Battery welding apparatus, method, and battery production system

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a battery welding device, a method and a battery production system, and relates to the technical field of batteries. The battery welding device comprises a welding device, a material supply device and a material removal device. The material supply device is used for providing a protective material to a welding work surface of a battery structure and forming a protective barrier on the welding work surface by the protective material. The protective barrier is used for blocking the welding slag of a welding area from separating from the welding work surface. The material removal device is used for removing the protective material on the welding work surface after welding. The embodiment of the application forms the protective barrier on the welding work surface by the material supply device, so as to reduce the possibility of the welding slag of the welding area splashing or falling, thereby reducing the influence of the welding slag on the battery structure. The material removal device is used for removing the protective material on the welding work surface after welding, so as not to affect the performance of the battery structure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery, and more particularly, to a battery welding device, method and battery production system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Battery devices are widely used in electronic devices, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, electric vehicles, electric cars, electric planes, electric ships, electric toy cars, electric toy ships, electric toy planes and electric tools, etc.

[0003] The battery device needs to be welded multiple times in the production process. The welding slag generated in the welding process is easy to separate from the welding work surface and enter the inside of the battery device, affecting the performance of the battery device. Therefore, how to reduce the possibility of the battery welding slag separating from the welding work surface is a research direction in the battery technology. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a battery welding device, method and battery production system, which can reduce the possibility of the battery welding slag separating from the welding work surface.

[0005] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery welding device, comprising a welding device, a material supply device and a material removal device, the welding device is used for welding the welding area of the welding work surface of the battery structure; the material supply device is used for providing a protective material to at least one side of the welding area, and forming a protective barrier on at least one side of the welding area, the protective barrier is used to block the welding slag of the welding area from separating from the welding work surface; the material removal device is used for removing the protective material on the welding work surface after welding.

[0006] By using the above technical solution, the material supply device is used to form a protective barrier on the welding work surface to reduce the possibility of the welding slag of the welding area separating from the welding work surface and entering the inside of the battery structure, thereby reducing the influence of the welding slag on the battery structure. The material removal device is used to remove the protective material on the welding work surface after welding, without affecting the performance of the battery structure.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the material supply device comprises a coating mechanism, which is used to coat the welding work surface to form the protective barrier.

[0008] By using the above technical solution, the coating mechanism is used to coat the welding work surface to form a protective barrier, which not only has high work efficiency, but also can more accurately control the coating area and the coating amount.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the material supply device further comprises a first driving mechanism, which is connected to the coating mechanism and used to drive the coating mechanism to move to form the protective barrier on the welding work surface.

[0010] By using the first driving mechanism to drive the coating mechanism to move, the protective barrier can be conveniently formed.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the first driving mechanism comprises a first driving assembly and a second driving assembly, the second driving assembly is mounted on the first driving assembly, the first driving assembly is used to drive the second driving assembly to move in a first direction, the second driving assembly is connected to the coating mechanism and used to drive the coating mechanism to move in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect and are respectively parallel to the welding work surface.

[0012] By designing the first driving mechanism to comprise the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, the coating mechanism is driven to move in the first direction and the second direction by the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly, so that the coating mechanism can move in multiple degrees of freedom, and the flexibility of the coating mechanism is improved.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the material removal device comprises a second driving mechanism and a cleaning member, the second driving mechanism is connected to the cleaning member and used to drive the cleaning member to move, and the cleaning member is used to remove the protective material.

[0014] By using the second driving mechanism to drive the cleaning member to remove the protective material, the structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the material removal device further comprises a negative pressure suction mechanism, which is used to adsorb the protective material removed by the cleaning member.

[0016] By further comprising the negative pressure suction mechanism in the material removal device, the protective material removed by the cleaning member is adsorbed by the negative pressure suction mechanism, which not only facilitates the removal of the protective material on the welding work surface, but also reduces the possibility of the protective material polluting the battery structure when the protective material is removed.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the negative pressure suction mechanism comprises two negative pressure suction assemblies, the two negative pressure suction assemblies are oppositely arranged and enclose a space for accommodating the battery structure, the cleaning member is located between the two negative pressure suction assemblies, and the negative pressure suction assembly is used to negatively adsorb and collect the welding slag.

[0018] By adopting the technical scheme, the negative pressure suction mechanism is designed as two negative pressure suction components arranged oppositely, and the two negative pressure suction components can better adsorb and collect the protective material removed from the battery structure.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the protective material is a solidifiable fluid.

[0020] By adopting the technical scheme, the protective material is designed as a solidifiable fluid, which is convenient to apply on the welding work surface, and the solidified protective material has certain stability, so that the welding slag can be better blocked, and the possibility of the welding slag separating from the welding work surface is reduced.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery welding device further comprises a solidification device, and the solidification device is used to solidify the protective material.

[0022] By adopting the technical scheme, the battery welding device is designed to further comprise a solidification device, and the solidification device can improve the solidification rate of the protective material, thereby improving the welding efficiency of the battery.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present application, the material supply device comprises a coating mechanism and a first driving mechanism, the coating mechanism and the solidification device are respectively installed on the first driving mechanism, the coating mechanism is used to coat the protective material on the welding work surface, and the first driving mechanism is used to drive the coating mechanism and the solidification device to move synchronously.

[0024] By adopting the technical scheme, the coating mechanism and the solidification device are respectively installed on the first driving mechanism, and the first driving mechanism is used to drive the coating mechanism and the solidification device to move synchronously, so that the solidification device does not need to be configured with a mounting base, the structure is simplified, and when the coating mechanism moves to coat the protective material, the solidification device can move synchronously, so that the distance between the coated protective material and the solidification device is kept within a fixed interval, and the solidification efficiency is improved.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery welding device further comprises a conveying device, and the conveying device is used to drive the battery structure with the welding work surface to move between the material supply device, the welding device and the material removal device.

