JP7633218B2 - Electrode plate processing device - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed here belongs to the technical field of electrode plate processing equipment.

In the past, in electricity storage devices such as lithium ion batteries, lithium ion capacitors, and all-solid-state batteries, it has been proposed to form a large number of holes in the active material layer that constitutes the electrode to promote the penetration of the electrolyte into the electrode. For this reason, devices for forming holes in the electrode have been developed.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes forming holes by rolling a roller with protrusions on its outer periphery over an active material.

In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes a method for forming parallelogram-shaped recesses (holes) in an electrode plate by forming the recesses using a flat press or roller with a predetermined protrusion formed on the surface either after or during the drying of the positive electrode composite layer.

JP 2015-130297 A JP 2013-69428 A

As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, holes can be efficiently machined by using a roller as the processing device. One method for manufacturing such rollers is to form protrusions on a metal plate that correspond to the shape of the hole, and then attach the protrusions to the surface of the roller. This method has the advantage that the protrusions can be easily machined into the desired shape.

Here, when making a wide roller that corresponds to the width of the electrode plate, it is necessary to line up and attach multiple metal plates in the axial direction of the roller. In this case, there is a risk that the amount of adhesive applied when attaching each metal plate will be uneven, causing the diameter of the roller to vary in the axial direction of the roller. Even if there is no unevenness in the amount of adhesive applied, there is a risk that the diameter of the roller will vary in the axial direction of the roller due to variations in the thickness of the metal plates.

When forming holes in the electrode plate, it is preferable to make the depth of the holes uniform in order to ensure uniform penetration of the electrolyte. However, as mentioned above, if the diameter of the roller varies in the axial direction of the roller, only a part of the roller (the part with the largest diameter) will be in proper contact with the electrode in the axial direction of the roller, and the other parts of the roller will be separated from the electrode. For this reason, it is difficult to process holes with a uniform depth in a processing device that uses such a roller.

The technology disclosed here has been developed in light of these points, and its purpose is to provide an electrode plate processing device that can improve the accuracy of drilling holes in electrode plates.

In order to solve the above problem, the technology disclosed herein is directed to an electrode plate processing device for forming a bottomed hole in an electrode plate, and is provided with a winding roller around which the electrode plate before processing is wound and which feeds out the electrode plate, a plurality of processing rollers each having a width narrower than the width of the electrode plate and which form the hole in the processed surface of the electrode plate, a plurality of support mechanisms which independently support each of the processing rollers, a backup roller which holds the electrode plate together with each of the processing rollers, and a take-up roller which winds up the electrode plate after processing, each of the processing rollers having a cylindrical roller body and a metal plate attached to the surface of the roller body and provided with a plurality of protrusions for forming the hole, each of the metal plates is provided in only one axial direction of each of the processing rollers, and the processing rollers adjacent to each other in the width direction of the electrode plate when viewed from the circumferential direction of the backup roller are arranged with a shifted position in the circumferential direction of the backup roller.

According to this configuration, in each processing roller, only one metal plate is attached to the roller body in the axial direction of the processing roller. This makes it possible to suppress variation in the diameter of each processing roller, including the metal plate, in the axial direction. In addition, since each processing roller is supported independently by each support mechanism, the position of each processing roller can be adjusted so that the metal plate of each processing roller properly contacts the processing surface of the electrode plate, even if the diameters of each processing roller are different. This makes it possible to make the depth of the hole formed by the protrusion uniform.

In addition, because adjacent processing rollers in the width direction of the electrode plate are positioned with a circumferential offset around the backup roller, the gap between the processing rollers in the width direction of the electrode plate can be made as small as possible even if the support mechanism for each processing roller is made large. This allows the processing rollers to be properly supported and prevents linear areas of unmachined holes from appearing on the processing surface of the electrode plate.

This improves the accuracy of drilling holes into the electrode plate.

In one embodiment of the electrode plate processing device, there is one backup roller, the electrode plate is hung on the backup roller so that the conveying direction changes along the surface of the backup roller, and each of the processing rollers is arranged so as to contact the portion of the electrode plate hung on the backup roller.

With this configuration, the processing rollers can be positioned as close to each other as possible, allowing for precise alignment of the processing rollers in the width direction of the electrode plate. This can further improve the accuracy of drilling holes in the electrode plate.

In addition, the electrode plate processing device can be made compact.

In one embodiment, each of the processing rollers may be a free roller that is not provided with a drive source, and the backup roller may be a drive roller that is rotated by a drive source.

