JP2017084615A - Electrode lamination device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode lamination device capable of suppressing contamination of a peeled coating object between electrodes when dropping and laminating a sheet-like electrode.SOLUTION: An electrode lamination device 100 according to an embodiment comprises a sliding unit 30 which supplies a sheet-like electrode E, and an electrode receiving unit 50 in which the electrode E supplied from the sliding unit 30 is laminated. The electrode receiving unit 50 comprises a bottom wall part 51 on which the electrode E is mounted, and a guide part 52 erected in the bottom wall part 51 and for regulating the movement of the electrode E in an in-plane direction of the bottom wall part 51. A groove 55 is provided in at least a part of a portion along the guide part 52 of the bottom wall part 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrode stacking apparatus.

  The secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode, which are electrodes, are stacked via a separator. In a stacked secondary battery, an electrode assembly is configured by stacking several tens of sheet-like electrodes. Conventionally, an electrode stacking apparatus that efficiently creates an electrode assembly has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  An apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a supply mechanism that supplies a sheet-like electrode, a drop moving unit that is disposed below the supply mechanism and that drops and moves the electrode supplied from the supply mechanism to a predetermined position, Laminating means disposed below the discharge portion of the moving means, and laminating the electrodes discharged from the discharge portion to a predetermined position.

  The apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes a transport device having a conveyor and a plurality of support frames, and sequentially stacks a negative electrode, a separator, a positive electrode, and a separator in a support frame that moves from upstream to downstream by the conveyor. After these four stacked bodies are formed, the stacked bodies drop and move from the inside of the support frame to the electrode plate group receiving portion at the downstream end of the transport device. Compared with Patent Document 1, the difference is that it is dropped directly onto the electrode plate group receiving part without using the drop moving means (slider), and the point that four sheets are simultaneously dropped onto the electrode plate group receiving part.

  The apparatus described in Patent Document 3 performs stacking by feeding a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator by a roller, bringing them into contact (collision) with a regulating means, and then dropping them. When the side with the positive electrode or negative electrode tab is the upper side of the electrode, it differs from Patent Document 1 in that the electrode is fed to the side and the contact position of the regulating means differs depending on the size of the electrode and the separator. Like the devices described in these patent documents, the electrode can be positioned by combining the collision with a predetermined member and dropping after giving a speed to the electrode.

JP 2012-91372 A JP 54-44722 A JP 2011-258418 A

  The active material layer of the electrode has a porous shape in which the active materials are bonded with particles of a binder (resin) having a smaller particle diameter. A sheet-like electrode is formed by cutting a larger strip-shaped metal foil (electrode material) on which an active material layer is formed. At the time of cutting, a part of the electrode (for example, a part of the active material particles or a metal foil that has become a burr) is peeled off from the electrode and dropped, while some of the electrode is easily peeled off. Some remain on the electrode while in a state. When positioning a sheet-like electrode as in the above-described apparatus, an impact due to contact is applied to the end of the electrode. When the impact is large, a part of the electrode described above may be peeled off due to the impact of contact. Moreover, even if the impact is small, if there are active material particles or the like that are easily peeled as described above, they may peel off. Thus, the amount of active material particles and the like to be peeled is extremely small, and peeling itself does not affect the battery performance. However, when a part of the electrode peeled between the overlapping electrodes is mixed as a foreign substance, the quality of the stacked secondary battery may be adversely affected.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the electrode lamination apparatus which can suppress mixing of the foreign material between electrodes when laminating | stacking a sheet-like electrode.

  An electrode stacking apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a supply unit that supplies a sheet-like electrode, and an electrode receiving unit that stacks electrodes supplied from the supply unit, and the electrode receiving unit has the electrode mounted thereon. At least one of the portions along the guide portion of the bottom wall portion, and a guide portion that stands on the bottom wall portion and restricts movement of the electrode in the in-plane direction of the bottom wall portion. The part is provided with a groove.

  In this electrode laminating apparatus, a sheet-like electrode is supplied from a supply unit and sequentially stacked on the bottom wall portion of the electrode receiving unit, so that a laminated electrode (a laminated body of electrodes, in a state of being laminated) The same applies hereinafter). At this time, a part of the electrode (for example, active material particles or variability) is brought into contact with the end of the electrode until the electrode finally reaches a position where the electrode finally comes to rest on the bottom wall (or laminated electrode). A part of the resulting metal foil, etc.) can be peeled off as foreign matter. According to the electrode stacking apparatus, foreign substances generated in this way (that is, a part of the peeled electrode) can be stored in the groove part along at least a part of the guide part. Mixing of foreign matter between them can be suppressed.

  In the electrode laminating apparatus, the bottom wall portion is provided with a hole portion that communicates the space on the opposite side of the bottom wall portion with the housing space for housing the electrode defined by the guide portion and the groove portion. And the said electrode lamination apparatus may further be provided with the suction part which attracts | sucks the inside of a groove part through a hole.

