Lithium battery drying furnace

Abstract

The application provides a lithium battery drying furnace, which comprises a furnace body and a chain with ears above and below the furnace body, the vertical projections of the two chains with ears coincide, a gear meshing with one chain with ears is connected with another gear meshing with the other chain with ears through a rotating shaft, a plurality of fixing members are uniformly arranged on the chains with ears, two fixing members respectively located on the two chains with ears and having vertical projections coinciding in the vertical direction are provided with vertical supports, and each vertical support has a plurality of horizontal containing positions for containing lithium batteries. The application can help to reduce the floor area of the baking equipment in the production site, improve the space utilization of the production site, avoid the chain sagging and chain falling problems of the long-distance conveying structure, and has a simpler structure and lower cost compared with the horizontal conveying structure which needs to constrain the lithium battery from six sides to prevent the lithium battery from falling down when the chain is turned upside down.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to the field of lithium battery technology. More specifically, this invention relates to a lithium battery drying oven. Background Technology

[0002] Lithium-ion batteries are a type of battery that uses lithium metal or lithium alloys as positive / negative electrode materials and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. They have advantages such as high energy density, long cycle life, and low self-discharge rate. In China, lithium-ion battery technology is mainly used in the new energy vehicle industry and the energy storage industry.

[0003] Existing lithium battery drying ovens use long-distance chain conveying, which often results in chain sagging or even detachment, severely impacting production efficiency. Furthermore, the spatial layout of existing drying ovens means that to bake a certain number of lithium batteries, the ovens are large and occupy significant workshop space, hindering capacity expansion in situations with limited space. Moreover, traditional drying ovens using chain conveying constrain the six sides of the lithium batteries, resulting in a complex structure and making it difficult to load and unload the batteries.

[0004] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a lithium battery drying oven to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address at least one or more of the technical problems mentioned in the background art, the present invention provides a lithium battery drying oven. Therefore, the present invention provides the following technical solution.

[0006] This invention discloses a lithium battery drying oven, comprising: an oven body; a set of lug chains and two transmission gears meshing with the lug chains, respectively located above and below the oven body; the two sets of lug chains are annular closed chains laid on two horizontal planes, and the vertical projections of the two sets of lug chains coincide; a transmission gear meshing with one set of lug chains and another transmission gear located directly below and meshing with the other set of lug chains are connected by a rotating shaft; and a driving device for rotating the rotating shaft or the transmission gears; multiple fixing members are evenly spaced on each set of lug chains; a vertical support is provided between two fixing members located on the two sets of lug chains and whose vertical projections coincide; each vertical support has multiple horizontal receiving positions for holding lithium batteries, all of which are located on the side of the vertical support facing the inner wall of the oven body; and an annular closed chain is provided on the outer periphery of each set of lug chains. The slide rail has at least one set of limiting wheels below each fixed component. Each set of limiting wheels is arranged in pairs, with the two wheels of each set located on the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail, respectively. Each annular closed slide rail is fixedly laid on the upper surface of a horizontal support plate. A preset gap is left between the lowest point of each set of lug chains and the upper surface of the horizontal support plate on which the annular closed slide rail is laid, which is located around the lug chains. The horizontal support plate is fixedly connected to the furnace body. The furnace body has an air outlet and an air return outlet on two opposite sides, respectively. The air outlet and air return outlet are both oriented towards the horizontal receiving position located on the vertical support. The furnace body also includes a blower for discharging inert gas through the air outlet and allowing it to flow through the furnace body to the air return outlet to circulate the inert gas. The interior of the furnace body is connected to an air inlet pipe for introducing inert gas, and a first heating device for heating the inert gas introduced into the furnace body.

[0007] Preferably, the furnace body is a rectangle in the vertical direction, the air outlet and the air return are respectively located on both sides of the long side of the rectangle, the transmission gear is respectively located on both sides of the narrow side of the rectangle, the narrow side of the furnace body is 1.5~3m long, and the long side of the rectangle is 5~10 times the narrow side.

[0008] Preferably, the height of the furnace body is 3-5m.

[0009] Preferably, the distance between two adjacent fasteners on each set of eared chains is 30~50cm.

[0010] Preferably, the furnace body is further provided with a second heating device, which is used to increase the ambient temperature inside the furnace body.

[0011] Preferably, the second heating device includes an electromagnetic induction coil, which is laid on the surface of the fiberglass board.

