JP6493065B2 - Article supply apparatus and article conveyance system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article supply device and an article conveyance system.

  Patent Literature 1 discloses a servo loop device that temporarily stores flaky articles that are sequentially conveyed at random time intervals and supplies them to the next process at predetermined time intervals. In this servo loop device, the area required for each flaky article is compressed by vertically storing the flaky articles conveyed in a state of falling sideways. Thereby, the enlargement of the servo loop device is suppressed while maintaining the number of stored flaky articles.

JP 2000-53235 A

  In the conveyor that supplies the flaky article to the servo loop device described above and the conveyor that receives the flaky article from the servo loop device, the flaky article is conveyed in a state of falling sideways. Therefore, the area required for each flaky article in these conveyors is larger than the area required for each flaky article in the servo loop device. For this reason, the conveyance speed of these conveyors needs to be several times the conveyance speed in a servo loop apparatus, for example.

  When the shape of the flaky article is a shape having directionality such as a rectangle, for example, a problem may occur due to such a difference in the conveyance speed. That is, when the flaky article is point-contacted with the conveyor when it is transferred from the servo loop device to the conveyor, a force acts on one point of the flaky article in contact with the conveyor due to a difference in conveyance speed. As a result, the flaky article rotates and there is a possibility that the posture of the flaky article varies. When the variation in the posture of the flaky article is large, a process for aligning the posture of the flaky article in advance may be necessary in the next step.

  The present invention provides an article supply device capable of suppressing variations in the posture of a sheet-like article.

  An article supply apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an article supply apparatus that supplies a plurality of sheet-like articles in a standing state one by one, and at a predetermined speed while standing a plurality of sheet-like articles one by one. A conveyance unit that conveys the plurality of sheet-like articles, and a conveyance unit that conveys the plurality of sheet-like articles conveyed by the conveyance unit along the inclined surface. An extrusion unit that pushes out of the road; and a support unit that is arranged in parallel with the conveyance path and supports the bottoms of the plurality of sheet-like articles pushed out by the extrusion unit.

  In this article supply apparatus, a plurality of sheet-like articles are conveyed at a predetermined speed while standing one by one by the conveyance unit, and are pushed out of the conveyance path along the inclined surface of the extrusion unit. Since the plurality of sheet-like articles move along the inclined surface of the extruding part while being conveyed at a predetermined speed, they are pushed out of the conveyance path one by one at a predetermined interval. At this time, since the bottom part of each sheet-like article extruded by the extruding part is supported by the support part arranged in parallel in the conveyance path, the plurality of sheet-like articles are pushed out while being conveyed in a standing state. Thereby, a sheet-like article is supplied to a supply place in the state stood via a support part. Therefore, the contact between the sheet-like article and the supply destination when the sheet-like article is delivered from the transport unit to the supply destination is close to a line contact. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the posture of the sheet-like article.

  The transport unit is erected on the transport path at predetermined intervals along the transport direction, and stands on the support unit at predetermined intervals along the transport direction with a plurality of first partitions that move at a predetermined speed along the transport direction. And a plurality of second partitions that move at a predetermined speed along the transport direction. In this case, the sheet-like article is accommodated between the adjacent first partition walls in the transport unit and is supported by the first partition walls, so that the standing state can be reliably maintained. Moreover, since the part extruded by the extrusion part of the sheet-like article is accommodated between the second partition walls adjacent to each other on the support part and supported by the second partition wall, the sheet-like article is surely kept in a standing state. Can be maintained. As described above, the plurality of sheet-like articles are supported by the plurality of first partition walls and the plurality of second partition walls, and are thus pushed out in a standing state while being reliably conveyed.

  An article supply apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an article supply apparatus that supplies a plurality of sheet-like articles in a standing state one by one, and at a predetermined speed while standing a plurality of sheet-like articles one by one. And a first inclined surface inclined with respect to a conveying direction in which the plurality of sheet-like articles are conveyed, and the plurality of sheet-like articles conveyed by the conveying unit along the first inclined surface. An extruding unit that extrudes out of the conveying path of the conveying unit; and a sandwiching unit that has a second inclined surface facing the first inclined surface and sandwiches a plurality of sheet-like articles extruded by the extruding unit together with the extruding unit. .

  In this article supply apparatus, a plurality of sheet-like articles are conveyed at a predetermined speed while standing one by one by the conveyance unit, and are pushed out of the conveyance path along the inclined surface of the extrusion unit. Since the plurality of sheet-like articles move along the first inclined surface of the extrusion unit while being conveyed at a predetermined speed, they are pushed out of the conveyance path one by one at predetermined time intervals. At this time, since each sheet-like article extruded by the extruding unit is sandwiched between the first inclined surface of the extruding unit and the second inclined surface of the holding unit, the plurality of sheet-like articles are conveyed in a standing state. It is pushed out while. Thereby, the sheet-like article is supplied to the supply destination in a standing state. Therefore, the contact between the sheet-like article and the supply destination when the sheet-like article is transferred from the conveyance path to the supply destination is close to a line contact. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the posture of the sheet-like article.

