JP2014231026A - End surface cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an end surface cleaning device which efficiently removes an adhering object while preventing a metal foil serving as a base material of an electrode sheet from being carelessly folded when removing a coating material adhering to an end surface of the electrode sheet.SOLUTION: An end surface cleaning device removes a coating material adhering to end surfaces of electrode sheets and includes: a sandwiching part which sandwiches the laminated electrode sheets; a cleaning head part which cleans the end parts of the laminated electrode sheets; and a relative movement part. The end surface cleaning device presses the cleaning head part to the sheet end surfaces to remove the coating material adhering to the end surfaces of the electrode sheets.

Description

  The present invention relates to an end face cleaning device that removes foreign matter adhering to an end face of an electrode sheet.

  A secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery has an electrode sheet in which an active material or a material called carbon black (that is, a coating material) is applied to a surface of aluminum or copper foil, and a porous resin sheet called a separator. It is configured by stacking. And as for this electrode sheet, what was wound by the cylindrical shape and what laminated | stacked the plate-shaped thing are common.

  And the foreign material called contamination powder may adhere to the surface and end surface of this electrode sheet. This contamination powder is generated by dropping a coating substance applied to the surface of the electrode sheet, burrs or the like generated when the electrode sheet is cut, during the manufacturing process. Such contaminant powder (hereinafter referred to as foreign matter) adheres to the surface or end surface of the electrode sheet and causes internal short circuit during charging / discharging of the secondary battery. Therefore, removal is attempted by various methods. (For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2000-353513 A JP 2002-352798 A

  However, when the above-mentioned foreign matter adheres to the end face of the electrode sheet, the electrode sheet is a thin metal foil, so that if a strong load is applied, the electrodes are bent, which causes an internal short circuit. Further, if the foreign matter is scattered to another place (for example, a cleaned place) by cleaning, the cleaning effect is impaired.

  Then, this invention aims at provision of the end surface cleaning apparatus which removes the foreign material adhering to the end surface of an electrode sheet efficiently, without changing the end surface of an electrode sheet.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention provides:
An end face cleaning device that removes foreign matter adhering to the end face of an electrode sheet,
An electrode sheet nipping portion for nipping the laminated electrode sheets;
A cleaning head part for removing foreign matter adhering to the end face of the laminated electrode sheet;
A relative movement part that relatively moves the cleaning head part along an end surface of the laminated electrode sheet, and
An end face cleaning apparatus, wherein the cleaning head portion is pressed against an end face of the laminated electrode sheet to remove foreign matter adhering to the end face.

  According to this configuration, even an electrode sheet that is easily deformed when an external force is applied can be prevented from being deformed because it is held in a stacked state.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The cleaning head section
A cleaning roller that rotates while contacting the end face of the laminated electrode sheet;
An end face cleaning device comprising: a roller rotating portion that rotates the cleaning roller.

  According to this configuration, the force applied to the end face of the electrode sheet is increased by the rotation of the cleaning roller, but the deformation of the electrode sheet can be prevented. Further, the cleaning roller can be rotated to easily remove foreign matters.

According to a third invention, in the second invention,
The cleaning roller is an end face cleaning device, characterized in that a surface that contacts the end face of the laminated electrode sheet is a non-woven fabric.

  According to this configuration, when the nonwoven fabric is pressed, the force applied to the end face of the electrode sheet is dispersed, and the fibers of the nonwoven fabric to which an appropriate pressing force is applied entangles the foreign matter, so that the foreign matter is easily removed.

According to a fourth invention, in the second invention,
The cleaning roller has a brush that is in contact with an end surface of the laminated electrode sheet.

  According to this configuration, since the force applied to the electrode sheet end surface is dispersed by pressing the brush tip portion, the brush tip portion to which an appropriate pressing force is applied entangles the foreign matter. Foreign matter can be easily removed.

A fifth invention is the above first to fourth inventions,
The end face cleaning device is characterized in that an end face of the laminated electrode sheet is disposed outside an end face of the electrode sheet holding portion.

  According to this configuration, the cleaning cloth touches not only the end face of the electrode sheet but also the coating material inside from the end face while preventing deformation of the end face of the laminated electrode sheet. If it does so, the part which can be dropped and become a foreign material in the future can be removed beforehand. Further, since the surface pressure is higher than that in the above-described form in which the amount of protrusion is not set, the effect of removing metal burrs is improved.

  The foreign matter adhering to the end surface of the electrode sheet can be efficiently removed without deforming the end surface of the electrode sheet.

It is a perspective view showing the whole example of the form which embodies the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of an example of the form which embodies this invention. It is a perspective view showing the whole example of the form which embodies the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the form which embodies this invention. It is a side view which shows the principal part of another example of the form which embodies this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, as an example of the laminated electrode sheets, a laminate of flat electrode sheets S is used.
The three axes of the orthogonal coordinate system in each figure are X, Y, and Z, the XY plane parallel to the plane of the flat electrode sheet S is the horizontal plane, and the Z direction orthogonal to the XY direction (that is, the thickness direction of the electrode sheet) Is the vertical direction. In the Z direction, the tip side of the arrow is the upper side, and the opposite side is the lower side.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire example of a form embodying the present invention, and shows an entire configuration of a cleaning device 1 according to the present invention.

