Abstract: A pressure bag (1) has a bag-like shape including an opening (11) at one end thereof and a bottom portion (12) on the opposite side to the opening (11). The pressure bag (1) has a double structure in which an inner sheet (20) and an outer sheet (30) are laid one on top of the other so that the outer sheet (30) is located on the opposite side of the inner sheet (20) from the housing chamber (10). A pressure chamber (15) is provided between the inner sheet (20) and the outer sheet (30). All of the inner sheet (20), the outer sheet (30), and the pressure chamber (15) extend from one side to the other side of the housing chamber (10) via the bottom portion (12).

Abstract: An electrode sheet drying apparatus includes a plurality of hot air blowers each having a nozzle. The nozzle has a first hot air guide having a first guide surface, a second hot air guide having a second guide surface. The nozzle is configured to blow band hot air toward an obliquely upstream side. An angle formed between the first guide surface and an undried active material layer is set to an angle at which the band hot air travels toward an upstream side along the undried active material layer over a distance longer than or equal to 15 times as large as a gap from a first upstream-side edge to the undried active material layer even without a spread prevention part.

Abstract: An electrode sheet drying apparatus includes a plurality of hot air blowers each having a nozzle. The nozzle has a first hot air guide having a first guide surface, a second hot air guide having a second guide surface. The nozzle is configured to blow band hot air toward an obliquely upstream side. An angle formed between the first guide surface and an undried active material layer is set to an angle at which the band hot air travels toward an upstream side along the undried active material layer over a distance longer than or equal to 15 times as large as a gap from a first upstream-side edge to the undried active material layer even without a spread prevention part.

Abstract: An electrode sheet drying apparatus includes a plurality of hot air blowers each having a nozzle. The nozzle has a first hot air guide having a first guide surface, a second hot air guide having a second guide surface. The nozzle is configured to blow band hot air toward an obliquely upstream side. An angle formed between the first guide surface and an undried active material layer is set to an angle at which the band hot air travels toward an upstream side along the undried active material layer over a distance longer than or equal to 15 times as large as a gap from a first upstream-side edge to the undried active material layer even without a spread prevention part.

Abstract: A manufacturing method manufactures an electrode by use of a manufacturing apparatus including a B-roll configured to convey granules, a C-roll configured to convey a metal foil, and a cooling portion configured to cool down the metal foil on an upstream side relative to the C-roll in terms of a conveying direction of the metal foil. Further, the manufacturing apparatus cools down the metal foil by use of the cooling portion, supplies the metal foil thus cooled down by the cooling portion to the C-roll, and transfers the granules to the metal foil in a deposition gap between the B-roll and the C-roll.

Abstract: At a first position, an active material layer material is pressurized by first and second rolls, so as to form an active material layer on the second roll. Further, at a third position on a downstream side relative to the first position but on an upstream side relative to, in a rotation direction of the second roll, a second position where a third roll is opposed to the second roll, a part corresponding to a non-formation region in the active material layer is pressurized between a removal surface of the removal portion and the second roll, thereby transferring the pressurized part to the removal surface from the second roll so as to remove the pressurized part. Further, at the second position, the active material layer is transferred onto a surface of a current collector foil from the second roll.

Abstract: A dryer dries a strip-shaped object to be dried by directing stream of air toward the object while conveying the object in a conveyance direction. The dryer includes a loading and conveying unit that conveys the object and a blowing box arranged above the loading and conveying unit and including an outlet through which the stream of air is blown toward the loading and conveying unit. The loading and conveying unit includes a roller, supporting portions rotatably supporting the roller. The blowing box is positioned above the loading and conveying unit and formed in a box shape extending in the width direction, the blowing box including a box body that forms the outlet and accommodates air and positioning portions that determine a position of the box body in the vertical direction.

Abstract: In a sheet member inspection method for a sheet member conveying apparatus configured to convey a sheet member with a tension, the sheet member conveying apparatus includes: a first support roller placed on an upstream side in a conveying direction of the sheet member and configured to support conveyance of the sheet member; a second support roller placed on a downstream side relative to the first support roller in the conveying direction and configured to support the conveyance of the sheet member; and a magnetic-force detection sensor placed on the downstream side relative to the first support roller in the conveying direction. The sheet member inspection method includes: applying a magnetic force to the sheet member by the first support roller; and inspecting, by the magnetic-force detection sensor, whether a magnetic object exists in the sheet member to which the magnetic force is applied by the first support roller.

Abstract: A manufacturing method manufactures an electrode by use of a manufacturing apparatus including a B-roll configured to convey granules, a C-roll configured to convey a metal foil, and a cooling portion configured to cool down the metal foil on an upstream side relative to the C-roll in terms of a conveying direction of the metal foil. Further, the manufacturing apparatus cools down the metal foil by use of the cooling portion, supplies the metal foil thus cooled down by the cooling portion to the C-roll, and transfers the granules to the metal foil in a deposition gap between the B-roll and the C-roll.

Abstract: A dryer dries a strip-shaped object to be dried by directing stream of air toward the object while conveying the object in a conveyance direction. The dryer includes a loading and conveying unit that conveys the object and a blowing box arranged above the loading and conveying unit and including an outlet through which the stream of air is blown toward the loading and conveying unit. The loading and conveying unit includes a roller, supporting portions rotatably supporting the roller. The blowing box is positioned above the loading and conveying unit and formed in a box shape extending in the width direction, the blowing box including a box body that forms the outlet and accommodates air and positioning portions that determine a position of the box body in the vertical direction.

