WO2018021590A1

WO2018021590A1 - Cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus, and cell lamination and thermocompression method

Info

Publication number: WO2018021590A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/008170
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김용성; 조현배; 김성철; 정한권; 임완섭
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2016-07-26
Filing date: 2016-07-26
Publication date: 2018-02-01
Also published as: KR20190020147A; KR102255705B1

Abstract

A cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a cassette on which are loaded monocells having separation membranes which have been cut; a pickup unit for picking up the monocells loaded on the cassette; an imaging unit for imaging the monocells picked up by the pickup unit; an alignment unit for aligning the monocells along a lamination reference line on the basis of data for a monocell image imaged by the imaging unit; a lamination unit for laminating the aligned monocells; a thermocompression unit for compressing with heat and pressure the monocell laminate produced by the lamination unit; an inspection unit for determining whether the secondary battery cell produced by passing through the thermocompression unit is defective; and a loading unit for loading the secondary battery cell determined to be of acceptable quality.

Description

Cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus, and cell lamination and thermocompression method

The present invention relates to a cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus for the production of secondary batteries, and a cell lamination and thermocompression method.

Unlike primary batteries which are not normally charged, secondary batteries capable of charging and discharging are being actively researched due to the development of high-tech fields such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and hybrid cars. Examples of secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, and lithium secondary batteries.

Secondary batteries may be classified into a stack type structure, a winding type (jelly roll type) structure, and a folding type structure.

1 is a view illustrating a manufacturing process of a conventional folding type secondary battery.

Referring to FIG. 1, in order to manufacture the folding type secondary battery 1, bi-cells 3 and 4 having the same electrode formed on both surfaces thereof are arranged in the separator 2, and the separator ( Roll 2) to allow the plurality of bicells to be stacked. The bicell includes a first type cell 3 stacked as an anode-membrane-cathode-membrane-anode and a second type cell 4 stacked with a cathode-separator-anode-separator-cathode. In order to manufacture the folding type secondary battery 1, the first type cell 3 and the second type cell 4 are alternately disposed on the separator 2, and then the separator 2 is rolled up to form a first secondary cell 1. The type cell 3 and the second type cell 4 are alternately stacked.

Such a folding type secondary battery has the following problems.

First, since the separator must be rolled up and stacked, there is a problem that only a rectangular parallelepiped secondary battery shape can be implemented. Recently, various types of electronic devices have been released, and accordingly, various geometrical shapes of batteries are required. For example, a cell having a rounded shape (round shape, an elliptical shape, etc.) or a stepped shape shape (such as a staircase shape or an L shape) has a disadvantage in that it cannot be implemented by a folding method.

Second, in the case of the folding type secondary battery, the battery may be pushed to the side as the stack height increases. That is, in order to make a large capacity secondary battery, the stacking thickness must be thick and the longitudinal section must be rectangular or square. However, in the folding process, as the bi-cells are pushed to the side, a phenomenon may occur in the shape of a parallelogram longitudinal cross section.

Third, according to the folding type secondary battery manufacturing method, there is a disadvantage in that the electrode tabs arranged up and down are not aligned correctly and are shifted in the left and right directions.

Advanced Technology

KR2015-0025420A (March 10, 2015)

The present invention has been proposed to improve the above problems.

Cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a cassette loaded with a monocell cut separator; A pickup unit for picking up the monocell loaded in the cassette; A photographing unit which photographs an image of the monocell picked up by the pickup unit; An alignment unit for aligning the monocell with a reference line for stacking based on the image information of the monocell photographed by the photographing unit; A stacking unit stacking the aligned monocells; A thermocompression unit for pressurizing the monocell stack made from the stack with heat and pressure; An inspection unit to determine whether a secondary battery cell made while passing through the thermocompression unit is defective; And it may include a loading unit for loading the secondary battery cell determined as good.

Cell stacking and thermocompression method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the monocell loaded in the cassette is picked up and transferred to the alignment unit; Aligning the monocell with a stack reference line in the alignment unit; Directing and aligning the aligned monocells to a stacking unit; Pressing the stacked monocell laminates by heat and pressure in a press apparatus; It may include the step of manufacturing a secondary battery cell while passing through the thermocompression process.

According to the secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following effects.

First, the secondary battery manufacturing method of the stacking method, there is an advantage that the production of a battery cell that forms a variety of geometric shapes other than the rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, since it can be designed in an appropriate shape to fit the design of the electrical product on which the secondary battery is mounted, there is an advantage that the design freedom of the battery cell is improved.

Second, to produce a large capacity battery, even if the stack height (or thickness) of the cell increases, there is an advantage that does not occur sideways.

Third, the degree that the vertically adjacent electrode tabs are shifted in the left and right directions is significantly reduced.

1 is a view showing a manufacturing process of a conventional folding type secondary battery.

2 is a perspective view of a secondary battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a plan view of monocells constituting the secondary battery cell.

Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the entire stacked secondary battery manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing the electrode notching process included in the secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing an electrode lamination process included in a secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a plan view of a monocell passed through a membrane cutting process.

8 is a flowchart showing a membrane cutting process performed in the membrane cutting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is an external perspective view of the separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the pickup portion constituting the separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an enlarged perspective view of an alignment part and a separator cutting part constituting a separator cutting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

12 is an enlarged perspective view of a failure inspection unit constituting a separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting portion constituting the separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14 is a perspective view of a cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a flowchart showing a lamination process in a cell lamination and a thermocompression unit in order according to an embodiment of the present invention.

16 to 18 is a view showing the configuration of the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus is carried out monolithic stacking process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

19 is a flowchart showing in sequence the thermocompression process performed in the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

20 is an enlarged perspective view showing a prepress part and a main press part constituting the cell laminating apparatus and the thermocompression bonding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing a device for introducing a monocell stack into a press device.

22 is a perspective view of a press apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The bottom perspective view of the press upper which comprises the said press apparatus.

24 is an enlarged perspective view showing the final press area of the cell lamination and thermocompression bonding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

25 is a view illustrating an inspection process of a secondary battery cell that has passed through a thermocompression bonding process.

Figure 26 is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting portion constituting the cell stacking and thermocompression unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, in particular, a method for manufacturing a stacked type secondary battery and an apparatus used in the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the adsorption unit and the adsorption plate may be used in combination, but it is found that the same in terms of configuration and function.

2 is a perspective view of a secondary battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a plan view of the monocells constituting the secondary battery cell.

2 and 3, the secondary battery cell 10 manufactured by the secondary battery manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown, monocells 11, which are not the same in size and shape, 12, 13) are laminated. The secondary battery cell 10 shown in FIG. 2 is in a state before being wrapped by a pouch.

