Battery shell helium detection equipment and battery shell helium detection method
By completing the helium inspection process step by step in independent vacuum boxes, helium inspection boxes and air-breaking boxes, the problem of traditional helium inspection equipment being difficult to strike a balance between inspection efficiency and accuracy is solved, and efficient and accurate helium inspection of battery casings is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410353399.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing helium detection equipment struggles to maintain high detection efficiency while guaranteeing detection accuracy. The traditional helium detection process completes vacuum pumping, helium injection, helium detection, and vacuum breaking operations within a single detection chamber. This results in long idle times for the helium detector and high pipeline complexity, which affects the detection results.
The helium inspection process is split into independent vacuum boxes, helium inspection boxes and air-breaking boxes, and the battery shells are transported to each box in turn through a conveying mechanism, so that the vacuuming, helium inspection and air-breaking operations can be carried out step by step. Each functional module works uninterruptedly, reducing idle time and simplifying pipeline layout.
It improves detection efficiency, reduces pipeline complexity and detection errors, ensures detection accuracy, and simplifies pipeline airtightness assurance and maintenance.
Smart Images
Figure CN120696083A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of helium inspection technology, and in particular to battery casing helium inspection equipment and a battery casing helium inspection method. Background Art
[0002] During battery production, airtightness testing is required for battery cells, battery packs, and cooling plates. Helium testing is commonly used. This involves evacuating the product under test and then filling it with helium at a certain pressure. The product under test is then placed in a vacuum chamber with a specified vacuum level, which is then connected to a helium detector. Because helium is an extremely active gas molecule that easily escapes from tiny locations, a helium detector can detect the presence of helium in the vacuum chamber and determine if the product under test has cracks or holes.
[0003] However, current helium detection equipment has certain defects, making it difficult to ensure detection accuracy while maintaining high detection efficiency. Summary of the Invention
[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a battery case helium inspection device and a battery case helium inspection method to solve the problem of how to maintain high detection efficiency while ensuring detection accuracy.
[0005] In one aspect, the present application provides a battery casing helium inspection device, comprising:
[0006] A vacuum box, wherein the vacuum box is provided with a feed port, the feed port is provided with a first sealing door that can be opened and closed, and the vacuum box is connected to a first vacuum pumping mechanism;
[0007] a helium inspection box, the helium inspection box being in communication with the vacuum box, a second sealing door being provided between the helium inspection box and the vacuum box and being operable to isolate the helium inspection box from the vacuum box, a helium injection mechanism being provided within the helium inspection box for injecting helium into the battery casing to be inspected, and the helium inspection box being connected to a helium detector;
[0008] A rupture box, the rupture box is connected to the helium inspection box, a third sealing door is provided between the rupture box and the helium inspection box, the third sealing door can be opened and closed and is used to isolate the rupture box from the helium inspection box, the rupture box is provided with a discharge port, the discharge port is provided with a fourth sealing door that can be opened and closed, and the rupture box is connected to a second vacuum pumping mechanism; and
[0009] A conveying mechanism is used to convey the battery shell to be inspected to the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air breaking box in sequence.
[0010] The technical solution is further described below:
[0011] In one embodiment, there are multiple vacuum boxes, each of which is independently arranged, and all of the vacuum boxes are connected to the helium inspection box, and a second sealed door is provided between each vacuum box and the helium inspection box; and / or there are multiple air-breaking boxes, each of which is independently arranged, and all of the air-breaking boxes are connected to the helium inspection box, and a third sealed door is provided between each air-breaking box and the helium inspection box.
[0012] In one embodiment, the vacuum box includes a plurality of first sub-boxes, the plurality of first sub-boxes are connected in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, and an openable and closable first partition door is provided between two adjacent first sub-boxes, the number of the first vacuum pumping mechanisms is multiple, and each first vacuum pumping mechanism is connected to each first sub-box in a one-to-one correspondence, along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, the first sub-box at the front is provided with the feed port and the first sealing door, the last first sub-box is connected to the helium inspection box, and the second sealing door is provided between the last first sub-box and the helium inspection box; and / or,
[0013] The air breaking box includes multiple second sub-boxes, which are connected in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, and an openable and closable second partition door is provided between two adjacent second sub-boxes. There are multiple second vacuum pumping mechanisms, and each second vacuum pumping mechanism is connected to each second sub-box in a one-to-one correspondence. Along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, the first second sub-box is connected to the helium inspection box, and the third sealing door is provided between the first second sub-box and the helium inspection box, and the last second sub-box is provided with the discharge port and the fourth sealing door.
