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EP-4741746-A1 - DRYING APPARATUS FOR DRYING AN ELECTRODE

EP4741746A1EP 4741746 A1EP4741746 A1EP 4741746A1EP-4741746-A1

Abstract

An apparatus for drying an electrode includes: a drying unit above an upper portion of a moving electrode plate, and to: spray hot air in a direction opposite to a traveling direction of the moving electrode plate to dry a slurry applied to a substrate; and suck gas that dried the slurry; an air supply unit to supply the hot air to the drying unit; and an exhaust unit to externally discharge the gas sucked into the drying unit. The drying unit is to control a spraying direction of the hot air sprayed onto the moving electrode plate.

Inventors

  • Hwang, Yeyeong
  • KANG, Changhyun
  • MOON, Jeunggi
  • LEE, EUNHEE
  • LIM, Junghwan
  • JANG, KYEONGHO
  • AHN, Hyejin
  • Lee, Hansol

Assignees

  • SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251016

Claims (15)

  1. A drying apparatus (100) for drying an electrode, the drying apparatus (100) comprising: a drying unit (110, 210) positioned above an upper portion of a moving electrode plate (10), and configured to spray hot air in a direction opposite to a traveling direction of the moving electrode plate (10) to dry a slurry (12) applied to a substrate (11) of the moving electrode plate (10), and configured to suck in gas that dried the slurry (12); an air supply unit (150, 250) configured to supply the hot air to the drying unit (110, 210); and an exhaust unit (160, 260) configured to externally discharge the gas sucked into the drying unit (110, 210), wherein the drying unit (110, 210) is further configured to control a spraying direction of the hot air sprayed onto the moving electrode plate (10).
  2. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drying unit (110, 210) comprises: a housing (120, 220) positioned above the upper portion of the moving electrode plate (10), and comprising an air supply chamber (121, 221) and an exhaust chamber (122, 222) which is separated from the air supply chamber (121, 221); an air supply nozzle (131, 231) penetrating a lower surface of the housing (120, 220), in communication with the air supply chamber (121, 221), and configured to spray the hot air in a width direction of the moving electrode plate (10); an exhaust nozzle (132, 232) penetrating the lower surface of the housing (120, 220), in communication with the exhaust chamber (122, 222), and through which the gas that dried the slurry (12) is sucked in; and a rotating unit (310) rotatably connected to the housing (120, 220), and configured to control a direction of the hot air supplied to the moving electrode plate (10).
  3. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a driving motor (320) in the housing (120, 220), and configured to rotate the rotating unit (310).
  4. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the drying unit (110, 210) further comprises a width-direction wind direction control unit (400) in the air supply chamber (121) within the housing (120, 220), and configured to control a direction of the hot air supplied in the width direction (z-axis direction) of the moving electrode plate (10).
  5. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the width-direction wind direction control unit (400) comprises: a fixed blade unit (410) at a center of the air supply chamber (121, 221); a plurality of first rotary blade units (420) on one side of the fixed blade unit (410) along a width direction (z-axis direction) of the air supply chamber (121), and rotatably coupled to the housing (120, 220) to allow an angle adjustment thereof; and a plurality of second rotary blade units (430) on another side of the fixed blade unit (410) along the width direction (z-axis direction) of the air supply chamber (121, 221), and rotatably coupled to the housing (120, 220) to allow an angle adjustment thereof.
  6. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the width-direction wind direction control unit (400) further comprises: a first driving unit (440) in the housing (120, 220), and configured to rotate the plurality of first rotary blade units (420) to adjust the angle; and a second driving unit (450) in the housing (120, 220), and configured to rotate the plurality of second rotary blade units (430) to adjust the angle.
  7. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the air supply nozzle (131, 231) is located forward with respect to the traveling direction of the moving electrode plate (10), and wherein the exhaust nozzle (132, 232) is located to face the air supply nozzle (131, 231) at a rear side with respect to the traveling direction of the moving electrode plate (10).
  8. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the air supply nozzle (131, 231) and the exhaust nozzle (132, 232) are slit-shaped, and each have a width (W2) longer than a width (W4) of the moving electrode plate (10).
  9. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the drying unit (110, 210) further comprises: an air supply connection unit (141, 241) protruding from an upper surface of the housing (120, 220), coupled with the air supply unit (150, 250), and in communication with the air supply chamber (121, 221); and an exhaust connection unit (141, 242) protruding from the upper surface of the housing (120, 220), combined with the exhaust unit (160, 260), and connected to the exhaust chamber (122, 222).
  10. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the air supply connection unit (241) protrudes from the upper surface of the housing (220) in a central region of the housing (220), and has a width (W5) smaller than a width (W6) of the air supply chamber (221).
  11. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein a plurality of exhaust connection units (242) protrude from opposite ends of the housing (220) to the upper surface of the housing (220), and each have a width (W7) smaller than a width (W8) of the exhaust chamber (222).
