Battery cell transfer mechanism and battery cell pressing device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery cell transfer mechanism and a battery cell pressing device, wherein a plurality of clamping members can retract into each other and respectively clamp the edges of the battery cell to be pressed, thereby clamping the battery cell to be pressed onto a battery cell clamping assembly. The vertical plate slides along a first direction so that the clamping member clamping the battery cell to be pressed is close to the surface of the anvil of the hot press. After the clamping member is in place, the supporting member is actuated, and the battery cell to be pressed is pressed against the surface of the anvil of the hot press under the action of the supporting force. The plurality of clamping members are driven to expand outward to withdraw the clamping member from between the battery cell and the hot press, while the battery cell to be pressed remains in position under the action of the supporting member and is finally supported as a whole on the surface of the anvil of the hot press. It can be seen that in order to achieve battery cell transfer, there is no need to provide an avoidance groove on the surface of the anvil of the hot press. Moreover, under the action of the supporting member, the position of the battery cell to be pressed remains stable during the process of transferring it to the hot press. Therefore, the above-mentioned battery cell transfer mechanism can achieve reliable battery cell transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery processing, and in particular to a battery cell transport mechanism and a battery cell pressing device. Background Art

[0002] During lithium battery processing, the stacked electrodes and separators typically undergo hot pressing to prevent the cells from loosening. To facilitate the transfer of the cells to the hot press, the pressing plate features numerous escape slots. Typically, the cells are first held by a carrier and moved to the top of the press. The carrier then descends into the escape slots and withdraws, allowing the cells to remain on the pressing plate.

[0003] Battery cells vary in thickness depending on the model. For thinner cells, the presence of the relief groove creates a risk of the cell sinking on the hot press's cutting board. Consequently, the cell's position cannot be guaranteed to remain stable after transfer to the hot press, making reliable transfer impossible. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a battery cell transport mechanism and a battery cell pressing device that can achieve reliable transfer of battery cells.

[0005] A battery cell transport mechanism, comprising:

[0006] Support;

[0007] a vertical plate mounted on the support, wherein the vertical plate is slidable relative to the support along a first direction; and

[0008] A battery cell assembly is provided on the vertical plate, and the battery cell assembly includes:

[0009] A plurality of clamping members, each capable of clamping a plurality of edges of the battery cell to be pressed, and the plurality of clamping members can expand outward or retract inward relative to each other to clamp or release the battery cell to be pressed;

[0010] A holding member is provided between the plurality of clamping members, and is used for providing a holding force along the first direction to the battery cell to be pressed together and clamped between the plurality of clamping members.

[0011] In one embodiment, a base plate is further included, and the support is mounted on the base plate and is slidable relative to the base plate along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, there are multiple battery cell assemblies, and the multiple battery cell assemblies are spaced apart and arranged on the vertical plate.

[0013] In one embodiment, each of the clamping members includes a connecting plate, a clamping drive member and a clamping block. The end of the connecting plate is bent to form a bent plate. The clamping drive member is arranged on the connecting plate. The clamping block is arranged at the driving end of the clamping drive member and forms a clamping groove between the clamping drive member and the bent plate to clamp the edge of the battery cell to be pressed. The clamping drive member can drive the clamping block to move along the first direction.

[0014] In one embodiment, it further includes a clamping drive assembly provided on the vertical plate and transmission-connected to the connecting plate, wherein the clamping drive assembly can drive the multiple clamping members to slide along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction, so that the multiple clamping members expand outward or retract inward relative to each other.

[0015] In one embodiment, the number of the clamping members in each of the battery cell clamping assemblies is two, namely a first clamping member A and a second clamping member B spaced apart from the first clamping member A in the third direction.

[0016] In one embodiment, there are two clamping drive assemblies, each of which includes a transverse drive member and a transverse sliding plate slidably provided on the vertical plate, the transverse drive member can drive the transverse sliding plate to slide along the third direction, and the two transverse sliding plates are spaced apart in the first direction. There are multiple clamping cell assemblies, and the connecting plates of multiple first clamping members A are all fixed on one of the transverse sliding plates, and the connecting plates of multiple second clamping members B are all fixed on the other transverse sliding plate.

