Cap welding equipment and welding method

Abstract

The present application discloses a cap welding device and a welding method, which relate to the field of battery processing technology. The cap welding device includes a cap feeding device and a cap pre-welding device. The cap feeding device includes a welding preparation conveying mechanism and a cap feeding mechanism. The welding preparation conveying mechanism is used to convey a vertically arranged shelled battery cell with an opening facing upward to the cap pre-welding device. The cap feeding mechanism is used to attach the cap to the shelled battery cell on the welding preparation conveying mechanism before the shelled battery cell is conveyed to the cap pre-welding device. The cap pre-welding device includes a pre-welding conveying mechanism, a pre-welding rotating mechanism, and a pre-welding mechanism. The pre-welding conveying mechanism is used to convey the shelled battery cell assembled with the cap to a pre-welding station. The pre-welding rotating mechanism is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism to drive the shelled battery cell on the pre-welding conveying mechanism to rotate. The pre-welding mechanism is used to pre-weld the shelled battery cell conveyed to the pre-welding station. The design scheme of the present application has high cap welding efficiency and fast cycle time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery processing technology, and in particular to cap welding equipment and welding methods. Background Art

[0002] During the assembly of cylindrical batteries, after the battery cell is installed in the casing, the cap and casing need to be welded together, a process known as perimeter welding. Existing perimeter welding equipment mostly uses a horizontal welding method. This involves placing the battery casing horizontally, with rotating clamping mechanisms on both sides clamping the casing and cap. Laser welding the cap from above results in low welding efficiency and slow cycle times. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a cap welding device and a welding method to solve the technical problems of low efficiency and slow cycle of existing cap welding.

[0004] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present application provides a cap welding device, including a cap inserting device and a cap pre-welding device;

[0005] The cap feeding device includes a welding preparation conveying mechanism and a cap feeding mechanism;

[0006] The welding preparation conveying mechanism is used to convey the shelled battery cells arranged vertically with the opening facing upward to the cap pre-welding device;

[0007] The cap feeding mechanism is used to install the caps on the shelled battery cells on the welding preparation conveying mechanism before the shelled battery cells are conveyed to the cap pre-welding device;

[0008] The cap pre-welding device includes a pre-welding conveying mechanism, a pre-welding rotating mechanism and a pre-welding mechanism;

[0009] The pre-welding conveying mechanism is used to convey the shelled battery cells assembled with caps to the pre-welding station;

[0010] The pre-welding rotating mechanism is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism, and is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the pre-welding conveying mechanism to rotate;

[0011] The pre-welding mechanism is used to perform pre-welding on the shelled battery cells transported to the pre-welding station.

[0012] Furthermore, the cap feeding mechanism corresponds one-to-one to the first cell station on the welding preparation conveying mechanism, and includes a cap suction member and a cap pressing assembly;

[0013] The cap suction member is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station and is used for sucking the cap;

[0014] The cap pressing assembly is installed on the welding preparation conveying mechanism and is connected to the cap suction member, and is used to drive the cap suction member to move closer to or away from the first battery cell station to press the sucked cap onto the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station.

[0015] Furthermore, the cap suction member is elastically connected to the cap pressing assembly along the cap pressing direction via an elastic member;

[0016] A negative pressure channel is provided in the cap suction member;

[0017] One end of the negative pressure channel extends out of the top or side of the cap suction member and is connected to the negative pressure source;

[0018] The other end of the negative pressure channel extends out of the bottom of the cap suction member to form a negative pressure suction port for sucking the cap.

[0019] Furthermore, a positive pressure channel is provided in the cap suction member;

[0020] One end of the positive pressure channel extends out of the top or side of the cap suction member and is connected to the positive pressure source;

[0021] The other end of the positive pressure channel extends out of the bottom of the cap suction member to form a positive pressure application port for generating a positive pressure force on the cap press-fitted on the shelled battery cell; or

[0022] The cap pressing assembly is further used to drive the cap suction member to perform a secondary action, so that the cap suction member can perform a secondary pressing on the cap installed on the shelled battery cell.

[0023] Furthermore, the cap feeding mechanism further includes a first driving assembly of the shelled battery cell and an auxiliary positioning member;

[0024] The auxiliary positioning member is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station and is provided with a positioning through hole for the cap to pass through;

[0025] The bottom of the positioning through hole is provided with a positioning chamfer that contacts and abuts against the top of the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station;

[0026] The first driving assembly of the shelled battery cell is arranged below the corresponding first battery cell station, and is used for driving the shelled battery cell on the first battery cell station to move toward or away from the cap attracting member.

[0027] Furthermore, the cap pre-welding device further includes a cap detection mechanism;

[0028] The cap detection mechanism is used to detect whether the shelled battery cell is equipped with a cap before being transported to the pre-welding station by the pre-welding conveying mechanism.

