An electric core preheating hot-pressing device

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of battery cell processing, in particular to a battery cell preheating and hot-pressing device. The battery cell preheating and hot-pressing device preheats the battery cell through a preheating clamping mechanism. The battery cell is in contact with a preheating clamping piece of the preheating clamping mechanism, the preheating clamping piece has a heating function, the battery cell is preheated through the contact mode, the preheating efficiency is higher, compared with the preheating mode of the battery cell through heat radiation, the preheating efficiency of the battery cell is improved through the contact mode, and the technical problem that the current battery cell preheating mode needs a long time and the low preheating efficiency of the battery cell leads to the low battery cell shaping efficiency is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery cell processing technology, and more specifically, to a battery cell preheating and hot pressing device. Background Technology

[0002] The descriptions in this section are provided only as background information in connection with this disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] Existing battery cells are generally made by sequentially stacking and winding an anode sheet, a separator, and a cathode sheet, and then hot-pressing them for shaping. For example, Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN114156524A discloses a battery cell hot-pressing machine that can simultaneously hot-press multiple battery cells.

[0004] In actual production, due to the constant tension mode used in the winding process, the tension of the inner ring of the battery cell is relatively large. During the hot pressing process, the surface of the battery cell and the hot pressing plate undergo contact heat transfer. As the number of battery cell layers increases, the internal temperature of the battery cell gradually decreases, leading to a poorer adhesion between the separator and the electrode sheets, and making the inner ring of the battery cell more prone to deformation. To improve the hot pressing shaping effect of the battery cell without affecting its performance, a preheating furnace is typically used to preheat the battery cell before transferring it to the hot press for shaping. During preheating, the battery cell is conveyed sequentially through the preheating furnace via a conveyor belt, and heating is achieved through thermal radiation. This preheating method is time-consuming and has low efficiency, ultimately affecting the shaping efficiency of the battery cell. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a battery cell preheating and hot pressing device to solve the technical problems of long preheating time and low preheating efficiency of current battery cell preheating methods, which leads to low battery cell shaping efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, a battery cell preheating and hot-pressing apparatus is provided, comprising a frame, a hot press, and a battery cell manipulator for transferring battery cells. The hot press includes a hot-pressing mechanism mounted on the frame for hot-pressing the battery cells. The apparatus is characterized by further including a battery cell preheating machine for preheating the battery cells before hot-pressing. The battery cell preheating machine includes:

[0007] A preheating clamping mechanism is configured on the frame. The preheating clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cell to be preheated and preheat the battery cell. The preheating clamping mechanism includes at least two preheating clamping members for contacting the battery cell to be preheated and preheating the battery cell. A battery cell preheating station for placing the battery cell is formed between adjacent preheating clamping members. Adjacent preheating clamping members can approach each other to clamp the battery cell to be preheated and move away from each other to release the preheated battery cell.

[0008] The driving mechanism is used to drive adjacent preheating clamping components in the preheating clamping mechanism to move closer or further apart.

[0009] In one possible implementation, multiple preheating clamping components of the preheating clamping mechanism are arranged vertically, and a battery cell preheating station for preheating the battery cell is formed between adjacent vertical preheating clamping components.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the hot pressing mechanism includes multiple hot pressing clamping molding parts arranged vertically, and a battery cell hot pressing station is formed between adjacent hot pressing clamping molding parts for hot pressing the preheated battery cell. The number of battery cell preheating stations in a preheating clamping mechanism is an integer multiple of the number of battery cell hot pressing stations in a hot pressing mechanism.

[0011] In one possible implementation, when the hot-pressing clamping part of the battery cell hot-pressing station is in the open state, the distance between adjacent battery cell hot-pressing stations is 'a', and when the preheating clamping part of the battery cell preheating station is in the open state, the distance between adjacent battery cell preheating stations is 'b', where b is an integer multiple of a, and both a and b are natural numbers.

