KR102262114B1 - system for providing electrolyte - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrolyte supply system is provided. The electrolyte supply system includes a first pipe connected to the electrolyte supply tank, a plurality of second pipes, a connecting pipe connecting the first pipe with one suitable for the first pipe among the second pipes, a first pipe, and a second pipe is disposed in each of a sensor for detecting a second pipe suitable for the first pipe, a valve installed on at least one of the first pipe and the second pipe connected to the first pipe, and the sensor and the valve connected to the sensor and transmitted from the sensor It includes a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the valve based on the signal.

Description

Electrolyte supply system {system for providing electrolyte}

The present invention relates to an electrolyte supply system, and more particularly, to a system for supplying an electrolyte used in a secondary battery.

A secondary battery is a device that converts external electrical energy into a form of chemical energy, stores it, and produces electricity when necessary, and can be charged and used multiple times. The secondary battery includes a lead acid battery, a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery, a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, or a lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) battery.

The secondary battery has a configuration including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte, and the electrolyte may be several dozen depending on the type of the secondary battery.

In the process for producing a secondary battery, close confirmation is required when the type of electrolyte is changed. In particular, when replacing in the electrolyte supply line, each of the electrolyte storage tanks are substantially the same in appearance, so it is difficult to determine each of the electrolytes stored inside each of the electrolyte storage tanks, and there is a case where the mixing of the electrolyte occurs by mistake of the person replacing it.

The present invention is to solve the above technical problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte supply system for preventing electrolyte mixing.

Electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first pipe connected to the electrolyte supply tank; a plurality of second pipes; a connecting pipe connecting the first pipe to one of the second pipes suitable for the first pipe; a sensor disposed in each of the first pipe and the second pipe to detect a second pipe suitable for the first pipe; a valve installed in at least one of the first pipe and a second pipe connected to the first pipe; and a controller connected to the sensor and the valve to control opening and closing of the valve based on a signal transmitted from the sensor.

According to one embodiment, the electrolyte supply system, a first housing surrounding the outside of the first pipe; second housings surrounding the outside of each of the plurality of second pipes; and a connection pipe surrounding the outside of the connection pipe, wherein the sensor includes: an RFID reader disposed outside the first housing; and an RFID tag disposed outside each of the second housings.

According to one embodiment, the RFID tag records the information of the electrolyte flowing inside each of the second pipes, and the RFID reader reads the electrolyte information, and is suitable for the first pipe among the second pipes. The second pipe may be identified.

Electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first pipe connected to the electrolyte supply tank; a plurality of second pipes; a connection pipe connecting the first pipe to a second pipe suitable for the first pipe among the second pipes; a first housing surrounding the outside of the first pipe; second housings surrounding the outside of each of the second pipes; a sensor disposed in each of the first housing and the second housing to detect the second pipe suitable for the first pipe; a valve installed on at least one of the first pipe and the second pipe suitable for the first pipe; and a control unit connected to the sensor and the valve to control opening and closing of the valve based on a signal transmitted from the sensor, wherein the sensor includes: an RFID reader disposed outside the first housing; and an RFID tag disposed outside each of the second housings, in which information of an electrolyte flowing inside each of the second pipes is recorded, wherein the RFID reader reads the electrolyte information, the second pipe Among them, a suitable second pipe is identified.

According to an embodiment, when a signal transmitted from a sensor of a second housing is not suitable for a second pipe disposed inside the second housing, the control unit is configured to output the second pipe from the second pipe to the outside. It may inform that the first pipe is to be separated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the electrolyte is provided to the secondary battery, a sensor is provided between the pipes to check the electrolyte provided to the secondary battery to prevent an inappropriate electrolyte from being provided in advance.

1 is a view for explaining an electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a first piping structure of the electrolyte supply system of FIG. 1 .
3 is a view for explaining an electrolyte supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a first piping structure of the electrolyte supply system of FIG. 3 .
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing an electrolyte to a secondary battery using an electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and in detail to the extent that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention.

A plurality of materials are provided to one device through pipes, and materials may be selectively changed according to devices. Then, materials may be selected and provided through pipes to form a desired device. In this case, a material other than the desired material may be provided because it is difficult to confirm the shape or color of the storage units in which the materials are stored are similar or identical. In the present invention, in order to prevent this, a sensor for identifying whether a material connected to each of the pipes is a target material may be installed.

Hereinafter, it will be exemplarily described that a plurality of electrolytes are provided through pipes in order to manufacture a secondary battery, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a view for explaining an electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the electrolyte supply system 1000, a plurality of piping structures (PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, PS_4), the plurality of piping structures (PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, PS_4) at least one installed in each The valves V1 and V2 may include a sensor SR installed in each of the plurality of pipe structures PS_1 , PS_2 , PS_3 , and PS_4 , and a controller CT.

