KR102612330B1 - The Pouch Type Battery Case And The Pouch Type Secondary Battery - Google Patents

Abstract

A pouch-type battery case according to an embodiment of the present invention to solve the above problem is formed with a cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly formed by stacking electrodes and a separator, and the cup portion includes a plurality of outer walls surrounding the periphery and It connects the side or degassing portion and includes a plurality of die edges, at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, and the depth of the cup portion is 6.5 mm or less.

Description

Pouch type battery case and pouch type secondary battery {The Pouch Type Battery Case And The Pouch Type Secondary Battery}

The present invention relates to a pouch-type battery case and a pouch-type secondary battery, and more specifically, to a pouch-type battery case and pouch-type secondary battery that can increase energy density relative to volume, have an attractive appearance, and improve marketability. It's about.

Generally, types of secondary batteries include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, lithium ion batteries, and lithium ion polymer batteries. These secondary batteries are used not only for small products such as digital cameras, P-DVDs, MP3Ps, mobile phones, PDAs, Portable Game Devices, Power Tools, and E-bikes, but also for large products requiring high output such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, as well as for surplus power generation. It is also applied and used in power storage devices that store power or renewable energy and backup power storage devices.

To manufacture such a secondary battery, the electrode active material slurry is first applied to the positive electrode current collector and the negative electrode current collector to manufacture the positive and negative electrodes, and then laminated on both sides of the separator to form an electrode assembly of a predetermined shape. forms. Then, the electrode assembly is stored in the battery case, and the electrolyte is injected and sealed.

Secondary batteries are classified into pouch type and can type, etc., depending on the material of the case that accommodates the electrode assembly. The pouch type accommodates the electrode assembly in a pouch made of flexible polymer material. And, the can type accommodates the electrode assembly in a case made of materials such as metal or plastic.

A pouch, which is a case of a pouch-type secondary battery, is manufactured by performing press processing on a flexible pouch film to form a cup portion. Then, when the cup portion is formed, the electrode assembly is stored in the receiving space of the cup portion and the sides are sealed to manufacture a secondary battery.

Among these press processes, drawing molding is performed by inserting a pouch film into a molding device such as a press equipment and applying pressure to the pouch film with a punch to stretch the pouch film. However, there was a limit to improving the curvature radius and clearance of the edge of the cup portion when molding the cup portion into the pouch film. In addition, the ratio of the volume of the electrode assembly to the volume of the cup portion was small, and there was a limit to reducing the size of the bat ear, so the energy density compared to the volume of the secondary battery also decreased. Furthermore, there were limitations in manufacturing it into an overall sharp shape, and as a result, the appearance of the secondary battery was not attractive, which resulted in a decrease in marketability.

Japanese Patent Registration No. 6022956

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a pouch-type battery case and a pouch-type secondary battery that can increase energy density relative to volume, have an attractive appearance, and improve marketability.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A pouch-type battery case according to an embodiment of the present invention to solve the above problem is formed with a cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly formed by stacking electrodes and a separator, and the cup portion includes a plurality of outer walls surrounding the periphery and It connects the side or degassing portion and includes a plurality of die edges, at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, and the depth of the cup portion is 6.5 mm or less.

Additionally, at least one of the die edges may be rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the die edge may be 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion.

In addition, the cup portion connects the outer wall and the bottom portion, respectively, and includes a plurality of punch edges, at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less. And it may further include a thickness edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other.

In addition, a die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom, and a die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge-side punch edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom. The vertical distance between edge vertical lines may be less than 0.5 mm.

In addition, the thickness edge is connected to two adjacent punch edges to form a corner, wherein at least one of the corners is rounded with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, and the radius of curvature is equal to that of the thickness edge. It can be larger than the radius of curvature.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the corner may change inside.

Additionally, the corner may have a radius of curvature at the center that is larger than the radius of curvature at the periphery.

Additionally, at least one of the punch edges may be rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the punch edge may be 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion.

In addition, a first case and a second case in which the cup portion is formed, respectively; and a bridge formed between the two cup portions, wherein the bridge may have a thickness of 2 mm or less.

Additionally, the bridge may have a thickness of 1.4 mm or less.

Additionally, the bridge may have a thickness of 1/200 to 1/30 of the width of the electrode assembly.

Additionally, the bridge may be formed by rounding with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less.

Additionally, the bridge may be formed by rounding with a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the thickness of the bridge may be the distance between two bridge vertical lines that pass through boundary points of the bridge and the outer wall on the side of the bridge, respectively, and are perpendicular to the floor.

Additionally, the outer wall may have an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom.

A pouch-type secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes an electrode assembly formed by stacking an electrode and a separator; and a pouch-type battery case having a cup portion for accommodating the electrode assembly therein, wherein the battery case includes: a first case and a second case having at least one cup portion formed therein; and a folding part that integrally connects the first case and the second case, wherein the folding part has a width of 1 mm to 3.2 mm, and the depth of the cup part is 6.5 mm or less.

Additionally, the area of the electrode assembly may be 15,000 mm ² to 100,000 mm ² .

Additionally, the folding portion may have a width of 1 mm to 1.6 mm.

Additionally, the folding part may be formed to include a groove recessed inward.

Additionally, the battery case includes a pair of protrusions that protrude outward across the groove, and the gap between the innermost part of the groove and the outermost part of the protrusion may be 0.8 mm or less.

Additionally, the difference between the width of the cup portion and the width of the electrode assembly may be 2.5 mm or less.

Additionally, the difference between the width of the cup portion and the width of the electrode assembly may be 1.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the width of the cup portion may be the distance between the tops of the outer walls on both sides of the cup portion.

In addition, the cup portion each connects a plurality of outer walls and a bottom surrounding the periphery, and includes a plurality of punch edges, at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less. a plurality of die edges connecting the outer wall and the side or degassing portion, and at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; and a thick edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other.

In addition, a die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom, and a die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge-side punch edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom. The vertical distance between edge vertical lines may be less than 0.5 mm.

Additionally, in the electrode assembly, at least one end of the electrode may be positioned at a vertical distance of 0.75 mm or less from the edge vertical line.

Additionally, in the electrode assembly, at least one end of the electrode may be positioned at a vertical distance of 0.5 mm or less from the edge vertical line.

Additionally, the peripheral portion of the separator that protrudes outward from the electrode may be folded in a direction opposite to the bottom portion with respect to one end of the electrode.

In addition, the electrode assembly includes a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of separators, and the peripheral portion of the separator stored in the cup portion of the first case is folded toward the second case, and the separator is stored in the cup portion of the first case. The peripheral portion of the separator stored in the cup portion may be folded toward the first case.

Additionally, the peripheral portion of the at least one separator may be aligned with the peripheral portion of the adjacent separator and may be folded.

Additionally, at least one of the punch edges may be rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the punch edge may be 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion.

Additionally, at least one of the die edges may be rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the die edge may be 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion.

Additionally, the outer wall may have an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom.

In addition, the thickness edge is connected to two adjacent punch edges to form a corner, wherein at least one of the corners is rounded with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, and the radius of curvature is equal to that of the thickness edge. It can be larger than the radius of curvature.

Additionally, the radius of curvature of the corner may change inside.

Additionally, the corner may have a radius of curvature at the center that is larger than the radius of curvature at the periphery.

Additionally, bat ears may be formed to protrude outward by a length of 1.5 mm or less at portions of both ends of the folding unit.

Additionally, the angle formed between the folding portion and the inner edge of the bat ear may be greater than 151 degrees.

Other specific details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to embodiments of the present invention, there are at least the following effects.

The curvature radius and clearance of the edge of the cup part of the pouch-type battery case and pouch-type secondary battery can be made smaller, and the thickness of the bridge can be made thinner, so the width of the folding part can be reduced, and the volume of the electrode assembly can be increased. The size of the bat ear can be reduced, and the edge high phenomenon can be prevented, so the energy density relative to the volume can be increased.

In addition, since the pouch-type battery case and the pouch-type secondary battery can be manufactured with an overall sharp shape, the secondary battery can have an attractive appearance and improve marketability.

The effects according to the present invention are not limited to the contents exemplified above, and further various effects are included in the present specification.

1 is an assembly diagram of a secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pouch film 135 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a molding device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the conventional cup portion 333 and bridge 336.
Figure 5 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and the bridge 136 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and the degassing portion 137 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a top schematic diagram showing the electrode assembly 10 stored in the cup portion 133 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional corner 364.
Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing a corner 164 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing folding the battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the folded battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the groove 1391 formed in the battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 13 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and die edge 1621 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing folding the battery case 13a according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing the folded battery case 13a according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 16 is an enlarged view of the groove 1391a formed in the battery case 13 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing the degassing portion 337 of the conventional battery case 33 from above before cutting.
Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing the degassing portion 137 of the battery case 13 from above before cutting it according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 19 is a block diagram of the inspection device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 20 is a schematic diagram showing the completion of manufacturing the secondary battery 1 by cutting the degassing portion 137 of the battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional side 334 folded from the side.
Figure 22 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional side 334 folded from the top.
Figure 23 is a schematic diagram showing the side 134 folded according to an embodiment of the present invention from the side.
Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 25 is an enlarged front view showing a conventional secondary battery 3 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5.
Figure 26 is an enlarged side view showing a conventional secondary battery 3 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5.
Figure 27 is an enlarged front view showing the secondary battery 1 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 28 is an enlarged side view showing the secondary battery 1 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below along with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. The present embodiments are merely provided to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to be understood by those skilled in the art. It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used with meanings that can be commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Additionally, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly specifically defined.

The terminology used herein is for describing embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, singular forms also include plural forms, unless specifically stated otherwise in the context. As used in the specification, “comprises” and/or “comprising” does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the mentioned elements.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is an assembly diagram of a secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the radius of curvature and clearance of the edge of the cup portion of the pouch-type battery case and the pouch-type secondary battery can be formed smaller, and the thickness of the bridge can be formed thinner, so the width of the folding portion can also be reduced. The volume of the electrode assembly can be increased, the size of the bat ear can be reduced, and the edge high phenomenon can be prevented, so the energy density compared to volume can be increased. In addition, since the pouch-type battery case and the pouch-type secondary battery can be manufactured with an overall sharp shape, the secondary battery can have an attractive appearance and improve marketability.

For this purpose, the pouch-type battery case according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed with a cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly formed by stacking electrodes and separators, and the cup portion has a plurality of outer walls and a bottom surrounding the periphery. a plurality of punch edges each connected and formed by rounding at least one of them to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; a plurality of die edges connecting the outer wall and the side or degassing portion, and at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; And a thickness edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other, a die edge vertical line passing through a boundary point of the die edge and the die edge side outer wall and perpendicular to the bottom, a punch edge on the die edge side, and the die. The vertical distance between the edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the outer wall on the edge side and is perpendicular to the bottom is 0.5 mm or less, and the thickness edge is connected to the two adjacent punch edges to form a corner, and the corner is, At least one is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, the radius of curvature is larger than the radius of curvature of the thickness edge, and the depth of the cup portion is 6.5 mm or less.

And a pouch-type secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrode assembly formed by stacking an electrode and a separator; and a pouch-type battery case having a cup portion for accommodating the electrode assembly therein, wherein the battery case includes: a first case and a second case having at least one cup portion formed therein; a folding portion that integrally connects the first case and the second case; and bat ears that protrude outward from both ends of the folding portion, wherein the cup portion connects a plurality of outer walls and a bottom portion surrounding the periphery, and at least one of the cup portions is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less. Being a plural punch edge; a plurality of die edges connecting the outer wall and the side or degassing portion, and at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; And a thickness edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other, a die edge vertical line passing through a boundary point of the die edge and the die edge side outer wall and perpendicular to the bottom, a punch edge on the die edge side, and the die. The vertical distance between the edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the outer wall on the edge side and is perpendicular to the bottom is 0.5 mm or less, and the thickness edge is connected to the two adjacent punch edges to form a corner, and the corner is, At least one is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, the radius of curvature is greater than the radius of curvature of the thickness edge, the folding portion has a width of 1 mm to 3.2 mm, and the bat ear has a length of 1. mm or less, the difference between the width of the cup portion and the width of the electrode assembly is 2.5 mm or less, and the depth of the cup portion is 6.5 mm or less.

The electrode assembly 10 is formed by alternately stacking electrodes 101 (shown in FIG. 5) and separators 102 (shown in FIG. 5). First, a slurry mixed with an electrode active material, a binder, and a plasticizer is applied to the positive electrode current collector and the negative electrode current collector to manufacture electrodes 101, such as the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Then, separators 102 are stacked between the electrodes 101 to form the electrode assembly 10. The electrode assembly 10 is inserted into the battery case 13, and the electrolyte is injected and then sealed.

The electrode assembly (Electrode Assembly, 10) may have an area of 15,000 mm ² to 100,000 mm ² multiplied by the full length and full width. In particular, the overall width of the electrode assembly 10 may be 60 mm or more. Additionally, the electrode assembly 10 may have a thickness of 6 mm or more in the stacking direction. Therefore, the electrode assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide a large battery capacity compared to a typical small battery.

Specifically, the electrode assembly 10 includes two types of electrodes 101, an anode and a cathode, and a separator 102 interposed between the electrodes 101 to insulate the electrodes 101 from each other. These electrode assemblies 10 include stack type, jelly roll type, and stack and fold type. The two types of electrodes 101, that is, the positive electrode and the negative electrode, have a structure in which an active material slurry is applied to an electrode current collector in the form of a metal foil or metal mesh containing aluminum and copper, respectively. Active material slurry can typically be formed by stirring granular active materials, conductive materials, etc. with a solvent added. The solvent is removed in a subsequent process.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrode assembly 10 includes an electrode tab (Electrode Tab, 11). The electrode tab 11 is connected to the anode and cathode of the electrode assembly 10, respectively, and protrudes outward from the electrode assembly 10, forming a path through which electrons can move between the inside and outside of the electrode assembly 10. . The electrode current collector of the electrode assembly 10 consists of a portion to which the electrode active material is applied and a distal portion to which the electrode active material is not applied, that is, an uncoated portion. Additionally, the electrode tab 11 may be formed by cutting the uncoated area, or may be formed by connecting a separate conductive member to the uncoated area using ultrasonic welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrode tabs 11 may protrude in different directions from the electrode assembly 10, but are not limited to this and may protrude in various directions, such as protruding side by side in the same direction from one side. It may be possible.

