Tab flattening device and tab flattening method

Abstract

The present application discloses a tab flattening device and a tab flattening method. The tab flattening device includes a base, a flattening head, an edge-finding mechanism and a driving mechanism, wherein the flattening head is connected to the base; the edge-finding mechanism is connected to the base, and is used to detect the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab; the driving mechanism is connected to the base and is drivingly connected to the flattening head, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the flattening head to flatten the tab of the target battery; wherein the feed amount of the flattening head is the second distance, and the second distance is the difference between the first distance and the preset reserve margin. In this example, the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab is obtained by the edge-finding mechanism, and the height of the tab extending out of the diaphragm can be determined; the feed amount of the flattening head is calculated by the first distance and the preset reserve margin, so that the tab reserve margin after flattening by the flattening head reaches the preset range, reducing the problem of excessive or too small protection margin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery processing, and in particular to a tab flattening device and a tab flattening method. Background Art

[0002] For electric vehicles, battery technology is an important factor in their development. Flattening is a key process in the manufacturing process of full-tab batteries. In related technologies, a tab flattening structure is usually used to flatten the tabs at the ends of the electrode assembly, but it is easy to cause the risk of damaging the diaphragm. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a tab flattening device and a tab flattening method, aiming to improve the problem that the flattening device is prone to damage the diaphragm.

[0004] In order to achieve the above technical effects, a technical solution adopted in the present application is to provide a tab flattening device, comprising:

[0005] Pedestal;

[0006] Knead the flat head and connect it to the base;

[0007] An edge-finding mechanism, connected to the base, for detecting a first distance between an edge of a tab of a target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the tab; and

[0008] A driving mechanism is connected to the base and is drivingly connected to the flattening head, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the flattening head to flatten the tabs of the target battery;

[0009] Among them, the feeding amount of the flattening head is the second distance, and the second distance is the difference between the first distance and the preset reserve margin.

[0010] In the example of the present application, by obtaining the first distance between the edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear, the height of the pole ear extending out of the diaphragm can be determined; by setting the preset retention margin, the feed amount of the flattening head can be controlled during flattening to ensure the position of the flattening end point value of the flattening head, thereby reducing the problem of damage to the pole ear due to excessive flattening or low thickness of the pole ear due to insufficient flattening, which helps to improve the controllability of the pole ear flattening process and improve battery quality.

[0011] Among them, the pole ear of the target battery is arranged to extend out of the outer side of the diaphragm of the target battery along the first direction, and the edge-finding mechanism is connected to the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head to move synchronously along the first direction.

[0012] The flattening head and edge-finding mechanism in this example can be driven by the same driving mechanism to simplify the structure of the flattening device and improve the integration performance of the flattening device structure.

[0013] The edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head are arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the flattening head is located on a side of the edge-finding mechanism away from the diaphragm of the target battery.

[0014] When the driving mechanism in this example drives the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head to move, the edge-finding mechanism can first detect the pole ear, so that after the edge-finding mechanism detects and obtains the first distance, the flattening head then flattens the pole ear, so as to facilitate the control of the flattening start time of the flattening head.

[0015] The tab flattening device also includes:

[0016] The detection mechanism is connected to the base and is used to detect the distance that the pole ear of the standard battery extends out of the diaphragm after the pole ear of the standard battery is flattened by the flattening head; in response to the difference between the distance that the pole ear of the standard battery after being flattened by the flattening head extends out of the diaphragm and the preset retention margin exceeds a preset range, the distance between the flattening head and the edge-finding mechanism is adjusted.

[0017] The detection mechanism in this example can be used to detect standard batteries. By detecting the state of the pole ears of the standard battery after being flattened, it can be determined whether the current distance between the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head is reasonable, and then determine whether to adjust the distance between the flattening head and the edge-finding mechanism based on the detection results of the standard battery.

[0018] Among them, the edge-finding mechanism includes:

[0019] A signal transmitting module, used for transmitting a detection signal;

[0020] A signal receiving module, used for receiving a detection signal; and

[0021] The main body is connected to the base and is electrically connected to the signal transmitting module and the signal receiving module respectively. The main body is used to obtain the first distance according to the detection signal.

[0022] In this example, the signal transmitting module and the signal receiving module can be used to transmit and receive detection signals respectively, and the main body can be used to process the signals to determine the first distance according to the detection signals.

[0023] Among them, the signal transmitting module and the signal receiving module are arranged in sequence from the edge of the pole ear of the target battery to the direction of the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear; the distance between the signal transmitting module and the pole ear of the target battery is not less than the distance between the signal receiving module and the pole ear of the target battery.

[0024] In this example, by controlling the distance between the signal transmitting module and the pole ear of the target battery and the distance between the signal receiving module and the target battery, the edge-finding mechanism can be tilted at a preset angle relative to the pole ear, thereby conveniently controlling the signal range received by the edge-finding mechanism and reducing the signal interference received by the edge-finding mechanism.

[0025] Among them, the line connecting one end of the signal transmitting module close to the pole ear of the target battery and one end of the signal receiving module close to the pole ear of the target battery is L1, and the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery is L2, wherein the angle between L1 and L2 is not less than 0° and not more than 30°.

[0026] In this example, by controlling the angle of the edge-finding mechanism relative to the height direction of the pole ear, the signal receiving module can be mainly used to receive diffuse reflection signals, thereby reducing signal interference caused by surface reflections of objects such as diaphragms or blue glue.

[0027] Among them, the angle between L1 and L2 is not less than 0° and not more than 20°.

[0028] In this example, by reasonably limiting the angle of the edge-finding mechanism, the signal range received by the edge-finding mechanism can be further improved, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

[0029] Wherein, the flattening device also includes:

[0030] The light shield is connected to the base, and the light shield is arranged opposite to the edge-finding mechanism. The light shield is used to shield the side of the target battery away from the edge-finding mechanism.

[0031] The light blocking plate in this example can be used to reflect the light beam emitted by the edge-finding mechanism. The light blocking plate can also be used to block the interference of external light beams on the edge-finding mechanism, which helps to improve the detection accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism.

[0032] The present application also proposes a tab flattening method, the method comprising:

[0033] Controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain a first distance between an edge of a pole ear of a target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear; and

[0034] The flattening head is controlled to flatten the tab of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is a difference between the first distance and a preset reserve margin.

[0035] The flattening method in this example obtains the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm through the edge-finding mechanism, and can determine the tab height, so as to further determine the feed amount of the flattening head; in this example, by calculating the feed amount of the flattening head based on the first distance and the preset retention margin, the preset retention margin in the tab flattening process can be fully considered, thereby reducing the problem of yield reduction caused by excessive or insufficient feed amount of the flattening head.

[0036] Before the step of obtaining the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab, the method further includes:

[0037] The initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism are determined, wherein one of the edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the edge of the blue glue on the same side of the pole ear is the initial position, and the other is the end position.