[0012] Preferably, the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail are respectively provided with opening slots for accommodating the limiting wheels. The cross-section of the opening slot is an isosceles trapezoid, the opening direction of the opening slot is horizontal, and the opening height of the opening slot is greater than the inner height of the opening slot. The central axis of the two wheels in each set of limiting wheels is in the vertical direction. The outer rings of the two wheels in each set of limiting wheels are respectively in contact with the inner side of the opening slot. The width of the outer rings of the two wheels is equal to the inner height of the opening slot, so as to limit the displacement of the fixing member relative to the annular closed slide rail in a direction perpendicular to its movement direction along the annular closed slide rail.

[0013] Preferably, it also includes a positioning device for locking the position of the vertical support during loading to facilitate loading.

[0014] Preferably, the positioning device includes a positioning post disposed on the fixing member and a U-shaped groove. The opening of the U-shaped groove faces the positioning post. The other end of the U-shaped groove opposite to the opening is fixedly connected to the telescopic end of a cylinder. The fixed end of the cylinder is installed on the furnace body so that when the positioning post is in a preset position, the cylinder telescopically controls the U-shaped groove to clamp the positioning post or move away from the positioning post.

[0015] Preferably, the orthographic projections of each horizontal accommodating position on any vertical support coincide in the vertical direction.

[0016] The technical solution provided in this application may include the following beneficial effects: By utilizing the apparatus described above and in several embodiments of the present invention, the present invention can arrange two sets of lug chains vertically within the furnace body and lay them on two horizontal support plates respectively. By fixing members on the two sets of lug chains to fix the vertical support, and setting limiting wheels on the outer periphery of the lug chains, the lug chains can be stably operated by the horizontally accommodating position on the vertical support along with the lug chains in the vertical conveying structure during operation. During operation, the lithium battery in the horizontally accommodating position is heated by the preheated inert gas introduced into the furnace body.

[0017] First, the vertical conveyor structure formed by arranging the chain with lugs as described above helps reduce the floor space occupied by baking equipment in the production area, improves the space utilization of the production site, and facilitates the placement of more baking equipment to increase production capacity when the area is limited and the size of the site is fixed. Second, the vertical conveyor structure of the present invention can avoid the chain sagging and chain detachment problems that exist in long-distance conveyor structures, improve the stability of the conveyor structure, and eliminate abnormalities in the production process. Furthermore, a horizontal holding position for holding lithium batteries is set on the vertical support. The horizontal holding position of lithium batteries only needs to constrain the bottom of the lithium batteries, without the need to set constraints on the top and sides of the lithium batteries. Compared with the horizontal conveyor structure, which requires six-sided constraints on the lithium batteries to prevent them from falling when the chain flips downwards, the structure of the present invention is simpler and lower in cost. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and like or corresponding reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts, wherein: Figure 1 This is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Enlarged view of section A in the image; Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 11. Furnace body; 12. Chain with lugs; 13. Fixing component; 14. Vertical support; 15. Horizontal receiving position; 16. Annular closed slide rail; 17. Wheel; 18. Horizontal support plate; 71. Opening slot; 91. Positioning column; 92. U-shaped slot. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, reference numerals may be repeated in the drawings to indicate corresponding or similar elements where deemed appropriate. Furthermore, numerous specific details are set forth in this invention to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Moreover, this description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a lithium battery drying oven is provided, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, it includes: a furnace body 11, with a set of lug chains 12 located above and below the furnace body 11, and two transmission gears meshing with the lug chains 12. The two sets of lug chains 12 are closed annular chains laid on two horizontal planes respectively, and the orthographic projections of the two sets of lug chains 12 in the vertical direction coincide. A transmission gear meshing with one set of lug chains 12 and another transmission gear located directly below it and meshing with the other set of lug chains 12 are connected by a rotating shaft. It also includes a mechanism for... The drive device for rotating the shaft or the transmission gear has multiple fixing members 13 evenly spaced on each set of lug chains 12. A vertical support 14 is provided between two fixing members 13 located on two sets of lug chains 12 and whose vertical projections coincide. Each vertical support 14 has multiple horizontal accommodating positions 15 for holding lithium batteries. All horizontal accommodating positions 15 are located on the side of the vertical support 14 facing the inner wall of the furnace body 11. An annular closed slide rail 16 is provided on the outer periphery of each set of lug chains 12. Each fixing component 13 has at least one set of limiting wheels below it. Each set of limiting wheels is arranged in pairs. The two wheels 17 of each set of limiting wheels are located on the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail 16, respectively. Each annular closed slide rail 16 is fixedly laid on the upper surface of a horizontal support plate 18. The lowest point of each set of lug chain 12 has a preset gap with the upper surface of the horizontal support plate 18 on which the annular closed slide rail 16 is laid, which is located around the lug chain 12. The horizontal support plate 18 is fixedly connected to the furnace body 11. The furnace body 11 has an air outlet and an air return port on two opposite sides, both of which face the horizontal accommodating position 15 located on the vertical support 14. It also includes a blower for discharging inert gas through the air outlet and allowing it to flow through the furnace body 11 to the air return port for circulation. The interior of the furnace body 11 is connected to an air inlet pipe for introducing inert gas, and a first heating device for heating the inert gas introduced into the furnace body 11.

