JP7267480B2 - Electrode manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a laminated electrode assembly by stacking a plurality of works.

2. Description of the Related Art Laminated electrode bodies in which a plurality of electrode plates are laminated are known as electrode bodies constituting batteries and capacitors. One example is a laminated electrode body in which a plurality of rectangular positive electrode plates and a plurality of rectangular negative electrode plates are alternately laminated with rectangular separators interposed therebetween. An electrode body manufacturing apparatus for forming such a laminated electrode body is also known, and is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

The electrode body manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 (“battery material stacking device” in Patent Document 1) includes a “transport mechanism” that transports a work, a “rotating body”, and a rotating body that is provided on the periphery of the rotating body and rotates together with the rotating body. It has a plurality of moving "holding parts" and a "stacking table" arranged at a predetermined position (see FIG. 1, claims 1 and 2, etc. of Patent Document 1). In this device, the workpiece is first transferred from the transport mechanism to a holding section provided on the periphery of the rotating body, then the rotating body is rotated halfway, and the holding section is placed at a predetermined position on the stacking table. Move to the vicinity of Then, the holding part is temporarily stopped with respect to the stacking table, and the work is transferred from the holding part to the stacking table. This operation is repeated to stack a plurality of works on the lamination table to form a laminated electrode assembly.

JP 2019-200926 A

However, in the above-described apparatus, the holder rotates together with the rotating body, whereas the stacking table is arranged at a predetermined position. When transferring to the stacking table, the holder and the work held by it are temporarily stopped by moving with respect to the rotating body. For this reason, it is difficult to properly transfer the work from the holding section to the lamination table and stack the work appropriately to form the laminated electrode assembly. In particular, in order to increase the productivity of the laminated electrode body, the higher the rotation speed of the rotating body, the more rapidly the holding section, which rotates and moves at high speed, is stopped. It becomes difficult to properly stack the workpieces to form the laminated electrode assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus capable of appropriately stacking workpieces to manufacture a laminated electrode assembly.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an electrode body manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a laminated electrode body in which a plurality of works are stacked, comprising: a cylindrical rotating base that rotates about a rotating shaft; A plurality of stacking table units provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating base and rotating and moving together with the rotating base, and a table surface of the stacking table unit or already placed on the table surface. a work transfer section for transferring onto a mounting surface that is a radial outer surface of the already-mounted stacked body, and the stacking table section changes a radial height Ht of the table surface. A height changing section is provided, and the height changing section is configured such that at least at a work transfer angular position at which the unmounted work is transferred from the work transfer section to the stacking table section, the height of the mounting surface is increased. The radial height Ht of the table surface is changed so that the radial height Hs becomes a predetermined radial height Hsc (Hs=Hsc), and the work transfer section moves the work transfer In the electrode body manufacturing apparatus, the unmounted workpiece is placed on the mounting surface while being moved in synchronism with the rotational movement of the mounting surface at the angular position.

In the electrode body manufacturing apparatus described above, the stacking table section is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotary base. This stacking table section has a height changing section for changing the radial height Ht of the table surface, and the height changing section changes the position of the already-mounted stack or the like at least at the workpiece transfer angular position. The radial height Ht of the table surface is changed so that the radial height Hs of the mounting surface becomes the predetermined radial height Hsc. As a result, each time the rotating base rotates, the unmounted workpieces can be transferred one by one from the workpiece transferring section to the stacking table. n) can easily form a laminated electrode body consisting of the pre-mounted work.
Furthermore, in the above-described electrode body manufacturing apparatus, in synchronism with the rotational movement of the mounting surface such as the already-mounted laminate at the workpiece transfer angular position, the unmounted work is moved and placed on the mounting surface. In the stacking table section, unmounted workpieces can be appropriately stacked to manufacture a stacked electrode body.

The “laminated electrode body” is an electrode body that constitutes a secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, an electric storage device such as an electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor, and the like. As the laminated electrode body, for example, a laminated electrode body in which a plurality of positive electrode plates and a plurality of negative electrode plates are alternately laminated via a separator or a solid electrolyte layer, or a plurality of bipolar electrode plates (one side of the current collector foil A layered electrode body in which a positive electrode active material layer is formed on one main surface and a negative electrode active material layer is formed on the other main surface) is laminated via a separator or a solid electrolyte layer. .

