Battery cell tab folding apparatus and battery cell tab folding method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of electric core earfolding device and electric core earfolding method, electric core earfolding device includes: turnover mechanism, turnover mechanism includes: first moving assembly, second moving assembly and fold component;First moving assembly includes first motor, first transmission part and first output part, and first motor drives first output part to move along first direction by first transmission part;Second moving assembly includes second motor, second transmission part and second output part, and second motor drives second output part to move along second direction by second transmission part;Fold component includes third motor, third transmission part and rotating part, and third motor drives rotating part to rotate by third transmission part;First output part is connected with second moving assembly, and second output part is connected with fold component, and rotating part is used to cooperate with the cover plate connected with the tab of electric core, to drive cover plate and tab to fold relative to electric core when rotating.The application makes the action of earfolding more smooth, and the failure rate of earfolding is low.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery, in particular to a kind of electric core ear folding device and electric core ear folding method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the assembly of the battery ear folding procedure, including battery positive electrode ear folding and negative electrode ear folding, so that the positive and negative electrode ear folding of its electric core, cover plate assembly seal into a piece of completed battery.In the assembly section of battery production, ear folding is a process after the welding of the positive and negative electrode ear folding of the battery and the cover plate, and the final purpose is to make the cover plate welded on the positive and negative electrode of the electric core perfectly fit with the electric core shell, so that the subsequent welding process of the electric core cover plate and the electric core shell can be efficiently and error-free completed.

[0003] However, the existing technology is independent action, the action of ear folding is not smooth, and the battery ear is easily damaged, causing unnecessary battery scrap. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application provides an electric core ear folding device, the working linkage of the three motor shafts of the first moving assembly, the second moving assembly and the folding assembly of the electric core ear folding device, and the operation can be carried out simultaneously, so that the action of ear folding is more smooth, and the failure rate of ear folding is low.

[0005] The electric core ear folding device according to the embodiment of the present application comprises: an electric core placing table, an electric core fixing mechanism and a turnover mechanism; the electric core placing table is used for placing an electric core; the electric core fixing mechanism is arranged on the electric core placing table and is used for fixing the electric core; the turnover mechanism is arranged on one side of the electric core placing table, and 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, the first motor drives the first output part to move in a first direction through the first transmission part; the second moving assembly comprises a second motor, a second transmission part and a second output part, the second motor drives the second output part to move in a second direction through the second transmission part, and the second direction has an included angle with the first direction; the folding assembly comprises a third motor, a third transmission part and a rotating part, the third motor drives the rotating part to rotate through the third transmission part; wherein the first output part is connected with the second moving assembly, and the second output part is connected with the folding assembly, or the second output part is connected with the first moving assembly, and the first output part is connected with the folding assembly; and the rotating part is used for cooperating with the cover plate connected with the ear of the electric core to fold the cover plate and the ear relative to the electric core when rotating.

[0006] The electrode tab folding device can realize the movement of the first output part of the first moving assembly of the turnover mechanism in the first direction, simultaneously drive the second moving assembly and the folding assembly to move, and make the second moving assembly and the folding assembly fold the cover plate and the electrode tab, so that the direction of the movement of the cover plate and the electrode tab and the applied force can be adjusted according to the folding position, the problem that the electrode tab is damaged due to unsmooth operation or hard folding during operation is avoided, three-axis linkage of three motors is realized, efficient folding of the electrode tab can be realized, and the structure is simple and the failure rate is low.

[0007] 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] The folding assembly further comprises a clamping part arranged on the rotating part, and the clamping part is used for clamping the cover plate.

[0009] The clamping part comprises clamping plates clamped on both sides of the cover plate.

[0010] 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] The first motor, the second motor and the third motor are all servo motors.

[0012] The first transmission part is a lead screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism, and the second transmission part is a lead screw-nut mechanism or a gear-rack mechanism.

[0013] The electrode core fixing mechanism comprises at least one pair of fixing clamps, each pair of the fixing clamps comprises clamping clamps arranged on both sides of the electrode core, and when there are multiple pairs of the fixing clamps, the multiple pairs of the fixing clamps are distributed along the first direction at intervals.

