Battery cell pressing and shaping device

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery cell pressing and shaping device and method. The battery cell pressing and shaping device comprises a frame body, a plurality of pressing plates and an inflatable extrusion part mounted on the frame body, the plurality of pressing plates are sequentially arranged at intervals and are mounted on the frame body in a sliding manner, and a shaping area for placing a battery cell is formed between any two adjacent pressing plates; the inflation extrusion piece has an inflation expansion state and an exhaust contraction state, and when the inflation extrusion piece is in the inflation expansion state, the inflation extrusion piece applies pressure to the multiple pressing plates so as to press the battery cell. According to the invention, the plurality of pressing plates and the inflatable extrusion part are arranged on the frame body, the plurality of shaping areas for placing the battery cells are formed among the plurality of pressing plates, and the inflatable extrusion part is inflated to be in an expansion state, so that the plurality of pressing plates are extruded to move to extrude the battery cells, and the inflatable extrusion part is kept in the expansion state; the self-locking of the battery cell compressing and shaping device can be realized, the pressure is maintained, and the shaping of the battery cell in the circulation process can be realized by circulating the battery cell compressing and shaping device disclosed by the invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of battery manufacturing, and in particular to a battery core pressing and shaping device. Background Art

[0002] In the process of preparing battery cells, gaps exist in wound or stacked battery cells, making the battery cells fluffy and causing battery cell losses during subsequent shelling. Therefore, after winding or stacking to form the battery cells, the battery cells need to be compacted and shaped.

[0003] The existing shaping technology places the battery cell into a shaping device with set pressure and temperature, and then the upper and lower templates shape the battery cell under a certain pressure and temperature, improving the flatness and consistency of the battery cell, making the battery cell thickness meet the process requirements and have a high consistency, which is beneficial to improving the yield rate of battery cell into the shell. However, the existing battery cell shaping has the problems of short hot pressing time, temperature difference between the upper and lower templates, and a certain amount of rebound of the battery cell, which will increase the internal resistance of the battery cell during use and reduce the service life of the battery cell. At the same time, the structure is complex and must be shaped on a fixed machine, which cannot be achieved during the circulation process. In addition, the existing shaping mechanism uses a lot of metal materials, which are prone to sliding friction and produce metal particles, making it difficult to meet the protection requirements of copper and zinc ban. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, in order to solve the above problems, it is necessary for the present invention to provide a battery cell pressing and shaping device.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: The present invention first provides a battery core pressing and shaping device, which comprises: Frame; A plurality of pressing plates, which are sequentially spaced apart and slidably mounted on the frame, and a shaping area for placing a battery cell is formed between any two adjacent pressing plates; and The inflatable extrusion piece is installed on the frame and has an inflated expansion state and an exhausted contraction state. When it is in the inflated expansion state, it applies pressure to the multiple pressure plates to compress the battery core.

[0006] The present invention arranges multiple pressing plates and inflatable extrusion parts on a frame, and multiple shaping areas for placing battery cells are formed between the multiple pressing plates. The inflatable extrusion parts are inflated to make them in an expanded state, thereby squeezing the multiple pressing plates to move to squeeze the battery cells, and keeping the inflatable extrusion parts in an expanded state. The self-locking of the battery cell pressing and shaping device can be achieved, and the pressure can be maintained. By circulating the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, the shaping of the battery cells during the circulation process can be achieved. At the same time, due to the offline pressure-maintaining function of the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, after the battery cells to be shaped are loaded onto the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, the battery cell pressing and shaping device is transferred to an oven, and the battery cells can be baked and shaped at the same time. Compared with the existing shaping mechanism, the structure is simple, the manufacturing difficulty is low, and it is labor-saving and fast, which is conducive to improving production efficiency.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above scheme of the present invention, the inflatable extrusion member includes an airbag cylinder, and a pilot one-way valve is installed on the airbag cylinder. The airbag cylinder can be inflated through the pilot one-way valve. After the inflation is completed, the pilot one-way valve can lock the gas in the airbag cylinder, so that the battery cell pressing and shaping device has an offline pressure-maintaining function, so that the battery cell can still be shaped when the battery cell is circulated through the battery cell pressing and shaping device. At the same time, an adjusting nut is provided on the pilot one-way valve, and the adjusting nut can adjust the shaping pressure to adapt to different battery cells and provide different shaping pressures.