[0014] In one embodiment, the conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, and the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air-breaking box are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt passes through the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air-breaking box, and one end of the conveyor belt passes through the feed port to form a loading end, and the other end passes through the discharge port to form a unloading end.
[0015] In one embodiment, the battery shell helium inspection equipment further includes a circulation mechanism, which is connected to the unloading end and is used to receive the battery shells that have passed the helium inspection from the unloading end; and / or, the battery shell helium inspection equipment further includes a rejection mechanism, which is arranged at the unloading end and is used to reject the battery shells that have failed the helium inspection from the unloading end and transfer them to the buffer area.
[0016] In one embodiment, the battery casing helium inspection equipment further includes a tray, the tray being capable of carrying a plurality of the battery casings to be inspected, and the conveying mechanism being configured to convey the battery casings to be inspected via the tray.
[0017] On the other hand, the present application also provides a battery case helium inspection method, which is implemented using the above-mentioned battery case helium inspection equipment, characterized in that the battery case helium inspection method includes the following steps:
[0018] The first sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the feed port into the vacuum box;
[0019] The first sealing door and the second sealing door are closed, and the first vacuuming mechanism vacuums the vacuum box and the battery housing to be inspected;
[0020] The second sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism conveys the battery shell to be inspected into the helium inspection box;
[0021] The second sealing door and the third sealing door are closed, the helium injection mechanism injects helium into the battery housing to be inspected, and the helium detector detects the helium content in the helium inspection box;
[0022] The third sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected into the empty box;
[0023] The third sealing door and the fourth sealing door are closed, and the second vacuum pumping mechanism pierces the vacuum box and the battery shell to be inspected;
[0024] The fourth sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
[0025] In one embodiment, after the first vacuuming mechanism evacuates the vacuum box, the step further includes:
[0026] Obtaining the time required for the first vacuuming mechanism to perform vacuuming;
[0027] When the time required for vacuuming is greater than a calibrated value, the helium inspection box and the vacuum breaking box stop working, and the conveying mechanism directly delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
[0028] In one embodiment, after the step of the conveying mechanism delivering the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port, the step further includes:
[0029] Obtaining the helium content in the helium inspection box detected by the helium detector, and determining that the battery shell to be inspected is a qualified product when the helium content in the helium inspection box is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and determining that the battery shell to be inspected is an unqualified product when the helium content in the helium inspection box is greater than the predetermined value;
[0030] The rejecting mechanism rejects the unqualified products from the conveying mechanism and transfers them to the buffer area.
[0031] In one embodiment, after the step of the conveying mechanism delivering the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port, the step further includes:
[0032] The third sealing door and the fourth sealing door are closed, and the second vacuum pumping mechanism vacuums the air breaking box.
[0033] In the above-mentioned battery shell helium inspection equipment and battery shell helium inspection method, by setting a vacuum box, helium inspection box and air-breaking box with independent functions, the helium inspection processes such as vacuuming, helium inspection and air-breaking originally completed in one box can be split into independent completions in the vacuum box, helium inspection box and air-breaking box respectively. In this way, the battery shells to be inspected can queue up and enter different boxes in turn to complete the corresponding steps. For example, while the vacuum box is vacuuming one batch of battery shells, the helium inspection box can perform helium inspection on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed vacuuming, and the air-breaking box can also perform air-breaking on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed helium inspection at the same time, so that the first vacuuming mechanism, the second vacuuming mechanism, the helium detector and the helium injection mechanism and other functional modules of the battery shell helium inspection equipment can work uninterruptedly, reducing the idle waiting time of each functional module, greatly improving the inspection cycle, and thus improving the inspection efficiency. Moreover, compared with the traditional method of requiring a helium detector to be connected to multiple test boxes at the same time to improve the test cycle, the helium detector of the battery shell helium inspection equipment of the present application only needs to be connected to the helium inspection box, thereby reducing the complexity of the pipeline layout, making the airtightness assurance and maintenance of the pipeline easier, and also reducing the occurrence of detection errors caused by pipeline factors, thereby improving the detection accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] The drawings that constitute a part of this application are used to provide further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute improper limitations on this application.