[0017] In one embodiment, the resisting member includes a resisting driving member and a resisting block provided at a driving end of the resisting driving member, and the resisting driving member can drive the resisting block to move along the first direction.

[0018] A battery cell pressing device is provided with a loading station, a hot pressing station and an unloading station in sequence, and the battery cell pressing device comprises:

[0019] Transfer mechanism;

[0020] an incoming material handling mechanism provided at the loading station;

[0021] A hot press machine provided at the hot pressing station; and

[0022] The battery cell transport mechanism according to any one of the above preferred embodiments, wherein the battery cell transport mechanism is provided on the transfer mechanism and moves back and forth between the loading station and the hot pressing station under the drive of the transfer mechanism;

[0023] The cell clamping assembly opposite to the material handling mechanism can clamp the cell to be pressed that is located on the material handling mechanism.

[0024] In one embodiment, it further includes a material unloading and transfer mechanism which is arranged on the transfer mechanism and moves back and forth between the material unloading station and the hot pressing station under the drive of the transfer mechanism, and the material unloading and transfer mechanism can absorb the battery cells located in the hot press.

[0025] In the above-mentioned battery cell transfer mechanism and battery cell pressing device, multiple clamping members can retract into each other and respectively clamp the edges of the battery cell to be pressed, thereby clamping the battery cell to be pressed onto the battery cell clamping assembly. The vertical plate slides along a first direction to bring the clamping member holding the battery cell to be pressed into proximity with the surface of the hot press anvil. Once the clamping member is in place, the supporting member actuates, and the battery cell to be pressed is pressed against the surface of the hot press anvil under the action of the supporting force. The multiple clamping members are driven outward to withdraw the clamping member from between the battery cell and the hot press, while the battery cell to be pressed remains in position under the action of the supporting member and is ultimately supported as a whole on the surface of the hot press anvil. It can be seen that in order to achieve battery cell transfer, there is no need to provide an avoidance groove on the surface of the hot press anvil. Moreover, under the action of the supporting member, the position of the battery cell to be pressed remains stable during the transfer to the hot press. Therefore, the above-mentioned battery cell transfer mechanism can achieve reliable battery cell transfer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a battery cell pressing device in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the battery cell transport mechanism in the battery cell pressing device shown;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A front view of the cell transport mechanism shown;

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A side view of the cell transport mechanism shown;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A front view of the battery cell assembly clamped in the battery cell transport mechanism shown;

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A top view of the cell-cell assembly is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more readily apparent, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth numerous specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0035] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0036] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," "connect," "fixed," etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection, electrical connection; direct connection, or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two components, or interaction between two components, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0037] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, when a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediary. Furthermore, when a first feature is "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0038] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation methods.

[0039] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides a battery cell pressing device 10 and a battery cell transport mechanism 100. The battery cell pressing device 10 includes a battery cell transport mechanism 100, a transfer mechanism 200, a material handling mechanism 300, a hot press 400, and a material transfer mechanism 500.

[0040] The battery cell pressing device 10 is sequentially equipped with a loading station, a hot pressing station, and an unloading station. These stations sequentially complete the loading, pressing, and unloading of the battery cells to be pressed. The incoming material handling mechanism 300 is located at the loading station and is used to transfer the battery cells that have completed the previous process to the loading station. The incoming material handling mechanism 300 is driven by a motor-screw pair, and the battery cells are gripped by a gripper cylinder. Furthermore, the position of the incoming material handling mechanism 300 is generally fixed.

[0041] The cell transfer mechanism 100 is used to grip and release cells to be pressed together and is located on the transfer mechanism 200. Driven by the transfer mechanism 200, the cell transfer mechanism 100 can reciprocate between the loading station and the hot pressing station. Therefore, the cell transfer mechanism 100 can grip cells to be pressed together at the loading station and release them at the hot pressing station, transferring the cells to the anvil of the hot press 400.