[0029] Furthermore, the pre-welding rotating mechanism corresponds one-to-one to the second battery cell station on the pre-welding conveying mechanism, and includes a second driving assembly for the shelled battery cell, a battery cell rotating assembly, and a first battery cell clamping assembly;

[0030] The first battery cell clamping assembly is arranged above the corresponding second battery cell station, and includes a clamping driver and a plurality of clamping blocks;

[0031] The clamping blocks are distributed in a circular pattern;

[0032] The driving end of the clamping driver is connected to the plurality of clamping blocks, and is used to drive the plurality of clamping blocks to perform radial clamping or expansion movements;

[0033] A pressing block is provided on the driving end of the clamping driver at the center between the plurality of clamping blocks, and is capable of contacting and abutting against the cap on the shelled battery cell;

[0034] The battery cell rotating assembly is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism and is connected to the first battery cell clamping assembly, and is used to drive the first battery cell clamping assembly to rotate;

[0035] The second driving assembly for the shelled battery cell is disposed below the corresponding second battery cell station, and is configured to drive the shelled battery cell on the second battery cell station toward or away from the first battery cell clamping assembly.

[0036] Furthermore, it also includes a cell flipping device and a cap full welding device;

[0037] The battery cell flipping device includes a flipping conveying mechanism and a flipping mechanism;

[0038] The flip conveying mechanism is used to convey the pre-welded shelled battery cells to the cap full welding device;

[0039] The flip mechanism is installed on the flip conveying mechanism and corresponds one-to-one to the third battery cell station on the flip conveying mechanism;

[0040] The flipping mechanism is used to flip the shelled battery cell on the corresponding third battery cell station so that the cap end of the shelled battery cell is placed downward;

[0041] The cap full welding device includes a full welding conveying mechanism, a full welding rotating mechanism and a full welding mechanism;

[0042] The full welding conveying mechanism is used to convey the shelled battery cells that have been flipped to the full welding station;

[0043] The full welding rotation mechanism is installed on the full welding conveying mechanism and corresponds one-to-one to the fourth battery cell station on the full welding conveying mechanism, and is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the full welding conveying mechanism to rotate;

[0044] The full welding mechanism is used to perform full welding on the shelled battery cells transported to the full welding station.

[0045] Furthermore, the flipping mechanism includes a second battery cell clamping assembly, a battery cell flipping assembly, and a battery cell lifting assembly;

[0046] The second battery cell clamping assembly is rotatably mounted on the lifting end of the battery cell lifting assembly;

[0047] The battery cell flipping assembly is connected to the second battery cell clamping assembly and is used to drive the second battery cell clamping assembly to flip.

[0048] The present application also discloses a cap welding method, which is applied to the above-mentioned cap welding equipment, comprising the steps of:

[0049] The shelled battery cell, which is arranged vertically and has its opening facing upward, is conveyed to the cap pre-welding device by a welding preparation conveying mechanism of the cap feeding device. In the process of conveying the shelled battery cell to the cap pre-welding device, the cap is mounted on the shelled battery cell by the cap feeding mechanism of the cap feeding device.

[0050] The shelled battery cell assembled with the cap is transported to the pre-welding station by the pre-welding conveying mechanism of the cap pre-welding device;

[0051] The shelled battery cell transported to the pre-welding station is pre-welded by the pre-welding mechanism of the cap pre-welding device, wherein, after the shelled battery cell completes pre-welding at one welding position, the shelled battery cell is driven to rotate by a preset angle by the pre-welding rotating mechanism of the cap insertion device, so that the pre-welding mechanism performs pre-welding on the next welding position on the shelled battery cell.

[0052] From the above technical solutions, it can be seen that the cap welding equipment designed in this application uses a welding preparation conveying mechanism to convey the shelled battery cells that are vertically arranged and open upward to the cap pre-welding device. The vertical conveying process design of the shelled battery cells makes it easy to use the cap feeding mechanism to load the caps into the shelled battery cells during the conveying process of the shelled battery cells, so as to achieve the simultaneous conveying of the shelled battery cells and the insertion of the caps into the shells, which helps to improve efficiency and speed up production rhythm. Furthermore, the cap pre-welding device is used to convey the shelled battery cells assembled with caps to the pre-welding station. The pre-welding rotating mechanism is used to drive the shelled battery cells to rotate, so that different welding positions can be switched by driving the shelled battery cells to rotate during the conveying process for the pre-welding mechanism to perform pre-welding welding, thereby achieving flight welding, further improving efficiency and speeding up production rhythm. Through the above design, the technical problems of low efficiency and slow rhythm of existing cap welding are effectively solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0054] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cap insertion device and the cap pre-welding device of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0055] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coordinated structure of the welding preparation conveying mechanism and the cap feeding mechanism of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0056] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the coordination structure of the pre-welding conveying mechanism and the pre-welding rotating mechanism of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0057] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a first matching structure of a battery cell rotating assembly and a battery cell clamping assembly of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0058] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the second matching structure of the battery cell rotating assembly and the battery cell clamping assembly of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0059] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the coordinated structure of the cell flipping device and the cap full welding device of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0060] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of the full welding rotation mechanism of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0061] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the flipping mechanism of the cap welding equipment provided in this application;

[0062] Figure 9 A flowchart of the cap welding method provided in this application;

