Horizontal Stacking Prismatic Battery Cells Conveyor Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery stacking methods for prismatic cells are inefficient and costly due to the need for high precision packaging and tooling, and they do not allow for larger dimensional variations, leading to complex and expensive reorientation processes.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor belt system with rotating and lifting mechanisms that reorients prismatic battery cells from a vertical to a horizontal stacking direction, eliminating the need for robotic pick-and-place operations and allowing for continuous, high-speed assembly with reduced part costs and smaller manufacturing space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If robotic pick-and-place operations are used for stacking battery cells, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt system performs self-alignment and self-positioning of battery cells through its mechanical design. The cells are oriented and stacked automatically by the conveyor mechanism itself, eliminating the need for external robotic pick-and-place systems while maintaining stacking precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex robotic mechanical systems with a simpler conveyor belt mechanism. The conveyor system uses mechanical guidance and orientation features built into the belt structure to achieve cell alignment and stacking, substituting sophisticated robotic control with straightforward mechanical design.
2Productivity
If vertical stacking orientation is used for prismatic cells, then assembly can proceed with current tools, but manufacturing speed decreases and reorientation processes become complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional vertical stacking approach by implementing horizontal stacking of battery cells. This inversion allows cells to be stacked directly in their natural orientation from the conveyor, eliminating complex reorientation steps and significantly increasing assembly speed while simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Manufacturing precision
If high precision packaging and tooling are used for cell stacking, then alignment accuracy is maintained, but part costs and manufacturing expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt system incorporates built-in alignment features and mechanical guidance structures that automatically position cells with high precision. This self-aligning mechanism eliminates the need for expensive high-precision packaging and tooling, achieving alignment accuracy through the conveyor's own design rather than through costly external fixtures.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for stacking battery cells or related assembled components. Generally planar, rectangular (prismatic-shaped) battery cells are moved from an as-received generally vertical stacking orientation to a generally horizontal stacking orientation without the need for robotic pick-and-place equipment. The system includes numerous conveyor belts that work in cooperation with one another to deliver, rotate and stack the cells or their affiliated assemblies. The belts are outfitted with components to facilitate the cell transport and rotation. The coordinated movement between the belts and the components promote the orderly transport and rotation of the cells from a substantially vertical stacking orientation into a substantially horizontal stacking orientation. The approach of the present invention helps keep the stacked assemblies stable so that subsequent assembly steps—such as compressing the cells or attaching electrical leads or thermal management components—may proceed with a reduced chance of error.