A shell welding device and method for soft pack battery

Abstract

A shell welding device and method for soft-pack batteries relate to the technical field of soft-pack battery processing. The welding device includes a transmission mechanism arranged on a machine tool and used to transmit soft-pack batteries. A first welding mechanism, a flipping mechanism, and a second welding mechanism are sequentially arranged along the transmission direction of the soft-pack batteries. The first welding mechanism includes two oppositely arranged first lasers and two mechanical arms for driving the corresponding first lasers to move. The flipping mechanism includes two oppositely arranged and openable clamping jaws and a drive motor for driving the clamping jaws to rotate. A clamping area for clamping the soft-pack battery is formed between the two clamping jaws. The second welding mechanism includes two oppositely arranged second lasers and two mechanical arms for driving the corresponding second lasers. The present invention realizes the automation of soft-pack battery shell welding and improves the processing efficiency of the soft-pack batteries.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of soft-pack battery processing, and in particular to a shell welding device and method for soft-pack batteries. Background Art

[0002] With the continued development of new energy, soft-pack batteries have become a key focus of battery technology research and development and application, thanks to their significant advantages over traditional liquid batteries in terms of energy density and safety. Their electrolyte system lies somewhere between liquid and all-solid, retaining the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes while improving mechanical stability and thermal safety through the introduction of solid components. The manufacturing process for soft-pack batteries plays a decisive role in their performance and quality. Specifically, multiple sheet-shaped cells are assembled together, placed in a casing, and then welded to complete the soft-pack battery manufacturing process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a shell welding device and method for soft-pack batteries, so as to realize the automation of soft-pack battery shell welding and improve the processing efficiency of soft-pack batteries.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the specific scheme adopted by the present invention is: a shell welding device for soft-pack batteries, wherein the shell includes a bottom plate, a top plate and two side plates, the two oppositely arranged edges of the top plate are bent to form a bent portion, and the top plate, the two side plates and the two bent portions form a accommodating cavity that can accommodate multiple sheet-shaped battery cells, the welding equipment includes a transmission mechanism arranged on a machine tool and used to convey the soft-pack batteries, and a first welding mechanism, a flipping mechanism and a second welding mechanism are sequentially arranged along the conveying direction of the soft-pack batteries; the first welding mechanism includes two oppositely arranged first lasers and two robotic arms for driving the corresponding first lasers to move; the flipping mechanism includes two oppositely arranged and openable jaws and a drive motor for driving the jaws to rotate, and a clamping area for clamping the soft-pack batteries is formed between the two jaws; the second welding mechanism includes two oppositely arranged second lasers and two robotic arms for driving the corresponding second lasers.

[0005] As an optimization solution for the above-mentioned shell welding equipment for soft-pack batteries: the transmission mechanism includes a clamping unit for clamping the soft-pack batteries and two speed lines fixedly installed on the machine tool, the clamping unit includes a supporting plate located on the speed line, a fixed clamp fixedly set on the supporting plate and a movable clamp slidably set on the supporting plate, and a clamping space for clamping the soft-pack batteries is formed between the fixed clamp and the movable clamp.

[0006] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: a first mounting plate is fixedly connected to the supporting plate, and a number of connecting rods perpendicular to the first mounting plate are slidably arranged on the first mounting plate, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the movable splint, and a spring is provided between the movable splint and the mounting plate and is sleeved on the connecting rod, and the spring is used to push the movable splint toward the fixed splint.

[0007] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: the first laser and the robotic arm are fixedly connected through a first mounting base, a flange for connecting to the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the first mounting base, and the first laser machine is fixedly installed on the first mounting base.

[0008] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: the first welding mechanism also includes two oppositely arranged first welding components and a first driving cylinder, the first driving cylinder corresponds one-to-one to the first welding components, and is used to drive the corresponding first welding components to move back and forth along a direction perpendicular to the soft-pack battery conveying direction; the first welding component includes multiple first nozzles and a first slide cylinder for driving the first nozzle to reciprocate.

[0009] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: the first welding assembly also includes a first sliding seat slidably connected to the machine tool, the first slide cylinder is fixedly installed on the first sliding seat, and the first nozzle is fixed on the slide corresponding to the first slide cylinder.

[0010] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: a pressure plate that can contact the side plate is slidingly set on the machine tool, and a push plate is fixedly connected to the first sliding seat, which can push the pressure plate to contact the side plate during the sliding process of the first sliding seat.

[0011] As another optimization solution for the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: the flipping mechanism also includes a support frame fixedly connected to the machine tool, a slide is provided on the support frame, and the slide is driven by the first cylinder to slide up and down along the support frame, and the two ends of the slide are slidably connected to the second mounting plate, the second mounting plate can slide horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the soft-pack battery transmission direction, and the clamping claw is rotatably set on the corresponding second mounting plate.

[0012] As another optimization scheme of the above-mentioned soft-pack battery shell welding equipment: the second welding mechanism also includes two second welding assemblies for welding the connection between the bending portion and the bottom plate and two oppositely arranged third welding assemblies. The second welding assemblies are distributed along the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery and are driven to reciprocate by the second driving cylinder. The second welding assembly includes a second nozzle and a second slide cylinder for driving the second nozzle to reciprocate; the third welding assembly is driven to reciprocate horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the soft-pack battery by the third driving cylinder. The third welding assembly includes a third nozzle and a third slide cylinder for driving the third nozzle to reciprocate.