[0042] The transfer mechanism 200 generally includes a metal transfer support frame and a driving component. The metal transfer support frame is provided with a linear rail. The battery cell transfer mechanism 100 can be installed by cooperating with a slider and the linear rail, and the position can be transferred under the drive of the driving component. Figure 1The loading station, hot pressing station and unloading station are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, so the linear rails on the transfer mechanism 200 extend in the horizontal direction.

[0043] The unloading and transferring mechanism 500 is provided on the transfer mechanism 200, and can be moved back and forth between the unloading station and the hot pressing station under the drive of the transfer mechanism 200, so as to take out the battery cells pressed by the hot press 400. The unloading and transferring mechanism 500 can also be installed on the transfer mechanism 200 in a manner that the slider cooperates with the linear rail, and is driven by a driving member. Moreover, the unloading and transferring mechanism 500 and the battery cell transfer mechanism 100 can share the linear rail, or use different linear rails respectively. The unloading and transferring mechanism 500 can take out the battery cells in time, thereby improving efficiency. Obviously, in other embodiments, other methods can also be used, such as manual, robotic, etc., to take out the pressed battery cells.

[0044] Specifically in this embodiment, the material unloading and transferring mechanism 500 includes a material unloading base 510 and a suction member 520. The suction member 520 is disposed on the material unloading base 510 and is slidable relative to the material unloading base 510 along a first direction.

[0045] The adsorbent 520 can be a vacuum adsorbent, which can form a negative pressure on its adsorption surface by vacuuming, thereby sucking up the battery cell. The adsorbent 520 slides along the first direction and can move closer to or away from the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400. When the battery cell is to be sucked, the adsorbent 520 can be driven close to the hot press 400 so that the battery cell can be sucked smoothly. When the unloading and transporting mechanism 500 moves, the adsorbent 520 can be driven away from the hot press 400 to prevent the hot press 400 from affecting the lateral movement of the unloading and transporting mechanism 500. Figure 1 The direction perpendicular to the drawing paper is the first direction.

[0046] Please also refer to Figures 2 to 4 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the battery cell transport mechanism 100 includes a support 110 , a vertical plate 120 and a battery cell clamping assembly 130 .

[0047] Support 110, typically made of sheet metal, serves as a support. Riser 120 is mounted on support 110 and is slidable relative to support 110 in a first direction. Specifically, support 110 may be provided with a drive element (not shown), such as a cylinder or linear motor. Riser 120 can be slidably mounted on support 110 via a linear rail and driven by the drive element.

[0048] The battery cell clamping assembly 130 is provided on the vertical plate 120 and can clamp and release the battery cells. Specifically, the battery cell clamping assembly 130 opposite to the incoming material handling mechanism 300 can clamp the battery cells to be pressed located on the incoming material handling mechanism 300. The vertical plate 120 slides along the first direction, which can drive the battery cell clamping assembly 130 to move along the first direction as a whole, thereby making the battery cell clamping assembly 130 close to or away from the hot press 400. Similarly, the vertical plate 120 slides along the first direction to facilitate the battery cell clamping assembly 130 to smoothly place the clamped battery cells to be pressed on the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400. At the same time, it will not affect the lateral movement of the battery cell transport mechanism 100 driven by the transfer mechanism 200.

[0049] Specifically, in this embodiment, multiple cell clamping assemblies 130 are provided, and the multiple cell clamping assemblies 130 are spaced apart on the vertical plate 120. The vertical plate 120 can be long and narrow, facilitating the distribution of the multiple cell clamping assemblies 130. Each cell clamping assembly 130 can clamp a single cell, so the cell transfer mechanism 100 can clamp multiple cells to be pressed at once and simultaneously transfer the multiple cells to be pressed to the hot press 400 for pressing, thereby significantly improving production efficiency.

