Battery cell tab folding device and battery cell tab folding method

Abstract

The invention discloses a battery cell tab folding device and a battery cell tab folding method, the battery cell tab folding device comprises a turnover mechanism, and the turnover mechanism comprises a first moving assembly, a second moving assembly and a folding assembly; the first moving assembly comprises a first motor, a first transmission part and a first output part, and the first motor drives the first output part to move in the first direction through the first transmission part; the second moving assembly comprises a second motor, a second transmission part and a second output part, and the second motor drives the second output part to move in the second direction through the second transmission part; the folding assembly comprises a third motor, a third transmission part and a rotating part, and the third motor drives the rotating part to rotate through the third transmission part; the first output part is connected with the second moving assembly, the second output part is connected with the folding assembly, and the rotating part is used for being matched with a cover plate connected with a tab of a battery cell so as to drive the cover plate and the tab to be folded relative to the battery cell during rotation. According to the tab folding mechanism, the tab folding action is smoother, and the failure rate of tab folding is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of batteries, and in particular to a battery cell tab folding device and a battery cell tab folding method. Background Art

[0002] In the process of folding the pole ears of the battery assembly, the positive pole ears and the negative pole ears are folded, so that the positive and negative pole ears of the battery cell are folded, and the cover plate is assembled and sealed into a completed battery. In the battery production of the assembly section, folding the pole ears is a process after the welding of the positive and negative poles of the battery cell and the cover plate is completed. The ultimate goal is to make the cover plate welded on the positive and negative poles of the battery cell fit perfectly with the battery cell shell, so that the subsequent welding process of the battery cover plate and the battery cell shell can be completed efficiently and without errors.

[0003] However, each mechanism in the prior art operates independently, and the action of folding the tabs is not smooth, which can easily damage the tabs of the battery and cause unnecessary battery scrapping. Summary of the invention

[0004] 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 folding lug device, wherein the three motor shafts of the first moving component, the second moving component and the folding component of the battery cell folding lug device work in linkage and can be operated simultaneously, so that the folding lug movement is smoother and the failure rate of the folding lug is low.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery cell folding lug device comprises: a battery cell placement table, a battery cell fixing mechanism and a flipping mechanism; the battery cell placement table is used to place battery cells; the battery cell fixing mechanism is arranged on the battery cell placement table, and is used to fix the battery cells; the flipping mechanism is arranged on one side of the battery cell placement table, and the flipping mechanism comprises: a first moving component, a second moving component and a folding component; the first moving component comprises a first motor, a first transmission part and a first output part, and the first motor drives the first output part to move along a first direction through the first transmission part; the second moving component comprises a second motor, a second transmission part and a second output part, and the second motor The second output part is driven to move in a second direction by the second transmission part, and the second direction has an angle with the first direction; the folding assembly includes a third motor, a third transmission part and a rotating part, and the third motor drives the rotating part to rotate through the third transmission part; wherein, the first output part is connected to the second moving assembly, and the second output part is connected to the folding assembly, or the second output part is connected to the first moving assembly, and the first output part is connected to the folding assembly; and the rotating part is used to cooperate with a cover plate connected to a pole ear of a battery cell, so as to drive the cover plate and the pole ear to fold relative to the battery cell when rotating.

[0006] According to the battery cell folding lug device of the embodiment of the present invention, when the first output part of the first movable component of the flipping mechanism moves along the first direction, the second movable component and the folding component are driven to move at the same time, so that when the second movable component and the folding component fold the cover plate and the lug, the direction of movement of the cover plate and the lug and the force applied thereto can be adjusted according to the folding position, thereby avoiding the problem of poor operation when folding the lug or damage to the lug due to hard folding during operation, and realizing three-axis linkage of the three motors, which can perform efficient folding of the lugs, and has a simple structure and a low failure rate.

[0007] According to the battery cell folding tab device of the embodiment of the present invention, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the rotation axis of the rotating part is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0008] According to the battery cell tab folding device of the embodiment of the present invention, the folding assembly further comprises: a clamping portion provided on the rotating portion, the clamping portion being used to clamp the cover plate.

[0009] According to the battery cell tab folding device of the embodiment of the present invention, the clamping portion includes: clamping plates clamped on both sides of the cover plate.

[0010] According to the battery cell tab folding device of the embodiment of the present invention, the rotating part is configured as a rotating column, and the clamping part is arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating column.

[0011] According to the battery cell tab folding device of the embodiment of the present invention, the first motor, the second motor and the third motor are all servo motors.

[0012] According to the battery cell folding tab device of the embodiment of the present invention, the first transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism, and the second transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism.

[0013] According to the battery cell folding ear device of an embodiment of the present invention, the battery cell fixing mechanism includes: at least one pair of fixing clips, each pair of the fixing clips includes clamps arranged on both sides of the battery cell; when there are multiple pairs of the fixing clips, the multiple pairs of the fixing clips are spaced apart and distributed along the first direction.

