KR20160031191A - Discharge Member of Variable Structure and Coating Apparatus of Electrode Depolarizing Mix Containing the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a discharging member for applying an electrode mixture including an electrode material to an electrode plate which is transported, wherein the discharging member comprises: an inlet hole in which an electrode mixture is introduced; at least one discharge hole which discharges the electrode mixture to the electrode plate; and a transport unit formed by being connected to the inlet hole and the discharge hole in order that the electrode mixture introduced from the inlet hole is transported. In one side of the transport unit, an inwardly protruding-stepped structure is formed in order to control the thickness of the applied electrode mixture, and the stepped structure has a variable structure.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a discharging member having a variable structure and an electrode-

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable discharge member and an electrode material mixture coating apparatus including the same.

Recent trends in electronic industry development can be summarized as device's wireless, mobile trend and analog to digital conversion. Rapid dissemination of wireless phones (aka mobile phones) and notebook computers, and the transition from analog cameras to digital cameras are examples of this.

Along with this tendency, research and development of a secondary battery as an operation power source of a device is actively proceeding. Among them, a lithium secondary battery having a high output and capacity by weight using a lithium transition metal oxide, a lithium composite oxide, or the like as a cathode active material has attracted much attention. The lithium secondary battery has a structure in which a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode assembly is embedded in a sealed container together with an electrolyte.

On the other hand, the electrode generates a current through the exchange of ions, and the positive and negative electrodes constituting the electrode are formed by applying an electrode active material to an electrode plate made of metal.

Generally, the negative electrode has a structure in which a carbon-based active material is coated on an electrode plate made of copper or aluminum, and an electrode plate made of aluminum or the like is coated with an active material made of LiCoO ₂ , LiMnO ₂ , LiNiO ₂ or the like .

In order to maximize the output of the secondary battery, it is most important to apply the electrode mixture containing the electrode active material to the electrode plate used as the electrode plate in a uniform thickness.

However, in the conventional discharging member, there is a coating amount variation in the electrode plate coating portion of the secondary battery due to the regional distribution difference of the minute discharge amount between the center portion and the side portion.

Such a coating amount deviation causes a difference in battery capacity in the electrode coating of the secondary battery, which causes a deviation of the produced batteries.

In addition, in the case of electrode coating, not only a coated holding part but also an uncoated part used as aluminum or copper foil are also important, so that the side surface of the holding part also requires precise control of the amount of coating.

Therefore, there is a great need for a technique relating to a discharge member capable of uniformly coating the entire electrode coating portion of the secondary battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

The inventors of the present application have conducted intensive research and various experiments. As described later, a stepped portion protruding inward is formed on the inner surface of the transfer pipe so as to adjust the thickness of the applied electrode mixture, The present inventors have completed the present invention by confirming that the stepped portion can make the discharge amount of the electrode material mixture in the discharge port uniform in the width direction when the stepped portion has a variable cross sectional area.

In order to achieve the above object, a discharge member according to the present invention is a discharge member for applying an electrode mixture containing an electrode active material to an electrode plate to be transferred,

An inlet through which the electrode mixture flows;

At least one outlet for discharging the electrode mixture to the electrode plate; And

And a transfer unit formed to communicate with an inlet port and an outlet port so that the electrode mixture introduced from the inlet port is transferred toward the discharge port,

The inner surface of one side of the transfer part may have a stepped portion protruding inward to adjust the thickness of the applied electrode material mixture, and the stepped portion may have a variable shape of the stepped portion.

Accordingly, the discharging member according to the present invention can adjust the discharging amount of the discharging portion in the width direction according to the position where the step is formed, by forming a step protruding inward in one side inner surface of the transferring portion.

In addition, the structure in which the shape of the stepped portion can be varied means a structure in which the cross-sectional area of the stepped portion increases or decreases as the position and length of any one side of the stepped portion changes in plan view.

