Pouch, Apparatus For Molding The Pouch, And Method For Manufacturing Secondary Battery Comprising The Pouch

Abstract

An apparatus for molding a pouch, the pouch having a first seating part and a second seating part, that are connected to each other, the pouch being configured such that when an electrode assembly is mounted and sealed therein, the first seating part and the second seating part are folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of the electrode assembly, and the first seating part and the second seating part are in contact with each other. The apparatus includes, a lower mold in which a first groove recessed by a predetermined depth from a top surface thereof is formed, and a second groove is additionally recessed from a bottom surface of the first grove; and an upper mold on which a flat portion is formed on one surface thereof, which is inserted into the first groove, and a protrusion inserted into the second groove protrudes from the flat portion.

Claims

1. An apparatus for molding a pouch, the pouch having a first seating part and a second seating part, that are connected to each other, the pouch being configured such that when an electrode assembly is mounted and sealed therein, the first seating part and the second seating part are folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of the electrode assembly, and the first seating part and the second seating part are in contact with each other, the apparatus comprising: a lower mold in which a first groove recessed by a first depth from a top surface of the lower mold is formed, and in which a second groove is further recessed by a second depth from a bottom surface of the first grove; and an upper mold having a flat portion formed on one surface thereof, the flat portion configured to be inserted into the first groove, the upper mold having a protrusion extending away from the flat portion, the protrusion configured to be inserted into the second groove, wherein the apparatus is configured such that, when the upper mold and the lower mold are pressed together with the pouch sheet disposed between the upper mold and the lower mold, the pouch sheet is molded so that each of the first seating part and the second seating part are molded at respective portions of the pouch sheet, that are pressed by the flat portion, and a sidewall connecting the first seating part to the second seating part forms a surface parallel to a side surface of the electrode assembly when the electrode assembly is mounted and sealed within the pouch.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pouch comprises a metal layer made of an aluminum material and a resin layer made of a polymer material, the metal layer and the resin layer being stacked with one another, and a height of the protrusion relative to the flat portion is determined according to an elongation rate of the metal layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second groove is disposed at a center of the first groove, and the protrusion is disposed at a center of the flat portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an edge portion of the upper mold, that is configured to be inserted into the first groove, and an edge portion of the protrusion are each rounded at a predetermined curvature.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an edge portion of the lower mold, in which the first groove is formed, is rounded at a predetermined curvature.

6. A pouch comprising: a first seating part and a second seating part connected to each other, the first seating part and the second seating part configured to be folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of an electrode assembly and sealed in a state in which the first seating part and the second seating part are in contact with each other, the first seating part configured to cover a first one of upper or lower portions of the electrode assembly, the second seating part configured to cover a second one of the upper or lower portions of the electrode assembly, the second seating part having a first side thereof connected to a first side of the first seating part; and a sidewall having a first side thereof connected to a second side of the first seating part and a second side thereof connected to a second side of the second seating part, the sidewall being folded at each of the first seating part and the second seating part, the sidewall having a flat planar shape on each of an inner surface and an outer surface of the pouch.

7. The pouch of claim 6, wherein the sidewall is perpendicular to the first seating part and the second seating part.

8. The pouch of claim 6, wherein each of the first seating part and the second seating part has a sealing portion extending from the first side thereof, and the sealing portion of the first seating part and the sealing portion of the second seating part are configured to be sealed around the electrode assembly.

9. The pouch of claim 8, wherein, the first seating part and the second seating part are configured to be folded parallel to each other, such that an extending length of each of the sealing portion of the first seating part and the sealing portion of the second seating part is determined according to a length of the sidewall so that the sealing portion of the first seating part and the sealing portion of the second seating part are sealed.

10. The pouch of claim 6, wherein the pouch further comprises first and second stepped portions each having a concavely recessed shape, the first stepped portion and the second stepped portion being formed in an edge connecting the first seating part to the sidewall and an edge configured to connect the second seating part to the sidewall, respectively.

