Battery cell production method and battery cell production equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a battery cell production method and battery cell production equipment, and the battery cell production method comprises the following steps: a lamination process: stacking and fixing sheet materials to a base plate which has elastic deformation capability; and a hot-pressing process: performing hot-pressing on the sheet material and the base plate to deform the base plate and the sheet material so as to produce the arc-shaped battery cell. According to the battery cell production method and the battery cell production equipment disclosed by the invention, the production process of the arc-shaped battery cell can be simplified, the use of more customized equipment is avoided, and the manufacturing cost of the arc-shaped battery cell is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery cell production technology, and in particular to a battery cell production method and battery cell production equipment. Background Art

[0002] When producing battery cells, multiple sheets are stacked up and down. Among two adjacent sheets, one sheet is the electrode and the other is the diaphragm. After the stacking is completed, hot pressing is performed to fix the multiple sheets together.

[0003] The conventional form of the sheet is a flat plate, which can be easily used to manufacture flat cells. When it is necessary to produce curved cells, the sheets need to be bent into arcs one by one, and then the curved sheets are stacked on a customized stacking platform, and then hot pressed.

[0004] However, the above method for producing the curved battery cell is relatively complicated and requires more customized equipment, which increases the manufacturing cost of the curved battery cell. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a battery cell production method, which can simplify the production process of curved battery cells, avoid the use of more customized equipment, and reduce the manufacturing cost of curved battery cells.

[0006] The present invention also provides a battery cell production device using the battery cell production method.

[0007] A method for producing a battery cell according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: A lamination process, wherein the sheet material is stacked and fixed to a backing plate, wherein the backing plate has elastic deformation capability; The hot pressing step is to hot press the sheet material and the backing plate to deform the backing plate and the sheet material to produce a curved battery cell.

[0008] The battery cell production method according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: The present invention arranges the sheets to be stacked on a pad with elastic deformation ability. Therefore, during hot pressing, the pad can deform along with the sheets, so that the top and bottom of a stack of sheets can be deformed, and then a stack of flat sheets can be pressed into a stack of arc-shaped sheets, thereby completing the production of arc-shaped battery cells.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can meet the needs of producing flat battery cells and arc-shaped battery cells by replacing the pad, with less modification to the battery cell production equipment, which is conducive to the sharing of battery cell production equipment and reduces the manufacturing cost of arc-shaped battery cells.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention does not require pre-bending of the sheet material, simplifies the manufacturing process of the arc-shaped battery cell, and eliminates the need for bending-related equipment.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can still use flat sheet materials when producing arc-shaped battery cells, which is easy to transfer, stack and fix without increasing the difficulty of stacking.

[0012] The present invention also provides a battery cell production device having the above-mentioned beneficial effects.

[0013] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the lamination process includes: supporting a backing plate and maintaining the support, and then stacking and fixing the sheets to the backing plate.

[0014] Advantageously, the present invention supports the pad to prevent the pad from being greatly deformed during lamination, thereby preventing the quality of sheet stacking from being affected.

[0015] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the stacking process includes: installing a pad on a stacking jig, and then stacking and fixing the sheets to the pad. After the stacking is completed, the stacking jig moves along a track, and the stacking jig transfers the sheets from the stacking process to the hot pressing process.

[0016] Advantageously, the present invention arranges the pad on the stacking jig, thereby facilitating the transfer of stacked sheets through the stacking jig without changing the state of the sheets, and facilitating hot pressing of the sheets.

[0017] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the step of installing the pad on the stacking jig includes: installing the pad on the top of a support seat of the stacking jig along the up and down direction, the support seat being through-through from top to bottom.

[0018] Advantageously, the present invention can be operated conveniently by installing the pad in the up-down direction, and at the same time, the support seat is connected up-down, which is convenient for supporting the pad.

[0019] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the pad and the support seat are positioned by positioning pins and positioning holes.

[0020] Advantageously, the pad and the support seat are positioned by means of positioning pins and positioning holes, which facilitates positioning of the pad to avoid installation errors, and also facilitates limiting the edge of the pad to facilitate elastic deformation of the pad.

[0021] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the lamination process includes: using a pair of lifting and translating pressing knives, the teeth of the pressing knives are used to fix the sheet stack on the pad.

[0022] Advantageously, the present invention can fix the stacked sheets by using a pressing knife, making it convenient for the sheets to move along with the stacking jig.

[0023] The press knife has teeth that can expose the edge of the sheet, making it easy to check the alignment of the sheet stack and ensure the quality of the stacking.

[0024] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the hot pressing process includes: a first hot pressing step and a second hot pressing step, the first hot pressing step is used for pre-heating and pressing, and the second hot pressing step is used for deforming the pad and the sheet.

[0025] Advantageously, the present invention can fix the sheets together first and then deform the sheets by setting the first hot pressing step and the second hot pressing step, thereby preventing the sheets from deforming in a loose state and staggering each other, thereby ensuring the production quality of the battery cell.

[0026] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the hot pressing process includes: using a hot pressing mold, the hot pressing mold includes an upper hot pressing assembly and a lower hot pressing assembly, the upper hot pressing assembly and the lower hot pressing assembly clamp the sheet material and the pad from top to bottom to hot press the sheet material and the pad.

[0027] Advantageously, the present invention, by providing an upper hot pressing assembly and a lower hot pressing assembly, also facilitates simultaneous heating and extrusion of the top and bottom of a stack of sheets, so that the sheets are heated evenly, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of hot pressing.