  In this electrode laminating apparatus, a channel (hereinafter referred to as “groove channel”) surrounded by an electrode and a groove stacked on the bottom wall is formed. Therefore, the foreign matter accumulated in the groove portion can be sucked and removed along the groove portion flow path by the suction portion that sucks the inside of the groove portion through the hole provided in the bottom wall portion. Further, when the electrodes are stacked while performing the suction operation by the suction part, the foreign matter can be removed by suction at the moment when a part of the electrode is peeled off from the electrode as the foreign matter. As described above, according to the electrode stacking apparatus, foreign matter peeled off from the electrode can be efficiently sucked and removed by the suction portion, so that foreign matter can be more effectively prevented from being mixed between the electrodes. Can do.

  In the electrode stacking apparatus, the bottom wall portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the guide portion extends in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion, and a stopper that restricts movement of the electrode in the inclination direction. The groove may be provided at least along the stopper.

  In this electrode stacking apparatus, since the bottom wall portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the electrode supplied from the supply portion to the electrode receiving portion slides on the bottom wall portion along the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion. The lower end of the electrode (the end on the downstream side in the sliding direction) comes into contact with the stopper. Due to the impact of this contact, a part of the electrode in contact with the stopper can be peeled off as a foreign substance. In the electrode laminating apparatus, since the groove portion is provided at least along the stopper, the foreign matter generated in the vicinity of the stopper is easily collected in the groove portion. Thereby, mixing of the foreign material between electrodes can be suppressed effectively.

  In the electrode stacking apparatus, the bottom wall portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the guide portion extends in the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion, and the side wall restricts the movement of the electrode in the direction orthogonal to the inclination direction. The groove portion may be provided along at least the side wall portion.

  In this electrode stacking apparatus, since the bottom wall portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the electrode supplied from the supply portion is in the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion to a position where the lower end of the electrode and the stopper are in contact with each other. Along the bottom wall. At this time, a part of the electrode can be peeled off as a foreign matter due to friction between the sliding electrode and the side wall. Further, for example, as an electrode supply method, a method is adopted in which the electrode is dropped on the bottom wall portion (or laminated electrode) by dropping the electrode from the supply portion so that the end portion of the electrode hits the side wall portion of the guide portion. In this case, a part of the electrode that hits the side wall portion can be peeled off by the impact of the contact. In the electrode stacking apparatus, since the groove portion is provided at least along the side wall portion, foreign substances generated near the side wall portion as described above are easily collected in the groove portion. Thereby, mixing of the foreign material between electrodes can be suppressed effectively.

  In the electrode laminating apparatus, a concave portion that extends along the out-of-plane direction of the bottom wall portion and communicates with the groove portion is formed on the surface of the guide portion facing the accommodation space for accommodating the electrode defined by the guide portion. It may be provided.

  In this electrode laminating device, a foreign object (a part of the peeled electrode) generated from the electrode newly laminated on the bottom wall (or laminated electrode) is provided on the surface of the guide part facing the accommodation space. Since it is easy to accumulate in a groove part via, it can suppress more effectively mixing of the foreign material between electrodes.

  In the electrode stacking apparatus, the suction part may be provided detachably with respect to the hole part.

  For example, the position where the electrode supplied from the supply unit is received (stacking position) is different from the position where the stacked electrode stacked on the electrode receiving unit is transferred to the next process (transfer position). It may be necessary to move the electrode receiver between positions. According to the above electrode laminating apparatus, in such a case, the suction part is attached to the hole only when laminating (when the electrode receiving part is at the laminating position), and when transferring (the electrode receiving part is moved to the transferring position) In this case, the suction part can be removed from the hole part. Accordingly, it is not necessary to move the suction portion when moving the electrode receiving portion, and it is sufficient to provide the suction portion in the vicinity of the stacking position, so that the apparatus configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated.

  The electrode stacking apparatus may further include a blower that blows air onto the electrode receiver from above the electrode receiver.

  In this electrode stacking apparatus, air is blown onto the electrode receiving portion from above the electrode receiving portion by the blower portion, thereby facilitating formation of an air flow along the suction direction by the suction portion. Thereby, the suction efficiency of the foreign material by a suction part can be aimed at.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when laminating | stacking a sheet-like electrode, the electrode lamination apparatus which can suppress mixing of the foreign material between electrodes can be provided.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the internal structure of the electrical storage apparatus manufactured by applying the electrode lamination apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the electrode lamination apparatus of this embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the electrode receiving part from the upper part. It is the perspective view which looked at the electrode receiving part from the lower part. It is a top view of an electrode receiving part. It is a top view of the electrode receiving part in which the electrode was mounted. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view illustrating an example of a shape of a portion surrounded by a broken line A in FIG. 7. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the XX sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the suction device connected to an electrode receiving part. It is a figure which shows typically the arrangement configuration of an air blower. It is a figure which shows the modification of an electrode lamination apparatus typically.

  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 showing an example of the internal configuration of a power storage device manufactured by applying the electrode stacking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the electrical storage apparatus 1 is comprised as a vehicle-mounted nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, such as a lithium ion secondary battery, for example.

  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) 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 11, a negative electrode 12, and a bag-shaped 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 the positive electrode 10 with a separator configured by housing the positive electrode 11 in a bag-shaped separator 13.

  In the present embodiment, the electrode assembly 3 is placed in the case 2 so that the lower ends of the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12 (the end opposite to the positive electrode terminal 5 and the negative electrode terminal 6) are in contact with the bottom surface of the case 2. Contained. 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.

