JP4059674B2 - Battery insulating ring insertion device and battery manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an insulating ring insertion device for a battery and a battery manufacturing method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, batteries such as nickel-zinc batteries and manganese dioxide batteries are used as power sources for portable radios and the like, and the reliability and longevity of power supply batteries have increased with the increase in capacity and functionality of these portable devices. There is an increasing demand for longer life. In order to increase the capacity or performance of the battery, for example, a nickel-zinc battery having a positive electrode active material mainly composed of a nickel hydroxide compound and a negative electrode active material mainly composed of zinc is expected.
[0003]
In addition, these primary batteries are usually labeled with a printed display label on the outer peripheral surface or the like of each battery because of the type and manufacturer display. Furthermore, it is also known that the outer peripheral surface is covered and covered with a shrink film for the purpose of improving the appearance of the product, preventing a short circuit in the handling process, or ensuring the improvement of handling safety or reliability. In some cases, the shrink film itself has the function of a printed display label by covering and covering with the shrink film.
[0004]
FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an alkaline battery in which the shrink film has a function of an exterior label. In FIG. 3, 1 is a cylindrical battery body, 2 is a battery outer can that also serves as one electrode terminal, 3 is connected to a battery element 4 in the battery outer can 2, and the other end is a battery outer can 2. The other electrode terminal 5 led out insulatively and liquid-tightly outside is a shrink film layer having a printed display label 5a.
[0005]
Here, the shrink film layer 5 is a heat-shrinkable resin film made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin or polyester resin. And the exterior label covering by the shrink film layer 5 is made to protrude slightly from the end face on the outer peripheral surface of the battery body 1, and the shrink film is wound in a tube shape (shape), or the shrink film tube is fitted, and the heat shrink Is done by letting In other words, the shrink film wound around the tube shape is tightly covered with the outer peripheral surface of the battery body 1 while being pulled to the center portion (heat shrinkability), while also covering part of both end portions A and B. It is integrated in the form of sealing.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The exterior / covering of the outer peripheral surface of the shrink film layer 5 makes it easy to improve the appearance of the battery and ensure stability during storage, but the following inconveniences are recognized in practice. That is, when using this type of alkaline battery, for example, in a radio or a flashlight, at least one terminal of the device is in a coil spring shape, and both ends of the battery are sandwiched and contacted. It has been.
[0007]
In such a connection / mounting configuration, there is a problem that the shrink film 5 that also serves as an exterior display label or the like is easily damaged by the coil spring-shaped terminal in the process of repeatedly mounting and removing the battery. That is, on the side of the end face B of the battery connected to the coil spring type terminal, the shrinkage of the shrink film 5 is likely to occur, and it is difficult to ensure sufficient insulation of the one-electrode terminal face B of the battery. There is a risk of being invited.
[0008]
Here, concern about the occurrence of a battery short-circuit failure not only impairs the reliability of devices that use this as a power source, but also sometimes impairs safety. In other words, the safe and reliable use or use of the equipment is impaired, and it causes a serious problem in practical use. Therefore, an immediate improvement measure is desired.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus suitable for manufacturing that can easily improve the reliability and safety of the battery, and a method for manufacturing a highly reliable battery.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the battery outer can also serving as one electrode terminal, the other electrode terminal is insulated and liquid-tight, the battery element is sealed, and the outer peripheral surface of the battery outer can is more than at least one end surface. A first transport system that transports a battery body that is covered with a shrink film in a tube shape with an end projecting;
The battery-type main body transported by the first transport system is oriented and transferred, and a dial-type transport system having a gripping part that slidably grips and transports the transferred battery main body, and
A support rod that fits and supports the insulating ring on the bottom of the tube-shaped shrink tube opening of the battery body that is directed and conveyed by the dial-type conveyance system, and is slidably fitted around the support rod. The support part and the fitting part move in the opposite directions so that the insulating ring fitted to the support bar is detached from the support bar. A kuck-out type insulating ring supply mechanism that supplies and supports an insulating ring configured to fit, and
A plunger type battery advancing / retracting mechanism which is arranged to face the insulating ring supply mechanism and which slides the battery body forward and backward to position and mount the insulating ring on the end surface of the battery body;
A drive mechanism for relatively advancing and retracting the knockout type insulating ring supply mechanism and the plunger type battery main body advancing and retracting mechanism;
A heating mechanism in which the battery body on which the insulating ring is positioned and mounted is transferred from the dial-type transport system, and the tube-shaped shrink film of the transferred battery body is thermally contracted to seal the insulating ring on the end surface portion of the battery body. And
It is an insulating ring insertion device for batteries characterized by having.