That is, by changing the shape of the stepped portion, the vertical cross-sectional area of the conveying path of the conveying portion is increased or decreased, so that the discharge amount discharged in a predetermined time can be precisely controlled. More specifically, for example, when an increase in the discharge amount of the electrode mixture is required, the sectional area of the step is increased to narrow the vertical cross-sectional area of the transfer part, whereby the feed rate of the electrode mixture increases and the amount of the electrode mixture discharged at the same time The thickness of the coated electrode coating can be increased.

On the other hand, when the discharge amount of the electrode mixture is reduced, the cross-sectional area of the step is reduced to form a wide vertical cross-sectional area of the transfer part, so that the feed rate of the electrode mixture is reduced and the amount of the electrode mixture discharged at the same time is reduced. Can be reduced.

Therefore, when the stepped portion of the discharge member according to the present invention includes a structure in which the shape of the stepped portion is variable, the thickness of the applied electrode coating can be precisely controlled to make the discharge amount of the electrode compound material more uniform in the width direction .

On the other hand, in the conventional discharge member, the discharge amount is concentrated at the central portion of the discharge port in which the inlet port is located in the width direction, while the discharge amount is smaller than the center portion in the width direction toward the outer side of the discharge portion.

Therefore, the step of the discharging member according to the present invention may have a structure in which the discharging member is formed in contact with the discharging port on the inner surface of one side of the conveying unit with respect to the discharging direction of the electrode mixture, and when there are two discharging ports, And the step may be formed on the inner surface of one side of the discharge port facing the partition wall. In particular, the interface of the step may have an upward tapered structure.

That is, when the step is formed on the inner surface of one side of the discharge port facing the partition formed in the central portion, the discharge amount of one side portion of the discharge port formed with the step can be increased. In the width direction of the prior art, It is possible to solve the problem that the discharging amount becomes smaller as time goes on, and the thickness of the applied electrode coating can be made uniform.

The width between the barrier ribs and the stepped portion may be the same as the width of the electrode plate coating portion. That is, the width of the electrode mixture is determined according to the distance between the stepped portion formed in contact with the discharge port and the partition wall.

In one specific example, the cross-sectional area of the stepped portion may be varied by deforming the inclination formed by the discharge direction of the electrode mixture and the stepped portion, and more specifically, the side of the stepped portion may have a cross- It can be varied.

Specifically, when the angle of the inclination is increased, the cross-sectional area of the step is reduced to reduce the discharge amount of the electrode compound mixture. On the contrary, when the angle is decreased, the cross-sectional area of the step is increased to increase the discharge amount of the electrode compound mixture. Specifically, it may be from 20 degrees to 60 degrees, more specifically from 30 degrees to 45 degrees, based on the discharge direction of the electrode mixture.

In one specific example, the discharge member may further include a step slope member deforming the slope of the side of the step and a step adjustment member moving the position of the step slope member. Specifically, the inclination formed by the deviation between the discharge direction of the electrode mixture and the step difference is adjusted by the step adjusting member projecting a part of the stepped inclined member, or retracting the projected part of the stepped inclined member into the step .

In addition, the stepped inclined member may be located adjacent to the step, and the step adjustment member may be located on one side of the discharge member facing the position of the stepped inclined member.

In addition, the stepped inclined member may be inserted into the stepped portion. Specifically, the stepped inclined member is inserted into the stepped portion so that a part of the stepped inclined member forms a stepped portion at a position facing the discharge port .

In one specific example, the stepped inclined member may be in the form of a triangular block, but is not limited thereto, and may be applied in various forms as long as it can form a side of a variable step.

In one specific example, the step adjustment member may be a bolt-type device or a jog dial type device, but is not limited thereto, and may be a means or device capable of moving the position of the step- It can be applied variously.

In another specific example, the step adjustment member may be a device that can be controlled by a digital signal, and in particular, the step adjustment member may be a pneumatic regulating device or a pin gear device operated by a digital signal.