In detail, the secondary battery cell 10 is made of a unique shape deviating from the conventional typical rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is formed by stacking a plurality of

monocells

11, 12, 13 having a specific shape and then thermally compressing the same. Can be implemented.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an entire manufacturing process of a stacked secondary battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 4, the secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode notching step (S10), the electrode lamination step (S20), the membrane cutting step (S30) step, the monocell stacking step (S40), the battery cell The thermocompression step S50, the package step S60, and the degas step S70 may be included.

The electrode notching step (S10) to the battery cell thermocompression step (S50) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings below.

On the other hand, the battery cell of the thermal compression process is finished to go to the packaging step (S60). In the packaging step, a tab welding step of welding a plurality of electrode tabs stacked in a vertical direction as a single body, a forming step of forming a pouch in the form of a battery cell, and putting the battery cell inside the formed pouch and covering A cell assembly step of sealing the three edges, and the electrolyte injection step of injecting the electrolyte solution through the unopened portion is sealed.

Since the packaging step is substantially the same as a conventional folding type secondary battery manufacturing method, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the packaging step, there is only a difference in what type of battery cell enters the formed accommodating part after the pouch forming, and other manufacturing processes are applied to the packaging step applied to the folding type manufacturing method and the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention. The packaging steps applied are the same.

In addition, in the degas step (S70), charging and discharging the secondary battery product in which the pouch sealing is completed, activating the battery, and degassing and desealing the final gas after discharging the gas generated in the battery activation step. Step is performed. The degas step is also the same as the degas step applied to the folding type secondary battery manufacturing method similarly to the packaging step, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the main features of the secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the equipment used in the membrane cutting process and the membrane cutting process, the cell lamination and thermocompression process and the equipment used therein The explanation is centered.

5 is a view showing an electrode notching process included in a secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the secondary battery manufacturing method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an electrode notching step S10.

In detail, in the electrode notching step, the tab material and the rounded portion of the corner of the electrode are formed while the electrode material S, which is provided with a predetermined width and wound in a roll form, is supplied to the notching device. The electrode notching step is performed before the electrode part cutting step of separating the individual electrode parts 100 when the electrode parts are designed in a shape other than a rectangular shape. The electrode part includes a positive electrode part and a negative electrode part.

The electrode portion is shaped into a shape corresponding to the final shape of the secondary battery cell, that is, the plan view shape of the secondary battery cell. In the case of the secondary battery cell illustrated in FIG. 2, the electrode part is required to have an electrode shape in which one corner is rounded.

Therefore, in the notching step, the corners of the electrode part are cut roundly, and at the same time, the tab is formed at one edge.

In the notching step, the electrode material S supplied in the form of a roll is continuously supplied into the notching apparatus, and the center portion B of the electrode material supplied in the form of a rectangular sheet is cut into a predetermined width in the notching apparatus. Notching work is carried out leaving only the tab of the electrode part. At the same time, a notching operation is performed to cut both side ends B along the design shape of the electrode portion as shown. Through this notching operation, one sheet of electrode material S may be divided into two rows of electrode portions. In the electrode lamination step, which will be described later, a portion indicated by a dotted line is cut by a cutter and divided into individual electrode portions. The two rows of electrode portions become the first and second electrode materials to be described below.

6 is a view showing an electrode lamination process included in the secondary battery manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the first electrode material 101, the first separator material 102, the second electrode material 103, and the second separator material 104 supplied in a roll form are sequentially stacked. It is supplied to laminators l1 and l2. The first electrode material 101 and the second electrode material 103 function as anodes and cathodes or cathodes and anodes, respectively, after cell manufacture.

In addition, the first and second electrode materials 101 and 103 supplied in the form of a roll are in a state in which the individual electrode portions 100 are connected as one body without being separated through the notching step described in FIG. 5. In this state, before the first and second electrode materials 101 and 103 are drawn into the laminators L1 and L2, the dotted lines shown in FIG. 5 are cut by the cutter C1.

The electrode parts and the separators are thermocompressed as a single body while passing through the laminators L1 and L2. In addition, at the exit ends of the laminators L1 and L2, the combination of the electrode part and the separator is cut by the cutter C3. The cutter C3 is for cutting the first separator 102 and the second separator 104, and a plurality of monocell matrix 105 is completed through the cutting process. Here, the monocell matrix 105 may be defined as a cell unit that is in a state before the separator is cut along the shape of the electrode unit. After the separator is cut, it may be defined as a monocell.

The electrode lamination process is the same as that disclosed in FIG. 6 of the prior art KR2015-0025420A, except that the shape of the electrode material undergoing the notching step is different.

7 is a plan view of a monocell that passed through a membrane cutting process.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the monocell matrix 105 passes through a membrane coating process according to an embodiment of the present invention, an unnecessary separator portion h7 is cut off to form one complete mono-cell 1112. , 13). As shown in FIG. 3, the monocell 11 may be divided into a first monocell 11, a second monocell 12, and a third monocell 13. . In other words, monocells of various shapes and sizes may be formed according to the design form of the secondary battery cell.

Hereinafter, a separator cutting apparatus and a cutting process for removing an unnecessary separator portion will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 8, a plurality of monocell matrixes 105 manufactured by the laminator described in FIG. 6 are loaded on a stacking box defined as a cassette. The monocell matrix 105 is loaded independently in a separate cassette for each shape and size. Therefore, the number of cassettes transferred to the separator cutting device may be plural.

In detail, in order to remove the unnecessary separator portion h7 formed in each of the monocell matrix 105, the monocell matrix loaded in the cassette transferred to the separator cutting device is picked up (S31). Step is taken by the vision camera while being transferred (S32), the monocell matrix is aligned to the reference line for the separator cutting using the photographed image information (S33), unnecessary separator portion of the aligned monocell matrix The cutting step (S34), the step of being photographed by the vision camera while transporting the monocell cut the unnecessary separator portion by the cutting (S35), good or bad goods are classified based on the photographed monocell image information, defective Step S36, in which the monocell is discarded, and step S37, in which the monocell determined to be good is loaded into the cassette. Then, the cassette in which the good monocell is loaded is transferred to a cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery cell.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the separator cutting device in which the above processes are performed will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9 is an external perspective view of a separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9, the separator cutting device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pick-up unit (C) for picking up and transporting the monocell matrix formed during the lamination step, and is transferred from the pick-up unit (C) The alignment unit (D) for photographing the on-cell monolith and aligning the cutting position, the separator cutting unit (E) for cutting the separator portion of the monocell matrix transferred from the alignment unit (D), and the mono-cut membrane It can be largely divided into a failure inspection unit (F) for checking whether the cell is defective, and a loading unit (G) for loading the monocell determined as good quality.