[0021] It is easy to understand that the annular closed chains in the above embodiment are located above and below the furnace body 11, and the orthographic projections of the two sets of annular closed chains in the vertical direction coincide, so that the two different fixing members 13 respectively set on the annular closed chains and whose orthographic projections in the vertical direction coincide can be connected by the vertical support 14, and then a horizontal accommodating position 15 for placing the lithium battery is provided on the vertical support 14.

[0022] To increase the drying capacity of lithium batteries within a limited space, this invention proposes using two sets of lug chains 12 to form a vertical conveyor structure. This structure utilizes horizontal accommodating positions 15 on vertical supports 14 to allow the drying furnace body 11 to accommodate more lithium batteries. Simultaneously, the issue of chain sagging during long-distance transport due to the vertical conveyor structure needs to be considered. Since either set of lug chains 12 in the vertical conveyor structure is horizontally arranged, a stable support structure is required during operation. Therefore, this invention provides an annular closed slide rail 16 around the outer periphery of each lug chain 12 and at least one set of limiting wheels below each fixing member 13. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, each set of limiting wheels is arranged in pairs. For example, only one set of limiting wheels, including two wheels 17, can be set. The two wheels 17 of each set of limiting wheels are located on the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail 16, respectively. Alternatively, two sets of limiting wheels can be set, resulting in a total of four wheels 17. However, the two wheels 17 in each set of limiting wheels are still located on the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail 16, respectively. This is to use one set of limiting wheels to secure the fixing member 13 to both sides of the annular closed slide rail 16 and prevent it from falling off. At the same time, each annular closed slide rail 16 is fixedly laid on the upper surface of a horizontal support plate 18, requiring two horizontal support plates 18. Here, a preset gap is left between the lowest point of each set of lug chain 12 and the upper surface of the horizontal support plate 18 laid on the annular closed slide rail 16 located around the lug chain 12. This restriction, i.e., the restriction of setting a preset gap, ensures that the lug chain 12 does not contact the horizontal support plate 18 and does not generate friction, thereby improving the stability of the lug chain 12 during operation.

[0023] The driving device is necessary in this invention because it also includes a blower for discharging inert gas through the outlet and allowing it to flow within the furnace body 11 to the return air inlet for recirculation, as well as a first heating device. The interior of the furnace body 11 is connected to an inlet pipe for introducing inert gas, and the first heating device heats the inert gas introduced into the furnace body 11. Therefore, the driving device is provided to drive the rotating shaft or transmission gear to rotate, causing the lug chain 12 or the annular closed chain to run. This allows the lithium battery located in the horizontal accommodating position 15 on the vertical support 14 to circulate along the annular closed slide rail 16, increasing the relative speed between the lithium battery and the hot air fluid, accelerating convective heat transfer, and improving the drying efficiency of the lithium battery.

[0024] It is also easy to understand that, since the furnace body 11 of the present invention is provided with a vertical conveying structure, and each horizontal accommodating position 15 located on the vertical support 14 remains relatively stationary with respect to the vertical support 14 during the operation of the vertical support 14 or the chain 12 with lugs, and each horizontal accommodating position 15 does not tilt or flip, the horizontal accommodating position 15 only needs to have a bottom for bottom constraint of the lithium battery, without the need to set constraints on the top and sides of the lithium battery. Compared with the traditional horizontal conveying structure that requires six-sided constraint of the lithium battery to prevent the lithium battery from falling when the chain flips downward, the vertical conveying structure of the present invention is simpler and lower in cost.

[0025] In one embodiment, the vertical projection of the furnace body 11 is rectangular. The air outlet and return air outlet are respectively located on both sides of the long side of the rectangle, and the transmission gears are respectively located on both sides of the narrow side of the rectangle. The narrow side length of the furnace body 11 is 1.5~3m, and the long side length of the rectangle is 5~10 times the narrow side length. Since the purpose of this invention is to increase the drying capacity of lithium batteries in a limited space, the furnace body 11 can accommodate more lithium batteries by using the vertical conveying structure set in the furnace body 11 and the horizontal accommodating position 15 set on the vertical support 14. Therefore, in practical applications, it is more suitable for the vertical projection of the furnace body 11 to be rectangular. Considering the stability of the placement of the furnace body 11, the narrow side length of the furnace body 11 is at least 1.5m. Since it is not affected by the sagging of the lug chain 12 and combined with the actual situation of common production sites, the long side length of the furnace body 11 can be 5~10 times the narrow side length. Furthermore, to improve the drying effect, the air outlet and return air outlet should be located on both sides of the long side of the rectangle.

