JP2016162547A - Manufacturing device and manufacturing method for electrode with separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing device and a manufacturing method for an electrode with a separator, capable of improving the position accuracy of the electrode to the separator.SOLUTION: A manufacturing device 20 for an electrode with a separator comprises: a supply roller 21 which supplies a positive electrode 11; a transporting roller 24 which transports a pair of separator members 13a and 13b along a reference surface SF; a heater roller 23 which forms a first welding region W1; and a guide member 26 which guides the positive electrode 11 between the separator members 13a and 13b. The supply roller 21 supplies the positive electrode 11 by dropping the positive electrode 11 through the guide member 26 so that a side end part 14e abuts on the welding region W1. The guide member 26 includes a first principal surface SF1 along the reference surface SF, and a second principal surface SF2 crossing a short direction. The reference surface SF includes a longitudinal direction and a short direction, and is set so that the positive electrode 11 slides to both the first principal surface SF1 and the second principal surface SF2 when the positive electrode 11 passes the guide member 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for an electrode with a separator and a method for manufacturing an electrode with a separator.

  Patent Document 1 describes an electrode stacking apparatus that manufactures an electrode stack in which positive and negative electrodes are alternately stacked with separators in between. The electrode stacking device includes a roll pair for welding the first separator sheet and the second separator sheet, and a positive electrode supply device for supplying a positive electrode between the first separator sheet and the second separator sheet. . The roll pair welds the first separator sheet and the second separator sheet to form a welded portion that supports the lower portion of the positive electrode. The positive electrode supply device drops the positive electrode toward the welded portion at the timing when the welded portion is formed.

JP 2012-199210 A

  In the electrode laminating apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the lower part of the positive electrode dropped toward the welded portion is supported by the welded portion, thereby positioning the electrodes in the vertical direction. However, in the electrode stacking apparatus, the positive electrode positioning in a direction other than the vertical direction has not been sufficiently studied, and there is still room for improvement in the positional accuracy of the electrode with respect to the separator.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the manufacturing method of the electrode with a separator and the electrode with a separator which can improve the positional accuracy of the electrode with respect to a separator.

  The separator-attached electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is a separator-attached electrode manufacturing apparatus that manufactures an electrode with a separator by housing the electrode in a bag-like separator, and a pair of long pieces constituting the bag-like separator. A transport unit that transports the sheet-like separator member in the longitudinal direction along the reference plane including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator member, and a pair of separator members that are transported by the transport unit along the short direction. A first welding part that forms a first welding region by welding to each other, a supply part that supplies an electrode between the pair of separator members, and a supply part provided between the first welding part and the supply part. And a guide member that guides the electrode to be directed between the pair of separator members, and the supply unit guides the electrode through the guide member so as to contact the electrode with the first welding region. The electrode is supplied between the pair of separator members by being lowered, and the guide member has a first main surface along the reference surface and a second main surface intersecting the short side direction, and the reference surface Is set so that the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface when the electrode passes through the guide member.

  In this separator-equipped electrode manufacturing apparatus, the supply unit drops the electrode through the guide member so as to bring the electrode into contact with the first welding region, and supplies the electrode between the pair of separator members. For this reason, the electrode is positioned with respect to the separator member in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the separator member with reference to the first welding region. Further, in this separator-equipped electrode manufacturing apparatus, the first main surface of the guide member is along the reference surface including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator member, and the second main surface of the guide member is short. Crossing hands. The reference plane is set so that the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface when the electrode passes through the guide member. Therefore, when the electrodes are supplied as described above, the movement of the electrodes in the thickness direction of the separator member (direction intersecting the transport direction) is restricted by the first main surface of the guide member. Further, the movement of the electrode in the short direction of the separator member (another direction intersecting the transport direction) is regulated by the second main surface of the guide member. Thus, in this manufacturing apparatus for an electrode with a separator, the electrode is positioned with respect to the separator member in a plurality of directions. For this reason, it becomes possible to improve the positional accuracy of the electrode with respect to the separator.

  In the manufacturing apparatus for an electrode with a separator according to the present invention, a second welding region is formed by welding edges in a short direction of a pair of separator members to each other after the electrode contacts the first welding region. You may provide a welding part. In this case, after making the other end part of an electrode contact | abut reliably to a 1st welding area | region, the 2nd welding area | region can be formed and the edge part of a separator member can be closed. For this reason, the positioning accuracy of the electrodes in the transport direction is further improved.

  In the apparatus for manufacturing an electrode with a separator according to the present invention, the first welding portion and the second welding portion may be configured by a single heater roller. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced.

  In the apparatus for manufacturing an electrode with a separator according to the present invention, the electrode includes an upper end portion, a lower end portion, a main body portion having side ends connecting the upper end portion and the lower end portion, and a tab protruding from the upper end portion. The supply unit may supply the electrode between the pair of separator members by dropping the electrode through the guide member so that the side end portion is in contact with the first welding region. In this case, when manufacturing a plurality of electrodes with a separator by sequentially supplying a plurality of electrodes to a series of separator members, it is avoided that tabs are arranged between electrodes adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the separator members. Therefore, it is avoided that an end material is generated around the tab between the electrodes adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the separator member. Therefore, the yield of the electrode member with a separator can be improved.

