Battery recycling cascade disassembly cell degumming and splitting system

Abstract

The application discloses a battery recycling cascade disassembly battery cell degumming and splitting system which is used for degumming and splitting battery cell groups into single battery cells and comprises a soaking part, a grabbing part and a conveying part. The soaking part is provided with a soaking pool for storing degumming agents. A transfer mechanism is further arranged in the soaking pool to receive and convey the single battery cells which fall off. The grabbing part is arranged on the top of the soaking part and is provided with a grabbing mechanism to grab the battery cell groups and immerse them into the soaking pool. The battery cell groups are conveyed by the conveying mechanism, the grabbing mechanism grabs the battery cell groups and immerses them into the soaking pool, and opposite pushing and pulling forces are applied to the adjacent single battery cells to form splitting forces between the adjacent battery cells, so that the splitting efficiency is improved. After splitting, the single battery cells are timely transferred by the transfer mechanism, the next link is efficiently connected, and the battery cell groups are prevented from waiting for degumming and splitting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery recycling and dismantling technology, specifically to a cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and dismantling. Background Technology

[0002] Battery cells are a crucial component of new energy products, consisting of multiple individual cells. Each cell needs to be bonded together using a cell adhesive to ensure the mechanical strength and durability of the assembled battery. Multiple cell sets are then combined and encased in a casing to form a battery pack.

[0003] In the cascade dismantling process of battery recycling, it is necessary to separate the battery pack casing and circuit components, and then soak multiple sets of bonded cells or a single set of bonded cells in a degreasing agent to remove the adhesive between the cells, thus separating the individual cells for subsequent recycling. For example, Chinese Patent 202310755838.0 discloses a device and method for removing adhesive from battery cells. The device includes a degreasing tank, a filter, a heating element, and a control unit. The degreasing tank forms an immersion chamber for containing organic solvents. The filter is horizontally installed in the immersion chamber to divide the immersion chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The upper chamber is used to place several battery cells.

[0004] For the aforementioned existing technologies, since the degree of adhesiveness varies during battery coating, the total time required to achieve the degumming effect and the time required for degumming and separating individual cells are all different. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of separating the cell group into individual cells in the cell degumming stage, how to facilitate the rapid separation of the cells in the degumming stage and connect them to the next stage is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and propose a battery cell debonding and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling, solving the technical problem in the prior art of how to quickly split the battery cell during the debonding process and connect it to the next stage.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: This invention provides a battery cell debonding and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling, used to debond battery cell packs and split them into individual cells, including: The soaking section is equipped with a soaking tank for storing the degumming agent. The soaking tank is also equipped with a transfer mechanism to receive and transport the detached individual battery cells away. A gripping part, located at the top of the immersion part, is equipped with a gripping mechanism. This gripping part grips the battery cell assembly and immerses it in the immersion tank, applying push-pull forces to each individual battery cell in the assembly, with the push-pull forces on adjacent individual cells acting in opposite directions. The conveying section is located on one side of the gripping section and is equipped with a conveying mechanism to convey the battery cell assembly that has not been de-adhesiveted and disassembled to the gripping section.

[0007] In some embodiments, the gripping mechanism includes a frame, a thrust applicator, a pressure sensor, and an XZ moving assembly. The frame is disposed at the movable end of the XZ moving assembly and is used to drive the frame to move in the lateral and vertical directions. The XZ moving assembly is disposed on one side of the conveying section via a bracket and has a positional state directly above the conveying section, directly above the soaking tank, and inside the soaking tank. The thrust applicator is mounted on the frame, and the number of thrust applicators is multiple, depending on the number of individual cells on the cell assembly. The movable end of each thrust applicator is used to abut against one end of an individual cell, and the combination forms a clamping mechanism for the cell assembly, applying opposite pushing and pulling forces to adjacent individual cells. The pressure sensor is disposed at the movable end of each thrust applicator and is used to detect the value of the pushing and pulling force.

[0008] In some embodiments, the thrust application member includes a telescopic push rod and a thrust head, the thrust head being disposed at the telescopic end of the telescopic push rod and abutting against one end of a single battery cell.