[0011]
The invention of claim 2 is a process of assembling and producing a battery body by enclosing the battery element by insulating and liquid-tightening the other electrode terminal in a battery outer can that also serves as one electrode terminal;
An end of the battery body is protruded from the end surface of the battery body so as to cover the shrink film in a tube shape, and a region projecting toward the other electrode terminal lead-out surface side is thermally contracted so that one end side of the shrink film is connected to the battery body. Fixing to the surface,
An insulating ring is fitted to the battery body end surface from the opening end side of the tube-shaped shrink film with the one end side fixed to the battery body surface, and a support rod for fitting and supporting the insulating ring, and a slidable fit around the support rod. The support portion and the fitting portion are relatively opposite to each other so that the insulating ring fitted to the support rod is separated from the support rod. Inserting and positioning using a knuckle-type insulating ring supply mechanism configured to move to ,
Heat shrinking a shrink film including a region where the insulating ring is inserted and positioned and sealing the insulating ring on an end surface portion of the battery body; and
A method for producing a battery, comprising:
[0012]
The inventions of claims 1 and 2 have been made based on the following knowledge. That is, the present inventor prevents the occurrence of damage to the shrink film on the edge of the electrode surface due to the crimping of the coil spring type terminal, etc., in the configuration in which the outer peripheral surface of the battery with the electrode terminals set on both end surfaces is covered / exposed with the shrink film. We also studied diligently for suppression measures. As a result, when an insulating ring is placed at least on the bottom side of the battery outer can, and this insulating ring is inserted into the tube-shaped shrink film sealing edge, damage caused by crimping of the coil spring type terminal is effectively prevented. The present invention has been found out to be prevented or suppressed.
[0013]
In the inventions of claims 1 and 2, the target battery body is, for example, a nickel zinc battery, a manganese dioxide battery, etc., such as single 1 type, single 2 type, single 3 type, single 4 type, etc. The battery element is an inside-out type or wound type cylindrical or polygonal battery. In addition, the battery body may have a display label printed with required display items on the outer peripheral surface prior to exterior sealing with a shrink film, but the shrink film may also be used as a print display label. Good.
[0014]
Here, the shrink film is a film having a thickness of about 30 to 100 μm made of, for example, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyethylene terephthalate resin, a polyethylene resin, a radiation polyethylene resin, or an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. And the fitting arrangement | positioning with respect to a battery main body employ | adopts the system which winds and adheres to a battery outer periphery surface in the shape of a tube, or the method of fitting or inserting a battery in a tube form.
[0015]
Specifically, in either case of the sticking method or the insertion method, the both end sides of the shrink film are protruded from the end surface of the battery body so that the outer peripheral edge portions of both end faces of the battery body can be covered and sealed. Moreover, the end face side where the installation of the insulation link can be omitted is the one end side of the shrink film which is subjected to the heat shrinkage treatment of the shrink film partially formed into a tube shape, and the outer peripheral edge of the end face is covered and sealed, and fitted and arranged. It is desirable to fix the position and to prevent misalignment.
[0016]
In the first and second aspects of the invention, the insulating ring disposed on the end face (outer peripheral edge) of the battery body is made of, for example, insulating paper or insulating plastic, and the thickness is generally 0. About 1 to 0.5 mm is sufficient. The outer diameter is selected and set corresponding to the outer diameter of the battery body. Here, it is desirable to set the thickness and the inner diameter (band width) of the insulating ring so that the coating sealing portion of the shrink film with respect to the end surface of the battery body does not form a steep slope.
[0017]
According to the first and second aspects of the invention, the supply arrangement of the insulating ring with respect to the end surface portion (outer peripheral edge portion) of the battery main body is such that the support rod for staking the insulating ring and the support rod are slidably fitted, A plunger having a fitting portion whose surface presses the insulating ring is preferable. The insulating ring is supplied and arranged by the plunger by the relative advancement and retraction of the battery body and the plunger. In this case, the arrangement and attachment of the plunger guide mechanism are desirable.
[0018]
In the first and second aspects of the present invention, after the insulating ring is supplied and disposed, the opening side of the shrink film formed into a tube shape is thermally contracted, and the heating for covering and sealing the outer peripheral edge of the end surface of the battery body on which the insulating ring is disposed, For example, it may be global or the corresponding region portion may be selectively performed. In particular, in the case of a heating method mainly composed of the opening edge of the shrink film, it is preferable in terms of energy saving or resource saving.
[0019]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, not only is the exterior sealing of the battery body with the shrink film mass-produced, but the insulation reinforcement can be performed in an area where the shrink film for sealing the exterior is easily damaged or damaged in the practical process of the battery. . That is, by reinforcing the insulating property of the electrode terminal surface region, the occurrence of a short circuit can be easily eliminated or avoided, and the mass productivity of a battery with high safety or reliability can be improved.