An electrode lead 12 that supplies electricity to the outside of the secondary battery 1 is connected to the electrode tab 11 of the electrode assembly 10 by spot welding, etc. And, a part of the electrode lead 12 is surrounded by an insulating portion 14. The insulating portion 14 is located limited to the side 134 where the first case 131 and the second case 132 of the battery case 13 are heat-sealed, and connects the electrode lead 12 to the battery case 13. Adhere to. In addition, electricity generated from the electrode assembly 10 is prevented from flowing into the battery case 13 through the electrode lead 12, and the sealing of the battery case 13 is maintained. Therefore, this insulating portion 14 is made of a non-conductive material that does not conduct electricity well. Generally, as the insulating portion 14, insulating tape is often used because it is easy to attach to the electrode lead 12 and has a relatively thin thickness. However, it is not limited to this and various members can be used as long as the electrode lead 12 can be insulated. there is.

One end of the electrode lead 12 is connected to the electrode tab 11 and the other end protrudes out of the battery case 13. That is, the electrode lead 12 has one end connected to the positive tab 111, one end connected to the positive lead 121 extending in the direction in which the positive tab 111 protrudes, and the negative electrode tab 112, and the negative electrode tab. (112) includes a negative electrode lead 122 extending in the protruding direction. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, the other ends of the positive lead 121 and the negative lead 122 protrude out of the battery case 13. By doing so, electricity generated inside the electrode assembly 10 can be supplied to the outside. Additionally, since the positive electrode tab 111 and the negative electrode tab 112 are formed to protrude in various directions, the positive electrode lead 121 and the negative electrode lead 122 may also extend in various directions.

The anode lead 121 and the cathode lead 122 may be made of different materials. That is, the positive electrode lead 121 may be made of the same aluminum (Al) material as the positive electrode current collector, and the negative electrode lead 122 may be made of the same copper (Cu) material as the negative electrode current collector or a copper material coated with nickel (Ni). And a portion of the electrode lead 12 protruding to the outside of the battery case 13 becomes a terminal portion and is electrically connected to an external terminal.

The battery case 13 is a pouch manufactured by molding a pouch film 135 made of a flexible material to accommodate the electrode assembly 10 therein. Hereinafter, the battery case 13 will be described as a pouch. When the flexible pouch film 135 is drawn and formed using a punch (22, shown in FIG. 6), a portion of the pouch film 135 is stretched to form a cup portion 133 including a pocket-shaped receiving space 1331. By forming, the battery case 13 is manufactured.

The battery case 13 accommodates the electrode assembly 10 and is sealed so that a portion of the electrode lead 12 is exposed. As shown in FIG. 1, this battery case 13 includes a first case 131 and a second case 132. A cup portion 133 is formed in the first case 131 to provide a receiving space 1331 that can accommodate the electrode assembly 10, and the second case 132 is a battery case ( 13), the accommodation space 1331 is covered from above to prevent it from escaping to the outside. The first case 131 and the second case 132 may be manufactured with one side connected to each other as shown in FIG. 1, but are not limited to this and may be manufactured in various ways, such as being separated from each other and manufactured separately.

When molding the cup portion 133 on the pouch film 135, only one cup portion 133 may be formed on one pouch film 135, but this is not limited to this, and two cup portions may be formed on one pouch film 135. (133) can also be drawn and formed adjacent to each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, cup portions 133 are formed in each of the first case 131 and the second case 132. At this time, each cup portion 133 formed in the first case 131 and the second case 132 may have the same depth (D), but is not limited to this and may have different depths (D). there is.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the depth D of the cup portion 133 may be 3 mm or more and 6.5 mm or less. Therefore, the cup portion 133 according to an embodiment of the present invention can accommodate the electrode assembly 10 having a large electrode capacity compared to a typical small battery.

After storing the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 provided in the cup portion 133 of the first case 131, the two cup portions 133 are placed in the battery case 13 so that the two cup portions 133 face each other. The battery case 13 can be folded around the bridge 136 formed between the . Then, the cup portion 133 of the second case 132 accommodates the electrode assembly 10 from above. Accordingly, since the two cup portions 133 accommodate one electrode assembly 10, an electrode assembly 10 that is thicker than when only one cup portion 133 is accommodated can be accommodated. In addition, since the first case 131 and the second case 132 are integrally connected to each other by folding the battery case 13, the number of sides 134 to be sealed can be reduced when the sealing process is performed later. there is. Therefore, the process speed can be improved and the number of sealing processes can also be reduced.

Meanwhile, the battery case 13 includes a cup portion 133 provided with a receiving space 1331 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10, and is formed on a side of the cup portion 133 to form the cup portion 133 through a degassing hole (H). It may include a degassing unit 137 that discharges the gas generated inside. After the electrode assembly 10 is stored in the cup 133 of the battery case 13 and the electrolyte is injected and an activation process is performed, gas is generated inside the battery case 13 and this gas is discharged to the outside. A degassing process is performed for this purpose. A detailed description of the degassing unit 137 will be described later.

When the electrode lead 12 is connected to the electrode tab 11 of the electrode assembly 10 and the insulating portion 14 is formed in a portion of the electrode lead 12, it is connected to the cup portion 133 of the first case 131. The electrode assembly 10 is accommodated in the provided accommodation space 1331, and the second case 132 covers the space from the top. Then, electrolyte is injected into the inside, and the side 134 extending outward from the cup portion 133 of the first case 131 and the second case 132 is sealed. The electrolyte is used to move lithium ions generated by the electrochemical reaction of the electrode 101 during charging and discharging of the secondary battery 1, and is a non-aqueous organic electrolyte or polymer electrolyte that is a mixture of lithium salt and high-purity organic solvent. It may include polymers using . Furthermore, the electrolyte may include a sulfide-based, oxide-based, or polymer-based solid electrolyte, and such solid electrolyte may have flexibility to be easily deformed by external force. Through this method, the pouch-type secondary battery 1 can be manufactured.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pouch film 135 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The pouch, which is the battery case 13 of the pouch-type secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, is manufactured by drawing and forming the pouch film 135. That is, it is manufactured by stretching the pouch film 135 with a punch 22 or the like to form the cup portion 133. According to one embodiment of the present invention, this pouch film 135, as shown in FIG. 2, includes a sealant layer (1351), a moisture barrier layer (1352), and a surface protection layer (Surface Protection). Layer 1353) and, if necessary, may further include a drawing assistance layer (Drawing Assistance Layer 1354).

The sealant layer 1351 is made of a first polymer and is formed in the innermost layer to be in direct contact with the electrode assembly 10. Here, the innermost layer refers to the layer located last in the direction in which the electrode assembly 10 is located based on the moisture barrier layer 1352. The battery case 13 is formed by drawing and forming the pouch film 135 of the above-described laminated structure using a punch 22, etc., and a portion thereof is stretched to form a cup portion including a bag-shaped receiving space 1331. It is prepared by forming (133). Then, when the electrode assembly 10 is accommodated in this accommodation space 1331, electrolyte is injected. Afterwards, the first case 131 and the second case 132 are brought into contact with each other to face each other, and the sides 134 are heat-pressed to seal the pouch by bonding the sealant layers 1351 to each other. At this time, the sealant layer 1351 must have insulating properties since it is in direct contact with the electrode assembly 10, and must have corrosion resistance because it is also in contact with the electrolyte. In addition, since the inside must be completely sealed to block material movement between the inside and outside, it must have high sealing properties. That is, the sides 134 to which the sealant layers 1351 are bonded must have excellent thermal adhesive strength. In general, the first polymer for manufacturing this sealant layer 1351 is polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic polymer, polyacrylonitrile, polyimide, polyamide, cellulose, aramid, It may be made of one or more materials selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxazole, polyarylate, Teflon, and glass fiber. In particular, polyolefin-based resins such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) are mainly used. Polypropylene (PP) has excellent mechanical properties such as tensile strength, rigidity, surface hardness, wear resistance, heat resistance, and chemical properties such as corrosion resistance, and is mainly used to manufacture the sealant layer 1351. Furthermore, it may be composed of cated polypropylene, acid modified polypropylene, or polypropylene-butylene-ethylene terpolymer. Here, the acid-treated polypropylene may be MAH PP (maleic anhydride polypropylene). Additionally, the sealant layer 1351 may have a single film structure made of one material or a composite film structure formed by forming two or more materials as layers.

The moisture barrier layer 1352 is laminated between the surface protection layer 1353 and the sealant layer 1351 to secure the mechanical strength of the pouch, block gas or moisture from outside the secondary battery 1, and prevent the electrolyte from entering. prevent water leakage. The moisture barrier layer 1352 may be made of an aluminum alloy thin film. The aluminum alloy thin film can secure mechanical strength above a predetermined level, while being light in weight, complementing the electrochemical properties caused by the electrode assembly 10 and the electrolyte, and securing heat dissipation.

More specifically, the aluminum alloy thin film according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a grain size of 10 to 13 μm, preferably 10.5 to 12.5 μm, and more preferably 11 to 12 μm. When the crystal grain size of the aluminum alloy thin film satisfies the above range, the molding depth can be increased without causing pinholes or cracks during cup molding.

These aluminum alloy thin films contain metal elements other than aluminum, such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn). One or two or more types selected from the group consisting of may be included.

The surface protection layer 1353 is made of a second polymer and is formed on the outermost layer to protect the secondary battery 1 from friction and collision with the outside and electrically insulate the electrode assembly 10 from the outside. Here, the outermost layer refers to the layer located last when facing in the opposite direction to the direction in which the electrode assembly 10 is located based on the moisture barrier layer 1352. The second polymer for manufacturing this surface protective layer 1353 is polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic polymer, polyacrylonitrile, polyimide, polyamide, cellulose, aramid, and nylon. It may be one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxazole, polyarylate, Teflon, and glass fiber. In particular, it is preferable to use a polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which mainly has wear resistance and heat resistance. In addition, the surface protection layer 1353 may have a single film structure made of one material, or it may have a composite film structure formed by forming layers of two or more materials.

On the other hand, PET is inexpensive, has excellent durability, and has excellent electrical insulation, but has weak adhesion to aluminum, which is often used as the moisture barrier layer 1352, and has different behavior when stretched by applying stress. Therefore, if the surface protection layer 1353 and the moisture barrier layer 1352 are directly adhered, the surface protection layer 1353 and the moisture barrier layer 1352 may be separated during drawing and forming. As a result, the moisture barrier layer 1352 may not be stretched uniformly, which may cause a problem of reduced formability.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery case 13 is made of a third polymer and may further include a stretching auxiliary layer 1354 laminated between the surface protection layer 1353 and the moisture barrier layer 1352. there is. The stretching auxiliary layer 1354 is laminated between the surface protective layer 1353 and the moisture barrier layer 1352 to prevent the surface protective layer 1353 and the moisture barrier layer 1352 from peeling when stretched. The third polymer used to manufacture the stretching auxiliary layer 1354 is polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic polymer, polyacrylonitrile, polyimide, polyamide, cellulose, aramid, and nylon. It may be one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxazole, polyarylate, Teflon, and glass fiber. In particular, nylon resin is easy to adhere to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of the surface protection layer 1353 and has similar behavior when stretched to the aluminum alloy of the moisture barrier layer 1352, so it is used as a third polymer. It is preferable that nylon resin is mainly used. Additionally, the stretching auxiliary layer 1354 may have a single film structure made of one material, or it may have a composite film structure formed by forming two or more materials as separate layers.

Meanwhile, the pouch film 135 according to the present invention may have a total thickness of 160 μm to 200 μm, preferably 180 μm to 200 μm. When the thickness of the pouch film 135 satisfies the above range, the molding depth can be increased while minimizing the reduction in battery accommodation space and deterioration of sealing durability due to the increase in pouch thickness.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a molding device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The molding device 2 for molding the pouch film 135 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a die 21 on which the pouch film 135 is seated on the upper surface, and is disposed above the die 21 and descends. It includes a punch 22 for forming the pouch film 135. The die 21 includes a molding portion 211 that is recessed inward from the upper surface, and the punch 22 forms the cup portion 133 by drawing and forming the pouch film 135 while inserting it into the molding portion 211. do.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when molding the pouch film 135 using the molding device 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the die 21 has two molding parts 211 adjacent to each other. A dog may be formed, and a partition wall 212 may be formed between the two molded parts 211. When the pouch film 135 is drawn and formed while the punch 22 is inserted into both molding parts 211, there is one each in the first case 131 and the second case 132 corresponding to the two molding parts 211. , A total of two cup portions 133 are formed, and a bridge 136 may also be formed between these two cup portions 133 to correspond to the partition wall 212.

The bridge 136 may be a reference part when folding the battery case 13 later. When manufacturing of the secondary battery 1 is completed, the bridge 136 may form a folding portion 139 (shown in FIG. 11) on one side of the secondary battery 1. Since this folding portion 139 integrally connects the first case 131 and the second case 132, the number of sides 134 to be sealed can be reduced when a sealing process is performed later. Therefore, the process speed can be improved and the number of sealing processes can also be reduced. At this time, as the width of the folding portion 139 decreases, the space 17 (shown in FIG. 5) between the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 (shown in FIG. 5) and the electrode assembly 10 also decreases. The overall volume of the secondary battery 1 may be reduced, thereby increasing the energy density relative to the volume.

The width of the folding portion 139 is proportional to the thickness (t, shown in FIG. 5) of the bridge 136, and since the bridge 136 is formed corresponding to the partition wall 212, the thickness of the bridge 136 ( t) is proportional to the thickness of the partition wall 212. Therefore, when molding the pouch film 135, it is desirable to minimize the thickness (t) of the bridge 136, and to this end, it is also desirable to minimize the thickness of the partition wall 212. However, if the partition wall 212 is formed to be excessively high while the thickness is thin, the partition wall 212 may be damaged during the drawing forming process. In particular, conventionally, there was a bottom in the die, but in this case, when the punch 22 forms the pouch film 135, the gas existing in the space between the pouch film 135 and the molding part 211 cannot be discharged. There was a problem. Therefore, recently, by removing the bottom of this die, the gas existing in the space between the pouch film 135 and the molded part 211 can be easily discharged, but the height of the partition wall 212 is formed excessively high. There was a problem. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, a reinforcement portion 2121 thicker than the thickness of the partition wall 212 may be formed in the lower part of the partition wall 212. The reinforcement portion 2121 may be formed below the depth D of the cup portion 133 to be formed in the battery case 13, and may be formed at a position where the partition wall 212 is not damaged. The exact location of the reinforcement portion 2121 can be experimentally determined depending on the thickness of the partition wall 212, the material of the partition wall 212, the pressure of the punch 22, the depth D of the cup part 133 to be formed, etc.

Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the conventional cup portion 333 and bridge 336.

In the past, even when battery cases and secondary batteries were manufactured, there were limitations in manufacturing them into an overall sharp shape.

Specifically, conventionally, there was a limit to reducing the radius of curvature of the edge 36 of the cup portion 333.

The edge 36 of the cup portion 333 corresponds to the edge 221 of the punch 22 (shown in FIG. 3), and the edge 213 of the die 21 is formed by the punch edge 361 (shown in FIG. 3). ) and includes a die edge 362 (shown in FIG. 8) formed corresponding to.

