JP5272456B2 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing flat battery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a non-sealed flat battery into which an electrolytic solution is injected, wherein a problem that the amount of electrolytic solution is decreased by exposure to the air until the battery is sealed. <P>SOLUTION: In a third step, in a container-shaped sealing plate 18, a negative electrode material 22, a separator 27, and a gasket 21, and next, a battery body 15 assembled with an electrolytic solution and a positive electrode material 23 are stored in a hollow part 25 of the jig 14 for battery conveyance. From immediately above of the jig 14, by assembling a battery can 16, the hollow part 25 is made to be a closed space 82. Next, while removing air in the closed space 82, the battery body 15 and a battery can 16 are mutually fitted, and the flat battery 17 is sealed by folding back an opening 16a of the battery can 16 inside. By doing this, the electrolytic solution amount is supressed which is evaporated until the battery body 15 and a battery can 16 are mutually fitted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing a flat battery that suppresses evaporation of the electrolyte during the assembly process and reduces variations in the amount of electrolyte after battery assembly.

  In recent years, a disk-shaped flat battery with a small thickness has been used as a drive power source for memory backup, communication equipment, watches, and the like. Batteries that can withstand harsh environments and can maintain long-term reliability are on the rise in demand, and even flat batteries are required to have high-quality manufacturing that is stable and stable in the manufacturing process. In particular, the electrolytic solution is an important factor that influences the characteristics of the battery. If the electrolytic solution decreases, the internal resistance of the battery increases and the commercial value is lost. For this reason, strict management standards are required for the amount of electrolyte.

  Hereinafter, a conventional example will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a conventional flat battery 107. FIG. 10A shows a cross-sectional view of a manufacturing apparatus showing a conventional example before sealing, and FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus showing a conventional sealing state. Specifically, the flat battery shown in FIG. 9 includes a container-shaped battery can 101 having an open top, a gasket 103, a positive electrode material 104, a separator 106, a negative electrode material 105, and a cap-shaped sealing plate 102. The cylindrical peripheral wall surface portion 100 of the battery can 101 is bent through a gasket 103 at the time of sealing, and the inside of the battery is sealed to produce a flat battery 107.

  The manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 (a) has a structure in which a lower mold 137 and an upper mold 138 are attached to a press machine in a positioning state in which they are aligned with each other. The lower mold 137 includes a lower mold base 161 fixed to a press bed (not shown) of a press machine, a columnar support 142 fixed to the lower mold base 161 in an upright state, A substantially cylindrical positioning member 143 that is slidably fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the support 142 and elastically supported so as to be retracted downward by a compression spring 144 is formed.

  The support 142 has a circular shape with a support surface 142a at the upper end on which the battery can 101 to be processed is placed having a diameter substantially the same as the bottom surface of the battery can 101, and receives a load acting during sealing. The positioning member 143 is held at the illustrated upper limit position surrounding the upper peripheral end of the support surface 142a of the support body 142 by the compression spring 144 before processing. However, a gap as narrow as possible is provided between the sliding surfaces of the positioning member 143, the guide body 147, and the lower mold coupling portion 148. The surface is sufficiently coated with vacuum grease to prevent air leakage from the gap.

  On the other hand, the upper mold 138 is connected to a press ram (not shown) of a press machine and moves up and down, and a cylindrical upper mold main body 152 is slidably mounted inside the upper mold main body 152 and is a compression spring 154. The pressing shaft 153 always urged downward by the pressure, the pressing member 157 connected to the lower end surface of the pressing shaft 153 with an electrical insulating member interposed therebetween, and the lower end surface of the upper mold main body 152 via the attachment member And processing members 159 connected together.

A vacuum suction hole 167 is formed in each of the pressing member 157 and the pressing shaft body 173, and the vacuum suction hole 167 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via a vacuum pipe joint and a valve (not shown) before sealing. The upper die main body 152 is connected to a vacuum suction hole 168 connected to the upper die body 152 (not shown). Similarly, the vacuum suction holes 170A and 171A are connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) through a vacuum pipe joint and a valve (not shown). A sealed space 164 shown in FIG. 10B is formed by the support 142, the positioning member 143, the lower mold coupling part 148, the upper mold coupling part 163, and the pressing member 157.

