Battery cell hot-pressing device and battery cell hot-pressing method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of electric core hot-pressing devices, it includes hot-pressing table, pressurizing mechanism and paw, the paw includes the clamping jaw part of pair arrangement, the minimum distance between the lower end of a pair of clamping jaw part is first distance;The electric core hot-pressing device further includes transition mechanism, and the transition mechanism includes belt;When transferring electric core between the belt and the paw, the belt has the support band segment of upper convex and is separated from the hot-pressing table, and the length of the support band segment is less than the first distance;When the pressurizing mechanism executes hot-pressing operation, the belt has the band segment of abutting on the upper end of the hot-pressing table.In the application, transition mechanism can transfer electric core between paw and hot-pressing table, specifically using the belt that can flexibly bend to change morphology to adapt to the characteristics of paw and hot-pressing table, can solve the problem that paw directly places electric core on hot-pressing table paw lower end and hot-pressing table interference causes electric core can not be placed in place.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery cell production equipment technology, and in particular to a battery cell hot pressing device and a battery cell hot pressing method. Background Technology

[0002] In the battery cell manufacturing process, the cells formed after lamination need to be hot-pressed to form a complete unit. During hot pressing, the cells to be hot-pressed need to be placed on the hot pressing table and then removed. Because the cells to be hot-pressed are in a laminated structure, the bottom of the laminated structure needs to be supported during transfer to prevent them from falling apart. Therefore, the grippers holding the laminated structure have a portion lower than the laminated structure, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the claw cannot smoothly place the stacked structure onto the hot press.

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, in the prior art, patent CN214123943U discloses a hot pressing mechanism, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the hot pressing platform is divided into three parts. The middle part can be raised and lowered, and the length of the middle part is less than the distance between the lower ends of the grippers of the claw. Thus, before hot pressing, the middle part of the hot pressing platform is raised, and the claw places the battery cell to be hot pressed on the upper end of the middle part of the hot pressing platform. Then the middle part is lowered to start the hot pressing operation. After hot pressing is completed, the middle part lifts the battery cell, and the claw removes the battery cell. In this scheme, there are the following problems: (1) The hot pressing platform is divided into three parts, and the three parts are heated independently. The temperature may be uneven, which will affect the hot pressing effect; (2) It is difficult to ensure the flatness of the upper end of the three parts of the hot pressing platform, resulting in poor overall flatness of the hot pressing platform; (3) There are bound to be gaps between the three parts of the hot pressing platform, and the gaps will increase with the number of uses, affecting the flatness of the bottom of the battery cell after hot pressing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a battery cell hot pressing device and a battery cell hot pressing method that can stably place the battery cell onto the hot pressing platform and ensure the integrity of the hot pressing platform.

[0005] Technical solution: To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a battery cell hot pressing device, which includes a hot pressing table, a pressurizing mechanism, and a gripper. The gripper includes a pair of clamping claw portions, and the minimum distance between the lower ends of the pair of clamping claw portions is a first distance. The gripper is used to grasp the battery cell, and can grasp the unpressed battery cell to the top of the hot pressing table, and can also remove the battery cell that has been pressurized. The pressurizing mechanism cooperates with the hot pressing table to complete the battery cell hot pressing operation. The battery cell hot pressing device further includes a transition mechanism, which includes a belt; the belt is capable of moving the battery cell between the gripper and the hot pressing table; the shape of the belt can be changed, and when the belt is transferring the battery cell between the gripper and the gripper (including the gripper placing the battery cell onto the belt and the gripper removing the battery cell from the belt), the belt has an upwardly convex support section that is detached from the hot pressing table, and the length of the support section is less than the first distance and also less than the length of the hot pressing table; When the pressurizing mechanism performs hot pressing, the belt has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot pressing table. Here, the belt is in a flat state, or the belt has an upwardly protruding support belt segment, and the length of the support belt segment is greater than the length of the hot pressing table.

[0006] Furthermore, when the pressurizing mechanism performs hot pressing, the belt still has the upwardly convex support belt segment, and at this time the length of the support belt segment is greater than the length of the hot pressing table. That is, when performing hot pressing, the support belt segment is sandwiched between the hot pressing table and the battery cell. Since the support belt segment is a continuous and flat belt with good thermal conductivity, it will not affect the support of the hot pressing table on the battery cell, nor will it affect heat conduction.