The "work" includes, for example, one electrode plate, a work consisting of one separator or a solid electrolyte layer, a positive electrode plate, a separator (or a solid electrolyte layer), a negative electrode plate and a separator (or a solid electrolyte layer). A workpiece consisting of a so-called monocell, which is preliminarily laminated and integrated in order, a separator (or solid electrolyte layer), an electrode plate, and an electrode plate with separator (or solid electrolyte layer) preliminarily laminated and integrated in this order ( (electrode plate with solid electrolyte layer). Also, the workpieces do not have to have the same form. For example, the work forming one end or the other end of the laminated electrode body may have a different shape from the work forming the intermediate portion in the stacking direction.

In the stacking table section, as a method for holding the already-placed laminate placed on the table surface, for example, there is a method of holding the already-placed laminate by suction on the table surface. In the case of using this technique, it is preferable that the pre-mounted works constituting the pre-mounted laminated body are integrated by bonding with an adhesive, for example. That is, an adhesive agent is applied in advance to an unmounted workpiece to be newly stacked or to the radial outer surface (surface to be mounted) of the already mounted laminate, and the unmounted workpiece is attached to the already mounted laminate. It is preferable to bond the non-mounted work to the already-mounted laminate while stacking.
Further, it is preferable to keep the rotational speed of the rotary base constant so that fluctuations in rotational energy can be minimized, but the rotational speed may be varied.

In addition, by engaging the radially outer surface of the already-placed laminate placed on the table surface with engaging members such as a plurality of claws and pulling the already-placed laminate inward in the radial direction, the already-placed laminate is pulled. A method of holding on a table surface is also available.
In addition, while pressing the already-placed laminate on the table surface against the radially inner table surface with a belt, the already-placed laminate is rotated and moved together with the belt to move the already-placed laminate to the table surface. A method of holding on a surface is also available.
In these methods, it is not necessary to bond and integrate the already-mounted works constituting the already-mounted laminate, but the already-mounted works may be integrated by bonding.

The electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus further includes an electrode assembly transfer unit for transferring the completed laminated electrode assembly from the stacking table unit, wherein the electrode assembly transfer unit transfers the laminated electrode assembly. an electrode body receiving portion for receiving the stacked electrode body, and at an electrode body transfer angular position for transferring the stacked electrode body from the stacking table portion to the electrode body receiving portion, and for discharging the stacked electrode body. The electrode body manufacturing apparatus receives the stacked electrode body separated from the stacking table part at the timing while moving the electrode body receiving part at the same speed as the rotational movement of the radially outer top surface of the stacked electrode body. It is good to say

The above-described electrode body manufacturing apparatus further includes an electrode body transfer section having an electrode body receiving section, and the laminated electrode body separated from the stacking table section at the above-described electrode body transfer angular position and at the discharge timing. is received while moving the electrode body receiving portion at the same speed as the rotational movement of the radially outer top surface of the laminated electrode body. By doing so, the laminated electrode body can be smoothly transferred to the electrode body receiving portion with little impact and can be appropriately discharged to the outside of the device.

As a method for separating the stacked electrode assembly from the stacking table section, for example, when the stacked electrode assembly is held on the table surface by suction, the suction is released to separate the stacked electrode assembly. There is a method to
Further, when the laminated electrode body is engaged with the engaging member and pulled toward the radially inner table surface and held, the engagement by the engaging member is released to remove the laminated electrode body. There is a method of separating.
Further, when the laminated electrode body is held by being pressed against the radially inner table surface by a belt, there is a method of separating the laminated electrode body by moving the belt to release the pressing by the belt. mentioned.
Examples of the "electrode receiving section" include a conveying belt stretched over a plurality of conveying rollers, and a tip of a robot arm capable of gripping the laminated electrode.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a laminated electrode body according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a laminated electrode assembly according to an embodiment; 1 is an explanatory diagram of an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. It is an explanatory view of a stacking table unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an unplaced work for the first stage is transferred to the fifth stacking table section according to the embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing how the completed stacked electrode body is transferred from the second stacking table section according to the embodiment;

(embodiment)
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a laminated electrode body 1 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the vertical direction EH, the horizontal direction FH, and the thickness direction (stacking direction) GH of the multilayer electrode body 1 are defined as the directions shown in FIG. This laminated electrode body 1 is used in a prismatic sealed lithium-ion secondary battery (not shown) mounted in a vehicle such as a hybrid car, a plug-in hybrid car, an electric car, or the like.