  Next, in the flat battery manufacturing method, a gasket 103, a positive electrode material 104, and a separator 106 are assembled in a battery can 101 shown in FIG. The battery can 101 is inserted into the positioning member 143 and placed on the support surface 142 a of the support body 142 in a state where the upper mold 138 shown in FIG. 10A is spaced above the guide body 147. As a result, the battery can 101 is held inside a container formed by the positioning member 143 and the support surface 142a, and is attached to the lower mold 137 at a predetermined position. On the other hand, when attaching the sealing plate 102 to which the negative electrode material 105 has been attached in advance, the sealing plate 102 is fitted into the concave portion 173a of the positioning jig 173, and the positioning jig 173 is fitted into the processing member 159. The vacuum suction force by driving acts as a vacuum suction force on the sealing plate 102 through the vacuum suction holes 168 and 167, and the pressing surface 157a of the pressing member 157 is positioned in a state where the sealing plate 102 coincides with the axis of the pressing member 157. Is adsorbed and retained. Thereafter, the positioning jig 173 is removed.

  Next, when the upper mold 138 is lowered in accordance with the lowering process of the press ram (not shown) shown in FIG. 10B, the sealing plate 102 adsorbed on the pressing surface 157 a of the pressing member 157 is formed inside the battery can 101. Immediately before being assembled, the lower end surface of the upper mold coupling part 163 comes into close contact with the lower mold coupling part 148 at the upper end part of the positioning member 143 in an airtight state. This corresponds to a state in which the lower end portion of the upper mold coupling portion 163 fits into the stepped portion at the upper end of the lower mold coupling portion 148 in FIG. Thereby, a sealed space 164 surrounding the periphery of the battery can 101 is formed by the support 142, the positioning member 143, the lower mold coupling portion 148, the upper mold coupling portion 163, and the pressing member 157.

  Since the sealed space 164 formed as described above is connected to the vacuum pump via the vacuum suction holes 170A and 171A, the internal air is discharged at the same time as being formed. Since this sealed space 164 has a very small volume, air is quickly discharged to reduce the internal pressure to a required level. As a result, the air around the opening of the battery can 101 and the air included in the peripheral wall surface portion 100 of the battery can 101, the sealing plate 102, the gasket 103, the positive electrode material 104, the negative electrode material 105, and the separator 106 are quickly released to the outside. Discharged.

  Since the upper mold 138 continues the lowering operation even when the pressure is reduced as described above, the sealing plate 102 adsorbed to the pressing surface 157a of the pressing member 157 is assembled inside the battery can 101 shown in FIG. It is done. Here, since the sealing plate 102 is positioned by the positioning jig 173 and is adsorbed to the pressing surface 157 a, the sealing plate 102 is accurately assembled at a predetermined position with respect to the battery can 101. When the upper die 138 is further lowered, the pressing member 157 that receives the restoring force of the compression spring 154 compressed as the upper die 138 is lowered as shown in FIG. After the ring portion 163 comes into contact with the lower mold coupling portion 148, the positioning member 143 integrated therewith is lowered while being pushed down against the urging force of the compression spring 144, and the processing member 159 is shown in FIG. The peripheral wall surface portion 100 of the battery can 101 is lowered along the processing surface 159a while being curved and deformed inward, so that the peripheral wall surface portion 100 of the battery can 101 is moved to the peripheral edge portion of the sealing plate 102, the gasket 103, and the like. It is squeezed and sealed in a shape that embraces.

The upper mold 138 is lowered until the upper mold main body 152 comes into contact with the upper end surface of the guide body 147. This is a state in which the bottom surface of the processing member 159 is in contact with the upper end surface of the guide body 147. When the upper mold 138 is lowered to the lower limit position set as described above, the gap between the support surface 142a of the support 142 and the pressing surface 157a of the pressing member 157 becomes the thickness of the flat battery to be manufactured. At this point, the sealing process for the flat battery is completed. After that, the upper mold 138 is raised to the height position shown in FIG. 10A, and a method of manufacturing a flat battery for taking out the completed flat battery has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-251850 A

