KR20170034319A - Coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention realizes a function of adjusting tension provided to a base material in a coating apparatus which applies a coating solution on a surface of the base material while transferring the sheet type base material. A pair of tension providing means (9L, 9R) providing tension to each of both ends (Ls, Rs) of the base material (S) in a width direction (Dw) of the sheet type base material (S) transferred in a length direction are formed. The respective tension providing means sandwiches the base material with first rollers (91L, 91R) being in contact with one-sided main surface (Sa) of the base material (S) and second rollers (92L, 92R) being in contact with the other-sided main surface of the base material (S), and surfaces of at least one of the first rollers and the second rollers move in a moving direction having a directional component directed toward an outside from a center of the base material (S). The tension in the width direction is adjusted by a pressure applied between the first rollers and the second rollers.

Description

COATING APPARATUS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid to a surface of a sheet-like substrate while conveying the same, and more particularly to a mechanism for applying a tension to a substrate.

In the technique of applying a coating liquid to the surface of a long-sheet sheet while conveying the base material, it is common to carry the substrate along the lengthwise direction of the base material while covering the several rollers. However, there is a case where the abutment position of the roller relative to the substrate is limited, for example, the other liquid can not be brought into contact with the uncured liquid, for example, for the reason that the liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate. As a result, the support of the substrate becomes insufficient and loosening of the substrate may occur.

In order to cope with this problem, for example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when a paste is applied to both sides of a substrate at the same time, both ends of the substrate are sandwiched (Tension roller) are formed along the conveying direction. By arranging the tension rollers such that the inclination of the rotation axis of the roller in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the base material is gradually increased along the conveying direction, the base material extends in the width direction, So that looseness is suppressed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-284528 (for example, Fig. 4)

The roller having a rotation axis with a large inclination with respect to the width direction is brought into contact with the substrate, which causes wrinkles to be generated particularly on a thin or soft substrate. It is more preferable to provide a function of adjusting the tension applied to the substrate so as to correspond to substrates of various materials and thicknesses. However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the magnitude of the tension applied to the base material is determined by the arrangement of the tension roller. In short, the above-described technique is not configured to easily adjust the tension. Therefore, it is not yet possible to solve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of realizing a function of adjusting a tension applied to a base material in a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid to a surface of a sheet- do.

In order to attain the above object, one embodiment of the coating apparatus according to the present invention is a coating apparatus comprising conveying means for conveying a base material on a long sheet in the longitudinal direction of the base material, a nozzle arranged opposite to the main surface of the substrate to be conveyed, A coating means for coating the coating liquid on the base material by discharging a coating liquid from the base material in the widthwise direction of the base material; And a tension control means for controlling the tension applying means to increase or decrease the tension, wherein each of the tension applying means includes a first roller contacting the one main surface of the substrate, Wherein the surface of at least one of the first roller and the second roller is sandwiched between a first roller and a second roller, Wherein the tension control means moves in a moving direction having a direction component along the conveying direction and a direction component parallel to the width direction and outwardly from the center portion of the base member at a position in contact with the base material, And the pressing force applied between the first roller and the second roller.

In the invention constituted as described above, a pair of tension applying means for holding the both ends of the base material, respectively, pulls the base material outward so as to extend in the width direction, like the tension roller that tilts the rotation shaft described in Patent Document 1 , A tensile force in the width direction is imparted to the substrate. Further, in the present invention, it is possible to change the tension applied to the substrate by adjusting the pressing force between the first roller and the second roller holding the base material by the tension control means.

More specifically, the surface of the roller (the first roller or the second roller) having a slope with respect to the conveying direction of the substrate rotates with a certain degree of sliding with respect to the substrate, It is possible to move in the carrying direction while imparting tension in the width direction. The slip amount is changed by changing the pressing force between the first roller and the second roller, and consequently, the tension imparted to the base material can be changed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the tension applying means for holding the end portion of the substrate to be conveyed by the first roller and the second roller is formed corresponding to each of both end portions of the substrate, and in each of the tension applying means, By changing the pressing force of the second roller, it is possible to adjust the tension in the width direction applied to the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a view showing a schematic structure of a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 1B is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 1A. FIG.
2A is a perspective view showing the arrangement of main components of the tension adjusting unit.
2B is a top view of the main configuration of the tension adjusting unit.
Fig. 3 is a view showing the principle of imparting a tension to a base material by a meandering roller. Fig.
4A and 4B are views showing the configuration of the left unit in more detail.
5A and 5B are views showing the directions of the rotation axes of the pair of rollers.
6A and 6B are diagrams showing a configuration example of the position detecting section.
Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a tension adjusting process in this embodiment.
8 is a view showing various cases in which the position of the end portion of the substrate varies.

Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a coating apparatus according to the present invention, and Fig. 1B is a partially enlarged view thereof. As shown in Fig. 1A, the coating apparatus 100 is a device for applying a paste-like coating liquid to a sheet-like base material S conveyed in a roll-to-roll manner. For example, And is applicable to the production of battery electrodes. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in Fig. 1A in order to unify the directions in the following drawings. Here, the XY plane is a horizontal plane, and the Z axis represents a vertical axis. More specifically, the (-Z) direction indicates a vertically downward direction.

This coating apparatus 100 has a tank 1 for storing a coating liquid to be coated therein and nozzles 51 and 52 for discharging a coating liquid supplied from the tank 1. The coating liquid The coating liquid in the tank 1 is fed toward the nozzles 51 and 52 by the liquid delivery system 2 formed between the tank 1 and the nozzles 51 and 52 and is supplied to the tip of the nozzles 51 and 52 And is discharged from the discharge port of the formed slit. The coating apparatus 100 also includes a control unit 3 for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus.

The delivery system 2 has piping 21, 22 branched at the output of the tank 1. The piping 21 connects between the tank 1 and the nozzle 51 and a pump 23 for circulating the coating liquid is interposed in the middle of the piping 21. The piping 22 connects between the tank 1 and the nozzle 52. A pump 24 for circulating the coating liquid is interposed in the middle of the piping 22. It is preferable that the pumps 23 and 24 are capable of delivering a coating liquid having a high viscosity at a stable flow rate. As such a pump, for example, a screw pump can be used and, for example, a mono pump, which is a kind of a single screw screw pump, can be preferably applied. The operation of the pumps 23 and 24 is controlled by the control unit 3. The control unit 3 controls the pumps 23 and 24 to separately adjust the flow rate of the coating liquid sent from the tank 1 to the nozzles 51 and 52. [

The coating apparatus 100 includes a transport unit 7 for transporting a substrate S onto which a coating liquid is applied. In the transport unit 7, a long-sheet-like base material S wound on a roll is set on the feed roller 71 and one end of the base material S pulled out of the roll is wound around the take-up roller 72. The substrate S fed out from the feed roller 71 is conveyed in the direction of arrow Ds along its longitudinal direction by the rotation of the take-up roller 72 in the direction of the arrow Dr in the figure, Is wound. A tension roller 73 and a supporting roller 74 are formed on the conveying path of the base material S across the feeding roller 71 and the winding roller 72 in this way. That is, the base material S drawn out from the supply roller 71 is wound around the surface of the tension roller 73 and the support roller 74, and the base material S, which has passed the surface of the support roller 74, (Not shown).

The tension roller 73 applies a constant tension to the substrate S conveyed along the conveying path in the conveying direction. As a result, the base material S is prevented from loosening in the conveying path, and the base material S is conveyed in a stable posture. That is, between the rollers disposed on the conveying path, the base material S is conveyed while maintaining a substantially flat posture. The substrate S is shifted in the horizontal direction by being wrapped around the support roller 74 and the base material S is in a substantially horizontal position between the support roller 74 and the winding roller 72. [ The carrying direction Ds of the substrate S at this time is substantially coincident with the (+ Y) direction.

In short, the transfer unit 7 has a function as a means for holding the base material S, which is an object to be coated, in a proper posture and a function as a means for transferring the function. The conveying unit 7 further includes a roller driving mechanism 75 for rotating the winding roller 72 at a predetermined rotational speed in response to a control command from the control unit 3. [ The feed roller 71, the tension roller 73, and the support roller 74 are driven rollers having no drive mechanism. However, at least one of them may be a drive roller to which an appropriate drive source is connected in order to enable smooth conveyance.

The nozzles 51 and 52 are arranged so as to sandwich the portion of the base material S supported and conveyed by the conveyance unit 7 from the support roller 74 and made horizontal. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1B, the nozzle 51 is provided above the substrate S to be transported in a horizontal posture, with a discharge gap between the upper surface Sa as one main surface of the substrate S, And are disposed in close proximity to each other. The nozzle 52 is arranged below the base material S to be conveyed in the horizontal posture and in such a manner that the discharge port is close to the bottom surface Sb which is the other main surface of the base material S with a predetermined gap therebetween.

The coating liquid discharged from the nozzles 51 and 52 is applied to the surface of the base material S. [ The substrate S is transported in the direction of arrow Ds so that the coating liquid can be applied to the substrate S while the nozzles 51 and 52 are scanned relative to the substrate S. [ If the positions of the nozzles 51 and 52 in the carrying direction Ds are substantially the same, both sides of the substrate S are coated substantially simultaneously. The nozzles 51 and 52 are opposed to the so-called off-roll substrate S, which is not backed up by a backup member such as a roller, in order to apply the coating on both sides of the substrate S. The arrangement positions of the nozzles 51 and 52 are not limited to the same position in the carrying direction Ds. For example, the nozzle 51 for applying the coating liquid to the upper surface Sa of the base material S may be arranged to face the base material S wrapped around the support roller 74.

