KR101471718B1 - Method for applying adhesive and apparatus for applying adhesive - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an adhesive applying method and an adhesive applying apparatus capable of applying an adhesive without affecting a battery element in a battery. A method for applying an adhesive agent to an outer surface of a battery 10 in which a power generating element is sealed with an outer member 11 is disclosed. A coating step of applying an adhesive agent A onto a belt 140 relatively movable with respect to the nozzle 120 and a coating step of coating the belt 140 on a belt 140 relatively movable with respect to the battery 10, And transferring the adhesive agent (A) onto the outer surface of the battery (10) after lowering the temperature of the adhesive (A) applied on the belt (140) on the belt (140).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method for applying an adhesive,

The present invention relates to an adhesive applying method and an adhesive applying apparatus applied to a battery.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a flat-type battery in which a battery element is sealed with an external member made of a laminate sheet and an electrode terminal is led out to the outside from an external member is used in various batteries such as automobile batteries, solar batteries and batteries for electronic devices. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a battery module in which a plurality of flat cells are laminated while adhering with a bonding member.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-258180

However, in the case of using a hot melt type adhesive having fluidity by heating with an adhesive, for example, when the adhesive is applied, the adhesive needs to have fluidity. However, if the temperature at the time of application is excessively high, , For example, the electrolyte may be influenced and the battery performance may be deteriorated.

An object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive applying method and an adhesive applying apparatus capable of applying an adhesive without affecting a battery element in a battery.

An adhesive application method of the present invention is an adhesive application method for applying an adhesive to the outer surface of a battery in which a power generation element is sealed with an exterior member, and has a coating step and a transfer step. In the application step, the adhesive is heated to impart fluidity, and the adhesive is applied onto a carrier which is relatively movable with respect to the application means for applying the adhesive. In the transfer step, the temperature of the adhesive applied on the carrier is lowered on the carrier, and then the adhesive is transferred to the outer surface of the battery.

According to the method of applying an adhesive of the present invention, since the heated adhesive is once applied on a carrier, the temperature of the adhesive applied on the carrier is lowered on the carrier and then transferred to the outer surface of the battery, It is possible to apply the adhesive after lowering the temperature of the adhesive at the time of transfer to the temperature not affecting the battery element inside the battery.

1 is a plan view showing a battery module.
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a flat battery.
3 is a plan view showing an adhesive applying apparatus according to the present embodiment.
4 is a plan view for explaining a case where an adhesive is applied to a belt of the adhesive applying apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 5 is a plan view for explaining a case where the adhesive agent on the belt of the adhesive agent dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment is transferred to the flat-type battery. Fig.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and differ from actual ratios.

1 and 2, the battery module 1 is provided with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) flat type batteries 10 (in this embodiment, ). Although the battery module 1 can be used singly, for example, a plurality of battery modules 1 can be serialized and / or parallelized to form a battery module corresponding to a desired current, voltage and capacity .

2, the flat battery 10 is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery, and the laminated electrode body 30 is accommodated in the casing member 11 together with the electrolytic solution. The flat battery 10 has electrodes (hereinafter referred to as " tabs ") 14 and 15 led out from the exterior member 11 to the outside.

The laminated electrode assembly 30 is formed by laminating a positive electrode 31, a negative electrode 32 and a separator 33 in this order. The positive electrode 31 has, for example, a positive electrode active material layer made of a lithium-transition metal composite oxide such as LiMn ₂ O ₄ . The negative electrode 32 has a negative electrode active material layer made of, for example, carbon and a lithium-transition metal composite oxide. The separator 33 is formed of porous polyethylene (PE) having air permeability through which electrolyte can permeate, for example.

The sheathing member 11 is a sheet member such as a polymer-metal composite laminate film in which a metal (including an alloy) such as aluminum, stainless steel, nickel, or copper is coated with an insulator such as a polypropylene film from the viewpoint of weight reduction and thermal conductivity . The exterior member 11 has a body portion 12 that covers the laminated electrode body 30 and an outer peripheral portion 13 that extends to the periphery of the body portion 12. A part or all of the outer peripheral portion 13, And they are bonded by heat fusion.

The tabs 14 and 15 are members for drawing electric current from the laminated electrode assembly 30 and extend to one side of the flat battery 10.

The flat type batteries 10 which are overlapped with each other are bonded by a hot melt type adhesive A in order to prevent slippage or the like and a bonding member 20 in which the adhesive A is cured is provided between the flat type batteries 10, (See Fig. 1).

The hot-melt type adhesive (A) is an adhesive which is melted and allowed to flow by heating, is cooled and cures at room temperature, and is made of, for example, thermoplastic synthetic resin, rubber or the like as a main component. In this embodiment, Aromelt (registered trademark) PPET 5004 made by Toa Kasei Co., Ltd., which has a modified olefinic thermoplastic resin as a main component, is used as the hot-melt type adhesive (A).

Next, the adhesive applying apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The adhesive applying apparatus 100 is an apparatus for applying the above-described hot melt adhesive (A) onto one surface of the outer surface of the sheathing member 11 of the flat battery 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the adhesive applying apparatus 100 includes a coating section 110 for applying the adhesive agent A, a carrying section 120 for carrying the flat battery 10, And a control unit (control means) 180 for overall control.

The application section 110 includes a nozzle 130 (application means) for discharging the adhesive A heated and melted and a belt 140 for supporting the adhesive agent A discharged from the nozzle 130 on one surface thereof And a cooling means 150 for cooling the adhesive agent A and the belt 140 by spraying a gas such as air onto the belt 140. [

The nozzle 130 discharges the adhesive A heated and melted toward the surface of the belt 140. Further, it is preferable that the nozzle 130 can adjust the distance from the surface of the belt 140.

The belt 140 is formed in an annular shape and is rotatably held by two pulleys 141 and rotatably driven by at least one pulley 141 rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown) such as a motor Receive and rotate. The outer peripheral surface 143 of the belt 140 is formed of a low friction material such as silicone resin or fluorine resin. The driving source is controlled by the control unit 180 so that the moving speed of the belt 140 can be adjusted. It is preferable that the entire area of the outer peripheral surface 143 to which the adhesive 140 of the belt 140 is applied is equal to or larger than the area of the joining member 20 of the flat battery 10. [ Further, the tension of the belt 140 can be adjusted by the tension adjusting pulley 142 that can move back and forth with respect to the belt 140.

The carrying section 120 includes a holding section 160 for holding a pallet 121 on which the flat battery 10 is placed and a holding section 160 for holding the holding section 160 in the carrying direction X And a moving means 170 (pressing means) capable of moving in two directions, i.e., the Y direction (vertical direction).

The moving means 170 is provided with a motor (not shown) as a driving source and is controlled by the control unit 180 so that the moving means 170 can move in the carrying direction X along the guide rails 173 extending in the horizontal direction Do. The moving means 170 is provided with a motor 172 serving as a driving source for moving the holder 160 held in the upward direction in the pressing direction Y. [ The motor 172 is torque-controlled by the control unit 180, and is capable of arbitrarily adjusting the amount of movement in the pressing direction Y and the pressing force. The driving source for moving the holding member 160 in the pressing direction Y is not limited to the motor, and may be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder.

Next, a method of applying the adhesive (A) using the adhesive applying apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

When applying the adhesive A to the flat battery 10, first, as shown in Fig. 4, the holding means 160 is arranged on the upstream side in the carrying direction X by the moving means 170, A pallet 121 on which the flat batteries 10 are mounted is provided on the stand 160. Next, the belt 140 is rotated to apply the melted adhesive agent A onto the outer peripheral surface 143 of the belt 140 from the nozzle 130. At this time, since the belt 140 moves at a constant speed and the adhesive agent A has a fluidity, the adhesive agent A having a certain thickness is applied on the belt 140 (coating step S01). The thickness of the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 is determined by the speed of the belt 140 and the supply amount per unit time of the adhesive agent A from the nozzle 130 and is about 100 mu m as an example, It can be set appropriately.

The supply of the adhesive agent A by the nozzle 130 is continued until the area of the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 becomes equal to the area of the adhesive agent A required for the outer surface of the flat battery 10 And then stopped.

The adhesive agent A applied on the belt 140 is conveyed by the rotation of the belt 140 from the application position P1 where the nozzle 130 is located and is conveyed to the lowermost end (Transfer position P2), the temperature is lowered due to exposure to the atmosphere. In the present embodiment, the temperature of the adhesive agent A is about 160 캜 when supplied from the nozzle 130, and drops to about 30 캜 which is about the room temperature until it reaches the transfer position P 2. The lowering of the temperature depends on the type and thickness of the adhesive A to be coated and the temperature and the material of the belt 140 and the temperature of the belt 140. If necessary, the temperature of the adhesive A and the belt 140 is lowered by the cooling means 150, The temperature may be lowered by spraying gas. By lowering the temperature of the adhesive (A), the adhesive (A) can be easily peeled off from the belt (140).

In parallel with the application step (S01) of applying the adhesive (A) to the belt (140), the holding member (160) carrying the flat battery (10) is moved in the carrying direction (X). 5, the speed of the flat battery 10 and the speed of the belt 140 are synchronized by the control unit 180 so that the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 is transferred to the transfer position P2 The region where the adhesive A of the flat battery 10 is to be applied reaches the transfer position P2 (transfer step S02). Since the outer circumferential surface 143 of the belt 140 is formed by the low friction material when the adhesive A on the belt 140 touches the outer surface of the flat battery 10, The adhesive A is separated from the belt 140 and is transferred to the outer surface of the flat battery 10. At this time, since the temperature of the adhesive (A) is lowered to room temperature, the battery element inside the flat battery (10), for example, the electrolyte solution is not affected and the battery performance is not deteriorated.

Although the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 largely loses flowability when it reaches the outer surface of the flat battery 10, since the adhesive agent A has already become a uniform thickness on the belt 140 , The adhesive (A) can be applied to the outer surface of the flat battery (10) with a uniform thickness only by transferring.

While the adhesive A on the belt 140 is transferred to the outer surface of the flat battery 10, the control unit 180 controls the motor 172 of the moving unit 170 (pressing unit) , The pressing force is controlled to be constant in the pressing direction (Y) of the holding member (160). Thus, even when the thickness of the flat battery 10 is uneven or the surface shape is uneven, since the sheath member 11 is a laminated film and has flexibility, the flat battery (10) 10 on the outer surface thereof. As a result, the adhesive agent (A) can be applied to the outer surface of the flat battery (10) with a uniform thickness. Even if the thickness of the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 is not strictly uniform, by controlling the pressing force (or displacement) in the pressing direction Y by the holding member 160 to be constant, The thickness of the adhesive (A) transferred onto the outer surface of the substrate (A) can be calibrated to a more uniform thickness.

The flat type battery 10 to which the adhesive A is transferred is transported in the transport direction X by the moving means 170 and laminated with the other flat type battery 10 in the subsequent process, To form a battery module (see Fig. 1). At this time, since the adhesive agent (A) (the bonding member 20) has a predetermined thickness, local pressure does not act on the flat battery 10 and does not affect the battery element inside the flat battery 10 , The battery performance does not deteriorate. In addition, since the adhesive agent (A) (the bonding member 20) has a constant thickness, it is difficult to form a gap between the flat type batteries 10 and can be fixed satisfactorily.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the hot-melt type adhesive agent A is heated to have fluidity and is applied onto the belt 140 which is relatively movable with respect to the flat battery 10 (coating step S01) . Thereafter, the temperature of the adhesive agent A applied on the belt 140 is lowered on the belt 140, and the adhesive agent A is transferred to the outer surface of the flat battery 10 (transfer step S02). Thus, the heated adhesive A can be once applied onto the belt 140, the temperature of the adhesive A can be lowered on the belt 140, and then transferred onto the outer surface of the flat battery 10, The temperature of the adhesive (A) at the time of transfer to the outer surface of the battery (10) can be lowered to a temperature that does not affect the battery element inside the flat battery (10).

The belt 140 is used as the carrier and the belt 140 is stretched from the application position P1 of the adhesive agent A on the belt 140 to the transfer position P2 where the adhesive agent A is transferred to the flat- The temperature of the adhesive A on the belt 140 can be lowered by using the movement of the belt 140 since the belt 140 is moved.

Since the belt 140 has an area larger than at least the area of the adhesive agent A transferred to the outer surface of the flat battery 10, the belt 140 has a desired area of the adhesive agent A on the outer surface of the flat battery 10 You can transfer at once.

(Modification example)

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be appropriately modified. For example, the area of the belt 140 may be smaller than the area of the adhesive A to be transferred to the outer surface of the flat battery 10. Further, if the batteries are laminated and can be bonded by the adhesive (A), they may not be flat batteries.

10: Flat battery
11: outer member
40:
100: adhesive application device
130: nozzle (application means)
140: Belt (carrier)
180:
P1: Coating position
P2: Transfer position
A: Adhesive
S01: Coating process
S02: Transfer process
X: conveying direction
Y: Pressure direction

Claims (6)

A method of applying an adhesive using an adhesive applying device for applying an adhesive to an outer surface of a battery in which a power generating element is sealed with an external member, the adhesive applying device comprising: a holding means for holding the battery; And pressing means for moving the holding means so as to press the adhesive on the carrier, the adhesive applying method comprising:
An application step of applying the adhesive on a carrier which is relatively movable with respect to a nozzle for discharging the adhesive toward the machete, the adhesive being disposed at a distance from the surface of the carrier,
And a transfer step of transferring the adhesive onto the outer surface of the battery after lowering the temperature of the adhesive applied on the support onto the carrier,
Wherein the pressing means is controlled such that when the adhesive agent on the carrier is transferred to the battery, the force for pressing the battery onto the adhesive agent on the carrier is almost constant. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier is a belt, and in the transferring step, the belt is moved from an application position of the adhesive to the belt to a transfer position where the adhesive is transferred to the outer surface of the battery, Thereby lowering the temperature of the adhesive. The adhesive applying method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carrier has an area larger than at least an area of the adhesive transferred onto the outer surface of the battery. An adhesive applying device for applying an adhesive to an outer surface of a battery in which a power generating element is sealed with an external member,
A holding means for holding the battery,
A pressing means for moving the holding means to press the battery held by the holding means against the carrier,
A nozzle disposed at a distance from the surface of the carrier and discharging an adhesive agent which is heated and fluidized,
Control means for controlling the pressing means so that the force for pressing the battery on the adhesive agent on the carrier is almost constant when the adhesive agent on the carrier is transferred to the battery;
And a carrier which is relatively movable with respect to the nozzle, the adhesive is applied by the nozzle, and the adhesive is transferred onto the outer surface of the battery after lowering the temperature of the applied adhesive. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the carrier is a belt, and the belt is conveyed from an application position of the adhesive to the belt to a transfer position where the adhesive is transferred to the outer surface of the battery, Device. The adhesive applying device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the carrier has an area larger than at least an area of the adhesive transferred onto the outer surface of the battery.

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