[0008] As a further improvement of the above solution of the present invention, a plurality of springs are arranged between another outer pressure plate and the frame, and the two ends of the springs are respectively connected to the frame and the pressure plate. The springs mainly provide buffering and protection to prevent the whole or part of the battery cell from being damaged due to excessive load or local load concentration.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above-mentioned scheme of the present invention, the frame includes a top plate, a base plate and four guide rods, the top plate and the base plate are arranged relatively to each other, the four guide rods are distributed in a rectangular shape, one end of the four guide rods are connected to the top plate and the other ends of the four guide rods are connected to the base plate; a plurality of pressure plates are arranged at intervals between the top plate and the base plate, and each guide rod slides through the plurality of pressure plates.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above scheme of the present invention, two linear bearings are slidably connected to the two guide rods at diagonal positions, and the two linear bearings on each guide rod are respectively fixedly connected to the two outermost pressure plates; the other two guide rods at diagonal positions are slidably sleeved with multiple guide sleeves, and the multiple guide sleeves on each guide rod respectively penetrate multiple pressure plates and are respectively fixedly connected to multiple pressure plates. On the one hand, the guide sleeves are conducive to improving the quality of sliding and avoiding uneven pressure on the battery cells caused by local jamming; on the other hand, a gap is left between the pressure plates, which gives the machine gripper a certain lifting operation space, and the machine gripper can be inserted into the gap to lift the pressure plate to take the battery cell.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above scheme of the present invention, the battery cell pressing and shaping device also includes a hanging plate, which is arranged above the frame and connected to the frame through a plurality of mounting sleeves, and a plurality of hanging slots are opened on the hanging plate.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above solution of the present invention, a plurality of positioning sleeves distributed in a predetermined shape are installed at the bottom of the frame, and positioning grooves are provided on the positioning sleeves. By providing the positioning sleeves, the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention can be fixed in a special tray or mechanism to realize batch circulation.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above solution of the present invention, a Teflon coating is formed on the opposite side of any two adjacent pressing plates. The thermal conductivity, insulation and flatness characteristics of the Teflon coating can effectively prevent the metal surface from adhering to the structural cell diaphragm during the cell shaping or vacuum baking process, thereby damaging the diaphragm.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above solution of the present invention, a pressure sensor is arranged on at least one pressing plate.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for compacting and shaping a battery cell, which uses the battery cell compacting and shaping device as described above, and comprises the following steps: S1. Placing the battery cells to be shaped in each of the shaping areas; S2. The inflatable extrusion member is in an inflated state and squeezes multiple pressure plates so that each battery cell is in a compressed state; S3. The cell compression shaping device is transported to an oven for baking, or the cell compression shaping device is transported to a predetermined position for shaping; S4. After baking or shaping, the inflatable extrusion is in a deflated and contracted state, and the battery cell between the pressing plates is taken out.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The present invention arranges multiple pressing plates and inflatable extrusion parts on a frame, and multiple shaping areas for placing battery cells are formed between the multiple pressing plates. The inflatable extrusion parts are inflated to be in an inflated and expanded state, thereby squeezing the multiple pressing plates to move to squeeze the battery cells, and keeping the inflatable extrusion parts in an inflated and expanded state. The self-locking of the battery cell pressing and shaping device can be achieved, and the pressure can be maintained. By circulating the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, the shaping of the battery cells during the circulation process can be achieved. At the same time, due to the offline pressure-maintaining function of the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, after the battery cells to be shaped are loaded onto the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present invention, the battery cell pressing and shaping device is transferred to an oven, and the battery cells can be baked and shaped at the same time. Compared with the existing shaping mechanism, the structure is simple, the manufacturing difficulty is low, and it is labor-saving and fast, which is conducive to improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a battery cell pressing and shaping device proposed in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Another perspective of the picture; Figure 3 for Figure 1 Yet another perspective view.

[0018] Figure numerals: 1. pressure plate; 2. battery cell; 3. airbag cylinder; 4. pilot-operated one-way valve; 5. spring; 6. top plate; 7. base plate; 8. guide rod; 9. linear bearing; 10. guide sleeve; 11. lifting plate; 12. mounting sleeve; 13. positioning sleeve; 14. adjusting nut; 15. positioning groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] For ease of understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present invention more thoroughly understood.

[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0021] Reference Figure 1-Figure 3 This embodiment provides a battery cell pressing and shaping device, which includes a frame, a plurality of pressing plates 1 and an inflatable extrusion member, and may also include a hanging plate 11.

[0022] The frame includes a top plate 6, a base plate 7 and four guide rods 8. The top plate 6 and the base plate 7 are arranged relative to each other up and down, and the four guide rods 8 are distributed in a rectangular shape. The top ends of the four guide rods 8 are respectively connected to the four corner positions of the top plate 6, and the bottom ends of the four guide rods 8 are respectively connected to the four corner positions of the base plate 7.