  In the conventional manufacturing method, a predetermined amount of electrolyte is injected after assembling the gasket 103, the positive electrode material 104, and the separator 106 into the battery can 101 shown in FIG. However, until the inside of the battery is sealed by fitting the battery can 101 and the sealing plate 102 under reduced pressure in the sealed space 164 shown in FIG. 10B, the battery can 101 is installed on the support 142 and then the sealing plate 102. Is fitted to the processing member 159 using the positioning jig 173, and the convex portion of the sealing plate 102 is sucked and held. Finally, the positioning jig 173 is removed, and then the upper mold 138 and the lower mold 137 are assembled. And seal the battery. As described above, there are many work steps up to the sealing, and it is considered that 30 seconds are necessary at the fastest. For this reason, before the battery is sealed, the electrolyte injected into the battery can 101 in the initial stage of the work is exposed to the atmosphere, and in particular, the electrolyte used for lithium batteries and the like contains low-boiling components. Moreover, due to the high volatility, there arises a disadvantage that the electrolytic solution evaporates during the above operation.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and after incorporating a negative electrode material, a separator and a gasket into a container-shaped sealing plate, an electrolytic solution and a positive electrode material are incorporated into the sealing plate, and these members are incorporated. The sealing plate is housed in a hollow jig, and a battery can is immediately installed on the upper part of the jig to make the hollow portion of the jig a sealed space, and this sealed space is decompressed to eliminate air in the sealing plate. While fitting the sealing plate and battery can, the opening of the battery can is folded inward and the sealing plate and the battery can are sealed via a gasket to prevent the injected electrolyte from evaporating. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a flat battery that assembles a flat battery and reduces variations in the amount of electrolyte.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a first step of incorporating a negative electrode material, a separator and a gasket into a container-shaped sealing plate, a second step of incorporating an electrolyte and a positive electrode material into the sealing plate, and these members. The built-in sealing plate has a main body having a hollow portion made of a non-magnetic material, and a suction portion for magnetically holding and holding the sealing plate and the battery can at two levels in the height direction in the hollow portion. A third step in which the battery can is immediately inserted from above the jig into the hollow jig and the hollow portion of the jig is made a sealed space, and the air in the sealing plate is eliminated by reducing the pressure in the sealed space. However, the sealing plate and the battery can are fitted together, and thereafter the opening of the battery can is bent inward to seal the sealing plate and the battery can through the gasket.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the evaporation of the electrolyte before the sealing plate and the battery can are fitted together, and further, the sealing plate is attached to the battery can in a state where the air in the sealed space of the jig is discharged and decompressed. By fitting and sealing, it is possible to provide a flat battery with reduced variation in the amount of electrolyte in the battery after battery assembly by preventing the electrolyte from scattering outside the battery during battery assembly. Become.

The first aspect of the present invention includes a first step of incorporating a negative electrode material, a separator and a gasket into a container-shaped sealing plate, a second step of incorporating an electrolytic solution and a positive electrode material into the sealing plate, and incorporating these members. A third step in which the sealed plate is housed in a hollow jig and a battery can is immediately assembled from above the jig to make the hollow portion of the jig a sealed space; The sealing plate and the battery can are fitted together while excluding air, and then the opening portion of the battery can is folded inward to seal the sealing plate and the battery can through the gasket. It is possible to prevent the electrolyte from evaporating before the battery can is fitted together, and it is possible to provide a flat battery with reduced variations in the amount of electrolyte.

