DRYING METHOD AND DRYING APPARATUS

• US 20130055585A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envision AESC Japan Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 10,177,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/443
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/10 Temperature; Pressure F26B23/026 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 5/04 by evaporation or sublimation of moisture under reduced pressure, e.g. in a vacuum F26B11/049 and F26B17/128 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/049 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A drying method includes a step of heating an object to be dried provided in a drying chamber to a predetermined temperature, a step of maintaining the predetermined temperature, a step of increasing an air pressure inside the drying chamber to a predetermined air pressure that is higher than an atmospheric pressure, and a step of decreasing the air pressure inside the drying chamber to be lower than the predetermined air pressure.

Claims

1. A drying method comprising:

a step of heating an object to be dried provided in a drying chamber to a predetermined temperature;

a step of maintaining the predetermined temperature;

a step of increasing an air pressure inside the drying chamber to a predetermined air pressure that is higher than an atmospheric pressure while the object to be dried is at the predetermined temperature; and

a step of decreasing the air pressure inside the drying chamber to be lower than the predetermined air pressure.

2. The drying method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the step of increasing the air pressure inside the drying chamber, the air pressure inside the drying chamber is made to be the predetermined air pressure when the object to be dried reaches the predetermined temperature.

3. The drying method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the step of increasing the air pressure inside the drying chamber, the air pressure inside the drying chamber is increased so as to achieve the predetermined air pressure while the object to be dried is maintained at the predetermined temperature.

4. A drying apparatus comprising:

a drying chamber in which an object to be dried is provided;

a temperature regulating mechanism provided in the drying chamber to heat the object to be dried to a predetermined temperature and thereafter maintain the predetermined temperature; and

an air pressure regulating mechanism to increase an air pressure inside the drying chamber to a predetermined air pressure that is higher than an atmospheric pressure and then decrease the air pressure, while the object to be dried is at the predetermined temperature.

5. The drying apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the object to be dried comprises a power generation element including an outer material and electrodes provided inside the outer material.

6. The drying apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the temperature regulating mechanism heats terminals whose one ends are connected to the electrodes inside the outer material and another ends protrude out of the outer material.