KR20220045436A - Battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method to increase reliability of sealing. According to embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus comprises a lower mold part and an upper mold part. The upper mold part includes a first pressing part and a first support part, and the lower mold part includes a second pressing part and a second support part. The first pressing part and the second pressing part are formed to face each other to press a sealing part of a battery cell disposed between the first and second pressing parts. When the first and second pressing parts are pressed, the first and second supporting parts support the upper mold part and the lower mold part while coming in contact with each other. The protruding lengths of the first and second support parts are adjusted, and thus a gap between the first and second pressing parts is adjusted.

Description

Battery cell manufacturing apparatus and method {BATTERY CELL MANUFACTURING APPARATUS AND METHOD}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a battery cell, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a battery cell including a sealing process of the battery cell.

In recent years, the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has rapidly increased, and as the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, etc. is in full swing, secondary batteries used as driving power A lot of research is being done about it.

The electrode assembly embedded in the battery case is a charging/discharging power generating element having a stacked structure of a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode, and is classified into a jelly roll type, a stack type, and a stack/folding type. The jelly roll type is a form in which a separator is interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of a long sheet type coated with an active material, and the stack type is a form in which a plurality of positive and negative electrodes of a predetermined size are sequentially stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, stack /Folding type is a composite structure of jelly-roll type and stack type. Among them, the jelly roll type electrode assembly has advantages of being easy to manufacture and having high energy density per weight.

On the other hand, depending on the shape of the battery case, the secondary battery includes a cylindrical battery in which the electrode assembly is embedded in a cylindrical metal can, a prismatic battery in which the electrode assembly is embedded in a prismatic metal can, and the electrode assembly in a pouch-type case of an aluminum laminate sheet. It is classified as a built-in pouch-type battery.

In the case of a pouch-type battery, the electrode assembly in which the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator are stacked is inserted into the pouch, and heat and pressure are applied to seal the sealing part located at the edge of the pouch. In this case, the sealing portion may be sealed by pressing the sealing portion of the pouch from both sides.

1 is a view of a mold part for pressing a sealing part of a conventional battery cell.

Referring to FIG. 1 , in order to seal the sealing part 12 of the portion where the electrode lead 11 of the conventional battery cell 10 is formed, as shown in FIG. 1 , the mold part 20 is the sealing part 12 . Only a portion corresponding to and was formed to press the sealing portion in a state having the protrusion 21 .

At this time, when the sealing part 12 is sealed through the mold part 20 having the protruding part 21 only in the part corresponding to the part where the sealing part 12 is formed, the pressure applied to the sealing part 12 is uniformly formed. It may not be possible, so that the thickness variation of the sealing part 12 may occur greatly. When the thickness variation of the sealing part 12 occurs greatly in this way, problems such as unsealing, weak sealing, and poor insulation may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for manufacturing a battery cell having a sealing tool designed to minimize variations in sealing thickness depending on sealing conditions during a sealing process of a pouch-type battery cell.

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

An apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object includes a lower mold part and an upper mold part, and the upper mold part includes a first pressing part and a first support part, and the lower mold part The part includes a second pressing part and a second support part, and the first pressing part and the second pressing part are formed to face each other to press the sealing part of the battery cell disposed between the first and second pressing parts, and the first pressing part and the second pressing part are formed to face each other. , 2 When the pressing part is pressed, the first and second support parts support the upper mold part and the lower mold part in a state of contact with each other, and the distance between the first and second pressing parts is adjusted by adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts do.

A sum of the protrusion lengths of the first support part and the second support part may be longer than a sum of the protrusion lengths of the first pressing part and the second pressing part.

Any one of the first and second support parts may protrude, and any one of the first and second support parts may be attached to any one of the upper mold part and the lower mold part.

An additional support part inserted between the first support part and the second support part may be further included.

The first support part, the second support part, or the additional support part may include a glass fiber sheet.

A plurality of the additional support parts may be inserted so as to be stacked between the first support part and the second support part to adjust an interval between the first and second pressing parts.

The first and second support portions may be formed in various types having different protrusion lengths, and the first and second support portions may be detachably attached and replaced according to a sealing thickness of the sealing portion.

A method of manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object includes adjusting the protrusion lengths of the first support part of the lower mold part and the second support part of the upper mold part; disposing a sealing part of the battery cell between the lower mold part and the upper mold part; and pressing the sealing part by bringing the lower mold part into contact with the upper mold part.

In the step of adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts, the number of insertions of the additional support parts inserted between the lower mold part and the upper mold part is varied so that the first pressing part of the lower mold part and the first pressing part of the upper mold part The gap between the 2 pressing parts can be adjusted.

