A cylindrical battery tab coating device

Abstract

A cylindrical battery tab coating device includes a conveyor line and a coating station. The coating station includes a frame and a secondary positioning mechanism, a glue-dispensing mechanism, and a glue-applying mechanism mounted on the frame. The equidistant transfer conveyor line includes several equally spaced trays. The secondary positioning mechanism includes a synchronous lifting assembly, drive wheels, and a pair of sensors; the synchronous lifting assembly includes a pair of positioning wheels. The glue-dispensing mechanism includes a film roll, guide wheels, glue-dispensing grippers, glue-pulling grippers, and a glue-cutting blade; one end of the tape on the film roll is pulled onto the glue-dispensing grippers after passing through the guide wheels; the glue-pulling grippers pull up a measured amount of tape as they move upwards; the glue-cutting blade cuts the pulled-up tape. The glue-applying mechanism includes a double-suction cup folding assembly and a tape pressure head; the double-suction cup folding assembly includes a stationary suction cup and a flipping suction cup, the flipping suction cup being able to flip and fold relative to the stationary suction cup. This device can adjust the distance of the tape to the root of the tab bend, the distance the tape extends beyond the tab, and the tape width to ensure accurate key production parameters and a high yield rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lithium battery cell manufacturing technology, and in particular to a device for coating cylindrical battery tabs with adhesive. Background Technology

[0002] Please refer to the instruction manual appendix. Figure 1 and attached Figure 2 In the production process of cylindrical batteries, the tape wrapping process plays a crucial role. By wrapping the tabs 101 on the cell 100 with tape, it is ensured that the battery will not have an internal short circuit during charging and discharging. At the same time, the tape 102 wrapped on the tabs 101 can also play a role in positioning and buffering, reducing the risk of internal failure of the battery.

[0003] In the process of wrapping tape around electrode tabs, it is necessary to precisely control three important production parameters: the distance of the tape to the root of the electrode tab bend (C1), the distance of the tape extending beyond the electrode tab (C2), and the tape width (C3). However, traditional tape wrapping equipment for electrode tabs still has the following defects when operating under actual conditions:

[0004] 1) During the production line process, the positioning of the battery cell in all directions (up, down, left, right, front, and back) is inaccurate, the positioning of the circumferential deflection posture of the front tab of the coating is inaccurate, and there is a lack of alignment procedures, which makes it impossible to accurately adjust the production parameters C1, C2 and C3, resulting in a low pass rate of the coated products.

[0005] 2) The lack of a shaping process before coating the tabs results in the coating being applied directly to the deformed tabs, which may lead to air bubbles in the coated tabs, poor coating consistency, and even the production of defective products. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a cylindrical battery tab coating device to overcome the deficiencies in existing technologies.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A cylindrical battery tab coating equipment includes an equidistant transfer conveyor line and a coating station. The coating station includes a frame and a primary positioning mechanism, a secondary positioning mechanism, a shaping mechanism, a glue dispensing mechanism, and a glue application mechanism mounted on the frame.

[0009] The equidistant transfer conveyor line includes several slots arranged at equal intervals, on which battery cells to be coated are placed horizontally, and the tabs on the battery cells face the same direction.

[0010] The initial positioning mechanism includes a pair of centering pressure heads arranged opposite each other on both sides of the tray. The centering pressure heads are driven by a centering cylinder to extend and retract in a fixed amount. When the centering pressure heads extend, they clamp the battery cells from both ends, so that the battery cells are centered in the tray. The initial positioning mechanism performs front-to-back centering positioning on the battery cells that are placed flat in the tray.

[0011] The secondary positioning mechanism includes a synchronous lifting assembly disposed below the tray, a drive wheel disposed above the tray, and a pair of sensors disposed on the alignment tabs.

[0012] The synchronous lifting assembly includes a U-shaped support plate. A pair of positioning wheels are spaced apart on the inner side of the U-shaped support plate. When the lifting cylinder drives the U-shaped support plate to rise synchronously, the pair of positioning wheels lift the battery cells that are placed flat on the tray from both ends, so that the battery cells are detached from the tray. The drive wheel is driven by a rotary motor. When the drive wheel rotates, it drives the battery cells on the positioning wheels to rotate circumferentially. A pair of sensors successively acquire the angle information of the tabs on the battery cells rotating circumferentially, and control the rotary motor to control the battery cells to rotate to a suitable angle for coating, so that the tabs are in a corrected posture.

