Battery cell inspection device

Abstract

A battery cell inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a pressing plate for pressing a battery cell; a support member that is disposed between surfaces of the pressing plate facing each other, and that mounts the battery cells thereon; the clamp holder can be used for clamping and moving the single batteries; and an urging member capable of protruding from at least one of the pressing plates toward the support member so as to urge the support member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0098625 filed on August 8, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0101240 filed on August 2, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery cell inspection apparatus, and more particularly, to a battery cell inspection apparatus that prevents a battery cell mounted on the inspection apparatus from being deflected to one side. Background Art

[0004] In recent years, there is an urgent need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide to cope with air pollution or global warming problems. In the automotive industry, it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by introducing electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and in order to make them practical, the development and commercialization of secondary batteries are being actively carried out.

[0005] After completing the electrode manufacturing and assembly process, in order to inspect the battery cell, the battery cell must be properly mounted on the inspection equipment. That is, the electrode lead of the battery cell must be placed in contact with the conductive part of the inspection equipment to electrically connect the two, and such an electrical connection state must be maintained while performing charging / discharging for inspection.

[0006] To this end, the battery cell inspection equipment is generally equipped with a plurality of pressing plates for fixing the battery cells. While the pouch-type battery cell is sandwiched between a pair of pressing plates and pressure is applied from both sides, the leakage current is measured through the battery cell lead.

[0007] Fig.10 A battery cell inspection device 10 according to the prior art is schematically shown. In the inspection device 10 according to the prior art, when the battery cell 1 is mounted on the support member 12 between the pressing plates 11, the center of gravity deviates to one side due to various reasons such as other process reasons, or the battery cell 1 may deviate to one side.

[0008] At this time, if Fig.11 As shown, when the battery cell 1 is clamped by the clamp 13, the battery cell 1 is taken out from the pressing plate 11, and an attempt is made to move the battery cell, the battery cell 1 may not be clamped properly. Therefore, there is a problem that the clamp 13 contacts an area other than the area originally intended to be clamped, thereby causing scratches on the battery cell 1, or in some cases, there is a possibility that the battery cell 1 may be damaged.

[0009] Alternatively, if the battery cell 1 deflected to one side is clamped by the clamper 13 at the upper portion of the battery cell 1, the platform portion 1b (see Figure 1 ) may be folded in some cases. In particular, since the platform portion is a portion through which a plurality of electrode tabs and / or electrode leads pass, disconnection may occur due to the folding of the platform portion. This may cause serious problems in the operation of the battery cell 1, and therefore, when the battery cell 1 is installed in an inspection device to measure leakage current, a method for improving the above-mentioned problem is required. Summary of the invention

[0010] [Technical issues]

[0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery cell inspection device which prevents a battery cell mounted on the inspection device from being deflected to one side.

[0012] However, the technical problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and various extensions can be made within the scope of the technical concept included in the present disclosure.

[0013] [Technical solution]

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery cell inspection device is provided, which includes: a compression plate that compresses a battery cell; a support member that is placed between mutually opposing surfaces of the compression plate so that the battery cell is mounted on the support member; a clamp that can clamp and move the battery cell; and a pushing member that can protrude from at least one of the compression plates toward the support member and push the support member.

[0015] The pushing member may include a rod formed to protrude from at least one of mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate toward the supporting member; and a head located at one end of the rod and pushing the supporting member.

[0016] The pushing member may protrude toward the support member between at least one of the mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate and the support member, and can be retracted toward the pressing plate again, so that you can prevent the mounted battery cell from deflecting in one direction.

[0017] The pushing member may have protruded from the pressing plate before the battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, or the battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, and simultaneously or subsequently, the pushing member may protrude from the pressing plate.

[0018] During inspection of the battery cell, the pushing member pushes the pressing plate in a protruding state.

[0019] The pushing member may be located on an upper portion of at least one of the mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate.

[0020] The support member may include a mounting portion to which the battery cell is mounted and a fixing portion fixed to the compression plate.

[0021] The mounting portion of the support member may be V-shaped or U-shaped, and the fixing portion of the support member may extend from both ends of the mounting portion to be fixed to corresponding upper ends of the pressing plate.

