CN-122025512-A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing electrode plate

Abstract

An apparatus and method for manufacturing an electrode plate are disclosed. The apparatus for manufacturing an electrode plate includes a transfer unit configured to transfer an electrode plate including a coated portion where an active material is applied to a current collector and an uncoated portion where no active material is applied to the current collector in one direction, an extension unit for the uncoated portion including a pair of rollers having a predetermined gap therebetween for extending the uncoated portion in close contact with upper and lower surfaces of the uncoated portion, a first sensor to measure a first width of the uncoated portion before extension of the uncoated portion in one direction in which the electrode plate is transferred, and a second sensor to measure a second width of the uncoated portion after extension in one direction in which the electrode plate is transferred, wherein the extension unit is configured to compare the first width and the second width to adjust a gap between the pair of rollers.

Inventors

• LI JUNXIE
• Quan Biju

Assignees

• 三星SDI株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251110

Priority Date

20241111

Claims (20)

1. 1. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode plate, the apparatus comprising: a transfer unit configured to transfer the electrode plate in one direction, the electrode plate including a coated portion where an active material is applied to a current collector and an uncoated portion where no active material is applied to the current collector; An extension unit for the uncoated portion, the extension unit including a pair of rollers having a predetermined gap therebetween, the extension unit for extending the uncoated portion in close contact with upper and lower surfaces of the uncoated portion; A first sensor in front of the extension unit in the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed, the first sensor configured to measure a first width of the uncoated portion before the extension of the uncoated portion, and A second sensor behind the extension unit in the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed, the second sensor being configured to measure a second width of the uncoated portion that has been extended, Wherein the extension unit is configured to compare the first width and the second width to adjust the predetermined gap between the pair of rollers.
2. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extension unit is configured to increase the second width of the uncoated portion in an opposite direction of a load applied in a direction perpendicular to the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed.
3. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the extension unit is configured to cause the uncoated portion to become convex downward in the direction perpendicular to the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed.
4. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pair of rollers comprises: A first roller facing and projecting toward the upper surface of the uncoated portion, and And a second roller facing and recessed toward the lower surface of the uncoated portion.
5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a width of the first roller and a width of the second roller are each less than the first width of the uncoated portion.
6. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the width of each of the first roller and the second roller is 90% of the first width of the uncoated portion.
7. 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the extension unit further comprises: A communication unit configured to receive information about the first width and the second width of the uncoated portion measured by the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively; A calculating unit configured to calculate an increase rate of a width of the uncoated portion by comparing the first width and the second width of the uncoated portion; A controller configured to control a driving unit to adjust the predetermined gap between the first roller and the second roller based on the rate of increase of the width of the uncoated portion, Wherein the driving unit adjusts the predetermined gap between the first roller and the second roller by vertically moving at least one of the first roller and the second roller.
8. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the driving unit comprises: A hydraulic valve configured to control the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder based on a control signal of the controller, and The hydraulic cylinder is configured to vertically move at least one of the first roller and the second roller based on the hydraulic pressure.
9. 9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the driving unit includes a linear motor configured to horizontally move the first roller and the second roller in a width direction of the uncoated portion.
10. 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to control the drive unit to adjust the predetermined gap between the first roller and the second roller to a first predetermined gap having a preset thickness ratio that is less than a thickness of the uncoated portion prior to the stretching of the uncoated portion.
11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the preset thickness ratio is 70% -80% of the thickness of the uncoated portion prior to the stretching of the uncoated portion.
12. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to control the drive unit to adjust the first predetermined gap to a second predetermined gap based on the rate of increase of the width of the uncoated portion such that the rate of increase of the width of the uncoated portion coincides with a preset rate of increase of the width.
13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the preset rate of increase of the width is a ratio of 1% -3% increase of the second width of the uncoated portion compared to the first width of the uncoated portion.
14. 14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: A heating unit in front of the first sensor in the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed, the heating unit configured to heat the electrode plate, and A rolling unit behind the second sensor in the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed, the rolling unit being configured to roll the electrode plate.
15. 15. The apparatus of any of claims 1-13, wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor comprises an image sensor configured to capture the width of the uncoated portion.
16. 16. A method for manufacturing an electrode plate, the method comprising: transmitting the electrode plate in one direction, the electrode plate including a coated portion where an active material is applied to a current collector and an uncoated portion where no active material is applied to the current collector; measuring a first width of the uncoated portion in a direction crossing the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed; Spreading the uncoated portion for the first time by a pair of rollers in close contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the uncoated portion, resulting in a spread uncoated portion; Measuring a second width of the extended uncoated portion in the direction crossing the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed, and The uncoated portion is stretched a second time by comparing the first width and the second width of the uncoated portion and adjusting a gap between the pair of rollers.
17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the first extending the uncoated portion and the second extending the uncoated portion comprises extending the uncoated portion while increasing the width of the uncoated portion in an opposite direction of a load applied in a direction perpendicular to the one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed.
18. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the pair of rollers comprises a first roller and a second roller, the first roller facing and protruding toward the upper surface of the uncoated portion, the second roller faces the lower surface of the uncoated portion and is recessed toward the lower surface of the uncoated portion.
19. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first extending the uncoated portion comprises extending the uncoated portion by adjusting the gap between the pair of rollers to a first gap having a preset thickness ratio that is less than a thickness of the uncoated portion prior to extending the uncoated portion.
20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second stretching the uncoated portion comprises stretching the uncoated portion by comparing the first width and the second width of the uncoated portion and adjusting the first gap to a second gap having a preset increase rate of width.