The laminated electrode body 1 includes a plurality of rectangular positive electrode plates (electrode plates) 11 and a plurality of rectangular negative electrode plates (electrode plates) 21 interposed between rectangular separators 31 made of porous resin films. It is an electrode body laminated alternately and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. As will be described later, the laminated electrode body 1 is formed by stacking the works 10 in a plurality of stages (the number of stages n=10 in this embodiment) in the thickness direction GH and connecting the adjacent works 10 with the first adhesive layer 41 interposed therebetween. It is an integrated one.

Of the 10 works 10 constituting the laminated electrode body 1 with the number of stages n=10, the remaining 9 first works 10A except for the second work 10B positioned at the top in FIG. , and is a workpiece in which the positive electrode plate 11, the separator 31, the negative electrode plate 21, and the separator 31 are stacked in this order with the second adhesive layer 42 interposed therebetween and integrated. On the other hand, the uppermost second work 10B is a negative electrode plate with a separator, and is a work in which the separators 31 are laminated on both main surfaces of the negative electrode plate 21 via the third adhesive layers 43 and integrated.

The positive electrode plate 11 includes a positive current collector foil 12 made of rectangular aluminum foil and positive electrode active material layers 13 formed on both main surfaces of the positive current collector foil 12 . The positive electrode active material layer 13 is composed of positive electrode active material particles capable of intercalating and deintercalating lithium ions, conductive particles, and a binder. One side (left side in FIG. 1) of the positive electrode plate 11 extending in the vertical direction EH (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) on one side (left side in FIG. 1) extends in the thickness direction GH. is not present, and the positive electrode collector foil 12 is exposed in the thickness direction GH to form a positive electrode exposed portion 11r.

The negative electrode plate 21 is composed of a rectangular negative collector foil 22 made of copper foil and negative active material layers 23 formed on both main surfaces of the negative collector foil 22 . The negative electrode active material layer 23 is composed of negative electrode active material particles capable of intercalating and deintercalating lithium ions and a binder. At the end of the negative electrode plate 21 extending in the vertical direction EH on the other side in the horizontal direction FH (the right side in FIG. 1), the negative electrode active material layer 23 does not exist in the thickness direction GH, and the negative electrode current collector foil 22 does not exist. The negative electrode exposed portion 21r is exposed in the thickness direction GH.

Next, a method for manufacturing the laminated electrode assembly 1 will be described (see FIGS. 2 to 6). First, in a "workpiece production step S1" (see FIG. 2), a work piece 10 is produced.
First, the positive electrode plate 11 and the negative electrode plate 21 are produced. That is, a positive electrode active material paste obtained by mixing positive electrode active material particles, conductive particles, a binder, and a dispersion medium is applied on one main surface of the positive electrode current collector foil 12 to form an undried positive electrode active material layer ( (not shown) is formed, and then dried by heating to form the positive electrode active material layer 13 . Also, on the other main surface of the positive electrode collector foil 12, the positive electrode active material layer 13 is formed in the same manner. Thereafter, the positive electrode active material layer 13 is densified by roll pressing to fabricate the positive electrode plate 11 . Further, a negative electrode active material paste obtained by mixing negative electrode active material particles, a binder and a dispersion medium is applied on one main surface of the negative electrode current collector foil 22 to form an undried negative electrode active material layer (not shown). is formed, and then dried by heating to form the negative electrode active material layer 23 . Also, the negative electrode active material layer 23 is formed in the same manner on the other main surface of the negative electrode current collector foil 22 . Thereafter, the negative electrode active material layer 23 is densified by roll pressing to fabricate the negative electrode plate 21 . Separately, a separator 31 is prepared.