In other words, there are two methods for feeding the electrode plate: driving each processing roller to rotate, and rotating the backup roller. When driving each processing roller to rotate, it is necessary to synchronize the rotation of each processing roller to keep the tension on the electrode plate constant. In this case, as mentioned above, if the diameters of the processing rollers are different, the rotation speed of each processing roller needs to be set and controlled according to the diameter, which requires complex control. On the other hand, when the backup roller is rotated, the electrode plate can be fed with a constant tension on the electrode plate without such complex control.

In addition, when each processing roller is rotated, the protrusions push out the hole, so a load is applied from the protrusions to the sides of the hole. If this load varies, there is a risk that the shape of the hole will vary. When the backup roller is rotated, the load is less likely to be applied to the sides of the hole, so the shape of the hole is less likely to vary.

Therefore, the above configuration can further improve the accuracy of drilling holes into the electrode plate.

The electrode plate processing device may further include a plurality of pressing devices provided for each of the processing rollers, each pressing the processing roller against the backup roller, and a controller that controls the operation of each of the pressing devices, and the controller may be configured to control each of the pressing devices so that the pressing force of each of the processing rollers against the electrode plate is constant.

With this configuration, the pressing force of each processing roller against the electrode plate is constant, so the amount of insertion of the protrusion into the processing surface can be made approximately constant. This can further improve the accuracy of hole processing in the electrode plate.

As described above, the technology disclosed herein can provide an electrode plate machining device that can improve the accuracy of drilling holes in electrode plates.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrode plate to be processed in an exemplary embodiment, where (a) is a plan view of the electrode plate, and (b) is a cross-sectional view cut along a plane corresponding to line Ib-Ib in (a). FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electrode plate machining device. FIG. 3 is a front view of a die assembly including a processing roller. FIG. 4 is a side view of the die assembly. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the processing roller. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the processing rollers. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the processing roller and the backup roller. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a modified example of the arrangement of the processing rollers.

An exemplary embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(Electrode plate)
1 shows an electrode plate 100 machined by an electrode plate machining apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. This electrode plate 100 is an electrode plate used for at least one of the positive and negative electrodes of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

1(b), the electrode plate 100 is constructed by laminating an active material layer 101 on a current collector foil 102. In the case of a lithium-ion battery, the positive electrode active material layer 101 is made of a lithium-containing composite oxide containing lithium and at least one transition metal element, such as manganese lithium composite oxide (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ) or nickel-manganese LiNi _x Mn _1-x O ₂ (0<x<1), and the negative electrode active material layer 101 is made of a carbon material such as carbon particles. For the positive electrode current collector foil 102, aluminum or an alloy mainly made of aluminum can be used, and for the negative electrode, copper or an alloy mainly made of copper can be used.

As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the active material layer 101 of the electrode plate 100 has a bottomed hole 103. In other words, the surface of the electrode plate 100 on which the active material layer 101 is formed corresponds to the processed surface. This hole 103 is a hole for improving the permeation efficiency of the electrolyte into the active material layer 101. In this embodiment, the hole 103 has an inverted cone shape. The depth of the hole 103 is, for example, about 10 μm.

(Electrode plate processing device)
Next, a description will be given of the electrode plate processing device 1 for forming the above-mentioned electrode plate 100. The electrode plate 100 is a wide thin plate when processed, but after processing, it is cut to an appropriate size according to the shape of the battery, and has a shape as shown in FIG.

Figure 2 shows a schematic configuration of the electrode plate processing device 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the processing device 1). The processing device 1 includes an unwinding roller 10 around which the electrode plate 100 before processing is wound and which sends out the electrode plate 100, a first guide roller 11 which guides the electrode plate 100 sent out from the unwinding roller 10, a first dancer section 12 for adjusting the tension applied to the electrode plate 100 before processing during transportation, a second guide roller 13 which guides the electrode plate 100 sent from the first dancer section 12 to a downstream processing mechanism 30, a processing mechanism 30 which forms a hole 103 in the processing surface of the electrode plate 100 (the surface on which the active material layer 101 is formed), a second dancer section 14 for adjusting the tension applied to the processed electrode plate 100 during transportation, third and fourth guide rollers 15 and 16 which guide the processed electrode plate 100 to the winding roller 20, and a winding roller 20 which winds up the processed electrode plate 100.

The unwinding roller 10 is configured as a drive roller that is driven to rotate by a first motor 10a. In the processing device 1 shown in FIG. 2, the electrode plate 100 is wound around the unwinding roller 10 so that the active material layer 101 of the electrode plate 100 is on the back side. Although not shown, a winding diameter sensor is provided near the unwinding roller 10 to detect the winding diameter of the electrode plate 100 wound around the unwinding roller 10.

