JP2000311662A - Exterior mold machining device for polymer battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lightweight and high-capacity battery by providing a knockout drive mechanism relatively reciprocating a first knockout and a second knockout, a heating means and a cooling means coaxially laminated against the first knockout below a lower die. SOLUTION: A first knockout 11 and a second knockout 13 are relatively reciprocated by a drive mechanism. A lower die 9, a heat insulating body 14, a heater block 15, a heat insulating body 16 and a cooling block 17 are coaxially laminated and arranged against the first knockout 11. A polymer battery 10 is on the side face of the opening section 9a of the lower die 9, and the second knockout 13 interpolatively arranged in an upper die 12 is lowered. The end edge of the seal section 10a of the polymer battery 10 is extended to the opening section 9a of the lower die 9, and it is cut off when the upper die 12 is coupled with the opening section 9a of the lower die 9. When the polymer batteries 10 are connected in a tape shape, the seal sections 10a of the polymer batteries 10 are cut and separated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming and processing a polymer battery, which is capable of realizing high capacity and small size.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For cordless electronic devices such as portable telephones and portable notebook personal computers, secondary batteries used as driving power sources are required to have higher capacity, smaller size and lighter weight. I have. Lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries, nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries, and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are generally used as secondary batteries of this type. There is interest in batteries.

That is, a positive electrode layer, a polymer electrolyte layer and a negative electrode layer are superposed, a battery element is integrally formed into a sheet shape by heat and pressure bonding, and each electrode terminal is led out and sealed in a liquid-tight manner with an exterior film. A sheet-shaped polymer battery (polymer electrolyte secondary battery) is being developed (for example, US Pat. No. 5,296,318).

Here, the positive electrode layer stores lithium ions,
A positive electrode sheet containing a carbonaceous material to be released (for example, polyaniline or polyacene) or a metal oxide, and a negative electrode layer is a lithium metal, carbonaceous, or lithium alloy-based sheet containing an active material capable of absorbing and releasing lithium ions. In addition, the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer appropriately contain an electrolyte-retaining polymer to provide flexibility and the like, and have a current collector.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a conventional polymer battery 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes an electrolyte-holding polymer-electrolyte system that functions as a separator (for example, a polymer such as hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer, and an ethylene carbonate solution such as a lithium salt, a nonaqueous electrolyte solution). 3) A positive electrode formed by laminating a positive electrode layer containing an active material such as a metal oxide that occludes and releases lithium ions, a nonaqueous electrolyte and an electrolyte-retaining polymer on a current collector, and 4 denotes lithium ions. This is a negative electrode obtained by laminating a negative electrode layer containing an active material for absorbing and releasing, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and an electrolyte-retaining polymer on a current collector. here,
The laminate of the polymer-electrolyte system 2, the positive electrode 3, and the negative electrode 4
Form a battery element.

Reference numerals 5 and 6 denote exterior / sealing resin films (sheets) for covering and protecting the rear surfaces of the positive electrode 3 and the negative electrode 4, for example, a thermoplastic resin layer such as a polyimide resin. Heat sealed and hermetically sealed. Although not shown, the positive electrode 3 and the negative electrode 4
An electrode terminal electrically connected to each of the current collectors is drawn out.

[0007]

The polymer battery 1 is desired to be as small and compact as possible from the viewpoint of not only high capacity, high performance and light weight but also space saving. That is, in the above-described battery configuration, the hermetic welding (sealing) region 7 of the exterior / sealing resin layers 5 and 6 is bent along the side surface of the interior battery element, and the hermetic sealing is extended in the outer peripheral direction. The size of the stop area 7 is reduced.

FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) schematically show an embodiment of a step of bending the hermetic sealing region 7. First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the resin layers 5 and 6 to be packaged and sealed are provided.
The hermetic / sealed region 7 formed by the thermal welding of the above is heated by the heater blocks 8a and 8b so as to be easily deformed. Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the heated hermetic sealing region 7 is pressed against the pressing plate 8 and bent toward the side of the polymer battery 1 (battery element) to be preformed. Thereafter, the preformed hermetic / sealing region 7 is pressed against the side surface of the polymer battery 1 and is cooled along the side surface of the polymer battery 1 as shown in FIG. 3 (c).

