KR20240009169A - Alignment device for stacked cells - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an alignment device for stack cells. The alignment device for stack cells of the present invention includes a first fixed aligner 110 and a first movable aligner 130. The first fixing alignment part 110 includes a first fixing member 111 arranged side by side on one side 11 of the stack cell 10 in the width direction; and a first fixed rolling contact part 113 installed on the first fixing member 111 so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell 10, wherein the first movable aligner 130 is configured to contact the stack cell 10. ) a first moving member (131) arranged side by side on the other side (12) in the width direction; and a first movable rolling contact portion 133 installed on the first moving member 131 so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell 10.

Description

Alignment device for stack cells {ALIGNMENT DEVICE FOR STACKED CELLS}

The present invention relates to an alignment device for stack cells that can reduce friction when aligning stack cells and improve alignment performance of stack cells.

Generally, secondary batteries include an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte, and generate electrical energy using a chemical reaction. The use of secondary batteries is gradually increasing due to the advantage of being able to charge and discharge. Among such secondary batteries, lithium secondary batteries have a high energy density per unit weight, so they are widely used as a power source for electronic communication devices or as a driving source for high-output hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles.

In terms of the shape of these secondary batteries, demand is increasing for prismatic secondary batteries and pouch-shaped secondary batteries that can be applied to products such as mobile phones due to their thin thickness. In terms of secondary battery materials, demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion polymer batteries with high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability is increasing.

Unit cells for secondary batteries can be manufactured by lamination and stacking methods. That is, in a laminator, a monocell is manufactured by cutting an electrode sheet to form an electrode, stacking an electrode and a separator sheet, and then cutting the separator sheet.

The monocells produced in this way are loaded into magazines in units of hundreds and supplied to the stacking unit. A plurality of mono cells supplied to the stacking unit are stacked according to the designed capacity to manufacture stack cells. A plurality of electrode tabs protrude from the stack cell. The stack cells are aligned by an alignment device, and then a plurality of electrode tabs are welded to the electrode leads. These stack cells are taped by a taping device to fix the alignment of the plurality of mono cells.

However, in a conventional alignment device, when the align moving unit pushes the stack cell to come into close contact with the aligning fixing unit, the peripheral portion of the stack cell rubs against the aligning moving unit and the aligning fixing unit. In this case, among the plurality of monocells that make up the stack cell, a specific monocell may be twisted or slip, resulting in misalignment (disordered alignment) of the stack cell. In addition, misalignment of the plurality of electrode tabs may occur, and defects in which the plurality of electrode tabs and electrode leads may be welded in a twisted or misaligned state may also occur. Furthermore, it may cause a defective rate of pouch cells in the subsequent pouch sealing process.

The background technology of the present invention is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2015-0035271 (published on April 6, 2015, title of the invention: unit stacking device and stacking method for secondary batteries).

The present invention was developed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an alignment device for stack cells that can reduce friction when aligning stack cells.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an alignment device for stack cells that can improve the alignment performance of stack cells.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an alignment device for stack cells that can prevent misalignment from occurring due to distortion or slip of a specific unit cell among the unit cells forming the stack cell.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an alignment device for stack cells that can prevent welding defects from occurring.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other purposes and advantages of the present invention that are not mentioned can be understood through the following description and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. . Additionally, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the patent claims.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the alignment device for stack cells of the present invention is used to weld the electrode tabs and electrode leads of the stack cell.

The alignment device for stack cells includes a first fixed aligner disposed on one side of the stack cell in the width direction; a second fixed alignment portion disposed on one side of the stack cell in the longitudinal direction; a first movable aligner disposed on the other side of the stack cell in the width direction and moving the stack cell to a first fixed aligner; and a second movable aligner 140 disposed on the other side of the stack cell in the longitudinal direction and moves the stack cell to the second fixed aligner.

The first fixing aligner includes a first fixing member arranged side by side on one side of the stack cell in the width direction; And it may include a first fixed rolling contact part installed on the first fixing member.

The first moving aligner includes a first moving member disposed side by side on the other side of the stack cell in the width direction; and a first movable rolling contact portion installed on the first movable member.

The first fixed rolling contact part may include at least two or more first fixed roller parts in contact with one side in the width direction of the stack cell.

The first moving rolling contact part may include at least two or more first moving roller parts in contact with the other side of the stack cell in the width direction.

The first fixed aligner and the first movable aligner may be arranged side by side.

The second fixed aligner and the second movable aligner may face each other, and may be arranged perpendicular to the first fixed aligner and the first movable aligner.

The first movable aligner may be moved toward the first fixed aligner so as to bring a width direction edge of the stack cell into close contact with the first fixed aligner.