  Each of the plurality of sheet-like articles may be an electrode for a power storage device. In this case, it is possible to suppress variation in the posture of the electrode.

  This article supply apparatus may be a buffer apparatus that temporarily stores a plurality of sheet-like articles. In this case, variation in the posture of the sheet-like article supplied from the buffer device can be suppressed.

  An article conveyance system according to another aspect of the present invention is an article conveyance system including the article supply apparatus and a conveyance apparatus that conveys a plurality of sheet-like articles supplied from the article supply apparatus. Is faster than the conveying speed of the conveying unit of the article supply apparatus.

  In this article transport system, since the article supply apparatus is provided, it is possible to suppress variations in the posture of the sheet-like article.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress variation in the posture of the sheet-like article.

It is a block diagram of the conveyance system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the bucket of the state which accommodated the electrode of FIG. It is a top view which expands and shows a part of conveyance system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. It is process drawing of the manufacturing line which shows the outline of the whole manufacturing method of the laminated battery which applies the conveyance system of FIG. It is a top view which expands and shows a part of conveyance system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the VIII-VIII line of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same or equivalent elements, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described. Further, in the description, words indicating directions such as “up” and “down” are convenient words based on the state shown in the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, a transport system (article transport system) 10A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a transport system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bucket in a state where the electrode of FIG. 1 is accommodated. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a part of the transport system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 10 </ b> A includes a first transport device 2, a servo loop device (article supply device) 1 </ b> A, and a second transport device 3. Here, description will be made assuming that the article to be transported is the electrode 4 for the power storage device.

  The electrode 4 has a rectangular sheet shape. The electrode 4 extends in the width direction and has an edge 4a and an edge 4b positioned at both ends in the height direction, an edge 4c and an edge 4d that extends in the height direction and is positioned at both ends in the width direction, and a thickness. It has a main surface 4e and a main surface 4f that are opposite to each other in the direction. The edge 4a is provided with a tab 4t. The length of the edge 4a and the edge 4b (hereinafter, the width of the electrode 4) is, for example, about 100 mm, and the length of the edge 4c and the edge 4d (hereinafter, the height of the electrode 4) is, for example, It is about 150 mm.

  The first transport device 2 is, for example, a belt conveyor extending in the X direction, and transports the electrode 4 to the servo loop device 1A. The first transport device 2 has a reversing device 5 disposed adjacent to the servo loop device 1A. The reversing device 5 is a belt conveyor that rotates the posture of the electrode 4 by 90 degrees with a twisted belt. The belt of the reversing device 5 is horizontal on the upstream side, gradually twisted, and vertical on the downstream side. The reversing device 5 places the electrode 4 on the belt surface 5a of such a belt so that the edge 4d is on the upstream side in the transport direction (here, the X direction) and the main surface 4e is the upper surface. Transport. As a result, the reversing device 5 rotates the electrode 4 conveyed from the upstream side in a state of being tilted sideways by 90 degrees so that the edge 4b is downward and the edge 4a is upward, and the servo 4 is in a standing state. Delivered to the loop device 1A.

  The servo loop device 1A is a buffer device that temporarily stores the electrodes 4 conveyed at random time intervals. The servo loop device 1A temporarily stores the electrode 4 and then supplies it to the next step at a predetermined time interval. The servo loop device 1A supplies the plurality of electrodes 4 in a standing state. The servo loop device 1A receives the electrode 4 from the first transport device 2 disposed on one side in the X direction and delivers the electrode 4 to the second transport device 3 disposed on the other side in the X direction. The servo loop device 1A delivers the electrode 4 to the second transport device 3 at a short time interval of, for example, 0.4 seconds.

  The servo loop device 1A adjusts the number of electrodes 4 to be stored in accordance with the time interval (hereinafter, the conveyance interval of the first conveyance device 2) in which the electrodes 4 are conveyed by the first conveyance device 2. For example, when the conveyance interval of the first conveyance device 2 is shorter than a predetermined time interval, the servo loop device 1A increases the number of electrodes 4 to be stored, and the conveyance interval of the first conveyance device 2 is equal to the predetermined time interval. If the length is longer, the number of electrodes 4 to be stored is reduced. Accordingly, the servo loop device 1A delivers the electrode 4 to the second transport device 3 at a predetermined time interval. A method for adjusting the number of electrodes 4 stored in the servo loop device 1A will be described later.

  1 A of servo loop apparatuses are provided with the conveyance part 6, the extrusion part 15, the support part 16, and the some partition 17 (refer FIG. 3). In FIG. 1, the plurality of partition walls 17 are omitted.

  The transport unit 6 includes a first sprocket 11, a second sprocket 12, a rotating belt 13, and a plurality of buckets 20. The transport unit 6 transports the plurality of electrodes 4 one by one at a transport speed v1 (see FIG. 3).

