Integrated module forming device and forming method

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated module forming device and method. The integrated module forming device comprises a first clamping mechanism and a hoisting assembly. The first clamping mechanism comprises at least two first output ends, and the first output ends are configured to generate synchronous reverse movement actions in the first direction; the hoisting assembly comprises a second clamping mechanism and a pressing adsorption assembly, the second clamping mechanism comprises at least two second output ends, the second output ends are configured to generate synchronous reverse movement actions in the second direction, the second direction and the first direction are perpendicular to each other and intersect at the center point on the projection, and the pressing adsorption assembly is arranged above the center point. The equipment has the beneficial effects that forming and transferring are integrated, the three originally separated steps of stacking, extruding and hoisting transferring are ingeniously combined on one set of equipment, and integrated operation is achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of new energy, in particular to an integrated module forming device and a forming method. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle industry, the use of power batteries is increasing, and the quality and safety requirements of lithium batteries in the trial production and research and development process are becoming more and more stringent. At present, in the trial production stage, module forming and transfer are operated in two stations, such as the Chinese patent document with publication number CN213459824U discloses a kind of module automatic stacking mechanism, by setting multiple parallel sliding support parts on the bearing surface, make the battery cell be set on it and slide along the first direction and stack;At the same time, the pressure connection part, the limiting part and the driving part are configured to realize the directional pushing and limiting positioning of the battery cell.

[0003] Although the sliding stacking of the battery cell is realized without jamming;However, the current module forming and transfer are operated in two stations, the module is first extruded and formed by the stacking equipment, and then the module is transferred by the lifting and transferring equipment, the process is complex and tedious, which causes the long assembly cycle of lithium battery, the increase of research and development cost and the increase of equipment maintenance cost.

[0004] The information disclosed in this BACKGROUND section is only intended to increase an understanding of the general context in which the present application can be practiced. It is not admitted that this information constitutes prior art that is already known in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to solve the problem of low integration of module forming and transfer.

[0006] The present application solves the above technical problems by the following technical means: The present application claims an integrated module forming device, comprising a first clamping mechanism and a lifting assembly;The first clamping mechanism comprises at least two first output ends, the first output ends are configured to produce synchronous reverse movement action along the first direction;The lifting assembly comprises a second clamping mechanism and a downward suction assembly, the second clamping mechanism comprises at least two second output ends, the second output ends are configured to produce synchronous reverse movement action along the second direction, the second direction and the first direction are perpendicular to each other, and intersect at the center point in projection, and the downward suction assembly is arranged above the center point.

[0007] Discard multi-station independent arrangement, through the first clamping mechanism to realize the center stacking of the battery cell along the first direction, and then cooperate with the second clamping assembly to realize the extrusion along the second direction to the position directly below the lower pressing and adsorbing assembly, and then transfer by the lower pressing and adsorbing assembly, realize the fast stacking, extrusion and transfer of the battery cell, realize the integration of forming and transfer, combine the originally separated stacking, extrusion, hoisting and transfer three steps on a set of equipment, realize the integrated operation.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a first sliding guide mechanism, the guide direction of the first sliding guide mechanism is parallel to the second direction, the first sliding guide mechanism includes a plurality of guide rail sliders, the guide rail sliders are arranged correspondingly with the first clamping mechanism, and the first clamping mechanism is arranged on the corresponding guide rail sliders.

[0009] Through the cooperation of the first sliding guide mechanism, the first clamping mechanism and the hoisting assembly, the relative sliding of the battery cell and the platform is reduced when the battery cell is centered and stacked and extruded, thereby fundamentally solving the problem of the damage of the blue film on the surface of the battery cell caused by friction, eliminating the risk of short circuit and reducing the loss.

[0010] Preferably, the first clamping mechanism includes a placing plate, a rotating shaft, a gear and a positioning arm, the placing plate is arranged on the guide rail slider, the rotating shaft is connected in the placing plate, the gear is coaxially arranged on the rotating shaft, the gear is meshed with one end of the positioning arm on the upper and lower sides, the other end of the positioning arm extends out of the placing plate and forms a space with the placing plate.

[0011] The first clamping mechanism realizes the synchronous reverse movement of the positioning arm through the cooperation of the rack and the gear, which not only can realize the center stacking of the battery cell by operating any positioning arm, but also can simplify the operation, and can perfectly ensure that the side edges of each battery cell are flat, thereby ensuring the regularity of the whole module and laying a good foundation for the subsequent extrusion.