Next, for the first workpiece 10A (monocell), the positive electrode plate 11, the separator 31, the negative electrode plate 21, and the separator 31 are laminated in this order with the second adhesive layer 42 interposed therebetween to form an integrated structure. On the other hand, the second workpiece 10B (negative electrode plate with separator) is formed by laminating the separator 31, the negative electrode plate 21 and the separator 31 in this order with the third adhesive layer 43 interposed therebetween and integrating them.

After that, "work transfer step S2", "judgment step S3" and "electrode body transfer step S4" (see FIG. 2) are performed. The work transfer step S2 to the electrode body transfer step S4 are performed using the electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100 (see FIGS. 3 to 6). This electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100 comprises a cylindrical rotating base 110, and a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) stacking table portions 120 provided on an outer peripheral edge portion 110s of the rotating base 110 and rotating together with the rotating base 110. , a work transfer section 140 that transfers the unmounted work 10P to the stacking table section 120, an adhesive application section 160 that applies an adhesive 41Z to the unmounted work 10P, and the completed laminated electrode body 1 is stacked. An electrode body transfer section 170 for transferring from the table section 120 and a control section 190 are provided. Note that an unmounted work is a work to be mounted on a mounting surface hsm, which will be described later.

Among them, the rotating base 110 has a rotating shaft 111 connected to a motor (not shown), and rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
The stacking table section 120 (first stacking table section 120A to eighth stacking table section 120H) (see also FIG. 4) includes a rectangular plate-shaped suction table 121 including a rectangular table surface 121m, and this suction table 121 rotates. and a height changing portion 123 that moves the base 110 in the radial direction RH to change the radial height Ht of the table surface 121m (the radial height Ht from the outer peripheral edge portion 110s of the rotary base 110). Among them, the suction table 121 has a suction mechanism 122, and is configured to be able to suck the already placed laminate 5 onto the table surface 121m by suction.

On the other hand, the height changer 123 includes an X link mechanism 124 connected to the suction table 121, a servomotor 125 that moves the X link mechanism 124 in the radial direction RH, ) The mounting surface hsm (hereinafter referred to as the table surface 121m of the stacking table unit 120 or the radially outer surface 5m of the already-mounted laminate 5 already mounted on the table surface 121m (hereinafter referred to as the already-mounted laminate 5, etc.) a height detection sensor 126 for detecting the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm (or simply referred to as the mounting surface hsm) (the radial height Hs from the outer peripheral edge portion 110s of the rotary base 110); and a control unit 190 that controls the servo motor 125 based on information from the height detection sensor 126 . Specifically, the height detection sensor 126 is installed on the right side in FIG. When the stacking table section 120 passes the 3 o'clock angular position, the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm of the already mounted stacked body 5 or the like is detected.

After that, until the stacking table unit 120 reaches the workpiece transfer angular position θw (in this embodiment, the uppermost position in FIG. In the embodiment, while rotating 90 degrees), the control unit 190 drives and controls the servomotor 125 based on the information from the height detection sensor 126 to change the diameter of the mounting surface hsm of the already mounted laminate 5 or the like. The radial height Ht of the table surface 121m is changed so that the directional height Hs becomes a predetermined radial height Hsc (Hs=Hsc). As a result, the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm of the already mounted laminate 5 or the like is set to the predetermined radial height Hsc by the time the stacking table section 120 reaches the workpiece transfer angular position θw. be. Therefore, in any of the stacking table units 120 (120A to 120H), and no matter how many stages the workpieces 10 are stacked on the table surface 121m, at the workpiece transfer angular position θw (before the transfer of the new unmounted workpiece 10P) ) The peripheral speed (moving speed V2) of the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 or the like is set to be the same.

In FIG. 4, the workpiece 10 for the third stage (unmounted workpiece 10P) is stacked on the already-placed laminate 5 with the number of stages n=2, and the already-placed laminate 5 with the number of stages n=3. The state of the stacking table section 120 immediately after the stacking is shown. The radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 at this time is the height of the already-mounted laminate 5 with the number of stages n=2, which consists of two already-mounted works 10Q. The height of the newly stacked work 10 (unmounted work 10P) is added to the radial height Hsc that is height-controlled in consideration of the above.

