Battery cell transfer fixtures, battery cell transfer devices and battery production systems

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of battery manufacturing technology, and provides a cell transfer fixture, a cell transfer device, and a battery manufacturing system. The cell transfer fixture includes a base for connection to the transfer device; support components for supporting cells, with at least two support components disposed on the base and spaced apart from adjacent support components; and a clamping component with at least two clamping parts, each corresponding to a support component, configured to clamp the cell onto the support component. This configuration allows for the simultaneous transfer of multiple cells, and the clamping components secure the cells to the support components, enabling stable and efficient cell transfer and solving the problem of low efficiency in cell transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery manufacturing technology, and in particular to a cell transfer fixture, a cell transfer device, and a battery manufacturing system. Background Technology

[0002] During battery production, battery cells transported on the logistics line need to be transferred to a hot pressing device for hot pressing and shaping to control battery thickness and prevent relative displacement of the positive and negative electrode plates. Multiple layers of cells need to be stacked within the hot pressing device. Typically, cells are transferred one by one, resulting in low transfer efficiency, which in turn affects the hot pressing efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, how to solve the problem of low efficiency in the transfer of battery cells has become an important technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a cell transfer fixture, a cell transfer device, and a battery production system to solve the problem of low efficiency in cell transfer.

[0005] This invention provides a battery cell transfer fixture, comprising:

[0006] The base is used for connection with the transfer device;

[0007] A support assembly for supporting the battery cell is disposed on the base, and at least two support assemblies are provided with a spacing between adjacent support assemblies.

[0008] The clamping assembly has at least two clamping parts, each of which corresponds to one of the supporting assemblies. The clamping assembly is configured to clamp the battery cell onto the supporting assemblies.

[0009] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer fixture is provided in which the support surfaces of the supporting components are parallel to each other, and the supporting components are distributed layer by layer along a direction perpendicular to the support surfaces of the supporting components.

[0010] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer clamp is provided, wherein the clamping part is slidably disposed on the base, and the sliding direction is perpendicular to the support surface of the support assembly;

[0011] The clamping assembly further includes a driving assembly configured to drive the clamping part to slide back and forth relative to the base.

[0012] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer fixture is provided in which the width of the clamping part is smaller than the width of the battery cell.

[0013] According to a battery cell transfer fixture provided by the present invention, the clamping assembly further includes a connecting seat, each of the clamping parts is connected to the connecting seat, the connecting seat is slidably connected to the base, the sliding direction is perpendicular to the supporting surface of the supporting assembly, and the driving assembly is disposed between the connecting seat and the base.

[0014] A battery cell transfer fixture according to the present invention further includes:

[0015] A guide structure is disposed between the connecting seat and the base, the guide structure being configured to provide sliding guidance for the connecting seat relative to the base.

[0016] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer fixture is provided, wherein at least two drive components are provided, each drive component corresponds to a clamping part, and the drive components are disposed between the clamping part and the base.

[0017] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer clamp is provided, wherein the supporting assembly comprises:

[0018] A tray for supporting battery cells, the tray having fork-lift holes, the axis of which is parallel to the support surface of the support assembly;

[0019] The fork arm assembly is connected to the base, and the fork arm assembly mates with the fork take-up hole.

[0020] According to a battery cell transfer fixture provided by the present invention, a limiting structure is provided on the fork arm assembly, and the limiting structure is configured to limit the relative position between the tray and the fork arm assembly.

[0021] According to the present invention, a battery cell transfer fixture is provided on the tray, wherein a connector is provided for connecting the tabs of the battery cell to the tab testing device on a hot pressing device.

[0022] The present invention also provides a battery cell transfer device, including a transfer device body and a battery cell transfer fixture, wherein the battery cell transfer fixture is the aforementioned battery cell transfer fixture, and the base of the battery cell transfer fixture is connected to the execution end of the transfer device body.

[0023] The present invention also provides a battery production system, including the above-mentioned cell transfer device.

[0024] The battery cell transfer fixture provided by this invention has at least two supporting components, capable of supporting at least two battery cells simultaneously. The clamping parts of the clamping components correspond one-to-one with the supporting components, and the two work together to clamp and fix each battery cell individually. When using the battery cell transfer fixture provided by this invention to transfer battery cells, multiple battery cells can be transferred simultaneously, and the clamping components can fix the battery cells to the supporting components, enabling stable and efficient transfer of battery cells, thereby solving the problem of low efficiency in battery cell transfer.

