Patent Description:
In recent years, the price of energy sources increases due to the depletion of fossil fuels, the interest in environmental pollution is amplified, and the demand for eco-friendly alternative energy sources is becoming an indispensable factor for future life. Accordingly, studies on various power generation technologies such as solar power, wind power, and tidal power are continuing, and power storage devices such as batteries for more efficiently using the generated electrical energy are also of great interest.

Furthermore, as technology development and demand for electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles using batteries increase, the demands for batteries as energy sources are rapidly increasing. Thus, many studies on batteries which are capable of meeting various demands have been conducted.

In particular, in terms of materials, there is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries having advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability.

The secondary batteries are classified into cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries, in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a cylindrical or prismatic metal can, and pouch-type batteries, in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch-type case made of an aluminum laminate sheet according to shapes of battery cases.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a pouch-type secondary battery. A pouch-type secondary battery <NUM> includes an electrode assembly <NUM>, in which electrodes and separators are alternately stacked, and a pouch <NUM>, into which the electrode assembly is inserted. In addition, the pouch includes cup parts <NUM> and <NUM> of the pouch, each of which has a recessed shape so that the electrode assembly is directly accommodated. The cup parts of the pouch are provided with the cup part <NUM> of a left pouch and the cup part <NUM> of a right pouch to surround the electrode assembly at both sides. A peripheral portion <NUM> of the pouch is formed around the periphery of each of the cup parts of the pouch to seal the pouch from the outside.

The pouch illustrated in <FIG> shows a pouch <NUM>, in which two cup parts are formed on a flat pouch surface. The pouch having the above-described shape may be manufactured through an apparatus for manufacturing the pouch, which is formed as a molding die. However, when the pouch is molded using the molding die, there is a problem in that pouch wrinkles occurs due to the pouch base material being suctioned non-uniformly. In order to prevent this phenomenon, a method for increasing in overall pressure for gripping the pouch base material has been used. In this case, there is a risk of damage of the equipment and mold. The prior art relevant for the present invention is given by <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

<CIT> discloses an apparatus in accordance with the preamble of claim <NUM>.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a pouch of a secondary battery, in which, when a pressure for gripping a pouch base material is applied to mold the pouch, a higher pressure may be applied to a locally required area to relieve or remove pouch wrinkles without increasing in overall pressure, thereby improving molding quality of the pouch.

An apparatus for manufacturing a pouch of a secondary battery according to the present invention includes a lower die having an accommodation groove for molding a cup part of the pouch on a base surface, on which the pouch is disposed, a punch inserted into the accommodation groove of the lower die to mold the cup part of the pouch, a stripper disposed above the lower die to face the lower die and provided to press a peripheral portion of the pouch, which is disposed around a portion to be molded into the cup part of the pouch by the punch, from an upper side, and a back plate coupled to the stripper and configured to support the stripper, wherein a protruding block protruding toward the stripper is provided on a surface (S) of surfaces of the back plate, which faces the stripper.

A through-hole through which the punch passes is formed in the back plate, and the protruding block may be disposed around the through-hole.

Two accommodation grooves, i.e., a left accommodation groove and a right accommodation groove may be formed in the lower die, the punch may include a left punch inserted into the left accommodation groove and a right punch inserted into the right accommodation groove, a left through-hole, through which the left punch passes, and a right through-hole, through which the right punch passes, may be formed in the back plate, and the protruding block may be disposed on a peripheral portion of each of the left through-hole and the right through-hole.

In a bottom view of the back plate, the protruding block may include: a first protruding block disposed above the through-hole of the back plate; and a second protruding block disposed below the through-hole of the back plate.

In a bottom view of the back plate, the protruding block may include: a third protruding block disposed at a left side of the through-hole of the back plate; and a fourth protruding block disposed at a right side of the through-hole of the back plate.