The second movable aligner may be moved toward the second fixed aligner so as to bring a longitudinal edge of the stack cell into close contact with the second fixed aligner.

The second fixing alignment part may include a second fixing hole part into which the electrode tab on one side of the stack cell is inserted.

The second movable aligner may include a second movable hole portion into which the electrode tab on the other side of the stack cell is inserted.

According to the present invention, since the first fixed rolling contact portion and the first movable rolling contact portion are in rolling contact on both sides of the stack cell in the width direction, frictional force can be minimized when the stack cell is moved toward the second fixed alignment portion.

According to the present invention, friction force is significantly reduced when aligning stack cells, so it is possible to prevent misalignment from occurring due to distortion or slip of a specific unit cell among the unit cells forming the stack cell.

According to the present invention, since a plurality of electrode tabs and electrode leads are welded in an aligned state, it is possible to prevent welding defects from occurring.

According to the present invention, the pouch opening and the electrode lead are tightly sealed in the subsequent pouch sealing process, thereby reducing the defective rate of the pouch cell.

In addition to the above-described effects, specific effects of the present invention are described below while explaining specific details for carrying out the invention.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an alignment device for stack cells according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first movable aligner brings the stack cell into close contact with the first fixed aligner in the stack cell alignment device of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the stack cell of FIG. 2 is in rolling contact with the first movable aligner and the first fixed aligner, and the second movable aligner brings the stack cell into close contact with the second fixed aligner.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be subject to various changes and may be implemented in various different forms. This example is provided solely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but substitutes or adds to the configuration of one embodiment and the configuration of another embodiment, as well as all changes and equivalents included in the technical spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood to include substitutes.

The attached drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and all changes, equivalents and modifications included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are not limited. It should be understood to include water or substitutes. In the drawings, components may be expressed exaggeratedly large or small in size or thickness for convenience of understanding, etc., but the scope of protection of the present invention should not be construed as limited due to this.

The terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific implementations or examples, and are not intended to limit the invention. And singular expressions include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the specification, terms such as ~include, ~consist of, etc. are intended to indicate the existence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof described in the specification. In other words, terms such as ~include, ~consist, etc. in the specification. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is said to be "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, but that other components may exist in between. It should be. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

When a component is referred to as being "on top" or "below" another component, it should be understood that not only is it placed directly on top of the other component, but there may also be other components in between. .

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application. No.

Hereinafter, an alignment device for stack cells according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing an alignment device for stack cells according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a state in which the first movable aligner brings the stack cell into close contact with the first fixed aligner in the alignment device for stack cells of Figure 1. , and FIG. 3 is a state in which the stack cell of FIG. 2 is in rolling contact with the first movable aligner and the first fixed aligner, and the second movable aligner brings the stack cell into close contact with the second fixed aligner. This is a drawing showing.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the alignment device 100 for a stack cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is used to align the stack cell before welding the electrode lead (not shown) to the electrode tab 16 of the stack cell 10. It is a device that sorts (10). A plurality of electrode tabs 16 protrude from both sides 13 and 14 in the longitudinal direction of the stack cell 10. Of course, a plurality of electrode tabs 16 of different polarities may protrude on one side 13 or the other side 14 in the longitudinal direction of the stack cell 10.

The alignment device 100 for stack cells includes a first fixed aligner 110, a second fixed aligner 120, a first movable aligner 130, and a second movable aligner 140.

The first fixed aligner 110 is disposed on one side 11 (right side of FIG. 1) in the width direction of the stack cell 10. The first fixed aligner 110 serves as a reference for the alignment position of the stack cell 10 in the width direction.

The second fixed aligner 120 is disposed on one longitudinal side 13 (upper side in FIG. 1) of the stack cell 10. The second fixed aligner 120 serves as a reference for the longitudinal alignment position of the stack cell 10.

The first movable aligner 130 is disposed on the other side 12 (left side of FIG. 1) in the width direction of the stack cell 10 and moves the stack cell 10 to the first fixed aligner 110. The first movable aligner 130 pushes the stack cell 10 to come into close contact with the first fixed aligner 110.

The second movable aligner 140 is disposed on the other longitudinal side 14 (lower side in FIG. 1) of the stack cell 10 and moves the stack cell 10 to the second fixed aligner 120. The second movable aligner 140 pushes the stack cell 10 to come into close contact with the second fixed aligner 120. The second movable aligner 140 is movably installed on the upper surface of the alignment table 101. The second moving aligner 140 is connected to a second moving driving unit (not shown) such as a second cylinder, a second ball screw, or a second linear motor.