Hereinafter, each part described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10 is an enlarged perspective view of a pickup unit constituting a separator cutting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the pickup part C of the separator cutting device 30 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of cassettes 301 loaded with monocell matrixes subjected to lamination, and the cassette 30. A pickup unit 31 for picking up the monocell matrix loaded in the sheet by sheet, and a transfer unit 32 for absorbing the monocell matrix picked up by the pickup unit 31 and transporting the monocell matrix to the alignment unit D. It may include.

In detail, the cassette 301 may be determined according to the number of types of monocells to be manufactured. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, three cassettes 301 may be prepared if three sizes of monocells are needed to make one secondary battery cell. Therefore, the number of cassettes 301 may be determined according to the number of types of monocells having different shapes and sizes.

Alternatively, when one monocell of several kinds of monocells is stacked relatively higher in the secondary battery manufacturing process than the other kinds of monocells, the number of cassettes for loading the same kind of monocells is increased. Plural can be prepared. It is apparent that the stack height is relatively higher than that of monocells having different shapes or sizes, so that a relatively large number of monocells are used when manufacturing one battery cell. In this case, therefore, it is advantageous that a large number of cassettes carrying the same type of monocell are prepared.

In addition, the pickup unit 31 may include a pickup body 311 for adsorbing a single monocell matrix loaded on the cassette 301 and one provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 311, respectively. A plurality of adsorption parts 312, the drive motor 314 for rotating the pickup body 311 180 degrees in the forward and reverse directions, and the axis of rotation of the drive motor 314 and the side center of the pickup body 311 It may include a rotating shaft 313 to connect.

In detail, the pickup body 311 and the suction unit 312 may be defined as a pickup module. The pickup module is provided in a number corresponding to the number of the cassettes 301 and is located directly above each of the cassettes 301.

In addition, the driving motor 314 may be mounted to the lifting unit 302 which is slidably mounted to the guide pillar 303 that is erected vertically. In addition, the driving motor 314 moves along the guide pillar 303 along the lifting and lowering portion 302 in the up and down direction in the pickup process.

In addition, the plurality of pickup modules rotate in one body by the rotation shaft (313). That is, the rotation shaft 313 passes through the plurality of pickup modules, specifically, the plurality of pickup bodies 311, so that the plurality of pickup modules rotate in one body.

In addition, one or more adsorption units 312 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 311 to adsorb the monocell matrix loaded on the cassette 301 one by one. When one suction unit 312 is provided, the suction unit 312 may be disposed at the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 311. In addition, when two adsorption parts 312 are provided, the adsorption part 312 may be arranged in a left-right direction or a front-rear direction in the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 311. In addition, when three or more adsorption parts 312 are provided, the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 311 may be arranged in a polygonal shape corresponding to the number of adsorption parts provided, such as a triangle and a rectangle. .

In addition, vibration means for vibrating the suction part 312 in the vertical direction may be provided in the suction part 312 or in the pickup body 311. As an example, the suction unit 312 may be a cylindrical bellows in which a spring is wound in a spiral form, and vibration means for extending and contracting the spring at high speed may be provided in the pickup body 311. Can be.

Meanwhile, the transfer unit 32 may include a transfer body 321 and a suction plate 322 provided on the transfer body 321. The transfer body 321 may be moved horizontally and vertically by guide rails or guide pillars.

According to this structure, first, the lifting unit 302 on which the driving motor 314 is mounted is lowered so that the adsorption unit 312 positioned on the bottom surface of the pickup body 311 is loaded on the cassette 301. Adsorb the top monocell matrix among the monocell parents. In addition, the vibrating means operates for a short time in the state in which the adsorption unit 312 adsorbs the monocell matrix, so that the monocell matrix is shaken at high speed. Then, the two or more monocell matrixes that stuck to each other while being loaded can be separated, thereby preventing the adsorption and transport of several sheets of monocell matrix at once.

The driving motor 314 is operated in a state in which two or more monocell matrixes are separated by the operation of the vibration means and only one monocell matrix is adsorbed to the adsorption unit 312, so that the pickup body 311 is operated. Rotates 180 degrees in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Then, the adsorbed monocell matrix is located on the upper surface of the pickup body 311, and the adsorption unit 312 positioned on the upper surface faces the cassette 301.

In this state, the transfer unit 32 descends toward the monocell matrix, so that the adsorption plate 322 adsorbs the monocell matrix placed on the upper surface of the pickup body 311. Then, after the adsorption plate 322 adsorbs the monocell matrix, the transfer unit 32 is raised to its original position. In addition, the transfer unit 32 moves in the horizontal direction in the state of adsorbing the monocell matrix and moves to the alignment unit D. FIG.

On the other hand, the lifting unit 302 is lowered toward the cassette 301 while the transfer unit 32 is raised to its original position and then moved to the alignment unit D. And the adsorption part 312 which rotated to the lower surface in the upper surface adsorb | sucks a single monocell matrix. Of course, the vibration process is carried out after the adsorption. In addition, the driving motor 314 may rotate 180 degrees in a direction opposite to the direction rotated in the previous monocell matrix adsorption process, such that the adsorbed monocell matrix is positioned on the upper surface of the pickup body 311. . This is because, when the driving motor 314 rotates in only one direction, the lead wire extending along the inside of the rotation shaft 313 may be twisted and broken. Of course, it is also possible to cause the drive motor 314 to rotate in only one direction if the twisting problem of the lead wire does not occur, and it is found that the drive motor 314 rotates by 180 degrees in one direction within the scope of the present invention. Put it.

For reference, the drive means or guide rails and the guide pillar structure for enabling horizontal and vertical movement of the transfer units described below, although not separately described, guide the transfer of the transfer units to the separator cutting device. It demonstrates on the assumption that a means is provided.

Referring to FIG. 11, the transfer unit 32 which adsorbs the monocell matrix is transferred to the alignment unit D, and in order to accurately cut the separation membrane of the monocell matrix, the monocell matrix is aligned precisely at the cutting position. An alignment process is performed to make it possible.

As an example for aligning the monocell matrix, a straight edge of the monocell matrix or a tab edge of the monocell matrix may be accurately positioned at a reference line.

In detail, the alignment unit D may include a vision camera 33 and an alignment stand 34.

In addition, the separator cutting unit E receives a cutting device 37, a supply unit 38 for adsorbing a monocell matrix for cutting into the cutting device 37, and a monocell in which the separator is cut. It may include a transfer stand 35 for transferring to the failure inspection unit (F).

Here, the alignment stand 34 and the transfer stand 35 may be mounted on a transfer means such as the stand mover 36 to move in one body. Alternatively, the alignment stand 34 and the transfer stand 35 may move independently of each other but move in the same direction at the same time, thereby producing the same effect as moving in one body.

In more detail, the vision camera 33 constituting the alignment unit D is disposed between the pickup unit C and the alignment stand 34, and is transferred from the pickup unit C. Take a picture of the cell. The controller extracts alignment information of the monocell based on the captured image information.