[0009] In some embodiments, the battery cell assembly is conveyed parallel to or perpendicular to the horizontal plane on the conveying section, and the corresponding thrust applicator abuts against the end of a single battery cell to apply a thrust along its axial direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the soaking pool includes a first pool and a second pool, the lower half of the first pool is provided with a flow channel communicating with the second pool, and the transfer mechanism passes through the flow channel from the first pool into the second pool.

[0011] In some embodiments, the conveying mechanism includes a first conveyor belt, which is mounted on one side of the soaking tank via a bracket.

[0012] In some embodiments, the transfer mechanism includes a second conveyor belt, which is disposed inside the soaking tank by a bracket.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second conveyor belt includes a first conveyor section, a second conveyor section, and a third conveyor section. The first conveyor section is linear and horizontal. The second conveyor section is parallel to the first conveyor section, with its starting end located directly below the tail end of the first conveyor section. Its tail end passes through the flow channel to the second pool. The third conveyor section is located at the tail end of the second conveyor section and is inclined upward, used to convey a single battery cell away from the immersion pool.

[0014] In some embodiments, a turbulence mechanism is provided on the flow channel side facing the first pool for driving liquid to flush the falling individual cells.

[0015] In some embodiments, the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism is parallel to or at a 90-degree angle to the conveying direction of the transfer mechanism.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the battery cell debonding and splitting system for cascade dismantling of batteries provided by this invention, through the arrangement of an immersion section, a gripping section and a conveying section, uses a conveying mechanism to transport battery cell groups, a gripping mechanism to grip the battery cell groups and immerse them in an immersion tank, and applies opposite push and pull forces to adjacent individual cells to form a splitting force between adjacent cells, thereby improving splitting efficiency. After splitting, the individual cells are promptly transferred by a transfer mechanism, efficiently connecting to the next stage, avoiding waiting for the entire battery cell group to be debonded and split, and improving the efficiency of splitting and connecting to the next stage. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a top view of the battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front sectional view of the battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a top view of the gripping mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the multilayer battery cell assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a top view of the battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling provided in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Soaking section; 11. Soaking tank; 12. Transfer mechanism; 111. First tank; 112. Second tank; 113. Flow channel; 114. Turbulence mechanism; 121. Second conveyor belt; 1211. First conveying section; 1212. Second conveying section; 1213. Third conveying section; 2. Gripping unit; 21. Gripping mechanism; 211. Frame; 212. Thrust application component; 213. XZ moving assembly; 2121. Telescopic push rod; 2122. Thrust head; 3. Conveying section; 31. Conveying mechanism; 311. First conveyor belt; 4. Cell assembly; 401. Individual cell. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0020] To address the technical challenge of rapidly separating battery cells during the degumming process and connecting them to the next stage, this invention provides a battery cell degumming and splitting system for cascaded battery recycling, which enables rapid separation of battery cells during the degumming process and connection to the next stage.

[0021] It should be noted that the battery cell degumming and splitting system for tiered dismantling of battery recycling described in this invention is used for, but not limited to, lithium battery cell recycling. For ease of explanation, this invention only uses the application of the battery cell degumming and splitting system for tiered dismantling of battery recycling to lithium battery cell recycling as an example. The principle of the battery cell degumming and splitting system for tiered dismantling of battery recycling in other types of equipment is essentially the same as that in lithium battery cell recycling, and will not be elaborated here.

[0022] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling in one embodiment of the present invention. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling includes an immersion section 1, a gripping section 2, and a conveying section 3. The battery cell group 4 is transported from the conveying section 3 to the gripping section 2, and then gripped in the gripping section 2 and transferred to the immersion section 1 for immersion degumming and splitting.

[0023] In this embodiment, the soaking section 1 is provided with a soaking pool 11 for storing the degumming agent. The soaking pool 11 is also provided with a transfer mechanism 12 to receive and transport the degummed individual cells 401 that have been separated from the cell assembly 4 away.

