KR20160047737A - Jig for Preparation of the Battery Cell and Battery Cell Manufactured Using the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a jig for manufacturing a battery cell to be used in manufacturing processes of a battery cell. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell of the present invention comprises: a jig main body having multiple battery cells installed therein and fixed in right positions; and a jig cover connected to an upper part of the jig main body and coupled in a state of maintaining a constant separation distance from the upper part of the jig main body, wherein an indented part is formed in a shape corresponding to an upper shape of the battery cell on a lower surface of the jig cover. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell of the present invention can simplify assembly processes and reduce a process time for manufacturing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a jig for manufacturing a battery cell and a battery cell using the same,

The present invention relates to a jig for manufacturing a battery cell and a battery cell manufactured using the same.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices have increased, the demand for secondary batteries as energy sources has been rapidly increasing, and accordingly, a lot of researches on batteries that can meet various demands have been conducted.

Typically, there is a high demand for a lithium secondary battery such as a lithium ion polymer battery having a high energy density, a discharge voltage and an output stability in terms of the material of a battery, and it can be applied to products such as mobile phones with a thin thickness in terms of shape, There is a high demand for a prismatic battery and a pouch-type battery which can be used as a battery of a battery module manufactured by lamination.

An electrode assembly in which a battery reaction occurs in a secondary battery is generally composed of a positive electrode plate coated with a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode plate coated with a negative electrode active material, and an electrolyte solution impregnated in the separator. The electrode assembly of the secondary battery is divided into a jelly-roll type (wound type) electrode assembly and a stacked type (laminate type) electrode assembly according to its structure. Therefore, a prismatic battery is manufactured by housing a jelly-roll type electrode assembly or a stacked electrode assembly in a rectangular metal case.

Generally, a prismatic battery has an assembly process in which an electrode assembly is mounted inside a square metal can, an upper insulator is mounted on an open upper end thereof, a base plate is welded on the upper insulator, and then an electrolyte is injected and sealed. At this time, a predetermined amount of the electrolytic solution is injected, and primary filling is performed for activation of the battery without sealing the injection port. After the electrolyte is injected again, the secondary filling is performed after sealing.

In general, one electrode (anode or cathode) tab of the electrode assembly is electrically connected to a terminal of the base plate and a tab of the other electrode (cathode or anode) is electrically connected to the can. One of these is connected to the PCB via a safety element as described above and the other is connected directly to the PCB. These electrical connections typically include nickel or nickel / aluminum leads in the middle.

As a method of sealing the base plate to the upper end of the rectangular metal can in this prismatic secondary battery structure, welding or soldering is required. In order to prevent leakage of the electrolytic solution, It is necessary to perform a press process on the welds between the plates.

However, in order to perform the press process, a 1: 1 process of placing a battery cell having been welded on a press jig and pressing the upper end is required, and a pressing process is performed on a plurality of battery cells The manufacturing processability is lowered, and the assembling process of the battery pack is relatively complicated and the manufacturing time is increased, which causes a rise in the unit price of the product.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique for simplifying the assembling process and shortening the manufacturing process time by simultaneously pressing the upper ends of a plurality of battery cells.

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.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a jig for manufacturing a battery cell, which includes a jig cover including an indentation corresponding to an upper end shape of the battery cells in a state where a plurality of battery cells are correctly positioned in the jig body, And it is an object of the present invention to provide a jig for manufacturing a battery cell which can provide an effect of simplifying an assembling process and shortening a manufacturing process time by simultaneously pressing the upper end of a battery cell with respect to a plurality of battery cells.

In order to accomplish the above object, a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present invention is a jig for manufacturing a battery cell used in a manufacturing process of a battery cell,

A jig main body in which a plurality of battery cells are mounted and fixed in position; And

A jig cover connected to an upper end of the jig main body and coupled to the upper end of the jig main body while maintaining a constant distance therebetween;

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And the lower end surface of the jig cover is formed with a recessed portion having a shape corresponding to the upper end shape of the battery cell.