[0012] Preferably, the positioning arm is in L-shaped structure, the horizontal sections of the positioning arm are provided with racks on one side, the racks are meshed with the gear, the horizontal sections are provided with guide grooves, the guide grooves are parallel along the long edges of the horizontal sections, the guide grooves and the guide pins arranged on the inner walls of the placing plate form sliding guide cooperation, the ends of the horizontal sections away from each other penetrate through the placing plate to form vertical sections, and the placing plate and the vertical sections on both sides jointly enclose a space.

[0013] The sliding cooperation of the guide grooves and the guide pins realizes the guidance.

[0014] Preferably, it also includes a first suction cup unit, the suction port of the first suction cup unit is arranged in the placing plate and is flush with the upper surface of the placing plate.

[0015] The first suction cup unit adsorbs the battery cell, so that the centered battery cell is placed stably and avoids the deviation caused by accidental touch.

[0016] Preferably, the hoisting assembly further comprises a hoisting frame, a lower pressing adsorption assembly is arranged in the middle of the hoisting frame, and a group of second clamping assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the hoisting frame.

[0017] The hoisting frame integrates the lower pressing adsorption assembly and the second clamping assembly, and the arrangement is reasonable.

[0018] Preferably, the second clamping assembly comprises an electric cylinder and a clamping jaw, the electric cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the hoisting frame, the electric cylinders are parallel to the second direction, the driving ends of the electric cylinders are connected with the clamping jaws, and the clamping jaws are perpendicular to the electric cylinders.

[0019] The clamping jaws are parallel and used for extruding both sides of the extrusion die set.

[0020] Preferably, the lower pressing adsorption assembly comprises a lower pressing lead screw, an adapter block and a vacuum adsorption unit, the lower pressing lead screw is installed in the middle of the hoisting frame, the vacuum adsorption unit is installed on the bottom end of the lower pressing lead screw through the adapter block, and the vacuum chuck of the vacuum adsorption unit is located below the adapter block.

[0021] The lower pressing lead screw is a mechanical transmission element, which realizes the conversion from rotary motion to linear motion by pressing the ball into the screw thread through axial thrust, and is prior art.

[0022] Preferably, the hoisting assembly further comprises a fixed base plate and a positioning cylinder, a through slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed base plate, a first sliding guide mechanism is arranged on the fixed base plate on both sides of the through slot, the fixed base plate is provided with the positioning cylinder, and the positioning cylinder is matched with a positioning shaft arranged at the bottom of the hoisting frame.

[0023] The positioning cylinder is used for positioning and guiding the hoisting assembly.

[0024] The application also claims a die set forming method using the integrated die set forming device, comprising the following steps: The battery cell is placed on the first clamping mechanism, the first clamping mechanism adjusts the battery cell to be centrally stacked along the width direction of the fixed base plate; The separator is pre-bonded to the adjacent battery cell to form a die set; The hoisting assembly is hoisted, the second clamping assembly extrudes the die set along the length direction of the fixed base plate, and the lower pressing adsorption assembly transfers the die set.

[0025] In this process, the battery cell is adjusted to be centrally stacked by the first clamping mechanism, the second clamping assembly is extruded to be centered, and the lower pressing adsorption assembly transfers the die set, so that the integration and automation of the process flow are realized, and the three core problems of efficiency, cost and safety in the trial production and research and development of lithium batteries are solved, the research and development speed can be significantly accelerated, and the safety and reliability of the product can be improved.

[0026] The application has the advantages that not only the structure is compact and simplified in spatial layout, the purchase cost and equipment maintenance cost are reduced, and the application range is wider, but also the operation is simplified, and the production tact time is greatly reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 is the structural schematic diagram of the integrated module forming device in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 2 is the structural schematic diagram of the integrated module forming device placing the battery cell in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 3 is the structural schematic diagram of the integrated module forming device removing the hoisting assembly in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 4 is the structural schematic diagram of the first clamping mechanism in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 5 is the overhead perspective schematic diagram of the hoisting assembly in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 6 is the bottom perspective schematic diagram of the hoisting assembly in embodiment one of the present application; Figure 7 is the schematic diagram of the module forming method in embodiment one of the present application.

