KR20180079722A - Ultrasonic Cutting Device Having Supporting Jig - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic cutting apparatus, preventing damage to battery cells disposed in a battery pack and cutting an external case of the battery pack. The apparatus comprises: a main body having an ultrasonic oscillator vibrating a cutter unit; the cutter unit connected to one end of the main body; and an auxiliary jig extending from one end of the main body to the cutter unit by a predetermined distance so as to enable the cutter unit to cut the external case of the battery pack more than a predetermined depth, thereby preventing damage to the battery cells.

Description

Ultrasonic Cutting Device Having Supporting Jig "

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic cutting apparatus including an auxiliary jig.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, rechargeable secondary batteries have been widely used as energy sources for wireless mobile devices. In addition, the secondary battery is attracting attention as an energy source for electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and electric bicycles, which are proposed as solutions for air pollution in conventional gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels. Therefore, the types of applications using secondary batteries are diversifying due to the advantages of secondary batteries, and it is expected that secondary batteries will be applied to many fields and products in the future.

Such a secondary battery may be classified as a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, or a lithium polymer battery depending on the configuration of an electrode and an electrolytic solution. The amount of the lithium ion polymer battery Is growing.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a secondary battery includes a cylindrical battery and a prismatic battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a cylindrical or rectangular metal can according to the shape of a battery case, and a pouch type battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch- .

Such a secondary battery is formed of a battery module or a battery pack by connecting a plurality of secondary batteries according to a capacity required in a device to which the battery is mounted and incorporating the secondary battery in the battery case.

The battery pack thus constructed may have a structure in which the battery case is detachable, so that the batteries mounted in the battery case can be relatively easily assembled and disassembled.

Conversely, the battery case may have a structure in which the battery case is completely sealed in a state in which the battery is housed in the battery case so as to prevent the battery from being damaged due to the inflow of foreign matter from the outside of the battery pack and the external impact.

However, the battery pack having such a fully sealed battery case structure may have a difficulty in removing the batteries from the battery case when the battery pack is to be disassembled in order to analyze and identify the cause of abnormal operation of the battery.

Accordingly, in order to remove the batteries from the battery case of the battery pack thus sealed, an operation of cutting the battery case using the ultrasonic cutting apparatus and removing the batteries from the battery case has been manually performed by the operator.

However, when the operator manually cuts the battery case by using an ultrasonic cutting apparatus, the ultrasonic cutting apparatus cuts the battery case excessively deeply due to lack of working skill or the like and causes a problem of damaging the battery by contacting with the battery .

Accordingly, there is a need for an ultrasonic cutting apparatus which can solve the above problems.

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, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery case in which a battery case having a sealed structure is manually cut by an operator using an ultrasonic cutting apparatus, So as to prevent the battery from contacting with the battery.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic cutting apparatus comprising:

An apparatus for cutting an outer case of a battery pack while preventing damage to the battery cells mounted inside the battery pack,

A body including an ultrasonic oscillator for vibrating the cutter portion;

A cutter unit connected to one end of the main body; And

An auxiliary jig extending from the one end of the main body to the cutter portion by a predetermined length so as to prevent the battery cells from being damaged by cutting the outer case of the battery pack by a predetermined depth or more;

As shown in FIG.

Therefore, the ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes the auxiliary jig extending from the one end of the main body in the direction of the cutter by a predetermined length so that the outer case of the battery pack having the sealed structure can be connected to the ultrasonic cutting unit It is possible to prevent the ultrasonic cutting apparatus from cutting into the outer case excessively deeply and making contact with the battery cells due to reasons such as lack of work skill of the operator.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary jig may be detachably mounted on the main body.

The auxiliary jig may be provided in various sizes according to the size of the outer case of the target battery pack to be cut.

Accordingly, auxiliary jigs of various sizes can be detached and replaced according to the standard of the outer case of the battery pack.

Specifically, the auxiliary jig may have a length of 70 to 90% of the length of the cutter. When the length of the auxiliary jig is less than 70% of the length of the cutter portion, the cutter portion may excessively cut the outer case of the battery pack to contact the battery cells to damage the battery cells. On the other hand, when the length of the auxiliary jig exceeds 90% of the length of the cutter portion, the cutter portion can not be sufficiently inserted into the outer case of the battery pack, so that the outer case can not be cut.

The auxiliary jig may have a clamping or cylindrical shape so that the cutter part can be located inside the auxiliary jig.

