KR102595603B1 - Electrolyte injection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrolyte injection device, and more specifically, to an electrolyte injection device for injecting electrolyte into a pouch sealing a secondary battery.
In the present invention, the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14 are stacked alternately with each other, and the separator 16 is positioned between the first electrode sheet 13 and the second electrode sheet 14. Disclosed is an electrolyte injection device (100) for a secondary battery cell (40) that includes an electrode assembly (10) and a pouch (20) for sealing the electrode assembly (10) and has a plate-shaped structure.

Description

Electrolyte injection apparatus}

The present invention relates to an electrolyte injection device, and more specifically, to an electrolyte injection device for injecting electrolyte into a pouch sealing a secondary battery.

In general, a chemical battery is a battery that consists of a pair of positive and negative electrodes and an electrolyte, and the amount of energy that can be stored varies depending on the materials that make up the electrodes and electrolyte.

These chemical batteries are divided into primary batteries, which have a very slow charging reaction and are used only for one-time discharge, and secondary batteries, which can be reused through repeated charging and discharging.

Secondary batteries are being applied to various technological fields throughout the industry. For example, they are not only used as an energy source for cutting-edge electronic devices such as wireless mobile devices, but also for reducing air pollution from existing gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines that use fossil fuels. Energy sources such as hybrid electric vehicles, which are being proposed as a solution, are also attracting attention.

Secondary batteries are manufactured in various ways depending on the shape of the case housing the electrode assembly, and representative shapes include cylindrical, square, and pouch shapes.

Typically, cylindrical secondary batteries use cylindrical aluminum cans, prismatic secondary batteries use square aluminum cans, and pouch-type secondary batteries are sealed in a pouch made of a thin aluminum laminated film made of aluminum or other materials. It is relatively lightweight and has excellent stability, so it has been widely used in recent years.

As an example, looking at the configuration of a pouch-type secondary battery cell, a stack is an electrode assembly made up of a separator as a separator between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, and an aluminum-laminate film is used to seal and accommodate the stack inside. A pouch consisting of a lead tab with one end connected to the stack and the other end exposed to the outside of the pouch to induce current to the outside.

Secondary battery cells are generally completed by injecting electrolyte into a pouch containing an electrode assembly consisting of a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a separator interposed between them, and then sealing it.

Electrolyte impregnation inside the pouch is generally performed within the chamber of the electrolyte injection device. In this case, the manufacturing cost of the device and the productivity of the electrolyte injection device may depend on the structure of the chamber.

The purpose of the present invention is to recognize the above-mentioned need and improve the structure of the vacuum chamber for forming a vacuum atmosphere for electrolyte injection, thereby securing the rigidity of the vacuum chamber and improving sealability, and securing the rigidity of the vacuum chamber and improving the sealability required for processing the vacuum chamber. The goal is to provide an electrolyte injection device that can minimize cost and time.

The present invention was created to achieve the object of the present invention as described above, wherein the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14 are stacked alternately, and the first electrode sheet 13 and the second electrode sheet 14 are stacked alternately. An electrolyte for a secondary battery cell 40 including an electrode assembly 10 in which a separator 16 is positioned between electrode sheets 14 and a pouch 20 for sealing the electrode assembly 10 and having a plate-shaped structure. The injection device 100 is disclosed.

The electrolyte injection device 100 forms a sealed internal space and may include a vacuum chamber 120 in which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated so that the electrolyte is injected under vacuum pressure.

The vacuum chamber 120 includes a lower plate 122 on which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated and whose planar shape is rectangular; An upper housing 124 coupled to a pair of opposing sides of the lower plate 122 and equipped with a spray nozzle 111 inserted into the pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40; a side plate 126 covering one of a pair of openings formed by the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122; It may include a door plate 128 that opens and closes the other one of the pair of openings to introduce and discharge the secondary battery cell 40.

The vacuum chamber 120 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The upper surface and a pair of opposing side surfaces of the vacuum chamber 120 may be integrally formed by the upper housing 124.

The upper housing 124 may be formed through bending processing of a sheet metal plate.

The vacuum chamber 120 may further include a rib member 127 installed on the outer surface of the upper housing 124 facing the outside.

The rib member 127 includes one or more first rib members 125 formed along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber 120, and along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. It may include one or more second rib members 123 formed.