The protruding block may be provided in plurality, and based on a height measured from the surface (S) facing the stripper <NUM> among surfaces of the back plate, the protruding blocks may include protruding blocks having different heights when compared to other protruding blocks among the plurality of protruding blocks.

The back plate may include an intermediate rib part disposed between the left through-hole and the right through-hole, and the protruding block disposed above or below the intermediate rib part among the protruding blocks may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks adjacent to the protruding block.

In the protruding blocks, the protruding block formed at a position adjacent to an outer corner of the left through-hole and the right through-hole may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks adjacent thereto.

An insertion hole may be formed in the back plate, and the protruding block may be inserted into the insertion hole.

The protruding block may be provided in a cylindrical shape, and the insertion hole may have a circular hole shape corresponding to the shape of the protruding block.

A first screw thread may be formed on an inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole of the back plate, and a second screw thread having a shape corresponding to the first screw thread may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the protruding block.

The protruding block may be screw-coupled to the insertion hole, and as a degree to which the protruding block is screw-coupled to the insertion hole is adjusted, a protruding height of the protruding block may be adjusted.

The protruding block may be made of a material comprising steel.

The protruding block may be made of a material having elasticity.

The apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to the present invention may include the lower die having the accommodation groove for molding the cup part of the pouch on the base surface, on which the pouch is disposed, the punch inserted into the accommodation groove of the lower die to mold the cup part of the pouch, the stripper disposed above the lower die to face the lower die and provided to press the peripheral portion of the pouch, which is disposed around the portion to be molded into the cup part of the pouch by the punch, from the upper side, and the back plate coupled to the stripper and configured to support the stripper, wherein the protruding block protruding toward the stripper may be provided on the surface (S) of surfaces of the back plate, which faces the stripper. Therefore, when the pressure for gripping the pouch base material is applied to mold the pouch, the higher pressure may be applied to the locally required area to relieve or remove the pouch wrinkles without increasing in overall pressure, thereby improving the molding quality of the pouch.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in several different forms and is not limited or restricted by the following examples.

In order to clearly explain the present invention, detailed descriptions of portions that are irrelevant to the description or related known technologies that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention have been omitted, and in the present specification, reference symbols are added to components in each drawing. In this case, the same or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an apparatus for manufacturing a pouch of a secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. <FIG> is a perspective view of a back plate having no protruding block in an apparatus for manufacturing a pouch of a secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. <FIG> is a perspective view of a back plate having a protruding block in the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. <FIG> is a side perspective view of the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, an apparatus <NUM> for manufacturing a pouch of a secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention includes a lower die <NUM>, a punch <NUM>, a stripper <NUM>, and a back plate <NUM>.

The lower die <NUM> may be disposed below to mold the pouch and may have a base surface <NUM>, on which the pouch is disposed, on an upper portion thereof. In addition, the lower die <NUM> has accommodation grooves <NUM> and <NUM> for molding a cup part of the pouch on the base surface <NUM> on which the pouch is disposed. The punch <NUM> may be configured to mold the cup part of the pouch while being inserted into the accommodation grooves of the lower die <NUM>. The stripper <NUM> may be configured to press a peripheral portion <NUM> of the pouch, which is disposed in the periphery of a portion to be molded into the cup part of the pouch, from an upper side by the punch <NUM>. For this, the stripper <NUM> may be disposed above a lower die <NUM> to face the lower die <NUM>.

The stripper <NUM> and the lower die <NUM> may grip upper and lower portion of the peripheral portion of the pouch, respectively, and in the state in which the peripheral portion of the pouch is gripped by the stripper <NUM> and the lower die <NUM>, the punch <NUM> may be inserted into the accommodation grooves to mold the cup part of the pouch.

Two accommodation grooves, i.e., a left accommodation groove <NUM> and a right accommodation groove <NUM> may be formed in the lower die <NUM>. A cup part <NUM> of the left pouch may be formed through the left accommodation groove <NUM>, and a cup part <NUM> of the right pouch may be formed through the right accommodation groove <NUM>. A bridge part <NUM> connecting the two accommodation grooves to each other may be formed between the left accommodation groove <NUM> and the right accommodation groove <NUM>.