[0014] The electrode tab folding method is applied to the electrode tab folding device, and comprises the following steps: placing an electrode core with a cover plate welded thereto on an electrode core placing table, fixing the electrode core by using an electrode core fixing mechanism, and matching the cover plate with the rotating part of a turnover mechanism; driving a first motor, a second motor and a third motor to move, driving the rotating part to rotate and move at the same time, driving the cover plate to be folded relative to the electrode core, and driving an electrode tab connected with the cover plate to be folded relative to the electrode core.

[0015] The method for folding tabs of the battery cell can realize simultaneous and linkage working of the first motor, the second motor and the third motor of the turnover mechanism of the battery cell tab folding device, when the first motor moves towards the battery cell placing platform, the second motor and the third motor can move towards the placing platform together, so that the third motor can drive the cover plate to turn over and the tab to fold when the third motor rotates according to the position change of the cover plate, in addition, when the cover plate turns over and the tab folds, the three motors can move according to the position of the cover plate, so that the turning over and the tab folding are more smooth, and the tab is prevented from being damaged.

[0016] According to the method for folding tabs of the battery cell, when the first motor, the second motor and the third motor are driven to act, the segmented operation is as follows: first, the first motor and the third motor are driven to act, 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 act simultaneously, so that the rotating part moves along the second direction while moving along the first direction and rotating.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and / or can be learned by practice of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the application will become apparent and be readily understood by considering the following detailed description, including the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the battery cell tab folding device according to an embodiment of the application;

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

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

[0022] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the method for folding tabs of the battery cell according to an embodiment of the application Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the method for folding tabs of the battery cell according to an embodiment of the application Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 6 is a control logic diagram of the method for folding tabs of the battery cell according to an embodiment of the application;

[0025] Figure 7 is a programming diagram of the method for folding tabs of the battery cell according to an embodiment of the application;

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

[0027] Figure 9 is a transition mode schematic diagram of the folding battery cell of the embodiment of the application;

[0028] Figure 10 is a flow schematic diagram of the folding tab of the folding battery cell of the embodiment of the application.

[0029] Reference signs:

[0030] The battery cell tab folding device 100,

[0031] The battery cell placing table 1, the battery cell 11, the battery cell fixing mechanism 12, the fixing clamp 121, the cover plate 13, the tab 14, the turnover mechanism 2, the first moving assembly 21, the first motor 211, the first output housing 212, the second moving assembly 22, the second motor 221, the lower housing 222, the upper housing 223, the folding assembly 23, the third motor 231, the rotating part 232, the clamping part 2321, the support frame 24. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The embodiments of the application are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary only, and are used to explain the application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the application.

[0033] In the description of the application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the application. In addition, the features defined as "first", "second" can be explicitly or implicitly included one or more of the features. In the description of the application, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0034] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "linking" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral connection; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be direct connection, or indirect connection through intermediate medium, or internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] The following refers to Figures 1-10 The working linkage of the three motor shafts of the first moving assembly 21, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 of the electrode tab folding device 100 according to the embodiment of the present application is described, and the operation of the electrode tab folding device 100 can be performed simultaneously, so that the action of the electrode tab 14 is more smooth, and the failure rate of the electrode tab 14 is low. In the method of folding the electrode tab 14, the second folding method is used to fold. After the placement of the battery cell 11 is completed, the clamping part 2321 fixes the cover plate 13, the folding assembly 23 is first turned to 45 degrees, and the second output part of the second moving assembly 22 drives the folding assembly 23 to move downward by a certain distance, and the first moving assembly 21 moves forward by a small distance; then, the folding assembly 23 is turned upward by 45 degrees again, so that the cover plate 13 and the electrode tab 14 change from the original horizontal state with the battery cell 11 to the vertical state, and the electrode tab folding process is completed. The whole process is realized by the linkage of the actions of the three motors, the state of the folded electrode tab 14 is adjusted, so that the action of the electrode tab 14 is more smooth, and the failure rate of the electrode tab 14 is low.

[0036] As Figures 1-10 shown, the electrode tab folding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application comprises a battery cell placement table 1, a battery cell fixing mechanism 12 and a turning mechanism 2.

