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EP-4738502-A1 - SECONDARY BATTERY PRESSING DEVICE AND SECONDARY BATTERY PRESSING METHOD USING SAME

EP4738502A1EP 4738502 A1EP4738502 A1EP 4738502A1EP-4738502-A1

Abstract

Disclosed are a secondary battery pressing apparatus for pressing a secondary battery including a battery case configured to receive an electrode assembly having a pair of electrode leads located opposite each other and a sealed portion provided at an edge of the battery case, the secondary battery pressing apparatus including a pair of pressing plates located on one side and the other side of the battery case, a pair of tight contact plates configured to be brought into tight contact with the battery case by the pair of pressing plates, and a pair of tight contact members configured to be brought into tight contact with a corner portion of the battery case by the pair of pressing plates, and a pressing method using the same.

Inventors

  • YOON, Tae Keon

Assignees

  • LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20250404

Claims (15)

  1. A secondary battery pressing apparatus for pressing a secondary battery comprising a battery case configured to receive an electrode assembly having a pair of electrode leads located opposite each other and a sealed portion provided at an edge of the battery case, the secondary battery pressing apparatus comprising: a pair of pressing plates located on one side and the other side of the battery case; a pair of tight contact plates configured to be brought into tight contact with the battery case by the pair of pressing plates; and a pair of tight contact members configured to be brought into tight contact with a corner portion of the battery case by the pair of pressing plates.
  2. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of tight contact members is made of a shape-memory alloy.
  3. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shape-memory alloy comprises Cu, Zn, and Al materials.
  4. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pair of tight contact plates comprises a first tight contact plate and a second tight contact plate located facing one surface and the other surface of the battery case, respectively, and the pair of tight contact members comprises a first tight contact member and a second tight contact member provided respectively at the first tight contact plate and the second tight contact plate so as to face the one surface and the other surface of the battery case, respectively.
  5. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first tight contact member comprises: a 1a member fixed to the first tight contact plate so as to be in tight contact with the corner portion located on one side, which is a part of the corner portion formed on the one surface of the battery case; and a 1b member configured to be brought into tight contact with the corner portion located on the other side, which is a part of the corner portion formed on the one surface of the battery case, the 1b member being movable in a longitudinal direction of the 1a member.
  6. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the 1a member and the 1b member is formed in a quadrangular frame shape, and a thickness of a side frame of each of the 1a member and the 1b member in tight contact with the corner portion is greater than or equal to a thickness of the corner portion.
  7. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first tight contact member further comprises: a plurality of first fixing members connected to the first tight contact plate, the plurality of first fixing members being configured to fix the 1a member to the first tight contact plate; and a plurality of first connecting members configured to connect the 1b member to the first tight contact plate.
  8. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second tight contact member comprises: a 2a member fixed to the second tight contact plate so as to be in tight contact with the corner portion located on the one side, which is a part of the corner portion formed on the other surface of the battery case; and a 2b member configured to be brought into tight contact with the corner portion located on the other side, which is a part of the corner portion formed on the other surface of the battery case, the 2b member being movable in a longitudinal direction of the 2a member.
  9. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the 2a member and the 2b member is formed in a quadrangular frame shape, and a thickness of a side frame of each of the 2a member and the 2b member in tight contact with the corner portion is greater than or equal to a thickness of the corner portion.
  10. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second tight contact member further comprises: a plurality of second fixing members connected to the second tight contact plate, the plurality of second fixing members being configured to fix the 2a member to the second tight contact plate; and a plurality of second connecting members configured to connect the 2b member to the second tight contact plate.
  11. The secondary battery pressing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pair of tight contact plates comprises a first tight contact plate configured to press the one surface of the battery case and a second tight contact plate configured to press the other surface of the battery case, and each of the first tight contact plate and the second tight contact plate is made of a metal comprising an aluminum material.
  12. A secondary battery pressing method using the secondary battery pressing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the secondary battery pressing method comprising: (S1) locating a secondary battery between the pair of tight contact plates (200), on inner surfaces of which the tight contact members are provided, respectively; and (S2) moving the pair of pressing plates to press the secondary battery.
  13. The secondary battery pressing method according to claim 12, further comprising heating the pair of tight contact members to a preset first temperature range to shape-memory process the pair of tight contact members before step (S1).
  14. The secondary battery pressing method according to claim 13, wherein, in step (S2), heating is performed to a second temperature range lower than the first temperature range.
  15. The secondary battery pressing method according to claim 14, further comprising varying a length of each of the tight contact members so as to correspond to a length of a first pocket portion of a battery case configured to receive an electrode assembly before step (S2).