In FIG. 1, the piping structures PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, and PS_4 are composed of four, but for ease of explanation, a first piping structure PS_1, a second piping structure PS_2, a third piping structure PS_3, and a fourth pipe structure PS_4. In addition, in FIG. 1 , each of the first piping structure PS_1 and the second piping structure PS_2 shows a structure in which the first piping 100 and the second piping 200 are connected by a connection part 300 , Each of the three pipe structures PS_3 and the fourth pipe structure PS_4 shows a structure in which the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are separated.

Each of the pipe structures PS_1 , PS_2 , PS_3 , and PS_4 is not connected to each other and may independently supply each electrolyte. That is, the first piping structure PS_1 is connected to the first electrolyte storage tank CN_1 in which the first electrolyte is stored, and the second piping structure PS_2 is connected to the second electrolyte storage tank CN_2 in which the second electrolyte is stored. and the third piping structure PS_3 is connected to the third electrolyte storage tank CN_3 in which the third electrolyte is stored, and the fourth piping structure PS_4 is connected to the fourth electrolyte storage tank CN_4 in which the fourth electrolyte is stored. can At least two of the first to fourth electrolytes may be different from each other.

Meanwhile, at least two electrolytes are required to form the secondary battery SB, and electrolytes used may be different depending on the type of the secondary battery SB. Also, the shape of the storage tanks for storing different electrolytes may be substantially the same. For example, the first electrolyte storage tank (CN_1) and the second electrolyte storage tank (CN_2) are similar in appearance to perform a predetermined device and process to distinguish the electrolyte stored therein. Accordingly, in embodiments of the present invention, the sensor SR may be used to identify a suitable electrolyte storage tank. This will be described in detail later.

Hereinafter, a structure of each of the pipe structures PS_1 , PS_2 , PS_3 , and PS_4 will be exemplarily described using the first pipe structure PS_1 .

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a first piping structure of the electrolyte supply system of FIG. 1 . 1 and 2 , the first pipe structure PS_1 includes a first pipe 100 connected to the first electrolyte storage tank CN_1 , a second pipe 200 connected to the fuel cell, and a second A connection part 300 connecting between the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 may be included.

The connection part 300 may be configured as a pipe separate from the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 . Alternatively, the connection part 300 may correspond to an end of the first pipe 100 and an end of the second pipe 200 , and may be a part to which the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are connected. Each of the first pipe 100 , the second pipe 200 , and the connection part 300 may include a material having excellent corrosion resistance, for example, a SUS (Stainless Use Steel) material.

Valves V1 and V2 may be installed in at least one of the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 . For example, the valve includes a manual valve V1 installed in the first pipe 100 and an automatic valve V2 installed in the second pipe 200 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As described above, it is difficult to distinguish the electrolyte stored therein because the shape of each of the electrolyte storage tanks CN_1 is similar. Therefore, to connect the first pipe 100 connected to the first electrolyte storage tank (CN_1) to the suitable second pipe 200, the first electrolyte in the first electrolyte storage tank (CN_1) is in the secondary battery (SB) of interest. In order to confirm whether the electrolyte to be provided is correct, a predetermined device and process are conventionally performed. In this embodiment, it can be conveniently performed using the sensor SR installed in the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200. can

According to an embodiment, the sensor SR may include, for example, a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor SR capable of recognizing information from a distance. In general, the RFID sensor SR may recognize information at a spaced distance using a frequency. It is similar to barcode system, but RFID is different from barcode system. Instead of reading using light, it does not operate only at short distance like barcode reader, but can read RFID tag (Tg) from long distance, and RFID reader (Rd) And it is possible to receive information through an object between the RFID tag (Tg). Also, the RFID tag Tg may include an antenna and an integrated circuit. It is possible to record information in the integrated circuit and transmit the information to the RFID reader Rd through the antenna.

The RFID sensor SR may include an RFID reader Rd and an RFID tag Tg. For example, the RFID reader Rd may be disposed on one outer wall of the first pipe 100 , and the RFID tag Tg may be disposed on one outer wall of the second pipe 200 . Information of the electrolyte flowing inside the second pipe 200 may be recorded in the RFID tag Tg. The RFID reader Rd reads the electrolyte information of the RFID tag Tg to check whether the electrolyte flowing inside the first pipe 100 matches the electrolyte required in the second pipe 200 .

The controller CT may be connected to the RFID sensor SR and the valve V2. For example, the control unit CT may be connected to the automatic valve V2 installed in the second pipe 200 , but is not limited thereto.

