JP2000011999A - Electrode element manufacturing device for polymer battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing device producing a high quality electrode element for a polymer battery with a good yield by always applying a desired pressing load to an electrode member layered body. SOLUTION: This manufacturing device is provided with heating sources 5a, 5b for heating an electrode member layered body for a polymer battery, a pair of rotary pressure rollers 6a, 6b, which press and integrate the heated electrode member layered body for the polymer battery when it is passed between their circumferential faces, slidable journalling mechanisms 7a, 7b slidably journalling at least one of the rotary pressure rollers 6a, 6b for setting an interval between their opposed outer circumferential faces arbitrarily, and a control stopper 11 which quantitatively regulates slidable journalling by the slidable journalling mechanisms 7a, 7b so as to control the facing outer circumference interval 12 between the rotary pressure rollers 6a, 6b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery, and more particularly, to a lamination apparatus for a laminate constituting an electrode element for a polymer battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, cordless and high performance electronic devices such as portable telephones and portable notebook personal computers have been remarkable.
There is a demand for smaller, lighter, thinner and larger capacities.
In response to such demands, a lithium non-aqueous solvent having a thickness of about 0.5 mm and having an electrode element in which a positive electrode layer, a polymer-electrolyte layer, and a negative electrode layer are laminated and integrated into a sheet (thin) is provided. Batteries are also known (eg, US Pat. No. 5,296,318).

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an example of the configuration of the electrode element for a polymer electrolyte battery. FIG.
In the above, 1 is a system of a polymer-electrolyte system having an electrolyte retention functioning as a separator (for example, a polymer such as hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer and an ethylene carbonate solution such as a lithium salt, a non-aqueous electrolyte solution). 2) a positive electrode formed by stacking a positive electrode layer containing an active material such as a metal oxide, a non-aqueous electrolyte and an electrolyte-retaining polymer on a current collector; 3) an active material that absorbs and releases lithium ions; This is a negative electrode obtained by laminating a negative electrode layer containing an electrolytic solution and an electrolyte-retaining polymer on a current collector. The battery element is assembled by covering and protecting the back surface side of the positive electrode 2 and the negative electrode 3 with a resin film or by sealing or sealing the same in an outer can.

The active material of the positive electrode 2 includes lithium manganese composite oxide, manganese dioxide, lithium-containing cobalt oxide, lithium-containing nickel cobalt oxide, lithium-containing amorphous vanadium pentoxide, chalcogen compound and the like. Is mentioned. Examples of the negative electrode active material include fired products such as bisphenol resin, polyacrylonitrile, and cellulose, and fired products of coke and pitch. These include natural or artificial graphite, carbon black, acetylene black, Ketjen black, and nickel powder. And a form containing nickel powder or the like.

Further, the electrolyte system 1 is prepared by adding lithium perchlorate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, boron tetrafluoride to a non-aqueous solvent such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and methyl ethyl carbonate. Examples thereof include those in which lithium fluoride, lithium arsenide hexafluoride, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate, and the like are dissolved at about 0.2 to 2 mol / l. By the way, this kind of lightweight
In manufacturing a flexible polymer battery, as a premise, lamination of an electrode member is performed. That is, a sheet-like positive electrode 2, a separator (polymer-electrolyte system) 1, and a negative electrode 3 which are electrode members are combined in a laminated form, and this laminated body is integrated in a process of passing between rotary press rolls (laminator rolls). I do. Here, it is desirable that the rotary pressure roll is configured as a heating type using electric heat or hot water as a heat source.

Thereafter, the integrated electrode element is cut and separated into predetermined shapes and dimensions, if necessary, and external leads are attached thereto, for example, and mounted in a battery outer can. Then, if necessary, after supplying and injecting the electrolyte, the opening of the battery outer can is sealed while the external lead is led out, thereby manufacturing a lithium polymer battery.

[0007]

However, in the case of a manufacturing means (manufacturing apparatus) for integrating the above-mentioned laminate of electrode members, it is difficult to set the pressure and load, and it is difficult to set the electrode element for a polymer battery having the required performance. There is a problem that the production yield is generally inferior. For example, in a generally known laminating apparatus that uses a pressure roll lined with flexible rubbers, the load at the time of pressing is set lower, and lamination integration is insufficient and compactness is hindered. You. Also,
Since a generally known roll-type press method is a roll gap-regulating type for a laminated body, a load varies depending on the thickness of the electrode member laminated body, and a constant lamination cannot be performed.

