Coating device, coating system and coating method

Abstract

A coating device (100). The coating device (100) is used for coating a substrate with a slurry. The coating device (100) comprises: a coating head (10); at least two slurry chambers (1) formed on the coating head (10), wherein the slurry chambers (1) are independent of each other; a plurality of feed ports (2) formed on the coating head (10), wherein each slurry chamber (1) is communicated with at least two feed ports (2); and a discharge port (3) provided on the coating head (10) and located on the opposite side of the feed ports (2) in a first direction, wherein the discharge port (3) is communicated with the at least two slurry chambers (1). According to the device, the number of components is reduced, the production cost is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved. Further provided are a coating system and a coating method.

Description

Coating device, coating system and coating method

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is based on the Chinese patent application with application number 202410407283.5, application date April 3, 2024, and invention name “Coating device, coating system and coating method”, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into the present disclosure as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of battery manufacturing, and in particular to a coating device, a coating system and a coating method. Background Art

[0004] New energy batteries are being used more and more widely in life and industry. For example, new energy vehicles equipped with batteries have been widely used. In addition, batteries are also being increasingly used in energy storage fields.

[0005] Coating is a crucial process in battery manufacturing, and its quality impacts battery cycle life, capacity, and performance. Therefore, improving coating quality is a key area of ​​research within the industry.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a coating device, a coating system and a coating method with balanced coating weight distribution and good coating quality.

[0008] The present disclosure is achieved through the following technical solutions.

[0009] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating device for coating a slurry onto a substrate, the coating device comprising: a coating head; at least two slurry chambers formed on the coating head, each of the slurry chambers being independent of each other; a plurality of feed ports opened on the coating head, each of the slurry chambers being connected to at least two of the feed ports; and an outlet opened on the coating head and located on the opposite side of the feed port along a first direction, and the outlet being connected to at least two of the slurry chambers.

[0010] Since the coating head includes at least two slurry chambers, when two slurries need to be coated at the same time, they can be coated simultaneously through a coating device, without the need to set up multiple coating devices, reducing the number of parts, reducing production costs, and effectively improving production efficiency. Moreover, when a thicker slurry needs to be coated, the slurry can be dispersed in multiple slurry chambers at the same time, thereby reducing the pressure in a single slurry chamber, thereby reducing the possibility of deformation and damage of the discharge port during coating, reducing the risk of uneven coating weight distribution due to deformation of the discharge port, and improving the reliability of uniform coating. While ensuring the coating thickness, it is also possible to achieve simultaneous coating of areas within a certain wide range, reducing the possibility of adverse conditions such as uneven thickness caused by multiple coatings, and improving coating efficiency and coating quality.

[0011] In addition, since each slurry chamber is connected to at least two feed ports, the slurry can flow into the slurry chamber from different positions through multiple feed ports, thereby effectively shortening the flow path of the slurry in the slurry chamber, allowing the slurry chamber to be quickly filled with the slurry, reducing the possibility of slurry accumulation, and improving the problem of excessive difference in fluid pressure in the slurry chamber, so that the slurry weight distribution in the slurry chamber is more balanced, improving consistency, and then allowing the slurry to flow out evenly from the discharge port, making the coating thickness more uniform and the uniformity better, effectively improving the coating quality.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the slurry chambers is connected to one of the discharge ports through its own slurry channel, each of the slurry channels is arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the discharge port extends along the third direction; the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0013] Thus, double-layer and wide-width coating of the substrate can be achieved by one coating device, and the coating uniformity is good and the coating quality is high.

[0014] In some embodiments, the coating head includes a first die, a second die, and a third die, the third die is located between the first die and the second die along the second direction, and the slurry cavity is formed on at least two of the first die, the second die, and the third die; the slurry cavity includes a first slurry cavity and a second slurry cavity, the first slurry cavity is located between the first die and the third die, and the second slurry cavity is located between the second die and the third die.

[0015] Thus, the combination of the first, second, and third dies allows for the formation of two independent slurry chambers in a simple and ingenious structure, facilitating thick slurry coating on a substrate or simultaneous coating of two different slurries. Furthermore, since the two slurry chambers are formed by the combination of three different dies, the slurry chambers can be easily cleaned or maintained by disassembling the three dies.

[0016] In some embodiments, the feed port includes multiple first feed ports and multiple second feed ports; the first slurry cavity extends along a third direction, and multiple first feed ports are arranged at intervals along the third direction on the first die head, and multiple first feed ports are all connected to the first slurry cavity; the second slurry cavity extends along the third direction, and multiple second feed ports are arranged at intervals along the third direction on the second die head, and multiple second feed ports are all connected to the second slurry cavity.

[0017] In this way, multiple feed ports can be spaced apart and distributed in the extension direction of the slurry cavity, so that when the slurry flows into the slurry cavity through multiple feed ports, the flow path of the slurry in the slurry cavity is reduced, the pressure difference in the slurry cavity is effectively reduced, and the cavity pressure at various locations in the slurry cavity is more uniform, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating.

[0018] In some embodiments, the coating device further includes two gaskets, which are respectively located between the first die head and the third die head and between the second die head and the third die head; the slurry channel includes a first slurry channel and a second slurry channel, the first die head and the third die head are separated by the gasket to form a first slurry channel, and the second die head and the third die head are separated by the gasket to form a second slurry channel; the first slurry channel connects the first slurry cavity and the discharge port, and the second slurry channel connects the second slurry cavity and the discharge port.

[0019] Thus, by setting gaskets of different thicknesses between the first die, the third die, the second die, and the third die, the degree of opening and closing with the first slurry channel and the second slurry channel can be changed, thereby adjusting the thickness and weight of the coating.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first die and the third die are pivotally connected, and the second die and the third die are pivotally connected.

[0021] Thus, the first die head and the third die head can be rotated open, and the second die head and the third die head can also be rotated open, thereby facilitating the replacement of gaskets between the first die head, the third die head, the second die head, and the third die head, and also facilitating the cleaning and maintenance of the first slurry cavity, the first slurry channel, the second slurry cavity, and the second slurry channel. In addition, when the first die head, the third die head, the second die head, and the third die head are rotated open, the die heads are still connected together, so that the relative positions of the first die head, the second die head, and the third die head can be fixed, and accurate closure can be achieved without calibrating the positions of the three relative to each other when closing.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first slurry chamber includes a first groove and a second groove spaced apart along the first direction, the second groove is arranged close to the discharge port along the first direction, and the projection width of the second groove is smaller than the projection width of the first groove in a projection plane parallel to the first direction; the second slurry chamber includes a third groove and a fourth groove spaced apart along the first direction, the fourth groove is arranged close to the discharge port along the first direction, and the projection width of the fourth groove is smaller than the projection width of the third groove in a projection plane parallel to the first direction.

[0023] In this way, the flow rate and pressure fluctuations of the slurry in the slurry chamber can be reduced, thereby playing a certain role in pressure equalization and flow stabilization of the slurry, and reducing the possibility of adverse conditions such as poor coating density uniformity caused by uneven flow of slurry to the discharge port.

[0024] In some embodiments, the coating device further includes at least one first barrier and at least one second barrier; the first barrier is arranged in the first groove, and the second barrier is arranged in the second groove, the first barrier and the second barrier jointly separate the first slurry chamber into at least two first sub-slurry chambers, and each of the first sub-slurry chambers can be connected to the discharge port through the first slurry channel.

[0025] As a result, the possibility of a larger slurry thickness in the counter-flowing area due to counter-flow when the slurry flows into the first slurry chamber from multiple first feed ports can be reduced, thereby making the slurry distribution more uniform and thus achieving better thickness consistency at each coating location. In addition, the blocking member can divide the first slurry chamber into multiple first sub-slurry chambers, each of which is shorter and has a smaller flow range for the slurry. Therefore, the slurry can be quickly and evenly distributed, thereby evenly flowing out of the first sub-slurry chamber in which it is located and coating the substrate, improving the situation where the thickness of the electrode after coating is inconsistent due to uneven distribution of the slurry on the substrate.

[0026] In some embodiments, a first magnetic member is provided in the first blocking member, and the first blocking member is provided in the first groove through the first magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner; a second magnetic member is provided in the second blocking member, and the second blocking member is provided in the second groove through the second magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner.

[0027] Therefore, the first barrier and the second barrier can be disassembled and moved in the corresponding first groove and second groove respectively. In this way, before coating, the position of the barrier in the slurry chamber can be adjusted according to the actual required width of the electrode, so that the length of the first sub-slurry chamber separated by the barrier is greater than or equal to the width of the electrode. Since no slurry flows out at the position corresponding to the barrier, the position of the substrate corresponding to the barrier can be cut off in the subsequent process of dividing the substrate, and the substrate corresponding to the sub-slurry chamber can be used as the electrode. This not only improves the consistency of the thickness of the electrode, but also, by adjusting the position of the barrier, the length of the sub-slurry chamber can be adapted to electrode pieces of different widths, thereby making the coating device more adaptable and compatible, and able to adapt to electrode pieces of different widths.

[0028] In some embodiments, the coating device further includes at least one first barrier and at least one second barrier; the first barrier is arranged in the third groove, and the second barrier is arranged in the fourth groove, the first barrier and the second barrier jointly separate the second slurry chamber into at least two second sub-slurry chambers, and each of the second sub-slurry chambers can be connected to the discharge port through the second slurry channel.

[0029] As a result, the possibility of a larger slurry thickness in the counter-flowing area due to counter-flow when the slurry flows into the second slurry chamber from multiple second feed ports can be reduced, thereby making the slurry distribution more uniform and thus achieving better thickness consistency at each coating location. In addition, the blocking member can divide the second slurry chamber into multiple second sub-slurry chambers, each of which is shorter and has a smaller flow range for the slurry. Therefore, the slurry can be quickly and evenly distributed, thereby evenly flowing out of the second sub-slurry chamber where it is located and coating the substrate, improving the situation where the thickness of the electrode after coating is inconsistent due to uneven distribution of the slurry on the substrate.

[0030] In some embodiments, a first magnetic member is provided in the first blocking member, and the first blocking member is provided in the third groove through the first magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner; a second magnetic member is provided in the second blocking member, and the second blocking member is provided in the fourth groove through the second magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner.