[0022] Both ends of the support member may be fixed to the pressing plates, respectively, and the support member may be folded or bent between the two fixing portions to mount the battery cell on the support member.

[0023] The battery cell inspection apparatus may further include buffer members respectively provided on mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate.

[0024] The cushioning member may be a polyurethane pad.

[0025] The battery cell may have a body protruding in one direction, and the pushing member may be provided on the pressing plate to which the protruding body of the battery cell points.

[0026] The battery cell may have a body protruding in two directions, and the pushing members may be respectively provided on mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate.

[0027] The pushing member may be made of stainless steel, and the supporting member may be made of paper or plastic.

[0028] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery cell inspection method is provided, the method comprising the following steps: clamping the battery cell by a clamper, mounting the battery cell clamped by the clamper on a supporting member between pressing plates facing each other, moving the pressing plates toward the battery cell, and inspecting the battery cell while pressing the battery cell with the pressing plates, wherein a pushing member protrudes from the pressing plates to push the supporting member so as to prevent the mounted battery cell from deflecting.

[0029] The step of mounting the battery cell clamped by the clamper on the support member includes lowering the battery cell clamped by the clamper onto the support member, wherein the pushing member has protruded from the pressing plate before the battery cell is mounted on the support member, or the battery cell is mounted on the support member and simultaneously or subsequently, the pushing member protrudes from the pressing plate.

[0030] During the step of inspecting the battery cells, the protruding pushing member may push the compression plate.

[0031] In the step of moving the pressing plate toward the battery cell and in the step of inspecting the battery cell while pressing the battery cell with the pressing plate, the extent to which the pushing member moves again toward the pressing plate to push the supporting member may be adjusted.

[0032] During the inspection of the battery cell, the state in which the battery cell is clamped by the clamper can be maintained.

[0033] Prior to the step of inspecting the battery cell, the method may include releasing the clamping of the battery cell and removing the clamper.

[0034] [Beneficial Effects]

[0035] According to the present disclosure, when a battery cell is mounted on a support member disposed between extrusion plates, a pushing member is provided that protrudes from an inner surface of at least one extrusion plate toward the support member, thereby preventing the battery cell placed on the support member from deflecting to one side, preventing damage to the battery cell that may occur thereby, and facilitating the movement of the battery cell.

[0036] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and additional other effects not mentioned above will be clearly understood from the description of the claims by those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery cell;

[0038] Figure 2 A battery cell inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 3 A battery cell inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figures 4 to 9 Shown in Figure 2 Each step in the method of inspecting a battery cell in a battery cell inspection device;

[0041] Fig.10 A battery cell inspection device according to the prior art is shown; and

[0042] Fig.11 Shown in Fig.10 Scratches occur on the battery cells in the battery cell inspection equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily perform them. The present disclosure can be modified in various different ways and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0044] Parts not related to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the specification.

[0045] Furthermore, since the size and thickness of each element in the drawings are arbitrarily enlarged or reduced for convenience of description, it is apparent that the present disclosure is not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0046] In the present disclosure, when any component is referred to as being "linked" or "connected" to other components, it should be understood that the component may be directly linked or connected to the other component, but another component may intervene. On the other hand, when any component is "directly linked" or "directly connected" to other components, it should be understood that there is no other component in between.

[0047] It should be understood that the terms "including" or "having" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, components, parts or a combination thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or a combination thereof.

[0048] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery cell 1, which is a diagram showing a pouch-type battery cell having a body protruding in one direction. The battery cell 1 may be mounted on a battery cell inspection apparatus 100 according to the present disclosure (see Figure 2 ) to continue the inspection process. The battery cell 1 includes a body 1a, a platform portion 1b, and an electrode lead 1c. The platform portion 1b of the battery cell 1 is an edge portion of a heat-sealed bag outer material, and refers to a portion from which the electrode lead 1c comes out.

[0049] On the other hand, the battery cells that can be inspected by the battery cell inspection apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are not limited to the pouch-type battery cells, and may also be applied to prismatic and cylindrical battery cells.