  The method for producing an electrode with a separator according to the present invention is a method for producing an electrode with a separator by accommodating the electrode in a bag-like separator, and a pair of long pieces constituting the bag-like separator A transport step for transporting the sheet-like separator member in the longitudinal direction along the reference plane including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator member, and a pair of separator members transported in the transport step along the short direction A welding step of forming a first welding region by welding to each other, and a supply step of supplying an electrode between the pair of separator members, wherein the electrode is brought into contact with the first welding region. By dropping the electrode through the guide member, the electrode is supplied between the pair of separator members, and the guide member extends along the reference plane. The reference surface has a first main surface and a second main surface intersecting in the short direction, and when the electrode passes through the guide member, the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface. Set to work.

  According to this method of manufacturing an electrode with a separator, in the supplying step, the electrode is dropped through the guide member so as to contact the first welding region, and is supplied between the pair of separator members. For this reason, the electrode is positioned with respect to the separator member in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the separator member with reference to the first welding region. Furthermore, in this method of manufacturing an electrode with a separator, the first main surface of the guide member is along a reference surface including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator member, and the second main surface of the guide member is short. Crossing hands. The reference plane is set so that the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface when the electrode passes through the guide member. Therefore, when the electrodes are supplied as described above, the movement of the electrodes in the thickness direction of the separator member (direction intersecting the transport direction) is restricted by the first main surface of the guide member. Further, the movement of the electrode in the short direction of the separator member (another direction intersecting the transport direction) is regulated by the second main surface of the guide member. Thus, in this method for manufacturing an electrode with a separator, the electrode is positioned with respect to the separator member in a plurality of directions. For this reason, it becomes possible to improve the positional accuracy of the electrode with respect to the separator.

  In the manufacturing method of the electrode with a separator according to the present invention, the electrode includes a main body portion having an upper end portion, a lower end portion, and a side end portion connecting the upper end portion and the lower end portion, and a tab protruding from the upper end portion. In the supplying step, the electrode may be supplied between the pair of separator members by dropping the electrode through the guide member so that the side end portion comes into contact with the first welding region. In this case, the yield of the electrode with a separator can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator and the manufacturing method of an electrode with a separator which can improve the positional accuracy of the electrode with respect to a separator can be provided.

It is sectional drawing of an electrical storage apparatus provided with the positive electrode with a separator. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the positive electrode with a separator typically. It is the schematic which shows the manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. (A) is a perspective view for demonstrating a guide member. (B) is sectional drawing which followed VIb-VIb in (a). (A)-(d) is the schematic which shows the manufacturing method of the electrode with a separator.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a power storage device including a positive electrode with a separator. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. The power storage device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is configured as an in-vehicle non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery.

  The power storage device 1 includes a hollow case 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, and an electrode assembly 3 accommodated in the case 2. The case 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum. On the inner wall surface of the case 2, an insulating film (not shown) is provided. For example, a non-aqueous organic solvent-based electrolyte is injected into the case 2. In the electrode assembly 3, the positive electrode active material layer 15 of the positive electrode 11, the negative electrode active material layer 18 of the negative electrode 12, and the separator 13 described later are porous, and the pores are impregnated with the electrolytic solution. . On the upper surface of the case 2, the positive terminal 5 and the negative terminal 6 are disposed so as to be separated from each other. The positive electrode terminal 5 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 7, and the negative electrode terminal 6 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 8.

  The electrode assembly 3 includes a positive electrode (electrode) 11, a negative electrode 12, and a bag-like separator 13 disposed between the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12. For example, the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in the separator 13. With the positive electrode 11 housed in the separator 13, the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are alternately stacked via the separator 13. That is, the electrode assembly 3 has a positive electrode with a separator 10 (electrode with separator) configured by housing the positive electrode 11 in a bag-shaped separator 13.