[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.
[0036] In addition, the drawings are not drawn to a 1:1 scale, and the relative sizes of the various elements are drawn only for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily drawn to true scale.
[0037] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a battery casing helium inspection device according to one embodiment.
[0038] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of a battery casing helium inspection device according to another embodiment.
[0039] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of a battery casing helium inspection device according to another embodiment.
[0040] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a helium inspection method for a battery casing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] Description of reference numerals:
[0042] 10. Conveying mechanism; 21. Vacuum box; 211. First sub-box; 212. First partition door; 22. Helium inspection box; 23. Air-breaking box; 231. Second sub-box; 232. Second partition door; 31. First sealing door; 32. Second sealing door; 33. Third sealing door; 34. Fourth sealing door; 40. Circulation mechanism; 50. Rejection mechanism; 51. Buffer area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0044] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.
[0045] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.
[0046] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connected," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, these terms may refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0047] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, if a first feature is described as being "above" or "below" a second feature, or similar descriptions, this may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, when a first feature is described as being "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is described as being "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.
[0048] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiment.
[0049] As described in the background technology, current helium detection equipment has certain defects, making it difficult to ensure detection accuracy while maintaining high detection efficiency. Specifically, the inventors of this application found in their research that the traditional helium detection process is to complete vacuuming, helium injection, helium detection, and vacuum breaking operations in a detection box. In the entire helium detection process, the key helium detection operations take very little time, and most of the detection time is spent on operations such as vacuuming and breaking the vacuum in the detection box. Therefore, the helium detector is idle most of the time. At present, in order to improve the beat of helium detection equipment and improve production efficiency, the industry usually needs to set up multiple parallel detection boxes so that the helium detector is connected to multiple detection boxes at the same time. However, the connection of the helium detector to multiple detection boxes will lead to a complex pipeline structure, and the airtightness of the pipeline will be relatively difficult to ensure and maintain. At the same time, helium detection is an ultra-low vacuum and precision detection. Factors such as the diameter, length, and process pressure of the pipeline directly affect the helium detection results. Overly complex pipelines will lead to large differences in consistency among the detection boxes, affecting the detection results. Moreover, blindly increasing the number of test boxes will also lead to excessively long pipelines. During the test process, an additional pressure-stabilizing pump will be needed to stabilize the pressure. The pressure-stabilizing pump will divert the flow, which will introduce new variables into the helium test process, resulting in a smaller multiple of the helium test results, increasing the risk of missed kills.
[0050] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery case helium inspection device that can take into account both detection efficiency and detection accuracy. It can be understood that the battery case helium inspection device can be used not only for helium inspection of battery cases, but also for helium inspection of other battery accessories or materials. Specifically, see Figure 1 The battery case helium inspection equipment of one embodiment includes a conveying mechanism 10, a vacuum chamber 21, a helium inspection chamber 22, and a venting chamber 23, which are sequentially connected. The vacuum chamber 21 has a feed port equipped with a first, retractable, sealed door 31. The vacuum chamber 21 is connected to a first vacuum pumping mechanism (not shown). The helium inspection chamber 22 is connected to the vacuum chamber 21. A second, retractable, sealed door 32 is provided between the helium inspection chamber 22 and the vacuum chamber 21, isolating the two chambers. The helium inspection chamber 22 is equipped with a helium injection mechanism (not shown) for injecting helium into the battery case to be inspected. The helium inspection chamber 22 is also connected to a helium detector (not shown). The rupture box 23 is connected to the helium inspection box 22. A third sealing door 33 is installed between the rupture box 23 and the helium inspection box 22, which is openable and closable to isolate the rupture box 23 from the helium inspection box 22. The rupture box 23 has a discharge port, which is equipped with a fourth sealing door 34 that is openable and closable. The rupture box is connected to a second vacuum pumping mechanism (not shown). The conveying mechanism 10 is used to sequentially transport the battery casings to be inspected to the vacuum box 21, the helium inspection box 22, and the rupture box 23.
