Electrode shaping apparatus having notching pilot pin and electrode shaping method using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode shaping apparatus having a sheet transfer unit, a fixing unit, a punch unit including a center punching unit and a side punching unit, wherein the center punching unit includes a hole punching member and a notching pilot pin, the electrode shaping apparatus configured to reduce a step that may occur during notching of an electrode, and an electrode shaping method using the same.

Claims

1. An electrode shaping apparatus comprising: a sheet transfer unit configured to move an electrode sheet at a predetermined speed; a fixing unit configured to fix the electrode sheet; and a punch unit including: a center punching unit configured to remove a central part of the electrode sheet; and a side punching unit configured to remove a portion of an outer periphery of the electrode sheet by notching, wherein the center punching unit comprises a hole punching member and a notching pilot pin.

2. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center punching unit comprises: a rectangular parallelepiped main body having a major axis in a movement direction of the electrode sheet; the hole punching member formed at a first end of the main body in the movement direction of the electrode sheet; and the notching pilot pin formed under a second end of the main body opposite the first end in the movement direction of the electrode sheet.

3. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the main body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having the major axis in the movement direction of the electrode sheet, and includes a main body punching surface configured to punch the electrode sheet.

4. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hole punching member comprises: an enlarged portion extending from the first end of the main body in the movement direction of the electrode sheet, a width of a punching surface being increased at the enlarged portion and configured to punch the electrode sheet; a reduced portion extending from the enlarged portion, the width of the punching surface being decreased at the reduced portion along the major axis and configured to punch the electrode sheet; and a pin punching portion extending from the reduced portion, the pin punching portion configured to punch a catching recess, in which the notching pilot pin is configured to be caught, in the electrode sheet.

5. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a section of the notching pilot pin is any one of a circle, an arc, a wedge, a triangle, and a quadrangle.

6. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit includes a middle groove corresponding in shape to the center punching unit.

7. The electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the middle groove has a sufficient depth for the notching pilot pin to be inserted into the middle groove.

8. An electrode shaping method using the electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1, the electrode shaping method comprising: S1) transferring the electrode sheet by a predetermined length using the sheet transfer unit; S2) transferring the electrode sheet or the punch unit such that the notching pilot pin is caught in a recess formed in the electrode sheet in a previous step of punching such that the notching pilot pin is caught in the recess; S3) pressing the electrode sheet using the punch unit to punch the electrode sheet; and S4) spacing the punch unit apart from the electrode sheet.

9. The electrode shaping method according to claim 8, wherein, in step S4), a distance by which the punch unit is spaced apart from the electrode sheet is equal to or less than a distance by which at least a portion of the notching pilot pin remains inserted in the recess of the electrode sheet.

10. An electrode shaped using the electrode shaping apparatus according to claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a conventional electrode manufacturing process.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing meandering defects of notching in the conventional electrode manufacturing process.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electrode shaping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a sectional view of a center punching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a coupling relationship between a notching pilot pin and a catching recess according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE

(6) Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that the preferred embodiments of the present invention can be easily implemented by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. In describing the principle of operation of the preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, however, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when the same may obscure the subject matter of the present invention.

(7) In addition, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to parts that perform similar functions or operations. In the case in which one part is said to be connected to another part in the entire specification, not only may the one part be directly connected to the other part, but also, the one part may be indirectly connected to the other part via a further part. In addition, that a certain element is included does not mean that other elements are excluded, but means that such elements may be further included unless mentioned otherwise.

(8) In addition, a description to embody elements through limitation or addition may be applied to all inventions, unless particularly restricted, and does not limit a specific invention.

(9) Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(10) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electrode shaping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a sectional view of a center punching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a coupling relationship between a notching pilot pin and a catching recess according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(11) Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the electrode shaping apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet transfer unit (not shown) configured to move an electrode sheet 110 at a predetermined speed; a fixing unit 200 configured to fix the electrode sheet 110; and a punch unit constituted by a center punching unit 300 and a side punching unit (not shown) configured respectively to remove a central part of the electrode sheet and a portion of the outer periphery of the electrode sheet by notching, wherein the center punching unit 300 includes a hole punching member 310 and a notching pilot pin 320.

