Electrode shaping apparatus having notching pilot pin and electrode shaping method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11901541-B2
Application number	US-202118013114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2021
Priority date	Oct 16, 2020
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode shaping apparatus having a sheet transfer unit, a fixing unit, a punch unit including a center punching unit and a side punching unit, wherein the center punching unit includes a hole punching member and a notching pilot pin, the electrode shaping apparatus configured to reduce a step that may occur during notching of an electrode, and an electrode shaping method using the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrode shaping apparatus comprising:
a sheet transfer unit configured to move an electrode sheet at a predetermined speed;
a fixing unit configured to fix the electrode sheet; and
a punch unit including:
a center punching unit configured to remove a central part of the electrode sheet; and
a side punching unit configured to remove a portion of an outer periphery of the electrode sheet by notching,

wherein the center punching unit comprises a hole punching member and a notching pilot pin.

2. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the center punching unit comprises:
a rectangular parallelepiped main body having a major axis in a movement direction of the electrode sheet;
the hole punching member formed at a first end of the main body in the movement direction of the electrode sheet; and
the notching pilot pin formed under a second end of the main body opposite the first end in the movement direction of the electrode sheet.

3. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the main body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the major axis in the movement direction of the electrode sheet, and includes a main body punching surface configured to punch the electrode sheet.

4. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the hole punching member comprises:
an enlarged portion extending from the first end of the main body in the movement direction of the electrode sheet, a width of a punching surface being increased at the enlarged portion and configured to punch the electrode sheet;
a reduced portion extending from the enlarged portion, the width of the punching surface being decreased at the reduced portion along the major axis and configured to punch the electrode sheet; and
a pin punching portion extending from the reduced portion, the pin punching portion configured to punch a catching recess, in which the notching pilot pin is configured to be caught, in the electrode sheet.

5. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a section of the notching pilot pin is any one of a circle, an arc, a wedge, a triangle, and a quadrangle.

6. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing unit includes a middle groove corresponding in shape to the center punching unit.

7. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the middle groove has a sufficient depth for the notching pilot pin to be inserted into the middle groove.

8. An electrode shaping method using the electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , the electrode shaping method comprising:
S 1 ) transferring the electrode sheet by a predetermined length using the sheet transfer unit;
S 2 ) transferring the electrode sheet or the punch unit such that the notching pilot pin is caught in a recess formed in the electrode sheet in a previous step of punching such that the notching pilot pin is caught in the recess;
S 3 ) pressing the electrode sheet using the punch unit to punch the electrode sheet; and
S 4 ) spacing the punch unit apart from the electrode sheet.

9. The electrode shaping method according to claim 8 , wherein, in step S 4 ), a distance by which the punch unit is spaced apart from the electrode sheet is equal to or less than a distance by which at least a portion of the notching pilot pin remains inserted in the recess of the electrode sheet.

10. An electrode shaped using the electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lg Energy Solution Ltd

Inventors

• Kong Tae Yoon
• Lim Seung Hyun

Classifications

• H01M4/043 Primary

  involving compressing or compaction · CPC title

• B26F1/12 Primary

  to notch margins of work · CPC title

• H01M4/04 Primary

  Processes of manufacture in general · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title