The first guide roller 11 guides the electrode plate 100 sent from the unwinding roller 10 to the downstream first dancer section 12 so that the electrode plate 100 is in the appropriate transport direction. The first guide roller 11 is a free roller that does not have a drive source for rotation.

The first dancer section 12 has a first support roller 12a whose position is fixed, a first dancing roller 12b whose position is movable and located downstream of the first support roller 12a, and a first dancer mechanism 12c that swings the first dancing roller 12b. The first dancer mechanism 12c has a first connecting rod whose one end is connected to the first dancing roller 12b and whose other end is attached to a support shaft, and a first dancer cylinder that rotates the first connecting rod around the support shaft. The electrode plate 100 is wound around the first support roller 12a and then around the first dancing roller 12b. The first dancer section 12 adjusts the tension on the electrode plate 100 to be constant by the first dancer cylinder pushing and pulling the first connecting rod to move the first dancing roller 12b relative to the first support roller 12a. Both the first support roller 12a and the first dancing roller 12b are free rollers that do not have a drive source for rotation. The first dancer cylinder is an air cylinder. Although not shown, an EPC (Edge Position Control, registered trademark) sensor is provided between the first guide roller 11 and the first support roller 12a to detect the position of the widthwise end of the electrode plate 100 being transported, and the first support roller 12a is provided with a tension sensor to detect the tension of the electrode plate 100 being transported.

The second guide roller 13 guides the electrode plate 100 to the downstream processing mechanism 30 so that the electrode plate 100 is in the appropriate transport direction. The second guide roller 13 is positioned so that the electrode plate 100 can be wrapped around the backup roller 40 of the processing mechanism 30 by at least 1/3 of the circumference of the backup roller 40. The second guide roller 13 is a free roller that does not have a drive source for rotation.

The machining mechanism 30 has a plurality of die devices 31, each having a machining roller 32 that forms a hole 103 in the machining surface of the electrode plate 100, and a backup roller 40 that clamps the electrode plate 100 together with each machining roller 32. Each die device 31 has a die pressure cylinder 38 (see FIG. 3, etc.) that presses the machining roller 32 against the backup roller 40. The backup roller 40 is configured as a drive motor that is rotated by a third motor 42. Details of the machining mechanism 30 will be described later.

The second dancer section 14 has a second support roller 14a whose position is fixed, a second dancing roller 14b whose position is movable and located upstream of the second support roller 14a, and a second dancer mechanism 14c that swings the second dancing roller 14b. The second dancer mechanism 14c has a second connecting rod whose one end is connected to the second dancing roller 14b and whose other end is attached to a support shaft, and a second dancer cylinder that rotates the second connecting rod around the support shaft. The electrode plate 100 is wound around the second dancing roller 14b and then wound around the second support roller 14a. The second dancer section 14 adjusts the tension on the electrode plate 100 to be constant by the second dancer cylinder pushing and pulling the second connecting rod to move the second dancing roller 14b relative to the second support roller 14a. Both the second support roller 14a and the second dancing roller 14b are free rollers that do not have a drive source for rotation. The second dancer cylinder is an air cylinder. Although not shown in the figure, the second support roller 14a is equipped with a tension sensor that detects the tension of the electrode plate 100 during transport.

The third and fourth guide rollers 15, 16 guide the processed electrode plate 100 to the take-up roller 20 so that the electrode plate 100 is in the appropriate transport direction. The third and fourth guide rollers 15, 16 are free rollers that do not have a drive source for rotation. Although not shown in the figure, an EPC (Edge Position Control, registered trademark) sensor is provided between the second support roller 14a and the third guide roller 15 to detect the position of the widthwise end of the electrode plate 100 being transported.

The winding roller 20 is configured as a drive roller that is driven to rotate by the second motor 20a. In the processing device 1 shown in FIG. 2, the electrode plate 100 is wound around the winding roller 20 so that the active material layer 101 of the electrode plate 100 is on the front side. Although not shown, a winding diameter sensor is provided near the winding roller 20 to detect the winding diameter of the electrode plate 100 wound around the winding roller 20.