The punch edge 361 connects the plurality of outer walls 338 surrounding the cup portion 333 and the bottom portion 3332, respectively. However, if the edge 221 of the punch 22 is not rounded, the edge 221 of the punch 22 becomes sharp, so when forming the pouch film 135, the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 There was a problem that cracks easily occurred due to concentrated stress. Additionally, the die edge 362 connects the plurality of outer walls 338 and the side 134 or the degassing portion 137, respectively. However, if the edge 213 of the die 21 is not rounded, the edge of the die 21 becomes sharp, so when forming the pouch film 135, stress is also concentrated on the die edge 362 of the cup portion 333. There was a problem with cracks occurring easily. Here, rounding means forming a curved surface to have a curvature. This curved surface may have only a certain curvature, but is not limited to this and may have an irregular curvature. In this specification, the fact that the punch edge 161, die edge 162, bridge 136, etc. are rounded and formed with a specific curvature means not only having the specific curvature as a whole, but also having the specific curvature only in at least a part of it. It means including.

In order to solve the above problem, as shown in FIG. 4, the edge 221 of the punch 22 and the edge 213 of the die 21 are rounded to form the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333. and the die edge 362 was formed by rounding. As a result, it was possible to disperse the stress concentrated on the punch edge 361 and die edge 362 of the cup portion 333 to some extent.

However, even if the punch edge 361 and the die edge 362 of the cup portion 333 are rounded, the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 and the die edge are greater than the depth (D') of the cup portion 333. If the radius of curvature of the edge 362 is formed small, cracks occur in the punch edge 361 and die edge 362 of the cup portion 333. For example, conventionally, based on molding one cup portion 333, the depth D' is approximately 7 mm or more, and based on molding two cup portions 333, the depth D' is approximately 7 mm or more. When molded to 6.5 mm or more, cracks may occur in the pouch film 135 when the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 and the radius of curvature of the die edge 362 are formed to 2 mm or less. I was able to.

Additionally, when two cup portions 133 are formed, a partition wall 212 must be present in the die 21 in order for the bridge 136 to be formed. However, conventionally, when the depth D' of the cup portion 333 was formed to be deep (for example, 6.5 mm or more), there was a limit to forming the bridge 336 thinly. That is, if the partition wall 212 is also formed below a certain thickness in order to form the bridge 336 below a certain thickness, there is a problem of cracks occurring in the bridge 336 because the partition wall 212 is formed sharply.

To solve this problem, the bridge 336 was formed by rounding the partition wall 212 as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, it was possible to disperse the stress concentrated on the bridge 336 to some extent. In particular, when the radius of curvature (R1') of the bridge 336 is constant, the radius of curvature (R1') corresponds to half the thickness (t') of the bridge 336. For example, when the radius of curvature (R1') of the bridge 336 is formed to be close to about 1 mm, the thickness (t') of the bridge 336 is formed to be close to about 2 mm.

However, even if the bridge 336 is formed in a rounded manner, if the depth D' of the cup portion 333 is formed deep and the thickness t' of the bridge 336 is small, cracks occur in the bridge 336. For example, if the depth D' of the cup portion 333 is molded to be approximately 6.5 mm or more, the radius of curvature (R1') of the bridge 336 is 1 mm or less, that is, the thickness (t') of the bridge 336. There was a problem with cracks occurring in the bridge 336 when formed to 2 mm or less.

Furthermore, the size of the clearance CL' was quite large, so there was a limit to forming the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 close to vertical. Clearance (CL) refers to the vertical distance between the inner wall of the forming part 211 of the die 21 and the outer wall of the punch 22. In fact, there is a slight difference in size between the molded portion 211 of the die 21 and the punch 22 as much as the clearance CL. If this clearance CL is excessively small, the distance between the inner wall of the forming part 211 and the outer wall of the punch 22 becomes excessively small. Then, the pouch film 135 may not be able to be inserted into the molding part 211, or a large amount of friction may occur and the pouch film 135 may be damaged. Conversely, if the clearance (CL) is excessively large, the inclination angle of the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 increases, thereby increasing the space 37 between the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 and the electrode assembly 10. There is. Therefore, when molding the pouch film 135, an appropriate clearance (CL) must be set.

The bridge 336 is formed to correspond to the partition wall 212 of the die 21, and the punch edge 361 is formed to correspond to the edge 221 of the punch 22. Therefore, the clearance (CL'), which is the vertical distance between the inner wall of the forming part 211 of the die 21 and the outer wall of the punch 22, is between the bridge 336 and the punch edge 361 in the battery case 33. It can appear as a vertical distance.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the bridge vertical line (V1') and the edge vertical line (V2') are depicted virtually. The bridge vertical line V1' is an imaginary vertical line that passes through the boundary point P1' between the bridge 336 and the outer wall 338 on the side of the bridge 336 and is perpendicular to the floor 3332. And, the edge vertical line (V2') is an imaginary vertical line that passes through the boundary point (P2') of the punch edge 361 on the bridge 336 side and the outer wall 338 on the bridge 336 side and is perpendicular to the bottom 3332. . This bridge vertical line (V1') corresponds to the inner wall of the forming part 211 of the die 21, especially the inner wall of the partition wall 212, and the edge vertical line (V2') corresponds to the outer wall of the punch 22. Accordingly, the vertical distance between the bridge vertical line V1' and the edge vertical line V2' is the clearance CL' appearing in the battery case 33.

However, conventionally, when the depth D' of the cup portion 333 is molded to be deep (for example, 6.5 mm or more), cracks easily occur in the pouch film 135 when the clearance CL is reduced to 0.5 mm or less. As described above, conventionally, when the depth D' of the cup portion 333 is molded to be deep (for example, 6.5 mm or more), the clearance CL' is molded to be smaller. Because there is a limit, the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 has an inclination angle greater than 95° from the bottom portion 3332. In other words, there was a limit to forming the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 at an inclination angle of 95° or less and close to vertical.

Meanwhile, since there is a limit to improving the radius of curvature (R2') of the edge of the cup portion 333, there is also a problem in that the volume of the electrode assembly 10 accommodated in the cup portion 333 becomes smaller. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, conventionally, the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 is large, so the electrode assembly 10 is attached to the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333. If placed too close, there was a problem in that the electrode 101 of the electrode assembly 10 was damaged by the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333. That is, one end of the electrode 101 containing metal is located on the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333, and one end of the electrode 101 corresponds to the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 and is deformed. There was a problem with it being damaged.

To solve this problem, conventionally, when storing the electrode assembly 10 in the cup part 333, the electrode assembly 10 was stored at some distance from the outer wall 338 of the cup part 333. First, the vertical distance (g') from the edge vertical line (V2') is 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm, and a reference vertical line (V3') perpendicular to the bottom 3332 is virtually shown, and then, as shown in FIG. As shown, the electrode assembly 10 was stored so that one end of the electrode 101 was located outside the reference vertical line V3'. As a result, the electrode 101 is separated from the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 to a certain extent, thereby preventing the electrode 101 from being damaged. However, in this case, the space 37 between the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 and the electrode assembly 10 increases, and the volume ratio of the electrode assembly 10 to the volume of the cup portion 333 decreases, so that the secondary battery (3) There was a problem in which the energy density compared to the volume was lowered. In addition, the volume of unnecessary space inside the cup portion 333 increased, and there was a problem in that the electrode assembly 10 moved inside the cup portion 333 before sealing the sides.

Additionally, in the electrode assembly 10, the electrode 101 has high rigidity and is not easily deformed by external forces, while the separator 102 has high flexibility and is easily deformed by external forces. However, when neighboring electrodes 101 are in direct contact, a short circuit occurs, so to prevent this, the separator 102 is formed to be larger than the electrode 101. Accordingly, when the electrode assembly 10 is formed, the separator 102 is formed with a peripheral portion 1021 that protrudes outward from the electrode 101. However, conventionally, the electrode assembly 10 was stored at some distance from the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333, so the peripheral portions 1021 of the separator 102 were all disorderly crumpled or folded, causing the electrode 101 to be damaged. There was a high possibility of a short circuit occurring due to exposure to the outside.

In this way, conventionally, when the depth D' of the cup portion 333 is formed to be deep (e.g., 6.5 mm or more), the thickness t' of the bridge 336 and the edge 361 of the cup portion 333 are increased. There were limits to improving the radius of curvature (R2') and clearance (CL'). In addition, the ratio of the volume of the electrode assembly 10 to the volume of the cup portion 333 is small, and the unnecessary volume in the secondary battery 3 is large, so the energy density compared to volume is also reduced. Furthermore, since the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 is not formed close to vertical and the radius of curvature (R2) of the edge 361 of the cup portion 133 is large, there are limitations in manufacturing the secondary battery into an overall sharp shape. The appearance of (3) was not attractive, so there was a problem that its marketability was lowered.

Figure 5 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and the bridge 136 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and the degassing portion 137 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth (D) of the cup portion 133 is molded to 6.5 mm or less, and at the same time, the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 is made thinner, and the edge 16 of the cup portion 133 is formed. By making the radius of curvature (R2) and clearance (CL) smaller, the volume of the electrode assembly 10 can be increased. Accordingly, unnecessary volume in the secondary battery 1 is reduced, and energy density relative to volume can be increased. In addition, since the pouch-type battery case 13 and the pouch-type secondary battery 1 can be manufactured into an overall sharp shape, the secondary battery 1 can have an excellent appearance and improve marketability.

To this end, the pouch-type battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a cup portion 133 formed therein to accommodate the electrode assembly 10, which is formed by stacking the electrode 101 and the separator 102. However, the cup portion 133 includes a plurality of punch edges 161 connecting the plurality of outer walls 138 surrounding the periphery and the bottom portion 1332, respectively; A plurality of die edges 162 connecting the outer wall 138 and the side 134 or degassing portion 137; And it may include a thick edge 163 connecting the two adjacent outer walls 138 to each other.

At least one of the punch edges 161 and at least one of the die edges 162 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. If the radius of curvature (R2) of each edge (161) (162) is less than 1/20 of the depth (D) of the cup portion (133), stress may be excessively concentrated on each edge (161) (162) and cracks may occur. And, if the radius of curvature (R2) of each edge (161) (162) is greater than 1/6 of the depth (D) of the cup portion (133), the cup portion (133) is not formed sharply, so the energy density may decrease.

Specifically, at least one of the punch edges 161 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature R2 of 1 mm or less, and at least one of the die edges 162 may be formed with a radius of curvature R2 of 1 mm or less. It can be formed by rounding.

A die edge vertical line V4 passing through the boundary points (P1, P3) of the die edge 162 and the outer wall 138 on the die edge 162 side and perpendicular to the bottom 1332, and the die edge 162 ) The vertical distance (CL) between the punch edge 161 and the edge vertical line V2 that passes through the boundary points (P2, P4) of the outer wall 138 on the die edge 162 side and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332. is 0.5 mm or less, and the thickness edge 163 is connected to the two adjacent punch edges 161 to form a corner 164, and at least one of the corners 164 is 2 mm to 5 mm. It is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature (R3), and the radius of curvature (R3) may be larger than the radius of curvature of the thickness edge. Additionally, the depth D of the cup portion 133 may be 6.5 mm or less.

The cup portion 133 is formed by molding the flexible pouch film 135 using a punch 22 or the like. This cup portion 133 is surrounded by a plurality of outer walls 138 and a bottom portion 1332, and the space formed by the outer walls 138 and the bottom portion 1332 is the receiving space 1331, which forms the electrode assembly 10 ) is accepted.

The outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 surrounds the periphery of the cup portion 133 and specifies the shape of the cup portion 133. The outer wall 138 is formed in plurality around the cup portion 133, is also formed on the bridge 136 side, is formed on the bar degassing portion 137 side to be described below, and is also formed on the electrode lead 12 side. The upper end of the outer wall 138 faces the opening of the cup portion 133, and the lower end faces the bottom portion 1332.

Meanwhile, as described above, the edge 16 of the cup portion 133 corresponds to the edge 221 of the punch 22, and the punch edge 161 and the edge 213 of the die 21 are formed in FIG. 3. It includes a die edge 162 formed corresponding to (shown). A side 134 and a degassing portion 137 are formed from the top of the outer wall 138 to the outside, and the die edge 162 is formed at the top of the outer wall 138 and the side 134 or the degassing portion 137. Connect each. And the punch edge 161 connects the lower end and the bottom portion 1332 of the outer wall 138, respectively.

Since the outer walls 138 of the cup portion 133 are formed in plural numbers, the edges 16 of the cup portion 133 are also formed in plural numbers equal to the number of outer walls 138. That is, if the cup portion 133 is formed in a square shape, four outer walls 138 of the cup portion 133 are formed, so four punch edges 161 and four die edges 162 are formed. And according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth D of the cup portion 133 is molded to be 6.5 mm or less, and at least one punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 is 1 mm or less, especially 0.7 mm or less. It can be formed by rounding with a radius of curvature.

In particular, according to one embodiment of the present invention, two cup portions 133 are formed in one pouch film 135, and a bridge 136 is also formed between the two cup portions 133. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, among the plurality of punch edges 161, a bridge 136 connects the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136 facing toward the bridge 136 and the bottom 1332. ) side punch edge 1611 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. Specifically, the bridge 136 side punch edge 1611 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, among the plurality of punch edges 161, the outer wall on the die edge 162 side facing the die edge 162 formed on the degassing portion 137 or the electrode lead 12 The punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side that connects 1382 and the bottom 1332 is also rounded with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. can be formed. Specifically, the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. At this time, it is preferable that the slope is continuous at the boundary points (P2, P4) between the punch edge 161 and the outer wall 138.

For this purpose, the edge 221 of the punch 22 may also be rounded to a predetermined radius of curvature. Here, the radius of curvature of the edge 221 of the punch 22 may be a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the pouch film 135 itself from the radius of curvature (R2) of the punch edge 161. For example, if the thickness of the pouch film 135 is 0.2 mm, the radius of curvature of the edge 221 of the punch 22 is 0.5 mm or less, the radius of curvature (R2) of the punch edge 161 is 0.7 mm or less. .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the punch 22 draws and molds the pouch film 135 so that the depth D of the cup portion 133 is 6.5 mm or less, the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 ) can prevent cracks from occurring.

Meanwhile, the top of the outer wall 138 faces the opening of the cup portion 133, and the side 134 and the degassing portion 137 extend to the outside of the cup portion 133. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the cup portion 133 may further include a plurality of die edges 162 connecting the top of the outer wall 138 and the side 134 or the degassing portion 137, respectively. . In addition, at least one die edge 162 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. Specifically, at least one die edge 162 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, especially 0.7 mm or less.