In order to make the load constant, it has been attempted to apply a required load to the pressure rolls. However, at the stage of inserting between the pressure rolls, the leading end of the laminated body is crushed. , Inserting between pressure rolls and laminating (integrating electrode elements)
After that, it protrudes to the rear end side to generate a partly thick portion. Here, the generation of portions having different thicknesses in the electrode element causes non-uniformity of the reaction portion in the battery reaction, adversely affects the performance of the polymer battery, and consequently, the reliability and the like. May be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is intended to obtain a high-yield, high-quality electrode element for a polymer battery by constantly applying a required pressing load to an electrode member laminate. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of performing the above.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a heating source for heating a laminate of polymer battery electrode members, and a heated laminate of polymer battery electrode members are inserted through a peripheral surface. A pair of rotary pressure rolls for pressure integration, a sliding shaft support mechanism for slidingly supporting at least one of the rotary pressure rolls so that an opposing outer peripheral surface interval can be set arbitrarily; A control stopper for slidably regulating the bearing by a dynamic bearing mechanism and controlling a distance between opposed outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary press roll, and a device for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to the first aspect, the rotary pressure roll has a built-in heating source for heating the laminate of the electrode members for the polymer battery. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to the first or second aspect, a load is applied to at least one of the rotary pressure rolls slidably supported. And a load applying mechanism that performs the operation.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the pressing and integrating between the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of rotary press rolls corresponds to the lamination thickness of the electrode members, the material of the electrode members, and the like. It is an object of the present invention to apply uniform required pressure and load to the electrodes, and to obtain an electrode element having no variation in performance with good yield. Here, the pair of rotary pressure rolls is usually arranged adjacent to a heating mechanism with a built-in heating source for heating and supplying the electrode member laminate while heating the electrode member laminate.

That is, after heating the electrode member laminate for a polymer battery to a required temperature, the laminate is continuously supplied to a rotary pressure roll. Therefore, by rotating at substantially the same speed as the transport mechanism, it is possible to integrate the laminates while avoiding the occurrence of friction damage on the outer peripheral surface of the laminate.

In the invention of claims 1 to 3,
If necessary, the transport mechanism for transporting the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery includes, for example, a pair of endless belts arranged so as to be able to be held in a sandwiched manner, and is generally at least 40 to 200 ° C. It is required to have heat resistance to withstand the temperature of about. Here, the endless type belt can convey the electrode member laminate for the polymer battery to the pressure roll while reinforcing, so to speak, without causing shape collapse or the like.

Prior to the supply of power to the rotary pressure roll, a heating source for heating the electrode member laminate is, for example, electric resistance heat, hot water or steam. In this sense, when incorporated in the transport mechanism, for example, the endless belt is thick enough to transmit the required temperature,
A material or a structure is desired. That is, when the material is tetrafluoroethylene fiber, the thickness is 0.1 to 0.5 mm.
A tape or sheet shape is preferred.

The traveling drive mechanism of the pair of transport mechanisms has, for example, in the case of an endless type belt, a drive roll serving as a drive source and a guide roll for guiding travel. By causing the laminate to travel at a substantially constant speed in a fixed direction, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of friction damage on the outer peripheral surface of the laminate. Further, the distance between the main surfaces of both endless belts is appropriately adjusted in order to convey the stacked body of the electrode members for a polymer battery while holding the pair of conveying mechanisms in a sandwiched manner so as not to cause deformation or damage. It is desirable to have a configuration.

[0018] In the first to third aspects of the present invention, the pair of rotary press rolls are made of a metal such as stainless steel, ceramics, or the like, and are cylindrical bodies having flat crimped surfaces. The size, shape, and the like of the surface are appropriately set in accordance with the electrode member laminate as the member to be pressed.

