JP2016105379A - Manufacturing device for electrode assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing device for an electrode assembly capable of discriminating whether a laminate is properly seated on a pedestal.SOLUTION: A manufacturing device 80 for an electrode assembly comprises a pedestal 81. The pedestal 81 includes a seating face 81a. Between a first restriction plate 50 and a second restriction plate 60 between which a laminate 30 is held in a direction of lamination, the first restriction plate 50 lower than the laminate 30 is seated on the seating face 81a. The manufacturing device 80 also comprises a light-receiving part 84 that is disposed lower than the pedestal 81. The pedestal 81 includes a through-hole 81c that penetrates the pedestal 81 in a vertical direction. The light-receiving part 84 is capable of receiving light that is reflected on a bottom face of the first restriction plate 50 and passes the through-hole 81c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly on which a laminated body in a state of being sandwiched and restrained by a restraining plate from the electrode stacking direction is placed.

  A vehicle such as an EV (Electric Vehicle) or a PHV (Plug in Hybrid Vehicle) is equipped with a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery as a power storage device that stores power supplied to an electric motor serving as a prime mover. The secondary battery includes, for example, an electrode assembly in which a rectangular positive electrode having an active material layer formed on both sides and a negative electrode are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween.

  When manufacturing an electrode assembly in a secondary battery, first, a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode are stacked, and the stacked body is manufactured. Then, a laminated body is provided to a manufacturing apparatus and is mounted on the base of the manufacturing apparatus. And the dimension (henceforth thickness) to a lamination direction is measured in the state which applied the load to the lamination direction with respect to the laminated body on a base, and the thickness of a laminated body exists in the range of the predetermined value. Is judged. When the thickness of the laminated body is within the range of a predetermined value, the thickness adjusting member is overlapped on the end surface in the laminating direction of the laminated body to adjust the thickness of the laminated body with respect to the difference from the inner dimension of the case.

  When applying a load to the laminate on the pedestal and measuring the thickness, a restraining jig may be used to hold the laminate in the stacking direction. As a restraining jig, for example, one of a pair of plate members is used so as not to open a gap between a pair of metal plate members sandwiching the laminated body from both sides of the lamination direction and a pair of plate members sandwiching the laminated body. And a bolt that is screwed into a female screw hole provided in the.

  And when applying a load to a laminated body on a pedestal, and performing thickness measurement, it is necessary to make the laminated body restrained with the restraining jig seat on a pedestal in an appropriate state. This is because if the laminate is not properly seated on the pedestal and tilted, the load applied to the laminate varies, and the thickness of the laminate cannot be measured accurately.

  Therefore, in order to determine whether or not the laminated body is properly seated on the pedestal, it is conceivable to use a device that detects the inclination of the laminated body on the pedestal. An example of such an apparatus is a workpiece posture control apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1. This workpiece posture control device can irradiate light from a light emitting means above the workpiece toward the workpiece placed on a processing table (pedestal). Then, the light reflected by the upper surface of the workpiece is received by the two-dimensional position detection element, and the tilt of the workpiece is detected based on the position signal corresponding to the light receiving position output from the two-dimensional position detection element.

  When the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used to determine whether or not the laminated body is properly seated on the pedestal, the laminated body that is restrained by the restraining jig is placed on the processing table. Place. Then, light is emitted from the upper light emitting means toward the upper surface of one plate material, and the light reflected by the upper surface of the plate material is received by the two-dimensional position detection element and output from the two-dimensional position detection element. It is determined whether seating is appropriate based on a position signal corresponding to the light receiving position.

Japanese Patent No. 4132914

  By the way, the laminate is configured by laminating a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator, and there are gaps between the layers of the laminate, and there are variations in thickness of each active material layer. For this reason, in a laminated body, thickness may differ for every position along the end surface of the lamination direction, and when the board material arranged on the upper surface of a laminated body will incline due to variation in the thickness of a laminated body There is.

  As a result, in the workpiece posture control device of Patent Document 1, even if the laminated body restrained by the restraining jig is properly seated on the processing table without being inclined, the laminated body is inclined due to the variation in the thickness of the laminated body itself. It may be determined that the user is not seated properly.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art, and the purpose thereof is an electrode assembly capable of determining whether or not the laminate is properly seated on the pedestal. The object is to provide a three-dimensional manufacturing apparatus.