[0026] By adopting the technical scheme, the conveying device is used to convey the battery structure to the material supply device, the welding device and the material removal device, so that the automation of the battery structure welding and conveying is realized.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery welding device further comprises a control device, which is communicatively connected to the material supply device, the material removal device and the conveying device respectively, and is configured to control the actions of the material supply device, the material removal device and the conveying device.

[0028] With the above technical solution, the control device is used to control the actions of the material supply device, the material removal device and the conveying device, thereby realizing the fully automatic operation of the material supply device, the material removal device and the conveying device.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery welding device further comprises a position detection device, which is installed on the material supply device and is configured to detect whether the position of the welding work surface is allowed to form the protective barrier, and the control device is communicatively connected to the position detection device and is configured to control the action of the material supply device based on the detection result of the position detection device.

[0030] With the above technical solution, the position detection device is used to detect whether the position of the welding work surface is allowed to form the protective barrier, and the control device is used to control the action of the material supply device based on the detection result of the position detection device, thereby accurately controlling the supply of the protective material.

[0031] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery production system, which comprises a welding device and the battery welding device according to any one of the above technical solutions, and the welding device is configured to weld the welding area.

[0032] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery welding method, which applies the battery welding device according to any one of the above technical solutions, and comprises the following steps: providing a protective material, forming a protective barrier on a welding work surface before welding by using the protective material, the protective barrier is configured to prevent the welding slag of the welding area of the welding work surface from separating from the welding work surface; performing a welding operation on the welding area; and removing the protective material after welding the welding area.

[0033] With the above technical solution, the protective barrier is formed before welding on the welding work surface, so as to reduce the possibility that the welding slag of the welding area of the welding work surface separates from the welding work surface during welding, thereby reducing the influence of the welding slag on the battery structure, and the protective material after welding is removed, which does not affect the performance of the battery structure.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the step of forming the protective barrier comprises: forming protruding strips protruding from the welding work surface on opposite sides of the welding area in the width direction of the welding area.

[0035] The protective barrier is designed as two convex strips on both sides of the welding area, simple structure, and good protection effect.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present application, the minimum distance between the convex strip and the welding area along the arrangement direction of the convex strip to the welding area is greater than or equal to 0.05mm.

[0037] The above technical solution reduces the possibility of the protective material invading the welding area, and also achieves the blocking of the welding slag.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, before forming the protective barrier, the battery welding method further comprises: polishing the welding work surface.

[0039] The above technical solution polishes the welding work surface before forming the protective barrier, improves the smoothness of the surface of the welding work surface, and facilitates the removal of the protective material subsequently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of the drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the battery welding equipment provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0042] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the material supply device of the battery welding equipment provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0043] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the welding device for welding the battery monomer provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0044] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the material removal device of the battery welding equipment provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0045] Figure 5 The electrical connection schematic diagram of the battery welding equipment provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0046] Figure 6 The flowchart of the battery welding method provided by some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0047] The reference signs of the specific embodiments are as follows:

[0048] 100. A battery welding apparatus;

[0049] 10. A material supply device; 11. A coating mechanism; 111. A feeding port; 12. A first driving mechanism; 121. A first driving assembly; 122. A second driving assembly;

[0050] 20. A material removal device; 21. A second driving mechanism; 22. A cleaning member; 23. A negative pressure suction mechanism; 231. A negative pressure suction assembly; 2311. A suction port;

[0051] 30. A curing device;

[0052] 40. A control device;

[0053] 50. A position detection device;

[0054] 60. A welding device;

[0055] 200. A battery cell; 210. A welding work surface; 211. A welding area; 220. A protective barrier; 221. A ridge;

[0056] X: a first direction; Y: a second direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In order to make the objects, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some but not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0058] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present application have the same meaning as those commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs; the terms used in the present application are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application; the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof in the description of the specification and claims of the present application and the above description of the drawings are intended to cover not exclusive inclusion. The terms "first", "second", and the like in the description of the specification and claims of the present application or the above description of the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not intended to describe a particular order or primary and secondary relationship.

[0059] In the present application, the phrase "embodiment" means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appears at various places in the specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor is each necessarily mutually exclusive or alternative to the other.

[0060] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless specifically defined and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting", "attachment" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0061] The term "and / or" in the present application is only to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in the present application generally represents that the front and rear associated objects have an "or" relationship.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, the same reference signs represent the same parts, and for the sake of brevity, the detailed description of the same parts is omitted in different embodiments. It should be understood that the thickness, length, width and other dimensions of various components in the embodiments of the present application shown in the drawings, as well as the overall thickness, length, width and other dimensions of the integrated device, are only exemplary and should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0063] "Multiple" appearing in the present application means two or more (including two).

[0064] In the following, the embodiments of the present application are described in detail.

[0065] There are multiple welding processes in the production process of battery devices, such as welding of key welding parts such as current collecting disc and current collector of battery monomer. In the welding process, a large amount of welding slag is easily generated. If these welding slags cannot be removed in time, they may be left on the surface of the current collecting disc. If the welding slag falls into the internal electrode due to vibration, it will directly cause the occurrence of self-discharge phenomenon, which seriously threatens the electrochemical performance and safety of the battery monomer.

[0066] In related technologies, welding slag is usually directly scraped off to remove it. However, this method still cannot avoid the welding slag from separating from the welding work surface during the welding process, and the welding slag is easy to scratch the surface of the current collecting disc when scraping, which may also fall into the internal electrode, still causing negative impact on the performance of the battery monomer.