  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 positive electrode active material layer 15 is a porous layer formed including a positive electrode active material and a binder. In other words, the positive electrode active material is supported on both surfaces of the substantially rectangular 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. A tab 14b is formed on the upper edge of the main body 14a corresponding to the position of the positive electrode terminal 5. The tab 14b does not carry a positive electrode active material. The tab 14 b extends upward from the upper edge portion 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. The negative electrode active material layer 18 is a porous layer formed including a negative electrode active material and a binder. In other words, the negative electrode active material is supported on both surfaces of the substantially rectangular main body portion 17a. 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. A tab 17b is formed on the upper edge portion of the main body portion 17a corresponding to the position of the negative electrode terminal 6. The tab 17b does not carry a negative electrode active material. The tab 17 b extends upward from the upper edge portion of the main body portion 17 a and is connected to the negative electrode terminal 6 via the conductive member 19. Note that the width in the left-right direction of the bag-like separator 13 used in the electrode stacking apparatus 100 (see FIG. 3) according to the present embodiment is the same as the width of the negative electrode 12.

  The separator 13 is formed in a bag shape, for example, and accommodates only the positive electrode 11 therein. Examples of the material for forming the separator 13 include a porous film made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric made of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), methylcellulose and the like. The tab 14 b of the positive electrode 11 and the tab 17 b of the negative electrode 12 protrude upward from the substantially rectangular separator 13. The separator 13 is not limited to a bag shape, and a sheet shape may be used. For example, as the positive electrode 10 with a separator, a united positive electrode in which two sheet-like separators are bonded to both surfaces of the positive electrode 11 may be used.

  Then, the manufacturing method of the electrical storage apparatus 1 is demonstrated. The present invention relates to a lamination process in which a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator are combined to form a laminated electrode assembly during the manufacturing process, and there is no substitute for a known technique for other processes. Accordingly, only the outline of the steps other than the laminating step will be described for one example.

  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 is, for example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), but includes fluorine-containing resins such as polytetrafluoroethylene and fluororubber, thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, imide resins such as polyimide and polyamideimide, and alkoxysilyl groups. Resin or the like may be used. 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. In the reduced-pressure drying step, the strip-shaped metal foil on which the active material layer is formed is housed 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 cutting process is performed. In the cutting step, the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are formed by cutting the strip-shaped metal foil on which the active material layer is formed into a substantially rectangular sheet shape using a cutting device. As the cutting method, for example, a mechanical cutting means such as a press cut is used, but a method such as laser cutting may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in the bag-shaped separator 13 and then laminated with the negative electrode 12. In the separator wrapping process in which the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in the separator 13, a pair of the positive electrode 11 and a strip-shaped separator wound in a roll shape is used. First, one of the strip separators is fed out, and the positive electrode 11 is placed on the separator while leaving gaps at equal intervals. At this time, the positive electrode 11 is arranged so that the tab 14b of the positive electrode 11 protrudes in the width direction of the separator. Next, the other strip separator is fed out, and the other strip separator is overlapped with one strip separator so as to sandwich the positive electrode 11. Thereafter, one strip separator and the other strip separator are welded at a position surrounding each positive electrode 11. The welded portion may be any member that surrounds and positions the three sides of the positive electrode 11, for example. Preferably, the welded portion is provided so as to surround the four sides. After welding, one and the other strip separators are cut for each of the positive electrode 11 and the welded portion, and the positive electrode with separator 10 accommodated in the bag-like separator 13 is created.

  Next, a lamination process is performed. In the laminating step, the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 obtained in the separator wrapping step and the punching step are sequentially laminated. Next, an assembly process is performed. In the assembling process, the stacked electrodes in which the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are stacked via the separator 13 are 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.

  The negative electrode 12 and the positive electrode 10 with a separator produced by the punching process have substantially the same shape. Specifically, when a tab is included, the width and height of the negative electrode 12 are equal to the width and height of the positive electrode 10 with a separator. When the substantially rectangular main body is compared, the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 have the same width, and the positive electrode 10 with separator is slightly larger than the negative electrode 12 in terms of height. The width and height of the main body portion 14a of the positive electrode 11 on which the positive electrode active material layer 15 is formed are slightly smaller than the width and height of the main body portion 17a of the negative electrode 12 on which the negative electrode active material layer 18 is formed.

  Subsequently, the electrode stacking apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration of the electrode stacking apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the electrode laminating apparatus 100 is an apparatus for alternately laminating the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 used in the above laminating process. In the following description, the negative electrode 12 and the positive electrode 10 with a separator are collectively referred to as an electrode E.

  The electrode stacking apparatus 100 falls from the transport unit 20 that transports the electrode E (the positive electrode 10 with the separator and the negative electrode 12), the sliding unit 30 that slides the electrode E transported by the transport unit 20, and the sliding unit 30. A stacking unit 40 on which the electrode E is stacked.