In the step of adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts, the method may further include attaching the first support part and/or the second support part having the adjusted protrusion length to the lower mold part and/or the upper mold part. can

after pressing the sealing part, removing the attached first support part and/or the second support part and attaching the first support part and/or the second support part having different protruding lengths; relocating the sealing part of the battery cell between the lower mold part and the upper mold part; and pressing the sealing part by contacting the lower mold part to which the first support part and/or the second support part having different protrusion lengths are attached to the upper mold part.

In the apparatus and method for manufacturing a battery cell according to embodiments of the present invention, the sealing reliability of the sealing can be improved by making the sealing thickness of the sealing part of the pouch-type battery cell uniformly formed. In addition, it is possible to easily and intuitively control the sealing thickness according to the present embodiments, thereby reducing the replacement time of the sealing mold and improving the productivity of the battery cell.

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

1 is a view of a mold part for pressing a sealing part of a conventional battery cell.
2 is a view showing a sealing process of the upper and lower mold parts according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a view showing a state in which the additional support is detachable and replaced according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a state in which a gap is formed between the support part and the pressing part according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a state of the support formed only on one side of the upper and lower mold parts according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing a state of the upper and lower mold parts into which additional support parts are inserted according to another embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that the embodiments described below are illustratively shown to help understanding of the invention, and that the present invention may be implemented with various modifications different from the embodiments described herein. However, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or component may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description and specific illustration thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale in order to help understanding of the invention, but dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.

The first and second terms used in the present application may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of rights. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprises", "consists of" or "consisting of" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification is present, one or It should be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of addition or existence of further other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, a sealing process of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

2 is a view showing a sealing process of the upper and lower mold parts according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a view showing a state in which the additional support is detachable and replaced according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3 , the apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lower mold part 100 and an upper mold part 200 , and the lower mold part 100 is a first It includes the pressing part 110 and the first support part 120 , and the upper mold part 200 includes the second pressing part 210 and the second support part 220 .

At this time, the first pressing part 110 and the second pressing part 210 are formed to face each other to press the sealing part 12 of the battery cell 10 disposed between the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120, and , When the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 are pressed, the first and second supporting parts 120 and 220 support the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 in abutting state, and the first, 2 The distance between the first and second pressing parts 110 and 210 is adjusted by adjusting the protrusion length of the supporting parts 120 and 220 .

The lower mold part 100 may be positioned below the sealing part 12 of the battery cell 10 , and the upper mold part 200 may be positioned above the sealing part 12 . The lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 are formed to face each other, and as the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 come closer, the sealing part 12 located therebetween can be sealed. . At this time, the lower mold part 100 may move upward, and the upper mold part 200 may move downward and approach each other.

Conventionally, a portion protruding from the mold is formed only at a position corresponding to the sealing portion of the battery cell, and the sealing portion is sealed in such a way that the protruding portions from both sides meet and the sealing portion located therebetween is sealed.

However, when the mold part protrudes only the portion where the sealing part is to be formed presses the sealing part as described above, the pressure to the sealing part may not be uniformly performed. In addition, sealing has to be done with a different sealing thickness depending on the material of the sealing part. As in the prior art, when the sealing part is pressed through the protruding portion only at the position corresponding to the sealing part, the sealing thickness of the sealing part is precisely and uniformly adjusted to pressurize. It can be difficult. In addition, when the fluctuation range of the sealing thickness is large, various battery cell quality degradation problems may occur due to sealing defects such as unsealing, weak sealing, and poor insulation.

Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 located in portions corresponding to the sealing portion 12 , the first and second supporting portions 120 are located at positions that do not affect the sealing portion 12 . , 220) may be further formed. The vertical movement of the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 can be restricted through the first and second support parts 120 and 220, so that the first and second support parts 120 and 220 are integrally formed with the first and second pressing parts ( 110, 120) may limit the vertical movement.

Also, in a limited range, the first and second pressing units 110 and 120 press the sealing unit 12 through vertical movement, so that the sealing thickness of the sealing unit 12 can be uniformly formed. In addition, by adjusting the protruding lengths of the protruding first and second supporting parts 120 and 220 , the vertical movement range of the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 can also be adjusted, so that the sealing according to the material of the sealing part 12 is made. The thickness can be controlled by adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 .

According to this embodiment, the sealing thickness can be uniformly formed and the sealing thickness can be adjusted, thereby improving the reliability of the sealing according to the uniform sealing thickness formation, and intuitively through the first and second support parts 120 and 220 . By enabling the in-sealing thickness control, the replacement time of the sealing mold can be reduced, and as a result, the productivity of the battery cell can be improved.