[0038] In this example, by determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism, the edge-finding process and the edge-finding range can be conveniently controlled, which helps to improve the accuracy of edge-finding.

[0039] After determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism, the method further includes determining the edge-finding consistency. The step of determining the edge-finding consistency includes:

[0040] Get the distance between the initial position and the end position;

[0041] Repeating the steps of determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism, and acquiring a plurality of distance signals; and

[0042] Compare multiple distance signals; in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals not exceeding a preset threshold, execute the step of controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain a first distance between an edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear.

[0043] In this example, by repeatedly acquiring the distance between the initial position and the end position, multiple distance signals can be acquired to compare the multiple distance signals, thereby detecting whether the current edge-finding process is disturbed.

[0044] Wherein, in the step of comparing the multiple distance signals, in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals exceeding a preset threshold, the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism are adjusted.

[0045] In this example, by adjusting the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism, the working accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism can be improved, and thus the accuracy of tab flattening can be improved.

[0046] Among them, in the step of comparing multiple distance signals, in response to the difference of the multiple distance signals exceeding the preset threshold, the alarm mechanism is controlled to issue an alarm. In this example, after executing the step of edge-finding consistency, when it is found that the difference of the multiple distance signals exceeds the preset threshold, it means that the current edge-finding mechanism is disturbed, or the installation position or working state of the edge-finding mechanism does not meet the detection requirements, and an alarm can be issued through the alarm mechanism to facilitate timely maintenance by the staff.

[0047] After the step of adjusting the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism, the step of determining the edge-finding consistency is re-executed.

[0048] In this example, after adjusting the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism, the edge-finding position consistency is re-determined, and then the edge-finding position is feedback-adjusted.

[0049] Among them, the edge-finding mechanism is at least one of a laser sensor or a color sensor; the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism include at least one of the inclination angle of the edge-finding mechanism relative to the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery, the signal range of the edge-finding mechanism and the spot size of the edge-finding mechanism.

[0050] In this example, by adjusting at least one of the parameters of the edge-finding mechanism, such as the tilt angle, signal range, and spot size, the edge-finding accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism is improved, and the influence of the working environment and the edge-finding mechanism itself is reduced.

[0051] Among them, in the step of obtaining the first distance between the edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear, the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head are interconnected and arranged at a third distance interval.

[0052] In this example, by connecting the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head to each other, the same driving mechanism can be used to drive the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head to move synchronously, thereby improving the compactness of the overall structure; by arranging the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head at a third distance interval, the edge-finding mechanism can detect the pole ear and then the flattening head can perform the flattening operation in time.

[0053] Before the step of obtaining the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab, the method further includes:

[0054] Set the third distance;

[0055] In response to the edge-finding mechanism being located at the edge of the separator of the standard battery, controlling the flattening head to flatten the tab on the same side of the separator;

[0056] Detecting the distance that the tab of a standard battery protrudes from the separator after being flattened by the flattening head; and

[0057] Compare the distance that the tab of the flattened standard battery extends out of the diaphragm with the preset reserve margin to determine whether to adjust the third distance.

[0058] In this example, by flattening and testing the standard battery, it can be determined whether to adjust the third distance based on the test result of the standard battery, and then the distance between the flattening head and the edge-finding mechanism can be calibrated using the test result of the standard battery.

[0059] Among them, the step of controlling the flattening head to flatten the tab of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is a difference between the first distance and a preset reserve margin includes:

[0060] Obtaining a moving distance of the edge-finding mechanism when it moves from the outer side of the tab of the target battery to the edge of the tab;

[0061] Obtaining a fourth distance between the flattening head and the edge of the tab, wherein the fourth distance is the sum of the third distance and a moving distance when the edge-finding mechanism moves from the outer side of the tab of the target battery to the edge of the tab; and

[0062] The flattening head is controlled to flatten the tabs of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is the second distance, and the second distance is the sum of the fourth distance and the first distance minus a preset reserve margin.

[0063] In this example, by obtaining the fourth distance, when there is a gap between the flattening head and the edge of the tab, it is convenient to determine the third distance through a standard battery, and then use the known third distance to calibrate the distance between the flattening head and the tab, thereby reducing the problem of uncontrollable feed amount of the flattening head caused by the unknown distance between the flattening head and the edge of the tab. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0065] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an example of a battery of the present application;

[0066] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of an example of flattening a tab in the present application;

[0067] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the use status of an example of the edge-finding mechanism of the present application;

[0068] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another example of the edge-finding mechanism of the present application in use;

[0069] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of another example of flattening the tab of the present application;

[0070] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of an example of a tab flattening method of the present application;

[0071] Figure 7 It is a flow chart of another example of the tab flattening method of the present application;

[0072] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an example of determining edge search consistency in the present application;

[0073] Fig. 9 It is a flow chart of another example of the tab flattening method of the present application;

[0074] Fig.10 It is a flow chart of another example of the tab flattening method of the present application.

[0075] Among them: 10, battery; 11, tab; 12, diaphragm; 13, blue glue; 14, shell; 15, winding core;

[0076] 20. Base; 21. Flattening head; 22. Edge-finding mechanism; 221. Signal transmitting module; 222. Signal receiving module; 223. Main body; 23. Light shield; 24. Driving mechanism;

[0077] 30. Testing institutions;

[0078] d1, first distance;

[0079] d2, second distance;

[0080] d3, third distance;

[0081] d4, fourth distance;

[0082] 2a. First direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0084] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. It should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" in the description of this application should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this article can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0085] In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "used as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described in this application as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is given to enable any technician in the field to implement and use the present application. In the following description, details are listed for the purpose of explanation. It should be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that the present application can be implemented without using these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes will not be elaborated in detail to avoid obscuring the description of the present application with unnecessary details. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed in the present application.

[0086] In the example of this application, the battery may include one or more battery cells, and the battery cell may be a primary battery or a secondary battery, wherein a secondary battery refers to a battery cell that can be used continuously by activating the active material by charging after the battery cell is discharged. The battery cell may be a lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery, a sodium-lithium-ion battery, a lithium metal battery, a sodium metal battery, a lithium-sulfur battery, a magnesium-ion battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a lead-acid battery, etc., and the example of this application is not limited to this. The battery cell generally includes an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. During the charge and discharge process of the battery cell, active ions (such as lithium ions) are embedded and removed back and forth between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The separator is arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, which can prevent the positive and negative electrodes from short-circuiting, and at the same time allow active ions to pass through.

