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EP-4354572-B1 - TRANSFER DEVICE

EP4354572B1EP 4354572 B1EP4354572 B1EP 4354572B1EP-4354572-B1

Inventors

  • JI, SEUNG HYUN

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230601

Claims (17)

  1. A transfer device that adsorbs and transports a laminate (10) with a plurality of electrodes and separators comprising: a base plate (100) capable of moving in a horizontal direction, and capable of ascending and descending in a vertical direction at a certain point; an adsorption unit (200) coupled to a lower part of the base plate (100) and configured to absorb an upper surface of the laminate (10); and a support unit (300) coupled to the base plate (100) and configured to support a lower part of the laminate (10) adsorbed by the adsorption unit (200), wherein the support unit (300) comprises: a vertical moving member (320), and a rotating member (330) coupled to the vertical moving member (320) and configured to rotate about a coupling point to support the laminate (10).
  2. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the adsorption unit (200) comprises: an adsorption pad (220) attached to the upper surface of the laminate (10); and an adsorption tube (210) having both ends respectively coupled to the base plate (100) and the adsorption pad (220) to fix the adsorption pad (220) to the base plate (100).
  3. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of adsorption units (200) are coupled to the lower part of the base plate (100) to adsorb each corner of the laminate (10).
  4. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the support unit (300) comprises: a fixing member (310) coupled to both sides of the base plate (100) and extending downward; the vertical moving member (320) coupled to the fixing member (310) to be slidable and move vertically up and down; and the rotating member (330) coupled to a lower part of the vertical moving member (320).
  5. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein the fixing member (310) comprises a vertical guide rail vertically extending on one side; the vertical moving member (320) is coupled to the fixing member (310) to be guided by the vertical guide rail; and the vertical moving member (320) is guided by the vertical guide rail to move vertically up and down with respect to the fixing member (310).
  6. The transfer device of claim 5, wherein the fixing member (310) comprises a linear motor, and the vertical moving member (320) is coupled to the linear motor to move vertically up and down.
  7. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein the fixing member (310) comprises a pneumatic cylinder, and the vertical moving member (320) is coupled to the pneumatic cylinder and moves vertically up and down according to a movement of a piston of the pneumatic cylinder.
  8. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the support unit (300) is coupled to the base plate (100) to be horizontally slidable with respect to the base plate (100).
  9. The transfer device of claim 4, wherein the rotating member (330) is axially coupled to an end of the vertical moving member (320), and rotates about an axis.
  10. The transfer device of claim 9, wherein the rotating member (330) extends horizontally with respect to the axis (321a), and the lower part of the laminate (10) adsorbed to the adsorption unit (200) is supported by the rotating member (330) rotating about the axis (321a).
  11. The transfer device of claim 9, wherein the rotating member (330) comprises a forwardly sloping inclined surface at the upper part.
  12. The transfer device of claim 9, wherein the vertical moving member (320) comprises a servo motor at an end, and the rotating member (330) is coupled to the servo motor and rotates about a rotation axis (321a) formed in a vertical direction.
  13. The transfer device of claim 9, wherein the vertical moving member (320) comprises a pneumatic motor at its end, and the rotating member (330) is coupled to the pneumatic motor and rotates about a rotation axis (321a) formed in a vertical direction.
  14. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein at least two or more rotating members are coupled to a lower part of the vertical moving member (320).
  15. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the base plate (100) is coupled to a driving device for moving the base plate (100) in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction to one side.
  16. A transfer method comprising: preparing a laminate (10) in which a plurality of electrodes and separators are stacked; preparing the transfer device according to claim 1 on the laminate (10); adsorbing the laminate (10) by lowering the base plate (100); manipulating the support unit (300) to support the lower part of the laminate (10); and lifting the base plate (100).
  17. The transfer method of claim 16, wherein manipulating the support unit (300) comprises: sliding the vertical moving member (320) to a lower part; rotating the rotating member (330) toward the laminate (10); and sliding the vertical moving member (320) to an upper part.

Description

[Technical Field] The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more specifically, to a transfer device that transports a laminate in which multiple electrodes and separators are stacked by adsorbing the laminate, as well as a transfer method using the same. [Background Art] Generally, based on the shape of the battery case, battery cells are classified into cylindrical battery cells or prismatic battery cells in which an electrode assembly is housed in either a cylindrical or prismatic metal can, and a pouch-type battery cell in which an electrode assembly is housed in a pouch-type case made of aluminum laminate sheets. Among these, there is a particularly high interest in pouch-type battery cells due to their ease of shape modification and lightweight characteristics. An electrode assembly housed in a battery case consists of a layered structure of positive electrode/separator/negative electrode, serving as a power generating element capable of charging and discharging. It can be classified into a jelly-roll type, where a long sheet-type positive electrode and negative electrode with active material coated on them are wound with a separator interposed therebetween, and a stack-type, where multiple positive electrodes and negative electrodes of a certain size are sequentially layered with separators interposed therebetween. Moreover, to enhance the processability of conventional stack-type electrode assemblies and to meet the demand for battery cells of various shapes, development is underway for lamination/stack-type electrode assemblies that have a structure in which unit cells with electrodes and separators alternately layered and bonded are stacked. Such an electrode assembly, due to its laminated structure of multiple electrodes and separators, is prone to issues like breaking of the laminated structure or tearing of the separators even from minor shakes or impacts during handling. Therefore, both sides of the electrode assembly are fixed with insulating tape or the like for storage. Meanwhile, during the process of transporting the electrode assembly fixed with insulating tape or the like, it has been frequently observed that the electrodes or separators contained in the electrode assembly get damaged, leading to a poor battery cell quality. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional transfer device for transporting an electrode assembly. The conventional transfer device may comprise a base plate 1 that is movable in all xyz axis directions, and an adsorption unit 2 coupled to the base plate 1 to adsorb the surface of an electrode assembly. FIG. 2 illustrates the process of transporting a laminate 3 in which multiple electrodes and separators are laminated, using the transfer device from FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the laminate 3 has insulating tapes 4 attached to both sides to maintain and fix the laminated structure of the electrodes and separators. The base plate 1 that has moved to the upper part of the laminate 3 descends to adsorb the upper surface of the laminate 3 with the adsorption unit 2. It then lifts the laminate 3 upwards to transfer it to the desired location. However, as shown in FIG. 2(b), a gap can occur between the adsorbed part directly absorbed by the adsorption unit 2 and the unadsorbed part due to the weight of the laminate 3. This process can result in tearing or damage to electrodes and separators. Therefore, there is a need for a transfer device with a new structure that can suppress the tearing of electrodes and separators and prevent the degradation of the quality of secondary batteries. [Prior Art Documents] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1643036 [Description of the Invention] [Technical Problem] The present invention was conceived to address the aforementioned problems, and is directed to solve the issue of quality degradation of a laminate being transferred through a structure change of a transfer device. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent through the detailed description provided below, and will be more clearly recognized by the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof disclosed in the claims of the patent. [Technical Solution] The object is achieved by the subject-matter of claims 1 and 16. Advantageous further developments are subject-matter of the dependent claims. [Advantageous Effects] According to the present invention, the process efficiency of the secondary battery can be improved by preventing the tearing of electrodes and separators that can occur during the transfer of a laminate. [Brief Description of the Drawings] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional transfer device.FIG. 2 illustrates a process of transporting a laminate using the transfer device of FIG. 1.FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invent