The auxiliary jig may have a structure in which the cutter part is located inside and / or outside the auxiliary jig, and the cutter part cuts the outer case of the battery pack by a predetermined depth or more to prevent the battery cells from being damaged. But is not limited thereto.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary jig may have a structure in which the distance from the end of the cutter portion is adjusted by the length adjusting member.

In one specific example, the length adjusting member may comprise a spring or a dial gauge.

As another specific example, the length-adjusting member may include a position sensor, and the distance from the end of the cutter portion may be measured by the position sensor to adjust the distance of the auxiliary jig.

In one embodiment of the present invention,

A vibrator mounted on the ultrasonic oscillator;

A support member connected to the vibrator and having a cutter blade detachably coupled thereto; And

A cutter blade coupled to the support;

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The outer case of the battery pack may be made of an insulating material such as polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, acrylic resin, polyester, or polycarbonate.

The battery cell may be a cylindrical battery cell having a structure in which a jelly-roll type electrode assembly having an anode, a cathode, and a separator structure is embedded in a cylindrical metal can together with an electrolyte solution.

The type of the battery cell is not particularly limited, but it may be a lithium secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a lithium ion polymer battery having advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability.

Generally, a lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and a non-aqueous electrolyte 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 (LiCoO2) or lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), or a compound substituted with one or more transition metals; Lithium manganese oxides such as Li1 + xMn2-xO4 (where x is 0 to 0.33), LiMnO3, LiMn2O3, LiMnO2 and the like; Lithium copper oxide (Li2CuO2); Vanadium oxides such as LiV3O8, LiFe3O4, V2O5, and Cu2V2O7; A Ni-site type lithium nickel oxide represented by the formula LiNi1-xMxO2 (where M = Co, Mn, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, B or Ga and x = 0.01 to 0.3); Is represented by the formula LiMn2-xMxO2 wherein M = Co, Ni, Fe, Cr, Zn or Ta and x = 0.01 to 0.1 or Li2Mn3MO8 where M = Fe, Co, Ni, Lithium manganese complex oxide; LiMn2O4 in which a part of Li in the formula is substituted with an alkaline earth metal ion; Disulfide compounds; Fe2 (MoO4) 3, and the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

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; B, P, Si, Group 1 of the periodic table, LixFe2O3 (0? X? 1), LixWO2 (0? X? 1), SnxMe1-xMe'yOz (Me: Mn, Fe, Pb, 2 < / RTI > group III element, halogen, 0 < x < Lithium metal; Lithium alloy; Silicon-based alloys; Tin alloy; Metal oxides such as SnO, SnO2, PbO, PbO2, Pb2O3, Pb3O4, Sb2O3, Sb2O4, Sb2O5, GeO, GeO2, Bi2O3, Bi2O4, and Bi2O5; Conductive polymers such as polyacetylene; Li-Co-Ni-based materials and the like can be used.

The separation membrane and the separation film are 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 130 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.

Further, in one specific example, in order to improve the safety of the battery, the separation membrane and / or the separation film may be an organic / inorganic composite porous SRS (Safety-Reinforcing Separators) separation membrane.

The SRS separator is manufactured by using inorganic particles and a binder polymer on the polyolefin-based separator substrate as an active layer component. In addition to the pore structure contained in the separator substrate itself, the SRS separator is formed by interstitial volume between inorganic particles And has a uniform pore structure.

The use of such an organic / inorganic composite porous separator has the advantage of suppressing an increase in thickness of the cell due to swelling at the time of chemical conversion compared with the case of using a conventional separator, When a gelable polymer is used when liquid electrolyte is impregnated, it can also be used as an electrolyte.

In addition, the organic / inorganic composite porous separator can exhibit excellent adhesion characteristics by controlling the contents of the inorganic particles and the binder polymer in the separator, so that the cell assembly process can be easily performed.

The inorganic particles are not particularly limited as long as they are electrochemically stable. That is, the inorganic particles usable in the present invention are not particularly limited as long as the oxidation and / or reduction reaction does not occur in the operating voltage range of the applied battery (for example, 0 to 5 V based on Li / Li +). Particularly, when inorganic particles having an ion-transporting ability are used, the ion conductivity in the electrochemical device can be increased and the performance can be improved. Therefore, it is preferable that the ionic conductivity is as high as possible. In addition, when the inorganic particles have a high density, it is difficult to disperse the particles at the time of coating, and there is a problem of an increase in weight during the production of the battery. In the case of an inorganic substance having a high dielectric constant, dissociation of an electrolyte salt, for example, a lithium salt, in the liquid electrolyte also contributes to increase ionic conductivity of the electrolyte.