Each of the nozzles 51 and 52 has a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the base material S, that is, the longitudinal direction of the base material S (the transport direction Ds) And has an opening on the slit extending along the axis. The coating liquid is continuously discharged from the openings in a predetermined amount to form substantially flat coating films Fa and Fb on the both surfaces (the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb) of the substrate S by the coating liquid.

Here, for example, when a conductive sheet such as a metal functioning as a current collector is used as the substrate S and a paste containing an active material is used as a coating liquid, an active material layer is laminated on the surface of the current collector layer It is possible to manufacture an electrode for a battery. Such a coating liquid generally has a relatively high viscosity, for example, a viscosity of about 3 Pa · s to 30 Pa · s at a shear rate of 10 s ^-1 can be used. As the base material S, for example, a thin metal film may be formed on the surface of the resin sheet.

The curing unit 8 is disposed at a position downstream of the position opposed to the nozzles 51 and 52 and upstream of the winding roller 72 in the conveying direction of the substrate S by the conveying unit 7, Respectively. The curing unit 8 promotes the volatilization of the solvent component of the coating liquid by supplying, for example, dry air, hot air, infrared rays, or the like to the coating liquid applied to the substrate S which is transported through the inside thereof, The solution is dried and cured. In the case where the coating liquid contains a material which is cured by being sensitive to a specific electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic wave may be irradiated to the coating liquid. The length of the hardening unit 8 along the conveying path of the substrate S corresponds to the hardening time of the coating liquid.

A tension adjusting unit 9 is formed at a position on the downstream side of the nozzles 51 and 52 and upstream of the curing unit 8 in the transport direction of the substrate S by the transport unit 7 have. The tension adjusting unit 9 imparts tension to the base material S conveyed by the conveying unit 7 in the width direction. In the substrate S passing through the position opposed to the nozzles 51 and 52 in the off-roll state, warpage particularly in the width direction tends to easily occur and contact with the nozzles 51 and 52 or the gap changes, There is a possibility that the application can not be performed. The tension adjusting unit 9 applies tension to the base material S in the width direction by pulling the base material S in the outward direction while supporting both ends in the width direction of the base material S. [ The configuration and operation of the tension adjusting unit 9 will be described below.

2A and 2B are views showing a schematic configuration of a tension adjusting unit. More specifically, FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the main configuration of the tension adjusting unit 9, and FIG. 2B is a top view thereof. The tension adjusting unit 9 includes a right unit 9R formed in the vicinity of the right end Rs of the base S toward the downstream side in the carrying direction Ds thereof and a right unit 9R formed in the vicinity of the left end Ls And a left unit 9L. The basic configuration is common, except that the right unit 9R and the left unit 9L are symmetrical between the right and left units 9R and 9L.

The right unit 9R includes a pair of rollers (not shown) for holding the base material S in the vicinity of the right end Rs of the base material S in the width direction Dw perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base material S 91R and 92R and a position detection part 93R for detecting the position in the width direction Dw of the right end Rs. Similarly, the left unit 9L includes a pair of rollers 91L and 92L for holding the base material S in the vicinity of the left end Ls of the base material S in the width direction Dw, And a position detecting portion 93L for detecting the position in the width direction Dw of the end portion Ls. The rollers 91L, 92L, 91R and 92R abut on the surface of the substrate S from the outside in the width direction Dw than the coating films Fa and Fb formed by the coating liquid on the base material S . Therefore, the rollers 91L, 92L, 91R, and 92R do not contact the uncoated coating films Fa and Fb.

As shown in Fig. 2B, the rollers 91L and 91R are formed by a serpentine roller whose rotation axis indicated by a dashed line slightly inclines with respect to the width direction Dw. Specifically, the rotation axis of the rollers 91L and 91R is advanced with respect to the transport direction Ds from the outside (the end side) to the inside (the center side) of the base material S in the width direction Dw . As a result, a tensile force in the width direction Dw is applied to the base material S, as described below.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the principle of imparting a tension to a base material by a meandering roller. Fig. The roller 91L of the left unit 9L is in contact with the upper surface Sa near the left end Ls of the base material S. [ On the other hand, the roller 91R of the right unit 9R is in contact with the upper surface Sa near the right end Rs of the base S. Hereinafter, regions of the surfaces of the rollers 91L and 91R in contact with the substrate S are indicated by reference numerals 911L and 911R, respectively. Further, the rotation axes of the rollers 91L and 91R are denoted by symbols AL and AR, respectively.

