Electrolyte injection apparatus

Abstract

The disclosed electrolyte injection apparatus comprises: a carrier configured such that a plurality of battery containers are aligned and installed therein; a vacuum chamber in which the carrier is accommodated so as to be able to move therein; and injection nozzles which pass through the upper surface of the vacuum chamber and are fixed, and which are configured to discharge an electrolyte so as to supply same to the battery containers.

Description

Electrolyte injection device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electrolyte injection device.

[0002] A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, and a bare cell comprising an electrolyte impregnated in the electrode assembly. A secondary battery is typically manufactured by inserting the electrode assembly into a can or the like, injecting the electrolyte, and then sealing the can to complete the secondary battery assembly.

[0003] To increase production volume in the secondary battery injection process, a carrier / chamber type injection method is being used. When injecting electrolyte using this carrier / chamber method, electrolyte leakage can contaminate the vacuum chamber and the carrier top plate, potentially generating electrolyte salts. These electrolyte salts can act as an obstacle when the carrier and vacuum chamber are in close contact, causing electrolyte to leak out rather than enter the bare cell when the vacuum is broken for electrolyte injection.

[0004] Therefore, maintenance costs such as periodic carrier washing and vacuum chamber cleaning are incurred to remove contamination caused by electrolyte salts, and manufacturing efficiency may be reduced during bare cell production due to insufficient electrolyte injection amount, increased electrolyte consumption, etc.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electrolyte injection device capable of minimizing contamination caused by electrolyte during electrolyte injection in a secondary battery injection process and maintaining a constant, low vacuum level within a vacuum chamber while performing injection.

[0006] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the problems described above and can be expanded in various ways within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention.

[0007] An electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment includes a carrier configured to align and mount a plurality of battery containers, a vacuum chamber in which the carrier is accommodated so as to be movable therein, and an injection nozzle fixedly disposed to penetrate an upper surface of the vacuum chamber and configured to discharge an electrolyte and supply it to the battery containers.

[0008] The injection nozzle may protrude from the upper surface of the vacuum chamber toward the interior of the vacuum chamber.

[0009] Some of the injection nozzles may be located inside the vacuum chamber and others may be located outside the vacuum chamber.

[0010] The injection nozzle includes a plurality of injection nozzles, and the number of the plurality of injection nozzles may be less than the number of the plurality of battery containers.

[0011] The plurality of injection nozzles may be arranged along a first direction parallel to the entry direction of the carrier, and the plurality of battery containers may be arranged along the first direction.

[0012] The plurality of injection nozzles include mxn injection nozzles along a first direction parallel to the entry direction of the carrier and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the plurality of battery containers include pxq battery containers along the first direction and the second direction, wherein m, n, p, and q are positive integers, m is less than p, and n and q may be equal. The p may be a multiple of m.

[0013] The carrier may include a lower carrier portion on which the plurality of battery containers are mounted and an upper carrier portion positioned above the battery containers, and the upper carrier portion may include a liquid injection hopper that is vertically penetrated to communicate with the interior of the battery containers and is configured to correspond to the injection nozzle.

[0014] The distance from the discharge port of the injection nozzle to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber may be greater than the height from the bottom surface of the carrier to the top of the injection hopper.

[0015] It may further include a time control valve that is connected to the above injection nozzle and controls opening and closing in units of time to adjust the amount of electrolyte to be injected.

[0016] The carrier may further include a carrier driving unit that provides driving force to move the carrier within the vacuum chamber.

[0017] According to the electrolyte injection device according to the embodiment, contamination caused by electrolyte during electrolyte injection can be minimized by removing the contaminated portion of the upper portion of the carrier accommodating the battery container and the electrolyte injection port of the vacuum chamber.

[0018] By connecting a time control valve to the electrolyte injection nozzle and controlling the amount of electrolyte injected, the vacuum level inside the vacuum chamber can be maintained at a low and constant level while injecting the electrolyte, and the cost of the vacuum pump and related consumables for maintaining a high vacuum state can be saved.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment.

