Stepwise Electrode Assembly for Battery Corner Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing electrodes suffer from inefficiencies, resulting in undesirable edge protrusions and reduced productivity, which hinders the production of batteries with varied shapes and designs required for modern mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a planar sheet of material where notches are cut or punched along the edges to define the perimeter of electrodes, allowing for the separation of electrodes with asymmetric structures, enabling the creation of electrodes with varying curvatures and shapes to fit diverse battery designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional cutting methods are used to manufacture electrodes, then the manufacturing process is simple, but edge protrusions occur and productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing notches from the planar sheet before separating the electrodes. This pre-removal of material at the junction areas prevents edge protrusions during the separation process, ensuring that the electrodes achieve their intended perimeter configuration without defects. The notches are strategically positioned at locations between adjacent electrodes to facilitate clean separation and eliminate harmful edge protrusions.
2Manufacturing precision
If notches are removed from the planar sheet, then electrodes with intended perimeter configuration are achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the planar sheet into multiple electrodes through the removal of notches at junction areas. This segmentation approach allows each electrode to be defined with precise perimeter configurations by removing material at strategic locations between adjacent electrodes. The notches create clear separation zones that enable clean division of the planar sheet into individually configured electrodes.
3Loss of substance
If multiple electrodes are produced from a single sheet, then material utilization is improved, but defect rate increases due to cutting inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by extracting and removing notches from the planar sheet at locations between adjacent electrodes. This extraction of material at junction areas eliminates the source of edge protrusions and defects that would otherwise occur during electrode separation. By removing these problematic notches beforehand, the process ensures high material utilization while maintaining low defect rates, as electrodes are separated along clean lines without carrying extraneous material.
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 productivity by reducing defect rates, simplifying the manufacturing process, and allowing for the creation of batteries with complex shapes, thereby improving battery capacity and space utilization in mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
the step of removing notches of the planar sheet includes cutting the notches with a laser
Implementation Method 2
punching the notches with a machine
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided an electrode assembly having steps including: a first electrode stair including at least one first electrode unit; and a second electrode stair including at least one second electrode unit having an area different from that of the first electrode unit, wherein the first electrode stair and the second electrode stair are stacked to be adjacent, separated by at least one separator as a boundary therebetween and including one or more electrode laminates having steps formed by a difference between areas of the first electrode stair and the second electrode stair, and shapes of the corners of the first electrode stair and the second electrode stair having steps are different. There is also provided a secondary battery including the electrode assembly. Secondary batteries having various designs without restriction in shapes of corners of electrode units can be provided.