In other words, by analyzing the captured image information, the position of the monocell matrix adsorbed to the transfer body 321 in the pickup portion (C) is how far from the cutting position set in the cutting portion (E) Can be determined.

The edge of the monocell or the edge of the tab must be exactly aligned with the reference line so that the separator can be cut along the designed cutting line. If the monocell matrix is introduced into the cutting device in a state in which it is not aligned in the cutting position, the monocell matrix may be cut not only to the separator portion to be cut but also to the electrode portion. This can be cut.

In order to prevent such a phenomenon, the vision camera 33 captures an image of the monocell matrix adsorbed on the bottom surface of the transfer body 321 of the transfer unit 32, and transmits the captured image to the controller.

On the other hand, when the alignment value is calculated by the control unit based on the captured image of the monocell parent, the alignment information is transferred to the alignment stand 34, the alignment stand 34 is moved. Of course, the transfer body 321 of the transfer unit 32 may receive the alignment information to align the monocell matrix, and then place the monocell on the alignment stand 34.

The alignment stand 34 includes an alignment table 341 on which a monocell matrix transferred from the transfer unit 32 is seated, and the alignment table 341 for aligning the monocell matrix with a reference line. It may include an alignment driver 342 for driving. By the alignment driver 342, the alignment table 341 is, as shown in the x-axis direction (the same direction as the movement direction of the alignment stand 34) and the x-axis direction on a horizontal plane It can be moved horizontally in the orthogonal y-axis direction and can be rotated by a predetermined angle (θ) about a vertical axis orthogonal to the horizontal plane (which can be defined as a z-axis). That is, according to the alignment value calculated based on the image photographed by the vision camera 33, the alignment table 341 may rotate the horizontal linear movement on the x-axis and the y-axis by a set angle around the vertical axis. have.

According to this configuration, when the transfer unit 32 moves upward of the alignment stand 34, the alignment table 341 is operated by the alignment driver 342. When the alignment of the alignment table 341 is completed, the transfer unit 32 lowers the monocell parent on the alignment table 341 and returns to the pickup unit C. FIG. When the monocell parent is placed on the alignment table 341, the alignment table 341 returns to the state before the alignment operation. Then, the monocell matrix is aligned to the correct cutting position, and in this state, the monocell matrix is transferred to the separator cutting unit (E).

In addition, a monocell having completed cutting is placed on the transfer stand 35 located on the side of the alignment stand 34. In this state, the stand mover 36 is transferred in the x-axis direction, so that the alignment stand 34 is transferred to the separator cutting unit E, and the transfer stand 35 is the defect inspection unit F. Is transferred to.

On the other hand, on the alignment stand 34 that has been transferred to the separator cutting unit E, the monocell is aligned precisely at the position for cutting. The transfer stand 35 may be provided in the same number as the alignment stand 34.

The supply unit 38 constituting the separator cut part E includes a suction plate 382 and a transfer body 381 for moving the suction plate 382 in the horizontal and vertical directions.

In addition, the cutting device 37 may include a fixing part 371 and a cutting part 372, the cutting part 372 is lowered in contact with the fixing part 371, the cutting knife of the monocell It may include a punching machine for cutting the unnecessary separator, but is not limited thereto. In addition, a plurality of monocell mothers may be introduced into the cutting device 37 at a time, so that a plurality of monocell mothers may be supplied to the cutting device 37 at a time.

In detail, in the state where the alignment stand 34 has been transferred, the supply unit 38 moves directly above the alignment stand 34. The adsorption plate 382 descends to adsorb the monocell matrix placed on the alignment table 341. In addition, the supply unit is horizontally moved toward the cutting device 37 after the supply unit is lifted in the state where the monocell matrix is adsorbed. Here, the stand mover 36 moves horizontally and returns to its original position while the monocell matrix is adsorbed by the suction plate 382 and the supply unit 38 moves up and horizontally. Then, the alignment stand 34 returns to the alignment unit D, and the transfer stand 35 returns to the separator cutting unit E. FIG.

On the other hand, while the stand mover 36 moves, the supply unit 38 supplies the monocell matrix to the cutting device 37, and moves horizontally and vertically again after cutting. Here, the cutting process is a state in which the monocell is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 382 of the supply unit 38.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and when the monocell matrix is supplied to the cutting device 37, the monocell matrix may be separated from the adsorption plate 382 of the supply unit 38. Then, the supply unit 38 is slightly out of the back, and when the cutting process is completed, the supply unit 38 may be advanced, and again to suck the monocell is completed to move toward the transfer stand 35. .

The separator portion cut by the cutting device may be a curved line or a curved line rather than a straight line.

After the cutting process is completed, the monocell is transferred to the upper side of the transfer stand 35 by the supply unit 38 and then seated on the transfer stand 35. In this state, the stand mover 36 moves again to send the finished monocells to the defective inspection unit F.

Referring to FIG. 12, the failure inspection unit F may include a vision camera 39 and a disposal box 41.

In detail, the monocell transferred to the defective inspection unit F in the state of being placed on the transfer stand 35 is photographed by the vision camera 39 to determine whether the defect is defective. The vision camera 39 is located at a height spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the transfer stand 35 in order to take a picture of the monocell placed on the transfer stand 35.

In addition, it is determined whether the separator of the monocell is accurately cut as designed based on the image information photographed by the vision camera 39. Therefore, the monocells subjected to the separation membrane cutting process are classified into good and bad parts while passing through the photographing area by the vision camera 39.

On the other hand, between the defect inspection unit (F) and the stacking portion (G) is a stacking transfer portion 40 is disposed. The stacking transfer part 40 may be defined as a component of the stacking part G. The stack transfer unit 40 transfers the monocells in which the defect inspection is completed while reciprocating between the defect inspection unit F and the loading unit G. In addition, the stack transfer part 40 may include a transfer body 401 and an adsorption part 402, like other transfer units.

In detail, in the state where the transfer stand 35 is moved to the failure inspection unit F, the loading transfer unit 40 is transferred to the upper side of the transfer stand 35. Then, the transfer body 401 is lowered, and the adsorption unit 402 adsorbs the monocell placed on the transfer stand 35.

When the monocell is adsorbed by the adsorption part 402, the transfer body 401 is moved up to the loading part G. In the process of transferring the stacking transfer unit 40 to the stacking unit G, it passes through the upper space of the waste bin 41. In addition, the adsorption part 402 which adsorbs the monocell determined as defective among the plurality of adsorption parts 40 constituting the loading transfer part 40 has an instantaneous adsorption force when it passes directly above the waste bin 41. Release it. Then, the defective monocell falls into the waste bin 41, and only the monocells determined as good quality are transferred to the stacking unit G.

