Automatic discharging lithium battery slurry stirring equipment

Abstract

The application discloses a lithium battery slurry stirring equipment with automatic discharging function, which comprises a stirring barrel for containing slurry and being driven to rotate to realize stirring of the slurry, a driving device for driving the stirring barrel to rotate, and an automatic discharging system located at the bottom of the stirring barrel and having a discharging channel communicated with a discharging port at the bottom of the stirring barrel, wherein the discharging channel can be controlled to be closed during stirring of the stirring barrel and opened for discharging when the stirring is completed. The automatic discharging system is used to open or close the discharging channel, so that automatic control can be realized for the discharging link, the traditional manual discharging mode is changed, and the production efficiency is improved. Meanwhile, the opening or closing position of the automatic discharging system can be located at the bottom of the barrel, compared with a ball valve in the prior art, the automatic discharging system has the possibility of eliminating the stirring dead angle, so that the quality of the final product can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to lithium battery production equipment, and more particularly to an automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] The mixing of lithium battery cell slurry is a crucial step in the entire lithium-ion battery production process that significantly impacts product quality. The quality of slurry dispersion directly affects the quality of subsequent lithium-ion battery production and the performance of the final product.

[0003] Lithium-ion battery paddle mixers typically employ a rotating drum structure. External force drives the drum to rotate, completing the mixing process. After mixing, the slurry is discharged from the bottom of the drum. Current lithium-ion battery slurry mixers use a manual ball valve for the discharge gate. This manual valve is manually closed during mixing and manually opened for discharge. This manual discharge method results in low efficiency, and the ball valve's sealing deteriorates over time, requiring timely replacement and impacting production. Furthermore, the connection between the ball valve and the rotating drum creates dead zones in the mixing process, preventing the lithium-ion battery slurry from being thoroughly and evenly mixed, thus affecting the final product quality.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing mixing equipment to achieve automated control of the discharge process, change the traditional manual discharge method, and improve production efficiency; at the same time, it is possible to eliminate mixing dead zones and ensure the quality of the final product. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment that can automate the discharge process, change the traditional manual discharge method, and improve production efficiency; at the same time, it has the potential to eliminate mixing dead zones and ensure the quality of the final product.

[0006] The automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment of the present invention includes:

[0007] A mixing tank contains slurry and is driven to rotate to agitate the slurry;

[0008] Drive unit, used to drive the mixing tank to rotate;

[0009] An automatic discharge system is located at the bottom of the mixing tank and has a discharge channel communicating with the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank. The discharge channel can be controlled to close when the mixing tank is rotating and to open when the mixing is completed.

[0010] Furthermore, the automatic discharging system includes:

[0011] The valve cylinder body is fixedly installed and its valve cylinder bore is connected to the discharge channel;

[0012] The piston valve core is located inside the valve cylinder bore and can be controlled to reciprocate along the valve cylinder bore to open or close the discharge channel.

[0013] Furthermore, the discharge channel is located on the discharge seat fixed to the bottom of the mixing tank. The upper end of the valve cylinder body and the lower end of the discharge seat are sealed and rotated together by a dynamic sealing structure. The discharge channel is coaxial with the valve cylinder bore and has the same diameter, which allows the piston valve core to move upward and block the bottom discharge port when the mixing tank rotates and stirs, and to move downward to open the discharge position when stirring is completed.

[0014] Furthermore, a piston rod is provided to rotatably engage with the piston valve core;

[0015] It also includes a piston valve core drive assembly, including:

[0016] A drive cylinder body is fixedly connected to the valve cylinder body and has a drive cylinder bore, and the piston rod extends into the drive cylinder bore;

[0017] The drive piston, in a driveable engagement with the piston rod, is located in the drive cylinder bore and can be driven to reciprocate along the drive cylinder bore.

[0018] Furthermore, the piston valve core includes:

[0019] The piston valve core body has a valve core seal on its outer circumference that seals with the valve cylinder bore and the discharge channel;

[0020] The front bearing and the rear bearing are respectively located at both ends of the piston valve core body for the piston valve core body and the piston rod to rotate together.

[0021] Furthermore, the piston valve core body is composed of several piston units arranged axially, and the ends of adjacent piston units are engaged by a stop, and a sealing groove for installing the valve core seal is formed at the stop.