[0028] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, the upper hot pressing assembly includes a first hot pressing part and a second hot pressing part, the first hot pressing part is located on the inner side of the second hot pressing part, the first hot pressing part pre-presses the middle part of the sheet, and then the second hot pressing part and the lower hot pressing assembly cooperate to hot press the sheet and the pad.

[0029] Advantageously, the present invention provides a first hot pressing member and a second hot pressing member, so that before the pressing knife releases the pressure, the first hot pressing member can press the middle of the sheet material to prevent the stacked sheets from getting out of control and the state of the sheets from changing. When the second hot pressing member presses down, the sheet material can be pressed into a desired shape, thereby producing the desired battery cell.

[0030] According to the battery cell production method of the first aspect of the present invention, when the upper hot pressing assembly rises, the robot presses the sheet material to separate the sheet material from the upper hot pressing assembly.

[0031] Advantageously, the present invention presses the sheet material by arranging a manipulator to avoid lifting the sheet material or causing accidental deformation of the sheet material when the upper hot pressing assembly rises, thereby ensuring that the shape of the battery cell meets the requirements and does not affect the quality of the battery cell.

[0032] According to the battery cell production equipment of the second aspect of the present invention, any one of the battery cell production methods described above is applied.

[0033] Advantageously, the present invention can meet not only the production needs of flat battery cells but also the production needs of arc-shaped battery cells by applying the above-mentioned battery cell production method, so that the battery cell production equipment has dual uses, can simplify the production process of arc-shaped battery cells, reduce customized equipment, and reduce production costs.

[0034] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0036] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of a battery cell production device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional perspective of the middle lamination fixture; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of another stereoscopic perspective of the lamination fixture is shown; Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the lamination jig from a side cross-sectional perspective; Figure 5 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the horizontal section of the lamination jig; Figure 6 for Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a second translation frame of a pressing module of a lamination jig; Figure 7 for Figure 1 3D schematic diagram of battery cell production equipment; Figure 8 for Figure 7 An enlarged schematic diagram of the jig for driving and opening and closing the stacking plates; Fig. 9 for Figure 7 A schematic cross-sectional view of the hot pressing section; Fig.10 For application Figures 1 to 9 A process flow chart of a battery cell production method for a battery cell production equipment.

[0037] Reference numerals: lamination jig 1; hot pressing mold 2; support seat 100; left pressing knife 110; right pressing knife 120; knife teeth 130; knife body 140; knife seat 150; side slot 160; first mounting block 170; second mounting block 180; cross bar 190; first translation frame 200; second translation frame 210; first side edge 220; second side edge 230; first inclined block 240; first roller 250; second inclined block 260; second roller 270 0; slide rail 280; positioning cone block 290; base plate 300; lifting plate 310; side shifting member 320; upper hot pressing assembly 330; lower hot pressing assembly 340; preheating die 350; first hot pressing member 360; second hot pressing member 370; feeding lifting platform 380; return lifting platform 390; pushing member 400; pulling member 410; limiting cylinder 420; fixture pushing module 430; pushing member 440; fixture opening and closing module 450. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that descriptions involving orientation, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention 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 invention.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, "several" means one or more, "more" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of first and second, this is only for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation, connection and connection" 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 an indirect connection 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 the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0042] The battery cell production equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 7 The present invention aims to provide an embodiment of a battery cell production equipment, which includes a lamination part, a hot pressing part and a circulation part. The lamination part implements a lamination process, and the hot pressing part implements a hot pressing process.

[0044] Among them, the stacking part mainly includes a stacking robot and a stacking jig 1. The stacking robot takes the sheets and stacks them on the stacking jig 1. The stacking jig 1 fixes the stacked sheets and can move to the hot pressing part with the circulation part.

[0045] Among them, the circulation part includes an upper circulation track, a lower circulation track, a feeding lifting platform 380 and a returning material lifting platform 390. The upper circulation track, the lower circulation track, the feeding lifting platform 380 and the returning material lifting platform 390 enable the stacking fixture 1 to circulate, which not only meets production needs but also saves power.

[0046] The hot pressing part includes a hot pressing mold 2, and the hot pressing mold 2 includes an upper hot pressing assembly 330 and a lower hot pressing assembly 340, so as to heat and press the top and bottom of the sheet material at the same time to produce the required battery cell.

[0047] For the specific structure of the lamination fixture 1, the present invention refers to Figures 2 to 6 Provide explanation.

[0048] In this embodiment, the stacking jig 1 can fix two groups of stacked sheets. At the same time, the stacking jig 1 can also flow between various stations or processes of the battery cell production equipment to meet the needs of battery cell production.

[0049] Reference Figures 2 to 4 In this embodiment, the stacking jig 1 includes a substrate 300 , a slide rail 280 is provided at the bottom of the substrate 300 , and the stacking jig 1 moves along the slide rail 280 to each station of the battery cell production equipment.

[0050] It is easy to understand that, by providing the slide rail 280, the present embodiment also allows the lamination jig 1 to translate smoothly and stably, reduces up and down shaking, reduces flow noise, and at the same time does not affect the fixation of the sheet material.

[0051] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the slide rail 280 at the bottom of the substrate 300 can be a rail groove, and a guide rail matching the rail groove is provided on the battery cell production equipment. Therefore, the entity forming the rail groove can be reduced, so that the total volume and total weight of the guide rail and the entity forming the rail groove are smaller, and it helps to reduce the occupied space and facilitate layout.

