Battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing

Abstract

This invention discloses battery packaging equipment for automotive battery production and processing in the field of battery production and packaging technology, aiming to solve the problem of inconvenient automated inspection of welding points during the lithium battery packaging process in the prior art. It includes a battery conveyor line, a controller, a welding station located on the battery conveyor line, and a welding inspection station. The welding inspection station is equipped with a vacuum pump and several suction nozzles. Each suction nozzle has a hollow cavity inside and a single air inlet at its bottom. Each suction nozzle is connected to the suction end of the vacuum pump via an air pipe. Each suction nozzle is equipped with a negative pressure sensing device electrically connected to the controller. This invention is used to detect the reliability of welding points during the lithium battery welding process, providing a solution for automated welding point reliability inspection and effectively solving the problem of low product yield caused by welding point defects in traditional production and packaging processes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing, belonging to the technical field of battery production and packaging equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the packaging process of new energy lithium battery packs, appropriate welding machines (commonly spot welding machines) are required to weld the battery cells together to achieve normal operation and stable working voltage of the lithium battery. However, the automated welding process is different from the manual process. If the welding is not strong or the weld is lost during the automated welding operation, the entire device will continue to work until the pack packaging process is completed. It cannot quickly and effectively detect or reject battery packs with missing welds, missing welds or weak welds as it can with manual welding. This is not conducive to the normal progress of lithium battery packaging production and will also affect the final yield of the product to a certain extent. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing. This equipment is used to detect the reliability of solder joints during the lithium battery welding process. It can provide an automated solution for detecting the reliability of solder joints and effectively solve the problem of low product yield caused by solder joint defects in traditional production and packaging processes.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention employs the following technical solution:

[0005] On the one hand, the present invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing, including a battery conveying line, a controller, and a welding inspection station located on the battery conveying line;

[0006] The welding inspection station is equipped with a vacuum pump and several suction nozzles. Each suction nozzle has a hollow cavity inside and a unique air inlet at its bottom. Each suction nozzle is connected to the vacuum pump's suction end through an air pipe.

[0007] Each of the mouthpieces is equipped with a negative pressure sensor that is electrically connected to the controller. The negative pressure sensor is used to monitor changes in negative pressure inside the mouthpiece cavity and transmit the negative pressure change information to the controller.

[0008] Preferably, the negative pressure sensing device is a negative pressure sensor.

[0009] Preferably, the negative pressure sensing device includes a slide rod slidably disposed on the wall of the suction device, a sealing plate fixedly installed at the end of the slide rod, and a spring sleeved on the slide rod with its two ends respectively abutting against the sealing plate and the wall of the suction device. A retractable cloth is provided around the sealing plate and connected to the wall of the suction device. The suction device is provided with a touch switch for contacting the sealing plate or the slide rod, and each touch switch is electrically connected to the controller.

[0010] Preferably, it also includes a sorting device, which is used to reject batteries awaiting packaging on the battery conveyor line when welding inspection fails.

[0011] Preferably, the welding inspection station is provided with a vertically movable lifting plate, the lifting plate is provided with a horizontally sliding positioning plate, the bottom of the positioning plate is provided with a fixing plate for fixing the suction nozzle, the welding inspection station is provided with a first motor for driving the lifting plate to move up and down, and a second motor for driving the positioning plate to move is provided on one side of the lifting plate.

[0012] Preferably, the fixed plate has a sliding groove, and each of the suction nozzles is equipped with a threaded rod that is slidably disposed in the sliding groove. Each of the threaded rods is threadedly connected with a locking nut for locking the suction nozzle.

[0013] Preferably, the vacuum pump is installed above the positioning plate, and the air tube of the suction port passes through the positioning plate and is connected to the vacuum pump.

[0014] Preferably, the mouthpiece has an overall shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, resembling a whistle.

[0015] Preferably, an insertion port is provided below the suction device near the only air inlet, and a limiting mesh for preventing excessive deformation of the welding strip is inserted into the insertion port.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects achieved by the present invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. This invention places the suction nozzle above the welded lithium battery and uses the negative pressure generated by the vacuum pump to allow the bottom of the suction nozzle to adsorb the welded nickel strip. When passing the weld point, due to the shape of the nickel strip and the weight of the lithium battery, the nickel strip detaches from the bottom of the suction nozzle, opening the air vent. This is reflected in the change of negative pressure inside the suction nozzle. When the lithium battery is perfectly welded, the change of negative pressure is regular. By monitoring the negative pressure inside the suction nozzle, the welding point of the lithium battery can be detected. This is beneficial for the lithium battery pack packaging work and can effectively reduce the packaging error rate, thereby improving the product yield.