Therefore, the jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present invention includes the jig cover including the indent portion corresponding to the top shape of the battery cells in a state where a plurality of battery cells are mounted in the jig body in a proper position, It is possible to provide the effect of simplifying the assembling process and shortening the manufacturing process time by simultaneously pressing the upper ends of the battery cells with respect to the cells.

In one specific example, the battery cell is preferably a prismatic battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed together with an electrolyte in a battery case. More specifically, the battery cell may have a structure in which a base plate is coupled to an open upper end of a square can containing an electrode assembly and sealed.

In addition, it is preferable that the open top of the square can is coupled with the base plate by welding. Specifically, the welding method of the battery cell case member is not particularly limited as long as it can be sealed with high strength. For example, laser welding, arc welding, electric resistance welding, gas welding, ultrasonic welding and the like can be mentioned, among which laser welding may be more preferable.

The prismatic can and the base plate constituting the battery cell according to the present invention can be manufactured in the form of a can or a plate having appropriate physical properties for the battery cell case and can be used in a process for manufacturing a battery cell case The material is not particularly limited, and specifically, it may be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

Further, the square can is preferably formed by drawing work. The drawing process may be performed by any of a variety of methods including, for example, deep drawing, square shell drawing, reverse redrawing, asymmetric drawing, expanding forming drawing, but are not limited to, restriking drawing, necking drawing, expanding drawing, flaring drawing, bell mouth drawing, and the like.

Meanwhile, the jig body according to the present invention has a structure in which a plurality of battery cells are fixed in position, for example, in correspondence to the number of battery cells, the shape of the outer surface of each battery cell And the battery cell is formed in a corresponding size so that the battery cell includes a mounting recess portion that is fixed in position.

The vertical height of the jig body is preferably set to a height for protruding the upper end portion of the battery cell in a state where the battery cell is mounted, wherein the upper end of the battery cell includes one electrode (anode or cathode) This corresponds to the location where the base plate to which the tabs are electrically connected is located.

The jig cover has a structure in which the jig cover is coupled to the jig body in such a manner as to surround the upper end portion of the battery cell protruded from the jig body. Specifically, the jig cover includes at least one body- And at the lower end of the outer surface of the jig cover, at least one cover engaging portion for engaging with the jig body.

At this time, the combination of the jig main body and the jig cover is not intended to house a plurality of battery cells, but is intended to press the upper portion of the battery cell, and therefore, a certain distance is required. A holding member for holding the holding member at a predetermined distance from the upper end of the holding member.

The spacing member may be a member for maintaining a constant distance between the jig body and the jig cover and for stably pressing the upper end of the battery cell by changing the spacing distance by the pressure applied from the upper portion. For example, The compression spring may be disposed between the jig main body and the jig cover as the spacing holding member in the cover coupling portion, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The distance is not particularly limited as long as it is sufficient to press the upper end of the battery cell by the pressure applied from above, but it is preferably within the range of 0.3 mm to 10 mm, for example.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a battery cell using the jig for manufacturing a battery cell,

(a) inserting an electrode assembly together with an electrolytic solution in a square can, and coupling a base plate to an open upper end of the square can;

(b) performing welding between the open top of the rectangular can and the base plate;

(c) attaching the battery cell manufactured in the step (b) to a jig for manufacturing a battery cell, the process comprising the steps of: mounting the battery cell on the jig body such that the upper end of the battery cell protrudes;

(d) attaching a jig cover to an upper end of the jig body to which the battery cell is mounted in the step (c); And

(e) compressing the upper end of a jig for manufacturing a battery cell having the battery cell mounted thereon.

The present invention also provides a battery cell characterized by using the jig for manufacturing a battery cell.

The battery cell is not particularly limited as long as it is a rechargeable secondary battery. For example, a lithium ion battery cell or a lithium polymer battery cell that provides a high output relative to weight can be used.

For reference, a lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt.

The positive electrode is prepared, for example, by coating a mixture of a positive electrode active material, a conductive material and a binder on a positive electrode current collector, and then drying the mixture. Optionally, a filler may be further added to the mixture.