[0050] Correspondingly, the unloading and transfer mechanism 500 in this embodiment includes multiple suction members 520. The number of suction members 520 is generally equal to or greater than the number of battery cell assemblies 130, and the arrangement of the multiple suction members 520 is consistent with the arrangement of the multiple battery cell assemblies 130. Therefore, after the multiple battery cells transferred from the multiple battery cell assemblies 130 to the hot press 400 are pressed and bonded, the unloading and transfer mechanism 500 can remove the multiple battery cells at once, further improving production efficiency.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the six battery cell clamping assemblies 130 are arranged at intervals along the transfer direction of the transfer mechanism 200, that is, the horizontal direction, and the long vertical plate 120 also extends in the horizontal direction. Driven by the transfer mechanism 200, the six battery cell clamping assemblies 130 can be moved in turn to dock with the incoming material handling mechanism 300, thereby clamping the six battery cells to be pressed on the incoming material handling mechanism 300 in turn and transferring them to the hot press 400. The six adsorption members 520 are also arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. After the battery cell pressing is completed, the unloading transfer mechanism 500 is driven by the transfer mechanism 200 to move to the hot pressing station, and the six pressed battery cells can be adsorbed by the six adsorption members 520 respectively.

[0052] Specifically in this embodiment, the battery cell transport mechanism 100 further includes a bottom plate 140 , and the support 110 is mounted on the bottom plate 140 and is slidable relative to the bottom plate 140 along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0053] The bottom plate 140 can be a metal plate and is provided on the transfer mechanism 200. The support 110 slides along the second direction, which can drive the vertical plate 120 and the battery cell assembly 130 to move relative to the hot press 400 as a whole, thereby adjusting the relative position of the battery cell assembly 130 and the hot press 400. After the battery cell assembly 130 is driven by the transfer mechanism 200 to arrive at the hot pressing station, the support 110 can adjust the relative position of the battery cell assembly 130 and the hot press 400 along the second direction, so that the battery cell assembly 130 is moved within the range of the anvil of the hot press 400 (i.e., above the anvil), thereby allowing the battery cells to be smoothly transferred to the hot press 400. Figure 1 The vertical direction shown is the second direction.

[0054] It should be noted that in other embodiments, the support 110 can also be fixed in the second direction, and the position of the support 110 is pre-calibrated so that when the battery cell assembly 130 is moved to the hot pressing station, it is just within the range of the hot press 400.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the battery cell transport mechanism 100 also includes a longitudinal drive assembly 150, which includes a longitudinal drive member 151 and two guide rail blocks 152. The two guide rail blocks 152 connect the base plate 140 and the support 110, allowing the support 110 to slide relative to the base plate. The longitudinal drive member 151 is located between the two guide rail blocks 152 and is disposed on the base plate 140. The driving end of the longitudinal drive member 151 is connected to the support 110, thereby driving the support 110 to slide.

[0056] The longitudinal drive member 151 can be a linear motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or a motor-screw pair. The guide rail slider 152 includes a slide rail and a corresponding slider, and the slide rail extends along the second direction. Furthermore, positioning the longitudinal drive member 151 between the two guide rail sliders 152 provides more balanced support for the support 110 during sliding, thereby maintaining the stability of the battery cell assembly 130.

[0057] Please also refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 Each cell clamping assembly 130 includes a clamping member 131 and a supporting member 132 .

[0058] in:

[0059] There are multiple clamping members 131, and the multiple clamping members 131 can respectively clamp multiple edges of the battery cell to be pressed. Specifically, the clamping members 131 can be formed with structures such as bayonet holes and clamping grooves to clamp and fix the edges of the battery cell. The multiple clamping members 131 can expand or contract relative to each other to clamp or release the battery cell to be pressed. When the battery cell is clamped by the multiple clamping members 131, the first direction is roughly perpendicular to the surface of the battery cell. That is, Figure 1Thus, when the cell clamping assembly 130 moves along the first direction and transfers the cell to the anvil surface of the hot press 400, the contact area between the cell and the anvil surface of the hot press 400 is large, so the cell is not easily damaged.

