A bus bar welding device for a battery module

Abstract

The present invention provides a busbar welding device for a battery module, comprising a conveying mechanism, a supporting mechanism and a pressing mechanism; the supporting mechanism is used to support the stacked busbars and busbars; the pressing mechanism presses the busbars and busbars during welding, and comprises a driving device, a pressing plate and a copper nozzle assembly, the driving device is drivingly connected to the pressing plate, and the supporting mechanism is conveyed to the bottom of the pressing plate by the conveying mechanism; the copper nozzle assembly is embedded in the pressing plate, and the driving device can drive the pressing plate downward so that the copper nozzle assembly presses the busbars and busbars; the copper nozzle assembly comprises a guide column, a copper nozzle and an elastic body; the guide column is vertically mounted on the pressing plate, the bottom of the guide column is provided with a lower limit step close to the bottom of the pressing plate, the guide column passes through the pressing plate and the copper nozzle, the elastic body is sleeved on the guide column, and the top of the guide column is provided with an upper limit step for abutting the elastic body; a hollow welding cavity is provided in the copper nozzle. The busbar and the busbar of the present invention are reliably fitted, the welding quality is high, and the degree of automation is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of battery module manufacturing, and particularly relates to a bus bar welding device for a battery module. Background Art

[0002] The technology of bus bar welding devices for battery modules is widely used in the field of new energy vehicles. A battery module refers to an assembly that can directly supply power after a number of battery modules are combined by series-parallel welding, and a protection circuit board and a housing are added. During the bus bar welding process of the battery module, it is necessary to make the bus bar and the bus bar tab fit perfectly to ensure the yield of the bus bar welding and also meet the appearance requirements of the welding.

[0003] During bus bar welding, there are high requirements for the fit between the bus bar and the bus bar tab, and also for the welding appearance. However, due to the large welding energy, there are problems such as poor welding appearance, slag spatter, and fume generation. Therefore, a bus bar welding tooling for a battery module with good bus bar fit, high automation, meeting the welding appearance requirements, and less environmental pollution during operation is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a bus bar welding device for a battery module, which can make the bus bar and the bus bar tab fit reliably, with high welding quality and high automation.

[0005] The present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A bus bar welding device for a battery module, comprising a conveying mechanism, a supporting mechanism, and a pressing mechanism;

[0007] The supporting mechanism is used to support the stacked bus bars and bus bar tabs;

[0008] The pressing mechanism is located at the welding station and is used to press the bus bar and the bus bar tab during welding; the pressing mechanism includes a driving device, a pressing plate, and a copper nozzle assembly. The driving device is drivingly connected to the pressing plate, and the supporting mechanism is conveyed by the conveying mechanism to the lower part of the pressing plate; the copper nozzle assembly is embedded in the pressing plate, and the driving device can drive the pressing plate to descend, so that the copper nozzle assembly presses the bus bar tab and the bus bar;

[0009] Among them, the copper nozzle assembly includes: a guide post, a copper nozzle, and an elastic body;

[0010] The guide post is vertically installed on the pressing plate. A lower limit step closely attached to the bottom of the pressing plate is provided at the bottom of the guide post. The guide post passes through the pressing plate and the copper nozzle. The elastic body is sleeved on the guide post. An upper limit step for abutting against the elastic body is provided at the top of the guide post; a hollow welding cavity is provided in the copper nozzle.

[0011] Preferably, a pipe joint is installed on the copper nozzle. An air passage communicating with the pipe joint is provided inside the copper nozzle. A pressing edge for pressing the bus bar is provided on one side of the bottom of the copper nozzle. An air outlet notch extending horizontally is provided inside the pressing edge. A plurality of the air passages all extend to the air outlet notch, and the shielding gas converges through each air passage and is ejected from the air outlet notch.

[0012] Preferably, a plurality of overflow notches are provided at the bottom of the side of the copper nozzle opposite to the pressing edge for dispersing the shielding gas.

[0013] Preferably, a window for installing the copper nozzle is provided on the pressing plate. A flange is provided at the top of the copper nozzle. The flange is horizontally bent outward of the window and presses on the edge of the window; the guide post is installed on the flange.

[0014] Furthermore, a smoking mechanism is further included. The smoking mechanism includes a smoking hood connected to an exhaust fan. The smoking port of the smoking hood is located at the side of the welding station.

[0015] Preferably, the supporting mechanism includes a horizontally arranged support plate and a support board. The support board is detachably positioned above the support plate by a positioning post. And a sealed cavity is provided between the support board and the support plate. The outlet of the smoking hood can communicate with the cavity to form a positive pressure in the cavity, so that the bus bar and the bus bar upwardly press the copper nozzle.