The moving direction D1 of the region 911L in contact with the base material S in the surface of the roller 91L is shifted in the conveying direction of the base material S Directional component D2 parallel to the substrate S and a direction component D3 directed from the center of the substrate S toward the left end Ls in the width direction Dw. Thus, the left end Ls of the base S receives a force from the roller 91L in the direction from the center of the base S to the outside. On the other hand, the moving direction D4 of the region 911R in contact with the base material S in the surface of the roller 91R is a direction component D5 parallel to the carrying direction Ds of the base material S, Dw has a direction component D6 from the center portion of the base material S toward the right end portion Rs. Thus, the right end Rs of the base S receives a force from the roller 91R in the direction from the center of the base S to the outside.

Thus, when the both ends Ls and Rs of the substrate S are respectively subjected to a force directed to the outside in the width direction Dw of the base material S, the tensile force in the width direction Dw relative to the base material S Occurs. Both ends of the substrate S are pulled outward in the width direction Dw by the rollers 91L and 91R, respectively, so that the occurrence of loosening is suppressed.

It is preferable that the magnitude of the inclination of the rotary axes AL and AR of the rollers 91L and 91R with respect to the width direction Dw is as small as possible within a range larger than zero. The greater the inclination, the stronger the tension in the width direction Dw can be generated. However, if the inclination is excessively large, strong torsion is applied to the substrate S conveyed in the conveying direction Ds, so that wrinkles or undulations may occur in the substrate S, Dw).

It may also be necessary to increase or decrease the magnitude of the tension applied to the base material S in order to stably apply appropriate tension to the width direction Dw depending on the thickness and surface state of the base material S. [ Thus, the tension adjusting unit 9 of this embodiment is configured to change the nip pressure of the contact nip formed by the pair of rollers formed in the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R. A large tensile force can be generated with respect to the base material S and the magnitude of the tension can be adjusted.

4A and 4B are views showing the configuration of the left unit in more detail. As shown in Fig. 4A, in the left unit 9L, a pair of rollers 91L and 92L are supported by a roller support portion 94. Fig. More specifically, the lower roller 92L is supported so as to freely rotate by a support shaft 942 extending in the horizontal direction from the base member 941 of the roller support portion 94. [ The roller 92L is free to rotate without being connected to the driving source.

On the other hand, the upper roller 91L is movably supported in the vertical direction (Z direction) within a predetermined movable range. That is, a guide rail 943 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) is formed on the side surface of the base member 941, and a slider 944 is engaged with the guide rail 943 so that the guide rail 943 can freely move in the vertical direction . A motor 945 is mounted on the slider 944 with the rotation axis of the motor 945 in a horizontal direction, and a roller 91L is mounted on the rotation axis of the motor 945. [ An air cylinder 946 is connected to the slider 944 and the air cylinder 946 is connected to a regulator 947 controlled by the control unit 3. [

The regulator 947 is operated in accordance with the control command from the control unit 3 so that the air cylinder 946 moves the slider 944 in the up and down direction. Accordingly, the roller 91L supported by the slider 944 moves in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction in which the roller 91L approaches and separates from the lower roller 92L.

Fig. 4B is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the rollers 91L and 92L. The roller 91R on the upper side is made of a metal or hard resin and the surface of the cylindrical member 912 which can be regarded as a substantially rigid body is covered with a surface layer 913 made of an elastic member such as resin rubber And has a covered structure. Therefore, the surface of the roller 91L is elastically deformed against external pressure. On the other hand, the lower roller 92L is a cylindrical member made of metal or a hard resin both inside and on the surface, and is not substantially deformed against external pressure.

The operation of the air cylinder 946 moves the slider 944 downward so that the roller 91L abuts against the roller 92L and the surface layer 913 is elastically deformed. An abutment nip N is formed between both rollers and the base material S is sandwiched by the rollers 91L and 92L in the nip N thereof. The pressing force of the roller 91L by the air cylinder 946 against the roller 92L is adjusted by the regulator 947. [ As a result, the nip pressure at the abutting nip N is controlled to a predetermined value. The control unit 3 controls the regulator 947 to adjust the pressing force at the abutting nip N to control the nip pressure.

As the pressing force is increased or decreased, the upper roller 91L is moved up and down. However, the position of the rotation shaft of the lower roller 92L is fixed and is not elastically deformed. Therefore, even when the pressing force is increased or decreased, the upper end position of the lower roller 92L is not changed, and the horizontal posture of the base material S is maintained.

