JP6561585B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet-like workpiece.

  As such a technique, as described in Patent Document 1, a conveyance device that conveys an electrode plate for a lead storage battery by a conveyance belt is known. Bar-shaped rollers are provided on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the conveyor belt, and the electrode plate is pressed from above and below by the pair of rollers. Moreover, as described in Patent Document 2, an apparatus that combines a belt conveyor and three types of rolls is known. This apparatus includes a first roll that receives the lower separator band from the separator roll and presses it on the belt conveyor, a second roll that receives the upper separator band from the separator roll and presses it on the belt conveyor, and thermal bonding with an electrode plate interposed therebetween. A third roll that pulls the separator strip in the state is incorporated.

JP-A-5-205731 JP 2007-242507 A

  In the manufacture of a power storage device such as a lithium ion secondary battery, a substantially rectangular positive electrode or negative electrode is cut out from a long strip electrode material and used to manufacture an electrode assembly. When the cut out positive or negative electrode is an individual piece, the electrode is transferred by, for example, a belt conveyor and transferred to a stacking apparatus for the next process or a container (magazine) for temporarily storing the electrode. Is done. Here, when the conveyance speed is increased in order to increase the production efficiency, the workpiece placed flat on the conveyance surface of the belt conveyor is lifted. When the workpiece is lifted and slipped and the position and orientation of the workpiece on the conveying surface change, stacking at the time of assembling the electrode assembly and accommodation in the container occur.

  An object of this invention is to provide the conveying apparatus which can prevent a workpiece | work from floating from a conveyance surface and can convey a workpiece | work at high speed.

  A conveying apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a conveying apparatus that conveys a sheet-shaped workpiece, and has a conveying surface on which the workpiece is placed, a conveying unit that conveys the workpiece in the conveying direction, and a conveying surface. A plurality of pressing rollers each having a roller body facing each other, and having a plurality of pressing rollers that press the workpiece against the conveying surface at the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body in a workpiece pressing section provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction. The roller main bodies of the first pressing roller are disposed so as to be separated from each other in the conveying direction, and in all the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction in the work pressing section, the roller main body of one pressing roller is closest to the conveying surface. The distance in the conveying direction between the pressing position and the second pressing position where the roller body of the other pressing roller is closest to the conveying surface is greater than the length in the conveying direction of the workpiece. It is smaller.

  According to this conveying apparatus, each of the plurality of pressing rollers presses the workpiece against the conveying surface at the outer peripheral surface of the roller body. In the work pressing section provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction, the distance between the pressing positions (first and second pressing positions) of the two roller bodies adjacent to each other in the conveying direction for all pressing rollers, that is, the interval is It is smaller than the length in the workpiece conveyance direction. Therefore, the work placed and transported on the transport surface is always pressed against the transport surface by any one roller body in the work pressing section. By continuously pressing in this way, the workpiece does not float from the conveyance surface, and slippage and displacement are prevented. Therefore, the workpiece can be conveyed at high speed without causing any trouble in the next process.

  The workpiece has a main body portion and a protruding portion that protrudes from the main body portion and is thinner than the main body portion, and in all the pressing rollers adjacent in the transport direction within the workpiece pressing section, the first pressing position and the second pressing position are provided. The distance in the conveyance direction between the pressing position and the holding position may be smaller than the length of the main body in the conveyance direction. In this case, the relatively thick main body is always pressed against the transport surface by any one of the roller main bodies. Since the main body portion is a portion having a relatively high strength even in the workpiece, the workpiece can be reliably conveyed by being pressed down continuously. This is also advantageous from the viewpoint of further speeding up the work transfer.

  The outer peripheral surface of the roller body can be deformed according to an external force, and a gap smaller than the thickness of the protrusion is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body and the transport surface, or the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body and the transport surface The roller body presses the body when the roller body is at the pressing position closest to the conveyance surface, and presses the protrusion when there is a protrusion at the pressing position. May be. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body is deformed according to an external force (specifically, a reaction force received from the conveying surface side), so that a relatively thick main body portion can be pressed, and a relatively thin protruding portion can be formed. It can also be pressed down. Thus, even if there is a step between the main body portion and the protruding portion, the roller main body can be deformed according to the step and can hold both portions.

