JPH1167227A - Manufacturing equipment of electrode element for polymer battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily provide the manufacturing method of an electrode element for a polymer battery with high quality in high yield, capable of avoiding the adhesion of an electrode member to a pressing roller and preventing the formation of irregularities on the pressing surface (the outer circumferential surface) of the pressing roller, without forming a laminate of the electrode member in a film package. SOLUTION: The manufacturing equipment has carrying mechanisms 5a, 5b arranged almost in parallel so as to be capable of optionally setting the facing distance and carrying a laminate 7 of an electrode member for a polymer battery in a sandwiched manner, a driving mechanism 6a for driving the carrying mechanisms 5a, 5b, and a pair of pressing rollers 11a, 11b for integrating the laminate 7 of the electrode element for the polymer battery carried, and at least the outer circumferential surfaces of the pressing rollers 11a, 11b are made of materials 11a2 , 11b2 with high wear resistance, high corrosion resistance, and high releasability from a mold, at high temperature.

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. 3 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 a hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer and an ethylene carbonate solution such as a lithium salt, a nonaqueous 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 electrode element is assembled as a battery by covering and protecting the back surfaces of the positive electrode 2 and the negative electrode 3 with a resin film, or by sealing them in an outer can. .

The active material of the positive electrode 2 includes, for example, lithium manganese composite oxide, manganese dioxide, lithium-containing cobalt oxide, lithium-containing nickel cobalt oxide, lithium-containing amorphous vanadium pentoxide, chalcogen compound, etc. Is mentioned. Examples of the negative electrode active material include fired products of bisphenol resin, polyacrylonitrile, cellulose, and the like, and fired products of coke and pitch. These are natural or artificial graphite, carbon black, acetylene black, Ketjen black, nickel powder, and the like. 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, in manufacturing such a lightweight and flexible polymer battery, lamination of an electrode element is performed as a precondition. That is, the positive electrode 2, the separator (polymer-electrolyte) 1, and the negative electrode 3, which are the electrode elements, are combined in a laminated state, and the laminated body is integrated in a process of passing between pressure rollers (laminator rollers). Here, the pressure roller is configured as a heating type using electric heat or hot water as a heat source, and
Since the laminate is soft and difficult to handle when it is applied to the pressure roller, it may be out of shape, so it is wrapped with a tetrafluoroethylene film (package) with a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and then pressed and integrated in a mechanically reinforced form. I have.

Thereafter, the integrated electrode element is cut and separated into predetermined shapes and dimensions, and necessary external leads are provided.
For example, it is mounted in a battery outer can. Then, after supplying and injecting the electrolytic solution if necessary, by leading out the external leads, by sealing the opening of the battery outer can,
Manufactures lithium polymer batteries.

[0008]

However, in the step of integrating the laminate of the electrode members, since the laminate is wrapped in advance with a tetrafluoroethylene film (package) or the like, mass productivity is impaired. There is. In other words, there is not much inconvenience in the polymer battery prototype stage or small-scale production stage.However, in the stage of mass production of the polymer battery, packaging the laminate into a film package complicates the manufacturing process and increases costs. In addition to this, there is a problem in terms of securing yield and reliability. In particular, when a film package of the laminate is manually formed, the reliability of the film package itself is improved, but mass production and productivity are significantly reduced.

In the pressure roller used for the pressure / integration, unevenness due to uneven wear of the outer peripheral surface is recognized in a long-term operation process. There is a possibility that a load may not be applied, and as a result, there is a problem that the battery performance varies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can eliminate and avoid the adhesion of the electrode member to the pressure roller without forming a laminate of the electrode members into a film package. Pressing surface (outer surface)
It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of easily obtaining a high-quality electrode element for a polymer battery with a high yield, in which unevenness or the like is prevented.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport mechanism which is disposed substantially in parallel so that an opposing interval can be arbitrarily set, and which transports a laminate of electrode members for a polymer battery in a sandwiched manner. A traveling drive mechanism for travelingly driving the transport mechanism, and a pair of pressure rollers for integrating the transported polymer battery electrode member laminate, wherein the pressure roller has a high temperature at least on its outer peripheral surface. An apparatus for producing an electrode element for a polymer battery, comprising a material having good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, and releasability.

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 material having good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance and releasability at high temperatures is ceramic. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to the first or second aspect, wherein the material having good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance and releasability at a high temperature is aluminum nitride. Features.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to any one of the first to third aspects, the rotation speed of the pressure roller is interlocked with the transport speed of the transport mechanism. It is characterized by being.

That is, according to the present invention, at least the outer peripheral surface (pressing surface) of the pressing roller has abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance at a high temperature.
It is characterized by being composed of a material having good releasability. Here, examples of the material having good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and releasability at high temperatures include aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, boron nitride, and polytetrafluoroethylene resin.