  The first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 are spaced apart from each other in the Y direction. The rotation axes of the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 extend in the Z direction. The 1st sprocket 11 and the 2nd sprocket 12 are each rotationally driven by the drive motor (not shown) attached to the rotating shaft. The rotation direction of the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 is counterclockwise when viewed from above. Further, the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 are provided to be movable in the Y direction in conjunction with each other.

  The rotating belt 13 is wound around the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 in an endless manner. When the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 are rotationally driven by the drive motor, the rotating belt 13 circulates around the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 at a predetermined speed in the XY plane. The direction of rotation of the rotating belt 13 is counterclockwise when viewed from above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bucket 20 is a U-shaped member having a bottom wall 21 and a pair of side walls 22. The bucket 20 accommodates the electrodes 4 one by one in the accommodation space S defined by the bottom wall 21 and the pair of side walls 22. At this time, the edge 4 b of the electrode 4 is positioned downward and comes into contact with the bottom wall 21. The bottom wall 21 is a rectangular plate member on which the electrode 4 is placed. The length of the bottom wall 21 in the longitudinal direction is equal to the width of the electrode 4.

  The pair of side walls 22 are rectangular plate-like members provided upright at both end edges in a direction (hereinafter, width direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 21. The length of the side wall 22 in the Z direction is shorter than the height of the electrode 4. For this reason, the edge 4a of the electrode 4 protrudes upward from the accommodation space S. The length of the bottom wall 21 in the width direction is the width of the bucket 20, and is equal to the interval W between the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls 22. The bottom wall 21 and the pair of side walls 22 are integrally formed of a metal such as stainless steel, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bucket 20 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating belt 13 at one end in the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 21. When the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 are rotationally driven by the drive motor, the bucket 20 circulates around the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 in the XY plane as the rotating belt 13 circulates. . In the transport unit 6, the bucket 20 circulates in this way to form a transport path.

  The transport unit 6 includes a first region R1 to a fourth region R4. The first region R <b> 1 is a region where the rotating belt 13 and the plurality of buckets 20 are disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the first sprocket 11. The second region R <b> 2 is a region where the rotating belt 13 and the plurality of buckets 20 are disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the second sprocket 12. In the first region R <b> 1 and the second region R <b> 2, the plurality of buckets 20 are arranged radially with respect to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12.

  The third region R3 and the fourth region R4 are regions that connect the first region R1 and the second region R2, and the rotating belt 13 and the plurality of buckets 20 extend side by side along the Y direction. The third region R3 is disposed on one side in the X direction and receives the electrode 4 from the first transport device 2. The fourth region R <b> 4 is disposed on the other side in the X direction and delivers the electrode 4 to the second transport device 3.

  In the third region R3 and the fourth region R4, the plurality of buckets 20 are arranged side by side in the Y direction, and the side walls 22 of the adjacent buckets 20 are in contact with each other. Therefore, in the third region R3 and the fourth region R4, the two adjacent side walls 22 that are in contact with each other are erected on the transport path at a distance W along the transport direction (here, the Y direction) of the transport unit 6. It functions as a plurality of partition walls that move at the transport speed v1 along the transport direction.

  3-5, the extrusion part 15 is arrange | positioned above the some bucket 20 in 4th area | region R4. Since the extruding unit 15 is separated from the plurality of buckets 20, it does not interfere with the plurality of buckets 20. The extruding unit 15 has an inclined surface 15 a and is arranged so that the inclined surface 15 a faces the second transport device 3. The inclined surface 15 a is inclined toward the second transport device 3 with respect to the transport direction (here, the Y direction) of the electrode 4, and approaches the second transport device 3 as it proceeds in the transport direction of the electrode 4. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 15a with respect to the transport direction of the electrode 4 is, for example, about 30 degrees.

  Here, the extruding portion 15 is a right triangular prism-shaped member. The pusher 15 becomes thicker in the X direction as it goes downstream in the transport direction, and protrudes onto the accommodation space S. The bottom surface of the extruded portion 15 has a right triangle shape and is disposed in parallel with the bottom walls 21 of the plurality of buckets 20. The bottom surface of the extruded portion 15 is lower in the Z direction than the edge 4 a of the electrode 4. For this reason, the extrusion part 15 contacts the part protruded upwards from the bucket 20 of the electrode 4. The upper surface of the extruded portion 15 has a right triangle shape, and the position in the Z direction is higher than the edge 4 a of the electrode 4.

  The extruding unit 15 contacts the edge 4 c of the electrode 4 when the electrode 4 is conveyed by the conveying unit 6. Thereby, the extrusion part 15 gives the force of the X direction to the electrode 4, and pushes out the electrode 4 from the accommodation space S of the bucket 20 to the 2nd conveying apparatus 3 side along the inclined surface 15a. That is, the extruding unit 15 pushes the electrode 4 out of the conveying path of the conveying unit 6 along the inclined surface 15a.

