

[0014] In the transport mechanism 14, the jig 13 is carried along the rail portion 14a into between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b and reaches the welding stage 12. The battery case 2, which has been carried into the welding stage 12 together with the jig 13, is placed below the laser welded portion 15 and stopped with the opening 5 of the top surface 4, which is the welded portion, facing upward.

[0015] The welding stage 12 is provided with a laser welding section 15 that irradiates a laser beam 15a from above between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b. The laser welding portion 15 is formed by irradiating a laser beam onto the upper surface 4 of the battery case 2 held by a jig 13 transported between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b. The control unit adjusts the irradiation energy and irradiation position of the laser beam 15a. As a result, the lid 3 is laser-welded to the periphery 5a of the opening 5, which is the welding portion.

[0016] 2, the manufacturing apparatus 10 is also equipped with an injection device 16. The injection device 16 has ejection holes 17 in the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b of the apparatus main body 11 via joint parts 16a connected to the injection device 16. The ejection holes 17 are formed in the opposing surfaces of the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b. In this embodiment, the ejection holes 17 are formed as slits with their longitudinal direction aligned horizontally. The longitudinal length of the ejection holes 17 is configured to eject the inert gas as gas toward the entire welding area across substantially the entire width of the intake and exhaust blocks 11 a and 11 b.

[0017] 3, the injector 16 ejects the inert gas (such as N2 gas) supplied from the rear surface opposite the opposing surfaces 11c and 11d horizontally toward the periphery 5a of the opening 5 so as to be parallel to the top surface 4 of the battery case 2. In this embodiment, the gas is ejected from two opposing ejection holes 17, 17 so as to sandwich the top surface 4. The ejection holes 17 are set so as to be at the same height as or slightly higher than the top surface 13c of the jig 13 (see FIG. 4). In the manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the inert gas ejected from the ejection holes 17 of each of the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b travels horizontally and straight along the upper surface 13c of the jig 13. The inert gas is configured to laterally contact the peripheral edge 5a of the opening 5 to which the lid 3 is laser-welded by the laser beam 15a.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the manufacturing apparatus 10 is provided with an air opening 19 for introducing air between the ejection holes 17 and the jig 13. The atmosphere open port 19 communicates with an introduction path 20 that introduces the atmosphere along the side surface 13a of the jig 13. The introduction path 20 has a gap 21 formed between the jig 13 and the injection device 16. In addition, the atmosphere open port 19 in this embodiment is open to the atmosphere, and external air is introduced from the gap 21 through the atmosphere open port 19 and the introduction path 20 to the front of the ejection hole 17.

[0019] The gap 21 is set to a predetermined size. In this embodiment, the gap 21 is set to a predetermined size. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the size a of the gap 21 is set to a few to several tens of mm, and more preferably, a is set to about 3 mm. Therefore, when the jig 13 is carried into the welding stage 12 between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b along the rail portion 14a, the jig 13 does not interfere with the periphery of the ejection holes 17, 17. Furthermore, the cross section of the most downstream side of the introduction path 20 is a flow path with a tapered shape. In this way, the flow path with a tapered shape prevents the flow from stagnating in the introduction path 20. That is, a passive flow is generated from the gap 21 between the jig 13 and the inert gas due to the entrainment effect of the flow of the inert gas. This eliminates the need for additional equipment to generate a jet flow or the like, thereby suppressing increases in manufacturing costs.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b is provided with an exhaust port 18. The exhaust port 18 has dust collection openings 18a and 18b on the opposing surfaces 11c and 11d of the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b, respectively. The dust collection openings 18a and 18b are formed above the ejection holes 17, 17 of the respective injection devices 16, 16. Dust collection openings 18a, 18b are connected to exhaust ducts 18c, 18d (see FIG. 1) that exhaust air from rear surfaces 11e, 11f on the opposite sides of opposing surfaces 11c, 11d. Exhaust port 18 captures inert gas from dust collection openings 18a, 18b, collects stirred-up fumes, and exhausts the air from rear surfaces 11e, 11f through exhaust ducts 18c, 18d.

