Electrode stacking device and electrode stacking method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10581108-B2
Application number	US-201716072403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 26, 2016
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

An electrode stacking device includes a stacking unit that is disposed between a positive electrode conveying unit conveying a separator-equipped positive electrode and a negative electrode conveying unit conveying a negative electrode, and includes a plurality of stages of stacking sections on which the separator-equipped positive electrode and the negative electrode are stacked, a conveying control unit that controls a drive section to hold a plurality of the separator-equipped positive electrodes at height positions corresponding to the plurality of stages of stacking section and controls a drive section to hold a plurality of the negative electrodes at height positions corresponding to the plurality of stages of stacking sections, a push-out unit that simultaneously pushes out the plurality of separator-equipped positive electrodes toward the plurality of stages of stacking sections, and a push-out unit that simultaneously pushes out the plurality of negative electrodes toward the plurality of stages of stacking sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrode stacking device that stacks electrodes supplied by a conveying device and forms an electrode stacked body, the electrode stacking device comprising:
a plurality of electrode support sections respectively configured to receive the electrodes supplied by the conveying device and support the electrodes;
a circulation member having a loop shape that extends in a vertical direction, and in which the electrode support sections are formed on an outer peripheral surface;
a stacking unit that is disposed on a side opposite to the conveying device with the circulation member interposed therebetween, and includes a plurality of stages of stacking sections on which the electrodes are stacked;
a plurality of push-out sections configured to simultaneously push out the electrodes, which are respectively supported on the plurality of the electrode support sections, toward the plurality of stages of stacking sections; and
a control unit configured to control circulation and elevation of the circulation member, and an operation of the push-out sections,
wherein the control unit is configured to control the operation of the push-out sections to push out the electrodes toward the stacking sections at a speed slower than a conveying speed of the electrodes conveyed by the conveying device.

2. The electrode stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positioning unit configured to align positions of edges of the electrodes in a direction that intersects a conveying direction of the electrodes conveyed by the conveying device.

3. The electrode stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the electrode support sections includes an impact mitigation section configured to mitigate impact to each of the electrodes when receiving the electrode.

4. An electrode stacking device that stacks a plurality of positive electrodes in which a positive electrode active material layer is formed on a surface of a positive electrode current collector, and a plurality of negative electrodes in which a negative electrode active material layer is formed on a surface of a negative electrode current collector, the electrode stacking device comprising:
a first conveying unit conveying the plurality of positive electrodes and including a loop-shaped first circulation member that extends in a vertical direction, a plurality of first support sections which are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the first circulation member and support the plurality of positive electrodes, and a first drive section configured to rotate the first circulation member and move the first circulation member in the vertical direction;
a second conveying unit conveying the plurality of negative electrodes and including a loop-shaped second circulation member that extends in the vertical direction, a plurality of second support sections which are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the second circulation member and support the plurality of negative electrodes, and a second drive section configured to rotate the second circulation member and move the second circulation member in the vertical direction;
a stacking unit that is disposed between the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit, and includes a plurality of stages of stacking sections on which the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes are alternately stacked;
a conveying control unit configured to control the first drive section to hold the plurality of positive electrodes conveyed by the first conveying unit at height positions corresponding to the plurality of stages of stacking sections, and control the second drive section to hold the plurality of negative electrodes conveyed by the second conveying unit at height positions corresponding to the plurality of stages of stacking sections;
a first push-out unit configured to simultaneously push out the plurality of positive electrodes toward the plurality of stages of stacking sections; and
a second push-out unit configured to simultaneously push out the plurality of negative electrodes toward the plurality of stages of stacking sections.

5. The electrode stacking device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first wall portion that is disposed between the stacking unit and the first conveying unit, and includes a plurality of first slits through which the plurality of positive electrodes pushed out by the first push-out unit pass; and
a second wall portion that is disposed between the stacking unit and the second conveying unit, and includes a plurality of second slits through which the plurality of negative electrodes pushed out by the second push-out unit pass,
wherein the conveying control unit is configured to control the first drive section to hold the plurality of positive electrodes at height positions of the plurality of first slits, and control the second drive section to hold the plurality of negative electrodes at height positions of the plurality of second slits.

6. The electrode stacking device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the height positions of the first slits are same as the height positions of the second slits, and
a tapered portion is formed at a portion of an inner surface of the first wall portion on a lower side of each of the first slits and at a portion of an inner surface of the second wall portion on a lower side of each of the second slits so that a distance between the first wall portion and the second wall portion gradually increases toward an upward side.

7. The electrode stacking device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a third drive section configured to move the plurality of stages of stacking sections in the vertical direction; and
a stacking control unit configured to control the third drive section so that stacking height positions of the positive electrodes become constant with respect to the first slits, and stacking height positions of the negative electrodes become constant with respect to the second slits.

8. The electrode stacking device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the stacking section includes a base on which each of the positive electrodes and each of the negative electrodes are placed, and a side wall that is provided to be erected from the base and aligns positions of edges of the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

9. The electrode stacking device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a third drive section configured to move the plurality of stages of stacking sections in the vertical direction; and
a stacking control unit configured to control the third drive section so that stacking height positions of the positive electrodes become constant with respect to the first slits, and stacking height positions of the negative electrodes become constant with respect to the second slits,
wherein the height positions of the first slits and the height positions of the second slits alternatively deviate from each other.

10. The electrode stacking device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a positioning unit configured to align a position of an edge of each of the positive electrodes or a position of an edge of each of the negative electrodes.

11. The electrode stacking device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the positioning unit includes a receiving section configured to come into contact with the edge of each of the positive electrodes or the negative electrodes, and a pressing section configured to press each of the positive electrodes electrode or the negative electrodes to the receiving section.

12. The electrode stacking device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the positioning unit includes a pair of guide plates configured to guide th

Assignees

• Toyota Jidoshokki Kk

Inventors

• SAKURAI Hayato
• Nishihara Hiroyasu
• Asai Shinya
• Goda Yasuyuki

Classifications

• H01M10/0413

  Large-sized flat cells or batteries for motive or stationary systems with plate-like electrodes · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01G11/86

  specially adapted for electrodes (carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34) · CPC title

• H01M10/14

  Assembling a group of electrodes or separators · CPC title

• H01M10/0585

  of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators · CPC title