[0031] Therefore, the first barrier and the second barrier can be disassembled and moved in the corresponding third groove and fourth groove respectively. In this way, before coating, the position of the barrier in the slurry chamber can be adjusted according to the actual required width of the electrode, so that the length of the second sub-slurry chamber separated by the barrier is greater than or equal to the width of the electrode. Since no slurry flows out at the position corresponding to the barrier, the position of the substrate corresponding to the barrier can be cut off in the subsequent process of dividing the substrate, and the substrate corresponding to the sub-slurry chamber can be used as the electrode. This not only improves the consistency of the thickness of the electrode, but also, by adjusting the position of the barrier, the length of the sub-slurry chamber can be adapted to electrode pieces of different widths, thereby making the coating device more adaptable and compatible, and able to adapt to electrode pieces of different widths.

[0032] In some embodiments, a guide plate is provided in the communication channel between each feed port and the corresponding slurry cavity.

[0033] This can guide the slurry before it enters the slurry cavity, further reducing the pressure resistance of the slurry, improving the leveling of the slurry, and allowing the slurry to flow into the slurry cavity more evenly.

[0034] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating system, which includes: a back roller, which is used to transport a substrate; a coating device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the discharge port of the coating device is arranged opposite to the substrate along a first direction, and is used to coat slurry onto the substrate; a feeding device, which is connected to the slurry chamber of the coating device and is used to provide slurry to the slurry chamber; at least two adjusting devices, each of which is respectively arranged between each slurry chamber and the feeding device, and is used to adjust the flow rate of slurry flowing into the slurry chamber; and a detection device, which is arranged on the side of the back roller away from the coating device along the first direction, and is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry coated on each area of ​​the substrate.

[0035] Since the coating system includes an adjustment device, the slurry flow rate of each slurry chamber can be adjusted accordingly according to the detection results of the actual detection device, so that the distribution of the slurry can be more reasonable. It can also reduce the adverse effects of excessive pressure in the slurry chamber on the coating quality, effectively improve the reliability of the coating, and in addition, it can better realize special coating requirements such as local thin coating.

[0036] In some embodiments, each of the regulating devices includes an inlet and at least two outlets, the inlet is connected to the feeding device, and each of the outlets is respectively connected to the corresponding feed ports of the slurry chamber; each of the outlets of each regulating device is provided with an regulating mechanism, and the regulating mechanism is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of each of the outlets.

[0037] Therefore, when the detection device detects that the coating thickness is uneven, it can determine that the weight distribution of the slurry in the slurry chamber is uneven, and thus the slurry flow rate flowing to the feed port can be adjusted by adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding feed port, and then the slurry flow rate of each feed port flowing to the slurry chamber can be independently and more accurately regulated, thereby improving the balance and weight consistency of the coating, and enabling the slurry to be well regulated and evenly distributed before entering the slurry chamber, further reducing the problem of excessive difference in fluid pressure in the slurry chamber.

[0038] In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism includes a drive component, an adjustment component and a sensor; the adjustment component is arranged on one side of the outlet along the second direction, and can reciprocate along the second direction under the drive of the drive component, thereby adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet; the sensor is used to detect whether the displacement of the adjustment component along the second direction is a preset displacement, thereby detecting whether the opening and closing degree of the outlet is a preset opening and closing degree.

[0039] Thus, the opening and closing degree of the outlet of each regulating device can be adjusted with a simple structure, and the sensor can also detect whether the opening and closing degree of each outlet is the preset opening and closing degree, thereby making the adjustment of the regulating mechanism more accurate and reliable.

[0040] In some embodiments, the coating system further includes a plurality of flow meters, each of which is disposed between the outlet and the feed port, for detecting an actual flow rate of the slurry flowing out of the outlet.

[0041] In this way, the flow meter can detect whether the flow rate of the slurry flowing out of the outlet is the preset flow rate, thereby detecting whether the adjustment of the adjustment mechanism of the adjustment device is accurate, and can provide timely feedback when the flow rate is detected to be inconsistent, so that the adjustment mechanism can be adjusted again, further improving the control reliability and accuracy of the adjustment device.

[0042] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating method, which uses a coating system to coat a slurry on a substrate, the coating system including a coating device, the coating device being used to coat the slurry onto the substrate, the coating device including at least two independent slurry chambers, multiple feed ports and discharge ports, each of the slurry chambers being connected to at least two of the feed ports; the coating method comprising: determining a flow ratio of the multiple feed ports according to a target coating thickness of each area of ​​the substrate; adjusting a flow schedule of each feed port according to the flow ratio; supplying slurry to the slurry chamber through the multiple feed ports of each slurry chamber according to the flow schedule, and coating the substrate through the discharge port.

[0043] In this way, the flow rate of each feed port can be directionally adjusted to reduce the fluid pressure difference in different areas of the slurry chamber, so that the slurry can be more evenly coated on the substrate through the discharge port, thereby improving the uniformity of coating.

[0044] In some embodiments, the coating system further includes at least two adjusting devices and a detecting device, each of the adjusting devices being connected to each of the slurry chambers respectively, the adjusting device including a plurality of outlets, each of the outlets being connected to each of the feed ports of the corresponding slurry chambers respectively, and each of the outlets of the adjusting device being provided with an adjusting mechanism, the adjusting mechanism being used to adjust the degree of opening and closing of the outlet, and the detecting device being used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry coated on each area of ​​the substrate; the coating method further includes: obtaining the actual coating thickness of each area of ​​the substrate through the detecting device; judging whether the actual coating thickness is the same as the target coating thickness, and if so, continuing coating, and otherwise adjusting the degree of opening and closing of the outlet of the corresponding area through the adjusting mechanism.

[0045] Therefore, the slurry flow rate flowing into each feed port can be adjusted by targeted and real-time adjustment of the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the regulating device corresponding to each feed port, so that the actual coating thickness is always the same as the target coating thickness, thereby improving the coating uniformity and coating quality.

[0046] In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism includes a driving component and an adjusting component; the adjusting component is provided on one side of the outlet along the second direction, and can reciprocate along the second direction under the drive of the driving component; when it is judged that the actual coating thickness is different from the target coating thickness, the step of adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding area by the adjusting mechanism also includes: judging whether the actual coating thickness is greater than the target coating thickness, if so, moving the adjusting component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward the outlet, thereby reducing the opening and closing degree of the outlet; otherwise, moving the adjusting component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward the direction away from the outlet, thereby increasing the opening and closing degree of the outlet.

[0047] Thus, the opening and closing degree of the outlet can be adjusted to increase or decrease according to actual conditions, so that the actual coating thickness is always the same as the target coating thickness, thereby improving the coating uniformity and coating quality.

[0048] Effects of the Invention

[0049] The present disclosure provides a coating device, a coating system and a coating method with balanced coating weight distribution and good coating quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to denote the same components. In the drawings:

[0051] FIG1 is a schematic plan view of the structure of a coating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG2 is another schematic plan view of the structure of a coating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a coating device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0054] FIG4 is another schematic cross-sectional view of a coating device provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0055] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a first blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0056] FIG6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0057] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a second blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0058] FIG8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0059] FIG9 is a simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0060] FIG10 is another simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0061] FIG11 is another simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0062] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0063] FIG13 is a schematic plan view of the structure of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0064] FIG14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0065] FIG15 is another schematic cross-sectional view of an adjustment device provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0066] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a first process of a coating method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0067] FIG17 is a second schematic flow chart of a coating method provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0068] FIG18 is a third flow chart of the coating method provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] Explanation of the reference numerals 1-slurry chamber; 11-first slurry chamber; 111-first groove; 112-second groove; 12-second slurry chamber; 121-third groove; 122-fourth groove; 13-first slurry channel; 14-second slurry channel; 15-connecting channel; 151-guide plate; 2-feed port; 21-first feed port; 22-second feed port; 23-first exhaust port; 24-second exhaust port; 25-third exhaust port; 3-discharge port; 4-fixed connector; 41-connecting back plate; 42-first hinge; 43-second hinge; 5-gasket; 51-pressing plate; 6-discharge port adjustment mechanism; 71-first blocking member; 711-first magnetic member; 72-second Blocking member; 721-second magnetic member; 10-coating head; 1000-coating system; 100-coating device; 101-first die; 102-second die; 103-third die; 200-substrate; 300-back roller; 400-feeding device; 401-feeding pipe; 402-slurry tank; 403-feeding pump; 500-adjusting device; 501-inlet; 502-outlet; 503-adjusting mechanism; 5031-driving assembly; 5032-adjusting assembly; 5033-sensor; 504-protective cover; 600-detection device; 700-conveyance system; 701-filtering device; 702-three-way valve; 703-return pipe; 800-flow meter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure and are therefore only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0071] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0072] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, technical terms such as "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" are used solely to distinguish different objects and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly specify the quantity, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" means more than two, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0073] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0074] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0075] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by technical terms such as "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", and "outside" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, operated or used in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0076] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, technical terms such as "installed," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and can refer to internal connectivity between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure based on specific circumstances.

[0077] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the technical term "contact" should be understood in a broad sense, and can be direct contact, contact through an intermediate medium layer, contact with essentially no interaction force between the two contacting parties, or contact with interaction force between the two contacting parties.

[0078] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0079] Currently, new energy batteries are increasingly being used in everyday life and industry. They are not only used in energy storage systems such as hydropower, thermal power, wind power, and solar power plants, but are also widely used in electric vehicles like electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, and electric cars, as well as in a variety of fields such as aerospace. As the application of power batteries continues to expand, market demand is also growing.

[0080] In the production and manufacturing process of batteries, coating is a relatively important process. The quality of coating will affect the cycle life, battery capacity and performance of the battery. Coating refers to the process of applying a prepared paste-like viscous liquid slurry evenly, continuously or intermittently on the surface of the substrate. In order to improve production efficiency and reduce production costs, the width of the substrate is usually large. After the slurry is coated on the substrate, the substrate is divided to form multiple narrower substrates as battery pole pieces. Therefore, it is necessary to use a coating device with a larger width to coat the wider substrate.

[0081] However, since the slurry chamber of the coating device with a larger width is longer (usually in the range of 700mm to 1600mm), the flow path of the slurry is longer and the pressure drop is larger. In addition, since the fluidity of the slurry itself is poor, the fluid pressure difference between the middle and both ends of the slurry chamber will be relatively large, or in other words, the weight in the middle of the slurry chamber is quite different from the weight at both ends, resulting in different coating thickness of the slurry on the coated surface and poor surface density uniformity, which in turn makes the coating quality poor, affecting the performance of the electrode.