The work transfer unit 140 moves the unmounted work 10P while moving the unmounted work 10P in synchronism with the rotational movement of the mounted surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 or the like at the work transfer angular position θw. put it on

First, the transport of the unmounted work 10P by the work transfer section 140 will be described. The workpiece transfer unit 140 has a plurality of transport rollers 141, a suction belt 143 having a large number of suction holes and a suction mechanism 144, which are stretched over the transport rollers 141. is adsorbed on the adsorption belt 143 by the suction of the suction mechanism 144 and transported at the transport speed V1.

Specifically, first, the non-placed work 10P placed on the suction belt 143 is turned upward with its outer surface 10Pm (main surface on the side not being sucked by the suction belt 143), as shown in FIG. The sheet is conveyed rightward at a conveying speed V1. After that, the adsorption belt 143 is folded back by the transport roller 141, and the non-mounted work 10P is transported leftward in FIG. 3 at the transport speed V1 with the outer surface 10Pm facing downward. The transport speed V1 is set to the same speed (V1=V2) as the moving speed V2 (peripheral speed) in the tangential direction of the mounting surface hsm of the already mounted laminate 5 or the like at the workpiece transfer angular position θw. be.

Further, the workpiece transfer section 140 is configured such that the suction by the suction mechanism 144 is stopped when the conveyed non-mounted workpiece 10P reaches the workpiece transfer angular position θw. Therefore, the non-mounted work 10P that has been sucked by the suction belt 143 from below is separated from the suction belt 143 at the work transfer angular position θw.

Moreover, the timing of transport when the non-mounted work 10P reaches the work transfer angular position θw and the timing of rotation when the stacking table section 120 for transferring the non-mounted work 10P reaches the work transfer angular position θw are synchronized. The arrangement (placement position and placement timing) of the non-placed work 10P on the suction belt 143 is adjusted so as to do so.

For this reason, as described above, at the workpiece transfer angular position θw, the unmounted workpiece 10P is moved in synchronism with the rotational movement of the mounted surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 and the like. can be placed on That is, the (separated) non-mounted work 10P is transferred from the suction belt 143 onto the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 or the like, and the outer surface 10Pm of the non-mounted work 10P is placed on the mounting surface. hsm can be overlaid.

The adhesive application unit 160 is configured to be able to apply the adhesive 41Z to the outer surface 10Pm of the non-mounted work 10P. Specifically, the adhesive application unit 160 is provided in the vicinity of the work transfer unit 140, and while being attracted to the suction belt 143 of the work transfer unit 140, the outer surface 10Pm is directed downward in FIG. , the adhesive 41Z is applied to the outer surface 10Pm of the non-mounted work 10P conveyed to the left.

The electrode body transfer section 170 has a conveyor belt (electrode body receiving section) 173 for receiving the laminated electrode body 1 completed by stacking the works 10 in ten stages. The electrode body transfer section 170 is positioned at the electrode body transfer angular position θd (in the present embodiment, the angular position at 6 o'clock in FIG. 3) for transferring the stacked electrode body 1 from the stacking table section 120, and , at the discharge timing Td of discharging the completed laminated electrode body 1, the laminated electrode body 1 separated from the stacking table section 120 is conveyed at the same speed as the rotational movement of the radially outer top surface 1m of the laminated electrode body 1. The belt 173 is received while being moved.

Specifically, the electrode body transfer section 170 has a plurality of transport rollers 171 and a transport belt 173 stretched over these transport rollers 171 , and the stacked electrodes arranged on the transport belt 173 are arranged on the transport belt 173 . The body 1 can be transported at a transport speed V4 (see FIG. 6). The conveying speed V4 is the same speed as the moving speed V3 (peripheral speed) in the tangential direction of the radially outer top surface 1m of the laminated electrode body 1 at the electrode body transfer angular position θd.
On the other hand, the stacking table unit 120 releases the suction by the suction mechanism 122 of the suction table 121 at the timing when the electrode body transfer angular position θd is reached, and the stacked electrode body 1 that has been suctioned to the suction table 121 is removed from the suction table. 121 , and the (separated) laminated electrode body 1 is placed on the conveyor belt 173 .

