Rechargeable Battery Alignment Openings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rechargeable batteries often suffer from misalignment of positive and negative electrodes during assembly, leading to defective batteries, short circuits, and reduced performance, cycle-life, and reliability due to improper current collecting structures.
Innovation Solution
The battery design includes an electrode assembly with specifically aligned first and second uncoated regions on positive and negative electrodes, respectively, featuring alignment openings that ensure precise alignment and improved current collection efficiency, thereby enhancing the battery's output performance, cycle-life, and reliability through precise alignment and secure connection methods like welding or fastening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If positive and negative electrodes and separator are wound or stacked in an electrode assembly, then battery capacity increases, but alignment precision deteriorates leading to defective batteries and short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment openings are formed in the uncoated regions of positive and negative electrodes before assembly. These openings serve as preliminary alignment guides that ensure precise positioning of electrodes relative to each other during the winding or stacking process, preventing misalignment defects while maintaining high battery capacity
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment openings act as intermediary structural features that mediate between the electrodes and the winding/stacking process. By providing physical guides for electrode positioning, these openings enable precise alignment without interfering with the overall battery capacity or electrode active material content
2Reliability
If electrodes are properly aligned with alignment openings, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional structural features
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment openings are created only in specific local regions (uncoated regions) of the electrodes rather than throughout the entire electrode structure. This localized approach provides the necessary alignment function while minimizing additional complexity and preserving the majority of the electrode's active material for capacity generation
3Productivity
If alignment openings are formed in uncoated regions, then current collecting efficiency improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment openings are formed in uncoated regions during the electrode manufacturing process before assembly. This preliminary action ensures that the openings are precisely positioned in non-active areas, improving current collection efficiency without requiring additional manufacturing steps or complex post-processing operations
Data Source
AI summary
A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly having a plurality of first electrodes each including a first coated region coated with a first active material and a first uncoated region having a first alignment opening and a second alignment opening, a plurality of second electrodes each including a second coated region coated with a second active material and a second uncoated region having a third alignment opening and a fourth alignment opening, a separator between each first coated region and each second coated region; and a case housing the electrode assembly, wherein the first alignment openings are substantially aligned with each other, the second alignment openings are substantially aligned with each other, the third alignment openings are substantially aligned with each other, and the fourth alignment openings are substantially aligned with each other.