  The second invention of the present invention forms a sealed space by sealing the upper and lower openings of a jig for housing a sealing plate incorporating various members and a battery can assembled from above with an upper mold and a lower mold. By doing so, it becomes possible to suppress the evaporation amount of the electrolyte solution that evaporates until the sealing plate and the battery can are fitted together, and furthermore, fitting the battery can under reduced pressure by reducing the pressure in the sealed space Thus, it is possible to prevent the electrolyte from scattering outside the battery during battery assembly.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow jig in which a sealing plate incorporating a negative electrode material, a separator, a positive electrode material, an electrolytic solution and an insulating gasket is assembled downward, and a battery can is disposed upward, and the jig is disposed below the jig. The sealing mold that seals the lower surface of the hollow portion by contacting the lower surface of the jig and that bends the opening of the battery can fitted to the sealing plate inward and seals it through the gasket and the bottom surface of the sealing plate are supported. A lower mold composed of a lower pin, an upper mold comprising an upper pin that holds the battery can that is in contact with the upper surface of the jig and is incorporated in the hollow portion, and an upper holder that seals the upper surface side of the jig with the upper pin; The flat battery can be assembled while suppressing the evaporation of the electrolyte.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, as a jig, a main body having a hollow portion made of a nonmagnetic material, and a sealing plate and a battery can are magnetically held by holding the hollow portion at two stages in different height directions. Since the suction part is provided, the battery can is immediately assembled from above after the sealing plate is housed downward, and the hollow part of the jig is made into a sealed space, thereby evaporating the electrolyte after injection. It becomes possible to suppress.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the jig is held in a horizontally movable transfer body disposed between the upper mold and the lower mold. And the battery can, and the battery can and the battery body can be transported in a state where evaporation of the electrolyte is suppressed.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the flat battery, the manufacturing apparatus, and the manufacturing method according to the present invention are not limited to these. FIG. 1 (a) shows an explanatory view of the first step of the flat battery according to the present invention, FIG. 1 (b) shows an explanatory view of two steps, and FIG. 1 (c) is stored in a jig for battery transfer. FIG. 1D shows an explanatory diagram of the third process, and FIG. 1E shows an explanatory diagram of the fourth process. 2A shows a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2B shows a side view of the manufacturing apparatus shown by arrow A in FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus showing a state in which the sealing plate and the battery can in the present invention are housed in a battery transport jig, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the sealing plate is adsorbed. FIG. 3 (c) shows a sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus, FIG. 3 (c) shows a sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus showing a state where the battery can is adsorbed and the sealed space is evacuated, and FIG. 3 (d) shows the sealing plate and the battery can fitted together. Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state is shown. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a manufacturing apparatus showing a state in which an unsealed flat battery according to the present invention is sealed, and FIG. 4B is a state where the flat battery after sealing is returned to the battery carrying jig. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus showing a state in which the flat battery after sealing is held by the battery transport jig. FIG. 5 (a) shows a cross-sectional view of the upper pin, FIG. 5 (b) shows a plan view of the upper pin, FIG. 6 (a) shows a cross-sectional view of the lower pin, and FIG. FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the battery transport jig, and FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the battery can according to the present invention.

Specifically, FIGS. 1A to 1E are manufacturing steps for manufacturing a flat battery 17 as a secondary battery having an outer diameter of 4 mm and a total height of 1.4 mm shown in FIG. The material 22 is formed by punching a plate-like metal lithium or lithium alloy serving as a negative electrode active material into a pellet, and leaving the pellet-like metal lithium and a lithium-combinable metal or compound bonded together. The alloyed material is used as the negative electrode active material.

  A sealing plate 18 shown in FIG. 1A is a petri dish-like conductive metal that houses a negative electrode material 22, and becomes an external negative electrode of a flat battery by contacting the negative electrode material 22. The sealing plate 18 is made of a clad material in which aluminum and stainless steel are bonded together, the first metal layer is formed to be aluminum, and the surface on the side where the negative electrode material 22 is accommodated is formed into pellet-shaped metallic lithium. After bonding, a lithium alloy is formed.

  Next, the separator 27 is a nonwoven fabric formed of a fiber resin having a heat distortion temperature of 270 ° C. or higher, and has a porosity of 10% to 50% and a thickness of 40 μm to 200 μm. Here, polyphenylene sulfite is used. . The positive electrode material 23 uses a lithium manganate compound. Although the electrolytic solution is not shown, pentag lime, tetraglyme and the like are raised, and any one or more of these are used.

  The battery can 16 is a container made of a petri dish-like conductive metal, and becomes an external positive electrode of the flat battery 17 by contacting the positive electrode material 23. A metal container made of stainless steel or the like is used as the material.

  The gasket 21 is formed in an annular shape and attached so as to be fitted into a gap generated between the sealing plate 18 and the battery can 16 to seal the gap. The gasket 21 is made of a fiber resin having a heat deformation temperature of 270 ° C. or higher, and uses polyphenylene sulfite resin, polyether ketone resin, polyether ether ketone resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyarylate resin, or the like. Any one kind or a mixture of plural kinds can be used. The assembly sealing plate 19 includes a sealing plate 18, a negative electrode material 22, a separator 27, and a gasket 21.

  The battery body 15 shown in FIG. 1B is composed of an assembly sealing plate 19, an electrolytic solution, and a positive electrode material 23. The battery transporting jig 14 shown in FIG. 1 (c) is shown in detail in FIG. 7, but a main body 14a having a hollow portion 25 made of a non-magnetic material accommodates a battery or a battery component made of a magnetic material. The first stage 10a of the attracting part and the second stage of the attracting part in which the shape of the hollow part 25 is cylindrical and a plurality of magnets 12 are arranged on one transverse section of the cylindrical inner surface. 10b is provided at two positions at the top and bottom at least in the axial direction at different positions, and the arrangement of the magnets 12 is provided with N poles, S poles, and a plurality of alternates at equal angles in the circumferential direction of the main body 14a of the jig 14. .