Abstract: At a first position, an active material layer material is pressurized by first and second rolls, so as to form an active material layer on the second roll. Further, at a third position on a downstream side relative to the first position but on an upstream side relative to, in a rotation direction of the second roll, a second position where a third roll is opposed to the second roll, a part corresponding to a non-formation region in the active material layer is pressurized between a removal surface of the removal portion and the second roll, thereby transferring the pressurized part to the removal surface from the second roll so as to remove the pressurized part. Further, at the second position, the active material layer is transferred onto a surface of a current collector foil from the second roll.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes an electrode wound body formed by winding positive and negative electrode sheets with separators interposed therebetween. The positive electrode sheet is manufactured through a coating process wherein a positive electrode mixture paste is applied to a current collecting sheet to form a mixture layer. Prior to the coating process, sections of the current collecting sheet to be uncoated and to be coated are differentiated in terms of wettability. Alternatively, a positive electrode mixture paste with viscosities at slow and fast shear velocities within a predetermined range is used. Thus, the cross-sectional shape of the width-direction end of the mixture layer includes a steep cross-sectional shape, wherein the width of a section as thin as or thinner than 50% of a thickness of a width-direction center flat portion of the mixture layer is 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: An electrode manufacturing method includes: a coating process of applying a coating material to a metal foil while the metal foil is fed forward to form a coated foil; and a drying process of drying the coated foil by heating while the coated foil is fed forward to pass through a drying oven of a drying machine placed in line on a feeding path. The drying oven includes at least a first drying chamber which the coated foil first passes through in the drying process and a second drying chamber which the coated foil passes through following the first drying chamber. The first drying chamber has a smaller area in cross section perpendicular to the feed direction along the feeding path than an area of the second drying chamber to provide a smaller volume than a volume of the second drying chamber.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a battery electrode having a configuration in which an active material layer containing an active material 22 and a polymer material 24 is retained on a current collector 10, the method comprising a step of applying a paste for forming an active material layer 28 containing the active material 22 and the polymer material 24 in a solvent 26, to the current collector 10, and a step of forming an active material layer on the current collector 10 by drying the applied paste 28. An ionic polymer exhibiting cationic or anionic properties in the paste 28 is used as at least one kind of the polymer material 24, and an electric potential having an opposite polarity to that of the ionic polymer 24 is applied to the current collector 10 after the paste 28 has been applied to the current collector 10.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a battery electrode includes the steps of: coating an electrode paste on an electrode base material; drying the electrode paste coated on the electrode base material in a drying furnace; measuring a radiation heat of the electrode paste during drying with a radiation heat meter; and determining a dried state of the electrode paste during drying based on the measured radiation heat.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a battery electrode having a configuration in which an active material layer containing an active material 22 and a polymer material 24 is retained on a current collector 10, the method comprising a step of applying a paste for forming an active material layer 28 containing the active material 22 and the polymer material 24 in a solvent 26, to the current collector 10, and a step of forming an active material layer on the current collector 10 by drying the applied paste 28. An ionic polymer exhibiting cationic or anionic properties in the paste 28 is used as at least one kind of the polymer material 24, and an electric potential having an opposite polarity to that of the ionic polymer 24 is applied to the current collector 10 after the paste 28 has been applied to the current collector 10.

Abstract: A case member has a predetermined surface and a sealable inside, where a first circular area for passing light is provided at the center portion of the predetermined surface, a double-sided light shielding sheet, which is provided with a second circular area for passing light at the center, is adhered to the predetermined surface such that the second circular area is positioned in a concentric circle manner to the first circular area, the second circular area having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first circular area, a transparent dustproof film is adhered on the light shielding sheet.

Abstract: An optical ranging sensor 1 includes a light emitting diode 2, a light projecting lens 3 for condensing light from the light emitting diode 2 and projecting the light onto an object to be ranged, a light receiving lens 4 for condensing reflected light from the object to be ranged, and a light receiving device 5 for receiving the light condensed by the light receiving lens 4. A signal processing circuit 7 having received two signal currents I1, I2 from the light receiving device 5 outputs output signal S indicating a distance D to the object to be ranged and close-distance signal N indicating whether the object to be ranged is in a close distance zone. According to the optical ranging sensor 1, the disadvantage that the object being in the close distance zone misdetected as is in the normal ranging zone can be prevented.

Abstract: Optical displacement sensor may possess light-emitting element(s) for projecting light onto distance measurement target(s), and light-receiving element(s) capable of receiving light reflected from distance measurement target(s) and disposed such that light-receiving surface(s) thereof is or are substantially perpendicular to optical axis or axes R1 of projected light. Furthermore, such optical displacement sensor(s) may be equipped with slit(s) capable of narrowing light beam(s) projected toward distance measurement target(s), and slit(s) capable of narrowing light reflected from distance measurement target(s).

Abstract: In an enrollment mode a parameter value applied when a fingerprint pickup picks up an image of a fingerprint to be enrolled is stored to a non-volatile memory in association with image data. In an authentication mode the parameter value is read and set in the fingerprint pickup and a fingerprint is thus picked up. When an authentic, enrolled person undergoes fingerprint authentication a parameter value that matches an individual characteristic of the person is applied to pick up a fingerprint, and an image having a level of quality sufficient for authentication can be obtained. If a person other than an authentic, enrolled person undergoes fingerprint authentication, a parameter value that does not match an individual characteristic of the person is applied to pick up a fingerprint and an image signal is output, and this image signal cannot provide an image having sufficient quality. Only the image of the authentic, enrolled person can provide image quality sufficient for authentication.