13 is an enlarged perspective view of a loading part constituting a separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the stacking unit G constituting the separator cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes one or more cassettes 42 on which mono cells of good quality are stacked, and the stacking transfer unit 40. And, it may include a loading unit 43 for receiving the good quality monocell transferred by the stacking transfer unit 40 to load in the cassette 42.

In detail, the loading unit 43 includes a drive motor 431 capable of reverse rotation, a rotating plate 432 rotated by the driving motor 431, and an adsorption part 433 provided on both surfaces of the rotating plate 432. ) May be included.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of loading units 43 are provided with driving motors to drive independently of each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the loading unit 43 is a pickup unit of the pick-up unit C. The same configuration as in (31) may be achieved. In addition, the loading unit 43 may operate in the same manner as the pickup unit 31.

In other words, the loading transfer part 40 is lowered so that the bottom surface of the monocell adsorbed by the adsorption part 402 contacts the adsorption part 433 formed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 432 of the loading unit 43. do. In this state, the adsorption force of the adsorption part 402 is released and the adsorption force acts on the adsorption part 433 of the loading unit 43. Then, the loading transfer portion 40 is raised and horizontally moved back to the failure inspection unit (F).

On the other hand, in the state where the monocell is adsorbed to the adsorption unit 433, the drive motor 431 is driven to rotate the rotating plate 432 180 degrees, the monocell is directed toward the cassette 42 Do it. Then, the loading unit 43 is lowered, so that the adsorption force of the adsorption portion 433 is released, so that the monocell is loaded into the cassette 42.

Then, the monocells loaded in the cassette 42, that is, the monocells of the good product in which the separator is cut, are transferred to an apparatus for cell stacking and thermocompression processes.

14 is a perspective view of a cell lamination and thermocompression bonding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, the monocells in which the separator part of the edge of the electrode part is cut in the separator cutting device 30 are laminated while passing through a plurality of working parts provided in the cell stacking and thermocompression bonding apparatus 50, and after lamination. Thermo-compression is completed as a secondary battery cell product.

In detail, the cell lamination and thermocompression bonding apparatus 50 includes lamination portions H1 to H4, a thermocompression bonding portion J, an inspection portion K, and a loading portion L. One or more laminates may be installed depending on the shape or size of the monocells to be stacked. In this embodiment, the lamination part is shown as consisting of the first to fourth lamination parts H1 to H4.

If, in order to manufacture a secondary battery cell of the type shown in Figure 2, since three kinds of monocells should be stacked in sequence, three stacking parts may be continuously arranged. In other words, the third monocell 13 having the largest size and the highest stacking height is stacked in the first stacking portion H1, and the second monocell 12 having a medium size is stacked in the second stacking portion ( The first monocell 11 stacked on the uppermost side may be stacked on the second stacked portion H3. And, the monocell is completed is transferred to the thermocompression unit (J).

In addition, a plurality of cassettes loaded with the same type of monocell may be disposed in each stacking portion, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, since the configuration of each laminate is the same regardless of the type of the laminate and the working process is the same, only one of the plurality of laminates will be described as an example.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a lamination process performed in a cell stack and a thermocompression unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 15, a lamination process (or process) performed in a cell stack and a thermocompression unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a monocell loaded in a plurality of cassettes moved by the separator cutting device 30. The step S41 of picking up the pictures, the step S42 of taking images of the picked up monocells by the vision camera, and the step of aligning the monocells based on the image information of the photographed monocells (S43) The stacked monocells may be stacked (S44) and the stacked monocell assemblies may be transferred to a thermocompression bonding region (S45).

Hereinafter, a process of performing the steps S41 to S45 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16 to 18 are views illustrating the configuration of a cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus in which a monocell stacking process is performed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 16, the cassettes 501 loaded with the monocells in which the separators are cut are picked up one by one by the pickup unit 51, and the picked monocells are absorbed by the transfer unit 52 and then aligned. Is transferred to.

In detail, the pickup unit 51 includes a pickup body 511, a rotation shaft 513, a drive motor 514 connected to the rotation shaft, and a plurality of suctions provided on upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body 511, respectively. It may include a part 512. The pickup unit 51 has the same configuration and function as the pickup unit 31 provided in the pickup unit C of the separator cutting device 30. That is, the pickup body 511 is rotated 180 degrees in the forward and reverse directions about the rotation shaft 513 by the drive motor 514, and the monocell loaded in the cassette 501 is transferred to the transfer unit 52. The giving operation can be said to be the same as the function of the pickup unit 31 and the transfer unit 32 provided in the pickup portion (C).

Although specific shapes and sizes may be different, they may be said to be the same in terms of operating mechanisms and functions. Of course, the pick-up unit 51 also vibrates in the state in which the monocell is adsorbed to prevent the pick-up of several sheets together.

Meanwhile, the transfer unit 52 may include a transfer body 522 and a suction plate 521. The transfer unit 52, which has received the monocell from the pickup unit 51, moves to the next area for lamination, and passes through the photographing area of the vision camera 53 in the moving process.

The monocell absorbed by the transfer unit 52 is photographed while passing through the vision camera 53, and the alignment information (or alignment coordinates) of the monocell is calculated based on the image information of the photographed monocell. Then, the transfer unit 52 is transferred to the upper region of the alignment stand 54 after passing through the vision camera 53.

In detail, the alignment stand 54 may include an alignment table 541 and an alignment driver 542 for driving the alignment table 541. In addition, since the configuration stand and the function of the alignment stand 54 are identical to those of the alignment stand 34 constituting the separator cutting device 30, redundant description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, after the alignment table 541 moves on the x, y axis or rotates about the vertical axis (z axis) based on the alignment information, the transfer unit 52 is the alignment table 541 Place the monocell on the top. When the monocell is seated on the alignment table 541, the alignment table 541 returns to the state before the alignment operation. Then, the transfer unit 52 returns to the original position where the pickup unit 51 is located, and then another transfer unit 55 is transferred toward the alignment table 541.

It is noted that the alignment process performed here is performed not for the purpose of precisely cutting the separator of the monocell, but for the purpose of stacking the plurality of monocells in the correct position.

17 and 18, the monocell 11 placed on the alignment table 541 is transferred to the cell jig 58 by another transfer unit 55.

In detail, the transfer unit 55 may be composed of a transfer body 552 and an adsorption plate 551 (or an adsorption unit) similarly to the transfer units introduced previously. The monocells aligned in the alignment position are absorbed by the transfer unit 55 and transferred to the cell jig 58 having a flat top surface shown in FIG. 18. A lower arm receiving groove 581 is formed on the upper surface of the cell jig 58 to accommodate the lower arm 601.

In addition, a plurality of monocells are stacked on the cell jig 58, and new monocells transferred by the transfer unit 55 are stacked on the stacked monocell combinations.

