Electrode Assembly Tape Layout for Battery Thickness Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secondary battery manufacturing processes face challenges in ensuring consistent thickness balance and adhesion of electrode active material layers, particularly in the sliding areas where slurry flow reduces layer thickness, leading to potential insertability issues and compromised battery quality.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the sequential attachment of top, body, and side tapes around the electrode assembly to enhance adhesion and thickness balance, specifically using synthetic resin tapes like PET, PP, or PI, ensuring the upper end portion has reduced active material layer thickness and improved insertability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the electrode active material layer is coated on the current collector, then the battery capacity is improved, but the thickness balance and adhesion in sliding areas deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the current collector into multiple segments: a sliding area where the active material layer thickness is intentionally reduced, and non-sliding areas where the layer maintains normal thickness. This segmentation allows the battery to achieve high capacity in non-sliding areas while ensuring proper adhesion and thickness balance in sliding areas through the separate application of adhesive layers in those specific regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the electrode structure. Specifically, the sliding area receives an additional adhesive layer application and has reduced active material thickness, while non-sliding areas maintain standard coating. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by ensuring proper adhesion where needed without compromising overall battery capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If the electrode active material layer thickness is increased, then the battery capacity is improved, but the insertability deteriorates due to poor adhesion in sliding areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive layers to the sliding areas before assembling the battery components. This preliminary action ensures that when the electrode assembly is inserted into the battery case, the adhesive is already in place to prevent displacement of the active material layer, thereby improving insertability without reducing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the current collector into sliding and non-sliding areas with different thickness characteristics and applying adhesive selectively to sliding areas, the patent enables the electrode assembly to maintain high capacity while achieving proper insertability through differentiated structural properties.
3Productivity
If the slurry flow is increased to improve coating coverage, then the manufacturing efficiency is improved, but the thickness balance in sliding areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes the active material layer from the sliding area, intentionally creating a region with reduced or no active material coating. This extraction allows the manufacturing process to maintain high efficiency with increased slurry flow while preventing thickness imbalance issues in sliding areas through the separate application of adhesive layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating a sliding area with distinct properties (reduced active material thickness and added adhesive layer) compared to non-sliding areas. This local differentiation enables efficient manufacturing with higher slurry flow rates while maintaining proper thickness balance through the selectively modified sliding region.
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 tape attachment process enhances the adhesion and thickness balance of secondary batteries, improving insertability and heat exposure characteristics, thereby increasing the quality and performance of the battery cells.
Implementation Method 1
a second adhesive layer may then be applied to the sliding area of the negative electrode, thereby complementing the negative electrode in the sliding area
Data Source
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AI summary
A secondary battery and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The method of manufacturing a secondary battery includes preparing an electrode assembly including a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator, attaching a top tape to an upper end portion of the electrode assembly, attaching a bottom tape to surround a lower end portion of the electrode assembly, attaching a body tape to surround the upper end portion of the electrode assembly, and inserting the electrode assembly into a case, wherein each of the first and second electrode plates includes a current collector, an active material layer on the current collector, an uncoated portion at an end of the current collector adjacent to the electrode active material layer, and an electrode tab at an end portion of the uncoated portion.