The control unit 190 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and has a microcomputer that operates according to a predetermined control program stored in the ROM or the like. The control unit 190 includes a motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary base 110, a servo motor 125 for each stacking table unit 120 (first stacking table unit 120A to eighth stacking table unit 120H), and a workpiece transfer unit. The conveying roller 141 of 140, the adhesive application section 160, and the conveying roller 171 of the electrode body transfer section 170 are connected and controlled.

Next, the work transfer step S2 to the electrode body transfer step S4 performed by using the electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100 described above will be described (see FIGS. 3 to 6). First, in the "work transfer step S2", the work transfer unit 140 transfers the unplaced work 10P for the first stage, which is the first work 10A (monocell), to the tables of the stacking table units 120 (120A to 120H). The substrates are sequentially transferred onto the mounting surface hsm, which is the surface 121m. In this embodiment, the unplaced workpiece 10P for the first stage is first transferred to the table surface 121m (mounting surface hsm) of the first stacking table portion 120A, and then transferred to the table of the second stacking table portion 120B. It is transferred to the surface 121m (mounting surface hsm). In this way, the unplaced works 10P for the first stage are transferred in order from the first stacking table portion 120A to the eighth stacking table portion 120H. Note that FIG. 5 shows a state in which an unplaced workpiece 10P for the first stage is transferred to the fifth stacking table section 120E to form an already-placed laminate 5 with the number of stages n=1. .

In this workpiece transfer step S2, the radial height Ht of the table surface 121m (the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm) is adjusted to the predetermined radial height Hsc ( Ht=Hs=Hsc). Further, the transfer speed V1 of the non-mounted work 10P is the same speed as the moving speed V2 (peripheral speed) in the tangential direction of the table surface 121m (mounting surface hsm) at the work transfer angular position θw. Therefore, the unmounted work 10P can be appropriately transferred to the table surface 121m (mounting surface hsm).

Next, the process proceeds to the determination step S3 (see FIG. 2) to determine whether or not a predetermined number (10 stages in this embodiment) of already-placed workpieces 10Q are stacked on the table surface 121m (the number of stages n=10 stages of laminated electrodes). (whether or not the body 1 is completed). Here, since the number of stages n=1 at this point, the determination is NO, and the workpiece transfer step S2 is performed. That is, in the second work transfer step S2, the non-placed work 10P for the second stage, which is the first work 10A (monocell), is placed on the radially outer surface of the already-placed laminate 5 with the number of stages n=1. 5 m (mounting surface hsm).

Specifically, the workpiece transfer unit 140 transports the unmounted workpiece 10P with the outer surface 10Pm facing downward. In the second and subsequent work transfer steps S2, the adhesive application unit 160 applies the adhesive 41Z to the outer surface 10Pm of the unmounted work 10P during the transfer.

After that, at the workpiece transfer angular position θw, the non-mounted workpiece 10P that has been sucked by the suction belt 143 from below is separated from the suction belt 143, and hsm), and the outer surface 10Pm of the non-mounted workpiece 10P coated with the adhesive 41Z is overlapped with the radial outer surface 5m of the already mounted laminate 5 (mounted surface hsm). As a result, the non-mounted work 10P is adhered to the already-mounted laminate 5 and integrated.
Also in the second and subsequent work transfer steps S2, the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 becomes the predetermined radial height Hsc (Hs=Hsc). there is Further, the transport speed V1 of the non-mounted workpiece 10P is the same as the moving speed V2 (peripheral speed) in the tangential direction of the mounted surface hsm of the already mounted laminate 5 at the workpiece transfer angular position θw. Therefore, the non-mounted work 10P can be appropriately mounted on the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 .

Next, the process proceeds to the determination step S3 (see FIG. 2) to determine whether or not a predetermined number (10 stages) of already-placed works 10Q are stacked on the table surface 121m (the number of stages n=10 stages of the laminated electrode body 1 is completed). or not). Here, since the number of stages n=2 at this time point, the determination is NO, and the workpiece transfer step S2 is repeated again. In this way, the workpiece transfer step S2 is repeated ten times until the number of stages n=10.
However, in the tenth work transfer step S2, instead of the first work 10A, an unmounted work 10P for the tenth stage, which is composed of the second work 10B (negative electrode plate with a separator), is used for n=9 stages. The stacks are sequentially transferred onto the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 .
Then, when the already-placed works 10Q reach 10 stages and the laminated electrode body 1 with the number of stages n=10 is completed, the determination step S3 is YES, and the process proceeds to the electrode body transfer step S4.