[0063] In the figure: 100, welding preparation conveying mechanism; 200, cap feeding mechanism; 300, pre-welding conveying mechanism; 400, pre-welding rotating mechanism; 500, pre-welding mechanism; 601, flipping conveying mechanism; 602, flipping mechanism; 701, full welding conveying mechanism; 702, full welding rotating mechanism; 703, full welding mechanism; 800, battery cell loading mechanism; 900, cap loading mechanism; 1000, cap detection mechanism;

[0064] 11. Cap suction member; 12. Cap pressing assembly; 121. Fixed seat; 122. Sliding seat; 1221. Guide wheel; 123. Cam divider; 1231. Track groove; 13. Elastic member; 14. Auxiliary positioning member; 141. Positioning through hole; 15. First drive assembly of the shelled battery cell;

[0065] 21. Second driving assembly of shelled battery cell; 22. Battery cell rotating assembly; 23. First battery cell clamping assembly; 231. Clamping driver; 232. Clamping block; 24. Pressing block;

[0066] 31. Battery cell rotating clamping assembly; 32. Shell battery cell third drive assembly;

[0067] 41. Battery cell lifting assembly; 42. Battery cell flipping assembly; 421. Rack; 43. Second battery cell clamping assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0070] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, replaceable connections, or integral connections. They can also refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections. They can also refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. They can also refer to internal connections between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0071] The embodiments of the present application disclose cap welding equipment and a welding method.

[0072] See also Figure 1, an embodiment of the cap welding equipment provided in the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0073] Cap insertion device and cap pre-welding device.

[0074] The cap feeding device includes a welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 and a cap feeding mechanism 200 .

[0075] The capping device also includes a cell loading mechanism 800 and a cap loading mechanism 900. Figure 1 As shown, the cell loading mechanism 800 is used to convey shelled cells with supporting cups. The shelled cells are arranged vertically with their openings facing upward, that is, with their negative terminals facing upward. The cell loading mechanism 800 loads the shelled cells onto the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100. The cap loading mechanism 900 is used to convey caps with supporting cups and convey the caps to the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100.

[0076] The welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 is used to convey the shelled battery cells that are arranged vertically with the opening facing upward to the cap pre-welding device. A transfer conveying mechanism can also be added between the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 and the cap pre-welding device so that the shelled battery cells can be smoothly conveyed to the cap pre-welding device. There is no specific restriction.

[0077] The cap feeding mechanism 200 is used to install the caps on the shelled battery cells on the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 before the shelled battery cells are conveyed to the cap pre-welding device. Specifically, the cap feeding mechanism 200 will grab the caps on the supporting cups of the cap loading mechanism 900, and then press the caps into the shelled battery cell openings on the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 to complete the cap installation into the shells.

[0078] The cap pre-welding device includes a pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 , a pre-welding rotating mechanism 400 and a pre-welding mechanism 500 .

[0079] The pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 is used to convey the shelled battery cells assembled with caps to the pre-welding station, that is, the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 is used to convey the shelled battery cells conveyed by the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 to the pre-welding station.

[0080] The pre-welding rotating mechanism 400 is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 and is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 to rotate. That is, the shelled battery cells can rotate during the conveying process.

[0081] The pre-welding mechanism 500 is installed on the peripheral side of the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 and is used to perform pre-welding on the shelled battery cells conveyed to / passing the pre-welding station.

[0082] From the above technical solutions, it can be seen that the cap welding equipment designed in this application uses a welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 to convey the shelled battery cell with the shelled battery cell in a vertical position and with the opening facing upward to the cap pre-welding device. The vertical conveying process design of the shelled battery cell facilitates the use of the cap feeding mechanism 200 to load the cap into the shelled battery cell during the conveying process of the shelled battery cell, thereby realizing the simultaneous conveying of the shelled battery cell and the insertion of the cap into the shell, which helps to improve efficiency and speed up production. Furthermore, the cap pre-welding device is used to convey the shelled battery cell assembled with the cap to the pre-welding station. The pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 is equipped with a pre-welding rotating mechanism 400. The pre-welding rotating mechanism 400 is used to drive the shelled battery cell to rotate, so that different welding positions can be switched by driving the shelled battery cell to rotate during the conveying process for the pre-welding mechanism 500 to perform pre-welding welding, thereby realizing flying welding, further improving efficiency and speeding up production. Through the above design, the technical problems of low efficiency and slow cycle of existing cap welding are effectively solved.

[0083] The above is the first embodiment of the cap welding device provided by the embodiment of the present application. The following is the second embodiment of the cap welding device provided by the embodiment of the present application. For details, please refer to Figures 1 to 8 .

[0084] Based on the solution of the above embodiment 1:

[0085] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown, the welding preparation conveyor mechanism 100 in this application can be a turntable conveyor mechanism with multiple first cell stations for inserting shelled cells evenly distributed on its circumference. Compared with linear conveyor mechanisms, turntable conveyor mechanisms occupy less space, have a more compact structure, and have better conveying efficiency. Taking this as an example, there are also multiple cap feeding mechanisms 200, which are installed on the turntable conveyor mechanism and correspond one-to-one to the first cell stations on the welding preparation conveyor mechanism 100.