[0013] A method for welding a soft-pack battery shell is provided. The method is based on the above-mentioned welding equipment. A transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery to the first welding mechanism position, and two first lasers simultaneously weld the connections between the top plate and the side plates at both ends of the soft-pack battery; after welding is completed, the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery to the flipping mechanism position, and the clamping claws flip the soft-pack battery 180°; then, the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery to the second welding mechanism position, and the second laser simultaneously welds the connections between the top plate and the bottom plate, and the bottom plate and the side plates.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the present invention provides a shell welding device for soft-pack batteries, and the transmission mechanism sequentially transmits the soft-pack batteries to be welded to the first welding mechanism position, the flipping mechanism position and the second welding mechanism. At the first welding mechanism position, the first laser welds the connection between the top plate and the side plate on both sides of the soft-pack battery. The flipping mechanism flips the soft-pack battery 180° so that its bottom plate is located on top, and then the second laser is used to weld the connection between the top plate and the bottom plate and the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate. The soft-pack battery processing is automated, and the processing efficiency of the soft-pack battery is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the first welding mechanism and the transmission mechanism;

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of the middle clamping unit;

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first welding assembly;

[0019] Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a first welded assembly;

[0020] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of the flip mechanism;

[0021] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional view of the flip mechanism;

[0022] Figure 8 It is the main view of the flip mechanism;

[0023] Figure 9 It is a three-dimensional view of the flip mechanism from another perspective;

[0024] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A partial enlarged view of the

[0025] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of the second welding mechanism and the transmission mechanism;

[0026] Figure 12 is a structural schematic diagram of the second welding mechanism;

[0027] Figure numerals: 1, machine tool, 2, first fixed frame, 3, first driving cylinder, 4, first sliding seat, 5, first nozzle, 6, first mounting seat, 7, camera, 8, first slide cylinder, 9, pressure plate, 10, first laser, 11, slide rod, 12, flange, 13, push plate, 14, bearing plate, 15, speed line, 16, limiting hole, 17, connecting block, 18, fixed splint, 19, movable splint, 20, pad, 21, spring, 22, first mounting plate, 23, pull plate, 24, positioning cylinder, 25, base, 26, first swing wheel, 27, vertical plate, 28, support frame, 29. Slide plate, 30. First cylinder, 31. Second mounting plate, 32. Clamp, 33. Drive motor, 34. Fourth mounting plate, 35. Third cylinder, 36. Fourth cylinder, 37. Hook plate, 38. Second cylinder, 39. Limit plate, 40. Baffle, 41. Soft-pack battery, 42. Second nozzle, 43. Second slide cylinder, 44. Third connecting plate, 45. Second drive cylinder, 46. Second sliding seat, 47. Second fixed frame, 48. Third fixed frame, 49. Third drive cylinder, 50. Pressing plate, 51. Third slide cylinder, 52. Third nozzle, 53. Third sliding seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention is further elaborated in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. The parts not described and disclosed in detail in the following embodiments of the present invention should be understood as existing technologies known or should be known to those skilled in the art, such as how the camera 7 captures images of the soft-pack battery 41, how the control unit recognizes the images, and how the control unit confirms the initial position of welding.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] A shell welding device for a soft-pack battery comprises a bottom plate, a top plate, and two side plates. Both the bottom plate and the top plate are rectangular plate-shaped structures. The two oppositely disposed edges of the top plate are bent to form a bent portion. In this embodiment, the two long sides of the top plate are bent to form a bent portion. The top plate, the two side plates, and the two bent portions form a receiving cavity capable of accommodating multiple sheet-shaped battery cells. After the multiple sheet-shaped battery cells are bonded together, the tabs of the sheet-shaped battery cells are bent, welded, and tested, and then the soft-pack battery 41 is assembled. Specifically, the processed multiple sheet-shaped battery cells are bonded to the bottom plate, and the free end of the bent portion of the top plate is placed downward on the sheet-shaped battery. The two side plates are respectively fixed to the two ends of the sheet-shaped battery, completing the assembly of the soft-pack battery 41. Finally, the shell is welded so that the shell encloses all the sheet-shaped battery cells.

[0031] The welding equipment includes a transmission mechanism provided on the machine tool 1 and used to transmit the soft-pack battery 41. A first welding mechanism, a flipping mechanism, and a second welding mechanism are sequentially provided along the transmission direction of the soft-pack battery 41. Specifically, the transmission mechanism includes a clamping unit for clamping the soft-pack battery 41 and two speed lines 15 fixedly installed on the machine tool 1, and the two speed lines 15 are arranged in parallel; the clamping unit includes a carrier plate 14 located on the speed line 15, a fixed clamping plate 18 fixedly provided on the carrier plate 14, and a movable clamping plate 19 slidably provided on the carrier plate 14, and a clamping space for clamping the soft-pack battery 41 is formed between the fixed clamping plate 18 and the movable clamping plate 19. The carrier plate 14 is a square plate-like structure, and the four corners of the carrier plate 14 are provided with running wheels. The axis of the running wheel is vertically connected to the carrier plate 14. When the speed line 15 transmits the clamping unit, the running wheel rotates along the inner side wall of the mounting track of the speed line 15.