  A lifting prevention cover is provided between the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction so as to cover the conveying surface, and the distance between the lifting prevention cover and the conveying surface is larger than the thickness of the workpiece, and the roller body The lift prevention cover has an edge portion located between the outer peripheral surface of the roller body and the conveyance surface. A first inclined surface may be provided that is continuous with the upper surface of the lifting prevention cover and extends along the outer peripheral surface within the range of the thickness of the edge. In this case, the lifting prevention cover covers the work while being separated from the work. When the work is about to lift, the work is prevented from further lifting by hitting the work prevention cover. Therefore, the workpiece is appropriately conveyed. Here, since the first inclined surface continuous to the upper surface is provided at the edge portion of the lifting prevention cover, the edge portion can extend longer than the end portion of the upper surface. Therefore, the workpiece can be prevented from being lifted in a wider range in the transport direction.

  The edge located on the downstream side of the pressing roller in the conveying direction is continuous with the lower surface of the lifting prevention cover, and within the range of the thickness of the edge, moves away from the conveying surface toward the upstream in the conveying direction. A second inclined surface that intersects the inclined surface may be provided. According to the second inclined surface, when the downstream end portion of the workpiece is warped or jumped up, the end portion can be guided to the lower surface side of the lifting prevention cover. Therefore, a situation where the workpiece is caught on the edge of the prevention cover is prevented, and the workpiece is appropriately conveyed.

  According to the present invention, the workpiece can be prevented from floating from the conveyance surface, and the workpiece can be conveyed at high speed without causing any trouble in the next process.

It is a figure which shows typically the lamination apparatus with which the conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of two roller main bodies. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the outer peripheral surface of a roller main body, and a conveyance surface, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state which a protrusion part passes through a pressing position. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the edge part of a lifting prevention cover, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the edge part of the downstream of a main-body part is guided to the lower surface of a lifting prevention cover. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the conveying apparatus of FIG. 6 in the surface perpendicular | vertical to a conveyance surface through a rotating shaft. It is sectional drawing which shows the conveying apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure corresponding to FIG.

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

  With reference to FIG. 1, the lamination apparatus 1 of one Embodiment is demonstrated. The stacking device 1 is a device used in a production line of a power storage device such as a lithium ion secondary battery, and is particularly used in a production line of a power storage device having a stacked electrode assembly. The stacking device 1 performs a part of a manufacturing process of an electrode assembly used in a power storage device, and is configured as a device that stacks electrodes in a predetermined order to form a stacked body.

  The stacking device 1 is a device for stacking the positive electrode 11, the separator 13, and the negative electrode 12 of the power storage device. The electrode assembly of the power storage device includes a positive electrode 11, a negative electrode 12, and a bag-shaped separator 13 disposed between the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12. For example, the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in the separator 13. In a state where the positive electrode 11 is housed in the separator 13, the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12 are alternately stacked via the separator 13. That is, the laminating apparatus 1 alternately stacks negative electrodes 12 and separator-attached positive electrodes 10 that are sheet-like works (sheet-like bodies).

  The positive electrode 11 has a positive electrode active material layer formed on both sides of a rectangular metal foil made of, for example, an aluminum foil. The positive electrode active material layer is formed including a positive electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the positive electrode active material include composite oxide, metallic lithium, and sulfur. The composite oxide includes, for example, at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum and lithium. On one edge of the positive electrode 11, a tab (projection) 11a used for connection with the positive electrode terminal is formed.

  The portion excluding the tab 11 a of the positive electrode 11 is accommodated in a bag-like separator 13. Examples of the material for forming the separator 13 include a porous film made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric made of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), methylcellulose and the like. The tab 11 a of the positive electrode 11 protrudes upward from the upper side of the substantially rectangular separator (main body part) 13. Thus, the positive electrode 11 with a separator is comprised by accommodating the positive electrode 11 in the bag-shaped separator 13. FIG.

  In the positive electrode 10 with a separator, the thickness of the positive electrode active material layer is set to several to 10 times the thickness of the metal foil because it relates to the performance of the battery. Furthermore, since the thickness of the separator 13 is also added at the portion of the separator 13, a step is formed between the separator 13 and the tab 11a. The relatively thick separator 13 portion is hard (that is, the strength is high), and the thin tab 11a portion made only of the metal foil is soft (that is, the strength is low).