[0050] Figure 2 A battery cell inspection apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0051] The battery cell inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be mainly used for performance testing of battery cells during the formation process after the battery cells are assembled. The battery cell inspection device 100 can be a device that applies a high voltage to check the leakage current of the battery cell 1, and for example, it can be a HPCD (high press current direction) device.

[0052] The battery cell inspection device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the pushing member 140 when the battery cell 1 is mounted on the support member 120 between the pressing plates 110 in a manner deflected to one side, as will be described later, thereby preventing the folding problem of the platform portion 1b due to the deflection of the center of gravity of the cell, making it easier to clamp the battery cell 1, and also making it easier to move the battery cell 1. For example, when mounting and inspecting a battery cell 1 having a shape in which the main body 1a protrudes in one direction, the battery cell inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be applied.

[0053] The battery cell inspection apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes, for example, a plurality of pressing plates 110 , a supporting member 120 , a gripper 130 , a pushing member 140 , and a buffer member 150 .

[0054] The plurality of pressing plates 110 may be, for example, a pair of pressing plates 110, wherein the pair of pressing plates 110 may be arranged in parallel and arranged facing each other and spaced a predetermined distance apart. One battery cell 1 may be inserted into the separation space between the pair of pressing plates 110. During the inspection process of the battery cell 1, bulging may occur due to expansion or gas generation of the cathode plate and the anode plate, wherein the pressing plates 110 are used to press the battery cell 1 and prevent the bulging.

[0055] Despite Figure 2 Only one pair of plates 110 is shown in FIG. 1 , but, for example, each of 36 battery cells 1 may be placed between corresponding 36 pairs of plates 110 and pressed.

[0056] The pressing plate 110 performs an operation of pressing or releasing the main body 1a of the battery cell 1. Such a pressing plate 110 may preferably be formed of a metal material having high mechanical rigidity so as not to be deformed even under high temperature and high pressure, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the pressing plate 110 made of metal. For example, the pressing plate 110 may be made of stainless steel, reinforced plastic, reinforced ceramic, reinforced glass, etc.

[0057] One battery cell 1 can be inserted into the separation space between the pressing plates 110. In addition, a support member 120 can be provided between the pressing plates 110 so that the inserted battery cell 1 is supported at a constant height. The support member 120 can be, for example, a liner 120, and can be made of, for example, paper or thin plastic.

[0058] The support member 120 includes a mounting portion on which the battery cell 1 is mounted and a fixing portion fixed to the compression plate 110. The mounting portion is concavely shaped, for example, V-shaped or U-shaped, by folding or bending the support member 120, and may include fixing portions extending from both ends of the mounting portion and fixed to the corresponding upper ends of the compression plate.

[0059] One end of the support member 120 may be fixed to one of the extruded plates 110, the other end of the support member 120 may be fixed to another of the extruded plates 110, and the support member 120 may be folded between the two fixed portions of the support member 120 and the extruded plates 110 so that the battery cell 1 may be mounted thereon. Figure 2 The support member 120 has an open shape in each of a forward direction and a rearward direction from the ground, and the electrode leads 1 c of the battery cells 1 may be placed to point in both open directions of the support member 120 .

[0060] The clamp 130 can clamp the battery cell 1 and mount the battery cell 1 to the support member 120, and can separate the battery cell 1 from the support member 120 again. For example, in the case of a pouch-type battery cell 1, the sealing portion of the edge of the body of the battery cell 1 or, alternatively, the platform portion can be clamped by the clamp 130. This is used to minimize the damage generated in the battery cell 1 by clamping the body portion of the battery cell 1 in which the electrode assembly is combined. The clamp 130 can be modified and changed differently in various environments for implementing the present disclosure, for example, it can have a structure consisting of one clamp for each battery cell 1 and capturing a portion of the battery cell 1 (such as a platform portion), and it can have a structure consisting of a pair and capturing the sealing portion on both sides of the battery cell 1 or the platform portion on both sides. The clamp 130 can be, for example, a pliers-shaped, but it is sufficient if the clamp 130 can clamp the battery cell 1, for example, a clamp commonly used in a battery manufacturing process can be adopted. It can be implemented in various shapes and structures according to the environment to which the present disclosure is applied.