[0082] The present disclosure addresses the problems in the above-mentioned related art and proposes a coating device for applying a slurry to a substrate. The coating device includes a coating head, at least two slurry chambers, multiple feed ports, and a discharge port. At least two slurry chambers are formed on the coating head, and each slurry chamber is independent of each other. Multiple feed ports are opened in the coating head, and each slurry chamber is connected to the at least two feed ports. The discharge port is opened in the coating head and is located on the opposite side of the feed port along a first direction, and the discharge port is connected to the at least two slurry chambers.

[0083] Because the coating device includes at least two slurry chambers, when two slurries need to be applied simultaneously, they can be applied simultaneously through a single coating device, eliminating the need for multiple coating devices. This reduces the number of parts, reduces production costs, and effectively improves production efficiency. Furthermore, when thicker slurries need to be applied, the slurries can be dispersed simultaneously in multiple slurry chambers, thereby reducing the pressure within a single slurry chamber and, in turn, reducing the possibility of deformation and damage to the discharge port during coating, thereby improving coating reliability. Furthermore, while ensuring the coating thickness, simultaneous coating can be achieved, improving coating efficiency and coating quality.

[0084] In addition, since each slurry cavity is connected to at least two feed ports, the slurry can flow into the slurry cavity from different positions through multiple feed ports, thereby effectively shortening the flow path of the slurry in the slurry cavity, allowing the slurry cavity to be quickly filled with slurry, reducing the possibility of slurry accumulation, and improving the problem of excessive difference in fluid pressure in the slurry cavity, so that the slurry weight distribution in the slurry cavity is more balanced, improving consistency, and then allowing the slurry to flow out evenly from the discharge port, making the coating thickness more uniform and the uniformity better, effectively improving the coating quality, and making the performance of the coated electrode more reliable.

[0085] The coating device of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be used in the production process of a battery, for example, in the process of processing an electrode sheet, to coat a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material onto a positive electrode current collector or a negative electrode current collector. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the coating device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is not only used for processing electrode sheets in the production process of a battery, but can also be used for extrusion coating of substrates that need to be coated in other processes of other production lines.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery may be a battery cell.

[0087] A battery cell refers to a basic unit that can realize the mutual conversion of chemical energy and electrical energy. It can be used to make battery modules or battery packs, which are used to power electrical devices.

[0088] The battery cell may be a secondary battery. A secondary battery refers to a battery cell that can be recharged to activate the active material after the battery cell is discharged and can be used continuously.

[0089] The battery cells may be lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, sodium-lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, sodium metal batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, magnesium-ion batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, lead-acid batteries, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0090] A battery cell typically includes an electrode assembly. This assembly includes a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrode sheet, and a separator. During the charge and discharge process, active ions (such as lithium ions) move back and forth between the positive and negative electrode sheets. A separator, placed between the positive and negative electrode sheets, prevents short circuits between the positive and negative electrodes while allowing the active ions to pass through.

[0091] In some embodiments, the battery cell further includes an electrolyte, which acts as a conductor of ions between the positive and negative electrodes. This disclosure does not specifically limit the type of electrolyte, and the electrolyte may be selected based on needs. The electrolyte may be liquid, gel, or solid.

[0092] In some embodiments, the separator is a separator. The present disclosure has no particular limitation on the type of separator, and any known separator with a porous structure having good chemical stability and mechanical stability can be selected.

[0093] As an example, the main material of the isolation membrane can be selected from at least one of glass fiber, non-woven fabric, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, and ceramics.

[0094] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is a wound structure, wherein the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet are wound into the wound structure.

[0095] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is a laminate structure.

[0096] As an example, multiple positive electrode sheets and multiple negative electrode sheets can be provided respectively, and the multiple positive electrode sheets and the multiple negative electrode sheets can be alternately stacked.

[0097] As an example, a plurality of positive electrode sheets may be provided, and the negative electrode sheet may be folded to form a plurality of stacked folded segments, with a positive electrode sheet being sandwiched between adjacent folded segments.

[0098] As an example, both the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet are folded to form a plurality of stacked folded segments.

[0099] As an example, a plurality of separators may be provided, each of which is disposed between any adjacent positive electrode sheets or negative electrode sheets.

[0100] As an example, the separator may be provided continuously, and may be provided between any adjacent positive electrode sheets or negative electrode sheets by folding or winding.

[0101] In some embodiments, the shape of the electrode assembly can be cylindrical, flat, or polygonal.

[0102] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is provided with tabs that can conduct current from the electrode assembly. The tabs include a positive tab and a negative tab.

[0103] In some embodiments, a battery cell may include a housing. The housing is used to encapsulate components such as the electrode assembly and the electrolyte. The housing may be a steel housing, an aluminum housing, a plastic housing (e.g., polypropylene), a composite metal housing (e.g., a copper-aluminum composite housing), or an aluminum-plastic film.

[0104] As an example, the battery cell can be a cylindrical battery cell, a prismatic battery cell, a soft-pack battery cell or a battery cell of other shapes. The prismatic battery cell includes a square-shell battery cell, a blade-shaped battery cell, a polygonal battery, such as a hexagonal battery, etc. There is no special limitation in the present disclosure.

[0105] In some embodiments, the housing includes an end cap and a shell. The shell has an opening, and the end cap closes the opening to form a sealed space for accommodating the electrode assembly, electrolyte, and other substances. The shell may have one or more openings. One or more end caps may also be provided.

[0106] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with at least one electrode terminal, which is electrically connected to the tab. The electrode terminal may be directly connected to the tab or indirectly connected to the tab via an adapter. The electrode terminal may be provided on the end cap or on the housing.

[0107] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a pressure relief mechanism for releasing the internal pressure of the battery cell.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery may also be a single physical module including one or more battery cells to provide higher voltage and capacity. When there are multiple battery cells, the multiple battery cells are connected in series, in parallel or in hybrid via a busbar.

[0109] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 18 .

[0110] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of a coating device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of the planar structure of a coating device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a coating device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is another schematic cross-sectional view of a coating device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a first blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a second blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second blocking member provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 9 is a simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10 is another simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 11 is another simplified schematic diagram of a coating system provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 15 is another schematic cross-sectional view of an adjustment device provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. 16 to 18 are schematic flow charts of coating methods provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for ease of description, a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction are set. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the case where the three directions are perpendicular to each other. For ease of description, as shown by the arrows in Figures 1 to 4 and Figures 12 to 15, the direction of arrow X is the first direction, the direction of arrow Y is the second direction, and the direction of arrow Z is the third direction. The direction indicated by arrow Y along the second direction is sometimes referred to as "upward," and the opposite direction is referred to as "downward."

[0112] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating device 100 for coating a substrate 200 with a slurry. The coating device 100 includes a coating head 10, at least two slurry chambers 1, a plurality of feed ports 2, and a discharge port 3. At least two slurry chambers 1 are formed on the coating head 10, and each slurry chamber 1 is independent of each other. A plurality of feed ports are opened in the coating head 10, and each slurry chamber 1 is connected to at least two feed ports 2. The discharge port 3 is opened in the coating head 10 and is located on the opposite side of the feed port 2 along a first direction, and the discharge port 3 is connected to the slurry chamber 1.

[0113] The coating device 100 is a device for applying a fluid slurry to the surface of a substrate. In the disclosed embodiment, the substrate 200 can be a positive electrode current collector or a negative electrode current collector, and the slurry can be a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material. The positive electrode sheet is formed by applying the positive electrode active material to the positive electrode current collector, and the negative electrode sheet is formed by applying the negative electrode active material to the negative electrode current collector.

[0114] As an example, the positive electrode current collector may be a metal foil or a composite current collector. For example, as the metal foil, aluminum or stainless steel with a silver surface treatment, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel or titanium, etc. may be used. The composite current collector may include a polymer material base layer and a metal layer. The composite current collector may be formed by forming a metal material (aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, silver and silver alloy, etc.) on a polymer material substrate (such as a substrate of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc.).

[0115] As an example, the positive electrode active material may include at least one of the following materials: lithium-containing phosphates, lithium transition metal oxides, and their respective modified compounds. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these materials, and other traditional materials that can be used as positive electrode active materials for batteries may also be used. These positive electrode active materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of lithium-containing phosphates may include, but are not limited to, at least one of lithium iron phosphate (such as LiFePO4 (also referred to as LFP)), a composite material of lithium iron phosphate and carbon, lithium manganese phosphate (such as LiMnPO4), a composite material of lithium manganese phosphate and carbon, lithium iron manganese phosphate, and a composite material of lithium iron manganese phosphate and carbon.

[0116] In some embodiments, a positive electrode may be a metal foam. The metal foam may be nickel foam, copper foam, aluminum foam, or alloy foam, among others. When a metal foam is used as the positive electrode, the surface of the metal foam may or may not be provided with a positive electrode active material. For example, a lithium source material, potassium metal, or sodium metal may be filled and / or deposited within the metal foam, where the lithium source material is lithium metal and / or a lithium-rich material.

[0117] As an example, the negative electrode current collector may be a metal foil, a metal foam, or a composite current collector. For example, as the metal foil, aluminum or stainless steel with a silver surface treatment, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, or titanium, etc., may be used. The composite current collector may include a polymer material base layer and a metal layer. The metal foam may be nickel foam, copper foam, aluminum foam, or alloy foam, etc. The composite current collector may be formed by forming a metal material (copper, copper alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, silver, and silver alloy, etc.) on a polymer material substrate (such as a substrate of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc.). In some embodiments, the material of the positive electrode current collector may be aluminum, and the material of the negative electrode current collector may be copper.

[0118] In the related art, a single-layer single-slurry chamber coating device is usually used for coating. However, the cavity pressure in the single-layer single-slurry chamber coating device is relatively high, which can easily cause wear of the discharge port, which may cause weight fluctuations during the coating process, and then the slurry may not be evenly coated, affecting the coating quality. Moreover, with the continuous advancement of technology, it may be necessary to coat a variety of functional slurries on the substrate. Therefore, in order to reduce the cavity pressure in a single cavity, or to be able to coat different slurries at the same time, the related art will use multiple coating devices to coat the same slurry or different slurries in multiple layers on the substrate. However, there may be a time difference between each coating device, which makes the bonding between the layers poor and the layers are relatively easy to peel off, which will also affect the coating quality. In addition, the coating speed of the single-head single-slurry chamber coating device is relatively slow, and the coating efficiency is low.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the coating device 100 includes at least two slurry chambers 1, and the slurry chambers 1 are formed on the coating head 10. Therefore, when two slurries need to be coated at the same time, they can be coated simultaneously through one coating device 100, without the need to set up multiple coating devices, reducing the number of parts, reducing production costs, and effectively improving production efficiency. Moreover, when thicker slurry needs to be coated, the slurry can be dispersed in multiple slurry chambers 1 at the same time, thereby reducing the pressure in a single slurry chamber 1, thereby reducing the possibility of deformation and damage of the discharge port 3 during coating, improving coating reliability, and while ensuring the coating thickness, it can also achieve simultaneous coating, improving coating efficiency and coating quality.