When the new monocells are stacked, the top surface of the monocells is pushed by the gripper 56 to prevent the monocells from shaking or shifting. Then, while the gripper 56 presses the top surface of the monocell stack, the transfer unit 55 releases the suction force and then returns to the alignment stand 541.

In more detail, the gripper 56 is pressed against the upper surface of the monocell stack laminated on the cell jig 58 until the monocell is transferred to the cell jig 58 by the transfer unit 55. Stays in place. Then, when the transfer unit 55 is lowered and the monocell is placed on the uppermost surface of the monocell stack, the gripper 56 moves horizontally outward of the monocell stack, and the monocell stack is removed from the monocell stack. Escape Then, ascending and moving upwards, the horizontal direction is again moved toward the monocell stack, and the upper surface of the newly stacked monocell is pressed. After that, the suction force of the transfer unit 55 is released and at the same time the transfer unit 55 rises.

The gripper 56 may be formed in the form of a pair of robotic arms, and the horizontal gripper 56 may move horizontally in a direction away from each other, and then move horizontally in a direction closer to each other after ascending by the height of one monocell. Then, the gripper 56 is lowered to press the upper surface of the monocell stack. The lifting and lowering movement of the gripper 56 is repeatedly performed whenever a single monocell is transferred.

In addition, when a predetermined number of monocells are stacked in the stacking unit and the monocells are stacked by a set height, the monocell stack is transferred to the stacking unit of the next step or the thermocompression unit.

In order to prevent the stacked monocells from collapsing during the movement of the monocell stack, a member such as a clamp 57 is conveyed while pressing the monocell stack. In other words, the clamp 57 is provided at the edge of the cell jig 58. The clamp 57 is mounted to be movable in the vertical direction from the upper surface of the cell jig 58, or is rotatably mounted.

When the stacking of the monocell is completed in the stacking portion, the clamp 57 is operated to press the upper surface of the monocell stack. In this state, the gripper 56 ascends from the upper surface of the monocell stack and then moves horizontally outward of the monocell stack. Then, the cell jig 58 and the clamp 57 move in one body while the clap 57 is pushing the monocell stack.

Hereinafter, the thermocompression unit for thermocompression bonding the monocell laminate having been laminated will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19 is a flowchart showing in sequence the thermocompression process performed in the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 19, the thermocompression process for manufacturing a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a prepress step (S51) and a prepress step of a monocell laminate transferred from a stacking unit. After completing the main press step (S52) of the monocell stack, the final press step (S53) of the monocell stack through the main press step, and the pressing step, Shooting with a vision camera (S54), the thickness measurement step (S55) of the secondary battery cell has been subjected to the vision camera shooting step, the short measurement step (S56), and the short measurement step of the secondary battery cell has been subjected to the thickness measurement step The defective part of the rough secondary battery cell may include the step (S57) of discarding only the good product.

Hereinafter, the steps S51 to S57 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a prepress unit and a main press unit constituting the cell stacking apparatus and the thermocompression bonding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 20, the monocell stacks having passed through the stacking step are transferred to the prepress unit J1 while being placed on the cell jig 58.

In detail, the press apparatus 59 which comprises the said prepress part J1 and the main press part J2 is the same, and only the magnitude | size of the heat temperature and pressure applied in a crimping process differ. Therefore, only the press apparatus 59 which comprises the said prepress part J1 is demonstrated as a representative.

In the prepress section J1, the monocell stack is pressed against the monocell stack with weak air and pneumatic pressure, and in the main press section J2, the weakly pressed monocell stack is pressurized again with heat and high hydraulic pressure.

21 is an enlarged perspective view showing a device for introducing a monocell stack into a press device.

Referring to FIG. 21, a holding clamp 60 is disposed on the opposite side of the press device 59 to lift the monocell stack 10a and guide the inside of the press device 59.

In detail, the monocell laminate is gripped by the holding clamp 60 when it is transferred to the press area where the press device is located while being pressed by the clamp 57 on the cell jig 58.

The holding clamp 60 may be formed of a robot arm structure capable of vertical movement and forward and rearward movement. In detail, the holding clamp 60 includes a transfer body 603, a pair of arm rails 604 extending upward and downward from the front left and right sides of the transfer body 603, and A pair of upper arms 602 respectively provided on the pair of arm rails 604, and a pair of lower arms mounted to the pair of arm rails 604 below the pair of upper arms 602. 601 may be included.

In addition, the lower arm 60 may be fixed to the arm rail 604, and the upper arm 602 may be disposed to be slidably movable in a vertical direction while being connected to the arm rail 602.

Here, the cell jig 58 stops when the clamp 57 is located in a space corresponding to the upper arm 602 and the lower arm 601 of the pair. Therefore, even if the holding clamp 60 is advanced toward the press device 59, the clamp 57 does not interfere with the holding clamp 60.

On the other hand, in order for the holding clamp 60 to hold the monocell stack, the lower arm 601 and the upper arm 602 are spaced apart at intervals greater than the stack thickness of the monocell stack. Move to jig 58.

Therefore, the holding clamp 60 may move forward until the front end portion of the lower arm 601 touches the end of the lower arm receiving groove 581. Here, it is not necessary to move forward until the end of the lower arm 601 touches the end of the lower arm receiving groove 581, and the holding clap 60 can stably hold the monocell stack. It can be inserted only to the depth that is.

In detail, with the lower arm 601 fully inserted into the lower arm receiving groove 581, the upper arm 602 descends to press the monocell stack. Then, the holding clamp 60 is in a state capable of picking up the monocell stack. In this state, the clamp 57 is lifted up and separated from the upper surface of the monocell stack. The holding clamp 60 also rises until the lower arm 601 leaves the lower arm receiving groove 581 of the cell jig 58.

The holding clamp 60 is advanced until the rear end of the monocell stack is out of the front end of the clamp 57. In this state, the front surface of the transfer body 603 constituting the holding clamp 60 is kept spaced apart from the clamp 57.

Then, when the monocell stack is out of the lifting area of the clamp 57, the clamp 57 is lowered to return to the original position. Then, the upper surface of the clamp 57 is spaced apart from the bottom of the transfer body 603. In this state, the holding clamp 60 is further advanced so that the monocell stack is advanced to the crimp position formed in the press device 59.

Here, the press device 59 is disposed at a point higher than the upper surface of the cell jig 58, the clamp 57 is returned to its original position, and then the holding clamp 60 of the press device 59 It may be designed to rise further to the inlet height and then to advance.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a press apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23 is a bottom perspective view of a press upper constituting the press apparatus.

22 and 23, the press apparatus 59 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a press lower 591 in which a monolithic laminate is mounted, and a press lower 591 of the press lower 591. It may include a press upper (592) provided to be able to be elevated from the upper side. Of course, although not shown, pneumatic or hydraulic pressure acts on the press upper 592 to strongly compress the press lower 591.