The back plate <NUM> is configured to be coupled to the stripper <NUM> and may serve to support the stripper <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the back plate <NUM> may be connected to a support rod <NUM> and may be installed to be movable vertically. Also, the stripper <NUM> and the back plate <NUM> may be coupled to each other using a screw. The stripper <NUM> and the back plate <NUM> may move as one body because of being coupled to each other using the screw. Thus, the stripper <NUM> may move vertically together with the back plate <NUM> when the back plate <NUM> moves vertically.

In addition, referring to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention is provided with a protruding block <NUM> that protrudes toward the stripper <NUM> on a surface S, which faces the stripper <NUM>, of surfaces of the back plate <NUM>. A through-hole through which the punch <NUM> passes is formed in the back plate <NUM>, and the protruding block <NUM> may be disposed around the through-hole.

In the apparatus <NUM> for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention, which is provided as the above-described configuration, when a pressure for gripping the pouch base material is applied to mold the pouch, a higher pressure may be applied to a locally required area to relieve or remove pouch wrinkles without increasing in overall pressure, thereby improving molding quality of the pouch.

That is, a peripheral portion of the through-hole may be an area corresponding to a portion that presses the peripheral portion of the pouch. If the protruding block <NUM> is formed at the portion, an area on which the protruding block <NUM> may press the pouch base material at a pressure higher than that applied to the peripheral area thereof. Even when the overall back plate <NUM> is pressed at the same pressure as in the prior art, the pouch base material may be pressed and gripped at the portion at which the protruding block <NUM> is disposed at a pressure higher than the peripheral area. Thus, if there is a portion at which the pouch base material is relatively more suctioned, when the protruding block <NUM> is disposed at the portion, the portion that is more suctioned may not be suctioned to relieve or remove pouch wrinkles without an overall increase in pressure, thereby improving molding quality of the pouch.

If the pressure applied by the back plate <NUM> increase as a whole to prevent the phenomenon, in which the pouch base material is partially more suctioned, from occurring, the wrinkle phenomenon may be improved, but in this case, another problem that is difficult to be solved may occur because damage of the equipment and mold occurs.

In the apparatus <NUM> for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention, two accommodation grooves, i.e., a left accommodation groove <NUM> and a right accommodation groove <NUM> may be formed in the lower die <NUM>, and the punch <NUM> may include a left punch <NUM> inserted into the left accommodation groove <NUM> and a right punch <NUM> inserted into the right accommodation groove <NUM>. In addition, a left through-hole <NUM>, through which the left punch <NUM> passes, and a right through-hole <NUM>, through which the right punch <NUM> passes, may be formed in the back plate <NUM>. In this case, the protruding block <NUM> may be disposed at a peripheral portion of each of the left through-hole <NUM> and the right through-hole <NUM>.

Specifically, referring to <FIG>, in the bottom view of the back plate <NUM>, the protruding block <NUM> may include a first protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed above the through-hole of the back plate <NUM> and a second protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed below the through-hole of the back plate <NUM>.

In addition, the protruding block <NUM> may include a third protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed at a left side of the through-hole of the back plate <NUM> and a fourth protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed at a right side of the through-hole of the back plate <NUM>.

Also, the protruding block <NUM> is provided in plurality. Here, based on a height measured from a surface S facing the stripper <NUM> among the surfaces of the back plate <NUM>, protruding blocks <NUM> having different heights when compared to other protruding blocks <NUM> among the plurality of protruding blocks <NUM> may be provided.

For example, the protruding block <NUM> disposed above or below an intermediate rib part <NUM> among the protruding blocks <NUM> may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks <NUM> adjacent to the protruding block <NUM>. Here, the intermediate rib part <NUM> may be a portion disposed between the left through-hole <NUM> and the right through-hole <NUM> and also may be a portion that divides the left through-hole <NUM> and the right through-hole <NUM> into each other.