[0120] In addition, since multiple layers of slurry can be coated simultaneously through a coating device 100, the coating time of each layer is basically the same. Therefore, the possibility of poor bonding between layers due to excessive coating time difference can be reduced, thereby improving the coating quality and thus improving the quality of the electrode.

[0121] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of slurry chambers 1 is two. In some other implementations, the number of slurry chambers 1 can also be three, four or more. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the number of slurry chambers 1 and can be set according to actual conditions.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to further improve production efficiency and reduce production costs, the width of the substrate 200 is generally large. Thus, after the slurry is coated on the substrate 200, the coated substrate 200 is divided to form multiple narrower slurry-coated substrates, which serve as battery pole pieces. Thus, more pole pieces can be formed in a single coating, effectively improving production efficiency. Therefore, in order to coat the wider substrate 200, the width (i.e., length) of the coating device 100 of the embodiment of the present disclosure is relatively large.

[0123] In the related art, the slurry feed port is usually arranged in the middle part of the slurry chamber. Since the slurry chamber of the coating device with a larger width is longer (usually in the range of 700mm to 1600mm), the flow path of the slurry is longer and the pressure drop is larger. In addition, since the fluidity of the slurry itself is poor, the fluid pressure difference between the middle and both ends of the slurry chamber will be relatively large, or in other words, the weight in the middle of the slurry chamber is significantly different from the weight at both ends. That is to say, the slurry may accumulate in the slurry chamber, and then when coating, the discharge port cannot evenly coat the slurry on the substrate, seriously affecting the coating quality.

[0124] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the coating head 10 includes multiple feed ports 2, and each slurry chamber 1 is connected to at least two feed ports 2. Thus, the slurry can flow into the slurry chamber 1 from different positions through the multiple feed ports 2, thereby effectively shortening the flow path of the slurry in the slurry chamber 1, so that the slurry chamber 1 can be quickly filled with the slurry, reducing the possibility of slurry accumulation, and improving the problem of excessive difference in fluid pressure in the slurry chamber 1, so that the slurry weight distribution in the slurry chamber 1 is more balanced, and the consistency is improved, so that the slurry can flow out evenly from the discharge port 3, so that the coating thickness is more uniform and the uniformity is better, effectively improving the coating quality.

[0125] Theoretically, the longer the slurry chamber 1 is, the greater the pressure difference within the slurry chamber 1 is, and therefore more feed ports 2 should be provided. Of course, the embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the number of feed ports 2 connected to each slurry chamber 1, and can be specifically set according to the length of the slurry chamber 1 and the width of the substrate 200 actually coated.

[0126] In addition, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the discharge port 3 is located on the opposite side of the feed port 2 along the first direction, so that the possibility of the slurry flowing out of the discharge port 3 directly before being evenly distributed in the slurry chamber 1 can be reduced.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each slurry cavity 1 is connected to a discharge port 3 through its own slurry channel, the slurry channels 1 are spaced apart along the second direction, and the discharge port 3 extends along the third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0128] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the direction in which the feed port 2 is relative to the discharge port 3 can be referred to as the first direction, which can also be referred to as the width direction of the coating head 10, the spacing direction of the multiple slurry channels can be referred to as the second direction, which can also be referred to as the height direction of the coating device 100, and the extending direction of the discharge port 3 can be referred to as the third direction, which can also be referred to as the extending length direction (or width direction) of the coating device 100. In the specific examples shown in Figures 2 to 4, the left-right direction in the figures can be the first direction, the up-down direction in the figures can be the second direction, and the direction perpendicular to the paper can be the third direction.

[0129] Thus, double-layer and wide-width coating of the substrate 200 can be achieved by one coating device 100 , and the coating uniformity is good and the coating quality is high.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the discharge port 3 is generally in the shape of an elongated strip. In some other embodiments, the discharge port 3 may also be in any other suitable shape.

[0131] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the coating head 10 includes a first die 101, a second die 102, and a third die 103. The third die 103 is located between the first die 101 and the second die 102 along the second direction. A slurry cavity 1 is formed in at least two of the first die 101, the second die 102, and the third die 103. The slurry cavity 1 includes a first slurry cavity 11 and a second slurry cavity 12. The first slurry cavity 11 is located between the first die 101 and the third die 103, and the second slurry cavity 12 is located between the second die 102 and the third die 103.

[0132] Thus, the combination of the first die 101, the second die 102, and the third die 103 can form two independent slurry chambers 1 in a simple and ingenious structure, which is conducive to thick slurry coating on the substrate 200, or simultaneous coating of two different slurries. In addition, because the two slurry chambers 1 are formed by the combination of three different die heads, the slurry chambers 1 can be easily cleaned or maintained by disassembling the three die heads.

[0133] Exemplarily, the first slurry cavity 11 can be a cavity formed on the first die head 101, or a cavity formed on the third die head 103, or a cavity formed by the cavity formed on the first die head 101 and the cavity formed on the third die head 103.

[0134] As another example, the second slurry cavity 12 can be a cavity formed on the second die head, or a cavity formed on the third die head, or a cavity formed by combining the cavity formed on the second die head 102 and the cavity formed on the third die head 103 .

[0135] 4 , the first die head 101 and the third die head 103 and the second die head 102 and the third die head 103 can be connected by a fixed connection member 4, thereby ensuring a stable connection between the first die head 101 and the third die head 103 and the second die head 102 and the third die head 103. The fixed connection member 4 includes but is not limited to screws, bolts and other connectors.

[0136] As shown in Figure 1, in order to further ensure the stable connection between the first die head 101, the second die head 102 and the third die head 103, the coating device also includes a connecting back plate 41, one end of the connecting back plate 41 is detachably connected to the second die head 102, and the other end is detachably connected to the third die head 103.

[0137] Those skilled in the art should understand that when the coating device 100 includes more (more than two) slurry chambers 1, the coating head 10 may correspondingly include more die heads.

[0138] In addition, a first exhaust port 23 and a second exhaust port 24 are formed on the coating head 10. The first exhaust port is connected to the first slurry chamber 11, and the second exhaust port 24 is connected to the second slurry chamber 12. They are used to discharge the air in the slurry chamber 1 when the slurry flows into the slurry chamber 1, thereby making the flow of the slurry smoother and reducing the pressure in the slurry chamber 1.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first exhaust port 23 is provided on the first die head 101, and the second exhaust port 24 is provided on the third die head 103, and there are two first exhaust ports 23 and two second exhaust ports 24. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present disclosure does not impose any specific restrictions on the location and number of the first exhaust port 23 and the second exhaust port 24, as long as they can exhaust the air in the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 when the slurry is fed.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , a third exhaust port 25 is further formed on the coating head 10 . The third exhaust port is provided on the first die head 101 and communicates with the first slurry cavity 11 , which can further accelerate the exhaust speed of the first slurry cavity 11 .

[0141] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the feed port 2 includes a plurality of first feed ports 21 and a plurality of second feed ports 22. The first slurry cavity 11 extends along a third direction, and the plurality of first feed ports 21 are spaced apart along the third direction on the first die head 101, and the plurality of first feed ports 21 are all connected to the first slurry cavity 11. The second slurry cavity 12 extends along the third direction, and the plurality of second feed ports 22 are spaced apart along the third direction on the second die head 102, and the plurality of second feed ports 22 are all connected to the second slurry cavity 12.

[0142] In this way, multiple feed ports 2 can be distributed at intervals in the extension direction of the slurry chamber 1, so that when the slurry flows into the slurry chamber 1 through multiple feed ports 2, the flow path of the slurry in the slurry chamber 1 is reduced, the pressure difference in the slurry chamber 1 is effectively reduced, and the cavity pressure at various locations in the slurry chamber 1 is more uniform, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating.

[0143] As shown in Figure 1, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, ten first feed ports 21 are arranged at intervals on the first die head 101, and ten second feed ports 22 are arranged at intervals on the second die head 102. The user can select different feed ports 2 for feeding according to the position and length of the actual coating area along the third direction.

[0144] For example, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 respectively select three first feed ports 21 and three second feed ports 22 for feeding. The three first feed ports 21 and the three second feed ports 22 can be connected to the external slurry conveying channel through a clamp, and the remaining unselected feed ports 2 can be closed using closing parts such as plugs.

[0145] Of course, in some other embodiments, more or fewer feed ports 2 may be provided on the first die 101 and the second die 102, and the number and position of the feed ports 2 that are enabled or closed may also be adjusted at any time, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit this.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the discharge port 3 is generally in the shape of an elongated strip extending along the third direction, thereby enabling the slurry evenly distributed in the slurry chamber 1 to be evenly coated onto the surface of the substrate 200 through the elongated discharge port 3 .

[0147] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the coating device 100 further includes two gaskets 5, the two gaskets 5 being located between the first die 101 and the third die 103 and between the second die 102 and the third die 103, respectively. The first die 101 and the third die 103 are separated by the gasket 5 to form a first slurry channel 13, and the second die 102 and the third die 103 are separated by the gasket 5 to form a second slurry channel 14. The first slurry channel 13 connects the first slurry cavity 11 and the discharge port 3, and the second slurry channel 14 connects the second slurry cavity 12 and the discharge port 3.

[0148] Specifically, the two gaskets 5 can be respectively arranged between the first die 101 and the third die 103 and between the second die 102 and the third die 103 via two pressing plates 51. The two gaskets 5 are respectively disconnected on the side close to the first slurry cavity 11 and the side close to the second slurry cavity 12, so that two slits are formed between the first die 101 and the third die 103 and between the second die 102 and the third die 103. The two slits respectively constitute the first slurry channel 13 and the second slurry channel 14. The pressing plates 51 are used to support the gaskets 5 and can also reduce the possibility of slurry leakage at the gaskets 5. After the pressing plates 51 are pressed on the gaskets 5, they can be fixed using connectors such as pins or screws.

[0149] The two pressing plates 51 are respectively disposed in the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 .

[0150] The thickness of the gasket 5 will affect the opening and closing degree (opening degree) of the first slurry channel 13 and the second slurry channel 14, thereby affecting the opening and closing degree of the discharge port 3 to a certain extent. Therefore, by arranging gaskets 5 of different thicknesses between the first die 101, the third die 103, the second die 102, and the third die 103 respectively, the opening and closing degree of the communication with the first slurry channel 13 and the second slurry channel 14 can be changed, thereby changing the flow rate of the slurry in the first slurry channel 13 and the second slurry channel 14, and regulating the thickness and weight of the coating.