The first fixing alignment part 110 includes a first fixing member 111 arranged side by side on one side 11 in the width direction of the stack cell 10, and a first fixing member 111 so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell 10. ) includes a first fixed rolling contact portion 113 installed in the The first fixing member 111 is fixed to the upper surface of the alignment table 101 so as not to move. The first fixed rolling contact part 113 is installed to protrude from the first fixing member 111 toward the first movable aligner 130.

The first movable aligner 130 includes a first movable member 131 disposed in parallel on the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10, and a first movable member 131 so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell 10. ) includes a first movable rolling contact part 133 installed in the. The first movable aligner 130 is movably installed on the upper surface of the alignment table 101. The first moving aligner 130 may be connected to a first moving driving unit (not shown) such as a first cylinder, a first ball screw, or a first linear motor.

When the stack cell 10 is supplied between the first fixed aligner 110 and the first movable aligner 130, the first movable aligner 130 aligns the stack cell 10 with the stack cell 10. Push it in the width direction and bring it into close contact with the first fixed alignment part 110. Then, the second movable aligner 140 pushes the stack cell 10 in the width direction of the stack cell 10 and brings it into close contact with the second fixed aligner 120. At this time, both sides 11 and 12 of the stack cell 10 in the width direction are in rolling contact with the first fixed rolling contact part 113 and the first movable rolling contact part 133 and are moved toward the second fixed aligning part 120. Accordingly, the friction force on both sides 11 and 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10 is significantly reduced, thereby preventing misalignment from occurring due to distortion or slip of a specific unit cell among the unit cells forming the stack cell 10. You can. Additionally, since the plurality of electrode tabs 16 and the electrode leads are welded in alignment, it is possible to prevent welding defects from occurring. Furthermore, the defect rate of the pouch cell can be reduced in the subsequent pouch sealing process.

The first fixed rolling contact part 113 includes at least two first fixed roller parts 113a in contact with one side 11 in the width direction of the stack cell 10. The first fixed roller parts 113a are arranged in a line so as to simultaneously roll into contact with one side 11 in the width direction of the stack cell 10. Additionally, the first fixing roller parts 113a are rotatably installed on the first fixing member 111.

The first movable rolling contact portion 133 includes at least two first movable roller portions 133a in contact with the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10. The first moving roller units 133a are arranged in a line so as to simultaneously roll into contact with the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10. Additionally, the first moving roller units 133a are rotatably installed on the first moving member 131.

When the first movable aligner 130 brings the stack cell 10 into close contact with the first fixed aligner 110, both sides 11 and 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10 form the first fixed roller portion 113a. ) and is in rolling contact with the first moving roller unit (133a). Accordingly, when the second movable aligner 140 pushes the stack cell 10 toward the second fixed aligner 120, the first fixed roller 113a and the first movable roller 133a As it rotates, the friction force applied to the stack cell 10 is minimized. As a result, misalignment of the stack cells 10 (disorganization of unit cells) can be prevented.

The first fixed aligner 110 and the first movable aligner 130 are arranged side by side. At this time, the first fixed roller unit 113a and the first moving roller unit 133a are arranged in parallel.

The second fixed aligner 120 and the second movable aligner 140 face each other and are arranged perpendicular to the first fixed aligner 110 and the first movable aligner 130. Accordingly, when the stack cell 10 is aligned, the four corners of the stack cell 10 are aligned with the first fixed roller unit 113a, the first moving roller unit 133a, the second fixed aligner unit 120, and the second fixed aligner unit 120. It may be in close contact with the moving aligner 140.

The first movable aligner 130 moves the width direction edge of the stack cell 10 toward the first fixed aligner 110 so as to bring it into close contact with the first fixed aligner 110 . At this time, the first moving aligner 130 moves in the left and right directions in FIG. 1 .

The second movable aligner 140 moves the longitudinal edge of the stack cell 10 toward the second fixed aligner 120 so as to bring it into close contact with the second fixed aligner 120 . At this time, the second moving aligner 140 moves in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 .

The second fixing alignment part 120 includes a second fixing hole part 121 into which the electrode tab 16 on one side of the stack cell 10 is inserted. The size and position of the second fixing hole 121 may vary depending on the size and position of the electrode tab 16 on one side of the stack cell 10.

The second movable aligner 140 includes a second movable hole 141 into which the electrode tab 16 on the other side of the stack cell 10 is inserted. The size and location of the second moving hole portion 141 may vary depending on the size and location of the electrode tab 16 on the other side of the stack cell 10.