  The support unit 16 is arranged in the X direction in the fourth region R4 above the second transport device 3. The support portion 16 is a rectangular plate-like member that is disposed to face the extrusion portion 15 and supports the edge portion 4 b of the electrode 4 extruded by the extrusion portion 15. The downstream end 16a of the support portion 16 in the transport direction (here, the Y direction) is aligned with the downstream end of the push portion 15 in the transport direction in the Y direction. The upper surface of the support portion 16 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 21 of the bucket 20 have the same position in the Z direction. The length of the support portion 16 in the X direction is equal to the width of the electrode 4.

  The plurality of partition walls 17 are erected on the support portion 16 at intervals W along the Y direction, and the main surfaces of the adjacent partition walls 17 face each other in the Y direction. The partition wall 17 is a rectangular plate member, and the length in the X direction is equal to or greater than the width of the electrode 4. The lower end position of the partition wall 17 in the Z direction is equivalent to the center position of the electrode 4 in the Z direction. The partition wall 17 moves on the support portion 16 in the Y direction at the conveyance speed v <b> 1 with the end portion 17 a in the X direction approaching the side wall 22 of the bucket 20. The partition wall 17 applies a force in the Y direction to the electrode 4 on the support portion 16, and conveys the electrode 4 together with the bucket 20.

  The partition wall 17 moves in the Y direction without moving in the X direction until it passes through the end portion 16 a of the support portion 16. After passing through the end portion 16 a of the support portion 16, the partition wall 17 also moves in the X direction while moving in the Y direction, thereby separating the end portion 17 a from the side wall 22 of the bucket 20. For example, the partition wall 17 may have a configuration in which an end portion 17b opposite to the end portion 17a is fixed to an endless belt. By setting the position where the belt circulates in a predetermined shape, the partition wall 17 can be moved in the Y direction and also moved in the X direction on the second transport device 3. Accordingly, the partition wall 17 can be retracted to a position that does not affect the transport of the electrode 4 by the second transport device 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport device 3 is disposed on the opposite side of the first transport device 2 with respect to the servo loop device 1A. The second transport device 3 is arranged in the fourth region R4 below the support portion 16. The upper surface of the second transfer device 3 is disposed lower than the upper surface of the bottom wall 21 of the bucket 20. The 2nd conveyance apparatus 3 is a belt conveyor extended in a Y direction, for example, receives the electrode 4 from the servo loop apparatus 1A, and conveys it to the following process.

  The second transport device 3 transports the electrode 4 in a state where the edge 4a is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction (here, the Y direction) and is placed on the transport surface 3a with the main surface 4e as an upper surface. The transport speed v <b> 2 of the second transport device 3 is faster than the transport speed v <b> 1 of the transport unit 6. The conveyance speed v2 is, for example, several times faster than the conveyance speed v1. This is because the area required for each electrode 4 in the second transport device 3 is larger than the area required for each electrode 4 in the transport unit 6. By making the conveyance speed v <b> 2 sufficiently faster than the conveyance speed v <b> 1, overlapping of the plurality of electrodes 4 in the second conveyance device 3 can be suppressed.

  Next, the operation of the transport system 10A will be described. First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in the transport system 10 </ b> A, the electrode 4 is transported in the X direction by the first transport device 2. After the electrode 4 is placed in a standing state, the electrode 4 is rotated 90 degrees so that the edge 4b is downward and the edge 4a is upward by the reversing device 5 of the first transfer device 2 It is delivered to the servo loop device 1A. The electrode 4 is accommodated while standing in the accommodation space S of the bucket 20 in the third region R3 of the servo loop device 1A. At this time, the edge 4b of the electrode 4 is disposed below, and the edge 4c is disposed on the rotating belt 13 side.

  In the servo loop device 1A, the electrode 4 is transported by the transport unit 6 at the transport speed v1 (see FIG. 3). Specifically, first, the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 are rotated by the drive motor. Accordingly, the rotating belt 13 circulates around the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 at the conveyance speed v1. Subsequently, as the rotating belt 13 circulates, the plurality of buckets 20 circulate around the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12. As a result, the electrode 4 is transported at the transport speed v <b> 1 while being housed in the housing space S (see FIG. 2) of the bucket 20.

  In the third region R3 of the transport unit 6, the electrode 4 is transported along the Y direction toward the first region R1. Subsequently, the electrode 4 is transported around the first sprocket 11 toward the fourth region R4 in the first region R1. Subsequently, the electrode 4 is transported along the Y direction toward the second region R2 in the fourth region R4. In addition, the conveyance speed v1 of the electrode 4 in the first region R1 actually changes according to the distance from the first sprocket 11. Here, the conveyance speed of the attachment part of the bucket 20 to the rotating belt 13 is handled as the conveyance speed v1 of the electrode 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, when the electrode 4 reaches the position of the pushing portion 15 in the fourth region R4, the edge portion 4c contacts the inclined surface 15a. As the electrode 4 is transported by the transport unit 6, the electrode 4 receives a force in the X direction by the inclined surface 15 a that gradually protrudes onto the housing space S, so that the electrode 4 is outside the housing space S of the bucket 20 from the edge 4 d side. Is gradually pushed out. The electrode 4 receives a force in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction (here, the Y direction) by the inclined surface 15a, but maintains a standing state supported by the side wall 22. The edge portion 4 d of the extruded electrode 4 reaches the support portion 16 and enters between the partition walls 17 on the support portion 16. As a result, the edge 4 b of the electrode 4 is supported by the support 16.