[0016] Preferably, a connection hole is provided on the upper surface of the support board. An air injection nozzle adapted to the connection hole is installed at the bottom of the pressing plate. The air injection nozzle follows the pressing plate to descend until it is inserted into the connection hole.

[0017] Preferably, an air outlet hole is further provided on the support board. An air outlet joint with an electromagnetic valve is installed on the air outlet hole.

[0018] Preferably, a flue gas filter is installed on the pipeline connecting the smoking hood and the air injection nozzle.

[0019] Preferably, a positioning groove and a positioning post are provided on the support board. The bus bar and the bus bar are positioned on the support board by the positioning groove and the positioning post.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] The copper nozzle assembly of the present invention is installed on the pressing plate. The pressing plate is located at the welding station. The initial position of the supporting mechanism is not at the welding station. Therefore, it is convenient to load the bus bar and the bus bar onto the supporting mechanism. Then, the supporting mechanism is conveyed to the lower part of the pressing plate by the conveying mechanism. The driving device of the pressing mechanism is started to press down the pressing plate, so that the copper nozzle presses the bus bar, improving the fitting degree during the welding of the bus bar and the bus bar and ensuring the welding quality. The present invention realizes automated operation as a whole and has high operation efficiency.

[0022] The copper nozzle assembly of the present invention includes a guide post, a copper nozzle and an elastomer. The assembly structure among them makes the copper nozzle flexibly press the bus bar and the bus bar piece, without damaging the workpiece.

[0023] The present invention is provided with a smoke suction hood on the side of the welding station to timely suck away the smoke and dust of the slag spatter, protecting the working environment. The supporting mechanism of the present invention includes a horizontally installed support frame plate and a support plate. The support plate is detachably positioned above the support frame plate by a positioning post, facilitating the flexible replacement of the support plate matching the specification of the bus bar; and there is a sealed cavity between the support plate and the support frame plate, reducing the weight of the supporting mechanism and the driving energy consumption of the conveying mechanism; in addition, when the pressing plate presses down, the smoke suction hood communicates with the cavity through an air injection nozzle to exhaust air into the cavity, forming a positive pressure in the cavity, so as to reliably press the support plate upward, making the bus bar and the bus bar piece squeeze the copper nozzle upward, so that the bus bar and the bus bar piece fit more closely and the welding is more firm. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] The drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention, and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic structure diagram showing the copper nozzle of the present invention installed in the window opening of the pressing plate;

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic structure diagram of the copper nozzle pressing the bus bar piece;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the copper nozzle assembly;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the air injection nozzle and the cavity.

[0030] The labels in the figure are: 1, linear slide table; 2, guide rail; 3, bus bar; 4, bus bar piece; 5, air cylinder; 6, pressing plate; 7, bottom plate; 8, guide post; 9, copper nozzle; 10, elastomer; 11, window opening; 12, flange; 13, welding cavity; 14, lower limit step; 15, upper limit step; 16, pipe joint; 17, air duct; 18, pressing edge; 19, air outlet notch; 20, overflow notch; 21, smoke suction hood; 22, smoke suction port; 23, support frame plate; 24, support plate; 25, cylinder barrel; 26, cavity; 27, connection hole; 28, air injection nozzle. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] Embodiment 1

[0032] As Figures 1 to 5 shown, a bus bar welding device for a battery module includes a conveying mechanism, a supporting mechanism, and a pressing mechanism.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , the conveying mechanism includes a linear slide 1 and a guide rail 2 installed in parallel. The supporting mechanism is installed on the slider of the conveying mechanism and is conveyed to the welding station by the conveying mechanism.

[0034] The supporting mechanism is used to support the stacked bus bars 3 and bus bar plates 4; positioning grooves and positioning posts are provided on the support plate 24 of the supporting mechanism. When loading, the bus bars 3 and bus bar plates 4 are accurately positioned on the support plate 24 by the positioning grooves and positioning posts.

[0035] The pressing mechanism is located at the welding station and is used to press the bus bars 3 and bus bar plates 4 during welding. The pressing mechanism includes a driving device, a pressing plate 6, and a copper nozzle assembly. The driving device can be a cylinder 5. The cylinder 5 is fixed on the bottom plate 7. Two groups of cylinders 5 are respectively located on the front and rear sides of the pressing plate 6. The piston rod of the cylinder 5 is drivingly connected to the pressing plate 6. The supporting mechanism is conveyed by the conveying mechanism to the lower side of the pressing plate 6. The copper nozzle assembly is embedded in the pressing plate 6. During welding, the driving device drives the pressing plate 6 to descend, so that the copper nozzle assembly presses the bus bar plate 4 and the bus bar 3.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 2 to 4 , the copper nozzle assembly includes: a guide post 8, a copper nozzle 9, and an elastic body 10. The pressing plate 6 is provided with a plurality of openings 11 for installing the copper nozzles 9. The top of the copper nozzle 9 is provided with a flange 12. The flange 12 is horizontally bent outward from the opening 11 and presses against the edge of the opening 11. The copper nozzle 9 is provided with a hollow welding cavity 13 inside. The welding laser beam passes through the welding cavity 13 and hits the bus bar plate 4.