[0028] 1, transfer trolley; 3, fixed bottom plate; 30, through slot; 5, double linear guide rail; 7, first clamping mechanism; 70, placing plate; 71, rotating shaft; 72, gear; 73, positioning arm; 730, horizontal section; 731, vertical section; 74, guide pin; 8, positioning cylinder; 9, first suction cup unit; 10, hoisting assembly; 100, hoisting frame; 101, positioning shaft; 102, second clamping assembly; 1020, electric cylinder; 1021, clamping jaw; 103, downward pressing and adsorbing assembly; 1030, downward pressing screw; 1031, adapter block; 1302, vacuum adsorbing unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0030] Embodiment one Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 and Figure 3The embodiment claims an integrated module forming device, comprising a transfer trolley 1, a positioning pin (not shown in the figure), a fixed bottom plate 3, a linear bearing (not shown in the figure), a double linear guide rail 5, a guide rail slider (not shown in the figure), a first clamping mechanism 7, a positioning cylinder 8, a first suction cup unit 9 and a hoisting assembly 10.

[0031] The transfer trolley 1 is a special vehicle or equipment for short-distance transportation of materials or goods, which is a prior art for moving the device to the required position. The fixed bottom plate 3 is arranged above the transfer trolley 1, and four linear bearings are arranged at the bottom of the fixed bottom plate 3. Four positioning pins are correspondingly arranged at the top of the transfer trolley 1. The positioning pins and the linear bearings form a vertical plug-in fit, so that the fixed bottom plate 3 is installed on the transfer trolley 1, thereby forming a movable platform.

[0032] The center of the top surface of the platform is point O, the long side of the platform is parallel to the X-axis, the wide side of the platform is parallel to the Y-axis, and the height direction is the Z-axis, thereby establishing a three-dimensional coordinate system.

[0033] A through slot 30 is arranged in the middle of the top surface of the platform, which is used to ensure that the cell air pipe and the wire harness are led out. The double linear guide rails 5 are arranged on both sides of the through slot 30, and the long side of the double linear guide rails 5 is parallel to the X-axis. A plurality of guide rail sliders are slidably arranged on the double linear guide rails 5. In fact, the double linear guide rails 5 refer to two linear sliding rails arranged on both sides of the through slot 30. Each linear sliding rail has a plurality of guide rail sliders. Corresponding guide rail sliders on the two linear sliding rails form a group of guide rail sliders. The first clamping mechanism 7 is arranged on each group of guide rail sliders.

[0034] Referring to Figure 4 The first clamping mechanism 7 is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the number of cells, and the first clamping mechanism 7 is centrally stacked along the Y-axis corresponding to the cells. Specifically, the first clamping mechanism 7 includes a placement plate 70, a rotating shaft 71, a gear 72, a positioning arm 73 and a guide pin 74. The placement plate 70 is installed on each group of guide rail sliders, and the placement plate 70 is perpendicular to the double linear guide rails 5. The longitudinal section of the placement plate 70 is in the shape of a “]” character. The rotating shaft 71 is connected to the middle of the inner wall of the placement plate 70, and the axis of the rotating shaft 71 is parallel to the Y-axis. The gear 72 is coaxially arranged on the rotating shaft 71. The positioning arm 73 is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the gear 72. The positioning arm 73 is in the shape of an L. The horizontal part of the positioning arm 73 is defined as a horizontal segment 730. A gear rack is arranged on one side of the horizontal segment 730 close to the gear 72. The gear rack is engaged with the gear 72. A guide groove is formed in the horizontal segment 730. The length of the guide groove is parallel to the long side of the horizontal segment 730. The guide groove is in sliding guide cooperation with the guide pin 74 arranged on the inner wall of the placement plate 70. The one end of the horizontal segment 730 away from the other horizontal segment 730 passes through the placement plate 70 to form a vertical segment 731. Each placement plate 70 and the vertical segments 731 on both sides jointly enclose a space, and a cell is placed in the space.

[0035] The first suction cup unit 9 is arranged on the placing plate 70, and the first suction cup unit 9 realizes stable grabbing by forming negative pressure through a suction port. The suction port is arranged in the placing plate 70 and is flush with the upper surface of the placing plate 70.

[0036] The first clamping mechanism 7 is used for the process of centrally stacking the battery cells along the Y axis. First, a plurality of battery cells are placed in the space in sequence. Taking any one battery cell as an example, the corresponding vertical section 731 is pushed, so that the horizontal section 730 moves under the action of the guide groove and the guide pin 74. The rack is engaged with the gear 72, which drives the gear 72 to rotate, so that the two positioning arms 73 are synchronously and reversely moved to the middle part of the placing plate 70 to abut against the two sides of the vertical section 731. Then, the operation is repeated in sequence to adjust the remaining battery cells, so as to realize the central stacking of the plurality of battery cells along the Y axis.