In the "electrode body transfer step S4", at the electrode body transfer angular position θd and at the discharge timing Td when the electrode body transfer angular position θd is reached for the first time after the laminated electrode body 1 is completed, the electrode body transfer portion 170 sequentially transfers the completed stacked electrode bodies 1 from the stacking table section 120 onto the conveyor belt 173 . FIG. 6 shows how the stacked electrode body 1 is transferred from the second stacking table section 120B onto the conveyor belt 173. As shown in FIG.

Specifically, at the electrode body transfer angular position θd, the suction by the suction mechanism 122 of the suction table 121 is released, and the laminated electrode body 1 that has been suctioned to the table surface 121m is separated from the table surface 121m, Place it on the conveyor belt 173 . At that time, the moving speed (conveying speed V4) of the conveying belt 173 is the same speed as the moving speed V3 (peripheral speed) in the tangential direction of the radial outer top surface 1m of the laminated electrode body 1 at the electrode body transfer angular position θd. is. Therefore, the laminated electrode body 1 can be smoothly transferred to the conveyor belt 173 with little impact.

After that, the stacked electrode body 1 placed on the transport belt 173 is transported rightward in FIG. 6 and discharged to the outside of the apparatus. Such a discharge operation is sequentially performed from the first stacking table portion 120A to the eighth stacking table portion 120H, and all (eight pieces) of the stacked electrode bodies 1 are discharged to the outside of the apparatus. Thus, the laminated electrode body 1 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.
After that, by returning to the work transfer step S2, it is possible to intermittently manufacture eight laminated electrode bodies 1 in succession.

As described above, in the electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100, a plurality of stacking table portions 120 (120A to 120H) are provided on the outer peripheral portion 110s of the rotary base 110. As shown in FIG. The stacking table section 120 has a height changing section 123 that changes the radial height Ht of the table surface 121m. The radial height Ht of the table surface 121m is changed so that the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm, etc., becomes the predetermined radial height Hsc. As a result, each time the rotating base 110 makes one rotation, the unmounted works 10P can be transferred one by one from the work transfer section 140 to the stacking table section 120, so that the rotating base 110 can be rotated by a predetermined number (10 in this embodiment). By rotating the workpieces 10Q, it is possible to easily form the stacked electrode body 1 composed of a predetermined number (10 stages in this embodiment) of already-mounted workpieces 10Q.
Further, in the electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100, the mounting surface hsm of the already-mounted laminate 5 or the like is rotated at the workpiece transfer angular position θw while moving the unmounted work 10P. Since it is placed on the hsm, the stacked electrode body 1 can be manufactured by appropriately stacking the unloaded workpieces 10P on the stacking table section 120 .

Further, the electrode body manufacturing apparatus 100 further includes an electrode body transfer section 170 having a conveyor belt 173, and the stacking die separated from the stacking table section 120 at the electrode body transfer angular position θd and at the discharge timing Td. The electrode body 1 is received while the conveyor belt 173 is moved at the same speed as the rotational movement of the radially outer top surface 1 m of the laminated electrode body 1 . By doing so, the laminated electrode body 1 can be smoothly transferred to the conveying belt 173 with little impact, and can be appropriately discharged to the outside of the apparatus.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and applied without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, in the height changing unit 123 of the stacking table unit 120 according to the embodiment, the height detection sensor 126 actually detects the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm of the already mounted laminate 5 or the like, Although the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm is changed based on this height information, it is not limited to this. Since the radial height Hs of the mounting surface hsm increases by the amount of the newly stacked workpieces 10Q that have already been mounted each time the rotary base 110 rotates once, the radial height Hs can be adjusted by a predetermined program. You can change it.

Further, in the work transfer section 140 according to the embodiment, the non-mounted work 10P is conveyed to the work transfer angular position θw at which it is transferred to the stacking table section 120 by the suction belt 143 stretched over the conveying rollers 141. However, it is not limited to this. For example, instead of the conveying roller 141 and the suction belt 143, a roller (not shown) is used, and the unmounted work 10P is attracted to the roll surface of this roller, and by rotating this roller, the unmounted work 10P is removed. The workpiece may be conveyed to the workpiece transfer angular position θw.

