An electrode plate unwinding mechanism

Abstract

The application discloses an electrode piece unwinding mechanism, which comprises a pair of unwinding shafts, a plurality of supporting rollers arranged on an unwinding path, an automatic tape connecting mechanism, and a pair of automatic tape threading mechanisms corresponding to the pair of unwinding shafts, wherein the automatic tape threading mechanism comprises a guide rod, a swing rod and a driving device, the driving device drives the guide rod to move along a set tape threading track through the swing rod, and the tape threading track comprises: from position A to position B, the movement track of the guide rod is an arc line, at this time, the guide rod pulls the material tape to pass a pair of supporting rollers below the automatic tape connecting mechanism; from position B to position C, the movement track of the guide rod is a straight line, at this time, the guide rod pulls the material tape to pass through a tape connecting groove of the automatic tape connecting mechanism from bottom to top; from position C to position D, the movement track of the guide rod is an arc line, at this time, the guide rod pulls the material tape to deviate from the unwinding path. The application can complete the automatic tape threading function, replace the traditional manual threading, and improve the production efficiency without stopping the whole process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to lithium battery manufacturing process equipment, and more particularly to an electrode unwinding mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In existing streamlined lithium battery production processes, an electrode unwinding mechanism is used. This mechanism typically uses two rolls of material. When one roll is empty, it is replaced by a full roll.

[0003] During unwinding, the strip passes through multiple idlers sequentially, resulting in a relatively long unwinding path. Manual unwinding and threading is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Current methods involve installing an automatic strip-jointing mechanism at the start of the unwinding process. This mechanism guides out the end portion of the full roll and bonds it to the strip that is about to run out. For a detailed description of the automatic strip-jointing process, please refer to Chinese Patent Document CN111268482A – An Automatic Strip-Joining Method and Apparatus for Electrode Sheets in a Sheet Winding Machine.

[0004] In existing automated tape feeding processes, after the material roll is used up and the automated tape feeding action is completed, a manual person places the roll onto the air-expansion shaft and then manually threads the tape to the designated position. During this manual threading process, the equipment needs to be stopped to ensure the safety of the manual operator. This shutdown for threading operations affects the production cycle time. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrode unwinding mechanism that uses automatic threading instead of manual threading to improve production efficiency.

[0006] To address this, the present invention provides an electrode unwinding mechanism, comprising a pair of unwinding shafts, a plurality of idlers arranged on the unwinding path, an automatic tape receiving mechanism, and a pair of automatic tape threading mechanisms corresponding one-to-one with the pair of unwinding shafts. The automatic tape threading mechanism includes a guide rod, a swing rod, and a driving device. The driving device drives the guide rod via the swing rod to automatically thread the tape along a predetermined tape threading trajectory. This trajectory includes: from position A to position B, the guide rod moves along an arc, during which the guide rod pulls the tape around a pair of idlers below the automatic tape receiving mechanism; from position B to position C, the guide rod moves along a straight line, during which the guide rod pulls the tape from bottom to top through the tape receiving groove of the automatic tape receiving mechanism; from position C to position D, the guide rod moves along an arc, during which the guide rod pulls the tape away from the unwinding path.

[0007] Compared with manual threading, the present invention has the following technical effects / advantages:

[0008] (1) Reduce the time and actions required for manual operations;

[0009] (2) Avoid equipment downtime during material feeding and improve efficiency.

[0010] In addition to the objectives, features, and advantages described above, the present invention has other objectives, features, and advantages. The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the figures. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electrode unwinding mechanism of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 The threading path of the automatic threading mechanism in the electrode unwinding mechanism of the present invention is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the automatic electrode unwinding and threading mechanism of the present invention is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 AA cross-section; and

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 The side view of the automatic belt-threading mechanism shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Combined with reference Figures 1 to 5 The electrode unwinding mechanism of the present invention includes a pair of unwinding shafts 8, a plurality of idler rollers 5 arranged on the unwinding path, an automatic tape-connecting mechanism 7, and an automatic tape-threading mechanism 6.

[0019] Material roll 1 is supported on unwinding shaft 8, and material roll 3 is supported on unwinding shaft 8', which is preferably an air-expanding shaft.

[0020] The multiple idlers 5 include a pair of starting idlers 51 and 51', and a pair of idlers 52 and 52' located below the automatic self-contained mechanism 7. An unwinding convergence idler 53 and a reversing idler 54 are located directly above the automatic threading mechanism 7. The unwinding convergence idler 54 is equipped with a belt brake 9.

[0021] The automatic belt threading mechanism 6 and another automatic belt threading mechanism 6' are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the automatic belt connecting mechanism 7, and the two have the same structure.

[0022] The automatic threading mechanism 6 mainly consists of three parts: a guide rod 67, a swing rod 68, and a drive device. The guide rod 67 is used to pull the material strip 2 to perform the threading action. The drive device is located in the narrow space between the material roll 1 and the automatic threading mechanism 6. The swing rod 68 is driven by the drive device and extends towards the unwinding path, with its end connected to the guide rod 67. In this invention, the unwinding path is defined as the path that the material roll takes during normal anti-winding.

[0023] In this invention, the guide rod moves along a predetermined threading trajectory under the action of the swing arm and the drive device. The predetermined threading trajectory includes: the initial position of the guide rod is position A; from position A to position B, the trajectory is an arc; the guide rod pulls the material belt around a pair of idlers 53 below the automatic threading mechanism; from position B to position C, the guide rod pulls the material belt through the middle groove of the automatic threading mechanism; this trajectory is a straight line; from position C to position D, the guide rail pulls the material belt away from the unwinding path, so that the waste strip head cut by the automatic threading mechanism is away from the unwinding path.

