JP2012061513A - Press roll device, and pressing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a press roll device and pressing method, which can prevent the device from being large-sized and easily suppress a variation in a distance between rollers caused by thermal fluctuation.SOLUTION: The press roll device 10 includes: two rollers 20a, 20b arranged facing with each other at a predetermined distance, which rotates in opposite directions to each other at an equal speed; a bearing 30 for rotatably supporting the rollers; a housing 40 held at a predetermined position, which supports the bearing 30; and a heat quantity control member 50 thermally connected to the housing 40, which obtains a heat quantity generated by the bearing 30 and generates a heat quantity so that a total heat quantity of the heat quantity and the obtained heat quantity is constant.

Description

  The present invention relates to a press roll apparatus and a pressing method for pressing a strip-shaped member, and more particularly to a press roll apparatus for pressing an electrode member in the manufacture of an electrode for a lithium ion battery.

  In recent years, opportunities for mounting lithium ion secondary batteries in automobiles and mobile phones have increased. A lithium ion secondary battery is formed, for example, by winding an electrode obtained by applying a slurry electrode material on a strip-shaped metal foil and drying it through a separator. In order to form a high-performance lithium ion secondary battery, it is necessary to form an electrode having a uniform thickness.

  A press roll apparatus is generally used to form an electrode having a uniform thickness. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for forming a strip-shaped electrode using a press roll device. FIG. 4 shows a side view of the pressure treatment apparatus of Patent Document 1.

  In FIG. 4, the pressure processing apparatus 900 of Patent Document 1 includes a pressure processing unit 910 and a preheating unit 920, and after sufficiently heating the electrode material in the preheating unit 920 in advance, the pressure processing unit 910 performs electrode processing. The material is sandwiched between rolls and pressed to a uniform thickness while heating. By heating the electrode material by the preheating unit 920, the pressure treatment unit 910 can be prevented from being cooled by the electrode material and the distance between the rolls being thermally fluctuated. When the distance between the rolls of the pressure processing unit 910 varies, the thickness of the strip electrode varies.

JP 2000-233298 A

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 needs to include a preheating unit 920 in addition to the pressure processing unit 910, and the pressure processing apparatus 900 becomes large. Furthermore, since the preheating conditions vary depending on the room temperature, the material properties, the winding speed, etc., it takes time and effort to make advance adjustments for bringing the electrode material into the pressure treatment unit 910 while maintaining the desired temperature. .

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus, and it is possible to easily suppress fluctuations in the distance between rolls caused by thermal fluctuations. It is to provide an apparatus and a pressing method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a press roll device according to the present invention has two rollers that are arranged to face each other at a predetermined distance and rotate in the opposite direction at a constant speed, a bearing that rotatably supports the rollers, and a predetermined position. A housing that is held and supports the bearing, and a heat amount control unit that is thermally connected to the housing, acquires the amount of heat generated by the bearing, and generates a heat amount that makes the total heat amount constant with the acquired heat amount. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a pressing method according to the present invention uses a bearing supported by a housing held in a predetermined position to rotate two rollers opposed to each other at a predetermined distance in the opposite direction at a constant speed. The amount of heat generated by the bearing is acquired, and the amount of heat with which the total amount of heat with the acquired amount of heat is constant is generated and supplied to the housing.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to avoid that an apparatus becomes large, the press roll apparatus and press method which can suppress easily the fluctuation | variation of the distance between press rolls resulting from a heat fluctuation can be provided. .

It is an example of the front view of the press roll apparatus 10 which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the front view of the press roll apparatus 100 which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the fragmentary sectional view of the press roll apparatus 100 which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the pressure treatment apparatus 900 which concerns on related technology.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described. An example of a front view of the press roll device according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the press roll apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes two rollers 20 a and 20 b, a bearing 30, a housing 40, and a heat amount control means 50.

  The two rollers 20a and 20b are arranged to face each other at a predetermined distance, and the pressed member 90 is sandwiched between the rollers 20a and 20b. In a state where the pressed member 90 is sandwiched between the rollers 20a and 20b, the pressed member 90 is pressed to a predetermined thickness by rotating the rollers 20a and 20b in the opposite direction at a constant speed.

  The bearing 30 is supported by a housing 40 held at a predetermined position, and rotates the rollers 20a and 20b in the opposite direction at a constant speed.

  The heat quantity control means 50 generates heat and supplies the generated heat mainly to the housing 40. At this time, the heat control means 50 generates heat so that the total heat of the heat generated by the bearing 30 and the heat generated by itself is always constant. In the present embodiment, the heat quantity control means 50 holds the maximum value Z of the heat quantity generated by the bearing 30 in advance. Then, the amount of heat X actually generated by the bearing 30 is acquired, and the amount of heat Y = heat amount Z−heat amount X is calculated. Then, heat corresponding to the calculated heat quantity Y is generated and supplied to the housing 40. In the present embodiment, the heat quantity control means 50 calculates the heat quantity X generated by the bearing 30 based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor disposed in the vicinity of the bearing 30. The amount of heat X generated by the bearing 30 can also be calculated based on the measurement result of the rotation speed of the rollers 20 a and 20 b and the rotation amount of the bearing 30.