[0060] When the cell clamping assembly 130 is used to clamp a cell, the cell is first positioned within the area enclosed by the multiple clamping members 131. The multiple clamping members 131 then retract until each clamping member 131 contacts and clamps the edge of the cell, securing the cell. As the multiple clamping members 131 expand outward, the distance between them increases, and the clamping members 131 are no longer able to clamp the edge of the cell, releasing the cell.

[0061] For rectangular cells, securing them is achieved by clamping their two opposing edges. Therefore, the cell clamping assembly 130 in this embodiment includes two opposing clamping members 131: a first clamping member 131A and a second clamping member 131B. It should be noted that the structures of the first clamping member 131A and the second clamping member 131B can be identical.

[0062] It should be noted that in other embodiments, there are other possibilities for the number and layout of the clamping members 131. For example, two groups of clamping members 131 facing each other may be provided to clamp all four edges of the battery cell.

[0063] The abutting member 132 is disposed between the plurality of clamping members 131. Furthermore, the abutting member 132 is configured to provide a holding force along a first direction against the battery cell to be pressed, which is clamped between the plurality of clamping members 131. This holding force presses the battery cell to be pressed against the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400. Furthermore, because the abutting member 132 is located between the plurality of clamping members 131, the point of application of the holding force is located in the middle of the battery cell.

[0064] Specifically, in this embodiment, the abutting member 132 includes a abutting driver 1321 and a abutting block 1322 disposed at the driving end of the abutting driver 1321. The abutting driver 1321 can drive the abutting block 1322 to move in a first direction, thereby providing a holding force to the battery cells clamped between the plurality of clamping members 131. The abutting driver 1321 can be a cylinder or a linear motor, etc., and can be fixed to the riser 120 via a support plate (not shown).

[0065] The process of the battery cell transport mechanism 100 transferring the battery cells to be pressed onto the hot press 400 is as follows:

[0066] The battery cell transfer mechanism 100 first clamps the battery cell at the loading station and, driven by the transfer mechanism 200, moves it to the hot pressing station. The support 110 slides in a first direction toward the hot press 400, so that the clamping member 131 holding the battery cell is close to the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400. After the clamping member 131 moves into position (the end of the clamping member 131 is close to the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400, but not in contact), the abutting driving member 1321 is actuated, causing the abutting block 1322 to press the battery cell against the surface of the anvil of the hot press 400. At this point, only the middle portion of the battery cell's surface rests on the anvil of the hot press 400, while its edges are still held by the clamping members 131. Then, the multiple clamping members 131 expand outward relative to each other and are withdrawn from under the battery cell, so that the entire surface of the battery cell rests on the anvil of the hot press 400. At the same time, due to the abutting effect of the abutting member 132 , the battery cell will not be displaced when the clamping member 131 is withdrawn, thereby achieving reliable transfer of the battery cell.

[0067] Please refer again Figure 5 In this embodiment, each clamping member 131 includes a connecting plate 1311, a pressing driving member 1312 and a pressing block 1313.

[0068] The end of the connecting plate 1311 is bent to form a curved plate 13112. A compression block 1313 is disposed at the driving end of the compression driver 1312. The compression driver 1312 is disposed on the connecting plate 1311. Furthermore, a clamping groove (not shown) is formed between the compression block 1313 and the curved plate 13112 to clamp the edge of the battery cell to be pressed together. The compression driver 1312 can drive the compression block 1313 to move in a first direction.

[0069] The structure of the clamping drive 1312 and the clamping block 1313 is similar to that of the supporting member 132. The clamping drive 1312 can be a cylinder, a linear motor, etc. The clamping block 1313 moves along the first direction to enlarge or reduce the opening of the clamping groove. When the battery cell clamping assembly 130 clamps the battery cell, the clamping drive 1312 drives the clamping block 1313 to move toward the bent plate 13112, thereby reducing the opening of the clamping groove so that the clamping member 131 clamps the edge of the battery cell. When the battery cell clamping assembly 130 needs to release the battery cell, the clamping drive 1312 can drive the clamping block 1313 to move away from the bent plate 13112, thereby enlarging the opening of the clamping groove to facilitate the withdrawal of the clamping member 131 and avoid unnecessary wear on the battery cell.