[0013] The shaping mechanism is located above the electrode tab and includes a shaping gripper driven by a shaping cylinder. The shaping cylinder drives the shaping gripper to descend and clamp the electrode tab in the correction posture, thereby flattening and shaping an electrode tab that was accidentally deformed during transmission, ensuring that no air bubbles are generated when the electrode tab is subsequently coated with glue, ensuring the consistency of the coating, and reducing defective products.

[0014] The adhesive dispensing mechanism includes a film roll disposed on one side of the tray, several guide rollers, adhesive dispensing jaws, adhesive pulling jaws, and adhesive cutting blades. One end of the adhesive tape on the film roll is guided by several guide rollers and pulled onto the adhesive dispensing jaws disposed next to the battery cell. The adhesive dispensing jaws clamp the adhesive tape and expose one end of the tape. The adhesive pulling jaws are driven by an adhesive pulling cylinder to make a quantitative up-and-down reciprocating motion. When the adhesive pulling jaws move downward, they clamp the end of the adhesive tape on the adhesive dispensing jaws. When the adhesive pulling jaws move upward, they quantitatively pull up the adhesive tape. The adhesive cutting blade cuts a fixed length of adhesive tape from the pulled-up adhesive tape for coating the electrodes.

[0015] The adhesive applicator includes a dual suction cup folding assembly and an adhesive tape pressure head. The dual suction cup folding assembly includes a stationary suction cup and a flip suction cup arranged side by side and capable of independent operation. The flip suction cup is connected to a gear shaft, the gear meshes with a rack, and the rack is driven by a suction cup cylinder. The suction cup cylinder drives the rack, which in turn drives the gear and the flip suction cup, so that the flip suction cup can be flipped and folded relative to the stationary suction cup.

[0016] The first displacement slide is driven by the first displacement cylinder to realize the front-to-back displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly;

[0017] The second displacement slide is driven by the second displacement cylinder to achieve left-right displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly.

[0018] Preferably, the trays are stepped at equal intervals in sequence, so that the battery cells on the trays enter the coating station in sequence.

[0019] Preferably, a rubber ring is provided on the circumferential wall of the drive wheel.

[0020] Preferably, the glue-dispensing process of the glue-applying mechanism and the glue-applying process of the glue-applying mechanism are performed simultaneously and do not interfere with each other.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] 1) The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment of this case can adjust the distance C1 of the tape to the root of the tab bend by adjusting the position of the centering pressure head in the initial positioning mechanism, and adjust the distance C2 of the tape extending beyond the tab by adjusting the upper limit position of the tape pulling claw and the height of the tape cutting blade in the tape feeding mechanism, and adjust the tape width C3 by changing different types of tape rolls and corresponding tape guide rollers, so as to ensure that the important production parameters are accurate and adjustable, and the qualified rate of the coated products is high.

[0023] 2) The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment of this case is equipped with a shaping mechanism. The shaping gripper clamps flatten and shape a tab that is accidentally deformed during the transmission process, so as to ensure that no air bubbles are generated during the subsequent coating of the tab, ensure the coating consistency, and reduce defective products.

[0024] 3) The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment of this case uses a primary positioning mechanism and a secondary positioning mechanism to make three-dimensional adjustments to the posture of the battery cell in front, back, left, right, up and down directions, so as to ensure that the battery cell tab is accurately positioned before coating, thereby further ensuring the quality of electrode coating.

[0025] 4) In the cylindrical battery tab coating equipment of this case, the glue-dispensing mechanism and the glue-applying mechanism are carried out simultaneously and do not interfere with each other. The glue-dispensing mechanism and the glue-applying mechanism operate in a dual-thread manner, with a compact operating rhythm, which effectively improves the coating efficiency.

[0026] 5) The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment of this case has all linkage functions centrally controlled by the equipment PLC, and the relevant data is uploaded to the MES. It has a high degree of automation and precise action control.