[0087] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is a wound structure. The positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet are wound into a wound structure. In some embodiments, the electrode assembly may be a laminated structure. In some embodiments, the shape of the electrode assembly may be cylindrical, flat, or polygonal. In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is provided with a pole ear, which can lead the current from the electrode assembly, and the pole ear includes a positive pole ear and a negative pole ear. As an example, the battery cell may be a cylindrical battery cell, a prismatic battery cell, a soft-pack battery cell, or a battery cell of other shapes. The prismatic battery cell includes a square shell battery cell, a blade-shaped battery cell, and a polygonal prismatic battery. The polygonal prismatic battery is, for example, a hexagonal prismatic battery, etc., and the present application has no particular restrictions.

[0088] Taking cylindrical batteries as an example, the current 46 series cylindrical batteries can significantly reduce costs and improve battery performance due to their advantages such as high energy density, safety, high manufacturing efficiency and good consistency. In some technologies, there are usually two routes for the tab forming method of cylindrical batteries, one is the tab cutting and flattening method, the other is the full tab flattening method, where the quality of the full tab flattening directly affects the subsequent welding process, such as the welding of the collector plate and the tab. There are two failure modes in this welding: one is diaphragm burning, and the other is scalding the diaphragm. At present, in order to ensure the welding quality, it is usually necessary to reserve a distance between the tab and the diaphragm, which is collectively referred to as "protection margin". If the distance between the tab and the diaphragm is close, that is, the protection margin is small, there will be a risk of scalding the diaphragm. If the protection margin is large, that is, the distance between the tab and the diaphragm is far, the thickness of the flattening layer will also be reduced accordingly; when the tab height is constant, the more protection margin, the less corresponding feed amount, and the lower the thickness of the flattening layer (feed amount = tab height - protection margin), and the diaphragm burning failure mode will occur, affecting the battery quality. Therefore, appropriate protection margin control is crucial to the flattening quality.

[0089] In view of the above problems, the present application proposes a tab flattening device, which can be used to flatten the tab of a target battery. The tab flattening device includes a base, a flattening head, an edge-finding mechanism and a driving mechanism. The flattening head is connected to the base; the edge-finding mechanism is connected to the base, and is used to detect the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab; the driving mechanism is connected to the base and is connected to the flattening head driving, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the flattening head to flatten the tab of the target battery; wherein the feed amount of the flattening head is the second distance, and the second distance is the difference between the first distance and the preset reserve margin. In this example, the first distance between the edge of the tab of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the tab is obtained by the edge-finding mechanism, and the height of the tab extending out of the diaphragm can be determined; the flattening head is driven by the driving mechanism to flatten the tab, and the feed amount of the flattening head is calculated by the first distance and the preset reserve margin, so that the tab reserve margin after the flattening head is flattened can reach the preset range, thereby reducing the problem of excessive or too small protection margin.

[0090] The tab flattening device in the example of the present application can be used on a battery production device, which can be a battery production line or a device on a battery production line. By controlling the feeding amount of the tab flattening head through the tab flattening device, the problem of diaphragm damage can be reduced and the product reliability of the battery can be improved.

[0091] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present application proposes an example of a tab flattening device, which includes a base 20, a flattening head 21, an edge-finding mechanism 22 and a driving mechanism 24, wherein the flattening head 21 is connected to the base 20; the edge-finding mechanism 22 is connected to the base 20, and is used to detect a first distance d1 between an edge of a tab 11 of a target battery and a diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11; the driving mechanism 24 is connected to the base 20 and is drivingly connected to the flattening head 21, and the driving mechanism 24 is used to drive the flattening head 21 to flatten the tab 11 of the target battery; wherein the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is a second distance d2, and the second distance d2 is the difference between the first distance d1 and a preset reserved margin.

[0092] In the example of the present application, the battery 10 with the tab 11 to be flattened is the target battery. The battery 10 generally has a shell 14, and a winding core 15 is provided inside the battery 10. The tab 11 can partially extend out of the winding core 15. In the example of the present application, the direction in which the tab 11 extends out of the winding core 15 can be the height direction of the tab 11. The winding core 15 can have a cathode tab and an anode tab, and the cathode tab and the anode tab can be arranged at both ends of the winding core 15 along the height direction. After the tab 11 is flattened, the portion where the tab 11 extends out of the diaphragm 12 can be a preset reserve margin. The battery 10 generally has a pole piece (not shown in the figure), a blue glue 13 and a diaphragm 12, wherein the diaphragm 12 generally partially extends out of the blue glue 13, the tab 11 is connected to the pole piece, and the tab 11 partially extends out of the diaphragm 12, so as to Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the tab 11 and the diaphragm 12 on one side of the battery 10 are arranged along the first direction 2 a , and the outer edge of the tab 11 is the edge of the side of the tab 11 away from the blue glue 13 .

[0093] The base 20 can be used to support the target battery and the edge-finding mechanism 22 , the flattening head 21 and the driving mechanism 24 . The base 20 can be a workbench, or a platform formed by a work area on a production line.

[0094] The edge-finding mechanism 22 is directly or indirectly connected to the base 20 so that the edge-finding mechanism 22 can move on the base 20 according to a preset track. The edge-finding mechanism 22 is used to detect the distance between the edge of the pole lug 11 of the target battery and the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole lug 11, which is the first distance d1, and the first distance d1 is the height of the pole lug 11 extending from the diaphragm 12. In this example, the edge-finding mechanism 22 can move from the outside of the pole lug 11 to the edge position of the blue glue 13. During the movement, it will inevitably pass through the outer edge of the pole lug 11 and the edge of the diaphragm 12, and then the first distance d1 between the outer edge of the pole lug 11 and the edge of the diaphragm 12 can be determined. Since there is a difference in at least one parameter such as the color and material of the pole lug 11, the diaphragm 12 and the blue glue 13, when the light beam acts on the above materials, the signal range of the reflected light will be different. The edge-finding mechanism 22 in this example can be a laser sensor, a color sensor or other mechanism that can be used to identify and / or detect the pole lug 11, the diaphragm 12 and the blue glue 13. In this example, the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be driven to move along a preset track by a servo motor, a cylinder or other mechanisms.

[0095] The flattening head 21 is used to flatten the tab 11. The flattening head 21 in the example of the present application can flatten the tab 11 by rolling, or by other methods, so that the tab 11 can be flattened into a preset shape. The feeding amount of the flattening head 21 of the tab 11 of the battery 10 refers to the moving distance of the flattening head 21 from the tab 11 to the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11 along the first direction 2a.

[0096] The driving mechanism 24 is used to drive the flattening head 21 to move so that the flattening head 21 can flatten the pole ear 11. The feed amount of the flattening head 21 is controlled by controlling the working parameters of the driving mechanism 24. The driving mechanism 24 can be a servo motor or other mechanism that can be used to drive the flattening head 21 to move along a preset trajectory; taking a servo motor as an example, the working parameters of the driving mechanism 24 may include the rotational speed, start and stop time and other parameters of the driving mechanism 24.