  An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly for solving the above problems is a lamination in which electrodes of different polarities are laminated in a state in which they are insulated from each other, and are constrained by a restraining plate from the laminating direction of the electrodes. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly on which a body is mounted, wherein the restraint plate has a seat surface on which a restraint plate disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the laminate is seated and is seated on the seat surface The present invention includes a pedestal having a light intrusion portion that can be closed by the restraint plate, and a light receiving portion that receives light that has entered the light intrusion portion.

  According to this, if the laminate is not properly seated on the pedestal and is in a tilted state on the pedestal, the restraint plate disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the laminate is in a state of being lifted from the seat surface. . Then, a gap is formed between the restraint plate on one end side in the stacking direction and the seating surface, and light enters the gap, and further, the light enters the light intrusion portion and is received by the light receiving portion. The Therefore, if the light receiving unit receives light, it can be determined that the electrode assembly is not properly seated on the pedestal.

  On the other hand, if the laminate is properly seated on the pedestal, the constraining plate disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the laminate is in contact with the seat surface, and the light intrusion portion is closed. For this reason, light does not enter between the restraining plate and the seating surface, and light does not enter the light intrusion portion, so that the light receiving portion does not receive light. Therefore, if the light receiving unit does not receive light, it can be determined that the stacked body is properly seated on the pedestal.

  In addition, the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus includes a light emitting unit disposed on a side of the pedestal on which the stacked body is placed, and light emitted from the light emitting unit is inclined with respect to the seating surface. And may be configured to be reflected by the constraining plate on one end side in the stacking direction and to enter the light intrusion portion and be received by the light receiving portion.

  According to this, the light irradiated from the light emission part can be applied to the constraining plate on one end side in the stacking direction, and the light can be reflected by the constraining plate. Further, compared to the case where the light emitting unit is not used, the reflected light can be strengthened and the light receiving unit can receive light accurately.

  Further, in the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus, light that has entered the light intrusion portion through a gap between the restraint plate on one end side in the stacking direction and the seat surface, which is inclined with respect to the seat surface, is received by the light receiving portion. You may be comprised so that a part may receive light.

  According to this, compared with the case where a light emission part is used, a number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it can be determined whether or not the laminate is properly seated on the pedestal.

The disassembled perspective view which shows the secondary battery of embodiment. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the secondary battery of embodiment. The disassembled perspective view which shows the component of an electrode assembly. (A) is a top view of a laminated body and a manufacturing jig, (b) is a front view of the laminated body and the manufacturing jig, and (c) is a side view of the laminated body and the manufacturing jig. The exploded perspective view of a layered product and a jig for manufacture. The perspective view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of a laminated body. (A) is a top view which shows a laminated body and a manufacturing apparatus, (b) is a front view which shows a laminated body and a manufacturing apparatus. (A) And (b) is a front view which shows the state which the laminated body inclined. The fragmentary sectional front view which shows another example of a manufacturing apparatus. The fragmentary sectional front view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of another example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the secondary battery 10 is a lithium ion secondary battery, and includes a metal case 11 that forms the outline of the secondary battery 10. The case 11 includes a bottomed rectangular parallelepiped container 12 having an opening 12a on one surface and a lid 13 that closes the opening 12a. The container 12 has a rectangular bottom plate 12b, a short side wall 12c erected from a pair of opposed short side edges of the bottom plate 12b, and a long side wall 12d erected from a pair of opposed long side edges of the bottom plate 12b. Is provided. The case 11 contains an electrode assembly 14 and an electrolytic solution (not shown). The electrode assembly 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, corresponding to the internal space of the container 12 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electrode assembly 14 is formed by laminating a rectangular sheet-like positive electrode 15 as an electrode and a rectangular sheet-like negative electrode 19 as an electrode with a separator 23 interposed therebetween. It is constituted by. The separator 23 is made of a resin and is formed of a porous film through which lithium ions related to electric conduction can pass. The positive electrode 15 includes a rectangular positive electrode metal foil (for example, aluminum foil) 16 and a rectangular positive electrode active material layer 17 provided on both surfaces of the positive electrode metal foil 16. A positive electrode current collecting tab 18 is formed on a part of one side of the positive electrode 15 so as to project a part of the positive electrode metal foil 16.