  The cleaning device 1 according to the present invention is configured to include an electrode sheet nipping part 2, a cleaning head part 3, and a relative movement part 4.

The electrode sheet sandwiching portion 2 sandwiches the stacked electrode sheets S and includes an upper clamp plate 21 and a lower clamp plate 22.
The upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 are configured to be movable in the thickness direction (that is, the Z direction) of the stacked electrode sheets S. After sandwiching the stacked electrode sheets S, the thickness is increased. It fixes so that a mutual space | interval may not change, applying a pressurization to a direction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of an example embodying the present invention, and illustrates a specific configuration of the cleaning head unit 3 of the cleaning device 1 according to the present invention.
The cleaning head unit 3 removes the foreign matter C adhering to the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet S from the end surface Se. The cleaning head unit 3 includes, for example, a rod-shaped support member 31 and a cleaning member 32 attached to the support member. The cleaning member 32 moves relative to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet S to remove foreign substances such as a coating substance adhering to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet S and metal burrs.
The cleaning member 32 can be composed of members 32a to 32e as exemplified below.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), a spatula-shaped member 32a made of rubber or soft resin.
As shown in FIG. 2B, a “brush” -shaped member 32b in which a number of long and narrow soft resins are bundled.
As shown in FIG. 2C, a “sponge” shaped member 32c having a large number of irregularities on the surface.
A member 32d made of “woven fabric” in which long and thin fibers are knitted longitudinally and laterally as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 (e), a member 32e made of "nonwoven fabric" in which elongated fibers are laminated without being knitted.

The relative movement unit 4 relatively moves the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet and the cleaning head unit 3 along Se of the end surface.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the relative movement unit 4 includes a base 41b, a rail 41r disposed on the base 41b, and a slider 41s attached on the rail 41r. The slider 41s moves in the direction of the arrow 41v or the opposite direction by driving with an external motor and a ball screw or driving with a linear motor, and on the rail 41r based on a control command from an external control device. It is configured to move at a speed and stop at a predetermined position.

  The cleaning head unit 3 is attached on the slider 41s. At this time, the cleaning member 32 of the cleaning head unit 3 is attached so as to be in contact with the end surface Se side of the electrode sheet S. Further, the cleaning member 32 of the cleaning head unit 3 is pressed against the end surface Se side of the electrode sheet. And as shown in FIG. 3, the foreign material adhering to the end surface Se of an electrode sheet is removed by the slider 41s moving to the direction of arrow 41v. The pressing force of the cleaning head unit 3 is adjusted / set by the biasing force of an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, or the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning head unit 3 and the end surface Se of the electrode sheet, It can be adjusted and set according to the thickness and hardness of the cleaning cloth 5, and can be adjusted and set according to the hardness and shape of the material constituting the cleaning member 32.

<Another form>
The cleaning head unit 3 according to the present invention includes a cleaning roller 33 that rotates while contacting the end surface Se of the stacked electrode sheets, and further includes a roller rotating unit 5 that rotates the cleaning roller 33. The head portion 3b is preferable.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of a form embodying the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates a specific configuration of the cleaning head 3b.

  The cleaning roller 33 includes a housing portion 33a and a cleaning member 33b, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The cleaning roller 33 may have a shape other than a substantially cylindrical shape, that is, a conical, truncated cone, or prismatic cleaning roller, or cleaning head portions 32a to 32e as shown in FIG. However, it may be configured to rotate around the Z-axis. At this time, the present invention can be embodied as long as the ridge line portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller is in contact with the electrode sheet end surface Se to be cleaned.

  The roller rotating unit 5 rotates the cleaning roller 33 around an axis (for example, Z axis) parallel to the electrode sheet end surface Se as a rotation center axis. Specifically, the roller rotation unit 5 includes a rotation motor 51, and the rotation motor 51 is attached on the slider 41 s of the relative movement unit 4. Further, a housing portion 33 a of the cleaning roller 33 is attached to the rotation shaft 52 of the rotation motor 51. Therefore, the cleaning member 33b of the cleaning roller 33 is configured to be rotatable around the Z axis as described above.

  Since the cleaning roller 33 rotated by the roller rotating unit 5 rotates around the Z axis, it is preferable that the cleaning roller 33 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a constant distance between the Z axis as the rotation center and the outer peripheral surface. By doing so, since the cleaning member 33b continuously touches the electrode sheet end surface Se, the occurrence of vibration is small, and deformation of the electrode sheet end surface Se can be prevented.

  The cleaning device according to the present invention includes such a cleaning head portion 3b, whereby the force applied to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet is increased by the rotation of the cleaning roller 33, and deformation of the electrode sheet can be prevented. Furthermore, the rotation of the cleaning roller 33 facilitates removal of foreign matters.