[0067] Therefore, how to reduce the possibility of welding slag falling or splashing during the battery welding process, and reduce the negative impact on the performance of the battery monomer during the welding slag removal process, is an important topic in battery production and processing.

[0068] In view of this, the present application provides a technical solution, which solves the above technical problems by pre-setting a protective barrier on the welding work surface, using the protective barrier to block and absorb the welding slag, and then removing the protective barrier after welding is completed.

[0069] The following is combined with Figures 1-6 The battery welding equipment 100, method and battery production system provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced.

[0070] Combined with attachment Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery welding device 100, including a welding device 60, a material supply device 10 and a material removal device 20. The welding device 60 is used to weld the welding area of ​​the welding working surface of the battery structure, and the material supply device 10 is used to provide protective material to at least one side of the welding area 211, and form a protective barrier 220 with the protective material on at least one side of the welding area 211. The protective barrier 220 is used to prevent the welding slag of the welding area 211 on the welding working surface 210 from detaching from the welding working surface 210; the welding device 60 is used to weld the welding area 211; the material removal device 20 is used to remove the protective material on the welding working surface 210 after welding.

[0071] The battery structure can be a battery cell 200, a battery device, or an electrode assembly. As long as it has a welding working surface 210 and belongs to a battery device or a part of a battery device, it can be understood as the battery structure of this embodiment. This embodiment is described as an example of a battery structure being a battery cell 200 and a welding working surface 210 being the collecting plate surface of the battery cell 200.

[0072] The battery device referred to in the embodiments of this application refers to a single physical module that includes one or more battery cells 200 to provide higher voltage and capacity. For example, the battery device referred to in this application may include a battery module or a battery pack. A battery generally includes a battery case that encloses one or more battery cells 200. The battery case prevents liquids or other foreign matter from affecting the charging or discharging of the battery cells 200.

[0073] The battery cells 200 mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be lithium-ion secondary battery cells, lithium-ion primary battery cells, lithium-sulfur battery cells, sodium-lithium-ion battery cells, sodium-ion battery cells, or magnesium-ion battery cells, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The battery cells 200 may be cylindrical, flat, rectangular, or in other shapes, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0074] The material supply device 10 of the embodiment is used to provide a protective material to at least one side of the welding area 211, and to form a protective barrier 220 on at least one side of the welding area 211. It should be noted that "at least one side of the welding area 211" refers to a position that does not include the welding area 211, for example, the protective barrier 220 can be arranged at a position away from the welding area 211, and the at least one side can be one side, two sides, three sides, the periphery, or more sides of the welding area 211.

[0075] The protective barrier 220 should be understood as a block structure having a certain height on the welding work surface 210 and located on at least one side of the welding area 211. The protective barrier 220 is used to block the welding slag of the welding area 211 on the welding work surface 210 from separating from the welding work surface 210. The welding area 211 can be understood as the area to be formed into a weld.

[0076] Before welding, the battery monomer 200 is moved to the material supply device 10 by manual or the conveying device described below. At this time, the battery monomer 200 is located at the protective barrier 220 forming station, and then the material supply device 10 is used to form the protective barrier 220 on the upper surface of the current collector plate of the battery monomer 200. The protective barrier 220 can block the welding slag generated during the welding process of the welding area 211, thereby reducing the possibility of the welding slag splashing or falling to the electrode assembly.

[0077] As shown in FIGS. Figure 2 and 3 In some embodiments, the protective barrier 220 can include a protrusion 221 located on both sides of the welding area 211. Taking the example of the four welding areas 211 arranged at intervals along the circumference of the upper surface of the battery monomer 200 in the figure, the four welding areas 211 form four welds after welding. The protrusions 221 are formed on both sides of each welding area 211 adjacent to each other before welding by the material supply device 10. The protrusions 221 have a certain interval with the welding area 211, and the welding area 211 is surrounded by the two protrusions 221. The protrusions 221 have a certain height and width (the specific data range is given below), thereby blocking the welding slag generated during the welding of the welding area 211 from splashing outward.

[0078] Of course, the protective barrier 220 can also be designed to completely surround the welding area 211, further improving the protection effect of the welding slag splashing.

[0079] After forming the protective barrier 220 described above, the battery monomer 200 is moved to the welding device 60 in Figure 3 for welding. The welding method can be laser welding.

[0080] The welding device 60 can be a laser welding machine, an ultrasonic welding machine, a resistance welding machine, a plasma welding machine, a friction stir welding machine, an electron beam welding machine, an electric arc welding machine, or the like, and the present embodiment does not list them one by one.

[0081] After welding, the material removal device 20 of the present embodiment is used to remove the protective material on the welded working surface 210 after welding, reduce the influence of the welding slag on the battery structure, and use the material removal device 20 to remove the protective material on the welded working surface 210 after welding, without affecting the performance of the battery structure.

[0082] The way the material removal device 20 removes the protective material can be mechanical removal (such as brush scraping and grinding wheel polishing), chemical dissolution removal (using a cleaning agent), vibration or ultrasonic removal, and the like, and the present embodiment does not list them one by one.

[0083] In combination with the accompanying Figure 2 As shown in some examples, the material supply device 10 optionally includes a coating mechanism 11 for coating the protective barrier 220 on the welding working surface 210.

[0084] The coating mechanism 11 can be coated by extrusion coating or spraying, and the like. Taking extrusion coating as an example, the coating mechanism 11 of the present embodiment can include a coating head, a coating pump, and a feed structure (not shown in the figure), which are sequentially connected in communication through pipelines. The coating pump sucks the protective material in the feed structure and delivers it to the coating head, and the coating head coats the protective material.