[0018] 2. This invention sets the negative pressure sensing to an action head with a sliding rod and a retractable cloth covering, so that the change of negative pressure in the suction nozzle can be mechanically represented as the reciprocating motion of the sealing plate. The touch switch set accordingly can accurately pick up the number of obvious changes in negative pressure in the suction nozzle, and use this to detect the firmness of the weld. Compared with the use of a negative pressure sensor, it is not necessary to consider the effective value range of the negative pressure peak, which can effectively reduce errors and simplify the detection and verification work. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a packaging device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a rear view of a packaging device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is the present invention. Figure 2 An AA-direction sectional view of a packaging device is provided in the embodiment;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a side view of a packaging device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is the present invention. Figure 4 A BB-direction sectional view of a packaging device provided in the embodiment;

[0024] Reference numerals: 1. Battery conveyor line; 2. Welding station; 3. Welding inspection station; 4. Suction nozzle; 5. Vacuum pump; 6. Controller; 7. Lifting plate; 8. First motor; 9. Positioning plate; 901. Upper splicing plate; 902. Lower splicing plate; 10. Second motor; 11. Fixing plate; 12. Threaded rod; 13. Locking nut; 14. Negative pressure sensor; 15. Limiting mesh; 16. Sliding rod; 17. Sealing plate; 18. Telescopic wrapping cloth; 19. Spring. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0028] Example:

[0029] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automotive battery production and processing, used to detect the reliability of weld points during the lithium battery welding process. It provides an automated solution for detecting weld point reliability, effectively addressing the problem of low product yield due to weld point defects in traditional production and packaging processes. To realize the equipment's structural functions, it includes a battery conveyor line 1, a controller 6, a welding station 2 on the battery conveyor line 1, and a welding inspection station 3. (Refer to...) Figure 1 or Figure 5 As shown, welding station 2 can use a spot welding machine to perform spot welding by conveying nickel strips. During welding, the dwell time at each station should be controlled systematically to avoid deviations between the actual weld point and the required position. To inspect the quality of the welding operation, a vacuum pump 5 and several suction nozzles 4 are installed at welding inspection station 3. The structure of the suction nozzles 4 can be referred to... Figure 1 or Figure 5As shown, specifically, the suction nozzle 4 has a hollow cavity inside and a single air inlet at its bottom. Each suction nozzle 4 is connected to the suction end of the vacuum pump 5 via an air pipe. When the suction nozzle 4 is working, its working position is such that the air inlet at the bottom of the suction nozzle 4 is infinitely close to the welded nickel strip, and the length of the air inlet is less than the width of the narrow nickel strip. When the welded lithium battery passes below the welding inspection station 3 (suction nozzle 4), the suction nozzle 4 sucks up the unfixed portion of the nickel strip and blocks the air inlet of the suction nozzle 4. At this time, the vacuum pump 5 continues to work, and the negative pressure inside the suction nozzle 4 continues to increase. When the lithium battery continues to move forward, the welded part of the nickel strip passes directly below the suction nozzle 4. Due to the influence of the lithium battery's own gravity, the bottom of the suction nozzle 4... The adsorbed nickel strip will detach from the air inlet at the bottom of the suction nozzle 4 (the bottom of the suction nozzle 4 can be made of a flexible material to ensure airtightness). Gas will then enter the suction nozzle 4 normally and restore its internal negative pressure to normal. That is, when the solder joint is normal, the negative pressure inside the suction nozzle 4 will first increase, then stabilize, and then increase again. The actual negative pressure will cycle in a wavy pattern. The number of times the negative pressure stabilizes is the number of normal solder joints. To facilitate the monitoring of negative pressure and the measurement of the number of normal solder joints, each suction nozzle 4 can be equipped with a negative pressure sensing device that is electrically connected to the controller 6. The negative pressure sensing device is used to monitor the changes in negative pressure inside the suction nozzle 4 and transmit the negative pressure change information to the controller 6. Since there are multiple methods for monitoring and sensing negative pressure, they will not be elaborated on here.