[0052] Specifically, the guide rails on the battery cell production equipment are relatively long. If the battery cell production equipment is provided with a rail groove for circulation, the entity formed by the rail groove is relatively long, resulting in a greater increase in the volume of the slide rail 280, an increase in the occupied space, and an increase in weight. At the same time, the rail groove needs to be arranged open upward, which is easy to accumulate foreign matter and increase wear. The above problems can be avoided by providing a rail groove at the bottom of the substrate 300.

[0053] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, parts for forming rail grooves may be installed at the bottom of the base plate 300 to reduce manufacturing costs. At the same time, it is convenient to perform maintenance through replacement, thereby reducing use costs.

[0054] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the substrate 300 may be provided with a positioning cone block 290 or a V-shaped positioning groove. At each station of the battery cell production equipment, the stacking jig 1 is positioned by the positioning cone block 290 and the V-shaped positioning groove. In this embodiment, the substrate 300 is provided with Figure 3 The positioning cone block 290 is shown.

[0055] It is easy to understand that the present embodiment provides a positioning cone block 290 or a V-shaped positioning groove. Therefore, at each workstation of the battery cell production equipment, the positioning cone block 290 and the V-shaped positioning groove are clamped to facilitate the front and rear positioning of the stacking jig 1. At the same time, due to the provision of the slide rail 280, the position of the stacking jig 1 in the direction perpendicular to the slide rail 280 usually does not change. Therefore, the stacking jig 1 can be positioned with a simple structure, reducing the adjustment of the position of the stacking jig 1, so that each process can be started quickly and the processing can be completed smoothly.

[0056] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a hook portion may be provided on the front side of the substrate 300, so that the lamination jig 1 can be conveniently moved by pulling with the hook.

[0057] In order to solve the problem that the conventional stacking jig 1 can only produce one type of battery cell, the stacking jig 1 of this embodiment also includes a supporting module and a pressing module. The supporting module is used to support the stacked sheets, and the pressing module is used to press the top of the sheets to fix the stacked sheets.

[0058] Specifically, the support module includes a support base 100 and a detachable pad disposed on the top of the support base 100, the pad is used to place the sheet material, and the interior of the support base 100 is penetrated from top to bottom so that the bottom of the pad is suspended.

[0059] As for the pressing module, the pressing module includes at least one pair of pressing knives, and the pair of pressing knives are used to press two opposite sides of the sheet material so that the sheet material stack is fixed on the pad.

[0060] It is easy to understand that, in this embodiment, a detachable backing plate is provided, so that the backing plate can be replaced according to production needs to meet different product requirements.

[0061] Specifically, when it is necessary to produce flat battery cells, the present invention can use a backing plate with higher strength to resist the downward pressure of the hot pressing mold to meet the needs of producing flat battery cells.

[0062] When arc-shaped battery cells need to be produced, the present invention sets a support seat 100 so that the interior of the support seat 100 is connected from top to bottom so that the bottom of the pad is suspended in the air, and then replaces the deformable pad. Therefore, the hot pressing mold can squeeze the pad and the sheet from the top and bottom directions of the pad, so that the sheet and the pad can be deformed at the same time to produce arc-shaped battery cells.

[0063] Compared with the prior art, the stacking jig 1 of the present invention can meet the production needs of both flat battery cells and arc-shaped battery cells. At the same time, there is no need to pre-bend the sheet material, which can simplify the production process without increasing the difficulty of stacking.

[0064] At the same time, the present invention uses the above-mentioned stacking jig 1, and thus has the dual ability to produce flat battery cells and arc-shaped battery cells, thereby expanding the capacity of the equipment, facilitating universal use, and reducing the equipment cost for producing battery cells.

[0065] For the convenience of illustration, the pad of this embodiment is not drawn.

[0066] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the support seat 100 may be provided with positioning pins, and the pad may be provided with positioning holes. During installation, the positioning holes of the pad are placed on the positioning pins to complete the installation.

[0067] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the backing plate can be elastically deformed.

[0068] It is easy to understand that this embodiment can meet the production and manufacturing requirements of arc-shaped battery cells by adopting a backing plate that can be elastically deformed.

[0069] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the backing plate can be made of plastic, and the thickness of the backing plate should be such that it can maintain deformation capability.

[0070] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the backing plate may include spring steel and stainless steel or rubber material to increase the deformation capacity.

[0071] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the support seat 100 may be provided with two through cavities extending vertically therethrough, and two pads may be installed correspondingly to meet the needs of stacking and fixing two stacks of sheet materials.

[0072] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell production equipment may include an upper top piece, which can support the pad during lamination to prevent the pad from deforming and causing the stacked sheets to tilt.

[0073] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the support base 100 can be raised and lowered.

[0074] It is easy to understand that, in this embodiment, the support base 100 can be raised and lowered, so that the sheets at the highest position are at the same height, and there is no need to adjust the robot for taking and placing the sheets during stacking, thereby reducing repeated adjustments to the battery cell production equipment.

[0075] At the same time, it is also beneficial to reduce the adjustment of the lowering height of the upper hot pressing assembly 330 and reduce the workload of product switching.

[0076] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the base plate 300 can be provided with a pair of screw rod structures driven by a motor. The motor rotates to drive the screw rod to rotate, and then drives the screw sleeve on the screw rod to rise and fall. The screw sleeve is installed on the support seat 100, so that the lifting and lowering adjustment of the support seat 100 can be realized.