  As described above, in the press roll device 10 according to the present embodiment, the total heat amount (heat amount Z) of the heat amount (heat amount X) generated by the bearing 30 and the heat amount (heat amount Y) generated by its own means is always constant. Then, heat is generated and supplied to the housing 40. Since the housing 40 is always supplied with a constant amount of heat Z, the temperature of the housing 40 is kept constant. Therefore, the housing 40 can be prevented from expanding and contracting due to a temperature change.

  The heat quantity control means 50 only needs to acquire the heat quantity X generated by the bearing 30, generate heat of the heat quantity Y corresponding to the heat quantity X, and supply the heat to the housing 40. A small simple heat generation circuit is applied. can do.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a press roll apparatus 10 that can avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus and can easily suppress fluctuations in the distance between press rolls caused by thermal fluctuations.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the press roll apparatus of the electrode for lithium ion batteries which compresses a strip | belt-shaped electrode material with high precision is applied as a press roll apparatus.

  An example of a front view of the press roll apparatus according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the press roll device 100 includes a press roll 110, a bearing 120, a housing 130, power 140, a reduction screw 150, a heater 160, and a frame 170. Although not particularly used in the present embodiment, a bend cylinder for correcting the shape of the press roll may be provided.

  The press roll 110 includes a press portion 111 that presses the electrode material 200 and a shaft portion 112 that rotates the press portion 111 in response to rotational force from power (not shown). The upper press roll 110 is referred to as an upper press roll 110a (comprising a press portion 111a and a shaft portion 112a), and the lower press roll 110 is referred to as a lower press roll 110b (a press portion 111b and a shaft portion 112b). Provided.)

  In FIG. 2, the upper press roll 110a and the lower press roll 110b are arranged in parallel, and the strip-shaped electrode material 200 is sandwiched between the press portions 111a and 111b of the two press rolls 110a and 110b. When the press rolls 110a and 110b rotate in the reverse direction at a constant speed, the electrode material 200 having a uniform thickness is continuously generated.

  The shaft portion 112 a of the upper press roll 110 a is supported by the reduction screw 150 via the bearing 120 and the housing 130. When the reduction screw 150 obtains power from the power 140 and moves in the vertical direction, the upper press roll 110a moves up and down. And the press part 111a of the upper side press roll 110a rotates in desired height.

  On the other hand, in the lower press roll 110b, the shaft portion 112b is fixed to the frame 170 via the bearing 120 and the housing 130, so that the press portion 111b rotates while being held at a constant height.

  That is, by controlling the reduction screw 150 and adjusting the height of the upper press roll 110a, the distance between the press portions 111a and 111b is adjusted to a desired distance G, and the thickness of the electrode material is set to the desired thickness G. To press.

  Here, since the housing 130 is generally made of metal, the housing 130 expands and contracts as the temperature changes. For example, when the shaft 112a rotates and frictional heat is generated inside the bearing 120, the temperature of the housing 130 rises and the housing 130 expands. On the other hand, when the rotation of the shaft portion 112a stops, the temperature of the housing 130 decreases and the housing 130 contracts.

  In FIG. 2, the housing 130 supporting the upper press roll 110a is fixed to the frame 170 via the reduction screw 150. Therefore, when the housing 130 expands, the center of the housing 130 moves downward. As the center of the housing 130 moves downward, the upper press roll 110a moves downward.

  Similarly, the housing 130 supporting the lower press roll 110b also rises in temperature and expands as the lower press roll 110b rotates. Since the housing 130 is fixed to the frame 170, the center of the housing 130 moves upward, and the lower press roll 110b moves upward.

  When the upper press roll 110a moves downward and the lower press roll 110b moves upward, the distance G between the upper press roll 110a and the lower press roll 110b decreases. When the electrode material 200 is continuously pressed, the housing 130 expands due to frictional heat with the passage of time, the distance G decreases, and the thickness of the electrode material 200 decreases.

  Therefore, the press roll apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment arranges the heater 160 in the vicinity of the bearing 120. In this embodiment, the press roll apparatus 100 operates the heater 160 according to the rotation speed of the press rolls 110a and 110b, and maintains the housing 130 at a constant temperature.

  Next, a mechanism in which the heater 160 generates heat as the press rolls 110a and 110b rotate will be described. An example of a cross-sectional view around the shaft portion 112a of the upper press roll 110a is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the bearing 120 includes an outer race 121, a roller 122, and an inner race 123. When the upper press roll 110a rotates, frictional heat is generated from the contact portion between the inner race 123 and the rollers 122 and between the rollers 122 and the outer races 121 due to rolling friction. This frictional heat is transferred from the outer race 121 to the housing 130 and the temperature of the housing 130 rises.