According to the present invention, it is possible to form a laminated body of an electrode member with good releasability and without any surface roughness when pressing and integrating with a pressing roller. The purpose is to obtain an electrode element that does not vary in terms of performance by applying an appropriate load and to have excellent durability and mass productivity. Therefore, at least the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller needs to be formed of a material having good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and release properties at high temperatures as described above. That is, the pair of pressure rollers are made of a material having good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and releasability as a whole. A composite structure made of a material having good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, and releasability may be used. And the width and diameter are
It is set in accordance with the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery to be integrated under pressure.

The pressure roller is usually arranged adjacent to the direction of travel of the transport mechanism, and is configured to continuously supply a laminate of electrode members for a polymer battery. 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 4,
A transport mechanism for holding and transporting the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery is, for example, a pair of endless belts, and generally requires heat resistance to withstand a temperature of at least about 40 to 200 ° C. Here, the endless belt conveys the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery to the pressure roller while reinforcing, so to speak, without causing shape collapse or the like.

In this transfer process, it is preferable that a heating unit for heating to a required temperature be mounted on the transfer mechanism in order to press and integrate the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery. Here, the heating unit that heats the laminate of the electrode members uses, for example, electric resistance heat generation, hot water, steam, or the like as a heat source. In this sense, the transport mechanism, for example, the endless belt, is desired to have a thickness, a material, a structure, or the like that can transmit the required temperature. For example, when the material is tetrafluoroethylene fiber, a tape or sheet having a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm is preferable.

In the case of an endless belt, the traveling drive mechanism for driving the pair of transport mechanisms has a drive roller as a drive source and a guide roller for guiding traveling. By causing the belt to run at a substantially constant speed in a certain direction, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of friction damage on the outer peripheral surface of the laminate. In addition, 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 so as not to be deformed or damaged while being held between the pair of conveying mechanisms so as to prevent deformation or damage. It has a configuration.

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the laminate of the electrode members for a polymer battery is transported and supplied to a pressure roller which is held and held by a pair of transport mechanisms and is integrated under pressure. In other words, the laminated body of the electrode member for a polymer battery, which does not lose its shape or is easily deformed, is held in a sandwiched manner by the transport mechanism and does not need to be packaged. The pressure is supplied to the pressure roller for pressure integration. Since the pressing surface of the pressing roller is made of a material having good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and releasability at high temperatures, the surface of the electrode member laminate is roughened and worn during pressing and integration. In addition, non-uniform loads can be avoided, and high-quality battery elements can be mass-produced with good yield.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration and arrangement of a main part. 1 and 2, 4a and 4b are a pair of supports fixedly arranged on a base (not shown), and 5a and 5b are a pair of supports arranged so as to be driven by the pair of supports 4a and 4b. Is driven by a traveling drive mechanism (not shown). Here, a pair of heat-resistant endless belts 5a,
5b is made of, for example, tetrafluoroethylene fiber and has a thickness of
It is about 0.4 mm in width, 26 cm in width, and about 75 cm in total length, and is configured to run in a certain direction by the rotation driving roller 6a and the rotation guide rollers 6b and 6c. The pair of heat-resistant endless belts 5a and 5b are arranged substantially in parallel so that the facing distance can be arbitrarily set, and hold and transport the laminate 7 of the electrode members for the polymer battery. I have.

Further, reference numeral 8 denotes the endless belt 5a,
The endless belts 5a, 5b correspond to the thickness of the laminated body 7 of the electrode member for a polymer battery which is held and conveyed in a sandwiched manner by 5b.
A pressure unit 9a and 9b for adjusting the distance between the surfaces are a pair of heating units for heating the laminated body 7 of the electrode members for the polymer battery held and transported by the endless belts 5a and 5b from both sides. .

Here, the pressurizing unit 8 is arranged so as to be able to move forward and backward by facing the endless belts 5a and 5b by, for example, an air cylinder 10. That is, the air cylinder 10 is mounted on the opposite side of the pressure unit 8.
The cylinder fixing plate 8a, to which the air cylinder 10 is fixed, is moved forward and backward by adjusting the adjusting unit 8b, whereby the pressurizing unit 8 is moved forward and backward to adjust the required interval between the endless belts 5a and 5b. The heating units 9a and 9b are, for example, electric heaters, and are set to heat and maintain the endless belts 5a and 5b at a temperature of about 80 to 130 ° C.

Further, 11a and 11b are a pair of pressure rollers (lamination rollers) for integrating the laminated body 7 of the electrode members for the polymer battery which has passed through the endless belts 5a and 5b.
It is. Here the pressure roller 11a, 11b is, for example 100mm diameter approximately in steel, roller base 11a of about roller width 400 mm _1, 11b ₁ and aluminum nitride 11a ₂ coated and integrated the outer peripheral surface of about 0.05mm thick , and a 11b _2. The pressure rollers 11a and 11b rotate at substantially the same peripheral speed, and a chain sprocket with an overload safety device mounted on the rotation shaft of each drive roller 6a of the endless belts 5a and 5b. , And rotates via a chain and a chain sprocket mounted on the rotating shafts of the pressure rollers 11a and 11b. That is, the pressure rollers 11a and 11b are driven to rotate at substantially the same speed in synchronization with the rotation and conveyance of the endless belts 5a and 5b.