  On the other hand, the negative electrode 12 has a negative electrode active material layer formed on both surfaces of a metal foil made of, for example, copper foil. The negative electrode active material layer is formed including a negative electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon such as graphite, highly oriented graphite, mesocarbon microbeads, hard carbon, and soft carbon, alkali metals such as lithium and sodium, metal compounds, SiOx (0.5 ≦ x ≦ 1.5 ) And the like, and boron-added carbon. A tab (projecting portion) 12 a used for connection with the negative electrode terminal is formed at one edge of the negative electrode 12. The tab 12a of the negative electrode 12 protrudes upward from the upper side of the rectangular main body portion 12b on which the negative electrode active material layer is formed. The tab 11a and the tab 12a are formed at positions that do not overlap each other when the positive electrode 11 (that is, the positive electrode 10 with a separator) and the negative electrode 12 are overlapped.

  In the negative electrode 12, for example, the thickness of the negative electrode active material layer is set to several to 10 times the thickness of the metal foil in order to relate to the performance of the battery. Therefore, a step is formed between the main body portion 12b and the tab 12a. The relatively thick main body portion 12b on which the active material layer is formed is hard (that is, the strength is high), and the thin tab portion 12a made of only the metal foil is soft (that is, the strength is low).

  The binder may be a thermoplastic resin such as polyamideimide or polyimide, or may be a polymer resin having an imide bond in the main chain. The solvent may be an organic solvent such as NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone), methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, or water.

  The width in the left-right direction of the bag-shaped separator 13 used in the laminating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is the same as the width of the negative electrode 12. The height L1 of the separator 13 is the same size as the height L2 of the main body 12b of the negative electrode 12. The separator 13 is not limited to a bag shape, and a sheet shape may be used.

  The laminating apparatus 1 includes a conveying device 2 for conveying a positive electrode 10 and a negative electrode 12 with a separator, which are workpieces, and a sliding unit for alternately sliding the positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 with a separator discharged from the conveying unit 20 of the conveying device 2. 3 is provided. Below the sliding portion 3, there is provided a laminated portion (not shown) that receives the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and negative electrode 12 that are guided and dropped by the sliding portion 3 and forms a laminated body of electrodes.

  With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the conveyance apparatus 2 of this embodiment is demonstrated. The conveyance device 2 includes a conveyance unit 20 that alternately conveys the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 in a mixed manner. A positive electrode supply device and a negative electrode supply device (not shown) are arranged on the upstream side of the transport unit 20. The positive electrode supply device and the negative electrode supply device place the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 on the conveyance surface 22 so that the tab 11a and the tab 12a are positioned on the upstream side in the conveyance direction D, respectively.

  The conveyance unit 20 is, for example, a belt conveyor. The conveyance unit 20 includes a belt 21 supported by a plurality of rollers, and a conveyance surface 22 that is formed of a part of the surface of the belt 21 and on which the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 are placed. The conveyance surface 22 extends horizontally. That is, the transport direction D of the transport unit 20 is the horizontal direction. A pair of side plates 24 are provided on the left and right sides of the belt 21. The side plate 24 forms a part of the frame of the transport unit 20. A plurality of rollers that support the belt 21 are attached to the side plate 24. A drive unit 23 is provided on the lower side of the frame. The drive unit 23 causes the belt 21 to travel by rotating the roller. The drive unit 23 also has a function as a control unit, and can change and adjust the traveling speed of the belt 21. The front end of the conveyance surface 22 is an outlet 25 for alternately discharging the conveyed positive electrode 10 with separator and negative electrode 12. The transport direction D of the transport unit 20 is not limited to the horizontal direction. The conveyance direction D may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

  A guide portion 15 made of a pair of left and right plate-shaped members is provided at the inlet portion on the opposite side to the outlet portion 25 in the transport direction D. The guide portion 15 is provided on the transport surface 22 and is a parallel portion 16 that is a pair of plate-like members standing in parallel along the transport direction D, and an upstream side (inlet side) of the parallel portion 16 in the transport direction D. ) And a taper portion 17 which is a pair of plate-like members whose intervals are increased toward the upstream side. The interval between the parallel parts 16 is slightly wider than the width in the left-right direction of the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12. The tapered positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 supplied from the supply device are guided to the center of the conveyance surface 22 in the width direction by the taper portion 17, and the posture of the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12 can be corrected by the parallel portion 16.

  The transport device 2 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of pressing rollers 30 that are provided on the transport surface 22 of the transport unit 20 and press the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12. On the transport surface 22, a work pressing section A for pressing the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 is set in a predetermined range in the transport direction D. In the conveying device 2, the separator-attached positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 is always pressed by the pressing roller 30 in the workpiece pressing section A. Hereinafter, the configuration and arrangement of the pressing roller 30 will be described in detail.