  The electrode E is laminated as follows to form a laminated electrode L (a laminated body of the electrodes E, including those in the middle of lamination. The same shall apply hereinafter) on the laminated portion 40. That is, the speed is given by the transport unit 20 and the fed electrode E is transferred to the sliding unit 30 and slides on the sliding unit 30. The stacked portions 40 are sequentially stacked. Thereby, the stacked electrode L is formed in the stacked portion 40. As described above, in the present embodiment, as an example, the transport unit 20 functions as a supply unit that supplies the electrode E with speed and supplies the electrode E to the electrode receiving unit 50 (described later in detail) of the stacked unit 40. Moreover, the supply system of the electrode E to the electrode receiving part 50 is not restricted to this, For example, the sliding part 30 may be abbreviate | omitted. That is, the transport unit 20 may supply the electrode E onto the electrode receiving unit 50 of the stacked unit 40 by dropping the electrode E from the tip in the transport direction.

  Note that, as in Patent Document 1, it is possible to provide a supply unit that does not include a drive source such as the transport unit 20 and that gives the speed of the electrode E by tilting. However, when considering the adverse effects on production efficiency due to the limitation of the conveyance speed and the control of the lamination speed, rather than simply using a sliding section that causes the electrode E to slide down by an inclination, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, etc. More preferably, a transport device such as the transport unit 20 having a drive source is provided, and the transport device is a supply unit.

  The conveyance part 20 supplies the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 to the sliding part 30 by turns at predetermined intervals. The conveyance unit 20 is a belt conveyor in this embodiment, but may be another conveyance device such as a roller conveyor. The conveyance part 20 conveys the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 so that the tab 14b of the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the tab 17b of the negative electrode 12 may be located in the upstream in the conveyance direction.

  The sliding part 30 slides the electrode E downward. The sliding portion 30 includes a bottom plate portion 31 that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so as to slide the electrode E downward, and a pair of side plate portions 32 that are erected at both end edges in the width direction of the bottom plate portion 31. . The side plate portion 32 extends in the inclination direction of the bottom plate portion 31, and functions as a guide for preventing the electrode E from slipping down in the width direction of the bottom plate portion 31.

  The stacked portion 40 is a portion where the electrodes E that fall from the sliding portion 30 are stacked. The stacked unit 40 includes an electrode receiving unit 50 that stacks the electrodes E falling from the bottom plate unit 31 of the sliding unit 30, and a support unit 60 that supports the electrode receiving unit 50.

  The detailed structure of the electrode receiving part 50 is demonstrated using FIGS. 4 is a perspective view of the electrode receiving portion as viewed from above, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrode receiving portion as viewed from below, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the electrode receiving portion. As shown in these drawings, the electrode receiving part 50 is erected on the bottom wall part 51 on which the electrode E is placed and the bottom wall part 51 and moves in the in-plane direction of the bottom wall part 51 of the electrode E. And a guide portion 52 to be regulated.

  The bottom wall 51 is a rectangular plate-like member, and is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The bottom wall portion 51 has an inner surface 51a that is a surface on which the electrode E is placed, and an outer surface 51b that is a surface opposite to the inner surface 51a. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer surface 51 b is provided with a plurality of (two as an example in the present embodiment) pin holes 51 c for positioning the electrode receiving portion 50 with respect to the support portion 60. On the other hand, the support portion 60 is provided with a plurality of positioning pins (not shown) corresponding to the plurality of pin holes 51 c of the bottom wall portion 51 on the surface that supports the bottom wall portion 51 of the electrode receiving portion 50. Each positioning pin provided in the support portion 60 is inserted into each pin hole 51 c, whereby the electrode receiving portion 50 is positioned with respect to the support portion 61.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall portion 51 is supported by the support portion 60 so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, of the in-plane directions of the bottom wall portion 51, the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion 51 is represented as an inclination direction D1, and the direction orthogonal to the inclination direction D1 is represented as a width direction D2. Moreover, the direction orthogonal to both the inclination direction D1 and the width direction D2 among the out-of-plane directions of the bottom wall part 51 is represented as the height direction D3.

  The guide portion 52 is erected on the peripheral edge portion of the bottom wall portion 51. The guide portion 52 includes a stopper 53 extending in the width direction D2 and a pair of side wall portions 54 facing each other in the width direction D2 and extending in the inclined direction D1. The pair of side wall portions 54 are connected to both end portions in the width direction D2 of the stopper 53, and an accommodation space S surrounded by a substantially U-shape is defined by the stopper 53 and the pair of side wall portions 54. Each of the stopper 53 and the side wall portion 54 is a rectangular plate-like member, and is made of a metal such as stainless steel.

  The stopper 53 plays a role of restricting movement of the electrode E placed on the bottom wall portion 51 in the inclination direction D1. That is, the electrode E placed on the bottom wall 51 moves downward along the inclination direction D1 due to gravity, but the lower end of the electrode E (the end on the downstream side in the inclination direction D1) is the accommodation space S of the stopper 53. By contacting the inner surface 53a facing the electrode E, the electrode E stops. Thus, the stopper 53 functions as a guide for aligning the position of the lower end of the electrode E laminated on the bottom wall portion 51 with the inner surface 53a.