[0025] Furthermore, the battery cell transfer device provided by the present invention also possesses the various advantages described above due to the battery cell transfer fixture described above.

[0026] Furthermore, the battery production system provided by the present invention also possesses the various advantages described above due to the presence of the cell transfer device as described above. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell transfer device provided by the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell transfer device provided by the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0030] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of I in the middle;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a side view of the battery cell transfer fixture provided by the present invention when supporting a battery cell;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the battery cell transfer fixture provided by the present invention.

[0033] Figure label:

[0034] 1: Base; 2: Transfer device; 3: Supporting component; 4: Battery cell; 5: Pressing part; 6: Drive component; 7: Connecting seat; 8: Guide structure; 9: Pallet; 10: Fork arm assembly; 11: Limiting structure; 12: Connector; H: Width of battery cell; h: Width of pressing part. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0036] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 5 The present invention describes a battery cell transfer fixture.

[0037] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the battery cell transfer fixture provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a base 1, a support component 3, and a clamping component. Specifically, the support component 3 is disposed on the base 1 and has a support surface for supporting the battery cell 4. The base 1 is used to connect to a transfer device 2, which can be used to transfer the battery cell 4 on the support component 3 to a target position. The transfer device 2 can be a robot or a multi-axis module.

[0038] The aforementioned support component 3 is provided in at least two parts, so that the cell transfer fixture can support at least two cells 4 at the same time.

[0039] The aforementioned clamping assembly is mounted on the base 1. The clamping assembly has a clamping part 5, which corresponds one-to-one with the support assembly 3. It is used to clamp the battery cell 4 onto the support assembly 3, so that the battery cell 4 and the support assembly 3 are relatively fixed.

[0040] With this configuration, when using the battery cell transfer fixture provided in this embodiment of the invention to transfer battery cells 4, multiple battery cells 4 can be transferred simultaneously, and the clamping component can fix the battery cells 4 on the supporting component 3, which can transfer the battery cells 4 stably and efficiently, thereby solving the problem of low efficiency in transferring battery cells 4.

[0041] In this embodiment of the invention, the supporting surfaces of each supporting component 3 are parallel to each other and are all arranged in a horizontal direction. The supporting components 3 are distributed layer by layer in a direction perpendicular to the supporting surfaces, and there is a gap between adjacent supporting components 3, so that the battery cells 4 are stacked and spaced apart on the battery cell transfer fixture. Each battery cell 4 is stacked in a vertical direction on the battery cell transfer fixture, and the battery cells 4 have high stability.

[0042] In this embodiment of the invention, the pressing part 5 is slidably disposed on the base 1, and the sliding direction of the pressing part 5 relative to the base 1 is perpendicular to the supporting surface of the supporting component 3. Specifically, the pressing part 5 can be configured as a pressure plate, and the plane of the pressure plate is parallel to the supporting surface of the supporting component 3. The pressing component further includes a driving component 6, which can drive the pressing part 5 to slide back and forth relative to the base 1, so that the pressing part 5 moves closer to or away from the supporting component 3.

[0043] As the clamping part 5 gradually approaches the supporting component 3, until the clamping part 5 abuts against the side of the battery cell 4 away from the supporting component 3, the clamping part 5 applies pressure to the battery cell 4 on the side of the battery cell 4 away from the supporting component 3, so that the battery cell 4 is clamped and fixed between the supporting component 3 and the clamping part 5, ensuring the relative fixation of the battery cell 4 and the supporting component 3.

[0044] As the clamping part 5 gradually moves away from the supporting component 3, until there is a gap between the clamping part 5 and the battery cell 4 located on the supporting component 3, the battery cell 4 can be detached from the supporting component 3, allowing the battery cell transfer fixture to release the battery cell 4.

[0045] In this embodiment, the width h of the aforementioned clamping portion is smaller than the width H of the battery cell, such as... Figure 3 As shown. The two opposite ends of the clamping part 5 in the width direction are positioned outside the outline of the clamping part 5. When releasing the battery cell 4, the battery cell transfer fixture is rotated 180 degrees around a horizontal axis, positioning the battery cell 4 above the clamping part 5. The supporting assembly 3 is positioned above the battery cell 4. The driving assembly 6 drives the clamping part 5 downwards, allowing the two ends of the battery cell 4 to be supported on other supporting devices. The clamping part 5 continues to move downwards until the battery cell 4 disengages from the clamping part 5, thereby releasing the battery cell 4 from the battery cell transfer fixture.