[0022] Furthermore, a discharge gate plate is provided at the front end of the piston valve core body. The front end face of the discharge gate plate is a closed plane, which is used to move upward and block the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank when the piston valve core rotates and stirs in the mixing tank.

[0023] The valve cylinder body is provided with a cylinder outlet for connecting the discharge channel.

[0024] Furthermore, both the front and rear bearings are angular contact ball bearings, with the inner rings being respectively limited front and rear and fitted onto the piston rod, and the outer rings being respectively embedded in the bearing seat grooves formed by the piston valve core and limited front and rear.

[0025] Furthermore, an annular countersunk hole is formed at the upper end of the valve cylinder body, and a necking shaft is formed at the lower end of the discharge seat and is fitted into the annular countersunk hole. A sealing gland is formed between the side wall of the annular countersunk hole and the necking shaft. A sealing gland cover is fixed to the end edge of the annular countersunk hole to press the sealing packing into the sealing gland to form the dynamic sealing structure.

[0026] A radial sealing ring or gasket is provided between the upper end face of the sealing gland and the shoulder of the necked shaft formed by the discharge seat.

[0027] Furthermore, the driving device includes:

[0028] The drive motor is used to output the driving power to rotate the mixing tank;

[0029] A transmission assembly for transmitting the driving power of the drive motor to the mixing tank;

[0030] It also includes a fixed base, with the drive motor and valve cylinder body respectively fixed to the lower part of the fixed base, and the transmission assembly located on the upper part of the fixed base.

[0031] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment of the present invention uses an automatic discharge system to open or close the discharge channel, thereby realizing automated control of the discharge process, changing the traditional manual discharge method and improving production efficiency; at the same time, the opening or closing position of the automatic discharge system can be located at the bottom of the tank, which, compared with the ball valve of the prior art, has the possibility of eliminating the mixing dead zone, thus helping to ensure the quality of the final product. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the piston valve core structure;

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A. Detailed Implementation

[0036] As shown in the figure: The automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment of this embodiment includes:

[0037] The mixing tank 2 contains the slurry and is driven to rotate to achieve mixing of the slurry;

[0038] Drive unit, used to drive the mixing tank to rotate;

[0039] An automatic discharge system is located at the bottom of the mixing tank and has a discharge channel 401 that communicates with the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank. The discharge channel can be controlled to close when the mixing tank is rotating and to open when the mixing is completed.

[0040] The mixing tank 2 and the drive device can adopt existing technologies, which will not be elaborated here. The automatic discharge system refers to the equipment used for opening or closing the discharge channel by electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic control. It is generally an electrically controlled (hydraulic or pneumatic) valve. The valve core generally adopts an up-and-down moving structure, which can be used to directly block the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank, eliminate dead zones in the mixing process, and thus achieve uniform mixing throughout the entire process, improving product quality. At the same time, it improves production efficiency.

[0041] In this embodiment, the automatic discharging system includes:

[0042] The valve cylinder body 6 is fixedly installed and its valve cylinder hole is connected to the discharge channel 401; the structure of the valve cylinder body 6 is similar to that of existing hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, and will not be described in detail here.

[0043] The piston valve core 7 is located inside the valve cylinder bore and can be controlled to reciprocate along the valve cylinder bore to open or close the discharge channel. The piston valve core has a piston structure and can be driven to move along the valve cylinder bore, thereby blocking the discharge channel upward and pressing against the discharge port of the mixing tank as much as possible to complete the mixing. After the mixing is completed, it is driven to move downward. After moving past the valve cylinder bore or the discharge port on the discharge channel, the mixed lithium battery slurry is released, realizing automated discharge.

[0044] In this embodiment, the discharge channel 401 is located at the discharge seat 4 fixed to the bottom of the mixing tank. The upper end of the valve cylinder 6 is sealed and rotatedly engaged with the lower end of the discharge seat through a dynamic sealing structure. The dynamic sealing structure is generally determined according to the fit structure between the discharge seat and the valve cylinder. It can be a mechanical seal with pre-tightening force (a sealing fit structure of dynamic and static rings) or a packing seal with a stuffing box structure. Both can achieve the purpose of the invention, and will not be described in detail here. The use of a dynamic sealing structure can prevent the discharge valve body from moving with the mixing tank, thereby facilitating the realization of electronic or hydraulic / pneumatic control of discharge.

