US-12616946-B2 - Apparatus and method for manufacturing slurry for battery

US12616946B2US 12616946 B2US12616946 B2US 12616946B2US-12616946-B2

Abstract

To detect the state of a slurry during stirring without exposure to the atmosphere and with high accuracy. A stirring tank stores a slurry for a battery without exposure to the atmosphere. A stirring device stirs the slurry in the stirring tank. An observation container is coupled to the stirring tank. A circulation device circulates the slurry between the stirring tank and the observation container without exposure to the atmosphere. A detection device detects the state of the slurry by irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the slurry.

Inventors

Tatsuya Hattori
Yuji Isogai
Hideki Sakai
Atsushi Sakurai

Assignees

HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230116
Priority Date: 20220126

Claims (4)

1 . An apparatus for manufacturing a slurry for a battery, the apparatus comprising: a stirring tank configured to store a slurry for a battery without exposure to an atmosphere; a stirrer configured to stir the slurry in the stirring tank; an observation container coupled to the stirring tank; a circulator configured to circulate the slurry between the stirring tank and the observation container without exposure to an atmosphere; and a detector configured to detect a state of the slurry by irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the slurry, wherein an inside of the observation container is formed in a tapered shape that reduces in diameter in a circulation direction of the slurry.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a main body configured to emit and detect X-rays, and a rotator configured to rotate one of the main body or the observation container relative to the other, wherein the detector is configured to Irradiate the slurry in the observation container with X-rays from a plurality of angles different from each other, and to detect a state of the slurry from the plurality of angles, by way of cooperation between the rotator and the main body, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a three-dimensional analyzer configured to perform three-dimensional analysis of the slurry based on the state of the slurry detected from the plurality of angles.
3 . An apparatus for manufacturing a slurry for a battery, the apparatus comprising: a stirring tank configured to store a slurry for a battery without exposure to an atmosphere; a stirrer configured to stir the slurry in the stirring tank; an observation container coupled to the stirring tank; a circulator configured to circulate the slurry between the stirring tank and the observation container without exposure to an atmosphere; and a detector configured to detect a state of the slurry by irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the slurry, wherein the detector comprises a main body configured to emit and detect X-rays, and a rotator configured to rotate one of the main body or the observation container relative to the other, wherein the detector is configured to irradiate the slurry in the observation container with X-rays from a plurality of angles different from each other, and to detect a state of the slurry from the plurality of angles, by way of cooperation between the rotator and the main body, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a three-dimensional analyzer configured to perform three-dimensional analysis of the slurry based on the state of the slurry detected from the plurality of angles.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a stirring controller configured to determine a timing of ending the stirring of the slurry based on a result of the three-dimensional analysis.

Description

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-010337, filed on 26 Jan. 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing slurries for a battery, i.e., slurries that serve as materials for a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte, and the like of a battery. Related Art In recent years, electric vehicles such as EVs and HEVs have been widely used from the viewpoint of reducing emission of carbon dioxide to reduce adverse effects on the global environment. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop batteries to be mounted in electric vehicles and the like, and the technology to manufacture slurries for batteries with high quality is important. Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2020-129472 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To manufacture a slurry for a battery with high quality, the optimization of the dispersion state of each substance constituting the slurry, specifically, the optimization of the dispersion states of an active material, a solid electrolyte, a binder, a conductivity aid, a solvent, an additive, and the like has been awaited. This is because, when they are not optimized, the intended electric performance is not exhibited in the completed battery, and the intended initial performance and durability may not be exhibited. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the state of the slurry during the stirring of the slurry is required. However, a slurry for a battery may include substances, for example, a sulfur-based solid electrolyte, which are averse to contact with the atmosphere. Therefore, it is difficult to check the state of the slurry by removing the slurry from the stirring tank during stirring. Thus, conventionally, the state of the slurry has been estimated based on the torque, viscosity, temperature, visual observation, and the like during the stirring of the slurry. Therefore, it has been difficult to understand the state of the slurry in detail. In response to the above issue, it is an object of the present invention to detect the state of a slurry during stirring without exposure to the atmosphere and with high accuracy. The present inventors have found that the state of a slurry during stirring can be observed without exposure to the atmosphere and with high accuracy by circulating the slurry between a stirring tank and an observation container without exposure to the atmosphere and by irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays to detect the state of the slurry, and have reached the present invention. The present invention relates to the following manufacturing apparatus according to (1) to (4) and manufacturing method according to (5). (1) A first aspect provides an apparatus for manufacturing a slurry for a battery. The apparatus includes: a stirring tank configured to store a slurry for a battery without exposure to an atmosphere;a stirrer configured to stir the slurry in the stirring tank; an observation container coupled to the stirring tank;a circulator configured to circulate the slurry between the stirring tank and the observation container without exposure to an atmosphere; anda detector configured to detect a state of the slurry by irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the slurry. This feature enables a state of the slurry during stirring to be detected without exposure to the atmosphere by circulating the slurry between the stirring tank and the observation container without exposure to the atmosphere and irradiating the slurry in the observation container with X-rays. In addition, since the state of the slurry is detected with X-rays, the state of the slurry can be detected with higher accuracy as compared with the case of estimating the state of the slurry based on the torque, viscosity, temperature, visual observation, and the like during the stirring of the slurry. Thus, the state of the slurry during stirring can be detected without exposure to the atmosphere and with high accuracy. (2) In a second aspect according to the first aspect, an inside of the observation container is formed in a tapered shape that reduces in diameter in a circulation direction of the slurry. According to this feature, since the inside of the observation container is reduced in diameter in a tapered shape, when the state of the slurry is analyzed, it is possible to select an inner diameter portion of the observation container with good X-ray resolution. Therefore, the state of the slurry can be detected with high resolution. (3) In a third aspect according to the first or the second aspect, the detector includes a main body configured to emit and detect X-rays, and a rotator configured to rotate one of the main body or the observation container relative