The control unit CT may open/close the valve V2 based on information received from the RFID sensor SR. In one embodiment, when the electrolyte flowing inside each of the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 from the RFID sensor SR coincides, the control unit CT opens the valve V2 to transfer the electrolyte to the secondary battery SB ) can be provided. Alternatively, when the electrolyte flowing inside each of the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 from the RFID sensor SR coincides, the control unit CT may close the valve V2 and notify the outside.

In FIG. 1 , only the RFID sensor SR and the valve V2 disposed in the first piping structure PS_1 are connected to the control unit CT, but the control unit CT includes the first piping structure PS_1 as well as the second piping structure PS_1. The RFID sensor SR and the valve V2 installed in each of the second to fourth valve structures PS_2, PS_3, and PS_4 may also be connected.

According to an embodiment, the RFID reader Rd may include a first light emitting unit, and the RFID tag Tg may include a second light emitting unit. When the RFID sensor SR determines that the first pipe 100 is suitable for the second pipe 200 , the control unit CT determines that the first light emitting unit of the RFID reader Rd and the second light emission of the RFID tag Tg are performed. Units can emit the same color. Alternatively, if the RFID sensor SR determines that the first pipe 100 is not suitable for the second pipe 200, the control unit CT controls the first light emitting unit of the RFID reader Rd and the RFID tag Tg. The second light emitting unit may emit light of a different color.

According to an embodiment, the control unit CT may visually indicate whether the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are suitable from the RFID sensor SR using a display device such as a monitor. In addition, the control unit CT may audibly indicate by using a voice transmission device such as a speaker.

3 is a view for explaining an electrolyte supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , the electrolyte supply system 1000 includes at least one valve installed in each of the plurality of piping structures PS_1 , PS_2 , PS_3 and PS_4 and the plurality of piping structures PS_1 , PS_2 , PS_3 and PS_4 . (V1, V2), the plurality of pipe structures (PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, PS_4), each of which is installed in the sensor SR, and may include a control unit CT.

The piping structures PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, and PS_4 include a first piping structure PS_1, a second piping structure PS_2, a third piping structure PS_3, and a fourth piping structure PS_4. 1 The piping structure PS_1 will be described as an example.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a first piping structure of the electrolyte supply system of FIG. 3 . 3 and 4 , the first pipe structure PS_1 includes a first pipe 100 connected to the first electrolyte storage tank CN_1 and a second pipe 200 connected to the secondary battery SB. And, a connection part 300 connecting between the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200, the first housing H1 surrounding the outside of the first pipe 100, and the second pipe 200 to the outside It may include a second housing (H2) surrounding the, and a connection housing (HC) surrounding the outside of the connection part (300).

According to an embodiment, each of the first pipe 100 , the second pipe 200 , and the connection part 300 may have a circular cross section. Therefore, each time the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are connected using the connecting part 300 , they may be connected at different positions. In detail, since the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 have a circular cross-section, the first pipe 100 is also rotatable and the second pipe 200 is also rotatable, so the position at which they are coupled is different. can do. Therefore, when the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are coupled, the RFID reader Rd and the RFID tag Tg may be alternately coupled to each other.

Each of the first housing H1 , the connection housing HC , and the second housing H2 may have a rectangular cross section. Each of the first housing H1 , the connection housing HC, and the second housing H2 has a hexahedral structure, and the first pipe 100 , the connection part 300 , and the second pipe 200 each pass through at both ends. Holes may be formed to do so. In addition, at least one end of the first housing H1 is fixed to the first pipe 100 , and at least one end of the second housing H2 is fixed to the second pipe 200 , and the connection housing HC ) at least one end may be fixed to the connection part 300 . Therefore, when the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are coupled by the connection part 300 , the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 may not rotate.

For example, the cross-sectional area of the connection housing HC may be smaller than the cross-sectional area of each of the first housing H1 and the second housing H2 . In this case, the end of the first housing H1 adjacent to the connection housing HC covers the connection housing HC and is connected in a structure in which the connection housing HC is inserted into the first housing H1, the connection housing An end of the second housing H2 adjacent to the HC may cover the connection housing HC and may be connected in a structure in which the connection housing HC is inserted into the second housing H2 .

As another example, the cross-sectional area of the connection housing HC may be larger than the cross-sectional area of each of the first housing H1 and the second housing H2 . In this case, the end of the connection housing (HC) adjacent to the first housing (H1) covers the first housing (H1) and is connected in a structure in which the first housing (H1) is inserted into the connection housing (HC), An end of the connection housing HC adjacent to the second housing H2 may cover the second housing H2 and may be connected in a structure in which the second housing H2 is inserted into the connection housing HC.