[0085] The coating head can extrude the protective material (such as cement) into a continuous, uniform strip or layer on the welding working surface 210. In some embodiments, the coating head can be an extrusion coating structure, which can include, for example, a feed port 111 (connected in communication with the connecting pipeline), a pressure chamber, a die port, and an adjusting device.

[0086] The coating pump (such as a screw pump or a plunger pump) is used to guide the protective material into the pressure chamber; the pressure chamber makes the slurry flow stably by mechanical or hydraulic pressure; the die port determines the shape and thickness of the coating, which can be a flat die port or a special-shaped die port; the adjusting device (such as a screw or a hydraulic valve) can dynamically adjust the die gap to control the extrusion thickness.

[0087] The feed structure can be a tank container for storing protective materials such as cement.

[0088] Using the extrusion coating head to coat the protective barrier 220 on the welding working surface 210 not only has high work efficiency, but also can more accurately control the coating area and the coating amount.

[0089] In some examples, the material supply device 10 optionally further comprises a first driving mechanism 12 connected with the coating mechanism 11 and configured to drive the coating mechanism 11 to move to form the protective barrier 220 on the welding work surface 210.

[0090] For example, when the protective barrier 220 comprises two parallel and spaced convex strips 221, the coating mechanism 11 needs to move at least in one direction to form the convex strips 221.

[0091] Therefore, in the embodiment, the material supply device 10 is designed to further comprise the first driving mechanism 12, which is directly connected with the coating mechanism 11 through mechanical connection (insertion, clamping, bolt connection, welding, etc.) or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium.

[0092] During the discharging of the coating mechanism 11, the first driving mechanism 12 is used to drive the coating mechanism 11 to move, so that the protective barrier 220 can be conveniently formed.

[0093] The first driving mechanism 12 in the embodiment can have various structural forms, for example, it can be a mechanical arm, a gantry structure, a track trolley, a parallel robot, etc., which will not be listed one by one in the embodiment.

[0094] In some examples, the first driving mechanism 12 optionally comprises a first driving assembly 121 and a second driving assembly 122, the second driving assembly 122 is installed on the first driving assembly 121, the first driving assembly 121 is configured to drive the second driving assembly 122 to move in a first direction X, the second driving assembly 122 is connected with the coating mechanism 11 and configured to drive the coating mechanism 11 to move in a second direction Y, the first direction X and the second direction Y intersect and are respectively parallel to the welding work surface 210.

[0095] In order to be able to form protective barriers 220 with different lengths in different welding areas 211 of the welding work surface 210, the first driving mechanism 12 in the embodiment comprises the first driving assembly 121 and the second driving assembly 122, wherein the second driving assembly 122 is installed on the first driving assembly 121 and can move in the first direction X on the first driving assembly 121.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first driving assembly 121 can be provided with a first track, the second driving assembly 122 is installed on the first track and can move on the first track through electric driving, hydraulic driving, etc.

[0097] Of course, the first driving assembly 121 itself can be a telescopic member that can be telescoped in the first direction X, and the telescoping of the first driving assembly 121 is used to drive the second driving assembly 122 to move in the first direction X.

[0098] Similarly, the second driving assembly 122 can be provided with a second track, and the coating mechanism 11 is mounted on the second track and can move on the second track by electric driving, hydraulic driving or the like.

[0099] Of course, the second driving assembly 122 can also be a telescopic member that can be telescoped in the second direction Y, and the telescoping of the second driving assembly 122 drives the coating mechanism 11 to move in the second direction Y.

[0100] In this way, the first driving assembly 121 and the second driving assembly 122 drive the coating mechanism 11 to move in the first direction X and the second direction Y, so that the coating mechanism 11 can move in multiple degrees of freedom, improving the flexibility of the coating mechanism 11.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other, and both are horizontal directions.

[0102] In some embodiments, the material supply device 10 can further include a first rack (not shown in the figure), and the first driving assembly 121 of the embodiment is mounted on the first rack.

[0103] In combination with the accompanying drawings Figure 1 and the accompanying drawings Figure 4 As shown, in some examples, the material removal device 20 can optionally include a second driving mechanism 21 and a cleaning member 22, the second driving mechanism 21 is connected with the cleaning member 22 and is used to drive the cleaning member 22 to move, and the cleaning member 22 is used to remove the protective material.

[0104] The second driving mechanism 21 can drive the cleaning member 22 to move in at least one direction, for example, the second driving mechanism 21 drives the cleaning member 22 to move in the first direction X and / or the second direction Y in the figure, and the second driving mechanism 21 can also drive the cleaning member 22 to move in a third direction (not identified in the figure) perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0105] Specifically, the second driving mechanism 21 can drive the cleaning member 22 to swing in the first direction X and / or the second direction Y, and the protective material on the welding work surface 210 is removed by the swinging of the cleaning member 22.

[0106] The second driving mechanism 21 can have various structural forms, for example, it can include a mechanical arm or a linear reciprocating structure, and the linear reciprocating structure can include a ball screw, a trapezoidal screw, a gear rack, a linear motor, a magnetic levitation linear motor, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a cam linkage mechanism, etc., which will not be enumerated one by one in this embodiment.

[0107] The above structure uses the second driving mechanism 21 to drive the cleaning member 22 to remove the protective material, which is simple in structure and easy to implement.

[0108] In some embodiments, the material removing device 20 can comprise a second rack (not shown in the figure), and the second driving mechanism 21 can be installed on the second rack.

[0109] In some embodiments, the material supplying device 10, the welding device 60 and the material removing device 20 can be installed on the same rack or body (not shown in the figure) which has multiple work stations, such as a coating work station for performing protective material coating, a welding work station for performing welding and a removing work station for removing protective material, wherein the material supplying device 10 of the present embodiment is located at the coating work station, the welding device 60 is located at the welding work station, and the material removing device 20 is located at the removing work station.

