Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Paul John Bojanowski

Hannah Bever

Andrew William Sherman

Chunliang Hsiao

Jason Savage

Christopher Webber

Carly Chmura

Stefano Lombardo

Brian Utley

Andreas Evangelos Perakes

Mark E Briscoe

Paul Andrew Pierzecki

Tony Hayden

Dennis W Doebler

Matthew Wayne Byrn

Thomas Frasier

Thomas Gerard Neumann

Russell Lee Weatherspoon

Michael Orr

Eric Thomas Miller

Kelly Waller

David Powers

Scott Klozik

Greg Gasiewski

A method for stacking a battery cell includes feeding a separator sheet through a guide assembly to fold the separator sheet, inserting a plurality of first electrodes into the separator sheet at a location where the separator sheet has been folded by the guide assembly, forming respective channels in the folded separator sheet including the plurality of first electrodes, inserting a plurality of second electrodes in the respective channels to form a multilayered body, and pressing the multilayered body to form the stacked battery cell where the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are stacked in an alternating arrangement.

Method and apparatus for stacking battery cells

An apparatus for cutting electrode sheets includes a conveyor and a laser device. The conveyor is configured to move an original sheet including an electrode portion and an ear portion extending from an edge of the electrode portion. The laser device is configured to move a laser to cut out a tab connected to the electrode portion from the ear portion of the original sheet. The laser device is also configured to move the laser from one edge of the electrode portion to another edge of the electrode portion to cut and separate a respective electrode sheet including the tab from the original sheet. The laser is configured to cut out the tab from the ear portion and cut and separate the respective electrode sheet including the tab from the original sheet as the conveyor is moving the original sheet.

Laser notching apparatus for cutting of electrode sheets

A system including an adapter plate, a conveyor, a separator drum, and first and second electrode drums. The conveyor is configured to move the adapter plate continuously and sequentially in a predetermined path between the separator drum to receive a respective separator sheet, the first electrode drum to receive a respective first electrode sheet, the separator drum to receive a respective separator sheet, and the second electrode drum to receive a respective second electrode sheet until a stacked battery cell includes a desired number of respective separator sheets, respective first electrode sheets, and respective second electrode sheets.

Method and system for stacking battery cells

A gear forming tool includes an outer sleeve having an outer sleeve aperture and an inner sleeve having an inner sleeve aperture in fluid communication with the outer sleeve aperture, a tool holder disposed within the outer sleeve, and a 3D printed gear cutting tool with a plurality of tool cutting edges and a plurality of capillaries attached to the tool holder. The tool holder has a plurality of fluid channels configured to be in fluid communication with the inner sleeve aperture and the plurality of capillaries of the 3D printed gear cutting tool such that cutting fluid flows through the outer sleeve, the inner sleeve, the plurality of fluid channels of the tool holder, and the plurality of capillaries to the plurality of tool cutting edges.

3D printed gear cutting tools with capillaries for minimum quantity lubrication, gas or liquid

A battery module locating tool includes a support pillar and a plurality of fixtures supported on the support pillar. Each fixture is individually translatable along the support pillar and arranged to locate a battery cell according to a longitudinal datum and a lateral datum. The support pillar is movable toward and away from a battery frame onto which the battery cell is located.

Modular stacking tool and method for a battery

A method of manufacturing a hypoid gear includes face hobbing a gear blank and forming a green hypoid gear with gear teeth, heat treating the green hypoid gear to form a heat treated hypoid gear with heat treated gear teeth, and hard hobbing the heat treated gear teeth to form a hard finished hypoid gear. Critical non-tooth features on the heat treated hypoid gear are hard finished. Also, the critical non-tooth features on the heat treated hypoid gear can be hard finished prior to hard hobbing the heat treated gear teeth. The heat treating includes at least one of carburizing and induction hardening the green hypoid gear, a surface of the heat treated gear teeth has a hardness greater than or equal to 58 HRC, and the hard hobbing removes heat distortion from the heat treated gear teeth.

Methods of manufacturing hypoid gears

A method for manufacturing a case-hardened ring gear/differential case assembly includes attaching a ring gear to a differential case. The case-hardened ring gear and the differential case are fabricated of materials each having differing properties of at least carbon content and melting temperature. The attaching includes placing a flange of the case-hardened ring gear in intimate contact with a flange of the differential case whereby a predetermined gap is defined between a remainder of the ring gear and a remainder of the differential case. The ring gear flange is attached to the differential case flange by a friction welding process. The predetermined gap defines an outflow channel that receives a carburized portion of the case-hardened ring gear as overflow material created by an upset forging step of the friction welding process. Differential assemblies and vehicles including such are described.

Precisely aligned, friction welded spiral bevel or hypoid ring gear and differential case assembly

A method for joining a carburized steel workpiece to a cast iron workpiece is provided that includes tempering a localized area of the carburized steel workpiece, machining the localized area to reduce carbon content, and welding the carburized steel workpiece to the cast iron workpiece at the localized area. The tempering may be performed by induction heating and results in a hardness profile of the localized area of less than 50 HRC.

Localized tempering of carburized steel

The present disclosure is directed toward a system that includes a first optical sensor, a second optical sensor, and a gear feature controller. The first optical sensor measures a plurality of first distances measured from a first reference point to a surface provided between a pair of adjacent teeth among a plurality of teeth circumferentially distributed about a first side of a gear. The second optical sensor measures a plurality of second distances measured from a second reference point to a surface along a second side of the gear opposite the first side. The gear feature controller configured to determine a stock removal amount of the gear based on the first distances and the second distances.

System and method for controlling gear mounting distance using optical sensors

A head assembly of a honing tool includes a carrier having a proximal end connectable to a spindle, a distal end, and a plurality of stones. The head assembly also includes a pilot cap connected to the distal end, and defining an end face and a sidewall. A transition surface defined by the pilot cap extends between the end face and the sidewall. The transition surface extends at a first angle forming a first angled relief and then at a second angle forming a second angled relief.

Honing tool

A ring gear or pinion common outside chamfer tool and a common inside chamfer tool are disclosed. The common chamfer tools comprise a shank, a tip end and a chamfering edge. The shank is attachable to a gear cutter and has a tip end formed on the distal end thereof. The chamfering edge is positioned within the tip end and is configured to form a tooth top-land radius of multiple gear ratios. A method of designing a ring gear or pinion common outside chamfer tool and common inside chamfer tool for multiple gear ratios is also described.

Face hob hypoid gear tooth top-land radius by common chamfer tool

A method includes selecting a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio. A first hypoid gear set defines the first gear ratio and a second hypoid gear set defines the second gear ratio. The first hypoid gear set includes a first ring gear that is formed with at least one first inside blade and at least one first outside blade coupled to a first gear cutter. The second gear set includes a second ring gear that is formed with at least one second inside blade and at least one second outside blade coupled to a second gear cutter. The method also includes identifying parameters of the first inside blade and the second inside blade, commonizing at least a portion of the respective identified parameters and forming at least one of a common inside blade and a common outside blade for forming a first modified ring gear and a second modified ring gear.

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Macomb Township, MI, United States of America

Paul John Bojanowski