In one specific example, the discharging member may be a slit-die type, and the discharging port may be formed in a positional range of 30 to 160 degrees with respect to the inlet port, and more specifically, 80 to 100 Or may be a structure formed in the position range of the figure.

As a more specific example,

A lower plate including an inlet extending upwardly from one lower side, a chamber communicating with the inlet, and a lip extending from the chamber to the other side; And a top plate located on the upper portion of the lower plate and including a lip extending laterally to form a feed portion and an outlet by combination with the lower plate.

The present invention also provides an electrode material mixture coating apparatus including the discharge member.

The electrode compound coating apparatus may include a storage tank in which an electrode mixture is stored, and a pump that transfers the electrode mixture stored in the storage tank to an inlet of the discharge member through a transfer pipe.

The tank and the pump may be a general product having chemical resistance, and detailed description thereof is well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The present invention also provides a secondary battery manufactured using the electrode material mixture coating apparatus.

A stacked or stacked / folded electrode assembly in which a separator is interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode coated with an electrode mixture on a metal sheet, and a structure in which the electrode assembly is sealed in a battery case in a state impregnated with an electrolyte solution Are well known in the art, and a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

The present invention also provides a battery pack including at least two secondary batteries as a unit cell.

The battery pack may be, for example, a device selected from a cell phone, a notebook computer, a smart phone, a smart pad, a netbook, a LEV (Light Electronic Vehicle), an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, As shown in FIG. The device is well known in the art and a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

As described above, in the discharging member of the present invention, a stepped portion protruding inward is formed on the inner surface of one side of the transferring portion, and the stepped portion has a structure in which the shape of the stepped portion is variable, It is possible to precisely control the thickness of the electrode mixture to minimize variations in coating amount of the electrode mixture and to obtain an electrode having a uniform thickness.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a discharge member according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'of the discharge member of Fig. 1;
3 is a schematic view showing a schematic cross-sectional view along the line A-A 'of the discharge member of FIG. 1 together with an electrode plate coated with an electrode mixture;
Figure 4 is a schematic, partially enlarged cross-sectional view A of an enlarged portion of Figure 2;
5 is a schematic enlarged sectional view B of an enlarged portion of FIG. 2;
6 is a simplified process diagram of an electrode material mixture coating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a discharge member according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line A-A 'of the discharge member of Fig.

1 and 2, the discharging member 100 includes an inlet 110 through which an electrode mixture flows, two outlets 130 and 131 for discharging an electrode mixture (not shown) to the electrode plate, And feeders 120 and 121 formed to communicate with the inlet 110 and the outlets 130 and 131 so that the electrode mixture introduced from the inlet 110 is fed toward the outlet.

The discharging member 100 also includes a chamber 115 communicating with the inlet 110 extending upward from one lower side and a lip 142 extending from the chamber 115 to the other side.

3 is a schematic view showing a schematic cross-sectional view along the line A-A 'of the discharge member of FIG. 1 together with an electrode plate coated with an electrode mixture.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, stepped protrusions 150 and 151 protruding inwardly are formed on the inner surfaces of one side of each of the transfer parts 120 and 121 so as to adjust the thickness of the applied electrode material mixture 30 And partition walls 140 partitioning between the outlets 130 and 131 are formed.

The interface between each of the stepped portions 150 and 151 has an upward tapered structure and the width W ₁ between the barrier ribs and the stepped portion has a size corresponding to the width W _{2 of the} coating portion of the electrode plate 610 .

That is, in the discharging member 100 according to the present invention, stepped portions 150 and 151 protruding inward are formed on the inner surface of one side of each of the transferring portions 120 and 121, and each of the discharging portions 130, The discharge amount of the outer side portions A ₁ and A ₂ of the respective discharge portions 130 and 131 in the width direction D is increased in the case of applying the electrode mixture 30 to the electrode plate 610 through the through- It is possible to reduce the amount of discharge of the outer portions A ₁ and A ₂ of the discharging portions 130 and 131 in the width direction generated when the inlet 110 is located at the center of the discharging member 100 Can be solved.