The motor 945 is operated in synchronization with the rotation drive of the winding roller 72 to rotate the roller 91L. The rotational speed of the motor 945 is controlled by the control unit 3 in the conveying direction Ds of the surface area 911L (Fig. 3) of the roller 91L abutting on the upper surface Sa of the base material S The transport speed is controlled to be equal to the transport speed of the substrate S. The roller 91L is rotationally driven by the motor 945 to generate the tension in the width direction Dw with respect to the base material S without interfering with the conveyance of the base material S in the conveying direction Ds .

The roller 91L may be a driven roller having no drive source. However, a measure for reducing the influence of the load on the tension roller 73 on the tension of the base material S (in particular, on the downstream side of the tension adjusting unit 9) in the carrying direction Ds is further required Can occur. Further, the driving source may be connected to the lower roller 92L.

5A and 5B are views showing the directions of the rotation axes of the pair of rollers. At least one of the pair of rollers 91L and 92L holding the base S is inclined with respect to the width direction to generate an outward force in the width direction Dw with respect to the base material S . Therefore, these rollers 91L and 92L may have rotation shafts parallel to each other as indicated by a single dash-dotted line in Fig. 5A. Further, as shown by the one-dot chain line and the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5B, You can. For example, with respect to the lower roller 92L, the rotation axis may be made to coincide with the width direction Dw as indicated by the chain double-dashed line.

The tension on the width direction Dw can be obtained by making the rotation axis of the roller 91L on the upper side more inclined with respect to the width direction Dw than when the surface is made of an elastic material and the frictional force generated between the upper surface side roller 91L and the base material S is larger. Can be efficiently generated. As a result, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the rotation axis to be small and to reduce the damage to the substrate S.

Although the illustration and the detailed description are omitted, the right unit 9R has the same structure as the left unit 9L. The shape is symmetrical to the left unit 9L with the YZ plane passing through the center in the width direction Dw of the substrate S and perpendicular to the base S as a symmetrical plane. The base unit S can be pulled out from both sides in the outward direction of the width direction Dw by forming the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R corresponding to both ends of the base material S, The tensile force in the width direction Dw can be given.

According to the experiment of the inventor of the present invention, it was confirmed that the larger the pressing force in the contact nip N, the stronger the pulling action of the base S in the outward direction becomes. Therefore, for example, when the pressing force in the contact nip N is different between the left and right units, the base material S is displaced in the width direction Dw to the side where the pressing force is strong. The rollers 91L and 92L (or the rollers 91R and 92R) cause a certain degree of slippage with respect to the base material S so that the base material S as a whole moves in the carrying direction Ds. The greater the pressing force at the abutting nip N, the smaller the slip amount, and consequently the greater the force for displacing the base material S in the width direction Dw.

Therefore, by making the pressing force in the abutting nip N changeable, the tensile force in the width direction Dw given to the base material S can be increased or decreased. It is possible to adjust the position of the base material S in the width direction Dw while giving proper tensile force in the width direction Dw to the base material S while independently changing between the left and right units 9L and 9R Can be performed. The configuration and processing for enabling this will be described with reference to Figs. 6A, 6B, and 7. Fig.

6A and 6B are diagrams showing the configuration of the position detecting section. More specifically, Fig. 6A shows the configuration of the position detection section in this embodiment, and Fig. 6B shows another configuration example of the position detection section. 6A, the position detecting section 93L of this embodiment has a structure in which a plurality of light projectors 932 and a light receiver 933 are opposed to each other in a housing 931. [ The structure of the position detecting section 93R of the right side unit 9R is also the same.

Light emitted from a plurality of light emitters 932 arranged along the width direction Dw is received by a plurality of light receivers 933 arranged along the width direction Dw corresponding to the light emitter 932. [ If there is no shield between the light emitter 932 and the light receiver 933, the light emitted from the light emitter 932 directly enters the light receiver 933. On the other hand, the light to be incident on the light receiver 933 is blocked at the position where the shield (substrate S) is present. The control unit 3 can detect the end position of the base material S from the output signal output corresponding to the light receiving state in the light receiver 933. [

Further, as in the case of the position detecting section 93A shown in Fig. 6B, a plurality of reflection type photo sensors 937 in which a light source and a light receiving device are integrated in the housing 936 may be arranged. In such a configuration, the end position of the base material S can be detected by the presence or absence of incidence of the reflected light from the base material S on the reflection type photosensor 937.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a tension adjusting process in this embodiment. The control unit 3 can execute various operations by executing control programs previously prepared and controlling each unit of the apparatus. One of the tension adjustment processes described here is one of them. This tension adjustment processing is performed individually for the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R. Although the process using the left unit 9L is described here, the process for the right unit 9R is also performed by the same process flow. The tension adjustment processing is continuously executed while the substrate S is conveyed by the rotation of the take-up roller 72 and the coating liquid is applied from the nozzles 51 and 52.