[0037] The battery cell placement table 1 is used to place the battery cell 11; the battery cell fixing mechanism 12 is arranged on the battery cell placement table 1 and is used to fix the battery cell 11; and the turning mechanism 2 is arranged on one side of the battery cell placement table 1.

[0038] The battery cell fixing mechanism 12 can fix the battery cell 11 at a specific position of the battery cell placement table 1. For the battery cell 11 of a certain body, the battery cell 11 can be fixed along the length direction, or the battery cell 11 can be fixed along the width direction, so that the position of the battery cell 11 on the battery cell placement table 1 remains unchanged.

[0039] And the tab 14 is connected to the end of the cell 11, the tab 14 includes a positive tab and a negative tab, and the positive tab and the negative tab are electrically connected by an external circuit to achieve the connection of the battery and the external circuit, and the positive tab and the negative tab usually need to be bent to ensure the stability of current transmission, and the cell 11 is placed on the cell placement table 1, and the cell 11 is fixed, which can facilitate the subsequent folding of the tab 14 operation, and ensure that the tab 14 operation can be folded according to the predetermined bending direction.

[0040] When folding the tab 14, first of all, it needs to be pointed out that the tab 14 is located at the end of the cell 11 and the bottom of the tab 14 is connected to the cover plate 13, in addition, the turnover mechanism 2 is arranged on one side of the cell placement table 1, and the turnover mechanism 2 drives the cover plate 13 to turn over and fold, that is, it can drive the tab 14 to turn over and fold, so that the tab 14 can be folded according to the predetermined effect.

[0041] The turnover mechanism 2 includes a first moving assembly 21, a second moving assembly 22 and a folding assembly 23; the first moving assembly 21 includes 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; the second moving assembly 22 includes 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 through the second transmission part, and the second direction has an included angle with the first direction; the folding assembly 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 with the second moving assembly 22, and the second output part is connected with the folding assembly 23, or the second output part is connected with the first moving assembly 21, and the first output part is connected with the folding assembly 23; and the rotating part 232 is used for cooperating with the cover plate 13 connected with the tab 14 of the cell 11 to drive the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 to fold relative to the cell 11 when rotating.

[0043] In practice, the tab 14 is connected to the end of the cell 11 in the first direction, and the first direction is Figure 1 the length direction of the cell placement table 1, and the turnover mechanism 2 can be located on one side of the cell placement table 1 along the first direction to realize the action of the turnover mechanism 2 on the cover plate 13 to fold the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 connected with the cover plate 13.

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

[0045] Specifically, as the second moving assembly 22 is connected above the first moving assembly 21, and the folding assembly 23 is connected to one side of the second moving assembly 22, when the first output part of the first moving assembly 21 moves in the first direction, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 can be simultaneously driven to move in the first direction, for example, towards the direction close to the battery cell placement table 1; and the second output part of the second moving assembly 22 can move in the second direction, the second output part is connected to the folding assembly 23, and the second direction can be understood as a vertically downward direction, that is, the second output part moves in the vertically downward direction, which can drive the folding assembly 23 to move in the vertically downward direction, at this time, it is equivalent to when the folding assembly 23 flips the cover plate 13 and the tab 14, the folding assembly 23 can be driven to move in the direction close to the battery cell placement table 1 by the first moving assembly 21, and since the distance between the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 and the battery cell placement table 1 is different in the flipping process, that is, the distance between the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 and the battery cell placement table 1 can be adjusted by the first moving assembly 21, and the flipping can be realized smoothly.

[0046] Meanwhile, the folding assembly 23 can also move vertically downward under the action of the second output part and the second transmission part, that is, when the folding assembly 23 needs to slow down the force of the folding assembly 23 on the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 after the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 are flipped to a certain extent, the folding assembly 23 can be driven to move downward by the second moving assembly 22 in the folding process, so as to reduce the force of the folding assembly 23 on the cover plate 13 and the tab 14, and prevent the force of the flipping mechanism 2 on the tab 14 from being too large and causing damage to the tab 14.