[0012] In one possible implementation, at least one battery cell robot is a hot-pressing loading robot. The hot-pressing loading robot is used to transfer the battery cells that have been preheated at the battery cell preheating station to the battery cell hot-pressing station. The hot-pressing loading robot is equipped with multiple vertically arranged battery cell picking mechanisms. The battery cell picking mechanisms are used to pick up the battery cells at the battery cell preheating station and transfer them to the battery cell hot-pressing station. The battery cell picking mechanism of one hot-pressing loading robot corresponds one-to-one with the battery cell hot-pressing station in one hot-pressing mechanism. The hot-pressing loading robot includes a robot frame. The battery cell picking mechanisms are vertically mounted on the robot frame so that the hot-pressing loading robot can pick up battery cells at different battery cell preheating stations by adjusting the position of the battery cell picking mechanisms vertically.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the preheating clamping component at the lowest position in the preheating clamping mechanism is fixed to the frame, while the remaining preheating clamping components are slidably mounted on the frame with vertical guides.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the drive mechanism is connected to the top preheating clamp to drive the top preheating clamp to move up and down. A preheating clamping transmission component is provided between two adjacent movable preheating clamps. The preheating clamping transmission component can limit the maximum distance between adjacent movable preheating clamps so that the movable preheating clamp on the upper side can drive the movable preheating clamp on the lower side to move upward through the preheating clamping transmission component. The preheating clamping transmission component is in vertical cooperation with at least one of the two adjacent movable preheating clamps so that the adjacent movable preheating clamps can move closer to each other and further away from each other. When the distance between any two adjacent movable preheating clamps reaches the maximum value, the cell preheating station between the adjacent movable preheating clamps is in the open state.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the preheating clamping transmission component is fixed to one of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components, and is vertically movable to the other of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components, and is vertically stopped when the distance between the adjacent movable preheating components reaches its maximum.

[0016] In one possible implementation, multiple preheating clamping mechanisms are provided, arranged in a straight line, and a battery cell manipulator that cooperates with the preheating clamping mechanisms can reciprocate along the arrangement direction of the preheating clamping mechanisms.

[0017] In one possible implementation, multiple hot pressing mechanisms are arranged in a straight line with each preheating clamping mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a preheating loading robot that transfers the battery cell to be preheated to the preheating clamping mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a hot pressing loading robot that transfers the preheated battery cell to the hot pressing mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a hot pressing unloading robot that removes the hot-pressed battery cell from the hot pressing mechanism. The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment includes a robot moving track. The extension direction of the robot moving track is consistent with the arrangement direction of each hot pressing mechanism. The preheating loading robot, hot pressing loading robot, and hot pressing unloading robot are all mounted on the robot moving track.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment in this application are as follows: The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment of this application uses a preheating clamping mechanism to preheat the battery cell. The battery cell is in contact with the preheating clamping component of the preheating clamping mechanism, and the preheating clamping component has a heating function. By preheating the battery cell through contact, the preheating efficiency is higher. Compared with preheating the battery cell through thermal radiation, this application improves the preheating efficiency of the battery cell by using contact with the battery cell, and solves the technical problems of the current battery cell preheating method requiring a long time and having low preheating efficiency, which leads to low battery cell shaping efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a front view of a cell preheating and hot-pressing device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a top view of a cell preheating and hot-pressing device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cell preheater in a cell preheating and hot pressing device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cell preheater in a cell preheating and hot pressing device according to an embodiment of this application, from another perspective.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell preheater with some components hidden, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission structure between the battery cell preheating machine drive mechanism and each preheating clamping component in a battery cell preheating and hot pressing device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] In the diagram: 1. Frame; 2. Hot press; 21. Hot pressing mechanism; 211. Hot pressing clamping and forming part; 212. Battery cell hot pressing station; 3. Battery cell preheating machine; 31. Preheating clamping mechanism; 311. Preheating clamping part; 311a. Fixed preheating clamping part; 311b. Movable preheating clamping part; 3111. Substrate; 3112. Heating plate; 3113. Transmission component mounting block; 312. Battery cell preheating station; 313. Preheating clamping part guide rail; 314. Optoelectronics Sensor; 315, Preheating clamping transmission component; 315a, Upper preheating clamping transmission component; 315b, Lower preheating clamping transmission component; 3151, Transmission component stop block; 3152, Fastening nut; 3153, Fastening bolt; 32, Drive mechanism; 321, Motor; 322, Lead screw; 41, Preheating loading robot; 42, Hot pressing loading robot; 43, Hot pressing unloading robot; 44, Battery cell taking mechanism; 5, Robot moving track; 6, Hot pressing line. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0028] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] According to a first aspect of this application, a battery cell preheating and hot-pressing device is provided. Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a battery cell preheating and hot pressing device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0030] The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment includes a frame 1, a hot press 2, a battery cell robot for transferring the battery cells, and a battery cell preheating machine 3 for preheating the battery cells before hot pressing. The battery cell preheating machine 3 and the hot press 2 are connected together via the frame 1, facilitating the transfer of the battery cells from the battery cell preheating machine 3 to the hot press 2 by the battery cell robot. The hot press 2 includes a hot pressing mechanism 21 for hot pressing the battery cells.

