JP2018041625A - Electrode manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode manufacturing device capable of reducing the size.SOLUTION: An electrode manufacturing device 1 comprises: a conveying part 2 that conveys a band electrode 10 to a conveying path 21; and a laser device 3 that cuts the band electrode 10 on the conveying path 21. The conveying part 2 includes: a transmission part 24 including a pair of nip rolls (rollers) 24a and 24b that rotate the band electrode 10 from a vertical direction in a nipping state, and convey the band electrode 10 to a conveying direction; a suction part 26 that is provided so as to be separated from the transmission part 24 on a downstream side of the conveying direction from the transmission part 24, and allows the band electrode 10 to be sucked to the conveying path 21; and a movement part 25 that is provided between the transmission part 24 and the suction part 26, is moved to the conveying direction in a state of holding the band electrode 10 transmitted by the transmission part 24, and transfers and receives the band electrode 10 to/from the suction part 26. The transmission part 24 and the movement part 25 apply a tension to the conveying direction of the band electrode 10 existed between the transmission part 24 and the movement part 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrode manufacturing apparatus.

  Of the electrode assemblies used in secondary batteries and the like, the stacked electrode assembly is configured by stacking a large number of single-wafer electrodes (positive electrode and negative electrode). A sheet-like electrode is manufactured by first forming a strip electrode having an active material layer on both sides of a long metal foil, and then cutting the strip electrode. As the cutting means, for example, die cutting using a press die, laser cutting using a laser beam, or the like can be selected as appropriate, but each has a problem. In the case of laser cutting, the position of the focal point with respect to the workpiece (band electrode) has a large effect on the cutting quality. It is necessary to suppress and position accurately.

  Patent Document 1 describes a positioning and conveying apparatus that processes a workpiece being conveyed. This positioning and conveying device includes a belt conveyor (hereinafter referred to as “adsorption conveyor”) that sucks and conveys a strip electrode as a workpiece, a processing device that performs processing on the workpiece conveyed by the adsorption conveyor, And a controller for controlling. The suction conveyor has a conveyor belt in which ventilation holes are formed, a suction duct disposed below the suction belt, and decompression means such as a vacuum pump and a negative pressure fan. Since negative pressure is supplied to the vent holes of the conveyor belt by the decompression means and the suction duct, the work is adsorbed by the conveyor belt. With such a configuration, even a thin workpiece such as a strip electrode is positioned. The processing device includes a cutter punch and a die or a laser beam cutting device, and cuts the strip-like electrode maintained in a tension state by the suction conveyor in the width direction of the belt while moving in synchronization with the transport movement of the suction conveyor.

JP 2013-136437 A

  When manufacturing the electrode, for example, the quality of the active material applied to the electrode is protected by performing it in a controlled space such as a dry room. Accordingly, an electrode manufacturing apparatus such as the positioning and conveying apparatus is installed in the space. Here, the dry room or the like is managed in a special environment by performing predetermined vacuuming or cleaning. Therefore, the equipment cost for managing in such a special environment becomes higher as the space is larger.

  As described above, if the belt-like electrode is sucked onto the belt using the suction conveyor, the positional deviation in the vertical direction can be suppressed. However, in order to suppress the vertical displacement of the entire strip electrode, for example, it is necessary to provide a suction portion over the entire transport area of the suction conveyor. If the range in which the adsorption part is provided is widened, a suction duct corresponding to the area is required. Also, the configuration of the pressure reducing means such as a vacuum pump becomes large according to the size of the suction duct, and requires installation space. In the conventional electrode manufacturing apparatus, since the suction conveyor is used in the strip electrode feeding process, the strip electrode cutting process, and the transporting process after cutting, the entire apparatus tends to be enlarged. For this reason, the expense concerning management etc. of a dry room etc. becomes high.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the electrode manufacturing apparatus which can achieve size reduction.

