General Electric Company

James A Madden

Kenneth C LeDuc

Apparatus for the automatic assembly and closure of rechargeable cells packaged in a cylindrical casing, wherein the cell casing, containing a coiled electrode assembly, is advanced by a horizontal rotary index table through a series of operational locations. A connector tab electrically connected to and extending from the top of the electrode coil is automatically oriented at one of the locations and is thereafter welded to a cover assembly at another location to which the cover assembly is advanced by a cover placement including a vertical rotary indexing wheel moving synchronously, or in timed sequence, with the horizontal index table. The vertical rotary index wheel includes forwardly extending spindles spaced about the periphery, each spindle releasably and rotatably carrying a cover assembly. The wheel moves the cover assemblies through a sealant applicator station prior to advancing them for placement at the welding location. After welding, the cover assembly is automatically folded down into the open end of the casing; the casing's top edge is then folded over the cover, and the cell is sized to complete the manufacturing operation.

Apparatus for the automatic closure of electrochemical cells

An apparatus is disclosed for providing a circumferential groove in a thin-walled cylindrical metal object such as the can or container (A) for a battery cell. As each object moves along a path (51, 90) defined between guide rails (42, 44, 46, 48, 88) and star wheels (56, 58, 78), it is supported on a spring-biased plunger (102-112) positioned in a rotatable support table (96-100). In the preferred embodiment, a groove-forming mandrel (132-138) is gradually inserted into the object as it moves along the path so that a radially extending shoulder (134) of the mandrel engages the lip of the open end of the object before the object is contacted by a groove-forming wheel (158, 160) which is rotated adjacent the path. A tapered surface (138) on the grooving mandrel and a radially extending flange (160) on the grooving wheel cooperate to form a circumferentially extending groove in the wall of the object while the object rotates. Following formation of the groove, the mandrel is withdrawn from the object. A corresponding method of forming such a circumferential groove also is disclosed.

Method and apparatus for circumferentially grooving thin-walled

An apparatus for inserting and seating an insulator disc in an electrochemical cell container, the apparatus including a carousel having a plurality of receptacles, an actuator station, an index for moving a receptacle with a container therein to the actuator station, a plunger assembly in the actuator station for receiving, holding and releasing an insulator disc feed thereto and for aligning such disc with the open end of the container at the actuator station, shuttle means for feeding an insulator disc to the plunger assembly and means for feeding the discs to the shuttle including means for rejecting discs which are upside down.

Apparatus for inserting insulating disc in cell container

A circuit utilized in a cell capacity grading machine for discharging a cell to a predetermined cell voltage which approximates the total discharge of the capacity of the cell. An indicator is provided for automatically indicating the termination of discharge of the cell and for initiating a cell ejection. Cells are capacity graded by ejection from a movable transport at spaced locations, each location corresponding to cells having a predetermined capacity range.

Growing community of inventors

Gainesville, FL, United States of America

James A Madden