KR-20260064499-A - STACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY PERFORMED THEREBY

KR20260064499AKR 20260064499 AKR20260064499 AKR 20260064499AKR-20260064499-A

Abstract

A stacking system according to the present invention comprises a stack mandrel configured to support at least a portion of the folding portion of a separator so that the separator is folded with the electrode in between and configured to hold the end of the electrode, and a pressing device configured to press the edge of the separator, wherein the edge of the separator includes an overlapping edge region that overlaps with the stack mandrel and a non-overlapping edge region that does not overlap with the stack mandrel, and the pressing device is configured to press the non-overlapping edge region.

Inventors

김남영

Assignees

주식회사 엘지에너지솔루션

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250828
Priority Date: 20241030

Claims (20)

A stack mandrel configured to support at least a portion of the folding portion of the separator so that the separator is folded with the electrode in between, and configured to hold the end of the electrode; and It includes a pressurizing device configured to pressurize the edge of the above-mentioned separator, and The edge of the above separator is, An overlapping boundary area overlapping with the stack mandrel above; and It includes a non-overlapping border area that does not overlap with the stack mandrel above, and The above-mentioned pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to pressurize the above-mentioned non-overlapping edge area.
In paragraph 1, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to prevent the edges of each part of the stacked separator from spreading apart while the separator is folded and stacked.
In paragraph 1, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to apply heat to the separator.
In paragraph 1, The stack mandrels are provided as a pair, each positioned at an end in the extension direction of the separator to support each end of the folding portion of the separator, and The above pressurizing device is a stacking system positioned between a pair of stack mandrels while pressurizing the separator.
In paragraph 1, The device further includes a separator providing device configured to provide the separator such that, while the separator is supported by the stack mandrel, the separator is folded to form a separator portion located between the electrodes. The above separator is, A closing edge connected to the end of the adjacent above-mentioned separator portion; and A stacking system comprising open edges at the ends of adjacent separator portions.
In paragraph 5, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to pressurize the closing edge while the stack mandrel supports the separator in order to prevent an air layer from forming on the closing edge.
In paragraph 1, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system spaced apart from the overlapping edge area while the stack mandrel supports the separator.
In paragraph 5, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to pressurize the open edge while the stack mandrel supports the separator in order to prevent short circuits from occurring at the electrode.
In paragraph 5, The stack mandrel comprises a first stack mandrel and a second stack mandrel configured to be positioned adjacent to each of a pair of mutually facing closing edges of the separator while the separator is being folded, and to alternately form each of a pair of closing edges. The above-mentioned pressurizing device is, A first pressurizing device for pressurizing the separator while the first stack mandrel supports the separator; and A stacking system comprising a second pressurizing device that pressurizes the separator while the second stack mandrel supports the separator.
In Paragraph 9, A stacking system in which the first pressurizing device and the second pressurizing device do not simultaneously come into contact with the separator.
In paragraph 1, It further includes an electrode moving device configured to move the electrode toward the separator, The above-mentioned pressurizing device is a stacking system combined with the above-mentioned electrode moving device.
In paragraph 1, It further includes an electrode moving device configured to move the electrode toward the separator, The electrode moving device is configured to hold the electrode to move the electrode and to separate the electrode from the upper side of the separator. The above-mentioned pressurizing device is a stacking system located below the electrode moving device to pressurize the separator while the electrode moving device is located above the separator.
In Paragraph 11, The above electrode moving device is configured to hold the electrode by negative pressure, and A stacking system further comprising an alignment table on which the electrode is placed so that the electrode moving device holds the electrode.
In paragraph 1, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system that is spaced apart from the electrode while pressurizing the separator.
In paragraph 1, It further includes a stack table provided for stacking the above separator and the above electrode, and The stacking table above is a stacking system configured to support the separator while the separator is pressurized by the pressurizing device.
A pair of stack mandrels configured to hold the ends of the electrodes and provided to support both ends of the folding portion of the separator so that the separator is folded with the electrodes in between; and It includes a pressurizing device configured to pressurize the edge of the above-mentioned separator, and The above pressurizing device is a stacking system positioned between a pair of stack mandrels while pressurizing the edge of the separator.
In Paragraph 16, The edge of the above separator is, An overlapping boundary area overlapping with the stack mandrel above; and It includes a non-overlapping border area that does not overlap with the stack mandrel above, and The above-mentioned pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to pressurize the above-mentioned non-overlapping edge area.
In Paragraph 16, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to prevent the edges of each part of the stacked separator from spreading apart while the separator is folded and stacked.
In Paragraph 16, The above pressurizing device is a stacking system configured to apply heat to the separator.
A preparation step for preparing an electrode, a separator arranged to be positioned between the electrodes, a stack mandrel configured to hold the ends of the electrode and the separator, and a pressurizing device configured to press the edge of the separator; Electrode stacking step for stacking the above electrodes; A separator stacking step of stacking the above separator onto the electrode; A separator folding step of folding the separator after fixing the ends of the separator and the electrode by the stack mandrel; and It includes a pressurizing step of pressurizing the edge of the above-mentioned separator by the above-mentioned pressurizing device, and A method for manufacturing an electrode assembly in which the above-mentioned pressurizing step is configured to pressurize a non-overlapping edge region where the separator does not overlap with the stack mandrel.