[0027] To provide a clearer understanding of the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 , Figure 2This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the battery cell tabs and the encapsulation in the background art of this invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the coating station in this invention;

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of position A in the middle;

[0031] Figure 5 , Figure 6 for Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of the structure from different perspectives at position A in the middle;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the adhesive application mechanism of the present invention.

[0033] Attached image labels:

[0034] 10-Centering pressure head; 20-Drive wheel, 21-Positioning wheel, 22-Sensor; 30-Shaping gripper; 40-Film roll, 41-Guide wheel, 42-Tape, 43-Glue-dispensing gripper, 44-Glue-pulling gripper, 45-Glue-cutting tool; 51-Stationary suction cup, 52-Flipping suction cup, 53-Rack, 54-First displacement slide, 55-Second displacement slide, 56-Tape pressure head; 100-Battery cell in the background art, 101-Electrical tab in the background art, 102-Tape in the background art; C1-Distance of tape to the root of the electrode bend, C2-Distance of tape beyond the electrode, C3-Wide tape. Detailed Implementation

[0035] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0036] Furthermore, if terms such as "first" or "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, they are mainly used to distinguish different devices, components or parts (the specific types and structures may be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, components or parts, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] Furthermore, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "sleeved / connected," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" 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 an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] Please also refer to Figure 3-7 The present invention provides a cylindrical battery tab coating equipment, including an equidistant transfer conveyor line and a coating station. The coating station includes a frame and a primary positioning mechanism, a secondary positioning mechanism, a shaping mechanism, a glue dispensing mechanism and a glue application mechanism disposed on the frame.

[0039] The equidistant transfer conveyor line includes several trays (not shown) arranged at equal intervals. The battery cells 100 to be coated are placed horizontally on the trays, and the tabs 101 face the same direction. The trays are stepped forward at equal intervals in sequence, so that the battery cells 100 on the trays enter the coating station in sequence.

[0040] The initial positioning mechanism includes a pair of centering pressure heads 10 arranged opposite each other on both sides of the tray. The centering pressure heads 10 are driven by a centering cylinder to extend and retract in a fixed amount. When the centering pressure heads 10 extend, they clamp the battery cell 100 from both ends, so that the battery cell 100 is centered in the tray. The initial positioning mechanism performs front-to-back centering positioning on the battery cell 100 that is placed flat in the tray.

[0041] The secondary positioning mechanism includes a synchronous lifting assembly disposed below the tray, a drive wheel 20 disposed above the tray, and a pair of sensors 22 disposed on the alignment tab 101.

[0042] The synchronous lifting assembly includes a U-shaped support plate (not shown in the figure). A pair of positioning wheels 21 are spaced apart on the inner side of the U-shaped support plate. When the lifting cylinder drives the U-shaped support plate to rise synchronously, the pair of positioning wheels 21 lift the battery cells 100 that are placed flat on the tray from both ends, so that the battery cells 100 are removed from the tray and the circumferential wall of the lifted battery cells 100 contacts the rubber ring set on the circumferential wall of the drive wheel 20. The drive wheel 20 is driven by a rotary motor. When the drive wheel 20 rotates, it drives the battery cells 100 on the positioning wheels 21 to rotate circumferentially. Taking advantage of the eccentric setting of the tabs 101, a pair of sensors 22 successively obtain the angle information of the circumferential rotation of the tabs 101 on the battery cells 100, and control the rotary motor to control the battery cells 100 to rotate to a suitable angle for coating, so that the tabs 101 are in a corrected posture. The secondary positioning mechanism positions the disordered battery cells 100 on the positioning wheels 21 in the vertical and circumferential directions, so that the tabs 101 are in a corrected posture, which is convenient for the next coating work.

[0043] A shaping mechanism is located above the tab 101. The shaping mechanism includes a shaping gripper 30 driven by a shaping cylinder. The shaping cylinder drives the shaping gripper 30 to descend and clamp the tab 101 in the correction posture, thereby flattening and shaping a tab 101 that was accidentally deformed during transmission, ensuring that no air bubbles are generated when the tab is coated with glue, ensuring the consistency of the coating, and reducing defective products.