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for folding a battery cell tab, which is applied to the battery cell tab folding device, and includes the following steps: placing a battery cell with a cover plate welded to it on a battery cell placement table, fixing the battery cell with a battery cell fixing mechanism, and cooperating the cover plate with the rotating part of the flipping mechanism; driving the first motor, the second motor and the third motor to operate so that the rotating part rotates and moves at the same time, driving the cover plate to fold relative to the battery cell, thereby folding the tab connected to the cover plate relative to the battery cell.

[0015] The battery cell ear folding method of the embodiment of the present invention can realize the simultaneous and linked operation of the first motor, the second motor and the third motor of the flipping mechanism of the battery cell ear folding device. For example, when the first motor moves toward the battery cell placement platform, the second motor and the third motor can move toward the placement platform together to ensure that the third motor drives the cover plate to flip and the pole ear to fold according to the change of the position of the cover plate when rotating. In addition, during flipping and folding of the pole ear, the three motors can move in coordination according to the position of the cover plate, so that the flipping and folding of the pole ear are smoother and damage to the pole ear is prevented.

[0016] According to the battery cell folding lug method of an embodiment of the present invention, when driving the first motor, the second motor and the third motor, the operation is performed in stages: first, the first motor and the third motor are driven to operate so that the rotating part rotates while moving along the first direction; then, the first motor, the second motor and the third motor are driven to operate simultaneously so that the rotating part moves along the second direction and rotates while moving along the first direction.

[0017] 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

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a battery cell tab folding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a side view of a battery cell folding lug device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a top view of a battery cell tab folding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 The process of the method for folding the tabs of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 5 The process of the method for folding the tabs of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a control logic diagram of a cell folding lug according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a programming schematic diagram of a battery cell folding tab according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8is a linear interpolation diagram of motion of the first motor shaft and the second motor shaft of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a transition mode of a folding cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the process of folding the electrode ears of a folding battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Reference numerals:

[0030] Battery cell tab folding device 100,

[0031] A battery cell placement table 1, a battery cell 11, a battery cell fixing mechanism 12, a fixing clip 121, a cover plate 13, a pole ear 14, a flipping mechanism 2, a first moving component 21, a first motor 211, a first output shell 212, a second moving component 22, a second motor 221, a lower shell 222, an upper shell 223, a folding component 23, a third motor 231, a rotating part 232, a clamping part 2321, and a support frame 24. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] 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.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, 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", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying 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. In addition, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" 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 the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] Reference below Figure 1-Figure 10 The battery cell folding lug device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described. The three motor shafts of the first moving component 21, the second moving component 22 and the folding component 23 of the battery cell folding lug device 100 work in linkage and can be operated at the same time, so that the action of the folding lug 14 is smoother and the failure rate of the folding lug 14 is low. In the method of folding the lug 14, the secondary folding method is used for folding. After the battery cell 11 is placed, the clamping part 2321 fixes the cover plate 13, and the folding component 23 is first turned to 45 degrees, and at the same time, the second output part of the second moving component 22 drives the folding component 23 to move downward for a section, and the first moving component 21 moves forward for a short section; then, the folding component 23 is turned upward by 45 degrees again, so that the cover plate 13 and the lug 14 are changed from the original horizontal state with the battery cell 11 to the vertical state, and the folding lug 14 process is completed. The whole process is linked by the action of the three motors to adjust the state of the folding lug 14, so that the action of the folding lug 14 is smoother and the failure rate of the folding lug 14 is low.

[0036] like Figure 1-10 As shown, a battery cell tab folding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a battery cell placement platform 1, a battery cell fixing mechanism 12 and a flipping mechanism 2.

[0037] The battery cell placement platform 1 is used to place the battery cells 11 ; the battery cell fixing mechanism 12 is disposed on the battery cell placement platform 1 and is used to fix the battery cells 11 ; and the flipping mechanism 2 is disposed on one side of the battery cell placement platform 1 .

[0038] The cell fixing mechanism 12 can fix the cell 11 at a specific position on the cell placement platform 1. For example, for a cubic cell 11, the cell 11 can be fixed along the length direction or the width direction to keep the position of the cell 11 on the cell placement platform 1 unchanged.

[0039] The pole ear 14 is connected to the end of the battery cell 11. The pole ear 14 includes a positive pole ear and a negative pole ear. The positive pole ear and the negative pole ear are electrically connected to the external circuit to realize the connection between the battery and the external circuit. The positive pole ear and the negative pole ear usually need to be bent to ensure the stability of current transmission. Placing the battery cell 11 on the battery cell placement table 1 and fixing the battery cell 11 can facilitate the subsequent folding operation of the pole ear 14 and ensure that the folding operation of the pole ear 14 can be bent in a predetermined bending direction.