[0037] The four corners of the top surface of the platform are provided with positioning cylinders 8, which are used for positioning and guiding the lifting assembly 10. The positioning cylinders 8 are not limited to four, but can also be two diagonally arranged.

[0038] Referring to Figure 5 and Fig. 6, the lifting assembly 10 is lifted above the platform, and the lifting assembly 10 is used for extruding and transporting the module along the X axis. Specifically, the lifting assembly 10 includes a lifting frame 100, a positioning shaft 101, a second clamping assembly 102, and a downward suction assembly 103. The lifting frame 100 can be lifted above the platform by a linear module or a mechanical hand, which is a prior art. The lifting frame 100 is in the form of a square frame support structure, and the four corners of the bottom of the square frame support structure are provided with the positioning shafts 101. The positioning shafts 101 are matched with the positioning cylinders 8. A set of second clamping assemblies 102 are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the lifting frame 100. The second clamping assembly 102 includes an electric cylinder 1020 and a clamping jaw 1021. The long side of the electric cylinder 1020 is parallel to the X axis. The driving end of the electric cylinder 1020 is connected with the clamping jaw 1021, and the clamping jaw 1021 is perpendicular to the electric cylinder 1020. The downward suction assembly 103 is arranged in the middle of the lifting frame 100. The downward suction assembly 103 is used for linear movement and suction of the module. Specifically, the downward suction assembly 103 includes a downward screw rod 1030, an adapter block 1031, and a vacuum suction unit 1302. The downward screw rod 1030 is installed in the middle of the lifting frame 100. The downward screw rod 1030 is a kind of mechanical transmission element, which realizes the conversion from rotary motion to linear motion by pressing the ball into the screw thread through axial thrust. It is a prior art. The adapter block 1031 is installed at the bottom end of the downward screw rod 1030, and the vacuum suction unit 1302 is arranged on the adapter block 1031. The vacuum suction unit 1302 is a kind of integrated small vacuum system which uses a vacuum pump or a vacuum generator to generate negative pressure and sucks objects through a vacuum suction cup. The vacuum suction cup is located below the adapter block 1031.

[0039] In this embodiment, the independent arrangement of multiple workstations is abandoned. By using the first clamping mechanism 7 to centrally stack the battery cells along the Y-axis, and then using the second clamping assembly 102 to compress and center them along the X-axis to directly below the downward adsorption assembly 103, and then transferring them by the downward adsorption assembly 103, the battery cells can be quickly stacked, compressed, and transferred. This achieves integrated forming and transfer, cleverly combining the originally separate stacking, compression, and hoisting transfer steps into a single machine for integrated operation. This setup not only has a compact and simplified spatial layout, reducing purchase and maintenance costs and broadening its applicability, but also simplifies operation and significantly reduces production cycle time.

[0040] Furthermore, by cooperating with the linear guide rail, the guide rail slider, the first clamping mechanism 7, and the hoisting assembly 10, while ensuring that the battery cells are stacked and squeezed in the center, the relative slippage between the battery cells and the platform is reduced. This fundamentally solves the problem of the blue film on the surface of the battery cells being damaged due to friction, eliminates the risk of short circuits, and reduces losses.

[0041] Furthermore, the first clamping mechanism 7 uses two L-shaped positioning arms 73, which are engaged by a rack and pinion gear 72 to achieve synchronous reverse movement of the positioning arms 73. This not only allows for the centered stacking of battery cells by operating any positioning arm 73, simplifying the operation, but also perfectly ensures that the sides of each battery cell are flat, ensuring the overall regularity of the module and laying a good foundation for subsequent extrusion.

[0042] Example 2 See Figure 7 This embodiment, based on Embodiment 1, provides a module forming method, including the following steps: S1. Pre-treatment of cells and separators: Specifically, the separator is placed inside adjacent cells. First, one side of the separator film is peeled off and pasted onto the large surface of the cell, which ensures that the separator is bonded to the cell on one side, but the other side of the separator is not bonded, ensuring that adjacent cells are not bonded. The other side of the separator film does not need to be peeled off, in order to prevent the other side from being in contact with air for a long time, which would reduce adhesion.

[0043] S2. The battery cell is placed on the first clamping mechanism 7, and the first clamping mechanism 7 adjusts the battery cells to be stacked in the center along the width direction of the fixed base plate 3; specifically, as described in detail above, it will not be repeated here.

[0044] S3. The first suction cup unit 9 adsorbs the battery cell; S4. Pre-bonding of adjacent cells with separators to form a module; specifically, tearing open the other side of the separator so that adjacent cells are bonded together with the separator to form a module.

