Electrode foil manufacturing device and battery

Abstract

An electrode foil manufacturing device (1) comprises a feed section (10), a facing section (20), a guide section (30), and a stirring section (50). The feed section (10) feeds a powder to a sheet-like base material (2). The facing section (20) extends in the width direction of the base material (2), the direction being substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction in which the base material (2) is conveyed. The facing section (20) presses the powder fed by the feed section (10) against the base material (2). The guide section (30) is disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction DR1 with respect to the facing section (20), and guides the powder P fed from the feed section (10) to the base material (2). The stirring section (50) is provided between the facing section (20) and the guide section (30), and stirs the powder P present between the facing section (20) and the guide section (30).

Description

Electrode foil manufacturing equipment and battery

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus and a battery.

[0002] A technique for pressing a powder material onto a substrate using a rolling roll is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] JP 2012-214854 A

[0004] The powder material supplied to the substrate as described in Patent Document 1 is not uniformly pressed onto the substrate with the same thickness. Therefore, it is required to press the powder material onto the substrate as uniformly as possible.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to uniformly compress powder onto a substrate.

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is an electrode foil manufacturing device comprising: a supply unit that supplies powder to a sheet-like substrate; an opposing unit that extends in the width direction of the substrate, approximately perpendicular to the transport direction in which the substrate is transported, and presses the powder supplied by the supply unit against the substrate; a guide unit that is arranged upstream of the opposing unit in the transport direction and guides the powder supplied from the supply unit to the substrate; and a stirring unit that is provided between the opposing unit and the guide unit and stirs the powder present between the opposing unit and the guide unit.

[0007] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a battery having an electrode foil manufactured using the electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention.

[0008] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the powder can be uniformly compressed onto the substrate.

[0009] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of part A shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from above; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the adjustment unit when the pivot unit is open toward the outside in the width direction; FIG. 5 is a graph plotting the relationship between the amount of powder at the end and the pivot angle; FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment; FIG. 7 is a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from above; FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to a modified example; FIG. 9 is a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 8 when viewed from above; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment;

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, similar components are designated by similar reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] <First embodiment> (Electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1) Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of portion A shown in Fig. 1 . The manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described using Figs. 1 and 2 . The manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing electrode foil to be used in a battery. In the first embodiment, a sheet-like substrate 2 is used to manufacture positive and negative electrodes of the battery. In the first embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 conveys the substrate 2, to which an adhesive layer 3 (e.g., an undercoat) has been applied, in a conveying direction DR1, and adheres powder P, which will be described later, to the adhesive layer 3 (substrate 2) and presses the resulting material with a pair of press rolls 90, thereby manufacturing an electrode foil.

[0012] (Supplying Unit 10) As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a supplying unit 10, an opposing unit 20, and a guide unit 30. The supplying unit 10 according to the first embodiment has a housing in which powder P is stored. The powder P according to the first embodiment is a granulated material, and the particle size of the granulated material is 15 μm or more and 110 μm or less. More preferably, it is in the range of 60 μm ± 30 μm. The supplying unit 10 supplies the powder P to the substrate 2 being transported.

[0013] (Facing portion 20) The facing portion 20 according to the first embodiment has a cylindrical shape. The facing portion 20 has a shape extending in the width direction DR2 of the substrate 2. The width direction DR2 is a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction DR1 in which the substrate 2 is conveyed, and is the width direction of the substrate 2. In this specification, the conveying direction DR1 and the width direction DR2 being substantially perpendicular to each other means that the angle between the conveying direction DR1 and the width direction DR2 is between -5° and 5°. The roll-shaped facing portion 20 rotates in the opposite direction to the conveying direction DR1 in a plane perpendicular to the width direction DR2.

[0014] In the first embodiment, the facing unit 20 faces the press roll 90 via the substrate 2. The facing unit 20 presses the substrate 2 against the press roll 90. The facing unit 20 presses the powder P supplied by the supply unit 10 against the substrate 2. The facing unit 20 presses the powder P against the substrate 2 to make the thickness of the powder P adhering to the substrate 2 uniform.

[0015] (Guide section 30) In the first embodiment, the guide section 30 has a plate-like shape. The guide section 30 guides the powder P supplied from the supply section 10 to the substrate 2 being transported in the transport direction DR1. The powder P is carried along the surface of the guide section 30 to the substrate 2 being transported. The guide section 30 is arranged upstream of the facing section 20 in the transport direction DR1. The guide section 30 is arranged upstream of the supply section 10 in the transport direction DR1.