  From the viewpoint of improving the space efficiency and increasing the volume of the electrode assembly 3 occupying the space in the case 2, as an example, the electrode assembly 3 is connected to the lower ends of the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12 (positive electrode terminal 5 And the end on the side opposite to the negative electrode terminal 6) can be accommodated in the case 2 so as to be in contact with the bottom surface of the case 2. An insulating member (not shown) is disposed on the inner surface of the case 2. Therefore, in this case, the lower ends of the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 are in contact with the bottom surface of the case 2 via an insulating member. However, a minute gap may be formed between the lower ends of the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12 and the bottom surface of the case 2 other than the space occupied by the insulating member.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a positive electrode with a separator. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the positive electrode 11 includes a metal foil 14 made of, for example, an aluminum foil, and a positive electrode active material layer 15 formed on both surfaces of the metal foil 14. The metal foil 14 of the positive electrode 11 includes an upper end portion 14c, a lower end portion 14d, a rectangular main body portion 14a having side end portions 14e and 14f that connect the upper end portion 14c and the lower end portion 14d, and the position of the positive electrode terminal 5. And a rectangular tab 14b protruding from the upper end 14c so as to correspond to the above. The positive electrode active material layer 15 is a porous layer formed including a positive electrode active material and a binder. The positive electrode active material layer 15 is formed by supporting a positive electrode active material on at least a central portion between the upper end portion 14c and the lower end portion 14d on both surfaces of the main body portion 14a. Examples of the positive electrode active material include composite oxide, metallic lithium, and sulfur. The composite oxide includes, for example, at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum and lithium. As an example, the positive electrode active material is not supported on the tab 14b here. However, an active material may be carried on the base end portion on the main body portion 14a side of the tab 14b. The tab 14 b extends upward from the upper end portion 14 c of the main body portion 14 a and is connected to the positive electrode terminal 5 via the conductive member 16.

  The negative electrode 12 includes a metal foil 17 made of, for example, copper foil, and a negative electrode active material layer 18 formed on both surfaces of the metal foil 17. Similarly to the metal foil 14 of the positive electrode 11, the metal foil 17 of the negative electrode 12 corresponds to the position of the negative electrode terminal 6 and the rectangular main body 17 a having an upper end portion, a lower end portion, and side end portions (not shown). And a rectangular tab 17b protruding from the upper end of the main body 17a. The negative electrode active material layer 18 is formed by supporting a negative electrode active material on at least a central portion between the upper end portion and the lower end portion on both surfaces of the main body portion 17a. The negative electrode active material layer 18 is a porous layer formed including a negative electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon such as graphite, highly oriented graphite, mesocarbon microbeads, hard carbon, and soft carbon, alkali metals such as lithium and sodium, metal compounds, SiOx (0.5 ≦ x ≦ 1.5 ) And the like, and boron-added carbon. As an example, the negative electrode active material is not supported on the tab 17b here. However, an active material may be carried on the base end portion on the main body portion 17a side of the tab 17b. The tab 17 b extends upward from the upper end portion of the main body portion 17 a and is connected to the negative electrode terminal 6 through the conductive member 19.

  The separator 13 accommodates only the positive electrode 11 inside. The separator 13 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the stacking direction of the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12. The separator 13 is formed in a bag shape by welding a pair of long sheet-like separator members constituting the bag-shaped separator 13 together. Specifically, the separator 13 has a bag shape in which an outer edge is defined by a welding region W formed by welding separator members to each other. In FIG. 3, the welding region W is shaded for explanation. The welding region W includes a welding region W1 (first welding region), a welding region W2 (second welding region), a welding region W3 (second welding region), and a welding region W4 (second welding region). .

  The pair of welding regions W1 respectively oppose the side end 14e and the side end 14f of the main body 14a and extend along the side end 14e and the side end 14f. The welding area W2 is opposed to the upper end part 14c of the main body part 14a and extends along the upper end part 14c. The welding region W3 faces the upper end portion 14c of the main body portion 14a. A non-welding region W3n is interposed between the welding region W2 and the welding region W3. In the separator 13, the tab 14b is protruded through the non-welding region W3n. The welding area W4 faces the lower end part 14d of the main body part 14a and extends along the lower end part 14d. The welding region W3 and the welding region W4 and the welding region W1 on the side end portion 14f side are connected to each other.

  The welding area W2 and the welding area W4 and the welding area W1 on the side end portion 14e side are not connected to each other. Specifically, a non-welding region W2n is interposed between the welding region W2 and the welding region W1 on the side end portion 14e side. A non-welding region W4n is interposed between the welding region W4 and the welding region W1 on the side end portion 14e side. That is, the separator 13 is not closed in the non-welding region W2n, the non-welding region W3n, and the non-welding region W4n. Note that the non-welded region W2n and the non-welded region W4n may not be provided. That is, the welding region W1, the welding region W2, and the welding region W4 may be continuous. As a forming material of the separator (separator member) 13, a porous film made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric made of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), methyl cellulose, or the like. Illustrated.

  Then, the main processes of the manufacturing method of the electrical storage apparatus 1 are demonstrated. First, a kneading step is performed. In the kneading step, active material particles, which are the main components of the active material layer, and particles such as a binder and a conductive auxiliary agent are kneaded in a solvent in a kneader to produce an electrode mixture having good dispersibility of each particle. . The binder may be a thermoplastic resin such as polyamideimide or polyimide, or may be a polymer resin having an imide bond in the main chain. The solvent may be an organic solvent such as NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone), methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, or water. The conductive assistant is, for example, a carbon-based material such as acetylene black, carbon black, or graphite.