[0051] In one embodiment, the workflow of the battery casing helium inspection equipment is as follows:
[0052] Loading and vacuuming: Open the first sealing door 31, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the feed port into the vacuum box 21. Then close the first sealing door 31 and the second sealing door 32. The vacuum box 21 and the battery shell inside the vacuum box 21 are vacuumed by the first vacuuming mechanism. The time required for the first vacuuming mechanism to vacuum is observed. If the vacuuming time is greater than the calibration value, it is determined that the battery shell to be inspected has a major leak. Subsequently, helium testing will no longer be performed on the battery shell to be inspected, and the conveying mechanism 10 will directly deliver the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port. The "calibration value" refers to the standard time required for qualified products to be vacuumed in the vacuum box 21.
[0053] Helium inspection: When the time required for vacuuming is less than or equal to the calibration value, the second sealing door 32 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 conveys the battery shell to be inspected into the helium inspection box 22. The second sealing door 32 and the third sealing door 33 are closed, and the helium injection mechanism injects helium into the battery shell to be inspected. The helium detector detects the helium content in the helium inspection box 22. When the helium content in the helium inspection box 22 is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the battery shell to be inspected is determined to be a qualified product. When the helium content in the helium inspection box 22 is greater than the predetermined value, the battery shell to be inspected is determined to be an unqualified product.
[0054] Degassing: The third sealing door 33 is then opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery casings to be inspected after helium inspection into the degassing box 23. The third sealing door 33 and the fourth sealing door 34 are then closed, and the second vacuuming mechanism degasses the degassing box 23 and the battery casings therein. It is worth noting that while the degassing box 23 is being degassed, the helium inspection box 22 can simultaneously perform helium inspection on subsequent battery casings. Similarly, the vacuum box 21 can simultaneously vacuumize subsequent battery casings.
[0055] Unloading: Finally, the fourth sealing door 34 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery shells to be inspected out of the empty box 23 from the discharge port. Qualified products can continue to be transported and circulated by the conveying mechanism 10, and unqualified products can be rejected by the rejection mechanism 50.
[0056] In the above-mentioned battery shell helium inspection equipment, by setting a vacuum box 21, a helium inspection box 22 and a hollow box 23 with independent functions, the helium inspection processes such as vacuuming, helium inspection and hollowing originally completed in one box can be split into independent completions in the vacuum box 21, the helium inspection box 22 and the hollow box 23 respectively. In this way, the battery shells to be inspected can queue up and enter different boxes in turn to complete the corresponding steps. For example, while the vacuum box 21 is vacuuming one batch of battery shells, the helium inspection box 22 can perform helium inspection on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed vacuuming, and the hollow box 23 can also perform hollowing on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed helium inspection at the same time, so that the first vacuuming mechanism, the second vacuuming mechanism, the helium detector and the helium injection mechanism and other functional modules of the battery shell helium inspection equipment can work uninterruptedly, reducing the idle waiting time of each functional module, greatly improving the beat, and thus improving the inspection efficiency. Moreover, compared with the traditional method of requiring a helium detector to simultaneously connect multiple inspection boxes to improve the cycle time, the helium detector of the battery shell helium inspection equipment of the present application only needs to be connected to the helium inspection box 22, thereby reducing the complexity of the pipeline layout, making the airtightness protection and maintenance of the pipeline easier, and also reducing the occurrence of detection errors caused by pipeline factors, thereby improving the detection accuracy.