[0024] In this embodiment, the gripping part 2 is located at the top of the soaking part 1, and the gripping part 2 is provided with gripping mechanisms 21. Multiple gripping mechanisms 21 are linearly distributed, and each gripping mechanism 21 grips one battery cell assembly 4 and immerses it in the soaking tank 11. A push-pull force is applied to each individual battery cell 401 on the battery cell assembly 4, and the push-pull forces on adjacent individual battery cells 401 are in opposite directions. By applying opposite push-pull forces to adjacent individual battery cells 401, the pull during the degumming process promotes the separation of the battery cells, thus achieving separation in a multi-layer battery cell assembly. In the battery cell assembly 4, after the outer layer of the battery cell is peeled off, it is beneficial for the adhesive and desiccant between the internal battery cells to come into full contact, thereby improving the desiccant removal and disassembly efficiency of the entire battery cell assembly 4. Furthermore, after a single battery cell 401 is peeled off, it falls directly into the transfer mechanism 12 in the soaking pool 11 and is transferred to the next stage. It does not need to wait for all the other battery cells on the battery cell assembly 4 to be disassembled before entering the next stage. The required soaking time and disassembly time are different for different battery cells with different degrees of adhesiveness, which is targeted and improves the overall efficiency.

[0025] In this embodiment, the conveying part 3 is located on one side of the gripping part 2, and the conveying part 3 is provided with a conveying mechanism 31 to convey the battery cell group 4 that has not been de-adhesiveted and split to the gripping part 2. The conveying direction of the conveying part 3 is parallel to the linear arrangement direction of the gripping mechanism 21, so as to convey the battery cells to each gripping mechanism 21 position at equal intervals, and simultaneously grip, soak and split by the gripping mechanism 21.

[0026] Understandable, please refer to Figure 3 This cell debonding and splitting system can be used for single-row cell packs 4, see reference. Figure 4 The cell debonding and splitting system can also be used for multi-row cell groups 4.

[0027] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 3To achieve the purpose of grasping, soaking, applying splitting force, and providing feedback on whether the individual battery cell 401 has been split, the grasping mechanism 21 includes a frame 211, a thrust applicator 212, a pressure sensor, and an XZ moving assembly 213. The frame 211 is located at the movable end of the XZ moving assembly 213 and is used to drive the frame 211 to move in the horizontal and vertical directions. The frame 211 is U-shaped and distributed front and back. The XZ moving assembly 213 is mounted on one side of the conveying section 3 via a bracket and is located directly above the conveying section 3, directly above the soaking tank 11, and within the soaking tank 11. In the positional state, the thrust application member 212 is installed on the frame 211. There are multiple thrust application members 212, the number of which depends on the number of individual cells 401 on the cell group 4. They are distributed on the front and rear side walls of the U-shaped frame 211, and the movable end of the thrust application member 212 is used to abut against one end of the individual cell 401 in a corresponding manner, and the combination forms a clamping of the cell group 4, and applies a push-pull force in opposite directions to adjacent individual cells 401. The pressure sensor is set on the movable end of the thrust application member 212 in a corresponding manner to detect the value of the push-pull force.

[0028] In this embodiment, a controller is provided and electrically connected to a pressure sensor, a thrust applicator 212, and an XZ moving assembly 213. The pressure value fed back by the pressure sensor controls the magnitude of the thrust applied by the thrust applicator 212. By observing the change in pressure value, when a single battery cell 401 is detached, there is no reaction force, and the pressure value changes significantly, thus determining that the single battery cell 401 at that position has been split. After all the battery cells have been split, the next group of battery cell groups 4 can be grabbed.

[0029] Understandably, for the connection between the gripping mechanism 21 and the gripping of the battery cell assembly 4 on the conveying section 3, a displacement sensor, a proximity sensor or machine vision can be used on the conveying section 3 to provide feedback on whether the battery cell assembly 4 has been transported to the corresponding position on the conveying section 3 and is waiting for the gripping mechanism 21 to grip it.

[0030] It should be noted that the above control methods are all basic control methods commonly used in this field, and will not be elaborated on here. The XZ moving component 213 can use two hydraulic push rods, one set horizontally and one set vertically, to perform horizontal pushing and lifting control respectively. The XZ moving component 213 can also use a screw guide pair, which can drive the movement control on the XZ plane.

[0031] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 3The thrust application member 212 includes a telescopic push rod 2121 and a thrust head 2122. The thrust head 2122 is disposed at the telescopic end of the telescopic push rod 2121. The thrust head 2122 abuts against one end of a single cell 401. The telescopic push rod 2121 controls the thrust head 2122 to abut against the single cell 401 and to separate from it.

