KR101016870B1 - Packing method of secondary battery and mold apparatus used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for packing a secondary battery and a mold apparatus used for the same are provided to reduce a whole processing time required for two tasks by performing the molding using a molten resin and the bond of a label in one a molder. CONSTITUTION: A method for packing a secondary battery comprises the steps of: arranging a bare cell with a plate-like label on a mold device(400); heating the label to bond the label and the bare cell; and forming a lower case by providing a molten resin through the mold device in order to be cured by contacting the label. The label includes a metal layer and a resin layer attached to the bare cell of the metal layer.

Description

TECHNICAL FOR PACKING SECONDARY BATTERY AND MOLD APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR PACKING THE SAME

The present invention relates to a packing method of a rechargeable battery and a mold apparatus used therefor.

Lithium ion secondary batteries are widely used due to their high nominal voltage and high energy density per unit weight / volume.

The positive electrode plate of the lithium ion secondary battery mainly uses a lithium oxide as an active material layer, and the negative electrode plate uses a carbon material. The lithium ion secondary battery may use a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte made of an organic solvent or a solid polymer electrolyte. The latter may be classified as a lithium ion polymer battery.

In addition, the lithium ion secondary battery may be classified into a cylindrical shape, a square shape, and a pouch type according to the manufactured shape.

In the first half of the manufacturing process of the rechargeable battery, a bare cell is formed. In the latter part, the label is bonded to the bare cell and a part of the bare cell and the label is molded with resin to form a lower case.

During the later work, the label bonding and the lower case forming work are performed separately without being related to each other. Therefore, performing the above two tasks requires the total amount of time required for each task.

One object of the present invention is to enable label bonding and lower case formation in a manner different from that of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to allow the label combination and the lower case formation can be carried out in a single operation.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of packing a secondary battery, the method comprising: wrapping a bare cell with a label of a sheet material and placing the bare cell in a mold device; Applying heat and providing molten resin through the mold apparatus to cure in contact with the label to form a bottom case.

The label may include a resin layer attached to a metal layer and a surface facing the bare cell of the metal layer. The label may be bonded to the bare cell as the resin layer is melted by the heating.

The molten resin and the resin layer may be formed of a material having the same melting point.

A protective circuit module may be coupled to one end of the bare cell. In this case, the molten resin may be cured and coupled to the other end opposite to one end to which the protection circuit module of the bare cell is coupled.

The bare cell may be maintained at the same position during the application of the heat and the provision of the molten resin. Applying heat to the label and forming the lower case may be performed at the same time.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a mold apparatus for secondary battery packing includes a frame, a heating core, and a flow channel. The frame is formed to support a bare cell wrapped with a label of sheet material. The heating core is configured to apply heat toward the label and is disposed in the frame to face at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the bare cell. The flow channel forms a space in which the fluid can flow in the frame to guide the molten resin toward the bare cell and the label.

The frame and the heating core are each composed of a pair, and the pair of heating cores may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the bare cell.

The direction perpendicular to the main surface of the heating core may be perpendicular to the extending direction of the flow channel.

The heating core may be formed with a through hole for receiving the heating element. In this case, a through channel extending in correspondence with the through hole may be formed in the frame.

A protection circuit module coupled to one end of the bare cell may be further provided. In this case, the flow channel may be formed to extend toward the other end opposite to one end to which the protective circuit module of the bare cell is coupled.

The packing method of the secondary battery and the mold apparatus therefor according to the present invention constituted as described above are configured so that the bonding of the label and the molding using the molten resin are performed as one operation in one mold apparatus, so that the entire work required for the two operations is performed. It makes it possible to reduce the process time.

Hereinafter, a packing method of a secondary battery and a mold apparatus therefor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a core pack 200 of a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a combined state of the core pack 200 of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, the core pack 200 may include a bare cell 110, a protection circuit module 120, and an upper case 130.

The bare cell 110 may include an electrode assembly (not shown), an electrode terminal 111, and a first insulating tape 112. The bare cell 110 is illustrated as a pouch type. The electrode assembly is a stack of a positive electrode plate, a separator, and a negative electrode plate sequentially, and is wound in the shape of a jelly role to be stored in the bare cell 110.

The electrode terminal 111 may include a first electrode terminal 111a and a second electrode terminal 111b.

The first electrode terminal 111a and the second electrode terminal 111b may be exposed at one end of the bare cell 110. The first electrode terminal 111a may be electrically connected to the positive electrode plate or the negative electrode plate to be electrically negative electrode or positive electrode. The first electrode terminal 111a may be bent along one surface of the bare cell 110 after being electrically connected to the protection circuit module 120 in the process of assembling the secondary battery 100.

The second electrode terminal 111b may be electrically connected to the positive electrode plate or the negative electrode plate and may have a polarity electrically opposite to that of the first electrode terminal 111a. The second electrode terminal 111b may be bent along one surface of the bare cell 110 after being electrically connected to the protection circuit module 120 in the process of assembling the secondary battery.

