Stacking system and method for continuously piling cutouts from at least one foil -or membrane-like material web onto a stack

Abstract

Stacking system and method for continuously piling cutouts from at least one foil- or membrane-like material web onto a stack, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is continuously fed, the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is cut to a size dependent on the dimensions of the stack to form a blank, the blank is received by a magazine of a continuously moving, in particular rotating, transfer apparatus having a plurality of magazines, and where the received blank is transferred from the magazine onto the stack, before the magazine receives a subsequent blank.

Claims

1. A method for continuously stacking blanks of at least one foil- or membrane-like material web onto a stack, the method comprising: continuously feeding the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web by at least one continuous feed device; cutting the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web into a size dependent on dimensions of the stack to form a blank; receiving the blank by a magazine of a continuously moving and rotating transfer apparatus having a plurality of magazines; and transferring the received blank from a magazine of the plurality of magazines onto the stack before the magazine of the plurality of magazines receives a subsequent blank.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is fed via an unwinding or deflection roller.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is formed as one of (i) a separator foil and (ii) an electrode foil for a battery cell.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is formed as one of (i) a separator foil and (ii) an electrode foil for a battery cell.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is formed as a membrane for a fuel cell.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is formed as a membrane for a fuel cell.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of foil- or membrane-like material webs are fed and cut to size as a common blank.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of common blanks cut-to-size consecutively are received in respective magazines of the transfer apparatus and are transferred to the stack consecutively.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of foil- or membrane-like material webs are fed and are cut to size as respective separate blanks.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein respective separate blanks are received in respective magazines of the transfer apparatus and are transferred onto the stack consecutively.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in each case one foil- or membrane-like material web is continuously conveyed by a respective one of a plurality of unwinding or deflection rollers.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least three foil- or membrane-like material webs are provided.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least three foil- or membrane-like material webs comprise an anode foil, a separator foil and a cathode foil.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least four foil- or membrane-like material webs are provided.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least four foil- or membrane-like material webs comprise a separator foil, an anode foil, a further separator foil and a cathode foil.

16. A stacking system for continuously stacking blanks of at least one foil- or membrane-like material web, comprising: at least one continuous feed device for continuously feeding at least one foil- or membrane-like material web; at least one cutting apparatus for cutting a blank of the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web to a size dependent on dimensions of the stack; and a continuously moving transfer apparatus having a plurality of magazines for receiving the blank via one of the plurality of magazines; wherein the received blank is transferrable from the magazine onto the stack before the magazine receives a subsequent blank.

17. The stacking system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web is formed as one of (i) a separator foil or an electrode foil for a battery cell and (ii) a membrane for a fuel cell.

18. The stacking system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: a processing device for creating a battery cell from the stacked blanks.

19. The stacking system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising: a processing device for creating a battery cell from the stacked blanks.

20. The stacking system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: at least one of: (i) a common cutting apparatus for the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web and (ii) a plurality of respective cutting apparatuses for each foil- or membrane-like material web.

21. The stacking system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: a plurality of unwinding or deflection rollers; wherein in each case one foil- or membrane-like material web is continuously conveyable by one unwinding or deflection roller of the plurality of unwinding or deflection rollers.

22. The stacking system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one continuous feed device comprises an unwinding or deflection roller.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments with the aid of the figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a stacking system in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of components of a stacking system in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of components of the stacking system of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a stacking system in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a stacking system in accordance with a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

(7) FIG. 6 is an illustration of the method in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(8) In the figures, elements that have the same function have been provided with the same reference signs, unless stated otherwise.

(9) FIG. 1 shows a stacking system as is used in a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. A foil 1 that can be wound and is unwound from an unwinding roller 11 is provided here. A plurality of feed and deflection rollers are used here, in particular in order to ensure uniform unwinding, for example, with a uniform tension profile in the material web. The material web 1 is fed to a cutting apparatus 61. For example, a dancer unit 100 is provided between the unwinding roller 11 and the cutting apparatus 61 in order to be able to adjust the web tension to a desired value. Blanks 1′ are produced in succession by the cutting apparatus 61.

(10) The stacking apparatus serves to allow stacking of layers of a battery cell. Foil blanks, which form the starting base for the battery cell, are applied to a stack 70 in layers for this purpose. A battery module can be formed from a plurality of battery cells in subsequent steps. The manufacturing step, in which the method for stacking and the stacking apparatus are used, follows, for example, a step of electrode manufacture in a manufacturing method for batteries and takes place, for example, before a step of insertion into packaging in the course of cell assembly.

(11) The blank 1′ is matched to the battery to be manufactured. Battery cells with prespecified dimensions are required depending on the battery to be manufactured. The stack is therefore established depending on the dimensions or type of the battery cell and the blanks 1′ are matched to these dimensions. For example, square blanks are created. A single blank 1′ is placed into a magazine 80 of a plurality of magazines 80, 81, 82 of a rotating transfer apparatus 90. The rotating transfer apparatus 90 is, for example, a roller which is provided with numerous magazines. The magazines 80, 81, 82 could also be called registers or compartments or insertion compartments or revolver magazines of the transfer apparatus 90.

(12) For example, a battery cell consisting of electrode and separator layers on the stack is intended to be formed with the aid of the stacking apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, three further material webs are provided (not shown), for example, next to the material web 1 described and shown in FIG. 1, where the material webs place respective further blanks onto the stack 70 analogously via respective further unwinding rollers, respective further cutting apparatuses and respective further transfer apparatuses. For example, four transfer apparatuses are provided in a particularly advantageous embodiment, the transfer apparatuses each transferring a blank onto the common stack 70 in an alternating time sequence. For example, the four transfer apparatuses are each arranged oppositely in pairs, so that a stack is filled with blanks from four sides.