In addition, a heat wire is built in the bottom surface of the press upper 592 and the top surface of the press lower 591 to heat the monocell laminate.

A lower arm receiving groove 591a is formed on an upper surface of the press lower 591, and the lower arm receiving groove 591a has the same shape and function as the lower arm receiving groove 581 formed in the cell jig 58. Do. That is, it is a groove for accommodating the lower arm 601 of the holding clamp 60.

In addition, a pattern (or frame) 592a corresponding to the shape of the secondary battery cell after the pressing process is completed is formed on the bottom surface of the press upper 592. Therefore, the secondary battery cell will be made in a shape corresponding to the frame shape formed on the bottom of the press upper 592.

Further, a lower arm avoiding portion 592a having the same shape as the lower arm receiving groove 591a is recessed in the bottom of the press upper 592 at a position corresponding to the lower arm receiving groove 591a.

In detail, since the lower arm receiving groove 591a of the press lower 591 is spaced apart from the bottom of the monocell stack, heating and pressing are not performed. In this state, if the lower arm avoiding portion 592b is not present in the press upper 592, after the pressing process is completed, the bottom surface of the secondary battery cell corresponding to the lower arm receiving groove 591a protrudes downward. Will be.

In the portion corresponding to the position of the lower arm accommodating groove 591a, thermocompression acts only on the upper surface of the monocell stack, and thermocompression acts on both sides of the monocell stack. . As a result, there is a high possibility of producing a defective battery cell. Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem from occurring, the lower upper groove 592b having the same shape is recessed in the press upper 592 at the bottom thereof.

Meanwhile, the holding clamp 60 is advanced while the monocell stack is held, and the monocell stack is placed on the upper surface of the press lower 591. Then, after the upper arm 602 of the holding clamp 60 is raised, the holding clamp 60 is retracted, and the press upper 592 is lowered to press the monocell stack together with heat to a predetermined pressure. Then, the stacked plurality of monocells are compressed to form a single secondary battery cell.

On the other hand, after the prepress process and the main press process, the monocell laminate is made in the form of one secondary battery cell. However, an upper surface of the secondary battery cell corresponding to the lower arm accommodating groove 591a protrudes in the size and shape of the lower arm accommodating groove 591a.

Therefore, after the prepress process and the main press process, the secondary battery cell is transferred to the final press area for thermocompression bonding the protrusion corresponding to the shape of the lower arm accommodating groove 591a.

On the other hand, after the pre-press or the main press process, the monocell stack or secondary battery cell is moved from the press device 59 to the cell jig 59 and the cell jig 59 moves to the next step. .

At this time, the monocell stack or the secondary battery cell in the press device 59 is gripped again by the holding clamp and moved to the upper surface of the cell jig 58.

24 is an enlarged perspective view showing a final press area of the lamination and thermocompression bonding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 24, the secondary battery cell manufactured while passing through the prepress and the main press is moved in the direction of the arrow in a state of being seated on the cell jig 58 and transferred to the final press part J3.

In detail, the final press part J3 may be located on the side of the main press part J2 to allow the cell jig 58 to move linearly, as shown in the drawing. You can also make the travel path turn 90 degrees after passing.

In addition, in both the prepress process, the main press process, and the final press process, the holding clamp may hold the monocell stack and transfer the same into the press apparatus. In the final press process, a separate transfer unit 62 may be used. The mono-cell stack (or secondary battery cell) may be transferred to the final press device. Hereinafter, a description will be given by taking an example in which the monocell stack is supplied into the final press device 60 by a separate transfer unit.

The secondary battery cell 10a that has passed through the main press process and is placed on the cell jig 58 and transferred to the inlet of the final press device 61 is sucked by the transfer unit 62. Before that, the clamp 57, which has been pressed on the secondary battery cell 10a, is raised to be spaced apart from the upper surface of the secondary battery cell 10a.

In this state, the transfer unit 62 adsorbs the secondary battery cell 10a to guide the inside of the final press device 61. Here, the transfer unit 62 may be an adsorptive transfer member provided with the adsorption unit (or adsorption plate) described above.

In addition, the final press device 61 may include a press lower 611 and a press upper 612, the press upper 612 is provided to be lowered. This is the same as the structure of the press apparatus 59 provided in the said prepress part J1 or the main press part J2. However, the bottom surface of the press upper 612 and the top surface of the press lower 611 are different from each other to form a smooth plane without depressions.

In detail, while the press upper 612 is raised and spaced apart from the press lower 611, the transfer unit 62 transfers the secondary battery cell 10a placed on the cell jig 58 to press the press. It is seated in the lower 611. Then, the baby feed unit 62 returns to its original position.

In this state, the press upper 612 is lowered to press the upper surface of the secondary battery cell with heat and pressure. Then, the portion protruding in the shape of a lower arm receiving groove is pressed on the upper surface of the secondary battery cell. The protruding portion is pressed to maintain the same height as the upper surface of the secondary battery cell. Here, the upper surface portion of the secondary battery cell means the upper surface of the monocell stacked portion of the uppermost side. That is, when passing through the final press process, the upper surface of the protruding portion forms the same plane as the upper surface of the portions pressed from the main press portion, and one complete secondary battery cell is formed.

FIG. 25 is a view illustrating an inspection process of a secondary battery cell that has passed through a thermocompression bonding process.

Referring to FIG. 25, when passing through the final press unit J3, one complete secondary battery cell as shown in FIG. 2 is completed, and the secondary battery cell 10 is connected to another transfer unit 63. Guides to the conveyance belt 64 for inspection. The transfer unit 63 may be a transfer unit of the same type as the transfer unit 62 provided in the final press unit.

When the secondary battery cell is transferred to the transfer belt 64 by the transfer unit 63, the secondary battery cell 10 undergoes an inspection process while moving to the inspection unit K along the transfer belt 64. . That is, shape inspection by a vision camera, thickness inspection, and short inspection are performed in sequence.

That is, it is photographed while passing through the vision camera 65, and it is determined whether the stacking and thermocompression of the secondary battery cells are performed properly. For example, the photographing image may determine whether the monocells are pushed to the side in the lamination process and the side of the cell does not form a vertical plane and is not inclined at an angle, or whether the monocell stack is pushed to the side in the thermocompression process. Can be.

Then, the secondary battery cell passing through the vision camera 65 is transferred to the thickness measuring unit 66, it is determined whether the compression is made well to the designed thickness. In addition, the secondary battery cell passing through the thickness measuring unit 66 is transferred to the short inspection unit 67, and it is determined whether the short-circuited phenomenon does not occur due to sticking of the electrode parts in the thermocompression bonding process.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view of a stacker constituting a cell stack and a thermocompression unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 26, whether each of the secondary battery cells is defective may be determined while passing through the short inspection unit 67. In addition, the secondary battery cells determined to be defective are collected along with the disposal belt (not shown) by continuously moving along the transfer belt 64. On the contrary, the secondary battery cell judged as good quality is picked up by the pickup unit 68, and loaded in a separate cassette.