[0007] Furthermore, the transition mechanism also includes two seats capable of translating in opposite directions at the same speed. Each seat is equipped with a guide wheel, and the belt wraps around each guide wheel to form an upwardly convex support segment on the belt. With this structure, after the belt wraps around the two guide wheels on each seat, it forms an S-shaped transition segment. The belt segments connected at both ends of the S-shaped transition segment are parallel, so that no matter how the seats move, the position of the belt end does not need to change, and the belt end can be fixed to the moving seat of the transition mechanism.

[0008] When the two bases move in opposite directions at the same speed, the length of the support belt can change, and the midpoint of the support belt remains unchanged. Thus, the position of the battery cell placed on the support belt will not change when the length of the support belt changes.

[0009] Furthermore, each of the seats has two guide wheels, one upper and one lower, and the belt segment between the upper guide wheels on the two seats is the support belt segment.

[0010] Furthermore, the transition mechanism also includes a movable seat, on which the seat body is mounted; both ends of the belt are fixed to the seat body; the movement of the movable seat enables the belt body to move closer to or away from the hot press table.

[0011] Furthermore, a lead screw is installed on the movable seat, and the two ends of the lead screw have a left-hand thread and a right-hand thread respectively. The two seats have lead screw nuts that mate with the left-hand thread and the right-hand thread respectively. In this way, by rotating the lead screw through the motor, the two seats can move in opposite directions at the same speed to change the length of the support belt segment. When the pressurizing mechanism performs hot pressing operation, the two seats are placed on both sides of the hot pressing table.

[0012] Furthermore, a gear is rotatably mounted on the movable seat, and racks are respectively mounted on the two seat bodies; the two racks corresponding to the two seat bodies are respectively mounted on both sides of the gear and mesh with the gear.

[0013] Furthermore, the movement of the movable seat itself can be linked with the movement of the seat body. For example, the transition mechanism also includes a fixed seat, and the movable seat can be raised and lowered relative to the fixed seat, the raising and lowering being driven by an actuator such as a cylinder; the fixed seat has symmetrically arranged guide grooves, the two ends of which are staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the guide grooves can be straight grooves or arc-shaped grooves; the seat body has an insertion part that extends into the guide groove, and the insertion part can move within the guide groove. In this way, when the movable seat is raised and lowered, the two seat bodies can move in opposite directions at the same speed to change the length of the support belt segment.

[0014] Furthermore, the belt body is a metal belt or a Teflon belt, such as a steel belt, a stainless steel belt, or other flexible alloy metal belt.

[0015] A cell hot pressing method, based on the above-mentioned cell hot pressing device, the method includes the following steps S1-S4; Step S1: Control the operation of the transition mechanism so that the belt can obtain the battery cell from the gripper when it is detached from the hot press table; In this step, when acquiring the battery cell, the width of the support strip on the belt is less than the first distance; in this way, the battery cell can be placed on the support strip, and the bottom of the gripper will not interfere with other components.

[0016] Step S2: Control the operation of the transition mechanism so that the belt body has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot press platform; at this time, the belt segment is clamped between the battery cell and the hot press platform; In this step, the two seats move in opposite directions at the same speed, so that the support belt segment becomes longer than the length of the hot press table; and the seats descend with the fixed seat so that the support belt segment comes into contact with the upper surface of the hot press table. Step S3: Control the pressurizing mechanism to press down and perform hot pressing on the battery cell; Step S4: Control the operation of the transition mechanism so that the belt carrying the hot-pressed battery cell is detached from the hot-pressing table for the gripper to grasp.

[0017] In this step, the seat body descends along with the fixed seat to disengage the support belt segment from the upper surface of the hot press table, and the two seats body move in opposite directions at the same speed to shorten the support belt segment to a length less than the first distance.