[0110] In an embodiment, the cleaning member 22 can be a brush, which can comprise a brush body and brush hairs installed on the brush body, and the brush body is connected to the second driving mechanism 21 in any mechanical connection manner, such as bolt connection, welding, etc.

[0111] The material of the brush hairs can comprise nylon, pig bristles, horsehair, PP (polypropylene), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), etc., which are not listed one by one in the present embodiment.

[0112] The cleaning member 22 is designed to comprise a brush, and the brush is swung by the second driving mechanism 21 to remove the protective material, and the flexible brush not only can effectively remove the protective material, but also can reduce the abrasion to the welding work surface 210.

[0113] In some embodiments, the brush density can be designed to be ≥5 ea / mm², the brush overlap (overlap refers to the design or action of partial overlapping coverage of the brush hairs in arrangement or movement) ≥5 mm, the brush diameter ≥0.3 mm, and the length of the brush hairs is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm.

[0114] In some examples, optionally, the material removing device 20 further comprises a negative pressure suction mechanism 23 for adsorbing the protective material removed by the cleaning member 22.

[0115] After the battery monomer 200 is welded, it is moved to the material removing device 20 for removal of the protective material, at this time, the battery monomer 200 is at the material removing work station.

[0116] In the process of removing the protective material by the cleaning member 22 such as a brush, the protective material removed by the cleaning member 22 is adsorbed by the negative pressure suction mechanism 23, which not only can facilitate the removal of the protective material on the welding work surface 210, but also can reduce the possibility of the protective material polluting the battery structure when the protective material is removed.

[0117] In combination with the Figure 4 As shown in some examples, optionally, the negative pressure suction mechanism 23 includes two negative pressure suction assemblies 231, which are oppositely arranged and enclose a space for accommodating the battery structure, and the cleaning member 22 is located between the two negative pressure suction assemblies 231, and the negative pressure suction assemblies 231 are used for negative pressure suction and collection of the welding slag.

[0118] The negative pressure suction assembly 231 can include a suction cover and a negative pressure generation structure (not shown in the figure) installed in the suction cover, and the suction cover is provided with suction ports 2311 facing the battery monomer 200, and the two suction ports 2311 enclose an accommodation hole matched with the battery monomer 200. Taking a cylindrical battery monomer 200 as an example, the suction ports 2311 of each suction cover are in the shape of a circular arc, and the two suction ports 2311 enclose a circle with the same shape and size as the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical battery monomer 200, so that the protective material on the upper surface (current collector) of the battery can be completely dropped into the two suction covers when being cleaned.

[0119] The negative pressure generation structure can be a negative pressure fan, which can suck the cleaned protective material into the suction cover for storage.

[0120] Such a structure designs the negative pressure suction mechanism 23 to include two oppositely arranged negative pressure suction assemblies 231, which can better adsorb and collect the protective material removed from the battery structure.

[0121] In some examples, optionally, the protective material is a solidifiable fluid.

[0122] The solidifiable fluid refers to a material that changes from a liquid or semi-fluid state to a solid state through physical or chemical reaction, for example, the protective material can be cement, gypsum, wax, or polyurethane foam, etc.

[0123] Designing the protective material as a solidifiable fluid not only facilitates the application of the protective material on the welding work surface 210, but also the protective material has certain stability after solidification, so as to better block the welding slag and reduce the possibility of splashing of the welding slag.

[0124] During welding, the protective material can be solidified or not completely solidified. When the protective material is not completely solidified during welding, the protective wall barrier 220 formed by the protective material not only blocks the welding slag from splashing outside the protective wall barrier 220, but also the welding slag with high movement speed can directly embed into the protective wall barrier 220, further improving the protective effect of reducing the splashing of the welding slag outside the protective wall barrier 220.

[0125] In some embodiments, the protective material includes cement, and the contact angle of the cement with the welding work surface 210 is designed to be greater than or equal to 135°.

[0126] The contact angle refers to the angle formed between the edge of the water droplet and the welding work surface 210 when the cement paste contacts the welding work surface 210. The greater the angle, the worse the wettability (e.g., greater than 90° is hydrophobic, and equal to 135° is close to a super-hydrophobic state).

[0127] The contact angle of the cement and the welding work surface 210 is designed to be greater than or equal to 135°. Advantages of this design include: anti-permeation: a high contact angle makes it difficult for the cement to penetrate into the microscopic gaps of the weld, reducing structural weakening; interface stability: reducing the adhesion between the cement and the metal facilitates later peeling or maintenance; corrosion resistance: the hydrophobic property can block the penetration of water vapor / corrosion medium, prolonging the service life of the protective layer; stress buffering: weak interface bonding can alleviate cracks caused by thermal stress, suitable for dynamic load environments.

[0128] In some examples, the battery welding device 100 also includes a solidification device 30 for solidifying the protective material.

[0129] The solidification device 30 can be a physical solidification device 30, such as a heating device, a light-emitting device (ultraviolet), a microwave device, etc., which will not be listed one by one in this embodiment.

[0130] After the formation of the protective barrier 220, the solidification device 30 can be used to improve the solidification rate of the protective material, thereby shortening the solidification time of the protective barrier 220, and the battery monomer 200 can be moved to the welding process more quickly, thereby reducing the impact on the battery welding efficiency.

[0131] In some embodiments, the solidification device 30 includes a solidification lamp, which can be a device capable of emitting ultraviolet and infrared light. The solidification lamp is used to irradiate the cement mixture with added photosensitizer, providing sufficient energy to activate the photosensitizer (such as benzophenone, mass fraction 0.05%-1%) to promote the reaction and heating effect.