  Next, a coating process is implemented. In the coating process, a strip-shaped metal foil wound in a roll shape is fed out, and an electrode mixture is intermittently or continuously applied to the surface of the metal foil. The metal foil coated with the electrode mixture passes through the drying furnace immediately after the application of the electrode mixture. Thereby, the solvent contained in the electrode mixture is dried and removed, and a binder made of resin bonds the active material particles to each other. Thereby, an active material layer having fine gaps (holes) between the active material particles is formed.

  Next, a pressing process is performed. In the pressing step, the active material layer formed on the surface of the strip-shaped metal foil is pressed with a roll at a predetermined pressure. Thereby, the active material layer is compressed, and the density of the active material is increased to an appropriate value. Next, an appearance inspection process is performed. In the appearance inspection process, the surface state of the active material layer is confirmed with a camera or the like, and a non-defective product and a defective product are determined.

  Next, a vacuum drying step is performed. Here, the strip-shaped metal foil on which the active material layer is formed is accommodated in a vacuum drying furnace and dried by increasing the temperature under reduced pressure. Thereby, a slight solvent remaining in the active material layer is removed. Next, a punching process is performed. In the punching process, the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are formed by punching the metal foil on which the active material layer is formed into a predetermined shape using a punching machine.

  Next, an electrode housing step is performed. In the electrode housing step, the positive electrode 10 with a separator is manufactured by housing the positive electrode 11 in the separator 13 while forming the rectangular bag-shaped separator 13 from the pair of long sheet-shaped separator members. At this time, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator 13 (details will be described later).

  Next, a lamination process is performed. In the laminating step, the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 are sequentially laminated. Next, an assembly process is performed. In the assembly process, the stacked body in which the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are stacked via the separator 13 is integrated, and the tab 14b of the positive electrode 11 and the tab 17b of the negative electrode 12 are welded respectively. Thereby, the electrode assembly 3 is obtained. Then, the conductive member 16 and the conductive member 19 are welded to the tab 14b of the positive electrode 11 and the tab 17b of the negative electrode 12, respectively.

  Note that the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 have substantially the same shape and size. That is, the width and height of the negative electrode 12 and the width and height of the positive electrode with separator 10 are substantially equal to each other. Therefore, the width and height of the main body portion 14 a of the positive electrode 11 are slightly smaller than the width and height of the main body portion 17 a of the negative electrode 12.

  Subsequently, the electrode housing step will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 show the orthogonal coordinate system S. Here, the electrode housing step is a method for producing an electrode with a separator for producing a positive electrode with a separator (electrode with separator) 10 by housing the positive electrode (electrode) 11 in a bag-shaped separator 13. This manufacturing method is performed by the manufacturing apparatus 20. That is, the manufacturing apparatus 20 is an electrode manufacturing apparatus with a separator that manufactures the positive electrode with a separator 10 by housing the positive electrode 11 in a bag-shaped separator 13.

The manufacturing apparatus 20 includes a pair of supply rollers (supply section) 21 facing each other, a pair of guide rollers 22 facing each other, a heater roller (first welding section, second welding section) 23, and a pair of conveyances facing each other. A roller (conveying unit) 24, a cutting unit 25, and a guide member 26 are provided. The supply roller (supply unit) 21, the guide member 26, the guide roller 22, the heater roller 23, the transport roller 24, and the cutting unit 25 are sequentially arranged along the X direction of the orthogonal coordinate system S. The rotation axis of the supply roller 21, the guide roller 22, the heater roller 23, and the transport roller 24 is along the Y direction of the orthogonal coordinate system S.

Here, first, long sheet-like separator members 13a and 13b, which are the basis of the separator 13, are prepared. Separator members 13a and 13b are each fed from a raw roll (not shown) and conveyed along the longitudinal direction thereof by conveying roller 24. At that time, the separator members 13a and 13b are guided by the guide roller 22 and are conveyed substantially parallel to each other along the X direction. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a and 13b is along the X direction, the short side direction is along the Y direction, and the thickness direction is along the Z direction. That is, the separator members 13a and 13b are transported in the longitudinal direction so as to be along the reference surface SF including the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction (that is, the surface stretched by the X direction and the Y direction) SF at least on the rear stage side of the heater roller 23. Is done. The reference plane SF is a virtual plane.

  Subsequently, details of each part of the manufacturing apparatus 20 will be described. The conveyance roller 24 has a cylindrical shape and is disposed between the heater roller 23 and the cutting portion 25. As described above, the transport roller 24 transports the pair of separator members 13a and 13b in the transport direction along the longitudinal direction. More specifically, the transport roller 24 transports the separator members 13a and 13b in the transport direction along the longitudinal direction by rotating in the arrow direction while sandwiching the separator members 13a and 13b by a drive source (not shown). At this time, the separator members 13a and 13b are along the reference plane SF.

  The heater roller 23 is disposed between the guide roller 22 and the transport roller 24. The heater roller 23 rotates as the separator members 13 a and 13 b are transported by the transport roller 24. However, the heater roller 23 may be rotationally driven by a drive source independent of the conveyance roller 24. In this case, the rotation speed of the heater roller 23 is basically matched to the transport speed of the separator members 13a and 13b by the transport roller 24. In this case, the welding position can be adjusted by controlling the number of rotations of the heater roller 23.