[0020] Fig. 2 is an enlarged drawing of the injection nozzle in the electrolyte injection device shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state before injection in an electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the state of an electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 is a side view of Figure 5.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the completion state of the electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 8 is a side view of Figure 7.

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description have been omitted to clearly explain the present invention, and the same reference numerals have been used throughout the specification to refer to the same or similar components. In addition, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size.

[0028] The attached drawings are only intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0029] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0030] Furthermore, when we say that a layer, membrane, region, plate, or other part is "above" or "on" another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly above" the other part, but also cases where there are other parts in between. Conversely, when we say that a part is "directly above" another part, we mean that there are no other parts in between. Furthermore, saying that a part is "above" or "on" a reference part means that it is located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean that it is located "above" or "on" the opposite direction of gravity.

[0031] Throughout the specification, terms such as "comprises" or "has" should be understood to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but not to exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Therefore, when a part is said to "comprise" a certain component, this does not mean that other components are excluded, but rather that other components may be included, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0032] Additionally, throughout the specification, when we say "in plan", we mean when the target portion is viewed from above, and when we say "in cross section", we mean when the target portion is viewed from the side in a cross-section cut vertically.

[0033] Additionally, throughout the specification, when we say "connected," this does not only mean that two or more components are directly connected, but also that two or more components are indirectly connected through other components, that they are electrically connected as well as physically connected, or that they are referred to by different names depending on location or function but are one.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an injection nozzle in the electrolyte injection device shown in FIG. 1.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, an electrolyte injection device (100) according to the present embodiment includes a carrier (120) accommodated inside a vacuum chamber (110), and a plurality of battery containers (80) may be mounted on the carrier (120). An injection nozzle (130) for discharging an electrolyte may be fixed to the upper surface of the vacuum chamber (110). The injection nozzle (130) is fixed so as to penetrate the upper surface of the vacuum chamber (110), and the electrolyte discharged through the injection nozzle (130) may be supplied to the battery container (80).

[0036] The carrier (120) includes an upper carrier part (121) and a lower carrier part (123). A liquid hopper (125) may be arranged on the upper carrier part (121) and a battery container (80) may be mounted on the lower carrier part (123). The liquid hoppers (125) may be formed in multiple numbers and arranged on the upper part of the battery container (80). Each of the multiple liquid hoppers (125) may be configured to penetrate vertically and correspond to each of the multiple battery containers (80). The battery container (80) may be opened upward and communicate with the interior of the liquid hopper (125). The carrier (120) may have multiple battery containers (80) and liquid hoppers (125) arranged two-dimensionally in the vertical, left, and right directions (see FIG. 3).

[0037] The injection nozzle (130) may protrude inwardly from the upper surface of the vacuum chamber (110). A portion of the injection nozzle (130) fixed to penetrate the upper surface of the vacuum chamber (110) may be located inside the vacuum chamber (110), and another portion may be located outside the vacuum chamber (110). A portion of the injection nozzle (130) located inside the vacuum chamber (110) may include a discharge port (131) through which the electrolyte is discharged.

[0038] The vacuum chamber (110) has a roughly rectangular shape, and an openable door (112) may be installed on one side thereof. Through this door (112), a carrier (120) equipped with a battery container (80) may enter the vacuum chamber (110). The height of the vacuum chamber (110) may be set so that the injection hopper (125) disposed on the upper carrier (120) and the injection nozzle (130) protruding into the interior of the vacuum chamber (110) do not interfere with each other when the carrier (120) moves within the vacuum chamber (110). Accordingly, the distance from the discharge port (131) of the injection nozzle (130) to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber (110) may be formed to be greater than the height from the bottom surface of the carrier (120) to the top of the injection hopper (125).