[0030] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automotive battery production and processing, specifically a negative pressure sensing device for detecting lithium battery welding points. Specifically, the negative pressure sensing device is a negative pressure sensor 14. When using the negative pressure sensor 14 to measure the negative pressure in the chamber, the negative pressure sensor 14 can accurately measure the time-varying value of the negative pressure. However, in actual use, when welding defects occur, the peak of the actual negative pressure change will be significantly higher than the normal value, which will interfere with the statistics of effective data to a certain extent. The programming and use are also relatively cumbersome, which will affect its application and promotion to a certain extent.

[0031] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automotive battery production and processing. To overcome the problems caused by using a negative pressure sensor 14 to monitor negative pressure, an additional negative pressure sensing device is provided to solve the actual negative pressure monitoring and data statistics problems. Specifically, the negative pressure sensing device includes a slide rod 16 slidably disposed on the wall of the suction nozzle 4, as shown below. Figure 3As shown, a sealing plate 17 is fixedly installed at the end of the slide rod 16. A spring 19 is also sleeved on the slide rod 16, with its two ends respectively abutting against the sealing plate 17 and the wall of the suction device 4. A retractable cloth 18 is provided around the sealing plate 17 and connected to the wall of the suction device 4. The retractable cloth 18 is used to seal the space protruding from the sealing plate 17. At this time, a touch switch (not shown in the figure, its position can meet the description position) is provided on the suction device 4 for contacting the sealing plate 17 or the slide rod 16. Each touch switch is electrically connected to the controller 6. In actual use, when the suction nozzle 4 passes the nickel strip but not the solder joint, the nickel strip blocks the air inlet at the bottom of the suction nozzle 4. The vacuum tendency will cause the slide bar 16 to move into the suction nozzle 4. When it passes the normal solder joint, the air inlet of the suction nozzle 4 opens, and the spring 19 pops the sealing plate 17 back to its original position. This action reciprocates on the touch switch and records the actual number of times the negative pressure changes. This structure can check the welding status of the lithium battery based on the actual number of times the mechanical structure operates without accurately measuring the negative pressure. It can improve the accuracy of the check and simplify the operation logic of the check.

[0032] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing. In order to facilitate the rejection of battery packs with unqualified welding and ensure that qualified welded products can enter the subsequent packing process, the equipment also includes a sorting device. The sorting device is used to reject the batteries to be packaged on the battery conveyor line 1 when the welding inspection fails. At this time, the sorting device should be set at the station after the welding inspection station 3. The sorting device can be a robot or other sorting device used to pick out lithium batteries.

[0033] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automotive battery production and processing. To facilitate the adjustment of the position of the suction nozzle 4 according to different product specifications, a vertically movable lifting plate 7 can be provided on the welding inspection station 3, and a horizontally sliding positioning plate 9 can be provided on the lifting plate 7. A fixing plate 11 for fixing the suction nozzle 4 is provided at the bottom of the positioning plate 9. When the lifting plate 7 rises or falls, or the positioning plate 9 slides, the suction nozzle 4 can adjust its position on the station accordingly. Specifically, this can be achieved by providing a first motor 8 on the welding inspection station 3 to drive the lifting plate 7 to rise and fall, and a second motor 10 on one side of the lifting plate 7 to drive the positioning plate 9 to move, etc. (see reference...). Figure 1 As shown, this can be normally achieved by a lead screw drive mechanism.

[0034] This invention provides a battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing. To facilitate fine-tuning of the position of the suction nozzle 4 and ensure that the air inlet at the bottom of the suction nozzle 4 can accurately act on the nickel strip, a sliding groove is provided on the fixed plate 11. Each suction nozzle 4 is equipped with a threaded rod 12 that is slidably disposed in the sliding groove, and a locking nut 13 for locking the suction nozzle 4 is threadedly connected to each threaded rod 12. At this time, the suction nozzle 4 can slide and adjust on the fixed plate 11. When the actual distance needs to be adjusted, the locking nut 13 can be loosened first, and then tightened after adjustment.

[0035] This invention provides a battery packaging device for automotive battery production and processing. To facilitate the fixing of the air pipe portion of the suction nozzle 4 and prevent it from interfering with the normal conveying process, a vacuum pump 5 is installed above a positioning plate 9. The air pipe of the suction nozzle 4 passes through the positioning plate 9 and connects to the vacuum pump 5. The air pipe is positioned by limiting it to the through hole in the positioning plate 9, thereby achieving a reliable arrangement to prevent bending of the air pipe. For easy disassembly and assembly of the positioning plate 9, refer to... Figure 5 As shown, the positioning plate 9 is divided into an upper splicing plate 901 and a lower splicing plate 902. This structure can be used to simplify the installation of the power block. When the upper splicing plate 901 and the lower splicing plate 902 are spliced ​​normally, the positioning plate 9 can be used to perform its normal function.