[0077] This embodiment can also be adjusted in other ways, such as gear rack transmission, cam or eccentric wheel transmission, etc.

[0078] At the same time, the support base 100 can be raised and lowered to provide another lamination method. For example, during lamination, the press knife only has a translation capability, while the support base 100 performs the lifting function.

[0079] In order not to affect the lamination, the pressing module includes a lifting component and a translation component. The lifting component is used to drive the pressing knife to lift and lower, and the translation component is used to drive the pressing knife to translate. The lifting component includes a side shifting member 320. The power outside the lamination fixture 1 drives the side shifting member 320 to move so that the pressing knife can be lifted and lowered accordingly.

[0080] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, by setting the side shifting member 320, when the stacking jig 1 circulates in each process, the external power pushes the side shifting member 320 to move, such as the first driving member of the circulating part, which can enable the lifting component to play a role and meet the need to drive the pressing knife to lift and lower. At the same time, there is no need to set the power on the stacking jig 1, which simplifies the structure of the stacking jig 1, reduces the weight and manufacturing cost of the stacking jig 1, and facilitates circulation.

[0081] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the side shifting member 320 may be provided with a rolling bearing, so that the battery cell production equipment can abut the rolling bearing through the cam to achieve the effect of driving the side shifting member 320 to move.

[0082] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell production equipment can directly push or pull the side shifting member 320 through a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. In this embodiment, the cylinder is used to directly push the side shifting member 320 to move, which is convenient and fast, and the initial state of the cylinder does not affect the flow of the stacking fixture 1.

[0083] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the translation assembly may include a side shifting member 320, and the power outside the lamination jig 1 drives the side shifting member 320 to move, so that the pressing knife translates accordingly.

[0084] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, by setting the side shifting member 320, when the stacking jig 1 circulates in each process, the external power pushes the side shifting member 320 to move, such as the second driving member of the circulating part, which can make the translation assembly play a role and meet the need of driving the pressing knife to translate. At the same time, there is no need to set the power on the stacking jig 1, which simplifies the structure of the stacking jig 1, reduces the weight and manufacturing cost of the stacking jig 1, and facilitates circulation.

[0085] Structurally, the side shifting member 320 of the translation assembly may also be provided with rolling bearings and driven by similar power, thereby reducing the specifications of components and lowering the manufacturing cost.

[0086] In terms of layout, the side shifting member 320 of the translation assembly and the side shifting member 320 of the lifting assembly can be located on opposite sides of the stacking jig 1, and on both sides of the circulation route of the stacking jig 1, so as to facilitate the arrangement of the power for driving each side shifting member 320 and make rational use of space.

[0087] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the first driving member and the second driving member may include rotatable cams or eccentric wheels.

[0088] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, the first driving member and the second driving member include a rotatable cam or eccentric wheel, so that the first side shifting member and the second side shifting member can be driven to rotate by a motor to conveniently push the movement of the first side shifting member, the first side shifting member is the side shifting member 320 of the lifting assembly, and the second side shifting member is the side shifting member 320 of the translation assembly. At the same time, the movement amount of the first side shifting member and the second side shifting member can be changed by controlling the rotation angle to change the lifting and translation amplitude of the pressing knife, which not only meets the needs of pressing and releasing the pressing, but also helps to reduce the activity space of the pressing knife, and also makes the various moving parts in the lamination process and the hot pressing process cooperate closely, thereby minimizing or avoiding the sheet material from being in a free state.

[0089] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the side shifting member 320 may have a bearing that abuts against the cam or the eccentric wheel to reduce the resistance to the rotation of the cam or the eccentric wheel and facilitate the control of the pressing knife.

[0090] Reference Figure 4 For the lifting component, the lifting component includes a first roller 250 and a first inclined block 240, the first inclined block 240 has an upper inclined surface, and the first roller 250 rolls along the upper inclined surface to lift the press knife, or the first inclined block 240 has a lower inclined surface, and the first roller 250 rolls along the lower inclined surface to lift the press knife.

[0091] In this embodiment, the first inclined block 240 is slidably disposed on the base plate 300, and the first inclined block 240 is fixed to the side shifting member 320 of the lifting assembly, so that the first inclined block 240 can translate along the base plate 300, and the first roller 250 is installed on the lifting plate 310. When the first inclined block 240 translates, the first inclined block 240 abuts against the first roller 250 to rotate the first roller 250 and make the lifting plate 310 rise and fall synchronously.

[0092] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, the lifting assembly includes a first roller 250 and a first inclined block 240. Therefore, when the first roller 250 rolls along the first inclined block 240, the first roller 250 or the first inclined block 240 can generate displacement in the up and down directions, thereby converting the translational motion into a lifting motion, which not only meets the needs of lifting and lowering the pressing knife, but also reduces the occupied space in the up and down directions, making the stacking jig 1 relatively flat and convenient for transfer and circulation, such as when the stacking jig 1 needs to be lifted and lowered for the stacking jig 1 to return.

[0093] At the same time, the first roller 250 rolls along the first inclined block 240 , and the friction resistance is small, which reduces wear and tear, and makes the lamination jig 1 durable.

[0094] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the number of the first rollers 250 and the first inclined blocks 240 can be several pairs, distributed at the four corners or edges of the lifting plate 310, so as to disperse the force and make the lifting plate 310 rise and fall smoothly as a whole.