11. A method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising a pouch, having a first seating part and a second seating part connected to each other, the first seating part and the second seating part configured to be folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of an electrode assembly mounted therein and sealed in a state in which the first seating part and the second seating part are in contact with each other, the method comprising: molding the pouch; and embedding the electrode assembly and the electrolyte in the molded pouch and sealing a sealing portion of the pouch, wherein molding comprises: seating a pouch sheet on a lower mold in which a first groove is recessed by a first depth from a top surface of the lower mold, and in which a second groove is further recessed from a bottom surface of the first groove; pressing the pouch sheet to mold the pouch by inserting an upper mold on which a flat portion is formed on one surface thereof into the first groove of the lower mold, and inserting a protrusion of the upper mold protruding from the flat portion into the second groove of the lower mold; and folding the pouch sheet so that the first and second seating parts of the pouch sheet face each other, the pouch sheet having a sidewall connecting the first seating part to the second seating part.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sidewall of the pouch sheet is molded so that each of both inner and outer surfaces thereof has a flat planar shape.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, during the folding of the pouch sheet, the sidewall is folded to be perpendicular to the first seating part and the second seating part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG. 1a is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an electrode assembly is mounted in a pouch according to a related art.

[0035] FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional view illustrating an unfolded state and a closed state (folded state) of the pouch according to the related art.

[0036] FIG. 1c is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for molding the pouch according to the related art.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for molding a pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which an electrode assembly is mounted in the pouch manufactured using the apparatus for molding the pouch of FIG. 2.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the electrode assembly is mounted in the pouch according to the related art and a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the electrode assembly having a thicker thickness is mounted in the pouch according to the present invention.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0040] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in such a manner that the technical idea of the present invention may easily be carried out by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. The present invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0041] In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

[0042] Also, terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be restrictively interpreted as ordinary meanings or dictionary-based meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts conforming to the scope of the present invention on the basis of the principle that an inventor can properly define the concept of a term to describe and explain his or her invention in the best ways.

[0043] The present invention provides a pouch, a molding apparatus capable of manufacturing the pouch, and a method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising the pouch. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

[0044] The present invention provides an apparatus for molding a pouch as a first embodiment. An apparatus for molding a pouch according to the present invention comprises a first seating part 11 and a second seating part 12, which are connected to each other. When an electrode assembly 1 is mounted, the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are respectively folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of the electrode assembly 1 to manufacture a pouch 10 that is sealed in a state in which sealing portions 11a and 12a of the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are in contact with each other.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus for molding the pouch according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the molding apparatus according to this specification comprises a lower mold 20 and an upper mold 30.

[0046] The lower mold 20 has a flat bottom surface. Here, a first groove 21 is formed at a predetermined depth in the top surface, and a second groove 22 is formed in a bottom surface of the first groove 21.

[0047] The first seating part 11 of the pouch 10 is mold at one side of the first groove 21 based on the second groove 22, and the second seating part 12 is molded at the other side of the first groove 21 based on the second groove 22. Also, the sidewall 13 of the pouch 10 is formed on a portion at which the second groove 22 is disposed. Thus, an area of the first groove 21 is determined according to sizes (areas) of the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 of the pouch 10 to be manufactured. Likewise, an area of the second groove 22 is determined according to a size of the sidewall 13 connecting the first seating part 11 to the second seating part 12.

[0048] However, a depth of the first groove 21 and a depth of the second groove 22 may be determined according to an elongation rate of a metal layer provided in the pouch 10. That is, since a pouch sheet molded as the pouch 10 is provided by stacking a metal layer made of an aluminum material and a resin layer made of a polymer material. Thus, in order to prevent the metal layer from being damaged, the depths (a height at which the flat portion is inserted and a height at which a protrusion protrudes from the flat portion) are determined according to the elongation rate of the metal layer.

[0049] Furthermore, the upper mold 30 has a structure in which the flat portion 31 is formed on one surface that is inserted into the first groove 21 of the lower mold 20, and the protrusion 32 inserted into the second groove 22 additionally protrudes from the flat portion 31. In FIG. 2, although only the flat portion 31 and the protrusion 32 inserted into the first groove 21 and the second groove 22 are illustrated, the flat portion 31 and the protrusion 32 may be integrally formed. Here, a sliding device that is elevatably connected and a portion (not shown) configured to press the sealing portions 11a and 12a of the pouch may be further provided.

[0050] Thus, when the flat pouch sheet is placed between the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 20, the upper mold 30 may descend to the lower mold 20 (or the lower mold ascends to the upper mold) to press the pouch sheet between the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 20.