[0097] In this example, the first distance d1 between the edge of the pole lug 11 and the edge of the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole lug 11 is first obtained by the edge-finding mechanism 22, that is, the height of the pole lug 11 extending out of the diaphragm 12 is determined, and the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is calculated according to the first distance d1 and the preset reserved margin, that is, the moving distance of the flattening head 21 from the pole lug 11 to the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole lug 11, and the driving mechanism 24 drives the flattening head 21 to flatten the pole lug 11. Since the preset reserved margin is first reserved, the protection margin of the pole lug 11 is sufficient, thereby reducing the problem of too large or too small protection margin of the pole lug 11.

[0098] In this example, when the cathode tab and the anode tab are located on both sides of the blue glue 13 along the first direction 2a, edge-finding mechanisms 22, flattening heads 21 and driving mechanisms 24 can be provided on both sides to flatten the tabs 11 on both sides.

[0099] In some examples, the pole ear 11 of the target battery is arranged to extend out of the outer side of the diaphragm 12 of the target battery along the first direction 2a, and the edge-finding mechanism 22 is connected to the driving mechanism 24, which is used to drive the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 to move synchronously along the first direction 2a.

[0100] The pole ear 11 can be integrally provided with the pole piece, or it can be separately provided with the pole piece and connected to each other. The pole ear 11 at least partially extends out of the outside of the diaphragm 12. In this example, the cathode pole ear and the anode pole ear can be respectively provided at both ends of the blue glue 13 along the first direction 2a.

[0101] The driving mechanism 24 is connected to the edge-finding mechanism 22, so that the driving mechanism 24 can simultaneously drive the edge-finding mechanism 22 to move relatively. In this example, the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 can be driven simultaneously by a single driving mechanism 24. After the edge-finding mechanism 22 moves along the first direction 2a and completes the edge-finding, the height of the tab 11 extending out of the diaphragm 12 is determined, and the driving mechanism 24 continuously drives the flattening head 21 to move along the first direction 2a, so that the flattening head 21 can flatten the tab 11. Then, the flattening step can be closely followed by the edge-finding step by the single driving mechanism 24, so as to save processing time.

[0102] In some examples, the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 are spaced apart along the first direction 2 a , and the flattening head 21 is located on a side of the edge-finding mechanism 22 away from the separator 12 of the target battery.

[0103] The edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 are arranged at intervals along the first direction 2a, which means that there is an interval between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21. In the example of the present application, the distance between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 can be the third distance d3. When the driving mechanism 24 drives the edge-finding mechanism 22 to move along the first direction 2a, before the edge-finding mechanism 22 completes the edge-finding, the flattening head 21 does not exert force on the pole lug 11. In this example, by arranging the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 at the third distance d3, the flattening device first performs edge-finding on the pole lug 11 to determine the first distance d1, and then the flattening head 21 performs the flattening operation, so as to control the flattening accuracy.

[0104] Please continue reading Figure 2 In some examples, the tab flattening device further includes a detection mechanism 30, which is connected to the base 20 and is used to detect the distance by which the tab 11 of the standard battery extends beyond the diaphragm 12 after the tab 11 of the standard battery is flattened by the flattening head 21; in response to the difference between the distance by which the tab 11 of the standard battery after being flattened by the flattening head 21 extends beyond the diaphragm 12 and the preset retention margin exceeds a preset range, the distance between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 is adjusted.

[0105] The detection mechanism 30 can be used to detect a standard battery. The detection mechanism 30 can be a CCD (charge coupled device) camera or other equipment that can be used to measure the height of the tab 11.

[0106] The standard battery may be a battery with a known first distance d1. When testing, a preset reserve margin may be set. Since the first distance d1 and the preset reserve margin are both known values, the second distance d2 corresponding to the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is also a known value. When the driving mechanism 24 drives the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 to move along the first direction 2a, the driving mechanism 24 may control the feed amount of the flattening head 21. The detection mechanism 30 detects the distance of the flattened pole ear 11 extending from the diaphragm 12, and compares the distance of the flattened pole ear 11 extending from the diaphragm 12 with the preset reserve margin. If the difference between the distance of the flattened pole ear 11 extending from the diaphragm 12 and the preset reserve margin exceeds the preset range, it indicates that the feed amount of the flattening head 21 exceeds the preset range. At this time, the third distance d3 between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 may be adjusted. When the third distance d3 is increased, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 will be relatively reduced. When the third distance d3 is reduced, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 will be relatively increased.

[0107] In this example, the distance between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be calibrated and calibrated using a standard battery. After the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is calibrated, the flattening end point value of the flattening head 21 is the sum of the third distance d3 and the first distance d1 minus a preset reserve margin.

[0108] See also Figure 3 In some examples, the edge-finding mechanism 22 includes a signal transmitting module 221, a signal receiving module 222 and a main body 223. The signal transmitting module 221 is used to send a detection signal; the signal receiving module 222 is used to receive a detection signal; the main body 223 is connected to the base 20, and is electrically connected to the signal transmitting module 221 and the signal receiving module 222 respectively. The main body 223 is used to obtain the first distance d1 according to the detection signal.

[0109] The main body 223 may be a host structure of the edge-finding mechanism 22 , and the main body 223 may have a processing circuit and a signal transceiver port.

[0110] The detection signal can be an optical signal; the main body 223 can control the signal transmitting module 221 to transmit the detection signal; the signal transmitting module 221 can be used to transmit the detection signal in the direction of the object to be detected, the detection signal is reflected by the surface of the object to be detected, the signal receiving module 222 receives the signal, the main body 223 can receive the detection signal, and determine the first distance d1 according to the type, intensity, signal range and other parameters of the detection signal. Taking the color sensor as an example, the color sensor can be used to detect different colors. For objects of different colors, the color sensor can reflect or transmit a part of the spectrum based on the absorption, reflection and transmission characteristics of different colors to light, and can determine the color of the detection object according to the spectral characteristics; because the tab 11, the diaphragm 12 and the blue glue 13 have different spectral characteristics, they can be detected by the color sensor to determine the first distance d1 between the edge of the tab 11 and the edge of the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11.

[0111] See also Figure 3 In some examples, the signal transmitting module 221 and the signal receiving module 222 are arranged in sequence from the edge of the pole ear 11 of the target battery to the direction of the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole ear 11; the distance between the signal transmitting module 221 and the pole ear 11 of the target battery is not less than the distance between the signal receiving module 222 and the pole ear 11 of the target battery.