One or more secondary display cells 40 may be introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 while being seated on the cell tray 200.

At this time, the electrolyte injection device 100 is installed in the vacuum chamber 120 and additionally includes a cell tray support portion 140 that supports the cell tray 200 introduced into the internal space of the vacuum chamber 120. It can be included.

The electrolyte injection device 100 may additionally include a vertical movement unit 150 for driving the vertical movement of the cell tray support unit 140.

The cell tray support part 140 includes a pair of linear movement guide parts 142 that are installed along the movement path of the cell tray 200 and guide the linear movement of the cell tray 200, and a pair of It may include a coupling frame part 146 that couples the pair of linear movement guide parts 142 between the linear movement guide parts 142.

The cell tray support unit 140 may further include a pair of horizontal roller units 144 that are installed along the movement path of the cell tray 200 and support the side surfaces of the cell tray 200.

The electrolyte injection device 100 may further include a door plate opening/closing unit 300 that moves the door plate 128 in order to open/close the other one of the pair of openings.

The door plate opening and closing unit 300 includes a door plate lifting unit 310, 340 that is coupled to the door plate 128 and drives the door plate 128 to move up and down, and a door plate lifting unit 310, 340. ) and may include a door plate linear moving unit 350 that linearly moves the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 in a direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128.

The electrolyte injection device 100 additionally includes an auxiliary support portion 130 installed on the bottom of the vacuum chamber 120 to support the bottom of the front end of the cell tray 200 introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 upward. It can be included.

The auxiliary support portion 130 is coupled to a cushion member 132 in contact with the bottom of the front end of the cell tray 200, and is coupled to the cushion member 132 at one end and rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis 131. It may include a main body 134 and an elastic member 138 installed between the other end of the main body 134 and a fixing member 136 fixed to a preset position.

The electrolyte injection device according to the present invention has the advantage of minimizing the cost and time required for processing the vacuum chamber by improving the structure of the vacuum chamber that forms a vacuum atmosphere for electrolyte injection.

Specifically, in the present invention, the upper housing is not divided into an upper plate and a pair of opposing side plates and are respectively joined by welding, etc., but the upper surface of the vacuum chamber and a pair of opposing side plates are formed by the upper housing. Since it is formed as one piece, the structural rigidity of the vacuum chamber can be secured to some extent by the structure of the upper housing itself, so the installation of rib members for rigidity reinforcement can be minimized, and device manufacturing costs can be reduced accordingly, and device manufacturing costs can be reduced. There is an advantage that processability can be greatly improved.

In addition, in the present invention, the upper housing is formed as one piece and a pair of side surfaces facing the upper surface of the vacuum chamber are formed through bending of the sheet metal plate, thereby minimizing the welding that must be performed for each plate to form the vacuum chamber. Therefore, there is an advantage in that the sealability of the vacuum chamber can be greatly improved.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a secondary battery cell into which electrolyte is injected in the electrolyte injection device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the secondary battery cell of FIG. 1 in the II-II direction.
Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the concept of the electrolyte injection device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the XZ direction showing the vacuum chamber of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum chamber in FIG. 4 taken along line I-I.
Figure 6a is a perspective view showing the vacuum chamber of Figure 4.
Figure 6b is an exploded perspective view showing the vacuum chamber of Figure 4.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the door plate opening and closing portion of the vacuum chamber of FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum chamber of FIG. 5 in the direction III-III.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are side and top views showing a portion of the electrolyte injection device of FIG. 3.

Hereinafter, the electrolyte injection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

The electrolyte injection device according to the present invention is a device for injecting electrolyte solution into the secondary battery cell 40, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Here, the secondary battery cell 40 into which the electrolyte is injected by the electrolyte injection device 100 according to the present invention includes the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. ) are stacked alternately with each other and the separator 16 is positioned between the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14, an electrode assembly 10, and a pouch sealing the electrode assembly 10 ( 20) and a lead tab 30 that is connected to the electrode assembly 10 and protrudes out of the pouch 20. Here, Figure 1 is a plan view of the rectangular plate-shaped secondary battery cell 40 viewed as a whole in the normal direction perpendicular to the plate surface.

The first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14 are electrodes that are alternately stacked and separated by a separator 16, forming the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery cell 40, respectively. As a member, it may be formed of a metal sheet depending on the electrode characteristics.

