Wound Electrode Bonding Without Tape to Preserve Tight Windings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for securing wound electrode arrangements in battery assembly, such as using adhesive tape, lead to loosening and increased volume, making it difficult to maintain the initial tight wind and requiring skilled personnel for smaller electrodes, resulting in high reject rates.
Innovation Solution
A bonding system that uses a heating assembly and indexing assembly to apply pressure and heat to the electrode arrangement, heat-bonding the outermost wind layer to the underlying layer without additional adhesive, maintaining the initial tension and minimizing volume, thereby securing the electrode without additional material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive tape is used to secure the electrode arrangement, then the electrode is secured against loosening, but the diameter and volume of the electrode arrangement increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the adhesive tape from the electrode assembly process. Instead of applying tape to the exterior, the system uses heat-bonding to fuse the outermost wind layer to underlying layers, removing the need for additional securing materials that increase volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical adhesive tape system with a thermal bonding system. A heating element applies heat and pressure to melt and bond the outermost wind layer to underlying layers, substituting mechanical fastening with thermal fusion to eliminate volume increase.
2Ease of manufacture
If components are cut from spools before applying adhesive tape, then the electrode arrangement can be secured, but the tension is released and the wind loosens before tape application
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the heat-bonding action immediately after winding while the electrode arrangement is still under tension and before components are cut from spools. This preliminary bonding secures the tight wind in place, preventing loosening that would occur if cutting happened first.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention maintains continuous tension in the electrode arrangement from winding through heat-bonding without interruption. By keeping the components under tension throughout the process and bonding them in their tensioned state, the system ensures the tight wind is preserved without requiring intermediate cutting and re-tensioning steps.
3Reliability
If very thin adhesive tape is used for smaller electrode arrangements, then the electrode can be secured, but alignment and application become difficult requiring skilled personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the manual tape application process with an automated heating and pressing system. The heating element is positioned to contact the outermost wind layer, and pressure is applied through a pressing mechanism, eliminating the need for manual alignment and application of thin tape.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element directly contacts and bonds the outermost wind layer to underlying layers through heat and pressure application. The system performs the bonding operation automatically through direct contact, with the electrode arrangement itself being the object of the action, eliminating the need for separate alignment and application steps required by tape methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively secures wound electrode arrangements without loosening, allowing more active material in the battery housing and reducing the volume occupied, improving the discharge capacity and reducing the need for skilled personnel and high reject rates.
Implementation Method 1
The heating assembly includes a housing that supports a distally extending resistive heating element
Implementation Method 2
heat-bonding the outermost wind layer to the underlying layer
Implementation Method 3
apply a predetermined amount of pressure to an exterior of a wound electrode arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A winding system includes a housing, a winding assembly, a bonding system, and a controller. The winding assembly is configured to wind electrode components about a mandrel to form a wound electrode arrangement. The bonding system includes an indexing assembly and a heating assembly. The indexing assembly includes a stationary support assembly and a transfer assembly moveably secured relative to the support assembly. The heating assembly is secured to a distal end of the transfer assembly. The heating assembly includes a housing that supports a distally extending resistive heating element. The controller operates the bonding system to effectuate a movement of the transfer assembly in a distal direction to apply a predetermined amount of pressure to an exterior of a wound electrode arrangement supported on the mandrel, and to heat the heating element to a predetermined temperature.