[0057] See also Figure 2 Optionally, in one embodiment, there are multiple vacuum boxes 21, for example, there can be two, three, four, five or more vacuum boxes 21, which are not limited here. Each vacuum box 21 is independently arranged, and all vacuum boxes 21 are connected to the helium inspection box 22. A second sealing door 32 is provided between each vacuum box 21 and the helium inspection box 22. Specifically, the time required for helium inspection of the battery shell in the helium inspection box 22 is generally less than the time required for vacuuming in the vacuum box 21. For example, in one embodiment, the time required for helium inspection is 3S, while the time required for vacuuming the vacuum box 21 is 7S. If the helium inspection box 22 is docked with a vacuum box 21, after completing the helium inspection of one battery shell, the helium inspection box 22 still needs to wait for 3S to 4S before the vacuum box 21 can complete the vacuuming operation of the next battery shell. During this period, the helium inspection box 22 is idle. At this time, two vacuum boxes 21 can be set up, and both vacuum boxes 21 are connected to the helium inspection box 22. Then, the battery casings that have been evacuated in the two vacuum boxes 21 are alternately sent to the helium inspection box 22 for helium inspection through the conveying mechanism 10, thereby reducing the idle waiting time of the helium inspection box 22 and further improving the inspection efficiency.
[0058] Similarly, in one embodiment, the number of the rupture boxes 23 is multiple, for example, the number of the rupture boxes 23 can be two, three, four, five or more. This is not limited here. Each rupture box 23 is set independently of each other, and all rupture boxes 23 are connected to the helium inspection box 22, and a third sealing door 33 is provided between each rupture box 23 and the helium inspection box 22. In this way, the battery shells that have completed helium inspection in the helium inspection box 22 are alternately sent to different rupture boxes 23 for rupture through the conveying mechanism 10, which can also reduce the idle waiting time of the helium inspection box 22 and further improve the inspection efficiency.
[0059] See also Figure 3 In another embodiment, the vacuum box 21 includes multiple first sub-boxes 211. For example, the number of first sub-boxes 211 can be two, three, four, five, or more. The multiple first sub-boxes 211 are connected in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 10, and a first partition door 212 that can be opened and closed is provided between two adjacent first sub-boxes 211. There are multiple first vacuuming mechanisms, and each first vacuuming mechanism is connected to each first sub-box 211 in a one-to-one correspondence. At the same time, along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 10, the first sub-box 211 at the front is provided with a feed port and a first sealing door 31, the last first sub-box 211 is connected to the helium inspection box 22, and a second sealing door 32 is provided between the last first sub-box 211 and the helium inspection box 22. The multiple first sub-boxes 211 can perform vacuuming on the battery shell to be inspected in batches, thereby improving the cycle time. Specifically, taking the example of a single battery casing requiring 7 seconds for vacuuming and 3 seconds for helium testing, the vacuum chamber 21 can be configured as two first sub-chambers 211. The battery casing first passes through the first sub-chamber 211 for vacuuming for 3.5 seconds, then through the second sub-chamber 211 for vacuuming for another 3.5 seconds, before entering the helium testing chamber 22 for helium testing. While the second sub-chamber 211 is being vacuumed, the first sub-chamber 211 can simultaneously vacuum the subsequent battery casing. This ensures that the interval between each battery casing received by the helium testing chamber 22 is less than 4 seconds, reducing the idle waiting time of the helium testing chamber 22 and further improving testing efficiency.
[0060] Similarly, the evacuation box 23 may include multiple second sub-boxes 231. For example, the number of second sub-boxes 231 may be two, three, four, five, or more. The multiple second sub-boxes 231 are sequentially connected along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 10, and an openable second partition door 232 is provided between adjacent second sub-boxes 231. There are multiple second vacuum pumping mechanisms, each of which is connected to a corresponding second sub-box 231. Along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 10, the first second sub-box 231 is connected to the helium inspection box 22, and a third sealing door 33 is provided between the first second sub-box 231 and the helium inspection box 22. The last second sub-box 231 is provided with a discharge port and a fourth sealing door 34. The multiple second sub-boxes 231 enable the evacuation of battery shells that have completed helium inspection in batches, thereby reducing the idle waiting time of the helium inspection box 22 and further improving inspection efficiency.
[0061] See also Figure 1 Optionally, in one embodiment, the conveying mechanism 10 includes a conveyor belt, and the vacuum box 21, the helium inspection box 22 and the air-breaking box 23 are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt passes through the vacuum box 21, the helium inspection box 22 and the air-breaking box 23, and one end of the conveyor belt passes through the feed port to form a loading end, and the other end passes through the discharge port to form a unloading end.