According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first and second support portions 120 and 220 may be formed in various types having different protrusion lengths. Accordingly, the sealing thickness may vary depending on the material of the sealing unit 12 , and the first and second supporting units 120 and 220 may be replaced according to the sealing thickness.

For example, when the sealing thickness needs to be relatively thicker, the first and second support parts 120 and 220 may be replaced with the first and second support parts 120 and 220 having a relatively longer protrusion length. In addition, when the sealing thickness needs to be relatively thinner, the first and second support parts 120 and 220 may be replaced with the first and second support parts 120 and 220 having a relatively shorter protrusion length.

In order to replace the first and second support parts 120 and 220 having different protrusion lengths, the first and second support parts 120 and 220 are detachable from the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200, respectively. This can be easily formed.

Hereinafter, a sealing process of a battery cell according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .

4 is a view showing a state in which a gap is formed between the support part and the pressing part according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in the apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present embodiment, the sum of the protrusion lengths of the first support part 120 and the second support part 220 is the first pressing part 110 and the second pressing part It may be longer than the sum of the protrusion lengths of 210 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 may be formed such that a difference between the sum of the protrusion lengths of the support parts and the sum of the protrusion lengths of the pressing parts forms a first gap G. Accordingly, when the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 press the sealing part 12 , the first and second supporting parts 120 and 220 may be positioned to abut against each other.

Accordingly, during the sealing process, the first and second support parts 120 and 220 are positioned to abut to support the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 , and the protrusion is smaller than the sum of the protrusion lengths of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 . The sealing part 12 may be located in a space defined by the first gap G formed by the protrusion structure of the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 having the sum of their lengths.

In addition, since the first and second support parts 120 and 220 are positioned so as to be in contact with each other, the first and second pressing parts 110 and 120 are stably positioned, so that the sealing thickness of the sealing part 12 can be uniformly formed.

5 is a view showing a state of the support formed only on one side of the upper and lower mold parts according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present embodiment includes a protruding member 220 ′ in which only one of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 described in FIG. 4 is protruded, and the protruding member The 220 ′ may be formed to be attached to any one of the upper mold part 200 and the lower mold part 100 . Depending on the position where the protrusion member 220' is attached, the protrusion member 220' may be the first support part 120 and/or the second support part 220 described with reference to FIG. 4 .

In this way, since the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 are formed to contact each other through the protruding member 220', even if only one of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 of FIG. 4 is protruded, one protruding one The protrusion length B of the protruding member 220 ′ is longer than the sum (A+A′) of the protrusion lengths of the first and second pressing parts 110 and 210 by the first interval G shown in FIG. 4 . it should be long

6 is a view showing a state of the upper and lower mold parts into which additional support parts are inserted according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the apparatus for manufacturing a battery cell according to the present embodiment may include at least one additional support part 300 inserted between the first support part 120 and the second support part 220 . The additional support part 300 may have a first thickness G1, and the protrusion length may be adjusted according to the number of the additional support parts 300 to be inserted. In this case, the first pressing part 110 and the first supporting part 120 , the second pressing part 210 and the second supporting part 220 may be formed to have the same protrusion length. Through the insertion of the additional support part 300, the protrusion length of the part where the support parts are located can be adjusted, and through this, the sealing thickness of the sealing part 12 can be adjusted by adjusting the interval between the first and second pressing parts 210 and 220. there is. In a modified embodiment, unlike shown in FIG. 6 , the first thickness G1 of the plurality of additional support parts 300 is not the same, and the additional support parts 300 having different thicknesses may be combined.

According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the additional support part 300 is inserted such that a plurality of them are stacked between the first support part 120 and the second support part 220 , and the first and second pressing parts 110 and 210 . ) can be adjusted. For example, when the sealing thickness needs to be relatively thicker, the number of the additional support parts 300 may be increased to be inserted between the first and second support parts 120 and 220 . Conversely, when the sealing thickness needs to be relatively thinner, the number of additional support parts 300 may be reduced to be inserted between the first and second support parts 120 and 220 .

According to this embodiment, the additional support part 300 may be formed of a glass fiber sheet. In this case, the additional support part 300 may be detachably attached to at least one of the first support part 120 of the lower mold part 100 and the second support part 220 of the upper mold part 200 . The glass fiber sheet is a material that can withstand temperature and pressure changes well, and is formed between the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 during the sealing process to keep the distance between the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 constant despite the pressure applied. can keep According to the present embodiment, the detachable additional support unit 300 may include a material such as a film having little shape deformation according to temperature and pressure in addition to the glass fiber sheet.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 .