[0032] The fixed splint 18 is vertically fixedly connected to the supporting plate 14. Specifically, a fixed plate is fixedly connected to the supporting plate 14. The connection between the fixed plate and the supporting plate 14 is a bolt connection. Three reinforcing plates are fixedly connected to the fixed plate. The fixed splint 18 is fixedly connected to the reinforcing plate. The setting of the reinforcing plate can improve the stability of the fixed splint 18. The movable splint 19 and the supporting plate 14 are arranged in such a manner that a first mounting plate 22 is vertically fixedly connected to the supporting plate 14. In this embodiment, the number of the first mounting plates 22 is two, and the first mounting plates 22 are both located on the side of the movable splint 19 away from the clamping space; a number of connecting rods perpendicular to the first mounting plate 22 are slidably arranged on the first mounting plate 22. In this embodiment, a connecting rod is slidably arranged on each first mounting plate 22, and one end of the connecting rod is located on the side of the first mounting plate 22 close to the movable splint 19 and is fixedly connected to the movable splint 19; the other end of the connecting rod is located on the side of the first mounting plate 22 away from the movable splint 19, and the two connecting rods are located at the ends of the first mounting plate 22 away from the movable splint 19 and are connected by a pull plate 23. The arrangement of the pull plate 23 facilitates pulling the connecting rods at the same time, while limiting the limit displacement of the movable splint 19. A spring 21 sleeved on the connecting rod is provided between the movable splint 19 and the first mounting plate 22. The spring 21 is used to push the movable splint 19 toward the fixed splint 18. One end of the spring 21 is in conflict with the movable splint 19, and the other end of the spring 21 is in conflict with the first mounting plate 22.

[0033] In this embodiment, two groups of guide rods are provided on the movable splint 19, one group of guide rods corresponds to a first mounting plate 22, and each group of guide rods has two guide rods. Taking one group of guide rods as an example, the two guide rods are located on both sides of the connecting rod, and one end of the guide rod is fixedly connected to the movable splint 19, and a guide hole for the corresponding guide rod to slide is opened on the first mounting plate 22.

[0034] In this embodiment, protective pads are fixedly connected to the side of the movable clamping plate 19 and the fixed clamping plate 18 near the clamping space. The protective pads are made of elastic rubber and protect the outer shell surface. A pad 20 is fixedly connected to the support plate 14 between the movable clamping plate 19 and the fixed clamping plate 18. The pad 20 is connected to the support plate 14 by bolts. The pad 20 not only supports the bottom plate but also creates a clearance between the bottom plate and the support plate 14 for the clamping jaws 32 to extend into during subsequent steps, ensuring that the clamping jaws 32 can smoothly grasp the soft-pack battery 41 in the subsequent steps.

[0035] The first welding mechanism is used to weld the connection between the side plate and the top plate and the connection between the side plate and the bending part, that is, to weld the three short sides, such as Figure 1As shown, the first welding mechanism includes two first lasers 10 arranged opposite to each other and two robotic arms for driving the corresponding first lasers 10 to move. The two robotic arms are located on both sides of the machine tool 1, and one robotic arm is connected to one first laser 10. It should be noted that the robotic arms are existing commercially available products, not shown in the figure, and the models of the robotic arms are FANUC M-20iD, FANUC M-10iD / 12, etc. Figure 1 Only one first laser 10 is shown. In this embodiment, the first laser 10 and the robotic arm are fixedly connected via a first mounting base 6. A flange 12 for connecting to the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the first mounting base 6. The first laser machine is fixedly mounted on the first mounting base 6. In this embodiment, a camera 7 for photographing the soft-pack battery 41 is fixedly provided on the first mounting base 6. When the soft-pack battery 41 moves to the workstation of the first welding mechanism, the camera 7 captures an image of the soft-pack battery 41 and determines the initial welding position and the stroke of the first laser 10 through image recognition.

[0036] The first welding mechanism also includes two oppositely arranged first welding assemblies and a first driving cylinder 3. The first driving cylinder 3 corresponds to the first welding assembly one by one and is used to drive the corresponding first welding assembly to move back and forth perpendicular to the transmission direction of the soft-pack battery 41; that is, the number of first welding assemblies and first driving cylinder 3 is two, and the two first welding assemblies are respectively located on both sides of the transmission mechanism, each first welding assembly corresponds to one end of the soft-pack battery 41, that is, the two ends of the soft-pack battery 41 are welded at the same time.

[0037] The first welding assembly includes a plurality of first nozzles 5 and a first slide cylinder 8 for driving the first nozzles 5 to reciprocate. The first welding assembly also includes a first slide base 4 slidably connected to the machine tool 1. The first slide cylinders 8 are fixedly mounted on the first slide base 4. The first nozzles 5 are fixed on the slides corresponding to the first slide cylinders 8. Specifically, Figure 1As shown, taking the first welding assembly on the right side as an example, a first fixed frame 2 is fixedly connected to the machine tool 1, a first support plate is fixedly connected to the top of the first fixed frame 2, a first driving cylinder 3 is fixed to the first support plate by bolts, two parallel first slide rails are fixedly connected to the first support plate, and two first sliders that can slide along the first slide rails are fixedly connected to the first slide seat 4. The first sliders correspond one-to-one with the first slide rails. A space is formed between the first slide seat 4 and the first support plate to accommodate the first driving cylinder 3. The piston end of the first driving cylinder 3 is fixedly connected to the first slide seat 4. Specifically, a connecting block 17 is fixedly connected below the first slide seat 4, and the connecting block 17 is fixedly connected to the piston end of the first driving cylinder 3. In this embodiment, there are three first nozzles 5, corresponding to the three short sides of the right side of the soft-pack battery 41. One of the first nozzles 5 located at the top can move up and down to weld the connection between the top plate and the side plate; the other two can reciprocate along the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery 41 to weld the connection between the side plate and the bend. A first exhaust pipe is provided on the side wall of the first nozzle 5 for exhaust.