  12. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the air supply connection unit (241) and the exhaust connection unit (242) do not overlap with each other in a direction (x-axis direction) parallel to the traveling direction (D) of the moving electrode plate (10).
  13. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the air supply unit (250) comprises: a hot air generating unit (252) configured to generate the hot air; and an air supply duct (251) connecting the hot air generating unit (252) with the air supply connection unit (241), and through which the hot air is supplied.
  14. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the exhaust unit (160, 260) comprises: an exhaust duct (161, 261, 262) connected to the exhaust connection unit (142, 242);and a gas exhaust unit (162, 264) connected to the exhaust duct (161, 261, 262), and configured to force the gas to be externally discharged.
  15. The drying apparatus (100) as claimed in at least one of claims 2 to 14, wherein the drying unit (110, 210) further comprises a perforation plate (271) in at least one of the air supply chamber (121, 221) or the exhaust chamber (122, 222), the perforation plate have a plurality of through holes (271a, 272a) through which the hot air flows.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Field Aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a drying apparatus for drying an electrode. 2. Description of Related Art Unlike primary batteries that are not designed to be (re)charged, secondary (or rechargeable) batteries are batteries that are designed to be discharged and recharged. Low-capacity secondary batteries are used in portable, small electronic devices, such as smart phones, feature phones, notebook computers, digital cameras, and camcorders, while large-capacity secondary batteries are widely used as power sources for driving motors in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles and for storing power (e.g., home and/or utility scale power storage). A secondary battery generally includes an electrode assembly composed of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case accommodating the same, and electrode terminals connected to the electrode assembly. Secondary batteries are manufactured through various suitable kinds of processes. In more detail, in the electrode process among the secondary battery manufacturing processes, a slurry containing an active material is coated on a substrate, and then dried to manufacture a positive electrode or a negative electrode of a secondary battery. Typically, a slurry coated on a substrate may be dried by evaporation of a solvent forming part of the slurry while passing through a drying unit. In this case, if the slurry dries unevenly depending on a location on the substrate, deterioration in a quality of the secondary battery may occur due to migration of a binder. 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 constitute related (or prior) art. SUMMARY One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be directed to a drying apparatus for drying an electrode (also be called an electrode drying apparatus) providing improved, i.e. uniform drying of a slurry on a substrate of an electrode. The invention is defined by the appended claims. The description that follows is subjected to this limitation. Any disclosure lying outside the scope of said claims is only intended for illustrative as well as comparative purposes. According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a drying apparatus for drying an electrode (e.g. an electrode plate) includes: a drying unit positioned above an upper portion of a moving electrode plate, and configured to spray (e.g. direct) hot air in a direction opposite to a traveling direction of the moving electrode plate to dry a slurry applied to a substrate, and configured to suck in gas that dried the slurry; an air supply unit configured to supply the hot air to the drying unit; and an exhaust unit configured to externally discharge the gas sucked into the drying unit. The drying unit is further configured to control a spraying (e.g. blowing) direction of the hot air sprayed (e.g. directed) onto the moving electrode plate. In an embodiment, the drying unit may include: a housing positioned above the upper portion of the moving electrode plate, and including an air supply chamber and an exhaust chamber which is separated from the air supply chamber; an air supply nozzle penetrating a lower surface of the housing, in communication with the air supply chamber, and configured to spray (e.g. direct) the hot air in a width direction of the moving electrode plate; an exhaust nozzle penetrating the lower surface of the housing, in communication with the exhaust chamber, and through which the gas that dried the slurry may be sucked in; and a rotating unit rotatably connected to the housing, and configured to control a direction of the hot air supplied to the moving electrode plate. In an embodiment, the apparatus may further include a driving motor in the housing, and configured to rotate the rotating unit. In an embodiment, the drying unit may further include a width-direction wind direction control unit in the air supply chamber within the housing, and configured to control a direction of the hot air supplied in the width direction of the moving electrode plate. In an embodiment, the width-direction wind direction control unit may include: a fixed blade unit at a center of the air supply chamber; a plurality of first rotary blade units on one side of the fixed blade unit along a width direction of the air supply chamber, and rotatably coupled to the housing to allow an angle adjustment thereof; and a plurality of second rotary blade units on another side of the fixed blade unit along the width direction of the air supply chamber, and rotatably coupled to the housing to allow an angle adjustment thereof. In an embodiment, the width-direction wind direction control unit may further include: a first driving unit in the housing, and configured to rotate the plurality of first rotary blade units to adjust the angle; and a second driving unit in the h