[0062] Furthermore, the conveyor belt includes a loading section, a first transition section, a second transition section, a third transition section, and a discharge section, which are arranged in sequence. The loading section is located outside the vacuum box 21, with one end of the loading section extending to the feed port. The first transition section is located inside the vacuum box 21 and docked with the loading section. A first sealing door 31 is located between the loading section and the first transition section. The second transition section is located inside the helium injection box and docked with the first transition section. A second sealing door 32 is located between the first and second transition sections. The third transition section is located inside the blasting box 23 and docked with the second transition section. A third sealing door 33 is located between the second and third transition sections. The discharge section is located outside the blasting box 23, with one end of the discharge section extending to the discharge port and docked with the third transition section. A fourth sealing door 34 is located between the third transition section and the discharge section. This prevents the first, second, third, and fourth sealing doors 31, 32, 33, and 34 from interfering with the conveyor belt when closing.
[0063] Continue to see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the battery shell helium inspection equipment further includes a transfer mechanism 40, which is connected to the unloading end of the conveying mechanism 10. The transfer mechanism 40 is used to receive the battery shells that have passed the helium inspection from the unloading end of the conveying mechanism 10, so that the qualified products can be transferred to the next process through the transfer mechanism 40. Specifically, the transfer mechanism 40 can be a robotic arm or a conveyor belt, etc., which is not limited here.
[0064] Optionally, in one embodiment, the battery case helium inspection apparatus of the conveying mechanism 10 further includes a rejection mechanism 50, which is disposed at the unloading end. The rejection mechanism 50 is used to reject battery cases that fail the helium inspection from the unloading end and transfer them to a buffer area 51 for appearance verification. Specifically, the rejection mechanism 50 can be a robotic arm or a push rod, or can also use a commercially available, mature rejection mechanism 50, without limitation.
[0065] Optionally, in one embodiment, the battery case helium inspection apparatus further includes a tray (not shown) capable of carrying multiple battery cases to be inspected. The conveying mechanism 10 is used to transport the battery cases to be inspected via the tray. This allows for simultaneous helium inspection of multiple battery cases, further improving inspection efficiency. Furthermore, the tray can carry no less than one and no more than 60 battery cases for inspection, thereby improving inspection efficiency while minimizing the size of the tray.
[0066] See also Figure 4 One embodiment of the present application further provides a battery case helium inspection method implemented using the battery case helium inspection equipment of any of the above embodiments. Specifically, the battery case helium inspection method of one embodiment includes the following steps:
[0067] S110: The first sealing door 31 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery shell to be inspected into the vacuum box 21 from the feed port.
[0068] Specifically, in one embodiment, the conveying mechanism 10 can transport battery shells to be inspected via a tray, allowing multiple battery shells to be inspected simultaneously with a single loading, further improving helium inspection efficiency. Furthermore, the tray can carry no less than one and no more than 60 battery shells to be inspected, thereby improving helium inspection efficiency while minimizing the size of the tray.
[0069] S120: The first sealing door 31 and the second sealing door 32 are closed, and the first vacuuming mechanism vacuums the vacuum box 21 and the battery housing to be inspected;
[0070] S130: The second sealing door 32 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 conveys the battery shell to be inspected into the helium inspection box 22;
[0071] S140: The second sealing door 32 and the third sealing door 33 are closed, the helium injection mechanism injects helium into the battery housing to be inspected, and the helium detector detects the helium content in the helium inspection box 22;
[0072] S150: The third sealing door 33 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery shell to be inspected into the emptying box 23;
[0073] S160: The third sealing door 33 and the fourth sealing door 34 are closed, and the second vacuum pumping mechanism evacuates the vacuum box 23 and the battery shell to be inspected;
[0074] S170: The fourth sealing door 34 is opened, and the conveying mechanism 10 delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
[0075] In the above-mentioned battery shell helium inspection method, the helium inspection processes such as vacuuming, helium inspection and air breaking that were originally completed in one box are split into independent completions in the vacuum box 21, the helium inspection box 22 and the air breaking box 23. In this way, the battery shells to be inspected can be queued up and enter different boxes in turn to complete the corresponding steps. For example, while the vacuum box 21 is vacuuming one batch of battery shells, the helium inspection box 22 can perform helium inspection on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed vacuuming, and the air breaking box 23 can also simultaneously perform air breaking on the previous batch of battery shells that have completed helium inspection, so that the functional modules such as the first vacuuming mechanism, the second vacuuming mechanism, the helium detector and the helium injection mechanism can work uninterruptedly, reducing the idle waiting time of each functional module, greatly improving the inspection cycle, and thus improving the inspection efficiency. Moreover, compared with the traditional method of requiring a helium detector to simultaneously connect multiple test boxes to improve the test cycle, the helium detector of the battery shell helium inspection equipment of the present application only needs to be connected to the helium inspection box 22, thereby reducing the complexity of the pipeline layout, making the airtightness assurance and maintenance of the pipeline easier, and also reducing the occurrence of detection errors caused by pipeline factors, thereby improving the detection accuracy.
