Electrode assembly manufacture and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11211639-B2
Application number	US-201916533082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2019
Priority date	Aug 6, 2018
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of a method for the preparation of an electrode assembly, include removing a population of negative electrode subunits from a negative electrode sheet, the negative electrode sheet comprising a negative electrode sheet edge margin and at least one negative electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the negative electrode sheet edge margin, removing a population of separator layer subunits from a separator sheet, and removing a population of positive electrode subunits from a positive electrode sheet, the positive electrode sheet comprising a positive electrode edge margin and at least one positive electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the positive electrode sheet edge margin, and stacking members of the negative electrode subunit population, the separator layer subunit population and the positive electrode subunit population in a stacking direction to form a stacked population of unit cells.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for the preparation of an electrode assembly, the method comprising
removing a population of negative electrode subunits from a negative electrode sheet, the negative electrode sheet comprising a negative electrode sheet edge margin and at least one negative electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the negative electrode sheet edge margin, the at least one negative electrode sheet weakened region at least partially defining a boundary of the negative electrode subunit population within the negative electrode sheet, the negative electrode subunit of each member of the negative electrode subunit population having a negative electrode subunit centroid,
removing a population of separator layer subunits from a separator sheet, the separator sheet comprising a separator sheet edge margin and at least one separator sheet weakened region that is internal to the separator sheet edge margin, the at least one separator sheet weakened region at least partially defining a boundary of the separator layer subunit population, each member of the separator layer subunit population having opposing surfaces,
removing a population of positive electrode subunits from a positive electrode sheet, the positive electrode sheet comprising a positive electrode edge margin and at least one positive electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the positive electrode sheet edge margin, the at last one positive electrode sheet weakened region at least partially defining a boundary of the positive electrode subunit population within the positive electrode sheet, the positive electrode subunit of each member of the positive electrode subunit population having a positive electrode subunit centroid, and
stacking the removed members of the negative electrode subunit population, the separator layer subunit population and the positive electrode subunit population in a stacking direction to form a stacked population of unit cells, each unit cell in the stacked population comprising at least a unit cell portion of the negative electrode subunit, the separator layer of a stacked member of the separator layer subunit population, and a unit cell portion of the positive electrode subunit, wherein (i) the negative electrode subunit and positive electrode subunit face opposing surfaces of the separator layer comprised by such stacked unit cell population member, and (ii) the separator layer comprised by such stacked unit cell population member is adapted to electrically isolate the portion of the negative electrode subunit and the portion of the positive electrode subunit comprised by such stacked unit cell while permitting an exchange of carrier ions between the negative electrode subunit and the positive electrode subunit comprised by such stacked unit cell,
wherein the at least one negative electrode sheet weakened region, at least one positive electrode sheet weakened region, and/or at least one separator layer sheet weakened region is perforated and/or comprises a thinner cross-section as compared to other regions of the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet and/or separator layer sheet.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removed members of the negative electrode subunit population each comprise a multi-layer negative electrode subunit having a negative electrode active material layer on at least one side of a negative electrode current collector layer, and/or the removed members of the positive electrode subunit population each comprise a multi-layer positive electrode subunit comprising a positive electrode active material layer on at least one side of a positive electrode current collector layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode sheet comprises a continuous web having the negative electrode subunits formed therein, and/or wherein the positive electrode sheet comprises a continuous web having the positive electrode subunits formed therein, and/or wherein the separator sheet comprises a continuous web having the separator layer subunits formed therein.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode subunits, separator layer subunits, and/or positive electrode subunits are removed from their respective negative electrode sheet, separator sheet, and/or positive electrode sheet, by exerting a force on each respective subunit that is orthogonal to a plane of the sheet, to separate each respective subunit from their respective negative electrode sheet, separator sheet, and/or positive electrode sheet at the respective negative electrode sheet weakened region, separator sheet weakened region, and/or positive electrode sheet weakened region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode sheet, negative electrode sheet, and/or separator sheet are tensioned in one or more directions that are parallel to a plane of the sheet during removal of the population of positive electrode subunits, population of negative electrode subunits, and/or population of separator layer subunits therefrom.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising feeding a continuous web comprising the negative electrode sheet, a continuous web comprising the separator sheet, and/or a continuous web comprising the positive electrode sheet together such that the sheets are aligned in a merged fashion to form a merged web, and removing the negative electrode subunits, separator layer subunits, and positive electrode subunits therefrom to form the stacked population comprising the removed negative electrode subunits, removed separator layer subunits, and removed positive electrode subunits.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet comprise sheet alignment features, and wherein the method comprises aligning the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet with respect to one another using the sheet alignment features, to provide alignment of one or more of the negative electrode subunits, positive electrode subunits, and separator layer subunits in the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet with respect to one another, wherein the sheet alignment features comprise a plurality of apertures formed in a peripheral region of the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet outside an outer boundary defining the negative electrode subunits, positive electrode subunits, and separator layer subunits formed in each negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet, and wherein the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and separator layer sheet are merged and aligned prior to removal of the negative electrode subunits, positive electrode subunits, and separator layer subunits therein.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and/or separator layer sheet comprise a plurality of negative electrode subunits, positive electrode subunits, and/or separator layer subunits formed along a length direction of the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet, and/or separator layer sheet.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising removing the population of negative electrode subunits, population of positive electrode subunits and/or population of separator layer subunits from their respective negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet and/or separator layer sheets, following by advancing of the negative electrode sheet, positive electrode sheet and/or separator layer sheet in the feeding direction, and subsequently removing further negative electrode subunits, positive electrode subunits and/or separator layer subunits from the negative electrode sheet, positive

Assignees

• Enovix Corp

Inventors

• Busacca Robert S
• Lahiri Ashok
• Ramasubramanian Murali
• Valdes Bruno A
• Dales Gardner Cameron
• Rust Iii Harrold J
• Varni John F
• Lee Kim Han
• Shah Nirav S
• Contreras Richard J
• Dalton Jeremie J
• Doan Jonathan C
• Armstrong Michael J
• Calcaterra Anthony
• Cardozo Benjamin J
• Winans Joshua David
• Singh Neelam
• Buck Jeffrey Glenn
• Schuerlein Thomas John
• Fortunati Kim Lester
• Sarswat Neal

Classifications

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/0404

  Machines for assembling batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/0585 Primary

  of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title