Further, in order to more precisely control the discharge amounts of the outer portions A ₁ and A ₂ of the discharging portions 130 and 131, the discharging member 100 of the present invention is configured such that the shape of the steps 150 and 151 is variable The vertical cross-sectional area of the conveyance path of each of the conveyance units 120 and 121 can be increased or decreased, so that the discharge amount of the electrode mix 30 can be made more uniform in the width direction D . This will be described in more detail later.

4 is a schematic enlarged sectional view A showing an enlarged portion of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged sectional view B showing a partially enlarged portion of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG.

3, 4, and 5, the stepped inclined member 200 and the step adjustment member 300 are used to adjust the thickness of the coated electrode coating on both side outer portions A ₁ and A ₂ .

The sectional area of the step 150 of the discharging member 100 is changed by deforming the inclination formed by the step 155 of the discharging direction B and the discharging direction B of the electrode mix 30, And the rest is the same for the case of the step 151 as well.

This discharging member 100 is configured to move the position of the stepped inclined members 200 and 201 and the respective stepped inclined members 200 and 201 in order to deform the inclination of the sides 155 and 156 of the respective steps And includes step difference adjusting members 300 and 301. [

The stepped inclined members 200 and 201 are inserted into the stepped portions 150 and 151 in the form of a triangular block so that a part of the stepped inclined member faces each of the outlets 130 and 131 And the sides of the stepped sections 155 and 156 are formed. The step adjustment members 300 and 301 are located on the outer surface of one side of the discharge member 100 facing the position of the respective step-like inclined members 200.

4, the step adjustment member 300 includes a bolt-type adjusting screw 310, a rotating column 320 rotating clockwise or counterclockwise according to the rotation of the adjusting screw 310, And a moving member 330 for moving the stepped inclined member 200 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating column 320. At this time, the respective structures include a structure (not shown) in which a plurality of teeth or chains are combined to precisely and reliably transfer the motion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any means that can precisely adjust the position of the stepped inclined member 200 is possible.

In addition, a method of adjusting the thickness of the coated electrode coating of the outer side of both sides can be performed by, for example, rotating the step adjustment member 310 clockwise when increasing the discharge amount of the electrode mixture, The moving member 200 moves downward in the counterclockwise direction and the moving member 200 moves the stepped inclined member 200 by the rotation of the rotating column 320. At this time, And the slope G ₁ formed by the sides 155 of the stepped portion is 30 degrees.

As the stepped inclined member 200 moves, the area of the step 150 relatively increases, and accordingly, the vertical cross-sectional area of the conveying unit 130 becomes narrow to increase the conveying speed of the electrode mix, The amount of the compounding agent is increased, and the thickness of the coated electrode coating of both side outer portions can be increased.

5, when the discharge amount of the electrode assembly is reduced, the step adjustment member 310 is rotated counterclockwise so that the rotating column 320 rotates in a clockwise direction, and the rotating column 320 The slope G ₂ between the discharging direction B of the electrode mixture and the side 155 of the step difference becomes equal to the slope G ₂ The step-like inclined member 200 is moved to be 45 degrees.

As the stepped inclined member 200 moves, the area of the stepped portion 150 is relatively reduced, and thus the vertical cross-sectional area of the conveying portion 130 is widened, so that the conveying speed of the electrode compounding agent is reduced. The amount of the mixture can be reduced, and the thickness of the coated electrode coating of both side outer portions can be reduced.

FIG. 6 shows a simplified process diagram of an electrode material mixture coating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The electrode assembly coating apparatus 400 includes a storage tank 410 in which the electrode mixture 30 is stored and an electrode assembly 30 stored in the storage tank 410. The electrode assembly 30 is connected to the inlet of the discharge member 100 along the supply pipe 430, (Not shown).