  On the other hand, the heater 160 includes an outer heater 161, an inner heater 162, and a power supply control unit 163 (not shown). In the present embodiment, the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 are annular heaters, and the outer heater 161 is between the outer race 121 and the housing 130, and the inner heater 162 is the inner race 123 and the upper press roll 110a. It arrange | positions between these shaft parts 112a. The outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 generate heat proportional to the amount of power supplied from the power supply control unit 163.

  The power supply control unit 163 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 and supplies electric power to the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 according to the rotation speeds of the press rolls 110a and 110b. The power supply control unit 163 supplies power to the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 during the period when the press roll 110 is stopped, and generates a heat amount equal to the frictional heat generated by the rotation of the press rolls 110a and 110b. On the other hand, the power supply control unit 163 controls the amount of power supplied to the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 according to the rotation speed of the press roll 110 during the period in which the press rolls 110 a and 110 b are rotating. That is, the amount of power to be supplied is reduced as the rotation speed of the press roll 110 increases.

  In the present embodiment, the power supply control unit 163 is configured such that the total amount of heat generated by the bearing 120 (heat amount X) and the amount of heat generated by the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 (heat amount Y) is a constant value (heat amount Z = The electric power supplied to the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 is controlled so that the amount of heat is X + heat amount Y). By keeping the sum of the amount of heat transmitted from the bearing 120 to the housing 130 and the amount of heat transmitted from the heater 160 to the housing 130, the temperature change of the housing 130 is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the expansion and contraction of the housing 130 due to the temperature change and the change in the distance G between the press portion 111a of the upper press roll 110a and the press portion 111b of the lower press roll 110b.

  Since the press roll apparatus 100 configured as described above can suppress the expansion and contraction of the housing 130, the belt-shaped electrode material 200 can be pressed with a certain thickness G with high accuracy. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the preheating part etc. for preheating the electrode material 200 previously, it can suppress that an apparatus becomes large. Furthermore, it is only necessary to maintain the housing 130 at a constant temperature, and advanced adjustment is not necessary.

  Here, in this embodiment, the housing 130 is held at a constant temperature using the annular outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various shapes can be applied to the outer heater 161 and the inner heater 162 as long as they can be disposed at positions adjacent to the bearing 130. Further, instead of the heater 160, an eddy current generating device that generates an eddy current in the vicinity of the bearing 120 may be arranged to generate an eddy current around the bearing 120 to generate heat. In addition, since frictional heat is generated most around the roller 122 of the bearing 120, it is desirable to apply a heat amount adjusting means capable of adjusting the heat amount in the vicinity of the roller 122 as much as possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Press roll apparatus 20a, 20b Roller 30 Bearing 40 Housing 50 Calorie control means 90 Pressed member 100 Press roll apparatus 110 Press roll 110a Upper press roll 110b Lower press roll 111, 111a, 111b Press part 112, 112a, 112b Shaft part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 Bearing 121 Outer race 122 Roller 123 Inner race 130 Housing 140 Power 150 Reduction screw 160 Heater 161 Outer heater 162 Inner heater 170 Frame 200 Electrode material 900 Pressurization processing unit 910 Pressurization processing unit 920 Preheating unit

Claims (9)

Two rollers arranged opposite each other at a predetermined distance and rotating in opposite directions at a constant speed;
A bearing rotatably supporting the roller;
A housing held in place and supporting the bearing;
A heat quantity control means that is thermally connected to the housing, obtains a heat quantity generated by the bearing, and generates a heat quantity in which a total heat quantity with the obtained heat quantity is constant;
A press roll device. The press roll device according to claim 1, wherein the heat amount control unit includes a rotation speed acquisition unit that acquires a rotation speed of the roller, and acquires a heat amount generated by the bearing based on the acquired rotation speed. A distance adjusting means for adjusting a distance between the two rollers;
The press roll device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the rollers is connected to the distance adjusting means via the bearing and the housing. The press roll device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat quantity control means is disposed in the vicinity of the bearing. The press roll device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat quantity control means includes a heater that generates the heat quantity by being supplied with power and generating heat. The press roll device according to claim 5, wherein the heater includes an inner heater disposed between the roller and the bearing, and an outer heater disposed between the bearing and the housing. The press roll device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat quantity control means includes an eddy current generator that generates the heat quantity by generating an eddy current. The press roll apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the eddy current generator generates an eddy current around the bearing. Using the bearings supported by the housing held in place, the two rollers facing each other at a predetermined distance are rotated at the same speed in opposite directions,
Obtaining the amount of heat generated by the bearing, generating a heat amount that makes the total heat amount constant with the acquired heat amount, and supplying the heat amount to the housing,
Press method.

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