The nonaqueous 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, such as Li3N, LiI, Li5NI2, Li3N-LiI-LiOH, LiSiO4, LiSiO4- LiI- LiOH, Li2SiS3, Li4SiO4, Li4SiO4- LiI- LiOH, Li3PO4- Li2S- Nitrides, halides, sulfates and the like can be used.

The lithium salt is a material that is soluble in the non-aqueous electrolyte. For example, LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiClO4, LiBF4, LiB10Cl10, LiPF6, LiCF3SO3, LiCF3CO2, LiAsF6, LiSbF6, LiAlCl4, CH3SO3Li, CF3SO3Li, 2NLi, chloroborane lithium, lower aliphatic carboxylic acid lithium, lithium 4-phenylborate, imide and the like can be used.

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.

As described above, the ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes the auxiliary jig extending from the one end of the main body toward the cutter portion by a predetermined length, It is possible to prevent the ultrasonic cutting apparatus from cutting the outer case excessively deeply and making contact with the battery cells due to reasons such as lack of work skill of the operator in the process of manually cutting using the ultrasonic cutting apparatus.

1 is a perspective view of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side schematic view of an auxiliary jig of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
3 is a side schematic view of an auxiliary jig of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to another 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 is a perspective view of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an auxiliary jig of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 together with FIG. 2, the ultrasonic cutting apparatus 100 includes a main body 110, a cutter 120, and an auxiliary jig 130.

The main body 110 includes an ultrasonic oscillator (not shown) for vibrating the cutter 120. The cutter 120 is connected to one end of the main body 110. [

The auxiliary jig 130 is provided at a position corresponding to the cutter 120 from one end of the main body 110 so that the cutter part 120 can cut the outer case of the battery pack (not shown) ) Direction by a predetermined length.

The cutter unit 120 includes a vibrator 121, a support base 122, and a cutter blade 123.

The vibrator 121 is connected to the ultrasonic oscillator and the cutter blade 123 is detachably coupled with the support 122 connected to the vibrator 121.

The auxiliary jig 130 is mounted on the main body 110 in a detachable structure that can be mounted and detached from the detachable portion 111 of the main body 110.

The auxiliary jig 130 is formed to have a length L2 of 90% of the length L1 of the cutter portion 120. [ The auxiliary jig 130 is in the form of a clamp so that the cutter 120 can be positioned inside the auxiliary jig 130.

According to such a structure, in the process of manually cutting the outer case of the battery pack having the sealed structure by using the ultrasonic cutting apparatus, the ultrasonic cutting apparatus may cut the outer case So as to prevent contact with the battery cells.

3 is a side schematic view of an auxiliary jig of an ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, the auxiliary jig 230 has a cylindrical shape so that the cutter 220 can be positioned inside the auxiliary jig 230. As shown in FIG.

The remaining structure except for the shape of the auxiliary jig 230 is the same as the structure of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (8)

An apparatus for cutting an outer case of a battery pack while preventing damage to the battery cells mounted inside the battery pack,
A body including an ultrasonic oscillator for vibrating the cutter portion;
A cutter unit connected to one end of the main body; And
An auxiliary jig extending from the one end of the main body to the cutter portion by a predetermined length so as to prevent the battery cells from being damaged by cutting the outer case of the battery pack by a predetermined depth or more;
And an ultrasonic cutting unit for cutting the ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary jig is mounted on the main body in a detachable structure. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary jig has a length of 70 to 90% of the length of the cutter. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary jig has a clamping or cylindrical shape so that the cutter part can be located inside the auxiliary jig. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance from an end of the cutter portion is adjusted by a length adjusting member. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the length adjusting member is a spring or a dial gauge. The ultrasonic cutting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the length adjusting member includes a position sensor, and the distance from the end of the cutter portion is measured by the position sensor to adjust the interval of the auxiliary jig. The cutter according to claim 1,
A vibrator mounted on the ultrasonic oscillator;
A support member connected to the vibrator and having a cutter blade detachably coupled thereto; And
A cutter blade coupled to the support;
And an ultrasonic cutting unit for cutting the ultrasonic wave.

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