[0021] Next, the effects of the manufacturing method using the battery manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 10 operates the transport mechanism 14 under the control of the control unit, and starts the manufacturing process of Fig. 8. In step S1, the jig 13 is moved along the rail portion 14a to the welding stage 12 for the welding process. The jig 13 holds the battery case 2 having the opening 5 as the welding portion.

[0022] In step S2, as shown in FIG. 3, each injector 16 injects the inert gas from the injection holes 17 toward the periphery 5a of the opening 5 (see FIG. 4) along the upper surface (injection step). In step S3, air entrained in the ejected inert gas is introduced from the atmosphere open port 19 through the introduction path 20 from below to above (introduction step). The air introduced through the open-air port 19 is ejected through the gap 21 and is entrained in the inert gas, as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the inert gas containing the introduced air passes parallel to the upper surface 13c of the jig 13, reaches the periphery 5a of the opening 5, and is then blown upward. Of these, Fig. 5 shows the ratio of the flow velocity of the flow field to the ejection flow velocity of the inert gas. Then, in step S4, the joining portion between the peripheral edge 5a of the opening 5 and the lid 3 is laser-welded by irradiating the joining portion with laser light 15a of the laser weld 15 from directly above (laser welding step).

[0023] Fumes and the like generated at the joint between the peripheral edge 5a and the lid 3 are collected by a sufficient amount of air introduced through the air opening 19 in addition to the inert gas. As a result, in step S5, fumes and the like contained in the inert gas and air are efficiently collected and exhausted through the dust collection openings 18a and 18b of the exhaust port 18 as shown in FIG. 5 (exhaust step). Therefore, the risk of defective products adhering to the periphery of the welded portion is reduced, and the appearance quality can be improved.

[0024] Furthermore, inert gas and air containing fumes are collected at the exhaust port 18 and trapped (collected) in one place, which improves the ease of maintenance work. As shown in Figure 6, the flow direction of the inert gas and the air introduced through the air vent 19 are the same. This allows the plume generated by welding to be easily deflected in the desired direction. This prevents the laser beam from being absorbed or scattered during laser welding.

[0025] For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the jig 13 and the device main body 11 that forms the ejection holes 17 can be configured as separate members that can move relative to each other. This allows the jig 13 to be transported and moved, and injection of electrolyte into the battery case 2 and assembly of the lid 3, etc. can be performed in a separate stage, such as a pre-processing stage. Therefore, on the welding stage 12, assembly work is reduced and does not interfere with the laser welded portion 15, and the space above the jig 13 can be used more efficiently.

[0026] Furthermore, in the welding stage 12, a gap 21 is formed between the jig 13 and the nozzle hole 17. The air from the atmosphere opening port 19 is drawn out from the gap 21 and is caught up in the jet of inert gas ejected from the ejection hole 17 due to the entrainment effect, and is carried around. The inert gas is then exhausted together with air from exhaust port 18 located above the same opposing surface as nozzle 17. At this time, fumes and the like generated at the welding site are collected by a sufficient amount of air in addition to the inert gas, rise, and are exhausted from exhaust port 18. Therefore, the risk of defective products adhering to the periphery of the welded portion is reduced, and the appearance quality can be improved. 7, the manufacturing apparatus 10 can prevent absorption and scattering of the laser welding light irradiated from the laser welded portion 15 from directly above downward. This improves the degree of freedom in the position and angle of the laser light 15a irradiated from the laser welded portion 15. This further improves the welding quality. In this way, the battery manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment Place This makes it possible to further suppress the diffusion of fumes and the like that are generated when the battery case 2 and the lid 3 of the secondary battery 1 are welded together.

[0027] In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a chamfered portion 13d is formed at the corner where the side surface 13a and the top surface 13c of the jig 13 intersect. As shown in Fig. 6, the air entrained in the inert gas ejected from the ejection holes 17 is introduced more smoothly when passing through the introduction path 20 and the gap 21. This makes it easier to obtain a sufficient amount of air, improving the efficiency of capturing fumes and the like.