In the tension adjustment processing, the position of the left end portion Ls of the base material S is detected by the position detection portion 93L (step S101). The control unit 3 compares the detected end position of the base material S with a predetermined proper position, and determines whether there is a positional deviation exceeding an appropriate range (step S102). When the positional deviation is detected (YES in step S102), the correction amount of the pressing force between the rollers 91L and 92L is calculated in accordance with the detected positional displacement amount (step S103). A control command indicating that the pressing force is to be changed by the calculated correction amount is given to the regulator 947 from the control unit 3 and the regulator 947 controls the air cylinder 946 to rotate the roller 92L against the roller 92L, The pressing force of the pressing member 91L is changed (step S104).

The left end Ls of the base material S is displaced toward the outside of the width direction Dw and the positional deviation is eliminated and the substrate S is moved in the width direction Dw, The tensile force exerted on the elastic member is increased. The left end Ls of the base material S is displaced toward the inside of the width direction Dw and the tension applied to the base material S in the width direction Dw is also small Loses.

When the positional deviation is not detected (NO in step S102), steps S103 and S104 are skipped. The process is continued until the coating is completed (step S105), so that a stable tension can be imparted to the base material S in the width direction Dw.

The correction of the positional deviation may be performed by servo control in which a value obtained by multiplying the detected positional shift amount by a predetermined servo gain is used as a correction amount of the pressing force. However, the arrangement positions of the roller pair 91L, 92L and the position detecting portion 93L are different in the carrying direction Ds of the base material S. For this reason, after the positional deviation correction by the operation of the roller pair 91L, 92L is carried out, there is a certain time delay until the position detection portion 93L detects the change of the end position of the substrate S in accordance therewith . It is necessary to avoid unstable control due to this time delay.

By controlling the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R independently as described above, the position and tensile force of the base material S in the width direction Dw are kept constant. That is, the present embodiment has a function of suppressing the skew of the base material S by keeping the position of the base material S in the width direction Dw constant, and a function of suppressing the skewing of the base material S in the width direction Dw, To keep the tension of the base material S constant, thereby suppressing the slackness of the base material S and keeping the base material S in a flat posture. Hereinafter, the reason will be described.

8 is a view showing various cases in which the position of the end portion of the substrate varies. In the drawing, the broken lines indicate the positions of the both ends Ls and Rs when the base material S is in the proper position in the width direction Dw. When the tension imparted to the base material S is insufficient, the central portion in the width direction of the base material S is bent downward and the both end portions Ls and Rs are bent inward . At this time, the left unit 9L operates to displace the left end Ls of the base material S and the right unit 9R shifts the right end Rs of the base material S outwardly, respectively. As a result, the tensile force applied to the base material S is increased and the warpage is eliminated.

On the other hand, in the case where the substrate S meanders even if a proper tensile force is applied, both end portions Ls and Rs of the base material S are displaced in the same direction as indicated by " Case 2 ". In this case, the left unit 9L increases the pressing force between the pair of rollers 91L and 92L, thereby displacing the left end Ls of the base S to the outside (left side in the figure). On the other hand, the right unit 9R displaces the right end Rs of the base S to the inside (left side in the figure) by reducing the pressing force between the roller pair 91R and 92R. As a result, the position of the base material S is close to the proper position. The same applies to the case where the substrate S is displaced to the left from the proper position.

In addition, as indicated by " Case 3 ", there is a case where warpage and skew of the base material occur at the same time. In this case, the size of the positional shift amount? L detected at the left end Ls of the base material S and the size of the positional shift amount? R detected at the right end Rs of the base material S It is different. Since the correction amount of the pressing force is set in accordance with the magnitude of the position displacement amount, the difference in the right and left is also generated in the correction amount, and the base material S is displaced toward the larger correction amount as a whole while receiving the increase of the tension in accordance with the difference in correction amount. As a result, the warpage of the base material S and the positional deviation due to meandering are corrected together. The same applies to the case where one end of the substrate S is shifted to the outside than the proper position.

In addition, there may be a case where a difference in pressing force occurs between the left-side unit 9L and the right-side unit 9R due to, for example, the dimensional deviation of the components. This right-left difference in the pressing force causes a new skew to the base material S. [ The independent adjustment between the left and right units is enabled, thereby making it possible to suppress occurrence of meandering caused by such a cause.

As described above, in this embodiment, the rollers 91L and 91R having the rotation axis slightly inclined with respect to the width direction Dw of the base material S come into contact with the base material S. The regions 911L and 911R of the rollers 91L and 91R which contact the surface of the base material S move in the direction including the component toward the outside of the base material S in the width direction Dw . As a result, a pulling force is exerted toward the outer side of the base S, and a tensile force in the width direction Dw is applied to the base material S. It is possible to control the magnitude of the tension imparted to the base material S by adjusting the force for pulling the base material S outwardly by increasing or decreasing the pressing force on the pair of rollers holding the base material S. [

Since the tension can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the pressing force, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the roller rotation shaft to be small. This makes it possible to reduce the damage to the base material S caused by twisting by the roller.