[0045] The discharge channel 401 is coaxial with the valve cylinder bore and has the same diameter, which allows the piston valve core 7 to move upward and block the bottom discharge port when the mixing tank rotates and stirs, and to move downward to open the discharge position when the stirring is completed. In this structure, the piston valve core 7 can be driven into the discharge channel and seal the discharge port. The top of the piston valve core 7 can be shaped to fit the bottom part of the discharge port, so that the discharge port is completely sealed during the rotation and stirring to eliminate the stirring dead corner, thereby helping to ensure product quality.

[0046] In this embodiment, a piston rod 709 is rotatably coupled to the piston valve core 7. The piston valve core 7 and the piston rod 709 rotate to engage. When the piston valve core 7 enters the discharge channel 401, the piston valve core can rotate with the mixing tank, thereby transforming the original dynamic sealing structure between the outer circle of the piston valve core and the channel wall into a static seal, thus improving the sealing effect and extending the service life of the sealing structure. At the same time, the following structure makes the piston valve core and the mixing tank form a whole during the mixing process, and there will be no material leakage problem caused by friction and creep.

[0047] It also includes a piston valve core drive assembly, including:

[0048] The drive cylinder body 8 is fixedly connected to the valve cylinder body 6 and has a drive cylinder bore. The piston rod 709 extends into the drive cylinder bore. As shown in the figure, the valve cylinder body or / and the drive cylinder body form a constriction orifice at the through hole for passing through the piston rod and fits with the piston rod with a small clearance. Generally, a seal is provided to ensure the sealing performance of the hydraulic drive. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0049] The drive piston 801 is drivably engaged with the piston rod 709 and is located in the drive cylinder bore and can be driven to reciprocate along the drive cylinder bore.

[0050] The structure of the drive cylinder 8 and the drive piston 801 is a drive structure of the prior art. As shown in the figure, hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is used to drive the drive piston to reciprocate within the drive cylinder, thereby driving the piston rod and piston valve core to reciprocate and complete the closing and opening actions. Further details will not be provided here.

[0051] In this embodiment, the piston valve core 7 includes:

[0052] The piston valve core body has a valve core seal 705 on its outer circumference, which seals with the valve cylinder bore and the discharge channel. When the piston valve core 7 enters the valve cylinder bore, the valve core seal 705 forms a sealing fit with the valve cylinder bore. When it enters the discharge channel, it seals with the discharge channel. As shown in the figure, the valve core seal is a sealing ring that is sleeved on the outer circumference of the piston valve core body, and several of them are sleeved along the axial direction to ensure the sealing effect. Further details are omitted here.

[0053] The front bearing 703 and the rear bearing 707 are respectively set at both ends of the piston valve core body for the piston valve core body and the piston rod 709 to rotate together. The structure of bearings at both ends forms a stable rotational support for the piston valve core body, ensuring the sealing effect and the follow-up of the mixing tank.

[0054] In this embodiment, the piston valve core body is composed of a plurality of piston units 706 arranged axially, and the ends of adjacent piston units 706 are engaged by a stop, and a sealing groove for installing valve core seals is formed at the stop.

[0055] As shown in the figure, several piston units 706 are arranged axially to form an integral piston valve core body. Of course, the structure of each piston unit 706 is not necessarily the same. The structure varies depending on the connection structure. The piston units in the figure are axially connected by long bolts (some piston units have bolt holes, and adjacent piston units have threaded holes that mate with the bolts, which will not be described in detail here). Of course, the purpose of this invention can also be achieved by pressing the piston units together with the end caps, which will not be described in detail here.

[0056] Adjacent piston units 706 are fitted with a stop to maintain good coaxiality positioning. At the same time, a sealing groove is formed by the distance between the end edge of the concave stop and the shoulder of the convex stop. The structure is simple and reduces elastic deformation during the installation of the valve core seal (a Y-shaped sealing ring is used in this embodiment), ensuring the normal use of the valve core seal. As shown in the figure, sealing grooves are formed between adjacent piston units and between the piston unit and the end cap (front and rear) at the end, respectively, corresponding to the stop. Multiple sealing grooves are formed axially and are respectively fitted into the sealing groove. The sealing lip of the Y-shaped sealing ring is higher than the opening of the sealing groove, forming an effective seal.