The first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14 have electrode tabs (not shown) extending from each electrode sheet.

The separator 16 is a member interposed between the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14, and is preferably made of a material having high electrolyte wettability and high chemical resistance.

The separator 16 may have various materials depending on the materials of the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14 constituting the secondary battery cell 40, the physical properties of the electrolyte, etc.

The pouch 20 is a member that seals the electrode assembly 10 impregnated with electrolyte, and may have various materials depending on the materials of the first electrode sheet 12 and the second electrode sheet 14, the physical properties of the electrolyte, etc. .

For example, the pouch 20 may be formed by laminating a nylon layer on one side of an aluminum layer and a P.P. layer on the other side.

The lead tab 30 consists of a pair of positive and negative electrodes, one end of which is connected to the electrode assembly 10 and the other end of which protrudes out of the pouch 20.

The lead tab 30 may be electrically connected to a plurality of electrode tabs extending from each electrode sheet 12 and 14 by welding.

In addition, a lead film 31 may be attached to at least a portion of the upper and lower surfaces of the lead tab 30 to increase sealing with the pouch 20 and at the same time ensure electrical insulation.

As shown in Figure 3, the electrolyte injection device according to the present invention includes an electrolyte supply unit 110 for supplying an electrolyte solution; a vacuum chamber 120 in which the secondary battery cell 40 is seated so that the electrolyte is injected from the electrolyte supply unit 110 under vacuum pressure; It may include a pressure control system that controls the pressure inside the electrolyte supply unit 110 and the vacuum chamber 120.

The electrolyte supply unit 110 includes a first hopper 116 that receives electrolyte at atmospheric pressure from an electrolyte source 112 containing the electrolyte; It may include a second hopper 118 that receives electrolyte from the first hopper 116 at a first vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

The electrolyte source 112 is a device that supplies electrolyte to the first hopper 116 and can have various configurations.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the electrolyte source 112 receives the electrolyte solution from the electrolyte storage tank 112a and the electrolyte storage tank 112a by nitrogen pressurization inside the electrolyte storage tank 112a. It may include an auxiliary storage tank 112b for temporary storage.

The first hopper 116 is configured to receive electrolyte at atmospheric pressure from an electrolyte source 112 containing the electrolyte, and can have various configurations.

For example, the first hopper 116 may be configured as a container with a preset capacity so that a fixed amount of electrolyte can be stored.

And the first hopper 116 can be supplied with electrolyte by a pipe connecting the electrolyte source 112 and the first hopper 116 and a pump 114 installed in the pipe.

The pump 114 may be a precision liquid discharge pump, so-called Hibar pump, to supply a fixed amount of electrolyte.

The second hopper 118 is configured to receive electrolyte from the first hopper 116 at a first vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and various configurations are possible.

For example, the second hopper 118 may be configured as a sealed container with a preset capacity to receive electrolyte from the first hopper 116 at a first vacuum pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and a pipe in which a valve is installed. It is connected to the first hopper 116 and can be connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) through one or more pipes.

The vacuum chamber 120 is a configuration in which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated so that the electrolyte is injected in a vacuum pressure state (particularly, a third vacuum pressure state lower than the first vacuum pressure), and has a sealed interior. Any configuration is possible as long as it can form space.

The vacuum chamber 120 may have various shapes, but is preferably formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape in terms of convenience of processing and space utilization.

For example, the vacuum chamber 120 includes a lower plate 122 on which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated and whose planar shape is rectangular; An upper housing 124 coupled to a pair of opposing sides of the lower plate 122 and equipped with a spray nozzle 111 inserted into the pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40; a side plate 126 covering one of a pair of openings formed by the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122; It may include a door plate 128 that opens and closes the other one of the pair of openings to introduce and discharge the secondary battery cell 40.

The lower plate 122 is a plate on which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated and has a rectangular planar shape. The lower plate 122 may be made of various materials as long as it has a rigidity greater than a preset level.

The upper housing 124 is coupled to a pair of opposing sides of the lower plate 122 and has various configurations in which a spray nozzle 111 inserted into the pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40 is installed. This is possible.

Meanwhile, when the vacuum chamber 120 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the upper surface of the vacuum chamber 120 and a pair of opposing side surfaces may be integrally formed by the upper housing 124.