To this end, the edge 213 of the die 21 may also be rounded to a predetermined radius of curvature. Here, the radius of curvature of the edge 213 of the die 21 may be a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the pouch film 135 itself from the radius of curvature (R2) of the punch edge 161. For example, if the thickness of the pouch film 135 is 0.2 mm, the radius of curvature of the edge 213 of the die 21 is 0.5 mm or less, and the radius of curvature of the die edge 162 is 0.7 mm or less.

In particular, as described above, two cup portions 133 may be formed in one pouch film 135, and a bridge 136 may also be formed between the two cup portions 133. That is, the pouch-type battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a product in which a cup portion 133 is formed to accommodate the electrode assembly 10 formed by stacking the electrode 101 and the separator 102. Case 1 (131) and Case 2 (132); and a bridge 136 formed between the two cup portions 133.

Since the bridge 136 is also formed to correspond to the partition wall 212 of the die 21, the bridge 136 may be one type of a plurality of die edges 162.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, as the formability of the pouch film 135 is improved, the bridge 136 may have a thickness of 1/200 to 1/30 of the width of the electrode assembly 10. . If the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 is less than 1/200 of the width of the electrode assembly 10, stress may be excessively concentrated in the bridge 136 and cracks may occur, and the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 If it is larger than 1/30 of the width of the temporary electrode assembly 10, the bridge 136 is not formed sharply, so the energy density may decrease.

Specifically, the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 may be formed to be 2 mm or less, particularly 1.4 mm or less.

Here, the thickness t of the bridge 136 is preferably the distance between the bridge 136 and two boundary points P1 of the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136, as shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, it is preferably the distance between the two bridge vertical lines V1 that pass through the boundary point P1 of the bridge 136 and the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136 and are perpendicular to the bottom 1332. Accordingly, when the bridge 136 has a constant radius of curvature, the radius of curvature of the bridge 136 may correspond to half the thickness t. That is, the radius of curvature of the bridge 136 may be 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less.

For this purpose, the partition wall 212 of the molded part 211 may be rounded to a predetermined radius of curvature. At this time, it is preferable that the slope is continuous at the boundary point P1 between the bridge 136 and the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136. Here, the radius of curvature of the upper surface of the partition 212 of the molded part 211 may be a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the pouch film 135 itself from the radius of curvature of the bridge 136. For example, when the thickness of the pouch film 135 is 0.2 mm, the radius of curvature of the upper surface of the partition wall 212 is 0.5 mm or less, and the radius of curvature of the bridge 136 is 0.7 mm or less.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, even if the radius of curvature of the edge 213 of the die 21 is reduced and the thickness of the partition 212 is formed thin, the depth D of the cup portion 133 is reduced to 6.5 mm or less. During molding, it is possible to prevent cracks from easily occurring on the die edge 162 and the bridge 136. This bridge 136 may have a fan-shaped cross-section, and as the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 is formed closer to vertical, the cross-section may have a shape closer to a semicircle.

Furthermore, as the formability of the pouch film 135 is improved, the clearance CL can be reduced to 0.5 mm or less, so that the plurality of outer walls 138 can all be formed close to vertical. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, among the plurality of outer walls 138, the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136 may be formed close to vertical. That is, the bridge vertical line V1 passes through the boundary point P1 between the bridge 136 and the outer wall 1381 on the bridge 136 side and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332, and the punch edge on the bridge 136 side. The clearance (CL), which is the vertical distance between (1611) and the edge vertical line (V2) that passes through the boundary point (P2) of the outer wall (1381) on the side of the bridge (136) and is perpendicular to the bottom (1332), is 0.5 mm or less, In particular, it may be 0.35 mm or less.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, among the plurality of outer walls 138, the outer wall 1382 on the side of the die edge 162 may also be formed close to vertical. That is, the die edge vertical line V4 passes through the boundary point P3 of the die edge 162 and the outer wall 1382 on the die edge 162 side and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332, and the die edge 162 side. The clearance (CL), which is the vertical distance between the punch edge 1612 and the edge vertical line V2 that passes through the boundary point P4 of the outer wall 1382 on the die edge 162 side and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332, is 0.5. It may be mm or less, especially 0.35 mm or less.

By doing so, the depth D of the cup portion 133 can be molded to 6.5 mm or less, and the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 can have an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom portion 1332. , Furthermore, even if it is formed close to vertical with an inclination of 90° to 93°, it is possible to prevent cracks from occurring in the battery case 13. Additionally, since the space 17 between the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 and the electrode assembly 10 is reduced, the energy density relative to the volume of the secondary battery 1 may also increase.

Meanwhile, the radius of curvature (R2) of the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 can be further reduced, so even if the electrode assembly 10 is located very close to the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133, the electrode assembly 10 ) can prevent the electrode 101 from being damaged.

To this end, a method of manufacturing a pouch-type secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes forming an electrode assembly 10 by stacking an electrode 101 and a separator 102; Manufacturing a pouch-type battery case 13 by molding the pouch film 135 to form a cup portion 133; Storing the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 of the cup portion 133; And it may include manufacturing the pouch-type secondary battery 1 by sealing the side 134 extending to the outside of the cup portion 133.

In particular, in the step of storing the electrode assembly 10, the difference between the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 and the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 may be 2.5 mm or less, especially 1.7 mm or less. there is. Here, the width EW of the electrode assembly 10 may mean the width of the electrode 101. That is, the peripheral portion 1021 of the separator 102 that protrudes beyond the electrode 101 may be excluded from calculating the width EW.

In addition, at least one end of the electrode 101 passes through the boundary point P2 of the punch edge 161 and the outer wall 138 and is drawn from an edge vertical line V2 perpendicular to the bottom 1332, The electrode assembly 10 can be accommodated so that the vertical distance (g) is less than 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an edge vertical line V2 passing through the boundary point P2 of the punch edge 161 and the outer wall 138 and perpendicular to the bottom portion 1332 is shown virtually. And the electrode assembly 10 is accommodated so that at least one end of the electrode 101 is positioned at a vertical distance g of 0.75 mm or less, particularly 0.5 mm or less, from the edge vertical line V2. More specifically, a vertical distance (g) from the edge vertical line (V2) is 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm, and a reference vertical line (V3) perpendicular to the bottom portion (1332) is shown virtually. At this time, since the radius of curvature R2 of the punch edge 161 may be particularly 0.7 mm or less, the reference vertical line V3 may pass through the center of curvature C of the punch edge 161. Then, the electrode assembly 10 is stored so that one end of the electrode 101 is positioned between the edge vertical line V2 and the reference vertical line V3. This can be confirmed by disassembling the secondary battery 1 itself, but is not limited to this and can also be confirmed by various methods, such as CT (Computerized Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and X-Ray, without disassembling the secondary battery 1. there is. As a result, the ratio of the volume of the electrode assembly 10 to the volume of the cup portion 133 can be further increased while preventing the electrode 101 from being damaged, and energy efficiency relative to the volume can also be increased. Additionally, since unnecessary volume inside the cup portion 133 is reduced, the electrode assembly 10 can be prevented from moving inside the cup portion 133.

Furthermore, since the electrode assembly 10 can be accommodated very close to the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133, the separator 102 may not be randomly wrinkled or folded. As shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral portion 1021 of the separator 102 protruding outward from the electrode 101 is folded toward the opposite direction of the bottom portion 1332 with respect to one end of the electrode 101. You can. The electrode assembly 10 is formed by stacking the electrode 101 and the separator 102, and each of the electrodes 101 and the separator 102 may be formed in plural numbers. The battery case 13 includes a first case 131 and a second case 132, and the bridge 136 of the battery case 13 is folded so that the upper part of the electrode assembly 10 is also stored in the cup portion 133. If so, the separator 102 stored in the cup portion 133 of the first case 131 has the peripheral portion 1021 folded toward the second case 132, and the second case 132 ) of the separator 102 stored in the cup portion 133, the peripheral portion 1021 may be folded toward the first case 131. As a result, the peripheral portions 1021 of the separator 102 are aligned and folded, thereby forming order. And since the separator 102 covers the electrode 101 so that it is not exposed to the outside, short circuit can be prevented.

In more detail, in a state before the electrode assembly 10 is accommodated in the cup portion 133, the width of the separator 102 may be wider than the width (CW) of the cup portion 133. Accordingly, in the process of storing the electrode assembly 10 in the cup portion 133, the peripheral portion 1021 of the separator 102 may be folded in a certain direction in contact with the inner circumference of the cup portion 133.

The difference between the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 and the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 may be very small, such as 2.5 mm or less, particularly 1.7 mm or less. Accordingly, a process for easily folding the peripheral portion 1021 of the separator 102 may be required during the process of storing the electrode assembly 10 in the cup portion 133.

Accordingly, the step of storing the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 of the cup portion 133 may include the process of pressing the electrode assembly 10 into the cup portion 133. As a result, compared to the conventional method of placing the electrode assembly 10 on the cup, the difference between the width (CW) of the cup 133 and the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 is maintained small, while the separator 102 ) can be folded in a certain direction to easily and reliably store the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 of the cup portion 133.

In addition, the step of storing the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 of the cup portion 133 includes pressing the electrode assembly 10 into the cup portion 133. A process of folding each corner (vertex) of the plurality of separators 102 using heat and pressure may be further included. In the above process, each corner (vertex) of the plurality of separators 102 can be folded using a separate sealing tool so that they are gathered at the center in the stacking direction of the electrode assembly 10.

That is, the electrode assembly 10 can be inserted into the cup portion 133 with the four corners of the separator 102 already aligned. Accordingly, the electrode assembly 10 can be smoothly inserted into the receiving space 1331 of the cup portion 133.

As such, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as the formability of the pouch film 135 is improved, the thickness t of the bridge 136 becomes thinner and the radius of curvature of the edge 16 of the cup portion 133 is increased. (R2) and clearance (CL) can be made smaller, and the volume of the electrode assembly 10 can be increased. Accordingly, unnecessary volume in the secondary battery 1 is reduced, and energy density relative to volume can be increased. In addition, since the pouch-type battery case 13 and the pouch-type secondary battery 1 can be manufactured into an overall sharp shape, the secondary battery 1 can have an attractive appearance and improve marketability.

Figure 7 is a top schematic diagram showing the electrode assembly 10 stored in the cup portion 133 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the radius of curvature (R2) of the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 can be further reduced, so that one end of the electrode 101 is aligned with the edge vertical line V2. The electrode assembly 10 is stored so as to be positioned between the reference vertical lines V3. As a result, even if the electrode assembly 10 is located very close to the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133, the electrode 101 of the electrode assembly 10 can be prevented from being damaged.

The edge vertical line V2 and the reference vertical line V3 may also be shown on the punch edge 1611 on the bridge 136 side and on the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side. The vertical distance (g) between the edge vertical line (V2) and the reference vertical line (V3) may be 0.75 mm, particularly 0.5 mm.

In addition, if two cup portions 133 are formed in the battery case 13, a bridge 136 is present, so a bridge vertical line (V1) is shown on one side of the cup portion 133 and a die edge vertical line (V4) is shown on the other side. can do. The vertical distance (CL) between this bridge vertical line (V1) and the edge vertical line (V2) may be less than or equal to 0.5 mm, especially less than or equal to 0.35 mm, and the vertical distance (CL) between the die edge vertical line (V4) and the edge vertical line (V2) may be less than or equal to 0.5 mm. It may also be less than or equal to 0.5 mm, especially less than or equal to 0.35 mm.

However, if only one cup portion 133 is formed in the battery case 13, the bridge does not exist. However, since die edges 162 are formed on both sides of the cup portion 133, die edge vertical lines V4 can be shown on both sides of the cup portion 133, respectively.

If two cup portions 133 are formed in the battery case 13, the width (CW) of the cup portions 133 can be viewed as the vertical distance from the bridge vertical line (V1) to the die edge vertical line (V4). However, if only one cup portion 133 is formed, the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 may be viewed as the vertical distance between two die edge vertical lines (V4).

The bridge vertical line V1 and the die edge vertical line V4 both pass through the top of the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 may be the vertical distance between the tops of the outer walls 138 on both sides of the cup portion 133. The difference between the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 and the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 may be 2.5 mm or less, particularly 1.7 mm or less. And, as described above, the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 may be 60 mm or more.

The width (CW) of the cup portion 133 can be derived in the battery case 13 by measuring the vertical distance between the tops of the outer walls 138 on both sides of the cup portion 133. In addition, in the secondary battery 1, the position between the tops of the outer walls 138 on both sides can be determined from the outside of the cup 133 using a laser displacement sensor, and the distance between the two positions can be calculated. . At this time, outside the cup portion 133, a laser displacement sensor moves from the side 134 toward the die edge 162 and the outer wall 138 while irradiating a laser, and detects a point where the displacement changes rapidly. The point can be recognized as the top of the outer wall 138. The above is an example of a method for measuring the cup width (CW), and does not necessarily fall within the scope of the present invention if it is limited to the above measurement method. The width (CW) of the cup portion may be the width (CW) of the cup portion within the meaning of the present invention as long as it corresponds to the description of the claims and the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional corner 364, and FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a corner 164 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The edge 16 of the cup portion 133 is not only the punch edge 161 and the die edge 162, but also has a thickness edge ( 163) is further included. The thickness edge 163 is formed in the thickness direction of the cup portion 133, and is formed as the pouch film 135 is stretched between the corner of the molding portion 211 of the die 21 and the corner of the punch 22. do. Additionally, at least one thickness edge 163 may be rounded.

The radius of curvature of this thickness edge 163 may be the same as, but different from, the radius of curvature (R2) of the two adjacent punch edges 161, that is, the first punch edge 1613 and the second punch edge 1614. may be formed. For example, while forming the depth D of the cup portion 133 to 6.5 mm or less as described above, at least one of the punch edges 161 is rounded with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, especially 0.7 mm or less. It can be, and at least one of the thick edges 163 can be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, especially 0.5 mm to 2 mm. Conventionally, when the thickness edge 363 is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 5 mm or less, especially 2 mm or less, stress is concentrated on the thickness edge 363 of the cup portion 333, which causes cracks to easily occur. However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent cracks from occurring in the thickness edge 163 of the cup portion 133. At this time, one of the first punch edge 1613 and the second punch edge 1614 is the bridge 136 side punch edge 1611 and the other is the electrode lead 12 side punch edge (not shown). ) can be. Alternatively, one of the two may be the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side and the other may be the punch edge (not shown) on the electrode lead 12 side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the thickness edge 163 is connected to two adjacent punch edges 161, that is, the first punch edge 1613 and the second punch edge 1614, to form a corner 164. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of edges 221 of the punch 22 were all rounded with the same radius of curvature, and accordingly, the corners (not shown) of the punch 22 naturally also had the same radius of curvature. Rounding was done. Accordingly, when the pouch film 135 is stretched by forming the pouch film 135 using the punch 22, the corner 364 is naturally rounded to the same radius of curvature as the punch edge 361.