  The heater roller 23 forms a bag-like separator 13 by welding a pair of separator members 13a and 13b to each other. For this purpose, the heater roller 23 welds the pair of separator members 13a and 13b transported by the transport roller 24 to each other along the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b, thereby forming a welding region W1. Further, the heater roller 23 welds the edge portions E in the short direction of the pair of separator members 13a and 13b to form a welding region W2, a welding region W3, and a welding region W4.

  The heater roller 23 includes a cylindrical roller 23a and a roller 23b facing each other. A convex portion H is formed on the outer surface of the roller 23a. The height of the convex portion H is substantially constant along the circumferential direction of the roller 23a. As an example, a heater is provided inside the roller 23 a so that the heat can be transmitted to the convex portion H. A heater may also be provided inside the roller 23b to heat both the roller 23a and the roller 23b. On the other hand, the roller 23b is not provided with unevenness. In such a heater roller 23, the pair of separator members 13a and 13b are sandwiched between the top surface of the convex portion H of the heated roller 23a and the outer peripheral surface of the roller 23b, thereby forming the welding regions W1 to W4. . Therefore, the shape of the convex part H is set so that the shape of the welding area | region W1-welding area | region W4 may become a shape like the example shown in figure.

  More specifically, the convex portion H includes a first convex portion H1, a second convex portion H2, a third convex portion H3, and a fourth convex portion H4 (see particularly FIG. 5). The first convex portion H1 extends linearly along the direction of the rotation axis of the roller 23a (the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b) in order to form the welding region W1. The second convex portion H2 extends along the circumferential direction of the roller 23a in order to form the welding region W2. The third protrusion H3 extends along the circumferential direction of the roller 23a in order to form the welding region W3. The fourth protrusion H4 extends along the circumferential direction of the roller 23a in order to form the welding region W4.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the roller 23a, a flat portion H2n and a flat portion H4n where the convex portion H is not provided are set between the first convex portion H1 and the second convex portion H2 and the fourth convex portion H4. Yes. In the flat portion H2n and the flat portion H4n, the roller 23a does not contact the separator member 13a, and the separator members 13a and 13b are not welded. Therefore, the second convex portion H2 and the fourth convex portion H4 are formed in the separator members 13a and 13b while the non-welded region W2n and the non-welded region W4n are interposed following the formation of the weld region W1 by the first convex portion H1. The edge portions E in the short direction are welded to each other to form a welding region W2 and a welding region W4.

  Further, a recess H3n is provided between the second protrusion H2 and the third protrusion H3. The 2nd convex part H2 and the 3rd convex part H3 do not contact separator member 13a in this crevice H3n. That is, the separator members 13a and 13b are not welded even in the recess H3n. The portion that is not welded is the above-described non-welded region W3n. The recess H3n is provided at a position corresponding to the tab 14b. In addition, the 3rd convex part H3 and the 4th convex part H4 are connected to the 1st convex part H1 on the opposite side to the flat part H2n and the flat part H4n. That is, the welding region W1 is formed again following the formation of the welding region W3 and the welding region W4.

  As described above, in the manufacturing apparatus 20, the first welding part that forms the welding region W1 by welding the separator members 13a and 13b to each other along the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b, and the positive electrode 11 as described later. After the side end portion 14e contacts the welding region W1, the edge portions E in the short direction of the pair of separator members 13a and 13b are welded together to form the welding region W2, the welding region W3, and the welding region W4. The second welded part is constituted by a single heater roller 23. When the welding region W1 and the welding regions W2, W4 are continuously formed, a heater roller for forming the welding region W1 and a heater roller for forming the welding regions W2, W4 are prepared separately. do it.

  The supply roller 21 supplies the positive electrode 11 between the pair of separator members 13a and 13b. The supply roller 21 has a cylindrical shape and is disposed above the guide roller 22. The supply roller 21 rotates while sandwiching the positive electrode 11, thereby supplying the positive electrode 11 between the separator members 13 a and 13 b while conveying the positive electrode 11. The supply of the positive electrode 11 by the supply roller 21 is synchronized with the transport of the separator members 13a and 13b by the transport roller 24 and the formation of the welding region W1 by the heater roller 23.

That is, the supply roller 21 causes the positive electrode 11 to fall between the separator members 13a and 13b by dropping the positive electrode 11 through the guide member 26 so that the side end portion 14e of the main body portion 14a of the positive electrode 11 contacts the welding region W1. (Electrode) is supplied. Accordingly, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b with reference to the welding region W1.