[0032] In this embodiment, the telescopic push rod 2121 can be a pneumatic push rod, hydraulic push rod, or electric push rod, etc., which has a telescopic function and is easy to control its extension and retraction.

[0033] It should be noted that the thrust head 2122 can adopt a U-shaped structure. If there is a protrusion on the battery cell, the opening on it can be used to insert the protrusion of the battery cell.

[0034] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The battery cell assembly 4 is conveyed parallel to the horizontal plane on the conveying section 3. The corresponding thrust application member 212 abuts against the end of the individual battery cell 401 and applies a thrust along its axial direction. That is, the gripping mechanism 21 forms a clamp from the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly 4. The thrust application member 212 is horizontally arranged, and the direction of its applied force is along the axis of the individual battery cell 401. In this way, the battery cell can be pushed out from the front and rear under debonding and fall to the bottom.

[0035] In one embodiment, the battery cell assembly 4 is conveyed vertically on the conveying section 3, i.e., the gripping mechanism 21 forms a clamp from the top and bottom of the battery cell assembly 4, and the corresponding thrust application member 212 abuts against the end of the individual battery cell 401 to apply a thrust along its axial direction. The thrust application member 212 is vertically arranged, and the direction of its applied force is along the axis of the individual battery cell 401. In this way, the battery cell can be pushed out from the top and bottom in the debonded state and fall to the bottom.

[0036] In this embodiment, the thrust head 2122 supports the bottom of the battery cell by single-point or double-point contact, so that the battery cell can tilt and fall off when it is separated from the battery cell group 4.

[0037] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The soaking tank 11 includes a first tank 111 and a second tank 112. The lower half of the first tank 111 is provided with a flow channel 113 that communicates with the second tank 112. The transfer mechanism 12 passes through the first tank 111 and the flow channel 113 into the second tank 112, dividing the soaking tank 11 into the first tank 111 and the second tank 112. The first tank 111 is mainly used for splitting, while the second tank 112 is used for continuous conveying. The flow channel 113 can be in an open state, that is, the first tank 111 and the second tank 112 can also be a whole, as long as the length of the entire tank meets the requirements.

[0038] The conveying mechanism 31 includes a first conveyor belt 311, which is mounted on one side of the soaking tank 11 by a bracket. The transfer mechanism 12 includes a second conveyor belt 121, which is mounted inside the soaking tank 11 by a bracket. The second conveyor belt 121 is a water-resistant conveyor belt 121 used to transport the battery cells in the degumming agent.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to improve the separation effect of residual glue during degumming and conveying, the second conveyor belt 121 includes a first conveying section 1211, a second conveying section 1212, and a third conveying section 1213. The first conveying section 1211 is linear and horizontal, used to receive the detached battery cells. In the fall, it moves relative to the degumming agent, which has the effect of promoting the detachment of residual glue. The second conveying section 1212 is parallel to the first conveying section 1211, with its starting end located directly below the tail end of the first conveying section 1211. Its tail end passes through the flow channel 113 to the second pool 112, thereby forming a drop, causing the battery cell to fall again, promoting the detachment of residual glue. The third conveying section 1213 is located at the tail end of the second conveying section 1212 and is inclined upward, used to convey a single battery cell 401 away from the soaking pool 11. The slope promotes the residual glue to slide downward.

[0040] In this embodiment, the falling motion of both ends in the soaking tank 11, combined with the upward conveying, forms three stages that promote the removal of residual adhesive, thereby improving the adhesive removal effect after the battery cell is disassembled.

[0041] Furthermore, a turbulence mechanism 114 is provided on the side of the flow channel 113 facing the first pool 111, which is used to drive the liquid to flush the falling individual battery cells 401, thereby improving the residual adhesive removal effect.

[0042] Understandably, the turbulence mechanism 114 can use a propeller to turbulent the fluid or a pump to turbulent the fluid, thereby creating fluid flow within the soaking tank 11.

[0043] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 31 is parallel to the conveying direction of the transfer mechanism 12. This distribution method can be adopted when there is sufficient lateral space in the factory area.

[0044] Understandably, this method can effectively lay the battery cells flat in the transfer mechanism 12.

[0045] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 5The conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 31 is at a 90-degree angle to the conveying direction of the transfer mechanism 12. This distribution method can be adopted when there is insufficient lateral space in the factory area.