[0031] The battery cell preheating machine 3 includes a preheating clamping mechanism 31 and a driving mechanism 32 for driving the preheating clamping mechanism 31. Both the preheating clamping mechanism 31 and the driving mechanism 32 are mounted on the frame 1. The preheating clamping mechanism 31 is used to clamp the battery cell to be preheated and preheat the battery cell. The preheating clamping mechanism 31 includes at least two preheating clamping members 311, and a battery cell preheating station 312 for placing the battery cell is formed between adjacent preheating clamping members 311. The preheating clamping members 311 are used to contact the battery cell to be preheated and preheat the battery cell. Adjacent preheating clamping members 311 can move closer to each other to close the battery cell preheating station to clamp the battery cell to be preheated, and can move away from each other to open the battery cell preheating station to release the battery cell to be preheated. The driving mechanism 32 is used to drive the adjacent preheating clamping members 311 in the preheating clamping mechanism 31 to move closer or further away from each other.

[0032] In one embodiment, the cell preheater 3 and the hot press 2 share the same frame 1, and the cell preheater 3 and the hot press 2 are combined into one machine, which reduces costs and reduces the space occupied by the equipment.

[0033] The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment of this application uses a preheating clamping mechanism 31 to preheat the battery cell. The battery cell is in contact with the preheating clamping member 311 of the preheating clamping mechanism 31. The preheating clamping member 311 has a heating function. By preheating the battery cell through contact, the preheating efficiency is higher. Compared with preheating the battery cell through thermal radiation, this application improves the preheating efficiency of the battery cell by using contact with the battery cell, thus solving the technical problems of the current battery cell preheating method requiring a long time and having low preheating efficiency, which leads to low battery cell shaping efficiency.

[0034] See Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, in one embodiment, the preheating clamping mechanism 31 has multiple preheating clamping members 311 arranged vertically, forming a cell preheating station 312 between adjacent vertical preheating clamping members 311 for preheating the battery cell. The cell preheating station 312 is used to preheat a single battery cell. The vertical arrangement of the preheating clamping members 311 occupies less space and can preheat multiple battery cells simultaneously, further improving the preheating efficiency of the battery cells. In addition, the vertical arrangement also facilitates later maintenance. In this embodiment, each cell preheating station 312 of the preheating clamping mechanism 31 opens and closes synchronously. When it is open, the battery cell is inserted; when it is closed, the battery cell is preheated.

[0035] In one embodiment, the hot pressing mechanism 21 includes a plurality of hot pressing clamping molding parts 211 arranged vertically, and a cell hot pressing station 212 for hot pressing a preheated cell is formed between adjacent hot pressing clamping molding parts 211. One cell hot pressing station 212 of the hot pressing mechanism 21 performs hot pressing processing on a single cell.

[0036] To reduce the number of preheating clamping components 311 and simplify the preheating clamping mechanism 31, adjacent cell preheating stations 312 share one preheating clamping component 311. Within the same preheating clamping mechanism 31, the number of cell preheating stations 312 is one less than the number of preheating clamping components 311. Simplifying the structure of the preheating clamping mechanism 31 can effectively reduce processing costs.

[0037] Specifically, the preheating clamping mechanism 31 has nine preheating clamping members 311, and the cell preheating station 312 has eight members, with adjacent cell preheating stations 312 sharing one preheating clamping member 311. Of course, in one embodiment, the preheating clamping mechanism 31 can have any number of preheating clamping members 311, either two or more, adjusted according to actual needs. In one embodiment, adjacent cell preheating stations do not share preheating clamping members; in this case, the number of preheating clamping members is twice the number of cell preheating stations.

[0038] In one embodiment, the preheating clamping member 311 at the lowest position in the preheating clamping mechanism 31 is a fixed preheating clamping member 311a fixed on the frame 1, while the remaining preheating clamping members 311 are movable preheating clamping members 311b that are guided and slidably assembled on the frame 1. The preheating clamping members 311 are guided and slidably assembled on the frame 1, resulting in more stable operation, which helps to ensure the relative position of the battery cell and the preheating clamping member 311, and improves control accuracy.

[0039] Specifically, a preheating clamping guide rail 313 is provided on the frame 1, and the movable preheating clamping member 311b slides and guides with the preheating clamping guide rail 313. The preheating clamping member 311 includes a base plate 3111 and a heating plate 3112 fixed on the base plate 3111 for heating the battery cell. The heating plate 3112 of the preheating clamping member 311a is located on the upper side of the base plate 3111, and the heating plate 3112 of the preheating clamping member 311 at the highest position in the preheating clamping mechanism 31 is located on the lower side of the base plate 3111. The heating plates 3112 are installed on the upper and lower sides of the base plate 3111 of the other preheating clamping members 311 in the preheating clamping mechanism 31. The battery cell preheating station 312 is located between two heating plates 3112. In this embodiment, the heating plate 3112 includes a heat-conducting plate and a heating element embedded in the heat-conducting plate. In one embodiment, heating elements such as heating tubes and heating belts can also be provided on the preheating clamp 311 for heating.