[0023] Multiple pressing plates 1 are arranged in sequence between the top plate 6 and the base plate 7, and a shaping area for placing the battery cell 2 is formed between any two adjacent pressing plates 1. The four corner positions of the pressing plate 1 are respectively penetrated by four guide rods 8, so that the distance between any two adjacent pressing plates 1 can be adjusted. Two linear bearings 9 are slidably connected to the two guide rods 8 at the diagonal positions, and the two linear bearings 9 on each guide rod 8 are respectively fixedly connected to the pressing plate 1 at the top and the pressing plate 1 at the bottom. The other two guide rods 8 at the diagonal positions are slidably sleeved with multiple guide sleeves 10, and the multiple guide sleeves 10 on each guide rod 8 are respectively fixedly connected to multiple pressing plates 1. The above connection structure setting of the guide rod 8 and the pressing plate 1 is conducive to improving the sliding quality and avoiding uneven pressure on the battery cell 2 caused by local jamming; on the other hand, a gap is left between any two adjacent pressing plates 1, which can provide a certain lifting operation space for the machine gripper, and the machine gripper can be inserted into the gap to lift each pressing plate 1, so as to facilitate the removal of the battery cell 2.

[0024] In this embodiment, a plurality of springs 5 ​​are connected to the bottom of the bottommost pressing plate 1, and the other ends of the springs 5 ​​are connected to the base plate 7. The springs 5 ​​mainly provide buffering and protection to prevent the core 15 from being damaged as a whole or in part due to excessive load or local load concentration. A pressure sensor is provided on at least one pressing plate 1, and the pressure on the battery cell 2 can be obtained in real time through the pressure sensor. Teflon coating is provided on the opposite side of any two adjacent pressing plates 1. The thermal conductivity, insulation and flattening properties of the Teflon coating can effectively prevent the metal surface from adhering to the diaphragm of the structural battery cell 2 during the core shaping or vacuum baking process, thereby damaging the diaphragm.

[0025] The inflatable extrusion member is installed on the frame, and has an inflated expansion state and an exhausted contraction state. When it is in the inflated expansion state, it applies pressure to the multiple pressure plates 1 to compress the battery cells 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the inflatable extrusion member includes an airbag cylinder 3, which is installed at the bottom of the top plate 6. A pilot one-way valve 4 is provided on the airbag cylinder 3, and an adjusting nut 14 is provided on the pilot one-way valve 4. The airbag cylinder 3 can be inflated by an external air source through the pilot one-way valve 4. After the inflation is completed, the gas in the airbag cylinder 3 can be locked through the pilot one-way valve 4 to achieve offline pressure maintenance, so that the battery cells 2 are compressed normally. The device still retains the shaping pressure during the circulation process. At the same time, by adjusting the adjusting nut 14, the shaping pressure can be adjusted to adapt to different battery cells 2. After the shaping is completed, the valve of the airbag cylinder 3 is opened, the gas in the airbag cylinder 3 is discharged, and the airbag cylinder 3 is in an exhaust and contracted state. A space is left between the airbag cylinder 3 and the uppermost pressing plate 1. At this time, each pressing plate 1 can be lifted to remove the discharge core 2.

[0026] In order to facilitate the transportation of the battery cell compression shaping device of this embodiment, the lifting plate 11 is installed on the top of the top plate 6 through four mounting sleeves 12, so that a gap is left between the lifting plate 116 and the top plate 61, and the gap provides a certain lifting operation space for the machine clamping claw, and the machine clamping claw can be inserted into the gap. The lifting plate 11 is surrounded by a lifting groove, which is convenient for the machine clamping claw to extend into and lift the battery cell compression shaping device of this embodiment for circulation. The lifting plate 11 is provided with an avoidance hole for avoiding the pilot-operated one-way valve 4.

[0027] In this embodiment, four positioning sleeves 13 are fixed at the bottom of the base plate 7, which facilitates the fixing of the battery cell pressing and shaping device of this embodiment on a special tray or mechanism to achieve batch circulation. Furthermore, a conical positioning groove 15 is provided at the lower end of each positioning sleeve 13, and the positioning groove 15 can cooperate with a mechanical positioning pin to achieve the positioning of the battery cell pressing and shaping device of this embodiment, thereby facilitating the realization of automated production.

[0028] The various components of the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present embodiment can be made of high temperature resistant materials, so that the battery cell pressing and shaping device of the present embodiment can be used in conjunction with a matching oven to bake and remove moisture from the battery cells and perform thermal shaping at the same time, thereby realizing the integration of baking, dehydration and shaping.