[0046] Each of the aforementioned clamping parts 5 can be driven by the same driving assembly 6, causing each clamping part 5 to slide synchronously relative to the base 1. In this case, the clamping assembly also includes a connecting seat 7, to which each clamping part 5 is connected. The connecting seat 7 is slidably connected to the base 1, with the sliding direction perpendicular to the supporting surface of the supporting assembly 3. The driving assembly 6 is disposed between the connecting seat 7 and the base 1. The driving assembly 6 drives the connecting seat 7 to slide relative to the base 1, thereby causing each clamping part 5 to slide simultaneously relative to the base 1.

[0047] The aforementioned drive assembly 6 can be configured as, but is not limited to, a gear and rack drive assembly, a belt drive assembly, a lead screw and nut drive assembly, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. The following explanation uses the example of configuring the drive assembly 6 as a lead screw and nut drive assembly.

[0048] The lead screw and nut transmission assembly includes a lead screw and a nut that mates with the lead screw. The lead screw is rotatably connected to the base 1, and its axis is perpendicular to the support surface of the support assembly 3. One end of the lead screw is connected to a motor drive. The nut of the lead screw and nut transmission assembly is connected to a connecting seat 7. When the motor operates, it drives the lead screw to rotate along its fixed axis, causing the nut to move along the axial direction of the lead screw, thereby causing the connecting seat 7 to slide relative to the base 1.

[0049] In this embodiment, a guide structure 8 is also provided between the connecting seat 7 and the base 1. The guide structure 8 is used to guide the sliding of the connecting seat 7 relative to the base 1 to ensure the stability of the sliding process of the connecting seat 7.

[0050] Specifically, the aforementioned guide structure 8 can be configured as a guide rail and slider, comprising a guide rail and a slider. The guide rail is connected to the base 1, and the axial direction of the guide rail is perpendicular to the support surface of the support assembly 3. The slider is connected to the connecting seat 7, and the sliding engagement between the slider and the guide rail guides the sliding of the connecting seat 7.

[0051] In an optional embodiment, at least two drive components 6 may be provided, with each drive component 6 corresponding to a pressing part 5. Each drive component 6 is respectively disposed between the corresponding pressing part 5 and the base 1, so that each pressing part 5 can slide independently relative to the base 1.

[0052] In this embodiment of the invention, the supporting component 3 includes a tray 9 and a fork arm assembly 10. The tray 9 supports the battery cell 4 and has a fork-taking hole, the axis of which is parallel to the supporting surface of the supporting component 3. The fork arm assembly 10 is connected to the base 1 and can extend into the fork-taking hole, cooperating with it to support the weight of the tray 9 and the battery cell 4. By moving the tray 9 and the fork arm assembly 10 relative to each other along the axis of the fork-taking hole, the fork arm assembly 10 can be moved to the outside of the fork-taking hole, thus disengaging the tray 9 from the fork arm assembly 10.

[0053] In this embodiment, a limiting structure 11 is provided on the fork arm assembly 10 to limit the relative position between the pallet 9 and the fork arm assembly 10.

[0054] The aforementioned fork arm assembly 10 includes at least two forks, each fork arm being parallel to the others. One end of each fork arm is connected to the base 1, and the other end is a free end, such as... Figure 5 As shown. The above-mentioned limiting structure 11 includes a limiting block, which is disposed at one end of the fork arm near the base 1. Through the interaction between the limiting block and the pallet 9, the position of the pallet 9 on the fork arm can be limited, and the pallet 9 can be prevented from getting too close to the base 1.

[0055] The number of fork-picking holes on the pallet 9 is greater than the number of fork arms on the fork arm assembly 10. When the pallet 9 is engaged with the fork arm assembly 10, the pallet 9 has unused fork-picking holes. When it is necessary to remove the pallet 9 and the battery cell 4 from the battery cell transfer fixture, other fork-picking devices can be used. The fork arms of the fork-picking device are engaged with the unused fork-picking holes, and the pallet 9 is supported by the fork arms of the fork-picking device, so as to move the pallet 9 relative to the fork arm assembly 10 of the battery cell transfer fixture until the pallet 9 is disengaged from the fork arm assembly 10 of the battery cell transfer fixture.

[0056] After transferring the battery cell 4 to the hot pressing equipment, the tray 9 and the battery cell 4 can be hot pressed together, which helps to ensure the hot pressing effect.