[0061] The clamp 130 can be removed from the space between the pressing plates 110 after the battery cell 1 is inserted into the support member 120 and before the battery cell 1 is pressed by the pressing plates 110, but can be modified and changed differently in various environments for implementing the present disclosure, such as being able to continue to capture the battery cell 1 even while pressing the battery cell 1.

[0062] The battery cell inspection device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a pushing member 140 that prevents the battery cell 1 mounted to the support member 120 from deflecting. The pushing member 140 is disposed between the inner surface of at least one plate 110 of the plurality of compression plates 110 and the support member 120. That is, the pushing member 140 is disposed between the support member 120 and at least one of the mutually opposing surfaces of the plurality of compression plates 110.

[0063] In addition, the pushing member 140 may include a rod 141 shaped to protrude from the pressing plate 110 toward the supporting member 120 , and a head 142 at one end of the rod 141 .

[0064] The shape of the head 142 can be as follows Figure 2 The spherical shape shown, or it can be plate-shaped. The present disclosure is not limited to those shown, and can be modified and changed according to various environments in which the present disclosure is implemented. Similarly, the rod 141 and the head 142 of the pushing member 140 can be formed to be connected to each other, or can be modified and changed in various ways, such as the rod 141 and the head 142 are formed integrally. All or part of the rod 141 of the pushing member 140 is inside the pushing member mounting portion 111 of the extrusion plate 110, but can protrude outside the extrusion plate 110 when the pushing member 140 must push the extrusion plate 110. The head 142 and the rod 141 of the pushing member 140 are inside the pushing member mounting portion 111, but can protrude outside the extrusion plate 110 when the pushing member 140 must push the extrusion plate 110. The material of the pushing member 140 can be, for example, rigid plastic or metal (e.g., stainless steel).

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown in the direction of the arrow, the pushing member 140 can protrude from the pressing plate 110 toward the supporting member 130, and can return to its initial state toward the pressing plate 110 again. The extent to which the pushing member 140 protrudes toward the supporting member 130 and / or retracts toward the pressing plate 110 can be finely adjusted.

[0066] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the pushing member 140 may be disposed on the upper side of the inner side surface of any one of the pair of pressing plates 110. However, the present disclosure is not limited to those shown, and the pushing member 140 may be disposed in the middle portion or the lower portion of the pressing plate 110.

[0067] In addition, the other end of the pushing member 140 may be formed to be attached to the inner surface of the pressing plate 110, the other end of the pushing member 140 may be formed to be inserted through a concave portion placed in the pressing plate 110, and the pushing member 140 may be provided to penetrate the pressing plate 110. In addition, various modifications and changes may be made, such as the other end of the pushing member 140 being coupled to other components besides the pressing plate 110.

[0068] On the other hand, when the battery cell 1 is Figure 1 and Figure 2 When the battery cell 1 is shown as a body 1a protruding in one direction, the center of gravity is deflected to one side, and thus may be deflected to any side of the pressing plate 110. At this time, a pushing member 140 is provided on the pressing plate 110 on the side where the battery cell 1 is deflected among the pair of pressing plates 110 (i.e., the pressing plate facing the body 1a of the battery cell 1) to correct the deflection of the battery cell 1.

[0069] A spring member (not shown) may be mounted to an end of a rod 141 of the pushing member 140 in the pushing member mounting portion 111. Before the pushing member 140 protrudes toward the supporting member 130, the pushing member 140 may be locked by being hooked to the pushing member mounting portion 111 by a locking member (not shown) or the like in a state where the spring member is compressed. When the locking member is unlocked, the pushing member 140 may protrude toward the supporting member 130 by the elastic force of the spring member.

[0070] Alternatively, a small motor that may control and move the rod 141 of the pushing member 140 may be mounted to the pushing member mounting portion 111 or mounted outside the pushing member mounting portion 111 and may be connected to the rod 141 of the pushing member 140 .

[0071] Alternatively, various methods may be applied to the reciprocating motion of the pushing member 140 , for example, the pushing member 140 can be connected to a pneumatic cylinder (not shown).