[0151] For example, the greater the thickness of the gasket 5 is, the greater the degree of opening and closing of the overall slurry channel is, and the greater the coating weight is. On the contrary, the smaller the thickness of the gasket 5 is, the smaller the degree of opening and closing of the overall slurry channel is, and the smaller the coating weight is.

[0152] In some other embodiments, the coating device 100 may be an integral structure without the gasket 5 , and the first slurry channel 13 , the second slurry channel 14 and the discharge port 3 may be obtained by machining.

[0153] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the coating device 100 of the embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a discharge port adjustment mechanism 6, which is arranged on a side close to the discharge port 3 along the first direction, and is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of the discharge port 3, thereby adjusting the coating flow rate of the discharge port 3. The discharge port adjustment mechanism 6 is a micrometer adjustment mechanism with higher adjustment accuracy. There are multiple discharge port adjustment mechanisms 6, and multiple discharge port adjustment mechanisms 6 are arranged on the first die head 101 at intervals along the first direction. The user can manually adjust the slurry flow rate of the entire discharge port 3 area or adjust the slurry flow rate of part of the discharge port 3 area according to actual usage.

[0154] In some other embodiments, the discharge port regulating mechanism 6 can also automatically regulate the slurry flow rate in the entire discharge port 3 area or a portion of the discharge port 3 area in real time under the control of a controller. The controller can be implemented, for example, by a microcomputer, a programmable controller, or other known methods. The disclosed embodiments do not specifically limit the controller as long as it can achieve its functions.

[0155] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first die 101 and the third die 103 are pivotally connected, and the second die 102 and the third die 103 are pivotally connected.

[0156] Specifically, the first die head 101 and the third die head 103 are rotatably connected to each other by the first hinge 42, and the second die head 102 and the third die head 103 are rotatably connected to each other by the second hinge 43. Thus, the first die head 101 and the third die head 103 can be rotated open, and the second die head 102 and the third die head 103 can also be rotated open, thereby facilitating the replacement of the gasket 5 between the first die head 101, the third die head 103 and the second die head 102, the third die head 103, and also facilitating the cleaning and maintenance of the first slurry chamber 11, the first slurry channel 13, the second slurry chamber 12 and the second slurry channel 14.

[0157] In addition, when the first die 101, the third die 103 and the second die 102, the third die 103 are rotated and opened relative to each other, each die head can also be connected together by the first hinge 42 and the second hinge 43, so that the relative positions of the first die 101, the second die 102 and the third die 103 can be fixed. In this way, when closing the three die heads, there is no need to calibrate the positions of the three die heads, and accurate closure can be achieved, which is beneficial to improving assembly efficiency.

[0158] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG4 , the first slurry chamber 11 includes a first groove 111 and a second groove 112 spaced apart along a first direction. The second groove 112 is disposed along the first direction near the discharge port 3. In a projection plane parallel to the first direction, the projected width of the second groove 112 is smaller than the projected width of the first groove 111. The second slurry chamber 12 includes a third groove 121 and a fourth groove 122 spaced apart along the first direction. The fourth groove 122 is disposed along the first direction near the discharge port 3. In a projection plane parallel to the first direction, the projected width of the fourth groove 122 is smaller than the projected width of the third groove 121.

[0159] The first groove 111, the second groove 112, the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 also extend along the third direction and are generally in the shape of long strips. In the projection plane parallel to the first direction, the projection width of the second groove 112 is smaller than the projection width of the first groove 111, that is, the volume of the second groove 112 is smaller than the volume of the first groove 111. Similarly, the volume of the fourth groove 122 is also smaller than the volume of the third groove 121.

[0160] Therefore, when the slurry flows into the first slurry chamber 11 through the first feed port 21 and then flows to the discharge port 3, it will first flow through the first groove 111, then flow through the second groove 112 through a gap, and finally flow out of the discharge port 3 through the first slurry channel 13. Since the gap between the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 is small, and the volume of the second groove 112 is smaller than that of the first groove 111, the slurry needs to overcome a larger resistance to flow to the second groove 112, which will cause the slurry to flow into the first groove 111. After being evenly distributed in the groove 111, the slurry flows to the second groove 112, so that the slurry will flow slowly and evenly in the first groove 111. When the slurry flows from the second groove 112 to the discharge port 3, it also needs to overcome a large resistance and flow to the discharge port 3 through the first slurry channel 13. Therefore, the slurry will also be evenly distributed in the second groove 112 before flowing to the discharge port 3. The slurry will be further slowed down and evenly flowed, thereby improving the uniformity of the slurry flow finally flowing out through the discharge port 3 and improving the uniformity of the coating density.

[0161] When the slurry flows into the second slurry chamber 12 through the second feed port 22 and then flows to the discharge port 3, it will first flow through the third groove 121, then flow through the fourth groove 122 through a gap, and finally flow out of the discharge port 3 through the second slurry channel 14, so that the slurry will also flow slowly and evenly. The specific flow equalization principle is the same as the above-mentioned flow equalization principle of the slurry flowing from the first feed port 21 to the discharge port 3, and will not be described in detail here.

[0162] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first groove 111 is formed on the surface of the first die head 101 on the side close to the third die head 103 along the second direction, and the second groove 112 is formed on the surface of the third die head 103 on the side close to the first die head 101 along the second direction, and the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 are both arc grooves. In this way, when the slurry flows through the first groove 111 and the second groove 112, the possibility of the slurry flowing vertically toward the groove walls of the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact of the groove wall on the slurry, and reducing the flow rate and pressure fluctuations of the slurry in the first groove 111 and the second groove 112.

[0163] Of course, those skilled in the art should understand that in some other embodiments, the first groove 111 may also be formed on the surface of the third die 103 on the side close to the first die 101 along the second direction, and the second groove 112 may also be formed on the surface of the first die 101 on the side close to the third die 103 along the second direction, and the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 may also be grooves of any other shapes.

[0164] In addition, in some embodiments, the first slurry chamber 11 may include only the first groove 111 or only the second groove 112, or the first slurry chamber 11 may include more grooves. When the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 are respectively provided on the first die head 101 and the third die head 103, the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 are not necessarily arranged at regular intervals.

[0165] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the third groove 121 is formed on the surface of the second die head 102 on the side close to the third die head 103 along the second direction, and the fourth groove 122 is also formed on the surface of the second die head 102 on the side close to the third die head 103 along the second direction, and the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 are both arc grooves. In this way, when the slurry flows through the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122, the possibility of the slurry flowing vertically toward the groove walls of the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact of the groove wall on the slurry, and reducing the flow rate and pressure fluctuations of the slurry in the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122.

[0166] Of course, those skilled in the art should understand that in some other embodiments, the third groove 121 may also be formed on the surface of the third die 103 on the side close to the second die 102 along the second direction, the fourth groove 122 may also be formed on the surface of the third die 103 on the side close to the second die 102 along the second direction, and the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 may also be grooves of any other shapes.

[0167] In addition, in some embodiments, the second slurry chamber 12 may include only the third groove 121 or only the fourth groove 122, or the second slurry chamber 12 may include more grooves. When the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 are respectively provided on the second die head 102 and the third die head 103, the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 are not necessarily arranged at regular intervals.

[0168] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 5 to 8, the coating device 100 further includes at least one first blocking member 71 and at least one second blocking member 72. The first blocking member 71 is disposed in the first groove 111, and the second blocking member 72 is disposed in the second groove 112. The first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 together separate the first slurry chamber 11 into at least two first sub-slurry chambers, each of which can be connected to the discharge port 3 through the first slurry channel 13.

[0169] In this way, the possibility of a larger slurry thickness in the counter-flowing area due to counter-flow when the slurry flows into the first slurry chamber 11 from multiple first feed ports 21 can be reduced, thereby making the slurry distribution more uniform and the thickness consistency of each coating position better.

[0170] Moreover, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can separate the first slurry chamber 11 into multiple first sub-slurry chambers. The length of each first sub-slurry chamber is shorter and the flow range of the slurry is smaller, so the slurry can be quickly and evenly distributed, thereby evenly flowing out from the first sub-slurry chamber where it is located and coated on the substrate 200, thereby improving the inconsistent thickness of the electrode after coating caused by the uneven distribution of the slurry on the substrate 200.

[0171] In addition, the substrate is hardly coated with slurry at the positions corresponding to the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72. When the substrate 200 is subsequently cut to form multiple substrates, it can be cut at the positions where the slurry is not coated, and the tabs can be cut out in the uncoated areas, thereby avoiding waste of slurry and reducing production costs.

[0172] In the disclosed embodiment, the first blocking member 71 has a generally C-shaped cross-section and is disposed within the first groove 111. Since the pressure plate 51 is disposed within the first groove 111, the C-shaped first blocking member 71 can be sleeved onto the outer periphery of the pressure plate 51 in an interference fit, thereby dividing the first groove 111 into multiple sections without affecting the pressure plate 51's ability to press and secure the gasket 5. The second blocking member 72 has a generally arched shape and is disposed within the second groove 112, serving to divide the second groove 112 into multiple sections. Thus, the first slurry chamber 11 can be separated into multiple first sub-slurry chambers under the action of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72, thereby improving the uneven thickness of the electrode surface after coating.

[0173] Of course, those skilled in the art should understand that when the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 are grooves of other shapes, the shapes of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 should be adapted to the shapes of the first groove 111 and the second groove 112. Moreover, when the first slurry chamber 11 includes only the first groove 111 or only the second groove 112, the coating device 100 should include only the first blocking member 71 or only the second blocking member 72 accordingly.

[0174] The present embodiment does not impose a specific limit on the number of first blocking members 71 and second blocking members 72, and can be selected based on actual coating conditions. For example, when the number of first blocking members 71 and second blocking members 72 is N, the first slurry chamber 11 can be divided into N+1 first sub-slurry chambers.

[0175] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, a first magnetic member 711 is provided in the first blocking member 71, and the first blocking member 71 is detachably and movably disposed in the first groove 111 via the first magnetic member 711. A second magnetic member 721 is provided in the second blocking member 72, and the second blocking member 72 is detachably and movably disposed in the second groove 112 via the second magnetic member 721.

