JP2014232574A - End surface cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an end surface cleaning device that, when removing deposits adhered to an end surface of a laminated electrode sheet, efficiently removes the deposits while preventing a metal foil that is a base material of the electrode sheet from unexpectedly being folded.SOLUTION: The end surface cleaning device for removing deposits adhered to an end surface of a laminated electrode sheet includes: an electrode sheet holding part; a vacuum roll; and a moving part of the vacuum roll. Deposits adhered to the end surface of the electrode sheet are removed with the vacuum roll through a cleaning cloth.

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 faces of the laminated electrode sheets,
A vacuum roll having suction holes on the cylindrical side;
A moving unit that relatively moves the end face of the laminated electrode sheet and the vacuum roll;
A cleaning cloth is disposed between the end face of the laminated electrode sheet and the vacuum roll,
An end face cleaning apparatus, wherein the vacuum roll is pressed against the cleaning cloth to remove foreign matter adhering to the end face of the laminated electrode sheet.

  According to this configuration, the end face of the electrode sheet can be cleaned through the cleaning cloth having flexibility and air permeability while using a vacuum roll having a high dust collection effect.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
An end face cleaning apparatus, wherein the cleaning cloth is a nonwoven fabric.

  According to this configuration, the foreign matter after removal can be collected by the vacuum roll while removing the foreign matter from the end face of the electrode sheet with the nonwoven fabric having high air permeability and high dust collection effect.

According to a third invention, in the first or second invention,
An end face cleaning device comprising: a cross conveyance unit that supplies and collects the cleaning cloth in a roll-to-roll manner.

  According to this configuration, the cleaning cloth to be used can always be refreshed to a portion where no foreign matter adheres, and the foreign matter once removed can be prevented from reattaching.

In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect,
The cleaning cloth supplied and recovered by the cloth conveying unit is
For the end face of the layered electrode sheet,
It is an end face cleaning device characterized by relatively moving in the same direction as the relative movement direction in the relative movement section.

  According to this configuration, since the unused cleaning cloth moves relative to the electrode sheet end surface to be cleaned, the cleaning effect using the frictional force is generated. Furthermore, since the used cleaning cloth moves to the downstream side in the relative movement direction, it is possible to more reliably prevent foreign matters from scattering and reattaching to the cleaned portion.

A fifth invention is the above first to fourth inventions,
An electrode sheet holding portion for holding the laminated electrode sheet;
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, while preventing deformation of the end face of the electrode sheet, the cleaning cloth touches not only the end face of the electrode sheet but also the coating material inside from the end face. 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 figure 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 perspective view which shows the principal part of another example of the form which embodies this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of 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.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of an example embodying the present invention, and shows a detailed configuration of the vacuum roll 3 of the cleaning device 1 according to the present invention.

  The cleaning device 1 according to the present invention includes an electrode sheet nipping part 2, a vacuum roll 3, a relative movement part 4, a cleaning cloth 5, and negative pressure generating means.

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.

The vacuum roll 3 has a communication hole 35 on a side surface of a rotating body (hereinafter referred to as an outer shell) 34 called an outer shell, and sucks a substance from the outside.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the vacuum roll 3 includes a hollow shaft portion 32 having an opening 33 on a side surface of a cylindrical casing, and the outer shell 34 is centered on the hollow shaft portion 32. Is configured to rotate.

  The hollow shaft portion 32 is also referred to as an inner shell, is configured by a cylindrical housing, and includes an exhaust port 36 that communicates with the opening 33. The exhaust port 36 is connected to the hollow shaft 37 and is connected to negative pressure generating means (not shown). Examples of the negative pressure generating means include an exhaust blower, an ejector, a vacuum pump, and a suction pump.

  The outer shell 34 can be exemplified by a circular through-hole as shown in FIG. 2 as the communication hole 35, but other forms may be used, and long thin slits may be arranged at a predetermined interval. Further, the outer shell 34 may have a cylindrical surface made of a porous material, or a braided material or a net, and generally has a portion communicating with the outside in the thickness direction. It is called a communication hole.

  The opening 33 of the hollow shaft portion 32 and the communication hole 35 of the outer shell 34 are arranged so as to overlap each other. Due to such a structure, the vacuum roll 3 always sucks an external substance from the opening 33 side and discharges it to the outside through the exhaust port 34 regardless of whether the outer shell 34 rotates or is stationary. be able to.

  In the above description, the example in which the hollow shaft portion 32 and the outer shell 34 constituting the vacuum roll 3 are configured by a cylindrical housing has been described. However, in embodying the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this aspect, and it may be constituted by a conical or truncated cone-like housing. That is, the vacuum roll 3 may be configured so that the outer shell 34 can rotate while being in contact with the cleaning cloth 5.