[0086] The cap feeding mechanism 200 is designed to include a cap suction member 11 and a cap pressing assembly 12 .

[0087] The cap suction member 11 is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station, and is used to suck the caps on the supporting cups delivered by the cap feeding mechanism 900, that is, to suck the caps by negative pressure.

[0088] The cap pressing assembly 12 is installed on the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 and is connected to the cap suction member 11. It is used to drive the cap suction member 11 to approach or move away from the first battery cell station to press the sucked cap into the opening position of the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station to achieve the cap into the shell installation.

[0089] As for the design of the cap pressing component 12, it can be a vertically arranged telescopic cylinder or an electric telescopic rod. In order to make the driving of the cap sucking member 11 by the cap pressing component 12 be linked with the operation of the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100, so as to better realize the cap shell installation action during the conveying process of the shelled battery cell, taking the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 as a turntable conveying mechanism as an example, the cap pressing component 12 can be designed to include a fixed seat 121, a sliding seat 122 and a cam divider 123; the fixed seat 121 is fixed on the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100 and follows the welding preparation conveyor. The turntable of the mechanism 100 rotates, and the sliding seat 122 is slidably installed on the fixed seat 121 in the vertical direction and is provided with a guide wheel 1221; the cam divider 123 is fixed above the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100, and a track groove 1231 is provided on the outer circumference for the guide wheel 1221 to be inserted into. When the turntable rotates, the guide wheel 1221 on the sliding seat 122 also moves along the track groove 1231, and the track change is used to drive the sliding seat 122 to move up and down, thereby driving the cap suction piece 11 to move up and down.

[0090] Furthermore, the cap suction member 11 is elastically connected to the cap pressing assembly 12 along the cap pressing direction through the elastic member 13, that is, the cap suction member 11 has a certain elastic displacement in the cap pressing direction through the elastic member 13, thereby avoiding overpressure and playing an overpressure protection role. Moreover, the provision of the elastic member 13 also enables the cap pressing assembly 12 to achieve a larger downward driving displacement, so that the height position of the cap into the shell is consistent each time, that is, to ensure that the cap can be put into the shell in place, but without the problem of overpressure. The elastic member 13 can be a spring, and there is no specific limitation. The cap suction member 11 can slide with the above-mentioned sliding seat 122 through a sliding structure, and then limit its elastic sliding displacement through the connection of the elastic member 13, and there is no specific limitation.

[0091] As for the design of the cap suction member 11, it can be as follows Figure 2 The rod-shaped structure shown has a negative pressure channel disposed therein. One end of the negative pressure channel extends beyond the top or side of the cap suction member 11 and is connected to a negative pressure source (not shown). The other end of the negative pressure channel extends beyond the bottom of the cap suction member 11, forming a negative pressure suction port for suctioning caps. Of course, the cap suction member 11 may also be equipped with a magnetic element at its suction end to magnetically attract caps, without limitation.

[0092] During the cap insertion process, the cap may be placed askew and slightly warped due to factors such as the cap suction member 11 and the cup tolerance. The severity of the warping can be controlled by adjusting the cup tolerance and the equipment installation tolerance. To further reduce the probability of this happening, the following first method can be adopted:

[0093] A positive pressure channel is also designed within the cap suction member 11. One end of the positive pressure channel extends from the top or side of the cap suction member 11 and is connected to a positive pressure source. The other end of the positive pressure channel extends from the bottom of the cap suction member 11, forming a positive pressure application port for applying positive pressure to the cap pressed onto the shelled battery cell. When the cap suction member 11 fits the cap into the shelled battery cell's opening and the negative pressure is released, the positive pressure channel injects air toward the center of the cap, forcing the slightly warped cap back into the shelled battery cell's opening, preventing the warped cap from further shifting during transfer due to factors such as centrifugal force.

[0094] You can also take the second approach as follows:

[0095] The cap pressing assembly 12 is designed to drive the cap suction member 11 to a second movement, thereby causing the cap suction member 11 to press the cap installed on the shelled battery cell a second time. Specifically, the track groove 1231 of the cam divider 123 can be designed so that during the rotation of the turntable, the sliding seat 122 can change the track groove 1231, driving the cap suction member 11 to press down a second time, thereby pressing the cap again and allowing the cap to fall completely back into the opening of the shelled battery cell.

[0096] Those skilled in the art can make further design changes based on the above-mentioned methods, without any specific limitation.

[0097] Furthermore, the cap feeding mechanism 200 also includes a first driving assembly 15 for the shelled battery cell and an auxiliary positioning member 14 .

[0098] The auxiliary positioning member 14 is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station and is provided with a positioning through hole 141 for the cap to pass through. The auxiliary positioning member 14 can be as follows Figure 2 The block structure shown is not limiting.

[0099] The bottom of the positioning through hole 141 is provided with a positioning chamfer (not shown in the figure) that contacts and abuts against the top of the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station. The first driving assembly 15 of the shelled battery cell is arranged below the corresponding first battery cell station, and is used to drive the shelled battery cell on the first battery cell station to move toward or away from the cap suction member 11.

