Adjustable Calender Transport Roller for Flat Electrode Feeding

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing calendering devices for producing battery cell electrodes face challenges in ensuring precise and flat feeding of electrode strips to calendering rolls due to height differences between coated and uncoated portions, leading to potential folds, cracks, and warped regions, which are typically addressed through manual application of adhesive tape, resulting in time-consuming and imprecise adjustments.

Innovation Solution

A calender transport roller with an adjusting portion that can change its diameter to compensate for height differences between coated and uncoated portions, using either segments that can be widened or prefabricated adjusting rings, ensuring flat feeding and avoiding manual inaccuracies and contamination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual application of adhesive tape is used to compensate for height difference, then the electrode strip can be fed flatly to the calendering rolls, but the preparation time increases significantly and the accuracy is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeeding accuracyVSAvoidpreparation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The transport roller is pre-adjusted to the required diameter before the electrode strip is fed, so that the height compensation is already in place. This eliminates the need for manual tape application during operation, reducing preparation time while maintaining feeding accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical adjustment using adhesive tape is replaced by a mechanical adjustment system of the transport roller itself. The roller diameter can be adjusted mechanically to the precise required value, providing both speed and accuracy without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If manual application of adhesive tape is used to compensate for height difference, then the electrode strip can be fed flatly to the calendering rolls, but the operation becomes highly time-consuming and less precise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadjustment simplicityVSAvoidadjustment time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The transport roller is pre-adjusted to the required diameter before the electrode strip is fed, so that the height compensation is already in place. This eliminates the need for manual tape application during operation, reducing preparation time while maintaining feeding accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical adjustment using adhesive tape is replaced by a mechanical adjustment system of the transport roller itself. The roller diameter can be adjusted mechanically to the precise required value, providing both speed and accuracy without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If the transport roller diameter is adjusted to compensate for height difference, then the feeding accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeeding precisionVSAvoidroller structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The transport roller is divided into multiple independent segments that can be adjusted individually in the axial direction. This segmentation allows precise local adjustment of the roller diameter to match the height profile of the electrode strip, improving feeding precision while keeping each segment's structure simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The transport roller is designed with adjustable segments that can change their position dynamically. The segments can be moved to different radial positions to create the required diameter variation, enabling adaptive compensation for different electrode strip configurations without complex fixed structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20240199362A1Calender Transport Roller and Calendering Device for the Production of Electrodes for a Battery Cell

Publication Date: 2024.06.20 BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG

AI summary

A calender transport roller for a calendering device for production of electrodes for a battery cell, where an electrode strip is conveyable by the calender transport roller to or from a pair of calendering rolls and where the electrode strip has a flat conductor strip and a coating which is applied in portions at least on a side that faces the calender transport roller. The calender transport roller includes a contact region on a shell surface of the calender transport roller where the contact region is contactable with the electrode strip, an adjusting portion in the contact region, and a widening device where a diameter of the transport roller in the adjusting portion is changeable by the widening device such that a height difference between a coated portion of the electrode strip and an adjoining uncoated portion of the electrode strip is compensated.