  Each pressing roller 30 has a rotation axis X (see FIG. 3) orthogonal to the transport direction D and parallel to the transport surface 22. Each pressing roller 30 includes a rotation shaft 31 having a rotation axis X, and a cylindrical roller body 32 connected to the rotation shaft 31. The rotary shaft 31 is attached to a mounting shaft 33 provided on the side plate 24 of the belt conveyor via a link plate 34, for example. The link plate 34 can swing with respect to the side plate 24 about the mounting shaft 33. The rotary shaft 31 can move up and down (more specifically, in an arc shape) as the link plate 34 swings. The height of the rotating shaft 31 is movable within a predetermined range.

  An outer peripheral surface 32 a of the roller body 32 faces the conveyance surface 22 and presses the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 on the conveyance surface 22 against the conveyance surface 22. The roller body 32 may be made of, for example, a porous sponge-like material or a foamable material. The roller body 32 is made of resin, for example, and may be made of urethane or tetrafluoroethylene. The roller body 32 may be made of rubber. The roller body 32 is preferably made of a low density and light material. The outer peripheral surface 32a of the roller main body 32 is soft and can be deformed according to an external force. The roller body 32 and the rotating shaft 31 are rotated by an external force (for example, a friction force received from the separator-attached positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12) acting on the outer peripheral surface 32a of the roller body 32. The pressing roller 30 is not provided with a drive source that drives the rotary shaft 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a slight gap g is provided between the outer peripheral surface 32 a of the roller body 32 and the transport surface 22. The gap g is smaller than the thickness of the tab 11a of the positive electrode with separator 10 and smaller than the thickness of the tab 12a of the negative electrode 12. The swing range of the link plate 34 is restricted by, for example, a stopper (not shown). When the link plate 34 swings downward, the stopper is stopped by the stopper, and the rotating shaft 31 and the roller main body 32 stop at a position having a gap g with respect to the conveying surface 22. The rotating shaft 31 presses the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 by the weight of the rotating shaft 31 and the roller body 32. The roller main body 32 can press the separator 13 and the main body portion 12b, and can press the tab 11a and the tab 12a (see FIG. 4B).

  In this way, the roller body 32 that can move up and down presses the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 by its own weight, and the lower movement range is regulated (so that it has a gap g smaller than the thickness of the metal foil). ing. As a result, an appropriate pressing state corresponding to the thickness can be produced even for a stepped workpiece having a thickness of two stages in one sheet. Since the metal foil is thin and soft, the light roller main body 32 is used and pressed by its own weight, so that wrinkles and damage can be prevented in the metal foil, and as a result, the metal foil can be protected. In addition, the roller on the back surface side of the belt 21 is not provided at the position where the pressing roller 30 is provided. Therefore, the belt 21 can be bent somewhat.

  As described above, the roller main body 32 made of a deformable material and the belt 21 that can be bent at a position facing the roller main body 32 are provided. Therefore, the pressing roller 30 presses the positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 with the separator, but does not apply a strong pressing force to the positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 with the separator. At least one of the pressing roller 30 and the conveying surface 22 can be deformed when a certain force or more is applied between the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12. The pressure roller 30 or the conveying surface 22 is deformed, so that a predetermined pressure or more does not act between the separator positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12.

  In other words, the pressing force applied to the separator positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 by the pressing roller 30 may be a very weak force that does not cause the separator positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 to slide against the conveyance surface 22. Strong pinching by the pressing roller 30 is not necessary. The pressing force by the pressing roller 30 is larger than zero, for example, smaller than the pressing pressure when the active material layer is formed. When the roller main body 32 is made of a low-density and light material, the pressing force becomes very small, and the lifting of these can be suitably prevented without hindering the conveyance of the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and negative electrode 12.