However, there was a problem in that stress was concentrated at the corner 364 when the pouch film 135 was stretched. In particular, since the corner 364 is formed by meeting three edges 361, it is elongated more than the punch edge 361 or the thickness edge 363, and experiences more stress than the punch edge 361 or the thickness edge 363. There was a lot of focus on this. Therefore, the stretching of the pouch film 135 was excessive, and a whitening phenomenon occurred in which certain parts turned white just before cracks occurred, which ultimately led to cracks easily occurring.

Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, at least one of the corners 164 is rounded, and the radius of curvature of this corner 164 is equal to the punch edge 161 and the thickness edge. The curvature radius may be greater than or equal to at least one of (163).

Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the radius of curvature of the corner 164 may change inside. That is, the radius of curvature of the central portion 1641 of the corner 164 and the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 1642 of the corner 164 may be different from each other. In particular, the radius of curvature of the central portion 1641 of the corner 164 may be larger than the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 1642 of the corner 164. For example, the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 1642 of the corner 164 is relatively adjacent to the first punch edge 1613, the second punch edge 1614, and the thickness edge 163, so that the punch edge 161 and the radius of curvature of at least one of the thickness edge 163 may be equal to the radius of curvature. On the other hand, the radius of curvature of the center 1641 of the corner 164 is relatively spaced apart from the first punch edge 1613, the second punch edge 1614, and the thickness edge 163, so the punch edge 161 and the thickness It may be larger than the radius of curvature of at least one of the edges 163. That is, the corner 164 may have a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the radius of curvature of at least one of the punch edge 161 and the thickness edge 163.

Accordingly, the radius of curvature of the corner 164 may gradually increase from the peripheral portion 1642 of the corner 164 to the center 1641 of the corner 164. And, as described above, since the radius of curvature of the corner 164 is not constant and changes inside, the center 1641 of the corner 164 may have an aspherical shape rather than an exact spherical shape.

Unlike the punch edge 161, the corner 164 must have not only a radius of curvature but also a range formed in the cup portion 133 clearly set. If the range in which the corner 164 is formed in the cup portion 133 is excessively narrow, there is still a problem of whitening or cracking due to excessive stretching of the pouch film 135. On the other hand, if the range in which the corner 164 is formed in the cup portion 133 is excessively wide, the space 17 between the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 and the electrode assembly 10 is reduced, so that the secondary battery 1 ) can increase the energy density relative to the volume. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, the corner 164 is 2 mm to 3.5 mm in the longitudinal direction (lc) of the cup portion 133 from the thickness edge 163, and the thickness edge 163 ) may be formed within 2 mm to 3.5 mm in the width direction (wc) of the cup portion 133, and may be formed within 2 mm to 3.5 mm in the thickness direction (dc) of the cup portion 133 from the punch edge 161. And the range in which these corners 164 are formed may gradually widen as the depth D of the cup portion 133 increases.

By forming the corner 164 of the cup portion 133 as described above, the stress concentrated in the corner 164 can be distributed, thereby preventing whitening and cracking problems.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the battery case 13 being folded according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the battery case 13 being folded according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When two cup portions 133 are formed on the pouch film 135, cup portions 133 are formed in each of the first case 131 and the second case 132 of the battery case 13. Thereafter, after storing the electrode assembly 10 in the receiving space 1331 provided in the cup portion 133 of the first case 131, the battery case is placed so that the two cup portions 133 face each other as shown in FIG. 10. In (13), the bridge 136 formed between the two cup portions 133 is folded. As the bridge 136 is folded, a folding portion 139 is formed on one side of the secondary battery 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, a pouch-type secondary battery is formed by injecting an electrolyte inside and sealing the side 134 extending to the outside of the cup portion 133 of the first case 131 and the second case 132. (1) can be manufactured.

The pouch-type secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention manufactured in this way includes an electrode assembly 10 formed by stacking an electrode 101 and a separator 102; And a pouch-type battery case 13 formed with a cup portion 133 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10 therein, wherein the cup portion 133 includes a plurality of outer walls 138 surrounding the periphery and a bottom portion ( 1332) may include a plurality of punch edges 161 respectively connecting them. At least one of the punch edges 161 may be rounded with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. Specifically, at least one of the punch edges 161 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. The difference between the width (CW) of the cup portion 133 and the width (EW) of the electrode assembly 10 may be 2.5 mm or less, particularly 1.7 mm or less. And, in the electrode assembly 10, at least one end of the electrode 101 passes through the boundary point P2 between the punch edge 161 and the outer wall 138 and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332. The vertical distance (g) from the in-edge vertical line (V2) may be located at less than 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm. And the battery case 13 includes a first case 131 and a second case 132 in which at least one cup portion 133 is formed; And it may include a folding part 139 that integrally connects the first case 131 and the second case 132.

When the secondary battery 1 is manufactured by folding the battery case 13, the bridge 136 becomes the folding part 139, so in the secondary battery 1, the folding part 139 is connected to the first case 131 and the first case 131. 2 Connect the case (132) as one piece. And the punch edge 1611 on the bridge 136 side becomes the punch edge 1611 on the folding part 139 side, and the outer wall 1381 on the bridge 136 side becomes the outer wall 1381 on the folding part 139 side.

Then, among the plurality of punch edges 161, the folding unit 139 side punch edge ( 1611) may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. Specifically, the punch edge 1611 on the side of the folding unit 139 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. In addition, the electrode assembly 10 has at least one end of the electrode 101 passing through the boundary point P2 between the punch edge 161 and the outer wall 138 and perpendicular to the bottom 1332. It may be located between the edge vertical line (V2) and the reference vertical line (V3), which is perpendicular to the bottom 1332 and has a vertical distance (g) of 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm, from the edge vertical line (V2). As described above, this reference vertical line V3 may pass through the center of curvature C of the punch edge 161.

Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the groove 1391 formed in the battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the battery case 13 is folded to manufacture the secondary battery 1 as described above, the bridge 136 may be in the form of a folding portion 139. Specifically, when the battery case 13 is folded, the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is also unfolded to some extent, but traces of the bridge 136 remain on the secondary battery 1, and these traces remain in the folding portion 139. It can be. Accordingly, the bridge 136 and the folding portion 139 of the battery case 13 may correspond to each other.

For example, if the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is not completely flattened, the folding portion 139 includes a groove 1391 recessed into the inside of the secondary battery 1 as shown in FIG. 12. It is formed by In this case, the folding portion 139 has a smaller curvature than the bridge 136, so it may have a larger radius of curvature.

Since the bridge 136 has a curved surface and the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136 has a flat shape, the amount of deformation is different from each other. Accordingly, when the battery case 13 is folded, the outer wall 1381 on the bridge 136 side is deformed relatively much, but the bridge 136 is deformed relatively little, only to the extent that the rounded shape is stretched to some extent. Then, when the battery case 13 is folded, as shown in FIG. 12, the amount of change in inclination increases or decreases around the boundary point P1. That is, each of the boundary points P1 becomes an inflection point. Accordingly, the folding portion 139 may be formed as a curved surface between the two boundary points P1, that is, two inflection points.

Additionally, if the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is not completely flattened, the two boundary points P1, that is, the portions corresponding to the two inflection points, may protrude outward to form a protrusion. That is, the protrusions may be formed as a pair protruding outward with the folding portion 139, more specifically, the groove 1391 in between.

Alternatively, even if the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is completely flattened, the boundary point P1 of the bridge 136 and the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136 forms two lines (not shown) on the secondary battery 1, respectively. ), and the folding portion 139 is formed as a plane between these two lines.

The folding portion 139 can also be visually confirmed from the exterior of the secondary battery 1. And as described above, the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 is preferably the distance between the bridge 136 and the two boundary points (P1) of the outer wall 1381 on the side of the bridge 136, so that the folding portion 139 The width (FW) of is the distance between the two boundary points (P1). That is, if the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is not completely flattened, the width FW of the folding portion 139 is the distance between the two boundary points P1, that is, the two inflection points. Alternatively, when the rounded shape of the bridge 136 is completely unfolded into a plane, the folding portion 139 is the distance between the two boundary points P1, that is, the two lines.

The width (FW) of the folding portion 139 does not exceed the length of the bridge 136 and may be 1 mm to 3.2 mm, particularly 1 mm to 1.6 mm. As described above, the width (FW) of the folding portion 139 can be measured directly using a ruler, can also be measured using a loupe, or can be measured using a 3D camera or laser 2D line sensor. It is not limited and can be measured in a variety of ways.

Conventionally, the thickness (t') of the bridge 336 was formed to be thick, so that the width of the folding portion 339 was also formed to be large, and accordingly, the space 37 between the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 and the electrode assembly 10 was also formed significantly. However, according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the width (FW) of the folding portion 139 may be reduced, the space 17 between the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 and the electrode assembly 10 may also be reduced. You can. As a result, the energy density relative to the volume of the secondary battery 1 can be increased.

Additionally, since the formability of pouch films was low in the past, the protrusions protruded significantly outward. However, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion may protrude relatively small, and the flatness of the folding unit 139 or the outer wall 1381 on the side of the folding unit 139 may be improved.

Specifically, the gap (p) between the innermost part of the groove 1391 and the outermost part of the protrusion may be defined as flatness. In the case of a conventional battery case, the flatness was greater than 1 mm and even reached 1.5 mm. On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the flatness (p) may be set to 0.8 mm or less, preferably 0.3 mm or less. As a result, the energy density relative to the volume of the secondary battery 1 can be further increased.

Figure 13 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cup portion 133 and die edge 1621 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, two molding parts 211 are formed in the die 21 so that they are adjacent to each other, and a partition wall 212 may be formed between the two molding parts 211. Accordingly, when the pouch film 135 is molded, two cup portions 133 are formed in one pouch film 135, and a bridge 136 is also formed between the two cup portions 133. That is, one cup portion 133 is formed in each of the first case 131 and the second case 132.

However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, only one molding portion 211 is formed in the die 21 and no partition wall exists. Accordingly, when the pouch film 135 is molded, one cup portion 133 is formed in one pouch film 135, and there is no bridge. That is, the cup portion 133 is formed only in the first case 131.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the depth (D) of the cup portion (133) is molded to 6.5 mm or less, and at least one punch edge (161a) of the cup portion (133) has a depth (D) of the cup portion (133). ) may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1/20 to 1/6. Specifically, at least one punch edge 161a of the cup portion 133 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. By doing so, it is possible to prevent cracks from easily occurring on the punch edge 161a of the cup portion 133.

In particular, according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 13, among the plurality of punch edges 161a, the outer wall 1381a and the floor on the second case 132a side facing the second case 132a. The punch edge 1611a on the second case 132a side connecting the parts 1332 to each other may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup part 133. Specifically, the punch edge 1611a on the second case 132a side may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less.

Additionally, the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. Specifically, the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, particularly 0.7 mm or less. At this time, it is preferable that the slope is continuous at the boundary point P2 between the punch edge 161a and the outer wall 138.

Hereinafter, with respect to other embodiments of the present invention, descriptions of content that overlaps with one embodiment of the present invention will be omitted. However, this is for convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the scope of rights.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the battery case 13a being folded according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the battery case 13a being folded according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The top of the outer wall 138 faces the opening of the cup portion 133, and the second case 132a, the side 134, and the degassing portion 137 extend to the outside of the cup portion 133. At this time, the die edge 162 connecting the top of the outer wall 138 and the second case 132a, the side 134, or the degassing portion 137 is also 1/20 to 1/20 of the depth D of the cup portion 133. It can be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1/6. Specifically, the die edge 162 may be rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less, especially 0.7 mm or less.

That is, according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 14, there is no bridge in the battery case 13a, and the die edge 1621 is connected to the cup portion 133 of the first case 131 and the second case 131. Connect the cases 132a to each other. To this end, the edge 213 of the die 21 may be rounded to a radius of curvature obtained by subtracting the thickness of the pouch film 135 from the die edge 162. For example, if the thickness of the pouch film 135 is 0.2 mm, the edge 213 of the die 21 may be rounded with a radius of curvature of 0.8 mm or less, particularly 0.5 mm or less.

Furthermore, by reducing the clearance CL to 0.5 mm or less, the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 may be formed to be close to vertical. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the die edge vertical line V4 passes through the boundary point P1 between the die edge 1621 and the outer wall 1381a of the second case 132a and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332. ), and an edge vertical line (V2) that passes through the boundary point (P2) of the punch edge (1611a) on the second case (132a) side and the outer wall (1381a) on the second case (132a) side and is perpendicular to the bottom portion (1332). ) may be 0.5 mm or less, especially 0.35 mm or less.

In addition, one end of the electrode 101 is positioned between the edge vertical line V2 and the reference vertical line V3, which has a vertical distance of 0.75 mm, especially 0.5 mm from the edge vertical line V2 and is perpendicular to the bottom 1332. The electrode assembly 10 can be stored in such a position.

Accordingly, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the depth D of the cup portion 133 is molded to 6.5 mm or less, and the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 has an inclination angle of 90° to 95° from the bottom portion 1332. , In particular, it is formed close to vertical with an inclination between 90° and 93°, and the volume ratio of the electrode assembly 10 to the volume of the cup portion 133 can be further increased while preventing the electrode 101 from being damaged. , energy efficiency relative to volume can also be increased.

Figure 16 is an enlarged view of the groove 1391a formed in the battery case 13a according to another embodiment of the present invention.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the battery case 13a is folded to manufacture the secondary battery 1a, the die edge 1621 on the second case 132a side becomes the folding portion 139a. Specifically, when the battery case 13 is folded, the rounded shape of the die edge 1621 is also unfolded, but traces of the die edge 1621 remain on the secondary battery 1a, and these traces are in the folding portion 139a. It becomes. Accordingly, the die edge 1621 and the folding portion 139a on the second case 132a side of the battery case 13a correspond to each other.

For example, if the rounded shape of the die edge 1621 is not completely flattened, the folding portion 139a forms a groove 1391a recessed inside the secondary battery 1a as shown in FIG. 19. It is formed including. In this case, since the folding portion 139a has a smaller curvature than the die edge 1621, it may have a larger radius of curvature.

Since the die edge 1621 has a curved surface and the outer wall 1381a on the side of the die edge 1621 has a flat shape, the amount of deformation is different from each other. Accordingly, when the battery case 13 is folded, the outer wall 1381a on the die edge 1621 side is deformed relatively much, but the die edge 1621 is deformed relatively little, only to the extent that the rounded shape is stretched to some extent. Then, when the battery case 13 is folded, as shown in FIG. 19, the amount of change in inclination increases or decreases around the boundary point P1. That is, each of the boundary points P1 becomes an inflection point. Accordingly, the folding portion 139a is formed as a curved surface between the two boundary points P1, that is, the two inflection points.

Alternatively, even if the rounded shape of the die edge 1621 is completely flattened, the boundary point P1 between the die edge 1621 and the outer wall 1381 on the second case 132a side, the die edge 1621 and the second case 132a 2 The boundary points of the case 132a form two lines (not shown) on the secondary battery 1a, and the folding portion 139a is formed as a plane between these two lines.

