JP6737172B2 - Electrode inspection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrode inspection device.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as an electrode inspection device for inspecting an electrode, one shown in Patent Document 1 is known. This electrode inspection device includes an adsorption conveyor that adsorbs and conveys the electrode, and an inspection unit that inspects the surface of the electrode conveyed by the adsorption conveyor.

JP2012-160352A

Here, when inspecting the electrodes, it may be required to inspect both surfaces. As a method of inspecting both surfaces of the electrode in this way, there is a method of inspecting one surface from the upper side of the conveyed electrode, and then turning over the electrode and inspecting the other surface. However, when such a method is adopted, there is a problem that a mechanism for turning over is required, and the device becomes large in size. Moreover, there is a possibility that powder may fall off when the electrode is turned over, and it is necessary to take measures against the powder falloff. From the above, it has been required to easily inspect both surfaces of the electrode.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode inspection device that can easily inspect both surfaces of an electrode.

An electrode inspection apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an electrode inspection apparatus that inspects an electrode, the electrode being adsorbed from below and being conveyed by a first adsorption conveyor that conveys the electrode and a first adsorption conveyor. A first inspecting unit for inspecting the electrode from above, a second adsorption conveyor for adsorbing the electrode from above and conveying the electrode, and a second inspection unit for inspecting the electrode conveyed by the second adsorption conveyor from below. The second inspection unit, and a cleaner provided on at least one of the first suction conveyor and the second suction conveyor to remove foreign matter from the surface of the electrode.

In such an electrode inspection device, the first inspection section inspects one surface of the electrode (the upper surface of the electrode in the posture) by adsorbing and conveying the electrode from the lower side by the first suction conveyor. You can On the other hand, when the second suction conveyor sucks and conveys the electrode from above, the second inspection unit can inspect the other surface of the electrode (the lower surface of the electrode in the posture). In this way, both sides of the electrode can be inspected even when the orientation is maintained without turning the electrode over. Further, since the cleaner is provided on at least one of the first suction conveyor and the second suction conveyor, it is possible to remove foreign matter from the surface of the electrode to facilitate the inspection and then perform the inspection. From the above, both surfaces of the electrode can be easily inspected.

The electrode inspection device may further include a discard box that is provided at an intermediate position of the second suction conveyor and discards the electrodes. As a result, it is possible to discard the electrode, which is determined to be unsuccessful as a result of the inspection, in the discard box. Here, since the second adsorption conveyor adsorbs the electrodes from the upper side, the electrodes can be discarded in the disposal box by dropping the electrodes from the second adsorption conveyor.

The electrode inspection device may further include a dropping mechanism that drops the electrode into the waste box by applying a force from the upper side to the electrode conveyed by the second suction conveyor. With such a configuration, the electrode can be dropped into the waste box without stopping the suction of the second suction conveyor.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily inspect both surfaces of the electrode.

It is sectional drawing which shows the inside of the electrical storage apparatus manufactured by applying the electrode inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows the electrode inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows an example of the throwing-in mechanism to a waste box. It is a schematic side view which shows the other example of the input mechanism to a waste box. It is the figure which looked at the injection|pouring mechanism shown in FIG. 5 from the lower side. It is a schematic side view which shows the other example of the input mechanism to a waste box.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a power storage device manufactured by applying an electrode inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 and 2, the power storage device 1 is a lithium-ion secondary battery having a laminated electrode assembly.

The power storage device 1 includes a case 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, and an electrode assembly 3 housed in the case 2. The case 2 is made of metal such as aluminum. Although not shown, for example, a non-aqueous (organic solvent) electrolytic solution is injected into the case 2. On the case 2, the positive electrode terminal 4 and the negative electrode terminal 5 are arranged apart from each other. The positive electrode terminal 4 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 6, and the negative electrode terminal 5 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 7. Although not shown, an insulating film is arranged between the electrode assembly 3 and the inner side surface and bottom surface of the case 2, and the insulating film insulates the case 2 and the electrode assembly 3 from each other. There is. In FIG. 1, for the sake of convenience, a slight gap is provided between the lower end of the electrode assembly 3 and the bottom surface of the case 2, but in reality, the lower end of the electrode assembly 3 is inside the case 2 via an insulating film. Touches the bottom of the. A gap may be formed between the electrode assembly 3 and the case 2 by disposing a spacer between the electrode assembly 3 and the case 2.