Since the intermediate rib part <NUM> is an area corresponding to the bridge part <NUM> of the lower die <NUM>, when the protruding block <NUM> is provided higher at an upper or lower side of the intermediate rib part <NUM>, a relatively higher pressing pressure may be applied to the peripheral area of the pouch, which is disposed above or below the bridge part <NUM>, rather than the peripheral area.

In general, since the pouch base material is more suctioned into the upper or lower side of the bridge part <NUM> of the lower die <NUM> to cause the wrinkles, when the protruding block <NUM> is provided higher at the upper or lower side of the intermediate rib part <NUM>, the phenomenon, in which the pouch base material is more suctioned at the upper or lower side of the bridge part <NUM>, may be prevented from occurring to prevent the wrinkles from occurring.

In addition, the protruding block <NUM>, which is formed at a position adjacent to an outer corner of each of the left through-hole <NUM> and the right through-hole <NUM> of the back plate <NUM>, among the protruding blocks <NUM> may be formed higher than each of other protruding blocks adjacent thereto.

For example, the protruding block <NUM> formed at a position adjacent to an upper right outer corner <NUM> of the right through-hole <NUM> may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks adjacent thereto. In the same manner, the protruding block <NUM> formed at a position adjacent to an lower right outer corner <NUM> of the right through-hole <NUM> may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks adjacent thereto. This may be similarly applied to the upper left and lower left corners of the left through-hole <NUM>.

In general, since an outer corner area of the pouch is an area into which the pouch base material is more suctioned, when the protruding block <NUM> disposed adjacent to the corner has a higher height than each of the peripheral protruding block <NUM>, the wrinkles occurring at the corresponding portion may be prevented from occurring.

Also, the protruding block <NUM> may be made of a material including steel. Thus, the protruding block may have rigidity and effectively exert pressing force. In addition, the protruding block may be made of a material having elasticity. If the protruding block has the elasticity, the stripper <NUM> and the back plate <NUM> may be more easily coupled to each other.

<FIG> is a side perspective view illustrating a state in which the protruding block <NUM> is installed in the apparatus <NUM> for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. Since the protruding block <NUM> is a structure installed therein, the protruding block <NUM> is not illustrated in the perspective view of <FIG>, and a position and configuration of the protruding block <NUM> may be confirmed as a whole through the side perspective view of <FIG>. A state in which the protruding block <NUM> protrudes from a surface S of the back plate <NUM> to locally press the stripper <NUM> is illustrated through <FIG>. In <FIG>, for convenience, the protruding block <NUM> is illustrated as being inserted into the stripper <NUM>, but it is drawn so that the protruding block is seen well. That is, the protruding block <NUM> is not inserted into the stripper <NUM>, but the protruding block <NUM> presses the stripper <NUM> in a state of being pressed.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a back plate having no protruding block in the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. <FIG> is a perspective view of a back plate having a protruding block in the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. <FIG> is a side perspective view of the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention.

In Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention, a method in which a protruding block <NUM> is installed on a back plate <NUM> is different from that in Embodiment <NUM>.

The contents that are duplicated with Embodiment <NUM> will be omitted as much as possible, and Embodiment <NUM> will be described with a focus on the differences. That is, it is obvious that the contents that are not described in Embodiment <NUM> may be regarded as the contents of Embodiment <NUM> if necessary.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention, an insertion hole <NUM> may be formed in the back plate <NUM>, and the protruding block <NUM> may be inserted into the insertion hole <NUM>. The protruding block <NUM> may be provided in a cylindrical shape, and the insertion hole <NUM> may have a circular hole shape to correspond to the shape of the protruding block <NUM>.