[0040] In one embodiment, in order to better heat the battery cell, after the preheating clamping mechanism 31 clamps the battery cell, it is held at a set pressure for a period of time. The pressure held at this time is equivalent to pre-pressing the battery cell, which is more conducive to the subsequent hot pressing process of the battery cell.

[0041] In one embodiment, after the preheating clamping mechanism 31 clamps the battery cell, the preheating clamping member 311 only needs to contact the battery cell to transfer heat, without applying pressure for pressure holding.

[0042] To further improve the thermal pressing efficiency of the battery cell, in one embodiment, multiple preheating clamping mechanisms 31 are provided, and the multiple preheating clamping mechanisms 31 are arranged in a straight line. The straight arrangement of the preheating clamping mechanisms 31 facilitates the placement and removal of the battery cell, and also facilitates the disassembly, assembly, and maintenance of the preheating clamping mechanisms.

[0043] The number of cell preheating stations 312 in each preheating clamping mechanism 31 is the same. For example... Figure 1 As shown, each preheating clamping mechanism 31 is equipped with eight battery cell preheating stations 312.

[0044] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, to simplify the preheating clamping mechanism, in one embodiment, the driving mechanism 32 drives the top preheating clamping member 311 to move up and down. The top preheating clamping member 311 then drives the remaining movable preheating clamping members 311b to move, thereby opening and closing the cell preheating station 312. Details are as follows:

[0045] The drive mechanism 32 is connected to the top preheating clamp 311 to drive the top preheating clamp 311 to move up and down. A preheating clamping transmission member 315 is provided between two adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b. The preheating clamping transmission member 315 can limit the maximum distance between adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b so that the movable preheating clamp 311b on the upper side can drive the movable preheating clamp 311b on the lower side to move upward through the preheating clamping transmission member 315. The preheating clamping transmission member 315 is in vertical cooperation with at least one of the two adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b so that the adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b can move closer and further away from each other. When the distance between any two adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b reaches the maximum value, the cell preheating station 312 between the adjacent movable preheating clamps 311b is in the open state. It should be noted that, in this application, the maximum distance between the fixed preheating clamp 311a and the movable preheating clamp 311b above it is controlled by the drive mechanism to control the movement distance of the preheating clamp at the top.

[0046] To facilitate the installation of the preheating clamping transmission component 315, the preheating clamping transmission component 315 is fixed to one of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components 311b, and is vertically movable to the other of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components 311b, and is vertically stopped when the distance between the adjacent movable preheating clamping components 311b reaches its maximum.

[0047] Specifically, the preheating clamping transmission component 315 is a rod-shaped structure extending vertically. The cooperation relationship between the preheating clamping transmission component 315 and the adjacent movable preheating clamping component 311b is as follows:

[0048] The upper end of the preheating clamping transmission component 315 is fixedly connected to the upper movable preheating clamping component 311b, and the lower end is in vertical sliding engagement with the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b. The preheating clamping transmission component 315 includes a transmission block 3151 located at the lower end. The transmission block 3151 is positioned below the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b and engages with the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b when the distance between adjacent movable preheating clamping components 311b is at its maximum, thereby enabling the preheating clamping transmission component 315 to drive the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b to move upwards. Similarly, the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b drives the lower movable preheating clamping component 311b to move upwards via another preheating clamping transmission component 315 fixedly connected to it.

[0049] In this embodiment, a preheating clamping transmission member 315 is provided between any two adjacent movable preheating clamping members 311b, and any three vertically adjacent movable preheating clamping members 311b satisfy the following:

[0050] The preheating clamping transmission member 315 located between the two upper movable preheating clamping members 311b is the upper preheating clamping transmission member, and the preheating clamping transmission member 315 located between the two lower movable preheating clamping members 311b is the lower preheating clamping transmission member 315b. The lower end of the upper preheating clamping transmission member 315a is in a sliding engagement with the middle movable preheating clamping member 311b, and the upper end of the upper preheating clamping transmission member 315a is fixedly connected to the upper movable preheating clamping member 311b. The upper end of the lower preheating clamping transmission member 315b is fixedly connected to the middle movable preheating clamping member 311b, and the lower end of the lower preheating clamping transmission member 315b is in a sliding engagement with the lower movable preheating clamping member 311b. The movable preheating clamping component 311b includes a transmission component mounting block 3113 fixed on the substrate. The transmission component mounting block 3113 is fixedly connected to the lower preheating clamping transmission component 315b and slides vertically with the upper preheating clamping transmission component 315a. It should be noted that the designations of the upper preheating clamping transmission component 315a and the lower preheating clamping transmission component 315b are for convenience only and do not limit the orientation relationship of the preheating clamping transmission components. When the relative positional relationship changes, the upper preheating clamping transmission component may also be referred to as the lower preheating clamping transmission component.