The electrode assembly 3 has a structure in which a plurality of positive electrodes 8 and a plurality of negative electrodes 9 are alternately stacked with a bag-shaped separator 10 interposed therebetween. The positive electrode 8 is wrapped in a bag-shaped separator 10. The positive electrode 8 wrapped in the bag-shaped separator 10 is configured as a positive electrode 11 with a separator. Therefore, the electrode assembly 3 has a structure in which a plurality of positive electrodes 11 with separators and a plurality of negative electrodes 9 are alternately stacked. The electrodes located at both ends of the electrode assembly 3 are the negative electrodes 9.

The positive electrode 8 has a metal foil 14 which is a positive electrode current collector made of, for example, an aluminum foil, and a positive electrode active material layer 15 formed on both surfaces of the metal foil 14. The metal foil 14 has a foil main body 14a having a rectangular shape in a plan view and a tab 14b integrated with the foil main body 14a. The tab 14b projects from an edge near one end of the foil body 14a in the longitudinal direction. Then, the tab 14b penetrates the separator 10. The plurality of tabs 14 b extending from the plurality of positive electrodes 8 are connected (welded) to the conductive member 12 in a foil-collected state, and are connected to the positive electrode terminal 4 via the conductive member 12. Note that the tab 14b is omitted in FIG. 2 for convenience.

The positive electrode active material layer 15 is formed on both front and back surfaces of the foil body 14a. The positive electrode active material layer 15 is a porous layer including a positive electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the positive electrode active material include complex oxides, metallic lithium, sulfur and the like. The composite oxide contains, for example, at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum and lithium.

The negative electrode 9 has a metal foil 16 which is a negative electrode current collector made of, for example, a copper foil, and negative electrode active material layers 17 formed on both surfaces of the metal foil 16. The metal foil 16 has a foil main body 16a having a rectangular shape in plan view and a tab 16b integrated with the foil main body 16a. The tab 16b projects from an edge near one end of the foil body 16a in the longitudinal direction. The tab 16b is connected to the negative electrode terminal 5 via the conductive member 13. Note that the tab 16b is omitted in FIG. 2 for convenience.

The negative electrode active material layer 17 is formed on both front and back surfaces of the foil body 16a. The negative electrode active material layer 17 is a porous layer formed by including a negative electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the negative electrode active material include graphite, highly oriented graphite, mesocarbon microbeads, carbon such as hard carbon and soft carbon, alkali metals such as lithium and sodium, metal compounds, SiOx (0.5≦x≦1.5). ) And other metal oxides or boron-added carbon.

The separator 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view. Examples of the material for forming the separator 10 include a porous film made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), or a woven or non-woven fabric made of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), methyl cellulose or the like. ..

In the case of manufacturing the electricity storage device 1 configured as described above, first, the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 are manufactured, and then the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 are alternately laminated to form the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 The electrode assembly 3 is obtained by fixing. Then, the tab 14b of the separator-attached positive electrode 11 is connected to the positive electrode terminal 4 via the conductive member 12, and the tab 16b of the negative electrode 9 is connected to the negative electrode terminal 5 via the conductive member 13, and then the electrode assembly 3 is cased. Accommodated in 2

Next, the electrode inspection device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the electrode inspection device 100. In the following description, the target object to be transported may be the positive electrode 8 or the negative electrode 9. Therefore, the object to be conveyed will be referred to as the electrode 20 for description, assuming that both electrodes can be included. The electrode inspection apparatus 100 is an apparatus for inspecting the electrode 20 after the cutting after cutting the electrode 20 and aligning the electrodes 20 for a later process. In the present embodiment, the electrode inspection device 100 is arranged on the downstream side of the cutting device 200 that cuts the electrode 20. The electrode 20 that has been inspected by the electrode inspection apparatus 100 is conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 110 and is supplied to a predetermined processing apparatus 120. The transport conveyor 110 includes crosspieces 111 provided on the belt at a predetermined pitch, and conveys the electrodes 20 to the processing device 120 with the electrodes 20 positioned by the crosspieces 111. When the electrode 20 is the positive electrode 8, the processing device 120 is a device that performs a process of wrapping the positive electrode 8 with the separator 10.

The cutting device 200 is a device that obtains a plurality of electrodes 20 by cutting a part of the strip-shaped member 250 into the shape of the electrodes 20. The cutting device 200 includes a nip unit 201 configured by a pair of nip rolls that unwinds the belt-shaped member 250, a die cutting unit 202 that cuts the electrode 20 from the belt-shaped member 250, and a cleaning head 203 provided on a roller 202A above the die cutting unit 202. And a take-up roller 204 for taking up the band-shaped member 250 after cutting. The die cutting unit 202 is a rotary die cutting type cutting device, and the upper roller 202A is provided with an etching blade and a sponge. The cutting mode of the cutting device 200 is not particularly limited, and the electrode 20 may be punched by a laser.