The processing device 1 is controlled by the controller 50. The controller 50 has a processor having a CPU, a memory in which a plurality of modules are stored, and the like. The controller 50 operates the first motor 10a, the second motor 20a, the third motor 42, the first dancer cylinder, the second dancer cylinder, and the mold pressurizing cylinder 38 (see FIG. 3, etc.) based on the detection results of each winding diameter sensor, each tension sensor, and each EPC sensor. Specifically, the controller 50 synchronizes the first motor 10a, the second motor 20a, and the third motor 42, and adjusts the amount of air supplied to the first dancer cylinder and the second dancer cylinder, based on the detection results of each sensor, so that the electrode plate 100 does not bend or meander during transportation. In addition, as will be described in detail later, the controller 50 controls the amount of air supplied to each mold pressurizing cylinder 38 so that the pressing force of each processing roller 32 against the electrode plate 100 is constant. Such functions are stored as software in a memory module. The number of processors and memories is not limited to one, and the controller 50 may have two or more processors and memories.

(Processing mechanism)
3 to 5 show a die device 31 provided in the processing mechanism 30. Although there are a plurality of die devices 31 (six in this embodiment), the configuration of each die device 31 is the same, so that only one die device 31 will be described in detail below.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the die device 31 has a processing roller 32 as a die for forming a hole 103 in the processing surface of the electrode plate 100. The width of the processing roller 32 is narrower than the width of the electrode plate 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, the width of the processing roller 32 is about 1/6 of the width of the electrode plate 100 during processing.

As shown in FIG. 5, the processing roller 32 has a cylindrical roller body 32a. The processing roller 32 is formed by attaching a single metal plate 33 to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body 32a with an adhesive. The width of the metal plate 33 is the same as the width of the roller body 32a, and the length of the metal plate 33 is the same as the circumference of the roller body 32a. The through hole 32b of the roller body 32a is the portion into which the support shaft 35 described below is inserted. The roller body 32a can be made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel.

The metal plate 33 has a plurality of protrusions 33a formed in a predetermined pattern on the work surface 33b located on the opposite side to the roller body 32a. Each protrusion 33a is cone-shaped corresponding to the shape of the hole 103. The height of the protrusions 33a from the work surface 33b is set to about 10 μm depending on the depth of the hole 103. The protrusions 33a are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction of the metal plate 33. The intervals between the two protrusions 33a at both ends of the width direction of the metal plate 33 and the width direction ends of the metal plate 33 are set to half the interval between the protrusions 33a adjacent to each other in the width direction of the metal plate 33. The protrusions 33a are formed of a metal harder than the active material layer 101.

The processing roller 32 is a free roller that does not have a drive source for rotation.

The die device 31 has a support mechanism 34 that supports the processing roller 32. One support mechanism 34 is provided for each die device 31, and supports each processing roller 32 independently. The support mechanism 34 has a support shaft 35 that is fixed to the processing roller 32 and supports the processing roller 32, and a holding portion 36 that holds the processing roller 32 together with the support shaft 35.

The support shaft 35 is attached and fixed to the processing roller 32 so that it is coaxial with the processing roller 32. Bearings 37 are attached to both axial ends of the support shaft 35. This allows the processing roller 32 to rotate together with the support shaft 35 around its central axis.

As shown in FIG. 3, the holding portion 36 is U-shaped in front view. Specifically, the holding portion 36 has a first wall portion 36a located on one side of the support shaft 35 in the axial direction and having a rectangular plate shape, a second wall portion 36b located on the other side of the axial direction so as to face the first wall portion 36a in the axial direction and having a rectangular plate shape, and a connecting wall portion 36c that connects one end of the first wall portion 36a in the longitudinal direction to one end of the second wall portion 36b in the longitudinal direction in the axial direction. A recess that accommodates and fixes the bearing 37 is formed in the other longitudinal side portion of the first wall portion 36a and the second wall portion 36b (only the recess of the first wall portion 36a is shown in FIG. 4). A lid body 36d in the form of an elongated plate is arranged at the opening of the recess. The lid body 36d is fixed to the first wall portion 36a and the second wall portion 36b by bolts. The first wall 36a and the second wall 36b may be integral with the connecting wall 36c or may be separate.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the processing roller 32 is held in the holding portion 36 by fixing the cover 36d to the first and second wall portions 36a and 36b with the bearing 37 and support shaft 35 housed in the recesses of the first and second wall portions 36a and 36b. The processing roller 32 is disposed in the area between the first wall portion 36a and the second wall portion 36b, and a part of the processing roller 32 protrudes from the holding portion 36.