A first screw thread <NUM> may be formed on an inner circumferential surface of the back plate <NUM> of the insertion hole <NUM>, and a second screw thread <NUM> having a shape corresponding to the first screw thread <NUM> may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the protruding block <NUM>. Also, the protruding block <NUM> may be screw-coupled to the insertion hole <NUM>, and as a degree to which the protruding block <NUM> is screw-coupled to the insertion hole <NUM> is adjusted, a protruding height of the protruding block <NUM> may be adjusted.

Specifically, in the bottom view of the back plate <NUM> according to Embodiment <NUM>, the protruding block <NUM> may include a first protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed above the through-hole of the back plate <NUM> and a second protruding block <NUM>-<NUM> disposed below the through-hole of the back plate <NUM>. Unlike Embodiment <NUM>, the protruding block <NUM> may not include a third protruding block <NUM> disposed on a left side of a through-hole of the back plate <NUM> and a fourth protruding block <NUM> disposed on a right side of a through-hole of the back plate <NUM>.

The protruding block <NUM> may be provided in plurality. In addition, the protruding block <NUM> disposed adjacent above or below an intermediate rib part <NUM> among the protruding blocks <NUM> may be formed to have a height higher than that of each of other protruding blocks <NUM> adjacent to the protruding block <NUM>. Thus, a pouch area disposed adjacent to the upper and lower sides of the bridge part <NUM> of the lower die <NUM> may be pressed more strongly locally to prevent the pouch wrinkles on the region on which the wrinkles occur.

In embodiment <NUM>, each of the insertion hole <NUM> and the screw method is applied as a means for adjusting the height so that the protruding block <NUM> increases in height. As a result, the height of the protruding block <NUM> may be adjusted only by simply turning the protrude block <NUM>. Also, since each of the plurality of protruding blocks <NUM> is individually screw-coupled, the height of each of the protruding blocks <NUM> may be individually adjusted. Thus, it is possible to finely and locally adjust the pressure to increase on the required area, thereby realizing more precisely and superior products.

<FIG> is a side perspective view illustrating a state in which the protruding block <NUM> is installed in the apparatus for manufacturing the pouch of the secondary battery according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. Since the protruding block <NUM> is a structure installed therein, a position and configuration of the protruding block <NUM> may be confirmed as a whole through the side perspective view of <FIG>. In <FIG>, the protruding block <NUM> may pass through the insertion hole <NUM> of the back plate <NUM> and then be screw-coupled, and also, the protruding block <NUM> may protrude in a direction of the stripper <NUM> with respect to the surface S to locally press the stripper <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates that the plurality of protruding blocks <NUM> protrude to different heights as needed. However, for clear distinction, the degree of protrusion of each of the protruding blocks may be shown in the drawings to be exaggerated than in reality.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>) for manufacturing a pouch (<NUM>) of a secondary battery (<NUM>), the apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
a lower die (<NUM>) having an accommodation groove (<NUM>, <NUM>) for molding a cup part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the pouch (<NUM>) on a base surface, on which the pouch is disposed;
a punch (<NUM>) inserted into the accommodation groove (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the lower die (<NUM>) to mold the cup part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the pouch (<NUM>);
a stripper (<NUM>) disposed above the lower die (<NUM>) to face the lower die (<NUM>) and provided to press a peripheral portion (<NUM>) of the pouch (<NUM>), which is disposed around a portion to be molded into the cup part (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the pouch (<NUM>) by the punch (<NUM>), from an upper side; and
a back plate (<NUM>; <NUM>) coupled to the stripper (<NUM>) and configured to support the stripper (<NUM>),
wherein a protruding block (<NUM>; <NUM>) protruding toward the stripper (<NUM>) is provided on a surface (S) of surfaces of the back plate (<NUM>; <NUM>), which faces the stripper (<NUM>),
the apparatus being characterized in that
a through-hole (<NUM>, <NUM>) through which the punch (<NUM>) passes is formed in the back plate (<NUM>; <NUM>).