However, in the case of bending the hermetic / sealing region 7, the following inconveniences are recognized. That is, in the above-mentioned processing step, the hermetic / sealing region 7 is bent in a form in contact with the side surface of the battery element.
Since an external force is easily applied to the side surface of the battery element, there is a problem that the battery element is deformed or damaged. Since the deformation or breakage of the battery element causes an internal short circuit in the polymer battery, the reliability and the production (processing) yield of the polymer battery may be significantly impaired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a molding apparatus capable of miniaturizing a lightweight and high-capacity polymer battery with good yield.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an upper surface has an opening that is larger than the outer shape of the plate-shaped battery element, and the plate-shaped battery element is provided with an edge portion of an exterior / sealing resin layer. A lower mold for positioning and mounting a polymer battery formed by liquid-tight sealing,
A first knuckout having a distal end surface exposed in the lower die opening, and a tubular shape disposed opposite to the lower die opening and having a distal end fitted into the opening. Upper mold,
A second knuckout having a tip end surface exposed at an end portion of the upper die facing the lower die, a knuckout drive mechanism for relatively moving the first and second knuckouts forward and backward, and An exterior molding and processing apparatus for a polymer battery, comprising a heating means and a cooling means coaxially stacked with respect to a first knuckout below a mold.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the polymer battery exterior molding and processing apparatus of the first aspect, the heating means and the cooling means are formed in a laminated form of a heat insulating layer, a heater block, a heat insulating layer and a cooling block. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a polymer battery exterior molding apparatus according to the first or second aspect,
It has a switching mechanism for switching between the heating means and the cooling means.

In the first to third aspects of the present invention,
The polymer battery to be molded is generally referred to as a so-called lithium battery or a lithium ion battery. The battery element is made of, for example, a polyimide resin film, polyester resin film, aramid having a thickness of about 10 to 150 μm. A structure in which liquid-tight (or air-tight) sealing with a resin film or a laminated film in which a metal foil (for example, aluminum foil) is layered and the like is covered and protected can be given.

In the invention of claims 1 to 3,
Each pair of the lower mold and the first knuckout, and the upper mold and the second knuckout are configured to bend the liquid-tightly sealed region of the polymer battery by engaging or fitting with each other. Here, the pair of the lower mold and the first knuckout, and the pair of the upper mold and the second knuckout, are liquid-sealed when the pair is opposed, engaged or fitted, and led out of the external connection terminal of the battery element. Cutting the sides of the liquid-tight sealing area other than the stop area
It is good also as a structure which can perform isolation | separation and the bending process of this cutting / separation area | region continuously.

In the invention of claims 1 to 3,
In bending the liquid-tight / sealed area of the polymer battery, a heating block that heats or heats the processing area (workpiece) to contribute to shaping, and a cooling block that cools the processing area (workpiece) after bending processing , Which are insulated from each other and coaxial with the first knuckout. Then, the polymer battery is sandwiched between the opposing end surfaces of the first knuckout and the second knuckout, and is primarily bent in a process of sliding down, and the bending is shaped by heating in the heater block. After that, it is configured to be cooled and fixed.

Here, the heater block is, for example, a ceramic or metal body containing an electric heater or a heating gas as a heat source, and the cooling block is a ceramic or metal body having a liquid or gas cooling medium passage. On the other hand, the heat insulating block that thermally insulates between the lower die and the heater block and between the heater block and the cooling block is made of a heat insulating material such as glass fiber.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, when the liquid-tight / sealing region of the exterior sealing layer is bent along the side surface of the battery element, cutting and separation can be performed if necessary. External forces applied to the side surfaces of the battery element can be easily reduced or avoided. That is, along with the cutting and separation of the polymer battery arranged and formed in a tape shape, the planar expansion of the liquid-tight / sealing region of the exterior sealing layer is easily bent along the side surface of the battery element, thereby reducing the size. Be transformed into In addition, the possibility of deformation or breakage of the electrode element can be completely avoided, and a high-capacity, small-sized polymer battery can be processed with good yield.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus for externally forming and processing a polymer battery according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 denotes an opening 9a whose upper surface is larger than the outer shape of the plate-shaped battery element, and the plate-shaped battery element is formed by sealing an edge 10a of an exterior / sealing resin layer in a liquid-tight manner. A lower mold 11 for positioning and mounting a polymer battery (workpiece) 10 is a first mold 11 having a tip end exposed at an opening 9 a of the lower mold 9.
Knock out of 12 is an opening of the lower mold 9
A cylindrical upper mold 13 is disposed on the upper surface 9a so as to face the opening 9a, and a distal end thereof is fitted to the opening 9a. This is the second knuckout that was done.