[0095] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the first inclined block 240 and the first roller 250 can also be swapped. For example, the first roller 250 is fixed to the side shifting member 320 of the lifting assembly, and the first inclined block 240 is arranged on the lifting plate 310. Accordingly, the first inclined block 240 is provided with a lower inclined surface, which can still meet the needs of lifting and lowering the press knife.

[0096] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, guide posts and guide sleeves connected to the base plate 300 may be provided at the four corners of the lifting plate 310 , so that the lifting plate 310 can be lifted and lowered smoothly to avoid deviation, and at the same time, the arrangement of the internal structure of the lifting plate 310 is not affected.

[0097] Reference Figure 5 In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the translation assembly may include a second roller 270 and a second inclined block 260, the second inclined block 260 has a side inclined surface, and the second roller 270 rolls along the side inclined surface to translate the press knife.

[0098] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, the translation assembly includes a second roller 270 and a second inclined block 260. Therefore, when the second roller 270 rolls along the second inclined block 260, the second roller 270 or the second inclined block 260 can generate another displacement in a perpendicular direction, thereby converting the translational motion in one direction into the translational motion in the vertical direction to adapt to the situation where the directions in which the pressing knives move away from each other and the moving direction of the side shifting member 320 are perpendicular to each other, thereby meeting the circulation needs of the stacking jig 1.

[0099] In this embodiment, the second inclined block 260 is connected to the side shifting member 320 of the translation assembly, and the second roller 270 is connected to the translation frame, and a pressing knife is provided on the translation frame. In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the second roller 270 and the second inclined block 260 can be connected inverted, that is, the second roller 270 is arranged on the side shifting member 320 of the translation assembly, and the second inclined block 260 is arranged on the translation frame, which has the same transmission effect.

[0100] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, side slopes may be provided on both sides of the second inclined block 260 to omit one second inclined block 260, achieve structural sharing, and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0101] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the second roller 270 can be made to abut against two second inclined blocks 260 at the same time, so as to save one roller, realize structural sharing, and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0102] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the pressing module may include a lifting return spring and a translation return spring to drive the pressing knives to approach and descend to continuously press and fix the sheet material to prevent the sheet material from loosening and skewing during circulation.

[0103] For a pair of pressing knives, the pair of pressing knives may include a left pressing knife 110 and a right pressing knife 120. Accordingly, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 The pressing module includes a first translation frame 200 and a second translation frame 210, which are installed on a lifting plate 310. The first translation frame 200 and the second translation frame 210 can be relatively close to or far away from each other. The first translation frame 200 has a plurality of first side edges 220, and the first side edges 220 are provided with a left pressing knife 110. The second translation frame 210 correspondingly has a plurality of second side edges 230, and the second side edges 230 are provided with a right pressing knife 120. The left pressing knife 110 of the first translation frame 200 and the right pressing knife 120 of the second translation frame 210 cooperate to press multiple groups of stacked sheets.

[0104] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, by setting the first translation frame 200 and the second translation frame 210, the first translation frame 200 has a plurality of first side edges 220, and the second translation frame 210 correspondingly has a plurality of second side edges 230. Therefore, it is also convenient to drive the first translation frame 200 and the second translation frame 210 to move closer to or away from each other by a single power or two powers to complete the stacking and fixation of multiple groups of sheet materials. Therefore, more groups of sheet materials can be fixedly stacked in a limited space, making the structure of the stacking jig 1 more compact.

[0105] In this embodiment, the first translation frame 200 has two first side edges 220, and the second translation frame 210 has two second side edges 230, which can increase the number of fixed sheets and improve the stability of the translation of the translation frame.

[0106] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the pressing knife may have a plurality of teeth 130 for pressing the sheet material.

[0107] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, by providing the pressing knife with multiple teeth 130, on the one hand, the pressing area can be reduced, so that the side edges of the sheet material are exposed as much as possible, which is convenient for checking the upper and lower alignment of the stack, monitoring the stacking process, ensuring the stacking quality, and reducing defects.

[0108] In this embodiment, one pressing knife is provided with three cutting teeth 130 to achieve pressing and fixing of the edge and the middle part and to balance the force.

[0109] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the knife press may include a knife body 140 and a knife seat 150 . The knife seat 150 is provided with a side slot 160 . The side slot 160 is used to install the knife body 140 . The position of the knife body 140 can be adjusted along the side slot 160 .

[0110] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, the side slot 160 is provided and the position of the blade body 140 can be adjusted along the side slot 160. Therefore, by changing the depth of the blade body 140 inserted into the side slot 160, the gap between the two blade bodies 140 can be changed, thereby facilitating the pressing of sheets of different specifications.

[0111] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the side slot 160 can be opened upward, and the side slot 160 is provided with a mounting bolt for fixing the blade body 140. The blade body 140 is provided with a mounting waist hole for accommodating the mounting bolt. The mounting bolt cooperates with the mounting waist hole so that the blade body 140 can be adjusted along the insertion direction of the side slot 160.

[0112] It is easy to understand that the side slot 160 is open upward to avoid blocking the mounting bolts and facilitate disassembly and assembly. The mounting waist hole is provided so that when the mounting bolts are loosened, the blade body 140 can be moved so that different positions of the mounting waist hole are close to the mounting bolts, which does not affect the locking and fixing, and at the same time simplifies the structure.