[0051] After the pressing is performed, when the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 20 are separated from each other, the first seating part 1 and the second seating part 12 are formed on a portion of the pouch sheet, which is pressed by the flat portion 31, and the sidewall 13 which connects the first seating part 11 to the second seating part 12 and forms a surface parallel to a side surface of the electrode assembly 1 when the electrode assembly 1 is mounted is formed is formed on a portion of the pouch sheet, which is pressed by the protrusion 32.

[0052] Here, each of an edge portion of the upper mold 30 and an edge portion of the protrusion 32, which are inserted into the first groove 21, may be rounded at a predetermined curvature, and an edge portion of the lower mold 20, in which the first groove 21 is formed, may be rounded at a predetermined curvature. This is done for preventing the pouch sheet from being damaged during the pressing when a pressure is concentrated into the edge portion. The curvature may also be determined according to the elongation rate of the metal layer of the pouch sheet.

Second Embodiment

[0053] The present invention provides a pouch capable of being manufactured using the apparatus for molding the pouch according to the first embodiment as a second embodiment.

[0054] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which an electrode assembly 1 is mounted in the pouch 10 manufactured using the apparatus for molding the pouch of FIG. 2. Referring to the drawings, the pouch 10 provided in this embodiment comprises a first seating part 11 and a second seating part 12, which are connected to each other. When the electrode assembly 1 is mounted, the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are respectively folded to cover top and bottom surfaces of the electrode assembly 1 so as to be sealed in a state in which sealing portions 11a and 12a of the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are in contact with each other.

[0055] Here, the first seating part 11 covers one of upper and lower portions of the electrode assembly 1, and the second seating part 12 covers the other one of the upper and lower portions of the electrode assembly 1.

[0056] Also, the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are connected to each other through a sidewall 13 of which one side is connected to one side of the first seating part 11, and the other side is connected to the second seating part 12.

[0057] The sidewall 13 may be folded so as to be perpendicular to the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 and be formed in a flat planar shape on both inner and outer surfaces of the pouch 10.

[0058] That is, in the structure according to the related art, a bent point C is formed at a point at which the first seating part 3 and the second seating part 4 are connected to each other to provide a portion that protruding outward from the pouch, and thus, the pouch is not flat. However, in the structure according to this specification, since the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are bent at both ends of the sidewall 13, respectively, the bent point C may be removed, and thus, all of inner and outer surfaces of the pouch 10 may have flat planar shapes. Thus, the pouch 10 according to this specification may have a cleaner appearance compared to the structure according to the related art.

[0059] For reference, the expression ‘perpendicular’ described in the present invention does not mean only an exact right angle, but mean a state that is approximately adjacent to the right angle when bending occurs between two components.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 4, when the pouch is molded by the apparatus for molding the pouch according to the present invention, a pouch capable of accommodating the accommodating the electrode having a significantly thicker thickness may be manufactured. Thus, as the thickness of the electrode assembly increases, the sidewall 13 may stands vertically with the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12.

[0061] Therefore, the pouch according to this specification has a significantly more vertical shape compared to that according to the related art. Therefore, since the word vertical is used to express this state, the word vertical in this specification should not be interpreted as meaning only a right angle of 90 degrees.

[0062] For example, when the sidewall is folded at the first seating part or the second seating part, even though each of the first seating part and the second seating part is bent at an angle of 80 degrees or 100 degrees according to the increasing thickness of the electrode assembly, this may be considered as the vertically folded category if it may be considered as the pouch according to this specification.

[0063] Also, in the present invention, it should be understood as the meaning that the sidewall has a shape as a ‘flat plane’ does not mean only a state of a completely flat surface having a curvature of 0 because a radius of curvature infinitely increases at all points, but rather than a point or a curved shape as a whole compared to the related art.

[0064] Also, since the pouch is manufactured by laminating a thin metal layer and a resin layer, the pouch may be easily deformed by external force. Thus, if the pouch is manufactured without being curved or bent as a whole, when the pouch has a partial wrinkled shape or a slightly bent portion, it also should be regarded as being within the category of the ‘flat plane’.