Further, in order to make it possible to arbitrarily set the spacing between the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the pressure rolls or the pressure (pressing) force, at least one rotary pressure roll is parallel to the other pressure roll side. The sliding support mechanism is
A configuration in which the shaft is slidably supported is adopted. The sliding of the pivot can be performed by sliding the pivot mechanism of the rotary press roll integrally with the pivot mechanism of the other rotary press roll by a cylinder mechanism or the like. Here, the cylinder mechanism or the like can also apply a load to the rotary pressure roll via a shaft support mechanism of the rotary pressure roll.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the control stopper quantitatively regulates a slidable distance of the sliding shaft support mechanism. That is, it is a stopper for stopping the sliding separation of the sliding shaft supporting mechanism that slidably supports at least one of the rotary pressure rolls. This control stopper regulates the sliding at a constant interval, controls the interval between the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary pressure roll, and performs pressure bonding corresponding to the thickness and the material of the electrode member laminate to be laminated and integrated. become.

In the first to third aspects of the present invention, the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery is supplied to a rotary roll in a state where the laminate is preheated, and integrated under pressure. Also, at the time of pressurization / integration, the distance between the outer peripheral surfaces of the press rolls can be easily regulated according to the thickness and material of the laminate of the electrode members. This makes it possible to provide high-quality battery elements with high yield and mass production.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG.

FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a plan view. 1 to 3, 4a and 4b are a pair of supports fixedly arranged on a base (not shown), 5a is a fixed heater block supported by the pair of supports 4a and 4b, and 5b is The movable heater block is opposed to the fixed heater block 5a, and is supported by the first air cylinder 5c so as to be capable of coming and going.

6a and 6b are the heater blocks 5a and
5b is a pair of rotary pressure rolls (laminate rolls) for integrating the laminate of the polymer battery electrode members heated to the required temperature. Here, the rotary pressure rolls 6a, 6b
Is made of steel and has a diameter of about 100 mm and a roll width of 4
The outer peripheral surface of a roll base having a thickness of about 00 mm is coated with an aluminum nitride layer having a thickness of about 0.05 mm, and each is supported by a sliding support mechanism as described below.

That is, one rotary pressure roll 6a is
The first pressure roll holding portion 7a is rotatably supported by the first pressure roll holding portion 7a, and the other rotary pressure roll 6b is rotatably supported by the first pressure roll holding portion 7a.
Second pressure roll holder 7b for slidingly placing and mounting 7a
Is rotatably supported. More specifically, the outer side surface of the first pressure roll holding portion 7a is engaged and slidably disposed on the inner side surface of the second pressure roll holding portion 7b.
The pressurizing roll holding unit 7a is fixed to the rotary pressurizing roll 6b fixed by the second air cylinders 8a and 8b.
The movable pressurizing roll 6a, which has been made movable, can be separated and connected in parallel.

The rotary press rolls 6a and 6b rotate, for example, a rotational driving force of a motor 9 or the like via a power transmission mechanism 10 such as a gear. Further, the second air cylinders 8a and 8b are in a state where a constant load is applied to the rotary press roll 6a.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a control stopper for performing a parallel separation / contact interval (quantity regulation) 12 of the rotary press roll 6a with respect to the rotary press roll 6b. It is mounted and arranged such that the separation / contact interval 12 can be arbitrarily adjusted and set. Here, the control stopper 11
Is, for example, a micrometer head. By opening and closing the control stopper 11, the first pressure roll holding portion 7a is moved forward and backward, and as a result, the outer surface of the fixed rotary pressure roll 6b is fixed. Then, the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the movable pressurizing rolls 6a, which are made movable, are separated and contacted in parallel. In addition, it is generally desirable that the quantitative regulation 12 by the control stopper 11 is about +5 μm with respect to the thickness of the electrode element to be formed by pressure bonding.

Next, the operation of the manufacturing apparatus will be described.

First, a sheet-like positive electrode (for example, a metal oxide or the like) is sandwiched between a sheet-shaped polymer-electrolyte system (for example, hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer) that functions as a separator and functions as a separator. And a sheet-shaped negative electrode (for example, a negative electrode layer containing an active material that absorbs and releases lithium ions and an electrolyte-retaining polymer). ) Is prepared.

Next, the laminate constituting the electrode element is held between the heater blocks 5a and 5b in a sandwiched manner, and is heated at a predetermined temperature (generally, about 100 to 160 ° C.). The laminated body temporarily heated by the heater blocks 5a and 5b is inserted between the rotary pressure rolls 6a and 6b, and pressure integration is performed by the opposed outer peripheral surfaces. That is, when the front end portion of the temporarily heated laminate is inserted between the rotary press rolls 6a and 6b, the first pressing member that slideably supports the rotary press roll 6a. The pressure roll holding unit 7a is a rotary pressure roll 6a.
It rises while supporting it.