The first insulating tape 112 may be located between one surface of the bare cell 110 and the first electrode terminal 111a and the second electrode terminal 111b. The first insulating tape 112 is a double-sided tape and fixes the first electrode terminal 111a and the second electrode terminal 111b that are bent along one surface of the bare cell 110.

The protection circuit module 120 includes a substrate 121, a protection circuit unit 122, a lead plate 123, a tab 124, a fuse 125, an external terminal 126, and a second insulating tape 127. can do. The protection circuit module 120 may protect the bare cell 110 from overcharge and overdischarge.

The protection circuit unit 122, the lead plate 123, the tab 124, the fuse 125, and the external terminal 126 may be electrically connected to the substrate 121.

The protection circuit 122 includes a switching element, and may protect the secondary battery by opening a circuit during overcharge or overdischarge.

The lead plate 123 extends from the substrate 121 toward the bare cell 110 and may be electrically connected to the first electrode terminal 111a. The lead plate 123 may be connected to the lower surface of the substrate 121 after being connected to the first electrode terminal 111a in the process of assembling the secondary battery.

The tab 124 may extend upward from the substrate 121. One side of the tab 124 may be electrically connected to the fuse 125.

The fuse 125 may include a first lead 125a, a body 125b, and a second lead 125c. The first lead 125a may extend from one end of the body 125b to be electrically connected to the tab 124. The main body 125b may be electrically opened when the heat of the bare cell 110 is detected and the temperature of the bare cell 110 exceeds a predetermined temperature. The second lead 125c may extend from the other end of the main body 125b to be electrically connected to the second electrode terminal 111b.

The main body 125b and the second lead 125c of the fuse 125 may be folded toward the bottom surface of the substrate 121 after the second lead 125c is connected to the second electrode terminal 111b during the assembly of the secondary battery. Can be.

The external terminal 126 may be connected to an external device when the secondary battery 100 is charged or discharged.

The second insulating tape 127 may be disposed under the substrate 121 to electrically insulate the substrate 121 and the lead plate 123. The second insulating tape 127 may also electrically insulate the substrate 121 and the fuse 125.

The upper case 130 may be formed by injection molding, and may include a protective circuit 122, a tab 124, and a receiving part (not shown) corresponding to the external terminal 126. The upper case 130 may be assembled with the protective circuit module 120 by accommodating the protective circuit 122, the tab 124, and the external terminal 126. The opening 131 exposes the external terminal 126 when the protective circuit module 120 and the upper case 130 are coupled to each other.

In the above description, the bare cell 110 is described as a pouch type bare cell, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, a bare cell of a rectangular secondary battery may also be included in the bare cell 110 of the present specification.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a label 230 is wrapped in the core pack 200 of FIG. 2.

Referring to this figure, it can be seen that the label 230 is formed of a thin plate material is disposed to surround the outer peripheral surface of the core pack 200. The label 230 mainly covers a pair of main surfaces that are disposed opposite each other when having a large area of the core pack 200. In addition, the label 230 is disposed between the above major surfaces and covers a pair of sides that also face each other. Opposing ends of the label 230 may be arranged such that their edges abut each other or the end regions overlap each other.

A portion of the end region opposite the upper case 130 of the label 230 may be cut and bent to cover the side of the bare cell 110.

The label 230 may be composed of a metal layer 231 and a resin layer 232. The metal layer 231 is a material having good thermal conductivity, and may be formed of, for example, aluminum. The resin layer 232 is attached to the inner surface of the metal layer 231 and disposed to face the outer surface of the bare cell 110. The resin layer 232 is melted as it is heated, and as hardened, the metal layer 231 is adhered to the bare cell 110.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a secondary battery 300 in which the core pack 200 of FIG. 3 is completed by thermal compression and hot melting operations in a mold apparatus.

Referring to this drawing, the label 230 is in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the bare cell 110 by thermal compression. In FIG. 3, one end of the label 230 (as opposed to the end adjacent to the upper case 130) and the adjacent end of the bare cell 110 are covered by the molding part 240 forming the lower case.

The molding part 240 is cured and formed after the molten resin is guided toward the upper ends by a thermal melting operation. The molding part 240 is formed at an end opposite to the end to which the upper case 130 is coupled among both ends of the bare cell 110.

The mold apparatus for performing the above-mentioned thermocompression and hot melt operation at once will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a mold apparatus 400 for secondary battery packing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to this figure, the mold apparatus 400 includes frames 410 and 420, heating cores 450 and 460, and a flow channel 470.

The frames 410 and 420 are structures for supporting the core pack 200 (see FIG. 2 above) having a bare cell 110 wrapped with a label 230. The frames 410 and 420 may be divided into an upper frame 410 and a lower frame 420. Can be.

The heating cores 450 and 460 are members for thermally compressing the core pack 200, more specifically, the label 230, and may be divided into an upper heating core 450 and a lower heating core 460. The upper and lower heating cores 450 and 460 may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the core pack 200. The heating cores 450 and 460 may be supported by the support cores 430 and 440, respectively. Through-holes 451 and 461 are formed in the heating cores 450 and 460, respectively. The heat generating element is inserted into the through holes 451 and 461. Heat generated from the heating element is transferred to the core pack 200 through the bodies of the heating cores 450 and 460. The heating element may be inserted into the through holes 451 and 461 through the through channels 480 formed in the lower frame 420 and the other through holes formed in the support cores 430 and 440 corresponding to the through holes 451 and 461.

The lower frame 420 is formed with a flow channel 470 that forms a space in which molten resin can flow toward the core pack 200. The flow channel 470 is arranged to guide the molten resin toward an end opposite to the end where the upper case 130 (FIG. 4) is formed, at both ends of the core pack 200.

Hereinafter, a packing method of the secondary battery 300 using the mold apparatus 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the core pack 200 in which the protection circuit module 120 is coupled to the bare cell 110 is wrapped by the label 230.

Referring to FIG. 5, the core pack 200 is supported by the support cores 430 and 440 while being disposed between the heating cores 450 and 460. The heating element is inserted into the through holes 451 and 461 of the heating cores 450 and 460 through the through channels 480 and the through holes of the support cores 430 and 440.

As the heating element is operated, the bodies of the heating cores 450 and 460 are heated. The heat generated thereby melts the resin layer 232 (FIG. 2) of the label 230 so that the metal layer 231 adheres to the bare cell 110. FIG.

During this thermocompression, the molten resin is guided through the flow channel 470 toward the other end opposite to one end where the upper case 130 of the core pack 200 is installed. After the molten resin is cured, the molten resin forms a molding part 240 (FIG. 4) forming the lower case of the secondary battery 300.

 The core pack 200 may be maintained at the same position during the thermal pressing operation on the label 230 and the thermal melting operation on the molding part 240. This is because the operation of the heating cores 450 and 460 for thermal compression and the operation of the flow channel 470 for thermal melting do not cause positional interference with each other.

Specifically, the heating cores 450 and 460 are disassembled or assembled along the vertical direction V, while the flow channel 470 is disposed along the horizontal direction H approximately perpendicular to it. Accordingly, the direction V perpendicular to the main surfaces of the heating cores 450 and 460 is perpendicular to the extension direction H of the flow channel 470.

To form the molding part 240, the molten resin and the resin layer 232 (FIG. 2) of the label 230 may be formed of the same material having the same melting point. This case is preferable because it can have a higher adhesive force than when formed from other materials.

The packing method of the secondary battery and the packing mold apparatus used therein are not limited to the configuration and operation of the above-described embodiments. The embodiments may be configured so that all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a core pack of a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a combined state of the core pack of FIG.

3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a label is wrapped in the core pack of FIG.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a secondary battery in which the core pack of FIG. 3 is completed in one process by thermocompression and hot melting operations in a mold apparatus;

5 is a perspective view showing a mold apparatus for secondary battery packing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

Wrapping the bare cell with a label of sheet material and placing the bare cell in a mold apparatus; Applying heat to the label such that the label is associated with the bare cell; And And providing a molten resin through the mold apparatus to be hardened in contact with the label to form a lower case. The method of claim 1, The label is, Metal layer; And A resin layer attached to a surface of the metal layer facing the bare cell, And the label is bonded to the bare cell as the resin layer is melted by the heating. The method of claim 2, The molten resin and the resin layer is a packing method of a secondary battery, characterized in that formed of a material having the same melting point. The method of claim 1, Further comprising a protective circuit module coupled to one end of the bare cell, The molten resin is cured, the packing method of the secondary battery, characterized in that coupled to the other end opposite to one end is coupled to the protective circuit module of the bare cell. The method of claim 1, And the bare cell is maintained at the same position during the application of the heat and the provision of the molten resin. The method of claim 1, And heating the label and forming the lower case at the same time. A frame supporting a bare cell wrapped with a label of sheet material; A heating core disposed on the frame to face at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the bare cell and configured to apply heat toward the label; And Forming a space in which the fluid flows in the frame, the mold apparatus for secondary battery packaging including a flow channel for guiding the molten resin toward the bare cell and the label. The method of claim 7, wherein The frame and the heating core are each composed of a pair, The pair of heating cores is a mold apparatus for a secondary battery packing, characterized in that arranged symmetrically with respect to the bare cell. The method of claim 8, The direction perpendicular to the main surface of the heating core is perpendicular to the extending direction of the flow channel, the mold apparatus for secondary battery packing. The method of claim 8, The heating core is a mold device for a secondary battery packing, characterized in that the through-hole is formed to accommodate the heating element. The method of claim 10, The frame for forming a secondary battery pack, characterized in that the through-channel is formed in the frame extending corresponding to the through-hole. The method of claim 7, wherein Further comprising a protective circuit module coupled to one end of the bare cell, The flow channel is a mold apparatus for a secondary battery packing, characterized in that it is formed to extend toward the other end opposite to one end coupled to the protective circuit module of the bare cell.

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