[0113] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the number of mounting bolts can be two, and the number of mounting waist holes can be two side by side, so as to improve the fastening reliability.

[0114] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the blade body 140 may have an upper convex edge to facilitate hand-held push-pull adjustment of the position of the blade body 140 .

[0115] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 6 In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the side slot 160 may have a side convex portion, and the side convex portion abuts and presses the edge of the blade body 140.

[0116] It is easy to understand that, in this embodiment, by providing the side protrusions, the edge of the blade body 140 can be fixed to reduce deformation of the blade body 140 .

[0117] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the knife seat 150 can include a first mounting block 170, a second mounting block 180 and a cross bar 190, the cross bar 190 is located between the first mounting block 170 and the second mounting block 180, and the space enclosed by the first mounting block 170, the second mounting block 180 and the cross bar 190 is used to form a side slot 160.

[0118] It is easy to understand that this embodiment can reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the side slot 160 by setting the first mounting block 170, the second mounting block 180 and the cross bar 190. It is also convenient to change the size of the side slot 160 by replacing the cross bar 190 of different specifications, or adjusting the distance between the first mounting block 170 and the second mounting block 180, so as to install different blade bodies 140 and press sheets of different specifications.

[0119] The side protrusion of the side slot 160 can be arranged on a side close to the first mounting block 170 and the second mounting block 180 , and both the first mounting block 170 and the second mounting block 180 are provided with side protrusions to facilitate abutting and fixing the two opposite sides of the blade body 140 .

[0120] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the blade body 140 may have an inclined surface abutting against the side protrusion.

[0121] It is easy to understand that, by setting the inclined surface in this embodiment, the distance between the first mounting block 170 and the second mounting block 180 can be adjusted to change the gap between the side protrusion and the edge of the blade body 140, thereby ensuring that the edge of the blade body 140 is fixed.

[0122] At the same time, providing the inclined surface is also helpful to prevent the blade body 140 from being installed upside down.

[0123] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the knife seat 150 can be raised and lowered, and the material pressing module includes a plurality of buffer springs, which are used to drive the knife seat 150 to descend so that the knife body 140 can elastically press the sheet material.

[0124] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, a plurality of buffer springs are provided so that the knife body 140 elastically presses the sheet material to prevent the sheet material from being damaged due to local overpressure.

[0125] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a transverse plate can be provided at the bottom of the tool holder 150, and the transverse plate is fixed to the translation frame. At the same time, the transverse bar 190 of the tool holder 150 is connected to a guide rod, and the guide rod passes through the transverse plate and the translation frame. A limit block is provided at the bottom of the guide rod, and a buffer spring is provided between the limit block and the translation frame to reduce the height of the stacking jig 1 and reasonably utilize the space between the lifting plate 310 and the base plate 300.

[0126] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8For the circulation part, the feeding lifting platform 380 has a pushing component 400, which pushes the stacking jig 1 to the upper circulation track, and the return material lifting platform 390 has a pulling component 410, which pulls the stacking jig 1 through a hook, so that the stacking jig 1 enters the return material lifting platform 390 from the upper circulation track, which can not only make the stacking jig 1 recycled, but also make the stacking jig 1 of the hot pressing part be removed in time, without pushing all the stacking jigs 1 from the stacking part to move the stacking jig 1, so that the stacking and hot pressing are relatively independent and have little influence on each other.

[0127] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the feeding lifting platform 380 and the returning lifting platform 390 may be provided with a limiting cylinder 420 to prevent the stacking jig 1 from sliding off the lifting platform during the lifting process.

[0128] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a jig pushing module 430 can be provided at the upper circulation track and the lower circulation track, so that the stacking jigs 1 on the upper circulation track and the lower circulation track can move to the corresponding process or lifting platform without relying on the mutual pushing of the stacking jigs 1.

[0129] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a pusher 440 can be provided at the upper circulation track, and the pusher 440 can move along the upper circulation track, and the pusher 440 can move in a direction perpendicular to the upper circulation track to separate adjacent stacking jigs 1, allowing the stacking jig 1 to move partially, so as to improve the position accuracy of the stacking jig 1 at each workstation.

[0130] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a jig opening and closing module 450 can be set at the upper flow track. The jig opening and closing module 450 includes a motor and a cam or eccentric wheel driven by the motor. The cam or eccentric wheel can push the side shifting member 320 to move to control the knife pressing action.

[0131] Reference Figure 7 In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the hot pressing process can have a first robot and a second robot. The first robot can be used to press the sheet to separate the sheet from the upper hot pressing assembly 330, and the second robot is used to remove the sheet that has completed hot pressing.

[0132] It is easy to understand that, by providing the first manipulator, the present embodiment can press the sheet material to prevent the upper hot pressing assembly 330 from lifting the sheet material or causing the sheet material to deform accidentally when rising, thereby ensuring that the shape of the battery cell meets the requirements and at the same time does not affect the quality of the battery cell.

[0133] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell production equipment may include a preheating and pressing process, which is located between the lamination process and the hot pressing process, and the preheating and pressing process has a preheating die 350 that can be raised and lowered.

[0134] It is easy to understand that this embodiment, by setting up a preheating and pressing station, can preheat and press the stacked sheets with thicker thickness and smaller specifications, so that the sheets are connected, avoiding the distortion and deformation of the stacked sheets when the pressing knife releases the pressure or when pressing the arc-shaped battery cells, and avoiding the reduction of alignment, thereby avoiding affecting the quality of the battery cells.