[0176] Therefore, the first barrier 71 and the second barrier 72 can be disassembled and moved in the corresponding first groove 111 and the second groove 112 respectively. In this way, before coating, the position of the barrier in the slurry chamber 1 can be adjusted according to the actual required width of the electrode, so that the length of the first sub-slurry chamber separated by the barrier is greater than or equal to the width of the electrode. Since no slurry flows out at the position corresponding to the barrier, the position of the substrate corresponding to the barrier can be cut off in the subsequent process of splitting the substrate 200, and the substrate corresponding to the sub-slurry chamber can be used as the electrode. This not only improves the consistency of the thickness of the electrode, but also, by adjusting the position of the barrier, the length of the sub-slurry chamber can be adapted to electrodes of different widths, thereby making the coating device more adaptable and compatible, and able to adapt to electrodes of different widths.

[0177] In addition, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can be installed or removed according to the expected number of strips of the actual substrate 200, so that multiple strips can be coated on the same substrate at the same time, thereby improving coating efficiency.

[0178] In some other embodiments, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can also be respectively arranged in the first groove 111 and the second groove 112 in a detachable and movable manner through connecting members such as pins and screws. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the arrangement of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72, as long as they can be removed from the groove and moved in the groove.

[0179] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the coating device further includes at least one first blocking member 71 and at least one second blocking member 72. The first blocking member 71 is disposed in the third groove 121, and the second blocking member 72 is disposed in the fourth groove 122. The first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 together separate the second slurry chamber 12 into at least two second sub-slurry chambers, each of which can be connected to the discharge port through the second slurry channel 14.

[0180] In this way, the possibility of the slurry flowing into the second slurry chamber 12 from the multiple second feed ports 22 and the occurrence of a situation where the slurry thickness in the counter-attack area is larger due to the counter-attack can be reduced, thereby making the slurry distribution more uniform and the thickness consistency of each coating position better.

[0181] Moreover, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can separate the second slurry chamber 12 into multiple second sub-slurry chambers. The length of each second sub-slurry chamber is shorter and the flow range of the slurry is smaller, so the slurry can be quickly and evenly distributed, thereby evenly flowing out from the second sub-slurry chamber where it is located and coated on the substrate 200, thereby improving the inconsistent thickness of the electrode after coating caused by the uneven distribution of the slurry on the substrate 200.

[0182] In addition, the substrate 200 is hardly coated with slurry at the positions corresponding to the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72. When the substrate 200 is subsequently cut to form multiple substrates, it can be cut at the positions where the slurry is not coated, and the tabs can be cut out in the uncoated areas, thereby avoiding waste of slurry and reducing production costs.

[0183] In the disclosed embodiment, the first blocking member 71 has a generally C-shaped cross-section and is disposed within the third groove 121. Since the pressure plate 51 is disposed within the third groove 121, the C-shaped first blocking member 71 can be sleeved onto the outer periphery of the pressure plate 51 in an interference fit, thereby dividing the third groove 121 into multiple sections without affecting the pressure plate 51's ability to press and secure the gasket 5. The second blocking member 72 has a generally arched shape and is disposed within the fourth groove 122, serving to divide the fourth groove 122 into multiple sections. As a result, the second slurry chamber 12 can be separated into multiple second sub-slurry chambers under the action of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72, thereby improving the uneven thickness of the electrode surface after coating.

[0184] Of course, those skilled in the art should understand that when the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 are grooves of other shapes, the shapes of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 should be adapted to the shapes of the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122. Moreover, when the second slurry chamber 12 includes only the third groove 121 or only the fourth groove 122, the coating device 100 should include only the first blocking member 71 or only the second blocking member 72 accordingly.

[0185] The present embodiment does not specifically limit the number of first blocking members 71 and second blocking members 72, and can be selected based on actual coating conditions. For example, when the number of first blocking members 71 and second blocking members 72 is N, the second slurry chamber 12 can be divided into N+1 second sub-slurry chambers.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first magnetic member 711 is disposed within the first blocking member 71, and the first blocking member 71 is detachably and movably disposed in the third groove 121 via the first magnetic member 711. A second magnetic member 721 is disposed within the second blocking member 72, and the second blocking member 72 is detachably and movably disposed in the fourth groove 122 via the second magnetic member 721.

[0187] Therefore, the first barrier 71 and the second barrier 72 can be disassembled and moved in the corresponding third groove 121 and fourth groove 122 respectively. In this way, before coating, the position of the barrier in the slurry chamber can be adjusted according to the actual required width of the electrode, so that the length of the second sub-slurry chamber separated by the barrier is greater than or equal to the width of the electrode. Since no slurry flows out at the position corresponding to the barrier, the position of the substrate corresponding to the barrier can be cut off in the subsequent process of dividing the substrate, and the substrate corresponding to the sub-slurry chamber can be used as the electrode. This not only improves the consistency of the thickness of the electrode, but also, by adjusting the position of the barrier, the length of the sub-slurry chamber can be adapted to electrode pieces of different widths, thereby making the coating device more adaptable and compatible, and able to adapt to electrode pieces of different widths.

[0188] In addition, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can be installed or removed according to the expected number of strips of the actual substrate 200, so that multiple strips can be coated on the same substrate 200 at the same time, thereby improving coating efficiency.

[0189] In some other embodiments, the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 can also be respectively arranged in the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 in a detachable and movable manner through connecting members such as pins and screws. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the arrangement of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72, as long as they can be removed from the groove and moved in the groove.

[0190] Those skilled in the art should understand that, usually, the positions of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 in the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 are the same, but in some special processes or special processing requirements, the positions of the first blocking member 71 and the second blocking member 72 in the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 may also be different.

[0191] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 4 , a guide plate 151 is provided in the communication channel 15 between each feed port 2 and the corresponding slurry cavity 1 .

[0192] This can play a guiding role before the slurry enters the slurry chamber 1, and further reduce the pressure resistance of the slurry by changing the slurry flow rate and pressure, thereby improving the leveling of the slurry, so that the slurry can flow into the slurry chamber 1 more evenly.

[0193] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, there are two guide plates 151, which are generally arc-shaped. In some other embodiments, there may be four guide plates 151. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not impose any specific restrictions on the shape and number of the guide plates 151, as long as they can reduce the slurry pressure resistance.

[0194] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating system 1000, as shown in Figures 9 to 11. The coating system 1000 includes a backing roller 300, a coating device 100 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a feeding device 400, at least two adjusting devices 500, and a detecting device 600. The backing roller 300 is used to convey the substrate 200. The discharge port 3 of the coating device 100 is arranged relative to the substrate 200 along a first direction, and is used to apply slurry to the substrate 200. The feeding device 400 is connected to the slurry chamber 1 of the coating device 100, and is used to provide slurry to the slurry chamber 1. Each adjusting device 500 is respectively provided between each slurry chamber 1 and the feeding device 400, and is used to adjust the flow rate of slurry flowing into the slurry chamber 1. The detecting device 600 is provided on the side of the backing roller 300 away from the coating device 100 along the first direction, and is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry applied to each area of ​​the substrate 200.

[0195] The back roller 300 is used to transmit the substrate 200. The substrate 200 is wound around the back roller 300. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the back roller 300 rotates in a clockwise direction.

[0196] The feeding device 400 is used to store and provide slurry to the coating device 100. Specifically, the feeding device 400 includes a slurry tank 402 and a feeding pump 403. The slurry delivered from the outside by the delivery system 700 is temporarily stored in the slurry tank 402. The feeding pump 403 is used to pump the slurry in the slurry tank 402 into the slurry chamber 1 via the feeding pipe 401. The flow rate of the slurry entering the slurry chamber 1 can be controlled by controlling the power of the feeding pump 403.

[0197] Exemplarily, a filtering device 701 is provided between the conveying system 700 and the slurry tank 402 for filtering impurities in the slurry.

[0198] Exemplarily, the feed pump 403 includes a screw pump, which can make the slurry in the feed pipe 401 flow more smoothly, further improving the uniformity of coating.

[0199] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, there are two feeding devices 400, each of which is connected to the first slurry chamber 11 and the second slurry chamber 12 via a respective feeding pipe 401. Thus, the feeding speed and pressure of each slurry chamber 1 can be independently controlled.

[0200] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the number of the feeding devices 400 , and can be adjusted accordingly based on actual conditions or the actual number of slurry chambers 1 .

[0201] For example, when there are three slurry chambers 1 , there may also be three feeding devices 400 , and the three feeding devices 400 supply materials to the three slurry chambers 1 respectively.

[0202] As another example, when there are multiple slurry chambers 1 , there may be only one feeding device 400 , and one feeding device 400 is used to feed multiple slurry chambers 1 .

[0203] As another example, the feeding device 400 may include a slurry tank 402 and multiple feeding pumps 403 . When there are multiple slurry cavities 1 , one feeding device 400 feeds multiple slurry cavities 1 through multiple feeding pumps 403 .

[0204] In some embodiments, the coating system 1000 also includes a three-way valve 702 and a return pipe 703. The return pipe 703 connects the slurry tank 402 and the slurry chamber 1. The three-way valve 702 is correspondingly arranged between each slurry chamber 1 and the feeding device 400, and is used to control the connection or disconnection of the corresponding feed pipe 401, the return pipe 703 and the slurry chamber 1. When coating is required, the three-way valve 702 controls the feed pipe 401 to be connected to the slurry chamber 1, so that the slurry can be supplied to the slurry chamber 1. When coating is not required, the feed pipe 401 is controlled to be disconnected from the slurry chamber 1, and the return pipe 703 is controlled to be connected to the slurry chamber 1, so that the slurry in the slurry chamber 1 can flow back to the slurry tank 402, thereby reducing the coating effect of intermittent coating or local thin coating affected by the presence of slurry in the slurry chamber 1.

[0205] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the coating system 1000 further includes a regulating device 500 and a detecting device 600. The regulating device 500 is used to regulate the flow of the slurry flowing into the slurry chamber 1, and the detecting device 600 is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry coated on various areas of the substrate 200.

[0206] Illustratively, the detection device 600 may include a thickness detection device, an area density detection device, and the like.

[0207] The regulating device 500 can adjust the slurry flow rate of each slurry chamber 1 according to the actual detection results of the detection device 600, so that the distribution of the slurry can be more reasonable, and can also reduce the adverse effects of excessive pressure in the slurry chamber 1 on the coating quality, thereby effectively improving the reliability of the coating. In addition, it can also better realize special coating requirements such as local thin coating.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, since two slurry chambers 1 are included independently of each other, the number of regulating devices 500 is also two, and each regulating device 500 corresponds to one slurry chamber 1. In some other embodiments, when the number of slurry chambers 1 is greater (more than two), the number of regulating devices 500 should also be increased accordingly. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the number of regulating devices 500, as long as it corresponds to the number of slurry chambers 1.