[0132] In order to improve the solidification speed, a photosensitizer can also be added to the protective material. After the photosensitizer absorbs ultraviolet light, it generates free radicals or other active species, accelerating the hydration reaction of the cement, thereby shortening the solidification time.

[0133] At the same time, infrared radiation is used. An infrared lamp is used to heat the surface of the cement or the entire structure, ensuring that the cement reacts at 20-40°C, avoiding overheating that can cause a decrease in cement performance. By increasing the temperature, the setting and hardening time of the cement is shortened.

[0134] In some examples, the material supply device 10 optionally comprises a coating mechanism 11 and a first driving mechanism 12, the coating mechanism 11 and the curing device 30 are respectively installed on the first driving mechanism 12, the coating mechanism 11 is used for coating the protective material to the welding work surface 210, and the first driving mechanism 12 is used for driving the coating mechanism 11 and the curing device 30 to move synchronously.

[0135] The coating mechanism 11 and the first driving mechanism 12 have been described above, and the present embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0136] The curing device 30 can be installed on the first driving mechanism 12 through mechanical connection (such as bolt connection, clamping, plug-in or welding, etc.), specifically, the curing device 30 can be installed on the second driving assembly 122, and can move synchronously with the curing device 30 under the driving of the second driving assembly 122.

[0137] In this way, not only the installation base of the curing device 30 is not needed, but also the curing device 30 can move synchronously with the coating mechanism 11 when the coating mechanism 11 moves to coat the protective material, so that the distance between the coated protective material and the curing device 30 is kept within a fixed interval, and the curing efficiency is improved.

[0138] In some examples, the battery welding equipment 100 further comprises a conveying device (not shown in the figure), which is used for driving the battery structure with the welding work surface 210 to move between the material supply device 10, the welding device 60 and the material removal device 20.

[0139] The conveying device can include a carrying robot, or a combination of a conveying belt and a mechanical hand, as long as it can realize the circulation of the battery structure (such as the battery monomer 200) between the above-mentioned protective fortress forming work, welding work station and material work.

[0140] The present embodiment uses the conveying device to convey the battery structure to the material supply device 10, the welding device 60 and the material removal device 20, and realizes the automation of the battery structure welding conveying.

[0141] In combination with the accompanying Figure 5 In some examples, the battery welding equipment 100 further comprises a control device 40, which is in communication connection with the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20 and the conveying device respectively, and is used for controlling the actions of the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20 and the conveying device.

[0142] The above-mentioned "communication connection" means that the control device 40 is connected with the above-mentioned material supply device 10, material removal device 20 and conveying device through wireless signal (such as Bluetooth, wifi, etc.) or power supply line.

[0143] The control device 40 can include a PLC control circuit, a processor, or an MCU control circuit, etc., which can receive the communication signal and send control instructions to the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, and the conveying device.

[0144] The control device 40 can also be in communication connection with the welding device 60, and the control device 40 can control the opening and closing of the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, the welding device 60, and the conveying device respectively, and can control the specific actions and parameters of the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, and the conveying device, so as to realize the full-automatic operation of the control of the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, and the conveying device.

[0145] In some examples, the battery welding equipment 100 also includes a position detection device 50, which is installed on the material supply device 10 and is used to detect whether the position of the welding work surface 210 allows the formation of the protective barrier 220, and the control device 40 is in communication connection with the position detection device 50 and controls the action of the material supply device 10 based on the detection result of the position detection device 50.

[0146] The position detection device 50 can be a position detection sensor, such as a photoelectric sensor (including a double grating sensor), a proximity switch (inductive / capacitive), a Hall sensor, a laser displacement sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a fiber optic sensor, etc., which will not be enumerated too much in this embodiment.

[0147] When the position detection device 50 detects that the welding work surface 210 is at the forming station of the protective barrier 220, the control device 40 judges that the protective barrier 220 can be formed on the welding work surface 210, and then sends an action instruction to the material supply device 10, and the material supply device 10 outputs the protective material to the welding work surface 210 and moves along the first direction X and the second direction Y as described above, and then forms the protective barrier 220 surrounding at least two sides of the welding area 211.

[0148] This structure uses the position detection device 50 to detect whether the position of the welding work surface 210 allows the formation of the protective barrier 220, and the control device 40 controls the action of the material supply device 10 based on the detection result of the position detection device 50, which can accurately control the supply of the protective material and realize intelligent and automatic control.

[0149] In some embodiments, the control device 40 can be in communication connection with the solidification device 30 and the welding device 60 to control the opening and closing of the two.

[0150] Based on the above-mentioned battery welding equipment 100, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery production system, which includes the above-mentioned battery welding equipment 100.

[0151] In some embodiments, the welding device 60 can also be regarded as part of the battery welding apparatus 100, and the conveying device of the battery welding apparatus 100 is used to sequentially convey the battery structure (e.g., the battery cell 200) to the material supply device 10, the welding device 60, and the material removal device 20.

[0152] The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. Figure 6 As shown, based on the above-described battery welding apparatus 100, the embodiments of the present application further provide a battery welding method, which applies the above-described battery welding apparatus 100 and includes the following steps:

[0153] The protective material is provided to form a protective barrier 220 on the welding work surface 210 before welding, and the protective barrier 220 is used to block the welding slag of the welding area 211 on the welding work surface 210 from detaching from the welding work surface 210.

[0154] The welding area 211 is subjected to a welding operation.

[0155] After the welding area 211 is welded, the protective material is removed.