[0047] Furthermore, it should be noted that when the flipping mechanism 2 is placed, a certain gap can be left between the flipping mechanism 2 and the battery cell placement table 1, so as to avoid the problem of interference between the battery cell placement table 1 and the folding assembly 23 of the flipping mechanism 2. In addition, the control of the first moving assembly 21, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 is realized by the Omron PLC, so as to realize the 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 three motor output shafts is also the linkage of the movement process.

[0048] Therefore, the linkage of the three motor shafts of the first moving assembly 21, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 of the battery cell tab folding device 100 of the embodiment of the present application can be operated simultaneously, so that the action of the tab folding 14 is more smooth, and the failure rate of the tab folding 14 is low.

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

[0050] In practice, the first direction is set to be along Figure 1 The first moving component 21 moves in the horizontal direction, 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 13 at the bottom of the pole ear 14.

[0051] The second direction is set to the vertical direction, and the first direction is 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 offset 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 provided 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 adopt 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 to control the direction in which the folding assembly 23 drives the cover plate 13 and the pole ear 14 to flip, and the pole ear 14 is stably bent.

[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 plates of the clamping part 2321 can be located on both sides of the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 along the width direction of the battery cell 11. During the process of turning over the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 by the folding assembly 23, the clamping plates can be clamped on both sides of the cover plate 13 by the cylinder at all times, and the stability of the cover plate 13 can be ensured during the turning over process of the cover plate 13. At the same time, by clamping on both sides of the cover plate 13 along the width direction of the battery cell 11, the clamping and clamping relationship between the clamping plates and the cover plate 13 can be easily realized.

[0057] Moreover, the clamping plates can be controlled by the cylinder. A cylinder is arranged 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 with the rotating part 232, and the other end is connected with the clamping plate. The clamping plate is clamped on the side surface of the cover plate 13. During the process of rotating the folding assembly 23, the cylinder also rotates with the folding assembly 23 and clamps the cover plate 13 correspondingly.

[0058] In some embodiments, the rotating part 232 is configured as a rotating column, and the clamping part 2321 is arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating column.

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

[0060] Referring to Figure 1 As shown, one side of the second output part is provided with a supporting groove. After the rotating column is connected with the output shaft of the motor, the rotating column is connected in the supporting groove. The supporting groove on one side of the second output part can support the rotating column. At the same time, the supporting groove is open towards the direction of the tab 14 and the cover plate 13, which facilitates the clamping and cooperation of the clamping part 2321 connected with the rotating column with the cover plate 13 and the tab 14.

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

[0062] The core advantage of the servo motor compared with the ordinary motor is high-precision control, high efficiency and strong adaptability. The servo motor realizes high-precision control of position, speed and torque through its unique closed-loop control system and precise control mechanism, which is indispensable in many high-precision application scenarios.

[0063] Thus, by using servo motors for the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231, the distance of movement of the first output portion of the first moving assembly 21 towards the electrode core placement table 1 can be accurately controlled, and the folding speed of the folding assembly 23 and the speed and distance of movement of the folding assembly 23 by the second output portion of the second moving assembly 22 can also be accurately controlled, thereby preventing the problem of the tab 14 being broken due to improper speed control or improper operation time control when the cover plate 13 is flipped and the tab 14 is folded.

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

[0065] As Figure 1 In the embodiment, the first motor 211 of the first moving assembly 21 is rotated, and the first motor 211 is power-connected to a lead screw, i.e., the output shaft of the first motor 211 is rotated to drive the lead screw to rotate. At this time, the first output housing 212 can be used as the first output portion, i.e., the first output housing 212 is equivalent to a lead screw sleeve which is sleeved on the lead screw and threadedly connected to the lead screw. When the lead screw is rotated, the lead screw sleeve can be moved horizontally in the first direction, and the bottom of the lead screw sleeve is slidingly connected to the support frame 24 of the flipping mechanism 2, so as to drive the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 connected above the first output housing 212 to move in the first direction, so that the folding assembly 23 is close to the tab 14 at the end of the electrode core 11 and the cover plate 13. At this time, the first transmission portion is the lead screw, and the first output portion forms a lead screw-nut mechanism with the first transmission portion.