The die pressurizing cylinder 38 of the die device 31 has a tip of its cylinder rod 38a connected to the connecting wall portion 36c of the holding portion 36, and moves the processing roller 32 together with the holding portion 36 forward and backward in the axial direction of the cylinder rod 38a. The cylinder rod 38a of the die pressurizing cylinder 38 is arranged so that the central axis C1 of the processing roller 32 (which coincides with the center of the support shaft 35) is located on the extension line L of the axial center line.

The mold pressurizing cylinder 38 is composed of an air cylinder. The mold pressurizing cylinder 38 is connected to an air supply source (not shown) via an air supply path 38b. The air supply path 38b is provided with a regulator 38c for adjusting the amount of air supplied to the mold pressurizing cylinder 38. The regulator 38c is controlled by a controller 50, which controls the regulator 38c to adjust the amount of air supplied to the mold pressurizing cylinder 38, thereby adjusting the pressing force of the processing roller 32 against the electrode plate 100 wrapped around the backup roller 40 to be constant. The mold pressurizing cylinder 38 has a load sensor for detecting the pressing force of the processing roller 32 against the electrode plate 100. The load sensor is built into, for example, the cylinder rod 38a, and detects the load applied to the cylinder rod 38a via the processing roller 32, the support shaft 35, and the holding portion 36. The controller 50 controls the regulator 38c based on the detection result of the load sensor. For this reason, the die pressurizing cylinder 38 and the regulator 38c constitute a pressing device. Note that "keeping the pressing force constant" does not necessarily have to be strictly constant, and as long as the pressing force is such that the processing surface 33b of the metal plate 33 of the processing roller 32 is pressed against the active material layer 101 of the electrode plate 100 and the active material layer 101 is not compressed and deformed by the pressing force (excluding deformation due to hole processing), the pressing force may be increased or decreased slightly.

The mold device 31 has a rail 39 as a guide when the mold pressure cylinder 38 moves the processing roller 32 forward and backward. The rail 39 extends parallel to the axis of the cylinder rod 38a. The rail 39 engages with the connecting wall portion 36c of the holding portion 36. This causes the processing roller 32 to move so that its central trajectory is parallel to the rail 39.

As shown in FIG. 6, the backup roller 40 is composed of one roller having a width wider than the width of the electrode plate 100. The backup roller 40 is fixed to the frame 2 of the processing device 1 via a support shaft 41. The support shaft 41 is connected to a third motor 42. When the support shaft 41 is rotated by the third motor 42, the backup roller 40 rotates around its central axis. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the electrode plate 100 is wrapped around the backup roller 40 by more than 1/3 of the circumference of the backup roller 40 so that the conveying direction changes along the surface of the backup roller 40. The axial direction of the backup roller 40 coincides with the width direction of the wrapped electrode plate 100. The backup roller 40 is, for example, a metal roller.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing mechanism 30 is provided with a cleaning roller 43 for cleaning the processing roller 32. The cleaning roller 43 has a weak adhesive roller and a strong adhesive roller, and the weak adhesive roller collects processing debris and the like that has adhered to the processing roller 32, and the strong adhesive roller collects processing debris and the like that has been collected by the weak adhesive roller.

Next, the arrangement of each die device 31 and the backup roller 40 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Note that in Figure 6, the support structure of each die device 31 relative to the frame 2 is omitted in order to simplify the drawing.

6, each die device 31 is arranged so that each processing roller 32 is aligned in the width direction of the electrode plate 100 when viewed from the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40, and so that adjacent processing rollers 32 in the width direction are positioned offset from each other in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40. Specifically, each die device 31 is arranged so that each processing roller 32 is arranged in a staggered manner in the width direction of the electrode plate 100 when viewed from the radial direction of the backup roller 40. More specifically, when the die devices 31 are arranged in the order of a first die device 311, a second die device 312, a third die device 313, a fourth die device 314, a fifth die device 315, and a sixth die device 316 from one side (here, the side where the third motor 42 is arranged) of the axial direction of the backup roller 40 (hereinafter, referred to as the backup axial direction) to the other side, the first die device 311, the third die device 313, and the fifth die device 315 are positioned at a first position in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40, and are arranged at equal intervals in the backup axial direction, while the second die device 312, the fourth die device 314, and the sixth die device 316 are positioned at a second position different from the first position in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40, and are arranged at equal intervals in the backup axial direction. The second die device 312 is positioned between the first die device 311 and the third die device 313 in the backup axial direction. The fourth die assembly 314 is located between the third die assembly 313 and the fifth die assembly 315 in the backup axial direction. The sixth die assembly 316 is located on the other side of the fifth die assembly 315 in the backup axial direction.