  An electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is an electrode manufacturing apparatus that manufactures an electrode by cutting a long strip-shaped electrode having an active material layer formed on a metal foil, and the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped electrode is set as a transport direction. A transport unit that transports the strip electrode to the transport path; and a laser device that cuts the strip electrode on the transport path by irradiating the laser beam, and the transport unit rotates with the strip electrode sandwiched from above and below. A feeding section including a pair of rollers for feeding the strip electrode in the transport direction, and an adsorption section provided at a distance from the feed section on the downstream side of the transport section with respect to the transport direction and sucking the strip electrode on the transport path A moving part that is provided between the sending part and the suction part and moves in the transport direction while holding the belt-like electrode sent out by the sending part, and delivers the belt-like electrode to the suction part; Sending part and moving part , It applies tension to the conveying direction of the strip electrode that is between the mobile unit and the delivery unit.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the transport unit that transports the strip electrode sends the strip electrode in the transport direction by the delivery unit, and the strip electrode is delivered to the suction unit by the moving unit. The belt-like electrode between the sending part and the moving part is given tension in the transport direction by the sending part and the moving part. As a result, the belt-like electrode is in a state in which vertical displacement due to warping or bending is suppressed even at a portion that is not sucked by the suction portion, so that the belt-like electrode can be cut with high quality by the laser device. In this configuration, it is possible to reduce the range in which the suction unit is provided, as compared to a suction conveyor in which the suction unit is disposed in the entire conveyance area. As a result, the size of the suction duct that increases in accordance with the installation range of the suction portion can be reduced, and the pressure reducing means can be reduced in size, so that the electrode manufacturing apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the laser device may irradiate the belt-like electrode with laser light along the outer edge of the adsorption portion. The portion adsorbed by the adsorbing portion in the strip electrode is in a state of being particularly accurately positioned. In this case, the portion of the belt-like electrode that is irradiated with the laser light can be positioned with particularly high accuracy. Therefore, the strip electrode can be cut in a more suitable state.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the suction portion may be formed so as to have the same size and shape as the electrode to be manufactured when viewed from the direction of laser light irradiation. In this case, when manufacturing an electrode having a desired size and shape, the strip electrode can be cut in a suitable state.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the adsorption unit may include an adsorption member that adsorbs the belt-like electrode and a rotating unit that rotates the adsorption member. In this case, the electrode can be transported to the next step by rotating the adsorption member in a state where the manufactured electrode is adsorbed by the adsorption member. Thereby, also in the conveyance process after a cutting process, compared with a suction conveyor, an equipment can be reduced in size. Therefore, further miniaturization of the electrode manufacturing apparatus can be achieved.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the strip electrode has a first portion covered with the active material layer and a second portion exposing the metal foil, and the laser device cuts the first portion. You may have a 1st cutting part and the 2nd cutting part which is arrange | positioned in the upstream of a conveyance direction rather than a 1st cutting part and cut | disconnects a 2nd part. In this case, it is possible to save the trouble of switching the output characteristics of the laser light applied to the strip electrode between the first part and the second part.

  The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a laser protection member for blocking the laser light that has passed through the band-shaped electrode when the band-shaped electrode is irradiated with laser light. In this case, it is possible to suppress the laser light that has passed through the belt-like electrode from affecting other components.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the conveyance path of the conveyance unit may be arranged in the short direction of the strip electrode. In this case, the transport path can be arranged more effectively, and further space saving can be achieved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electrode manufacturing apparatus which can achieve size reduction can be provided.

Fig.1 (a) is a top view which shows the strip | belt-shaped electrode cut | disconnected by the electrode manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG.1 (b) is a figure which shows an example of the electrode manufactured by cut | disconnecting the strip | belt-shaped electrode of Fig.1 (a). FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is a plan view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a moving unit and a suction unit of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. 6 is a side view of the moving unit and the suction unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining a moving unit and a suction unit of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 8 is a side view of the moving unit and the suction unit shown in FIG.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements and corresponding elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted. In the following drawings, an orthogonal coordinate system S composed of an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis may be shown.

  Fig.1 (a) is a top view which shows the strip | belt-shaped electrode cut | disconnected by the electrode manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG.1 (b) is a figure which shows an example of the electrode manufactured by cut | disconnecting the strip | belt-shaped electrode of Fig.1 (a). The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment manufactures the electrode 50 shown in FIG. 1B by cutting the strip electrode 10 shown in FIG. The electrode 50 includes a metal foil 51 and an active material layer 52 formed on the metal foil 51. The electrode 50 is, for example, a positive electrode or a negative electrode used for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of a lithium ion secondary battery.