  Next, a manufacturing process of the flat battery will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first step, the negative electrode material 22 shown in FIG. 1A is bonded to the sealing plate 18 to be alloyed, and then a separator 27 is placed on the recessed surface of the sealing plate 18, and the inner peripheral surface of the gasket 21 and the sealing plate The assembly sealing plate 19 is manufactured by combining the outer peripheral surfaces of the 18 so as to be in close contact with each other.

  In the second step, an electrolytic solution (not shown) is injected into the assembly sealing plate 19 assembled with the gasket 21 of FIG. 1A, and then the positive electrode material 23 is accommodated and the battery shown in FIG. The main body 15 is manufactured. In the third step, the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 1C are stored in the battery transporting jig 14 with the concave surfaces facing each other, and a closed space 82 is formed in the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14. To do. Next, the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14 is sealed with the upper and lower molds, and the closed space is set as the sealed space 82. In the fourth step, as shown in FIG. 1 (d), the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 1 (c) are decompressed in the sealed space 82, and then fitted into a flat battery before sealing. To do. Next, the opening of the battery can 16 before sealing shown in FIG. 1 (e) is bent inward to seal the inside of the battery, and the flat battery 17 is manufactured.

  Next, the manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). The manufacturing apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 2 (a) has a die set structure including an upper mold part 35 and a lower mold part 50 provided in an opposing arrangement, and the upper mold part 35 is hollow. A cylindrical upper holder 30 and an upper pin 31 which is held in a hollow portion of the upper holder 30 and can slide relative to each other are configured. The upper holder 30 is coaxially fixed in a through-hole provided in a direction perpendicular to the upper base 83 and is provided with an upper spring 53 at a position above the upper base 83, and one lower portion is made of an annular rubber material. An upper elastic material 54 is provided. The upper elastic member 54 is in close contact with the upper surface of the battery transport jig 14 so as to maintain airtightness at the time of sealing. The upper pin 31 has at least one suction hole 31a on the suction surface 31b shown in FIG.

  Next, the lower mold part 50 includes a cylindrical sealing mold 47 disposed coaxially with the upper pin 31 on the lower base 85, a mold fixing base 84 for holding the outer surface and the bottom surface of the sealing mold 47, and a sealing mold. The cylindrical lower pin 46 is disposed coaxially with the shaft 47 and penetrates on the axis, and the lower spring 52 holds the lower end surface of the lower pin 46.

  The sealing die 47 discharges the air in the concave portion 51 of the sealing die 47 and the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14 provided to bend the opening 16 a of the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 8 toward the inside of the battery can 16. An exhaust hole 42 and a pressure reducing valve (not shown) are provided in at least one place. Further, an annular lower elastic member 45 made of a rubber material is provided on the upper surface of the sealing mold 47. The lower pin 46 has at least one suction hole 46a on the suction surface 46b shown in FIG.

  2B includes a jig 14, a cylindrical conveyance holder 40 that houses the jig 14, and a conveyance plate 41 that holds the outer diameter of the conveyance holder 40 and is slidable in the axial direction. Composed. The transport body 80 is disposed between the upper mold part 35 and the lower mold part 50 at a right angle in the longitudinal direction, and a part of the transport plate 41 is connected to a cylinder (not shown). And the lower mold part 50 are moved in the horizontal direction.

  Next, a manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. In the first step, the anode material 22 shown in FIG. 1A is bonded to the sealing plate 18 and alloyed, and then the separator 27 is placed, so that the inner peripheral surface of the gasket 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the sealing plate 18 are in close contact with each other. After the assembly sealing plate 19 is manufactured in combination, a predetermined amount of electrolyte (not shown) is injected into the assembly sealing plate 19 in the second step, and the positive electrode material 23 shown in FIG. 15 is produced.

  Next, in the third step, although not shown in the drawing, the bumps of the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 shown in FIG. The battery can 16 is stored and held in the second stage 10b of the suction portion of the jig 14 so as to cover the battery body 15 with the concave surface facing down, while being stored in the eye 10a with the concave surface facing upward. Depending on the equipment specifications, it can be done within 10 seconds. At this time, the facing distance 81 between the battery main body 15 and the battery can 16 is 3 mm or less, and the closed space 82 is formed in the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14. Then, the jig 14 shown in FIG. 3A is accommodated in the conveyance holder 40 and conveyed to the same axis as the sealing mold 47 to complete the positioning.