The electrode inspection device 100 includes a first suction conveyor 30, a first cleaner 40, a first inspection unit 50, a second suction conveyor 60, a second cleaner 70, and a second inspection unit 80. And a discard box 90. In the following description, the direction in which the electrode inspection device 100 conveys the electrode 20, that is, the direction from the cutting device 200 to the conveyer 110 is referred to as “conveyance direction D1”.

The first adsorption conveyor 30 adsorbs the electrode 20 from below and conveys the electrode 20. The first suction conveyor 30 extends from the position of the die cutting unit 202 of the cutting device 200 along the transport direction D1. The first adsorption conveyor 30 places the cut electrode 20 on the upper surface 30a. In addition, the first suction conveyor 30 can suck the electrode 20 that is in contact with the upper surface 30a by sucking from the back side of the upper surface 30a with a suction device. The first suction conveyor 30 conveys the electrode 20 in the conveyance direction D1 with the upper surface 30a thereof being adsorbed.

The first cleaner 40 is provided on the first suction conveyor 30 and removes foreign matter from the surface of the electrode 20 conveyed by the first suction conveyor 30. The first cleaner 40 is arranged at a position facing the upper surface 30 a of the first suction conveyor 30 on the upper side. As a result, the first cleaner 40 can suck the upper surface of the electrode 20 placed on the upper surface 30a and remove the foreign matter attached to the surface of the electrode 20. The first cleaner 40 can remove foreign matter from the surface of the electrode 20 in a non-contact manner.

The 1st inspection part 50 inspects the electrode 20 conveyed by the 1st adsorption conveyor 30 from the upper side. The first inspection unit 50 is arranged at a position on the downstream side of the first cleaner 40 and at a position facing the upper surface 30 a of the first suction conveyor 30 on the upper side. In addition, the first inspection unit 50 has a configuration in which the electrode 20 placed on the upper surface 30a of the first suction conveyor 30 is imaged from above and the data acquired by the imaging is transmitted to a control device (not shown). ing. A control device (not shown) performs image processing on the imaged data and inspects the posture and shape of the electrode 20, the peeling of the active material, and the presence or absence of defective states such as holes.

The second adsorption conveyor 60 adsorbs the electrode 20 from above and conveys the electrode 20. The second suction conveyor 60 extends along the transport direction D1 from a position facing the downstream end of the first suction conveyor 30. The second suction conveyor 60 sucks the electrode 20 conveyed by the first suction conveyor 30 onto the lower surface 60a. The second suction conveyor 60 can suck the electrode 20 that is in contact with the lower surface 60a by sucking from the back side of the lower surface 60a with a suction device. The second adsorption conveyor 60 conveys the electrode 20 in the conveyance direction D1 with the lower surface 60a adsorbed thereto.

The lower surface 60a near the upstream end of the second suction conveyor 60 and the upper surface 30a near the downstream end of the first suction conveyor 30 face each other in the vertical direction. In such a facing portion 65, the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 and the upper surface 30a of the first suction conveyor 30 are separated from each other with a gap in which the electrode 20 can enter. As a result, the electrode 20 transported to the vicinity of the downstream end of the first suction conveyor 30 comes into contact with the lower surface 60a near the upstream end of the second suction conveyor 60. In the facing portion 65, the suction on the upper surface 30a of the first suction conveyor 30 is released, and the suction on the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 is performed. Therefore, the electrode 20 is transferred from the first suction conveyor 30 to the second suction conveyor 60.

The lower surface 60a near the downstream end of the second suction conveyor 60 and the upper surface 110a near the upstream end of the transport conveyor 110 face each other in the vertical direction. In such a facing portion 66, the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 and the upper surface 110a of the transfer conveyor 110 are separated from each other with a gap in which the electrode 20 enters. At the facing portion 66, the suction on the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 is released, so that the electrode 20 drops onto the upper surface 110a of the transport conveyor 110. Therefore, the electrode 20 is transferred from the second suction conveyor 60 to the transfer conveyor 110.

The second cleaner 70 is provided on the second suction conveyor 60, and removes foreign matter from the surface of the electrode 20 conveyed by the second suction conveyor 60. The second cleaner 70 is arranged at a position facing the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 on the upper side. As a result, the second cleaner 70 can suck the lower surface of the electrode 20 placed on the lower surface 60a and remove the foreign matter attached to the surface of the electrode 20. The second cleaner 70 can remove foreign matter from the surface of the electrode 20 in a non-contact manner.