[0044] The adhesive dispensing mechanism includes a film roll 40 disposed on one side of the tray, several guide rollers 41, adhesive dispensing jaws 43, adhesive pulling jaws 44, and adhesive cutting blade 45. One end of the adhesive tape 42 on the film roll 40 is guided by the several guide rollers 41 and pulled onto the adhesive dispensing jaws 43 disposed next to the battery cell 100. The adhesive dispensing jaws 43 clamp the adhesive tape 42 and expose one end of the adhesive tape 42. The adhesive pulling jaws 44 are driven by the adhesive pulling cylinder to make a quantitative up-and-down reciprocating motion. When the adhesive pulling jaws 44 move downward, they clamp the end of the adhesive tape 42 on the adhesive dispensing jaws 43. When the adhesive pulling jaws 44 move upward, they quantitatively pull up the adhesive tape 42. The adhesive cutting blade 45 cuts a fixed length of adhesive tape from the pulled-up adhesive tape 42 for coating the electrode, ensuring that the length of the coated adhesive tape 42 is consistent.

[0045] The adhesive applicator includes a double suction cup adhesive applicator assembly, a first displacement slide 54, a second displacement slide 55, and an adhesive tape pressure head 56.

[0046] Before the tape 42 is cut by the cutting blade 45, the dual-suction cup folding assembly uses a vacuum method to adhere to the unadhesive back side of the tape of a fixed length. Then, the cutting blade 45 cuts a fixed length of tape from the tape 42, and the fixed length of tape is then adhered to the dual-suction cup folding assembly. The dual-suction cup folding assembly includes a stationary suction cup 51 and a flip suction cup 52 arranged side by side and capable of independent operation. The flip suction cup 52 is connected to a gear shaft, and the gear meshes with a rack 53. The rack 53 is driven by a suction cup cylinder. The suction cup cylinder drives the rack 53, which in turn drives the gear and the flip suction cup 52, so that the flip suction cup 52 can be flipped and folded relative to the stationary suction cup 51.

[0047] The first displacement slide 54 is driven by the first displacement cylinder to realize the front-to-back displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly.

[0048] The second displacement slide 55 is driven by the second displacement cylinder to achieve left and right displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly.

[0049] After two repositionings, the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly is moved to the side closer to the tab 101. The tape pressure head 56 extends and presses the lower half of the fixed-length tape tightly onto one side of the tab 101.

[0050] Subsequently, the suction cup cylinder drives the rack 53, which in turn drives the gear, which in turn drives the flip suction cup 52. The flip suction cup 52 causes the upper half of the fixed-length tape to flip and fold in half. Then, the tape pressure head 56 presses the upper half of the fixed-length tape tightly and sticks it to the other side of the electrode tab 101, thus completing the coating process of the electrode tab 101. Furthermore, the length of the cut fixed-length tape is sufficient to allow both ends of the coated fixed-length tape to extend beyond the electrode tab by a certain distance, namely, a distance C2 beyond the electrode tab, so that the two ends of the fixed-length tape also adhere to each other, ensuring the reliability of the electrode coating.

[0051] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the glue dispensing process of the glue dispensing mechanism and the glue application process of the glue application mechanism are carried out simultaneously and do not interfere with each other. Specifically, after the previous glue dispensing is completed, the fixed-length tape is attracted by the double suction cup glue folding component and is ready to be glued to the electrode tab, while the next glue dispensing action also starts simultaneously. Thus, the glue dispensing mechanism and the glue application mechanism operate in a dual-thread manner at the same time, with a compact operating rhythm, which effectively improves the glue application efficiency.

[0052] It should also be noted that during the process of using this coating equipment to coat the battery cell tabs,

[0053] A. One of the important parameters in production is the distance C1 between the tape and the root of the tab bend. This parameter can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the centering pressure head 10 in the initial positioning mechanism.

[0054] B. The second important parameter in production is the distance C2 of the tape extending beyond the tab. This parameter can be adjusted by adjusting the upper limit position of the tape-pulling jaw 44 and the height of the tape-cutting blade 45 in the tape-dispensing mechanism.

[0055] C. The third important parameter in production is the tape width C3. This parameter can be adjusted by changing different types of film rolls 40 and corresponding tapes 42 and guide rollers 41.