[0016] (Adjustment unit 40) Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 2 when viewed from above. Note that the supply unit 10 and the guide unit 30 are omitted from Figure 3. The manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment further includes an adjustment unit 40. The adjustment unit 40 is provided at the end 21 of the opposing unit 20 in the width direction DR2, and adjusts the amount of powder P guided to the end 21.

[0017] In the first embodiment, the adjustment unit 40 may include a hinge 41, a plate-shaped rotating unit 42, and a plate-shaped fixed unit 43. The fixed unit 43 is provided at the end 21. The rotating unit 42 is rotatable via the hinge 41 in the direction in which the fixed unit 43 extends (the conveying direction DR1). In FIG. 3 , the rotating unit 42 is rotated toward the inside in the width direction DR2 by a rotation angle of θ1. In this way, the adjustment unit 40 according to the first embodiment is configured to be rotatable in the conveying direction DR1.

[0018] 4 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the adjustment unit 40 when the rotation unit 42 is open toward the outside in the width direction DR2. The adjustment unit 40 according to the first embodiment may adjust the amount of powder P guided to the end portion 21 in accordance with the amount of powder P covering the substrate 2. Specifically, the adjustment unit 40 may adjust the amount of powder P guided near the end portion 21 in accordance with so-called deposition (the amount of powder P per unit area on the surface of the substrate 2) near the end portion 21. That is, the adjustment unit 40 according to the first embodiment may adjust the angle at which the rotation unit 42 rotates in accordance with the deposition near the end portion 21.

[0019] For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the rotating unit 42 opens at a rotation angle θ2 toward the outside in the width direction DR2, a large amount of powder P is guided to the end portion 21. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the rotating unit 42 opens at a rotation angle θ1 toward the inside in the width direction DR2, a small amount of powder P is guided to the end portion 21. In this manner, the adjustment unit 40 may adjust the angle at which the rotating unit 42 opens to adjust the amount of powder P guided to the end portion 21. If the rotation angle θ in the direction in which the rotating unit 42 closes toward the inside in the width direction DR2 is defined as positive and the rotation angle in the direction in which the rotating unit 42 opens toward the outside in the width direction DR2 is defined as negative, the range of the rotation angle θ of the rotating unit 42 is preferably −1.0°≦θ≦1.0°.

[0020] (Effects) As described above, the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the supply unit 10, the facing unit 20, and the adjustment unit 40. The adjustment unit 40 is provided at the end 21 of the facing unit 20 in the width direction DR2 and adjusts the amount of powder P guided to the end 21. Generally, the deposition (amount of powder per unit area on the surface of the substrate) near the end of the facing unit varies more significantly than in areas other than the end of the facing unit. However, in the first embodiment, the provision of the adjustment unit 40 makes it possible to adjust the amount of powder P guided to the end 21, thereby suppressing the deposition variation near the end 21 of the facing unit 20. This allows the powder P to be evenly adhered to the substrate 2. Therefore, the powder P can be uniformly compressed onto the substrate 2.

[0021] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 40 may be configured to be rotatable with respect to the conveyance direction DR1, which makes it possible to easily configure a mechanism for adjusting the amount of powder P guided to the end portion 21.

[0022] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 40 may adjust the amount of powder P guided to the end portion 21 in accordance with the amount of powder P covering the substrate 2. By measuring the amount (deposition) of powder P covering the substrate 2 and adjusting the amount of powder P guided to the end portion 21, the powder P can be adhered to the substrate 2 more accurately and evenly.

[0023] Examples will be described below. In order to calculate the range of an appropriate rotation angle θ, evaluation was performed under the following conditions.

[0024] <Implementation conditions> The rotation angle θ in the direction of closing toward the inside in the width direction (θ1 in FIG. 3) was defined as positive, and the rotation angle θ in the direction of opening toward the outside in the width direction DR2 (θ2 in FIG. 4) was defined as negative, and the relationship between the rotation angle θ and the amount of powder near the end was evaluated.