[0065] Furthermore, like the structure according to the related art, each of the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 is formed so that the sealing portion 11a and 12a extend from remaining sides except of a side connected to the sidewall 13. When the electrode assembly 1 is mounted to be folded, the sealing portion 11a of the first seating part 11 and the sealing portion 12a of the second seating part 12 are bonded to be sealed in a state of being in contact with each other.

[0066] Here, each of the sealing portions 11a and 12a may have a sufficient length so that the sealing portions 11 and 12a adhere to each other by the length of the sidewall 13. That is, when the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12 are folded to be parallel to each other, the extending length of each of the sealing portion 11a of the first seating part and the sealing portion 12a of the second seating part, which respectively extend from the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12, is determined according to the length of the sidewall 13 so that the sealing portion 11a of the first seating part and the sealing portion 12a of the second seating part are sealed.

[0067] A stepped portion 14 having a concavely recessed shape may be formed in each of an edge at which the first seating part 11 and the sidewall 13 are connected to each other and an edge which the second seating part 12 and the sidewall 13 are connected to each other. When the stepped portion 14 is molded in the above-described molding apparatus, if the resin layer stacked on the metal layer is a thermosetting resin, when a point that is pressed by the protrusion 32 and the second groove 22 is curved, each of the first seating part 11 and the seating part 12 may be bent at a position except for the point to form the stepped portion 14. As a result, if the resin layer of the pouch sheet has thermoplastic properties rather than thermosetting properties, the stepped portion 14 may not be formed.

[0068] In the pouch 10 having the above-described configuration as described above according to the present invention, the sidewall 13 connecting the first seating part 11 to the second seating part 12 may be formed to mount the electrode assembly 1 having a thicker thickness by adjusting the thickness of the sidewall 13.

[0069] As illustrated in FIG. 4, which illustrates the state, in which the electrode assembly is mounted in the pouch according to the related art and the state, in which the electrode assembly having the thicker thickness is mounted in the pouch according to the present invention, in the pouch 2 according to the related art, the thickness of the mountable electrode assembly 1 is limited because the elongation of the metal layer is limited, but in the pouch 10 according to the present invention, the sidewall 13 has a flat surface that is not elongated between the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 20, and thus, a length of the flat surface is adjusted to mount the electrode assembly having the thicker thickness.

Third Embodiment

[0070] The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising the pouch according to the second embodiment as a third embodiment.

[0071] A method for manufacturing a secondary battery according to this embodiment comprises a pouch molding step (S10) of molding a pouch and a sealing step (S20) of embedding an electrode assembly and an electrolyte in the molded pouch to seal a sealing portion of the pouch.

[0072] Here, the pouch molding step (S10) comprises a step (S11) of seating a pouch sheet on a lower mold 20 in which a first groove 21 recessed by a predetermined depth from a top surface thereof, and a second groove 22 is additionally recessed from a bottom surface of the first groove 21, and a step (S12) of pressing the pouch sheet to mold the pouch by using an upper mold 30 on which a flat portion 31 is formed on one surface thereof, which is inserted into the first groove 21, and a protrusion 32 inserted into the second groove 22 protrudes from the flat portion 31. Here, when the pouch sheet is pressed to be molded, a portion formed as a sidewall is molded so that each of both inner and outer surfaces has a flat planar shape.

[0073] Also, the pouch molding step (S10) comprises a step (S13) of folding the molded pouch. In this step, the pouch sheet is folded so that a first seating part 11 and a second seating part 12, which face each other, and a sidewall 13 connecting the first seating part 11 to the second seating part 12 are formed.

[0074] Here, in the step (S13) of folding the molded pouch sheet, the pouch sheet is folded so that the sidewall 13 is perpendicular to each of the first seating part 11 and the second seating part 12.

[0075] When the electrode assembly 1 and the electrolyte are embedded in the pouch manufactured as described above, heat and a pressure are applied to sealing portions of the pouch to perform the sealing step (S20).

[0076] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SYMBOLS

[0077] 1: Electrode assembly

[0078] 10: Pouch

[0079] 11: First seating part

[0080] 12: Second seating part

[0081] 20: Lower mold

[0082] 21: First groove

[0083] 22: Second groove

[0084] 30: Upper mold

[0085] 31: Flat portion

[0086] 32: Protrusion