Method of manufacturing pouch-shaped battery cell using fixing jig and pouch-shaped battery cell manufactured using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11973175-B2
Application number	US-202017640637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2020
Priority date	Dec 9, 2019
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a pouch-shaped battery cell, the method including (a) forming an electrode assembly receiving portion in a laminate sheet to manufacture a preliminary battery case, (b) receiving an electrode assembly in the electrode assembly receiving portion and sealing other outer peripheries of the preliminary battery case excluding a first side outer periphery of the preliminary battery case, through which gas is discharged, (c) disposing a fixing jig at each of opposite end corner portions of a first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion, (d) performing an activation process and a degassing process, (e) resealing the first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion, and removing an end of the preliminary battery case, wherein step (d) to step (f) are performed in the state in which the corner portion is in tight contact with the inner surface of the fixing jig, which is technology capable of preventing the preliminary battery case from being deformed by force continuously applied to the preliminary battery case in a process of manufacturing the pouch-shaped battery cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a pouch-shaped battery cell, the method sequentially comprising:
(a) forming an electrode assembly receiving portion in a laminate sheet to manufacture a preliminary battery case, the electrode assembly receiving portion defining corner portions extending from a first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion to a bottom surface of the electrode receiving portion, the corner portions having a shape;
(b) placing an electrode assembly in the electrode assembly receiving portion and sealing outer peripheries of the preliminary battery case excluding the first side outer periphery of the preliminary battery case, through which gas is arranged to be discharged;
(c) disposing a fixing jig at each of the corner portions of the first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion;
(d) performing an activation process and a degassing process, the degassing process being performed using a degassing apparatus;
(e) sealing the first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion;
(f) removing an end of the preliminary battery case;
(g) removing the fixing jig,
wherein
step (d) to step (f) are performed when each of the corner portions is attached to an inner surface of the fixing jig to prevent the corner portions from being contracted such that the shape of the corner portions is substantially maintained, and

wherein the fixing jig is separate and distinct from the degassing apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the corner portions are provided at a location at which the bottom surface of the electrode assembly receiving portion and two adjacent side surfaces of the electrode assembly receiving portion are joined to each other, and
the fixing jig has a structure configured to wrap the corner portion.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the fixing jig extends to a sealing prearrangement portion of step (e) so as to wrap the sealing prearrangement portion.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an adhesive material is added to the inner surface of the fixing jig such that each of the corner portions is attached to the inner surface of the fixing jig.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the adhesive material is added to the fixing jig by applying the adhesive material to the fixing jig, attaching the adhesive material as a film to the fixing jig, or spraying the adhesive material onto the fixing jig.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing jig comprises a suction portion configured to apply a suction force to each of the corner portions.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the suction portion includes a suction pad.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the suction portion includes a suction device.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising disposing another fixing jig at each corner portion of a third side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion, the third side outer periphery being opposite the first side outer periphery.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing jig is disposed along an entirety of the first side outer periphery of the electrode assembly receiving portion.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a process of temporarily sealing the first side outer periphery of the preliminary battery case before the activation process of step (d) is performed.

12. A pouch-shaped battery cell manufactured using the method according to claim 1 .

13. A battery module comprising the pouch-shaped battery cell according to claim 12 .

Assignees

• Lg Energy Solution Ltd

Inventors

• Kwak Jin Seop

Classifications

• H01M10/0404 Primary

  Machines for assembling batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/044

  Activating, forming or electrochemical attack of the supporting material · CPC title

• H01M10/049

  Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container · CPC title

• H01M50/105 Primary

  Pouches or flexible bags · CPC title

• H01M50/183

  Sealing members · CPC title