[0076] Furthermore, after step S120, the following steps are also included:
[0077] S121: Obtaining the time required for the first vacuuming mechanism to evacuate the air;
[0078] S122: When the time required for vacuuming is greater than the calibration value, the helium inspection box 22 and the vacuum breaking box 23 stop working, and the conveying mechanism 10 directly delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
[0079] Specifically, the "calibrated value" refers to the standard time required for qualified products to be evacuated within the vacuum box 21. If the evacuation time exceeds the calibration value, it indicates that the battery case under inspection has a major leak. Subsequent helium inspection will no longer be performed on the battery case under inspection, and the conveying mechanism 10 will directly deliver the battery case under inspection from the discharge port.
[0080] It is understandable that the following steps may be further included after step S120:
[0081] S123: When the time required for vacuuming is less than or equal to the calibrated value, execute step S130.
[0082] Furthermore, after step S170, the following steps are also included:
[0083] S171: Obtaining the helium content in the helium inspection box 22 detected by the helium detector. When the helium content in the helium inspection box 22 is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the battery shell to be inspected is determined to be a qualified product; when the helium content in the helium inspection box 22 is greater than the predetermined value, the battery shell to be inspected is determined to be an unqualified product.
[0084] S172 : The rejecting mechanism 50 rejects unqualified products from the conveying mechanism 10 and transfers them to the buffer area 51 .
[0085] Specifically, the rejection mechanism 50 can be a robotic arm or a push rod, etc., or a mature rejection mechanism 50 on the market can be used, without limitation. The rejection mechanism 50 transfers the unqualified products to the buffer area 51 for subsequent appearance confirmation of the unqualified products.
[0086] S173: The transfer mechanism 40 transfers the qualified products to the next process.
[0087] Optionally, in one embodiment, step S170 further includes the following steps:
[0088] S174: The third sealing door 33 and the fourth sealing door 34 are closed, and the second vacuuming mechanism vacuums the air breaking box 23.
[0089] Specifically, the piercing box 23 is evacuated by the second vacuum pumping mechanism to ensure that the piercing box 23 remains in a vacuum state when the next batch of battery shells that have completed helium inspection enter the piercing box 23 .
[0090] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0091] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, and these modifications and improvements fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A battery casing helium inspection device, characterized in that: include: A vacuum box, wherein the vacuum box is provided with a feed port, the feed port is provided with a first sealing door that can be opened and closed, and the vacuum box is connected to a first vacuum pumping mechanism; a helium inspection box, the helium inspection box being in communication with the vacuum box, a second sealing door being provided between the helium inspection box and the vacuum box and being operable to isolate the helium inspection box from the vacuum box, a helium injection mechanism being provided within the helium inspection box for injecting helium into the battery casing to be inspected, and the helium inspection box being connected to a helium detector; A rupture box, the rupture box is connected to the helium inspection box, a third sealing door is provided between the rupture box and the helium inspection box, the third sealing door can be opened and closed and is used to isolate the rupture box from the helium inspection box, the rupture box is provided with a discharge port, the discharge port is provided with a fourth sealing door that can be opened and closed, and the rupture box is connected to a second vacuum pumping mechanism; and A conveying mechanism is used to convey the battery shell to be inspected to the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air breaking box in sequence.