  The metal foil 51 is, for example, an aluminum foil in the case of the positive electrode, and a copper foil or a nickel foil in the case of the negative electrode. The active material layer 52 is formed by applying an electrode paste to at least one surface (here, both surfaces) of the metal foil 51. The electrode paste is in the form of a slurry having a predetermined viscosity and includes an active material, a binder, a solvent, and the like. The active material is a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material. The positive electrode active material is, for example, a composite oxide or a sulfur-based material. The composite oxide includes at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum and lithium. Examples of the negative electrode active material include graphite, highly oriented graphite, carbon such as mesocarbon microbeads, hard carbon, and soft carbon, alkali metals such as lithium and sodium, metal compounds, and SiOx (0.5 ≦ x ≦ 1.5). ) And the like, and boron-added carbon. Examples of the binder include fluorine-containing resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and fluororubber, thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, imide resins such as polyimide and polyamideimide, and alkoxysilyl group-containing resins. The solvent is, for example, an organic solvent such as NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone), methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone. The electrode paste may contain a conductive auxiliary such as carbon black, graphite, acetylene black, and ketjen black (registered trademark). The electrode paste may contain a thickening agent such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).

  The electrode 50 includes a coated part 53 covered with an active material layer 52 and an uncoated part 54 from which the metal foil 51 is exposed. In the coating part 53, the active material layer 52 is formed on both surfaces of the metal foil 51, for example. A tab 55 used for electrical connection of the electrode 50 protrudes from the uncoated portion 54.

  When manufacturing the electrode 50, the above-mentioned substances are kneaded to produce an electrode paste, the electrode paste is applied to the strip-shaped metal foil 11, and the coated electrode paste is dried to form a strip-shaped metal. A long band-like electrode 10 in which the active material layer 12 is formed on the metal foil 11 shown in FIG. 1A is generated by a process of forming the active material layer 12 on the foil 11 or the like. In this embodiment, the band-like electrode 10 in which the active material layer 12 is formed by continuous coating on both surfaces of the metal foil 11 is used, and two electrodes 50 are cut out in the short direction of the band-like electrode 10. In the strip electrode 10, an active material layer 12 is formed at the center in the lateral direction with a predetermined interval (interval longer than the length of the tab 55) from each end in the lateral direction. In the step of cutting the strip electrode 10, the electrode 50 shown in FIG. 1B is cut out from the strip electrode 10. In addition, when manufacturing the electrode 50, there exist processes, such as a press, reduced pressure drying, a test | inspection other than each above-mentioned process.

  The strip electrode 10 includes a coated portion (first portion) 13 covered with the active material layer 12 and an uncoated portion (second portion) 14 where the metal foil 11 is exposed. The thickness of the metal foil 11 is, for example, several tens of μm. The thickness of the active material layer 12 is, for example, 50 μm to 80 μm. Therefore, the thickness of the part consisting only of the metal foil 11 is very thin compared to the thickness of the part consisting of the metal foil 11 and the active material layer 12. The electrode 50 is manufactured by cutting the above-described strip electrode 10 at the first cutting line L1 set in the coating part 13 and the second cutting line L2 set in the uncoated part 14. . In addition, the 1st cutting line L1 and the 2nd cutting line L2 are lines with which the laser beam L is irradiated by the laser apparatus 3 described in detail later.

  Next, an electrode manufacturing apparatus will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is a plan view of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 2, a laser device 3, and a laser protection member 4. The electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 is connected to the transport unit 5 that transports the electrode 50 to the next step, for example, at the most downstream side of the transport unit 2. 2 and 4, the illustration of the laser device 3 and the transport unit 5 is omitted.

  The transport unit 2 transports the strip electrode 10 to the transport path 21 in which the longitudinal direction of the strip electrode 10 (for example, the X-axis direction) is the transport direction. Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (for example, two) electrodes 50 are cut out in the short direction of the strip electrode 10. Accordingly, the transport paths 21 of the transport unit 2 are arranged in the short direction of the strip electrode 10 in the same number (here, two rows) as the cut-out electrodes 50.

  The transport unit 2 includes a supply unit 22, an accumulator mechanism 23, a delivery unit 24, a moving unit 25, and a suction unit 26. In the transport unit 2, the supply unit 22, the accumulator mechanism 23, the sending unit 24, the moving unit 25, and the suction unit 26 are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream in the transport direction.

  The supply unit 22 is, for example, an unwinding roll. The supply unit 22 continuously feeds the strip electrode 10 by rotation, for example. The accumulator mechanism 23 includes three rollers 23a, 23b, and 23c. The strip electrode 10 is laid across the three rollers 23a, 23b, and 23c in this order. The accumulator mechanism 23 changes the path length of the belt-like electrode 10 from the roller 23a to the roller 23c by moving the roller 23b up and down while the belt-like electrode 10 is continuously fed out from the supply unit 22. Thereby, for example, the accumulator mechanism 23 can intermittently carry out the strip electrode 10 from the roller 23c while rotating the supply unit 22 at a constant speed. The accumulator mechanism 23 carries out the strip electrode 10 intermittently in the transport direction for every two lengths of the electrodes 50 cut in the longitudinal direction of the strip electrode 10, for example.