[0037] The guide post 8 is installed on the flange 12 of the copper nozzle 9 and is vertically inserted into the pressing plate 6. The bottom of the guide post 8 is provided with a lower limit step 14 that closely abuts the bottom of the pressing plate 6. The elastic body 10 is located above the flange 12 and is sleeved on the guide post 8. The top of the guide post 8 is provided with an upper limit step 15 for abutting against the elastic body 10. The elastic body 10 can be a flat spring.

[0038] After the cylinder 5 presses down the pressing plate 6, the guide post 8 follows the pressing plate 6 to descend until the bottom of the copper nozzle 9 presses on the bus bar plate 4. The copper nozzle 9 moves upward along the guide post 8 under the reaction force of the bus bar plate 4, squeezing the elastic member, so that the elastic body 10 stores energy. The elastic body 10 presses the copper nozzle 9 downward under the extrusion of the upper limit step 15, so that the copper nozzle 9 flexibly presses the bus bar plate 4.

[0039] In order to protect the weld molten pool and reduce oxidation, a shielding gas is applied to the weld by using the copper nozzle 9. Please refer to Figure 4, a pipe joint 16 is installed on the copper nozzle 9. The pipe joint 16 is connected to a shielding gas tank. A number of air channels 17 communicating with the pipe joint 16 are provided inside the copper nozzle 9. On one side of the bottom of the copper nozzle 9, there is a crimping edge 18 for pressing the bus bar 4. Inside the crimping edge 18, there is a horizontally extending air outlet slot 19. A number of air channels 17 all extend to the air outlet slot 19. The shielding gas passes through each air channel 17 and converges at the air outlet slot 19, and is evenly ejected from the horizontal direction, reducing the oxidation of the weld seam and effectively reducing the spatter generated during the welding process.

[0040] On the bottom of the side of the copper nozzle 9 opposite to the crimping edge 18, there are a number of overflow slots 20 for dispersing the shielding gas and blowing the shielding gas and spatter out of the welding chamber 13 from the overflow slots 20 on the opposite side.

[0041] This device further includes a fume extraction mechanism. The fume extraction mechanism includes a fume extraction hood 21 connected to an exhaust fan. The fume extraction ports 22 of the two fume extraction hoods 21 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the welding station, timely sucking away the spattered fume and slag during the welding process to avoid the welding slag affecting the appearance quality of the weld.

[0042] Further, please refer to Figure 5 , the support mechanism includes a horizontally arranged support plate 23 and a support board 24. On the top surface of the support plate 23, there are a number of support columns. At the bottom of the support board 24, there are a number of cylinder barrels 25 matching the support columns. The cylinder barrels 25 are sleeved on the support columns to position the support board 24 above the support plate 23. When the support board 24 is installed on the support plate 23, a sealed cavity 26 is formed between the support board 24 and the support plate 23 to reduce the weight of the support mechanism. To ensure the sealing of the cavity 26, a sealing ring is installed on the connection edge between the support board 24 and the support plate 23. To ensure the reliable support of the support board 24 for the bus bar 3 and prevent the support board 24 from deforming after the copper nozzle 9 presses the bus bar 4, the outlet of the fume extraction hood 21 is connected to the cavity 26 to form a stable positive pressure inside the cavity 26, applying an upward pressure to the bus bar 3 and the bus bar 4, so that the bus bar 3 and the bus bar 4 are reliably pressed against each other under the action of two opposite forces.

[0043] Specifically, on the upper surface of the support board 24, there are connection holes 27. A sealing gasket is installed inside the connection holes. At the bottom of the pressing plate 6, an air injection nozzle 28 adapted to the connection holes 27 is installed. When the air injection nozzle 28 follows the pressing plate 6 to descend, it is inserted into the connection holes 27 to press the sealing gasket; after welding is completed, the air injection nozzle 28 and the pressing plate 6 rise together and separate from the pressing plate 6, enabling the pressing plate 6 to be removed from the welding station by the conveying mechanism. A fume filter is installed on the pipeline connecting the fume extraction hood 21 and the air injection nozzle 28 to filter the fume and slag in the gas.

[0044] The support plate 24 is also provided with air outlet holes, and an air outlet joint with a solenoid valve is installed on the air outlet holes. A pressure sensor is installed on the support plate 24 to monitor the air pressure in the cavity 26. The controller adjusts the opening degree of the solenoid valve according to the change of the air pressure so that the air pressure in the cavity 26 remains at a set value.