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

First, a strip-shaped positive electrode (for example, an active material such as a metal oxide) is sandwiched between a strip-shaped polymer-electrolyte system having a function of a separator and holding an electrolyte (for example, a polymer such as a hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride copolymer). A positive electrode layer containing a substance and an electrolyte-retaining polymer is laminated on a current collector, and a strip-shaped negative electrode (for example, a negative electrode layer containing an active material for absorbing and releasing lithium ions and an electrolyte-retaining polymer is laminated on the current collector). ) Is prepared.

Next, the adjusting unit 8b is adjusted corresponding to the laminate 7 constituting the electrode element for the polymer battery, and the pressurizing unit 8 is moved forward and backward so that the endless belt 5 is moved.
Set the distance between facing surfaces a and 5b. After that, the driving rollers 6a of the traveling mechanism are driven and rotated, and the endless belt is driven.
While running 5a and 5b in a predetermined direction, the laminated body 7 constituting the electrode element is supplied between the opposing surfaces of the endless belts 5a and 5b to start nipping holding conveyance.

In the above-described transport process, the heating units 9a and 9b whose heat generation has been adjusted in advance have a predetermined temperature (generally, 1 unit).
The laminated body 7 constituting the electrode element is heated via the endless belts 5a and 5b maintained at (00 to 160 ° C.). At this point, the pressure of the pressure unit 8 is adjusted by adjusting the adjustment unit 8b, and the opposing surfaces of the endless belts 5a and 5b are maintained at an appropriate interval. There is no risk of damage or the like, and the occurrence of shape loss or deformation is prevented or suppressed.

In the process of transporting the endless belts 5a and 5b, the temporarily heated laminate 7 is rotated by the pressurizing rollers 11a, which are rotated and driven in synchronization with the driving and running of the endless belts 5a and 5b. Pressure roller 11a, 11b
Pressure integration is performed by the peripheral surface. That is, the laminated body 7 that is temporarily integrated with the pressure rollers 11a and 11
During the passage between b and b, the flexibility by heating at the stage of transport and supply and the pressurization by the pressurizing rollers 11a and 11b (for example, 0.5 to 2 kgf / cm) are combined to make the whole uniform. Thus, an electrode element for a polymer battery having uniform characteristics can be easily obtained.

In the above example, the laminated body 7 constituting the electrode element is made into a tape shape, and the belt-like laminated body which is continuously conveyed and supplied, and which is also continuously pressed and integrated by the pressure rollers 11a and 11b is taken out. You may cut | disconnect to required dimension shape.

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, the pressure unit 8 and the heating units 9a and 9b can be separated from each other.
Alternatively, the drive of the pressurizing unit 8 may be performed by another drive source such as an oil cylinder instead of the air cylinder 10.

[0034]

According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-quality polymer battery electrode element with good yield and mass production. That is, in the lamination of the electrode element for a polymer battery, the pressure contact surface of the pressure roller has good releasability, abrasion resistance, and corrosion resistance even at a high temperature, so that it always has a good smooth surface and almost all over. Integration (lamination) is performed with such a load. 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 partially cutaway perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an arrangement configuration of a main part of the electrode element manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an electrode element for a polymer battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

5a, 5b: Endless belt 6a: Driving roller 7: Laminated body forming electrode element 8: Pressing unit 8a: Cylinder fixing plate 8b: Adjusting unit 9a, 9b: Heating unit 10 … Air cylinders 11a, 11b… Pressurizing rollers 11a ₁ , 11b ₁ … Pressure roller bases 11a ₂ , 11b ₂ … Pressurizing roller coating layers

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transport mechanism that is disposed substantially in parallel so that an opposing interval can be arbitrarily set, and that transports a laminate of electrode members for a polymer battery in a sandwiched manner, and a traveling drive mechanism that travels and drives the transport mechanism. A pair of pressure rollers for integrating the conveyed polymer battery electrode member laminate, wherein the pressure roller has at least an outer peripheral surface having high wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and mold release properties at high temperatures. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery, wherein the apparatus is made of a good material. 2. The apparatus for producing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to claim 1, wherein the material having good wear resistance, corrosion resistance and releasability at high temperature is ceramic. 3. The material having good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance and releasability at high temperature is aluminum nitride.
Alternatively, the apparatus for producing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to claim 2. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of the pressure roller is linked to the transport speed of the transport mechanism.
An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode element for a polymer battery according to claim 3.