[0025] <Evaluation Results> Figure 5 is a graph plotting the relationship between the amount of powder at the end and the rotation angle. The horizontal axis of Figure 5 indicates the amount of powder at the end, and the vertical axis indicates the optimal rotation angle of the rotation unit relative to the amount of powder at the end. Note that the "amount of powder at the end" indicates the ratio between the average amount of powder adhering to the substrate as a whole and the amount of powder adhering to the substrate near the end. For example, in the graph of Figure 5, when the amount of powder at the end is 0.9 (90%), this means that the amount of powder near the end is 10% less than the average. The graph of Figure 5 also shows that when the amount of powder at the end is 0.9, the optimal rotation angle is approximately -1.0°.

[0026] As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the rotation angle θ is −1.0°≦θ≦1.0°, the ratio of the powder amount near the edge to the average value is within ±10%. To more precisely control the powder amount, it is preferable to set the rotation angle θ to −0.2°≦θ≦0.2°. When the implementation conditions are different, the optimal powder amount can be obtained by appropriately adjusting the rotation angle, etc. Second Embodiment FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from above. Note that the guide unit 30 and the supply unit 10 are omitted in FIG. 7. Unlike the first embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment includes a stirring unit 50.

[0027] 6, the stirring unit 50 according to the second embodiment is provided between the facing unit 20 and the guide unit 30. The stirring unit 50 according to the second embodiment rotates to stir the powder P1 present between the facing unit 20 and the guide unit 30. In the second embodiment, the stirring unit 50 rotates counterclockwise.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 7 , the agitation unit 50 according to the second embodiment has a shape that extends in the width direction DR2. The agitation unit 50 according to the second embodiment may include a drive unit 51 and a blade unit 52. The drive unit 51 rotates the blade unit 52 to agitate the powder P. As shown in Fig. 7 , the blade unit 52 may be configured in a direction that directs the powder P inward in the width direction DR2.

[0029] As described above, the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment includes the supply unit 10, the facing unit 20, the guide unit 30, and the stirring unit 50. By providing the stirring unit 50, it is possible to prevent accumulation of powder P from forming in the region R between the facing unit 20 and the guide unit 30. This allows the powder P to adhere evenly to the substrate 2. Therefore, the powder P can be evenly pressed onto the substrate 2.

[0030] Furthermore, the stirring unit 50 may adjust the degree of stirring depending on the amount of powder P covering the substrate 2. More specifically, for example, the rotation speed of the stirring unit 50 may be adjusted depending on the deposition (the amount of powder P per unit area on the surface of the substrate 2). This allows the powder P to be more accurately and uniformly pressed onto the substrate 2.

[0031] (Modification) Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 in a modification. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 8 when viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 8, a flat plate 80 may be provided between the press roll 90 and the facing unit 20. The facing unit 20 in the modification may press the plate 80 via the base material 2 to cause the powder P to adhere to the base material 2.

[0032] 9, the agitating unit 50 in the modified example may include a plurality of driving units 51. The blade unit 52 in the modified example may have a spiral shape.

[0033] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a manufacturing apparatus 1 according to a third embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment includes a flow path setting unit 60. The flow path setting unit 60 according to the third embodiment is provided between the opposing portion 20 and the guide portion 30, and sets a flow path for the powder P1 present between the opposing portion 20 and the guide portion 30. The flow path setting unit 60 according to the third embodiment has a plate-like shape extending in the width direction DR2.

[0034] By providing the flow path setting portion 60, the region R between the opposing portion 20 and the guide portion 30 is divided into a region R1 and a region R2. That is, the region R1 is formed between the guide portion 30 and the flow path setting portion 60, and the region R2 is formed between the opposing portion 20 and the flow path setting portion 60.

[0035] Region R1 is a storage section in which powder P supplied from supply section 10 is stored. The powder P supplied from supply section 10 first lands in this storage section. In the vertical direction DR3 (= the direction in which gravity acts, the up-down direction), the height of the upper edge 61 of the flow path setting section is higher than the height of the upper surface 63 of the powder P stored in the storage section (region R1).

[0036] Region R2 is a reverse flow path through which the powder P supplied to the substrate 2 flows backward. The flow of the powder P supplied to the substrate 2 will be described. The supply unit 10 according to the third embodiment first supplies the powder P to the storage unit (region R1). The powder P supplied to region R1 is then transported to the substrate 2 along direction D1. A portion of the powder P transported to the substrate 2 is then transported in the transport direction DR1. Another portion of the powder P transported to the substrate 2 is transported by the opposing unit 20 along direction D2 to the upper edge 61 of the flow path setting unit 60. That is, the powder P flows backward toward the upper edge 61. The powder P that reaches the upper edge 61 then passes over the flow path setting unit 60 and lands on the upper surface 63 (see arrow D3).