  The roller main bodies 32 of the plurality of pressing rollers 30 are spaced apart from each other in the transport direction D. The roller main bodies 32 are arranged, for example, at equal intervals in the work holding section A. The distance between the roller bodies 32 in the conveyance direction D is set small in consideration of the sizes of the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first pressing position P <b> 1 where the roller body 32 (the roller body 32 on the left side in the drawing) of one pressing roller 30 is closest to the conveyance surface 22 and the other pressing body. The roller body 32 (the roller body 32 on the right side in the drawing) of the roller 30 is separated from the second pressing position P2 closest to the transport surface 22 by a distance L3 in the transport direction D. In the case of this embodiment, the position of the pressing position P <b> 1 in the transport direction D is the same as the position of the rotation axis X in one pressing roller 30. The position of the pressing position P <b> 2 in the transport direction D is the same as the position of the rotation axis X in the other pressing roller 30. This distance L3 is smaller than the height L1 of the separator 13 of the positive electrode with a separator 10 (see FIG. 1, the length in the transport direction D). Further, the distance L3 is smaller than the height L2 (see FIG. 1, the length in the transport direction D) of the main body 12b of the negative electrode 12. In the transport device 2, the above positional relationship is established in all the press rollers 30 adjacent in the transport direction D within the work press section A. Accordingly, all the workpieces conveyed by the conveyance unit 20 are always pressed by any one roller main body 32 in the workpiece pressing section A.

  In each pressing roller 30 having the above-described configuration, the roller main body 32 presses the separator 13 or the main body portion 12b when the separator 13 or the main body portion 12b is present at the pressing positions P, P1, and P2. When there are tabs 11a or tabs 12a at the pressing positions P, P1 and P2, the tabs 11a or tabs 12a are pressed.

  Next, a description will be given of a lifting prevention cover 40 that is a lifting prevention mechanism different from the pressing roller 30. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transport device 2 includes a lifting prevention cover 40 provided so as to cover the transport surface 22 between the pressing rollers 30 adjacent in the transport direction D. The lifting prevention cover 40 is made of, for example, a single transparent resin plate, and is fixed on the side plate 24 of the transport unit 20. The lifting prevention cover 40 is provided with a plurality of rectangular openings 41 corresponding to the number of roller bodies 32. The lower part of the roller body 32 enters each opening 41. A lower portion of the roller body 32 is disposed in the opening 41.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting prevention cover 40 is provided away from the transport surface 22 in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface 22. In other words, the lifting prevention cover 40 is parallel to the transport surface 22. The distance between the lifting prevention cover 40 (the lower surface 40 b) and the conveying surface 22 is larger than the thickness of the positive electrode with a separator 10 and larger than the thickness of the negative electrode 12. The distance between the lift prevention cover 40 and the conveyance surface 22 is smaller than the distance between the rotation axis X of the roller body 32 and the conveyance surface 22. The distance between the lifting prevention cover 40 and the conveyance surface 22 is, for example, about 1 to 2 mm.

  When the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 are conveyed, the lifting prevention cover 40 covers the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12. When the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 have flat shapes and are not deformed such as warping, the lifting prevention cover 40 does not contact the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12. If the positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 with a separator is deformed such as a warp or the upper end or the lower end in the transport direction D is lifted, the lifting prevention cover 40 can contact the positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 with a separator. In that case, the lifting prevention cover 40 prevents further lifting of the positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 with separator, and guides the positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 with separator to the downstream side in the transport direction D.

  The lifting prevention cover 40 has an edge 43 that surrounds the opening 41. The edge 43 is slightly separated from the lower part of the roller body 32 in the transport direction D, and faces the outer peripheral surface 32a of the lower part. The edge portion 43 is continuous with the upper surface 40a of the anti-lifting cover 40 at the edge portion 43 located between the outer peripheral surface 32a of the lower portion of the roller body 32 and the conveying surface 22, and has a thickness of the edge portion 43. Within the range, the 1st inclined surface 44 extended along the outer peripheral surface 32a is provided. The first inclined surface 44 is provided so as to be along a portion facing obliquely below the outer peripheral surface 32a. The line of intersection between the first inclined surface 44 and the lower surface 40b (the portion that bends at an acute angle) is the pressing position P in the transport direction D than the line of intersection between the first inclined surface 44 and the upper surface 40a (the portion that bends at an obtuse angle). Is close to. That is, in the transport direction D, the lower surface 40b is longer than the upper surface 40a.

  According to the transport device 2 of the present embodiment, the plurality of pressing rollers 30 press the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 against the transport surface 22 at the outer peripheral surface 32a of the roller body 32, respectively. In the work pressing section A provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction D, the pressing positions (first and second pressing positions P1, P2) of the two roller bodies 32 adjacent in the conveying direction D with respect to all the pressing rollers 30. ) Is smaller than the height L1 of the separator 13 and the height L2 of the main body 12b. Accordingly, the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 that are placed and conveyed on the conveyance surface 22 are always pressed against the conveyance surface 22 by any one roller body 32 in the work pressing section A. By continuously pressing in this way, the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12 do not float from the conveying surface, and slippage and misalignment are prevented. Therefore, the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 can be conveyed at high speed without causing any trouble in the next process.