[0156] The protective material is provided by the above-described material supply device 10, and the protective material is removed by the above-described material removal device 20.

[0157] The above-described method forms the protective barrier 220 before welding on the welding work surface 210 to reduce the possibility of the welding slag of the welding area 211 on the welding work surface 210 splashing or falling during welding, thereby reducing the influence of the welding slag on the battery structure. In addition, the protective material after welding is removed, which does not affect the performance of the battery structure.

[0158] In some examples, the step of forming the protective barrier 220 includes:

[0159] The protrusions 221 protruding from the welding work surface 210 are respectively formed on opposite sides of the welding area 211 in the width direction of the welding area 211.

[0160] The length direction of the protrusions 221 can be consistent with the length direction of the welding area 211 (welding seam), and the protrusions 221 and the welding area 211 have a certain interval, which can reduce the possibility of the protective material invading the welding area 211 before solidification.

[0161] The protective barrier 220 is designed as two protrusions 221 on both sides of the welding area 211, which has a simple structure and can achieve good protection effect.

[0162] In some embodiments, along the length direction of the welding area 211, the opposite ends of the protrusions 221 protrude from the welding area 211 by at least 1 mm.

[0163] The opposite ends of the protrusions 221 protrude from the welding area 211 by at least 1 mm, which means that any end of the protrusions 221 along the length direction exceeds the range of the welding area 211 by greater than or equal to 1 mm, for example, along the length direction of the welding area 211, the end of the protrusions 221 exceeds the size of the welding area 211 by 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, etc., which will not be enumerated too much in this embodiment.

[0164] For example, the length direction of the protrusions 221 is consistent with the length direction of the welding area 211, at this time, any end of the protrusions 221 along the length direction exceeds the welding area 211 by greater than or equal to 1 mm, at this time, the difference between the total length of the protrusions 221 and the length of the welding area 211 is greater than or equal to 2 mm.

[0165] In this way, the protection area of the protrusions 221 can be improved, and the possibility of slag flying from the protrusions 221 to other areas can be further reduced.

[0166] In some embodiments, the height of the protrusions 221 protruding from the welding work surface 210 is 3 mm to 10 mm, and / or the width of the protrusions 221 is 1 mm to 5 mm.

[0167] For example, the height of the protrusions 221 on the welding work surface 210 can be 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, etc., and the width of the protrusions 221 can be 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, etc., which will not be enumerated one by one in this embodiment.

[0168] The height of the protrusions 221 is designed to be 3 mm to 10 mm, and the width of the protrusions 221 is designed to be 1 mm to 5 mm, which can reduce the use of protective materials, reduce the size of the protrusions 221, and facilitate the removal of the protrusions 221.

[0169] In some examples, optionally, along the arrangement direction of the welding area 211 to the protrusions 221, the minimum distance between the protrusions 221 and the welding area 211 is greater than or equal to 0.05 mm.

[0170] The minimum distance between the protrusions 221 and the welding area 211 is greater than or equal to 0.05 mm, which can be understood as the minimum distance between the protrusions 221 and the welding area 211 along the arrangement direction of the two protrusions 221 (welding seam width direction).

[0171] In this way, the possibility of the protective material invading the welding area 211 can be reduced, and the two protrusions 221 form a gap for the movement of the slag, reducing the possibility of the slag flying again after being generated without speed attenuation and being removed from the protrusions 221.

[0172] The distance can be 0.05mm, 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm and 0.5mm, etc. The embodiment does not make too many enumerations, the range of the distance should be less than 3mm, reducing the possibility of slag tilting upward and flying out of the protection range of the convex strip 221 due to the too far distance between the slag and the convex strip 221.

[0173] In some examples, before forming the protection barrier 220, the battery welding method further comprises: polishing the welding work surface 210.

[0174] The way of processing the welding work surface 210 into a smooth surface can include the following means: mechanical polishing (grinding wheel, abrasive belt, roller, vibration polishing), chemical polishing, electrolytic polishing (electrochemical polishing), spraying smooth layer (such as metal plating, nano coating, color paint, etc.), laser polishing, ultrasonic polishing and composite polishing, etc. The embodiment does not make too many enumerations.

[0175] The polishing treatment of the welding work surface 210 before forming the protection barrier 220 improves the smoothness of the surface of the welding work surface 210, thereby facilitating the removal of the protection material by the subsequent material removal device 20.

[0176] The above description is only a summary of the technical scheme of the application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the application, the application can be implemented according to the content of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, characteristics and advantages of the application more obvious and easy to understand, the following specific embodiments of the application are described.