[0056] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cylindrical battery tab coating equipment, comprising an equidistant transfer conveyor line and a coating station, the coating station comprising a frame and a primary positioning mechanism, a secondary positioning mechanism, a glue dispensing mechanism, and a glue application mechanism mounted on the frame, characterized in that: The equidistant transfer conveyor line includes several slots arranged at equal intervals, on which the battery cells (100) to be coated are placed horizontally, and the tabs (101) on the battery cells (100) face the same direction. The initial positioning mechanism includes a pair of centering pressure heads (10) arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the tray. The centering pressure heads (10) are driven by a centering cylinder to extend and retract in a fixed amount. When the centering pressure heads (10) extend, they clamp the battery cell (100) from both ends, so that the battery cell (100) is centered in the tray. The secondary positioning mechanism includes a synchronous lifting assembly disposed below the tray, a drive wheel (20) disposed above the tray, and a pair of sensors (22) disposed on the alignment tab (101). The synchronous lifting assembly includes a U-shaped support plate. A pair of positioning wheels (21) are spaced apart on the inner side of the U-shaped support plate. When the lifting cylinder drives the U-shaped support plate to rise synchronously, the pair of positioning wheels (21) lift the battery cell (100) placed flat on the tray from both ends, so that the battery cell (100) is removed from the tray. The drive wheel (20) is driven by a rotary motor. When the drive wheel (20) rotates, it drives the battery cell (100) on the positioning wheel (21) to rotate circumferentially. A pair of sensors (22) successively acquire the angle information of the tab (101) on the battery cell (100) rotating in the circumferential direction, and control the rotary motor to control the battery cell (100) to rotate to a suitable angle for coating, so that the tab (101) is in a corrected posture. The adhesive dispensing mechanism includes a film roll (40) disposed on one side of the tray, several guide rollers (41), adhesive dispensing grippers (43), adhesive pulling grippers (44), and adhesive cutting blade (45); one end of the adhesive tape (42) on the film roll (40) is guided by several guide rollers (41) and pulled to the adhesive dispensing grippers (43) disposed next to the battery cell (100). The adhesive dispensing grippers (43) clamp the adhesive tape (42) and expose one end of the adhesive tape (42); the adhesive pulling grippers (44) are driven by the adhesive pulling cylinder to make a quantitative up-and-down reciprocating motion. When the adhesive pulling grippers (44) go down, they clamp the end of the adhesive tape (42) on the adhesive dispensing grippers (43). When the adhesive pulling grippers (44) go up, they quantitatively pull up the adhesive tape (42); the adhesive cutting blade (45) cuts a fixed length of adhesive tape for coating the electrode from the pulled-up adhesive tape (42); The adhesive applicator includes a double suction cup folding assembly, a first displacement slide (54), a second displacement slide (55), and an adhesive tape pressure head (56). The double suction cup folding assembly includes a stationary suction cup (51) and a flip suction cup (52) arranged side by side and capable of independent operation. The flip suction cup (52) is connected to a gear shaft, and the gear meshes with a rack (53). The rack (53) is driven by a suction cup cylinder. The suction cup cylinder drives the rack (53), which in turn drives the gear and the flip suction cup (52), so that the flip suction cup (52) can be flipped and folded relative to the stationary suction cup (51). The first displacement slide (54) is driven by the first displacement cylinder to realize the displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly in the front and back directions; The second displacement slide (55) is driven by the second displacement cylinder to realize the displacement of the fixed-length tape adsorbed on the double suction cup adhesive assembly in the left and right directions.

2. The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a shaping mechanism, which is located above the tab (101). The shaping mechanism includes a shaping gripper (30) driven by a shaping cylinder. The shaping cylinder drives the shaping gripper (30) to descend and clamp the tab (101) in the correction posture.

3. The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trays are stepped at equal intervals in sequence, so that the battery cells (100) on the trays enter the coating station in sequence.

4. The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rubber ring is provided on the circumferential wall of the drive wheel (20).

5. The cylindrical battery tab coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glue-dispensing process of the glue-applying mechanism and the glue-applying process of the glue-applying mechanism are carried out simultaneously and do not interfere with each other.

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