[0100] Driven by the first driving assembly 15 of the shelled battery cell, the shelled battery cell moves upward to the top of the shelled battery cell and contacts and abuts against the positioning chamfer of the auxiliary positioning member 14 to position the shelled battery cell, thereby facilitating the accurate installation of the cap into the opening of the shelled battery cell.

[0101] In this design, the first driving assembly 15 of the shelled battery cell can refer to the design of the aforementioned cap pressing assembly 12, that is, it is linked with the turntable of the welding preparation conveying mechanism 100, but when the turntable rotates, the first driving assembly 15 of the shelled battery cell can drive the shelled battery cell to move up and down.

[0102] Furthermore, if Figure 1 As shown, the cap pre-welding device further includes a cap detection mechanism 1000 .

[0103] The cap detection mechanism 1000 is used to detect whether the shelled battery cells transported by the pre-welding conveyor mechanism 300 to the pre-welding station are equipped with caps. This cap detection mechanism 1000 can be a CCD camera. By capturing image information of the shelled battery cells and comparing it with preset image information, it determines whether the shelled battery cells are equipped with caps. If the shelled battery cells are detected to have missing caps, they are directly conveyed to the pre-welding station without welding, and are subsequently processed for NG.

[0104] Furthermore, if Figures 3 to 5 As shown, for the design of the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300, it is also preferably designed as a turntable conveying mechanism. Taking this as an example, the pre-welding rotating mechanism 400 corresponds to the second battery cell station on the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300.

[0105] The pre-welding rotation mechanism 400 is designed to include a second battery cell driving assembly 21 , a battery cell rotating assembly 22 , and a first battery cell clamping assembly 23 .

[0106] The first battery cell clamping assembly 23 is arranged above the corresponding second battery cell station, and includes a clamping driver 231 and a plurality of clamping blocks 232. The clamping blocks 232 are distributed in a circle. The driving end of the clamping driver 231 is connected to the plurality of clamping blocks 232 to drive the plurality of clamping blocks 232 to move radially to clamp or expand. The first battery cell clamping assembly 23 can be designed with reference to the existing clamping jaws, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0107] A pressing block 24 is provided on the driving end of the clamping driver 231 at the center between the multiple clamping blocks 232, which can contact and abut the cap on the shelled battery cell. During the process of inserting the cap into the shell, the cap may be tilted and slightly warped. During pre-welding and clamping, the pressing block 24 can automatically press the warped cap into the battery cell port during the clamping process, thereby realizing the automatic correction function again. That is, the pressing block 24 can press the cap while the clamping block 232 clamps the shelled battery cell, thereby realizing the secondary correction function.

[0108] like Figure 4As shown, the battery core rotating assembly 22 is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 and is connected to the clamping drive assembly to drive the clamping drive assembly to rotate; the battery core rotating assembly 22 may include a motor base and a rotating motor installed on the motor base, and there is no specific limitation. Figure 5 As shown, the combination of the battery cell rotating assembly 22 and the first battery cell clamping assembly 23 can be replaced by a conventional finger cylinder with a rotating function, and there is no specific limitation.

[0109] The second drive assembly 21 for shelled cells is disposed below the corresponding second cell station and is used to drive the shelled cells on the second cell station toward or away from the first cell clamping assembly 23, thereby conveying the shelled cells to the first cell clamping assembly 23 for clamping by the first cell clamping assembly 23. The second drive assembly 21 for shelled cells can also refer to the design of the aforementioned cap pressing assembly 12 to achieve linkage with the turntable of the original conveying mechanism, and realize the lifting and lowering motion of the shelled cells during the rotation of the turntable.

[0110] In this design, taking the case of three pre-welding positions for shelled cells as an example, the number of clamps 232 can be designed to be three, and a clearance area for the pre-welding position to be avoided by the pre-welding mechanism 500 is formed between adjacent clamps 232. The pre-welding mechanism 500 can be designed to include three laser pre-welders. When the shelled cell passes through the pre-welding station, the cell rotation assembly 22 drives the shelled cell to rotate, and the three laser pre-welders sequentially spot weld the shelled cell three times. During welding, it is necessary to ensure that the positions of the three welding points are not within 180°, that is, the three welding points are not on the same semicircular arc. Preferably, the distance between two adjacent welding points is 120°, that is, the three pre-welding positions are evenly distributed.

[0111] In order to prevent the welding laser from hitting the clamping block 232 during the pre-welding process, a corresponding control program needs to be set up to control it:

[0112] 1. Taking the design of three clamps 232 and three laser pre-welders as an example, the preset angles between adjacent clamps 232 are all A1, and the preset angles between adjacent laser pre-welders are B1 and B2 respectively. The welding point position of the welding area of ​​the first laser pre-welder is preset so that when the shelled battery cell is rotated to the welding point position of the welding area of ​​the first laser pre-welder, the first clamp 232 will not block the laser. At this time, the preset angle between the laser beam and the first clamp 232 is C.

