1. A system for controlling a strain of a web material traveling along a path, the web material having a length between a first position along the path and a second position along the path, wherein the web material moves from the first position toward the second position, the system comprising
an input device for indicating a target strain range;
a loading device positioned along the path downstream of the first position and engaging the web material for applying a first tension force to the web;
a feed device positioned along the path upstream of the loading device and engaging the web material for applying a second tension to the web by adjusting the speed of the web at the first position relative to the speed of the web at the second position in response to a speed control signal;
a first force sensor sensing the first tension force applied to the web material along the path downstream of the first position and a second force sensor sensing the second tension force applied to the web material along the path upstream of the first position;
a first speed sensor sensing a first speed of the web material at the first position along the path and a second speed sensor sensing a second speed of the web material at the second position along the path; and
a control system for providing the speed control signal to the feed device as a function of the target strain range as indicated by the input device, the first tension force sensed by the first force sensor, the second tension force sensed by the second tension sensor, the first speed sensed by the first speed sensor and the second speed sensed by second speed sensor.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the speed control signal provided by the control system maintains the strain of the web material within the target strain range as indicated by the input device.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device generates a reference signal representative of a particular target strain for said web material, and wherein the control system generates the speed control signal as a function of the reference signal.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the feed device is positioned along the path at or substantially near the first position, and wherein a draw device is positioned along the path at or substantially near the second position, wherein the feed device controls the first speed of the web at the first position along the path, and wherein the draw device controls the second speed of the web at the second position along the path.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the feed device includes a feed roller that engages the web and rotates to impart the first speed of the web at the first position, and wherein the draw device is a draw roller that engages the web and rotates to impart the second speed of the web at the second position
6. The system of claim 5, wherein a rotational speed of the feed roller determines the first speed of the web at the first position, and wherein a rotational speed of the draw roller determines the second speed of the web at the second position.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the speed control signal is applied to the feed device to adjust the rotational speed of the feed roller relative to the rotational speed of the of the draw roller to apply the second tension force to the web material.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the material has a first strain downstream of the first position and a second strain upstream of the first position, and wherein the control system provides the speed control signal to the feed roller to maintain the second strain of the web material within the target strain range as indicated by the input device.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system determines the first strain, 1, and determines the second strain, 2, of the web material according to the following equations:
1(V2V1)V1T1(T2T1); 2(V2V1)V1T2(T2T1);
where V1 is the speed of the web material sensed at the first position along the path, V2 is the speed of the web material sensed at the second position along the path, T1 is the tension force applied to the web sensed downstream of the first position, and T2 is the tension force applied to the web sensed upstream of the first position, and wherein the control system generates the speed control signal as a function of the determined first strain and determined second strain.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the control system calculates a target speed for the web material at the first position along the path, calculates the first strain of the web material downstream of the first position along the pat, and wherein the control system is further responsive to the calculated target speed, the calculated first strain, and the sensed speed of the web material at the second position along the path, for providing the speed control signal.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system provides the speed control signal by employing an algorithm that executes the equation:
VTV2(t11);
where VT is the calculated target speed, V2 is the speed of the web material sensed at the second position along the path, T is the target strain as indicated by the input device, and 1 is the calculated first strain.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system provides the speed control signal to the feed device to increase the second tension force applied to the web material when the calculated second strain of the web material is less than the target strain range, and to decrease the second tension force applied to the web material when the calculated strain of the web material is greater than the target strain range.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the input device generates a reference signal representative of the target strain input by an operator via the input device, and wherein the control system is responsive to the reference signal and the calculated strain for providing the speed control signal to the feed device to maintain the strain of the web material within the target strain range as indicated by the input device.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the feed roller is mechanically linked to a motor for rotating the feed roller, wherein the motor is responsive to the speed control signal for adjusting the rotational speed of the feed roller and the tension force applied to the web material.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is a programmable logic controller (PLC) linked to and receiving inputs from the first speed sensor, the second speed sensor, the first tension sensor and the second tension sensor, wherein the PLC generates an output signal as a function of the received inputs, and wherein the feed roller is linked to the PLC for receiving an output.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is a user station linked with an absorbent garment manufacturing machine receiving the web material and producing absorbent garments therefrom.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the user station stores the target strain range, and wherein the control system provides the speed control signal to the feed device as a function of the target strain range as stored on the user station, the first tension force sensed by the first force sensor, the second tension force sensed by the second tension sensor, the first speed sensed by the first speed sensor and the second speed sensed by second speed sensor.
18. A method for controlling a tension force applied to a web material traveling along a path comprising:
defining a target strain range for the web material;
calculating a strain of the web material;
adjusting the tension force applied to the web material as a function of the calculated strain, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the tension force applied to the web material when the calculated strain of the web material is less than the target strain range, and wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the tension force applied to the web material when the calculated strain of the web material is greater than the target strain range.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising producing absorbent garments from the web material.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the target strain range includes a specific strain, and wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the tension force applied to the web material when the calculated strain is less than the specific strain, and wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the tension force applied to the web material when the calculated strain is greater than the specific strain.