  The cutting unit 25 is disposed on the rear side (downstream side) of the transport roller 24. The cutting part 25 includes a rotary blade 25a and a fixed blade 25b. The cutting part 25 cuts the separator members 13a and 13b so as to sandwich the separator members 13a and 13b between the rotary blade 25a and the fixed blade 25b. In particular, the cutting part 25 cuts the separator members 13a and 13b in the welding region W1 of the separator members 13a and 13b as the rotary blade 25a rotates. Thereby, the separated positive electrode 10 with a separator is manufactured (cut out). Note that the cutting unit 25 is not limited to one using a fixed blade and a rotary blade. For example, the cutting unit 25 may use a rotary cutter that uses a pair of rotary blades that rotate around the upper and lower axes, or a fusing by heat.

  Here, the guide member 26 positions the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13. The guide member 26 is provided between the supply roller 21 and the heater roller 23. The guide member 26 guides the positive electrode 11 supplied by the supply roller 21 toward the pair of separator members 13a and 13b. As an example, the guide member 26 includes a rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall portion 26r and a trapezoidal plate-shaped side wall portion 26p erected at the end of the bottom wall portion 26r in the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. It is formed in an L-shaped plate shape.

  The bottom wall portion 26r includes a first main surface SF1 that faces the side wall portion 26p. Side wall portion 26p includes a second main surface SF2 that faces the bottom wall portion 26r side. The first main surface SF1 is a surface along the reference surface SF. The second main surface SF2 is a surface that intersects the lateral direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. Here, the second main surface SF2 is substantially orthogonal to the reference surface SF. The first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 are connected to each other. The first main surface SF1 has a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. The second main surface SF2 has a long trapezoidal shape whose longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. As an example, the height of the second main surface SF2 from the first main surface SF1 gradually decreases from the supply roller 21 toward the heater roller 23.

  Here, the reference surface SF is set so that the positive electrode 11 slides on both the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 when the positive electrode 11 passes through the guide member 26. Specifically, the reference plane SF can be set as follows. That is, the reference surface SF is set so that the gravity of the positive electrode 11 acts on both the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 when the positive electrode 11 is located in the guide member 26. As an example, the reference surface SF is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the first main surface SF1 is located vertically above the surface opposite to the first main surface SF1 in the bottom wall portion 26r of the guide member 26. In addition, the second main surface SF2 is inclined with respect to the vertical surface such that the second main surface SF2 is positioned vertically above the surface opposite to the second main surface SF2 in the side wall portion 26p of the guide member 26.

  In the guide member 26 including the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 defined by the reference surface SF, the positive electrode 11 dropped from the supply roller 21 is on the opposite side of the guide member 26 from the heater roller 23. It is introduced into the guide member 26 from the end portion 26a. The positive electrode 11 introduced into the guide member 26 moves on the guide member 26 while its main surface 11s slides on the first main surface SF1 and its lower end portion 14d slides on the second main surface SF2. . Thereby, the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the thickness direction of the separator members 13a and 13b is restricted by the first main surface SF1, and the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b is controlled by the second main surface SF2. Be regulated. The positive electrode 11 is led out between the pair of separator members 13a and 13b from the end portion 26b of the guide member 26 on the heater roller 23 side.

  Subsequently, description of an example of an electrode housing step (a method for producing an electrode with a separator) will be continued. In this manufacturing method, first, the separator members 13a and 13b are transported in the longitudinal direction along the reference plane SF by the transport roller 24 (transport step).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7 (a), the heater members 23 weld the separator members 13 a and 13 b transported in the transport step along the short direction. Then, a welding region W1 serving as a reference for positioning the positive electrode 11 is formed (welding step).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 (b), the positive electrode 11 is supplied between the separator members 13 a and 13 b that are transported in the transporting step (supplying step). Here, in synchronization with the formation of the welding region W1 in the welding step, the positive electrode 11 is passed through the guide member 26 so that the supply roller 21 causes the side end portion 14e of the main body portion 14a of the positive electrode 11 to contact the welding region W1. The positive electrode 11 is supplied between the pair of separator members 13a and 13b by being dropped.

Accordingly, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b with reference to the welding region W1. Further, in this supply step, the positive electrode 11 is slid on both the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 of the guide member 26. Thereby, positioning of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in the short side direction and the thickness direction of the separator members 13a and 13b (that is, in the reference plane SF) is performed.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7 (c), after the positive electrode 11 is supplied between the separator members 13 a and 13 b in the supply step, the separator members 13 a and 13 b are heated by the heater roller 23. The edge portions E in the short direction are welded to each other to form a welded region W2 and a welded region W4. At this time, a non-welding region W2n and a non-welding region W4n are interposed between the welding region W1 and the welding region W2 and between the welding region W1 and the welding region W4, respectively.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7 (d), the welding region W <b> 3 is formed by the heater roller 23. At this time, a non-welding region W3n is interposed between the welding region W2 and the welding region W3. Thereafter, a pair of separator members 13a and 13b are welded to each other along the short side direction at a position opposite to the welding region W1 previously formed across the positive electrode 11 by the heater roller 23, thereby obtaining another welding region. W1 is formed. This other welding region W1 is a welding region W1 in which the side end portion 14e of the main body portion 14a of another positive electrode 11 to be continuously supplied comes into contact. Thereby, the bag-like separator 13 is formed with respect to the continuous separator members 13 a and 13 b, and the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in the separator 13. That is, the positive electrode 10 with a separator is manufactured.