[0038] During the welding process of the soft-pack battery 41 shell, in order to reduce the gap between the side panel and the top panel and the bent portion, a pressure plate 9 that can contact the side panel is slidably provided on the machine tool 1. During welding, the pressure plate 9 presses the side panel tightly onto the sheet-shaped battery cell to facilitate welding at the connection. A protective pad is fixedly connected to the side of the pressure plate 9 that contacts the side panel to protect the side panel. A slide bar 11 is vertically fixedly connected to the side of the pressure plate 9 that is away from the side panel. The slide bar 11 is slidably connected to the machine tool 1. The connection method between the two is conventional technology and will not be repeated here. Figure 5 As shown, a push plate 13 is fixedly connected to the first sliding seat 4, and there are two push plates 13. The push plates 13 are connected to the first sliding seat 4 by bolts. The first sliding seat 4 can push the pressure plate 9 to contact the side plate during sliding. When the first welding mechanism welds the soft-pack battery 41, the first sliding seat 4 slides toward the soft-pack battery 41, and the push plate 13 contacts the surface of the pressure plate 9 away from the soft-pack battery 41. As the first sliding seat 4 continues to slide, the push plate 13 pushes the pressure plate 9 toward the soft-pack battery 41 until the push plate 13 presses the pressure plate 9 onto the side plate.

[0039] The welding process of the first welding mechanism is as follows: the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery 41 to the first welding mechanism position and then pauses, and the first driving cylinder 3 drives the first sliding seat 4 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. At this time, the push plate 13 pushes the pressure plate 9 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. After the first sliding seat 4 slides to the desired position, the first driving cylinder 3 locks the position of the first sliding seat 4, and the pressure plate 9 presses the side plate to the end of the sheet battery cell; the first slide cylinder 8 pushes the corresponding first nozzle 5 toward the soft-pack battery 41, so that the first nozzle 5 is compared with the corresponding short side, and the camera 7 collects the image of the soft-pack battery 41 and transmits it to the control unit. The control unit recognizes the image and confirms the initial position of the welding, and controls the robotic arm to drive the first laser 10 to weld the three short sides in sequence; after the welding is completed, the first slide cylinder 8 drives the first nozzle 5 to reset, the first driving cylinder 3 drives the first sliding seat 4 to reset, and the transmission mechanism drives the soft-pack battery 41 to the next station.

[0040] The flipping mechanism includes two relatively arranged and openable clamping jaws 32 and a drive motor 33 for driving the clamping jaws 32 to rotate. A clamping area for clamping the soft-pack battery 41 is formed between the two clamping jaws 32, and the drive motor 33 corresponds to the clamping jaws 32. Specifically, the flipping mechanism also includes a support frame 28 fixedly connected to the machine tool 1. The support frame 28 includes two parallel vertical rods and a horizontal rod. The two vertical rods are located on both sides of the transmission mechanism and their bottom ends are fixedly connected to the machine tool 1. The vertical rods are connected to the machine tool 1 by bolts; the horizontal rod is fixedly connected to the top ends of the two vertical rods, and the two are connected by bolts. A slide 29 is provided on the support frame 28. The slide 29 is a rectangular plate structure and is arranged horizontally. The slide 29 is driven by a first cylinder 30 to slide up and down along the support frame 28. The piston of the first cylinder 30 is fixedly connected to the slide 29. Specifically, a first connecting plate is fixedly connected to the support frame 28. The first connecting plate is connected to the horizontal rod by bolts. The first cylinder 30 is fixedly mounted on the first connecting plate. Two second slide rails are fixedly provided on the first connecting plate, and the second slide rails are arranged vertically; the slide plate 29 is fixedly connected to the second connecting plate on one side close to the support frame 28, and two second sliders corresponding to the second slide rails are fixedly provided on the second connecting plate, and the second sliders can slide along the second slide rails.

[0041] The two ends of the slide 29 are slidably connected to a second mounting plate 31 located below it. The second mounting plate 31 can slide horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery 41. The clamping jaws 32 are rotatably mounted on the corresponding second mounting plates 31. That is, there are two second mounting plates 31, and they correspond one to one with the clamping jaws 32. A second cylinder 38 is provided between the two second mounting plates 31 to drive the two to move relative to or away from each other. The second cylinder 38 is fixedly mounted at the center of the slide 29. In this embodiment, taking one of the second mounting plates 31 as an example, the second mounting plate 31 includes a horizontally arranged first portion and a vertically arranged second portion. The first portion and the second portion are fixedly connected by bolts. The first portion is used to connect to the slide 29, and the second portion is used to connect to the clamping jaws 32. In order to improve the stability of the second mounting plate 31, a reinforcing plate is fixedly provided between the first portion and the second portion. The first part and the slide 29 are configured as follows: the first part is fixedly connected to a third slider; the lower surface of the slide 29 is fixedly connected to a third slide rail corresponding to the third slider; the piston end of the second cylinder 38 is fixedly connected to the first part and can drive the third slider to slide back and forth along the third slide rail. The second part and the clamping jaw 32 are configured as follows: first, the clamping jaw 32 includes a circular plate and a plurality of clamping blocks arranged on the circular plate. In this embodiment, the number of clamping blocks is 4 and is evenly distributed along the circumference of the circular plate. The clamping blocks are connected to the circular plate by bolts, and the circular plate is rotatably connected to the second part via a rotating shaft. The second part is provided with a drive motor 33 for driving the clamping jaw 32 to rotate. The drive shaft of the drive motor 33 is fixedly connected to a driving pulley, and the rotating shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to a driven pulley. The driving pulley and the driven pulley are driven by a belt.

[0042] In this embodiment, in order to limit the extreme displacement of the horizontal sliding of the second mounting plate 31, the first part is fixedly connected to the limiting plate 39, and a limiting hole 16 corresponding to the limiting plate 39 is opened on the skateboard 29. The top of the limiting plate 39 passes through the limiting hole 16 and extends to the top of the skateboard 29, and a limiting plate 39 fixedly connected to the skateboard 29 is provided at the opening of the limiting hole 16. The connection method of the limiting plate 39 and the skateboard 29 is bolt connection.