[0112] Assuming that the edge-finding mechanism 22 is located at the edge of the tab 11, the signal transmitting module 221 and the signal receiving module 222 are arranged in sequence from the edge of the tab 11 of the target battery to the direction of the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11, which means that the signal transmitting module 221 is arranged close to the edge of the tab 11, and the signal receiving module 222 is located on the side of the signal transmitting module 221 facing the blue glue 13. The incident angle of the incident light emitted by the signal transmitting module 221 is α, and the reflection angle of the reflected light reflected by the object to be measured is β.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 4 , the signal transmitting module 221 emits light that is reflected by the surface of the object to be tested, and the signal receiving module 222 receives the reflected signal. When the distance between the signal transmitting module 221 and the pole ear 11 is smaller than the distance between the signal receiving module 222 and the pole ear 11, the light is emitted to the surface of the object to be tested and then reflected in the direction of the signal receiving module 222. On the one hand, when there are creases, pits, etc. on the surface of the object to be tested, the signal receiving module 222 will receive a large number of interference signals. On the other hand, the threshold of the edge-finding mechanism 22 is relatively large. Due to the different materials of the pole ear 11, the diaphragm 12 and the blue glue 13, compared with Figure 3 In the state shown in , the signal receiving module 222 will receive stronger light and receive more interference signals. Figure 3 The installation method shown in makes the distance between the signal transmitting module 221 and the pole lug 11 of the target battery not less than the distance between the signal receiving module 222 and the pole lug 11 of the target battery, so that the line L1 connecting the end of the signal transmitting module 221 close to the pole lug 11 and the end of the signal receiving module 222 close to the pole lug 11 is set at an angle with the height direction L2 of the pole lug 11. In this example, the signal transmitting module 221 is relatively farther away from the pole lug 11, so that the edge-finding mechanism 22 is tilted relative to the pole lug 11. On the one hand, the signal receiving module 222 can receive a smaller light intensity at this time, the threshold of the edge-finding mechanism 22 is relatively small, and the interference signal generated by the diaphragm 12 and the blue glue 13 to the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be relatively smaller; on the other hand, the signal receiving module 222 can receive the diffuse reflection signal of the pole lug 11 as much as possible, which can reduce the signal interference caused by factors such as pits and creases on the surface of the pole lug 11, which helps to improve the detection accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0114] In some examples, the line connecting one end of the signal transmitting module 221 close to the pole ear 11 and one end of the signal receiving module 222 close to the pole ear 11 of the target battery is L1, the height direction of the pole ear 11 of the target battery is L2, and the angle between L1 and L2 is not less than 0° and not more than 30°.

[0115] The angle between L1 and L2 is w, wherein w is not less than 0° and not more than 30°. In this example, by reasonably determining the angle of the edge-finding mechanism 22 relative to the height direction of the pole ear 11 of the target battery, it is convenient to control the signal threshold of the edge-finding mechanism 22, thereby reducing the problem of signal interference caused by an unreasonable signal threshold range. In this example, the angle between the connecting line of the signal transmitting module 221 and the signal receiving module 222 close to the pole ear 11 of the target battery and the height direction of the pole ear 11 of the target battery can be 0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30° or any other value within the above range.

[0116] In some examples, the angle w between the line L1 connecting one end of the signal transmitting module 221 close to the pole lug 11 of the target battery and one end of the signal receiving module 222 close to the pole lug 11 of the target battery and the height direction L2 of the pole lug 11 of the target battery is not less than 0° and does not exceed 20°. The angle w between L1 and L2 in this example can be 0°, 6°, 12°, 15°, 18°, 20° or any other value within the above range. In this example, by further limiting the inclination angle of the edge-finding mechanism 22 relative to the pole lug 11 of the target battery, the signal interference problem of the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be further reduced, thereby improving the edge-finding accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0117] In some examples, the flattening device further includes a light shield 23, which is connected to the base 20, and the light shield 23 is arranged opposite to the edge-finding mechanism 22, and the light shield 23 is used to shield the side of the target battery away from the edge-finding mechanism 22. The light shield 23 is used to block the light beam emitted by the external mechanism from interfering with the edge-finding mechanism 22. The light shield 23 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 in this example are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the target battery, so that the light shield 23 can block the light beams of other devices from being transmitted in the direction of the edge-finding mechanism 22. The light shield 23 can move synchronously with the edge-finding mechanism 22. In some examples, the edge-finding mechanism 22, the light shield 23 and the flattening head 21 are respectively connected to the driving mechanism 24, so that the light shield 23 can be displaced synchronously with the edge-finding mechanism 22. In some examples, the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be respectively arranged for the cathode pole ear and the anode pole ear of the target battery, and the flattening device can be provided with a plurality of light shields 23 to match the edge-finding mechanism 22 of the cathode pole ear and the anode pole ear.

[0118] The present application also proposes an example of a tab flattening method, which can be used to flatten the tab 11 of a target battery. The target battery may include a winding core 15, which may include a blue glue 13, a separator 12, and a tab 11, wherein the separator 12 may partially extend out of the blue glue 13, and the tab 11 may partially extend out of the separator 12. The flattening method may be used to flatten the portion of the tab 11 extending out of the separator 12.

[0119] See also Figure 6 The method for flattening the tabs comprises the following steps:

[0120] S100, controlling the edge-finding mechanism 22 to obtain a first distance d1 between an edge of the pole tab 11 of the target battery and the separator 12 on the same side of the pole tab 11, the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 are connected to each other and are spaced apart by a third distance d3.

[0121] In this example, the first distance d1 between the edge of the pole tab 11 and the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole tab 11 is first obtained by the edge-finding mechanism 22 , that is, the height of the pole tab 11 extending out of the diaphragm 12 is determined.

[0122] S200, controlling the flattening head 21 to flatten the tab 11 of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head 21 is a second distance d2, and the second distance d2 is a difference between the first distance d1 and a preset reserve margin.

[0123] The feeding amount of the flattening head 21 is calculated based on the first distance d1 and the preset reserve margin, that is, the moving distance of the flattening head 21 from the edge of the pole lug 11 to the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole lug 11, and the flattening head 21 is driven to flatten the pole lug 11. Since the preset reserve margin is reserved first, the protection margin of the pole lug 11 is sufficient, thereby reducing the problem of too large or too small protection margin of the pole lug 11. In this example, the edge-finding mechanism 22 instantly detects the first distance d1 that the pole ear 11 extends out of the diaphragm 12, and then determines the feed amount of the flattening head 21 according to the preset reserved margin, so that the preset reserved margin is not affected by the CCD measurement error of the pole piece unloading, the tape feeding error of the winding core 15, the clamping error and the positioning error before flattening. On the one hand, it can improve the accuracy of the protection margin, improve the consistency of flattening, facilitate the welding of the subsequent process, reduce the risk of damaging and burning the diaphragm 12, and improve the reliability of the battery; on the other hand, since it is only necessary to determine the first distance d1 between the edge of the pole ear 11 of the target battery and the edge of the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole ear 11, there are relatively few flattening control points, which helps to quickly find the cause when an abnormality occurs; on the other hand, it is not affected by the positioning of the winding core 15. Even if the positioning fails, the position of the diaphragm 12 can be found according to the set edge-finding range, thereby improving the control accuracy of the protection margin.