The second inspection unit 80 inspects the electrode 20 conveyed by the second suction conveyor 60 from below. The second inspection unit 80 is arranged at a position on the downstream side of the second cleaner 70 and at a position facing the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 on the lower side. In addition, the second inspection unit 80 has a configuration in which the electrode 20 placed on the lower surface 60a of the second suction conveyor 60 is imaged from below and the data acquired by the imaging is transmitted to a control device (not shown). ing. A control device (not shown) performs image processing on the imaged data and inspects the posture and shape of the electrode 20, the peeling of the active material, and the presence or absence of defective states such as holes.

The discard box 90 is provided at a midway position of the second suction conveyor 60, and discards the electrode 20 determined to be unacceptable by at least one of the first inspection unit 50 and the second inspection unit 80. The discard box 90 is provided on the downstream side of the second inspection unit 80. By applying a force from the upper side to the electrode 20 conveyed by the second suction conveyor 60, only the electrode 20 determined to be unacceptable is dropped into the discard box 90. On the other hand, since no force is applied from above to the electrode 20 determined to pass, it passes through the position of the discard box 90 and is transferred to the transfer conveyor 110.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a charging mechanism 260 for selectively charging the electrode 20 determined to be rejected into the discard box 90 will be described. In the loading mechanism 260, the second suction conveyor 60 is divided in the transport direction D1. Specifically, the second suction conveyor 60 is divided into an upstream conveyor 60A and a downstream conveyor 60B. Further, the downstream end 60Aa of the conveyor 60A and the upstream end 60Ba of the conveyor 60B face each other with a space therebetween in the transport direction D1. The charging mechanism 260 includes the waste air nozzle 140 between the downstream end 60Aa of the conveyor 60A and the upstream end 60Ba of the conveyor 60B. The waste air nozzle 140 functions as a dropping mechanism that applies downward force to the electrode 20 passing between the conveyor 60A and the conveyor 60B by blowing air from above. As a result, the electrode 20 is peeled off from the second suction conveyor 60, falls, and is thrown into the waste box 90. Since the electrode 20 drops while being transported in the transport direction D1, the electrode 20 moves toward the transport direction D1 side even during the fall. Therefore, the waste box 90 is arranged downstream of the waste air nozzle 140 in the transport direction D1. The waste air nozzle 140 is in a state of blowing air when the electrode 20 determined to be non-passing passes and is stopped without blowing air when the electrode 20 determined to pass is passing.

A suction device 62 is provided inside the belts of the conveyors 60A and 60B. Of the conveyors 60A and 60B, the area where the suction device 62 is provided is the adsorption area 61 where the electrode 20 can be adsorbed. Therefore, since the suction device 62 cannot be provided in the region near the downstream end 60Aa of the conveyor 60A and the upstream end 60Ba of the conveyor 60B, the attraction force to the electrode 20 cannot be generated. Therefore, the support air nozzles 130A and 130B are provided so that the electrode 20 determined as a passing product does not drop near the downstream end 60Aa of the conveyor 60A and the upstream end 60Ba of the conveyor 60B. The air nozzle 130A blows air from the lower side toward the downstream end portion 60Aa of the conveyor 60A. The air nozzle 130B blows air from the lower side toward the vicinity of the upstream end portion 60Ba of the conveyor 60B.

Next, another loading mechanism 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. When the charging mechanism 300 is adopted, the second suction conveyor 60 is divided into a plurality of conveyors in the width direction. Here, the second suction conveyor 60 is divided into a conveyor 60C, a conveyor 60D, and a conveyor 60E in the width direction. The conveyor 60C, the conveyor 60D, and the conveyor 60E are separated from each other in the width direction. Waste air nozzles 150 are provided between the conveyors 60C and 60D and between the conveyors 60D and 60E. The waste air nozzle 150 functions as a dropping mechanism that applies downward force to the electrode 20 by blowing air from above. As a result, the electrode 20 is peeled off from the second suction conveyor 60, falls, and is thrown into the waste box 90.

Next, operations and effects of the electrode inspection device 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

In the electrode inspection device 100 according to the present embodiment, the first inspection section 50 sucks and conveys the electrode 20 from the lower side by the first adsorption conveyer 30, so that the first inspection unit 50 causes one surface of the electrode 20 (electrode The upper surface of) can be inspected. On the other hand, by sucking and transporting the electrode 20 from the upper side by the second suction conveyor 60, the second inspection unit 80 can inspect the other surface of the electrode 20 (the lower surface of the electrode in the posture). In this way, both sides of the electrode 20 can be inspected even when the orientation is maintained without turning the electrode 20 over. Moreover, since the cleaners 40 and 70 are provided on the first suction conveyor 30 and the second suction conveyor 60, respectively, foreign matter is removed from the surface of the electrode 20 to facilitate the inspection, and then the inspection is performed. You can From the above, both surfaces of the electrode 20 can be easily inspected.