  The delivery unit 24 includes a pair of nip rolls (rollers) 24a and 24b arranged in the vertical direction (here, the Z-axis direction). The pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b rotate in a state where the belt-like electrode 10 is sandwiched from above and below, thereby feeding the belt-like electrode 10 unloaded from the roller 23c in the transport direction. Further, the pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b can adjust the speed at which the belt-like electrode 10 is sent out in the transport direction by adjusting the rotation speed.

  The moving unit 25 is provided between the sending unit 24 and the suction unit 26 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the transport direction between the sending unit 24 and the suction unit 26. The moving unit 25 includes, for example, a slider 25b connected to the actuator 25a. The slider 25 b has a suction surface 25 s along the conveyance path 21. The slider 25 b attracts the strip electrode 10 onto the transport path 21 by attracting the strip electrode 10 to the suction surface 25 s. The slider 25b attracts the strip electrode 10 to the attracting surface 25s by, for example, evacuation. For example, the suction surface 25s is provided with a suction hole (not shown), and is connected to a pressure reducing means such as a pump (not shown) for evacuating through a suction duct. However, the suction to the suction surface 25s of the slider 25b is not limited to the evacuation, and may be, for example, electrostatic suction by static electricity. The slider 25b adsorbs the belt-like electrode 10 to the suction surface 25s, and moves to the downstream side in the transport direction in synchronization with the feeding of the belt-like electrode 10 by the delivery unit 24. The slider 25b transfers the belt-like electrode 10 to the suction portion 26 by moving to the downstream side in the transport direction in a state where the belt-like electrode 10 sent out by the sending portion 24 is held by the suction surface 25s. The shape of the slider 25b will be described later.

  The pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b and the slider 25b apply a tension in the transport direction of the strip electrode 10 to the strip electrode 10 between the nip rolls 24a and 24b and the slider 25b. Here, as described above, the pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b can adjust the speed at which the belt-like electrode 10 is fed in the transport direction by adjusting the rotation speed. The rotation speed of the pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b is adjusted so that the strip electrode 10 is sent in the transport direction at a speed equal to or lower than the speed of movement of the slider 25b to the downstream side in the transport direction. As a result, a tension is always applied to the belt-like electrode 10 between the pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b and the slider 25b.

  The suction unit 26 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the sending unit 24 and separated from the sending unit 24. A plurality of (for example, two) adsorption portions 26 are arranged in the short direction (here, the Y-axis direction) of the strip electrode 10. The adsorbing unit 26 adsorbs the strip electrode 10 onto the conveyance path 21. The adsorbing unit 26 includes a plurality of (for example, four) adsorbing members 26a that adsorb the belt-like electrode 10, a rotating unit 26b that rotates the adsorbing member 26a, and a support unit 26c that fixes each adsorbing member 26a to the rotating unit 26b. And including. The shape of the adsorption member 26a will be described later.

  The suction members 26a each have a suction surface 26s. In the four suction members 26a, the four suction surfaces 26s are arranged on the transport path 21 one by one by being rotated by the rotating portion 26b. The suction member 26a having the suction surface 26s disposed on the transport path 21 has the suction surface 26s facing upward (for example, one in the Z-axis direction). The adsorbing member 26 a adsorbs the strip electrode 10 on the transport path 21 by adsorbing the strip electrode 10 to the adsorption surface 26 s. The adsorbing member 26a adsorbs the strip electrode 10 to the adsorbing surface 26s by, for example, evacuation. The suction surface 26s is provided with, for example, a suction hole (not shown), and is connected to a pressure reducing means such as a pump (not shown) for evacuating through a suction duct. The suction of the suction member 26a is not limited to vacuuming, and may be, for example, electrostatic suction due to static electricity.

  The cut electrode 50 is adsorbed on the adsorbing surface 26s facing the direction intersecting the transport path 21 (for example, one in the X-axis direction). Further, the suction surface 26 s that faces in the opposite direction (here, the other in the Z-axis direction) with respect to the transport path 21 faces the transport unit 5. The adsorption member 26 a having the adsorption surface 26 s facing the conveyance unit 5 releases the adsorption of the electrode 50 and transfers the electrode 50 to the conveyance unit 5. The remaining suction member 26a (here, the suction member 26a having the suction surface 26s facing the other in the X-axis direction) is in a state where nothing is sucked by the suction surface 26s.