The cathode active material may be a layered compound such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO ₂ ), or a compound substituted with one or more transition metals; Lithium manganese oxides such as Li _{1 + x} Mn _{2 -x} O ₄ (where x is 0 to 0.33), LiMnO ₃ , LiMn ₂ O ₃ , LiMnO ₂ and the like; Lithium copper oxide (Li ₂ CuO ₂ ); Vanadium oxides such as LiV ₃ O ₈ , LiFe ₃ O ₄ , V ₂ O ₅ and Cu ₂ V ₂ O ₇ ; A Ni-site type lithium nickel oxide expressed by the formula LiNi _1-x M _x O ₂ (where M = Co, Mn, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, B or Ga and x = 0.01 to 0.3); Formula _{LiMn 2-x M x O 2} ( where, M = Co, Ni, Fe , Cr, and Zn, or Ta, x = 0.01 ~ 0.1 Im) or Li ₂ Mn ₃ MO ₈ (where, M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn); LiMn ₂ O _{4 in} which a part of Li in the formula is substituted with an alkaline earth metal ion; Disulfide compounds; Fe ₂ (MoO ₄ ) ₃ , and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

The conductive material is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture including the cathode active material. Such a conductive material is not particularly limited as long as it has electrical conductivity without causing chemical changes in the battery, for example, graphite such as natural graphite or artificial graphite; Carbon black such as carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black, and summer black; Conductive fibers such as carbon fiber and metal fiber; Metal powders such as carbon fluoride, aluminum, and nickel powder; Conductive whiskey such as zinc oxide and potassium titanate; Conductive metal oxides such as titanium oxide; Conductive materials such as polyphenylene derivatives and the like can be used.

The binder is a component which assists in bonding of the active material and the conductive material and bonding to the current collector, and is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture containing the cathode active material. Examples of such binders include polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), starch, hydroxypropylcellulose, regenerated cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene , Polypropylene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), sulfonated EPDM, styrene butylene rubber, fluorine rubber, various copolymers and the like.

The filler is optionally used as a component for suppressing the expansion of the anode, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a fibrous material without causing a chemical change in the battery. Examples of the filler include olefin polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene; Fibrous materials such as glass fibers and carbon fibers are used.

The negative electrode is manufactured by applying and drying a negative electrode active material on a negative electrode collector, and if necessary, the above-described components may be selectively included.

Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon such as non-graphitized carbon and graphite carbon; _{Li x Fe 2 O 3 (0≤x≤1} ), Li x WO 2 (0≤x≤1), Sn x Me 1-x Me 'y O z (Me: Mn, Fe, Pb, Ge; Me' : Metal complex oxides such as Al, B, P, Si, Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 elements of the periodic table, Halogen, 0 < x < Lithium metal; Lithium alloy; Silicon-based alloys; Tin alloy; _{SnO, SnO 2, PbO, PbO} 2, Pb 2 O 3, Pb 3 O 4, Sb 2 O 3, Sb 2 O 4, Sb 2 O 5, GeO, GeO 2, Bi 2 O 3, Bi 2 O 4, and Bi ₂ O ₅ ; Conductive polymers such as polyacetylene; Li-Co-Ni-based materials and the like can be used.

The separation membrane is interposed between the anode and the cathode, and an insulating thin film having high ion permeability and mechanical strength is used. The pore diameter of the separator is generally 0.01 to 10 mu m, and the thickness is generally 5 to 300 mu m. Such separation membranes include, for example, olefinic polymers such as polypropylene, which are chemically resistant and hydrophobic; A sheet or nonwoven fabric made of glass fiber, polyethylene or the like is used. When a solid electrolyte such as a polymer is used as an electrolyte, the solid electrolyte may also serve as a separation membrane.

The non-aqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt is composed of a polar organic electrolyte and a lithium salt. As the electrolytic solution, a non-aqueous liquid electrolytic solution, an organic solid electrolyte, an inorganic solid electrolyte and the like are used.