[0043] The flipping mechanism also includes a hook plate 37 for opening the clamping unit. Specifically, a bracket is fixedly connected to the machine tool 1, and a fourth mounting plate 34 is slidably mounted on the bracket. The fourth mounting plate 34 is driven by a third cylinder 35 mounted on the bracket. There are two third cylinders 35 located on both sides of the transmission mechanism. The pistons of the third cylinders 35 are fixedly connected to the corresponding ends of the fourth mounting plate 34. A fourth cylinder 36 is fixedly mounted on the fourth mounting plate 34. The end of the piston of the fourth cylinder 36 is fixedly connected to the hook plate 37. The hook plate 37 is provided with a hook groove for the pull plate 23 to extend into. As the fourth mounting plate 34 moves downward, it drives the hook plate 37 downward, allowing the pull plate 23 to enter the hook groove. The fourth cylinder 36 pulls the hook plate 37 away from the soft-pack battery 41, thereby pulling the movable clamping plate 19 to slide away from the fixed clamping plate 18, thereby releasing the clamping unit from clamping the soft-pack battery 41.

[0044] The working process of the flipping mechanism is as follows: the soft-pack battery 41 welded by the first welding mechanism is transferred to the flipping mechanism position, the first cylinder 30 drives the slide plate 29 to move downward, thereby driving the second mounting plate 31 and the clamping claw 32 to move downward to the desired position, the second cylinder 38 drives the two second mounting plates 31 to move relative to each other, thereby driving the two clamping claws 32 to move relative to each other, and the four clamping blocks on each clamping claw 32 are respectively located at the four surfaces of the outer shell of the soft-pack battery 41 until the soft-pack battery 41 is fixed between the two clamping claws 32; the third cylinder 35 pushes the fourth mounting plate 34 to move downward, driving the hook plate 37 to move downward, so that the pulling plate 23 enters the hook groove, and then the fourth cylinder 36 pulls the hook plate 37 to make the movable clamping plate 19 slide away from the fixed clamping plate 18, thereby releasing the clamping of the soft-pack battery 41; the first cylinder 30 drives the slide plate 29 to move upward, thereby driving The movable clamping jaw 32 and the soft-pack battery 41 fixed between the two clamping jaws 32 move upward to move out of the clamping space, and are locked after moving to the desired position. The driving motor 33 drives the clamping jaw 32 to rotate 180°, so that the bottom plate of the soft-pack battery 41 is located at the top and the top plate is located at the bottom; the first cylinder 30 drives the driving slide 29 to move downward, driving the flipped soft-pack battery 41 into the clamping space; the fourth cylinder 36 drives the hook plate 37 to move toward the fixed clamping plate 18, so that the movable clamping plate 19 clamps the soft-pack battery 41, and then the third cylinder 35 drives the fourth mounting plate 34 to move upward, so that the pull plate 23 slides out of the hook groove; the second cylinder 38 drives the two second mounting plates 31 to move back to back, so that the clamping jaw 32 is separated from the soft-pack battery 41, and then driven by the first cylinder 30 to be located above the soft-pack battery 41, the flipping of the soft-pack battery 41 is completed.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the clamp 32 grabs the soft-pack battery 41 and rises, in order to prevent the supporting plate 14 from rising with the soft-pack battery 41, two groups of baffles 40 are fixedly connected to the machine tool 1. The two groups of baffles 40 are located on both sides of the transmission mechanism. Each group has two baffles 40. The baffles 40 in each group are distributed along the transmission direction of the soft-pack battery 41. The top of the baffle 40 is bent toward the upper part of the supporting plate 14 to form a bent portion located above the supporting plate 14.

[0046] The second welding mechanism is used to weld the connection between the base plate and the two long sides of the bend, as well as the connection between the base plate and the side plate. The second welding mechanism includes two oppositely arranged second lasers and two robotic arms for driving the corresponding second lasers. The two robotic arms are located on either side of the machine tool 1, one robotic arm connected to each second laser. It should be noted that the robotic arms are existing commercially available products (not shown in the figure), and the robotic arms are models such as FANUC M-20iD or FANUC M-10iD / 12. In this embodiment, the second laser and the robotic arm are fixedly connected via a second mounting base, to which a flange 12 for connecting to the robotic arm is fixedly connected. The second laser is fixedly mounted on the second mounting base. A camera 7 for photographing the soft-pack battery 41 is fixedly mounted on the second mounting base. When the soft-pack battery 41 moves to the workstation of the second welding mechanism, the camera 7 captures an image of the soft-pack battery 41 and determines the initial welding position and the travel of the second laser through image recognition.

[0047] The second welding mechanism also includes two second welding assemblies for welding the connection between the bend and the bottom plate, and two oppositely arranged third welding assemblies for welding the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate. The second welding assemblies are distributed along the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery 41 and are driven to reciprocate by second drive cylinders 45. There are two second drive cylinders 45, and each second welding assembly is driven by two second drive cylinders 45. The second welding assembly includes a second nozzle 42 and a second slide cylinder 43 for driving the reciprocating motion of the second nozzle 42. There is only one second nozzle 42, and the second nozzle 42 is provided with an exhaust pipe for exhaust. There are two second slide cylinders 43. Specifically, the second welding assembly includes a second fixed frame 47 fixed on the machine tool 1, the second fixed frame 47 includes two vertically arranged support rods located on both sides of the transmission mechanism and a second sliding seat 46 slidably connected to the support rods, the bottom end of the support rod is fixedly connected to the machine tool 1, and the top end of the support rod is fixedly connected to a slide extending along the transmission direction of the soft-pack battery 41, and a sliding member corresponding to the slide is fixedly connected to the second sliding seat 46, and the sliding member can reciprocate along the slide; the second driving cylinder 45 corresponds one-to-one to the slide and is fixedly installed at one end of the slide, and the piston end of the second driving cylinder 45 is connected to the second sliding seat 46.