Further, the pressing force in the pair of rollers can be individually adjusted in the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R. Therefore, the present embodiment has a function of not only adjusting the tension applied to the base material S but also correcting the skew in which the substrate S to be conveyed is displaced in the width direction Dw.

Thus, the tension and the position of the base S in the width direction Dw are adjusted with respect to the base material S, so that the base material S passes through the position opposite to the nozzles 51 and 52 in a stable posture. Therefore, in the coating apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the quality of the coating film formed on the surface of the base material S can be maintained satisfactorily and stably by the coating liquid discharged from the nozzles 51 and 52.

Particularly, in the apparatus in which the coating films Fa and Fb are formed on both surfaces of the substrate S, it is sometimes difficult to support the center portion of the substrate S. In the present embodiment, it is possible to impart a tension to the width direction Dw while sandwiching the end portion of the base material S. Therefore, even when the central portion of the base material S can not be supported, both surfaces can be coated while maintaining the posture of the base material S stably.

As described above, in the above embodiment, the transport unit 7 functions as the " transport means " of the present invention. The feed roller 71, the take-up roller 72, the support roller 74, and the like correspond to the "feed roller" of the present invention. In addition, the tank 1, the liquid delivery system 2, and the nozzles 51 and 52 function integrally as the "application means" of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the left unit 9L and the right unit 9R of the tension adjusting unit 9 function as "tension applying means" of the present invention. The rollers 91L and 91R function as the " first roller " of the present invention, and the rollers 92L and 92R function as the " second roller " The control unit 3 functions as "tension control means" of the present invention, and the position detecting portions 93L, 93R function as "position detecting means" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than the above-described ones can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the coating apparatus 100 of the above embodiment is an apparatus for discharging a coating liquid by opposing the nozzles 51 and 52 to both surfaces of the base material S, and forming a coating film on both surfaces of the base material. However, the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus for applying only one side of a substrate.

In the embodiment described above, the base material S is supported by the tension adjusting unit 9 at a position downstream of the nozzles 51 and 52 in the transport direction Ds of the base material S. However, from the viewpoint of imparting an appropriate tension to the base material S passing through the position opposed to the nozzles 51 and 52, the position where the base material S is held is determined by the positions of the nozzles 51 and 52 in the carrying direction Ds Or a position upstream of the same. Particularly, when the base material S is sandwiched by the rollers at the position upstream of the nozzles 51 and 52, since there is little restriction on the abutment position of the roller with respect to the base material S which is not yet applied, Is possible. The base material S on which the coating film is formed is liable to warp downward as the mass increases. Therefore, it is effective to increase the effect of maintaining the posture of the base material S by forming the tension adjusting unit 9 on the downstream side of the nozzles 51 and 52 as in the present embodiment.

The tension adjusting unit 9 of the above embodiment is arranged so that the tension of the left unit 9L is adjusted in order to adjust the position of the base S in the same direction as the tensile force in the width direction Dw given to the base material S. [ And the right unit 9R operate independently of each other. On the other hand, if the purpose is simply to adjust the tension, control may be performed such that both units perform the same movement. Further, tension and position adjustment may be performed by interlocking both units with a single control algorithm.

In the above embodiment, the nozzles 51 and 52 and the tension adjusting unit 9 are arranged along the conveying path of the substrate S conveyed in the horizontal posture. However, the conveying direction of the substrate S is not limited to the horizontal direction. For example, the substrate S conveyed in the upward direction, the upward direction, the downward direction or the downward direction of the vertical direction, Quot; or " granting means "

The position detecting portions 93L and 93R of the above embodiments detect the end position of the base material S by optical means. However, the " position detection means " of the present invention is not limited to this optical detection principle. For example, the position may be detected by mechanically contacting the end of the substrate. Alternatively, the position detection may be performed using an image captured by a camera or the like.

The above embodiment is an apparatus for producing a battery electrode by applying a coating liquid containing an active material to a substrate S on a long sheet serving as a current collector. However, the substrate to which the present invention is applied and the material of the coating liquid are optional.

As described above, in the present invention, for example, the first roller and the second roller are located at a position downstream of the nozzle in the carrying direction, outside the area coated with the coating liquid in the substrate And the substrate may be sandwiched. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the warping of the base material by applying a tensile force to the base material which has been coated with the coating liquid and becomes heavy. It is also possible to prevent the first and second rollers from contacting the coating liquid immediately after the application.