21. The method of claim 18 further comprising sensing a first speed of the web material at a first position along the path, sensing a second speed of the web material at a second position along the path, sensing a first tension of the web material downstream of the first position along the path, and sensing a second tension of the web material upstream of the first position along the path, and wherein the calculating comprises calculating the strain as a function of the sensed first speed, the sensed second speed, sensed first tension and sensed second tension.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the calculating the strain comprises calculating a first strain of the web material downstream of the first position along the path, and calculating a second strain of the web material upstream of the web along the path the force applied to the web material, and wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the tension force applied to the web material as a function of the calculated first strain and the sensed second speed.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of manufacturing an electrode for a secondary battery comprising an electrode mixture comprising an electrode active material, binder and conductive material coated on an aluminum current collector, the method comprising surface-treating the current collector to form aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer of 40 nm or less on the current collector wherein adhesion between the electrode mixture and the current collector is enhanced.
2. The method according to claim 1 comprising treating a surface of the current collector to form an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer of 10 to 40 nm on the current collector.
3. The method according to claim 2 comprising treating a surface of the current collector to form an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer of 20 to 30 nm on the current collector.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the current collector is performed by thermal treatment or electrical treatment.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the thermal treatment is performed at 100 to 500\xb0 C. under an oxygen atmosphere of 1 to 150 mTorr.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the thermal treatment is performed at 200 to 450\xb0 C. under an oxygen atmosphere of 30 to 100 mTorr.
7. The method according to claim 4, wherein electrical treatment is performed at an applied voltage of 30 to 300 V under a current density of 1 to 200 mAcm2.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an electrode is a cathode or anode, or a cathode and anode.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cathode comprises, as a cathode active material, a spinel-structure lithium metal oxide represented by Formula 1 below:
LixMyMn2-yO4-zAz\u2003\u2003(1)
wherein 0.9\u2266x\u22661.2, 0<y<2, and 0\u2266z<0.2,
M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, B, Ca, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sr, Sb, W, Ti , and Bi; and
A is at least one monovalent or divalent anion.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the lithium metal oxide is represented by Formula 2 below:
LixNiyMn2-yO4\u2003\u2003(2)
wherein 0.9\u2266x\u22661.2, and 0.4\u2266y\u22660.5.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the lithium metal oxide is LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 or LiNi0.4Mn1.6O4.
12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the anode comprises, as an anode active material, a lithium metal oxide represented by Formula 3 below:
LiaM\u2032bO4\u2212cAc\u2003\u2003(3)
wherein M\u2032 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Sn, Cu, Pb, Sb, Zn, Fe, In, Al, and Zr;
0.1\u2266a\u22664 and 0.2\u2266b\u22664 in which a and b is determined according to oxidation number of M\u2032;
0\u2266c<0.2 in which c is determined according to oxidation number of A; and
A is at least one monovalent or divalent anion .
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the lithium metal oxide is represented by Formula 4 below:
LiaTibO4\u2003\u2003(4)
wherein 0.5\u2266a\u22663 and 1\u2266b\u22662.5.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the lithium metal oxide is Li1.33Ti1.67O4 or LiTi2O4.
15. An electrode for a secondary battery comprising an electrode mixture comprising an electrode active material, binder and conductive material coated on an aluminum current collector wherein an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer of 40 nm or less is formed on the current collector.
16. The electrode according to claim 15, wherein the electrode active material is a cathode active material or anode active material, or a cathode active material and anode active material wherein the cathode active material comprises a spinel-structure lithium metal oxide represented by Formula 1 below spinel and the anode active material comprises an oxide represented by Formula 3 below:
LixMyMn2-yO4-zAz\u2003\u2003(1)
LiaM\u2032bO4\u2212cAc\u2003\u2003(3)
wherein 0.9\u2266x\u22661.2, 0<y<2 and 0\u2266z<0.2;
M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, B, Ca, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sr, Sb, W, Ti and Bi;
A is at least one monovalent or divalent anion;
M\u2032 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Sn, Cu, Pb, Sb, Zn, Fe, In, Al and Zr;
0.1\u2266a\u22664 and 0.2\u2266b\u22664 in which a and b are determined according to oxidation number of M\u2032;
0\u2266c<0.2 in which c is determined according to oxidation number of A; and
A is at least one monovalent or divalent anion.
17. A secondary battery comprising the electrode according to claim 15.
18. The secondary battery according to claim 17, wherein the secondary battery is a lithium secondary battery.
19. A battery module comprising the secondary battery according to claim 18 as a unit battery.
20. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 19.
21. A device comprising the battery pack according to claim 20.
22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a system for storing power.