  The pair of side wall portions 54 plays a role of regulating movement of the electrode E placed on the bottom wall portion 51 in the width direction D2. The distance between the pair of side wall portions 54 is equal to or greater than the width of the electrode E, and a taper portion 54t whose distance increases as the distance from the stopper 53 increases. . The distance between the portions of the pair of side wall portions 54 other than the tapered portion 54t is such that the width of the electrode E (design value) is a manufacturing error of the width of the electrode E and a margin width that allows the electrode E or the stacked electrode L to be smoothly taken in and out. The width is added. On the outer surface of each side wall portion 54, a grip portion 54 b is provided as a portion to be gripped when a transport device (not shown) transports the electrode receiving portion 50.

  In the portion along the guide portion 52 of the bottom wall portion 51, a groove portion 55 is provided whose position in the height direction D3 is lower than the inner surface 51a by a predetermined height. In the present embodiment, as an example, the groove part 55 includes a groove part 55a along the stopper 53 and a groove part 55b along a part of the pair of side wall parts 54 excluding the taper part 54t.

  The groove 55a extends in the width direction D2 along the stopper 53 from the inner surface 54a of one side wall 54 to the inner surface 54a of the other side wall 54. Here, since the bottom wall portion 51 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the electrode E supplied from the sliding portion 30 to the electrode receiving portion 50 has a bottom wall portion along the inclination direction D1 of the bottom wall portion 51. It slides on 51 and the lower end of the electrode E and the stopper 53 contact. Due to the impact of the contact, a part of the electrode E (for example, an active material coated on the metal foil) in contact with the stopper 53 can be peeled off as a foreign substance. In the electrode lamination apparatus 100, since the groove part 55a is provided along the stopper 53, the foreign material which generate | occur | produces in the vicinity of the stopper 53 in this way is easy to accumulate in the groove part 55a. Thereby, mixing of the foreign material between electrodes E can be suppressed effectively.

  The groove portion 55b extends along the side wall portion 54 from the inner surface 53a of the stopper 53 to the end portion on the stopper 53 side of the tapered portion 54t in the inclined direction D1. As described above, since the bottom wall portion 51 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the electrode E supplied from the sliding portion 30 reaches the position where the lower end of the electrode E and the stopper 53 are in contact with each other. It slides on the bottom wall part 51 along the inclination direction D1. At this time, a part of the electrode E can be peeled off as a foreign matter due to the friction between the electrode E and the side wall portion 54 during sliding. Further, as a method for supplying the electrode E to the electrode receiving portion 50, a method different from the present embodiment (the form shown in FIG. 3) may be adopted. For example, a supply method in which the end in the width direction of the electrode E is once applied to the inner surface 54a of the side wall 54 and then the electrode E is dropped on the bottom wall 51 (or the laminated electrode L) can be considered (FIG. 13 described later). Refer to the configuration of In this supply method, the electrode E is moved from the position above the electrode receiving portion 50 and shifted in the width direction D2 so as not to overlap with the electrode receiving portion 50 as viewed from above by applying momentum in the width direction D2. To drop. As a result, the electrode E falls on the bottom wall 51 (or the laminated electrode L) after the end in the width direction hits the inner surface 54a of the side wall 54. In this case, in particular, a part of the end portion in the width direction of the electrode E first applied to the side wall portion 54 can be peeled off by the impact of the contact. In the electrode lamination apparatus 100, since the groove part 55b is provided along the side wall part 54, the foreign material which generate | occur | produces near the side wall part 54 as mentioned above tends to accumulate in the groove part 55b. Thereby, mixing of the foreign material between electrodes E can be suppressed effectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a portion where the stopper 53 and each side wall portion 54 are connected is provided with a hollow portion 56 that is formed by hollowing out a part of the cylinder as viewed from the height direction D <b> 3. ing. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom wall 51 has a space opposite to the accommodation space S across the bottom wall 51 (that is, a space on the outer surface 51 b side of the bottom wall 51). A hole portion 57 that communicates with the groove portion 55 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, as an example, the opening on the groove 55 side of the hole 57 is provided at a position adjacent to the cut-out portion 56.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the electrode receiving portion on which the laminated electrode is placed. As shown in FIG. 7, the separator-equipped positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 that are alternately conveyed by the conveyance unit 20 are sequentially dropped via the sliding portion 30, so that the separator-equipped positive electrode is placed on the bottom wall portion 51. A laminated electrode L in which 10 and the negative electrode 12 are alternately laminated is formed.

  More specifically, since the taper portion 54t is provided in the electrode receiving portion 50, the electrode E is first received by the wide portion of the taper portion 54t. Then, the electrode E is guided by the taper part 54t as it slides on the bottom wall part 51, and goes below. Thereby, in the electrode receiving part 50, the position of the edge part of the width direction D2 of the electrode E aligns. Further, the end of the electrode E on which the tabs 14 b and 17 b are not provided comes into contact with the stopper 53 and stops. Thereby, in the electrode receiving part 50, the position of the edge part in which the tabs 14b and 17b of the electrode E are not provided is aligned. As a result, the laminated electrode L is formed on the electrode receiving portion 50 in a state where the positions of the end portions of the electrode E are aligned. In the example of FIG. 7, the positive electrode 10 with a separator is positioned on the uppermost layer of the laminated electrode L, and the separator 13 can be seen as the uppermost surface of the laminated electrode L.