[0072] The pushing member 140 protrudes a predetermined distance from the pressing plate 110 toward the support member 120 so as to push the support member 120, and then, for example, when the battery cell 1 is to be pulled out from the support member 120, it may be retracted again in the opposite direction toward the pressing plate 110 by a predetermined distance. For example, the pushing member 140 including the head 142 may perform a reciprocating motion in a direction perpendicular to mutually opposing surfaces of the plurality of pressing plates 110.

[0073] The buffer member 150 is used to prevent the battery cell 1 from being damaged when the battery cell 1 directly contacts the extrusion plate 110 made of a metal material, and may be disposed on inner surfaces facing each other of the pair of extrusion plates 110. That is, the pair of buffer members 150 is disposed between the pair of extrusion plates 110, the support member 120 is disposed between the pair of buffer members 150, and the battery cell 1 may be mounted on the support member 120.

[0074] In some cases, various modifications and changes may be made, such as the buffer member 150 is not only provided between the pair of pressing plates 110, but also provided on the outer surface of the corresponding pressing plate 110. For example, a plurality of (n+1, n is a natural number) pressing plates 110 are arranged in parallel in one direction, a plurality of (n, n is a natural number) supporting members 120 are placed between the plurality of pressing plates 110, and a plurality of (n, n is a natural number) battery cells 1 are installed, and then the plurality of pressing plates 110 may also be moved and pressed at once.

[0075] The buffer member 150 may be in the shape of a pad covering part or all of one surface of the compression plate 110, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is sufficient if the buffer member 150 has a shape or structure that can prevent excessive pressure or impact on the battery cell 1 from damaging the battery cell 1 when the battery cell 1 and the compression plate 110 are in contact. In addition, the buffer member 150 may be, for example, a polyurethane pad.

[0076] The battery cell inspection apparatus 100 further includes an inspection unit (not shown) that may be integrated internally or remotely accessed externally so that electrode leads 1 c of the battery cells 1 placed on the support members 120 between the pressing plates 110 are electrically connected to measure leakage current of the battery cells 1 .

[0077] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 Modification of the battery cell inspection apparatus 100 . Figure 3 The battery cell inspection apparatus 100' includes the pushing members 140 on the two pressing plates 110 for each battery cell 1. By allowing the pushing members 140 on both sides of the pressing plates 110 to push the supporting members 120 from both sides, the deflection of the battery cell 1 can be corrected. Figure 3 The battery cell inspection device 100' can also be used to inspect Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery cell 1 shown in the shape of a single cup cell may also be applied to the inspection body 1a by installing a double cup cell type battery cell (not shown) protruding on both sides. Figure 2 Other matters and components are described similarly to those described in .

[0078] Next, refer to Figures 4 to 9 , will be described by way of example Figure 2 The operation between the corresponding components of the battery cell inspection device 100 will be described by way of example. Figure 2 Each step in the method of the battery cell 1 in the battery cell inspection device 100 .

[0079] First, refer to Figure 4 , the battery cell 1 is clamped by the clamp 130 (S110). At this time, the sealing portion of the edge of the battery cell 1 (for example, the sealing portion of the bag) or the platform portion of the battery cell 1 may be clamped by the clamp of the clamp 130. At this time, the battery cell 1 clamped by the clamp 130 is placed on the support member 120 provided in the pair of pressing plates 110.

[0080] Next, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6The battery cell 1 clamped by the clamper 130 is mounted on the support member 120 provided within the pair of pressing plates 110 ( S120 ).

[0081] At this time, in step S10, the battery cell 1 clamped by the clamp 130 may be lowered into the support member 120 in the direction of the arrow (S121) and installed. In some cases, on the contrary, the battery cell 1 clamped by the clamp 130 may remain as it is, and the pair of compression plates 110 and the support member 120 may be raised toward the battery cell 1, or a combination of the case where the battery cell 1 is lowered by the clamp 130 and the case where the compression plates 110 and the support member 120 are raised is also possible.