[0066] It should be noted that Figures 1-3 In the embodiment, the first motor 211 is fixed to the support frame 24, etc. in actual operation, so that the output shaft of the first motor 211 can drive the first output portion to move in the first direction when the output shaft is rotated. The main advantages of the lead screw-nut transmission include high transmission efficiency, high precision, long service life, high stiffness, motion reversibility and good synchronization performance.

[0067] The second transmission portion can use a gear-rack mechanism to realize the up-down movement of the second output portion relative to the second transmission portion. As Figure 1As shown, the second moving assembly 22 comprises a lower housing 222 and an upper housing 223, the upper housing 223 and the lower housing 222 comprise a second transmission part, the upper housing 223 can be a second output part, the lower housing 222 is provided with two racks extending in the vertical direction, the middle part of the two racks is provided with a gear, the output shaft of the second motor 221 is connected with the gear, the second motor 221 is connected with the upper housing 223, and the upper housing 223 can slide relative to the lower housing 222 to realize the up-down movement of the upper housing 223 relative to the lower housing 222 when the output shaft of the second motor 221 rotates.

[0068] In some embodiments, the electric core fixing mechanism 12 comprises at least one pair of fixing clamps 121, each pair of fixing clamps 121 comprises clamps arranged on both sides of the electric core 11, and when there are multiple pairs of fixing clamps 121, the multiple pairs of fixing clamps 121 are distributed in the first direction.

[0069] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 When the electric core fixing mechanism 12 is a pair of fixing clamps 121, the pair of fixing clamps 121 are arranged on both sides of the electric core 11 in the width direction, so that the influence on the tab 14 at the end of the electric core 11 is reduced, and the fixing of the electric core 11 is realized.

[0070] When a pair of fixing clamps 121 are arranged, the contact area of the fixing clamps 121 with the electric core 11 can be appropriately increased, and the fixing clamps 121 are arranged on both sides of the electric core 11 in the width direction and are arranged at the middle position of the electric core 11 in the length direction, so that the stress balance is ensured.

[0071] When the fixing clamps 121 are arranged in multiple pairs, the multiple pairs of fixing clamps 121 can be distributed in the first direction, that is, the arrangement mode in Figure 1 and Figure 3 , so as to ensure the stability of the electric core 11. The fixing clamps 121 can adopt air cylinders, and the air cylinders can realize the step-by-step stable clamping of the electric core 11 and prevent the damage of the electric core 11.

[0072] The embodiment of the application further discloses an electric core tab folding method, which is applied to the electric core tab folding device 100 and comprises the following steps:

[0073] S1: placing the electric core 11 with the cover plate 13 welded thereon on the electric core placing table 1, fixing the electric core 11 by the electric core fixing mechanism 12, and matching the cover plate 13 with the rotating part 232 of the turnover 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 fixing clamp 121 described above, so that the tab 14 connected to the end of the battery cell 11 and the cover plate 13 are in a specific position, the tab 14 of the battery cell 11 is located at the end of the battery cell 11 and in the horizontal direction, the bottom of the tab 14 is connected to the cover plate 13 parallel to the battery cell 11, and the cover plate 13 connected to the tab 14 can be away from the battery cell 11 in the first direction, and this distance can be used as the bending position of the tab 14.

[0075] The turning mechanism 2 is moved to a position close to the battery cell placement table 1, and the folding assembly 23 is spaced from the battery cell placement table 1, so that the folding assembly 23 can smoothly fold the tab 14 and turn the cover plate 13.

[0076] It should be noted that when there is no battery cell 11, the folding assembly 23 is in the original position, wherein the original position refers to the position of the turning part 232 of the turning mechanism 2 relative to the tab 14 and the cover plate 13 in the length direction of the battery cell 11, so as to provide conditions for subsequent turning, so that the folding assembly 23 is more convenient to drive the turning of the cover plate 13 and the folding of the tab 14.

[0077] S2: drive the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231 to move while rotating the turning part 232, drive the cover plate 13 to fold relative to the battery cell 11, so that the tab 14 connected to the cover plate 13 is folded relative to the battery cell 11.