[0040] When folding the pole ear 14, it should be noted that the pole ear 14 is located at the end of the battery cell 11 and is connected to the cover plate 13 at the bottom of the pole ear 14. In addition, the flipping mechanism 2 is arranged on one side of the battery cell placement table 1. The flipping mechanism 2 drives the cover plate 13 to flip and fold, that is, it can drive the pole ear 14 to flip and fold, so that the pole ear 14 is folded according to the preset effect.

[0041] The flipping mechanism 2 includes a first moving component 21, a second moving component 22 and a folding component 23; the first moving component 21 includes a first motor 211, a first transmission part and a first output part, and the first motor 211 drives the first output part to move in a first direction through the first transmission part; the second moving component 22 includes a second motor 221, a second transmission part and a second output part, and the second motor 221 drives the second output part to move in a second direction through the second transmission part, and the second direction has an angle with the first direction; the folding component 23 includes a third motor 231, a third transmission part and a rotating part 232, and the third motor 231 drives the rotating part 232 to rotate through the third transmission part.

[0042] Among them, the first output part is connected to the second movable component 22, and the second output part is connected to the folding component 23, or the second output part is connected to the first movable component 21, and the first output part is connected to the folding component 23; and, the rotating part 232 is used to cooperate with the cover plate 13 connected to the pole ear 14 of the battery cell 11, so as to drive the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to fold relative to the battery cell 11 when rotating.

[0043] In practice, the tab 14 is connected to the end of the battery cell 11 in a first direction. Figure 1 In the length direction of the battery cell placement platform 1, the flipping mechanism 2 can be located on one side of the battery cell placement platform 1 along the first direction, so that the flipping mechanism 2 acts on the cover plate 13 to fold the cover plate 13 and the pole lug 14 connected to the cover plate 13.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the tab 14 and the cover plate 13 at the bottom of the tab 14 are placed along Figure 1 When the structure is folded upward, that is, the tab 14 is folded upward, it is convenient for the subsequent welding process of the cover plate 13 and the shell of the battery cell 11 to be completed efficiently and without error.

[0045] Specifically, if the second movable component 22 is connected to the top of the first movable component 21, and the folding component 23 is connected to one side of the second movable component 22, then, when the first output portion of the first movable component 21 moves along the first direction, it can simultaneously drive the second movable component 22 and the folding component 23 to move along the first direction, such as moving toward the direction close to the battery cell placement table 1; and the second output portion of the second movable component 22 can move along the second direction, and the second output portion is connected to the folding component 23. The second direction can be understood as the vertical downward direction, that is, the second output portion moves along the vertical downward direction, which can drive the folding component 23 to move along the vertical downward direction. At this time, it is equivalent to that when the folding component 23 flips the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14, the folding component 23 can be flipped and moved toward the direction close to the battery cell placement table 1 through the first movable component 21. Since the distances between the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 and the battery cell placement table 1 are different during the flipping process, that is, the distances between the cover plate 13, the pole ear 14 and the battery cell placement table 1 can be adjusted by the first movable component 21, so that smooth flipping can be achieved.

[0046] At the same time, the folding component 23 can realize vertical downward movement under the action of the second output part and the second transmission part. That is, when the folding component 23 flips the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to a certain extent, when it is necessary to slow down the force of the folding component 23 on the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14, the second moving component 22 can drive the folding component 23 to move downward during the folding process of the folding component 23, so as to reduce the bending force on the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14, and prevent the flipping mechanism 2 from exerting too much force on the pole ear 14, thereby causing damage to the pole ear 14.

[0047] Moreover, it should be noted that when placing the flip mechanism 2, a certain gap can be left between the flip mechanism 2 and the cell placement table 1 to avoid interference between the cell placement table 1 and the folding assembly 23 of the flip mechanism 2. In addition, the control of the first moving assembly 21, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 are all controlled by the Omron PLC to achieve linkage between the output shaft of the first motor 211, the output shaft of the second motor 221 and the output shaft of the third motor 231. The linkage of the output shafts of the three motors is also the linkage of the motion process.

[0048] Therefore, the three motor shafts of the first moving component 21, the second moving component 22 and the folding component 23 of the battery cell folding ear device 100 of the embodiment of the present invention work in linkage and can be operated simultaneously, so that the movement of the folding ear 14 is smoother and the failure rate of the folding ear 14 is low.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the rotation axis of the rotating portion 232 is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0050] In practice, the first direction is set along Figure 1 The first direction is horizontal, the second direction is perpendicular to the horizontal direction, the rotation axis of the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the placement surface of the battery cell placement table 1 is also horizontally set, which can facilitate the control of the first output part of the first moving component 21 to drive the second moving component 22 and the folding component 23 to move along the first direction close to the battery cell 11 located on the horizontal placement surface, and also can achieve the first moving component 21 with less power transmission to approach the pole ear 14 and the cover plate 13 at the bottom of the pole ear 14.