Description

Stacking System and Method for Manufacturing an Electrode Assembly Performed Thereby The present invention relates to a stacking system and a method for manufacturing an electrode assembly performed thereby. More specifically, the invention relates to a stacking system configured to prevent lifting of the edges by applying pressure to the edges, and a method for manufacturing an electrode assembly performed thereby. A secondary battery may be provided to generate electricity. The secondary battery may include a battery case forming an outer shell and an electrode assembly housed in the battery case. The electrode assembly may include an electrode comprising an active material layer containing an active material such as lithium ions and a current collector provided to move electricity generated from the active material layer, and a separator positioned between opposing electrodes to prevent the electrodes from coming into contact with each other. In other words, a plurality of electrodes may be provided stacked in a row, and a separator may be interposed between the plurality of electrodes. When a separator is interposed between multiple electrodes, it can be interposed in various ways using a stacking system. One method involves dividing a single separator into multiple separator parts, with each separator part positioned between multiple electrodes. Another method involves passing a single separator through the electrodes in a zigzag pattern without cutting it, thereby covering one end of the electrode with the separator. This method of interposing a separator can be referred to as the zigzag stacking method. In the zigzag stacking method, the separator surrounds the electrodes, reducing the likelihood of contact between adjacent electrodes and thereby lowering the risk of electrical short circuits between them. Therefore, the inclusion of a separator in the zigzag stacking method can provide a stable secondary battery. However, in this zigzag stacking method, the separator folds at one end of the electrode; if the folding is not performed properly, a problem may occur where the folded edges of the separator lift up. If the separator lifts, air can enter between the lifted sections, and this ingress of air may interfere with the generation of electricity. Additionally, the problem of the separator edges lifting can occur not only in the zigzag stacking method described above, but also in the method of cutting the separator to create separator parts. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the problem of the edges lifting when inserting the separator. The aforementioned background technology is one that the inventor possessed or acquired in the process of deriving the contents of the disclosure of the present application, and it cannot be considered as prior art disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of this application. FIG. 1 is an assembly diagram of a secondary battery according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a stacking system provided to manufacture the electrode assembly shown in FIG. 1, with the electrodes moving. Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the stacking system shown in Figure 2 moving the electrodes. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the folding and stacking of a separator to wrap the electrode shown in FIG. 3, and the separation of the stack mandrel from the electrode assembly. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that a stack mandrel is reinserted into the electrode assembly shown in FIG. 4, and after the electrode is placed on the separator, the separator is folded again. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrode assembly being stacked and the stack mandrel inserted into the electrode assembly shown in FIG. 5, cut along the AA' cut line of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a top view of the electrode assembly being stacked as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the electrode moving device and the pressurizing device shown in FIG. 2, viewed from the bottom. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the electrode moving device and a plurality of pressurizing devices shown in FIG. 2, viewed from the bottom. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an electrode assembly performed by the stacking system shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an electrode moving device and a pressurizing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the bottom. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a stacking system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited or restricted by the following embodiments. In order to clearly explain the present invention, det