[0018] Beneficial Effects: In the battery cell hot pressing device and method of the present invention, the transition mechanism can transfer the battery cell between the gripper and the hot pressing table, which solves the problem of the gripper directly placing the battery cell onto the hot pressing table and the lower end of the gripper interfering with the hot pressing table, causing the battery cell to fail to be placed in place. Specifically, a flexible, bendable belt is used to change its shape to adapt to the characteristics of the gripper and the hot pressing table; when the transition mechanism transfers the battery cell between the gripper and the gripper, the width of the support belt segment is less than the first distance, so that the lower end of the gripper and the transition mechanism will not interfere, and the battery cell can be placed smoothly on the support belt segment; when the transition mechanism transfers the battery cell to the hot pressing station, the width of the support belt segment is greater than the width of the hot pressing table, or the belt segment is flat without a support belt segment. In this way, the belt segment can effectively transfer the supporting force and heat of the hot pressing table. The belt segment laid on the hot pressing table is continuous and flat, and the hot pressing table is also a whole. Thus, the overall flatness of the hot pressing table and the belt segment is high during hot pressing, and the reliability is high. After hot pressing, the belt segment can immediately take the battery cell away from the hot pressing table for the gripper to grasp. The process is smooth and efficient. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the combined structure of the gripper, battery cell, and hot press in the prior art. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the battery cell hot pressing device; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the battery cell hot pressing device; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the battery cell hot pressing device; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth state structure of the battery cell hot pressing device; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fifth state structure of the battery cell hot pressing device; Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the transition mechanism in the first embodiment; Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the transition mechanism in the second embodiment; Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the transition mechanism in the third embodiment.

[0020] In the figure: 1-Hot press; 2-Pressure mechanism; 3-Hand gripper; 31-Clamping part; 4-Transition mechanism; 41-Belt body; 41a-Support belt segment; 42-Seat body; 43-Guide wheel; 44-Screw; 45-Gear; 46-Rack; 47-Moving seat; 48-Fixed seat; 49-Tensioning mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example

[0022] A battery cell hot pressing device includes a hot pressing table 1, a pressurizing mechanism 2, and a gripper 3. The gripper 3 includes a pair of clamping claw parts 31, and the minimum distance between the lower ends of the pair of clamping claw parts 31 is a first distance. The gripper 3 is used to grasp the battery cell, and it can grasp the battery cell that has not been hot-pressed and place it above the hot pressing table 1, and it can also remove the battery cell that has been hot-pressed. The pressurizing mechanism 2 cooperates with the hot pressing table 1 to complete the battery cell hot pressing operation.

[0023] The battery cell hot pressing device further includes a transition mechanism 4, which includes a belt 41. The belt 41 is capable of moving the battery cell between the gripper 3 and the hot pressing table 1. The shape of the belt 41 can be changed. When the belt 41 is transferred between the gripper 3 and the gripper 3 (including the gripper 3 placing the battery cell on the belt 41 and the gripper 3 removing the battery cell from the belt 41), the belt 41 has an upwardly protruding support belt segment 41a that is detached from the hot pressing table 1. The length of the support belt segment 41a is less than the first distance and also less than the length of the hot pressing table 1.

[0024] When the pressurizing mechanism 2 performs hot pressing, the belt body 41 has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot pressing table 1. Here, the belt body 41 is generally in a straight state, or as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the belt 41 has an upwardly protruding support segment 41a, and the length of the support segment 41a is greater than the length of the hot pressing table 1. That is, during the hot pressing operation, the support segment 41a is sandwiched between the hot pressing table 1 and the battery cell. Since the support segment 41a is a continuous and flat belt, and the belt 41 has good thermal conductivity, it will not affect the supporting effect of the hot pressing table 1 on the battery cell, nor will it affect heat conduction.

[0025] Preferably, the transition mechanism 4 further includes two seats 42 capable of translating in opposite directions at the same speed. Each seat 42 is equipped with a guide wheel 43, and the belt 41 passes around each guide wheel 43 to form an upwardly convex support segment 41a on the belt 41. The transition mechanism 4 also includes a movable seat 47, on which the seat 42 is mounted; both ends of the belt 41 are fixed to the seat 42; the movement of the movable seat 47 allows the belt 41 to move closer to or away from the hot press table 1.

[0026] With this structure, the belt 41 forms an S-shaped transition section after passing over the two guide wheels 43 on each seat 42. The belt sections connected at both ends of the S-shaped transition section are parallel. Thus, no matter how the seat 42 moves, the position of the end of the belt 41 does not need to change, and the end of the belt 41 can be fixed to the movable seat 47. Preferably, to prevent the belt 41 from stretching and becoming loose after long-term operation, at least one end of the belt 41 is connected to the movable seat 47 through a tensioning mechanism 49. The user can periodically tension the belt 41 through the tensioning mechanism 49 to prevent the belt 41 from becoming loose and affecting production.