2. The battery case helium inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple vacuum boxes, each of which is independently arranged, and all of the vacuum boxes are connected to the helium inspection box, and a second sealed door is provided between each vacuum box and the helium inspection box; and / or there are multiple air-breaking boxes, each of which is independently arranged, and all of the air-breaking boxes are connected to the helium inspection box, and a third sealed door is provided between each air-breaking box and the helium inspection box.
3. The battery case helium inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum box includes a plurality of first sub-boxes, which are sequentially connected along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, and an openable and closable first partition door is provided between two adjacent first sub-boxes. There are a plurality of first vacuum pumping mechanisms, and each first vacuum pumping mechanism is connected to each first sub-box in a one-to-one correspondence. Along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, the first sub-box at the front is provided with the feed port and the first sealing door, the last first sub-box is connected to the helium inspection box, and the second sealing door is provided between the last first sub-box and the helium inspection box; and / or, The air breaking box includes multiple second sub-boxes, which are connected in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, and an openable and closable second partition door is provided between two adjacent second sub-boxes. There are multiple second vacuum pumping mechanisms, and each second vacuum pumping mechanism is connected to each second sub-box in a one-to-one correspondence. Along the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, the first second sub-box is connected to the helium inspection box, and the third sealing door is provided between the first second sub-box and the helium inspection box, and the last second sub-box is provided with the discharge port and the fourth sealing door.
4. The battery case helium inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, and the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air-breaking box are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt passes through the vacuum box, the helium inspection box and the air-breaking box, and one end of the conveyor belt passes through the feed port to form a loading end, and the other end passes through the discharge port to form a unloading end.
5. The battery casing helium inspection equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The battery shell helium inspection equipment further includes a circulation mechanism, which is connected to the unloading end and is used to receive battery shells that have passed the helium inspection from the unloading end; and / or, the battery shell helium inspection equipment further includes a rejection mechanism, which is arranged at the unloading end and is used to reject battery shells that have failed the helium inspection from the unloading end and transfer them to a buffer area.
6. The battery casing helium inspection equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The battery casing helium inspection equipment further includes a tray capable of carrying a plurality of the battery casings to be inspected, and the conveying mechanism is used to convey the battery casings to be inspected via the tray.
7. A battery case helium inspection method, implemented using the battery case helium inspection equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The battery casing helium inspection method comprises the following steps: The first sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the feed port into the vacuum box; The first sealing door and the second sealing door are closed, and the first vacuuming mechanism vacuums the vacuum box and the battery housing to be inspected; The second sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism conveys the battery shell to be inspected into the helium inspection box; The second sealing door and the third sealing door are closed, the helium injection mechanism injects helium into the battery housing to be inspected, and the helium detector detects the helium content in the helium inspection box; The third sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected into the empty box; The third sealing door and the fourth sealing door are closed, and the second vacuum pumping mechanism pierces the vacuum box and the battery shell to be inspected; The fourth sealing door is opened, and the conveying mechanism delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
8. The battery case helium inspection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: After the first vacuuming mechanism evacuates the vacuum box, the following step further comprises: Obtaining the time required for the first vacuuming mechanism to perform vacuuming; When the time required for vacuuming is greater than a calibrated value, the helium inspection box and the vacuum breaking box stop working, and the conveying mechanism directly delivers the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port.
9. The battery case helium inspection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: After the step of the conveying mechanism delivering the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port, the step further includes: Obtaining the helium content in the helium inspection box detected by the helium detector, and determining that the battery shell to be inspected is a qualified product when the helium content in the helium inspection box is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and determining that the battery shell to be inspected is an unqualified product when the helium content in the helium inspection box is greater than the predetermined value; The rejecting mechanism rejects the unqualified products from the conveying mechanism and transfers them to the buffer area.
10. The battery case helium inspection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: After the step of the conveying mechanism delivering the battery shell to be inspected from the discharge port, the step further includes: The third sealing door and the fourth sealing door are closed, and the second vacuum pumping mechanism vacuums the air breaking box.