[0177] The embodiments of the application are described in conjunction with the accompanying Figures 1-5 The embodiments of the application are described in conjunction with the accompanying Figures 1-5As shown, the battery welding device 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a welding device 60, a material supply device 10, and a material removal device 20. The welding device 60 is used for welding a welding area of a welding work surface of a battery structure. The material supply device 10 is used for providing a protective material to at least one side of the welding area 211 and forming a protective barrier 220 on the at least one side of the welding area 211. The protective barrier 220 is used for blocking welding slag of the welding area 211 on the welding work surface 210 from separating from the welding work surface 210. The welding device 60 is used for welding the welding area 211. The material removal device 20 is used for removing the protective material on the welding work surface 210 after welding. The material supply device 10 includes a coating mechanism 11 used for coating the welding work surface 210 to form the protective barrier 220. The material supply device 10 further includes a first driving mechanism 12 connected with the coating mechanism 11 and used for driving the coating mechanism 11 to move to form the protective barrier 220 on the welding work surface 210. The first driving mechanism 12 includes a first driving assembly 121 and a second driving assembly 122. The second driving assembly 122 is mounted to the first driving assembly 121. The first driving assembly 121 is used for driving the second driving assembly 122 to move along a first direction X. The second driving assembly 122 is connected with the coating mechanism 11 and used for driving the coating mechanism 11 to move along a second direction Y. The first direction X and the second direction Y intersect and are parallel to the welding work surface 210, respectively. The material removal device 20 includes a second driving mechanism 21 and a cleaning member 22. The second driving mechanism 21 is connected with the cleaning member 22 and used for driving the cleaning member 22 to move. The cleaning member 22 is used for removing the protective material. The material removal device 20 further includes a negative pressure suction mechanism 23 used for suctioning the protective material removed by the cleaning member 22. The negative pressure suction mechanism 23 includes two negative pressure suction assemblies 231 oppositely arranged and surrounding a space for accommodating the battery structure. The cleaning member 22 is located between the two negative pressure suction assemblies 231. The negative pressure suction assemblies 231 are used for suctioning and collecting the welding slag. The protective material is a solidifiable fluid. The battery welding device 100 further includes a solidification device 30 used for solidifying the protective material. The material supply device 10 includes the coating mechanism 11 and the first driving mechanism 12. The coating mechanism 11 and the solidification device 30 are mounted to the first driving mechanism 12. The coating mechanism 11 is used for coating the welding work surface 210 with the protective material. The first driving mechanism 12 is used for driving the coating mechanism 11 and the solidification device 30 to move synchronously. The battery welding device 100 further includes a conveying device used for driving the battery structure with the welding work surface 210 to move between the material supply device 10, the welding device 60, and the material removal device 20.The battery welding apparatus 100 further includes a control device 40 which is communicatively connected to the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, and the conveying device, respectively, and controls the operation of the material supply device 10, the material removal device 20, and the conveying device. The battery welding apparatus 100 further includes a position detection device 50 which is installed to the material supply device 10 and detects whether the position of the welding work surface 210 is allowed to form the protective barrier 220, and the control device 40 is communicatively connected to the position detection device 50 and controls the operation of the material supply device 10 based on the detection result of the position detection device 50.

[0178] It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0179] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part of the technical features, but these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A battery welding device, characterized in that: include: A welding device for welding the welding area of ​​the welding working surface of the battery structure; a material supply device, comprising a coating mechanism, the coating mechanism being configured to provide a protective material to at least one side of the welding area and to form a protective barrier with the protective material on at least one side of the welding area, the protective barrier being configured to prevent welding slag in the welding area from escaping from the welding working surface; and A material removal device is used to remove the protective material on the welding work surface after welding.

2. The battery welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material supply device further includes a first driving mechanism, which is connected to the coating mechanism and is used to drive the coating mechanism to move so as to form the protective barrier on the welding working surface.

3. The battery welding equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first driving mechanism includes a first driving component and a second driving component, the second driving component is installed on the first driving component, the first driving component is used to drive the second driving component to move along the first direction, the second driving component is connected to the coating mechanism, and is used to drive the coating mechanism to move along the second direction, the first direction and the second direction intersect and are respectively parallel to the welding work surface.

4. The battery welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The material removal device includes a second driving mechanism and a cleaning member. The second driving mechanism is connected to the cleaning member and is used to drive the cleaning member to move. The cleaning member is used to remove the protective material.

5. The battery welding equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material removal device further includes a negative pressure suction mechanism, which is used to absorb the protective material removed by the removal member.

6. The battery welding equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The negative pressure suction mechanism includes two negative pressure adsorption components, which are arranged opposite to each other and enclose a space for accommodating the battery structure. The cleaning component is located between the two negative pressure adsorption components.

7. The battery welding equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The protective material is a curable fluid.

8. The battery welding equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The battery welding equipment further includes a curing device, which is used to cure the protective material.

9. The battery welding equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The material supply device includes a coating mechanism and a first driving mechanism. The coating mechanism and the curing device are respectively installed on the first driving mechanism. The coating mechanism is used to coat the protective material to the welding work surface. The first driving mechanism is used to drive the coating mechanism and the curing device to move synchronously.

10. The battery welding equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The battery welding equipment further includes a conveying device, which is used to drive the battery structure having the welding working surface to move between the material supply device, the welding device, and the material removal device.

11. The battery welding equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that: The battery welding equipment further includes a control device, which is communicatively connected to the material supply device, the material removal device, and the conveying device, and is used to control the actions of the material supply device, the material removal device, and the conveying device.

12. The battery welding equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that: The battery welding equipment also includes a position detection device, which is installed on the material supply device and is used to detect whether the position of the welding work surface allows the formation of the protective barrier. The control device is communicatively connected to the position detection device and controls the operation of the material supply device based on the detection result of the position detection device.

13. A battery production system, characterized in that: Comprising the battery welding equipment according to any one of claims 1-12.

14. A battery welding method, characterized in that: Applying the battery welding equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the battery welding method comprises the following steps: Providing a protective material, and forming the protective material into a protective barrier on the welding work surface before welding, wherein the protective barrier is used to prevent welding slag in the welding area of ​​the welding work surface from escaping from the welding work surface; performing welding operations on the welding area; After welding of the welding area is completed, the protective material is removed.

15. The battery welding method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The step of forming a protective barrier with the protective material on the welding working surface before welding comprises: The protective material is used to form convex strips protruding from the welding working surface on opposite sides of the welding area in the width direction.

16. The battery welding method according to claim 15, characterized in that: Along the arrangement direction from the welding area to the convex strips, the minimum distance between the convex strips and the welding area is greater than or equal to 0.05 mm.

17. The battery welding method according to claim 14, characterized in that: Before forming the protective barrier, the battery welding method further includes: The welding working surface is polished.

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