Then, the separator members 13a and 13b are cut by the cutting portion 25. Specifically, the separator members 13 a and 13 b are cut by the cutting portion 25 in the pair of welding regions W <b> 1 on both sides of the positive electrode 11. Thereby, the positive electrode 10 with a separator is separated into pieces (cut out).

As described above, in the manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, the supply roller 21 drops the positive electrode 11 through the guide member 26 so that the side end portion 14e of the positive electrode 11 is brought into contact with the welding region W1. The positive electrode 11 is supplied between the separator members 13a and 13b. For this reason, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in the longitudinal direction (conveyance direction, X direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b with reference to the welding region W1.

Furthermore, in the manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, the first main surface SF1 of the guide member 26 is along the reference surface SF including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b and the guide member 26. The second main surface SF2 intersects in the lateral direction. The reference surface SF is set so that the positive electrode 11 slides on both the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 when the positive electrode 11 passes through the guide member 26. Therefore, when the positive electrode 11 is supplied as described above, the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the thickness direction of the separator members 13a and 13b (direction intersecting the transport direction) is regulated by the first main surface SF1 of the guide member 26. The

Further, the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the short direction (another direction intersecting the transport direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b is restricted by the second main surface SF2 of the guide member 26. Thus, in the manufacturing apparatus 20, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in a plurality of directions. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13 can be improved.

  Further, in the manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, after the side end portion 14e of the main body portion 14a of the positive electrode 11 is brought into contact with the welding region W1 by the heater roller 23, the edges of the separator members 13a and 13b in the short direction. The parts E are welded to each other to form a welding region W2 to a welding region W4. Thereby, after making the side edge part 14e of the positive electrode 11 contact | abut reliably to the welding area | region W1, the welding area | region W2-welding area | region W4 can be formed and the edge E of separator member 13a, 13b can be closed. For this reason, the positioning accuracy of the positive electrode 11 in the transport direction is further improved.

  Further, in the manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, the tab 14b protrudes from the upper end portion 14c of the main body portion 14a of the positive electrode 11, and the supply roller 21 has the side end portion 14e where the tab 14b is not provided. The positive electrode 11 is supplied between the pair of separator members 13a and 13b so as to contact the welding region W1.

For this reason, when manufacturing the some positive electrode 10 with a separator by supplying the some positive electrode 11 sequentially with respect to a series of separator members 13a, 13b, it is a tab between the positive electrodes 11 adjacent to the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a, 13b. It is avoided that 14b is arranged. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the end material around the tab 14b between the positive electrodes 11 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. Therefore, the yield of the positive electrode 10 with a separator can be improved.

  On the other hand, in the manufacturing method (electrode housing step) according to the present embodiment, in the supply step, the positive electrode 11 is dropped through the guide member 26 so that the side end portion 14e of the positive electrode 11 is brought into contact with the welding region W1, thereby separating the separator member. The positive electrode 11 is supplied between 13a and 13b. For this reason, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b with reference to the welding region W1.

Furthermore, in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the first main surface SF1 of the guide member 26 is along the reference surface SF including the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the separator members 13a and 13b, and the guide member 26 The second main surface SF2 intersects the short direction. The reference surface SF is set so that the positive electrode 11 slides on both the first main surface SF1 and the second main surface SF2 when the positive electrode 11 passes through the guide member 26. Therefore, when the positive electrode 11 is supplied as described above, the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the thickness direction of the separator members 13a and 13b (direction intersecting the transport direction) is regulated by the first main surface SF1 of the guide member 26. The

Further, the movement of the positive electrode 11 in the short direction (another direction intersecting the transport direction) of the separator members 13a and 13b is restricted by the second main surface SF2 of the guide member 26. Thus, in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the positive electrode 11 is positioned with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b in a plurality of directions. For this reason, it becomes possible to improve the positional accuracy of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator members 13a and 13b.

  In the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, in the supply step, the supply roller 21 causes the side end portion 14e not provided with the tab 14b to contact the welding region W1 between the separator members 13a and 13b. Is supplied with the positive electrode 11. For this reason, when manufacturing the some positive electrode 10 with a separator by supplying the some positive electrode 11 sequentially with respect to a series of separator members 13a, 13b, it is a tab between the positive electrodes 11 adjacent to the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a, 13b. It is avoided that 14b is arranged. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the end material around the tab 14b between the positive electrodes 11 adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the separator members 13a and 13b. Therefore, the yield of the positive electrode 10 with a separator can be improved.