  The negative electrode 19 has a rectangular negative electrode metal foil (for example, copper foil) 20 and a rectangular negative electrode active material layer 21 provided on both surfaces of the negative electrode metal foil 20. A negative electrode current collecting tab 22 is provided on a part of one side of the negative electrode 19 so as to project a part of the negative electrode metal foil 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the positive electrode 15, the negative electrode 19, and the separator 23 are arranged such that the positive electrode current collecting tabs 18 are arranged in a line along the electrode stacking direction and do not overlap with the positive electrode current collecting tabs 18. The negative electrode current collecting tabs 22 are stacked so as to be arranged in a line along the stacking direction of the electrodes. Each positive current collecting tab 18 and each negative current collecting tab 22 are bent in a collected (bundled) state. The positive electrode current collecting tabs 18 are electrically connected by welding locations where the positive electrode current collector tabs 18 are overlapped, and the positive electrode conductive members 24 are connected to the positive electrode current collector tabs 18. A positive electrode terminal 25 for taking out electricity from the electrode assembly 14 is connected to the positive electrode conductive member 24.

  Similarly, each negative electrode current collection tab 22 is electrically connected by welding the location where each negative electrode current collection tab 22 has overlapped, and the negative electrode current collection tab 26 is connected to the negative electrode conductive member 26. . A negative electrode terminal 27 for taking out electricity from the electrode assembly 14 is connected to the negative electrode conductive member 26. The positive terminal 25 and the negative terminal 27 pass through the lid 13 and protrude out of the case 11, and the positive terminal 25 and the negative terminal 27 are insulated from the lid 13 by an insulating ring 28.

  When the dimension along the electrode stacking direction of the electrode assembly 14 is the thickness of the electrode assembly 14, the thickness of the electrode assembly 14 is adjusted so that the thickness is slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the case 11. Therefore, in the following description, a plurality of positive electrodes 15, a plurality of negative electrodes 19, and a plurality of separators 23 are simply stacked and the thickness of the positive electrode 15 is not adjusted. A laminate 30 of the negative electrode 19 and the separator 23 is used.

Next, the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 80 will be described.
First, a manufacturing jig used for manufacturing the electrode assembly 14 using the manufacturing apparatus 80 will be described. The manufacturing jig applies a load to the laminated body 30 to temporarily restrain the laminated body 30 in order to measure the thickness, and to restrain the laminated body 30 in order to maintain the thickness of the laminated body 30. used.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the manufacturing jig includes a first restraining plate 50 and a second restraining plate 60 made of a metal plate, a bolt 41, and a female screw portion 51 a. The first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 are each formed of stainless steel. As will be described later, the thickness of the laminated body 30 is measured in a state in which the laminated body 30 is temporarily constrained between the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60. At this time, after measuring the total thickness including the thickness of the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60, the thickness of the laminate 30 is calculated by subtracting the thickness of the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60. To do. Therefore, the thickness of the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60 is preferably as the tolerance is smaller.

  In addition, when the manufacturing apparatus 80 determines whether or not the stacked body 30 in a restrained state is properly seated with respect to the pedestal 81, the first restraint disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the stacked body 30. The reflected light on the lower surface of the plate 50 is used. For this reason, in the 1st constraining plate 50, it is preferable that the lower surface is mirror-finished so that light is easily reflected, or the flatness is higher.

  The stacked body 30 is sandwiched and restrained by the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60 from the stacking direction of the electrodes. The first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 are held by the bolt 41 and the female screw portion 51a in a state where the laminated body 30 is temporarily constrained by the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60. Furthermore, a load in the stacking direction of the electrodes can be applied to the stacked body 30 by the load applying device 70 (see FIG. 4B).

  As shown to Fig.4 (a), the 1st restraint board 50 and the 2nd restraint board 60 are substantially rectangular shapes. The short direction of the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 is narrower than the short direction of the laminate 30 (rectangular positive and negative electrodes). Further, the longitudinal direction of the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60 is wider than the longitudinal direction of the laminate 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first restraining plate 50 includes a pair of protrusions 51 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The first restraining plate 50 has a fitting recess 51 b on the outer surface of each protrusion 51. The first restraining plate 50 includes a pair of female screw portions 51a on both ends in the longitudinal direction. The second restraining plate 60 includes a pair of protruding portions 61 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The second restraining plate 60 includes an insertion hole 61a in each protrusion 61. The first constraining plate 50 includes a notch 52 between the protruding portions 51 facing each other in the short direction. The second constraining plate 60 includes a notch 62 between the protruding portions 61 facing each other in the short direction.