The alignment process of the alignment device for stack cells according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

The stack cell 10 is supplied between the first fixed aligner 110, the second fixed aligner 120, the first movable aligner 130, and the second movable aligner 140 by a transfer device. At this time, the stack cell 10 is supplied to a position spaced apart from the first fixed aligner 110, the second fixed aligner 120, the first movable aligner 130, and the second movable aligner 140. .

The first movable aligner 130 pushes the stack cell 10 to come into close contact with the first fixed aligner 110 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the first fixed rolling contact portion 113 and the first movable rolling contact portion 133 are simultaneously in close contact with both sides 11 and 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10.

Then, when the second movable aligner 140 pushes the stack cell 10 in the width direction, both sides 11 and 12 of the stack cell 10 in the width direction are connected to the first fixed cloud contact part 113 and the first mobile cloud. It comes into rolling contact with the contact part 133 and comes into close contact with the second fixed alignment part 120 (see FIG. 3). Accordingly, the frictional force applied to the stack cell 10 can be minimized.

When the four corners of the stack cell 10 are in close contact with the first fixed aligner 110, the second fixed aligner 120, the first movable aligner 130, and the second movable aligner 140, the stack Alignment of the cell 10 is completed. Next, the electrode lead is brought into contact with the electrode tab 16 of the stack cell 10, and then the electrode tab 16 and the electrode lead are welded. In this way, since the electrode tab 16 and the electrode lead are welded after the stack cell 10 is aligned, welding defects between the electrode tab 16 and the electrode lead can be prevented. Furthermore, the defect rate of the pouch cell can be reduced in the subsequent pouch sealing process.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrative drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is obvious that transformation can occur. In addition, although the operational effects according to the configuration of the present invention were not explicitly described and explained while explaining the embodiments of the present invention above, it is natural that the predictable effects due to the configuration should also be recognized.

10: Stack cell
11: One side in the width direction
12: Other width direction
13: One side in the longitudinal direction
14: Other longitudinal side
16: Electrode tab
100: Alignment device for stack cells
101: Sort table
110: First fixed alignment unit
111: First fixing member
113: First fixed cloud contact part
113a: First fixed roller part
120: Second fixed alignment unit
121: Second fixing hole part
130: First moving alignment unit
131: First moving member
133: First mobile cloud contact part
133a: First moving roller unit
140: Second mobile alignment unit
141: Second moving hole part

Claims (9)

In the alignment device 100 for a stack cell used to weld the electrode tab 16 and the electrode lead of the stack cell 10,
A first fixed alignment portion 110 disposed on one side 11 in the width direction of the stack cell 10;
a second fixed alignment unit 120 disposed on one longitudinal side 13 of the stack cell 10;
a first movable aligner 130 disposed on the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10 and moving the stack cell 10 to the first fixed aligner 110; and
A second movable aligner 140 is disposed on the other longitudinal side 14 of the stack cell 10 and moves the stack cell 10 to the second fixed aligner 120,
The first fixed alignment unit 110,
A first fixing member 111 arranged side by side on one side 11 of the stack cell 10 in the width direction; and
A first fixed rolling contact part 113 installed on the first fixing member 111 so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell 10,
The first moving aligner 130,
A first moving member 131 arranged side by side on the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10; and
An alignment device for a stack cell, including a first movable rolling contact portion (133) installed on the first moving member (131) so as to be in rolling contact with the stack cell (10). According to paragraph 1,
The first fixed rolling contact part (113) includes at least two first fixed roller parts (113a) in contact with one side (11) in the width direction of the stack cell (10). According to paragraph 2,
The first movable rolling contact portion 133 includes at least two first movable roller portions 133a in contact with the other side 12 in the width direction of the stack cell 10. According to paragraph 1,
The first fixed aligner 110 and the first movable aligner 130 are arranged in parallel. According to paragraph 4,
The second fixed aligner 120 and the second movable aligner 140 face each other and are arranged perpendicular to the first fixed aligner 110 and the first movable aligner 130. Alignment device for cells. According to paragraph 1,
The first movable aligner 130 is an aligner for stack cells that is moved toward the first fixed aligner 110 to bring the width direction edge of the stack cell 10 into close contact with the first fixed aligner 110. device. According to clause 6,
The second movable aligner 140 is an aligner for stack cells that is moved toward the second fixed aligner 120 to bring the longitudinal edge of the stack cell 10 into close contact with the second fixed aligner 120. device. According to paragraph 1,
The second fixing aligner 120 includes a second fixing hole 121 into which the electrode tab 16 on one side of the stack cell 10 is inserted. According to clause 8,
The second movable aligner 140 includes a second movable hole 141 so that the electrode tab 16 on the other side of the stack cell 10 is inserted.