[0082] At this time, as above Figure 2 As described in , in order to prevent the battery cell 1 from deflecting to one side, the pushing member 140 may protrude toward the supporting member 120 to push (support) the supporting member 120 ( S122 ). Figure 5 As shown, before the battery cell 1 is mounted on the support member 120, the pushing member 140 may protrude toward the support member 120 in advance and push (support) the support member 120. This may be the case where the degree of protrusion of the pushing member 140 is predetermined so that the battery cell 1 can stand vertically without being deflected, that is, so that it can be upright (vertically aligned). Alternatively, as Figure 6 As shown, the battery cell 1 is mounted on the support member 120, and simultaneously or subsequently, the pushing member 140 protrudes toward the support member 120 to push (support) the support member 120. This may mean that the pushing member 140 protrudes while the degree of its protrusion is finely adjusted until the battery cell 1 mounted on the support member 120 stands upright (vertically aligned) without deflection. Alternatively, in some cases, it may be a combination of both the former and the latter.

[0083] Next, refer to Figure 7 , the support member 120 on which the battery cell 1 is mounted is moved toward the battery cell 1 by the pair of pressing plates 110 ( S130 ).

[0084] At this time, in step S130, the battery cell 1 is clamped by the clamp 130 as before, so that the battery cell 1 is prevented from sliding and deflecting within the support member 120 (S131). In some cases, various modifications and changes may be made, for example, just before the battery cell 1 is compressed by the compression plate 110, the clamping of the battery cell 1 by the clamp 130 is released, so that the clamp 130 can be removed from the battery cell 1 (S132).

[0085] In some cases, in step S130, as the pair of compression plates 110 moves toward the battery cell 1, the protruding pushing member 140 may be slightly (adjusted) and returned toward the compression plate 110 again (S133). When the distance between the pair of compression plates 110 is long, the pushing member 140 protrudes and the battery cell 1 may stand upright (vertically aligned) while pushing (supporting) the support member 120. However, when the distance between the pair of compression plates 110 gradually narrows and the battery cell 1 is compressed as described later, the battery cell 1 may be able to stand upright (vertically aligned) even if the support member 120 is not pushed (supported) by the pushing member 140.

[0086] However, in some cases, step S133 may not be performed. If the battery cell 1 is squeezed too tightly when the battery cell 1 is squeezed by the pair of squeezing plates 110, on the contrary, damage to the battery cell 1 may result, such as a situation where a bulge may occur in the battery cell 1. Therefore, even when the battery cell 1 is squeezed with the pair of squeezing plates 110, a certain amount of space remains between the support member 120 and the battery cell 1, and the pushing member 140 still protrudes, so that there may be a situation where the support member 120 must be pushed (supported). Alternatively, even if the pushing member 140 protrudes due to the difference in level with the squeezing plate 110 caused by the buffer member 150, the squeezing of the battery cell 1 may not be interfered with.

[0087] Additionally or alternatively, various modifications and changes may be made, such as the pushing member 140 is slightly retracted toward the pressing plate 110 , but the degree to which the pushing member 140 protrudes may be finely adjusted.

[0088] Next, refer to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , the battery cell 1 sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 110 is pressed ( S140 ). Figure 8 1 shows a situation where the battery cell 1 is squeezed while being clamped by the clamp 130. As described above in step S132, Fig. 9 It is shown that the battery cell 1 is squeezed after the clamp is released from clamping the battery cell 1 and the clamp is removed from the battery cell.

[0089] At this time, in step S140, the battery cell 1 may be inspected by connecting an inspection unit (not shown) while pressurizing the battery cell 1. The type of inspection performed is not limited, and at least one of various types of inspections performed in a normal manufacturing process of the battery cell 1 may be applied and performed according to an environment in which the present disclosure is implemented.

[0090] In addition, as mentioned above Figure 2As described above, the buffer members 150 are provided on the mutually opposing surfaces of the pair of pressing plates 110 , and thus the battery cells 1 may be prevented from being damaged even if the pressing plates 110 move toward the battery cells 1 to press the battery cells 1 .

[0091] Next, when the inspection of the battery cell 1 is completed, although not shown in the drawings of the present disclosure, the above steps are performed in a reverse manner. In order to release the pressure on the battery cell 1, the pair of pressing plates 110 are as follows: Figure 7 Next, use the clamp 130 to move in the opposite direction of the arrow in FIG. Figure 5 The battery cell 1 is moved in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 and the battery cell 1 is removed from the support member 120. Figures 4 to 9 The details are contrary to those described in , so their description is omitted.