[0070] It should be noted that in other embodiments, the clamping member 131 can also take other forms. For example, the clamping member 131 can be formed with a wedge-shaped clamping groove with a fixed opening size. As the multiple clamping members 131 retract, the inner wall of the clamping groove can gradually clamp the edge of the battery cell.

[0071] For further information, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, the battery cell transport mechanism 100 further includes a clamping drive assembly 160, which is disposed on the riser 120 and is in transmission connection with the connecting plate 1311. Furthermore, the clamping drive assembly 160 can drive the plurality of clamping members 131 to slide along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction, thereby causing the plurality of clamping members 131 to expand or contract relative to each other.

[0072] Since the clamping groove is clamped by limiting the battery cell along the first direction through the bent plate 13112 and the clamping block 1313, therefore, by translating the clamping member 131 in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction, it is possible to prevent the clamping member 131 from colliding with the edge of the battery cell during the process of expansion and contraction, thereby preventing damage to the battery cell. Specifically, the third direction can be consistent with the second direction or perpendicular to the second direction. In this embodiment, the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, that is, Figure 1 Horizontal direction shown.

[0073] Specifically, in this embodiment, the clamping drive assembly 160 includes a transverse drive member 161 and a transverse sliding plate 162. The transverse sliding plate 162 is slidably mounted on the vertical plate 120. The transverse drive member 161 can drive the transverse sliding plate 162 to slide along the third direction. The transverse drive member 161 can be a linear motor or a pneumatic cylinder, and the transverse sliding plate 162 can be mounted on the vertical plate 120 via a linear rail.

[0074] The transverse sliding plate 162 is fixedly connected to the connecting plate 1311 , thereby driving the clamping member 131 to slide in the third direction.

[0075] It should be noted that in other embodiments, the multiple clamping members 131 can also achieve expansion and retraction through other methods. For example, the ends of the multiple clamping members 131 away from the clamping slots can be hinged, so that the multiple clamping members 131 can also achieve expansion and retraction by rotating relative to each other. In this case, the structure of the multiple clamping members 131 is similar to that of a clamping claw.

[0076] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first clamping member 131A and the second clamping member 131B are spaced apart in the third direction and can move closer to or farther from each other along the third direction under the drive of the clamping drive assembly 160. The first clamping member 131A and the second clamping member 131B can be driven by the same clamping drive assembly 160 (e.g., a clamping jaw cylinder) or by different clamping drive assemblies 160 (e.g., using two cylinders to drive the first clamping member 131A and the second clamping member 131B to translate).

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, two clamping drive assemblies 160 are provided, and the two transverse sliding plates 162 are spaced apart in the first direction. Because there are multiple cell clamping assemblies 130, the cell transport mechanism 100 includes multiple first clamping members 131A and multiple second clamping members 131B. The connecting plates 1311 of the multiple first clamping members 131A are each secured to one transverse sliding plate 162, while the connecting plates 1311 of the multiple second clamping members 131B are each secured to the other transverse sliding plate 162.

[0078] In other words, multiple battery cell clamping assemblies 130 share two clamping drive assemblies 160. One clamping drive assembly 160 drives the multiple first clamping members 131A to move synchronously, while the other clamping drive assembly 160 drives the multiple second clamping members 131B to move synchronously. This reduces the number of components in the battery cell transport mechanism 100 and makes it more compact.