  Next, the servo press (not shown) connected to the lower mold part 50 shown in FIG. 2A is raised, and the upper surface of the sealing mold 47 shown in FIG. Then, the bottom portion of the sealing plate 18 constituting the battery body 15 is sucked and held by the suction holes 46a provided on the end face of the lower pin 46 shown in FIG. Then, the sealing die 47 shown in FIG. 3C is raised until the bottom surface of the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 5 comes into contact with the suction surface 31 b of the upper pin 31. At this time, the upper pin 31 sucks the bottom surface of the battery can 16 with the suction surface 31b.

Next, the bottom surface of the transport holder 40 shown in FIG. 3D and the lower elastic material 45 provided in the sealing die 47 are brought into close contact with each other, and the upper elastic material 54 provided in the upper surface of the jig 14 and the upper holder 30 is used. Close to each other to form a sealed space 82 shown in FIG. 1C in the concave portion 51 of the sealing mold 47 and the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14. Then, the air in the sealed space is discharged from the exhaust hole 42 and the servo press (not shown) is raised while maintaining the state where the sealed space 82 is under reduced pressure, and the upper spring 53 of the upper holder 30 is elastically moved. The battery can 16 is fitted to the battery body 15 by retreating.

  In the fourth step, the upper die 31 and the lower pin 46 shown in FIG. 4A sandwich the unsealed flat battery 17 and hold the upper die 30 at the same time as the upper holder 30 is elastically held. Retreat upward. The lower pin 46 is elastically retracted downward, an unsealed flat battery is inserted into the sealing mold 47, and the opening of the battery can 16 is bent toward the inside of the battery to be sealed. After the completion of processing, the sealing die 47 and jig 14 and the conveyance holder 40 shown in FIG. 4B are lowered, but the lower pin 46 is closed by the restoring force of the lower spring 52 shown in FIG. The flat battery 17 inserted in is continuously held in a state of being sandwiched between the upper pin 31 at a fixed position. When the sealing die 47 is further lowered, the flat battery 17 sandwiched between the upper pin 31 and the lower pin 46 is sucked and stored in the first stage 10a of the chucking portion of the jig 14. When the sealing die 47 shown in FIG. 4C is returned to the initial position, the transport holder 40 is also returned to the initial position and the processing is finished.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the flat battery 17 is manufactured by using the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method will be described. In Example 1, the battery body 15 shown in FIG. 1C is covered with the battery can 16 and then the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14 is used as a sealed space to perform sealing under standard atmospheric pressure. A flat battery 17 having a length of 1.4 mm was produced. Evaluation was made into the electrolyte solution decreasing rate before and behind battery assembly.

  Specifically, the electrolytic sealing shown in FIG. 1B is applied to the assembled sealing plate 19 in which the gasket 21 is assembled to the sealing plate 18 to which the negative electrode material 22 made of lithium metal shown in FIG. After injecting a liquid (not shown), the positive electrode material 23 is accommodated, and the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 1 (c) are accommodated in a state facing the jig 14 within 10 to 20 seconds. Then, after transporting in a state where the closed space 82 was formed, the battery can 16 was fitted into the battery body 15 to produce the flat battery 17 before sealing. Next, the unsealed flat battery 17 was inserted into the sealing mold 47, and the opening of the battery can 16 was bent and sealed inward. It took about 30 seconds from injection to sealing.

  In Example 2, the upper and lower surfaces of the jig 14 shown in FIG. 1C are brought into close contact with a sealing mold 47 to form the hollow portion 25 as a sealed space. After the sealed space is decompressed, the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 are moved. Were sealed, and the inside of the flat battery 17 was sealed to produce a flat battery 17 having an outer diameter of 4 mm and a height of 1.4 mm shown in FIG. And the reflow process was heated to the flat battery 17 after preparation on the conditions of preheating temperature 150-200 degreeC and peak temperature 210-250 degreeC for about 10 minutes. The reflow process described above is a method of soldering the flat battery to the printed circuit board by passing the flat battery coated with the solder cream in a predetermined position on the printed circuit board for a predetermined time. It is. Two days after the reflow treatment, the presence or absence of liquid leakage was confirmed using a microscope, and the internal resistance of the flat battery 17 was measured.