The width (FW) of the folding portion 139 does not exceed the length of the die edge 1621 and may be 1 mm to 3.2 mm, particularly 1 mm to 1.6 mm.

Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing the degassing portion 337 of the conventional battery case 33 from above before cutting.

The bridge 136 of the battery case 13 is folded to form a folding part 139 on one side of the secondary battery 1, and this folding part 139 is connected to the first case 131 and the second case 132. Connect as a whole. However, the battery case 13 is formed by drawing and molding the pouch film 135, and at this time, not only the cup portion 133 is limited and stretched, but the surrounding sides 134 of the cup portion 133 are also finely stretched as a whole. . Accordingly, when the bridge 136 is folded, the finely elongated portions of the sides 134 accumulate and are visible as they protrude outward from both ends of the folding portion 139. This is called Bat ear (35 or 15).

The size of the bat ear 35 is determined by the thickness (t') of the bridge 336, the clearance (CL'), the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333, and the depth of the cup portion 333 ( It varies depending on D'). That is, the thicker the thickness (t') of the bridge 336, the larger the clearance (CL'), and the larger the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333, the larger the thickness of the bat ear 35. The size also increases. However, in the related art, there were limitations in improving the thickness (t') of the bridge 336, the radius of curvature (R2') and the clearance (CL') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the size of the bat ear 35 was formed to be quite large, and there was a limit to reducing it.

When the bat ear 35 is formed to be large in size, the unnecessary volume of the secondary battery 3 further increases, resulting in errors between the design and actual values of the shape and size of the secondary battery 3. Therefore, when assembling the secondary batteries 3 into the battery module 5 (shown in FIG. 24), assembly is not easy, and the size of the secondary batteries 3 must be designed small from the beginning in consideration of the bat ears 35. There was a problem. Additionally, as the volume of the secondary battery 3 increases, there is a problem that the energy density relative to the volume decreases.

Meanwhile, as described above, the pouch-type battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cup portion 133 provided with a receiving space 1331 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10, and one side of the cup portion 133. It includes a degassing part 137 that is formed in and discharges the gas generated inside the cup part 133 through the degassing hole (H).

And in the process of sealing the side 134, a formation process and a degassing process may be performed. Specifically, after storing the electrode assembly 10 in the cup portion 133, in the battery case 13, the corner 1371 included in the degassing portion 137 is opened and the remaining side 134 is sealed. can do. When the corner 1371 of the battery case 13 is opened to form an opening, the electrolyte is injected into the inside of the battery case 13 through the opening.

After injecting the electrolyte into the battery case 13, the degassing part 137 is first sealed to form a temporary sealing part 1340. Since the sealing part 1341 is formed by secondary sealing the degassing part 137 later, it is preferable that the temporary sealing part 1340 is formed in a position close to the corner 1371 of the degassing part 137.

Afterwards, the activation (Formation) process can be performed. The activation process (conversion process) is a process that finally completes charging so that the secondary battery 1 can supply power. The activation process is performed after completely sealing the battery case 13 by forming a temporary sealing part 1340, so the charging rate is high and gas is discharged quickly, making it possible to complete the manufacture of the secondary battery 1 within a set process time. there is.

When the activation process is completed, gas is generated inside the battery case 13. Therefore, a degassing hole (H) is drilled in the degassing portion 137 of the battery case 13. Through this degassing hole (H), gas is discharged from the inside of the battery case 13 to the outside. At this time, while the gas is easily discharged, the injected electrolyte may leak through the degassing hole (H). To prevent this, it is preferable that the degassing hole (H) is drilled in a position close to the temporary sealing portion (1340). When the degassing hole (H) is drilled, a degassing process is performed to discharge the gas to the outside of the battery case (13).

When the degassing hole (H) is perforated, the inside of the battery case 13 may be opened again and the electrolyte inside may leak to the outside. Accordingly, the boundary between the cup portion 133 and the degassing portion 137 is secondaryly sealed to form the sealing portion 1341. At this time, the sealing portion 1341 is formed between the cup portion 133 and the degassing hole (H), and is particularly preferably formed at a position close to the cup portion 133.

While performing the activation process and the degassing process like this, the degassing hole (H) must be drilled and primary sealing and secondary sealing must be performed. Furthermore, when mass producing secondary batteries 1, it is necessary to uniformly manage the specifications and quality of secondary batteries 1. To this end, the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 can be inspected using an inspection device 4 (shown in FIG. 19) including a vision sensor 41.

Conventionally, there were limitations in manufacturing the battery case 33 and the secondary battery 3 into an overall sharp shape. Therefore, when the battery case 33 was photographed with a vision sensor, large errors occurred in the size and position of each component.

Specifically, when the manufacturing of the secondary battery 1 is completed later, the battery module 5 (shown in FIG. 24) can be manufactured by connecting the electrode leads 12 of the plurality of secondary batteries 1 to each other. For this purpose, the positions of the electrode leads 12 formed on the plurality of secondary batteries 1 must all be constant. However, conventionally, the electrode 101 is disposed to be spaced somewhat apart from the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333, so the electrode assembly 10 could be moved inside the cup portion 333 before sealing the side 134. Accordingly, when the secondary batteries 3 are mass-produced, even if both the volume of the cup portion 333 and the volume of the electrode assembly 10 are constant, the position of the electrode assembly 10 is slightly different, and the position of the electrode lead 12 is slightly different. It was also slightly different. Therefore, the position of the electrode lead 12 must be accurately measured using the inspection device 4.

In addition, in order to drill the degassing hole (H) at an accurate location and size and perform primary sealing and secondary sealing at an accurate location and size, the position of the degassing portion 137 must be accurately measured. In addition, in order to efficiently manage the overall quality of the plurality of secondary batteries 1, the battery case 13, such as the side 134, the folding part 139, and the insulating part 14 protruding from the battery case 13 Alternatively, the positions of various components of the secondary battery 1 and even the width between the cup portions 133 must be accurately measured.

In order to measure the positions of the components, a specific reference line must be set and the vertical distance from the reference line to the component to be measured must be measured. For example, when the electrode assembly 10 moves inside the cup portion 333, it generally moves in the left and right directions based on what is shown in FIG. 17, that is, in the direction toward the folding portion 339 and the degassing portion 337. It often moves. Therefore, in order to measure the position of the electrode lead 12, the position of the left or right edge of the electrode lead 12 must be measured, and in order to measure the vertical distance to the left or right edge, the left or right edge and Parallel standards must be set.

However, conventionally, the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 is not formed close to vertical and the radius of curvature (R2') of the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 is also large, so the battery case ( 33), the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333 did not appear clearly in the image, as shown in FIG. 20. Therefore, the positions of the above components could not be measured based on the punch edge 361 of the cup portion 333, and had to be set based on the bat ear 35 close to the punch edge 361, or the user could manually measure the cup portion. The punch edge (361) of (333) was set as the standard.

However, since the bat ears 35 are formed by folding the bridge 136 while the peripheral sides 134 of the cup portion 133 are also slightly stretched overall, the bat ears 35 are formed for each of the plurality of secondary batteries 1. ) were slightly different in size. Then, even if the positions of the components are measured with a vision sensor, the size of the bat ear 35, which serves as a reference, is different, so the difference in the positions of the components between the secondary batteries 3 increases, making quality control difficult.

In particular, even if the position of the electrode lead 12 is measured by photographing the battery case 33 with a vision sensor, the position of the electrode lead 12 is slightly different, so the electrode lead 12 is used to manufacture the battery module 5. When connecting, there was a problem that the connection was not easy. In addition, when sequentially stacking or aligning a plurality of secondary batteries 1 in order to manufacture the battery module 5, the position of the cup portion 333 is not accurate, so the alignment of the plurality of secondary batteries 1 is difficult. There was also a problem of deterioration.

Also, when manufacturing the battery module 5 by storing the secondary batteries 3 in a separate housing 51 (shown in FIG. 24), the deviation of the measured values is large, so when designing the housing 51, there is a design tolerance There was also a problem that the energy density compared to the volume of the battery module 5 was lowered by setting it unnecessarily large.

Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing the degassing portion 137 of the battery case 13 from above before cutting it according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 19 is an inspection device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. ) is a block diagram.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 18, as the formability of the pouch film 135 is improved, the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 is thinner, and the punch edge ( 1611), the radius of curvature (R2) and clearance (CL) can be made smaller, and the size of the bat ear 15 can be further reduced accordingly. Accordingly, the secondary batteries 1 can be easily assembled into the battery module 5, and the unnecessary volume of the secondary battery 1 can be reduced, thereby increasing the energy density relative to the volume.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 18, the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133 is clearly visible in the image taken of the battery case 13, so the inspection device 4 The punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 can be automatically set as the reference line (ST), and various configurations of the battery case 13 or secondary battery 1 can be performed based on the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133. The distance to each other can be accurately measured, and even the width (CW) between the cup portions 133 can be accurately measured. Accordingly, the positions of the components of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 can be accurately measured, so that errors in measured values can be reduced and deviations between the secondary batteries 1 can also be reduced.

To this end, the inspection device 4 of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention photographs the battery case 13 and inspects the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1. A vision sensor 41 that acquires an image; an outline extractor 421 that extracts outlines of components of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 from the image; Image analysis to detect the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133, where the receiving space 1331 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10 in the battery case 13 is provided by analyzing the image. Wealth (422); a reference line setting unit 423 that sets the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 as a reference line (ST); and a distance calculation unit 424 that calculates the distance from the reference line ST to the components.

In the method of inspecting the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention using such an inspection device 4, the vision sensor 41 photographs the battery case 13 and the battery case ( 13) or acquiring an image of the secondary battery 1; Extracting, by an outline extraction unit 421, outlines of components of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 from the image; The image analysis unit 422 analyzes the image, and the receiving space 1331 for receiving the electrode assembly 10 in the battery case 13 is provided, corresponding to the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133. detecting an outline; Setting the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 as a reference line (ST) by the reference line setting unit 423; and the distance calculation unit 424 calculating the distance from the reference line ST to the components.

Specifically, the inspection device 4 includes a vision sensor 41 and a control unit 42, as shown in FIG. 19. Additionally, these components can be connected and communicate with each other through a bus (not shown). All components included in the control unit 42 may be connected to the bus through at least one interface or adapter, or may be directly connected to the bus. Additionally, the bus may be connected to other subsystems in addition to the components described above. These buses include memory bus, memory controller, peripheral bus, and local bus.

The vision sensor 41 obtains an image by photographing a specific area and receiving an image signal for the specific area. For this purpose, the vision sensor 41 generally includes an imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. In particular, the vision sensor 41 according to an embodiment of the present invention photographs the battery case 13 after the bridge 136 of the battery case 13 is folded and detects the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1. ) can obtain images for each configuration. Here, the components include the cup portion 133, degassing portion 137, electrode lead 12, bat ear 15, side 134, folding portion 139, and insulating portion 14, etc. Includes. Then, by cutting the degassing portion 137 later, the manufacturing of the secondary battery 1 is completed. Therefore, if the vision sensor 41 photographs the battery case 13 before cutting the degassing part 137, images of the battery case 13 and the electrode lead 12, etc. can be obtained, and the degassing part 137 can be photographed. By photographing the battery case 13 after cutting 137, an image of the secondary battery 1 can be obtained.

The control unit 42 receives the image signal acquired by the vision sensor 41 and determines the positions of each component of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 from the image signal. This control unit 42 includes an outline extraction unit 421, an image analysis unit 422, a reference line setting unit 423, and a distance calculation unit 424. It is desirable to use a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Controller Unit), or DSP (Digital Signal Processor) as the control unit 42, but is not limited thereto and various logical operation processors may be used.

The outline extractor 421 extracts the outlines of each component of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 from the image received from the vision sensor 41. At this time, the outline extractor 421 may extract the outlines of all the components that appear in the image, but is not limited to this, and a ROI (Region of Interest) is set in a portion of the image, and the outlines of the components that appear in the ROI are set. You can also extract only the outline. In order to extract the outline, information about the pixels of the image is first extracted, and a commonly used gradient formula can be used for this purpose. The outline of the battery case 13 and the electrode lead 12 are revealed through the extracted pixel information.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the radius of curvature (R2) and clearance (CL) of the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 can be made smaller, and the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 is vertical. Since they may be formed close together, the gradient of pixel information corresponding to the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 in the image is large. Therefore, since the boundary between the outline and the background is clear, the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 can be clearly extracted.

The image analysis unit 422 analyzes the image and detects an outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 in the battery case 13. To this end, the image analysis unit 422 matches the pre-stored reference outline information of the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133 with the extracted outline information to determine the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133. The outline corresponding to can be detected. At this time, the image analysis unit 422 can match the two pieces of information using a template matching technique.

The reference line setting unit 423 may set the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 as a reference line (ST). Since the cup portion 133 includes a plurality of punch edges 161, a plurality of outlines corresponding to the punch edges 161 are also extracted. At this time, in order to accurately measure the positions of each component of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1, the reference line setting unit 423 selects the component closest to the component to be measured among the plurality of punch edges 161. It is desirable to set the outline corresponding to the punch edge 161 as the reference line (ST). In addition, as described above, since the positions of the components must measure the vertical distance from the reference line (ST), the reference line setting unit 423 selects the edge of the component to be measured among the plurality of punch edges 161. The outline corresponding to the parallel punch edge 161 can be set as the reference line (ST).

For example, in order to drill the degassing hole H and perform primary sealing and secondary sealing, the inspection device 4 may need to measure the position of the degassing portion 137. In this case, the reference line setting unit 423 is a die edge that is close to the degassing unit 137 and parallel to the edge 1371 included in the degassing unit 137 among the plurality of punch edges 161. The outline corresponding to the (162) side punch edge 1612 can be set as the reference line (ST).

And the inspection device 4 may need to measure the positions of the electrode leads 12, for example, to check whether the positions of the electrode leads 12 are all constant. In this case, the reference line setting unit 423 is located on the folding unit 139 side, which is close to the electrode lead 12 and parallel to the left or right edge of the electrode lead 12, among the plurality of punch edges 161. The outline on the electrode lead 12 side corresponding to the punch edge 1611 may be set as the reference line (ST).

Furthermore, in order to measure the width between the cup portions 133, the reference line setting unit 423 measures the out of two punch edges 161 corresponding to the boundaries of the width of the cup portion 133 among the plurality of punch edges 161. The outline of any one of the lines can be set as the reference line (ST).

That is, if the reference line setting unit 423 can accurately measure the positions of each component of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1, it is not limited and can set various outlines as the reference line ST.