[0036] This invention provides a battery packaging device for automotive battery production and processing. Specifically, the shape of the suction nozzle 4 is designed to optimize its adsorption performance. Specifically, the suction nozzle 4 is whistle-shaped, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. When gas is extracted from the suction nozzle 4, the change in negative pressure within the hollow cavity will rapidly act on the air inlet on the bottom surface of the suction nozzle 4. Figure 5 As shown, this structure can effectively increase the gas inflow rate at the inlet, ensure that the inlet is in a low-pressure state to achieve adsorption of the free section of nickel strip, and effectively ensure a narrow working surface range to avoid excessive negative pressure range leading to increased deformation of the nickel strip.

[0037] This invention provides a battery packaging device for automotive battery production and processing. To prevent the suction nozzle 4 from over-suctioning the nickel strip and causing significant deformation, an insertion port is provided below the suction nozzle 4 near the only air inlet. A limiting mesh 15 for preventing excessive deformation of the welding strip is inserted into the insertion port, so that the nickel strip can be intercepted by the limiting mesh 15 during the suction process. This ensures that the actual deformation range of the nickel strip does not exceed its own acceptable deformation range, thereby avoiding unnecessary wear of the lithium battery during the testing stage.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing, characterized in that, Includes a battery conveyor line (1), a controller (6), and a welding inspection station (3) located on the battery conveyor line (1); The welding inspection station (3) is equipped with a vacuum pump (5) and several suction nozzles (4). The suction nozzle (4) has a hollow cavity inside and a unique air inlet at its bottom. Each suction nozzle (4) is connected to the suction end of the vacuum pump (5) through an air pipe. Each of the suction nozzles (4) is provided with a negative pressure sensing device that is electrically connected to the controller (6). The negative pressure sensing device is used to monitor the change of negative pressure in the cavity of the suction nozzle (4) and transmit the negative pressure change information to the controller (6). The suction nozzle is placed above the welded lithium battery. The negative pressure generated by the vacuum pump allows the bottom of the suction nozzle to adsorb the welded nickel strip. When the suction nozzle passes the weld point, the nickel strip is affected by the shape of the nickel strip and the weight of the lithium battery. The nickel strip detaches from the bottom of the suction nozzle, opening the air port. This is reflected in the change of negative pressure inside the suction nozzle. Thus, when the lithium battery is effectively welded, the change of negative pressure is regular.

2. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The negative pressure sensing device is a negative pressure sensor (14).

3. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The negative pressure sensing device includes a slide rod (16) slidably disposed on the wall of the suction device (4). A sealing plate (17) is fixedly installed at the end of the slide rod (16). A spring (19) is also sleeved on the slide rod (16), with its two ends respectively abutting against the sealing plate (17) and the wall of the suction device (4). A retractable cloth (18) is provided around the sealing plate (17) and connected to the wall of the suction device (4). A touch switch is provided on the suction device (4) for contacting the sealing plate (17) or the slide rod (16). Each touch switch is electrically connected to the controller (6).

4. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a sorting device, which is used to remove batteries to be packaged on the battery conveyor line (1) when the welding inspection fails.

5. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding inspection station (3) is equipped with a lifting plate (7) that can move up and down. The lifting plate (7) is equipped with a positioning plate (9) that can slide horizontally. The bottom of the positioning plate (9) is equipped with a fixing plate (11) for fixing the suction nozzle (4). The welding inspection station (3) is equipped with a first motor (8) for driving the lifting plate (7) to move up and down. The side of the lifting plate (7) is equipped with a second motor (10) for driving the positioning plate (9) to move.

6. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fixed plate (11) has a sliding groove, and each of the suction nozzles (4) is equipped with a threaded rod (12) that is slidably disposed in the sliding groove. Each of the threaded rods (12) is threadedly connected with a locking nut (13) for locking the suction nozzle (4).

7. The battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 5, characterized in that, The vacuum pump (5) is installed above the positioning plate (9), and the air pipe of the suction nozzle (4) passes through the positioning plate (9) and is connected to the vacuum pump (5).

8. A battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The mouthpiece (4) has an overall shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, resembling a whistle.

9. A battery packaging equipment for automobile battery production and processing according to claim 8, characterized in that, The suction nozzle (4) is provided with an insertion port near the only air inlet, and a limiting mesh (15) for preventing excessive deformation of the welding strip is inserted into the insertion port.

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