[0024] The automatic strapping process of this invention is as follows:

[0025] Combined with reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,when Figure 1 When the material roll on the right side is used up, the operator manually places the material roll 3 onto the designated position on the unwinding shaft 8, and then manually threads the belt through the starting idler roller 51. Figure 2 At position A, the tape 4 is fixed to the guide rod of the automatic tape-threading mechanism 6. Then, the tape is manually placed on the automatic tape-joining mechanism 7. After the tape is placed on the automatic tape-joining mechanism 7, the door is closed, and the automatic tape-threading mechanism 6 begins to operate automatically. From position A to position B, the servo motor drives the circular motion; from position B to position C, the cylinder drives the linear motion; from position C to position D, the servo motor continues to drive the motion. This completes the automatic tape-threading function of the tape 4, replacing the traditional manual tape-threading, and ensuring the safety of manual operation without stopping the machine.

[0026] Combined with reference Figures 3 to 5 The present invention also provides an automatic strapping mechanism to replace manual strapping. This automatic strapping mechanism consists of three parts: a guide rod 67, a swing rod 68, and a driving device. It decomposes the strapping action into two circular rotational movements and one up-and-down linear movement to suit layout in confined spaces.

[0027] The drive unit mainly consists of a cylinder 61, a cylinder limit assembly 62, a guide rail slider assembly 63, a motor drive assembly, a bearing support assembly 65, a rotating shaft 66, and a slide block 69.

[0028] The guide rail slider assembly 63 is mounted on the frame of the automatic tape receiving mechanism 7, providing guidance for the lifting and lowering movement of the motor drive assembly 64, which is driven by a cylinder for lifting and lowering. The rotating shaft 66 is driven by the motor drive assembly 64, and the axes of the rotating shaft 66 and the guide rod 67 are parallel to the axis of the idler roller. The rotating shaft 66 is driven by the motor drive assembly to achieve controllable rotation angle. The guide rod 67 is arranged on the unwinding path of the tape and is connected to the end of the swing arm 68.

[0029] The rotating shaft 66 is a cantilever shaft, and its starting end is supported by a bearing support assembly 65 to maintain the stability of the rotating shaft 66. The bearing support assembly 65 consists of a cantilever bearing housing and a bearing installed in the bearing housing.

[0030] The slide 69, rotating shaft 66, bearing support assembly 65, and motor drive assembly 64 constitute a rotary drive mechanism. This rotary drive mechanism can also adopt other structural forms.

[0031] The circular motion decomposed from the threading action is driven by the motor drive assembly 64, which uses a servo motor + coupling direct drive method. When the distance between the automatic threading mechanism 6 and the automatic tape receiving mechanism 7 is particularly large, the inertia of the actuator increases, requiring a servo motor + reducer + coupling drive. Figure 3 and 4 As can be seen, in order to ensure that the guide rod does not droop during the operation of the automatic threading mechanism, preferably, the servo motor 64 has a brake function.

[0032] The linear motion decomposed from the threading action is directly driven by the cylinder 61. The cylinder limit component 62 (e.g., a combination of a hydraulic damper and a stop screw) is used to adjust the cylinder's operating position and original position.

[0033] In this invention, after the material roll is loaded onto the air shaft, the manual person fixes the material roll onto the guide rod. The guide rod carries the electrode strip through the set splicing trajectory to the designated position, and is fixed by the servo motor brake, waiting for the automatic splicing mechanism to perform the automatic splicing action. The equipment does not need to stop throughout the process.

[0034] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the invention should be included within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. An electrode tab unwinding mechanism comprising a pair of unwinding shafts, a plurality of pairs of idler rollers provided on an unwinding path, and an automatic tape splicing mechanism, characterized by, The automatic threading mechanism is provided with a guide rod, a swing rod and a driving device. The driving device drives the guide rod to move along a set threading track including: from position A to position B, the guide rod moves along an arc, and the guide rod pulls the tape to pass a pair of rollers below the automatic threading mechanism, from position B to position C, the guide rod moves along a straight line, and the guide rod pulls the tape to pass through a threading groove of the automatic threading mechanism, from position C to position D, the guide rod moves along an arc, and the guide rod pulls the tape to deviate from the unwinding path, and a waste tape head cut by the automatic threading mechanism is far away from the unwinding path, The driving device includes a guide rail and sliding block assembly, a rotating driving assembly arranged on the guide rail and sliding block assembly, and a cylinder for driving the rotating driving assembly to move up and down. The rotating driving assembly includes a sliding base, a motor driving assembly, a rotating shaft, and a bearing support assembly.

2. The pole piece unwinding mechanism of claim 1, wherein The bearing support assembly includes a cantilever sleeve and a bearing arranged in the cantilever sleeve.

3. The pole piece unwinding mechanism of claim 1, wherein The motor driving assembly includes a servo motor with a brake function and a shaft coupling.

4. The pole piece unwinding mechanism of claim 1, wherein The motor driving assembly includes a servo motor with a brake function, a speed reducer and a shaft coupling.

5. The pole piece unwinding mechanism of claim 1, wherein The cylinder limiting assembly is arranged at a position where the cylinder is in place, and another cylinder limiting assembly is arranged at a position where the cylinder is in action.

6. The pole piece unwinding mechanism of claim 5, wherein The cylinder limiting assembly includes a hydraulic buffer and a stop screw.

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