Separator Roller Synchronization for High-Speed Battery Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secondary battery manufacturing processes face challenges in maintaining consistent tension of separators during the stacking process, leading to potential equipment complexity and cell alignment issues due to variations in electrode assembly size.
Innovation Solution
A secondary battery manufacturing equipment is designed with synchronized velocity control of driving and final rollers, eliminating the need for separate tension compensation devices by adjusting the supply length and velocity of separators based on real-time parameters, ensuring consistent tension without additional equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate tension compensation device is used to maintain separator tension, then separator tension consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the separate tension compensation device from the system and instead uses the inherent mechanical structure (roller arrangement and separator path geometry) to maintain separator tension consistency, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The existing rollers (driving roller, intermediate rollers, take-up roller) are designed to serve multiple functions: both transporting the separator and maintaining its tension through their geometric arrangement, eliminating the need for dedicated tension compensation equipment
2Reliability
If separate tension compensation equipment is added, then separator tension control is improved, but manufacturing precision of cell alignment deteriorates due to increased equipment variables
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the separate tension compensation device, the patent reduces the number of equipment variables and potential misalignment sources, thereby improving cell alignment precision while maintaining separator tension control through the optimized roller configuration
3Manufacturing precision
If real-time velocity control of rollers is implemented, then separator supply consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives position information from sensors detecting the locations of rollers and separator, calculates required velocity adjustments, and controls the driving motor accordingly to maintain consistent separator supply without requiring complex additional control hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical tension compensation mechanisms with a control system that uses position sensing and motor velocity control to achieve separator supply consistency, reducing mechanical complexity while improving precision
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a secondary battery manufacturing equipment and secondary batteries manufactured using the same, in which tension of a separator may be maintained constant without compensating for the tension (e.g., with a separate device). When manufacturing an electrode assembly by stacking separators in a zigzag manner, the velocity of a driving roller and a final roller may be synchronized, so that the tension of the separator may be maintained constant without a separate separator tension compensation device. By controlling the design parameters of the secondary battery manufacturing equipment, the residual amount of the separators and the instantaneously required supply amount may be minimized and kept constant even if the size of the electrode assembly varies. Accordingly, there is no need for a separate tension compensation device or length compensation device to control the tension of the separator, thereby simplifying equipment and improving cell alignment precision during high-velocity stacking.