[0051] The second direction is set to the vertical direction, and the first direction is set to the horizontal direction. Assuming that the first direction and the second direction are not vertical directions, and the angle between the two is not a right angle, during the movement, there may be a force decomposition force in other directions, making it difficult to control the movement trajectory of the cover plate 13 and the tab 14.

[0052] At the same time, the rotation axis of the rotating part 232 is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the direction in which the rotating part 232 drives the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to rotate is controllable. For example, if the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 are rotated upward, it can prevent the first output part of the first moving component 21 and the second output part of the second moving component 22 from driving the folding component 23 to move, and the force generated on the pole ear 14 and the cover plate 13 is shifted in other directions, thereby causing damage to the pole ear 14 or the cover plate 13.

[0053] In some embodiments, the folding assembly 23 further includes: a clamping portion 2321 disposed on the rotating portion 232 , and the clamping portion 2321 is used to clamp the cover plate 13 .

[0054] In practice, the clamping part 2321 is fixedly connected to the rotating part 232. The clamping part 2321 can be a cylinder assembly or other types of fixed clamps 121. For example, the clamping part 2321 can be composed of a bidirectional cylinder plus an end actuator. When the rotating part 232 of the flipping mechanism 2 reaches one side of the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14, the clamping part 2321 is controlled to clamp the cover plate 13. The cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 are connected as one. Since the pole ear 14 is softer and the cover plate 13 is harder than the pole ear 14, the folding assembly 23 can be prevented from shaking greatly when pushing the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14. Therefore, the cover plate 13 is clamped by the clamping part 2321, so as to control the direction in which the folding assembly 23 drives the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to flip, and the stable bending of the pole ear 14.

[0055] In some embodiments, the clamping portion 2321 includes: clamping plates clamped on both sides of the cover plate 13 .

[0056] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the clamping plate of the clamping portion 2321 can be located on both sides of the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 along the width direction of the battery cell 11. In the process of the folding assembly 23 driving the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to flip, the cylinder can be used to always control the clamping of the clamping plate and the two sides of the cover plate 13, and ensure the stability of the cover plate 13 during the flipping process; at the same time, by clamping the cover plate 13 on both sides along the width direction of the battery cell 11, it is easy to achieve the matching clamping relationship between the clamping plate and the cover plate 13.

[0057] Moreover, the clamping plate can be controlled by a cylinder. A cylinder is provided on each side of the cover plate 13 along the width direction of the battery cell 11. One end of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the rotating part 232, and the other end is connected to the clamping plate. The clamping plate is clamped to the side of the cover plate 13. During the rotation of the folding assembly 23, the cylinder also rotates with the folding assembly 23 and clamps the cover plate 13 accordingly.

[0058] In some embodiments, the rotating portion 232 is configured as a rotating column, and the clamping portion 2321 is disposed on the outer circumference of the rotating column.

[0059] In practice, if the output shaft of the third motor 231 of the folding assembly 23 is covered with a rotating part 232 on the outside, the third transmission part at this time is the output shaft of the third motor 231, and the rotating part 232 is a rotating column. When the output shaft of the third motor 231 rotates, the rotating column can be driven to rotate. The rotating column is connected to the clamping part 2321. The clamping part 2321 outside the rotating column can also rotate with the rotation of the rotating column and clamp the cover plate 13 to cooperate with the rotation of the cover plate 13.

[0060] Reference Figure 1 As shown, a support groove is provided on one side of the second output part. After the rotating column is connected to the output shaft power of the motor, the rotating column is connected to the support groove. The support groove on one side of the second output part can support the function of the rotating column. At the same time, the support groove is open toward the direction of the pole ear 14 and the cover plate 13, which facilitates the clamping part 2321 connected on the rotating column to clamp and fit with the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first motor 211 , the second motor 221 , and the third motor 231 are all servo motors.

[0062] Among them, the core advantages of servo motors compared to ordinary motors lie in their high-precision control, high efficiency and strong adaptability. Through their unique closed-loop control system and precise control mechanism, servo motors achieve high-precision control of position, speed and torque, which is indispensable in many high-precision application scenarios.

[0063] Therefore, by using servo motors for the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231, the distance that the first output part of the first moving component 21 drives the second moving component 22 and the folding component 23 to move toward the battery cell placement table 1 can be accurately controlled, and the folding speed of the folding component 23 and the speed and distance of the folding component 23 driven by the second output part of the second moving component 22 can also be accurately controlled, thereby preventing the problem of the pole ear 14 being broken due to improper speed control or improper operating time control when the cover plate 13 is flipped and the pole ear 14 is folded.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism; the second transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism.