  The electrode 4 is housed between the side walls 22 on the edge 4 c side and housed between the partition walls 17 on the edge 4 d side. For this reason, the electrode 4 receives a force in the Y direction from the partition wall 17, and is conveyed by the bucket 20 and the partition wall 17 while being supported by the partition wall 17 in addition to the side wall 22. In this state, the electrode 4 continues to be conveyed, and eventually the entire electrode 4 is pushed out of the accommodation space S by the inclined surface 15a. Thereby, the electrode 4 is in a state in which the entire edge 4b is supported by the support 16 and reaches the end 16a of the support 16 and falls from the support 16 to the transport surface 3a of the second transport device 3. To do.

  The electrode 4 falls from the state supported by the partition wall 17 over the entire width of the electrode 4 at the end portion 16 a and transfers to the transport surface 3 a of the second transport device 3. Thereby, since the whole edge part 4b contacts the conveyance surface 3a, rotation of the electrode 4 at the time of dropping on the conveyance surface 3a is suppressed. At this time, the portions other than the edge 4b of the electrode 4 are transported at the transport speed v1 of the transport unit 6, whereas the edge 4b in contact with the transport surface 3a is transported at the transport speed v2 of the second transport device 3. Be transported. Therefore, the edge part 4b advances faster to the downstream side in the transport direction than parts other than the edge part 4b. The partition wall 17 is disposed at a height equal to or higher than the edge 4 a of the electrode 4. Furthermore, the tab 4t is soft and bends easily even if it hits the partition wall 17. As a result, the electrode 4 fell sideways on the second transport device 3 such that the edge 4b was on the downstream side and the edge 4a was on the upstream side, and was placed on the transport surface 3a with the main surface 4e as the upper surface. It becomes a state. The electrode 4 is transported to the next step by the second transport device 3 in that state.

  Next, a method for adjusting the number of electrodes 4 stored in the servo loop device 1A will be described with reference to FIG. The servo loop device 1A adjusts the number of electrodes 4 to be stored by moving the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 in the Y direction in conjunction with each other to increase or decrease the number of buckets 20 that accommodate the electrodes 4. . When the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 move in the transport direction of the third region R3, the position where the electrode 4 is received from the first transport device 2 in the third region R3 moves away from the first region R1, and the fourth region In the region R4, the position where the electrode 4 is transferred to the second transport device 3 is moved away from the first region R1. Thereby, in the 3rd field R3 and the 4th field R4, the number of buckets 20 which actually store electrode 4 increases. As a result, the number of electrodes 4 stored by the servo loop device 1A increases.

  When the first sprocket 11 and the second sprocket 12 move in the transport direction of the fourth region R4, the position where the electrode 4 is received from the first transport device 2 in the third region R3 approaches the first region R1 and the fourth region R4. In the region R4, the position where the electrode 4 is transferred to the second transfer device 3 approaches the first region R1. Thereby, in the 3rd field R3 and the 4th field R4, the number of buckets 20 which actually store electrode 4 decreases. As a result, the number of electrodes 4 stored by the servo loop device 1A is reduced. The servo loop device 1A adjusts the number of the electrodes 4 to be stored in this way, and supplies the electrodes 4 to the second transport device 3 at regular intervals even when the transport interval of the first transport device 2 is random.

  FIG. 6 is a process diagram of a production line showing an outline of the entire manufacturing method of a stacked battery to which the transfer system of FIG. 1 is applied. The stacked battery is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery. The method for manufacturing a stacked battery includes a positive electrode manufacturing process and a negative electrode manufacturing process for manufacturing a positive electrode and a negative electrode that are electrodes 4 (see FIG. 1). Specifically, the positive electrode manufacturing process includes kneading (S11), coating (S12), pressing (S13), inspection (S14), vacuum drying (S15), and cutting (S16). .

  In the kneading step, active material particles, which are the main components of the active material layer, and particles such as a binder and a conductive auxiliary agent are kneaded in a solvent in a kneader to produce an electrode mixture having good dispersibility of each particle. The binder may be a thermoplastic resin such as polyamideimide or polyimide, or may be a polymer resin having an imide bond in the main chain. The solvent may be an organic solvent such as NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone), methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, or water. The conductive assistant is, for example, a carbon-based material such as acetylene black, carbon black, and graphite.