[0078] After the battery cell 11 is placed, the first moving assembly 21, the second moving assembly 22 and the folding assembly 23 are all in the original position, wherein the original position of the folding assembly 23 refers to the position of the folding assembly 23 relative to the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 in the horizontal direction, and the clamping part does not clamp the cover plate 13, the original position of the second moving assembly 22 refers to the highest position of the second moving assembly 22, that is, the position of the folding assembly 23 relative to the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 in the horizontal direction, and the original position of the first moving assembly 21 refers to the position of the first moving assembly 21 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 turned upward by 90 degrees, that is, the tab 14 is bent upward by 90 degrees, to realize the tab folding process, but through the cooperation of the first moving assembly 21 and the second moving assembly 22, the position of the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 changes during the rotation of the cover plate 13, and thus the first moving assembly 21 adjusts the change of the position, so that the folding assembly 23 turns the cover plate 13 and the tab 14 more smoothly.

[0080] In some embodiments, when the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231 are driven to act, the operation is segmented:

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

[0082] In practice, the tab 14 and the cover plate 13 are initially parallel to the battery cell 11, and when the cover plate 13 is turned to the right position and the tab 14 is folded to the right position, the included angle between the cover plate 13, the tab 14 and the battery cell 11 is 90 degrees; when the tab 14 and the cover plate 13 are turned and the included angle between them and the battery cell 11 is within 0-45 degrees, the folding assembly 23 starts to turn the cover plate 13, and the first output part of the first moving assembly 21 moves towards the direction of the battery cell placing table 1 to meet the position change of the tab 14 during the turning process.

[0083] S22: then drive the first motor 211, the second motor 221 and the third motor 231 to act at the same time, so that the rotating part 232 moves in the first direction, moves in the second direction and rotates.

[0084] When turned to 45 degrees, the second moving assembly 22 moves downward at this time to reduce the acting force of the folding assembly 23 on the cover plate 13 and the tab 14, make the bending transition of the tab 14 more smooth, make the action more smooth, and reduce the problem of stress concentration at the bending part of the tab 14 causing damage to the tab 14.

[0085] That is, in order to ensure that the whole process is more smooth during the tab 14 folding process, the twice folding method is adopted, after the battery cell 11 is placed, the clamping part 2321 fixes the cover plate 13, the first moving assembly 21 moves the first output part forward by a distance, the rotating part 232 rotates by 45 degrees, and at the same time, the upper shell 223 of the second moving assembly 22 moves downward by a distance, thereby driving the folding assembly 23 to move downward by a distance, and the first output part of the first moving assembly 21 moves forward by a distance; that is, finally the cover plate 13 changes from the original horizontal state with the battery cell 11 to the vertical state, and the tab 14 folding process is completed; finally, the first moving assembly 21 can continue to push the cover plate 13 to move forward, and the cover plate 13 is fixed with the spacer ring of the battery cell shell, which is not shown in the figure, and the spacer ring is a structure connected to the end of the battery cell shell and matched with the cover plate 13, so that the whole process of folding the tab 14 is completed.

[0086] The embodiment of the application 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, and the application mainly adopts three servo motors to drive on the X, Y and Z axes, and the shaft group of the PLC is coupled to realize the coupling linkage of the three axes, so that the tab 14 folding process is realized, and the original multi-cylinder tab 14 folding mode is replaced, so that the production is more efficient.

[0087] Specific process is: electrical control part is mainly controlled by OMRON PLC servo motor and electromagnetic valve, through the EtherCAT communication protocol of PLC into servo motor control, data transmission through the network, through the input and output points of coupler plus intermediate relay electromagnetic valve control.

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

[0089] Secondly, the axis is set, and the X axis (horizontal axis), Y axis (vertical axis) and overturning axis (Z axis) are added. After the setting is completed, the axis group setting is added, and the three axes are added to an axis group.