[0113] 2. An encoder is provided on the turntable of the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 to obtain the position of each shelled battery cell on the turntable in real time;

[0114] 3. Accurately rotate the shelled battery cell to the welding area of ​​the first laser pre-welder through the encoder. After completing the first spot welding, the battery cell rotation assembly 22 controls the shelled battery cell to rotate the preset angle D1 before reaching the welding point position of the next welding area. After rotating the angle D1, the laser emitted by the next laser pre-welder will not overlap with the clamp 232. Similarly, rotate the preset angle D2 again to perform spot welding three times. It can be understood that after completing the first spot welding, the rotation angle each time should ensure that the clamp 232 does not overlap with the laser of the next laser pre-welder, that is, the laser emitted by the next laser pre-welder will not hit the clamp 232.

[0115] Among them, C+B1<D1<A1+C+B1, and the rotation of angle D1 is achieved within this rotation angle range, and it is possible to smoothly switch to the area between the second adjacent clamps 232 to achieve the second pre-welding, and ensure that the laser emitted by the second laser pre-welder will not overlap with the clamp 232; A1-(B1+B2+C)<D2<2A1-(B1+B2+C), and the rotation of angle D2 is achieved within this angle range, and it is possible to smoothly switch to the area between the third adjacent clamps 232 to achieve the third pre-welding, and ensure that the laser emitted by the third laser pre-welder will not overlap with the clamp 232.

[0116] After pre-welding, the shelled cells are released and, after grooving, sealing, and shaping, they must undergo full perimeter welding. Because this design utilizes a vertical welding method, if the negative terminal of the shelled cell is clamped during full welding, the laser beam will be blocked, affecting the full weld. Therefore, the shelled cell must be flipped over.

[0117] Specifically, the present application also includes a cell flipping device and a cap full welding device.

[0118] like Figure 6 As shown, the cell flipping device includes a flipping and conveying mechanism 601 and a flipping mechanism 602 .

[0119] The flip conveying mechanism 601 is used to convey the pre-welded shelled battery cells to the cap full welding device. The flip conveying mechanism 601 can also be designed as a turntable conveying mechanism, which is connected to the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300 through a corresponding transfer conveying mechanism, and is used to receive the pre-welded shelled battery cells conveyed from the pre-welding conveying mechanism 300.

[0120] The flipping mechanism 602 is installed on the flipping conveying mechanism 601 and corresponds one-to-one to the third battery cell station on the flipping conveying mechanism 601. The flipping mechanism 602 is used to flip the shelled battery cell on the corresponding third battery cell station so that the cap end of the shelled battery cell is set downward, that is, the positive end of the shelled battery cell is facing upward.

[0121] like Figure 6 As shown, the cap full welding device includes a full welding conveying mechanism 701, a full welding rotating mechanism 702 and a full welding mechanism 703.

[0122] The full welding conveying mechanism 701 is used to convey the shelled battery cells that have been flipped to the full welding station; the full welding conveying mechanism 701 can also be designed as a turntable conveying mechanism, or it can be connected to the flipping conveying mechanism 601 through a corresponding transfer conveying mechanism to receive the shelled battery cells that have been flipped and conveyed from the flipping conveying mechanism 601.

[0123] In the present application, the full welding operation of the full welding mechanism 703 adopts a fixed welding method. The full welding mechanism 703 is arranged on the peripheral side of the full welding conveying mechanism 701 and includes multiple laser full welders.

[0124] The full welding rotation mechanism 702 is installed on the full welding conveying mechanism 701 and corresponds to the fourth battery cell station on the full welding conveying mechanism 701. It is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the full welding conveying mechanism 701 to rotate. The structural design of the full welding rotation mechanism 702 can refer to the design of the pre-welding rotation mechanism 400 mentioned above. Figure 7 As shown, it includes a third drive component 32 for shelled battery cells and a battery cell rotation clamping component 31. The third drive component 32 for shelled battery cells can be a single-axis manipulator, which drives the shelled battery cells to move toward the battery cell rotation clamping component 31. Specifically, the telescopic end of the single-axis manipulator is connected to a push rod, and a rotatable push block is provided on the upper end of the push rod. When the shelled battery cells rotate to the full welding station, the push rod is driven to rise, and a magnet (not shown in the figure) can be provided on the push block to suck the shelled battery cells tightly to prevent the shelled battery cells from shifting. When the shelled battery cells are lifted into place, the battery cell rotation clamping component 31 clamps the shelled battery cells and drives the battery cells to rotate a preset angle. The preset angle size = 360° / the number of laser full welders. A certain arc length is welded in sequence, and the full welding is completed after passing through each laser full welder.

[0125] The design of the battery cell rotating clamping assembly 31 can be a finger cylinder with a rotating function, mounted on the fixing mechanism of the shelled battery cell third drive assembly 32, without any specific restrictions. Compared with the aforementioned pre-welding rotating mechanism 400, the full welding rotating mechanism 702 can eliminate the setting of the pressure block 24.

[0126] The full welding mechanism 703 is used to perform full welding on the shelled battery cells transported to the full welding station.

[0127] Further, with respect to the design of the flip mechanism 602, Figure 8 As shown, it includes a second battery cell clamping assembly 43 , a battery cell flipping assembly 42 and a battery cell lifting assembly 41 .