Description

[Technical Field] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0084227 filed on June 27, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present invention relates to a secondary battery pressing apparatus and a secondary battery pressing method using the same, and more particularly to a secondary battery pressing apparatus capable of uniformly pressing the entirety of a secondary battery and a secondary battery pressing method using the same. [Background Art] With technological development of mobile devices and an increase in demand therefor, secondary batteries, which are capable of being charged and discharged, have been used as an energy source for various mobile devices. Secondary batteries have also attracted attention as an energy source for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles presented as alternatives to existing gasoline and diesel vehicles, which use fossil fuels. Depending on the shape of a battery case, secondary batteries are categorized into a cylindrical battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a cylindrical metal can, a prismatic battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a prismatic metal can, and a pouch-shaped battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a pouch-shaped case made of an aluminum laminate sheet. A typical pouch-shaped secondary battery manufacturing process includes inserting an electrode assembly into a receiving space of a battery case made of a laminate sheet, filling the battery case with an electrolyte solution, sealing the battery case, and performing an activation process, wherein a formation jig configured to press a battery cell is used in the activation process. FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing a part of a conventional pouch-shaped secondary battery pressing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a conventional pouch-shaped secondary battery, and FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the conventional pouch-shaped secondary battery. As shown in FIGs. 1 to 3, an activation process of a secondary battery 10 may be performed by pressing the secondary battery 10 disposed between a plurality of pressing plates 1 using the pressing plates 1. However, in manufacturing an electrode constituting an electrode assembly, an electrode material is coated in a slurry state, wherein a so-called sliding region of the electrode in which a central portion of the electrode is flat while ends of the electrode become thinner due to fluidity of the slurry may be formed. Due to the sliding region, the secondary battery 10 has a thickness deviation between a central portion and the vicinity of a tab portion thereof, forming a step, and uneven pressure is applied due to the step during the process using the formation jig, whereby quantified pressing is not possible. (Prior Art Document) (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2024-0044781 [Disclosure] [Technical Problem] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery pressing apparatus capable of uniformly applying pressure to a central portion and the vicinity of a tab portion of a pouch-shaped secondary battery during an activation process and a secondary battery pressing method using the same. [Technical Solution] As a technical means for achieving the above object, a secondary battery pressing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a secondary battery pressing apparatus for pressing a secondary battery including a battery case (11) configured to receive an electrode assembly having a pair of electrode leads (12) located opposite each other and a sealed portion (S) provided at an edge of the battery case (11), includes a pair of pressing plates (100) located on one side and the other side of the battery case (11), a pair of tight contact plates (200) configured to be brought into tight contact with the battery case (11) by the pair of pressing plates (100), and a pair of tight contact members (300) configured to be brought into tight contact with a corner portion (11b) of the battery case (11) by the pair of pressing plates (100). Also, in the secondary battery pressing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, each of the pair of tight contact members (300) may be made of a shape-memory alloy. Also, in the secondary battery pressing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the shape-memory alloy may include Cu, Zn, and Al materials. Also, in the secondary battery pressing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the pair of tight contact plates (200) may include a first tight contact plate (210) and a second tight contact plate (220) located facing one surface and the other surface of the battery case (11), respectively, and the pair of tight contact members (300) may include a first tight contact member (3