  Specifically, the assembled sealing plate 19 in which the gasket 21 is assembled to the sealing plate 18 to which the negative electrode material 22 made of lithium metal shown in FIG. After injecting an electrolytic solution (not shown), the positive electrode material 23 is accommodated, and the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 shown in FIG. 1C are accommodated in a state facing the jig 14 for conveying the battery. After the transfer, the battery can 16 was fitted into the battery body 15 under reduced pressure to produce an unsealed flat battery. Next, the unsealed flat battery 17 was inserted into the sealing mold 47, and the opening of the battery can 16 was bent and sealed toward the inside of the battery.

(Comparative Example 1)
In Comparative Example 1, the battery body 15 shown in FIG. 1 (c) is not covered with the battery can 16, and the hollow portion 25 of the battery transport jig 14 is not sealed, and further sealed under reduced pressure. The flat battery 17 was manufactured without performing the process.

  Specifically, the assembled sealing plate 19 in which the gasket 21 is assembled to the sealing plate 18 to which the negative electrode material 22 made of lithium metal shown in FIG. After injecting an electrolyte solution (not shown), the convex surface of the sealing plate 18 constituting the assembly sealing plate 19 containing the positive electrode material 23 is adsorbed in the adsorption holes 46a shown in FIG. 5 (b), the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 are fitted together to produce an unsealed flat battery 17, and the unsealed flat battery 17 is sealed. Inserted into the mold 47, the opening of the battery can 16 was bent inward and sealed. About 20 to 30 seconds were spent from injection to sealing.

  In the evaluation, first, the decrease rate of the electrolytic solution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, and then the reflow treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 2, and the presence or absence of liquid leakage was confirmed using a microscope. Finally, the internal resistance was measured. However, the decrease rate of the electrolytic solution was determined by first measuring the weight of the unsealed flat battery not injected with the electrolytic solution, then measuring the weight of the flat battery 17 sealed after the injection, and then unsealed. The weight of the flat battery 17 after sealing was subtracted from the weight of the flat battery 17 obtained by adding the weight of the electrolytic solution at the time of the initial liquid injection to calculate the reduced weight of the electrolytic solution. The decreasing rate of the electrolytic solution was calculated by dividing the reduced weight by the initial weight of the injected electrolytic solution.

  (Table 1) shows the average value of the electrolytic solution decreasing rate of the flat battery 17 in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, and (Table 2) shows the presence or absence of leakage after reflow treatment in Example 2 and Comparative Example 1. The average value of the internal resistance of a flat battery is shown. The examples and comparative examples were evaluated using 1000 flat batteries.

  From Table 1, Example 1 uses the jig 14 to store the injected battery body 15, and then stores the battery body 15 so as to cover the battery body 15, and then seals the hollow portion 25 of the jig 14. Since the evaporation of the electrolyte solution was suppressed as a space, the decrease rate of the electrolyte solution was as low as 0.16%. Next, in Comparative Example 1, since the battery body 15 after the injection was not covered with the battery can 16 and a sealed space was formed, and sealing was not performed in this sealed space, it evaporates during the time required until sealing. It is thought that the electrolytic solution could not be suppressed and the decreasing rate of the electrolytic solution was increased.

  From Table 2, in Example 2, sealing was performed under reduced pressure, so that the air inside the flat battery 17 was exhausted and remained inside the flat battery 17 due to heat applied from the outside during the reflow process. It is considered that the air was not expanded and the electrolyte was not pushed out of the flat battery 17, so that leakage could be suppressed. The internal resistance of the flat battery 17 was 250 mΩ within the standard value, indicating good battery characteristics.

  Next, in Comparative Example 1, since sealing was not performed under reduced pressure, the air remaining inside the flat battery was expanded by heat applied from the outside during the reflow process, and the electrolyte was pushed out of the flat battery. As a result, 950 leaks occurred. The internal resistance is as high as 742Ω, which is thought to be due to a decrease in the amount of electrolyte that becomes a conducting part between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a decrease in the contact area between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

  As described above, by using the present manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus, the amount of the electrolytic solution that evaporates before the battery body 15 and the battery can 16 are fitted together can be minimized, and further, the leakage of the electrolytic solution after the reflow treatment can be reduced. It becomes possible to prevent.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the evaporation amount of the electrolytic solution that evaporates until the assembled sealing plate and the battery can are fitted together, withstanding particularly severe environments, and providing long-term reliability. A battery that can be maintained is a method for manufacturing a flat battery useful as a drive power source for memory backup, communication equipment, watches, etc., in response to a growing demand.