[0037] In addition, in a cross section perpendicular to the width direction DR2, the first distance t1 between the flow path setting portion 60 and the facing portion 20 is larger than the second distance t2 between the facing portion 20 and the substrate 2. The first distance t1 is the shortest distance between the flow path setting portion 60 and the facing portion 20. The second distance t2 is the shortest distance between the facing portion 20 and the substrate 2 (adhesive layer 3).

[0038] In addition, in a cross section perpendicular to the width direction DR2, the second distance t2 is smaller than a third distance t3 between the lower edge 62 of the flow path setting portion 60 and the base material 2 (adhesive layer 3) in the vertical direction DR3. The third distance t3 is the shortest distance between the lower edge 62 and the base material 2 (adhesive layer 3).

[0039] As described above, the electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment includes the supply unit 10, the facing unit 20, the guide unit 30, and the flow path setting unit 60. By providing the flow path setting unit 60, it is possible to prevent accumulation of powder P in the region R between the facing unit 20 and the guide unit 30. This allows the powder P to be adhered evenly to the substrate 2. Therefore, the powder P can be evenly pressure-bonded to the substrate 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the vertical direction DR3, the height of the upper edge 61 of the flow path setting portion 60 may be higher than the height of the upper surface 63 of the powder P stored in the storage portion (region R1). This allows the powder P that has flowed back from the reverse flow path (region R2) to flow again into the storage portion (region R1), thereby making it possible to effectively reuse the powder P.

[0041] Furthermore, the electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment may include a suction unit 70 (not shown) that sucks the powder P accumulated in the reverse flow path (region R2). This allows the powder P to be effectively reused without imposing a limit on the height of the upper edge 61 as described above.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various other configurations can also be adopted.

[0043] In the embodiment, the facing portion 20 may have a plate-like shape instead of a cylindrical shape.

[0044] In the first embodiment, the electrode foil manufacturing apparatus 1 may further include a stirring unit 50 in addition to the adjusting unit 40 .

[0045] In the first embodiment, the electrode foil manufacturing device 1 may further include a flow path setting unit 60 in addition to the adjustment unit 40 .

[0046] Examples of reference embodiments are listed below. 1. An electrode foil manufacturing apparatus comprising: a supply unit that supplies powder to a sheet-like substrate; an opposing unit that extends in a width direction of the substrate, substantially perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the substrate is conveyed, and that presses the powder supplied by the supply unit against the substrate; a guide unit that is arranged upstream of the opposing unit in the conveying direction and guides the powder supplied from the supply unit to the substrate; and a stirring unit that is provided between the opposing unit and the guide unit and that stirs the powder present between the opposing unit and the guide unit. 2. An electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to 1., wherein the stirring unit adjusts the degree of stirring depending on the amount of powder covering the substrate. 3. An electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to 1. or 2., wherein the opposing unit has a cylindrical shape. 4. A battery having electrode foil manufactured using the electrode foil manufacturing apparatus according to any one of 1. to 3.

[0047] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-005492, filed January 17, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0048] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Manufacturing apparatus 2 Substrate 3 Adhesive layer 10 Supply section 20 Opposing section 21 End section 30 Guide section 40 Adjustment section 41 Hinge 42 Rotating section 43 Fixation section 50 Stirring section 51 Driving section 52 Blade section 60 Flow path setting section 80 Plate 90 Press roll DR1 Conveying direction DR2 Width direction DR3 Vertical direction P Powder

Claims

1. A supply unit that supplies powder to a sheet-like base material, an opposing unit that extends in the width direction of the base material, which is substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction in which the base material is conveyed, and presses the powder supplied by the supply unit against the base material, a guide unit that is disposed upstream of the opposing unit in the conveyance direction and guides the powder supplied from the supply unit to the base material, and a stirring unit that is provided between the opposing unit and the guide unit and stirs the powder present between the opposing unit and the guide unit. A manufacturing apparatus for an electrode foil.

2. The manufacturing apparatus for an electrode foil according to claim 1, wherein the stirring unit adjusts the degree of stirring according to the amount of the powder covering the base material.

3. The manufacturing apparatus for an electrode foil according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the opposing unit has a cylindrical shape.

4. A battery having an electrode foil manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus for an electrode foil according to claim 1 or 2.

Images