(12) The side punching unit is configured to perform notching into a special shape, as shown in FIG. 3, or to perform notching into a common electrode tab shape, as shown in FIG. 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

(13) The center punching unit 300 may include a rectangular parallelepiped main body 350 having a major axis in a movement direction A of the electrode sheet 110, the hole punching member 310 formed at the rear end of the main body 350 in the movement direction A of the electrode sheet 110, and the notching pilot pin 320 formed under the front end of the main body 350 in the movement direction A of the electrode sheet 110.

(14) The main body 350 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a major axis in the movement direction A of the electrode sheet 110, and may include a main body punching surface 340 configured to punch the electrode sheet as the lower surface of the rectangular parallelepiped.

(15) The hole punching member 310 may include an enlarged portion 312 extending from the rear end of the main body 350 in the movement direction A of the electrode sheet 110, the width of the punching surface configured to punch the electrode sheet being increased at the enlarged portion; a reduced portion 314 extending from the enlarged portion 312, the width of the punching surface configured to punch the electrode sheet 110 being decreased at the reduced portion along the major axis A; and a pin punching portion 316 extending from the reduced portion 314, the pin punching portion 316 being configured to punch a catching recess 116, in which the notching pilot pin 320 is caught, in the electrode sheet 110. The catching recess 116 is formed in the electrode sheet 110 as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5, and is formed in the electrode sheet 110 as indicated by a blue color in FIG. 3.

(16) The section of the notching pilot pin 320 may be any one of a circle, an arc, a wedge, a triangle, and a quadrangle, although the notching pilot pin is formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. In particular, the wedge type or triangular notching pilot pin may be connected to the reduced portion 314 in order not only to perform alignment in the transfer direction A of the electrode sheet 110 but also to perform alignment in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction A.

(17) The fixing unit 200 may be provided in the middle thereof with a middle groove 210 corresponding in shape to the center punching unit. The middle groove 210 may be formed so as to have a sufficient depth for the notching pilot pin 320 to be inserted thereinto.

(18) In addition, the present invention provides an electrode shaping method using the electrode shaping apparatus, the electrode shaping method including S1) a step of transferring an electrode sheet by a predetermined length using the sheet transfer unit; S2) a step of transferring the electrode sheet or the punch unit such that the notching pilot pin is caught in a recess formed in the electrode sheet in a previous step of punching such that the notching pilot pin is caught in the recess; S3) a step of pressing the electrode sheet using the punch unit to punch the electrode sheet; and S4) a step of spacing the punch unit apart from the electrode sheet.

(19) In step S4), the distance by which the punch unit is spaced apart from the electrode sheet is equal to or less than the distance by which at least a portion of the notching pilot pin remains inserted in the recess of the electrode sheet.

(20) As described above, the electrode shaping apparatus having the notching pilot pin according to the present invention and the electrode shaping method using the same have an effect in that it is possible to solve a problem of a step being formed at an electrode tab that may occur during notching, compared to a conventional electrode shaping apparatus.

(21) Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that various applications and modifications are possible within the category of the present invention based on the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(22) 110: Electrode sheet 111: Outer periphery 112: Slitting line 113: Electrode tab 114: First outer periphery 115: Second outer periphery 116: Catching recess 121: Electrode material non-coating portion 120: Electrode material coating portion 130: Unit electrode sheet 200: Fixing unit 210: Middle groove 300: Center punching unit 310: Hole punching member 312: Enlarged portion 314: Reduced portion 316: Pin punching portion 320: Notching pilot pin 340: Main body punching surface 350: Main body A: Transfer direction

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(23) The present invention relates to an electrode shaping apparatus having a notching pilot pin configured to reduce a step that may occur during notching of an electrode and an electrode shaping method using the same, and therefore the present invention has industrial applicability.