[0209] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 11 to 15, each regulating device 500 includes an inlet 501 and at least two outlets 502. The inlet 501 is connected to the feeding device 400, and each outlet 502 is respectively connected to each feed port 2 of the corresponding slurry chamber 1. Each outlet 502 of each regulating device 500 is provided with an adjusting mechanism 503, which is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of each outlet 502.

[0210] Therefore, when the detection device 600 detects that the coating thickness is uneven, it can determine that the weight distribution of the slurry in the slurry chamber 1 is uneven, and thus the slurry flow rate flowing to the feed port 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502 of the corresponding feed port 2, and then the slurry flow rate flowing to each feed port 2 of the slurry chamber 1 can be independently and more accurately regulated, thereby improving the balance and weight consistency of the coating, and enabling the slurry to be well regulated and evenly distributed before entering the slurry chamber 1, further reducing the problem of excessive difference in fluid pressure in the slurry chamber 1.

[0211] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the first slurry chamber 11 is connected to three first feed ports 21 and the second slurry chamber 12 is connected to three second feed ports 22, the number of outlets 502 of the two adjustment devices 500 is three. In this way, they can correspond one-to-one with each feed port 2, thereby improving the adjustment accuracy.

[0212] For example, taking the first slurry chamber 11 as an example, the three first feed ports 21 of the first slurry chamber 11 are respectively arranged in the middle area of ​​the first slurry chamber 11 and the two end areas opposite to each other along the third direction. When the detection device 600 detects that the thickness of the two end areas opposite to each other along the third direction of the substrate 200 is thicker, the adjustment device 500 can reduce the opening and closing degree of the two end outlets 502 through the adjustment mechanism 503 corresponding to the two end outlets 502, thereby reducing the flow rate of the slurry at both ends. When the detection device 600 detects that the thickness of the middle area of ​​the substrate 200 is thicker, the adjustment device 500 can reduce the opening and closing degree of the middle outlet 502 through the adjustment mechanism 503 corresponding to the middle outlet 502, thereby reducing the slurry flow rate in the middle area. Through the real-time regulation of the adjustment mechanism 503, the coating uniformity can be improved. In addition, when some areas of the substrate 200 require special thin coating, the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502 can also be reduced by the adjustment mechanism 503 of the outlet 502 of the corresponding area, so as to perform thin coating of the corresponding area.

[0213] The embodiment of the present disclosure does not specifically limit the number of outlets 502 of the regulating device 500. The number of outlets 502 of each regulating device 500 may be the same or different, and may be set according to the number of feed ports 2 of the slurry chamber 1 corresponding to the actual regulating device 500.

[0214] In some embodiments, the adjustment device 500 also includes a protective cover 504, which is arranged on the periphery of the adjustment mechanism 503, thereby providing a certain degree of protection for the adjustment mechanism 503, reducing the possibility of damage to the adjustment mechanism 503, and reducing the possibility of adjustment abnormalities of the adjustment mechanism 503 caused by external collisions.

[0215] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment mechanism 503 includes a drive assembly 5031, an adjustment assembly 5032, and a sensor 5033. The adjustment assembly 5032 is disposed on one side of the outlet 502 along the second direction and is capable of reciprocating along the second direction under the drive of the drive assembly 5031, thereby adjusting the degree of opening and closing of the outlet 502. The sensor 5033 is configured to detect whether the displacement of the adjustment assembly 5032 along the second direction is a preset displacement, thereby detecting whether the degree of opening and closing of the outlet 502 is within the preset degree of opening and closing.

[0216] The driving component 5031 includes but is not limited to a motor. As a specific example, the driving component 5031 may be a servo motor.

[0217] The regulating assembly 5032 is generally in an inverted "T" shape. When the flow rate of the slurry needs to be increased, the regulating assembly 5032 can be driven by the driving assembly 5031 to move in the second direction away from the outlet 502, thereby increasing the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502, allowing the slurry to flow through the outlet 502 more smoothly and increasing the flow rate of the slurry. Conversely, when the flow rate of the slurry needs to be reduced, the regulating assembly 5032 can be driven by the driving assembly 5031 to move in the second direction toward the outlet 502, thereby reducing the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502, or completely blocking the outlet 502, thereby reducing the flow rate of the slurry or preventing the slurry from flowing out of the outlet 502. The greater the distance that the regulating assembly 5032 moves in the second direction toward the outlet 502, the smaller the flow rate of the slurry flowing out of the outlet 502.

[0218] Driven by the driving component 5031 , the adjusting component 5032 can adjust the range of 1 μm to 1 mm at a time, with high adjustment accuracy. After each adjustment, the adjusting component 5032 can record the adjustment action and provide feedback to the controller.

[0219] Thus, the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502 of each regulating device 500 can be adjusted with a simple structure, thereby controlling the flow rate of the slurry at each feed port 2 in real time.

[0220] In addition, the adjustment mechanism 503 can also detect whether the opening and closing degree of each outlet 502 is the preset opening and closing degree through the sensor 5033. If it is not the preset opening and closing degree, it can provide feedback to the controller in time and readjust the displacement of the adjustment component 5032 of the adjustment mechanism 503, so that the adjustment of the adjustment mechanism 503 is more accurate and reliable.

[0221] Exemplarily, the sensor 5033 includes an LVDT displacement sensor (linear displacement sensor).

[0222] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the coating system 1000 further includes a plurality of flow meters 800 , which are respectively disposed between each outlet 502 and the feed port 2 , and are used to detect the actual flow rate of the slurry flowing out of the outlet 502 .

[0223] Therefore, the flow meter 800 can detect whether the flow rate of the slurry flowing out through the outlet 502 is the preset flow rate, thereby detecting whether the adjustment of the adjustment mechanism 503 of the adjustment device 500 is accurate, and when the flow rate is detected to be inconsistent, timely feedback can be given, so that the adjustment mechanism 503 can be adjusted again, further improving the control reliability and accuracy of the adjustment device 500.

[0224] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a coating method, wherein a coating system 1000 is used to coat a slurry on a substrate 200. The coating system 1000 includes a coating device 100, which is used to coat the slurry on the substrate 200. The coating device 100 includes at least two independent slurry chambers 1, multiple feed ports 2, and discharge ports 3. Each slurry chamber 1 is connected to at least two feed ports 2. As shown in FIG16 , the coating method includes:

[0225] S100: Determine flow ratios of multiple feed ports according to target coating thicknesses of various regions of the substrate.

[0226] Specifically, before coating, the flow ratio of the feed port 2 at the position corresponding to each area is set according to the target coating thickness (or target surface density) of each area on the substrate 200 to be coated.

[0227] In the disclosed embodiment, the number of regions divided on the substrate 200 and the number of feed ports 2 provided may be the same or different. In actual operation, the flow rate ratio of the feed port 2 that has the greatest impact on the thickness of each region is set according to the principle of proximity. In addition, it should be noted that the target thickness of each region of the substrate 200 in the disclosed embodiment is consistent, that is, the flow rate ratio of each feed port 2 is the same. Of course, if the target thickness of each region of the substrate 200 is different, the flow rate ratio of the feed port 2 corresponding to each region will also be different.

[0228] S200: Adjust the flow rate of each feed port according to the flow rate ratio.

[0229] In specific applications, the total flow of a single coating slurry is divided into each feed port 2 according to the flow ratio to adjust the flow rate progress of each feed port 2.

[0230] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the initial flow ratio of each feed port 2 is the same, and the slurry flow at each feed port 2 is the same, so that the coating slurry enters the slurry cavity 1 through each feed port 2 and can be evenly distributed in the slurry cavity 1, so that the coating surface thickness of each area on the substrate 200 is uniform.

[0231] S300: supplying slurry to the slurry chamber through a plurality of feed ports of each slurry chamber according to the flow rate progress, and coating the substrate through the discharge port.

[0232] After the flow rate schedule of each feed port 2 is determined, the entire coating system 1000 can be started, and the substrate 200 can be coated by the coating device 100 .

[0233] The coating method of the embodiment of the present disclosure can adjust the flow rate of each slurry chamber 1 separately, and feeding through multiple feed ports 2 can reduce the fluid pressure difference in different areas within each slurry chamber 1, so that the slurry can be more evenly coated on the substrate 200 through the discharge port 3, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating.

[0234] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the coating system 1000 further includes at least two regulating devices 500 and a detection device 600. Each regulating device 500 is respectively connected to each slurry chamber 1. The regulating device 500 includes multiple outlets 502, each outlet 502 is respectively connected to each feed port 2 of the corresponding slurry chamber 1, and each outlet 502 of the regulating device 500 is provided with an adjusting mechanism 503, which is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502. The detection device 600 is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry applied to each area of ​​the substrate 200. As shown in Figure 17, the coating method further includes:

[0235] S400: Obtaining the coating thickness of each area of ​​the substrate through a detection device.

[0236] S500: Determine whether the actual coating thickness is the same as the target coating thickness. If so, continue coating. If not, proceed to step S600.

[0237] S600: Adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding area through the adjustment mechanism.

[0238] Therefore, the slurry flow rate flowing into each feed port 2 can be adjusted by specifically and in real time adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502 of the regulating device 500 corresponding to each feed port 2, so that the actual coating thickness is always the same as the target coating thickness, thereby improving the coating uniformity and coating quality.

[0239] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment mechanism 503 includes a drive assembly 5031 and an adjustment assembly 5032. The adjustment assembly 5032 is disposed on one side of the outlet 502 along the second direction and is capable of reciprocating along the second direction under the drive of the drive assembly 5031. As shown in FIG18 , when it is determined that the actual coating thickness is different from the target coating thickness, the step of adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding area by the adjustment mechanism further includes:

[0240] S601: Determine whether the actual coating thickness is greater than the target coating thickness. If so, proceed to step S602; otherwise, proceed to step S603.

[0241] S602: Move the regulating component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward the outlet, thereby reducing the opening and closing degree of the outlet.

[0242] S603: Move the regulating component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward a direction away from the outlet, thereby increasing the opening and closing degree of the outlet.

[0243] Thus, the opening and closing degree of the outlet 502 can be increased or decreased according to actual conditions, so that the actual coating thickness is always the same as the target coating thickness, thereby improving coating uniformity and coating quality.