[0020]
According to the invention of claim 2, the occurrence of a short circuit is eliminated or avoided, and a highly reliable exterior display label sealed battery can be provided with high yield.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a battery insulation ring insertion device according to the embodiment, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged views of a part of the battery insulation ring insertion device according to the embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation | movement typically. 1 and 2A and 2B, reference numeral 6 denotes an alkaline battery intermediate product, which basically has a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, in the battery outer can 2 that also serves as one electrode terminal, the other electrode terminal 3 is insulated and liquid-tight, the battery element 4 is sealed, and the outer peripheral surface of the battery outer can 2 is at least more than one end surface. This is a battery intermediate product (for example, an alkaline battery main body) in which the portion is protruded and the shrink film 5 is coated in a tube shape. In addition, one end (battery main body end surface A) side of the shrink film 5 which coat | covers the outer peripheral surface of the battery main body 6 in a tube shape generally takes the structure which heat-shrinked beforehand and coat | covered and sealed the outer peripheral edge part of the end surface.
[0023]
Reference numeral 7 denotes a first transport system for transporting the battery body (battery intermediate product) 6, for example, the supplied battery body 6, with the battery body end face B (the other end opening side of the shrink film 5) facing upward and substantially vertical direction And is intermittently transferred to the dial type conveyance system 8. Here, the dial-type transport system 8 has a grip portion that slidably grips and transports the battery body 6 and rotates and transports the battery body 6 in a certain direction.
[0024]
Reference numeral 9 denotes a knockout type insulating ring supply mechanism installed adjacent to the dial type conveyance system 8. That is, the insulating ring 11 supplied from the insulating ring supply system 10 is fitted and supported, and positioned and supplied to the bottom surface of the shrink tube opening of the battery body that is intermittently conveyed by the dial type conveyance system 8. Specifically, a support rod 9a for fitting and supporting the insulating ring 11 and a fitting portion 9b for slidingly fitting the support rod 9a and having a distal end surface for pushing and releasing the insulating ring 11. It has a structure with.
[0025]
Here, the knuckle-type insulating ring supply mechanism 9 faces the battery body 6 via a guide mechanism 12 if necessary (see FIG. 2A), and is fitted when positioning and supplying to the outer peripheral edge of the battery body 6 end surface. While the tip end surface of the portion 9b presses the insulating ring 11, the support rod 9a acts so as to be lifted and disengaged (see FIG. 2B).
[0026]
Reference numeral 13 denotes a plunger type battery advancing / retreating mechanism that is disposed to face the insulating ring supply mechanism 9. That is, a plunger type that acts to slide and move the battery body 6 transferred and gripped on the dial type conveyance system 8 and position and mount the insulating ring 11 on the outer peripheral edge of the battery body 6. Battery advance / retreat mechanism. The plunger-type battery advance / retreat mechanism 13 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) in order to position and mount the required insulation ring 11 in cooperation with the knockout insulation ring supply mechanism 9. ), These are relatively advanced and retracted.
[0027]
Reference numeral 14 denotes transfer means for transferring the battery body 6 ′ with the insulating ring 11 positioned and mounted from the dial-type transport system 8 and transferring the transferred battery body 6 ′ to the heating mechanism 15. Here, the heating mechanism 15 contributes to the effect of heat-shrinking the shrink film of the battery body 6 'to seal the insulating ring 11 on the outer peripheral edge of the end face of the battery body 6'. The heating mechanism 15 includes, for example, a system for rotating and conveying the battery body 6 ', a hot air heating system, etc. so that at least the opening edge region of the shrink film can be heated substantially uniformly or simultaneously. It is desirable.
[0028]
Next, an example of producing an alkaline primary battery using the above apparatus will be described. First, an alkaline battery body is assembled and produced by a conventional means, in which the other electrode terminal is led out in an insulating and liquid-tight manner and the battery element is sealed in a battery outer can that also serves as one electrode terminal. After that, the end of the battery body is protruded from the end surface of the battery body so that the shrink film serving as a display label is wound around the tube shape (cylindrical shape) and covered, while the region protruding from the end surface from which the other electrode terminal is led out. It heat-shrinks and fixes the one end side of a tube-shaped shrink film to a battery main body surface.
[0029]
The alkaline battery body 6 configured in this way is transferred to the first transport system 7 and supplied to the dial-type transport system 8 to be transported intermittently. At this time, the alkaline battery main body 6 is gripped by the dial-type transport system 8 almost vertically and slidably with the opening end of the tube-shaped shrink film facing upward. And when it is conveyed to the position of the knockout type insulating ring supply mechanism 9, the insulating ring 11 is fitted and supported, while the knockout type insulating ring supply mechanism 9 and the plunger type arranged so as to oppose it. By driving the battery advance / retreat mechanism 13, the insulating ring 11 is inserted / positioned on the upper end surface of the battery body 6.