At this time, the upper housing 124 may be formed through bending processing of a sheet metal plate.

Specifically, the upper housing 124 has both ends of a sheet metal plate bent downward to form a pair of opposing sides of the vacuum chamber 120, and the bent portion formed by bending the sheet metal plate is a lower plate ( 122) can be combined with a pair of opposing sides.

The coupling between the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122 can be done in a variety of ways as long as a vacuum atmosphere can be created by sealing the inner space of the vacuum chamber 120 from the outside. For example, coupling is possible by welding. It can be.

At this time, the vacuum chamber 120 may additionally include a rib member 127 installed on the outer surface of the upper housing 124 facing the outside.

The rib member 127 is designed to reinforce the rigidity of the vacuum chamber 120 and can be configured in various ways.

In addition, of course, the rib member 127 is not limited to the upper housing, and can be installed in various positions except for the lower plate 122, as long as there is no interference with other components.

For example, the rib member 127 includes one or more first rib members 125 formed along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber 120 and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. It may include one or more second rib members 123 formed along.

By the combination of the first rib member 125 and the second rib member 123, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6B, a grid-shaped framework structure can be installed on the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 120. there is.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6B, the second rib member 123 is formed in the upper housing 124 to extend from one side of the vacuum chamber 120 through the upper surface to the other side, At this time, the first rib member 125 is composed of a plurality of pieces and can be installed at a position requiring structural reinforcement between neighboring second rib members 123, preferably between neighboring second rib members 123. Can be installed to connect.

Conversely, of course, the first rib member 125 may be formed in the upper housing 124 to extend from one end in the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber 120 to the other end. In this case, the second rib member 123 It may be composed of a plurality of pieces and may be installed at a position requiring structural reinforcement between neighboring first rib members 125, and may preferably be installed to connect adjacent first rib members 125.

In the case of the present invention, the upper housing 124 is not divided into an upper plate and a pair of opposing side plates and are respectively joined by welding, etc., but the upper surface of the vacuum chamber 120 is formed by the upper housing 124. and a pair of opposing sides are formed integrally, the structural rigidity of the vacuum chamber 120 can be secured to some extent by the structure of the upper housing 124 itself, and the installation of the rib member 127 can be minimized. Accordingly, device manufacturing costs can be reduced and the processability of device manufacturing can be greatly improved.

In addition, in the present invention, the upper housing 124 is formed integrally and a pair of side surfaces opposing the upper surface of the vacuum chamber 120 are formed through bending of a sheet metal plate, so that each side is formed to form the vacuum chamber 120. Since the welding that must be performed for each plate can be minimized, there is an advantage in greatly improving the sealability of the vacuum chamber 120.

Meanwhile, a pair of openings facing each other on the side of the vacuum chamber 120 may be formed by combining the lower plate 122 and the upper housing 124.

The side plate 126 is a plate that covers one of a pair of openings formed by the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122, and can be made of various materials as long as it has rigidity greater than a preset level.

The side plate 126 may be configured as a rectangular plate when the vacuum chamber 120 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The side plates 126 can be joined in a variety of ways as long as the internal space of the vacuum chamber 120 can be sealed from the outside to create a vacuum atmosphere. For example, the side plates 126 can be joined by welding.

In addition, before the side plate 126 is coupled to the opening, although not shown, a coupling plate (not shown) is coupled to the opening prior to the side plate 126 to improve the tight coupling of the side plate 126. Additional information may be included. At this time, the side plate 126 can form one side of the vacuum chamber 120 by being closely coupled to a coupling plate coupled to the opening.

The coupling plate may be configured the same as or similar to the door coupling plate 129, which will be described later.

Additionally, a viewport for monitoring the inside of the vacuum chamber 120 may be additionally installed on the side plate 126.

The door plate 128 is a plate that opens and closes the other one of the pair of openings (hereinafter referred to as the gate) for the introduction and discharge of the secondary battery cell 40, and can be made of various materials if it has a rigidity greater than a preset level. It can be done.

The door plate 128 may be configured as a rectangular plate when the vacuum chamber 120 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

At this time, since the door plate 128 must maintain a vacuum state in the vacuum chamber 120 when the gate is opened, an O-ring 128a for close contact may be installed along the edge of the door plate 128.