  Moreover, the relatively thick separator 13 and the main body portion 12b among the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 are always pressed against the transport surface 22 by any one roller main body 32 (see FIG. 3). Since the separator 13 and the main body part 12b are relatively high strength parts, the separator 13 and the main body part 12b are continuously pressed, so that the positive electrode 10 with the separator and the negative electrode 12 can be reliably conveyed. This is also advantageous from the viewpoint of further speeding up the transport of the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12.

  Further, when the roller body 32 has the separator 13 or the main body portion 12b at the pressing position P, the roller main body 32 presses the separator 13 or the main body portion 12b, and when the tab 11a or the tab 12a exists at the pressing position P, These tabs 11a or tabs 12a are pressed (see FIG. 4B). In this case, the outer peripheral surface 32a of the roller main body 32 is deformed according to an external force (specifically, a reaction force received from the conveying surface 22 side), so that the relatively thick separator 13 and the main body portion 12b can be pressed. The relatively thin tab 11a and tab 12a can also be pressed. Thus, even if there is a step between the separator 13 and the tab 11a and between the main body 12b and the tab 12a, the roller main body 32 can be deformed according to the step and can hold both portions.

  The lifting prevention cover 40 covers the positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 with the separator while being separated from the positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 with the separator. When the positive electrode with a separator 10 or the negative electrode 12 is about to float, the positive electrode with a separator 10 or the negative electrode 12 comes into contact with the lifting prevention cover 40, thereby preventing further lifting. Therefore, the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 are appropriately conveyed. Moreover, since the edge 43 of the anti-lifting cover 40 is provided with the first inclined surface 44 that is continuous with the upper surface 40a, the edge 43 can extend longer than the end of the upper surface 40a. The lower surface 40b can be lengthened. Therefore, the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 can be prevented from floating in a wider range in the transport direction D.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a modified example of the lifting prevention cover will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, a lifting prevention cover 40 </ b> A including another edge 43 </ b> A located on the downstream side of the roller body 32 in the transport direction D may be employed. The shape of the edge 43A is different from the shape of the edge 43 described above. Specifically, the edge 43A is connected to the lower surface 40b of the anti-lifting cover 40A, and the second slope that moves away from the conveyance surface 22 toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction D within the thickness range of the edge 43A. A surface 46 is provided. The second inclined surface 46 intersects the first inclined surface 44 within the range of the thickness of the edge portion 43A. According to the second inclined surface 46, when the downstream end of the separator-attached positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 is warped or jumped up (see, for example, the lower end 13b shown in FIG. 5A), The said edge part can be guided to the lower surface 40b side of 40 A of lifting prevention covers (refer FIG.5 (b)). In other words, the second inclined surface 46 invites the end portion of the deformed workpiece to the lower surface 40 b of the lifting prevention cover 40. Accordingly, the positive electrode 10 with separator or the negative electrode 12 is prevented from being caught on the edge 43A of the prevention cover 40, and the positive electrode 10 with separator and the negative electrode 12 can be appropriately conveyed at high speed.

  Next, a transport device 2B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The difference between the conveying device 2B and the conveying device 2 of the first embodiment is that a pressing roller 30B having a spring 36 provided between the rotating shaft 31 and the side plate 24 is used instead of the pressing roller 30. . The spring 36 is, for example, a tension coil spring, and an upper end thereof is attached to the rotation shaft 31 and a lower end thereof is attached to the attachment shaft 33. The rotating shaft 31 and the roller body 32 are urged toward the conveying surface 22 by the spring 36. According to the pressing roller 30B, the pressing force against the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 can be adjusted by appropriately setting the weight of the roller body 32 and the spring coefficient of the spring 36.