[0065] like Figure 1 In the embodiment, the first motor 211 of the first moving assembly 21 rotates, and the first motor 211 can be connected to the screw by power, that is, the output shaft of the first motor 211 rotates to drive the screw to rotate. At this time, the first output housing 212 can be used as the first output part, that is, the first output housing 212 is equivalent to a screw sleeve sleeved on the screw and matched with the screw thread. When the screw rotates, the screw sleeve can be horizontally moved along the first direction, and the bottom of the screw sleeve is slidably connected to the support frame 24 of the flip mechanism 2, so that the first output housing 212 drives the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 connected above the first output housing 212 to move along the first direction, so that the folding assembly 23 is close to the pole ear 14 and the cover plate 13 at the end of the battery cell 11. At this time, the first transmission part is the screw, and forms a screw-nut mechanism with the first output part.

[0066] It should be noted that Figure 1-3 The figure is a schematic diagram. In actual operation, the first motor 211 can be fixed to the support frame 24 according to actual conditions, so that when the output shaft of the first motor 211 rotates, the first output part can be driven to move along the first direction. The main advantages of the screw nut transmission include high transmission efficiency, high precision, long life, high rigidity, reversibility of movement and good synchronization performance.

[0067] The second transmission part can use a gear rack mechanism to achieve the up and down movement of the second output part relative to the second transmission part. Figure 1As shown, the second moving component 22 includes a lower shell 222 and an upper shell 223. The upper shell 223 and the lower shell 222 include a second transmission part. The upper shell 223 can be used as a second output part. Two racks are provided in the lower shell 222. The two racks extend vertically. Gears are provided in the middle of the two racks. The output shaft of the second motor 221 is connected to the gears. The second motor 221 is connected to the upper shell 223. The upper shell 223 can slide relative to the lower shell 222 to realize that when the output shaft of the second motor 221 rotates, the upper shell 223 is driven to move up and down relative to the lower shell 222.

[0068] In some embodiments, the battery cell fixing mechanism 12 includes: at least one pair of fixing clips 121 , each pair of fixing clips 121 includes clamps disposed on both sides of the battery cell 11 ; when there are multiple pairs of fixing clips 121 , the multiple pairs of fixing clips 121 are spaced apart and distributed along the first direction.

[0069] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, when the battery cell fixing mechanism 12 is a pair of fixing clips 121 , the pair of fixing clips 121 are clamped on both sides of the battery cell 11 in the width direction, which can reduce the impact on the tabs 14 at the ends of the battery cell 11 and achieve the fixation of the battery cell 11 .

[0070] If a pair of fixing clips 121 are provided, the contact area between the fixing clips 121 and the battery cell 11 can be appropriately increased. For example, the fixing clips 121 are provided on both sides of the battery cell 11 in the width direction and are clamped in the middle position in the length direction of the battery cell 11, so that the force can be balanced.

[0071] When the fixing clips 121 are provided in pairs, the pairs of fixing clips 121 may be spaced apart and distributed along the first direction. Figure 1 and Figure 3 The arrangement mode in the embodiment ensures the stability of the battery core 11. The fixing clamp 121 may be a cylinder, which can realize the gradual and stable clamping of the battery core 11 to prevent the battery core 11 from being damaged.

[0072] The embodiment of the present invention further discloses a method for folding a battery cell tab 14, which is applied to the above-mentioned battery cell tab folding device 100, and includes the following steps:

[0073] S1: placing the battery cell 11 connected with the cover plate 13 by welding on the battery cell placement platform 1, fixing the battery cell 11 with the battery cell fixing mechanism 12, and the cover plate 13 cooperates with the rotating part 232 of the flipping mechanism 2.

[0074] In practice, the battery cell 11 is placed on the battery cell placement table 1, and the battery cell 11 is fixed by the above-mentioned fixing clip 121, so that the pole ear 14 connected to the end of the battery cell 11 and the cover plate 13 are in specific positions, the pole ear 14 of the battery cell 11 is located at the end of the battery cell 11 and in the horizontal direction, the cover plate 13 connected to the bottom of the pole ear 14 is parallel to the battery cell 11, and the cover plate 13 connected to the pole ear 14 can leave a distance from the battery cell 11 along the first direction, and this distance can be used as the bending point for the pole ear 14 to be folded.

[0075] The flipping mechanism 2 is moved to a position close to the battery cell placement platform 1 , and a gap is left between the folding assembly 23 and the battery cell placement platform 1 , so that the folding assembly 23 can smoothly fold the tab 14 and flip the cover plate 13 .

[0076] It should be noted that when the battery cell 11 is not discharged, the folding assembly 23 is in the original position, wherein the original position refers to the relative position of the rotating part 232 of the flipping mechanism 2 and the pole ear 14 and the cover plate 13 along the length direction of the battery cell 11, so as to provide conditions for subsequent flipping, so that the folding assembly 23 can more conveniently drive the flipping of the cover plate 13 and the folding of the pole ear 14.