[0057] In this embodiment, a discharge gate plate 701 is provided at the front end of the piston valve core body. The front end face of the discharge gate plate 701 is a closed plane, which is used to move upward and block the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank when the piston valve core 7 rotates and stirs in the mixing tank. As shown in the figure, the discharge gate plate 701 is a cylindrical cap-shaped structure that is upside down on the front end of the piston valve core body to form a plane, which is used to block the discharge port of the mixing tank and fit with the bottom of the tank to eliminate the dead corner of the stirring. Of course, the discharge gate plate needs to be fixed to the front end by existing mechanical fixing methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0058] The valve cylinder body 6 is provided with a cylinder outlet 602 for connecting the discharge channel. The discharge outlet is located on the cylinder body and does not need to move with the mixing tank, thus ensuring a good production environment.

[0059] In this embodiment, the front bearing 703 and the rear bearing 707 are both angular contact ball bearings. The inner rings are respectively limited front and rear and are sleeved on the piston rod 709, and the outer rings are respectively embedded in the bearing seat grooves formed by the piston valve core and are limited front and rear.

[0060] The installation method of the angular contact ball bearing is as follows: the outer ring of the front bearing applies an axial force backward, and the outer ring of the rear bearing applies an axial force forward to ensure the axial positioning of the piston unit and maintain its position when the piston valve core body moves forward or backward. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0061] As shown in the figure, the piston valve core body is provided with a front end cover 704 and a rear end cover 708. The front end cover 704 is located at the front end of the foremost piston unit 706 and is detachably fixedly connected to it (as shown by bolts) and is engaged with a stop. The front end of the convex stop and the recessed stop form a bearing seat groove for accommodating the outer ring of the front bearing. At the same time, the rear end cover 708 is located at the rear end of the last piston unit and is pressed against it by the stop. As shown in the figure, an annular pressure ring is fixed on the piston rod to press the rear end cover and press against the last piston unit. At the same time, a pressure cap is also provided on the rear end cover by bolts, and together with the pressure cap, the pressure ring is clamped to form a fixed structure. This will not be described in detail here. Of course, the front end of the convex stop of the rear end cover and the recessed stop form a bearing seat groove for accommodating the outer ring of the rear bearing.

[0062] In this embodiment, an annular countersunk hole 601 is formed at the upper end of the valve cylinder 6, and a necked shaft 402 is formed at the lower end of the discharge seat 4 and is fitted inside the annular countersunk hole 601. A sealing gland 10 is formed between the side wall of the annular countersunk hole 601 and the necked shaft 402. A sealing gland cover 12 is fixed to the end edge of the annular countersunk hole 601 to press the sealing packing into the sealing gland 10 to form the dynamic sealing structure. As shown in the figure, the dynamic seal is formed by using a stuffing gland structure, which has a better sealing effect and makes the dynamic fit structure of the two compact.

[0063] A radial sealing ring or gasket 11 is provided between the upper end face of the sealing gland 12 and the shoulder of the necked shaft formed by the discharge seat 4, which, together with the sealing gland 10, forms an effective seal; at the same time, under normal circumstances, the material of the sealing ring or gasket should have self-lubricating properties to ensure the smooth relative rotation of the two.

[0064] In this embodiment, the driving device includes:

[0065] Drive motor 1 is used to output the driving power to rotate the mixing tank 2;

[0066] A transmission assembly for transmitting the driving power of the drive motor to the mixing tank;

[0067] It also includes a fixed base 5, the drive motor 1 and the valve cylinder 6 are respectively fixed to the lower part of the fixed base 5, and the transmission assembly is located on the upper part of the fixed base;

[0068] As shown in the figure, the power output shaft of the drive motor 1 passes through the fixed base 5. The transmission assembly includes a drive gear 101 (located on the upper part of the fixed base) that is configured to drive the power output shaft and a driven gear that meshes with the drive gear. The driven gear also serves as the outer ring of a disc bearing 3 (and a disc bearing with an external gear ring). The inner ring of the disc bearing 3 is fixed (at least in the circumferential direction) to the fixed base 5, and the outer ring is configured to drive the mixing tank 2 to rotate.

[0069] As shown in the figure, the fixed base 5 is provided with a shaft seat hole 501. The discharge seat 4 is rotatably fitted into the shaft seat hole 501. The upper end of the valve cylinder body 6 forms an annular flange (which can be integrally formed or detachably connected) and is installed on the lower part of the fixed base 5 through the annular flange, forming the aforementioned mating structure with the fixed base 5. The overall structure is simple and compact.