  The rotating part 26b is disposed at the center of the four adsorption members 26a. The rotating unit 26b has, for example, a cubic shape. Four side surfaces of the cube-shaped surfaces of the rotating portion 26b are arranged so as to face four sides (here, one and the other in the X-axis direction, and one and the other in the Z-axis direction), respectively, in one state. Yes. An adsorption member 26a is fixed to each of the side surfaces of the rotating portion 26b via a support portion 26c. The rotating unit 26b is connected to, for example, a rotation driving unit (not shown), and rotates in units of 90 ° in the forward direction (here, clockwise) along the transport path 21 by driving of the rotation driving unit. As a result, the four suction members 26a are rotated in units of 90 °, and are sequentially arranged on the transport path 21 one by one.

  The laser device 3 irradiates the belt-like electrode 10 on the conveyance path 21 with the laser light L from above the conveyance path 21. The laser beam L includes laser beams L31 and L32 having different output characteristics. Here, for example, the output value of the laser beam L32 is higher than the output value of the laser beam L31. The laser device 3 cuts the strip electrode 10 on the conveyance path 21 by irradiating the laser beam L. The laser device 3 includes a first cutting unit 31 and a second cutting unit 32. The first cutting unit 31 is disposed at a position facing the suction unit 26 above the conveyance path 21. Further, the second cutting unit 32 is disposed on the upstream side of the first cutting unit 31 in the transport direction above the transport path 21.

  The first cutting unit 31 cuts the coating unit 13. The first cutting part 31 includes an output part 31a and a support part 31b. The output part 31 a is attached below the support part 31 b and is disposed so as to face the strip electrode 10. The output part 31a irradiates the coating part 13 in the strip electrode 10 with the laser beam L31. The output unit 31a scans the laser beam L31 along the first cutting line L1 (see FIG. 1A) set in the coating unit 13 of the strip electrode 10.

  The second cutting part 32 cuts the uncoated part 14. The second cutting part 32 includes an output part 32a and a support part 32b. The output part 32 a is attached below the support part 32 b and is disposed so as to face the strip electrode 10. The output part 32a irradiates the uncoated part 14 in the strip electrode 10 with the laser beam L32. The output part 32a scans the laser beam L32 along the second cutting line L2 (see FIG. 1A) set in the uncoated part 14 of the strip electrode 10.

  The laser protection member 4 blocks the laser light L that has passed through the belt-like electrode 10 when the belt-like electrode 10 is irradiated with the laser light L. The laser protection member 4 is provided on the downstream side of the transport path 21. The laser protection member 4 is provided at a position below the conveyance path 21 and facing the laser device 3 so as to be able to advance and retreat. The laser protection member 4 includes a cover member 41a and a guide member 41b.

  The cover member 41a is formed in a plate shape. Further, the cover member 41 a is provided with a slit 41 s through which the support portion 26 c can be inserted when the cover member 41 a is advanced to a position facing the laser device 3. The cover member 41a is made of, for example, a flame retardant resin. The cover member 41a is slidably installed on the guide member 41b. The cover member 41 a is driven by a drive unit (not shown) and slides to a position facing the first cutting unit 31 and the second cutting unit 32 of the laser device 3. Thereby, the cover member 41 a advances to a position facing the laser device 3 when the belt-like electrode 10 is irradiated with the laser light L. Further, the cover member 41a is retracted from a position facing the laser device 3 when the suction member 26a is rotated. The guide member 41b guides the sliding movement of the cover member 41a.

  The transport unit 5 transports the manufactured electrode 50 to the next step. The conveyance unit 5 is, for example, a belt conveyor. The transport unit 5 is disposed below the suction unit 26. For example, the transport unit 5 transports the electrode 50 in the transport direction in the Y-axis direction. The conveyance part 5 conveys the electrode 50 delivered from the adsorption | suction member 26a of the adsorption | suction part 26 to an inspection process, for example. The electrodes 50 may be transported one by one, or may be stored in a magazine or the like and transported by a plurality.

  Next, the shapes of the slider 25b and the suction member 26a will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a moving unit and a suction unit of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. 6 is a side view of the moving unit and the suction unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining a moving unit and a suction unit of the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 8 is a side view of the moving unit and the suction unit shown in FIG.