[0124] See also Figure 7 In some examples, before step S100, the tab flattening method further includes:

[0125] S300: Determine the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism 22, wherein one of the edge of the pole tab 11 of the target battery and the edge of the blue glue 13 on the same side of the pole tab 11 is the initial position and the other is the end position.

[0126] The edge-finding initial position of the edge-finding mechanism 22 may be the position where the edge-finding mechanism 22 starts to find the edge, and the distance obtained by the edge-finding mechanism 22 from the edge-finding initial position to the edge-finding end position is the edge distance from the pole lug 11 to the blue glue 13 on the same side of the pole lug 11. In this example, by determining the edge-finding initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism 22, it is convenient to detect and repeatedly verify the edge-finding position to improve the edge-finding accuracy. In this example, the edge-finding can be performed from the edge of the pole lug 11 to the direction of the blue glue 13 on the same side of the pole lug 11, that is, the edge-finding initial position is the edge of the pole lug 11, and the edge-finding end position is the edge of the blue glue 13 on the same side of the pole lug 11; optionally, the edge-finding mechanism 22 may also find the edge from the edge of the blue glue 13 to the edge direction of the pole lug 11 on the same side of the blue glue 13, that is, the edge-finding initial position is the edge of the blue glue 13, and the edge-finding end position is the edge of the pole lug 11 on the same side of the blue glue 13. In this example, the edge-seeking start position and the edge-seeking end position are set, that is, an edge-seeking range is applied, which can reduce the influence of other substances interfering with the edge-seeking signal on the edge-seeking mechanism 22.

[0127] See also Figure 8 In some examples, after step S300, the tab flattening method further includes determining edge-finding consistency, wherein determining edge-finding consistency refers to determining the difference and range of edge-finding information obtained when the edge-finding mechanism 22 performs edge-finding multiple times.

[0128] The step of determining edge search consistency comprises:

[0129] S310: Obtain the distance between the initial position and the end position.

[0130] The distance between the initial position and the end position is the distance . The edge-finding mechanism 22 in this example can be a color sensor, a laser sensor or other mechanism capable of identifying and detecting the edge of the tab 11 and the blue glue 13 of the target battery.

[0131] S320: Repeat the steps of determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism 22, and obtain multiple distance signals.

[0132] In this example, step S310 may be repeated once to obtain two distance signals. It is understandable that in this example, the step of determining the edge-finding consistency may be repeated twice to obtain two or more distance signals.

[0133] S330: Compare the multiple distance signals; in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals not exceeding the preset threshold, execute the step of controlling the edge-finding mechanism 22 to obtain the first distance d1 between the edge of the tab 11 of the target battery and the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11.

[0134] In this example, repeating step S310 once is taken as an example, and the preset threshold value can be a preset numerical range. When the difference between multiple distance signals exceeds the preset threshold value, it means that the difference between the distance signals detected multiple times exceeds the acceptable range, indicating that at least one test result is inaccurate or more interference signals are received. At this time, it can be inferred that the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 may not meet the preset requirements. Optionally, in this example, the extreme difference of the two distance signals collected does not exceed 0.2mm to infer the accuracy of edge-finding and reduce the problem of too large or too small preset reserve margin caused by inaccurate distance; on the other hand, in this example, by repeatedly acquiring the distance signal, the upper and lower limit threshold intervals of the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be set according to the threshold of the calibration result of the distance, and the signal exceeding the initial position and the end position can be identified as an interference signal not in this interval, such as interference such as a fixture.

[0135] When the difference between the multiple distance signals in this example exceeds a preset threshold, an alarm process may be performed. The alarm process refers to an alarm through an alarm mechanism, which may be sound, light, electricity, or a combination of multiple alarm methods.

[0136] In some examples, in step S330, in response to the difference of the multiple distance signals exceeding the preset threshold, the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 are adjusted. In this example, when the difference of the multiple distance signals exceeds the preset threshold, it means that the difference between the multiple detected distance signals exceeds the acceptable range. At this time, the edge-finding mechanism 22 may receive an interference signal, and the threshold of the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be adjusted by adjusting the parameters of the edge-finding structure to reduce the interference signal received by the edge-finding mechanism 22. The adjustment of the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 in this example can be at least one of the parameters such as adjusting the installation position, installation angle, and signal range of the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0137] In some examples, after the step of adjusting the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 , the step of determining the edge-finding consistency is re-executed to perform the edge-finding operation through the edge-finding mechanism 22 again, and then calibrate the edge-finding mechanism 22 to improve the detection accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism 22 .

[0138] In some examples, the edge-finding mechanism 22 is at least one of a laser sensor or a color sensor; the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 include the inclination angle of the edge-finding mechanism 22 relative to the height direction of the pole ear 11 of the target battery, the signal range of the edge-finding mechanism 22, and at least one of the spot size of the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0139] When the laser sensor is working, the signal transmitting module 221 first aims at the target battery and emits a laser pulse. After being emitted by the target battery, the laser is scattered in all directions. Part of the scattered light returns to the signal receiving module 222, is received by the main body 223, and is imaged onto the avalanche photodiode. The avalanche photodiode is an optical sensor with an internal amplification function. It can detect extremely weak light signals and convert them into corresponding electrical signals.

[0140] The color sensor detects color by measuring the reflection ratio of the three primary colors that make up the color of the corresponding part of the target battery. The color sensor has three light sources: red, green, and blue. The three lights are emitted through the same lens and reflected by the corresponding part of the target battery. The amount of light reflected or absorbed depends on the color of the object. The color sensor has two measurement modes. One is to analyze the ratio of red, green, and blue light. Because no matter how the detection distance changes, it can only cause a change in light intensity, and the ratio of the three colors of light will not change. Therefore, it can be detected even when the target has mechanical vibrations. The second mode uses the reflected light intensity of the three primary colors of red, green, and blue to achieve the detection purpose. This mode can be used to detect tiny color discrimination.

[0141] In this example, the edge-finding mechanism 22 may include one or more sensors of a single type, or may include multiple sensors of multiple types.

