JP2001319680A - Spiral type electrode group manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the problem that a conventional spiral type electrode manufacturing apparatus has a difficulty to detect failures such as electrode group outside diameter failures, deformation failures or the like, thus resulting in a drop in the working ratio of the apparatus. SOLUTION: The electrode manufacturing apparatus comprises a winding means for winding a positive electrode body 3 aid a negative electrode body 4 around a winding core through a separator 6 to form an electrode group 7, a pair of pressurizing rollers 9, 9 for pressurizing the electrode group 7 at the time of winding to control a winding outside diameter thereof, two displacement sensors 10, 10 for measuring the oscillation of the pressurizing rollers 9, 9 individually, and a controller 11 for adding the outputs of these two displacement sensors 10, 10 to calculate the outside diameter of the electrode group 7 relative to a winding angle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group, and more particularly, to a means for detecting a defect such as an increase in outer diameter and deformation of a spiral electrode group comprising a sheet-like long electrode body. The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a demand for cordless, high-performance, compact, and lightweight electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable notebook personal computers, and power tool devices such as portable power tools. As the demand for secondary batteries such as nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries mounted as a power supply in electronic devices is increasing, there is a strong demand for improvements in productivity, higher capacity, and lower costs.

[0003] An apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group used in such a secondary battery usually includes a winding means for winding a sheet-like positive electrode and a negative electrode through a sheet-like separator. It has. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group, in which a pair of electrode group holding blocks 2 and 2 are arranged with a winding core 1 rotated by a rotation driving device (not shown) interposed therebetween. The sheet-like positive electrode body 3 and the negative electrode body 4 are conveyed toward the core 1 by conveying means (not shown) in the vicinity of the holding blocks 2 and 2. Then, the separator 6 is sandwiched between the cores 1, and the above-described positive electrode and negative electrode bodies 3 and 4 are
To form a cylindrical spiral electrode group 7 as shown in FIG.

Further, pressure is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the electrode group in the vicinity of the core 1 by a pair of pressurizing means, for example, a pair of pressurizing rollers 9, 9 oscillating in the vertical direction by air cylinders 8, 8. The winding outer diameter is controlled so as to have a desired value that matches the inner diameter of the outer can to be loaded in the subsequent electrode group loading means. In such a spiral electrode group manufacturing apparatus, in order to detect a defective introduction of the positive electrode body 3 or the negative electrode body 4 at the initial stage of winding, the outer diameter of the electrode group 7 at the end of winding is determined by the pressure roller 9, Generally, the nine swinging parts are detected by an ON / OFF sensor such as a proximity sensor.

[0005]

However, the above-described detecting means can detect only an extreme defect such as the presence or absence of a positive electrode or a negative electrode.
Subtle deformation defects such as an increase in the winding outer diameter of the electrode group and an elliptical end face shape of the electrode group due to a poor thickness of the electrode body could not be detected. If the winding outer diameter of the electrode group changes, insertion failure occurs at the time of subsequent loading into the outer can, and the production yield decreases.

[0006] Needless to say, these defects result in product defects, such as causing bites in manufacturing facilities.
This also caused the operating rate of the device to be greatly reduced.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the winding is usually performed so that the winding end 7a of the electrode group 7 fits inside the electrode holding blocks 8 and 8. However, if the thickness of the electrode body varies as described above, The winding end position protrudes from the electrode holding blocks 8, 8, and when inserted into an outer can, the winding end end of the electrode group may be broken or damaged, resulting in poor insertion or poor insulation. .

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted various studies in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and have found that the amount of displacement of the winding outer diameter during winding of the spiral electrode group is determined by the amount of winding of the winding core. The inventors have found that the above-described delicate defects can be detected by controlling the angle, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group according to the present invention comprises: winding means for winding a positive electrode body and a negative electrode body around a core via a separator to form an electrode group; A pair of pressure rollers for controlling the winding outer diameter by pressing the electrode group, two displacement sensors each for measuring the swing of the pressure roller, and adding the outputs of the two displacement sensors, A controller for calculating an outer diameter of the electrode group with respect to a winding angle is provided.

In the above configuration, the output of the controller may be fed back to the pressure means of the pair of pressure rollers. Further, an end detecting means for detecting an end of the positive electrode body or the negative electrode body may be provided near the winding means.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components as those in FIGS. 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a spiral electrode group manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the winding process of the electrode group 7 has entered the final stage.

The pressing rollers 9 move from the initial winding position shown in FIG. 3 and approach the winding core 1 so as to sandwich the electrode group 7 from above and below. Contact or non-contact displacement gauges 10 and 10 having a resolution of 0.1 mm or less are attached to the pressure rollers 9 and 9, respectively. The output is output to the addition / subtraction controller 11.