  Then, with reference to FIG. 8, 2 C of conveying apparatuses which concern on 3rd Embodiment are demonstrated. The difference between the conveying device 2C and the conveying device 2B of the second embodiment is that instead of the pressing roller 30B having the spring 36, a pressing roller 30C having a spring 39 for biasing the rotating shaft 31 and the roller body 32 from above is used. It was a point. The pressing roller 30 </ b> C includes an upper support portion 37 that is fixed on the side plate 24, a shaft holding portion 38 that hangs down from the upper support portion 37, and a spring that is housed in the shaft holding portion 38 and biases the rotating shaft 31 downward. 39. The shaft holding portion 38 holds the rotary shaft 31 by a U-shaped recess formed at the lower end. The spring 39 is, for example, a compression coil spring, and its upper end is in contact with the back surface of the top plate of the upper support portion 37 and its lower end is in contact with the rotating shaft 31. According to the pressing roller 30 </ b> C, the pressing force against the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 can be adjusted by appropriately setting the weight of the roller body 32 and the spring coefficient of the spring 39. In all pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction within the workpiece pressing section, the distance in the conveying direction between the first pressing position and the second pressing position is smaller than the length of the main body portion in the conveying direction. Also good.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The distance L3 between the roller bodies 32, 32 is greater than the height L1 of the separator 13 of the positive electrode with separator 10 (see FIG. 1; length in the transport direction D) and smaller than the overall height of the positive electrode with separator 10. Good. The distance L3 may be larger than the height L2 of the main body 12b of the negative electrode 12 (see FIG. 1; the length in the transport direction D) and smaller than the overall height of the negative electrode 12. In this case, since at least one roller main body 32 is always in contact with the positive electrode 10 or the negative electrode 12 with a separator, the positive electrode 10 with a separator and the negative electrode 12 are prevented from rising.

  The height L1 of the separator 13 and the height L2 of the main body 12b may be different. In this case, the distance L3 between the roller bodies 32 and 32 may be made smaller than the smaller one of the heights L1 and L2. In addition, when the conveyance part 20 conveys only one kind of workpiece | work, what is necessary is just to set the distance L3 between the roller main bodies 32 and 32 according to the length of the said workpiece | work of the said conveyance object.

  When the uncoated portion and the coated portion are provided on the rectangular main body portions of the positive electrode 11 and the negative electrode 12, the distance L3 between the roller main bodies 32 and 32 is smaller than the length of the coated portion in the transport direction D. May be. In this case, since at least one roller main body 32 is always in contact with the coating portion having a thickness and strength, it is effective for protecting the positive electrode with separator 10 and the negative electrode 12.

  In addition, the gap g may not be provided between the outer peripheral surface 32 a of the roller body 32 and the transport surface 22. That is, the outer peripheral surface 32a of the roller body 32 and the transport surface 22 may be in contact with each other. Even in this case, when the separator 13 or the main body 12b is present at the pressing position P, the outer peripheral surface 32a is deformed (for example, bent), and when the tab 11a or the tab 12a is present at the pressing position P, the outer peripheral surface 32a is slightly Transforms into

  The height of the rotating shaft 31 is not limited to being movable, and the height of the rotating shaft 31 may be fixed. The rotation axis X of the rotation shaft 31 may not be orthogonal to the conveyance direction D, and may intersect the conveyance direction D at an angle other than 90 degrees. The pressing roller 30 may be provided with a drive source that drives the rotary shaft 31. In that case, the rotational speed of the rotating shaft 31 may be set so that the peripheral speed of the outer peripheral surface 32 a of the roller body 32 is synchronized with the speed of the belt 21 in the transport direction D.

  The work holding section A does not need to be provided over the entire length of the transfer surface 22 and may be provided in a part of the transfer surface 22 in the transfer direction D. The work holding section A may be provided in a plurality of divided portions on the conveyance surface 22.

  In the above embodiment, the transport unit 20 is exemplified by a belt conveyor, but is not particularly limited, and may be a pallet transport method in which the transport unit 20 is transported on a circulation path by a timing belt or a chain.

  The guide portion 15 is a plate-like member erected along the transport direction D, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the separator-attached positive electrode 10 and the negative electrode 12 are supplied so as to fall from vertically above, the longitudinal direction of the guide portion may be arranged to extend vertically upward.

  The distance between the lifting prevention cover 40 and the conveyance surface 22 is set to be smaller than the distance between the rotation axis X of the roller body 32 and the conveyance surface 22, but is not limited thereto. When a roller having a very small roller diameter is used, the distance between the anti-lifting cover and the conveying surface may be larger than the distance between the rotation axis X of the roller body and the conveying surface.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Laminating apparatus, 2, 2B, 2C ... Conveying device, 10 ... Positive electrode (workpiece) with separator, 11 ... Positive electrode, 11a ... Tab (projection part), 12 ... Negative electrode (workpiece), 12a ... Tab (projection part), 12b ... Main body part, 13 ... Separator (main body part), 20 ... Conveying part, 22 ... Conveying surface, 30 ... Pressing roller, 31 ... Rotating shaft, 32 ... Roller body, 32a ... Outer peripheral surface, 40 ... Floating prevention cover, 40a ... upper surface, 40b ... lower surface, 43, 43A ... edge, 44 ... first inclined surface, 46 ... second inclined surface, A ... holding section, D ... transport direction, g ... gap, L1, L2 ... height (Length in the conveyance direction of the workpiece), L3 ... distance (distance between pressing positions), P ... pressing position, P1 ... pressing position (first pressing position), P2 ... pressing position (second pressing position), X: rotation axis.