  On the surface of the guide portion 52 (in this embodiment, the inner surface 53a of the stopper 53 and the inner surface 54a of the side wall portion 54), a plurality of minute recesses 58 extending along the height direction D3 and communicating with the groove portion 55 are provided. It has been. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing an example of the shape of the portion surrounded by the broken line A in FIG. The shape of the recess 58 is not limited to a specific shape, but as the shape of the recess 58, for example, a wave shape (see FIG. 8A) or a rectangular shape (see FIG. 8B) is adopted. be able to.

  Since the concave portion 58 is provided on the surface of the guide portion 52, a height direction D3 is provided between the electrode E (or the stacked electrode L) placed on the bottom wall portion 51 and the surface of the guide portion 52. A plurality of flow paths (concave flow paths F1) are formed. As a result, foreign matter (a part of the peeled electrode E) generated from the electrode E newly laminated on the bottom wall portion 51 (or the laminated electrode L) passes through the concave portion 58 provided on the surface of the guide portion 52. (That is, through the concave flow path F1) and easily collected in the groove portion 55. Thereby, mixing of the foreign material between electrodes E can be suppressed more effectively. The shape, size, interval, number, etc. of the recesses 58 are not limited to the above example. Moreover, the extending direction of each recessed part 58 may incline with respect to the height direction D3. Moreover, each recessed part 58 does not need to extend linearly like the said example, For example, you may extend with curves, such as a zigzag shape. However, in particular, with respect to the inner surface 53a of the stopper 53 that supports the load in the tilt direction D1 of the electrode E, a plurality of minute recesses 58 are provided as in the examples of FIGS. 8A and 8B. Further, it is possible to suppress the load in the tilt direction D1 of the electrode E from being concentrated on one point and damaging the end of the electrode E at that point.

  9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the state in which the laminated electrode L is formed on the bottom wall portion 51, the groove portion flow passage surrounded by the electrode E and the groove portion 55 placed on the bottom wall portion 51. F2 is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, as an example in the present embodiment, the hole portion 57 is formed on the inner taper portion 57 a formed on the groove portion 55 side of the bottom wall portion 51 and on the outer surface 51 b side of the bottom wall portion 51. The outer taper portion 57b is connected via the cylindrical portion 57c. The inner tapered portion 57a is formed so as to become wider from the inner end portion (end portion on the inner surface 51a side) of the cylindrical portion 57c toward the inner surface 51a side. The outer tapered portion 57b is formed so as to become wider from the outer end portion (end portion on the outer surface 51b side) of the cylindrical portion 57c toward the outer surface 51b side.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the suction unit connected to the electrode receiving unit. As shown in FIG. 11, the electrode stacking apparatus 100 includes an aspirator (suction unit) 70 connected to the electrode receiving unit 50 through the hole 57. In the present embodiment, as an example, the suction device 70 is configured such that a tube-like suction tool 71 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown) so that external air can be sucked from an opening 71 b provided at the distal end portion 71 a of the suction tool 71. It is configured. The tip portion 71a of the suction tool 71 is formed in a truncated cone shape corresponding to the outer tapered portion 57b so as to be fitted to the outer tapered portion 57b. That is, the distal end portion 71a can be fitted into the outer tapered portion 57b so that there is no gap between the distal end portion 71a of the suction tool 71 and the outer tapered portion 57b.

  As described above, the suction device 70 that sucks the inside of the groove portion 55 through the hole portion 57 can suck and remove the foreign matter accumulated in the groove portion 55 along the groove portion flow path F2. The suction operation by the suction device 70 may be performed only once when the stacking of the electrodes E is completed, or continuously (or intermittently) during the stacking of the electrodes E (forming the stacked electrodes L). You may make it perform. When the electrodes E are stacked while performing the suction operation by the suction device 70, the foreign matter can be removed by suction at the moment when a part of the electrode E is peeled off from the electrode E as the foreign matter. Further, in the case where the concave portion 58 communicating with the groove portion 55 is provided on the surface of the guide portion 52 as in the present embodiment, the foreign matter accumulated in the concave portion 58 or an arbitrary height position of the laminated electrode L can be obtained. Foreign matter remaining on the side of the stacked electrode E can also be removed by suction along the groove channel F2 and the recess channel F1. As described above, according to the electrode stacking apparatus 100, the foreign matter peeled off from the electrode E can be efficiently sucked and removed by the suction device 70, so that the foreign matter can be more effectively mixed between the electrodes E. Can be suppressed.

  Here, a position where the electrode receiving unit 50 receives the electrode E supplied from the supply unit (stacking position) and a position where the stacked electrode L stacked on the electrode receiving unit 50 is transferred to the next process (transfer position) are defined. There are cases where the electrode receiving portion 50 needs to be moved between the stacking position and the transfer position. In the electrode stacking apparatus 100, the suction device 70 is detachably attached to the hole 57. Specifically, the distal end portion 71 a of the suction tool 71 is detachable from the outer tapered portion 57 b of the hole portion 57. Therefore, the suction tool 71 is attached to the hole 57 only when stacking (when the electrode receiving part 50 is in the stacking position), and when transferring (when moving the electrode receiving part 50 to the transfer position), the suction tool is attached. It is possible to remove 71 from the hole 57. Thereby, when moving the electrode receiving part 50, it is not necessary to move the suction device 70 together, and it is sufficient to provide the suction device 70 in the vicinity of the stacking position. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the electrode stacking apparatus 100 may further include a blower (blower unit) 80 that blows air onto the electrode receiver 50 from above the electrode receiver 50. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement of the blowers.