[0027] When the two bases 42 move in opposite directions at the same speed, the length of the support strip 41a can change, and the midpoint of the support strip 41a remains unchanged. Thus, the position of the battery cell placed on the support strip 41a will not change when the length of the support strip 41a changes.

[0028] Preferably, each of the seat bodies 42 has two guide wheels 43, one upper and one lower, and the belt segment between the upper guide wheels 43 on the two seat bodies 42 is the support belt segment 41a.

[0029] To achieve the same speed and opposite direction of the two seats 42, such as Figure 7 As shown, a lead screw 44 is installed on the movable seat 47. The two ends of the lead screw 44 have a left-hand thread and a right-hand thread, respectively. The two seats 42 have lead screw nuts that cooperate with the left-hand thread and the right-hand thread, respectively. In this way, by rotating the lead screw 44 by the motor, the two seats 42 can move in opposite directions at the same speed to change the length of the support belt segment 41a. When the pressurizing mechanism 2 performs hot pressing operation, the two seats 42 are placed on both sides of the hot pressing table 1.

[0030] Preferably, the belt 41 is a metal belt or a Teflon belt, such as a steel belt, a stainless steel belt, or other flexible alloy metal belt.

[0031] A cell hot pressing method, based on the above-mentioned cell hot pressing device, the method includes the following steps S1-S4; Step S1: Control the operation of the transition mechanism 4 so that the belt 41 can obtain the battery cell from the gripper 3 when it is disengaged from the hot press table 1; In this step, such as Figure 2 As shown, when acquiring the battery cell, the width of the support strip 41a on the strip body 41 is less than the first distance; in this way, the battery cell can be placed on the support strip 41a, and the bottom of the gripper 31 will not interfere with other components.

[0032] Step S2: Control the operation of the transition mechanism 4 so that the belt body 41 has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot pressing table 1; at this time, the belt segment is sandwiched between the battery cell and the hot pressing table 1. In this step, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, such as Figure 3-4 As shown, the two seats 42 move in opposite directions at the same speed, so that the support belt segment 41a becomes longer than the length of the hot press table 1; and the seats 42 descend with the fixed seat 48, so that the support belt segment 41a abuts against the upper surface of the hot press table 1, as shown. Figure 5 As shown; Step S3: Control the pressurizing mechanism 2 to press down, performing a hot pressing operation on the battery cell, such as... Figure 6 As shown; Step S4: Control the operation of the transition mechanism 4 so that the belt 41, carrying the hot-pressed battery cell, is separated from the hot-pressing table 1 for the gripper 3 to grasp.

[0033] In this step, in the illustrated embodiment, the seat 42 descends along with the fixed seat 48 so that the support belt segment 41a disengages from the upper surface of the hot press table 1, and the two seats 42 move in opposite directions at the same speed so that the support belt segment 41a is shortened to a length less than the first distance.

[0034] In the above steps, the transition mechanism 4 can transfer the battery cell between the gripper 3 and the hot press table 1, which can solve the problem that the gripper 3 cannot be placed in place due to interference between the lower end of the gripper 3 and the hot press table 1 when the battery cell is directly placed on the hot press table 1. Specifically, a flexible, bendable belt 41 is used to change its shape to adapt to the characteristics of the gripper 3 and the hot press table 1. When transferring the battery cell between the transition mechanism 4 and the gripper 3, the width of the support belt segment 41a is less than the first distance, so that the lower end of the gripper and the transition mechanism 4 will not interfere, and the battery cell can be placed smoothly on the support belt segment 41a. When the transition mechanism 4 transfers the battery cell to the hot press station, the width of the support belt segment 41a is greater than the width of the hot press table 1, or the belt 41 is in a straight state without a support belt segment 41a. In this way, the belt 41 can effectively transfer the supporting force and heat of the hot press table 1. The belt segment laid on the hot press table 1 is continuous and flat, and the hot press table 1 is also a whole. In this way, the overall flatness of the hot press table 1 and the belt segment is high and the reliability is high during hot press. After hot press, the belt segment can immediately take the battery cell away from the hot press table for the gripper 3 to grasp. The process is smooth and efficient. Example