Description

Apparatus and method for manufacturing electrode plate Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing an electrode plate. Background Unlike primary batteries, which are not designed to be (re) charged, secondary (or rechargeable) batteries are batteries that are designed to be discharged and re-charged. Low-capacity secondary batteries are used in portable small-sized electronic devices such as smart phones, function phones, notebook computers, digital still cameras, and video cameras, while high-capacity secondary batteries are widely used as power sources for driving motors in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles and for storing electric power (e.g., electric power storage at home and/or utility scale). A secondary battery generally includes an electrode assembly including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case accommodating the electrode assembly, and an electrode terminal connected to the electrode assembly. In general, an electrode or an electrode plate of a secondary battery is formed through a series of processes including a mixing process for mixing raw materials of the electrode, a coating process for coating the mixed slurry to a substrate of the electrode plate and drying the slurry, a rolling process for reducing the thickness of the coated electrode, a dividing process for cutting off the electrode, a slotting process for forming a tab on the electrode, and the like. The above information disclosed in this background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form a related (prior) art. Disclosure of Invention Embodiments include an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode plate including a transfer unit configured to transfer the electrode plate in one direction, the electrode plate including a coated portion where an active substance is coated to a current collector and an uncoated portion where no active substance is coated to the current collector, an extension unit for the uncoated portion including a pair of rollers having a predetermined gap therebetween for extending the uncoated portion in close contact with upper and lower surfaces of the uncoated portion, a first sensor in front of the extension unit in one direction in which the electrode plate is transferred, the first sensor configured to measure a first width of the uncoated portion before extension of the uncoated portion, and a second sensor in back of the extension unit in one direction in which the electrode plate is transferred, the second sensor configured to measure a second width of the uncoated portion that has been extended, wherein the extension unit is configured to compare the first width and the second width to adjust the gap between the pair of rollers. The extension unit may be configured to increase the second width of the non-coating portion in an opposite direction of a load applied in a direction perpendicular to one direction in which the electrode plate is transferred. The extension unit may be configured to make the uncoated portion become projected downward in a direction perpendicular to one direction in which the electrode plate is conveyed. The pair of rollers may include a first roller facing the upper surface of the non-coating portion and protruding toward the upper surface of the non-coating portion, and a second roller facing the lower surface of the non-coating portion and recessed toward the lower surface of the non-coating portion. The width of the first roller and the width of the second roller may each be smaller than the first width of the uncoated portion. The width of each of the first roller and the second roller may be about 90% of the first width of the uncoated portion. The extension unit may further include a communication unit configured to receive information about first and second widths of the uncoated portion measured by the first and second sensors, respectively, a calculation unit configured to calculate an increase rate of the width of the uncoated portion by comparing the first and second widths of the uncoated portion, and a controller configured to control the driving unit to adjust a predetermined gap between the first and second rollers based on the increase rate of the width of the uncoated portion, wherein the driving unit adjusts the predetermined gap between the first and second rollers by vertically moving at least one of the first and second rollers. The driving unit may include a hydraulic valve configured to control a hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder based on a control signal of the controller, and the hydraulic cylinder vertically moves at least one of the first roller and the second roller based on the hydraulic pressure. The driving unit may include a linear motor configured to horizontally move the first roller and the second roller in a width direction of the uncoated portion. The control