Examples of the nonaqueous liquid electrolytic solution include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, gamma -Butyrolactone, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, tetrahydroxyfuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dimethylsulfoxide, 1,3-dioxolane, formamide, dimethylformamide, dioxolane , Acetonitrile, nitromethane, methyl formate, methyl acetate, triester phosphate, trimethoxymethane, dioxolane derivatives, sulfolane, methylsulfolane, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, propylene carbonate Nonionic organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran derivatives, ethers, methyl pyrophosphate, ethyl propionate and the like can be used.

Examples of the organic solid electrolyte include a polymer electrolyte such as a polyethylene derivative, a polyethylene oxide derivative, a polypropylene oxide derivative, a phosphate ester polymer, an agitation lysine, a polyester sulfide, a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyvinylidene fluoride, Polymers containing ionic dissociation groups, and the like can be used.

Examples of the inorganic solid electrolyte include Li ₃ N, LiI, Li ₅ NI ₂ , Li ₃ N-LiI-LiOH, LiSiO ₄ , LiSiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH, Li ₂ SiS ₃ , Li ₄ SiO ₄ , Nitrides, halides and sulfates of Li such as Li ₄ SiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH and Li ₃ PO ₄ -Li ₂ S-SiS ₂ can be used.

The lithium salt is a material that is readily soluble in the non-aqueous electrolyte, for example, LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiClO 4, LiBF 4, LiB 10 Cl 10, LiPF 6, LiCF 3 SO 3, LiCF 3 CO 2, LiAsF _{6, LiSbF 6, LiAlCl 4,} CH 3 SO 3 Li, CF 3 SO 3 Li, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 NLi, chloroborane lithium, lower aliphatic carboxylic acid lithium, lithium tetraphenyl borate and imide have.

For the purpose of improving the charge-discharge characteristics and the flame retardancy, the non-aqueous liquid electrolyte may contain, for example, pyridine, triethylphosphite, triethanolamine, cyclic ether, ethylenediamine, glyme, N, N-substituted imidazolidine, ethylene glycol dialkyl ether, ammonium salt, pyrrole, 2-methoxyethanol, aluminum trichloride and the like are added It is possible. In some cases, a halogen-containing solvent such as carbon tetrachloride or ethylene trifluoride may be further added to impart nonflammability, or a carbon dioxide gas may be further added to improve high-temperature storage characteristics.

Also, the present invention provides a battery pack including at least one prismatic battery cell, and a device using the battery pack as a power source, wherein the device is a notebook, a mobile phone, a PDP, a PMP, an MP3 player, Cameras, DVRs, smart phones, GPS systems, camcorders, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, power storage devices, and the like.

The structure of the battery pack and the diabis and the manufacturing method thereof are well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present invention includes a jig cover including a depressed portion corresponding to an upper end shape of the battery cells in a state where a plurality of battery cells are mounted in the jig body in a proper position Thereby, it is possible to provide an effect of simplifying the assembling process and shortening the manufacturing process time by simultaneously pressing the upper ends of the battery cells with respect to the plurality of battery cells.

1 is a photograph of a jig body included in a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a photograph of a jig cover included in a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a schematic view of a side surface of a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a photograph of a process of pressing a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a photograph of a jig body included in a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a jig body included in a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. A photograph is disclosed.

The jig 100 for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present invention includes a jig main body 120 to which a plurality of battery cells 110 are mounted and fixed in position, The battery cell 110 is formed in a size corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the battery cell 110 except the upper end of each battery cell 110 in correspondence with the number of the battery cells 110, (130).

The vertical height of the jig main body 120 is set to a height at which the upper end of the battery cell 110 protrudes in a state where the battery cell 110 is mounted and a jig cover 140 And two body coupling parts 121 and 122 for coupling with the main body coupling parts 121 and 122, respectively.

An indent portion (not shown) having a shape corresponding to the upper end shape of the battery cell 110 is formed on the lower end surface of the jig cover 140, The cover engaging portions 141 and 142 are spaced apart from each other by a compression spring so as to be coupled with a certain distance from the upper end of the jig main body 120, And a holding member (refer to the drawings below).