[0048] Two third connecting plates 44 are fixedly connected to the second sliding seat 46. The third connecting plates 44 are located on either side of the transmission mechanism. The second slide cylinder 43 is mounted on the corresponding third connecting plates 44, and the two ends of the second nozzle 42 are fixed to the slide of the second slide cylinder 43, so that the second slide cylinder 43 drives the second nozzle 42 to reciprocate. In this embodiment, the second slide cylinder 43 can rotate and be fixed on the third connecting plates 44 to adjust the angle of the second nozzle 42 to accommodate different soft-pack batteries 41, thereby expanding the applicability of the present invention.

[0049] The third welding assembly is driven by the third driving cylinder 49 to reciprocate horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the soft-pack battery 41. The third welding assembly includes a third nozzle 52 and a third slide cylinder 51 for driving the third welding nozzle to reciprocate. The third welding assembly also includes a third slide base 53 slidably connected to the machine tool 1. The third slide cylinder 51 is fixedly mounted on the third slide base 53, and the third nozzle 52 is fixed on the slide of the third slide cylinder 51. Specifically, as Figure 12 As shown, taking the third welding assembly on the right side as an example, a third fixing bracket 48 is fixedly connected to the machine tool 1, a second support plate is fixedly connected to the top of the third fixing bracket 48, a third drive cylinder 49 is bolted to the second support plate, two mutually parallel fourth slide rails are fixedly connected to the second support plate, and two fourth sliders that can slide along the fourth slide rails are fixedly connected to the third slide seat 53. The fourth sliders correspond one-to-one with the fourth slide rails. A space is formed between the third slide seat 53 and the second support plate to accommodate the third drive cylinder 49, and the piston end of the third drive cylinder 49 is fixedly connected to the third slide seat 53. In this embodiment, there is one third nozzle 52, and an exhaust pipe for exhaust is provided on the side wall of the third nozzle 52.

[0050] During the welding process of the soft-pack battery 41 casing, a compression plate 50 is slidably mounted on the third sliding seat 53 to minimize the gap between the side panels and the top panel and the bend. During welding, the compression plate 50 presses the side panels against the sheet-shaped battery cells, facilitating welding at the joints. A protective pad is fixedly attached to the side of the compression plate 50 that contacts the side panels to protect them. A fourth drive cylinder is fixedly mounted on the third sliding seat 53. The end of the piston of the fourth drive cylinder is fixedly connected to the compression plate 50, driving the reciprocating motion of the compression plate 50.

[0051] The speed line 15 is provided with positioning components distributed along its extension direction, such as Figure 2As shown, the positioning assembly includes a positioning cylinder 24 fixedly mounted on the mounting track of the speed line 15, a fourth fixing seat fixedly connected below the mounting track, the positioning cylinder 24 fixedly mounted on the fourth fixing seat, the top of the piston of the positioning cylinder 24 fixedly connected to the base 25, a first swing wheel 26 and a second swing wheel rotatably provided on the base 25, and a vertical plate 27 provided on the first swing wheel 26, the vertical plate 27 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the first swing wheel 26, the second swing wheel is provided with a horizontal plate, the horizontal plate is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the second swing wheel, and a receiving groove for accommodating the vertical plate 27 is provided on the carrier plate 14. When the soft-pack battery 41 is conveyed, the positioning assembly is located below the carrier plate 14 to ensure that the soft-pack battery 41 passes smoothly. When the carrier plate 14 enters the first welding mechanism, the flip mechanism or the second welding mechanism, the transmission mechanism stops working, the positioning cylinder 24 pushes the base 25 to move upward, the vertical plate 27 enters the receiving groove, and the horizontal plate contacts the lower surface of the carrier plate 14 to position it. In the present invention, when the supporting plate 14 is dislocated due to inertia, the vertical plate 27 will deflect and enter the receiving groove during the rising process of the base 25. As the vertical plate 27 enters the receiving groove, the first swing wheel 26 will push the supporting plate 14 to correct its position, thereby ensuring accurate welding.

[0052] The second welding mechanism welds the outer shell of the soft-pack battery 41 as follows: the transmission mechanism transfers the soft-pack battery 41 to the position of the second welding mechanism and then pauses; the second driving cylinder 45 drives the second sliding seat 46 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41, and the third driving cylinder 49 drives the third sliding seat 53 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41; at the same time, the fourth driving cylinder drives the pressing plate 50 to move toward the side plate until it reaches the desired position; the second slide cylinder 43 drives the second nozzle 42 to slide toward the connection between the bending portion and the bottom plate, and the third slide cylinder 51 drives the third nozzle 52 to slide toward the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate until the first and second slide cylinders drive the second nozzle 42 to slide toward the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate. The second nozzle 42 and the third nozzle 52 slide to the desired position, the camera 7 collects the image of the soft-pack battery 41 and transmits it to the control unit, the control unit recognizes the image to confirm the initial position of the welding, and controls the robotic arm to drive the second laser to weld in sequence; after welding is completed, the second slide cylinder 43 drives the second nozzle 42 to reset, the third slide cylinder 51 drives the third nozzle 52 to reset, the second drive cylinder 45 drives the second sliding seat 46 to reset, the third drive cylinder 49 drives the third sliding seat 53 to reset, the fourth drive cylinder drives the clamping plate 50 to reset, and the transmission mechanism drives the soft-pack battery 41 to the next station.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] A method for welding a soft-pack battery shell, based on the welding equipment described in Example 1, comprises the following steps:

[0055] The transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery 41 to the position of the first welding mechanism, and the two first lasers 10 simultaneously weld the connection between the top plate and the side plate at both ends of the soft-pack battery 41; specifically, the transmission mechanism pauses after transmitting the soft-pack battery 41 to the position of the first welding mechanism, and the first driving cylinder 3 drives the first sliding seat 4 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. At this time, the push plate 13 pushes the pressure plate 9 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. After the first sliding seat 4 slides to the desired position, the first driving cylinder 3 locks the position of the first sliding seat 4, and the pressure plate 9 presses the side plate to the end of the sheet cell; the first slide cylinder 8 pushes the corresponding first nozzle 5 toward the soft-pack battery 41, so that the first nozzle 5 is compared with the corresponding short side, and the camera 7 captures the image of the soft-pack battery 41 and transmits it to the control unit. The control unit recognizes the image to confirm the initial position of the welding, and controls the robot arm to drive the first laser 10 to weld the three short sides in sequence; after the welding is completed, the first slide cylinder 8 drives the first nozzle 5 to reset, the first driving cylinder 3 drives the first sliding seat 4 to reset, and the transmission mechanism drives the soft-pack battery 41 to the next station.

[0056] After welding is completed, the transmission mechanism transfers the soft-pack battery 41 to the flipping mechanism position, and the clamping claw 32 clamps the soft-pack battery 41 and flips it 180°; specifically, the soft-pack battery 41 welded by the first welding mechanism is transmitted to the flipping mechanism position, and the first cylinder 30 drives the slide plate 29 to move downward, thereby driving the second mounting plate 31 and the clamping claw 32 to move downward to the desired position, and the second cylinder 38 drives the two second mounting plates 31 to move relative to each other, thereby driving the two clamping claws 32 to move relative to each other, and the four clamping blocks on each clamping claw 32 are respectively located at the four surfaces of the outer shell of the soft-pack battery 41 until the soft-pack battery 41 is fixed between the two clamping claws 32; the third cylinder 35 pushes the fourth mounting plate 34 to move downward, driving the hook plate 37 to move downward, so that the pulling plate 23 enters the hook groove, and then the fourth cylinder 36 pulls the hook plate 37 to make the movable clamping plate 19 slide away from the fixed clamping plate 18, thereby releasing the clamping of the soft-pack battery 41; The first cylinder 30 drives the slide plate 29 to move upward, and then drives the clamping claw 32 and the soft-pack battery 41 fixed between the two clamping claws 32 to move upward, so that it moves out of the clamping space, moves to the desired position and is locked, and the driving motor 33 drives the clamping claw 32 to rotate 180°, so that the bottom plate of the soft-pack battery 41 is located at the top and the top plate is located at the bottom; the first cylinder 30 drives the driving slide plate 29 to move downward, driving the flipped soft-pack battery 41 into the clamping space; the fourth cylinder 36 drives the hook plate 37 to move toward the fixed clamping plate 18, so that the movable clamping plate 19 clamps the soft-pack battery 41, and then the third cylinder 35 drives the fourth mounting plate 34 to move upward, so that the pulling plate 23 slides out of the hook groove; the second cylinder 38 drives the two second mounting plates 31 to move away from each other, so that the clamping claw 32 is separated from the soft-pack battery 41, and then driven by the first cylinder 30 to be located above the soft-pack battery 41, the flipping of the soft-pack battery 41 is completed.

[0057] Finally, the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery 41 to the second welding mechanism position, and the second laser welds the top plate and the bottom plate and the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate at the same time; the transmission mechanism pauses after transmitting the soft-pack battery 41 to the second welding mechanism position, and the second driving cylinder 45 drives the second sliding seat 46 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41, and the third driving cylinder 49 drives the third sliding seat 53 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. At the same time, the fourth driving cylinder drives the clamping plate 50 to move toward the side plate until it reaches the desired position; the second slide cylinder 43 drives the second nozzle 42 to slide toward the connection between the bending portion and the bottom plate, and the third slide cylinder 49 drives the third sliding seat 53 to slide toward the soft-pack battery 41. The cylinder 51 drives the third nozzle 52 to slide toward the connection between the bottom plate and the side plate until the second nozzle 42 and the third nozzle 52 slide to the desired position. The camera 7 collects the image of the soft-pack battery 41 and transmits it to the control unit. The control unit recognizes the image to confirm the initial position of the welding and controls the robotic arm to drive the second laser to weld in sequence. After the welding is completed, the second slide cylinder 43 drives the second nozzle 42 to reset, the third slide cylinder 51 drives the third nozzle 52 to reset, the second drive cylinder 45 drives the second sliding seat 46 to reset, the third drive cylinder 49 drives the third sliding seat 53 to reset, and the fourth drive cylinder drives the clamping plate 50 to reset.