  By blowing air from above the electrode receiving portion 50 to the electrode receiving portion 50 by the blower 80, formation of an air flow along the suction direction by the suction device 70 is promoted. Thereby, the suction efficiency of the foreign material by the suction device 70 can be improved. Specifically, when the recessed channel F1 is provided as in the present embodiment, the recessed channel F1, the groove channel F2, and the hole from above the electrode receiving unit 50 by blowing air from the blower 80. A flow of air is formed through 57 in this order. By forming such an air flow, it is possible to improve the suction efficiency of the foreign matter by the suction device 70.

  The blower 80 blows air so that the air flows into the respective inner surfaces 53a and 54a of the stopper 53 and the pair of side wall portions 54 in order to more effectively form the air flow described above. Also good. For this reason, the air blower 80 may be comprised from the some air blower corresponding to each of the stopper 53 and a pair of side wall part 54, for example. That is, the blower 80 is provided so as to extend in the width direction D2 corresponding to the stopper 53 and to extend in the inclination direction D1 corresponding to the pair of side wall portions 54. You may comprise from a pair of air blower.

  The blower 80 may be configured to blow air against the uppermost surface of the laminated electrode L. In this case, the air flow from the blower 80 facilitates the formation of the air flow described above, and the foreign matter on the surface of the uppermost electrode E of the stacked electrode L (for example, contact between the end portion of the electrode E and the guide portion 52). Part of the electrode E peeled off and scattered on the upper surface of the electrode E) can be driven to the side of the electrode E and dropped into the groove 55 via the recess 58 provided on the surface of the guide 52. . Thereby, it can be expected to more effectively suppress contamination of foreign matter between the electrodes E.

  As described above, in the electrode stacking apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the sheet-like electrode E is supplied at a speed by the supply unit (in the present embodiment, the conveyance unit 20 as an example), and the electrode receiving unit 50 is supplied. The stacked electrode L is formed by sequentially stacking on the bottom wall portion 51 of the substrate. At this time, the end portion of the electrode E comes into contact with the guide portion 52 until the electrode E reaches a position where it finally comes to rest on the bottom wall portion 51 (or the laminated electrode L). A part of the electrode E (for example, an active material coated on a metal foil) in contact with can be peeled off as a foreign substance. According to the electrode stacking apparatus 100, the foreign matter generated in this way (that is, a part of the peeled electrode E) is at least part of the guide part 52 (in this embodiment, as an example, the stopper 53 and the pair of side wall parts 54). ) Can be stored in the groove portion 55 along the line E), so that contamination of foreign matter between the electrodes E can be suppressed. Further, according to the electrode stacking apparatus 100, the foreign matter peeled off from the electrode E can be efficiently sucked and removed by the suction device 70, so that the foreign matter can be more effectively prevented from being mixed between the electrodes E. be able to.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible for this invention in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the electrode stacking apparatus may include a plurality of transport units without including the sliding unit. In FIG. 13, a part of the configuration of the stacked portion 40 (the gripping portion 54b and the cutout portion 56) is not shown. The electrode laminating apparatus 200 according to the modified example shown in FIG. 13 includes two conveying units disposed on both sides in the width direction of the electrode receiving unit 50 (the direction in which the pair of side wall portions 54 are opposed) above the laminating unit 40. 20A and 20B are provided. In this modified example, the conveying units 20A and 20B are belt conveyors, one conveying unit 20A conveys the positive electrode with separator 10 toward the stacking unit 40, and the other conveying unit 20B conveys to the stacking unit 40. The negative electrode 12 is conveyed from the opposite side to the unit 20A toward the stacked unit 40 in a direction (left direction in FIG. 13) opposite to the conveyance direction (right direction in FIG. 13) of the conveyance unit 20A. The two conveying units 20A and 20B alternately supply the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 to the stacked unit 40. The separator-attached positive electrode 10 supplied by the transport unit 20A collides with the inner surface 54a of one side wall portion (the right side wall portion 54 in the drawing in FIG. 13) of the electrode receiving portion 50, decelerates, and then reaches the lower stopper 53. Slip down. On the other hand, the negative electrode 12 supplied by the transport unit 20B collides with the inner surface 54a of the other side wall part (the left side wall part 54 in the drawing in FIG. 13) of the electrode receiving part 50, decelerates, and then reaches the lower stopper 53. Slip down.

  For example, the shape of the guide part 52 is not restricted to the said embodiment, For example, you may be comprised by L shape by the two plate-shaped members orthogonal to each other seeing from the height direction D3. In this case, the electrode receiving part 50 is, for example, horizontally oriented so that one plate-like member supports the lower end of the electrode E and the other plate-like member supports one side in the width direction of the electrode E. Inclined.