  The bolt 41 is made of resin. The bolt 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 61a and screwed into the female screw portion 51a in a state where the laminated body 30 is sandwiched between the first constraint plate 50 and the second constraint plate 60. The state in which the laminated body 30 is sandwiched between the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60 can be maintained by screwing the bolt 41 into the female thread portion 51a, and the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60 can be held. The interval is fixed and can be restricted.

The electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 80 is an apparatus for performing a process of applying a load and a process of measuring the thickness of the stacked body 30 to the stacked body 30 constrained by the manufacturing jig.
As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the manufacturing apparatus 80 includes a load applying apparatus 70. Then, the load is applied to the laminate 30 from the second restraint plate 60 placed on the laminate 30 in a state where the laminate 30 is sandwiched between the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60 by the load applying device 70. F can be given. The load applying device 70 includes a pressing member 71 that is a pressing device, and the pressing member 71 can move forward and backward with respect to the second restraining plate 60.

  When a load is applied by the load applying device 70 to the electrode assembly 14 sandwiched between the first restricting plate 50 and the second restricting plate 60, the bolt 41 is screwed into the female screw portion 51a. The distance between the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 determined by applying the load can be fixed and maintained. That is, the stack 30 can be constrained.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the manufacturing apparatus 80 includes a pedestal 81, a light emitting unit 83, a light receiving unit 84, and a controller 85. The pedestal 81 has a rectangular plate shape. The pedestal 81 has a horizontal seating surface 81 a, and the seating surface 81 a is configured by the upper surface of the pedestal 81. The pedestal 81 has positioning convex portions 81b at the four corners of the seating surface 81a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the stacked body 30 that is sandwiched between the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60 is seated on the horizontal seating surface 81 a of the pedestal 81. At this time, the first restraining plate 50 is disposed under the stacked body 30, and the first restraining plate 50 is seated on the seat surface 81 a of the pedestal 81. Therefore, the first restraint plate 50 is a restraint plate that is disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the stacked body 30 and is seated on the pedestal 81. Further, the positioning convex portion 81 b of the pedestal 81 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 51 b included in the first restraining plate 50, and the stacked body 30 is positioned on the pedestal 81 through the first restraining plate 50. Therefore, the stack 30 is restricted from being displaced in the direction along the seating surface 81a of the base 81.

  The light emitting unit 83 emits laser light Lb. The light emitting portions 83 are disposed at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the pedestal 81. For this reason, the light emitting unit 83 is arranged so as to sandwich the stacked body 30 on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the stacked body 30 seated on the upper surface of the pedestal 81. Specifically, the light emitting unit 83 is positioned so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the pedestal 81 includes a through hole 81c that penetrates the pedestal 81 in the vertical direction. The through hole 81 c is a long hole that passes through the center of the pedestal 81 in the short direction and extends in the longitudinal direction of the pedestal 81. Therefore, the through hole 81 c is a long hole whose longitudinal direction extends along the irradiation direction of the laser light Lb from the light emitting unit 83. The through hole 81c opens in the seating surface 81a, and light can enter the through hole 81c from the opening. Therefore, in this embodiment, the through hole 81c constitutes a light intrusion portion.

  In a state where the positioning convex portion 81b is fitted in the fitting concave portion 51b of the projecting portion 51 and the laminated body 30 is positioned at a predetermined position of the base 81, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the through hole 81c are located on the first restraining plate 50. Is located on the inner side of both ends in the longitudinal direction (notch 52). For this reason, the length in the longitudinal direction of the through hole 81c is shorter than the length of the region sandwiched between the notches 52 on both sides in the longitudinal direction in the first restraining plate 50.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a plurality of light receiving portions 84 are arranged below the pedestal 81. Each light receiving portion 84 is disposed below the through hole 81 c below the pedestal 81. Each light receiving portion 84 can receive the laser beam Lb that has entered the through hole 81c and has further passed through the through hole 81c. More specifically, each light receiving portion 84 is capable of receiving the laser light Lb reflected from the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and entering the through hole 81c.