[0058] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A welding device for a soft-pack battery shell, the shell comprising a bottom plate, a top plate, and two side plates, wherein two oppositely disposed edges of the top plate are bent to form a bent portion, and the top plate, two side plates, and two bent portions form a receiving cavity capable of accommodating multiple sheet-shaped battery cells, characterized in that: The welding device comprises a transmission mechanism arranged on a machine tool (1) and used to transmit soft-pack batteries (41), wherein a first welding mechanism, a turning mechanism, and a second welding mechanism are sequentially arranged along the transmission direction of the soft-pack batteries (41); The transmission mechanism includes a clamping unit for clamping a soft-pack battery (41) and two speed lines (15) fixedly mounted on a machine tool (1), the clamping unit includes a carrier plate (14) located on the speed line (15), a fixed clamping plate (18) fixedly mounted on the carrier plate (14), and a movable clamping plate (19) slidably mounted on the carrier plate (14), a clamping space for clamping the soft-pack battery (41) is formed between the fixed clamping plate (18) and the movable clamping plate (19); the speed line (15) is provided with positioning components distributed along its extension direction, and the positioning components are provided on the speed line (15). The component includes a positioning cylinder (24) fixedly mounted on a mounting track of a speed line (15), a base (25) fixedly connected to the top of a piston of the positioning cylinder (24), a first swing wheel (26) and a second swing wheel rotatably arranged on the base (25), and a vertical plate (27) is arranged on the first swing wheel (26), the vertical plate (27) is fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the first swing wheel (26), a horizontal plate is arranged on the second swing wheel, the horizontal plate is fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the second swing wheel, and a receiving groove for accommodating the vertical plate (27) is opened on the bearing plate (14); The first welding mechanism comprises two first lasers (10) arranged opposite to each other and two mechanical arms for driving the corresponding first lasers (10) to move; The first welding mechanism further includes two first welding assemblies and a first driving cylinder (3) disposed opposite to each other, wherein the first driving cylinder (3) corresponds to the first welding assemblies one by one and is used to drive the corresponding first welding assemblies to move back and forth perpendicular to the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery (41); the first welding assembly includes a plurality of first nozzles (5) and a first slide cylinder (8) for driving the first nozzles (5) to move back and forth; The first welding assembly further comprises a first sliding seat (4) slidably connected to the machine tool (1), the first slide cylinder (8) is fixedly mounted on the first sliding seat (4), and the first nozzle (5) is fixed on the slide corresponding to the first slide cylinder (8); A pressing plate (9) capable of contacting the side plate is slidably provided on the machine tool (1), and a push plate (13) is fixedly connected to the first sliding seat (4). The first sliding seat (4) is capable of pushing the pressing plate (9) into contact with the side plate during sliding. The flip mechanism includes two clamping jaws (32) that are arranged opposite to each other and can be opened and closed, and a driving motor (33) for driving the clamping jaws (32) to rotate. A clamping area for clamping the soft-pack battery (41) is formed between the two clamping jaws (32); The flip mechanism also includes a hook plate (37) for opening the clamping unit. A fourth mounting plate (34) driven by a third cylinder (35) is slidably provided on the machine tool (1). A fourth cylinder (36) is fixedly provided on the fourth mounting plate (34). The end of the piston of the fourth cylinder (36) is fixedly connected to the hook plate (37). When the fourth mounting plate (34) moves downward, the hook plate (37) is driven downward by the fourth cylinder (36). The hook plate (37) is pulled away from the soft-pack battery (41) by the fourth cylinder (36), thereby pulling the movable clamping plate (19) to slide in a direction away from the fixed clamping plate (18). The second welding mechanism includes two second lasers arranged opposite to each other and two mechanical arms for driving the corresponding second lasers.

2. The shell welding device for a soft pack battery according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first mounting plate (22) is fixedly connected to the carrier plate (14), and a plurality of connecting rods perpendicular to the first mounting plate (22) are slidably provided on the first mounting plate (22), one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the movable clamping plate (19), and a spring (21) sleeved on the connecting rod is provided between the movable clamping plate (19) and the mounting plate, and the spring (21) is used to push the movable clamping plate (19) toward the fixed clamping plate (18).

3. The soft pack battery shell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first laser (10) and the robotic arm are fixedly connected via a first mounting seat (6); a flange (12) for connecting to the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the first mounting seat (6); and the first laser (10) is fixedly mounted on the first mounting seat (6).

4. The soft pack battery shell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flip mechanism further comprises a support frame (28) fixedly connected to the machine tool (1), a slide plate (29) being provided on the support frame (28), and the slide plate (29) being driven by a first cylinder (30) to slide up and down along the support frame (28), and second mounting plates (31) being slidably connected at both ends of the slide plate (29), the second mounting plates (31) being capable of sliding horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery (41), and the clamping claws (32) being rotatably provided on the corresponding second mounting plates (31).

5. The soft pack battery shell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second welding mechanism also includes two second welding assemblies for welding the connection between the bent portion and the bottom plate and two third welding assemblies arranged opposite to each other. The second welding assemblies are distributed along the conveying direction of the soft-pack battery (41) and are driven to reciprocate by the second driving cylinder (45). The second welding assembly includes a second nozzle (42) and a second slide cylinder (43) for driving the second nozzle (42) to reciprocate. The third welding assembly is driven to reciprocate horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the soft-pack battery (41) by the third driving cylinder (49). The third welding assembly includes a third nozzle (52) and a third slide cylinder (51) for driving the third nozzle (52) to reciprocate.

6. A method for welding a soft-pack battery shell, the method being based on the welding equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery (41) to the first welding mechanism position, and the two first lasers (10) simultaneously weld the top plate and the side plate connection at both ends of the soft-pack battery (41); after the welding is completed, the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery (41) to the flip mechanism position, and the clamping claw (32) clamps the soft-pack battery (41) and flips it 180 degrees; then, the transmission mechanism transmits the soft-pack battery (41) to the second welding mechanism position, and the second laser simultaneously welds the top plate and the bottom plate, and the bottom plate and the side plate connection.

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