Apparatus and method for handling sheet electrodes
AssigneeG.D S.p.A.
InventorsSalvatore MONTEMURRO, Stefano VILLA, Massimo FORTINI, Luca LANZARINI
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus for handling a sheet electrode, which is to say, to a method for handling an electrode, depending on its sequential feeding for downstream processing, typically the manufacture of an electrochemical cell or of a semi-finished electrochemical cell product.
Claims20
An apparatus for handling a sheet electrode, comprising:
- an electrode gripping station, fed in sequence with electrodes;
- an electrode releasing station comprising a conveyor belt comprising an electrode releasing plane movable according to a direction of transport of the electrodes;
- and
- gripping means are arranged between said gripping station and said releasing station, and are configured to individually pick up an electrode from said gripping station and release the electrode onto said releasing plane of said releasing station;
- wherein
- said gripping means comprise:
- a support that rotates about a first axis of rotation parallel to said releasing plane and orthogonal to said direction of transport, controlled by drive means for driving the rotation about said first axis of rotation, whereby the gripping and releasing occur in two successive steps of the rotation of said support that rotates about said first axis of rotation;
- a plurality of gripping roller elements distributed in an orderly fashion on the periphery of said rotatable support, wherein said roller elements are rotatable about own second axes of rotation (X2), parallel to said first axis of rotation (X1) and integral with respective attachments (23) movable with respect to said rotatable support;
- wherein said roller elements comprise a cylindrical surface sector provided with reversible means for retaining the electrode and are controlled by drive means for driving the rotation about the respective second axes of rotation;
- whereby
- said gripping roller elements are configured to grip each electrode by means of a rolling motion of said cylindrical surface sector on a plane of said electrode at said gripping station;
- and to release said electrode on said releasing plane by tangential detachment from said cylindrical surface sector.
A method of handling a sheet electrode for the manufacture of an electrochemical cell or a semi-finished electrochemical cell product, wherein the method provides for individually picking up an electrode from a gripping station and releasing the electrode on a releasing plane of the electrode movable according to a direction of transport of the electrodes, by means of gripping means comprising:
- a) a support rotatable about a first axis of rotation parallel to said releasing plane and orthogonal to said direction of transport, brought into rotation about said first axis of rotation, wherein the gripping and releasing take place in two successive steps of the rotation of said rotatable support about said first axis of rotation, and
- b) a plurality of gripping roller elements distributed in an orderly fashion on the periphery of said rotatable support, wherein said roller elements are rotatable about own second axes of rotation, parallel to said first axis of rotation and integral to respective attachments movable with respect to said rotatable support;
- wherein said roller elements comprise a cylindrical surface sector exercising a reversible retention of the electrode,
- wherein said gripping roller elements pick up said electrode by means of a rolling motion of said cylindrical surface sector on a plane of said electrode in said gripping station and wherein they release it on said releasing plane by tangential detachment from said cylindrical surface sector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.