[0057] During the hot pressing process of cell 4, the insulation performance of cell 4 needs to be tested. Generally, the hot pressing equipment is equipped with a tab testing device for testing the insulation performance of cell 4. During hot pressing, the tabs of cell 4 need to be connected to the tab testing device.

[0058] In this embodiment, a connector 12 is provided on the tray 9 for connecting the tabs of the battery cell 4 to the tab testing device, so as to ensure that the insulation performance test of the battery cell 4 can be completed during hot pressing.

[0059] The hot pressing equipment has contact points for connecting to the tab testing device. The connector 12 can be a conductive sheet. When the battery cell 4 is placed on the tray 9, the tab of the battery cell 4 comes into contact with the conductive sheet. After the tray 9 is placed inside the hot pressing equipment, the conductive sheet comes into contact with the contact point, thereby achieving the connection between the tab of the battery cell 4 and the tab testing device.

[0060] The following description, in conjunction with the above embodiments, details the working process of this battery cell transfer fixture. In this embodiment, the battery cell transfer fixture is generally used in conjunction with a transfer frame and a forklift device with forks.

[0061] The aforementioned transfer frame includes a left support, a right support, and multiple pairs of support plates. There is a gap between the left and right supports. The two support plates in each pair are respectively positioned on opposite sides of the left and right supports. The multiple pairs of support plates are distributed vertically, with a gap between adjacent pairs, allowing the support assembly 3, the battery cell 4, and the clamping part 5 in this embodiment to extend into them. The two support plates in each pair are located on the same horizontal plane and are spaced apart, ensuring that each pair of support plates only supports both ends of the battery cell 4. By increasing the distance between the left and right supports, the transfer frame can eliminate its support for the ends of the battery cell 4, releasing the battery cell 4 and allowing it to fall.

[0062] The structure of the forklift device described above is similar to that of the battery cell transfer fixture in this embodiment. It has multiple sets of parallel forklift assemblies distributed vertically. The distance between two adjacent sets of forklift assemblies in this forklift device is the same as the distance between two adjacent sets of forklift assemblies in this embodiment. The forklift assemblies of the forklift device extend horizontally and can mate with the forklift holes on the tray 9 in this embodiment. The forklift device can also adjust the distance between adjacent forklift assemblies so that the trays 9 and the battery cells 4 can be stacked, facilitating the overall unloading of the trays 9 and the battery cells 4.

[0063] When using the cell transfer fixture in this embodiment to transfer the cell 4, the cell 4 on the transport device of the logistics line can be placed on the transfer frame in advance. The cell 4 is placed horizontally on the transfer frame and arranged in a vertical direction, with a gap between adjacent cells 4.

[0064] The cell transfer fixture in this embodiment of the invention is moved into the interior of the transfer frame using the transfer device 2, so that each tray 9 is located below each cell 4 and the corresponding clamping part 5 is located above the cell 4. At this time, the distance between the left and right supports of the transfer frame is increased, and the cell 4 falls into the tray 9. The transfer device 2 drives the cell transfer fixture to move horizontally to the outside of the transfer frame, and the driving component 6 drives the clamping part 5 to press the cell 4, thereby completing the clamping of the cell 4.

[0065] After the battery cell 4 is clamped, the battery cell transfer fixture can be moved to the target position using the transfer device 2 connected to the base 1.

[0066] The battery cell 4 on the battery cell transfer fixture can be transferred to the inside of the hot pressing equipment using the forklift device at the target location. The fork arm assembly of the forklift device engages with the forklift hole on the pallet 9 and supports the pallet 9, allowing the fork arm assembly 10 of the battery cell transfer fixture to move relative to the pallet 9, thereby unloading the battery cell 4 and the pallet 9 from the battery cell transfer fixture. The pallet 9 and the battery cell 4 are then transferred together into the hot pressing equipment using the forklift device, so that the battery cell 4 and the pallet 9 participate in the hot pressing process together.

[0067] After the hot-pressing process of the battery cell 4 is completed, the pallet 9 and the battery cell 4 are removed using a forklift device. The battery cell transfer fixture in this embodiment can also be used to transfer the pallet 9 and the battery cell 4 from the forklift device to the transfer rack.

[0068] The process of the cell transfer fixture picking up the pallet 9 from the forklift device is similar to the process of the forklift device picking up the pallet 9 from the cell transfer fixture, and will not be described again here.