[0026] In one embodiment, the height of the furnace body 11 is 3~5m. Limiting the height range of the furnace body 11 is also for the sake of safety and stability when the furnace body 11 is placed.

[0027] In another embodiment, the distance between two adjacent fasteners 13 on each set of lug chains 12 is 30-50 cm. It is easy to understand that if a longer section of the lug chain 12 lacks any support, the lug chain 12 will inevitably sag due to its own weight. Therefore, the distance between two adjacent fasteners 13 on the lug chain 12 is limited to 30-50 cm to eliminate the obvious sag of the lug chain 12 relative to the horizontal support plate 18 and improve the stability of the lug chain 12 during operation.

[0028] To further improve the drying effect, a second heating device is also provided inside the furnace body 11. This second heating device is used to increase the ambient temperature inside the furnace body 11. Specifically, the second heating device includes an electromagnetic induction coil, which is laid on the surface of the fiberglass board. The advantages of using electromagnetic induction coil heating are that it can quickly increase the ambient temperature inside the furnace body 11, provides accurate temperature control, and has a long service life.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail 16 are respectively provided with opening slots 71 for accommodating the limiting wheels. The cross-section of the opening slot 71 is an isosceles trapezoid. The opening direction of the opening slot 71 is horizontal, and the opening height of the opening slot 71 is greater than the inner height of the opening slot 71. The central axis of the two wheels 17 of each set of limiting wheels is in the vertical direction. The outer rings of the two wheels 17 of each set of limiting wheels are respectively attached to the inner side of the opening slot 71. The width of the outer rings of the two wheels 17 is equal to the inner height of the opening slot 71, so as to limit the displacement of the fixing member 13 relative to the annular closed slide rail 16 in a direction perpendicular to its moving direction along the annular closed slide rail 16.

[0030] It is easy to understand that the cross-section of the annular closed slide rail 16 is I-shaped, while the cross-section of the opening groove 71 is designed as an isosceles trapezoid. The advantage of making the outer ring width of the wheel 17 equal to the inner height of the opening groove 71 is that when the outer rings of the two wheels 17 of each set of limiting wheels are respectively in contact with the inner side of the opening groove 71, there is no direct friction between the wheel shoulder adjacent to the outer ring of the wheel 17 and the opening groove 71. That is, when the wheel 17 is located in the opening groove 71, there is only rolling friction, which helps to reduce the friction between the fixing member 13 and the annular closed slide rail 16, making the operation of the fixing member 13 and the vertical support 14 that moves synchronously with it more stable.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a positioning device is also included. This positioning device is used to sequentially position each vertical support 14 in a preset feeding position during material feeding. Specifically, the positioning device includes a positioning post 91 disposed on the fixing member 13 and a U-shaped groove 92. The opening of the U-shaped groove 92 faces the positioning post 91, and the other end of the U-shaped groove 92 opposite to the opening is fixedly connected to the extension end of a cylinder. The fixed end of the cylinder is installed on the furnace body 11 so that when the positioning post 91 is in the preset position, the cylinder extends or retracts to control the U-shaped groove 92 to clamp the positioning post 91 or move away from the positioning post 91. The significance of setting up the positioning device is to accurately lock the position of the vertical support 14, improve the positional accuracy of the vertical support 14, and facilitate material feeding.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the orthographic projections of each horizontal accommodating position 15 on any vertical support 14 in the vertical direction coincide. By limiting the distribution position of each horizontal accommodating position 15 on the same vertical support 14, the distribution of all horizontal accommodating positions 15 on a vertical support 14 is made to follow a certain pattern, that is, each horizontal accommodating position 15 has the same horizontal position coordinates in a relatively defined space, only the height position coordinates are different. This setting facilitates reducing the adjustment movements of the robot arm itself and improving the loading speed during loading.

[0033] It should be understood that the possible terms "first" or "second," etc., in the claims, specification, and drawings disclosed in this invention are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. The terms "comprising" and "including" used in the specification and claims of this invention indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or collections thereof.