  The suction member 26a is formed to have the same size and shape as the manufactured electrode 50 when viewed from the direction in which the laser light L is irradiated. Note that the same in this specification includes not only completely the same dimensional shape but also almost the same dimensional shape with a slight difference (for example, a dimensional difference of about 0.5 mm). For example, the attracting member 26a is slightly smaller than the manufactured electrode 50 when viewed from the direction in which the laser light L is irradiated.

  In addition, as described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality (two in this case) of the adsorbing portions 26 are arranged in the short direction of the strip electrode 10. That is, two suction members 26 a are arranged on the transport path 21. For example, the two suction members 26a on the transport path 21 are arranged in pairs. Of the two suction members 26 a on the transport path 21, one of the suction members 26 a (for example, closer to the laser protection member 4) is the other (for example, the laser protection member 4) when viewed from the direction of irradiating the laser beam L. It is arranged in a direction rotated by 180 ° with respect to the suction member 26a which is far from the suction member 26a. The two adsorbing members 26a on the transport path 21 are respectively arranged so that the portions corresponding to the tabs 55 of the electrodes 50 face both ends in the short direction of the strip electrode 10 (that is, the uncoated portion 14 side). ing.

  The slider 25b is formed so as to be fitted to the suction member 26a when moved to a position closest to the suction member 26a. In other words, the downstream portion of the slider 25b in the transport direction is formed to have a dimensional shape corresponding to the upstream portion of the suction member 26a in the transport direction as viewed from the direction of irradiation with the laser light L32. In the state where the slider 25b has moved to the position closest to the suction member 26a, the slider 25b and the suction member 26a are disposed with a slight gap therebetween.

  Next, the operation of the slider 25b, the suction member 26a, and the laser device 3 in the cutting process for cutting the strip electrode 10 will be described. 5 and 6, the strip electrode 10 is attracted to the attracting surface 25s of the slider 25b. That is, the strip electrode 10 is in a state where tension is applied by the slider 25b and the pair of nip rolls 24a and 24b. In this state, the cover member 41 a of the laser protection member 4 advances to a position facing the laser device 3.

  And the 2nd cutting part 32 of the laser apparatus 3 irradiates the uncoated part 14 in the strip | belt-shaped electrode 10 with the laser beam L32. The second cutting unit 32 irradiates the laser beam L32 along the second cutting line L2. Here, the position of the second cutting line L2 overlaps with the position of the outer edge of the suction member 26a when viewed from the direction in which the laser beam L is irradiated. That is, the 2nd cutting part 32 irradiates the laser beam L32 to the strip electrode 10 along the outer edge of the adsorbing member 26a. Further, the second cutting part 32 irradiates the belt-like electrode 10 with the laser light L32 along the outer edge of the slider 25b of the moving part 25. The laser beam L32 is applied to the gap between the slider 25b and the suction member 26a.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the slider 25b moves to the downstream side in the transport direction in a state where the belt-like electrode 10 is held on the suction surface 25s. The adsorbing member 26a adsorbs the strip electrode 10 on the adsorbing surface 26s. Accordingly, the belt-like electrode 10 is in a state where tension is applied by the slider 25b and the suction member 26a.

  In this state, the first cutting part 31 of the laser device 3 irradiates the coating part 13 in the strip electrode 10 with the laser beam L31. The first cutting unit 31 irradiates the laser beam L31 along the first cutting line L1. Here, the position of the first cutting line L1 overlaps with the position of the outer edge of the suction member 26a when viewed from the direction in which the laser light L is irradiated. That is, the 1st cutting part 31 irradiates the laser beam L31 to the strip | belt-shaped electrode 10 so that the outer edge of the adsorption | suction member 26a may be followed. Further, the first cutting unit 31 irradiates the strip electrode 10 with the laser light L31 along the outer edge of the slider 25b of the moving unit 25. The laser beam L31 is applied to the gap between the slider 25b and the suction member 26a. Then, the cover member 41 a of the laser protection member 4 is retracted from a position facing the laser device 3.

  Thus, the cutting process is completed. Thereafter, the rotating member 26 b rotates the suction member 26 a in a state where the cut and manufactured electrode 50 is sucked, and the electrode 50 is delivered to the transport unit 5. Then, the electrode 50 is transported to the inspection process.