  Each light receiving unit 84 is signal-connected to the controller 85. If the laser beam Lb is not received by any of the light receiving portions 84, the controller 85 determines that the stacked body 30 (the first restraining plate 50) is properly seated on the pedestal 81. On the other hand, when the laser beam Lb is reflected by the first constraining plate 50, enters the through hole 81c, and is received by one of the light receiving portions 84, the controller 85 causes the stacked body 30 (first constraining plate 50). ) Is not properly seated on the pedestal 81. That is, it is determined that the stacked body 30 is inclined on the pedestal 81.

Next, the manufacturing method of the electrode assembly 14 will be described together with the operation.
First, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the stacking process of the stacked body 30 is performed. Specifically, the first constraining plate 50 is set, and the positive electrode 15, the separator 23, and the negative electrode 19 are laminated on the first constraining plate 50 by a laminating device (not shown). As a result, the laminate 30 is formed on the first restraining plate 50. At this time, in the first constraining plate 50, the female screw portion 51 a is exposed from each protruding portion 51.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, a step of sandwiching the stacked body 30 between the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 from the stacking direction of the electrodes is performed. That is, in a state where the laminated body 30 is formed at a predetermined position on the first restricting plate 50, the second restricting plate 60 is placed on the upper surface of the laminated body 30.

  Then, the bolt 41 is inserted into each insertion hole 61 a of the second restraint plate 60, and the bolt 41 is screwed into each female screw portion 51 a of the first restraint plate 50. Then, the laminate 30 can be sandwiched from both sides of the electrode stacking direction by the first restraint plate 50 and the second restraint plate 60 and temporarily restrained. The bolt 41 is screwed into a state where it can be tightened without being screwed into the female screw 51a.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7A, the laminated body 30 in a temporarily restrained state is seated on the base 81 of the manufacturing apparatus 80. And the process of determining whether the laminated body 30 in the temporarily restrained state is appropriately seated on the base 81 is performed.

  First, the laser beam Lb is irradiated horizontally from the light emitting unit 83 toward the stacked body 30. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, it is assumed that the positioning convex portion 81b does not fit into the fitting concave portion 51b, and the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 rides on the positioning convex portion 81b. In this case, the 1st restraint board 50 will be in the state which floated from the seat surface 81a of the base 81, and the laminated body 30 is not seated appropriately. In this case, the laser beam Lb output from the light emitting unit 83 is reflected by the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and extends toward the pedestal 81. The reflected laser beam Lb enters the through hole 81 c and is received by the light receiving unit 84. The controller 85 determines that the seating of the stacked body 30 is not appropriate by receiving the light at the light receiving unit 84.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the foreign matter 86 is sandwiched between the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and the seating surface 81a, and the first restraining plate 50 floats from the seating surface 81a and is in an inclined state. Suppose. In this case, it is assumed that the first constraining plate 50 is inclined more than when it rides on the positioning convex portion 81b. Then, the laser beam Lb output from the light emitting unit 83 is reflected on the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and extends toward the pedestal 81. The reflected laser beam Lb enters the through hole 81 c and is received by the light receiving unit 84. At this time, the laser light Lb is received by the light receiving unit 84 different from the case where the first constraining plate 50 rides on the positioning convex portion 81b, depending on the degree of inclination of the first restraining plate 50. As a result, the controller 85 determines that the stacked body 30 is not properly seated on the pedestal 81.

  If it is determined that the seating is not appropriate, the controller 85 notifies the abnormality by a not-shown notifying means. As a result, the production line of the laminated body 30 is stopped, and the laminated body 30 that is not properly seated is excluded from the production line.

  On the other hand, when the laminated body 30 in the temporarily constrained state is placed on the pedestal 81, the positioning convex portion 81b fits into the fitting concave portion 51b of the first constraining plate 50 when the seating is properly performed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, since the first restraint plate 50 has high flatness, there is no gap between the seating surface 81a and the lower surface of the first restraint plate 50 if the seat is properly seated. The through hole 81c is closed by the first restraining plate 50, and the laser beam Lb does not enter the through hole 81c.