[0034] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. As used in this disclosure and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this disclosure and claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0035] While the embodiments of the present invention are described above, these are merely examples for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope or application scenarios of the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make any modifications and changes in form and detail of the implementation without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein; however, the patent protection scope of the present invention shall still be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lithium battery drying oven, characterized in that, include: The furnace body (11) has a set of lug chains (12) located above and below the interior of the furnace body (11) and two transmission gears meshing with the lug chains (12). The two sets of lug chains (12) are closed annular chains laid on two horizontal planes respectively, and the orthographic projections of the two sets of lug chains (12) in the vertical direction coincide. A transmission gear meshing with one set of lug chains (12) and another transmission gear located directly below it and meshing with the other set of lug chains (12) are connected by a rotating shaft. The furnace body (11) also includes a shaft for driving the rotating shaft or the transmission gear to mesh with the other set of lug chains (12). The drive device for rotating the moving gear has multiple fixing parts (13) evenly spaced on each set of lug chains (12). A vertical support (14) is provided between two fixing parts (13) located on two sets of lug chains (12) and whose orthographic projections in the vertical direction coincide. Each vertical support (14) has multiple horizontal accommodating positions (15) for holding lithium batteries. The horizontal accommodating positions (15) are all located on the side of the vertical support (14) facing the inner wall of the furnace body (11). An annular closed slide rail (16) is provided on the outer periphery of each set of lug chains (12). Each fixing component (13) has at least one set of limiting wheels below it. Each set of limiting wheels is arranged in pairs. The two wheels (17) of each set of limiting wheels are located on the inner and outer sides of the annular closed slide rail (16). Each annular closed slide rail (16) is fixedly laid on the upper surface of a horizontal support plate (18). The lowest point of each set of eared chains (12) has a preset gap with the upper surface of the horizontal support plate (18) on which the annular closed slide rail (16) is laid on the outer periphery of the eared chain (12). The horizontal support plate (18) is fixedly connected to the furnace body (11). The furnace body (11) has an air outlet and an air return port on two opposite sides inside. The air outlet and the air return port are both oriented toward the horizontal accommodating position (15) located on the vertical support (14). The furnace body (11) also includes a blower for discharging inert gas through the air outlet and allowing it to flow through the furnace body (11) to the air return port to circulate the inert gas. The interior of the furnace body (11) is connected to an air inlet pipe for introducing inert gas. The furnace body (11) also includes a first heating device for heating the inert gas introduced into the furnace body (11).The annular closed slide rail (16) has opening slots (71) on its inner and outer sides for accommodating the limiting wheels. The cross-section of the opening slot (71) is an isosceles trapezoid. The opening direction of the opening slot (71) is horizontal, and the opening height of the opening slot (71) is greater than the inner height of the opening slot (71). The central axis of the two wheels (17) of each set of limiting wheels is in the vertical direction. The outer rings of the two wheels (17) of each set of limiting wheels are respectively in contact with the inner side of the opening slot (71). The width of the outer rings of the two wheels (17) is equal to the inner height of the opening slot (71) to limit the displacement of the fixing member (13) relative to the annular closed slide rail (16) in a direction perpendicular to its movement direction along the annular closed slide rail (16).

2. The lithium battery drying oven according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace body (11) is a rectangle in the vertical direction. The air outlet and return air outlet are respectively located on both sides of the long side of the rectangle. The transmission gear is respectively located on both sides of the narrow side of the rectangle. The narrow side of the furnace body (11) is 1.5~3m long, and the long side of the rectangle is 5~10 times the narrow side length.

3. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 2, characterized in that, The height of the furnace body (11) is 3~5m.

4. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between two adjacent fasteners (13) on each set of ear-chains (12) is 30~50cm.

5. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace body (11) is also equipped with a second heating device, which is used to increase the ambient temperature inside the furnace body (11).

6. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second heating device includes an electromagnetic induction coil, which is laid on the surface of a fiberglass board.

7. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a positioning device, which is used to position each of the vertical supports (14) sequentially in a preset feeding position during feeding to facilitate feeding.

8. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 7, characterized in that, The positioning device includes a positioning post (91) disposed on the fixing member (13) and a U-shaped slot (92). The opening of the U-shaped slot (92) is arranged facing the positioning post (91). The other end of the U-shaped slot (92) opposite to the opening is fixedly connected to the extension end of a cylinder. The fixed end of the cylinder is installed on the furnace body (11) so that when the positioning post (91) is in a preset position, the cylinder extends and retracts to control the U-shaped slot (92) to clamp the positioning post (91) or move away from the positioning post (91).

9. A lithium battery drying oven according to claim 8, characterized in that, The orthographic projections of each horizontal accommodating position (15) on any vertical support (14) in the vertical direction coincide.

Images