In addition, the vacuum chamber 120 may include a door coupling plate 129 that is coupled to the gate and comes into close contact with the door plate 128 in order to improve the adhesion of the door plate 128 to the gate when covered.

The door plate 128 is not in close contact with the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122 at the gate, but is in close contact with the door coupling plate 129, thereby significantly securing adhesion by the door plate 128. can do.

The door coupling plate 129 can be coupled to the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122 through various methods, provided that a vacuum atmosphere can be created by sealing the internal space of the vacuum chamber 120 from the outside, For example, the gate may be welded and coupled to the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122.

The door coupling plate 129 may be composed of a frame member whose inner area is open except around the edge. At this time, one or more secondary battery cells 40 may be introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 or discharged outside the vacuum chamber 120 through the open inner area of the door coupling plate 129.

Meanwhile, the electrolyte injection device 100 may additionally include a door plate opening/closing unit 300 that moves the door plate 128 to open and close the gate.

The door plate opening/closing unit 300 can be configured in various ways by moving the door plate 128 to open or close the gate.

In one embodiment, the door plate opening and closing unit 300 includes a door plate lifting unit 310 and 340 that is coupled to the door plate 128 and drives the up and down movement of the door plate 128, and a door plate lifting unit 310. , 340) and may include a door plate linear moving unit 350 that linearly moves the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 in a direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128.

The door plate lifting units 310 and 340 are configured to raise and lower the door plate 128 and can have various configurations. For example, the door plate lifting parts 310 and 340, as shown in FIG. 7A, include a pair of lifting driving parts 310 installed in the vertical direction corresponding to both sides of the door plate 128, and the It may include a pair of coupling members 340 that couple each of the pair of lifting drive units 310 to the adjacent door plate 128.

The lifting drive unit 310 is a driving source for linear movement in the vertical direction, and various driving methods can be applied. For example, it can be composed of a pneumatic, hydraulic, etc. actuator.

The coupling member 340 is coupled to the door plate 128 and is moved in the vertical direction by the lifting drive unit 340 together with the door plate 128, so various configurations are possible.

The coupling member 340 may be coupled to the opposite surface (the surface facing outward) of the close contact surface of the door plate 128, rather than the close contact surface where the O-ring 128a is installed.

At this time, the door plate opening and closing unit 300 may additionally include lifting guide parts 320 and 330 for aligning the position of the door plate 128 and guiding the movement path when the door plate 128 is moved up and down. You can.

The lifting guide units 320 and 330 may include a pair of lifting guides 320 that are installed inside the pair of lifting driving parts 310 and to which a moving member 330 is movably coupled.

The moving member 330 is configured to be relatively movably coupled to the lifting guide 320, and its movement path can be guided along a guide groove (not shown) formed in the lifting guide 320.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the moving members 330 may be composed of a pair and each may be coupled to a pair of opposing sides of the door plate 128.

The door plate linear moving unit 350 is combined with the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 to linearly move the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 in a direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128. Various configurations are possible.

The door plate linear moving part 350 is a driving source for horizontal linear movement, especially linear movement in a direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128, and various driving methods can be applied, for example, pneumatic, hydraulic, etc. It may be composed of actuators such as:

The door plate linear moving part 350 supports the door plate lifting parts 310 and 340 (including the lifting guide parts 320 and 330) supporting both sides of the door plate 128. The door plate 128 can be brought into close contact with or separated from the door coupling plate 129 by linearly moving it in the direction of adhesion or separation (same as the direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128).

At this time, the door plate opening and closing unit 300 additionally includes a door plate linear movement guide unit 360 for guiding the linear movement of the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 by the door plate linear movement unit 350. can do.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the door plate linear movement guide unit 360 may be installed as a pair on both sides of the vacuum chamber 120 in correspondence with the door plate linear movement unit 350.

In addition, the door plate linear movement guide unit 360 includes a pair of guide shafts 364 formed along the linear movement direction by the door plate linear movement unit 350, and each guide shaft 364 is movable. It may include a pair of fixed blocks 362 that are coupled.

One end of the pair of guide shafts 364 is coupled to the door plate lifting units 310 and 340, and the other ends may be connected to each other.

The pair of guide shafts 364 can more stably guide the linear movement of the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 by being installed in parallel in the vertical direction.

The fixing block 362 may be fixedly installed on the installation surface of the electrolyte injection device 100 or the upper housing 124 of the vacuum chamber 120.