[0028] Furthermore, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the gap 21 is set to a predetermined size. Therefore, when the jig 13 is carried into the welding stage 12 between the intake and exhaust blocks 11a and 11b along the rail portion 14a, the jig 13 does not interfere with the periphery of the ejection holes 17, 17. In addition, a certain gap 21 is provided between the jig 13 and the spray device 16. This makes it possible to prevent fumes from leaking to the outside by utilizing the entrainment effect of the jet of inert gas ejected from the ejection holes 17. Therefore, the jig 13 can be smoothly moved between each stage. Moreover, in the manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, air introduction paths 20 are formed between the jig 13 and each of the intake and exhaust blocks 11a, 11b by providing gaps 21 that prevent interference. Therefore, there is no need to form a separate air passage, and no need for a power source such as an air pump, etc. Therefore, the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 10 can be simplified.

[0029] 9 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a battery manufacturing apparatus according to Modification 1 of the embodiment, which corresponds to Fig. 4 of the embodiment. Parts that are the same as or equivalent to those of the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described. 9 has a horizontal step portion 24 formed on a side surface 23a that forms the introduction path 30. Therefore, the introduction path 30 that connects the atmosphere opening port 29 and the gap 21 is formed to have a substantially L-shape.

[0030] In a battery manufacturing apparatus configured in this manner, air introduced through atmosphere open port 29 passes through gap 21 and is entrained in the inert gas ejected horizontally from ejection holes 17, as shown in Fig. 9. Therefore, a sufficient amount of air introduced through atmosphere open port 29 in addition to the inert gas is able to capture fumes and the like generated at the joints. The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

[0031] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a battery manufacturing apparatus according to Modification 2 of the embodiment, which corresponds to Fig. 4 of the embodiment. Parts that are the same as or equivalent to those of the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described. The jig 33 shown in FIG. 10 has a guide slope 35 formed at the inside corner between a horizontal step portion 34 and a side surface 33a. The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the embodiment and modified example 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0032] In a battery manufacturing apparatus configured in this manner, air introduced horizontally through the atmosphere opening port 39 rises vertically along the introduction path 40, which is formed with the guide slope 35, as shown in Figure 10. The air then passes through the gap 21 and is entrained in the inert gas ejected horizontally from the ejection holes 17. The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

[0033] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments. The present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of its spirit, including appropriate combinations or selections of the configurations described in the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is possible to add or delete parts of the configurations of the above embodiments, or to add or replace other configurations. Possible modifications of the above embodiments include, for example, the following.

[0034] The transport mechanism 14 of this embodiment has rail portions 14a and is configured to transport the battery cases 2 held by the jigs 13 along the rail portions 14a to the welding stage 12. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, any transport mechanism may be used, even if the rail portions 14a are not present, such as a self-propelled cart that transports the battery cases 2 held by the jigs 13 to the welding stage 12. In other words, the shape, quantity, and power of the transport mechanism are not particularly limited as long as it is capable of transporting the battery cases 2 held by the jigs to the welding stage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 Secondary battery (battery) 2 Battery case 3 Lid 4 Top side 5 Opening 11 Device body 12 Welding Stage 13 Jig 14 Transport mechanism 15 Laser welded section 16 Injection device 17 Spout hole 18 Exhaust port 19 Atmospheric opening

Claims

1. A battery manufacturing device provided with a lid that closes an opening formed on an upper surface of a bottomed cylindrical battery case, a device body provided with a welding stage; a transport mechanism that holds the battery case with a jig and transports it to the welding stage; a laser welding section for laser welding a lid body that closes the opening at a welding position; an injection device provided in the device body and having an injection hole for injecting gas toward the welding site; an exhaust port for exhausting gas above the ejection hole; and an air opening port for introducing air between the ejection hole and the jig.

2. 2. The battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas is ejected from the ejection holes horizontally along the top surface of the battery case.

3. 3. The battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air opening is connected to an introduction path that introduces air along a side surface of the jig.

4. 4. The battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the introduction path has a gap formed between the jig and the injector.

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