In this electrode compound coating apparatus 400, the electrode mixture 30 stored in the storage tank 410 is supplied to the inlet 110 in a direction perpendicular to the ground by the pump 420, The electrode assembly 30 supplied to the discharging member 100 is discharged from the electrode plate 610 through the discharging port 130 when the electrode plate 610 is supplied from the discharging port 600 adjacent to the lip in the vertical direction with respect to the paper surface, 610).

Therefore, the discharging member and the electrode material mixture coating apparatus including the discharging member according to the present invention have a stepped portion protruding inward in the inner surface of one side of the transferring portion, and the sectional area of the stepped portion is variable. , It is possible to adjust the discharge amount of the discharging portion to be equal in the width direction, thereby minimizing variation in coating amount of the electrode mixture to obtain a uniform electrode.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (24)

A discharge member for applying an electrode mixture containing an electrode active material to an electrode plate to be transferred,
An inlet through which the electrode mixture flows;
At least one outlet for discharging the electrode mixture to the electrode plate; And
And a transfer unit formed to communicate with an inlet port and an outlet port so that the electrode mixture introduced from the inlet port is transferred toward the discharge port,
Wherein a stepped portion protruding inwardly is formed on an inner surface of one side of the transfer portion so as to adjust the thickness of the applied electrode material mixture, and the stepped portion has a variable shape of the stepped portion. The discharge member according to claim 1, wherein the stepped portion is formed on one inner surface of the transfer portion in contact with the discharge port with reference to the discharge direction of the electrode mixture. The discharge member according to claim 1, wherein the discharge ports are two, and a partition wall is formed to partition between the two discharge ports. The discharge member according to claim 3, wherein the step is formed on one inner surface of the discharge port facing the partition. The discharging member according to claim 4, wherein the width between the partition and the step corresponds to the width of the electrode plate coating portion. The dispensing member according to claim 1, wherein the interface of the stepped portion has an upward tapered structure. The discharging member according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the step is variable by deforming the inclination formed by the discharge direction of the electrode mixture and the step difference. 8. The dispensing member according to claim 7, wherein the side of the step is a side opposite to the discharge port. The discharging member according to claim 7, wherein the angle of the tilt is 20 to 60 degrees with respect to the discharging direction of the electrode mixture. The discharging member according to claim 9, wherein the angle of the tilt is 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the discharging direction of the electrode mixture. The discharging member according to claim 7, wherein the discharging member further comprises a stepped inclined member for deforming the inclination of the side of the step and a step adjusting member for moving the position of the stepped inclined member. 12. The dispensing member according to claim 11, wherein the inclination is adjusted by causing the step regulating member to protrude a part of the step inclined member, or to retract the protruding part of the step inclined member into the step. 13. The dispensing member according to claim 12, wherein the stepped inclined member is located adjacent to the step, and the step adjustment member is located on one outer surface of the ejection member facing the position of the stepped inclined member. The dispensing member according to claim 12, wherein the stepped inclined member is inserted into the step. 15. The dispensing member according to claim 14, wherein the stepped inclined member forms a side of a step at a position facing the discharge port. 16. The dispensing member according to claim 15, wherein the stepped inclined member is in the form of a triangular block. The dispensing member according to claim 11, wherein the step adjustment member is a bolt type device or a jog dial type device. 12. The dispensing member according to claim 11, wherein the step adjustment member is controlled by a digital signal. 19. The dispensing member according to claim 18, wherein the step adjustment member is a pneumatic regulating device or a pin gear device operated by a digital signal. The discharge member according to claim 1, wherein the discharge member is a slit-die type. An electrode material mixture coating apparatus characterized by comprising a discharge member according to any one of claims 1 to 20. 22. The electrode material mixture coating apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a storage tank in which the electrode mixture is stored, and a pump for transferring the electrode mixture stored in the storage tank to an inlet of the discharge member. A secondary battery produced by using the electrode material mixture coating apparatus according to claim 21. 23. A battery pack comprising: at least two secondary batteries according to claim 23 as unit cells.

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