[0069] After the battery cell transfer fixture picks up the pallet 9 from the forklift device, the transfer device 2 rotates the battery cell transfer fixture 180 degrees around the horizontal axis, positioning the battery cell 4 above the clamping part 5, with the pallet 9 above the battery cell 4. The transfer device 2 drives the battery cell transfer fixture to move into the interior of the transfer frame, and the drive assembly 6 drives the clamping part 5 downward, with the battery cell 4 moving downward along with the clamping part 5. After the end of the battery cell 4 is supported on the support plate of the transfer frame, the clamping part 5 continues to move downward, so that the clamping part 5 disengages from the battery cell 4.

[0070] The transfer device 2 drives the cell transfer fixture to move horizontally to the outside of the transfer frame. The tray 9 is supported on the fork arm assembly 10 of the cell transfer fixture and moves with the fork arm assembly 10 to the outside of the transfer frame, thereby completing the unloading operation of the cell 4.

[0071] On the other hand, embodiments of the present invention also provide a battery cell transfer device, including a transfer device body and a battery cell transfer fixture provided in any of the above embodiments, wherein the base of the battery cell transfer fixture is connected to the execution end of the transfer device body. When transferring battery cells 4 using the battery cell transfer fixture provided in any of the above embodiments, multiple battery cells 4 can be transferred simultaneously, and the clamping component can fix the battery cells 4 on the supporting component 3, which improves both transfer efficiency and stability of the battery cells 4 during the transfer process. Thus, the battery cell transfer device in the embodiments of the present invention also has high transfer efficiency and can ensure the stability of the battery cells 4 during the transfer process. The derivation process of the beneficial effects of the battery cell transfer device in the embodiments of the present invention is largely similar to the derivation process of the beneficial effects of the battery cell transfer fixture described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0072] In another aspect, embodiments of the present invention also provide a battery production system, including the cell transfer device provided in any of the above embodiments, which has all the advantages of the above cell transfer device, and will not be repeated here.

[0073] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery cell transfer fixture, characterized in that, Suitable for use with a transfer frame, on which the battery cells are placed horizontally and arranged vertically, with spacing between adjacent cells. The transfer frame only supports the two ends of the battery cells. The battery cell transfer fixture includes: A base for connecting to a transfer device adapted to move the cell transfer fixture to a target position; A support assembly is disposed on the base. At least two support assemblies are provided, and the support surfaces of the support assemblies are parallel to each other. Each support assembly is distributed layer by layer along a direction perpendicular to the support surface of the support assembly, and there is a gap between adjacent support assemblies. The support assembly includes a tray and a fork arm assembly. The tray is used to support the battery cell and can be removed from the battery cell transfer fixture. The tray is provided with a fork hole, and the axis of the fork hole is parallel to the support surface of the support assembly. The fork arm assembly is connected to the base and cooperates with the fork hole. The tray is provided with a connector for connecting the tab of the battery cell to the tab testing device on the hot pressing equipment. A clamping assembly has at least two clamping parts, each of which is disposed on the base. Each clamping part corresponds to a support assembly. The clamping assembly is configured to clamp the battery cell onto the support assembly. The width of each clamping part is smaller than the width of the battery cell.

2. The cell transfer fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping part is slidably disposed on the base, and the sliding direction is perpendicular to the support surface of the support component; The clamping assembly further includes a driving assembly configured to drive the clamping part to slide back and forth relative to the base.

3. The cell transfer fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping assembly further includes a connecting seat, and each of the clamping parts is connected to the connecting seat. The connecting seat is slidably connected to the base, and the sliding direction is perpendicular to the supporting surface of the supporting assembly. The driving assembly is disposed between the connecting seat and the base.

4. The cell transfer fixture according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A guide structure is disposed between the connecting seat and the base, the guide structure being configured to provide sliding guidance for the connecting seat relative to the base.

5. The cell transfer fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least two drive components are provided, each drive component corresponding to a clamping part, and the drive component is disposed between the clamping part and the base.

6. The cell transfer fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fork arm assembly is provided with a limiting structure, which is configured to limit the relative position between the pallet and the fork arm assembly.

7. A battery cell transfer device, characterized in that, The device includes a transfer device body and a cell transfer fixture, wherein the cell transfer fixture is the cell transfer fixture as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the base of the cell transfer fixture is connected to the execution end of the transfer device body.

8. A battery production system, characterized in that, Includes the cell transfer device as described in claim 7.

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