[0128] The second battery cell clamping assembly 43 is rotatably mounted on the lifting end of the battery cell lifting assembly 41. The second battery cell clamping assembly 43 may be a finger cylinder, which is rotatably connected to the lifting end of the battery cell lifting assembly 41 via a rotating shaft (not shown).

[0129] The battery cell lifting assembly 41 can be designed with reference to the aforementioned cap pressing assembly 12 to achieve linkage with the turntable of the flipping conveying mechanism 601. When the turntable of the flipping conveying mechanism 601 rotates, it can follow the trajectory changes and move up and down, thereby driving the second battery cell clamping assembly 43 to move up and down.

[0130] The cell flip assembly 42 is connected to the second cell clamping assembly 43 and is used to drive the flipping movement of the second cell clamping assembly 43. The cell flip assembly 42 can also be designed with reference to the aforementioned cap pressing assembly 12 to achieve linkage between the turntables of the flipping conveying mechanism 601. When the turntable of the flipping conveying mechanism 601 rotates, it can move up and down following the change in trajectory. A rack 421 is provided on the cell flip assembly 42, and a gear (not shown) that meshes with the rack 421 is mounted on the rotating shaft. In this way, the lifting movement of the rack 421 can also drive the rotation of the rotating shaft through the gear to achieve the flipping of the second cell clamping assembly 43. This design structure is compact. By designing the track groove 1231, it can be achieved that the second battery cell clamping assembly 43 clamps the shelled battery cell, and then the battery cell lifting assembly 41 and the rack 421 of the battery cell flipping assembly 42 rise together to drive the shelled battery cell to leave the support cup to a certain height. The battery cell lifting assembly 41 maintains the same height, and the rack 421 of the battery cell flipping assembly 42 rises or falls to realize the flipping of the shelled battery cell. After flipping into place, the battery cell lifting assembly 41 and the rack 421 of the battery cell flipping assembly 42 fall together to insert the flipped shelled battery cell back into the support cup, and the second battery cell clamping assembly 43 releases the shelled battery cell, and the shelled battery cell flows to the full welding conveying mechanism 701.

[0131] In the present application, a dust removal assembly (not shown in the figure) can be set at both the pre-welding position and the full welding position. The dust removal assembly can be set above the shelled battery cell to avoid interference with laser welding.

[0132] like Figure 9 As shown, the present application also discloses a cap welding method, which is applied to the cap welding device of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, comprising the steps of:

[0133] S1. A vertically arranged shelled battery cell with an opening facing upward is conveyed to a cap pre-welding device by a welding preparation conveying mechanism of a cap feeding device. In the process of conveying the shelled battery cell to the cap pre-welding device, a cap is mounted on the shelled battery cell by a cap feeding mechanism of the cap feeding device.

[0134] S2. The shelled battery cell assembled with the cap is transported to the pre-welding station through the pre-welding conveying mechanism of the cap pre-welding device.

[0135] S3. Pre-welding the shelled battery cell transported to the pre-welding station is performed by the pre-welding mechanism of the cap pre-welding device. After the shelled battery cell completes pre-welding at one welding position, the shelled battery cell is driven to rotate by a preset angle by the pre-welding rotating mechanism of the capping device, so that the pre-welding mechanism performs pre-welding on the next welding position on the shelled battery cell.

[0136] The above is a detailed introduction to the cap welding equipment and welding method provided in this application. For those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the embodiments of this application, there may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on this application.

Claims

1. Cap welding equipment, characterized in that, It includes a cap inserting device and a cap pre-welding device; The cap feeding device comprises a welding preparation conveying mechanism (100) and a cap feeding mechanism (200); The welding preparation conveying mechanism (100) is used to convey the shelled battery cells arranged vertically with the opening facing upward to the cap pre-welding device; The cap feeding mechanism (200) is used to install caps on the shelled battery cells on the welding preparation conveying mechanism (100) before the shelled battery cells are conveyed to the cap pre-welding device; The cap pre-welding device comprises a pre-welding conveying mechanism (300), a pre-welding rotating mechanism (400) and a pre-welding mechanism (500); The pre-welding conveying mechanism (300) is used to convey the shelled battery core assembled with the cap to the pre-welding station; The pre-welding rotating mechanism (400) is installed on the pre-welding conveying mechanism (300) and is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the pre-welding conveying mechanism (300) to rotate. The pre-welding mechanism (500) is used to pre-weld the shelled battery cells transported to the pre-welding station; The cap feeding mechanism (200) corresponds one-to-one to the first cell station on the welding preparation conveying mechanism (100), and comprises a cap suction member (11) and a cap pressing assembly (12); The cap suction member (11) is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station and is used to suck the cap; The cap pressing assembly (12) is mounted on the welding preparation conveying mechanism (100) and is connected to the cap suction member (11) to drive the cap suction member (11) to move closer to or away from the first battery cell station so as to press the sucked cap onto the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station.

2. The cap welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cap suction member (11) is elastically connected to the cap pressing assembly (12) along the cap pressing direction via an elastic member (13); A negative pressure channel is provided in the cap suction member (11); One end of the negative pressure channel extends out of the top or side of the cap suction member (11) and is connected to a negative pressure source; The other end of the negative pressure channel extends out of the bottom of the cap suction member (11) to form a negative pressure suction port for sucking the cap.