Claims (5)

A transport device for transporting a sheet-shaped workpiece, wherein the workpiece is an electrode having a portion in which an active material layer is formed on both surfaces of a metal foil, and a portion consisting only of the metal foil,
A transport unit having a transport surface on which the work is placed, and transporting the work in a transport direction;
A plurality of pressing rollers each having a roller main body facing the conveying surface and pressing the workpiece against the conveying surface at an outer peripheral surface of the roller main body in a workpiece pressing section provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction; With
The roller bodies of the plurality of pressing rollers are arranged apart from each other in the transport direction,
In all the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction in the workpiece pressing section, the first pressing position where the roller body of one pressing roller is closest to the conveying surface and the first pressing position of the other pressing roller. The distance in the conveyance direction between the roller body and the second pressing position closest to the conveyance surface is smaller than the length in the conveyance direction of the portion where the active material layer is formed. . A conveying device that conveys a sheet-like workpiece, the workpiece having a main body portion and a protruding portion that protrudes from the main body portion and is thinner than the main body portion,
A transport unit having a transport surface on which the work is placed, and transporting the work in a transport direction;
A plurality of pressing rollers each having a roller main body facing the conveying surface and pressing the workpiece against the conveying surface at an outer peripheral surface of the roller main body in a workpiece pressing section provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction; With
The roller bodies of the plurality of pressing rollers are arranged to be separated from each other in the transport direction, and are configured to press the workpiece by the weight of the roller bodies.
In all the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction in the workpiece pressing section, the first pressing position where the roller body of one pressing roller is closest to the conveying surface and the first pressing position of the other pressing roller. The transport device in which the distance in the transport direction between the roller body and the second pressing position closest to the transport surface is smaller than the length of the main body in the transport direction. A conveying device that conveys a sheet-like workpiece, the workpiece having a main body portion and a protruding portion that protrudes from the main body portion and is thinner than the main body portion,
A transport unit having a transport surface on which the work is placed, and transporting the work in a transport direction;
A plurality of pressing rollers each having a roller main body facing the conveying surface and pressing the workpiece against the conveying surface at an outer peripheral surface of the roller main body in a workpiece pressing section provided in a predetermined range in the conveying direction; ,
A back side roller provided on the back side opposite to the transport surface and disposed at a position different from the position in the transport direction in which the pressing roller is disposed,
The roller bodies of the plurality of pressing rollers are spaced apart from each other in the transport direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the roller body can be deformed according to an external force, and the outer peripheral surface of the roller body A gap smaller than the thickness of the protruding portion is provided between the conveyance surface,
In all the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction in the workpiece pressing section, the first pressing position where the roller body of one pressing roller is closest to the conveying surface and the first pressing position of the other pressing roller. The distance in the conveyance direction between the roller main body and the second pressing position closest to the conveyance surface is smaller than the length of the main body in the conveyance direction,
The roller body presses the main body portion when the roller main body is at a pressing position closest to the transport surface, and presses the protruding portion when the protruding portion is at the pressing position. , Conveying device. Between the pressing rollers adjacent to each other in the transport direction, a lift prevention cover provided to cover the transport surface is provided,
The distance between the lifting prevention cover and the transport surface is larger than the thickness of the workpiece, and smaller than the distance between the rotation axis of the roller body and the transport surface,
The lifting prevention cover has an edge portion located between the outer peripheral surface of the roller body and the transport surface, and the edge portion is continuous with the upper surface of the lifting prevention cover, and the edge portion The conveying apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 in which the 1st inclined surface extended along the said outer peripheral surface is provided in the range of thickness of.   The edge located on the downstream side of the pressing roller in the transport direction is continuous with the lower surface of the lifting prevention cover, and the transport proceeds toward the upstream in the transport direction within the range of the thickness of the edge. The conveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a second inclined surface that is away from the surface and intersects with the first inclined surface is provided.

Images