[0244] Specific examples of some embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0245] As a specific example, the present disclosure provides a novel segmented wide-width, double-layer, multi-feed port die (coating device 100). The die includes two independent cavity structures (slurry chambers 1), each of which is divided into three sections by cavity blocks (a first blocker 71 and a second blocker 72). Each section has a feed port 2, for a total of three feed ports 2. The cavity block is movable and can be installed in a position that is determined based on the actual coating die width (the width of the substrate 200) and the number of segments.

[0246] The die head includes an upper die (first die head 101), a lower die (second die head 102) and a middle die (third die head 103). The lower die and the middle die are fixedly connected by screws (fixed connector 4), the upper die and the middle film are fixedly connected by screws, and the gasket 5 is respectively installed on the lower die and the middle die through the pressure plate 51. The feed port (first feed port 21) provided on the upper die and the feed port (second feed port 22) provided on the lower die are both connected to the slurry delivery pipeline (feed pipeline 401) through a clamp to realize the slurry supply to the upper and lower dies. A guide plate 151 is provided inside the pipeline of each feed port. Each cavity structure is equipped with a screw pump feeding system (feeding device 400) to realize independent feeding and flow regulation of each cavity.

[0247] The front end of each cavity section of the cavity structure is equipped with an independent precision flow diversion regulating device (regulating device 500), including an adjusting upper die, an adjusting lower die, a sealing gasket, an inlet (inlet 501), an outlet 502, a servo regulating module (driving component 5031), a T-type regulating component (regulating component 5032), an LVDT displacement sensor (sensor 5033) and a protective cover 504. A sealing gasket is used between the adjusting upper die and the adjusting lower die to prevent leakage. The precision flow diversion regulating device divides an inlet into three outlets (or more outlets). The servo regulating module can adjust the movement of the T-type regulating component so that the slurry is regulated and diverted before entering the segmented cavity, and through the closed-loop linkage with the flowmeter 800 surface density measurement system (detection device 600), the flow ratio and surface density value corresponding to each segmented cavity area are fed back in real time, realizing online closed-loop high-precision regulation. For example, when the surface density measurement system detects that the segmented cavity is N-heavy (heavy in the middle and light on both sides), the opening of the middle outlet of the diverter regulating device is reduced, and the opening of the flow channels on both sides of the diverter regulating device is increased. When the surface density measurement system detects that the segmented cavity is U-heavy (heavy on both sides and light in the middle), the opening of the middle outlet of the diverter regulating device is increased, and the opening of the flow channels on both sides of the diverter regulating device is reduced.

[0248] The new segmented wide-width double-layer multi-feed port die disclosed herein can improve the problems of large fluid pressure difference in a single feed port cavity and uneven coating weight distribution, greatly improving the coating weight consistency, and each feed port has a one-to-many precision diversion adjustment device, which can achieve precise control of the flow rate in the segmented cavity.

[0249] The above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they may modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate from the essence of the corresponding technical solutions and are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. In particular, the various technical features described in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there are no structural conflicts.

Claims

1. A coating device for coating a slurry onto a substrate, the coating device comprising: Coating head; At least two slurry chambers are formed on the coating head, and the slurry chambers are independent of each other; A plurality of feed ports are provided on the coating head, and each of the slurry chambers is connected to at least two of the feed ports; and A discharge port is opened on the coating head and is located on the opposite side of the feed port along the first direction, and the discharge port is communicated with at least two of the slurry chambers.

2. The coating device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the slurry chambers is connected to one of the discharge ports through its own slurry channel, the slurry channels are spaced apart along the second direction, and the discharge port extends along the third direction; The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

3. The coating device according to claim 2, wherein: The coating head includes a first die, a second die, and a third die, wherein the third die is located between the first die and the second die along the second direction, and the slurry cavity is formed on at least two of the first die, the second die, and the third die; The slurry cavity includes a first slurry cavity and a second slurry cavity, the first slurry cavity is located between the first die head and the third die head, and the second slurry cavity is located between the second die head and the third die head.

4. The coating device according to claim 3, wherein: The feed inlet includes a plurality of first feed inlets and a plurality of second feed inlets; The first slurry cavity extends along the third direction, and a plurality of the first feed ports are spaced apart along the third direction on the first die head, and the plurality of the first feed ports are all communicated with the first slurry cavity; The second slurry cavity extends along the third direction, a plurality of second feed ports are arranged at intervals along the third direction on the second die head, and the plurality of second feed ports are all communicated with the second slurry cavity.

5. The coating device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The coating device further comprises two gaskets, the two gaskets being respectively located between the first die head and the third die head and between the second die head and the third die head; The slurry channel includes a first slurry channel and a second slurry channel; The first die head and the third die head are separated by the spacer to form the first slurry channel, and the second die head and the third die head are separated by the spacer to form the second slurry channel; The first slurry channel is connected to the first slurry cavity and the discharge port, and the second slurry channel is connected to the second slurry cavity and the discharge port.

6. The coating device according to claim 5, wherein: A first exhaust port and a second exhaust port are formed on the coating head. The first exhaust port is communicated with the first slurry chamber, and the second exhaust port is communicated with the second slurry chamber.

7. The coating device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein: The first die head and the third die head are pivotally connected, and the second die head and the third die head are pivotally connected.

8. The coating device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein: The first slurry chamber includes a first groove and a second groove spaced apart along the first direction, the second groove is arranged close to the discharge port along the first direction, and in a projection plane parallel to the first direction, a projection width of the second groove is smaller than a projection width of the first groove; The second slurry chamber includes a third groove and a fourth groove spaced apart along the first direction. The fourth groove is arranged close to the discharge port along the first direction. In a projection plane parallel to the first direction, the projection width of the fourth groove is smaller than the projection width of the third groove.

9. The coating device according to claim 8, wherein: The coating device further comprises at least one first blocking member and at least one second blocking member; The first blocking member is arranged in the first groove, and the second blocking member is arranged in the second groove. The first blocking member and the second blocking member jointly divide the first slurry chamber into at least two first sub-slurry chambers, and each of the first sub-slurry chambers can be connected to the discharge port through the first slurry channel.

10. The coating device according to claim 9, wherein A first magnetic member is provided in the first blocking member, and the first blocking member is disposed in the first groove in a detachable and movable manner through the first magnetic member; A second magnetic member is provided in the second blocking member, and the second blocking member is disposed in the second groove through the second magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner.

11. The coating device according to claim 8, wherein The coating device further comprises at least one first blocking member and at least one second blocking member; The first blocking member is arranged in the third groove, and the second blocking member is arranged in the fourth groove. The first blocking member and the second blocking member together divide the second slurry chamber into at least two second sub-slurry chambers, and each second sub-slurry chamber can be connected to the discharge port through the second slurry channel.

12. The coating device according to claim 11, wherein A first magnetic member is provided in the first blocking member, and the first blocking member is detachably and movably arranged in the third groove through the first magnetic member; A second magnetic member is provided in the second blocking member, and the second blocking member is disposed in the fourth groove through the second magnetic member in a detachable and movable manner.

13. The coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: A guide plate is provided in the communication channel between each feed port and the corresponding slurry cavity.

14. A coating system, comprising: A back roller, the back roller being used for conveying the substrate; The coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the discharge port of the coating device is arranged opposite to the substrate along a first direction, and is used to coat the slurry onto the substrate; a feeding device, the feeding device being in communication with the slurry chamber of the coating device and being configured to provide slurry to the slurry chamber; at least two regulating devices, each of which is provided between each of the slurry chambers and the feeding device, and is used to regulate the flow rate of the slurry flowing into the slurry chamber; and A detection device is provided on a side of the backing roller away from the coating device along the first direction, and is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry coated on various areas of the substrate.

15. The coating system according to claim 14, wherein: Each of the regulating devices includes an inlet and at least two outlets, the inlet is connected to the feeding device, and each of the outlets is respectively connected to each feed port of the corresponding slurry chamber; Each outlet of each regulating device is provided with an regulating mechanism, and the regulating mechanism is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of each outlet.

16. The coating system according to claim 15, wherein: The regulating mechanism includes a driving component, a regulating component and a sensor; The adjusting assembly is provided on one side of the outlet along the second direction and can reciprocate along the second direction under the drive of the driving assembly, thereby adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet; The sensor is used to detect whether the displacement of the adjustment component along the second direction is a preset displacement, thereby detecting whether the opening and closing degree of the outlet is a preset opening and closing degree.

17. The coating system according to claim 15 or 16, wherein: The coating system further includes a plurality of flow meters, which are respectively arranged between each of the outlets and the feed port, and are used to detect the actual flow rate of the slurry flowing out of the outlets.

18. A coating method comprising applying a slurry to a substrate using a coating system, the coating system comprising a coating device for applying the slurry to the substrate, the coating device comprising at least two independent slurry chambers, a plurality of feed ports, and a plurality of discharge ports, each of the slurry chambers being in communication with at least two of the feed ports; The coating method comprises: Determining the flow ratio of the plurality of feed ports according to the target coating thickness of each area of ​​the substrate; Adjust the flow rate of each feed port according to the flow rate ratio; According to the flow rate schedule, slurry is supplied to the slurry chamber through the plurality of feed ports of each slurry chamber, and the substrate is coated through the discharge port.

19. The coating method according to claim 18, wherein The coating system further includes at least two adjusting devices and a detecting device, each of the adjusting devices is respectively connected to each of the slurry chambers, the adjusting device includes a plurality of outlets, each of the outlets is respectively connected to each of the feed ports of the corresponding slurry chambers, each of the outlets of the adjusting device is provided with an adjusting mechanism, the adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the opening and closing degree of the outlet, and the detecting device is used to detect the coating thickness of the slurry coated on each area of ​​the substrate; The coating method further comprises: Obtaining the actual coating thickness of each area of ​​the substrate by the detection device; It is determined whether the actual coating thickness is the same as the target coating thickness. If so, coating is continued. If not, the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding area is adjusted by the adjustment mechanism.

20. The coating method according to claim 19, wherein The adjustment mechanism includes a driving assembly and an adjusting assembly; the adjusting assembly is provided on one side of the outlet along the second direction and can reciprocate along the second direction under the drive of the driving assembly; When it is determined that the actual coating thickness is different from the target coating thickness, the step of adjusting the opening and closing degree of the outlet of the corresponding area by the adjustment mechanism further includes: Determine whether the actual coating thickness is greater than the target coating thickness. If so, move the adjusting component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward the outlet, thereby reducing the opening and closing degree of the outlet; otherwise, move the adjusting component of the outlet of the corresponding area along the second direction toward the direction away from the outlet, thereby increasing the opening and closing degree of the outlet.

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