Electrode Sheet Gripper Structure to Avoid Wrinkle-Induced Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for cutting electrode sheets often result in displacement defects due to direct contact with wrinkles or waves during the roll press process, exacerbated by gripper assembly tolerances, leading to positional issues during lamination.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a first gripper and a second gripper that press the top and bottom surfaces of the electrode sheet, respectively, featuring a protrusion or opening portion to avoid direct contact with the peripheral area, minimizing displacement by gripping only the central area and preventing contact with the peripheral area where wrinkles occur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gripper directly contacts the electrode sheet to grip it during cutting, then the electrode sheet can be held in position, but direct contact with waves (wrinkles) causes displacement defects
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is designed with a protrusion that creates a localized contact point on the electrode sheet. This concentrates the gripping force on a specific area (the protrusion tip) rather than distributing it across the entire contact surface, allowing the gripper to hold the electrode sheet without the waves causing displacement across the whole contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper contact surface is segmented into a protrusion portion and a non-protrusion portion. The protrusion portion makes contact with the electrode sheet while the non-protrusion portion remains elevated, creating distinct functional zones that separate the gripping function from the wave-contact function.
2Force
If the gripper is pressed strongly to secure the electrode sheet, then gripping force is improved, but displacement defects occur more severely due to assembly tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion design localizes the high gripping force to a small contact point, preventing the force from being distributed across areas with waves. This allows strong gripping without amplifying displacement defects that would occur with broad contact under high force.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-protrusion portion of the gripper acts as a cushioning element that does not contact the electrode sheet during normal operation. This design anticipates potential displacement issues by providing a structural feature that can accommodate variations without transmitting harmful forces to the electrode sheet.
3Area of stationary object
If the gripper contacts the peripheral area of the electrode sheet, then gripping coverage is improved, but contact with waves in the peripheral area causes displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion creates a localized contact zone that is deliberately positioned to avoid the peripheral wave-prone areas. This localizes the beneficial gripping contact away from the harmful wave regions, achieving selective contact quality rather than uniform contact across the entire peripheral area.
Solution Approach 2:
The design extracts the problematic peripheral contact function from the gripper by elevating the non-protrusion portion. This removes the harmful interaction between the gripper and wave-prone peripheral areas while retaining the essential gripping function through the protrusion.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cutting an electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention may includes: a cutter that cuts an electrode sheet into unit electrodes; and a first gripper and a second gripper that are disposed in front of the cutter and fix the electrode sheet at both sides, respectively, in response to an operation of the cutter. The first gripper includes a first area and a second area disposed at at least one side of the first area, and the first area of the first gripper further protrudes toward the second gripper than the second area does. A method including the same is also provided.