US-20260128351-A1 - APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SECONDARY BATTERY AND ELECTRODE PLATE CUTTING UNIT FOR MANUFACTURING SECONDARY BATTERY

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery and an electrode plate cutting unit, which are capable of preventing cracks or foreign substances from occurring in a mixture portion and preventing an active material from being transferred to a separator by reducing the load applied to a load concentration area of an electrode plate while the electrode plate is cut. The apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery includes a transport unit configured to transport an electrode plate, a winding unit configured to wind the electrode plate, and a cutting unit having an upper cutter, a lower cutter, and a stripper installed on a side portion of the lower cutter, that supports the electrode plate when the upper cutter moves downwardly to transmit to the electrode plate a reaction force corresponding to a downward force of the upper cutter, and provides a stress relief space which prevents the reaction force from being transmitted to a portion of the electrode plate to which shear forces due to the upper cutter and the lower cutter are applied.

Inventors

• Junhwan KWON
• Jinhwan Kim
• Jongmin Im
• Bonggeun KANG

Assignees

• SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20250711

Priority Date

20241106

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery, comprising: a transport unit configured to transport an electrode plate, which will be cut, along a transport path; a winding unit configured to receive and wind the electrode plate transported by the transport unit; and a cutting unit, having: an upper cutter installed above the transport path, a lower cutter installed below the transport path, and a stripper installed on a side portion of the lower cutter, that supports the electrode plate when the upper cutter moves downwardly to transmit to the electrode plate a reaction force corresponding to a downward force of the upper cutter, and provides a stress relief space which prevents the reaction force from being transmitted to a portion of the electrode plate to which shear forces due to the upper cutter and the lower cutter are applied.
2. 2 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stripper has an upper surface in contact with a lower surface of the electrode plate and a side surface facing the lower cutter, and the stress relief space is a space between a removal surface formed by removing a corner at which the upper surface meets the side surface, the lower cutter, and the electrode plate.
3. 3 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the removal surface is a flat inclined surface.
4. 4 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the removal surface is a curved surface having a preset curvature.
5. 5 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the removal surface is a groove recessed into the stripper.
6. 6 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stripper comprises: a stripper main body having an upper surface in contact with a lower surface of the electrode plate and a side surface facing the lower cutter and having a mounting groove in a portion in which the upper surface meets the side surface; and a fixing tip mounted in the mounting groove, and the stress relief space is a space between a removal surface formed by removing a part of the fixing tip, the lower cutter, and the electrode plate.
7. 7 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the removal surface is a flat inclined surface.
8. 8 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the removal surface is a curved surface having a preset curvature.
9. 9 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stripper comprises: a stripper main body having a fixed inclined surface facing a blade formed at an upper end of the lower cutter; and an inclined plate mounted on the fixed inclined surface and providing a stress relief space between the lower cutter and the electrode plate.
10. 10 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the inclined plate is a plate-shaped member and provided as a plurality of inclined plates installed by being stacked on the fixed inclined surface.
11. 11 . An electrode plate cutting unit comprising: an upper cutter installed above a transport path of an electrode plate transported along the transport path; a lower cutter installed below the transport path; and a stripper installed on a side portion of the lower cutter, that supports the electrode plate when the upper cutter moves downwardly to transmit to the electrode plate a reaction force corresponding to a downward force of the upper cutter, and provides a stress relief space which prevents the reaction force from being transmitted to a portion of the electrode plate to which shear forces due to the upper cutter and the lower cutter are applied.
12. 12 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the stripper has an upper surface in contact with a lower surface of the electrode plate and a side surface facing the lower cutter, and the stress relief space is a space between a removal surface formed by removing a corner at which the upper surface meets the side surface, the lower cutter, and the electrode plate.
13. 13 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the removal surface is a flat inclined surface.
14. 14 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the removal surface is a curved surface having a preset curvature.
15. 15 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the removal surface is a groove recessed into the stripper.
16. 16 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the stripper comprises: a stripper main body having an upper surface in contact with a lower surface of the electrode plate and a side surface facing the lower cutter and having a mounting groove in a portion in which the upper surface meets the side surface; and a fixing tip mounted in the mounting groove, and the stress relief space is a space between a removal surface formed by removing a part of the fixing tip, the lower cutter, and the electrode plate.
17. 17 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the removal surface is a flat inclined surface.
18. 18 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the removal surface is a curved surface having a preset curvature.
19. 19 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the stripper comprises: a stripper main body having a fixed inclined surface facing a blade formed at an upper end of the lower cutter; and an inclined plate mounted on the fixed inclined surface and providing a stress relief space between the lower cutter and the electrode plate.
20. 20 . The electrode plate cutting unit as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the inclined plate is a plate-shaped member and provided as a plurality of inclined plates installed by being stacked on the fixed inclined surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This present application claims priority to and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0156598, filed on Nov. 6, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of a secondary battery, and more specifically, to an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery and an electrode plate cutting unit for manufacturing a secondary battery. BACKGROUND Secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, unlike primary batteries that cannot be recharged. A secondary battery may generally include an electrode assembly including a positive electrode plate, a separator, and a negative electrode plate, a case (or can) for accommodating the electrode assembly, a substrate tab formed by extending an uncoated portion of each electrode plate of the electrode assembly, an external terminal connected to the substrate tab, and the like. The electrode assembly accommodated in the case includes a stack type and a jelly roll type. The jelly roll type electrode assembly is manufactured by winding continuously supplied electrode plates using a winding device. The winding device includes an electrode plate cutting machine. The electrode plate cutting machine is a device for cutting an electrode plate at a designed length interval and includes an upper cutter and a lower cutter. 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 apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery and an electrode plate cutting unit for manufacturing a secondary battery, which are capable of preventing cracks or foreign substances from occurring in a mixture portion by reducing the load applied to a load concentration area of an electrode plate while the electrode plate is cut. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery, which includes a transport unit configured to transport an electrode plate, which will be cut, along a transport path, a winding unit configured to receive and wind the electrode plate transported by the transport unit, and a cutting unit having an upper cutter installed above the transport path of the electrode plate, a lower cutter installed below the transport path, and a stripper installed on a side portion of the lower cutter, that supports the electrode plate when the upper cutter moves downwardly to transmit to the electrode plate a reaction force corresponding to a downward force of the upper cutter, and provides a stress relief space which prevents the reaction force from being transmitted to a portion of the electrode plate to which shear forces due to the upper cutter and the lower cutter are applied. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrode plate cutting unit including an upper cutter installed above a transport path of an electrode plate transported along the transport path, a lower cutter installed below the transport path, and a stripper installed on a side portion of the lower cutter, that supports the electrode plate when the upper cutter moves downwardly to transmit to the electrode plate a reaction force corresponding to a downward force of the upper cutter, and provides a stress relief space which prevents the reaction force from being transmitted to a portion of the electrode plate to which shear forces due to the upper cutter and the lower cutter are applied. 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 disclosure herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The herein and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an electrode assembly of a secondary battery which may be manufactured by an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an interior of a pouch-type battery to which the electrode assembly of FIG. 1 is applied; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cylindrical battery which may be manufactured by the apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery according to embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a prismatic battery which may be manufactured by the a