  Therefore, the laser beam Lb is not reflected by the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and does not travel toward the through hole 81c. Therefore, the laser beam Lb is not received by the light receiving unit 84. If the light receiving unit 84 below the pedestal 81 does not receive light, the controller 85 determines that the stacked body 30 is properly seated.

  Next, a step of applying a load in the electrode stacking direction to the stacked body 30 in a state of being seated on the pedestal 81 is performed. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the pressing member 71 of the load applying device 70 advances toward the second restraining plate 60, and the load applying device 70 is stacked via the second restraining plate 60. A predetermined load is applied to the body 30 in the electrode stacking direction. Then, the second restraint plate 60 moves toward the first restraint plate 50 along the axial direction of the bolt 41 and is pressed against the stacked body 30. Then, the thickness of the laminated body 30 decreases. Then, after the laminated body 30 is stabilized, the bolt 41 is tightened with the load applied by the load applying device 70. Then, the laminated body 30 is sandwiched between the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60, and the thickness of the electrode assembly 14 is fixed and maintained by the bolt 41 and the female screw portion 51a. That is, the laminated body 30 is fully restrained. As a result, the thickness of the laminate 30 is maintained in a compressed state, and when the positive electrode 15, the negative electrode 19, and the separator 23 are maintained in a compressed state, the laminated body 30 is compressed over time. As you get used to it, the springback is gradually reduced.

  Next, a step of releasing the application of the load is performed in a state in which the interval between the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60 is maintained by screwing the female screw portion 51 a and the bolt 41. That is, the bolt 41 is screwed into the female screw portion 51a, and the pressing member 71 of the load applying device 70 is retracted in a state where the bolt 41 is fully restrained to release the load applied to the stacked body 30.

  Even when the load application is released, the distance between the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60 is maintained by the screwing of the bolt 41 and the female screw portion 51a. For this reason, the laminate 30 continues to be compressed even after the load is released, and the positive electrode 15, the negative electrode 19, and the separator 23 are adapted to the compressed shape, and the spring back is gradually reduced. Go.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the pedestal 81, the thickness t4 in the stacking direction of the electrodes is measured in a state where the stacked body 30 is fully restrained by the first restraining plate 50 and the second restraining plate 60. . Specifically, in a state where the laminated body 30 is seated on the pedestal 81, the contact S is moved down to obtain the total thickness t1 from the height position where it contacts the second restraining plate 60, and the thickness t1 is calculated from the thickness t1. The thickness t4 of the laminated body 30 is calculated by subtracting the thickness t2 of the first restraining plate 50 and the thickness t3 of the second restraining plate 60.

  In the step of measuring the thickness t4 of the laminate 30, since the contact S extending from the top to the bottom is used, the laminate 30 is not properly seated, and the upper surface of the second restraint plate 60 is inclined. A value corresponding to the inclination appears and the thickness t4 of the laminate 30 cannot be measured accurately. However, in this embodiment, since the seating that is not properly seated is excluded, the thickness t4 of the laminate 30 can be accurately measured.

  Thereafter, when the thickness t4 of the laminated body 30 is thinner than an appropriate value, the laminated body 30 is moved to a position different from the manufacturing apparatus 80, the second restraint plate 60 is removed, and the thickness adjusting member 96 (see FIG. 1) is removed. Overlay the laminate 30. That is, the number of thickness adjusting members 96 is determined based on the thickness t4 of the stacked body 30.

  Thereafter, similarly to the above, a step of sandwiching the laminated body 30 between the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 from the electrode stacking direction is performed, and the laminated body 30 is further seated on the pedestal 81 of the manufacturing apparatus 80. At this time, similarly to the above, the manufacturing apparatus 80 determines whether or not the stacked body 30 is properly seated on the pedestal 81. And after performing the process of giving a load to the lamination direction with respect to the laminated body 30 in the seated state properly, the laminated body 30 is laminated with the first restricted plate 50 and the second restricted plate 60 being fully restricted. The thickness t4 in the stacking direction of the electrodes of the body 30 is measured.