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a side surface of a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a process of pressing a jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. Lt; / RTI >

Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIGS. 1 and 2, a jig 100 for manufacturing a battery cell includes an upper end of a jig body 120 to which a plurality of battery cells 110 are mounted, And two body coupling parts 121 and 122 formed on both sides of the upper end of the jig body 120 are coupled to the jig cover 140 And two cover engaging portions 141 and 142 formed at the lower ends of both sides are inserted.

At this time, spacing members 151 and 152 composed of compression springs are positioned between the main body coupling portions 121 and 122 and the cover coupling portions 141 and 142, and the state where the jig main body 120 and the jig cover 140 are coupled The upper end of the battery cell 110 is in contact with the jig main body 120 and the jig cover 140 when the pressure is applied from the upper side by the compression device, And pressurized.

4, a plurality of jigs 100 for assembling battery cells, each having a plurality of battery cells 110 mounted thereon, are constructed so as to form a simple and easy assembly line, Manufacturing processability and productivity can be improved, and it is possible to mass-produce the processes in an automated manner as needed.

Therefore, the jig for manufacturing a battery cell having such a structure can be easily attached and detached to a plurality of battery cells, can simultaneously press the upper end of the battery cell to simplify the assembling process, and can reduce the manufacturing process time Can be provided.

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 (18)

A jig for manufacturing a battery cell used in a battery cell manufacturing process,
A jig main body in which a plurality of battery cells are mounted and fixed in position; And
A jig cover connected to an upper end of the jig main body and coupled to the upper end of the jig main body while maintaining a constant distance therebetween;
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Wherein a jig cover is formed at the lower end surface with a recessed portion having a shape corresponding to an upper end shape of the battery cell. The jig for producing a battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a prismatic battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed together with an electrolyte in a battery case. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 2, wherein the battery cell has a structure in which a base plate is coupled to an open upper end of a square can having an electrode assembly. 4. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 3, wherein the coupling between the open top of the square can and the base plate is performed by welding. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 3, wherein the rectangular can is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The jig for producing a battery cell according to claim 3, wherein the rectangular can is formed by drawing work. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the jig main body has a size corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the battery cell except the upper end of each battery cell, corresponding to the number of the battery cells, Wherein the jig includes at least one of a first electrode and a second electrode. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the vertical height of the jig body is a height for protruding an upper end portion of the battery cell when the battery cell is mounted. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 1, wherein at least one body coupling part for coupling with a jig cover is provided on an upper end of the outer surface of the jig body. The jig for producing a battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the jig cover includes at least one cover engaging portion for engaging with the jig body at the lower end of the outer surface of the jig cover. 11. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 10, wherein the cover engaging portion includes a spacing member for engaging while maintaining a constant distance from the upper end of the jig main body. 12. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 11, wherein the spacing member is a compression spring capable of changing a separation distance by a pressure applied from above. 12. The jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 11, wherein the distance is in the range of 0.3 mm to 10 mm. A method of manufacturing a battery cell using the jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to claim 1,
(a) inserting an electrode assembly together with an electrolytic solution in a square can, and coupling a base plate to an open upper end of the square can;
(b) performing welding between the open top of the rectangular can and the base plate;
(c) attaching the battery cell manufactured in the step (b) to a jig for manufacturing a battery cell, the process comprising the steps of: mounting the battery cell on the jig body such that the upper end of the battery cell protrudes;
(d) attaching a jig cover to an upper end of the jig body to which the battery cell is mounted in the step (c); And
(e) compressing an upper end of a jig for manufacturing a battery cell on which the battery cell is mounted;
And a step of forming the battery cell. A battery cell manufactured using the jig for manufacturing a battery cell according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A battery pack comprising at least one battery cell according to claim 15. A device according to claim 16, wherein the battery pack is used as a power source. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a PDP, a PMP, an MP3 player, a digital still camera (DSC), a DVR, a smart phone, a GPS system, a camcorder, Device.

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