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, the injection hopper (125) may include a buffer portion (125a) as a space for storing electrolyte therein. The injection hopper (125) may include an upper injection port opened upwardly from the buffer portion (125a) and a lower injection port opened downwardly from the buffer portion (125a). The upper injection port of the buffer portion (125a) may correspond to the discharge port (131) of the injection nozzle (130), and the lower injection port of the buffer portion (125a) may correspond to the upper opening of the battery container (80).

[0040] The battery container (80) may be formed as a cylindrical secondary battery can, and a jelly roll-shaped electrode assembly (not shown) including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode may be accommodated inside the battery container (80). In the present embodiment, a cylindrical secondary battery is illustrated and described as an example, but the invention is not limited thereto, and the battery container may be a square secondary battery can.

[0041] The injection nozzle (130) can be connected to a reservoir (not shown) storing the electrolyte and can be supplied with the electrolyte. The injection nozzle (130) can be connected to a pump or valve that discharges the electrolyte and can perform the function of discharging the electrolyte.

[0042] When a valve is connected to the injection nozzle (130), a time control valve (135) can be connected, and the time control valve (135) can control opening and closing in units of time and adjust the amount of electrolyte to be injected. The time control valve (135) can control on / off in units of microseconds, and can configure the equipment more simply, intuitively, and at a lower cost compared to when a pump is connected. When using the time control valve (135), in order to improve the distribution of the electrolyte discharge amount, the vacuum level in the vacuum chamber (110) must be lowered. However, the lower the vacuum level, the lower the level at which the electrolyte is immersed in the jelly roll-type electrode assembly, and therefore, it can be used under conditions between -93 kPa and -87 kPa.

[0043] In the electrolyte injection device (100) according to the present embodiment, the number of injection nozzles (130) may be smaller than the number of injection hoppers (125). The number of injection nozzles (130) arranged along a first direction (x-axis direction in the drawing) parallel to the entry direction of the carrier (120) is smaller than the number of injection hoppers (125) arranged along the first direction. The injection nozzles (130) are fixed to the vacuum chamber (110), and the carrier (120) can be moved inside the vacuum chamber (110) while the battery container (80) is mounted thereon. Therefore, the carrier (120) can sequentially move while injecting the electrolyte into the battery container (80) as many as the number of injection nozzles (130) at a time.

[0044] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state before injection in an electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 3.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrolyte injection device (100) according to the present embodiment may include m injection nozzles (130) along a first direction (x-axis direction in the drawing) and n injection nozzles (130) along a second direction (y-axis direction in the drawing) perpendicular thereto (wherein m and n are positive integers). Therefore, the electrolyte injection device (100) may include m x n injection nozzles (130), for example, 3 x 12 as illustrated. The carrier (120) may include p battery containers (80) along the first direction and q battery containers (80) along the second direction (wherein p and q are positive integers). Therefore, the carrier (120) may include p x q battery containers (80), for example, 12 x 12 as illustrated. Additionally, the number of liquid hoppers (125) arranged in the lower carrier section (123) may be the same as the number of battery containers (80), for example, 12 x 12 as shown.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the number m of injection nozzles (130) along the first direction may be smaller than the number p of battery containers (80) along the first direction. In this case, p may be a multiple of m. In addition, the number n of injection nozzles (130) along the second direction may be the same as the number q of battery containers (80) along the second direction. Accordingly, the carrier (120) may move along the first direction within the vacuum chamber (110), and the electrolyte discharged from the injection nozzle (130) may be injected into the battery container (80).

[0047] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in order to inject electrolyte into a battery container (80) using an electrolyte injection device (100) according to the present embodiment, the door (112) of the vacuum chamber (110) is opened to allow the carrier (120) equipped with the battery container (80) to enter in the first direction (x-axis direction in the drawing). At this time, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber (110) is the atmospheric pressure (P) outside the vacuum chamber (110).atm ) is the same as .

