EP-4741127-A1 - ELECTRODE PLATE CUTTING UNIT FOR SECONDARY BATTERY, SECONDARY BATTERY MANUFACTURING APPARATUS HAVING ELECTRODE PLATE CUTTING UNIT, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SECONDARY BATTERY

EP4741127A1EP 4741127 A1EP4741127 A1EP 4741127A1EP-4741127-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to suppressing movement of an electrode plate when cutting an electrode plate to prevent deintercalation of an active material, and not causing damage or deformation of a front end surface through a uniform surface contact between a cutter and a tilting stripper. The electrode plate cutting unit includes a lower cutting unit having a lower cutter installed below a transport path of an electrode plate moving along the transport path and having an inclined blade and a support stripper positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly, and an upper cutting unit having an upper cutter provided to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and tilted while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter.

Inventors

KWON, JUNHWAN
KIM, JINHWAN
Im, Jongmin
KANG, Bonggeun

Assignees

SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20250714

Claims (12)

An electrode plate cutting unit for a secondary battery, comprising: a lower cutting unit, having: a lower cutter installed below a transport path of an electrode plate moving along the transport path, the lower cutter having an inclined blade (63c), and a support stripper (65) positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly; and an upper cutting unit, having: an upper cutter configured to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly, and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and configured to tilt while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the an upper surface of the lower cutter includes an inclined surface inclined downwardly in a width direction of the electrode plate and having the blade at one corner thereof.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper cutting unit comprises: a vertical movement structure that receives external power and is configured to move upwardly and downwardly; a support body fixed to the vertical movement structure; and a stripper supporter that supports the tilting stripper on the support body, and is configured to maintain the tilting stripper in a horizontal state in which the support body moves upwardly, and to tilt the tilting stripper at a same angle as an inclination angle of the lower cutter by receiving a reaction force from the lower cutter when the support body moves downwardly.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein a balancing head extending upwardly from the tilting stripper and having a vertical long hole is provided on the tilting stripper, and the stripper supporter has a rotary shaft member coupled to the support body after passing through the vertical long hole of the balancing head.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotary shaft member comprises a screw that is screw-coupled to the support body after passing through the vertical long hole.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the support body further comprises a level maintenance portion for maintaining the tilting stripper in a horizontal state while the support body moves upwardly.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein catch portions are formed on both end portions of the tilting stripper, and the level maintenance portion has a support bracket fixed to the support body and positioned at an opposite side with the tilting stripper interposed therebetween to support the catch portion upwardly.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the support bracket has a support positioned at a lower portion of the catch portion of the tilting stripper to support the catch portion.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 2, or any one of claims 3 to 6 when dependent on at least claim 2, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface is 0.5 degrees or less with respect to a plane comprising the electrode plate.
The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a transport guide for preventing the electrode plate from obliquely moving is formed on the lower cutter.
A secondary battery manufacturing apparatus comprising: an electrode plate transport unit (23) configured to transport an electrode plate (21) along a transport path; a winding unit (24, 26) configured to wind the electrode plate transported by the electrode plate transport unit; a cutting unit (30) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10; and a vertical movement driving unit (28) configured to move the upper cutting unit (40) upwardly and downwardly.
A method of manufacturing a secondary battery, comprising: a transporting operation of transporting an electrode plate to be cut along a transport path; a cutting operation of cutting the electrode plate using a cutting unit comprising a lower cutter installed below a transport path of an electrode plate moving along the transport path and having an inclined blade, a support stripper positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly, an upper cutter provided to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly, and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and tilted while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter, wherein the cutting of the electrode plate is performed while the tilting stripper is tilted to be in close contact with the electrode plate; and a winding operation of winding the cut electrode plate.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates to a cutting unit for cutting an electrode plate during a process of manufacturing a secondary battery, a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus having the cutting unit, and a method of manufacturing a secondary battery. BACKGROUND Secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, unlike primary batteries that cannot be recharged. In general, a secondary battery includes an electrode assembly composed of positive and negative electrode plates (hereinafter referred to as "electrode plates") and a separator. The electrode plate may be manufactured through coating, rolling, slitting, and notching processes. An electrode plate cutting machine may be used during a process of manufacturing an electrode plate. The electrode plate cutting machine includes upper and lower cutters installed on upper and lower portions of the electrode plate, respectively, which is transported along a transport path. The upper and lower cutters cut the electrode plate positioned between the upper and lower cutters through a cross motion. The herein 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 constitute a related (or prior) art. SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to providing an electrode plate cutting unit for a secondary battery, a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus having the cutting unit, and a method of manufacturing a secondary battery, in which movement of an electrode plate is suppressed when cutting the electrode plate to prevent deintercalation of an active material from a substrate when cutting, omitting a post-processing process for collecting foreign substances after cutting, and not causing damage or deformation of a front end surface. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrode plate cutting unit for a secondary battery, which includes a lower cutting unit having a lower cutter installed below a transport path of an electrode plate moving along the transport path and having an inclined blade and a support stripper positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly, and an upper cutting unit having an upper cutter provided to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and tilted while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including an electrode plate transport unit configured to transport an electrode plate along a transport path, a winding unit configured to wind the electrode plate transported by the electrode plate transport unit, a cutting unit including a lower cutting unit having a lower cutter installed below the transport path and having an inclined blade and a support stripper positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly, and an upper cutting unit having an upper cutter provided to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and tilted while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter, and a vertical movement driving unit configured to move the upper cutting unit upwardly and downwardly. According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a secondary battery, which includes a transporting operation of transporting an electrode plate, which will be cut, along a transport path, a cutting operation of cutting the electrode plate using a cutting unit including a lower cutter installed below a transport path of an electrode plate moving along the transport path and having an inclined blade, a support stripper positioned at a side portion of the lower cutter to support the electrode plate upwardly, an upper cutter provided to move upwardly and downwardly above the transport path to cut the electrode plate through cross motion with the lower cutter when moving downwardly, and a tilting stripper installed at a side portion of the upper cutter and tilted while supporting the electrode plate toward the lower cutter, wherein the cutting of the electrode plate is performed while the tilting stripper is tilted to be in close contact with the electrode plate, and a winding operation of winding the cut electrode plate. Aspects and features of the present disclosure are not limited to those described herein, and other aspects and features not specifically mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present