Then, the first pressure roll holding section 7a is regulated by a control stopper 11 in a predetermined amount. In other words, the rotary pressure roll 6a, which is slidably supported on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed rotary pressure roll 6b, is supported by the sliding shaft support mechanism. The sliding distance of the support shaft of the rotary pressurizing roll 6a is restricted to a certain range 12 by being restricted to the facing interval corresponding to the thickness. Due to the regulation of the sliding amount 12 of the rotary press roll 6a, the pressing (compression) force of the rotary press roll 6a (for example, 0.5 to 2 kgf / cm)
The pressure is kept constant and the pressurized and crimped body (electrode element)
Thickness uniformity is ensured. That is, an electrode element exhibiting uniform performance without a partial change in film thickness is formed with a high yield.

In the construction of the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus, it is also possible to adopt a system in which the heater elements 5a and 5b are incorporated in the transfer of the laminated body to be pressed and integrated to form the electrode elements continuously. That is, a pair of heat-resistant endless belts (for example, made of tetrafluoroethylene fiber) are arranged so that the laminate can be conveyed in a sandwiched manner, and run in a certain direction by a rotary driving roll and a rotary guide roll. As a configuration, the heater blocks 5a and 5b may be arranged inside a surface serving as a transport path of the laminate.

In the above configuration, one of the heat-resistant endless belt and the heater block 5b is disposed so as to be able to be separated from and contacted with the other heat-resistant endless belt and the heater block 5b, and the thickness of the stacked body to be conveyed. It is preferable that the distance between the facing surfaces can be arbitrarily adjusted in accordance with the above. Further, in this case, in synchronization with the rotation conveyance (running) of the endless type belt, the rotation type pressure roll 6
a and 6b may be driven to rotate at substantially the same speed.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a heating source is built in a rotary type press roll, or the sliding advance / retreat / drive of the shaft of the rotary type press roll is performed by using an oil cylinder instead of an air cylinder. It may be a driving source.

[0035]

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-quality electrode element for a polymer battery with high yield and mass production. That is, in the lamination of the electrode element for a polymer battery, between the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary pressure rolls is pressed within a certain interval corresponding to the thickness of the electrode member to be laminated and integrated. It is always integrated (laminated) with a good smooth outer peripheral surface and a substantially uniform load over the entire surface. Therefore, it is possible to produce an electrode element having a constant performance without any qualitative variation such as denseness with good reproducibility, and contribute to mass production of a highly reliable polymer battery with high yield.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an electrode element for a polymer battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4a, 4b Support 5a Fixed heater block 5b Movable heater block 5c First air cylinder 6a, 6b Rotary pressure roll 7a First pressure roll holder (Sliding shaft support mechanism) 7b: First pressure roll holding unit (sliding shaft support mechanism) 8a, 8b: Second air cylinder 9: Motor (rotary drive source) 10: Power transmission mechanism 11 Control stopper 12 Quantitative regulation (separation distance)

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Shimazu 3-4-10 Minamishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Toshiba Battery Corporation (72) Inventor Keiichi Shimomura 3-4-1-10 Minamishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Toshiba Battery Stock In-house F term (reference) 5H014 AA01 BB01 BB05 BB17 CC01 EE02

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A heating source for heating a laminate of electrode members for a polymer battery, and a pair of rotary pressure rolls for pressurizing and integrating the heated laminate of electrode members for a polymer battery by being inserted between peripheral surfaces. A sliding support mechanism for slidingly supporting at least one of the rotary pressure rolls so that an opposing outer peripheral surface interval can be set arbitrarily; and a sliding support for the sliding support mechanism. And a control stopper for controlling the distance between the opposed outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary pressure rolls in a quantitative manner. 2. The apparatus for producing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to claim 1, wherein the rotary pressure roll has a built-in heating source for heating the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery. 3. The polymer battery according to claim 1, wherein a load applying mechanism for applying a load is provided on at least one of the rotary pressure rolls that are slidably supported on the shaft. Equipment for manufacturing electrode elements.