(A) Explanatory drawing of the 1st process of the manufacturing method of the flat battery which concerns on this invention, (b) Explanatory drawing of the 2nd process concerning this invention, (c) It accommodates in the jig for battery conveyance which concerns on this invention. Explanatory diagram of the third step, (d) explanatory diagram of the third step according to the present invention, (e) explanatory diagram of the fourth step according to the present invention (A) Sectional view of manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, (b) Side view of manufacturing apparatus shown by arrow A in the same figure (A) Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state which accommodated the sealing board and battery can in one embodiment of this invention in the jig for battery conveyance, (b) The sealing board in one embodiment of this invention adsorb | sucks Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state which was carried out, (c) Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state which the battery can in one embodiment of this invention was adsorbed, and the sealed space was exhausted, (d) One implementation of this invention Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state which fitted the sealing plate and battery can in the form of this (A) Cross-sectional view of a manufacturing apparatus showing a state in which an unsealed flat battery in one embodiment of the present invention is sealed, (b) the flat battery after sealing in one embodiment of the present invention is a battery transporter. Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state returned to the tool, (c) Sectional drawing of the manufacturing apparatus which shows the state by which the flat battery after sealing in one embodiment of this invention was hold | maintained at the jig | tool for battery conveyance (a) Cross-sectional view of the upper pin in the same embodiment, (b) Plan view of the upper pin in the same embodiment (A) Cross-sectional view of the lower pin in the same embodiment, (b) Plan view of the lower pin in the same embodiment The perspective view of the jig for battery conveyance in one embodiment of the present invention Sectional drawing of the battery can in one embodiment of this invention Sectional view of a conventional battery (A) Sectional view of manufacturing apparatus showing before sealing of conventional example, (b) Sectional view of manufacturing apparatus showing sealing state of conventional example

Explanation of symbols

10a First stage of the adsorption part 10b Second stage of the adsorption part 12 Magnet 14 Jig 14a Main body 15 Battery main body 16 Battery can 16a Opening part 17 Flat battery 18 Sealing plate 19 Assembly sealing plate 21 Gasket 22 Negative electrode material 23 Positive electrode material 25 Hollow part 27 Separator 30 Upper holder 31 Upper pin 31a Suction hole 31b Suction surface 35 Upper mold part 40 Transport holder 41 Transport plate 42 Exhaust hole 45 Lower elastic material 46 Lower pin 46a Suction hole 46b Suction surface 47 Sealing mold 50 Lower mold Mold part 51 Concave 52 Lower spring 53 Upper spring 54 Upper elastic material 60 Manufacturing device 80 Conveyance body 81 Opposite distance 82 Sealed space 83 Upper base 84 Mold fixing base 85 Lower base

Claims (4)

A first step of incorporating a negative electrode material, a separator and a gasket into a container-shaped sealing plate, a second step of incorporating an electrolyte and a positive electrode material into the sealing plate, and the sealing plate incorporating these members are non-magnetic. In a hollow jig having a structure in which a main body having a hollow portion made of a body and an adsorption portion for magnetically adsorbing and holding the sealing plate and the battery can are provided in two positions at different heights in the hollow portion . A third step in which a battery can is immediately assembled from above the jig to make the hollow portion of the jig a sealed space, and the sealing space is decompressed to eliminate air in the sealing plate. A flat battery manufacturing method comprising a fourth step of fitting the plate and the battery can, then bending the opening of the battery can inward and sealing the sealing plate and the battery can via the gasket.   The flat structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing plate including the various members and the opening on the upper and lower surfaces of the jig for storing the battery can assembled from above are sealed by an upper mold and a lower mold to form a sealed space. A manufacturing method of a battery. A main body having a hollow portion made of a non-magnetic material, in which a sealing plate in which a negative electrode material, a separator, a positive electrode material, an electrolyte solution and a gasket are incorporated is installed on the lower side and a battery can is installed on the lower side. A hollow jig having a configuration in which an adsorbing part for magnetically adsorbing and holding the sealing plate and the battery can is provided at a position of A sealing mold that seals the lower surface and has an exhaust mechanism, bends the opening of the battery can fitted to the sealing plate inward and seals it through the gasket, and a lower pin that supports the bottom surface of the sealing plate A lower mold, and an upper mold that includes an upper pin that holds the battery can that is in contact with the upper surface of the jig and is incorporated in the hollow portion, and an upper holder that seals the upper surface side of the jig with the upper pin. A flat-type electric device characterized by comprising Of manufacturing equipment.   The flat battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the jig is held by a horizontally movable transfer body disposed between the upper mold and the lower mold.

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