  In the coating process, a strip-shaped metal foil wound in a roll shape is fed out, and an electrode mixture is intermittently or continuously applied to the surface of the metal foil. The metal foil coated with the electrode mixture passes through the drying furnace immediately after the application of the electrode mixture. Thereby, the solvent contained in the electrode mixture is dried and removed, and the binder made of resin bonds the active material particles to each other. Thereby, an active material layer having fine gaps (holes) between the active material particles is formed.

  In the pressing step, the active material layer formed on the surface of the strip-shaped metal foil is pressed with a roll at a predetermined pressure. Thereby, the active material layer is compressed, and the density of the active material is increased to an appropriate value. Next, an appearance inspection process is performed. In the appearance inspection process, the surface state of the active material layer is confirmed with a camera or the like, and a non-defective product and a defective product are determined. In the reduced-pressure drying step, the strip-shaped metal foil on which the active material layer is formed is housed in a vacuum drying furnace and dried by increasing the temperature under reduced pressure. Thereby, a slight solvent remaining in the active material layer is removed. Next, a cutting process is performed. In the cutting step, for example, the positive electrode is formed by punching and cutting the metal foil on which the active material layer is formed into a predetermined shape using a punching machine.

  In the positive electrode manufacturing process, by performing each of these processes in order, a positive electrode having a positive electrode active material layer on both sides of a rectangular metal foil and a tab in which the metal foil extends on one side is manufactured. In the present embodiment, the positive electrode manufacturing process further includes an electrode housing process (S17) in which the positive electrode is housed in a bag-shaped separator to form a separator housing-type positive electrode.

  On the other hand, the negative electrode manufacturing step specifically includes the steps of kneading (S18), coating (S19), roll press (S20), inspection (S21), vacuum drying (S22), and cutting (S23). Contains. In the negative electrode manufacturing step, these steps are sequentially performed, whereby a negative electrode having a negative electrode active material layer on both sides of a rectangular metal foil and a tab in which the metal foil extends on one side is manufactured. The positive electrode manufacturing process and the negative electrode manufacturing process are performed in parallel on separate lines.

  The method for manufacturing a stacked battery further forms an electrode assembly using the positive electrode manufactured in the positive electrode manufacturing step (S11 to S17) and the negative electrode manufactured in the negative electrode manufacturing step (S18 to S23). Assembly process. The assembly process includes a lamination process including each process of electrode lamination (S24), thickness measurement (S25), and thickness adjustment (S26), and a tab welding process (S27).

  The transport system 10A according to the present embodiment (see FIG. 1) is a lamination process of the positive electrode manufactured in the positive electrode manufacturing process (the above S11 to S17) and the negative electrode manufactured in the negative electrode manufacturing process (the above S18 to S23). It is used when transporting. 10 A of conveyance systems are applied to the part where the line which manufactures a positive electrode, and the line which manufactures a negative electrode merge. The transport system 10A supplies the necessary number of positive and negative electrodes for each battery to the stacking process while adjusting the number of positive and negative electrodes between these two lines.

  The manufacturing method of the stacked battery further includes steps of can accommodation (S28), sealed can (S29), liquid injection (S30), temporary sealing (S31), aging (S32), and main sealing (S33). Is further included. In the can housing step, for example, the electrode assembly formed in the assembly step (S24 to S27) is housed in a bottomed battery case that opens on one side. In the sealing can step, a lid is joined to the opening of the battery case by welding or the like to close the opening of the battery case. In the liquid injection process, the electrolytic solution is injected from the liquid injection port into the case formed of the battery case can and the lid. In the temporary sealing step, the liquid injection port is temporarily sealed. In the aging process, the power storage structure including the electrode assembly and the case is held at a predetermined time and at a predetermined temperature. In the main sealing step, the temporary sealing is released and the liquid injection port is finally sealed with a sealing member. Thereafter, it is shipped through an inspection process as a battery, but is omitted here.

  In the method for manufacturing a stacked battery, a stacked battery is manufactured by sequentially performing these steps using the electrode assembly formed in the assembly steps (S24 to S27).

  As described above, in the servo loop device 1 </ b> A according to the first embodiment, the plurality of electrodes 4 are transported at the transport speed v <b> 1 while standing one by one by the transport unit 6, and the inclined surface 15 a of the extrusion unit 15. Is pushed out of the conveying path. The plurality of electrodes 4 move along the inclined surface 15a of the extruding unit 15 while being transported at the transport speed v1. For this reason, in the servo loop device 1A, the electrodes 4 are automatically pushed out of the conveyance path one by one at predetermined time intervals by being conveyed by the conveyance unit 6. At this time, the edge 4b of each electrode 4 extruded by the extruding unit 15 is supported by a support unit 16 arranged in parallel in the X direction on the transport path. Accordingly, the electrode 4 is pushed out while being conveyed in a standing state. Thereby, the electrode 4 is supplied to the 2nd conveying apparatus 3 in the state stood via the support part 16. FIG.