  If the thickness t4 of the multilayer body 30 is an appropriate value, the electrode assembly 14 is completed. The electrode assembly 14 is moved from the pedestal 81 and stored in a predetermined storage place for a predetermined time. Thereby, the spring back of the electrode assembly 14 can be reduced. Thereafter, the electrode assembly 14 is fixed with a tape or the like, and the first constraining plate 50 and the second constraining plate 60 are removed while maintaining the thickness. Finally, the electrode assembly 14 is placed in the case 11.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 80 includes a pedestal 81 with a through hole 81c, and a light receiving portion 84 below the through hole 81c. For this reason, when the laminated body 30 is inclined and seated on the seating surface 81a of the pedestal 81, the laser light Lb reflected by the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and entering the through hole 81c is transmitted through the through hole 81c. Light can be received by the light receiving unit 84. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 80 of this embodiment irradiates light toward the second restraint plate 60 on the stacked body 30, receives the reflected light, and determines whether or not the stacked body 30 is properly seated. Is different. For this reason, it can be determined appropriately whether the laminated body 30 is appropriately seated on the base 81.

  (2) Whether the seating is proper or not is determined based on whether or not the laser beam Lb reflected by the first restraining plate 50 is received by the light receiving unit 84. The first constraining plate 50 can avoid applying a local pressure to the laminate 30 when applying a load to the laminate 30 or measuring the thickness. Since the first restraining plate 50 is used to determine the appropriateness of the seating, it is practical without adding a new jig or the like only for the appropriateness of the seating.

  (3) When it is determined that the stacked body 30 is properly seated on the pedestal 81, the post-process includes a step of measuring the thickness of the stacked body 30 in the stacking direction on the seat surface 81a of the pedestal 81. . At this time, since the stacked body 30 is seated without tilting, the thickness of the stacked body 30 can be accurately measured.

  (4) The through holes 81c are long holes extending along the irradiation direction of the laser light Lb from the light emitting portion 83, and a plurality of light receiving portions 84 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the through holes 81c. For this reason, even if the laser beam Lb is reflected at any position of the first restraining plate 50, it can be received by any one of the light receiving portions 84. Further, the position where the laser beam Lb is reflected can be estimated from the position of the received light receiving portion 84, and the degree of inclination of the first restraining plate 50 can also be detected.

  (5) When the first restraint plate 50 rides on the positioning convex portion 81 b and the laminated body 30 is inclined, the laminated body 30 is not properly seated on the pedestal 81. Therefore, it can be detected that the laminated body 30 is not seated at a predetermined position of the pedestal 81 by determining whether or not the laminated body 30 is properly seated.

  (6) After determining whether or not the stacked body 30 is properly seated by the manufacturing apparatus 80, a load is applied to the stacked body 30. Therefore, a load is applied to the stacked body 30 that is properly seated. Therefore, the load can be applied to the entire laminated body 30 without variation.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
The number of light receiving units 84 may be only one instead of a plurality. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, a condensing plate 87 is disposed below the through hole 81c, and the condensing plate 87 directs the laser light Lb that has passed through the through hole 81c to one place. And the light-receiving part 84 is arrange | positioned in the place where the laser beam Lb reflected by the condensing plate 87 goes. With this configuration, the laser beam Lb reflected by the first restraining plate 50 can be received by the light receiving unit 84 by the light collecting plate 87 regardless of the position of the through hole 81c. Therefore, a plurality of light receiving portions 84 are not required, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the manufacturing apparatus 80 may not include the light emitting unit 83. In this case, when the first restraint plate 50 is inclined on the pedestal 81, a gap is formed between the lower surface of the first restraint plate 50 and the seat surface 81a. Then, the light around the manufacturing apparatus 80 enters the gap, enters the through hole 81c, and leaks to the lower side of the base 81. The leaked light is received by the light receiving unit 84, whereby it can be determined that the laminate 30 is not properly seated.

  If comprised in this way, the light emission part 83 will not be required but the number of parts of the manufacturing apparatus 80 can be reduced. Further, it is not necessary to adjust the optical axis of the light emitting unit 83 so that the laser light Lb from the light emitting unit 83 strikes the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50.

  In the manufacturing apparatus 80 provided with the light receiving unit 84 below the pedestal 81, the light emitting unit 83 may be disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the pedestal 81, and the light receiving unit 84 may be disposed at the other end. In this case, when the stacked body 30 is not properly seated, the laser light Lb emitted from the light emitting unit 83 passes through the notch 52 of the first restraining plate 50 and is received by the light receiving unit 84. Even in this case, it is determined that the seating is not appropriate.