[0092] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to its preferred embodiments. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and that various modifications and improvements may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0093] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0094] 1: Battery cell

[0095] 1a: Main body

[0096] 1b: Platform part

[0097] 1c: Electrode lead

[0098] 10: 100, 100': Battery cell inspection equipment

[0099] 110: Extruded plate

[0100] 111: Pushing component installation part

[0101] 120: Supporting member

[0102] 130: Gripper

[0103] 140: Pushing member

[0104] 141: Rod

[0105] 142: Head

[0106] 150: Buffer component

Claims

1. A battery cell inspection device, comprising: An extrusion plate, wherein the extrusion plate extrudes the battery cell; a support member disposed between mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate so that the battery cell is mounted on the support member; A gripper capable of gripping and moving the battery cell; as well as A pushing member is capable of protruding from at least one of the pressing plates toward the supporting member and pushing the supporting member.

2. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The pushing member comprises: a rod formed to protrude from at least one of mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate toward the supporting member; as well as A head is located at one end of the rod and pushes the supporting member.

3. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The pushing member protrudes toward the support member between at least one of mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate and the support member and can be retracted toward the pressing plate again, so that the mounted battery cell can be prevented from deflecting in one direction.

4. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: Before the battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, the pushing member has protruded from the pressing plate, or The battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, and simultaneously or subsequently, the pushing member protrudes from the pressing plate.

5. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: During inspection of the battery cell, the pushing member pushes the pressing plate in a protruding state.

6. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The pushing member is located on an upper portion of at least one of mutually opposing surfaces of the pressing plate.

7. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The supporting member includes a mounting portion to which the battery cell is mounted and a fixing portion fixed to the compression plate.

8. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The mounting portion of the support member is V-shaped or U-shaped, and The fixing portions of the supporting member extend from both ends of the mounting portion to be fixed to corresponding upper ends of the pressing plate.

9. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: Both ends of the support member can be fixed to the pressing plate, respectively, and the support member can be folded or bent between two fixing portions to mount the battery cell on the support member.

10. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, Buffering members are also included, and the buffering members are respectively provided on surfaces of the pressing plate that are opposite to each other.

11. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 10, wherein: The cushioning member is a polyurethane pad.

12. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The battery cell has a body protruding in one direction, and The pushing member is disposed on the pressing plate to which the protruding body of the battery cell is directed.

13. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The battery cell has a body protruding in two directions, and The pushing members are respectively provided on surfaces of the pressing plate that are opposite to each other.

14. The battery cell inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The pushing member is made of stainless steel, and The supporting member is made of paper or plastic.

15. A battery cell inspection method, comprising the following steps: The battery cell is clamped by a clamp; mounting the battery cell clamped by the clamper on a support member between pressing plates facing each other; moving the pressing plate toward the battery cell; as well as inspecting the battery cell while squeezing the battery cell with the squeezing plate, Wherein, a pushing member protrudes from the pressing plate to push the supporting member so that the mounted battery cell is prevented from being deflected.

16. The battery cell inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: Mounting the battery cell clamped by the clamper on a support member includes lowering the battery cell clamped by the clamper onto the support member, wherein the pushing member has protruded from the pressing plate before the battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, or The battery cell is mounted on the supporting member, and simultaneously or subsequently, the pushing member protrudes from the pressing plate.

17. The battery cell inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: During inspection of the battery cell, the protruding pushing member pushes the pressing plate.

18. The battery cell inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: When the pressing plate is moved toward the battery cell and when the battery cell is inspected while being pressed by the pressing plate, the extent to which the pushing member moves again toward the pressing plate to push the supporting member can be adjusted.

19. The battery cell inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: During the inspection of the battery cell, the state in which the battery cell is clamped by the clamper is maintained.

20. The battery cell inspection method according to claim 15, wherein: Prior to inspecting the battery cell, the method includes releasing the grip of the battery cell and removing the gripper.

Images