[0135] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the preheating and pressing process may also include a lower heat pressing assembly 340, so that the bottom of a stack of sheets can be preheated and pressed at the same time, and the pad can be supported.

[0136] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the preheating and pressing process and the hot pressing process can be collectively classified into the hot pressing process, and the hot pressing process includes a first hot pressing station and a second hot pressing station, the first hot pressing station performs preheating and pressing, and the second hot pressing station performs the main hot pressing work.

[0137] Reference Fig. 9 In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 may have electric heating components to meet the need of heating the sheet material.

[0138] Therefore, the present invention, by making the hot pressing mold 2 include an upper hot pressing component 330 and a lower hot pressing component 340, can not only meet the need of bending the sheet into an arc, but also heat the top and bottom of the sheet, so that the sheet is heated evenly and the temperature rises quickly, which is beneficial to improving the hot pressing efficiency.

[0139] Compared with the prior art, the battery cell production equipment of the present invention does not need to set a component for heating the bottom of the sheet on the stacking jig 1, which simplifies the structure of the stacking jig 1. At the same time, it also avoids frequent power connection operations, avoids failures in the hot pressing part, and improves the reliability of the battery cell production equipment.

[0140] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 can include a first hot pressing member 360 and a second hot pressing member 370, wherein the first hot pressing member 360 is located on the inner side of the second hot pressing member 370, the first hot pressing member 360 is used to pre-press the middle of the sheet, and the second hot pressing member 370 is used to abut the sheet so as to press the sheet into a battery cell of a desired shape.

[0141] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, by setting the first hot pressing member 360 and the second hot pressing member 370, before the pressing knife contacts and presses, the first hot pressing member 360 can press the middle of the sheet material to prevent the stacked sheets from getting out of control and the state of the sheets from changing. When the second hot pressing member 370 is pressed down, the sheet material can be pressed into a desired shape, thereby producing the desired battery cell.

[0142] The first hot press 360 and the second hot press 370 may be connected with a spring, so that the first hot press 360 and the second hot press 370 may contact the sheet material in sequence during one pressing process.

[0143] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 may have a deformable diaphragm, and the first hot pressing member 360 and the second hot pressing member 370 may contact the sheet material through the diaphragm, thereby meeting the hot pressing requirement and avoiding damaging the sheet material.

[0144] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the upper hot pressing component 330 has an outer curved surface, and the lower hot pressing component 340 has an inner curved surface, or the lower hot pressing component 340 has an outer curved surface, and the upper hot pressing component 330 has an inner curved surface. Thus, it is convenient to make the shape of the sheet material curved by extrusion from top to bottom to produce a curved battery cell.

[0145] When a flat panel needs to be produced, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 has an upper plane, and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 has a lower plane. The upper hot pressing assembly 330 and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 are pressed up and down to flatten the sheet material and produce a flat battery cell.

[0146] The lifting structure of the upper hot pressing assembly 330 and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 can be realized by a motor driving a screw to rotate and the screw driving an upper and lower sliding member with an internal thread.

[0147] Reference Fig.10 The present invention also provides a method for applying Figures 1 to 9 The present embodiment focuses on the production method of arc-shaped battery cells.

[0148] As for the battery cell production method, the battery cell production method mainly includes a lamination process and a hot pressing process.

[0149] For the lamination process, the lamination process mainly includes the following steps: Step S100, installing a rigid pad or a pad with elastic deformation capability according to production arrangements.

[0150] Among them, rigid pads are used to produce flat battery cells, and pads with elastic deformation capabilities are preferentially used to produce curved battery cells.

[0151] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a backing plate with elastic deformation capability can also be used to produce a flat battery cell, but the backing plate needs to be supported.

[0152] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the pad can be installed on the top of the support seat 100 of the stacking jig 1 along the up and down direction. The support seat 100 is through-through from top to bottom, and the pad and the support seat 100 are positioned by positioning pins and positioning holes.

[0153] It is easy to understand that the present embodiment installs the pad in the up and down directions, which is easy to operate. At the same time, the support seat 100 is connected from top to bottom, which is also convenient for supporting the pad. The pad and the support seat 100 are positioned by positioning pins and positioning holes, which is also convenient for positioning the pad to avoid installation errors. It is also easy to limit the edge of the pad to facilitate elastic deformation of the pad.

[0154] Step S200: the upper member rises and supports the pad.

[0155] In step S300, the first roller 250 rolls along the first inclined block 240, and the second roller 270 rolls along the second inclined block 260, so that the pressing knife rises and translates away, and the robot places the sheet on the pad or on the existing sheet. Then, the first roller 250 rolls in the opposite direction along the first inclined block 240, and the second roller 270 rolls in the opposite direction along the second inclined block 260, so that the pressing knife descends and translates closer, and the pressing knife presses the sheet and fixes the sheet.

[0156] The transmission details of the first roller 250 and the first inclined block 240 , and the transmission details of the second roller 270 and the second inclined block 260 may be understood by referring to the introduction of the lamination jig 1 .

[0157] When the robot arm removes another sheet, step S300 is repeated until the number of stacked sheets meets the design requirements.

[0158] In step S400 , the transfer part transfers the lamination jig 1 to a hot pressing process.

[0159] For details, see Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 And an introduction to the circulation part of battery cell production equipment.

[0160] For the hot pressing process, the lamination process mainly includes the following steps: Step S500 , preheating the die 350 to perform a first hot pressing step.