[0142] In this example, the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism 22 include the tilt angle w of the edge-finding mechanism 22 relative to the height direction of the pole lug 11 of the target battery. When the angle changes, the edge-finding threshold of the edge-finding mechanism 22 will also change, and its detection threshold can extend to the side of the blue glue 13 away from the pole lug 11 or the side of the pole lug 11 away from the blue glue 13. Optionally, the working parameters can also include the signal range of the edge-finding mechanism 22, and the signal beyond the preset range can be identified as an interference signal. Optionally, the working parameters can include the spot size of the edge-finding mechanism 22, and the size of the incident spot affects the accuracy of the detection, and then affects the accuracy of the distance obtained by multiple edge-finding operations. Optionally, the edge-finding accuracy requires that the extreme difference of the two distance signals does not exceed 0.2mm, and the incident spot size of the signal transmitting module 221 does not exceed 0.2mm. In some examples, the above at least two parameters can be adjusted simultaneously to adjust the edge-finding accuracy of the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0143] The edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 are arranged at an interval, which means that there is an interval between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21, and the distance of the interval is the third distance d3. During the edge-finding process of the edge-finding mechanism 22, the flattening head 21 can always maintain the third distance d3 with the edge-finding mechanism 22. In this example, by arranging the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 at the third distance d3, the flattening device first performs edge-finding on the tab 11 to determine the first distance d1, and then the flattening head 21 performs the flattening operation, so as to control the flattening accuracy.

[0144] The edge-finding mechanism 22 is connected to the flattening head 21, and the edge-finding mechanism 22 is directly or indirectly connected to the flattening head 21 to form a whole. When the edge-finding mechanism 22 is connected to the flattening head 21, the flattening head 21 can also move synchronously during the process of driving the edge-finding mechanism 22 to find the edge, and then the flattening head 21 can be moved synchronously during the edge-finding process. After the edge-finding process is completed, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 can be quickly calculated by the first distance d1 and the preset reserve margin, so that the flattening head 21 can flatten the tab 11, so as to simplify the control of the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22, and improve the continuity of the edge-finding and flattening operations.

[0145] See also Fig. 9 In some examples, before step S100, the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is adjusted to facilitate controlling the time and feed amount of the flattening head 21. In this example, the adjustment of the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 can be determined by detecting a standard battery, which can be a battery 10 with a known height of the tab 11. When the flattening head 21 flattens the standard battery, under the premise that the height of the tab 11 and the feed amount of the flattening head 21 are known, the height of the tab 11 after flattening is detected to extend out of the diaphragm 12, and the difference between the current protection margin of the tab 11 and the preset retention margin can be determined, thereby determining whether the third distance d3 between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 is within a reasonable range. The tab flattening method also includes:

[0146] S400: Setting a third distance d3.

[0147] In this example, a third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the smoothing head 21 may be preset, and the third distance d3 may be set manually or automatically.

[0148] S500 : In response to the edge-finding mechanism 22 being located at the edge of the separator 12 of the standard battery, the flattening head 21 is controlled to flatten the tab 11 on the same side of the separator 12 .

[0149] When the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is equal to the first distance d1, when the edge-finding mechanism 22 is at the edge of the diaphragm 12 of the standard battery, the flattening head 21 is located at the edge of the tab 11 on the same side of the diaphragm 12. When the flattening head 21 is controlled to flatten the tab 11, if the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is too large, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 will be too small, and if the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is too small, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 will be too large.

[0150] S600 : Detecting the distance that the tab 11 of the standard battery protrudes out of the separator 12 after being flattened by the flattening head 21 .

[0151] In this example, the tab 11 of the standard battery of the flattening head 21 can be detected by a CCD camera or other equipment to obtain the distance that the tab 11 of the standard battery after flattening extends out of the diaphragm 12 .

[0152] S700: Compare the distance that the tab 11 of the flattened standard battery extends out of the separator 12 with the preset reserve margin to determine whether to adjust the third distance d3.

[0153] When the distance that the pole ear 11 of the standard battery after being flattened extends out of the diaphragm 12 is greater than the preset retention margin, it means that the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is too small, and at this time the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is too large. When the distance that the pole ear 11 of the standard battery after being flattened extends out of the diaphragm 12 is less than the preset retention margin, it means that the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is too large, and at this time the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is too small. In this example, the distance that the pole ear 11 of the standard battery after being flattened extends out of the diaphragm 12 can be compared with the preset retention margin to determine whether the third distance d3 needs to be adjusted, and then the standard battery can be used to determine whether the third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21 is within a reasonable range.

[0154] In some technologies, due to the existence of various cumulative errors, such as CCD measurement error (measuring the height or lowness of the pole ear 11), the running error of the core 15, the clamping error, the positioning error before flattening and other cumulative errors, the running error of the core 15, the clamping error and the positioning error before flattening and other factors will affect the relative distance between the core 15 and the flattening head 21. If the relative distance deviates, even if the CCD measures the exposed height of the pole ear 11 and calculates the feed amount accurately, it will lead to a large flattening error or even direct failure, resulting in more or less flattening, resulting in the protective margin being too large or too small. Since the technology needs to control the accuracy and precision of CCD measurement from winding and unloading to flattening process, control the running process and the error when the clamp grabs the core 15 and the positioning error before flattening, etc., which affects the control of the protective margin.

[0155] See also Figure 5 and Fig.10 When the edge-finding mechanism 22 is at the edge of the diaphragm 12 and the distance between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the tab 11 is greater than the first distance d1, it is necessary to compensate for the distance between the flattening head 21 and the tab 11. Under the premise that the third distance d3 between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 is known, in some examples, in order to compensate for the distance between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the tab 11, the step S200 includes:

[0156] S210 : Acquire the moving distance of the edge-finding mechanism 22 when it moves from the outside of the tab 11 of the target battery to the edge of the tab 11 .

[0157] When there is a certain distance between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the outer edge of the pole lug 11 of the target battery, the moving distance when the edge-finding mechanism 22 moves to the edge of the pole lug 11 of the target battery can be obtained. When the edge-finding mechanism 22 moves, the flattening head 21 moves synchronously with the edge-finding mechanism 22.

[0158] S220: Obtain a fourth distance d4 between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the tab 11 , wherein the fourth distance d4 is the sum of the third distance d3 and the moving distance when the edge-finding mechanism 22 moves from the outside of the tab 11 of the target battery to the edge of the tab 11 .

[0159] Since there is a third distance d3 between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the flattening head 21, when determining the distance between the edge-finding mechanism 22 and the outer edge of the pole lug 11 of the target battery, this distance can be added to the third distance d3 to obtain the fourth distance d4 between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the pole lug 11.

[0160] S230: Control the flattening head 21 to flatten the tab 11 of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head 21 is the second distance d2, and the second distance d2 is the sum of the fourth distance d4 and the first distance d1 minus a preset reserve margin.

[0161] When the flattening head 21 flattens the pole lug 11, the feed amount of the flattening head 21 from the initial position to the flattening end position is the second distance d2, wherein the total feed amount of the flattening head 21 is the sum of the above-mentioned fourth distance d4 and the first distance d1 minus the preset reserved margin, thereby compensating the distance between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the pole lug 11.

