Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly.

Recently, price rise of energy sources caused by exhaustion of fossil fuels, and environmental contamination, have intensified, and demands for environmentally-friendly alternative sources of energy are becoming basic essentials for future life. Accordingly, studies on various electric power generating methods such as nuclear energy, solar power, wind power, and tidal power are in progress, and huge interest in electric power storing devices for more efficiently using energy produced in this way continues.

Further, as technical developments and demands on mobile devices and cell vehicles increase, demands for batteries as an energy source substantially increase, and accordingly, many studies on batteries for satisfying various kinds of demands are currently being performed. Particularly, in the viewpoint of materials, there are high demands on lithium rechargeable batteries such as a lithium ion battery or a lithium ion polymer battery having merits including high energy density, a good discharging voltage, and output stability.

The rechargeable batteries are classified depending on the structures of an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separation film provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode are stacked. Typical ones include a jelly roll type (winding type) of electrode assembly in which a long sheet type of positive electrode and negative electrode are wound while a separation film is provided, and a stacking type of electrode assembly in which a plurality of positive electrodes and negative electrodes cut to a predetermined size of unit are sequentially stacked while a separation film is provided, and recently, in order to solve the drawbacks of the jelly roll type of electrode assembly and the stacking type of electrode assembly, a stacking/folding type of electrode assembly in which unit cells in which positive electrodes and negative electrodes with a predetermined size are stacked while a separation film is provided are sequentially wound while provided on a separation film as an electrode assembly with an advanced structure that is a mixture of the jelly roll type and the stacking type is being developed.

Among the electrode assemblies, the jelly roll type of electrode assembly has merits of easy manufacturing and high energy density per weight, so it is used as an energy source to various kinds of devices from laptop computers to cell vehicles.

<FIG> shows a schematic view of a winding portion of a conventional jelly roll type electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus.

Referring to <FIG>, a positive electrode <NUM>, a negative electrode <NUM>, and a separation film <NUM> are provided to a winding core <NUM> and are wound by a winding portion <NUM> thereby generating a jelly roll. The winding portion <NUM> is shown, but the jelly roll type electrode assembly manufacturing apparatus includes various elements such as an electrode coalescing unit, an electrode incising unit, and a roller driver, and various metallic and non-metallic foreign particles are generated by operations of the elements. The foreign particles are provided on surfaces of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> input to the winding core <NUM> and are wound altogether, thereby causing drawbacks such as a low voltage and a short circuit.

To solve the drawbacks, a method for removing metallic foreign particles by disposing a device <NUM> for removing foreign particles on portions of the positive electrode <NUM> and the negative electrode <NUM> input to the winding core <NUM> is used.

However, the above-noted foreign particles are input from various spots in addition to the portions to which the positive electrode <NUM>, the negative electrode <NUM>, and the separation film <NUM> are input, so the foreign particles may not be efficiently removed by the foreign particle removing device locally installed in the electrode and the separation film.

Therefore, there is a need for skills for fundamentally solving the problem.

<CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT> disclose a winding apparatus or a foreign material removal apparatus in a battery.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art and technical problems from the past.

The inventors of the present invention, having performed in-depth research and experimentation, confirmed efficient prevention of foreign particles by allowing a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly to include a foreign particle remover surrounding a winding core, and forming an inlet inside the foreign particle remover, and completed the present invention.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly as defined in the appended set of claims, the winding device including: a main body portion; a winding core for winding an electrode and a separation film; and a foreign particle remover connected to the main body portion and removing foreign particles, wherein the foreign particle remover is formed to surround the winding core while separated from the winding core.

The foreign particle remover includes an inflow portion to which the electrode and the separation film are input.

The foreign particle remover is formed to have a cylindrical structure.

A diameter of the cylinder may be greater than a diameter of at least the electrode assembly.

The foreign particle remover may include an inlet formed on the inside.

The foreign particles inhaled through the inlet may be discharged to the outside through the main body portion.

The foreign particle remover may be separated from the main body portion.

The foreign particle remover may further include a magnet.

The magnet may be formed on the foreign particle remover portion on which the inflow portion is formed.

The winding device may further include a cover portion for covering an opening of the foreign particle remover.

The cover portion may be separated from the main body portion.

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word "comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

The phrase "on a cross-section" means viewing a cross-section of which the object portion is vertically cut from the side.

<FIG> shows a schematic view of a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly <NUM> includes a main body portion <NUM>, a winding core <NUM>, and a foreign particle remover <NUM>. An inflow portion <NUM> for receiving an electrode (not shown) and a separation film (not shown) is formed on the foreign particle remover <NUM>. The electrode and the separation film are input to the winding core <NUM> through the inflow portion <NUM> and are then wound.