[0035] The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that: Figure 8 As shown, in the transition mechanism 4, a gear 45 is rotatably mounted on the movable seat 47, and racks 46 are respectively mounted on the two seat bodies 42; the two racks 46 corresponding to the two seat bodies 42 are respectively mounted on both sides of the gear 45 and mesh with the gear 45. With this structure, the two seat bodies 42 can achieve equal speed and opposite movement when the gear 45 rotates. Example

[0036] The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that: Figure 9 As shown, in the transition mechanism 4, the movement of the movable seat 47 itself can be linked with the movement of the seat body 42. For example, the transition mechanism 4 also includes a fixed seat 48, and the movable seat 47 can be raised and lowered relative to the fixed seat 48, the raising and lowering being driven by an actuator such as a cylinder; the fixed seat 48 has symmetrically arranged guide grooves 46a, the two ends of which are staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the guide grooves 46a can be straight grooves or arc-shaped grooves; the seat body 42 has an insertion part 42a that extends into the guide groove 46a, and the insertion part 42a can move within the guide groove 46a. Thus, when the movable seat 47 is raised and lowered, the two seat bodies 42 can move in opposite directions at the same speed to change the length of the support belt segment 41a.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," 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" and "second" 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" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0038] 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0039] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0040] 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 principle 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 cell hot pressing device, comprising a hot pressing table (1), a pressurizing mechanism (2), and a gripper (3), wherein the gripper (3) comprises a pair of clamping jaws (31), and the minimum distance between the lower ends of the pair of clamping jaws (31) is a first distance; characterized in that: The battery cell hot pressing device further includes a transition mechanism (4), which includes a belt (41); when the battery cell is transferred between the belt (41) and the gripper (3), the belt (41) has an upwardly protruding support belt segment (41a) that is detached from the hot pressing table (1), and the length of the support belt segment (41a) is less than the first distance; When the pressurizing mechanism (2) performs hot pressing, the belt body (41) has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot pressing table (1); The transition mechanism (4) further includes two seats (42) capable of translating in opposite directions at the same speed. Each seat (42) is equipped with a guide wheel (43). The belt (41) passes around each guide wheel (43) to form an upwardly convex support belt segment (41a) on the belt (41). The transition mechanism (4) further includes a movable seat (47), on which the seat body (42) is mounted; the movement of the movable seat (47) enables the belt body (41) to move closer to or away from the hot press table (1); The transition mechanism (4) further includes a fixed seat (48), and the movable seat (47) can be raised and lowered relative to the fixed seat (48); the fixed seat (48) has symmetrically arranged guide grooves (46a), and the two ends of the guide grooves (46a) are staggered in the horizontal and vertical directions; the seat body (42) has an insertion part (42a) that extends into the guide groove (46a), and the insertion part (42a) can move in the guide groove (46a); when the movable seat (47) is raised and lowered, the two seat bodies (42) can move in opposite directions at the same speed to change the length of the support belt segment (41a).

2. The cell hot press apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The movable seat (47) is equipped with a lead screw (44), and the two ends of the lead screw (44) have a left-hand thread and a right-hand thread respectively. The two seats (42) are respectively equipped with lead screw nuts that cooperate with the left-hand thread and the right-hand thread.

3. The cell heat press apparatus of claim 1, wherein, A gear (45) is rotatably mounted on the movable seat (47), and racks (46) are respectively mounted on the two seats (42); the two racks (46) corresponding to the two seats (42) are respectively mounted on both sides of the gear (45) and mesh with the gear (45).

4. The cell hot press apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein, The belt (41) is a metal belt or a Teflon belt.

5. A method of hot pressing an electrical core based on the electrical core hot pressing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, The method includes the following steps S1-S4; Step S1: Control the operation of the transition mechanism (4) so ​​that the belt (41) can obtain the battery cell from the gripper (3) when it is disengaged from the hot press table (1); Step S2: Control the operation of the transition mechanism (4) so ​​that the belt body (41) has a belt segment that abuts against the upper end of the hot press table (1); Step S3: control the pressing mechanism (2) to press down, and perform hot pressing operation on the battery cell; Step S4: control the transition mechanism (4) to operate, so that the belt body (41) takes the hot-pressed battery cell away from the hot pressing table (1) for the gripper (3) to grab.

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