  Next, the effect of the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 2 that transports the strip electrode 10 sends the strip electrode 10 in the transport direction by the sending unit 24, and the strip electrode 10 is a moving unit. 25 to the suction unit 26. The belt-like electrode 10 between the sending unit 24 and the moving unit 25 is given tension in the transport direction by the sending unit 24 and the moving unit 25. As a result, the belt-like electrode 10 is in a state in which the vertical displacement due to warping and bending is suppressed even at the portion that is not sucked by the suction portion 26, so that the belt-like electrode 10 can be cut with good quality by the laser device 3. Become. In this configuration, the range in which the suction unit 26 is provided can be made smaller than that of the suction conveyor in which the suction unit is disposed in the entire conveyance area. As a result, the size of the suction duct that increases in accordance with the installation range of the suction portion 26 can be reduced, and the pressure reducing means can be reduced in size. Therefore, the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size. it can.

  Furthermore, since the adsorption | suction part 26 can be reduced in size as mentioned above, the responsiveness with respect to the negative pressure of the adsorption | suction part 26 can be improved, and it can be set as the structure which can switch ON / OFF of adsorption | suction. Therefore, the energy consumption accompanying adsorption can be reduced. In addition, when the suction conveyor is used, the negative pressure loss is large because air enters from a small hole that is not covered with the belt-like electrode 10 or a gap between the suction duct and the belt. On the other hand, since the adsorption | suction part 26 of the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment can reduce the loss of a negative pressure, it can reduce a pressure reduction means.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the laser device 3 irradiates the belt-like electrode 10 with the laser light L along the outer edge of the suction portion 26. The portion adsorbed by the adsorbing portion 26 in the strip electrode 10 is in a state of being positioned particularly accurately. With this configuration, the portion of the strip electrode 10 that is irradiated with the laser light L can be positioned with particularly high accuracy. Therefore, the strip electrode 10 can be cut in a more suitable state.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1, the suction portion 26 is formed so as to have the same size and shape as the manufactured electrode 50 when viewed from the direction of irradiating the laser beam L. For this reason, when manufacturing the electrode 50 of a desired dimension shape, the strip electrode 10 can be cut | disconnected in a suitable state.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1, the adsorption unit 26 includes an adsorption member 26 a that adsorbs the belt-like electrode 10 and a rotation unit 26 b that rotates the adsorption member 26 a. For this reason, by rotating the adsorption member 26a in a state where the manufactured electrode 50 is adsorbed to the adsorption member, the electrode 50 can be transferred to the conveyance unit 5 and conveyed to the next step. Thereby, also in the conveyance process after a cutting process, compared with a suction conveyor, an equipment can be reduced in size. Accordingly, the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 can be further reduced in size.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1, the strip electrode 10 includes a coated part (first part) 13 covered with the active material layer 12 and an uncoated part (second part) 14 in which the metal foil 11 is exposed. (See FIG. 1 (a)), the laser device 3 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction from the first cutting unit 31 and the first cutting unit 31 for cutting the coating unit 13, and the uncoated unit. And a second cutting part 32 for cutting 14 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). For this reason, the effort which switches the output characteristic of the laser beam L irradiated to the strip electrode 10 with the coating part 13 and the uncoated part 14 can be saved.

  The electrode manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a laser protection member 4 for blocking the laser light L that has passed through the belt-like electrode 10 when the belt-like electrode 10 is irradiated with the laser light L. For this reason, it can suppress that the laser beam L which passed the strip | belt-shaped electrode 10 affects other components.

  In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 1, the transport path 21 of the transport unit 2 is arranged in the short direction of the strip electrode 10. For this reason, the conveyance path 21 can be arranged more effectively, and further space saving can be achieved.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  In the present embodiment, the laser device 3 has been described with an example in which the first cutting unit 31 and the second cutting unit 32 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the laser device 3 may include only the first cutting unit 31. In this case, the laser device 3 irradiates the laser beam L31 by the first cutting unit 31 to cut the coating unit 13, and switches the output of the first cutting unit 31 to irradiate the laser beam L32 to perform uncoated. The part 14 is cut. Alternatively, the laser device 3 may cut the coated portion 13 and the uncoated portion 14 by irradiating the first cutting portion 31 with the laser beam L31. Further, in this case, both the coated part 13 and the uncoated part 14 may be cut in a state where the adsorbing member 26a adsorbs the strip electrode 10 on the adsorbing surface 26s.