  As described above, the contact between the electrode 4 and the second transport device 3 when the electrode 4 is transferred from the transport unit 6 to the second transport device 3 through the support unit 16 is as follows. It becomes a state close to a line contact. If the contact between the electrode 4 and the second transport device 3 is close to a point contact, the electrode 4 is forced to the point where the point contact is made due to the difference in transport speed between the transport unit 6 and the second transport device 3. Acts to rotate. As a result, the posture of the electrode 4 on the second transport device 3 may vary. The transport speed v2 of the second transport device 3 is, for example, several times faster than the transport speed v1 of the transport unit 6. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the electrode 4 from rotating.

  In the servo loop device 1 </ b> A, the contact between the electrode 4 and the second transport device 3 is a line contact, so that the posture of the electrode 4 on the second transport device 3 can be suppressed from varying. As a result, the electrode 4 is transported to the next process in a determined posture, so that it is not necessary to align the posture of the electrode 4 in the next step.

  The electrode 4 is accommodated between the adjacent side walls 22 in the transport unit 6 and supported by the side walls 22 so that the standing state can be reliably maintained. Further, the portion of the electrode 4 pushed out by the extruding portion 15 is accommodated between the adjacent partition walls 17 on the support portion 16 and is supported by the partition walls 17 so that the standing state can be reliably maintained. . Thus, since the electrode 4 is supported by the side wall 22 and the partition wall 17, the electrode 4 is pushed out in a standing state while being reliably conveyed.

  Since the transport system 10A includes the servo loop device 1A, it is possible to suppress variation in the posture of the electrode 4 delivered to the second transport device 3.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, a transport system 10B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a transport system according to the second embodiment. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. The transport system 10B is different from the transport system 10A in that the servo loop device 1B is provided instead of the servo loop device 1A, and the other points are the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the servo loop device 1 </ b> B includes a clamping unit 19 in the fourth region R <b> 4 of the transport unit 6 instead of the support unit 16 and the plurality of partition walls 17 (see FIG. 1). The servo loop device 1A is different from the servo loop device 1A in other points. The sandwiching portion 19 has an inclined surface 19a that faces the inclined surface 15a of the pushing portion 15 and is parallel to the inclined surface 15a. The clamping part 19 is a right-angled triangular column-like member here, like the extruding part 15. The sandwiching portion 19 is thinner in the X direction as it goes downstream in the transport direction.

  The bottom surface of the sandwiching portion 19 has a right triangle shape, and is disposed in parallel with and at the same height as the top surfaces of the bottom walls 21 of the plurality of buckets 20. The upper surface of the sandwiching portion 19 has a right triangle shape, and the position in the Z direction is higher than the edge portion 4 a of the electrode 4. The upper surface of the clamping part 19 and the upper surface of the pushing part have the same position in the Z direction. The clamping unit 19 is disposed on the second transport device 3 so that the distance formed by the inclined surface 19 a and the inclined surface 15 a in the X direction is equal to the width of the electrode 4. Thereby, the clamping part 19 cooperates with the extrusion part 15, and clamps the some electrode 4 extruded by the extrusion part 15. As shown in FIG.

  In the servo loop device 1B, when the electrode 4 reaches the position of the pushing portion 15 in the fourth region R4, the edge portion 4c contacts the inclined surface 15a. The electrode 4 receives the force in the X direction by the inclined surface 15a that gradually protrudes onto the accommodation space S as the electrode 4 is transferred to the side wall 22 by the transfer unit 6, and the electrode 4 is moved from the edge 4d side. The bucket 20 is gradually pushed out of the accommodation space S. The electrode 4 receives a force in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction (here, the Y direction) by the inclined surface 15a, but maintains a standing state supported by the side wall 22. The edge portion 4 d of the extruded electrode 4 is in contact with the inclined surface 19 a of the holding portion 19. Thereby, the electrode 4 is clamped by the extrusion part 15 and the clamping part 19, and maintains the standing state.

  In this state, the electrode 4 continues to be transported by the transport unit 6, and eventually the entire electrode 4 is pushed out of the accommodation space S. As a result, the electrode 4 is not supported by the bottom wall 21 and falls to the transport surface 3 a of the second transport device 3. Thus, when the electrode 4 falls from the bottom wall 21 and transfers to the transport surface 3a of the second transport device 3, the entire edge portion 4b contacts the transport surface 3a. At this time, the portions other than the edge 4b of the electrode 4 are transported at the transport speed v1 of the transport unit 6, whereas the edge 4b in contact with the transport surface 3a is transported at the transport speed v2 of the second transport device 3. Be transported. Therefore, the edge part 4b advances faster to the downstream side in the transport direction than parts other than the edge part 4b. As a result, the electrode 4 fell sideways on the second transport device 3 such that the edge 4b was on the downstream side and the edge 4a was on the upstream side, and was placed on the transport surface 3a with the main surface 4e as the upper surface. It becomes a state. The electrode 4 is transported to the next step by the second transport device 3 in that state.