[0162] Please refer to Figures 1 to 10The present application discloses an example of a tab flattening device, which includes a base 20, a flattening head 21, an edge-finding mechanism 22 and a driving mechanism 24, wherein the flattening head 21 is connected to the base 20; the edge-finding mechanism 22 is connected to the base 20, and is used to detect a first distance d1 between an edge of a tab 11 of a target battery and a diaphragm 12 on the same side of the tab 11; the driving mechanism 24 is connected to the base 20 and is drivingly connected to the flattening head 21, and the driving mechanism 24 is used to drive the flattening head 21 to flatten the tab 11 of the target battery; wherein the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is a second distance d2, and the second distance d2 is the difference between the first distance d1 and a preset reserved margin. The edge-finding mechanism 22 can be used to obtain the first distance d1 between the edge of the pole ear 11 and the diaphragm 12 on the same side of the pole ear 11. The feed amount of the flattening head 21 can be determined according to the first distance d1 and the preset reserve margin, so that the height of the pole ear 11 of the flattened battery 10 extending out of the diaphragm 12 can be maintained, so that the pole ear 11 has a reasonable protection margin, reducing the problem of burning or scalding the diaphragm 12. The driving mechanism 24 in this example can be used to promote the synchronous movement of the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22, and then the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be synchronously controlled by a single driving mechanism 24. In this example, the third distance d3 between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22 can be determined by testing a standard battery. After determining the third distance d3 between the flattening head 21 and the edge-finding mechanism 22, in order to compensate for the fourth distance d4 between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the pole lug 11 before the edge-finding mechanism 22 reaches the edge of the pole lug 11, the distance from the edge-finding mechanism 22 to the edge of the pole lug 11 can be determined, and the distance is added to the third distance d3 to obtain the fourth distance d4 between the flattening head 21 and the edge of the pole lug 11, and then the feed amount of the flattening head 21 is calculated by subtracting a preset reserve margin from the sum of the fourth distance d4 and the first distance d1.

[0163] The above are only implementation methods of the present application, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A tab flattening device, characterized in that: include: Pedestal; A kneading head connected to the base; An edge-finding mechanism, connected to the base, for detecting a first distance between an edge of a pole ear of a target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear, wherein the pole ear of the target battery extends outward of the diaphragm of the target battery along a first direction; as well as A driving mechanism is connected to the base and is drivingly connected to the flattening head, the driving mechanism is used to drive the flattening head to flatten the tabs of the target battery, the edge-finding mechanism is connected to the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head to move synchronously along the first direction; Wherein, the feed amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is the difference between the first distance and a preset reserve margin.

2. The tab flattening device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head are arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the flattening head is located on a side of the edge-finding mechanism away from the diaphragm of the target battery.

3. The tab flattening device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tab flattening device also includes: A detection mechanism is connected to the base and is used to detect the distance that the tab of the standard battery extends out of the diaphragm after the tab of the standard battery is flattened by the flattening head; in response to the difference between the distance that the tab of the standard battery extends out of the diaphragm after being flattened by the flattening head and the preset retention margin exceeding a preset range, the distance between the flattening head and the edge-finding mechanism is adjusted.

4. The tab flattening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The edge-finding mechanism comprises: A signal transmitting module, used for transmitting a detection signal; a signal receiving module, configured to receive the detection signal; and The main body is connected to the base and is electrically connected to the signal transmitting module and the signal receiving module respectively. The main body is used to obtain the first distance according to the detection signal.

5. The tab flattening device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The signal transmitting module and the signal receiving module are arranged in sequence from the edge of the pole ear of the target battery to the direction of the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear; the distance between the signal transmitting module and the pole ear of the target battery is not less than the distance between the signal receiving module and the pole ear of the target battery.

6. The tab flattening device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The line connecting one end of the signal transmitting module close to the pole ear of the target battery and one end of the signal receiving module close to the pole ear of the target battery is L1, and the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery is L2, wherein the angle between L1 and L2 is not less than 0° and not more than 30°, and the first direction is the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery.

7. The tab flattening device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The included angle between L1 and L2 is not less than 0° and not more than 20°.

8. The tab flattening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The flattening device also includes: A light shield is connected to the base, the light shield is arranged opposite to the edge-finding mechanism, and the light shield is used to shield the side of the target battery away from the edge-finding mechanism.

9. A method for flattening a tab, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain a first distance between an edge of a pole ear of a target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear, the edge-finding mechanism and the flattening head being connected to each other and spaced apart by a third distance; and The flattening head is controlled to flatten the tab of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is a difference between the first distance and a preset reserve margin.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Before the step of controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain a first distance between an edge of the tab of the target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the tab, the method further includes: The initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism are determined, wherein one of the edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the edge of the blue glue on the same side of the pole ear is the initial position, and the other is the end position.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that After the step of determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism, the method further comprises determining the edge-finding consistency, and the step of determining the edge-finding consistency comprises: Obtaining the distance between the initial position and the end position; Repeating the steps of determining the initial position and the end position of the edge-finding mechanism, and acquiring a plurality of distance signals; and Compare the multiple distance signals; in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals not exceeding the preset threshold, execute the step of controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain the first distance between the edge of the pole ear of the target battery and the diaphragm on the same side of the pole ear.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that In the step of comparing the multiple distance signals, in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals exceeding the preset threshold, the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism are adjusted; and / or, in response to the difference between the multiple distance signals exceeding the preset threshold, the alarm mechanism is controlled to issue an alarm.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that After the step of adjusting the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism, the step of determining the edge-finding consistency is performed again.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The edge-finding mechanism is at least one of a laser sensor or a color sensor; the working parameters of the edge-finding mechanism include at least one of an inclination angle of the edge-finding mechanism relative to the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery, a signal range of the edge-finding mechanism, and a spot size of the edge-finding mechanism, and the first direction is the height direction of the pole ear of the target battery.

15. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Before the step of controlling the edge-finding mechanism to obtain a first distance between an edge of the tab of the target battery and a diaphragm on the same side of the tab, the method further includes: Setting the third distance; In response to the edge-finding mechanism being located at the edge of the separator of the standard battery, controlling the flattening head to flatten the tab on the same side of the separator; Detecting the distance that the tab of a standard battery protrudes from the separator after being flattened by the flattening head; and The distance that the tab of the flattened standard battery extends out of the diaphragm is compared with the preset reserve margin to determine whether to adjust the third distance.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The step of controlling the flattening head to flatten the tab of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is a difference between the first distance and a preset reserve margin, comprises: Obtaining a moving distance of the edge-finding mechanism when it moves from the outer side of the tab of the target battery to the edge of the tab; Obtaining a fourth distance between the flattening head and the edge of the tab, wherein the fourth distance is the sum of the third distance and a moving distance when the edge-finding mechanism moves from the outer side of the tab of the target battery to the edge of the tab; and The flattening head is controlled to flatten the tab of the target battery, wherein the feeding amount of the flattening head is a second distance, and the second distance is the sum of the fourth distance and the first distance minus the preset reserve margin.

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