<Another form>
In the cleaning device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the portion of the cleaning roller 33 that contacts the electrode sheet end surface Se is composed of the nonwoven fabric 33b. Specifically, a configuration in which the cleaning member 33b in FIG. 4 is formed of a nonwoven fabric can be exemplified.

  Since the nonwoven fabric has elasticity in the thickness direction, an appropriate pressing force can be applied while the force applied to the end face of the electrode sheet is dispersed by being pressed against the end face Se of the electrode sheet. Furthermore, since the nonwoven fabric is configured by intricately intertwining fibers in the vertical and thickness directions, the above-described cleaning roller 33 rotates, so that the irregularities of the fibers of the nonwoven fabric repeatedly come into contact with foreign matter, and in a single scraping It is also possible to remove strong deposits that are difficult to fall off.

<Another form>
In the cleaning device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the cleaning roller 33 is configured with a brush in which a portion of the electrode sheet end surface Se that is in contact with a bundle of a plurality of elongated soft resins. Specifically, the cleaning member 33b in FIG. 4 can be exemplified by a brush.

  Since the brush 33 has elasticity at the bristle portion, by pressing against the end surface Se of the electrode sheet, an appropriate pressing force can be applied while the force applied to the end surface of the electrode sheet is dispersed. Further, since the brush is configured by bundling a large number of bristles, the bristles of the brush repeatedly come into contact with foreign matter by the rotation of the cleaning roller 33 described above, and it is hard to come off with a single scraping. Extraneous matter can also be removed.

<Another form>
In carrying out the above-described invention, the cleaning device according to the present invention arbitrarily sets the positions of the end surface 21e of the upper clamp plate and the end surface 22e of the lower clamp plate with respect to the end surface Se of the stacked electrode sheets. You can do it. In other words, even if the positional relationship between the ridges and the recesses is satisfied, the cleaning head unit 3 is pressed and the foreign matter attached to the electrode sheet end surface Se can be removed if the cleaning cloth 5 is in contact with the end surface Se of the electrode sheet. it can.

  However, when the outermost end surface of the laminated electrode sheet is in contact with the upper clamp plate 21 or the lower clamp plate 22 (that is, the positional relationship between the pliers and the recesses), the cleaning cloth 5 Will not arrive. Further, when the upper clamp plate 21 or the lower clamp plate 22 and the cleaning head unit 3 come into contact with each other, it may cause wear or dust generation, which may cause new foreign matter adhesion.

Therefore, in the cleaning device according to the present invention, the electrode sheet sandwiching portion 2 is preferably configured as shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a main part of still another example of a form embodying the present invention.
That is, FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which the electrode sheet sandwiching portion 2 has the end surface Se of the stacked electrode sheets disposed outside the end surfaces of the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22.

  In the cleaning device according to the present invention, the electrode sheet nipping portion 2 has such a configuration, so that the effective length H of the cleaning roller 33 of the cleaning head portion 3 (that is, the length in the Z direction that can be cleaned) is It can be set longer than the thickness dimension ta of the laminated electrode sheets. Therefore, foreign matter can be uniformly removed over the entire thickness direction of the end surface S of the electrode sheet. In addition, since there is no dust accumulation in the structure and the foreign matter that could not be captured by the cleaning cloth falls below the end surface S of the electrode sheet, a new cause of foreign matter adhesion can be prevented.

  In carrying out the present invention, the protruding amount L of the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet from the end surfaces of the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22 is set within 0.2 mm. More preferred.

With this amount of protrusion L, foreign matter can be removed most efficiently while preventing deformation of the outermost end face of the laminated electrode sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 End surface cleaning apparatus 2 Electrode sheet clamping part 3 Cleaning head part 3b Cleaning head part 4 Relative movement part 5 Roller rotation part 21 Upper clamp plate 22 Lower clamp plate 31 Support member 32 Cleaning member 33 Cleaning roller 33a Rotation member 33b Nonwoven fabric 33c Brush 41b Base 41r Rail 41s Slider 41v Arrow (relative movement direction)
51 Rotating motor 52 Rotating shaft S Electrode sheet Se End face of electrode sheet C Foreign matter (contamination powder)
L Extrusion amount H Effective length of cleaning roller

Claims (5)

An end face cleaning device that removes foreign matter adhering to the end face of an electrode sheet,
An electrode sheet nipping portion for nipping the laminated electrode sheets;
A cleaning head part for removing foreign matter adhering to the end face of the laminated electrode sheet;
A relative movement part that relatively moves the cleaning head part along an end surface of the laminated electrode sheet, and
An end face cleaning apparatus, wherein the cleaning head portion is pressed against an end face of the laminated electrode sheet to remove foreign matter adhering to the end face. The cleaning head section
A cleaning roller that rotates while contacting the end face of the laminated electrode sheet;
The end surface cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising a roller rotating unit that rotates the cleaning roller. The end face cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning roller is a non-woven fabric at a portion that contacts the end face of the laminated electrode sheet. The end face cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning roller is a brush at a portion in contact with the end face of the laminated electrode sheet. The end face cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an end face of the laminated electrode sheet is disposed outside an end face of the electrode sheet holding portion.

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