Movable Terrace Folding for Battery Cell Cycle Time Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing terrace folding process for secondary battery cells is hindered by increased tact and cycle times due to the overlap of transportation and folding processes, leading to prolonged manufacturing times and higher folding failures.

Innovation Solution

A terrace folding system where a folding unit, comprising a folding roller and a roller moving unit, operates temporally separate from the transfer unit, allowing for independent movement and synchronization with the transfer unit's operation to minimize transportation time and extend folding time, thereby reducing tact and cycle times and improving folding quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the folding unit is fixed and the secondary battery cell is transported through it, then the folding process can be performed, but the tact time and cycle time are increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefolding process completionVSAvoidtact time and cycle time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The folding unit is made movable along the transfer unit's path, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position rather than remaining fixed. This enables the folding unit to move to different locations along the transfer path, optimizing the timing and sequence of operations to reduce overall cycle time while maintaining folding process completion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the folding process time is extended to improve folding quality, then folding failure is reduced, but the manufacturing time is increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefolding quality and failure reductionVSAvoidmanufacturing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The folding unit can perform folding operations continuously as cells pass by, rather than requiring each cell to be completely stopped for folding. The movable folding unit maintains continuous contact with the transfer unit, allowing multiple folding operations to occur in sequence without idle time between operations, thus improving quality without proportionally increasing total manufacturing time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Device complexity

If the folding unit operates simultaneously with the transfer unit, then the process is integrated, but the folding time cannot be extended without increasing transport time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocess integrationVSAvoidfolding time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into independent movable units (transfer unit and folding unit) that can operate semi-independently. Each unit can be controlled separately, allowing the folding unit to spend extended time on folding operations for each cell while the transfer unit continues its cyclic operation, thus decoupling folding time from transport time while maintaining overall process integration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12186969B2Terrace folding system of secondary battery cell

Publication Date: 2025.01.07 CLEVER

AI summary

Disclosed is a terrace folding system of a secondary battery cell, including a transfer unit which transports a secondary battery cell; and a folding unit which is disposed along the transfer unit and is temporally separated from the transfer unit to fold a terrace of the secondary battery cell.