The secondary battery cell, which is determined to be a good product through such a series of processes, is packaged by a pouch and moved to a packaging process in which electrolyte is injected. Since the process after the package process is the same as that applied to the conventional secondary battery cell manufacturing process, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Claims

A cassette loaded with a monocell in which the separator is cut;

A pickup unit for picking up the monocell loaded in the cassette;

A photographing unit which photographs an image of the monocell picked up by the pickup unit;

An alignment unit for aligning the monocell with a reference line for stacking based on the image information of the monocell photographed by the photographing unit;

A stacking unit stacking the aligned monocells;

A thermocompression unit for pressurizing the monocell stack made from the stack with heat and pressure;

An inspection unit to determine whether a secondary battery cell made while passing through the thermocompression unit is defective; And

A cell lamination and thermocompression bonding apparatus comprising a loading section for loading a secondary battery cell determined as good quality.
The method of claim 1,

The pickup unit,

A pickup unit which sucks the monocell loaded in the cassette and is provided to be movable in the vertical direction;

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus including a transfer unit for receiving the monocell picked up by the pickup unit to transfer to the alignment unit.
The method of claim 2,

The pickup unit,

Pickup body;

Adsorption units provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the pickup body to adsorb the monocells one by one;

A rotating shaft extending to the side of the pickup body;

Cell lamination and thermocompression apparatus connected to the rotary shaft, including a drive motor for rotating the rotary shaft in the forward or reverse direction.
The method of claim 3, wherein

A plurality of the pickup body is connected to the rotary shaft, the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of monocells can be picked up at one time.
The method of claim 2,

The transfer unit,

The transfer unit,

A transfer body movable in the vertical and horizontal directions,

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus comprising a suction plate connected to the transfer body.
The method of claim 1,

The alignment unit,

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus comprising an alignment stand for driving in accordance with the alignment information calculated by analyzing the image of the mono-cell photographed by the photographing unit.
The method of claim 6,

The alignment stand,

An alignment drive unit,

And an alignment table on which the monocells transferred by the transfer unit are seated.

The alignment table,

By the operation of the alignment drive unit, the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus characterized in that the linear movement in a first direction or a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the rotation around the vertical axis on a horizontal plane.
The method of claim 1,

The lamination part,

A cell jig in which the monocells transferred from the alignment unit are stacked;

A gripper for holding a monocell stacked on the cell jig;

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus comprising a clamp for pressing the mono-cell stack placed on the cell jig when the lamination is completed and the cell jig moves to the thermocompression unit.
The method of claim 8,

The thermocompression unit,

Press,

And a holding clamp configured to hold the monocell stack placed on the cell jig and transfer the monocell stack to the press unit.
The method of claim 9,

The press unit,

A pre-press unit for pressurizing the monocell laminate with low heat and pressure;

It includes a main press unit for pressurizing again the monocell laminate passed through the pre-press unit with high heat and pressure,

In the main press portion, the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus, characterized in that the portion except for the portion of the cell stack is held by the holding clamp.
The method of claim 10,

The press unit,

And a final press part configured to press the portion of the cell stack not thermally compressed in the main press part with high heat and pressure to complete the cell stack as a secondary battery cell.
The method of claim 9,

The holding clamp is,

With a transfer body,

A rail unit provided on the front surface of the transfer body;

A lower arm fixed to the rail part and supporting a bottom surface of the cell stacked body placed on the cell jig;

A cell stacking and thermocompression bonding apparatus including an upper arm connected to the rail to move upward and downward, and pressing an upper surface of the cell stack.
The method of claim 12,

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus, characterized in that the lower arm receiving groove in which the lower arm is accommodated is formed on the upper surface of the cell jig.
The method of claim 12,

The monocell stack placed on the cell jig is transferred to the prepress section and the main press section by the holding clamp,

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus characterized in that the cell stack passing through the main press portion is transferred to the final press portion by a separate transfer unit.
The method of claim 14,

The separate transfer unit, the cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus comprising a transfer member provided with a suction plate.
The method of claim 12,

The press apparatus provided in the said press part,

The press lower on which the monocell stack is placed,

A press upper provided on the upper side of the press lower so as to be liftable to press the monocell laminate,

Cell press and thermocompression apparatus, characterized in that the heating wire is built in the press lower and the press upper.
The method of claim 16,

A lower arm receiving groove for receiving the lower arm is formed on an upper surface of the press lower of the press apparatus provided in the prepress unit and the main press unit.

On the bottom surface of the press upper of the press apparatus provided in the prepress section and the main press section, a frame structure corresponding to the final shape of the secondary battery cell is formed.

And a lower arm avoiding groove corresponding to the size and shape of the lower arm receiving groove is formed on a bottom surface of the press upper corresponding to the position of the lower arm receiving groove.
The method of claim 16,

The upper surface of the press lower and the lower surface of the press upper of the press apparatus provided in the final press portion forms a smooth plane cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus.
The method of claim 1,

The inspection unit,

A vision camera installed to inspect a shape of a secondary battery cell manufactured while passing through the press unit;

Thickness measuring unit for measuring the thickness of the secondary battery cell, And

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus comprising a short inspection unit for inspecting whether the secondary battery cell is short.
The method of claim 19,

Good quality cell pick-up unit which picks up the secondary battery cell judged good quality while passing the said short test part,

Cell stacking and thermocompression apparatus further comprising a cassette for loading the secondary battery cells conveyed by the good cell pick-up unit.
Picking up the monocell loaded on the cassette and transferring the monocell to the alignment unit;

Aligning the monocell with a stack reference line in the alignment unit;

Directing and aligning the aligned monocells to a stacking unit;

Pressing the stacked monocell laminates by heat and pressure in a press apparatus;

Cell lamination and thermocompression method comprising the step of manufacturing a secondary battery cell while passing through the thermocompression process.
The method of claim 21,

Determining whether the manufactured secondary battery cell is defective; And

And a secondary battery cell determined as good is loaded, and the secondary battery cell determined as defective is discarded.
The method of claim 22,

Determining whether or not defective of the secondary battery cell is determined,

Inspecting a shape of the secondary battery cell by a vision camera;

Checking the thickness of the secondary battery cell, and

Cell stacking and thermocompression method comprising the step of checking whether the secondary battery cell is short.
The method of claim 21,

The pressing step,

A prepress step of pressurizing the monocell laminate with low heat and pressure,

A main press step of pressurizing the monocell laminate having undergone the prepress step with high heat and pressure, and

Cell pressing and thermocompression method comprising a final press step of pressing the upper surface portion of the monocell laminate not pressed in the main press step.