[0077] S2: driving the first motor 211 , the second motor 221 and the third motor 231 to operate, so that the rotating part 232 rotates and moves at the same time, driving the cover plate 13 to fold relative to the battery cell 11 , thereby folding the tab 14 connected to the cover plate 13 relative to the battery cell 11 .

[0078] After the battery cell 11 is placed, the first movable component 21, the second movable component 22 and the folding component 23 are all at the origin position, wherein the origin position of the folding component 23 refers to the position where the folding component 23 is horizontally opposite to the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14, and the clamping part does not clamp the cover plate 13; the origin position of the second movable component 22 refers to the highest position of the second movable component 22, that is, the position where the folding component 23 is horizontally opposite to the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14; the origin position of the first movable component 21, that is, the first movable component 21 is at a position away from the battery cell placement table 1.

[0079] Then, the clamping part of the folding assembly 23 clamps the cover plate 13, so that the cover plate 13 is flipped upward by 90 degrees, that is, the pole ear 14 is bent upward by 90 degrees, thereby realizing the folding process of the pole ear 14. However, through the cooperation of the first movable assembly 21 and the second movable assembly 22, during the rotation of the cover plate 13, the positions of the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 change. Therefore, the change of position is adjusted by the first movable assembly 21, so that the folding assembly 23 can flip the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 more smoothly.

[0080] In some embodiments, when driving the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231, the operation is performed in stages:

[0081] S21: firstly drive the first motor 211 and the third motor 231 to operate, so that the rotating part 232 rotates while moving along the first direction.

[0082] In practice, the pole lug 14 and the cover 13 are initially parallel to the battery cell 11. When the cover 13 is flipped into place and the pole lug 14 is folded into place, the angle between the cover 13, the pole lug 14 and the battery cell 11 is 90 degrees. When the pole lug 14 and the cover 13 are flipped and the angle between them and the battery cell 11 is within 0-45 degrees, the folding component 23 starts to flip the cover 13, and the first output part of the first moving component 21 moves toward the direction of the battery cell placement table 1 to meet the position change of the pole lug 14 during the flipping process.

[0083] S22: Then the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231 are driven to operate simultaneously, so that the rotating part 232 moves in the second direction while moving in the first direction, and rotates.

[0084] When flipped to 45 degrees, the second moving component 22 moves downward to reduce the force of the folding component 23 on the cover 13 and the pole ear 14, making the bending transition of the pole ear 14 smoother and making its movement smoother, and reducing the problem of damage to the pole ear 14 caused by concentrated force at the bending part of the pole ear 14.

[0085] That is to say, in order to ensure that the whole process is smoother during the folding of the pole ear 14, a secondary folding method is used for folding. After the battery cell 11 is placed, the clamping part 2321 fixes the cover plate 13, and the first movable component 21 moves the first output part forward a distance, and the rotating part 232 rotates 45 degrees. After rotating about 45 degrees, the upper shell 223 of the second movable component 22 moves downward for a distance, thereby driving the folding component 23 to move downward for a distance, and the first output part of the first movable component 21 moves forward for a distance; that is, the cover plate 13 is ultimately changed from the original horizontal state with the battery cell 11 to a vertical state, completing the folding of the pole ear 14 process; finally, the first movable component 21 can continue to push the cover plate 13 forward, push the cover plate 13 to fix the cover plate 13 and the spacer of the battery cell shell, which is not drawn in the figure. The spacer is a structure connected to the end of the battery cell shell and cooperates with the cover plate 13, and the whole process of folding the pole ear 14 can be completed.

[0086] The embodiment of the present invention also includes an electrical control part, wherein the output shaft of the first motor 211 is the X-axis, the output shaft of the second motor 221 is the Y-axis, and the output shaft of the third motor 231 is the Z-axis. The present invention mainly adopts three servo motors to drive on the X, Y and Z axes. Through the axis group of the PLC, the three axes are virtualized into one axis for coupling and linkage to realize the folding ear 14 process, replacing the original multi-cylinder folding ear 14 method, making its production more efficient.

[0087] The specific process is as follows: the electrical control part is mainly composed of Omron's PLC to control the servo motor and solenoid valve, the servo motor is controlled through the PLC's EtherCAT communication protocol, the network cable is used for data transmission, and the solenoid valve is controlled through the input and output points on the coupler and the intermediate relay.

[0088] The control system mainly uses PLC for control. First, the hardware is configured in the EtherCAT network in the Omron PLC, the coupler and three-axis drivers are added, and the corresponding parameters of the motor are configured.

[0089] Next, set the axis, add the X-axis (horizontal axis), Y-axis (vertical axis) and flip axis (Z-axis) settings respectively. After the settings are completed, add the axis group settings and add the three axes into one axis group.