The gate sealing (closing) process of the door plate opening/closing unit 300 having the above-described configuration will be described as follows. First, in a state where the door plate 128 is separated from the door coupling plate 129, the door plate 128 is spaced apart from the door coupling plate 129 on a plane (X-Y plane) and is located on the upper side in the Z-axis direction (upward). is located. At this time, in order to cover the gate by bringing the door plate 128 into close contact with the door coupling plate 129, the door plate lifting parts 310 and 340 are positioned so that the door plate 128 faces the door coupling plate 129. Move (128) to the lower side. At this time, the door plate linear moving unit 350 linearly moves the door plate lifting units 310 and 340 to bring the door plate 128 into close contact with the door coupling plate 129.

Similarly, of course, the gate opening process in the door plate opening/closing unit 300 can be performed in the opposite order to the gate sealing (closing) process.

Meanwhile, with the gate opened by the door plate opening/closing unit 300, one or more secondary battery cells 40 may be introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 while being seated on the cell tray 200.

The cell tray 200 is configured to transport one or more secondary battery cells 40 while supporting them, and can have various configurations.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cell tray 200 is configured such that the normal line of the plate surface of the secondary battery cell 40 is in a horizontal plane when the upper side of the pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40 of FIG. 1 is open. It may be configured to support the secondary battery cell 40 in a parallel state.

In particular, the cell tray 200 may be provided with a plurality of cell support brackets to support a plurality of secondary battery cells 40 arranged in parallel.

Meanwhile, the introduction and discharge of the cell tray 200 into the vacuum chamber 120 can be performed by various methods such as a robot arm and conveyor.

At this time, the electrolyte injection device 100 may additionally include a cell tray support portion 140 that is installed in the vacuum chamber 120 and supports the cell tray 200 introduced into the internal space of the vacuum chamber 120. there is.

For example, the cell tray support unit 140 includes a pair of linear movement guide parts 142 installed along the movement path of the cell tray 200 to guide the linear movement of the cell tray 200, and a pair of It may include a coupling frame part 146 that couples the pair of linear movement guide parts 142 between the linear movement guide parts 142.

The pair of linear movement guide parts 142 support the bottom of the cell tray 200 and can be configured in various ways.

For example, the pair of linear movement guide parts 142 includes a pair of rail parts installed parallel to each other on both sides along the movement path of the cell tray 200, and a plurality of rollers provided on the rail parts. may include.

The plurality of rollers may be combined with a driving source such as a motor for self-rotation.

The coupling frame portion 146 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the pair of rail portions across the pair of linear movement guide portions 142, particularly the pair of rail portions.

In addition, the cell tray support unit 140 may further include a pair of horizontal roller units 144 installed along the moving path of the cell tray 200 to support the side surfaces of the cell tray 200.

The pair of horizontal roller units 144 may be respectively installed on the outside of the linear movement guide unit 142 to support the side of the cell tray 200.

The pair of horizontal roller units 144 may include a plurality of horizontal rollers whose rotation axis is installed perpendicular to the ground and arranged in a row along the moving direction of the cell tray 200.

By supporting both sides of the cell tray 200 by the pair of horizontal roller units 144, the cell tray 200 can be prevented from being displaced.

The spray nozzle 111 installed on the upper housing 124 of the secondary battery cell 40 introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 may be inserted into the open pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40.

The present invention may additionally include a vertical movement portion 150 for driving the vertical movement of the cell tray support portion 140 in order to facilitate insertion and removal of the injection nozzle 111 from the pouch 20.

The vertical movement unit 150 is configured to drive the vertical movement of the cell tray support unit 140 and can have various configurations and various driving methods can be applied.

The entire cell tray support part 140 rises upward or descends downward by the upper or lower part 150, making it easy to insert and remove the pouch 20 of the injection nozzle 111 and the introduction and discharge of the cell tray 200 accordingly. It can be done.

However, since the cell tray support 140 may be configured to include a plurality of rollers, in such case, after introducing the cell tray 200 into the vacuum chamber 120 through a transfer unit (not shown), the cell tray 200 is inserted into the vacuum chamber 120. ) It may not be positioned stably inside and may come out of the vacuum chamber 120.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the cell tray support part 140 can be installed to form a downward slope with respect to the horizontal plane as it moves inward from the gate of the vacuum chamber 120 (in the -X-axis direction in the drawing).