The first die device 311 and the second die device 312 are arranged so that the distance in the backup axis direction between the protrusion 33a on the other side of the backup axis direction of the processing roller 32 of the first die device 311 and the protrusion 33a on the one side of the backup axis direction of the processing roller 32 of the second die device 312 is the same as the distance between adjacent protrusions 33a in the width direction of each processing roller 32. In this embodiment, the distance between the two protrusions 33a at both ends of the width direction of the processing roller 32 among the protrusions 33a is half the distance between adjacent protrusions 33a in the width direction of the processing roller 32, so that the other side surface in the backup axis direction of the processing roller 32 of the first die device 311 and the one side surface in the backup axis direction of the processing roller 32 of the second die device 312 are arranged so as to be located on the same plane, resulting in the above-mentioned arrangement. The second mold apparatus 312 and the third mold apparatus 313, the third mold apparatus 313 and the fourth mold apparatus 314, the fourth mold apparatus 314 and the fifth mold apparatus 315, and the fifth mold apparatus 315 and the sixth mold apparatus 316 are also arranged as described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first position and the second position are positions that are 90° apart in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40. Specifically, the first position is a position vertically above the backup roller 40, and the second position is a position upstream of the electrode plate 100 in the horizontal direction in the conveying direction. The first to sixth die devices 311 to 316 are each arranged so that each processing roller 32 contacts the part of the electrode plate 100 that is hung on the backup roller 40. The first to sixth die devices 311 to 316 are each arranged so that the central axis C2 of the backup roller 40 is located on the extension line L of the axis of the cylinder rod 38a of each die pressure cylinder 38. As a result, the central axis C1 of each processing roller 32 of the first die device 311, the third die device 313, and the fifth die device 315 and the central axis C2 of the backup roller 40 are located in the same vertical plane. In addition, the central axis C1 of each of the processing rollers 32 of the second die device 312, the fourth die device 314, and the sixth die device 316 and the central axis C2 of the backup roller 40 are located in the same horizontal plane. As described above, by arranging the first to sixth die devices 311 to 316, the pressing force generated by each die pressure cylinder 38 can be transmitted from the processing rollers 32 to the electrode plate 100 with almost no reduction. Each processing roller 32 can be pressed against the electrode plate 100 wrapped around the backup roller 40 with a more appropriate pressing force.

The central axes C1 of the processing rollers 32 of the first die device 311, the third die device 313, and the fifth die device 315 are located in the same vertical plane, but are not necessarily parallel to each other. This is because when the processing roller 32 becomes a truncated cone shape due to the distribution of the thickness of the metal plate 33 or the distribution of the adhesive, the processing roller 32 is positioned so that its central axis C1 is slightly inclined with respect to the other central axes C1. The same is true for the central axes C1 of the processing rollers 32 of the second die device 312, the fourth die device 314, and the sixth die device 316.

Here, as described above, when performing hole processing on a wide electrode plate 100, a processing roller having a width equivalent to that of the backup roller 40 has been used in the past. Such processing rollers are constructed by arranging and attaching multiple metal plates in the axial direction of the processing roller. However, with conventional processing rollers, there was a problem that the diameter of the processing roller varies in the axial direction of the processing roller due to variations in the thickness of the metal plate 33 and differences in the amount of adhesive applied. If the diameter of the processing roller varies in the axial direction of the processing roller, only a part of the processing roller contacts the electrode plate 100 in the axial direction of the processing roller, and the other part of the processing roller is separated from the electrode plate 100, so that the depth of the hole 103 formed by the processing roller varies.

In contrast, in this embodiment, holes are machined in the electrode plate 100 by a plurality of processing rollers 32 having a width narrower than that of the electrode plate 100. Each processing roller 32 is configured by attaching only one metal plate having a width narrower than that of the electrode plate and forming a protrusion to the roller body 32a. That is, in each processing roller 32, only one metal plate 33 is provided in the axial direction of the processing roller 32. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation in the diameter of each processing roller 32 including the metal plate 33. In addition, since each processing roller 32 is independently supported by each support mechanism 34, even if the diameters of each processing roller 32 are different, the position of each processing roller 32 can be adjusted so that the processed surface 33b of the metal plate 33 of each processing roller 32 appropriately contacts the processed surface of the electrode plate 100 (the surface of the active material layer 101). This makes it possible to make the depth of the hole 103 formed by the protrusion 33a formed on the processed surface 33b uniform.