[0046] Understandably, this method may result in some stacking of the battery cells.

[0047] To better understand this invention, the following is combined with... Figures 1 to 5 The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail as follows: The battery cell assembly 4 is placed on the first conveyor belt 311, which transports the battery cell assembly 4 to the gripping part 2. The gripping mechanism 21 is ready directly above the first conveyor belt 311. When the battery cell assembly 4 moves directly below it, the XZ moving component 213 drives the frame 211 to move downward, inserting the battery cell assembly 4 into the frame 211. The thrust head 2122 clamps the battery cell assembly 4 through the extension and retraction of the thrust application member 212, and then the XZ moving component 213 drives it to move to the immersion position. The cells are immersed in pool 11. During the immersion and degumming process, the push application member 212 applies a splitting force between adjacent individual cells 401 by using the opposite directions of the push and pull forces of adjacent individual cells 401. If the degree of degumming is reached, the cells are split, detached from the cell group 4, and fall to the first conveying section 1211 of the second conveyor belt 121. The first conveying section 1211, the second conveying section 1212, and the third conveying section 1213 transport individual cells 401 in the immersion pool 11. In conjunction with the turbulence mechanism 114, they also have the effect of promoting the removal of residual glue.

[0048] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery cell debonding and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling, used to debond battery cell packs and split them into individual cells, characterized in that, include: The soaking section is equipped with a soaking tank for storing the degumming agent. The soaking tank is also equipped with a transfer mechanism to receive and transport the detached individual battery cells away. A gripping part, located at the top of the immersion part, is equipped with a gripping mechanism. This gripping part grips the battery cell assembly and immerses it in the immersion tank, applying push-pull forces to each individual battery cell in the assembly, with the push-pull forces on adjacent individual cells acting in opposite directions. A conveying section is provided on one side of the gripping section, and the conveying section is provided with a conveying mechanism to convey the battery cell assembly that has not been de-adhesiveted and disassembled to the gripping section; The gripping mechanism includes a frame, a thrust applicator, pressure sensors, and an XZ moving assembly. The frame is located at the movable end of the XZ moving assembly and is used to drive the frame to move in the horizontal and vertical directions. The XZ moving assembly is mounted on one side of the conveying section via a bracket and has a positional state of being directly above the conveying section, directly above the soaking tank, and inside the soaking tank. The thrust applicator is mounted on the frame, and the number of thrust applicators is multiple, depending on the number of individual cells on the cell assembly. The movable end of the thrust applicator is used to abut against one end of an individual cell, and the assembly forms a clamping grip on the cell assembly, applying opposite pushing and pulling forces to adjacent individual cells. The pressure sensors are located at the movable ends of the thrust applicators and are used to detect the values ​​of the pushing and pulling forces. The thrust application component includes a telescopic push rod and a thrust head, the thrust head being disposed at the telescopic end of the telescopic push rod and abutting against one end of a single battery cell.

2. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery cell assembly is conveyed parallel to or perpendicular to the horizontal plane on the conveying section, and the corresponding thrust application member abuts against the end of a single battery cell to apply a thrust along its axial direction.

3. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The soaking pool includes a first pool and a second pool. The lower half of the first pool is provided with a flow channel that communicates with the second pool. The transfer mechanism passes through the flow channel from the first pool into the second pool.

4. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 3, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism includes a first conveyor belt, which is mounted on one side of the soaking tank via a bracket.

5. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 4, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism includes a second conveyor belt, which is mounted inside the soaking tank via a support frame.

6. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second conveyor belt includes a first conveyor section, a second conveyor section, and a third conveyor section. The first conveyor section is linear and horizontal. The second conveyor section is parallel to the first conveyor section, with its starting end located directly below the tail end of the first conveyor section. Its tail end passes through the flow channel to the second pool. The third conveyor section is located at the tail end of the second conveyor section and is inclined upward, used to convey a single battery cell away from the soaking pool.

7. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 6, characterized in that, A turbulence mechanism is provided on the side of the flow channel facing the first pool, which is used to drive the liquid to flush the falling individual cells.

8. The battery cell degumming and splitting system for battery recycling and cascade dismantling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying direction of the conveying mechanism is parallel to or at a 90-degree angle to the conveying direction of the transfer mechanism.

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