The inflow portion <NUM> may have various shapes according to shapes of the electrode and the separation film, and in order to minimize the inflow of foreign particles through the inflow portion <NUM>, it is preferable to form the inflow portion <NUM> with a minimum inflow size without interference of the electrode and the separation film. In general, the electrode and the separation film have a long sheet shape with respect to width having a constant thickness, so the inflow portion <NUM> may have a shape to which the sheet may be input.

The shape of the foreign particle remover <NUM> is not specifically limited, it may be formed in various ways in consideration of desired shapes of the electrode assembly and manufacturing equipment, and it is preferable to form the foreign particle remover <NUM> in a cylindrical structure that maintains a constant spaced distance from the winding core <NUM> and surrounds the winding core <NUM>. The foreign particle remover <NUM> shown in <FIG> is formed to have a cylindrical structure. A diameter of the foreign particle remover <NUM> may be greater than a diameter of the electrode assembly which is at least wound. A length of the foreign particle remover <NUM> may be equal to or greater than a length of the at least winding core <NUM>.

Here, the length of the foreign particle remover <NUM> signifies a length defined along the direction in which the winding core <NUM> extends. When the electrode and the separation film are wound according to the above-noted structure, the inflow of foreign particles to the winding core may be efficiently prevented. A plurality of inlets <NUM> are formed on an inside <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM>. Positions in which inlets <NUM> are formed are not limited, and they may be formed by maintaining a predetermined gap in the inside <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM>. Depending on the operator's need, relatively many inlets <NUM> may be formed on a specific portion. For example, the inlets <NUM> may be mainly disposed inside the foreign particle remover <NUM> provided near the opening <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM> thereby efficiently removing the foreign particles input through the opening <NUM>. Here, the opening <NUM> may be a portion that corresponds to a border between the external space and the internal space of the foreign particle remover <NUM> in a cylindrical structure. In another way, the inlets <NUM> may be mainly disposed to the inside <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM> provided near the inflow portions <NUM> to efficiently remove the foreign particles input through the inflow portions <NUM>. The foreign particles input through the inlets <NUM> move to the main body portion <NUM> through an internal moving path <NUM> between the inside <NUM> and the outside <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM>. An air inhaling pump <NUM> may be formed on the main body portion <NUM>, and the foreign particles are input to the foreign particle remover <NUM> through the inlets <NUM> by the air inhaling pump <NUM>, so they may be discharged to the outside through the main body portion <NUM>.

When the electrode and the separation film are wound by the above-noted structure, the inflow of foreign particles to the winding core <NUM> may be prevented, and the foreign particles may be efficiently removed through the inlet <NUM>.

The foreign particle remover <NUM> is connected to the main body portion <NUM>, and it is separable if needed.

<FIG> shows a schematic view of a winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, the winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly <NUM> further includes a magnet <NUM> on a portion of the foreign particle remover <NUM> on which the inflow portion <NUM> is formed. For ease of description, one from among a plurality of magnets <NUM> is shown by an indication line as a representative. The magnet 107separates the metallic foreign particles stuck to the electrode input to the inflow portion <NUM> and remove them. The metallic foreign particles may be generated in a process for incising the electrode, and they are heavier than a weight of non-metallic foreign particles so they may not be inhaled through the inlet <NUM>. When the metallic foreign particles that are not removed are wound together with the electrodes, the electrode assembly is transformed and a short circuit is generated.

The portion in which the magnet <NUM> may be formed on the foreign particle remover <NUM> is not specifically limited. The magnet <NUM> may be formed on the inside <NUM> in addition to the outside <NUM> of the foreign particle remover <NUM>, and if necessary, part or all of the foreign particle remover <NUM> may be formed to be a magnet.

Referring to <FIG>, the winding device for manufacturing an electrode assembly <NUM> may further include a cover portion <NUM>. The cover portion <NUM> is connected as a form for covering the opening <NUM> to the foreign particle remover <NUM>. For the process for winding an electrode assembly, the cover portion <NUM> is combined to the foreign particle remover <NUM> to prevent foreign particles from being input through the opening <NUM>. When the electrode assembly is wound, the cover portion <NUM> may be separated from the foreign particle remover <NUM>, and the electrode assembly may be separated from the winding core <NUM>.

Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs will be able to make various applications and modifications within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claim 1:
A winding device (<NUM>) for manufacturing an electrode assembly comprising:
a main body portion (<NUM>);
a winding core (<NUM>) for winding an electrode and a separation film; and
a foreign particle remover (<NUM>) connected to the main body portion (<NUM>) and removing foreign particles,
wherein the foreign particle remover (<NUM>) is formed to surround the winding core (<NUM>) while separated from the winding core (<NUM>),
the foreign particle remover (<NUM>) includes an inflow portion (<NUM>) to which the electrode and the separation film are input, and
the foreign particle remover (<NUM>) is formed to have a cylindrical structure.