2 to 6 , in the manufacturing method of the battery cell according to the present embodiment, the first support part 120 of the lower mold part 100 and the second support part 220 of the upper mold part 200 protrude. Adjusting the length, disposing the sealing part 12 of the battery cell 10 between the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200, and the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 and pressing the sealing part 12 by contacting the .

According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , in the step of adjusting the protrusion lengths of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 , it is inserted between the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 . The distance between the first pressing part 110 of the lower mold part 100 and the second pressing part 210 of the upper mold part 200 may be adjusted by changing the number of insertions of the additional support parts 300 .

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3 , in the step of adjusting the protrusion lengths of the first and second support parts 120 and 220 , the first support part 120 having the adjusted protrusion length and The method may further include attaching the second support part 220 to the lower mold part 100 and/or the upper mold part 200 . In this case, the first and second support parts 120 and 220 may be formed to be detachably attached to the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200 , respectively.

At this time, after the step of pressing the sealing part 12 , the attached first support part 120 and/or the second support part 220 is removed and the first support part 120 and/or the second support part having different protrusion lengths. The step of attaching 220, the step of relocating the sealing part 12 of the battery cell 10 between the lower mold part 100 and the upper mold part 200, and the first support part 120 having a different protrusion length and/or contacting the lower mold part 100 to which the second support part 220 is attached and the upper mold part 200 to press the sealing part 12 . Therefore, when it is necessary to seal the sealing part so that the sealing thickness is formed differently depending on the type of battery cell, only the first and second support parts 120 and 220 can be easily replaced through detachment from the upper and lower mold parts 100 and 200 to match the sealing thickness. Thus, by performing the sealing process, it is possible to reduce the replacement time of the sealing mold and improve the productivity of the battery cell.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it is common in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those having the knowledge of, of course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

10: battery cell
11: electrode lead
12: sealing part
100: lower mold part
110: first pressing unit
120: first support
200: upper mold part
210: second pressing unit
220: second support
300: additional support

Claims (11)

It includes a lower mold part and an upper mold part,
The upper mold part includes a first pressing part and a first support part,
The lower mold part includes a second pressing part and a second support part,
The first pressing part and the second pressing part are formed to face each other and press the sealing part of the battery cell disposed between the first and second pressing parts,
When the first and second pressing parts are pressed, the first and second support parts support the upper mold part and the lower mold part in a state in which they are in contact with each other,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus for adjusting the distance between the first and second pressing parts by adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts. In claim 1,
The sum of the protrusion lengths of the first support part and the second support part is longer than the sum of the protrusion lengths of the first pressing part and the second pressing part. In claim 1,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus in which only one of the first and second support parts is formed to protrude, and any one of the first and second support parts is attached to any one of the upper mold part and the lower mold part. In claim 1,
Battery cell manufacturing apparatus further comprising an additional support inserted between the first support and the second support. In claim 4,
The first support part, the second support part, or the additional support part battery cell manufacturing apparatus including a glass fiber sheet (Glass Fiber Sheet). In claim 4,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus for controlling a gap between the first and second pressing parts by inserting a plurality of the additional support parts to be stacked between the first support part and the second support part. In claim 1,
The first and second support portions are formed in several types having different protrusion lengths,
The battery cell manufacturing apparatus in which the first and second support parts are detachably attached and replaced according to the sealing thickness of the sealing part. adjusting the protrusion lengths of the first support part of the lower mold part and the second support part of the upper mold part;
disposing a sealing part of the battery cell between the lower mold part and the upper mold part; and
and pressing the sealing part by contacting the lower mold part with the upper mold part. In claim 8,
In the step of adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts,
A battery cell manufacturing method for adjusting a gap between the first pressing part of the lower mold part and the second pressing part of the upper mold part by varying the number of insertions of the additional support parts inserted between the lower mold part and the upper mold part. In claim 8,
In the step of adjusting the protrusion length of the first and second support parts,
The method of manufacturing a battery cell further comprising attaching a first support part and/or a second support part having an adjusted protrusion length to the lower mold part and/or the upper mold part. In claim 10,
After pressing the sealing part,
removing the attached first support part and/or the second support part and attaching the first support part and/or the second support part having different protruding lengths;
relocating the sealing part of the battery cell between the lower mold part and the upper mold part; and
The battery cell manufacturing method further comprising the step of pressing the sealing part by contacting the upper mold part with the lower mold part to which the first support part and/or the second support part having different protrusion lengths are attached.

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