The through hole 81c may not be a long hole. For example, it is good also as a structure which provided the some through-hole 81c side by side along the longitudinal direction of the base 81. FIG.
The light intrusion portion may not be the through hole 81 c that penetrates the base 81. For example, a concave portion existing within the thickness of the base 81 may be formed as a light intrusion portion that is recessed from the seat surface 81a, and the light receiving portion 84 may be exposed on the inner bottom surface of the concave portion. In this case, when the stacked body 30 is properly seated on the seating surface 81 a of the pedestal 81, the recess is closed by the first restraining plate 50. On the other hand, when the laminated body 30 is inclined and seated on the seating surface 81a of the pedestal 81, the light receiving portion 84 can receive the laser light Lb reflected from the lower surface of the first restraining plate 50 and entering the recess. it can.

  The light intrusion portion may not be the through hole 81 c that penetrates the base 81. For example, a light transmitting member such as glass or transparent resin may be fitted into the through hole 81c, and the light that has entered the light transmitting member may be received by the light receiving unit 84. In this case, the light transmission member constitutes a light intrusion portion.

  The laminated body 30 only needs to be a laminate of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator, and is a wound type in which a belt-like positive electrode and a belt-like negative electrode are insulated and wound with a belt-like separator. Also good.

The first restraint plate 50 may be made of a material other than stainless steel as long as the laser light Lb emitted from the light emitting unit 83 can be reflected.
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 83 may not be the laser light Lb but may be other types of light.

  In the manufacturing apparatus 80, the positioning convex portion 81b may not be provided. Alternatively, the method of positioning the laminated body 30 on the seating surface 81a may be a method other than the positioning convex portion 81b. For example, it may be a positioning pin arranged along the outer periphery of the laminate 30.

In the embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 80 is used with the pedestal 81 placed horizontally, but the pedestal 81 may be used placed vertically.
The number of the positive electrodes 15 and the negative electrodes 19 constituting the laminate 30 may be changed as appropriate.

  In the embodiment, the positive electrode 15 has the positive electrode active material layer 17 on both sides of the positive electrode metal foil 16, but may have the positive electrode active material layer 17 only on one side of the positive electrode metal foil 16. . Similarly, the negative electrode 19 has the negative electrode active material layer 21 on both surfaces of the negative electrode metal foil 20, but may have the negative electrode active material layer 21 only on one surface of the negative electrode metal foil 20.

O You may actualize as a nickel-hydrogen secondary battery as an electrical storage apparatus, or an electric double layer capacitor.
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and other examples will be described below.

(A) The power storage device is a secondary battery, and the power storage device inspection device.
(B) The inspection device for a power storage device, wherein the through hole is a long hole extending along the direction of light irradiation from the light emitting unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Electrode assembly, 15 ... Positive electrode as an electrode, 19 ... Negative electrode as an electrode, 30 ... Laminated body, 50 ... 1st restraint plate, 60 ... 2nd restraint plate, 80 ... Manufacturing apparatus of an electrode assembly, 81 ... pedestal, 81a ... seating surface, 81c ... through-hole as light intrusion part, 83 ... light emitting part, 84 ... light receiving part.

Claims (3)

An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus in which electrodes having different polarities are stacked in a state of being insulated from each other, and a stacked body in a state of being sandwiched and restrained by a restraining plate from the stacking direction of the electrodes,
A base having a seat surface on which a restraint plate disposed on one end side in the stacking direction of the laminate is seated among the restraint plates, and a light intrusion portion that can be closed by the restraint plate seated on the seat surface;
An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a light receiving portion that receives light that has entered the light intrusion portion.   A restraint on one end side in the stacking direction, including a light emitting portion disposed on the side of the pedestal on which the stacked body is placed, and light emitted from the light emitting portion is inclined with respect to the seating surface. The apparatus for manufacturing an electrode assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is reflected by a plate, enters the light intrusion portion, and is received by the light receiving portion.   The light that has entered the light intrusion portion through a gap between the restraint plate on one end side in the stacking direction and the seat surface, which is inclined with respect to the seat surface, is received by the light receiving portion. Electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus.