KR20210150896A - The Apparatus And The Method For Manufacturing Electrode Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes: a lower electrode reel on which a lower electrode sheet on which a plurality of lower electrodes are formed is unwound; an upper separator reel on which an upper separator sheet stacked on the upper surface of the lower electrode is unwound; a lower separator reel on which a lower separator sheet laminated on a lower surface of the lower electrode is unwound; a first nozzle for applying a first adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet; an upper electrode reel on which an upper electrode sheet on which a plurality of upper electrodes are formed is unwound; When a plurality of upper electrodes are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet and laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet to form a laminate, a second adhesive is applied to the upper surface of both side regions of the upper separator sheet. a second nozzle to apply; a cutter for forming unit cells by cutting the laminate at regular intervals; a magazine for sequentially accommodating and stacking a plurality of the unit cells; and a press for manufacturing an electrode assembly by pressing the unit cells stacked on the magazine.

Description

Electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and method {The Apparatus And The Method For Manufacturing Electrode Assembly}

The present invention relates to an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and method capable of improving alignment by improving adhesion between unit cells when manufacturing an electrode assembly.

In general, types of secondary batteries include a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a lithium ion battery, and a lithium ion polymer battery. These secondary batteries are not only for small products such as digital cameras, P-DVDs, MP3Ps, mobile phones, PDA's, Portable Game Devices, Power Tools and E-bikes, but also for large products requiring high output such as electric and hybrid vehicles and surplus power generation. It is also applied and used in power storage devices that store power or renewable energy and power storage devices for backup.

In order to manufacture such a secondary battery, first, the electrode active material slurry is applied to the positive electrode current collector and the negative electrode current collector to prepare a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and by laminating them on both sides of a separator, a predetermined shape is formed. An electrode assembly is formed. Then, the electrode assembly is accommodated in the battery case, and the electrolyte is injected and then sealed.

There are various types of electrode assemblies used in pouch-type secondary batteries. Among them, a lamination & stack type (L&S) electrode assembly uses a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode to first manufacture a unit cell, and then It is an electrode assembly manufactured by stacking them. In order to manufacture a lamination-and-stack type electrode assembly, a unit cell must first be manufactured. In general, in order to manufacture a unit cell, an upper separator and a lower separator are respectively stacked on the upper and lower surfaces of the lower electrode while the lower electrode is moved to one side by a conveyor belt, and thereafter, the upper electrode is further stacked on the top. Then, a laminating process of applying heat and pressure to the laminate formed by laminating the electrode and the separator is performed. By performing such a laminating process, a unit cell may be firmly formed by adhesion between the electrode and the separator. After manufacturing a plurality of unit cells, by sequentially stacking the plurality of unit cells one by one, a lamination and stack type electrode assembly may be manufactured.

However, in the prior art, the upper separator and the lower separator in the unit cell are formed to be larger than the electrode, but since they have a flexible property than the electrode, the outer side region of the separator could be left in a disordered state. Accordingly, a method of bonding the separation membranes to each other by forming an adhesive portion on the separation membrane itself has been proposed. However, in this method, the separator must be bent in order to adhere to each other, and in particular, as the thickness of the electrode assembly increases by stacking many unit cells, the separator must be bent more. There was a problem that occurred.

In order to solve this, a method of applying an adhesive between the upper separator and the lower separator in the unit cell, and forming the adhesive to a certain degree of thickness has been proposed. However, if a plurality of unit cells are stacked by simply allowing the unit cells to fall freely when inserting the unit cells into the magazine, the adhesion between the unit cells decreases, and the alignment decreases as the unit cells move when the electrode assembly is manufactured. there was a problem with

Korean Patent Registration No. 1609425

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus and method capable of improving alignment by improving adhesion between unit cells when manufacturing an electrode assembly.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes: a lower electrode reel on which a lower electrode sheet on which a plurality of lower electrodes are formed is unwound; an upper separator reel on which an upper separator sheet stacked on the upper surface of the lower electrode is unwound; a lower separator reel on which a lower separator sheet laminated on a lower surface of the lower electrode is unwound; a first nozzle for applying a first adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet; an upper electrode reel on which an upper electrode sheet on which a plurality of upper electrodes are formed is unwound; When a plurality of upper electrodes are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet and laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet to form a laminate, a second adhesive is applied to the upper surface of both side regions of the upper separator sheet. a second nozzle to apply; a cutter for forming unit cells by cutting the laminate at regular intervals; a magazine for sequentially accommodating and stacking a plurality of the unit cells; and a press for manufacturing an electrode assembly by pressing the unit cells stacked on the magazine.

In addition, the pressurizer, a body having a pressurizing surface for pressing the unit cell is formed on a lower surface; and pressing portions each protruding from both ends of the pressing surface.

In addition, a distance between the pressing parts may be longer than a length of the upper electrode or the lower electrode.

In addition, the pressing unit may press the region in which the upper separator extends in the direction in which the electrode tab of the upper electrode protrudes and the region in the opposite direction thereof in the unit cell.

In addition, the pressurizer may be formed in a holder shape at both ends of the left and right sides of the magazine, and hold both ends of the plurality of stacked unit cells from above and below to pressurize.

In addition, when the stacking of the plurality of unit cells is completed, the pressurizer may finally press the unit cells.

Also, the pressurizer may pressurize the unit cells whenever the unit cells are stacked one by one.

An electrode assembly manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes the steps of: unwinding an upper separator sheet from an upper separator reel, and unwinding a lower separator sheet from a lower separator reel; applying, by a first nozzle, a first adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet; A plurality of lower electrodes, the upper separator sheet unwound from the upper separator reel and the lower separator sheet are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction, the step of stacking between the upper separator sheet and the lower separator sheet; A plurality of upper electrodes, arranged spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet is laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet to form a laminate; applying, by a second nozzle, a second adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the upper separator sheet; forming unit cells by a cutter cutting the laminate at regular intervals; stacking the plurality of unit cells while sequentially accommodating them in a magazine; and manufacturing an electrode assembly by pressing the unit cell stacked on the magazine by a pressurizer.

In addition, in the step of the pressurizer pressurizing the unit cells, the pressurizer, a body formed with a pressurizing surface directly pressurizing the unit cells on a lower surface; and pressing portions each protruding from both ends of the pressing surface.

In addition, in the step of the pressurizer pressurizing the unit cells, when the stacking of the plurality of unit cells is completed, the pressurizer may finally press the unit cells.

Other specific details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, there are at least the following effects.

When the pressurizer pressurizes the unit cells inserted and stacked in the magazine, adhesion between the unit cells is improved when the electrode assembly is manufactured, thereby preventing the unit cells from moving and improving the alignment.

The effect according to the present invention is not limited by the contents exemplified above, and more various effects are included in the present specification.

1 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing an electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view of a lower separator sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view of a unit cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a front view of an electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an enlarged partially enlarged view of a lower electrode and an upper electrode of an electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a pressurizer according to an embodiment of the present invention presses a plurality of stacked unit cells.
8 is a bottom view of a pressurizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a pressurizer according to another embodiment of the present invention presses a plurality of stacked unit cells.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used with the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly defined in particular.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the stated components.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing an electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pressurizer 4 presses the unit cells 2 inserted and stacked in the magazine 17 to increase the adhesion between the unit cells 2 when manufacturing the electrode assembly 10 . By improving, it is possible to prevent the unit cell 2 from moving and also to improve the alignment.

To this end, the electrode assembly manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: unwinding the upper separator sheet 1211 from the upper separator reel 121, and unwinding the lower separator sheet 1221 from the lower separator reel 122; applying, by the first nozzle 141 , a first adhesive 31 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 ; A plurality of lower electrodes 1112 are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet 1211 and the lower separator sheet 1221 unwound from the upper separator reel 121, and the upper separator sheet 1211 and the upper separator sheet 1211 and the Laminating between the lower separator sheets 1221; a plurality of upper electrodes 1122 are disposed to be spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet 1211 and are stacked on an upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211 to form a laminate 20; applying a second adhesive 32 to the upper surfaces of the side regions on both sides of the upper separator sheet 1211 by the second nozzle 142; forming unit cells (2) by a cutter cutting the stacked body (20) at regular intervals; stacking the plurality of unit cells (2) while sequentially accommodating them in a magazine (17); and a pressurizer 4 pressing the unit cell 2 stacked on the magazine 17 to manufacture the electrode assembly 10 .

Hereinafter, the contents of each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 will be described together with FIGS. 2 to 8 .

2 is a schematic diagram of an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 , an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lower electrode reel 111 on which a lower electrode sheet 1111 on which a plurality of lower electrodes 1112 are formed is unwound; an upper separator reel 121 on which an upper separator sheet 1211 stacked on an upper surface of the lower electrode 1112 is unwound; a lower separator reel 122 from which a lower separator sheet 1221 laminated on a lower surface of the lower electrode 1112 is unwound; a first nozzle 141 for applying a first adhesive 31 to upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221; an upper electrode reel 112 on which an upper electrode sheet 1121 on which a plurality of upper electrodes 1122 are formed is unwound; When a plurality of upper electrodes 1122 are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet 1211 and are stacked on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211 to form a laminate 20, the upper separator sheet a second nozzle 142 for applying a second adhesive 32 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the 1211; a cutter for forming unit cells (2) by cutting the stacked body (20) at regular intervals; a magazine 17 for stacking while sequentially accommodating a plurality of the unit cells 2; and a presser 4 for manufacturing the electrode assembly 10 by pressing the unit cells 2 stacked on the magazine 17 .

The lower electrode reel 111 is a reel on which the lower electrode sheet 1111 is wound, and the lower electrode sheet 1111 is unwound from the lower electrode reel 111 . Then, the lower electrode sheet 1111 is cut to form a plurality of lower electrodes 1112 . The electrode sheets 1111 and 1121 may be manufactured by coating a slurry of an electrode active material, a conductive material, and a binder on an electrode current collector and then drying the slurry.

The upper separator reel 121 and the lower separator reel 122 are reels on which the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 are wound. And, the upper separator sheet 1211 unwound from the upper separator reel 121 moves toward the upper surface of the lower electrode 1112 formed by cutting the lower electrode sheet 1111, and is unwound from the lower separator reel 122. The lower separator sheet 1221 moves toward the lower surface of the lower electrode 1112 . Then, the nip roll 19 presses the upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211 and the lower surface of the lower separator sheet 1221 , respectively. Accordingly, the upper separator sheet 1211 is stacked on the upper surface of the lower electrode 1112 , and the lower separator sheet 1221 is stacked on the lower surface of the lower electrode 1112 . At this time, the plurality of lower electrodes 1112 are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet 1211 and the lower separator sheet 1221 and are stacked between the upper separator sheet 1211 and the lower separator sheet 1221 . do.

When the lower separator sheet 1221 is unwound from the lower separator reel 122 , the first nozzle 141 applies the first adhesive 31 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 . Here, both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 refer to side regions located on the left and right sides, respectively, based on the direction in which the lower separator sheet 1221 moves. In general, since the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 are formed to have a longer width than the electrodes 1112 and 1122 , the lower electrode 1112 is not stacked in these side regions. Accordingly, when the first nozzle 141 applies the first adhesive 31 to both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 , the lower electrode 1112 is laminated on the lower separator sheet 1221 thereafter. However, the lower electrode 1112 may not be adhered to the first adhesive 31 .

The upper electrode reel 112 is a reel on which the upper electrode sheet 1121 is wound, and the upper electrode sheet 1121 is unwound from the upper electrode reel 112 . In addition, the upper electrode sheet 1121 is cut to form a plurality of upper electrodes 1122 , and the plurality of upper electrodes 1122 are stacked on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211 . As a result, the laminate 20 in which the lower separator sheet 1221 , the lower electrode 1112 , the upper separator sheet 1211 , and the upper electrode 1122 are sequentially stacked is formed. In this case, the plurality of upper electrodes 1122 are disposed to be spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet 1211 and are stacked on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211 .

Since the upper electrode 1122 and the lower electrode 1112 have different sizes, the spacing may be different from each other. However, it is preferable that both the upper electrode 1122 and the lower electrode 1112 are aligned and arranged so that their centers coincide with each other.

The laminator laminates the laminate 20 formed by laminating the electrodes 1112 and 1122 and the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 . Laminating refers to bonding the electrodes 1112 and 1122 and the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 to each other by applying heat and pressure to the laminate 20 . The laminator may include a heater 15 that applies heat and pressure to the front surface of the laminate 20 and a heating roller 16 that applies pressure to the laminate 20 while rotating.

The heater 15 is formed of an upper heater 151 and a lower heater 152 , and may apply heat and pressure to the front surfaces of the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate 20 , respectively. The heater 15 may have a surface in contact with the laminate 20 , that is, a lower surface of the upper heater 151 and an upper surface of the lower heater 152 to be substantially flat. As a result, heat and pressure can be uniformly applied to the entire surface of the laminate 20 .

After the heater 15 applies heat and pressure to the laminate 20 , heat and pressure may be applied to the laminate 20 while the heating roller 16 rotates. In general, the pressure applied by the heating roller 16 that applies pressure while rotating is greater than that of the heater 15 that simply applies pressure to a flat surface. Accordingly, after the heater 15 applies heat and pressure to the laminate 20 , the heating roller 16 applies heat and pressure greater than that of the heater 15 to the laminate 20 , so that the laminate ( 20) may be increased in steps of heat and pressure applied to it. That is, while preventing the inside of the laminate 20 from being damaged due to sudden changes in temperature and pressure, the laminate 20 can be laminated more strongly.

When the laminator laminates the laminate 20, the second nozzle 142 applies a second adhesive 32 to the top surface of the side regions of both sides of the upper separator sheet 1211 in the laminated body 20. do. Here, both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 refer to side regions located on the left and right sides, respectively, based on the direction in which the upper separator sheet 1211 moves. As described above, since the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 are generally formed to have a longer width than the electrodes 1112 and 1122 , the upper electrode 1122 is not stacked in these side regions. Therefore, even if the second nozzle 142 is located above the laminate 20, both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 are exposed upward, so that the second nozzle 142 is connected to the second adhesive ( 32) can be applied.

The cutter cuts the laminate 20 to which the first adhesive 31 is applied at regular intervals. Thereby, the unit cell 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be formed. And, the magazine 17 stacks the unit cells 2 formed by cutting the stacked body 20, while sequentially accommodating them. That is, when the unit cells 2 are formed, the unit cells 2 are inserted one by one into the magazine 17 located at the end of the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 and may be sequentially stacked.

The presser 4 presses the unit cells 2 stacked on the magazine 17 . When the stacking of the plurality of unit cells 2 is completed, the pressurizer 4 may pressurize the unit cells 2 only once, but whenever the unit cells 2 are stacked one by one, repeatedly the unit cells (2) may be pressurized each time. In this way, the electrode assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured. A detailed description of the pressurizer 4 will be described later.

Using such an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1, the electrode assembly manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be performed as follows.

First, when the upper separator sheet 1211 is unwound from the upper separator reel 121 and the lower separator sheet 1221 is unwound from the lower separator reel 122 , the first nozzle 141 releases the amount of the lower separator sheet 1221 . A first adhesive 31 is applied to the upper surface of the side side region (S101).

Meanwhile, when the lower electrode sheet 1111 is unwound from the lower electrode reel 111 , the first cutter 131 cuts the lower electrode sheet 1111 . Then, a plurality of lower electrodes 1112 are formed. The lower separator sheet 1221 unwound from the lower separator reel 122 moves toward the lower surface of the lower electrode 1112, so that the lower electrode 1112 is stacked on the upper surface of the lower separator sheet 1221, and the upper separator reel ( The upper separator sheet 1211 unwound from 121 moves toward the upper surface of the lower electrode 1112 , and the upper separator sheet 1211 is laminated on the upper surface of the lower electrode 1112 ( S102 ). Accordingly, the lower separator sheet 1221 , the lower electrode 1112 , and the upper separator sheet 1211 are sequentially stacked.

When the upper electrode sheet 1121 is unwound from the upper electrode reel 112 , the second cutter 132 cuts the upper electrode sheet 1121 to form the upper electrode 1122 . And the upper electrode 1122 is laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet 1211, thereby forming a laminate 20 (S103).

After forming the laminate 20 , the laminator laminates the laminate 20 . As described above, the laminator includes a heater 15 and a heating roller 16, and when laminating, the heater 15 applies heat and pressure to the front surface of the laminate 20, and then a heating roller ( 16) while rotating, heat and pressure may be applied to the laminate 20 .

When the laminating process is completed, the second nozzle 142 applies the second adhesive 32 to the upper surface of the laminate 20 ( S104 ). In this case, the second nozzle 142 applies the second adhesive 32 to the upper surfaces of the side regions of both sides of the upper separator sheet 1211 in the laminate 20 . And the third cutter 133 cuts the stacked body 20 at regular intervals, thereby forming the unit cell 2 (S105). When the formed unit cells 2 are inserted one by one into the magazine 17 located at the end of the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 and sequentially stacked (S106), the pressurizer 4 is stacked on the magazine 17. By pressing (2) (S107), the electrode assembly 10 is manufactured.

3 is a plan view of the lower separator sheet 1221 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the first nozzle 141 applies the first adhesive 31 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 . Here, both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 are a first region 123 extending in a direction in which the electrode tab 113 of the lower electrode 1112 protrudes when the lower electrode 1112 is later stacked. and a second region 124 extending opposite to the first region 123 . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first adhesive 31 is applied to the area extending outwardly of the lower electrode 1112 to be laminated later in the lower separator sheet 1221 .

If the first adhesive 31 is applied to the entire upper surface of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 , the amount of the first adhesive 31 may be excessively large. Also, even if the first adhesive 31 is non-uniformly applied, the amount of the first adhesive 31 may be excessively large in some areas. As a result, the first adhesive 31 may flow to the outside of the lower separator sheet 1221 and contaminate other parts, and when the secondary battery is manufactured, the electrolyte may not flow smoothly, so that the function of generating electricity may be reduced. can Therefore, the first nozzle 141 is a spot application method for applying the first adhesive 31 in the form of dots, and it is preferable to apply the first nozzle 141 spaced apart from each other at regular intervals along the edges of the side regions on both sides of the lower separator sheet 1221 . desirable. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first adhesive 31 is formed on the outside of the first corner 1231 and the second area 124 formed on the outside of the first area 123 of the lower separator sheet 1221 . Adjacent to the second edge 1241 formed in the , the first edge 1231 and along the second edge 1241 may be applied while being spaced apart from each other at regular intervals.

On the other hand, if the application amount of the first adhesive 31 is excessively small or the application interval is excessively wide, the lower separator sheet 1221 and the upper separator sheet 1211 are not sufficiently adhered to each other, and are separated from each other. , the alignment degree of the electrode assembly 10 may be reduced. Therefore, the amount of application of the first adhesive 31 should be moderately large, and it is preferable that the distance between the areas to be applied is not excessively wide.

Also, the first nozzle 141 may stop the application of the first adhesive 31 when the region where the electrode tab 113 of the lower electrode 1112 to be laminated later is located is located below the first nozzle 141 . Accordingly, even if the lower electrode 1112 is later laminated, the first adhesive 31 may not be applied to the electrode tab 113 . A detailed description thereof will be given later.

4 is a plan view of a unit cell 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The laminate 20 is formed by stacking a lower separator sheet 1221 , a lower electrode 1112 , an upper separator sheet 1211 , and an upper electrode 1122 . And, the plurality of unit cells (2) are formed by cutting the stacked body 20 by the third cutter 133 at regular intervals. At this time, in the laminate 20 , the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122 are already spaced apart from each other in a line in the longitudinal direction of the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 . Accordingly, the third cutter 133 does not cut the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122 in the stack 20 , and the space between the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122 is spaced apart from each other. of the lower separator sheet 1221 and the upper separator sheet 1211 are cut together. As shown in FIG. 4, the unit cell 2 has a lower separator 1222 formed by cutting the lower separator sheet 1221, a lower electrode 1112, and an upper separator formed by cutting the upper separator sheet 1211 ( 1212 and an upper electrode 1122 are sequentially stacked.

As described above, the second nozzle 142 applies the second adhesive 32 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 in the laminated body 20 . Then, the third cutter 133 cuts the lower separator sheet 1221 and the upper separator sheet 1211 . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4 , the second adhesive 32 is applied to a region where the upper separator 1212 extends outwardly of the upper electrode 1122 in the unit cell 2 . Here, in both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 , the third region 125 in which the upper separator 1212 extends in a direction in which the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 protrudes in the unit cell 2 . ) and the fourth region 126 extending in a direction opposite to the third region 125 . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4 , the second adhesive 32 is applied to the upper surfaces of the third region 125 and the fourth region 126 in the upper separator 1212 , respectively.

If the second adhesive 32 is applied to the entire upper surface of both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 or non-uniformly, the amount of the second adhesive 32 may be excessively large. Therefore, the second nozzle 142 is a spot application method for applying the second adhesive 32 in the form of dots, and it is preferable to apply the second nozzle 142 spaced apart from each other at regular intervals along the edges of the side regions on both sides of the upper separator sheet 1211 . do. In particular, as shown in FIG. 7 , the second adhesive 32 is applied to the outside of the third corner 1251 and the fourth region 126 formed on the outside of the third region 125 of the upper separator 1212 . Adjacent to the formed fourth corner 1261, along the third corner 1251 and the fourth corner 1261 are respectively spaced apart from each other and applied.

On the other hand, if the application amount of the second adhesive 32 is excessively small or the application interval is excessively wide, when a plurality of unit cells 2 are subsequently manufactured and then laminated to each other, they are still not sufficiently adhered to each other, The unit cells 2 may deviate from their original positions, and the degree of alignment of the electrode assembly 10 may be deteriorated. Therefore, the amount of application of the first adhesive 31 should be moderately large, and it is preferable that the distance between the areas to be applied is not excessively wide.

Also, when the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 is positioned below the second nozzle 142 , the application of the second adhesive 32 may be stopped. Accordingly, the second adhesive 32 may not be applied to the electrode tab 113 . A detailed description thereof will be given later.

5 is a front view of the electrode assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the width of the separator sheets 1211 and 1221 is generally longer than that of the electrodes 1112 and 1122. Therefore, the first nozzle 141 discharges the first adhesive 31 when the side regions on both sides of the lower separator sheet 1221 are positioned below the first adhesive to both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 . (31) can be applied. However, when the electrode tabs 113 are protruded from one side of the lower electrode 1112 , the electrode tabs 113 protrude further outward than the side regions on both sides of the lower separator sheet 1221 , and thus the lower separator sheet 1221 . ), when the lower electrode 1112 is laminated on the upper surface, the electrode tab 113 of the lower electrode 1112 may be positioned above the first adhesive 31 . As will be described below, the electrode tab 113 is formed approximately in the center of the lower electrode 1112 , and the thickness D1 of the first adhesive 31 is equal to or fine to the thickness d1 of the lower electrode 1112 . considerably thicker If the electrode tab 113 of the lower electrode 1112 is positioned above the first adhesive 31 , the first adhesive 31 may protrude considerably downward, and when the unit cells 2 are laminated, the separator (1212, 1222) may be bent considerably by the protruding first adhesive 31 may cause a problem. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first nozzle 141 applies the first adhesive 31 to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet 1221 , and later the electrode of the lower electrode 1112 . When the area where the tab 113 is to be located is located below, the application of the first adhesive 31 may be stopped. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5 , the first adhesive 31 may not be applied to the electrode tab 113 .

On the other hand, when a plurality of unit cells 2 are inserted into the magazine 17 one by one, they are adhered to each other with the second adhesive 32 and sequentially stacked. At this time, as described above, in the unit cell 2 , the second adhesive 32 is applied to the region where the upper separator 1212 extends outwardly of the upper electrode 1122 . Accordingly, if the second unit cell 22 is stacked above the first unit cell 21 , as shown in FIG. 5 , the upper separator 1212 of the first unit cell 21 and the second unit cell The lower separator 1222 of (22) is adhered to each other with the second adhesive (32).

When the second nozzle 142 discharges the second adhesive 32 when the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 is positioned downward, the second adhesive ( 32) can be applied. If the second adhesive 32 is applied to the electrode tab 113 , the second adhesive 32 may protrude upward considerably and may be applied, and when the unit cells 2 are stacked, the separators 1212 and 1222 are formed. There may be a problem in that the protruding second adhesive 32 is bent considerably. Therefore, the second nozzle 142 applies the second adhesive 32 to the upper surfaces of the side regions on both sides of the upper separator sheet 1211, and when the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 is located below, the second 2 Application of the adhesive 32 can be stopped. Accordingly, the second adhesive 32 may not be applied to the electrode tab 113 .

6 is an enlarged partial view of the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122 of the electrode assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the first adhesive 31 is applied to the upper surfaces of the side regions on both sides of the lower separator sheet 1221, the lower separator 1222 and the upper separator 1212 are later formed in one unit cell 2 by these products. 1 Adhesive to each other through the adhesive (31). At this time, if the first adhesive 31 is applied too thinly or too thickly, the separators 1212 and 1222 of the unit cell 2 are bent, and as described above, the electrode may be damaged or a short circuit may occur. Therefore, the first nozzle 141 can be applied to a thickness D1 greater than or equal to the thickness d1 of the lower electrode 1112 when the first adhesive 31 is applied, and in particular, as shown in FIG. 6 , It is preferable to apply the coating to a thickness D1 equal to the thickness d1 of the lower electrode 1112 or to a thickness D1 that is slightly thicker than the thickness d1 of the lower electrode 1112 . Accordingly, even if the lower separator 1222 and the upper separator 1212 are bonded through the first adhesive 31 in one unit cell 2 , bending of the separators 1212 and 1222 can be minimized.

On the other hand, when the second adhesive 32 is applied to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the upper separator sheet 1211 , a plurality of unit cells 2 are laminated while being adhered to each other through the second adhesive 32 . do. At this time, if the second adhesive 32 is also applied too thinly or thickly, the separators 1212 and 1222 of the unit cell 2 are bent, and as described above, the appearance of the electrode assembly 10 is not uniform. The electrode may be damaged or a short circuit may occur. In particular, the more the unit cells 2 are stacked, the thicker the electrode assembly 10 is, the more the separators 1212 and 1222 must be bent, so this problem may occur more frequently. Therefore, the second nozzle 142 can be applied to a thickness D2 greater than or equal to the thickness d2 of the upper electrode 1122 when the second adhesive 32 is applied, and in particular, the thickness of the upper electrode 1122 ( It is preferable to apply with the same thickness (D2) as d2) or with a thickness (D2) that is slightly thicker than the thickness (d2) of the upper electrode 1122 . Accordingly, when the upper separator 1212 of the first unit cell 21 and the lower separator 1222 of the second unit cell 22 are adhered to each other, bending of the separators 1212 and 1222 can be minimized. .

7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a pressurizer 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention presses a plurality of stacked unit cells 2, and FIG. 8 is a pressurizer 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view.

The electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pressurizer 4 for manufacturing the electrode assembly 10 by pressing the unit cells 2 stacked on the magazine 17 . And this pressurizer 4, as shown in Figure 7, a body 41 formed with a pressing surface 42 for pressing the unit cell (2) on the lower surface; and pressing portions 421 protruding from both ends of the pressing surface 42 .

The pressurizer 4 may be disposed above the magazine 17 . And, on the lower surface of the body 41 of the pressurizer 4, a pressing surface 42 for pressing the unit cell 2 is formed. Accordingly, when the unit cell 2 is inserted into the magazine 17 and stacked, the pressurizer 4 moves downward, and the pressing surface 42 formed on the lower surface of the body 41 presses the unit cell 2 from above. can do.

As described above, both the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are applied to the unit cell 2 . In particular, the first adhesive 31 is the upper surface of the region in which the lower separator 1222 in the unit cell 2 extends in the direction in which the electrode tab 113 of the lower electrode 1112 protrudes and the region extending to the opposite side thereof. are applied to each In addition, the second adhesive 32 is a region in which the upper separator 1212 and the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 protrude in the unit cell 2 , that is, the third region 125 . and an area extending to the opposite side thereof, that is, the upper surface of the fourth area 126 , respectively. The first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 may be applied to a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122 , respectively. Accordingly, bending of the upper separation membrane 1212 and the lower separation membrane 1222 may be minimized.

As described above, by applying and bonding the second adhesive 32 between the stacked plurality of unit cells 2 , the adhesive force between the unit cells 2 can be improved. However, when the unit cell 2 is inserted into the magazine 17, if a plurality of unit cells 2 are stacked by simply dropping the unit cell 2 freely, the adhesive force of the second adhesive 32 is not sufficiently exhibited. it may not be Then, the adhesion between the unit cells 2 may be lowered, and as the unit cells 2 move when the electrode assembly 10 is manufactured, the alignment may be reduced.

Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as described above, when the unit cells 2 are inserted into the magazine 17 and sequentially stacked, the pressurizer 4 is the unit cell 2 stacked on the magazine 17 . ) is pressurized. Thereby, the adhesive force of the second adhesive 32 is sufficiently exhibited, and when the electrode assembly 10 is manufactured, the adhesive force between the unit cells 2 is improved, thereby preventing the unit cells 2 from moving and the alignment is also improved. can be improved

7 and 8, both ends of the pressing surface 42 of the pressing machine 4, respectively, the pressing portion 421 is formed to protrude. And in the unit cell 2, the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are directly in contact with the applied area to press the unit cells (2). In the unit cell 2 , the pressing part 421 is a region in which the upper separator 1212 extends in a direction in which the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 protrudes, that is, the third region 125 and its The region extending to the opposite side, that is, the fourth region 126 may be pressed. As a result, the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are intensively pressed on the applied region, so that the adhesive force of the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 can be more fully exhibited.

When the stacking of the plurality of unit cells 2 is completed, the pressurizer 4 may finally pressurize the unit cells 2 only once. In this case, since the lamination process of the unit cells 2 is fast and simple, the manufacturing time of the electrode assembly 10 can be prevented from being excessively delayed. Alternatively, the presser 4 may pressurize the unit cells 2 repeatedly every time the unit cells 2 are stacked one by one. In this case, since the adhesion between the respective unit cells 2 is further improved, the electrode assembly 10 may be more robustly manufactured and the degree of alignment may be increased.

On the other hand, if the spacing between the pressing units 421 is shorter than the length of the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 , when the pressurizer 4 descends to press the unit cell 2 , the press unit 421 may press the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 together. Then, both ends of the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 may be damaged by pressure, and in particular, the electrode active material layer formed by coating the electrode active material may be detached, thereby exposing the electrode current collector. Then, the energy efficiency to volume ratio may be lowered, and the possibility of occurrence of a short circuit increases. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the spacing between the pressing parts 421 is longer than the length of the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 .

When the pressing portion 421 is formed to protrude from both ends of the pressing surface 42, it is preferable to protrude appropriately long. If the pressing part 421 is formed to protrude excessively short, even when the pressing part 421 presses the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 when the pressurizer 4 presses the unit cell 2, the pressing part 421 The third region 125 and the fourth region 126 may be pressed very lightly, or even the third region 125 and the fourth region 126 may not be in contact at all. Accordingly, it is preferable that the pressing part 421 protrude to a thickness greater than that of at least the upper electrode 1122 or the lower electrode 1112 .

On the other hand, if the pressing part 421 is formed to protrude excessively, the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are deformed and become thinner than the thickness of the lower electrode 1112 and the upper electrode 1122, respectively. , the separator may be greatly bent. Therefore, it is preferable that the pressing part 421 is formed to protrude with a thickness thinner than the thickness of one unit cell 2 .

9 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pressurizer 4a according to another embodiment of the present invention presses a plurality of stacked unit cells 2 .

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the pressurizer (4a) is formed in a holder shape at both ends of the left and right sides of the magazine (17), holding both ends of the stacked plurality of unit cells (2) from above and below to pressurize. can Here, the left and right ends of the magazine 17 correspond to the area where the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are applied in the unit cell 2 when the unit cell 2 is inserted into the magazine 17 . It refers to both ends of being

As shown in FIG. 9 , the pressurizer 4a is formed in a holder shape, and is disposed on both sides of the stacked plurality of unit cells 2 . And each includes an upper body 411 for pressing the unit cell 2 from above and a lower body 412 for pressing the unit cell 2 from below.

The upper body 411 and the lower body 412 may be connected to each other to slide. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9 , the upper body 411 slides into the lower body 412 and is inserted, thereby pressing the unit cell 2 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the upper body 411 and the lower body 412 may be connected to each other to rotate. Accordingly, the unit cell 2 may be pressed while the upper body 411 rotates from the lower body 412 . In this case, a separate elastic body may be formed between the upper body 411 and the lower body 412 . In addition, when the upper body 411 presses the unit cell 2 , the elastic body is deformed to provide an elastic force to the upper body 411 , and the upper body 411 may convert this elastic force into a pressing force. That is, according to another embodiment of the present invention, if the upper body 411 and the lower body 412 can press the unit cell 2 from above and below, respectively, it can be formed in various ways.

On the upper body 411 and the lower body 412 , a pressing part 421a is formed to protrude in a direction toward the unit cell 2 , respectively. And in the unit cell 2, the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are directly in contact with the applied area to press the unit cells (2). In the unit cell 2 , the pressing part 421a is a region in which the upper separator 1212 extends in a direction in which the electrode tab 113 of the upper electrode 1122 protrudes, that is, the third region 125 and its The region extending to the opposite side, that is, the fourth region 126 may be pressed. As a result, the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 are intensively pressed on the applied region, so that the adhesive force of the first adhesive 31 and the second adhesive 32 can be more fully exhibited.

Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and various embodiments derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus 2: unit cell
4: presser 31: first adhesive
32: second adhesive 10: electrode assembly
15: heater 16: heating roller
17: magazine 18: guide roll
19: nip roll 20: laminate
21: first unit cell 22: second unit cell
41: body 42: pressing surface
111: lower electrode reel 112: upper electrode reel
113: electrode tab 121: upper separator reel
122: lower separator reel 123: first region
124: second area 125: third area
126: fourth area 131: first cutter
132: second cutter 133: third cutter
141: first nozzle 142: second nozzle
151: upper heater 152: lower heater
411: upper body 412: lower body
421: pressing unit 1111: lower electrode sheet
1112: lower electrode 1121: upper electrode sheet
1122: upper electrode 1211: upper separator sheet
1212: upper separator 1221: lower separator sheet
1222: lower separator 1231: first edge
1241: second edge 1251: third edge
1261: fourth corner

Claims (10)

a lower electrode reel on which a lower electrode sheet on which a plurality of lower electrodes are formed is unwound;
an upper separator reel on which an upper separator sheet stacked on the upper surface of the lower electrode is unwound;
a lower separator reel on which a lower separator sheet laminated on a lower surface of the lower electrode is unwound;
a first nozzle for applying a first adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet;
an upper electrode reel on which an upper electrode sheet on which a plurality of upper electrodes are formed is unwound;
When a plurality of upper electrodes are spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet and laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet to form a laminate, a second adhesive is applied to the upper surface of both side regions of the upper separator sheet. a second nozzle to apply;
a cutter for forming unit cells by cutting the laminate at regular intervals;
a magazine for sequentially accommodating and stacking a plurality of the unit cells; and
An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus comprising a pressurizer for manufacturing an electrode assembly by pressing the unit cells stacked on the magazine. According to claim 1,
The pressurizer,
a body having a pressing surface on its lower surface for pressing the unit cell; and
An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus including pressing parts respectively protruding from both ends of the pressing surface. 3. The method of claim 2,
The pressurizing part,
An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus in which a distance spaced apart from each other is longer than a length of the upper electrode or the lower electrode. 3. The method of claim 2,
The pressurizing part,
In the unit cell, the upper separator pressurizes a region extending in a direction in which the electrode tab of the upper electrode protrudes and a region extending in a direction opposite to that of the electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus. According to claim 1,
The pressurizer,
An electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus formed in a holder shape at both left and right ends of the magazine to hold both ends of the plurality of stacked unit cells from above and below and pressurize them. According to claim 1,
The pressurizer,
When the stacking of the plurality of unit cells is completed, an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus for finally pressing the unit cells. According to claim 1,
The pressurizer,
Whenever the unit cells are stacked one by one, an electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus for pressing the unit cells. The upper separator sheet is unwound from the upper separator reel, and the lower separator sheet is unwound from the lower separator reel;
applying, by a first nozzle, a first adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the lower separator sheet;
A plurality of lower electrodes, arranged spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet and the lower separator sheet unwound from the upper separator reel, stacking between the upper separator sheet and the lower separator sheet;
A plurality of upper electrodes, arranged spaced apart in a line in the longitudinal direction of the upper separator sheet is laminated on the upper surface of the upper separator sheet to form a laminate;
applying, by a second nozzle, a second adhesive to the upper surfaces of both side regions of the upper separator sheet;
forming unit cells by a cutter cutting the laminate at regular intervals;
stacking the plurality of unit cells while sequentially accommodating them in a magazine; and
An electrode assembly manufacturing method comprising the step of manufacturing an electrode assembly by pressing the unit cell stacked on the magazine by a pressurizer. 9. The method of claim 8,
In the step of the pressurizer pressurizing the unit cells,
The pressurizer,
a body having a pressing surface on its lower surface for directly pressing the unit cell; and
A method of manufacturing an electrode assembly including pressing portions respectively protruding from both ends of the pressing surface. 9. The method of claim 8,
In the step of the pressurizer pressurizing the unit cells,
The pressurizer,
When the stacking of the plurality of unit cells is completed, the electrode assembly manufacturing method for finally pressing the unit cells.

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