3. The cap welding equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: A positive pressure channel is also provided in the cap suction member (11); One end of the positive pressure channel extends out of the top or side of the cap suction member (11) and is connected to a positive pressure source; The other end of the positive pressure channel extends out of the bottom of the cap suction member (11), forming a positive pressure force application port for generating a positive pressure force on the cap pressed onto the shelled battery cell; or The cap pressing assembly (12) is also used to drive the cap suction member (11) to perform a secondary action, so that the cap suction member (11) performs a secondary pressing on the cap installed on the shelled battery cell.

4. The cap welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cap feeding mechanism (200) further includes a first driving assembly (15) of the shelled battery cell and an auxiliary positioning member (14); The auxiliary positioning member (14) is arranged above the corresponding first battery cell station and is provided with a positioning through hole (141) for the cap to pass through; The bottom of the positioning through hole (141) is provided with a positioning chamfer that contacts and abuts against the top of the shelled battery cell on the corresponding first battery cell station; The shelled battery cell first driving assembly (15) is arranged below the corresponding first battery cell station and is used to drive the shelled battery cell on the first battery cell station to move toward or away from the cap suction member (11).

5. The cap welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cap pre-welding device further comprises a cap detection mechanism (1000); The cap detection mechanism (1000) is used to detect whether the shelled battery cell transported to the pre-welding station by the pre-welding conveying mechanism (300) is equipped with a cap.

6. The cap welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-welding rotating mechanism (400) corresponds one-to-one to the second battery cell station on the pre-welding conveying mechanism (300), and comprises a second battery cell driving assembly (21), a battery cell rotating assembly (22), and a first battery cell clamping assembly (23); The first battery cell clamping assembly (23) is arranged above the corresponding second battery cell station, and comprises a clamping driver (231) and a plurality of clamping blocks (232); The clamping blocks (232) are distributed in a circumferential manner; The driving end of the clamping driver (231) is connected to the plurality of clamping blocks (232) and is used to drive the plurality of clamping blocks (232) to perform radial clamping or expansion movements; A pressing block (24) capable of contacting and abutting against a cap on a shelled battery cell is further provided at the center of a position between the plurality of clamping blocks (232) on the driving end of the clamping driver (231); The battery core rotating assembly (22) is mounted on the pre-welding conveying mechanism (300) and is connected to the first battery core clamping assembly (23) to drive the first battery core clamping assembly (23) to rotate; The shelled battery cell second driving assembly (21) is arranged below the corresponding second battery cell station and is used to drive the shelled battery cell on the second battery cell station to move closer to or away from the first battery cell clamping assembly (23).

7. The cap welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cell flipping device and a cap full welding device; The battery cell flipping device comprises a flipping and conveying mechanism (601) and a flipping mechanism (602); The flipping and conveying mechanism (601) is used to convey the pre-welded shelled battery core to the cap full welding device; The flipping mechanism (602) is installed on the flipping conveying mechanism (601) and corresponds one-to-one with the third battery cell station on the flipping conveying mechanism (601); The flipping mechanism (602) is used to flip the shelled battery cell on the corresponding third battery cell station so that the cap end of the shelled battery cell is arranged downward; The cap full welding device comprises a full welding conveying mechanism (701), a full welding rotating mechanism (702) and a full welding mechanism (703); The full welding conveying mechanism (701) is used to convey the shelled battery cells that have been flipped to the full welding station; The full welding rotation mechanism (702) is installed on the full welding conveying mechanism (701) and corresponds one-to-one to the fourth battery cell station on the full welding conveying mechanism (701), and is used to drive the shelled battery cells on the full welding conveying mechanism (701) to rotate; The full welding mechanism (703) is used to perform full welding on the shelled battery cells transported to the full welding station.

8. The cap welding equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The flipping mechanism (602) comprises a second battery cell clamping assembly (43), a battery cell flipping assembly (42), and a battery cell lifting assembly (41); The second battery cell clamping assembly (43) is rotatably mounted on the lifting end of the battery cell lifting assembly (41); The battery cell flipping assembly (42) is connected to the second battery cell clamping assembly (43) and is used to drive the second battery cell clamping assembly (43) to flip.

9. A cap welding method, characterized in that: The cap welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises the following steps: The shelled battery cell, which is arranged vertically and has its opening facing upward, is conveyed to the cap pre-welding device by a welding preparation conveying mechanism of the cap feeding device. In the process of conveying the shelled battery cell to the cap pre-welding device, the cap is mounted on the shelled battery cell by the cap feeding mechanism of the cap feeding device. The shelled battery cell assembled with the cap is transported to the pre-welding station by the pre-welding conveying mechanism of the cap pre-welding device; The shelled battery cell transported to the pre-welding station is pre-welded by the pre-welding mechanism of the cap pre-welding device, wherein, after the shelled battery cell completes pre-welding at one welding position, the shelled battery cell is driven to rotate by a preset angle by the pre-welding rotating mechanism of the cap insertion device, so that the pre-welding mechanism performs pre-welding on the next welding position on the shelled battery cell.

Images