The relative movement unit 4 relatively moves the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet and the vacuum roll 3.
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.

  A vacuum roll 3 is attached on the slider 41s. At this time, the vacuum roll 3 is attached so that the opening 33 faces the end surface Se side of the electrode sheet S.

  The cleaning cloth 5 is for removing foreign matter adhering to the end face of the electrode sheet. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning cloth 5 is disposed between the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheets and the vacuum roll 3. The cleaning cloth 5 has a front surface and a back surface communicating with each other, and has a so-called air permeability. Specifically, the cleaning cloth 5 may be a woven fabric (textile), a knitted fabric (web), a non-woven fabric, or the like.

  The cleaning cloth 5 is made of a flexible material, such as a chemical fiber made of a resin such as polyester, polyester, or acrylic, or a fiber made of a natural material such as cotton, silk, hemp, or blend. Can be illustrated.

  In the cleaning device 1 according to the present invention, the end portions 51 and 52 of the cleaning cloth 5 are fixed and are pressed against the end surface Se side of the electrode sheet by the outer shell 34 of the vacuum roll 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, while the slider 41 s moves in the direction of the arrow 41 v, the foreign matter attached to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet adheres to the cleaning cloth 5 by the suction function of the vacuum roll 3, Alternatively, it passes through the cleaning cloth 5 and is discharged to the outside. Therefore, the foreign material adhering to the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet can be removed.

  The pressing force of the vacuum roll 3 is adjusted / set by the biasing force of an elastic body such as a spring or rubber, the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the vacuum roll 3 and the end surface Se of the electrode sheet, and the cleaning force It can be adjusted and set according to the thickness and hardness of the cloth 5 and can be adjusted and set according to the hardness of the material of the outer shell 34 of the vacuum roll 3.

  Because of the above-described configuration, the cleaning device 1 according to the present invention uses the vacuum roll having a high dust collection effect, and the end surface Se of the electrode sheet via the cleaning cloth 5 having flexibility and air permeability. Can be cleaned. Therefore, the foreign material adhering to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet can be efficiently removed without deforming the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet.

<Another form>
In the present invention, the cleaning cloth 5 is preferably made of a nonwoven fabric among the above-described forms. Since the nonwoven fabric is configured by intricately intertwining fibers in the vertical direction and the thickness direction, it can efficiently entangle foreign matters. Moreover, since a foreign material will sink into the inside of a nonwoven fabric by combined use with the above-mentioned vacuum roll, it can prevent that a foreign material scatters. Furthermore, since the nonwoven fabric is elastic in the thickness direction, the contact surface pressure with respect to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet becomes uniform. Therefore, it is suitable as the cleaning cloth 5 in the present invention.

<Another form>
The cleaning device according to the present invention preferably includes a cross conveyance unit 6 that supplies and collects the cleaning cloth 5 in a roll-to-roll manner.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of a form embodying the present invention.
The cleaning device 1b shown in FIG. 4 has the same configuration as that of the cleaning device 1 described above, but further includes a cross conveyance unit 6.

The cloth transport unit 6 includes an unwinding roll 61 around which an unused cleaning cloth is wound, and a winding roll 66 around which a used cleaning cloth is wound.
The unwinding roll 61 is configured to be able to rotate around the shaft 62 as a rotation center.
Similarly, the take-up roll 66 is configured to be able to rotate around the shaft 67 as a rotation center. The shaft 62 is connected to the motor 63, and the shaft 67 is connected to the motor 68. Therefore, the unused portion of the cleaning cloth 5 is supplied from the unwinding roll 61 by the rotation of the motors 63 and 68, and the used portion is collected by the winding roll 66 via the vacuum roll 3. . The unwinding / winding operation of the cleaning cloth 5 can be performed as appropriate, and may be performed every time one side of the electrode sheet S is cleaned or after a predetermined number of times of cleaning.

  According to this configuration, the used cleaning cloth is collected at the used part (that is, the foreign object is attached), and the unused cleaning cloth is supplied and refreshed at the unused part (that is, the foreign object is not attached). be able to. Therefore, the foreign matter once removed from the end surface Se of the electrode sheet and adsorbed on the surface of the cleaning cloth 5 can be prevented from reattaching to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet.

  In carrying out the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the cross conveyance unit 6 is configured such that the vacuum roll 3 moves relative to the electrode sheet S, the unwinding roll 61, and the winding roll 66. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the following embodiments may be adopted.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of still another example of a form embodying the present invention.
The cleaning device 1c shown in FIG. 5 has a configuration similar to that of the cleaning device 1b described above, but has a configuration in which the vacuum roll 3 and the cross conveyance unit 6 are provided on the slider 41s of the relative movement unit 4. That is, the vacuum roll 3, the unwinding roll 61, and the winding roll 66 move relative to the electrode sheet S.