The RFID reader Rd of the sensor SR is disposed on the outer wall of the first housing H1, and the RFID tag Tg is disposed on the outer wall of the second housing H2, and the RFID reader Rd and the RFID tag ( Tg) may be arranged on the same line. Therefore, when the first pipe 100 and the second pipe 200 are coupled, it is possible to prevent the RFID reader Rd and the RFID tag Tg from being coupled to each other in advance.

Components that are not described in detail in the electrolyte supply device described in FIGS. 3 and 4 are the same as those of the electrolyte supply device described in FIGS. 1 and 2 and thus will be omitted.

Hereinafter, a method of providing an electrolyte to a secondary battery using an electrolyte supply system will be described.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing an electrolyte to a secondary battery using an electrolyte supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5 , an electrolyte storage tank may be prepared. (S510) The code of the electrolyte stored in the electrolyte storage tank may be input into a production facility for producing a secondary battery (S520).

The input electrolyte code may be transmitted to the RFID. (S530) According to one embodiment, when the RFID code is read from the RFID reader and matched, the valve is opened (S540) to supply the electrolyte. (S560)

Alternatively, when the RFID code is read by the RFID reader and there is a discrepancy, the valve may be closed (S550) and it may be notified to separate the first pipe and the second pipe to the outside (S570).

The above are specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention. In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention will also include simple design changes or easily changeable embodiments. In addition, the present invention will include techniques that can be easily modified and implemented using the embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents of the present invention.

1000: electrolyte supply system
100: first pipe
200: second pipe
300: connection
PS_1, PS_2, PS_3, PS_4: Plumbing Structure
CN_1, CN_2, CN_3, CN_4: electrolyte storage tank
V1, V2: valve
SR: sensor
CT: control
Tg: RFID tag
Rd: RFID reader
H1: first housing
H2: second housing
HC: connection housing

Claims (5)

a first pipe connected to the electrolyte supply tank;
a plurality of second pipes;
a connection pipe connecting the first pipe to a second pipe of any one of the second pipes;
a first housing surrounding the outside of the first pipe;
second housings surrounding the outside of each of the plurality of second pipes;
a connection housing surrounding the outside of the connection pipe;
An RFID tag disposed outside each of the second housings and recording information of an electrolyte flowing inside each of the second pipes, and an RFID disposed outside the first housing and reading electrolyte information of the RFID tag a sensor including a reader;
a valve installed in at least one of the first pipe and the second pipe connected to the first pipe; and
A control unit connected to the sensor and the valve to control opening and closing of the valve based on a signal transmitted from the sensor;
Each of the first housing, the connection housing, and the second housing has a rectangular cross section,
A cross-sectional area of the connection housing is smaller than a cross-sectional area of each of the first housing and the second housing, so that an end of the first housing adjacent to the connection housing covers the connection housing and the connection housing is inserted into the first housing and an end of the second housing adjacent to the connection housing covers the connection housing and connected in a structure in which the connection housing is inserted into the second housing,
A cross-sectional area of the connection housing is larger than a cross-sectional area of each of the first housing and the second housing, so that an end of the connection housing adjacent to the first housing covers the first housing and the first housing is moved into the connection housing connected in a structure to be inserted, an end of the connection housing adjacent to the second housing covers the second housing, and the second housing is connected in a structure to be inserted into the connection housing,
The RFID reader is disposed on the outer wall of the first housing, the RFID tag is disposed on the outer wall of the second housing, wherein the RFID reader and the RFID tag are disposed on the same line. delete delete a first pipe connected to the electrolyte supply tank;
a plurality of second pipes;
a connection pipe connecting the first pipe to a second pipe of any one of the second pipes;
a first housing surrounding the outside of the first pipe;
second housings surrounding the outside of each of the second pipes;
An RFID tag disposed outside each of the second housings and recording information of an electrolyte flowing inside each of the second pipes, and an RFID disposed outside the first housing and reading electrolyte information of the RFID tag a sensor including a reader;
a valve installed in at least one of the first pipe and the second pipe connected to the first pipe; and
A control unit connected to the sensor and the valve to control opening and closing of the valve based on a signal transmitted from the sensor;
The RFID reader includes a first light emitting unit,
The RFID tag includes a second light emitting unit,
The control unit is
When the electrolyte flowing through the first pipe and the electrolyte flowing through the second pipe connected to the first pipe match, the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit emit the same color,
When the electrolyte flowing through the first pipe and the electrolyte flowing through the second pipe connected to the first pipe are different, the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit emit different colors. 5. The method of claim 1 or 4,
When the electrolyte flowing through the first pipe and the electrolyte flowing through the second pipe connected to the first pipe are different, the control unit notifies the separation of the first pipe from the second pipe to the outside.

Images