[0051] Specifically, a fastening nut 3152 is provided on the lower preheating clamping transmission component 315b. After the transmission component of the lower preheating clamping component 311 is inserted into the transmission component mounting block 3113, a fastening bolt 3153 is screwed into the end face of the lower preheating clamping transmission component 315b. The upper end face of the fastening nut 3152 engages with the transmission component mounting block 3113. Through the fastening action of the fastening bolt 3153, the lower preheating clamping transmission component 315b is fixed to the transmission component mounting block 3113. The transmission component stop block 3151 is fixed at the lower end of the preheating clamping transmission component 315b and is located below the transmission component mounting block 3113.

[0052] In one embodiment, the drive mechanism 32 includes a motor 321 and a lead screw and nut mechanism. The nut of the lead screw and nut mechanism is fixed to the topmost preheating clamping member 311. The upper end of the lead screw 322 of the lead screw and nut mechanism is rotatably engaged with the frame. The motor 321 drives the lead screw 322 to rotate, and the lead screw 322 drives the nut to move up and down, thereby driving the topmost preheating clamping member 311 to move up and down.

[0053] The following is an appendix Figure 5 and attached Figure 6 Taking the structure in the example, the working method of the preheating clamping mechanism is explained in detail:

[0054] Five preheating clamping mechanisms 31 are used, and the five preheating clamping mechanisms work independently. The following explanation uses one of them as an example.

[0055] Before the battery cell is preheated, the drive mechanism 32 drives the top preheating clamp 311 to move upward. The top preheating clamp 311 drives the lower preheating clamp 311 to move upward through the preheating clamping transmission component 315, until all movable preheating clamps 311b have moved to the target position. At this time, all battery cell preheating stations 312 are in the open state. The battery cell is placed in the battery cell preheating station 312. Then, the drive mechanism 32 drives the top preheating clamp 311 to move downward. Under its own weight, the bottom movable preheating clamp 311b moves downward. The space in the bottom battery cell preheating station 312 first decreases until... The cells in the lowest cell preheating station 312 come into contact with the preheating clamps 311 on the upper and lower sides. Then, as the top preheating clamp 311 gradually moves downward, the space of the cell preheating stations 312 arranged vertically gradually decreases from bottom to top. In two adjacent cell preheating stations 312: after the space of the lower cell preheating station 312 decreases to the closed state, the cells in the upper cell preheating station 312 begin to decrease until the top cell preheating station 312 decreases to the closed state, and each cell comes into contact with the preheating clamp 311. The drive mechanism 32 then stops driving the top preheating clamp 311. When the battery cell needs to be removed after preheating, the drive mechanism 32 drives the top preheating clamp 311 to move upward. In the two adjacent battery cell preheating stations 312: after the space of the upper battery cell preheating station 312 is increased to the open state, the lower end of the upper preheating clamping transmission member 315a and the transmission member stop block 3151 are engaged in upper and lower blocking cooperation. The upper preheating clamping transmission member 315a starts to drive the middle preheating clamp 311 to move upward, and the space of the lower battery cell preheating station 312 starts to increase. Until all battery cell preheating stations 312 are in the open state, the preheated battery cell can be removed.

[0056] In one embodiment, one battery cell robot is a preheating loading robot 41, which transfers the battery cell to be preheated to the battery cell preheating station 312. Another battery cell robot is a hot-pressing loading robot 42, which transfers the preheated battery cell from the preheating station 312 to the hot-pressing station 212. A third battery cell robot is a hot-pressing unloading robot 43, which removes the hot-pressed battery cell from the hot-pressing station 212. Each of the preheating loading robot 41, hot-pressing loading robot 42, and hot-pressing unloading robot 43 is equipped with multiple vertically arranged battery cell picking mechanisms 44, which are used to grip the battery cell. The number of battery cell picking mechanisms on each of the three robots is the same. The number of battery cell picking mechanisms 44 in a hot pressing feeding robot 42 is the same as the number of battery cell hot pressing stations 212 in a hot pressing mechanism 21.