  As described above, also in the servo loop device 1B according to the second embodiment, the plurality of electrodes 4 are conveyed at the conveyance speed v1 while standing one by one by the conveyance unit 6, and the inclined surface of the extrusion unit 15 It is pushed out of the conveyance path along 15a. Since the plurality of electrodes 4 move along the inclined surface 15a of the extruding unit 15 while being transported at the transport speed v1, they are pushed out of the storage space S one by one at predetermined time intervals. At this time, the edge 4d of the electrode 4 pushed out by the pushing portion 15 contacts the inclined surface 19a of the holding portion 19, and the electrode 4 is formed by the inclined surface 15a of the pushing portion 15 and the inclined surface 19a of the holding portion 19. It is pinched. Accordingly, the electrode 4 is pushed out while being conveyed in a standing state. Thereby, the electrode 4 is supplied to the 2nd conveying apparatus 3 in the standing state.

  Thus, since the electrode 4 is clamped by the extruding unit 15 and the clamping unit 19, the contact between the electrode 4 and the second transport device 3 when the electrode 4 is transferred from the transport unit 6 to the second transport device 3 is The contact between the edge 4b and the transport surface 3a is close to the line contact. As a result, it is possible to prevent the posture of the electrode 4 on the second transport device 3 from varying.

  The article transport system and the article supply apparatus according to the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the article to be conveyed is not limited to the electrode 4 and may be a sheet-like article. In addition, the shape of the sheet-like article is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a circle having no directionality or a shape other than a rectangle having directionality.

  The extrusion part 15 should just have the inclined surface 15a, and may be a plate-shaped member which makes the inclined surface 15a the main surface. Moreover, the clamping part 19 should just have the inclined surface 19a, and may be a plate-shaped member which makes the inclined surface 19a a main surface. Further, the length of the partition wall 17 in the Z direction is not limited as long as the electrode 4 can be kept standing, and may be shorter than the height of the electrode 4.

  In the servo loop devices 1A and 1B, since the transport speed v1 by the transport unit 6 is low, an appearance inspection of the electrode 4 may be performed. The servo loop devices 1 </ b> A and 1 </ b> B may not have a function of adjusting the number of electrodes 4 to be stored in accordance with the conveyance interval of the first conveyance device 2, and the second conveyance is performed at the conveyance interval of the first conveyance device 2. The electrode 4 may be supplied to the device 3.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B ... Servo loop apparatus, 3 ... 2nd conveyance apparatus, 4 ... Electrode (sheet-like article), 4b ... Edge part (bottom part), 6 ... Conveyance part, 10A, 10B ... Conveyance system, 11 ... 1st sprocket, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... 2nd sprocket, 13 ... Rotating belt, 15 ... Extrusion part, 15a ... Inclined surface (1st inclined surface), 16 ... Support part, 17 ... Partition (2nd partition), 19 ... Holding part, 19a ... Inclined surface (Second inclined surface), 20 ... bucket, 21 ... bottom wall, 22 ... side wall (first partition), v1, v2 ... conveying speed, W ... interval (predetermined interval).

Claims (6)

An article supply apparatus that supplies a plurality of sheet-like articles in a standing state, one by one,
A transport unit that transports the plurality of sheet-like articles one by one at a predetermined speed;
The plurality of sheet-like articles having an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to a conveyance direction in which the plurality of sheet-like articles are conveyed, and the plurality of sheet-like articles conveyed by the conveyance section are outside the conveyance path of the conveyance section along the inclined surfaces An extruding part to extrude into,
An article supply apparatus comprising: a support section that is arranged in parallel with the conveyance path and supports the bottoms of the plurality of sheet-like articles pushed out by the extrusion section. The transport unit is
A plurality of first partitions that are erected at a predetermined interval on the transport path along the transport direction and move at the predetermined speed along the transport direction;
2. The article supply according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of second partition walls standing at the predetermined interval on the support portion along the transport direction and moving at the predetermined speed along the transport direction. apparatus. An article supply apparatus that supplies a plurality of sheet-like articles in a standing state, one by one,
A transport unit that transports the plurality of sheet-like articles one by one at a predetermined speed;
It has the 1st inclined surface which inclines with respect to the conveyance direction in which a plurality of above-mentioned sheet-like articles are conveyed, and said a plurality of sheet-like articles conveyed by said conveyance part along said 1st inclined surface said conveyance part An extruding part that pushes out of the conveying path of
A sandwiching portion having a second slope facing the first slope and sandwiching the plurality of sheet-like articles extruded by the push-out portion together with the push-out portion;
An article supply apparatus comprising:   The article supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of sheet-like articles is an electrode for a power storage device.   The article supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the article supply apparatus is a buffer apparatus that temporarily stores the plurality of sheet-like articles. An article conveyance system comprising: the article supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and a conveyance apparatus that conveys the plurality of sheet-like articles supplied from the article supply apparatus. ,
The article conveyance system, wherein a conveyance speed of the conveyance device is faster than a conveyance speed of the conveyance unit of the article supply apparatus.

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