The distance calculation unit 424 calculates the distance from the reference line ST to each component of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1 in the image. For example, if the outline corresponding to the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side is set as the reference line (ST), the distance calculation unit 424 moves from the reference line (ST) to the degassing unit 137. The distance to the included edge can be calculated. Alternatively, if the outline corresponding to the punch edge 1611 on the folding unit 139 side is set as the reference line (ST), the distance calculation unit 424 measures the distance from the reference line (ST) to one edge of the electrode lead 12. The distance can be calculated, or the distance to the outline corresponding to the punch edge 1612 on the die edge 162 side can be calculated.

The distance calculating unit 424 may use information about the relationship between the number of pixels of a pre-stored image and the actual distance. That is, the distance calculation unit 424 counts the distance from the reference line ST to each of the components in the image as the number of pixels, and then uses information about the relationship between the number of pixels in the pre-stored image and the actual distance. , the actual distance corresponding to the counted number of pixels can be calculated.

The inspection device 4 may further include a storage unit 44. The storage unit 44 stores programs for processing and controlling the operations of the inspection device 4 and various data or received signals generated during execution of each program. In particular, reference information about the battery case 13 can be stored so that the image analysis unit 422 can detect the outline corresponding to the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133. Here, the reference information about the battery case 13 includes reference outline information about the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133 and the distance to the components of the battery case 13 or the secondary battery 1. It may include standard information, etc. The user may directly store this in the storage unit 44, but the inspection device 4 may also generate and store the reference information through repetitive learning. Additionally, the storage unit 44 may store information about the relationship between the number of pixels in the image and the actual distance so that the distance calculation unit 424 can calculate the actual distance from the reference line ST to each component. Furthermore, inspection result information of the battery case 13 subject to inspection may be stored. This storage unit 44 may be built into the inspection device 4, but may also be provided as a separate storage server. The storage unit 44 includes a non-volatile memory device and a volatile memory device. The non-volatile memory device may be NAND flash memory that is small, light, and resistant to external shock, and the volatile memory device may be DDR SDRAM.

The control unit 42 may further include a defect determination unit 425 that determines whether the battery case 13 to be inspected is defective. The defect determination unit 425 may compare the standard information about the battery case 13 stored in the storage unit 44 with the inspection result information of the battery case 13 to be inspected. And, if the test result information is within the error range of the reference information, the battery case 13 is determined to be normal. However, if the test result information is outside the error range of the reference information, the battery case 13 is judged to be defective.

Meanwhile, the inspection device 4 may further include a display unit 43 that receives and displays image signals. The display unit 43 receives the image signal and displays it to the user. Furthermore, when the outline extraction unit 421 extracts the outline of the battery case 13, the outline is displayed on the image so that the user can check it through the display unit 43. The display unit 43 may use various methods such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), and PDP (Plasma Display Panel). Additionally, the display unit 43 is connected to the bus through a video interface, and data transmission between the display unit 43 and the bus can be controlled by a graphics controller.

The inspection device 4 may further include an alarm unit 45 that generates an alarm when the defect determination unit 425 determines that the battery case 13 is defective. When generating an alarm, it is desirable to generate the alarm audibly or visually, such as by lighting a lamp or making a warning sound, so that the user can intuitively recognize it.

Each component of the vision sensor 41, control unit 42, storage unit 44, and display unit 43 described so far is a task, class, subroutine, process, object, or execution performed in a predetermined area in memory. It may be implemented with software such as threads and programs, or hardware such as FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or may be implemented as a combination of the software and hardware. there is. The components may be included in a computer-readable storage medium, or portions of them may be dispersed and distributed across a plurality of computers.

Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing specified logical functions. Additionally, in some alternative implementations, it is possible for the functions mentioned in the blocks to occur out of order. For example, it is possible for two blocks shown in succession to be performed substantially at the same time, and it is also possible for the blocks to be performed in reverse order depending on the corresponding function.

When using the inspection device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133 is clearly visible, so the inspection device 4 can detect the punch edge 161 of the cup portion 133. It can be automatically set to the reference line (ST), and the distance to each component of the battery case 13 can be accurately measured based on the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133. For example, the size and position of the degassing part 137 can be measured, and even after manufacturing of the secondary battery 1 is completed, the cup part 133, electrode lead 12, bat ear 15, and side 134 , the size and positions of the folding part 139 and the insulating part 14 can be accurately determined. By doing so, it is possible to easily determine whether the secondary battery 1 is defective, and even if the secondary battery 1 is produced in large quantities, its specifications and quality can be managed efficiently and uniformly.

In particular, since the position of the electrode leads 12 can be accurately measured, the electrode leads 12 can be easily connected to manufacture the battery module 5. In addition, the position of the cup portion 333 can be accurately measured, so that when the plurality of secondary batteries 1 are sequentially stacked or aligned in line to manufacture the battery module 5, the plurality of secondary batteries 1 are aligned. The road can also be improved.

Figure 20 is a schematic diagram showing the completion of manufacturing the secondary battery 1 by cutting the degassing portion 137 of the battery case 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

After secondary sealing of the battery case 13 forms a sealing portion 1341, a cutting line CT is set on the outside of the sealing portion 1341 to cut the degassing portion 137. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the length of the degassing part 137 can be shortened and the volume of the secondary battery 1 can be reduced. Through the above process, manufacturing of the pouch-type secondary battery 1 is completed.

Meanwhile, on the side 134 remaining after cutting the degassing portion 137, the electrode lead 12 does not protrude among the plurality of sides 134. However, if the side 134 is left as is after sealing, the overall volume of the secondary battery 1 increases. Therefore, in order to reduce energy density relative to volume, it is desirable to fold the side 134.

Meanwhile, the side 134 may include a sealed portion 1341 and an unsealed portion 1342, as shown in FIG. 20 . The sealing portion 1341 is a sealed area located relatively on the outside, and the unsealed portion 1342 is an unsealed area located relatively on the inside.

Specifically, when forming the sealing portion 1341 by secondary sealing the battery case 13, the sealing portion 1341 may not be directly connected to the cup portion 133 but may be formed spaced apart to some extent. When sealing the side 134, heat and pressure must be applied to the side 134 using a separate sealing tool (not shown). However, if the side 134 is sealed with this sealing tool in close contact with the cup portion 133, the sealant layer 1351 located on the inside of the side 134 partially melts and leaks toward the electrode assembly 10. , may contaminate the electrode assembly 10. In addition, the heat of the sealing tool may be transmitted to the electrode assembly 10, causing damage to the electrode assembly 10. Therefore, it is better to seal the side 134 with the sealing tool spaced to some extent from the cup portion 133. desirable. Then, the portion sealed with the sealing tool becomes the sealed portion 1341, and the portion that is not sealed due to the sealing tool being spaced apart from the cup portion 133 becomes the unsealed portion 1342.

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional side 334 folded from the side, and Figure 22 is a schematic diagram showing the conventional side 334 folded from the top.

In the past, when the side 334 was folded, there was a problem in that the side 334 was not fixed and unfolded again at a predetermined angle. Specifically, as described above, the pouch film 135 is formed by stacking a sealant layer 1351, a moisture barrier layer 1352, a stretching auxiliary layer 1354, and a surface protection layer 1353. Among these, the sealant layer 1351 contains a first polymer, particularly polypropylene (PP), and thus has high flexibility and elasticity. Therefore, when the side 134 is folded, the restoring force to return to its original state is large. On the other hand, since the moisture barrier layer 1352 is made of metal, particularly aluminum alloy, once the side 334 is folded, it exceeds the limit of elastic deformation and has a large retention force to maintain the folded state.

However, in the conventional pouch film, the moisture barrier layer had a thickness of approximately 30 to 50 μm, and the sealant layer had a thickness of approximately 60 to 100 μm. That is, the thickness of the moisture barrier layer was formed significantly thinner than the thickness of the sealant layer. Accordingly, the restoring force was greater than the preserving force, and the side 334 was not fixed and was unfolded again at a predetermined angle. Then, there was a problem that the unnecessary volume of the secondary battery 3 increased due to the side 334.

To solve this problem, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, a tape 38 was attached separately to the side 334. In particular, the tape 38 was attached to the outer surface of the bottom 3332 and the side 334 of the cup 333, thereby fixing the side 334 to the cup 333 and preventing it from unfolding again. Could. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 21, there was a problem in that the overall thickness of the secondary battery 3 increased due to the thickness of the tape 38 itself. In addition, after the process of folding the side 334, an additional process of attaching the tape 38 is required, and this process takes a lot of time, increasing the number of processes and reducing the manufacturing yield of the secondary battery 3. There was also a problem.

Meanwhile, when the degassing process is performed, gas is discharged from the inside of the battery case 13 to the outside and the internal pressure of the cup portion 133 decreases. Conventionally, the electrode assembly 10 was arranged to be spaced to some extent from the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333. Therefore, in order to reduce the internal pressure of the cup portion 333 and reduce the volume of the space 37 between the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 and the electrode assembly 10, the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 or The bottom portion 3332 could be deformed. In particular, as shown in FIG. 21, as the outer wall 338 on the folding part side of the secondary battery 3 collapses inward, the punch edge 361 on the folding part 339 side of the cup part 333 protrudes outward. An edge high phenomenon, where the height increases, could occur. Due to this edge high phenomenon, the unnecessary thickness of the secondary battery 3 increases, causing a problem in which the energy density relative to the volume decreases. In addition, since the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 on the side of the folding portion 339 is deformed, the secondary battery 3 does not have an attractive appearance, thereby reducing marketability. Furthermore, there was a problem where the bat ear 15 further increased in size and its shape became more prominent due to the edge high phenomenon.

Figure 23 is a schematic diagram showing the side 134 folded according to an embodiment of the present invention from the side.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the moisture barrier layer 1352 of the pouch film 135 has a thickness of 50 to 70 μm and the sealant layer 1351 has a thickness of 70 to 100 μm, so that the pouch film 135 has a thickness of 70 to 100 μm. The thickness of the moisture barrier layer 1352 becomes thicker. Accordingly, when the side 134 is folded, the retention force is further increased, and thus the side 134 can be prevented from being unfolded again without the need for a separate tape 38 to be attached.

To this end, the secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrode assembly 10 formed by stacking an electrode 101 and a separator 102; It includes a pouch-type battery case 13 formed with a cup portion 133 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10 therein, wherein the pouch-type battery case 13 has a side (13) extending outward from the cup portion 133. 134), wherein the side 134 includes a sealing portion 1344 positioned relatively outside and sealed; and an unsealed portion 1345 that is located relatively inside, and is not adhered to the cup portion 133 and is folded in the unsealed portion 1345.

That is, as shown in FIG. 23, after the side 134 of the secondary battery 1 is folded toward the cup portion 133, the side 134 is not adhered to the cup portion 133, but maintains the folded state. It may not unfold. At this time, the side 134 may be folded at an angle of 85° to 95°, particularly at an angle of 88° to 92°. Additionally, the side 134 may be folded at a position adjacent to the cup portion 133, so that the side 134 may contact the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133. In particular, as described above, the side 134 may include a sealing portion 1341 that is relatively outside and sealed, and an unsealed portion 1342 that is relatively inside and is not sealed. And when the side 134 is folded, it is preferable that the unsealed portion 1342 that is relatively closer to the cup portion 133 is folded. By doing so, the unnecessary volume of the secondary battery 1 can be further reduced. However, even in this case, the side 134 and the cup portion 133 are not adhered to each other, and the holding power of the side 134 increases to maintain the folded state.

When two cup portions 133 are formed in the pouch film 135, the depth D of the cup portion 133 may be shallower than when one cup portion 133 is formed. As described above, not only the cup portion 133 is intensively stretched, but also the surrounding sides 134 of the cup portion 133 are also finely stretched as a whole. However, if the width of the side 134 is longer than the depth D of the cup portion 133, when the side 134 is folded only once, the outer end 1343 of the side 134 is the bottom of the cup portion 133. It may protrude further outward than (1332).

Therefore, if two cup portions 133 are formed in the pouch film 135, the double side folding (DSF) method of folding the side 134 twice can be used, as shown in FIG. 23. Specifically, the side 134 may include a first folding part 1344 and a second folding part 1345. The first folding part 1344 is a part folded at a position relatively closer to the outer end 1343, and the second folding part 1345 is a part folded at a position relatively closer to the cup part 133. Accordingly, after first folding the side 134 based on the first folding part 1344, the side 134 can be second folded based on the second folding part 1345. At this time, the first folding part 1344 may be located in the sealed part 1341 on the side 134, and the second folding part 1345 may be located in the unsealed part 1342 on the side 134. there is. And the side 134 may be folded at an angle of 170° to 180°, particularly at an angle of 180°, in the first folding portion 1344. And, it can be folded at an angle of 85° to 95°, particularly 88° to 92°, in the second folding unit 1345. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the outer end 1343 of the side 134 from protruding further outward than the bottom 1332 of the cup portion 133.

Meanwhile, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly 10 can be located very close to the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133, so the unnecessary volume of the cup portion 133 is reduced. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the cup 133 is reduced by performing the degassing process, the outer wall 138 or the bottom 1332 of the cup 133 can be prevented from being deformed. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the edge high phenomenon can be prevented from occurring, so the energy density relative to volume may not decrease.

Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Medium- to large-sized electronic devices such as automobiles require large output, so many secondary batteries 1 are required. In order to easily move and install these secondary batteries 1, a battery module 5 can be manufactured. By installing a plurality of secondary batteries 1 in the battery module 5, electricity can be stably supplied to the outside.

Meanwhile, in order to produce electricity in the electrode assembly 10 of the secondary battery 1, a chemical reaction occurs between the electrode 101 and the electrolyte solution, and heat is generated in this process. However, if the surrounding temperature rises excessively due to heat, there is a problem that a malfunction occurs in the circuit of the electric device in which the secondary battery 1 is installed or the lifespan of the electric device is shortened. Accordingly, the battery module 5 includes a cooling system for cooling the secondary battery 1. There are two main types of cooling systems: water-cooled with coolant and air-cooled with air. Among these, water-cooled cooling systems have higher cooling efficiency than air-cooled cooling systems, so they are more widely used.

The cooling system includes a cooling plate that directly cools the secondary battery 1, and a separate flow path is formed inside the cooling plate to allow coolant to flow. Additionally, the thinner and longer the flow path is, the larger the surface area can be, increasing the cooling efficiency.

In order to manufacture the battery module 5, first, a plurality of secondary batteries 1 are manufactured, and then these secondary batteries 1 are connected to each other and stored in the housing 51. At this time, the secondary batteries 1 can be aligned and stacked in a row. As shown in FIG. 24, when the secondary battery 1 is stored in the housing 51, the long side of the secondary battery 1 faces downward, and a cooling plate (not shown) is placed on the lower surface of the housing 51. ) can be formed. Therefore, cooling efficiency can be increased by the cooling plate cooling the secondary battery 1 from the long side.