[0045] The working process of the present invention is as follows:

[0046] At the loading station, the busbar 3 is positioned on the support plate 24, and the busbar piece 4 is positioned above the busbar 3;

[0047] The linear slide 1 transports the support mechanism to below the pressing plate 6 and stops moving after arriving;

[0048] The cylinder 5 drives the pressing plate 6 to move downward, so that the copper nozzle 9 presses on the busbar piece 4, and the copper nozzle 9 firmly presses the busbar piece 4 under the extrusion of the flat spring; at the same time, the gas injection nozzle 28 is inserted into the connection hole 27;

[0049] Protective gas is injected into the copper nozzle 9, and the exhaust fan switch of the fume hood 21 is started to start welding the busbar 3 and the busbar piece 4; during the welding process, the protective gas uniformly sprays out horizontally from the air outlet slot 19 at the bottom of the copper nozzle 9, reducing the oxidation of the weld seam, and blowing the spatter generated during the welding process into the overflow slot 20 on the opposite side, and discharging it outside the welding cavity 13 in time to protect the appearance quality of the welding;

[0050] The fume hood 21 sucks away part of the spatter and dust from the top of the welding cavity 13, and the gas injection nozzle 28 sends part of the air flow into the cavity 26, so that a positive pressure is formed in the cavity 26, and cooperates with the copper nozzle 9 to press the busbar 3 and the busbar piece 4 tightly;

[0051] After the welding is completed, the cylinder 5 jacks up the pressing plate 6, and the copper nozzle 9 and the gas injection nozzle 28 are separated from the pressing plate 6, and the conveying mechanism returns the busbar 3 and the busbar piece 4 to the initial position.

[0052] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bus bar welding device for a battery module, characterized in that, It includes a conveying mechanism, a supporting mechanism and a pressing mechanism; The supporting mechanism is used to support the stacked busbars and busbars; The pressing mechanism is located at the welding station and is used to press the busbar and the busbar during welding; the pressing mechanism includes a driving device, a pressing plate and a copper nozzle assembly. The driving device is drivingly connected to the pressing plate. The supporting mechanism is conveyed by the conveying mechanism to the lower part of the pressing plate; the copper nozzle assembly is embedded on the pressing plate, and the driving device can drive the pressing plate to descend so that the copper nozzle assembly presses the busbar and the busbar; Among them, the copper nozzle assembly includes: a guide post, a copper nozzle and an elastic body; The guide post is vertically installed on the pressing plate. A lower limit step closely attached to the bottom of the pressing plate is provided at the bottom of the guide post. The guide post passes through the pressing plate and the copper nozzle. The elastic body is sleeved on the guide post. An upper limit step for abutting against the elastic body is provided at the top of the guide post; a hollow welding cavity is provided in the copper nozzle; A pipe joint is installed on the copper nozzle. An air passage communicating with the pipe joint is provided in the copper nozzle. A pressing edge for pressing the busbar is provided on one side of the bottom of the copper nozzle. An air outlet groove extending horizontally is provided inside the pressing edge. Each of the several air passages extends to the air outlet groove. The protective gas converges to the air outlet groove through each air passage and is uniformly ejected horizontally; Several overflow grooves are provided at the bottom of the side of the copper nozzle opposite to the pressing edge for dispersing the protective gas; It further includes a smoking mechanism. The smoking mechanism includes a smoking hood connected to an exhaust fan. The smoking port of the smoking hood is located on the side of the welding station; The supporting mechanism includes a horizontally arranged support plate and a support plate. The support plate is detachably positioned above the support plate by a positioning post. A sealed cavity is provided between the support plate and the support plate. The outlet of the smoking hood can communicate with the cavity to form a positive pressure in the cavity, so that the busbar and the busbar press the copper nozzle upward; A connection hole is provided on the upper surface of the support plate. An air injection nozzle adapted to the connection hole is installed at the bottom of the pressing plate. The smoking hood is connected to the air injection nozzle through a pipeline. The air injection nozzle follows the pressing plate downward until it is inserted into the connection hole.

2. The bus bar welding device according to claim 1, wherein An opening window for installing the copper nozzle is provided on the pressing plate. A flange is provided at the top of the copper nozzle. The flange is horizontally bent outward from the opening window and pressed against the edge of the opening window; the guide post is installed on the flange.

3. The bus bar welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, An air outlet hole is further provided on the support plate. An air outlet joint with a solenoid valve is installed on the air outlet hole.

4. The bus bar welding device according to claim 1, wherein, A flue gas filter is installed on the pipeline connecting the smoking hood and the air injection nozzle.

5. The bus bar welding device according to claim 1, wherein, A positioning groove and a positioning post are provided on the support plate. The busbar and the busbar are positioned on the support plate by the positioning groove and the positioning post.

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