In addition, by arranging each processing roller 32 in a staggered pattern, even if the support mechanism 34 of each processing roller 32 is made large, the gap between the processing rollers 32 in the width direction of the electrode plate 100 can be made as small as possible. This allows the processing rollers 32 to be properly supported and prevents linear areas on the processing surface of the electrode plate 100 where holes have not been machined.

This improves the accuracy of drilling holes into the electrode plate 100.

Furthermore, since the configuration of this embodiment has a structure in which one metal plate 33 is attached to each processing roller 32, when the protrusion 33a of the metal plate 33 is deformed due to wear, it is necessary to replace only the metal plate 33 of the processing roller 32 in which the protrusion 33a is deformed. In addition, by arranging each processing roller 32 in a staggered pattern, the gap between each processing roller 32 can be made as large as possible, making it easier to position tools, etc. during maintenance. This also makes it easier to maintain the processing rollers 32.

In addition, in this embodiment, there is only one backup roller 40 that holds the electrode plate 100 together with each processing roller 32, the electrode plate 100 is hung on the backup roller 40 so that the conveying direction changes along the surface of the backup roller 40, and each processing roller 32 is arranged so as to contact the portion of the electrode plate 100 that is hung on the backup roller 40. This allows the processing rollers 32 to be positioned as close to each other as possible, so that the processing rollers 32 can be accurately aligned in the width direction of the electrode plate 100 (coincident with the backup axis direction). This further improves the accuracy of hole processing in the electrode plate 100.

In addition, by arranging each processing roller 32, and therefore each die device 31, close to each other in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40, the electrode plate processing device 1 can be configured compactly.

In addition, in this embodiment, each processing roller 32 is a free roller that is not provided with a drive source, and the backup roller 40 is a drive roller that is driven to rotate by the third motor 42. This allows the controller 50 to feed the electrode plate 100 while keeping the tension applied to the electrode plate 100 constant without complex control.

In addition, if each processing roller 32 is rotated, the protrusion 33a will push out the hole 103, and a load will be applied from the protrusion to the side of the hole 103. If this load varies, the shape of the hole 103 may vary. If the backup roller 40 is rotated, the load is less likely to be applied to the side of the hole 103, and the shape of the hole 103 is less likely to vary.

This allows for greater accuracy in drilling holes into the electrode plate 100.

In addition, this embodiment further includes a plurality of die pressure cylinders 38 provided for each processing roller 32, which press each processing roller 32 against the backup roller 40, and the controller 50 controls each die pressure cylinder 38 so that the pressing force of each processing roller 32 against the electrode plate 100 is constant. In this way, by making the pressing force of each processing roller 32 against the electrode plate 100 constant, the insertion amount of the protrusion 33a into the processing surface of the electrode plate 100 can be made approximately constant. This can further improve the accuracy of hole processing of the electrode plate 100.

In addition, in this embodiment, each mold device 31 is arranged so that the center axis C1 of the processing roller 32 and the center axis C2 of the backup roller 40 are located on the extension line L of the axis of the cylinder rod 38a of each mold pressurizing cylinder 38. That is, when at least one of the center axis C1 of the processing roller 32 and the center axis C2 of the backup roller 40 is not located on the extension line L of the axis of the cylinder rod 38a of each mold pressurizing cylinder 38, the advancing and retreating direction of the mold pressurizing cylinder deviates from the radial direction of the processing roller and the backup roller, so that only a part of the pressing force generated by the mold pressurizing cylinder 38 is transmitted to the electrode plate 100. On the other hand, with the above configuration, since the advancing and retreating direction of the mold pressurizing cylinder becomes the radial direction of the processing roller and the backup roller, the pressing force generated by each mold pressurizing cylinder 38 can be transmitted from the processing roller 32 to the electrode plate 100 with almost no reduction. As a result, each processing roller 32 can be pressed against the electrode plate 100 wrapped around the backup roller 40 with an appropriate pressing force. This allows for greater accuracy in drilling holes in the electrode plate 100.

In addition, in this embodiment, some of the multiple die devices 31 (first die device 311, third die device 313, and fifth die device 315) are each positioned vertically above the backup roller 40, and the remaining die devices 31 (second die device 312, fourth die device 314, and sixth die device 316) are each positioned upstream in the horizontal transport direction of the electrode plate 100. This simplifies the support structure of the die device 31, including the rail 39, relative to the frame 2 of the processing device 1.