Moreover, in the embodiment, an example in which the rotating base 110 is rotated at a constant speed (constant angular velocity) around the rotating shaft 111 is shown. As a result, increase or decrease in rotational energy of the rotating base 110 can be reduced.
However, the rotation speed of the rotating base 110 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the rotation speed at the stage of placing the unplaced work 10P on the stacking table 120, and the time at which the completed stacked electrode body 1 is transferred (discharged) from the stacking table 120 to the electrode body transfer section 170. You may make it differ from a rotation speed. Specifically, the rotation speed at the time of discharging the laminated electrode body 1 from the stacking table 120 is set to be higher than the rotation speed of the rotating base 110 at the time of placing the unplaced work 10P on the stacking table 120. It is conceivable to make it relatively slow. Thereby, it is preferable to reliably transfer (discharge) the stacked electrode body 1 from the stacking table 120 to the electrode body transfer section 170 .

In addition, when placing the unplaced work 10P of the first stage on the stacking table 120 without any unplaced work among the unplaced works 10P, this unplaced work 10P is adsorbed to the stacking table 120. Since the rotation speed is set to be relatively high, the rotation speed is set relatively high. On the other hand, when stacking the unplaced work 10P of the second and subsequent tiers on the already placed laminate 5, the unplaced work 10P is placed on the already placed laminate 5 already stacked on the stacking table 120. It is necessary to glue not only. Therefore, it is conceivable to make the rotation speed of the rotating base 110 relatively slow.
Furthermore, as the number of stacked layers 5 stacked on the stacking table 120 increases, the rotation speed of the rotary base 10 may be relatively slowed down in order to be more careful in stacking.

1 Laminated electrode body 1m (Laminate electrode body) radial outer top surface 5 Already mounted laminate 5m (Already mounted laminate) radial outer surface hsm Mounting surface 10 Work 10P Unmounted work 10A First workpiece (monocell)
10B Second work (negative electrode plate with separator)
11 positive electrode plate (electrode plate)
21 negative plate (electrode plate)
31 Separator 100 Electrode manufacturing apparatus 110 Rotating base 110s Outer peripheral edge 111 Rotating shaft 120 Stacking table sections 120A to 120H First stacking table section to Eighth stacking table section 121 Suction table 121m Table surface 123 Height changing section 140 Work transfer Part 170 Electrode body transfer part 173 Conveyor belt (electrode body receiving part)
190 Control unit Ht Radial height (of table surface) Hs Radial height (mounting surface) Hsc (predetermined) radial height θw Workpiece transfer angular position θd Electrode body transfer angular position Td Ejection timing

Claims (2)

An electrode body manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a laminated electrode body by stacking a plurality of works,
a cylindrical rotating base that rotates around a rotating shaft;
a plurality of stacking table units provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating base and rotating together with the rotating base;
A work that transfers a held unmounted work onto a mounting surface that is a table surface of the stacking table portion or a radially outer surface of an already-mounted stacked body that has already been mounted on the table surface. a transfer section,
The stacking table section is
having a height changing portion for changing the radial height Ht of the table surface,
The above height changing part is
At least at the work transfer angular position at which the unmounted work is transferred from the work transfer section to the stacking table section,
changing the radial height Ht of the table surface so that the radial height Hs of the mounting surface becomes a predetermined radial height Hsc (Hs=Hsc);
The work transfer section is
An electrode body manufacturing apparatus for placing the unmounted workpiece on the mounting surface while moving the unmounted workpiece in synchronism with the rotational movement of the mounting surface at the workpiece transfer angular position. The electrode body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
an electrode body transfer section for transferring the completed stacked electrode body from the stacking table section;
The electrode body transfer section is
having an electrode body receiving portion for receiving the laminated electrode body,
at the electrode body transfer angle position for transferring the stacked electrode body from the stacking table section to the electrode body receiving section and at the discharge timing for discharging the stacked electrode body,
An electrode body manufacturing apparatus that receives the stacked electrode body separated from the stacking table section while moving the electrode body receiving section at the same speed as the rotational movement of the radially outer top surface of the stacked electrode body.

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