[0057] In this embodiment, the preheating loading robot 41, the hot pressing unloading robot 43, and the hot pressing loading robot 42 adopt the structure of existing battery cell robots, such as the handling device described in application publication number CN114156524A mentioned in the background art. When removing the battery cell from the conveyor line, the battery cell also needs to be sorted. At this time, the attitude-changing platform described in CN114156524A can be used. In this embodiment, the robot and attitude-changing platform will not be described in detail. Similarly, the hot pressing mechanism 21 in this application also adopts the multi-layer stacked hot pressing module described in CN114156524A. The detailed structure will not be described again.

[0058] The arrangement direction of the preheating clamping mechanism 31 is defined as the X direction. In one embodiment, the equipment includes a robot arm moving track that moves along the X direction. The preheating loading robot 41, the hot pressing unloading robot 43, and the hot pressing loading robot 42 all move back and forth in the X direction. In this way, the hot pressing loading robot 42 can transfer the battery cell from the preheating clamping mechanism 31 to the hot pressing mechanism 21 without having to go through other process conversions.

[0059] In this embodiment, in order to achieve precise positioning of the battery cell, each battery cell preheating station 312 of the preheating clamping mechanism 31 is equipped with a photoelectric sensor 314 to monitor the position of the battery cell. After the preheating loading robot 41 moves the battery cell into place, the photoelectric sensor 314 sends a signal, and the preheating loading robot 41 places the battery cell in the target position.

[0060] In one embodiment, the number of cell preheating stations 312 in a preheating clamping mechanism 31 is an integer multiple of the number of cell hot pressing stations 212 in a hot pressing mechanism 21. Since the preheating time is longer than the hot pressing time, this allows for more preheated cells to be provided, further reducing the waiting time for cell hot pressing and improving the cell hot pressing efficiency.

[0061] To further facilitate the handling of battery cells, in one embodiment, when the hot pressing clamping molding part 211 of the battery cell hot pressing station 212 is in the open state, the distance between adjacent battery cell hot pressing stations 212 is a, and when the preheating clamping part 311 of the battery cell preheating station 312 is in the open state, the distance between adjacent battery cell preheating stations 312 is b, where b is an integer multiple of a.

[0062] The number of battery cell extraction mechanisms 44 on the preheating loading robot 41, the hot pressing unloading robot 43, and the hot pressing loading robot 42 is the same as the number of battery cell hot pressing stations 212 in one hot pressing mechanism 21. Since the preheating clamping mechanism 31 has a large number of battery cell preheating stations 312, the positions of the clamping mechanisms in the preheating loading robot 41 and the hot pressing loading robot 42 need to be changed when operating the battery cells in the preheating clamping mechanism 31. Both the preheating loading robot 41 and the hot pressing loading robot 42 include a robot frame, and the battery cell extraction mechanisms 44 in the preheating loading robot 41 and the hot pressing loading robot 42 are all vertically mounted on the robot frame.

[0063] In one embodiment, the battery cell taking mechanism 44, which moves relative to the robot frame in the preheating feeding robot 41 and the hot pressing feeding robot 42, can move up and down independently relative to the robot frame. In this embodiment, b may not be an integer multiple of a. By adjusting the distance between the upper and lower battery cell taking mechanisms 44, different battery cell preheating station 312 distances and different battery cell hot pressing station 212 distances can be adapted.

[0064] In one embodiment, the spacing between adjacent battery-collecting mechanisms 44 in the preheating loading robot 41 and the hot-pressing loading robot 42 remains unchanged, and the battery-collecting mechanisms 44 of the robot can move vertically as a whole. In this case, b must be an integer multiple of a, where a and b are both natural numbers.

[0065] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, multiple hot pressing mechanisms 21 are arranged, with each hot pressing mechanism 21 and each preheating clamping mechanism 31 arranged in a straight line. The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment includes a robotic arm moving track 5, the extension direction of which is consistent with the arrangement direction of each hot pressing mechanism 21. The preheating loading robot 41, the hot pressing loading robot 42, and the hot pressing unloading robot 43 are all mounted on the robotic arm moving track 5. This arrangement makes the equipment layout more compact, occupies less space, and minimizes waiting time, thereby improving the battery cell hot pressing efficiency.

[0066] In one embodiment, the number of preheating clamping mechanisms 31 is greater than the number of hot pressing mechanisms 21. Further increasing the supply of preheated cells is beneficial for improving the hot pressing efficiency of the cells.