At this time, in order to stably support the cell tray 200, the electrolyte injection device 100 is installed on the bottom of the vacuum chamber 120 and touches the bottom of the front end of the cell tray 200 introduced into the vacuum chamber 120. It may additionally include an auxiliary support portion 130 that supports upward.

Here, the front end of the cell tray 200 refers to the front with respect to the moving direction (-X-axis direction) of the cell tray 200 when the cell tray 200 is introduced into the vacuum chamber 120. That is, the auxiliary support part 130 may be installed on the floor adjacent to the side plate 126 (opposite side of the gate) of the vacuum chamber 120, as shown in FIG. 8.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9B, the auxiliary support portion 130 is coupled to the cushion member 132 at one end and the cushion member 132 in contact with the bottom surface of the front end of the cell tray 200, and is horizontal. It may include a main body portion 134 rotatably coupled to the direction rotation axis 131, and an elastic member 138 installed between the other end of the main body portion 134 and a fixing member 136 fixed to a preset position. You can.

The cushion member 132 may be made of an elastic material, for example, a urethane material, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the cushion member 132 may include a roller whose outer peripheral surface is made of an elastic material. In this case, the roller may be arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel to the horizontal plane, preferably as shown in FIG. 9A. Likewise, the cell tray 200 may be arranged parallel to the second direction (Y-axis direction (based on the drawing)) perpendicular to the linear movement direction (first direction, X-axis direction (based on the drawing)) on the horizontal plane.

Since the cushion member 132 is made of an elastic material, the impact applied to the cell tray 200 during the process of introducing the cell tray 200 into the vacuum chamber 120 is also cushioned to some extent by the auxiliary support member 130. It can be.

The main body portion 134 can be configured in a variety of ways, with a cushion member 132 coupled to one end and a central portion rotatable about a rotation axis 131 parallel to the second direction.

One end of an elastic member 138 (for example, a coil-type tension spring) is coupled to the other end of the main body 134 and is rotatable about the rotation axis 131 according to the restoring force (elastic force) of the elastic member 138. It can be.

The elastic member 138 has one end coupled to the other end of the main body 134 and the other end may be coupled to a fixing member 136 fixed to a preset position.

The other end of the elastic member 138 is fixed by the fixing member 136, but one end can be installed to be tensionable or expandable according to the rotation of the main body 134.

According to the above-described configuration, when the cell tray 200 is introduced into the vacuum chamber 120, the cushion member 132 is pressed downward by the cell tray 200 and at the same time the elastic member 136 is tensioned to form the cell tray 200. ) can be supported upward.

Accordingly, the present invention prevents the cell tray 200 introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 through the gate from protruding out of the vacuum chamber 120, while stably supporting the cell tray 200 within the vacuum chamber 120. can do.

Since the above is only a description of some of the preferred embodiments that can be implemented by the present invention, as is well known, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as limited to the above embodiments, and the scope of the present invention described above Both the technical idea and the technical idea underlying it will be said to be included in the scope of the present invention.

40: secondary battery cell 100: electrolyte injection device
120: Vacuum chamber

Claims (18)