[0070] The valve cylinder 6 is fixed stationary on the fixed base 5. The drive cylinder 9 drives the piston to move forward (upward) via hydraulic pressure. The piston rod drives the piston valve core to move upward along the cylinder bore and discharge channel 401 of the valve cylinder, ensuring that the upper surface of the discharge gate plate 71 is flush with the inner bottom surface of the lithium battery slurry rotating mixing tank 2. The drive cylinder 9 then locks itself to perform material mixing. During discharge, the drive cylinder 9 drives the piston to move in the reverse direction, and the piston valve core 7 moves downward, ensuring that the upper surface of the discharge gate plate 71 is lower than the discharge port on the valve cylinder. Discharge is then completed by a pneumatic diaphragm pump, achieving automated discharge.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic discharge lithium battery slurry mixing equipment, characterized in that: include: A mixing tank contains slurry and is driven to rotate to agitate the slurry; Drive unit, used to drive the mixing tank to rotate; An automatic discharge system is located at the bottom of the mixing tank and has a discharge channel communicating with the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank. The discharge channel is controlled to close when the mixing tank is rotating and to open when the mixing is completed. The automatic discharging system includes: The valve cylinder body is fixedly installed and its valve cylinder bore is connected to the discharge channel; The piston valve core is located inside the valve cylinder bore and is controlled to reciprocate along the valve cylinder bore to open or close the discharge channel. The discharge channel is located at the discharge seat fixed to the bottom of the mixing tank. The upper end of the valve cylinder body and the lower end of the discharge seat are sealed and rotated together by a dynamic sealing structure. The discharge channel is the same diameter and coaxial with the valve cylinder bore, so that the piston valve core moves up and blocks the bottom discharge port when the mixing tank rotates and stirs, and moves down to open the discharge position when the stirring is completed. A piston rod is provided to rotatably cooperate with the piston valve core; when the piston valve core enters the discharge channel, the piston valve core rotates with the mixing tank. It also includes a piston valve core drive assembly, including: A drive cylinder body is fixedly connected to the valve cylinder body and has a drive cylinder bore, and the piston rod extends into the drive cylinder bore; The driving piston, in cooperation with the piston rod, is located in the driving cylinder bore and is driven to reciprocate along the driving cylinder bore. The piston valve core body is composed of several piston units arranged axially. The ends of adjacent piston units are engaged by a stop, and a sealing groove for installing valve core seals is formed at the stop. The upper end of the valve cylinder body forms an annular countersunk hole, the lower end of the discharge seat forms a necked shaft and is fitted into the annular countersunk hole, a sealing gland is formed between the side wall of the annular countersunk hole and the necked shaft, and a sealing gland cover is fixed to the end edge of the annular countersunk hole to press the sealing packing into the sealing gland to form the dynamic sealing structure. A radial sealing ring or gasket is provided between the upper end face of the sealing gland and the shoulder of the necked shaft formed by the discharge seat. The piston valve core includes: The piston valve core body has a valve core seal on its outer circumference that seals with the valve cylinder bore and the discharge channel; The front bearing and the rear bearing are respectively located at both ends of the piston valve core body for the piston valve core body and the piston rod to rotate together; A discharge gate plate is provided at the front end of the piston valve core body. The front end face of the discharge gate plate is a closed plane, which is used to move upward and block the discharge port at the bottom of the mixing tank when the piston valve core rotates and stirs in the mixing tank. The valve cylinder body is provided with a cylinder outlet for connecting the discharge channel.

2. The lithium battery slurry mixing equipment with automatic discharge according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the front and rear bearings are angular contact ball bearings. The inner rings are respectively limited in front and rear and are sleeved on the piston rod. The outer rings are respectively embedded in the bearing seat grooves formed by the piston valve core and are limited in front and rear.

3. The lithium battery slurry mixing equipment with automatic discharge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device includes: The drive motor is used to output the driving power to rotate the mixing tank; A transmission assembly for transmitting the driving power of the drive motor to the mixing tank; It also includes a fixed base, with the drive motor and valve cylinder body respectively fixed to the lower part of the fixed base, and the transmission assembly located on the upper part of the fixed base.

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