  In the present embodiment, the slider 25b has been described with an example having the suction surface 25s. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The slider 25b may have a clamping member, for example. In this case, the slider 25b delivers the belt-like electrode 10 to the suction portion 26 by moving to the downstream side in the transport direction while holding the belt-like electrode 10 delivered by the delivery unit 24 by holding the clamping member.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the rotation part 26b of the adsorption | suction part 26 demonstrated and demonstrated the example which is exhibiting the cube shape, the shape of the rotation part 26b is not limited to this. For example, the rotating part 26b may have a polygonal shape such as an octagonal shape or a hexagonal shape when viewed from the Y-axis direction, or may be a circular shape or an elliptical shape when viewed from the Y-axis direction. For example, when the rotating part 26b is octagonal when viewed from the Y-axis direction, eight suction members 26a may be provided. Corresponding to the shape of the rotating part 26b, the quantity of the adsorbing member 26a can be arbitrarily changed.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the electrode 50 demonstrated and demonstrated the example conveyed to the test | inspection process by the conveyance part 5 arrange | positioned under the adsorption | suction part 26, it is not limited to this. The inspection process may be performed in a state in which the electrode 50 is adsorbed on the adsorption unit 26. For example, the inspection process may be performed at a position where the electrode 50 is rotated 90 ° from the conveyance path 21.

  In the present embodiment, the active material layer 12 is formed in the center of the metal foil 11 in the short direction of the strip electrode 10, and two electrodes 50 are cut out in the short direction of the strip electrode 10. Although the description has been given by taking an example of two strips, the strip electrode 10 is not limited to this. The strip electrode 10 may have one electrode 50 cut out in the short direction.

  Further, the conveyance path 21 of the conveyance unit 2 may be arranged in four rows in the short direction of the strip electrode 10. In this case, the strip electrode 10 has four electrodes 50 cut out in the short direction. When a large number (in this case, four rows) of the transport paths 21 are arranged in the short direction of the belt-like electrode 10, the suction members 26a on the transport path 21 may be arranged in pairs.

  Further, instead of using the accumulator mechanism 23, a stripping electrode 10 is intermittently carried out by connecting a rotation source such as a motor to the unwinding roll as the supply unit 22 and directly controlling the rotation of the unwinding roll. Also good. On the other hand, when the accumulator mechanism 23 is used, the belt-like electrode 10 continuously supplied from the previous step may be intermittently carried out from the roller 23c of the accumulator mechanism 23 without using the unwinding roll.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrode manufacturing apparatus, 2 ... Conveying part, 3 ... Laser apparatus, 4 ... Laser protective member, 10 ... Strip electrode, 11 ... Metal foil, 12 ... Active material layer, 13 ... Coating part (1st part), 14 ... uncoated part (second part), 21 ... conveying path, 24 ... delivery part, 24a, 24b ... nip roll (roller), 25 ... moving part, 26 ... suction part, 26a ... suction member, 26b ... rotating part, 31 ... 1st cutting part, 32 ... 2nd cutting part, 50 ... Electrode, L (L31, L32) ... Laser beam.

Claims (7)

An electrode manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electrode by cutting a long strip-shaped electrode having an active material layer formed on a metal foil,
A transport unit that transports the strip electrode to a transport path in which the longitudinal direction of the strip electrode is a transport direction;
A laser device that cuts the belt-like electrode on the transport path by irradiating laser light; and
The transport unit is
A delivery unit including a pair of rollers for feeding the strip electrode in the transport direction by rotating in a state of sandwiching the strip electrode from the vertical direction;
An adsorbing unit that is provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the sending unit and is spaced apart from the sending unit, and adsorbs the strip electrode on the conveying path;
A moving unit that is provided between the delivery unit and the suction unit and delivers the strip electrode to the suction unit by moving in the transport direction while holding the strip electrode delivered by the delivery unit. And having
The said sending part and the said moving part are electrode manufacturing apparatuses which provide the tension | tensile_strength to the said conveyance direction of the said strip | belt-shaped electrode between the said sending part and the said moving part.   The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser device irradiates the band-shaped electrode with laser light along an outer edge of the adsorption portion.   The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction portion is formed to have the same size and shape as the electrode to be manufactured when viewed from the direction of laser light irradiation.   The said adsorption | suction part is an electrode manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 containing the adsorption | suction member which adsorb | sucks the said strip | belt-shaped electrode, and the rotation part which rotates the said adsorption member. The strip electrode has a first portion covered by the active material layer and a second portion exposing the metal foil,
The laser device includes: a first cutting part that cuts the first part; and a second cutting part that is disposed upstream of the first cutting part in the transport direction and cuts the second part. The electrode manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3.   The electrode manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-4 further equipped with the laser protection member for interrupting | blocking the laser beam which passed the said strip | belt-shaped electrode when the strip | belt-shaped electrode is irradiated with a laser beam.   The electrode manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a transport path of the transport unit is arranged in a short direction of the strip electrode.

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