[0090] Specifically, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are set as an axis group through the axis group setting of the Omron Sysmac Studio software. The axis group includes A0, A1, and A2. A0 represents the X-axis, A1 represents the Y-axis, and A2 represents the Z-axis, so that the A0 axis moves in the horizontal direction, the A1 axis moves in the vertical direction, and the A2 axis rotates along the center of the rotating platform. Use the MC_GroupEnable (enable axis group) instruction to enable the logged-in axis group. The three axes can be controlled individually by one axis group. Add the created axis group variable to the input and output pin AxesGroup of the MC_MoveLinear function block to achieve linear interpolation of the X, Y, and Z axes; when performing motion control, you only need to set the position and speed of the axis group and trigger the start pin of the MC_MoveLinear function block to achieve simultaneous movement of the X, Y, and Z axes (i.e., simultaneous movement in the horizontal, vertical, and rotational directions). The coupling control of the three axes is mainly controlled by Omron's MC_MoveLinear linear interpolation function block. For detailed function descriptions, please refer to Omron's motion instruction manual.

[0091] The programming and debugging process is as follows Figure 7 As shown: First, determine the initial state of the three motors. The above initial state has been explained, that is, all the motors remain in the position before use, and record position No. 1 and position No. 2. Position No. 1 is the position folded to 45 degrees, and position No. 2 is the position folded to 90 degrees, which is the target position, and record the target position, and then adjust the operating speed of the three motors according to the recorded position to make it flow smoothly.

[0092] Figure 6The control logic of an embodiment of the present invention is shown in the figure, wherein waiting to return to the origin means that the battery cell fixing mechanism 12 on the battery cell placement table 1 on the left returns to the position of releasing the battery cell 11, and the flipping mechanism 2 on the right returns to the position of not clamping the cover plate 13, that is, all mechanisms are in the initial state; then when they all return to the initial position, the material can be discharged, and after the discharge is complete, the pole ear 14 is folded according to the set data of position No. 1, position No. 2, and target position, and each position data includes position, speed, acceleration and deceleration, transition mode, and motion mode. The data is assigned to the MC_MoveLinear function block to trigger the start of the folding action.

[0093] Combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, there are three points in the process of folding the pole ear 14, namely the origin, the transition point, and the completion point, which are named P1, P2, and P3 respectively. Fig. 9 In the figure, the rectangular coordinates at point P1 are (a1, b1), and the rotation is 0 degrees; the rectangular coordinates at point P2 are (a2, b2), and the rotation is 45 degrees; the rectangular coordinates at point P3 are (a3, b3), and the rotation is 90 degrees. When teaching the position, first determine the values ​​of the X, Y, and Z axis positions at point P1, where a is the value of X, b is the value of Y, and the rotation is the value of Z. Then determine the values ​​of the X, Y, and Z axis positions at point P2, and finally determine the values ​​of the X, Y, and Z axis positions at point P3. When controlling the motion of the folding pole ear 14, the program only needs to assign the values ​​of P1, P2, and P3 to the pins related to the MC_MoveLinear function block in sequence to achieve a continuous folding pole ear 14 action.

[0094] like Figure 8 In the figure, the straight line AB is the approximate motion trajectory of the single-stage folding ear 14 terminal mechanism, which is composed of the X-axis motion and the Y-axis motion; in the X-axis direction, the X-axis moves La0 at the set speed Fa0, and in the Y-axis direction, the Y-axis moves La1 at the set speed Fa1, so the object moving in the X and Y directions at the same time will form a combined trajectory AB. In the three-dimensional space, the Z-axis rotation motion also needs to be added, so it just corresponds to the three-axis axis group built to perform three-axis coupling control.

[0095] by Figure 8 A0 represents the movement of the A0 axis mentioned above. The upward inclined line represents acceleration, the horizontal line represents uniform speed, and the downward inclined line represents deceleration. Similarly, the line segment on the movement of the A1 axis also represents the speed of the A1 axis.

[0096] like Fig. 9As shown, it is the middle transition diagram of the secondary folding edge. The folding ear 14 is divided into two folding modes. The approximate trajectory is from point P1 to point P3, which needs to pass through point P2. If there is no transition mode at point P2, an angle will appear, and the trajectory will be two broken lines. If a transition mode is added at point P2, the transition is performed in the form of an arc, and the transition is gentler. The present invention adds a transition mode at point P2; when folding the ear 14, the X and Y axes move at the speeds of axes A0 and A1 respectively, and the synthetic motion trajectory is from P1 to P3, and P2 is the middle transition point of the folding.

[0097] After the first folding of the pole ear 14 is completed, a smooth curve is used to transition to the second folding, making the movement smoother. When selecting the movement mode, relative movement or absolute movement can be selected according to the needs of the site. The MC_MoveLinear function block pin parameters can be configured according to the Omron motion instruction manual.