Here, the lower mold 9 and the upper mold 12 are made of, for example, ceramic material, and the first knuckout 11 and the second knuckout 13 are made of, for example, steel. These are configured to relatively move forward and backward by a drive mechanism (not shown). The lower mold 9 and the upper mold 12 may have a function of cutting and separating an outer film of a polymer battery arranged and formed in a tape shape, thereby forming a polymer battery (workpiece) 10.

Further, reference numeral 14 denotes a first heat insulator laminated and arranged below the lower mold 9; 15 a heater block (heating means) laminated and arranged below the first heat insulator 14; A second heat insulator laminated below the heater block 15 is a cooling block (cooling means) laminated below the second heat insulator 16. That is, the lower mold 9,
First heat insulator 14, heater block 15, second heat insulator 16
The cooling block 17 is coaxially stacked with respect to the first knuckout 11.

Here, the lower die 9, the first heat insulator 14, the heater block 15, the second heat insulator 16, and the cooling block 17 are arranged in a stacked manner on the processing side (sealing / edge portion) of the fired body 10. ) 10a
And is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the first knockout 11. In other words, the position (workpiece) 10 of the upper end surface of the first nackout 11 advances and retreats with the advance and retreat (up and down) of the first knockout 11, so that the position of the workpiece 10 (processing Step), heating means
The configuration is such that the advance and retreat of the cooling means 17 and the cooling means 17 can be appropriately switched by a switching mechanism.

Next, an example of exterior molding processing by the exterior molding apparatus for a polymer battery will be described. First, the workpiece
The 10 is set on the side surface of the opening 9a of the lower die 9, and the second knuckout 13 inserted into the upper die 12 is lowered. At this stage, the peripheral sealing portion of the workpiece 10 is
It extends to 9a, and is cut (cut) when the upper die 12 is fitted into the opening 9a of the lower die 9. When the workpiece 10 is continuously connected in a tape shape (or a band shape), the fusion / sealing portion 10a of the exterior film is cut and separated.

Next, the work piece 10 is sandwiched between the upper end face of the first knuckout 11 and the lower end face of the second knuckout 13 and descends while being planarized outward. The extended fusion / sealing portion 10a is temporarily bent along the side surface of the workpiece 10. As it descends further,
The heating by the heater block 15 softens the primary bent region 10a, and shapes the primary bent and the like.

Thereafter, the workpiece 10 which has been heated and whose primary bending has been shaped is provided with a first knuckout 11.
And it continues to descend while being sandwiched by the second knuckout 13, is cooled by the cooling block 17, and is taken out after the required bending of the exterior film body is completed.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, a first insulator, a heater block, a second insulator and a cooling block may
May be fixedly arranged with respect to the knuckouts of the above, or their shapes may be formed in an annular shape.

[0028]

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the planar extent of the liquid-tight / sealing region of the exterior film can be reduced by bending along the side surface of the battery element. In this molding process, the occurrence of deformation, breakage, and the like of the electrode element is completely eliminated, and a high-capacity, small-sized polymer battery with good yield can be processed. In addition, since the bending process can be performed continuously to the step of cutting and separating the liquid-tight / sealed region of the exterior film, the size of the polymer battery can be reduced, and the exterior molding process can be mass-produced and with high yield. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a polymer battery forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration example of a polymer battery.

3 (a), (b) and (c) are side views schematically showing an embodiment of a conventional method for forming and processing a polymer battery in the order of steps.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 10: polymer battery 2: polymer electrolyte system 3: positive electrode 4: negative electrode 5, 6: exterior sealing resin layer (film, sheet) 7: sealing area of exterior sealing resin layer 9 ...... Lower mold 9a ...... Lower mold opening 10a ...... Sealing edge (bent part) of polymer battery 11 ... First knuckout 12 ... Upper dies 13 ... Second knuckout 14 , 16… Insulator 15… Heater block (heating means) 17… Cooling block (cooling means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A polymer battery in which an upper surface has an opening larger than an outer shape of a plate-shaped battery element, and the plate-shaped battery element is liquid-tightly sealed at an edge portion of an exterior / sealing resin layer. A lower mold to be positioned and placed; a first knuckout arranged so as to expose a tip end surface to the opening of the lower mold; a first knuckout arranged opposite to the opening of the lower mold; A cylindrical upper mold in which a part fits, a second knuckout disposed with an end face exposed at an end facing the lower dies of the upper mold, and the first and second knuckouts relative to each other. And a heating means and a cooling means coaxially stacked with respect to the first knuckout below the lower mold. Forming equipment. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating means and the cooling means are formed in a laminated shape of a heat insulating layer, a heater block, a heat insulating layer and a cooling block. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching mechanism for switching between a heating unit and a cooling unit.