[0090] Specifically, the X axis, Y axis and Z axis are set by the OMRON Sysmac Studio software axis group, and are created as an axis group. 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 along the horizontal direction, the A1 axis moves along the vertical direction, and the A2 axis rotates around the center of the rotating platform. The MC_GroupEnable (enable axis group) instruction is used to make the logged axis group effective, and the three-axis single control can be realized by a unified control of an axis group. The axis group variable created on the input and output pins AxesGroup of the MC_MoveLinear function block is added, so that the X, Y and Z axes realize linear interpolation; when motion control is performed, only the position and speed of the axis group need to be set, and the start pin of the MC_MoveLinear function block is triggered, so that the X, Y and Z three-axis can move at the same time (i.e. moving in the horizontal, vertical and rotating directions at the same time). The coupling control of the three axes is mainly controlled by the MC_MoveLinear linear interpolation function block of OMRON, and the detailed function introduction can be referred to the motion instruction manual of OMRON.

[0091] The programming and debugging process is as follows Figure 7 As shown: first, the initial state of the three motors is determined, the initial state has been described above, that is, all the motors remain in the position before use, and the first position and the second position are recorded, the first position is the position of folding to 45 degrees, and the second position is the position of folding to 90 degrees, that is, the target position, and the target position is recorded, and then the running speed of the three motors is adjusted through the recorded position, so that the flow is smooth.

[0092] Figure 6The figure in the figure is the control logic of an embodiment of the present invention, 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 13, that is, all mechanisms are in the initial state; then when they are all back to the initial position, the material can be discharged. 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. The position data include 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] Combine Figure 8 and Figure 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. Figure 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 performing position teaching, 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 performing motion control of the folding lug 14, the program only needs to assign the values ​​of P1, P2, and P3 to the relevant pins of the MC_MoveLinear function block in sequence to achieve a continuous folding lug 14 action.

[0094] like Figure 8 In the figure, line AB is the approximate trajectory of the single-stage folding lug 14 terminal mechanism, composed of a combination of X-axis motion and Y-axis motion. In the X-axis direction, the X-axis moves at a set speed Fa0 and La0, and in the Y-axis direction, the Y-axis moves at a set speed Fa1 and La1. Therefore, an object moving simultaneously in the X and Y directions forms a combined trajectory AB. Z-axis rotational motion is also required in three-dimensional space, which corresponds to the established three-axis group for three-axis coupled 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 Figure 9The figure shows the intermediate transition of the secondary folding process. The folding tab 14 is divided into two folding modes. The approximate trajectory is from point P1 to point P3, which requires passing through point P2. If there is no transition at point P2, an angle will appear, and the trajectory will be two broken lines. If a transition is added at point P2, the transition will be in the form of an arc, which is more gentle. The present invention adds a transition at point P2. When folding the tab 14, the X and Y axes move at the speeds of axes A0 and A1, respectively. The resulting motion trajectory is from P1 to P3, with P2 being the intermediate transition point of the fold.

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

[0098] like Figure 9 The position indicated by B in the figure represents the acceleration of axis A1 and the continuous speed. 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 instruction continuous and form a circular transition.

[0099] The robot loading adopted in the embodiment of the present invention can also be used for loading by other equipment. The battery cell 11 is placed on the battery cell placement table 1 by the robot. After the battery cell 11 is placed, 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 the 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 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 loaded manually with an additional discharge completion button; the 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] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "embodiment" or "example" indicates that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with that embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, schematic representations of these terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0102] While embodiments of the application have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are merely exemplary of the principles and application of the present application. Numerous modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. The scope of the application is not to be limited by the embodiments shown and described, but only 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 provided on the battery cell placement platform (1) and being used for fixing 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 assembly (21), the first moving assembly (21) comprising a first motor (211), a first transmission part, and a first output part, the first motor (211) driving the first output part to move along a first direction via 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) driving the second output part to move along a second direction via the second transmission part, the second direction forming 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 portion is connected to the second moving component (22), and the second output portion is connected to the folding component (23), or the second output portion is connected to the first moving component (21), and the first output portion is connected to the folding component (23); Furthermore, the rotating portion (232) is used to cooperate with a cover plate (13) connected to a tab (14) of the battery cell (11), so as to drive the cover plate (13) and the tab (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 constructed as a rotating column, and the clamping portion (2321) is provided on the outer peripheral 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 fixing clips (121) comprising clamps provided 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 spaced apart and distributed along the first direction.

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

10. The method for folding tabs of a battery cell 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 sections: First, 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 while moving in the first direction, and rotates.

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