[0098] like Fig. 9 The position indicated by B in the figure represents that axis A1 accelerates and the speed is continuous. The position indicated by C in the figure represents the speed of axis A0, that is, the deceleration area of ​​horizontal movement and the acceleration area of ​​vertical downward movement are merged to make the speed command continuous and form a circular transition.

[0099] The robot loading adopted in the embodiment of the present invention can also adopt other equipment for loading. The battery cell 11 is placed on the battery cell placement table 1 by the robot. After placing the battery cell 11, a safety signal is given to the device of the present invention; secondly, after the core processor PLC of the present invention receives the signal, it starts to control each mechanism to start the action. First, the battery cell 11 and the cover plate 13 are fixed, and then three coupled servo motors control the flipping device to fold the pole ear 14 of the battery cell 11 in the above-mentioned folding pole ear 14 manner. After the folding pole ear 14 is complete, the PLC feeds back a completion signal, and finally the cylinder of each battery cell fixing mechanism 12 is released, and the servo motor returns to the initial position.

[0100] The safety signal given to the PLC of the present invention can be an external device such as a loading robot, a loading device, etc., or it can be manually loaded with an external discharge completion button; the completion feedback signal of the folding ear 14 of the present invention can also be judged by an external device, such as a buzzer, an indicator light, etc.

[0101] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "embodiment", "example", 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 can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0102] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A battery cell tab folding device (100), characterized in that: include: A battery cell placement platform (1), wherein the battery cell placement platform (1) is used to place battery cells (11); A battery cell fixing mechanism (12), the battery cell fixing mechanism (12) being arranged on the battery cell placement platform (1) and being used to fix the battery cell (11); A turning mechanism (2), the turning mechanism (2) being arranged on one side of the battery cell placement platform (1), the turning mechanism (2) comprising: A first moving component (21), the first moving component (21) comprising a first motor (211), a first transmission part and a first output part, the first motor (211) drives the first output part to move along a first direction through the first transmission part; a second moving assembly (22), the second moving assembly (22) comprising a second motor (221), a second transmission part and a second output part, the second motor (221) drives the second output part to move along a second direction via the second transmission part, and the second direction forms an angle with the first direction; A folding assembly (23), the folding assembly (23) comprising a third motor (231), a third transmission part and a rotating part (232), the third motor (231) driving the rotating part (232) to rotate via the third transmission part; Wherein, the first output part is connected to the second moving component (22), and the second output part is connected to the folding component (23), or the second output part is connected to the first moving component (21), and the first output part is connected to the folding component (23); Furthermore, the rotating portion (232) is used to cooperate with a cover plate (13) connected to a pole lug (14) of the battery cell (11), so as to drive the cover plate (13) and the pole lug (14) to fold relative to the battery cell (11) during rotation.

2. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the rotation axis of the rotating part (232) is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

3. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folding assembly (23) further comprises: A clamping portion (2321) is provided on the rotating portion (232), and the clamping portion (2321) is used to clamp the cover plate (13).

4. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping portion (2321) comprises: clamping plates clamped on both sides of the cover plate (13).

5. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotating portion (232) is configured as a rotating column, and the clamping portion (2321) is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating column.

6. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first motor (211), the second motor (221), and the third motor (231) are all servo motors.

7. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism, and the second transmission part is a screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism.

8. The battery cell tab folding device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The battery cell fixing mechanism (12) comprises: at least one pair of fixing clips (121), each pair of the fixing clips (121) comprising clamps arranged on both sides of the battery cell (11); When there are multiple pairs of the fixing clips (121), the multiple pairs of the fixing clips (121) are distributed at intervals along the first direction.

9. A method for folding a tab of a battery cell, applied to a device (100) for folding a tab of a battery cell according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The steps include: Placing a battery cell (11) connected with a cover plate (13) by welding on a battery cell placement platform (1), fixing the battery cell (11) with a battery cell fixing mechanism (12), wherein the cover plate (13) cooperates with the rotating part (232) of the flipping mechanism (2); The first motor (211), the second motor (221) and the third motor (231) are driven to operate, so that the rotating part (232) rotates and moves at the same time, driving the cover plate (13) to fold relative to the battery cell (11), thereby causing the pole ear (14) connected to the cover plate (13) to fold relative to the battery cell (11).

10. The method for folding a battery cell tab according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the first motor (211), the second motor (221) and the third motor (231) are driven to operate, the operation is performed in stages: Firstly, the first motor (211) and the third motor (231) are driven to operate, so that the rotating part (232) rotates while moving along the first direction; Then, the first motor (211), the second motor (221) and the third motor (231) are driven to operate simultaneously, so that the rotating part (232) moves in the second direction and rotates while moving in the first direction.

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