[0067] Specifically, there are five preheating clamping mechanisms 31 and four hot pressing mechanisms 21.

[0068] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the cell preheating and hot-pressing equipment includes two hot-pressing lines 6, which are arranged side by side, resulting in a more compact layout. Each hot-pressing line 6 includes several hot-pressing mechanisms 21 and several preheating clamping mechanisms 31. Specifically, in one embodiment, each hot-pressing line 6 employs four hot-pressing mechanisms 21 and five preheating clamping mechanisms 31.

[0069] The working process of the battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment using the above preferred embodiment is described in detail below:

[0070] First, the attitude-changing platform processes the battery cell's posture. Then, the preheating loading robot 41 places a group of battery cells into the respective preheating stations 312 of the preheating clamping mechanism 31. Since the number of preheating stations 312 in one preheating clamping mechanism 31 is twice the number of battery cell loading and unloading mechanisms 44 of the preheating loading robot 41, the preheating loading robot 41 needs to load the cells twice. Then, the preheating pressing station begins to press down. After preheating and pressing, the hot pressing loading robot 42 picks up the cells and places them into the respective hot pressing stations 212 of the hot pressing mechanism 21. After hot pressing, the hot pressing unloading robot 43 removes the cells, completing the hot pressing of a group of battery cells.

[0071] In one embodiment, only one preheating clamping mechanism is provided, and in this case, one hot pressing mechanism is also provided. Similarly, according to actual needs, in some embodiments, the number of preheating clamping mechanisms and hot pressing mechanisms can be increased or decreased as needed. In some embodiments, the number of cell preheating stations in the preheating clamping mechanism can be one, two, or any other number; similarly, the number of cell hot pressing stations in the hot pressing mechanism can be one, two, or any other number.

[0072] In one embodiment, multiple preheating clamping mechanisms are provided, and each preheating clamping mechanism is provided with only one cell preheating station.

[0073] In one embodiment, in addition to the method described in the above embodiments, the robot arm can also place the battery cells one by one to the battery cell preheating station, and after preheating, place them one by one to the hot pressing station. In this case, a multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm is suitable.

[0074] In one embodiment, the hot pressing mechanism and the preheating clamping mechanism are arranged in a stepped manner. In this case, the hot pressing loading robot cannot directly pick up the battery cell from the preheating clamping mechanism. A buffer platform needs to be set between the hot pressing mechanism and the preheating clamping mechanism. Then, a preheating unloading robot is set up to take the battery cell out of the battery cell preheating station and place it on the buffer platform. Then, the hot pressing loading robot picks up the battery cell and sends it to the battery cell hot pressing station.

[0075] In one embodiment, a heat-insulating barrier is provided around the cell preheating station 312. The heat-insulating barrier is set on the preheating clamp on the upper side of the cell preheating station. When the cell preheating station 312 is closed, the heat-insulating barrier surrounds the cell, improving preheating efficiency. When the cell preheating station 312 is opened, the heat-insulating barrier is on the upper side of the cell, without affecting the loading and unloading of the cell. In one embodiment, the heat-insulating barrier is made of reflective stainless steel plate.

[0076] In one embodiment, the drive mechanism uses an electric push rod or a hydraulic cylinder instead of a motor and lead screw and nut mechanism. In another embodiment, a return spring is provided between adjacent preheating clamps to replace the preheating transmission component in the above embodiments.

[0077] In one embodiment, the preheating clamping transmission component is fixed to one of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components, and is vertically movable to the other of the adjacent movable preheating clamping components, and is vertically stopped when the distance between the adjacent movable preheating components reaches its maximum. In addition to the form in the above embodiment, the lower end of the preheating clamping transmission component can be fixed to the corresponding movable preheating clamping component, and the upper end can be vertically movable to the corresponding movable preheating clamping component.

[0078] In one embodiment, both ends of the preheating clamp are respectively movably engaged with the corresponding preheating clamp.

[0079] In one embodiment, the preheating clamping mechanism is provided with a cell preheating station. In another embodiment, besides the above-described form, the preheating clamping mechanism can also cause the upper preheating clamping member to reciprocate, thereby opening and closing the cell preheating station. In one embodiment, the preheating clamping mechanism is provided with two drive mechanisms. In this case, an odd number of preheating clamping members are suitable, with the middle preheating clamping member being a fixed preheating clamping member. The two drive mechanisms respectively drive the movable preheating clamping members on the upper and lower sides of the fixed preheating clamping member to move.