  Moreover, the guide part 52 may be comprised using things other than a wall-shaped member. For example, instead of the side wall portion 54, the guide portion 52 may include a plurality of columnar members that are arranged at predetermined intervals along the inclination direction D1 and are erected in the height direction D3. In this case, the foreign matter peeled off from the end in the width direction of the electrode E can be dropped from between the plurality of columnar members. On the other hand, the foreign matter generated by the contact of the electrode E with the stopper 53 can be collected in the groove 55 a provided along the stopper 53 and sucked and removed by the suction device 70.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the two hole portions 57 are provided in the electrode receiving portion 50 has been described. However, the positions and the number of the hole portions 57 provided in the electrode receiving portion 50 and the hole portions 57 are prepared. The number of suction tools 71 to be used is not limited to the above. In order to suck and remove the foreign matter accumulated in the groove 55 and the like by the suction device 70, it is only necessary to provide at least one hole 57 that communicates the space opposite to the accommodation space S and the groove 55. Further, the hole portion 57 may not be provided at a position surrounded by the cutout portion 56, and the cutout portion 56 may not be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which one U-shaped groove portion 55 in which the groove portion 55a and the pair of groove portions 55b are continuous with each other has been described, but the groove portion 55 may be divided into a plurality of portions. . For example, the groove part 55a along the stopper 53 and the groove part 55b along the side wall part 54 may be formed independently of each other so as not to be continuous. In this case, by forming at least one hole 57 for each groove 55 and attaching the suction tool 71 to the hole 57, the foreign matter accumulated in each groove 55 can be individually removed by suction. However, when one continuous groove portion 55 is formed as in this embodiment, it is sufficient that at least one hole portion 57 and at least one suction tool 71 are provided, thereby simplifying the device configuration and reducing costs. Is possible.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the apparatus for laminating | stacking the lamination | stacking electrode L which laminated | stacked the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 alternately as the electrode lamination | stacking apparatus 100, the electrode lamination apparatus 100 laminated | stacked the lamination | stacking electrode L. You may comprise as an apparatus used other than the process to perform. For example, the electrode stacking apparatus 100 may be configured as an apparatus for temporarily storing any one type of the electrodes E of the positive electrode 11, the negative electrode 12, and the positive electrode 10 with a separator. In this case, the transport unit 20 transports only one type of the electrode E of the positive electrode 11, the negative electrode 12, and the positive electrode 10 with a separator, and the positive electrode 11, the negative electrode 12, and the positive electrode 10 with a separator are transferred to the electrode receiving unit 50. Only one of these types of electrodes E is stacked.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom wall portion 51 and the guide portion 52 of the electrode receiving portion 50 have been described as being made of a metal such as stainless steel. However, the materials of the bottom wall portion 51 and the guide portion 52 are as described above. It is not limited. For example, the portion of the bottom wall portion 51 where at least the groove portion 55 is provided may be formed as a continuous pore body with resin, ceramic, or the like. Here, the continuous pore body is a structure in which a plurality of pores are connected to each other, and minute objects and air can pass through the plurality of pores. In this case, by sucking the entire region corresponding to the groove portion 55 from the outer surface 51b of the bottom wall portion 51, the foreign matter accumulated in the groove portion 55 can be removed by suction through the continuous pores.

  20, 20 </ b> A, 20 </ b> B—conveying section (supplying section), 30, sliding section, 40, stacking section, 50, electrode receiving section, 51, bottom wall section, 52, guide section, 53, stopper, 54, side wall section, 55 ... groove, 57 ... hole, 58 ... concave, 70 ... aspirator (suction part), 80 ... blower (blower), 100,200 ... electrode stacking device, D1 ... inclination direction (in-plane direction), D2 ... Width direction (in-plane direction), D3 ... height direction (out-of-plane direction), L ... laminated electrode.

Claims (7)

A supply unit for supplying a sheet-like electrode;
An electrode receiving portion for laminating the electrodes supplied from the supply portion,
The electrode receiving portion is
A bottom wall portion on which the electrode is placed;
A guide portion that is erected on the bottom wall portion and regulates movement of the electrode in an in-plane direction of the bottom wall portion,
At least a part of the portion along the guide portion of the bottom wall portion is provided with a groove portion.
Electrode stacking device. The bottom wall portion is provided with a hole portion that communicates the groove portion with the space opposite to the housing space for housing the electrode defined by the guide portion. ,
A suction part for sucking the inside of the groove part through the hole part;
The electrode lamination apparatus according to claim 1. The bottom wall is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction;
The guide portion extends in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion, and has a stopper that restricts movement of the electrode in the inclination direction,
The groove is provided along at least the stopper,
The electrode lamination apparatus according to claim 2. The bottom wall is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction;
The guide portion includes a side wall portion that extends in the inclination direction of the bottom wall portion and restricts movement of the electrode in a direction orthogonal to the inclination direction;
The groove is provided along at least the side wall.
The electrode lamination apparatus according to claim 2 or 3. A concave portion that extends along the out-of-plane direction of the bottom wall portion and communicates with the groove portion is provided on the surface of the guide portion facing the accommodation space for accommodating the electrode defined by the guide portion. Being
The electrode lamination apparatus as described in any one of Claims 2-4. The suction part is provided detachably with respect to the hole part,
The electrode lamination apparatus as described in any one of Claims 2-5. A blower for blowing air from above the electrode receiver to the electrode receiver;
The electrode lamination apparatus as described in any one of Claims 2-6.

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