For example, the tension control means may be configured so that the pressing force between the first roller and the second roller can be independently adjusted between the pair of tension applying means. With this configuration, it is possible to displace the substrate in the width direction by making the pressing forces between the first roller and the second roller different from each other between the pair of tension applying means. Thereby, it is possible to correct the meander in which the base material is displaced in the width direction.

Further, for example, at least one surface of the first roller and the second roller may be formed of an elastic material. According to this structure, the nip formed by the elastic deformation of the roller surface by the pressing force can secure the tension while holding the base surely. Further, since the change in the pressing force appears as a change in the amount of elastic deformation, the change in the pressing force can be reliably reflected in the change in the tension.

For example, the first roller and the second roller may have a rotation axis parallel to each other. With this configuration, it is prevented that the substrate is twisted in the nip formed between the first roller and the second roller. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the damage of the substrate caused by the nipping.

Further, for example, the coating apparatus of the present invention includes position detecting means for detecting the position of each of both ends of the base material in the width direction in the transport path of the base material, and the tension controlling means includes: And the tension applying means may be controlled based on the detection result. According to this configuration, appropriate tension can be given to the substrate in accordance with the amount of occurrence of the warpage or positional deviation of the base material.

Further, for example, the nozzles may be arranged so as to face each other on one main surface side and the other main surface side of the substrate. According to this configuration, it is possible to apply the coating liquid to both main surfaces of the substrate. In this case, it is necessary to keep the substrate in a state in which both surfaces of the substrate are opened, and in this application, the present invention can provide particularly effective functions.

Further, for example, the conveying means may be configured to convey the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture. In this configuration, the present invention capable of imparting tension in the width direction while sandwiching the both ends of the base material with the rollers has a great effect of suppressing the warp of the base material and stably maintaining the posture.

Further, for example, the conveying means may be configured to convey the base material between a plurality of conveying rollers. In this case, the applying means and the tension applying means may be arranged along the conveying path of the substrate between the conveying rollers. In this configuration, between the transport rollers, the substrate is transported in a so-called off-roll state in which the substrate is not backed up by the rollers. As a result, the substrate tends to be warped. By applying the present invention to such a structure, it is possible to impart tension to the substrate to suppress warping. Particularly, in the configuration in which coating is performed on the base material in the off-roll state, it is possible to stably apply the base material on which the posture is stably maintained.

The present invention is applicable to the entire coating apparatus for coating a coating liquid on the surface of a substrate on a long sheet.

1: tank (application means)
2: liquid delivery system (application means)
3: control unit (tension control means)
7: Transfer unit (transfer means)
9: tension adjusting unit (tension applying means)
9L: Left unit (tension applying means)
9R: Right unit (tension applying means)
51, 52: nozzle (nozzle, applying means)
71: Feed roller (convey roller)
72: take-up roller (conveying roller)
74: Support roller (conveying roller)
91L, 91R: first roller
92L, 92R: the second roller
93L, 93R: position detecting section (position detecting means)
Fa, Fb: Coating film
S: substrate

Claims (10)

Conveying means for conveying the base material on the elongate sheet in the longitudinal direction of the base material,
A coating means for applying the coating liquid to the substrate by discharging the coating liquid from a nozzle arranged opposite to the main surface of the substrate to be transported,
A pair of tension applying means formed corresponding to each of both ends of the base material in the width direction of the base material perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and imparting a tension in the width direction to the base material;
And tension control means for controlling the tension applying means to increase or decrease the tension,
Wherein each of the tension applying means sandwiches the base material with a first roller abutting one main surface of the base material and a second roller abutting to the other main surface of the base material and at least one surface of the first roller and the second roller , Moving in a moving direction having a direction component along the carrying direction and a direction component parallel to the width direction and outwardly from the center of the substrate,
Wherein the tension control means changes the pressing force applied between the first roller and the second roller. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first roller and the second roller sandwich the base material outside a region of the base material coated with the coating liquid at a position downstream of the nozzle in the conveying direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the tension control means adjusts the pressing force between the first roller and the second roller independently of each other between the pair of tension applying means. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one surface of the first roller and the second roller is formed of an elastic material. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first roller and the second roller have a rotation axis parallel to each other. The method according to claim 1,
And position detecting means for detecting positions of the both ends of the base material in the width direction in the conveyance path of the base material,
Wherein the tension control means controls the tension applying means based on the detection result by the position detection means. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the nozzles are opposed to the one main surface side and the other main surface side of the base material, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein said conveying means conveys said substrate in a substantially horizontal posture. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Wherein said conveying means conveys said substrate across said substrate between a plurality of conveying rollers. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein said applying means and said tension applying means are disposed along a conveying path of said substrate between said conveying rollers.

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