Electrode Sheet Manufacturing via Overlapping Discharge Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing electrode sheets for power storage devices face challenges in achieving uniform thickness of the mixture layer on the current collector, which affects the capacity and productivity of the batteries.
Innovation Solution
The method involves discharging a mixture slurry onto a belt-like current collector from nozzles with overlapping discharge regions, allowing for intermittent discharge to form an exposed portion and ensuring uniform thickness, while the applicator's discharge ports are arranged to overlap partially when viewed in the length direction, enabling consistent layer formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If discharge ports are arranged to not overlap when viewed in the length direction, then productivity is improved and capacity is increased, but the thickness of the mixture layer becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear arrangement of discharge ports to a two-dimensional matrix arrangement (multiple rows and columns). This dimensional change allows discharge ports to be distributed across both width and length directions, enabling overlapping discharge regions that maintain uniform thickness while preserving productivity and capacity benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the current collector receive slurry from different numbers of discharge ports. The overlapping discharge regions create local variations in slurry application that compensate for edge effects and ensure uniform thickness across the entire surface, including boundary regions between discharge zones.
2Quantity of substance
If the exposed portion width is reduced to increase the mixture layer region, then capacity is increased, but the complexity of forming the exposed portion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous slurry discharge across the entire width of the current collector through multiple nozzles operating simultaneously. This eliminates the need for intermittent discharge and separation processes, allowing the exposed portion to be formed naturally through the continuous overlapping discharge pattern while maximizing the mixture layer region for increased capacity.
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
This approach enhances the capacity and productivity of the electrode sheets by maintaining uniform thickness of the mixture layer, preventing variations that could lead to unstable charge and discharge reactions.
Implementation Method 1
discharge a mixture slurry onto a current collector to form a mixture layer on the current collector
Data Source
AI summary
A power storage device and an applicator is obtained that achieve an increase in capacity and an improvement in productivity, and that enable the thickness of a mixture layer to be inhibited from varying. A positive electrode mixture slurry is discharged into discharge regions of a belt-like positive electrode current collector that extend in a length direction of the positive electrode current collector from discharge nozzles corresponding to the respective discharge regions to form a positive electrode mixture layer on the positive electrode current collector. The discharge regions are arranged such that a part of each of the discharge regions overlaps a part of another of the discharge regions adjacent thereto when viewed in the length direction to form overlapping portions. The positive electrode mixture slurry is intermittently discharged to form an exposed portion on at least one of the discharge regions.