[0029] The cell pressing and shaping device of this embodiment comprises the following steps when pressing and shaping the cell 2: S1. The battery cell 2 to be shaped (such as a winding core) is transported to the shaping loading station through the reflow line equipment, and the battery cell 2 to be shaped is transported to the designated position by the lifting mechanism, and the pressing plate 1 is lifted in sequence by the machine clamp, and the battery cell 2 is clamped and loaded into the shaping area in sequence; S2. Fill the airbag cylinder 3 with gas through an external air source, and the airbag cylinder 3 extends downward to squeeze the pressing plate 1, so that the pressing plate 1 moves downward, reducing the space of the battery cell 2, thereby squeezing the battery cell 2 to be shaped; the pressure sensor on the pressing plate 1 detects the pressure on the battery cell 2. At this time, through the setting of the airbag cylinder 3 and the spring 5, each battery cell 2 is subjected to a continuous and fixed load. When the pressure on the battery cell 2 reaches the set value, the external air source is disconnected, and the pilot-operated one-way valve 4 on the airbag cylinder 3 locks the gas inside it to complete the self-locking of the battery cell compression and shaping device; S3. After the pressing is completed, the battery cell pressing and shaping device with the battery cell to be shaped 2 is transported to an oven for baking by a robot, or the battery cell pressing and shaping device is transported to a designated location for shaping and transporting the battery cell 2; S4. After baking or shaping, the conveyor line transports the battery cell pressing and shaping device to the designated position, opens the valve of the airbag cylinder 3 to exhaust, contracts the airbag cylinder 3, and then uses the machine clamp to lift the pressing plate 1 in turn, and the machine clamp takes out the battery cell 2 in turn, and transports the unlocked battery cell pressing and shaping device to the shaping loading station through the reflux line to cyclically clamp the battery cell 2.

[0030] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "mounted on" another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may be a central component. When a component is considered to be "set on" another component, it may be directly set on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time. When a component is considered to be "fixed to" another component, it may be directly fixed on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "or / and" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0032] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0033] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A battery cell pressing and shaping device, characterized in that: It includes: Frame; A plurality of pressing plates (1), the plurality of pressing plates (1) are sequentially arranged at intervals and are all slidably mounted on the frame, and a shaping area for placing the battery core (2) is formed between any two adjacent pressing plates (1); and The inflatable extrusion piece is mounted on the frame and has an inflated expansion state and an exhausted contraction state. When it is in the inflated expansion state, it applies pressure to the plurality of pressure plates (1) to compress the battery core (2).

2. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inflatable extrusion component comprises an airbag cylinder (3), on which a pilot-operated one-way valve (4) is installed.

3. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of springs (5) are arranged between another outer pressure plate (1) and the frame body, and two ends of the springs (5) are respectively connected to the frame body and the pressure plate (1).

4. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame comprises a top plate (6), a base plate (7) and four guide rods (8); the top plate (6) and the base plate (7) are arranged relative to each other; the four guide rods (8) are distributed in a rectangular shape; one end of each of the four guide rods (8) is connected to the top plate (6) and the other end of each of the four guide rods (8) is connected to the base plate (7); a plurality of pressing plates (1) are arranged at intervals between the top plate (6) and the base plate (7), and each guide rod (8) slides through the plurality of pressing plates (1).

5. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Two guide rods (8) at diagonal positions are slidably connected to two linear bearings (9), and the two linear bearings (9) on each guide rod (8) are respectively fixedly connected to the two outermost pressure plates (1); the other two guide rods (8) at diagonal positions are slidably sleeved with a plurality of guide sleeves (10), and the plurality of guide sleeves (10) on each guide rod (8) respectively penetrate the plurality of pressure plates (1) and are respectively fixedly connected to the plurality of pressure plates (1).

6. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery core (2) pressing and shaping device also includes a hanging plate (11), which is arranged above the frame and connected to the frame via a plurality of mounting sleeves (12), and a plurality of hanging grooves are provided on the hanging plate (11).

7. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of positioning sleeves (13) distributed in a predetermined shape are installed at the bottom of the frame, and positioning grooves (15) are provided on the positioning sleeves (13).

8. The battery cell (2) pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opposite sides of any two adjacent pressing plates (1) are both formed with a Teflon coating.

9. The battery core pressing and shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one pressure plate (1) is provided with a pressure sensor.

10. A method for compacting and shaping a battery cell, characterized in that: The battery cell pressing and shaping device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is used, and comprises the following steps: S1. Placing the battery cells (2) to be shaped in each of the shaping areas; S2. The inflatable extrusion member is in an inflated state and the plurality of pressure plates (1) are squeezed so that each battery cell (2) is in a compressed state; S3. The battery cell (2) is pressed and the shaping device is transported to an oven for baking, or the battery cell (2) is pressed and the shaping device is transported to a predetermined position for shaping; S4. After baking or shaping is completed, the inflatable extrusion piece is placed in a deflated and contracted state, and the battery cell (2) between the pressing plates (1) is taken out.

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