An electrode assembly (10) in which first electrode sheets 12 and second electrode sheets 14 are stacked alternately and a separator 16 is positioned between the first electrode sheets 12 and the second electrode sheets 14. ), and an electrolyte injection device 100 for a secondary battery cell 40 having a plate-shaped structure and including a pouch 20 for sealing the electrode assembly 10,
It forms a sealed internal space and includes a vacuum chamber 120 in which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated so that electrolyte is injected under vacuum pressure,
The vacuum chamber 120,
a lower plate 122 on which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated and which has a rectangular planar shape; An upper housing 124 coupled to a pair of opposing sides of the lower plate 122 and equipped with a spray nozzle 111 inserted into the pouch 20 of the secondary battery cell 40; a side plate 126 covering one of a pair of openings formed by the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122; An electrolyte injection device (100) comprising a door plate (128) that opens and closes the other one of the pair of openings for introduction and discharge of the secondary battery cell (40). In claim 1,
The vacuum chamber 120 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The electrolyte injection device (100) is characterized in that the upper surface and the pair of opposing side surfaces of the vacuum chamber (120) are integrally formed by the upper housing (124). In claim 2,
The upper housing 124 is an electrolyte injection device 100, characterized in that it is formed through bending processing of a sheet metal plate. In claim 1,
The vacuum chamber 120 is an electrolyte injection device 100, characterized in that it further includes a rib member 127 installed on an outer surface facing the outside of the upper housing 124. In claim 4,
The rib member 127 includes one or more first rib members 125 formed along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber 120, and along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. An electrolyte injection device (100) comprising one or more second rib members (123) formed. In claim 1,
One or more secondary display cells 40 are introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 while seated on the cell tray 200,
The electrolyte injection device 100 is installed in the vacuum chamber 120 and further includes a cell tray support portion 140 that supports the cell tray 200 introduced into the internal space of the vacuum chamber 120. Electrolyte injection device (100), characterized in that. In claim 6,
The electrolyte injection device 100 is characterized in that it additionally includes a vertical movement part 150 for driving the vertical movement of the cell tray support part 140. In claim 7,
The cell tray support part 140,
A pair of linear movement guide parts 142 installed along the movement path of the cell tray 200 to guide the linear movement of the cell tray 200,
An electrolyte injection device (100) comprising a coupling frame portion (146) for coupling the pair of linear movement guide portions (142) between the pair of linear movement guide portions (142). In claim 8,
The cell tray support unit 140 is installed along the movement path of the cell tray 200 and further includes a pair of horizontal roller parts 144 that support the side of the cell tray 200. Electrolyte injection device (100). In claim 1,
The electrolyte injection device 100,
The electrolyte injection device (100) further includes a door plate opening/closing unit (300) that moves the door plate (128) to open and close the other one of the pair of openings. In claim 10,
The door plate opening and closing part 300,
A door plate lifting unit (310, 340) coupled to the door plate (128) to drive the door plate (128) to move up and down,
A door plate linear moving part 350 that is coupled to the door plate lifting parts 310 and 340 and linearly moves the door plate lifting parts 310 and 340 in a direction parallel to the normal line of the plate surface of the door plate 128. Electrolyte injection device (100) comprising a. In claim 6,
The electrolyte injection device 100,
An electrolyte injection device further comprising an auxiliary support part 130 installed on the bottom of the vacuum chamber 120 and supporting the bottom of the front end of the cell tray 200 introduced into the vacuum chamber 120 upward. (100). In claim 12,
The auxiliary support portion 130,
A cushion member 132 in contact with the bottom of the front end of the cell tray 200, a main body portion 134 coupled to the cushion member 132 at one end and rotatable about the horizontal rotation axis 131, and An electrolyte injection device (100) comprising an elastic member (138) installed between the other end of the main body (134) and a fixing member (136) fixed to a preset position. An electrode assembly (10) in which first electrode sheets 12 and second electrode sheets 14 are stacked alternately and a separator 16 is positioned between the first electrode sheets 12 and the second electrode sheets 14. ) and a vacuum chamber 120 for impregnating the interior of the pouch 20 with electrolyte for the secondary battery cell 40 having a plate-shaped structure and including a pouch 20 for sealing the electrode assembly 10,
The vacuum chamber 120 forms a sealed internal space under vacuum pressure,
The vacuum chamber 120 includes a lower plate 122 on which one or more secondary battery cells 40 are seated and whose planar shape is rectangular; an upper housing 124 coupled to a pair of opposing side sides of the lower plate 122; a side plate 126 covering one of a pair of openings formed by the upper housing 124 and the lower plate 122; A vacuum chamber (120) characterized by including a door plate (128) that opens and closes the other one of the pair of openings for introduction and discharge of the secondary battery cell (40). In claim 14,
The vacuum chamber 120 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The vacuum chamber 120 is characterized in that the upper surface and a pair of opposing side surfaces of the vacuum chamber 120 are integrally formed by the upper housing 124. In claim 15,
The upper housing 124 is a vacuum chamber 120, characterized in that it is formed through bending processing of a sheet metal plate. In claim 14,
The vacuum chamber 120 is characterized in that it further includes a rib member 127 installed on an outer surface facing the outside of the upper housing 124. In claim 17,
The rib member 127 includes one or more first rib members 125 formed along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber 120, and along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A vacuum chamber (120) characterized in that it includes one or more second rib members (123) formed.

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