(13) For example, two transfer apparatuses that transfer separator foil blanks onto the stack are provided opposite one another and the two further opposite transfer apparatuses respectively, convey cathode foil blanks and anode foil blanks. In particular, the four transfer apparatuses are formed in a star shape and in a symmetrical manner around the stack 70. Depending on the configuration of the hardware of the respective transfer apparatuses, it may be advantageous for this not to be formed at a uniform horizontal height, but rather for the blanks to be transferred onto the stack, for example, from a different position or height.

(14) The further three transfer apparatuses for feeding the further three material webs have not been depicted in FIG. 1 for reasons of clarity. Embodiments in which all four stacking systems are formed in an analogous manner, in particular with respect to the deflection rollers or provided dancer systems and also the cutting apparatuses, are conceivable. Embodiments in which the provided hardware is configured differently depending on the material web to be conveyed are likewise conceivable. For example, different cutters are advantageous depending on the foil. In particular, only the two systems for transferring the separator foil are constructed in an analogous manner and differ from the other two systems.

(15) In accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, the stacking apparatus is configured such that the material web 2, which is conveyed by a deflection roller 25, is already a layered material web consisting of four layers, in particular a separator foil layer, a cathode foil layer, a further separator foil layer and also an anode layer. The deflection roller 25 is, in particular, a pair of rollers. The material web consisting of the plurality of layers is then cut to size by a cutting apparatus 62 to form the blank 2′. In the region in front of the deflection roller 25, the system is configured such that four separate unwinding rollers 21, 22, 23, 24, which each individually unwind the four foils 201, 202, 304, are provided. Here, the two separator foils 202, 204 are fed to the deflection roller 25 without further pre-machining. In contrast, the two electrode foils 201, 203 are already cut to size here and made to lie one above the other with an accurate fit. The depicted additional cutters 63, 64 have been depicted in a highly simplified manner. In particular, it should be noted here that the electrode blanks already cut to size in advance by the cutters 63, 64 come to lie one above the other with an accurate fit or one above the other in a manner separated by the separator foil before being fed to the deflection roller 25 or enter a laminator, which is formed in the region in front of the deflection roller 25, at the same time.

(16) In this regard, FIG. 3 illustrates how the blank 2′ is placed on the stack 70 from one of the magazines 80 of the transfer apparatus 90. The stack 70 is therefore filled by layer packages which are supplied by the transfer apparatus 90.

(17) In accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the invention, magazines of the transfer apparatus 90 are alternately filled with electrode and separator blanks. In this regard, FIG. 4 shows, by way of example, one conceivable arrangement in which four unwinding rollers 41, 42, 43, 44, which each supply one of the four layers 401, 402, 403, 404 of a battery cell, are provided. For example, two webs of separator foil and two webs of electrode foil, i.e., one web of cathode foil and one web of anode foil, are provided in turn. The individual blanks 401′, 402′, 403′, 404′ are each generated separately by way of respective cutting apparatuses 65, 66, 67, 68 and inserted into separate magazines of the transfer apparatus 90. Therefore, the blanks are placed onto the stack 70 layer by layer. Embodiments with three material webs, for example, provided that the separator material can be correspondingly more rapidly unwound, are likewise conceivable. The process of receiving in the magazine has to be adjusted in terms of time for the four blanks 401′, 402′, 403′, 404′ such that adjacent filled magazines can transfer the blanks onto the stack in the appropriate order.

(18) In a fourth Embodiments, the stacking system is configured such that the blanks are received in the various magazines 80, 81 separately, but the dimensions of the transfer apparatus 90 allow the blanks 501′, 502′, 503′ to be received in a manner offset in a direction transverse to the movement direction of the transfer apparatus 90. The feeding section of the stacking apparatus, which has the respective unwinding rollers 51, 52, 53 with the further provided components according to one of the preceding exemplary embodiments, can then advantageously be arranged approximately horizontally next to one another. For the purpose of stacking the blanks 501′, 502′, 503′ one above the other onto the stack 70, a movement of the stack 70 likewise in the direction perpendicular to the transfer apparatus 90 can be provided for this purpose, for example. In particular, the stack 70 is moved in the direction of the rotation axis of the transfer apparatus. For example, the middle material web 502 is a separator foil which can therefore be placed onto the stack 70 between each anode foil blank and each cathode foil blank.

(19) FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the method for continuously stacking blanks of at least one foil- or membrane-like material web onto a stack 70. The method comprises continuously feeding the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web 1, 2 by at least one continuous feed device 11, 21, 22, 23, 24, 41, 42, 43, 44, as indicated in step 610.

(20) Next, the at least one foil- or membrane-like material web 1, 2 is cut into a size dependent on dimensions of the stack 70 to form a blank 1′, 2′, as indicated in step 620.

(21) Next, the blank 1′, 2′ is received by a magazine 80 of a continuously moving and rotating transfer apparatus 90 having a plurality of magazines 80, 81, 82, as indicated in step 630.

(22) Next, the received blank 1′, 2′ is transferred from a magazine of the plurality of magazines 80 onto the stack before the magazine of the of the plurality of magazines 80 receives a subsequent blank, as indicated in step 640.

(23) Although the invention was described and illustrated more specifically in detail by means of the exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations and combinations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

(24) Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.