  In the case of this embodiment, the cleaning cloth 5 is unwound / wound up by the cross conveyance unit 6 in accordance with the movement of the slider 41s so that the relative speed between the cleaning cloth 5 and the end face Se of the electrode sheet becomes zero. Keep it.

<Another form>
When carrying out the present invention, among the foreign matters removed from the end surface Se of the electrode sheet, those that adhere to the surface of the cleaning cloth rarely fall off the cleaning cloth and reattach to the cleaned end surface. there's a possibility that. Possible causes of such dropout are that the particle size of the foreign matter is relatively large and is not entangled in the cleaning cloth, the suction force of the vacuum roll is reduced, or it is affected by external vibration. It is done.

  Therefore, the cleaning cloth 5 supplied and recovered by the cloth transport unit 6 can be configured to move relative to the end surface Se of the stacked electrode sheets in the same direction as the relative movement direction in the relative movement unit 4. preferable.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a main part of still another example of the embodiment embodying the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the vacuum roll 3 is moved relative to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet in the direction indicated by the arrow 41v. The cleaning cloth 5 is unwound / taken up in the direction indicated by the arrow 60v by the cross conveying portion 6 while the vacuum roll 3 is relatively moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 41v. At this time, the outer shell 34 of the vacuum roll 3 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 34v.

  By doing so, even if the foreign matter once removed from the end surface Se of the electrode sheet falls off from the cleaning cloth 5, the portion where the foreign matter is reattached is the portion where cleaning is continued, so that the foreign matter remains in the cleaned portion. Can be prevented from scattering. Furthermore, since the surface of the cleaning cloth 5 is moved relative to the end surface Se of the electrode sheet, foreign matter can be actively entangled and the cleaning effect is improved.

<Another form>
In carrying out the above-described invention, the positions of the end surface 21e of the upper clamp plate and the end surface 22e of the lower clamp plate may be arbitrarily set with respect to the end surface Se of the stacked electrode sheets. In other words, even if the positional relationship is a pitch or depression, it is only necessary that the vacuum roll 3 is pressed and the cleaning cloth 5 is in contact with the end surface Se of the electrode sheet.

  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 vacuum roll 3 come into contact with each other, it may cause wear or dust generation and may cause new foreign matter adhesion.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet is disposed outside the end surfaces of the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22.
FIG. 7: is a side view which shows the principal part of another example of the form which embodies this invention.

  By adopting such a configuration, the width of the cleaning cloth 5 (that is, the length in the Z direction) and the dimension of the opening height H of the vacuum roll 3 are set longer than the thickness dimension of the laminated electrode sheets. can do. Therefore, foreign matter can be uniformly removed over the entire thickness direction of the end surface S of the electrode sheet. Further, since there is no accumulation of dust due to 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, it can be said to be a preferable mode.

  In practicing the present invention, it is more preferable that the end surface Se of the laminated electrode sheet is set to a protrusion amount within 0.2 mm from the end surfaces of the upper clamp plate 21 and the lower clamp plate 22.

With this amount of protrusion, 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 Vacuum roll 4 Relative moving part 5 Cleaning cloth 6 Cross conveyance part 21 Upper clamp plate 22 Lower clamp plate 31 Axis 32 Hollow shaft part (inner shell)
33 Opening 34 Outer shell 34v Arrow (Rotation direction)
35 Communication hole 36 Exhaust port 37 Hollow shaft 41b Base 41r Rail 41s Slider 41v Arrow (relative movement direction)
51 End 52 End 60v Arrow (Conveying direction)
61 Unwinding roll 62 Rotating shaft 63 Motor 66 Take-up reel 67 Rotating shaft 68 Motor S Electrode sheet Se End surface of electrode sheet C Foreign matter (contamination powder)
L Extrusion amount H Opening height

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 vacuum roll having a communication hole on the side of the rotating body;
A negative pressure generating part for making the inside of the vacuum roll negative,
A relative movement unit that relatively moves the end face of the laminated electrode sheet and the vacuum roll;
A cleaning cloth is disposed between the end face of the laminated electrode sheet and the vacuum roll,
An end face cleaning device, wherein the vacuum roll is pressed against the cleaning cloth to remove foreign substances adhering to the end faces of the laminated electrode sheets. The end face cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning cloth is a nonwoven fabric. Provided with a cloth transport unit for supplying and collecting the cleaning cloth in a roll-to-roll manner,
The end face cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The cleaning cloth supplied and recovered by the cloth conveying unit is
For the end face of the laminated electrode sheet,
The end face cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the end face cleaning device is relatively moved in the same direction as a relative movement direction in the relative movement unit. 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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