[0079] In the aforementioned battery cell pressing device 10 and battery cell transfer mechanism 100, multiple clamping members 131 can retract toward each other and respectively grip the edges of the battery cell to be pressed, thereby clamping the battery cell to be pressed onto the battery cell clamping assembly 130. The vertical plate 120 slides in a first direction to bring the clamping members 131 holding the battery cell to be pressed into close proximity with the anvil surface of the hot press 400. Once the clamping members 131 are in position, the abutting members 132 actuate, pressing the battery cell to be pressed against the anvil surface of the hot press 400 under the abutting force. The multiple clamping members 131 are then forced outward to withdraw them from between the battery cell and the hot press 400. The abutting members 132 maintain the battery cell in place, ultimately supporting it as a whole on the anvil surface of the hot press 400. As can be seen, no clearance groove is required on the anvil surface of the hot press 400 to facilitate cell transfer. Moreover, under the action of the supporting member 132, the position of the battery cell to be pressed is always kept stable during the process of being transferred to the hot press 400. Therefore, the battery cell transfer mechanism 100 can realize reliable transfer of the battery cell.

[0080] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0081] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery cell transport mechanism, characterized in that: include: Support; A vertical plate is mounted on the support, and the vertical plate is slidable relative to the support along a first direction; and A battery cell assembly provided on the vertical plate, the battery cell assembly comprising: A plurality of clamping members, each capable of clamping a plurality of edges of the battery cell to be pressed, and the plurality of clamping members can expand outward or retract inward relative to each other to clamp or release the battery cell to be pressed; a resisting member disposed between the plurality of clamping members, the resisting member being used to provide a resisting force along the first direction to the battery cell to be pressed between the plurality of clamping members, so as to press the battery cell to be pressed against the surface of the anvil of the hot press; Each of the clamping members includes a connecting plate, a pressing driving member and a pressing block, the end of the connecting plate is bent to form a bent plate, the pressing driving member is provided on the connecting plate, the pressing block is provided on the driving end of the pressing driving member and a clamping groove is formed between the clamping block and the bent plate to clamp the edge of the battery cell to be pressed, and the pressing driving member can drive the pressing block to move along the first direction; The battery cell transport mechanism further includes a clamping drive assembly disposed on the vertical plate and in transmission connection with the connecting plate, wherein the clamping drive assembly can drive the plurality of clamping members to slide along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction, so that the plurality of clamping members expand outward or retract inward relative to each other; There are two clamping members in each of the battery cell clamping assemblies, namely a first clamping member A and a second clamping member B spaced apart from the first clamping member A in the third direction; There are two clamping drive assemblies, each of which includes a transverse drive member and a transverse sliding plate slidably provided on the vertical plate. The transverse drive member can drive the transverse sliding plate to slide along the third direction, and the two transverse sliding plates are spaced apart in the first direction. There are multiple clamping core assemblies, and the connecting plates of multiple first clamping members A are all fixed on one of the transverse sliding plates, and the connecting plates of multiple second clamping members B are all fixed on the other transverse sliding plate.

2. The battery cell transport mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises a bottom plate, wherein the support is mounted on the bottom plate and is slidable relative to the bottom plate along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

3. The battery cell transport mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are a plurality of the battery core assemblies, and the plurality of battery core assemblies are spaced apart and arranged on the vertical plate.

4. The battery cell transport mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The resisting member includes a resisting driving member and a resisting block provided at a driving end of the resisting driving member, and the resisting driving member can drive the resisting block to move along the first direction.

5. A battery cell pressing device, which is provided with a loading station, a hot pressing station and a unloading station in sequence, characterized in that: The battery core pressing device comprises: Transfer mechanism; an incoming material handling mechanism provided at the loading station; A hot press machine provided at the hot pressing station; and The battery cell transport mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the battery cell transport mechanism is provided on the transfer mechanism and is driven by the transfer mechanism to reciprocate between the loading station and the hot pressing station; The cell clamping assembly opposite to the material handling mechanism can clamp the cell to be pressed that is located on the material handling mechanism.

6. The battery core pressing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a material unloading and transfer mechanism which is arranged on the transfer mechanism and moves back and forth between the material unloading station and the hot pressing station under the drive of the transfer mechanism. The material unloading and transfer mechanism can absorb the battery core located in the hot pressing machine.

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