  In addition, when the positional accuracy of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13 is low, it is necessary to set the positive electrode 11 to be sufficiently small with respect to the internal space of the separator 13 defined by the welding region W1 to the welding region W4. This is to prevent the welding region W1 to the welding region W4 and the positive electrode 11 from interfering with each other even when the positional deviation of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13 is large, and to securely accommodate the positive electrode 11 in the separator 13. is there. In this regard, according to the manufacturing apparatus 20 and the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, since the positional accuracy of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13 is improved, an increase in the positional deviation of the positive electrode 11 with respect to the separator 13 is suppressed. For this reason, it is not necessary to consider the above circumstances, and the positive electrode 11 can be set relatively large. Therefore, the capacity of the power storage device 1 can be improved. Even when the positive electrode 11 is formed relatively large, the positive electrode 11 is reliably accommodated inside the separator 13, so that the positive electrode 11 is reliably insulated and safety is ensured.

  The above embodiment explains one Embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator which concerns on this invention, and the electrode with a separator. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator and the manufacturing method of the electrode with a separator according to the present invention are not limited to those described above. The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator and the method of manufacturing the electrode with a separator according to the present invention can be arbitrarily modified from the above without departing from the scope of the claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the positive electrode 11 is supplied between the separators 13 a and 13 b so that the lower end portion 14 d of the main body portion 14 a of the positive electrode 11 not provided with the tab 14 b is brought into contact with the welding region W <b> 1. An example has been described. However, when supplying the positive electrode 11, any end portion other than the upper end portion 14 c provided with the tab 14 b in the main body portion 14 a of the positive electrode 11 can be brought into contact with the welding region W <b> 1.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the case where the positive electrode 11 was accommodated in the separator 13 was demonstrated. However, the negative electrode 12 may be accommodated in the separator 13. That is, it is only necessary that one of the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 is accommodated in the separator 13 to form an electrode with a separator.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Positive electrode with separator (electrode with separator), 11 ... Positive electrode (electrode), 13 ... Separator, 13a, 13b ... Separator member, 14a ... Main body part, 14b ... Tab, 14c ... Upper end part, 14d ... Lower end part, 14e, 14f ... side end part, 20 ... manufacturing device, 21 ... supply roller (supply part), 23 ... heater roller (first welding part, second welding part), 24 ... transport roller (transport part), 26 ... guide member, E ... edge, SF ... reference plane, SF1 ... first main surface, SF2 ... second main surface, W1 ... welding region (first welding region), W2 ... welding region (second welding region), W3 ... welding region ( (Second welding region), W4... Welding region (second welding region).

Claims (6)

A separator-equipped manufacturing apparatus that manufactures an electrode with a separator by housing the electrode in a bag-shaped separator,
A transport unit configured to transport a pair of long sheet-shaped separator members constituting the bag-shaped separator in the longitudinal direction so as to be along a reference plane including a longitudinal direction and a short direction of the separator member;
A first welding part that forms a first welding region by welding the pair of separator members conveyed by the conveying part to each other along the lateral direction;
A supply section for supplying the electrode between a pair of separator members;
A guide member that is provided between the first welding portion and the supply portion and guides the electrode supplied by the supply portion between the pair of separator members,
The supply unit supplies the electrode between a pair of separator members by dropping the electrode through the guide member so that the electrode comes into contact with the first welding region,
The guide member has a first main surface along the reference surface, and a second main surface intersecting the transversal direction,
The reference plane is set so that the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface when the electrode passes through the guide member.
Equipment for manufacturing electrodes with separators. After the electrode is in contact with the first welding region, the second welding portion that forms a second welding region by welding edges in the short direction of the pair of separator members to each other,
The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator of Claim 1. The first welded portion and the second welded portion are configured by a single heater roller.
The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator of Claim 2. The electrode includes an upper end, a lower end, and a main body having a side end connecting the upper end and the lower end to each other, and a tab protruding from the upper end.
The supply unit supplies the electrode between a pair of separator members by dropping the electrode through the guide member so that the side end portion is in contact with the first welding region.
The manufacturing apparatus of the electrode with a separator as described in any one of Claims 1-3. A method for producing an electrode with a separator for producing an electrode with a separator by accommodating the electrode in a bag-like separator,
A conveying step of conveying a pair of long sheet-shaped separator members constituting the bag-shaped separator in the longitudinal direction so as to be along a reference plane including a longitudinal direction and a short direction of the separator member;
A welding step in which the pair of separator members conveyed in the conveying step are welded to each other along the short direction to form a first welding region;
A supply step of supplying the electrode between the pair of separator members,
In the supplying step, the electrode is supplied between a pair of the separator members by dropping the electrode through a guide member so that the electrode is brought into contact with the first welding region,
The guide member has a first main surface along the reference surface, and a second main surface intersecting the transversal direction,
The reference plane is set so that the electrode slides on both the first main surface and the second main surface when the electrode passes through the guide member.
Manufacturing method of electrode with separator. The electrode includes an upper end, a lower end, and a main body having a side end connecting the upper end and the lower end to each other, and a tab protruding from the upper end.
In the supplying step, the electrode is supplied between a pair of the separator members by dropping the electrode through the guide member so that the side end portion comes into contact with the first welding region.
The manufacturing method of the electrode with a separator of Claim 5.

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