The electrode inspection device 100 further includes a discard box 90 disposed in the middle of the second suction conveyor 60 and discarding the electrode 20. Thereby, as a result of the inspection, the electrode 20 determined to be rejected can be discarded in the discard box 90. Here, since the second adsorption conveyor 60 adsorbs the electrode 20 from above, it is possible to discard the electrode 20 into the disposal box 90 by dropping the electrode 20 from the second adsorption conveyor 60. it can.

The electrode inspection device 100 includes a drop mechanism (waste air nozzles 140, 150) for dropping the electrode 20 into the waste box 90 by applying a force from the upper side to the electrode 20 conveyed by the second suction conveyor 60. Further prepare. With such a configuration, the electrode 20 can be dropped into the waste box 90 without stopping the suction of the second suction conveyor 60.

Further, as described above, both sides of the electrode 20 can be inspected without turning over, so that powder drop that occurs when turning over the electrodes can be prevented, so that the yield is improved, the electrode capacitance is improved, and the safety is improved. You can also Further, since the inspection can be easily performed as described above, it is possible to obtain the effects of improving the acceleration of the electrode transportation, reducing the equipment cost, and shortening the equipment length.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cleaners are provided on both the first suction conveyor 30 and the second suction conveyor 60, but they may be provided on at least one. For example, due to the manner of cutting by the cutting device 200 or the difference between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, foreign matter is more likely to adhere to the other surface than to the one surface of the electrode 20, and the foreign matter may adhere to the other surface. It may be difficult to adhere. In such a case, it may be provided on either the first suction conveyor 30 or the second suction conveyor 60.

Further, the arrangement of the components shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the arrangement may be changed as long as there is no functional problem. For example, the second suction conveyor 60 may be arranged on the upstream side of the first suction conveyor 30.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the dropping mechanism is the air nozzle, but other configurations may be used. The configuration of the second suction conveyor 60 of the above-described embodiment will be described in detail below. The second suction conveyer 60 includes a frame as a conveyer, an endless conveyer belt 161 for conveying the electrodes 20, a drive roller and a driven roller arranged at both ends of the frame, and rotatably supporting the conveyer belt 161. It has a basic structure as a conveyor such as a roller 162. In addition to this, in order to adsorb the electrode 20, a large number of small-diameter suction holes penetrating the conveyor belt and a suction box 163 arranged inside the conveyor belt and having an opening on the conveyor surface side are provided. The suction box 163 is connected to a vacuum pump or a blower separately arranged outside by a pipe line to suck air through the suction holes and openings and allow the electrode 20 to be sucked on the transfer surface side. Here, with respect to the above-described configuration, it is possible to arrange a plurality of suction boxes 163 in series inside one conveyor belt 161, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. The electrodes 20 can be dropped into the waste box 90 by individually providing a pipe line for sucking air from each suction box and turning off the negative pressure only in the suction box 163 before the waste box 90. ..

Furthermore, although the power storage device 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not particularly limited to a lithium ion secondary battery, and other secondary batteries such as a nickel hydrogen battery, an electric double layer, for example. It is also applicable to stacking electrodes in a power storage device such as a capacitor or a lithium ion capacitor.

30... 1st adsorption conveyor, 60... 2nd adsorption conveyor, 50... 1st inspection part, 80... 2nd inspection part, 40, 70... Cleaner, 90... Waste box, 100... Electrode inspection device, 140 , 150... Waste air nozzle (drop mechanism).

Claims (3)

An electrode inspection device for inspecting electrodes,
A first adsorption conveyor that adsorbs the electrode from below and conveys the electrode;
A first inspection unit that inspects the electrode conveyed from the first suction conveyor from above;
A second adsorption conveyor for adsorbing the electrode from above and conveying the electrode;
A second inspection unit that inspects the electrode conveyed from the second suction conveyor from below,
An electrode inspection apparatus comprising: a cleaner that is provided on at least one of the first suction conveyor and the second suction conveyor and removes foreign matter from the surface of the electrode. The electrode inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discard box that is provided at an intermediate position of the second suction conveyor and discards the electrode. The electrode inspection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a drop mechanism that drops the electrode into the waste box by applying a force from above to the electrode conveyed by the second suction conveyor.

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