[0048] Within the vacuum chamber (110), the carrier (120) can be moved to position the first row of injection nozzles (130) so that they correspond to the first row of the battery container (80). In this state, the door (112) can be closed, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber (110) can be lowered, and then the injection nozzle (130) can be operated to inject the electrolyte into the battery container (80).

[0049] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an injection state in an electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a side view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an injection completion state in an electrolyte injection process using an electrolyte injection device according to one embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a side view of Fig. 7.

[0050] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, when the door (112) is closed and the injection process is performed, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber (110) is equal to the external atmospheric pressure (P atm ) can be maintained lower than that. In this state, the electrolyte can be injected into the battery containers (80) as many as the number of injection nozzles (130) at a time, and the carrier (120) can be moved in the first direction (x-axis direction in the drawing) for the next process. At this time, the carrier (120) can be moved so that the battery containers (80) move m at a time, which is the number (number of rows) of injection nozzles (130) in the first direction.

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the number p (number of rows) of battery containers (80) mounted on the carrier (120) in the first direction can be a multiple of m, which is the number of injection nozzles (130) in the first direction. Accordingly, the injection process can be completed without any rows of injection nozzles (130) or battery containers (80) remaining in the final injection process.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, the description of the invention, and the attached drawings, and it is obvious that this also falls within the scope of the present invention.

[0053] -Explanation of the symbol-

[0054] 100: Electrolyte injection device

[0055] 110: Vacuum chamber

[0056] 112: Door

[0057] 120: Carrier

[0058] 121: Upper carrier section

[0059] 123: Lower carrier section

[0060] 125: Liquid Hopper

[0061] 130: Injection nozzle

[0062] 135: Time control valve

Claims

1. A carrier configured to have a plurality of battery containers aligned and mounted; a vacuum chamber in which the carrier is accommodated so as to be movable within; and An injection nozzle fixed to penetrate the upper surface of the vacuum chamber and configured to discharge an electrolyte and supply it to the battery container. An electrolyte injection device comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, An electrolyte injection device, wherein the injection nozzle protrudes from the upper surface of the vacuum chamber toward the interior of the vacuum chamber.

3. In paragraph 2, An electrolyte injection device, wherein some of the injection nozzles are located inside the vacuum chamber and others are located outside the vacuum chamber.

4. In paragraph 1, The above injection nozzle comprises a plurality of injection nozzles, An electrolyte injection device, wherein the number of the plurality of injection nozzles is less than the number of the plurality of battery containers.

5. In paragraph 4, The above plurality of injection nozzles are arranged along a first direction parallel to the entry direction of the carrier, An electrolyte injection device wherein the plurality of battery containers are arranged along the first direction.

6. In paragraph 4, The above plurality of injection nozzles include mxn injection nozzles along a first direction parallel to the entry direction of the carrier and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, The above plurality of battery containers include pxq battery containers along the first direction and the second direction, m, n, p, q are positive integers, An electrolyte injection device where m is less than p and n and q are equal.

7. In paragraph 6, An electrolyte injection device, wherein the above p is a multiple of m.

8. In paragraph 1, The carrier comprises a lower carrier portion on which the plurality of battery containers are mounted and an upper carrier portion positioned above the battery containers, An electrolyte injection device, wherein the upper carrier section is penetrated vertically and communicates with the interior of the battery container and includes a liquid injection hopper configured to correspond to the injection nozzle.

9. In paragraph 8, An electrolyte injection device, wherein the distance from the discharge port of the injection nozzle to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber is greater than the height from the bottom surface of the carrier to the top of the injection hopper.

10. In paragraph 1, An electrolyte injection device further comprising a time control valve that is connected to the above injection nozzle and controls opening and closing by time unit to adjust the amount of electrolyte to be injected.

11. In paragraph 1, An electrolyte injection device further comprising a carrier driving unit that provides a driving force to move the carrier within the vacuum chamber.

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