[0030]
The battery body 6 ′ in which the insulating ring 11 is inserted / positioned is then judged as to whether the insulating ring 11 is inserted or not, whether or not there is a displacement, and the defective product is removed and conveyed to the position of the transfer means 14. Therefore, the heat is supplied from the dial type conveyance system 8 to the heating mechanism 15 via the transfer means 14. Here, the battery body 6 ′ is conveyed while rotating in the area where the hot air is blown, and the tubular shrink film including the arrangement area of the insulating ring 11 is thermally contracted to insulate the end surface portion of the battery body 6 ′. The ring 11 is sealed.
[0031]
In this continuous shrink operation, an alkaline battery product covered with a shrink film serving as a display label was obtained with a good yield. In other words, a good-looking exterior coating can be easily made, and a shrinkable film can be prevented and prevented from being damaged by a coil spring-type terminal during handling, and a highly reliable battery that can avoid the occurrence of a short circuit, etc., with high yield and mass production. I was able to manufacture it.
[0032]
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. For example, it can be selected and set as appropriate depending on the shape and dimensions of the battery to be processed, the processing amount, and the like, such as the configuration of the first transport system, each transport system, and the heating mechanism. Moreover, it can apply similarly about batteries other than an alkaline battery and batteries other than a cylindrical form.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, not only can the battery exterior sealing having a good appearance be mass-produced, but also the insulation property of the electrode terminal surface region that is likely to cause damage or damage to the shrink film for the exterior sealing in the practical process of the battery. The reinforcement can easily eliminate or avoid the occurrence of a short circuit. That is, it is possible to improve the mass productivity of an externally sealed battery that is safe or reliable and has a good appearance.
[0034]
According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to provide a battery with a highly reliable exterior display label sealing type in which occurrence of a short circuit is eliminated or avoided and with high yield.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an insulated link insertion device for a battery according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the battery insulation link insertion device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of a battery.
[Explanation of symbols]
6 ... Battery body 6 '... Battery body 7 with insulation ring positioned and mounted 7 ... First transfer system 8 ... Dial type transfer system 9 ... Nut-out type insulation ring supply mechanism 11 ... Insulation ring 12 ... Guide 13 ... Plunger type battery advance / retreat mechanism 14 ... Transfer means 15 ... Heating mechanism

Claims (2)

In the battery outer can also serving as one electrode terminal, the other electrode terminal is insulated and liquid-tight, the battery element is sealed, and the battery outer can outer peripheral surface protrudes at least from one end surface to the tube. A first transport system for transporting a battery body coated with a shrink film in a shape;
The battery-type main body transported by the first transport system is oriented and transferred, and a dial-type transport system having a gripping part that slidably grips and transports the transferred battery main body, and
A support rod that fits and supports the insulating ring on the bottom surface of the tube-shaped shrink film opening of the battery body that is directed and conveyed by the dial-type conveyance system, and is slidably fitted around the support rod. The support part and the fitting part move in the opposite directions so that the insulating ring fitted to the support bar is detached from the support bar. A knuckle-type insulating ring supply mechanism configured to :
A plunger type battery advancing / retracting mechanism which is arranged to face the insulating ring supply mechanism and which slides the battery body forward and backward to position and mount the insulating ring on the end surface of the battery body;
A drive mechanism for relatively advancing and retracting the knockout type insulating ring supply mechanism and the plunger type battery main body advancing and retracting mechanism;
A heating mechanism that transfers the battery body with the insulating ring positioned and mounted from the dial-type transport system and thermally shrinks the shrink film of the battery body to seal the insulating ring on the end surface of the battery body;
An insulating ring insertion device for a battery, comprising: In the battery outer can which also serves as one electrode terminal, the process of assembling and producing the battery body by sealing the battery element by insulating and liquid-tightening the other electrode terminal,
The end of the battery body is protruded beyond the end face to cover the shrink film, and the area protruding from the other electrode terminal lead-out surface is thermally shrunk to fix one end of the shrink film to the battery body surface. And a process of
An insulating ring is fitted to the battery body end surface from the opening end side of the shrink film with the one end side fixed to the battery body surface, and a support rod for fitting and supporting the insulating ring is fitted and slidably fitted around the support rod. The support part and the fitting part move in opposite directions so that the insulating ring fitted to the support bar is detached from the support bar. Inserting and positioning using a knuckle-type insulating ring supply mechanism configured as described above ,
Heat shrinking a shrink film including a region where the insulating ring is inserted and positioned and sealing the insulating ring on an end surface portion of the battery body; and
A method for producing a battery, comprising:

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