In particular, in this embodiment, the central axis C1 of each processing roller 32 of the part of the die devices 31 and the central axis C2 of the backup roller 40 are located in the same vertical plane, and the central axis C1 of each processing roller 32 of the remaining die devices 31 and the central axis C2 of the backup roller 40 are located in the same horizontal plane. As a result, the effect of gravity on each processing roller 32 between the part of the die devices 31 is approximately the same, and the effect of gravity on each processing roller 32 between the remaining die devices 31 is approximately the same. As a result, it is possible to facilitate control when the controller 50 controls the regulator 38c taking into account the effect of gravity.

Other Embodiments
The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, the processing device 1 was described in the case where only one side of the electrode plate 100 is processed. However, this is not limited to this, and another processing mechanism 30 may be provided to process both sides of the electrode plate 100 in which the active material layer 101 is formed on both sides of the current collecting foil 102.

In the above embodiment, an air cylinder was used as the pressing device for the die device 31. However, this is not limiting, and a compression coil spring may also be used as the pressing device.

In the above embodiment, the protrusion 33a is conical, and therefore the hole 103 is inverted-edge cone shape. However, the protrusion 33a may be of any shape as long as it can form a bottomed hole, and may be, for example, pyramidal, truncated conical, or truncated pyramidal.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the first position where the first mold device 311, the third mold device 313, and the fifth mold device 315 are arranged and the second position where the second mold device 312, the fourth mold device 314, and the sixth mold device 316 are arranged are positions that differ by 90° in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40. This is not limited to the above, and the angle between the first position and the second position in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40 may be less than 90° as long as the support mechanisms 34 of each mold device 31 do not interfere with each other. In addition, if the range in which the electrode plate 100 is wrapped around the backup roller 40 is widened, the angle between the first position and the second position in the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40 can be made larger than 90°.

In addition, if each processing roller 32 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the width direction of the electrode plate 100 when viewed from the circumferential direction of the backup roller 40, some of the die devices 31 may be arranged at a third position between the first position and the second position (for example, a position at 45° in the circumferential direction of the backup roller). For example, the first die device 311 and the fourth die device 314 may be arranged at the first position, the second die device 312 and the fifth die device 315 may be arranged at the second position, and the third die device 313 and the sixth die device 316 may be arranged at the third position. Figure 8 is a view of the above-mentioned arrangement as seen from the backup axis direction. When viewed from the backup axis direction, the fourth to sixth die devices 314 to 316 have parts of the processing rollers 32 overlapping each other, but in reality, since the positions in the backup axis direction are shifted as described above, they do not interfere with each other.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, only one metal plate 33 was attached to the processing roller 32, but this is not limited thereto, and when creating a processing roller 32 with a large diameter, multiple metal plates 33 may be attached in the circumferential direction of the processing roller 32. Even in this case, there is only one metal plate 33 in the axial direction of the processing roller 32.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, and all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of equivalence of the claims are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The technology disclosed herein is useful as an electrode plate processing device for forming bottomed holes in electrode plates.

1 Electrode plate processing device 10 Unwinding roller 20 Winding roller 32 Processing roller 32a Roller body 33 Metal plate 33a Protrusion 34 Support mechanism 38 Mold pressure cylinder (pressing device)
38c Regulator (pressing device)
40 Backup roller 42 Third motor (drive source)
50 Controller 100 Electrode plate 103 Hole

Claims (3)

An electrode plate processing device for forming a bottomed hole portion in an electrode plate,
an unwinding roller around which the electrode plate before processing is wound and which feeds out the electrode plate;
a plurality of processing rollers each having a width narrower than the width of the electrode plate and configured to form the hole in the processing surface of the electrode plate;
A plurality of support mechanisms each independently supporting each of the processing rollers;
a backup roller for holding the electrode plate together with each of the processing rollers;
a take-up roller for taking up the electrode plate after processing,
Each of the processing rollers is
A cylindrical roller body;
a metal plate attached to a surface of the roller body and having a plurality of protrusions for forming the hole;
Each of them has
Only one of the metal plates is provided in each axial direction of the processing roller,
When viewed from the circumferential direction of the backup roller, the processing rollers adjacent to each other in the width direction of the electrode plate are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the circumferential direction of the backup roller , and
1 is a diagram showing an electrode plate machining device according to an embodiment of the present invention ; 2. The electrode plate machining apparatus according to claim 1,
The backup roller is one.
the electrode plate is hung on the backup roller so that the conveying direction changes along the surface of the backup roller,
1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrode plate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3. The electrode plate machining apparatus according to claim 2,
Each of the processing rollers is a free roller that is not provided with a driving source,
The electrode plate machining device, wherein the backup roller is a drive roller that is rotationally driven by a drive source.