Meanwhile, a folding portion 139 formed by folding the bridge 136 is formed on one side of the secondary battery 1, and a side 134, which is an area remaining after the degassing portion 137 is cut, is formed on the other side. However, if the cooling plate cools from the side where the side 134 is formed among the plurality of sides of the secondary battery 1, the distance between the cooling plate and the electrode assembly 10 increases due to the side 134, so the cooling efficiency decreases. may deteriorate. Therefore, it is preferable that the cooling plate cools from the side where the folding portion 139 is formed among the long sides of the secondary battery 1. To this end, when storing the secondary battery 1 in the housing 51, the folding portion 139 may be stored in a direction toward the cooling plate, that is, facing downward.

Figure 25 is an enlarged front view showing the conventional secondary battery 3 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5, and Figure 26 is a conventional secondary battery 3 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5. This is an enlarged side view showing how it is stored in (51).

As described above, conventionally, there was a limit to reducing the size of the bat ear 35.

Additionally, conventionally, the angle θ' formed between the folding portion 339 and the inner edge 35a of the bat ear 35 was formed to be 151 degrees or less.

Here, the angle θ' is a virtual first line L1 corresponding to the folding portion 339 and a virtual second line L2 corresponding to the inner edge 35a of the bat ear 35. It can mean the angle formed. In particular, the first line (L1) and the second line (L2) may be determined through image analysis. For example, the first line L1 and the second line L2 may be extracted by connecting a plurality of edge points identified within a region of interest (ROI) in a vision device. Accordingly, even when the folding portion 339 or the inner edge 35a of the bat ear 35 is partially curved or curved, the first line L1 and the second line L2 can be clearly defined. Since this image analysis is a well-known technology, detailed description will be omitted.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, when the secondary battery 3 is stored in the housing 51, the bat ears 35 create a large gap d' (for example, between the housing 51 and the folding portion 339). for example, spaced apart by more than 1.5 mm). Accordingly, this gap d' may prevent cooling of the cooling plate, thereby reducing cooling efficiency. To solve this problem, heat transfer material 52 is injected into the space between the cooling plate and the folding part 339 of the secondary battery 1, so that the cooling plate cools the folding part 139 through the heat transfer material 52. I ordered it to be done.

However, if the size of the bat ear 15 is large, a large amount of the heat transfer material 52 must be injected, which increases the cost, and the gap d' between the cooling plate and the folding portion 139 is large, so the cooling efficiency is still high. There was a problem with this being low.

In addition, when the degassing process is performed through the degassing hole (H), the internal pressure of the battery case 33 decreases, and as shown in FIG. 26, the folding portion 339 of the battery case 33 becomes an electrode assembly. It adhered closely to (10). However, in the past, there was a limit to reducing the clearance CL', and the width of the folding portion 339 was also formed to be large. Accordingly, the space 37 between the outer wall 338 of the cup portion 333 and the electrode assembly 10 is formed large, causing a problem in that the energy density compared to the volume of the secondary battery 3 is reduced. Furthermore, because the distance between the electrode assembly 10 and the thermal grease 52 increases, cooling efficiency further decreases.

Figure 27 is an enlarged front view showing the secondary battery 1 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 28 is a secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an enlarged side view showing the battery 1 stored in the housing 51 of the battery module 5.

A pouch-type secondary battery 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrode assembly 10 formed by stacking an electrode 101 and a separator 102; and a pouch-type battery case 13 having a cup portion 133 for accommodating the electrode assembly 10 therein, wherein the battery case 13 is a first case in which the cup portion 133 is formed on at least one side. (131) and the second case (132); A folding portion 139 integrally connecting the first case 131 and the second case 132; and bat ears 15 that protrude outward from both ends of the folding portion 139, and the length d of the bat ears 15 is 1.5 mm or less.

Additionally, the angle θ formed between the folding portion 139 and the inner edge 15a of the bat ear 15 may be greater than 151 degrees. Additionally, the angle θ may be 180 degrees or less. Also, if the angle θ is 180 degrees, it may mean that the bat ear 15 does not exist.

Here, the angle θ is formed by the virtual first line L1 corresponding to the folding portion 139 and the virtual second line L2 corresponding to the inner edge 15a of the bat ear 15. It can mean an angle. Regarding the first line (L1) and the second line (L2), the content described above is used.

In addition, the battery module 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention has an electrode assembly 10 formed by stacking an electrode 101 and a separator 102 of the cup portion 133 formed in the pouch-type battery case 13. A pouch-type secondary battery (1) stored inside; and a housing 51 in which the secondary battery 1 is stored, wherein the battery case 13 includes a first case 131 and a second case 132 in which the cup portion 133 is formed, respectively; A folding portion 139 integrally connecting the first case 131 and the second case 132; and bat ears 15 that protrude outward from both ends of the folding portion 139, and the length d of the bat ears 15 is 1.5 mm or less.

As described above, the bat ear 15 is formed by folding the bridge 136 to protrude outward from both ends of the folding portion 139. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the length of the bat ear 15 may be 1.5 mm or less, particularly 1 mm or less. The length of the bat ear 15 may be measured from the outer wall 1381 on the folding part 139 side to the outermost end of the bat ear 15. At this time, as described above, the outer wall 1381 on the side of the folding unit 139 may have an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom portion 1332 due to the clearance CL. Considering this, as an example of bat ear measurement, the length of the bat ear 15 is measured from the most outwardly protruding part of the outer wall 1381 on the folding part 139 side to the outermost end of the bat ear 15. It could be length.

The length of the bat ear 15 can be measured by directly contacting the secondary battery 1 using a ruler or vernier caliper, or it can be measured in a non-contact manner using a laser displacement sensor or vision sensor.

The above is an example of a method for measuring bat ear length, and does not necessarily fall within the scope of the present invention if it is limited to the above measurement method. The length of the bat ear can be the length of the bat ear within the meaning of the present invention as long as it corresponds to the description of the claims and the spirit of the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth (D) of the cup portion 133 is molded to 6.5 mm or less, the thickness (t) of the bridge 136 is further thinned, and the punch edge 1611 of the cup portion 133 is formed. The radius of curvature (R2) and clearance (CL) can be made smaller.

Accordingly, the length d of the bat ear 15 can be further reduced to 1.5 mm or less, particularly 1 mm or less. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27, the gap d between the housing 51 and the folding part 139 can be narrowed to 1.5 mm or less. As a result, the thickness of the thermal grease 52 inside the housing 51 can be 1.5 mm or less, which can further reduce the injection amount of the heat transfer material 52, thereby reducing costs and increasing cooling efficiency. can do.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 28, the clearance CL can be made smaller, and the width FW of the folding portion 139 can also be made smaller. Accordingly, the space 17 between the outer wall 138 of the cup portion 133 and the electrode assembly 10 is reduced, and the energy density relative to the volume of the secondary battery 1 may increase. And since the distance between the electrode assembly 10 and the thermal grease 52 is reduced, cooling efficiency can be further increased.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and various embodiments derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Secondary battery 2: Molding device
3: Conventional secondary battery 4: Inspection device
5: Battery module 10: Electrode assembly
11: electrode tab 12: electrode lead
13: battery case 14: insulating part
15: Bat Ear 16: Edge
17: space 21: die
22: Punch 33: Conventional battery case
35: Conventional Bat Ears 36: Conventional Edge
37: Conventional space 38: Conventional tape
41: Vision sensor 42: Control unit
43: display unit 44: storage unit
45: Alarm unit 51: Housing
52: thermal grease 101: electrode
102: Separator 111: Anode tab
112: negative tab 121: positive lead
122: negative lead 131: first case
132: Second case 133: Cup portion
134: Side 135: Pouch film
136: Bridge 137: Degassing part
138: outer wall 139: folding part
161: Punch Edge 162: Die Edge
163: Thickness Edge 164: Corner
211: Molded part 212: Bulkhead
213: Edge of die 221: Edge of punch
333: Conventional cup part 334: Conventional side
336: Conventional bridge 337: Conventional degassing part
338: Conventional outer wall 339: Conventional folding part
361: Conventional punch edge 362: Conventional die edge
421: Outline extraction unit 422: Image analysis unit
423: Reference line setting unit 424: Distance calculation unit
425: defect determination unit 1021: peripheral area
1331: Accommodating space 1332: Floor portion
1333: External wall 1340: Temporary sealing part
1341: Sealing part 1342: Non-sealing part
1343: outer end 1344: first folding portion
1345: second folding portion 1351: sealant layer
1352: moisture barrier layer 1353: surface protection layer
1354: Stretching auxiliary layer 1371: Edge
1381: External wall on the bridge side 1382: External wall on the degassing part side
1391: Groove 1611: Bridge side punch edge
1612: Degassing part side punch edge 1613: First punch edge
1614: 2nd punch edge

Claims (42)

A cup portion is formed to accommodate therein an electrode assembly formed by stacking an electrode and a separator,
The cup part,
It includes a plurality of die edges connecting a plurality of outer walls surrounding the periphery and a side or degassing portion,
The die edge is,
A pouch-type battery case in which at least one is rounded to a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion. According to paragraph 1,
The die edge is,
A pouch-type battery case formed by at least one being rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less. delete According to paragraph 1,
The cup part,
a plurality of punch edges each connecting the outer wall and the bottom, and at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; and
A pouch-type battery case further comprising a thick edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other. According to paragraph 4,
A die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom, and an edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge-side punch edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom. A pouch-type battery case with a vertical distance of 0.5 mm or less. According to paragraph 4,
The thickness edge is,
Connected to the two adjacent punch edges to form a corner,
The corner is,
A pouch-type battery case where at least one is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, and the radius of curvature is larger than the radius of curvature of the thickness edge. According to clause 6,
The corner is,
A pouch-type battery case in which the radius of curvature changes inside. In clause 7,
The corner is,
A pouch-type battery case where the radius of curvature at the center is larger than the radius of curvature at the periphery. According to paragraph 4,
The punch edge is,
A pouch-type battery case formed by rounding at least one of them to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less. According to paragraph 4,
A pouch-type battery case where the radius of curvature of the punch edge is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion. According to paragraph 1,
a first case and a second case in which the cup portion is formed, respectively; and
Including a bridge formed between the two cup portions,
The bridge is,
Pouch-type battery case with a thickness of 2 mm or less. According to clause 11,
The bridge is,
Pouch-type battery case with a thickness of 1.4 mm or less. According to clause 11,
The bridge is,
A pouch-type battery case whose thickness is 1/200 to 1/30 of the width of the electrode assembly. According to clause 11,
The bridge is,
A pouch-type battery case formed by rounding with a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less. According to clause 14,
The bridge is,
A pouch-type battery case formed by rounding with a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less. According to clause 11,
The thickness of the bridge is,
A pouch-type battery case that is the distance between two bridge vertical lines that respectively pass through boundary points of the bridge and the bridge-side outer wall and are perpendicular to the bottom. According to paragraph 1,
The outer wall is,
A pouch-type battery case having an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom. An electrode assembly formed by stacking an electrode and a separator; and
It includes a pouch-type battery case having a cup portion for accommodating the electrode assembly therein,
The battery case is,
a first case and a second case in which at least one of the cup portions is formed; and
It includes a folding part that integrally connects the first case and the second case,
The cup part,
It includes a plurality of die edges connecting a plurality of outer walls surrounding the periphery and a side or degassing portion,
The die edge is,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which at least one is rounded to a radius of curvature that is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion. According to clause 18,
A pouch-type secondary battery where the electrode assembly has an area of 15,000 mm ² to 100,000 mm ² . According to clause 18,
The folding part,
A pouch-type secondary battery with a width of 1 mm to 3.2 mm. According to clause 18,
The folding part,
A pouch-type secondary battery formed including a groove recessed inward. According to clause 21,
The battery case is,
It includes a pair of protrusions protruding outward across the groove,
A pouch-type secondary battery wherein the gap between the innermost part of the groove and the outermost part of the protrusion is 0.8 mm or less. According to clause 18,
The difference between the width of the cup portion and the width of the electrode assembly is,
Pouch-type secondary battery measuring 2.5 mm or less. According to clause 23,
The difference between the width of the cup portion and the width of the electrode assembly is,
Pouch-type secondary battery measuring 1.7 mm or less. According to clause 23,
The width of the cup portion is,
A pouch-type secondary battery where the distance between the tops of the outer walls on both sides of the cup portion. According to clause 18,
The cup part,
A plurality of punch edges each connecting a plurality of outer walls and a bottom surrounding the periphery, and at least one of which is rounded to a radius of curvature of 1 mm or less; and
A pouch-type secondary battery further comprising a thick edge connecting the two adjacent outer walls to each other. According to clause 26,
A die edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom, and an edge vertical line that passes through the boundary point of the die edge-side punch edge and the die edge-side outer wall and is perpendicular to the bottom. A pouch-type secondary battery with a vertical distance of 0.5 mm or less. According to clause 27,
The electrode assembly is,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which at least one end of the electrode is positioned at a vertical distance of 0.75 mm or less from the edge vertical line. According to clause 28,
The electrode assembly is,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which at least one end of the electrode is positioned at a vertical distance of 0.5 mm or less from the edge vertical line. According to clause 26,
The separator is,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which a peripheral portion protruding outward from the electrode is folded in a direction opposite to the bottom portion with respect to one end of the electrode. According to clause 30,
The electrode assembly is,
The electrode and the separator are each formed in plural,
The separator stored in the cup portion of the first case,
the peripheral portion is folded toward the second case,
The separator stored in the cup portion of the second case,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which the peripheral portion is folded toward the first case. According to clause 31,
The peripheral portion of at least one separator,
A pouch-type secondary battery that is aligned with the peripheral portion of the adjacent separator and folded. According to clause 26,
The punch edge is,
A pouch-type secondary battery formed by at least one being rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less. According to clause 26,
A pouch-type secondary battery wherein the radius of curvature of the punch edge is 1/20 to 1/6 of the depth of the cup portion. According to clause 26,
The die edge is,
A pouch-type secondary battery formed by at least one being rounded to a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less. delete According to clause 26,
The outer wall is,
A pouch-type secondary battery having an inclination angle of between 90° and 95° from the bottom. According to clause 26,
The thickness edge is,
Connected to the two adjacent punch edges to form a corner,
The corner is,
A pouch-type secondary battery, wherein at least one is rounded and formed with a radius of curvature of 2 mm to 5 mm, and the radius of curvature is larger than the radius of curvature of the thickness edge. According to clause 38,
The corner is,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which the radius of curvature changes inside. According to clause 39,
The corner is,
A pouch-type secondary battery where the radius of curvature at the center is larger than the radius of curvature at the periphery. According to clause 18,
A pouch-type secondary battery further comprising bat ears that protrude outwardly by 1.5 mm or less in length from both ends of the folding unit. According to clause 41,
A pouch-type secondary battery in which the angle formed between the folding portion and the inner edge of the bat ear is greater than 151 degrees.

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