[0080] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A battery cell preheating and hot-pressing device, comprising a frame, a hot press, and a battery cell robot for transferring battery cells, wherein the hot press includes a hot-pressing mechanism mounted on the frame for hot-pressing the battery cells, characterized in that, It also includes a cell preheating machine that preheats the cells before hot pressing them. The cell preheating machine includes: A preheating clamping mechanism is configured on the frame. The preheating clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cell to be preheated and preheat the battery cell. The preheating clamping mechanism includes at least two preheating clamping members for contacting the battery cell to be preheated and preheating the battery cell. A battery cell preheating station for placing the battery cell is formed between adjacent preheating clamping members. Adjacent preheating clamping members can approach each other to clamp the battery cell to be preheated and move away from each other to release the preheated battery cell. The driving mechanism is used to drive adjacent preheating clamping components in the preheating clamping mechanism to move closer or further apart from each other. Multiple preheating clamping components of the preheating clamping mechanism are arranged vertically, and the cell preheating station is formed between adjacent vertical preheating clamping components. The preheating clamping component at the lowest position in the preheating clamping mechanism is a fixed preheating clamping component fixed on the frame, while the other preheating clamping components are movable preheating clamping components that are slidably mounted on the frame with upper and lower guides. The drive mechanism is connected to the top preheating clamp to drive the top preheating clamp to move up and down. A preheating clamping transmission component is provided between two adjacent movable preheating clamps. The preheating clamping transmission component is a rod-shaped structure that extends up and down. The preheating clamping transmission component is fixed to one of the adjacent movable preheating clamps and moves up and down with the other of the adjacent movable preheating clamps. The preheating clamping transmission component includes a transmission component stop block, and the transmission component stop block stops up and down when the distance between the adjacent movable preheating components reaches the maximum. The hot pressing mechanism includes multiple hot pressing clamping molding parts arranged vertically. Adjacent hot pressing clamping molding parts form a hot pressing station for hot pressing the preheated battery cells. The number of preheating stations in one preheating clamping mechanism is an integer multiple of the number of hot pressing stations in one hot pressing mechanism. When the hot pressing clamping molding parts of the battery cell hot pressing station are in the open state, the distance between adjacent hot pressing stations is 'a'. When the preheating clamping parts of the battery cell preheating station are in the open state, the distance between adjacent preheating stations is 'b', where 'b' is an integer multiple of 'a', and both 'a' and 'b' are natural numbers. Multiple preheating clamping mechanisms are arranged in a straight line, and a battery cell robot arm cooperating with the preheating clamping mechanisms can reciprocate along the arrangement direction of the preheating clamping mechanisms.

2. The cell preheating and hot-pressing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one battery cell robot is a hot-pressing loading robot, which is used to transfer the battery cells that have been preheated at the battery cell preheating station to the battery cell hot-pressing station. The hot-pressing loading robot is equipped with multiple battery cell picking mechanisms arranged vertically. The battery cell picking mechanisms are used to pick up the battery cells at the battery cell preheating station and transfer them to the battery cell hot-pressing station. The battery cell picking mechanism of one hot-pressing loading robot corresponds one-to-one with the battery cell hot-pressing station in one hot-pressing mechanism. The hot-pressing loading robot includes a robot frame. The battery cell picking mechanisms are vertically mounted on the robot frame so that the hot-pressing loading robot can pick up battery cells at different battery cell preheating stations by adjusting the position of the battery cell picking mechanisms vertically.

3. The cell preheating and hot-pressing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preheating clamping transmission component can limit the maximum distance between adjacent movable preheating clamping components, so that the upper movable preheating clamping component can drive the lower movable preheating clamping component to move upward through the preheating clamping transmission component. The preheating clamping transmission component is in vertical cooperation with at least one of the two adjacent movable preheating clamping components, so that the adjacent movable preheating clamping components can move closer to each other and further away from each other. When the distance between any adjacent movable preheating clamping components reaches the maximum value, the cell preheating station between the adjacent movable preheating clamping components is in the open state.

4. The cell preheating and hot-pressing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple hot pressing mechanisms are provided, and each hot pressing mechanism is arranged in a straight line with each preheating clamping mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a preheating loading robot, which transfers the battery cell to be preheated to the preheating clamping mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a hot pressing loading robot, which is used to transfer the preheated battery cell to the hot pressing mechanism. At least one battery cell robot is a hot pressing unloading robot, which is used to remove the hot-pressed robot from the hot pressing mechanism. The battery cell preheating and hot pressing equipment includes a robot moving track, and the extension direction of the robot moving track is consistent with the arrangement direction of each hot pressing mechanism. The preheating loading robot, hot pressing loading robot, and hot pressing unloading robot are all mounted on the robot moving track.

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