[0161] That is, the preheating die 350 contacts and heats the sheet material and, in some cases, may also provide support for the backing plate.

[0162] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, for sheets of different specifications, such as sheets of larger specifications, the sheets stacked up and down are not easy to be misaligned, and step S500 can be omitted.

[0163] Step S600: the hot pressing mold 2 performs a second hot pressing step.

[0164] Step S610, the lower hot pressing assembly 340 of the hot pressing mold 2 rises and contacts the pad; In step S620 , the first hot pressing member 360 of the upper hot pressing assembly 330 of the hot pressing mold 2 descends and abuts against the sheet material.

[0165] In step S630, the first roller 250 rolls along the first inclined block 240, and the second roller 270 rolls along the second inclined block 260, so that the pressing knife rises and moves away in translation.

[0166] In step S640 , the second hot pressing member 370 descends and contacts the sheet material.

[0167] In step S650, the first hot pressing member 360 and the second hot pressing member 370 descend simultaneously, and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 ascends simultaneously, to squeeze and heat the backing plate and the sheets, so that the stacked sheets are deformed to form an arc-shaped battery cell.

[0168] If a rigid backing plate is selected, a flat battery cell is formed. This embodiment mainly uses an arc-shaped battery cell as an example.

[0169] Since the hot pressing mold 2 is provided with a deformable diaphragm, neither the first hot pressing member 360 nor the second hot pressing member 370 directly contacts the sheet material.

[0170] Step S660, after the hot pressing mold 2 is hot pressed according to the set time, the first robot presses the edge of the top of a stack of sheets, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 rises, the upper hot pressing assembly 330 breaks contact with the sheets, and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 descends, and the lower hot pressing assembly 340 breaks contact with the pad.

[0171] In step S670, the first manipulator moves away from the curved battery cell, and the second manipulator sucks and removes the curved battery cell.

[0172] In step S680, the first roller 250 rolls in the opposite direction along the first inclined block 240, and the second roller 270 rolls in the opposite direction along the second inclined block 260, so that the pressing knife descends and moves closer in translation, and then the transfer part cyclically transfers the lamination jig 1 to the lamination process.

[0173] In summary, the present invention arranges the sheets to be stacked on a pad with elastic deformation ability. Therefore, during hot pressing, the pad can deform along with the sheets, so that both the top and bottom of a stack of sheets can be deformed, and then, a stack of flat sheets can be pressed into a stack of arc-shaped sheets, thereby completing the production of arc-shaped battery cells.

[0174] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can meet the needs of producing flat battery cells and arc-shaped battery cells by replacing the pad, with less modification to the battery cell production equipment, which is conducive to the sharing of battery cell production equipment and reduces the manufacturing cost of arc-shaped battery cells.

[0175] Compared with the prior art, the present invention does not require pre-bending of the sheet material, simplifies the manufacturing process of the arc-shaped battery cell, and eliminates the need for bending-related equipment.

[0176] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can still use flat sheet materials when producing arc-shaped battery cells, which is easy to transfer, stack and fix without increasing the difficulty of stacking.

[0177] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment, some embodiments, illustrative embodiments, examples, specific examples or some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0178] The terms "first, second, third, fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of this application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that shown or described herein.

[0179] It should also be noted that in the description of this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are merely used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0180] In addition, the terms "comprises" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may also include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0181] Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0182] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing a battery cell, characterized in that: include: A lamination process, wherein the sheet material is stacked and fixed to a backing plate, wherein the backing plate has elastic deformation capability; The hot pressing step is to hot press the sheet material and the backing plate to deform the backing plate and the sheet material to produce a curved battery cell.

2. The battery cell production method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lamination process includes supporting a backing plate and maintaining the support, and then securing the sheet stack to the backing plate.

3. The battery cell production method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lamination process includes: installing a pad on a lamination jig, then stacking and fixing the sheets to the pad, and after the lamination is completed, the lamination jig moves along a track, and the lamination jig transfers the sheets from the lamination process to the hot pressing process.

4. The battery cell production method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The step of installing the backing plate on the lamination jig includes: installing the backing plate on the top of a support seat of the lamination jig along the up-down direction, and the support seat is penetrated up-down.

5. The battery cell production method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lamination process includes: using a pair of press knives that can be raised and lowered and translated, wherein the teeth of the press knives are used to fix the sheet stack on the pad.

6. The battery cell production method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot pressing process includes: a first hot pressing step and a second hot pressing step, the first hot pressing step is used for pre-hot pressing, and the second hot pressing step is used for deforming the pad and the sheet.

7. The battery cell production method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot pressing process includes: using a hot pressing mold, the hot pressing mold includes an upper hot pressing component and a lower hot pressing component, the upper hot pressing component and the lower hot pressing component clamp the sheet material and the backing plate from top to bottom to hot press the sheet material and the backing plate.

8. The battery cell production method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The upper hot pressing assembly includes a first hot pressing piece and a second hot pressing piece, wherein the first hot pressing piece is located on the inner side of the second hot pressing piece, and the first hot pressing piece pre-presses the middle of the sheet material, and then the second hot pressing piece and the lower hot pressing assembly cooperate to hot press the sheet material and the pad.

9. The battery cell production method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the upper heat-pressing assembly rises, the robot presses the sheet material to separate the sheet material from the upper heat-pressing assembly.

10. Battery cell production equipment, characterized in that: A method for producing a battery cell according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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