The addition / subtraction controller 11 adds / subtracts the linear output of the two pressure rollers 9 and 9 and holds data as the outer diameter of the electrode group 7. Then, the held data is compared with preset data, for example, standard data, where a pass / fail judgment is made and the result is output to the winding means. FIG. 2 shows the result of calculating the outer diameter of the electrode group 7 being wound by the addition / subtraction controller 11 and shows a change in the outer diameter with respect to the winding angle. That is, for each predetermined winding angle of the winding core 1, the amount of displacement of each of the pressure rollers 9, 9 is detected, and by adding or subtracting them, the winding outer diameter of the electrode group 7 at that winding angle is calculated. The values are plotted against the integrated value of the rotation angle of the core 1. In the figure, the solid line indicates the standard value, the broken line indicates that the outer diameter has increased with respect to the standard value, and the dotted line indicates the elliptical shape. Deformation was poor.

With respect to such a defective product, for example, a defective product having an increased outer diameter causes a defective insertion in a subsequent step of insertion into an outer can. It is possible to take appropriate measures such as taking measures to stop the apparatus in order to prevent the occurrence of the problem. Further, in the above-described apparatus, data from the addition / subtraction controller 11 is fed back to the regulators 12 that adjust the pressure of the air cylinders 8 that change the pressure by moving the pressure rollers 9 up and down. When the outer diameter shown in FIG. 2 increases, the pressure of the air cylinders 8, 8 is increased,
It is also possible to reduce the winding outer diameter by winding the electrode group 7.

By providing a mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the air cylinders 8 and 8 in this manner, even if the thickness of the electrode body and the separator changes between lots, the winding outer diameter of the electrode group 7 can be set to a desired set value. And the occurrence of defects can be minimized. Further, in the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus, an end detecting means for detecting the end of the positive electrode body 3 or the negative electrode body 4 may be provided near the winding means of the electrode group 7.

FIG. 1 shows a means for detecting the end of the negative electrode body. Near the end of the transport path of the negative electrode body 4, a pair of electrode body end detection sensors, for example, transmission-type photoelectric sensors 13, are provided so as to sandwich the transport path from above and below. The photoelectric sensors 13 and 13 are connected to a control device (both not shown) for controlling a rotation drive device of the core 1.

In the above control device, after the terminal 4a of the negative electrode body 4 has passed through the region sandwiched between the photoelectric sensors 13 and 13, the winding core 1 is kept in the electrode group support blocks 2 and 2. The number of revolutions has been entered. At the end of the winding process, the terminal 4a of the negative electrode body 4 passes through the region sandwiched between the photoelectric sensors 13 and 13, and at the same time, the photoelectric sensors 13 and 13 detect the terminal 4a and the control device controls the winding core 1 to a predetermined position. After a few rotations, the terminal end 4a of the negative electrode body 4 is
The winding step is terminated at the time when the winding process is stored. Since the positive electrode body 3 and the separator 6 are the same length as the negative electrode body 4, they are similarly placed inside the electrode support block 2, 2.
Is stored in.

As described above, when the electrode end detecting sensors, that is, the photoelectric sensors 13 and 13 are provided, it is possible to cope with a change in the thickness between the lots of the electrode body and the separator, and it is also possible to change the thickness within the same lot. Even in this case, there is an advantage that the winding means can be controlled such that the end position of the winding of the electrode group 7 is always stored in the electrode pair supporting blocks 8.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the apparatus for manufacturing a spiral electrode group of the present invention, a positive electrode body and a negative electrode body are wound around a core through a separator to form an electrode group. Winding means for forming, a pair of pressure rollers for controlling the outer diameter of the winding by pressing the electrode group at the time of winding, two displacement sensors for respectively measuring the swing of these pressure rollers, By providing a controller that adds the outputs of the two displacement sensors and calculates the outer diameter of the electrode group with respect to the winding angle, it is possible to make a more delicate defect determination than in the past, and the operating rate of the device is greatly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a configuration of a device for manufacturing a spiral electrode group according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing a change in outer diameter of an electrode group with respect to a winding angle calculated in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a positional relationship around a core of a conventional spiral-shaped electrode group manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a winding end position of the electrode group after winding and an electrode group holding block.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Core 2 Electrode group holding block 3 Positive electrode body 4 Negative electrode body 6 Separator 7 Electrode group 7a Electrode group winding end 8 Air cylinder 9 Pressure roller 10 Displacement type 11 Addition / subtraction controller 12 Regulator 13 Termination detection sensor (photoelectric Sensor)

Claims (3)

[Claims] A winding means for winding a positive electrode body and a negative electrode body around a core via a separator to form an electrode group;
A pair of pressure rollers for controlling the outer diameter of the winding by pressing the electrode group at the time of the winding, two displacement sensors for measuring the swing of the pressure roller, and outputs of the two displacement sensors. An apparatus for manufacturing a spiral-type electrode group, comprising: a controller configured to add and calculate an outer diameter of the electrode group with respect to the winding angle. 2. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an output of said controller is fed back to the pressing means of said pair of pressing rollers. 3. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an end detecting means for detecting an end of the positive electrode body or the negative electrode body near the winding means.