[0045] S5. The hoisting and lifting assembly 10 is hoisted, and the second clamping assembly 102 squeezes the module along the length of the fixed base plate 3, while the downward suction assembly 103 transfers the module. Specifically, the hoisting and lifting assembly 10 is hoisted so that the positioning shaft 101 is inserted into the positioning cylinder 8, the electric cylinder 1020 is turned on, and the gripper 1021 moves synchronously in the opposite direction to squeeze the module. After the module is squeezed into place, the vacuum suction unit 1302 adsorbs onto the upper surface of the module, and the first suction cup unit 9 is turned off. After the adsorption air pressure stabilizes, the module is transferred to the box for the next step.

[0046] During this process, the first clamping mechanism 7 adjusts the centering and stacking of the battery cells, and the second clamping component 102 squeezes the centering and the downward adsorption component 103 transfers the module, thereby realizing the integration and automation of the process flow. This solves the three core problems of efficiency, cost and safety in the trial production and development of lithium batteries, which can significantly accelerate the development speed and improve the safety and reliability of the products.

[0047] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated modular forming device, characterized by, The first clamping mechanism (7) includes at least two first output ends configured to produce synchronous reverse movement actions in a first direction; the hoisting assembly (10) includes a second clamping mechanism and a downward suction assembly (103), the second clamping mechanism includes at least two second output ends configured to produce synchronous reverse movement actions in a second direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and intersects at a center point in projection, and the downward suction assembly (103) is arranged above the center point.

2. The integrated modular forming device of claim 1, wherein, The first sliding guide mechanism is also included, the guide direction of the first sliding guide mechanism is parallel to the second direction, the first sliding guide mechanism includes a plurality of guide rail sliders, the guide rail sliders are correspondingly arranged with the first clamping mechanism (7), and the first clamping mechanism (7) is arranged on the corresponding guide rail sliders.

3. The integrated modular forming device of claim 2, wherein, The first clamping mechanism (7) includes a placement plate (70), a rotating shaft (71), a gear (72) and a positioning arm (73), the placement plate (70) is arranged on the guide rail slider, the rotating shaft (71) is connected in the placement plate (70), the rotating shaft (71) is coaxially arranged with the gear (72), the gear (72) is meshed with one end of the positioning arm (73) on the upper and lower sides, the other end of the positioning arm (73) extends out of the placement plate (70), and the positioning arm (73) and the placement plate (70) are arranged to form a space.

4. The integrated modular forming device of claim 3, wherein, The positioning arm (73) is in L-shaped structure, one side of the horizontal section (730) is arranged with a rack, the rack is meshed with the gear (72), the horizontal section (730) is provided with a guide groove, the guide groove is parallel to the long side of the horizontal section (730), and the guide groove and the guide pin (74) arranged on the inner wall of the placement plate (70) are in sliding guide cooperation, one end of the horizontal section (730) away from each other penetrates through the placement plate (70) to form a vertical section (731), and the placement plate (70) and the vertical sections (731) on both sides jointly enclose the space.

5. The integrated modular forming device of claim 3, wherein, The first suction cup unit (9) is also included, and the suction port of the first suction cup unit (9) is arranged in the placement plate (70) and flush with the upper plate surface of the placement plate (70).

6. The integrated modular forming device of claim 1, wherein, The hoisting assembly (10) also includes a hoisting frame (100), the downward suction assembly (103) is arranged in the middle of the hoisting frame (100), and a group of second clamping assemblies (102) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the hoisting frame (100).

7. The integrated modular forming device of claim 6, wherein, The second clamping assembly (102) includes an electric cylinder (1020) and a clamping jaw (1021), the electric cylinders (1020) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the hoisting frame (100), the electric cylinders (1020) are parallel to the second direction, and the driving ends of the electric cylinders (1020) are connected with the clamping jaws (1021), and the clamping jaws (1021) are perpendicular to the electric cylinders (1020).

8. The integrated modular forming device of claim 6, wherein, The downward suction assembly (103) includes a downward lead screw (1030), an adapter block (1031) and a vacuum suction unit (1302), the downward lead screw (1030) is installed in the middle of the hoisting frame (100), the vacuum suction unit (1302) is installed below the adapter block (1031) through the adapter block (1031) at the bottom end of the downward lead screw (1030), and the vacuum suction disc of the vacuum suction unit (1302) is located below the adapter block (1031).

9. The integrated modular forming device of claim 2, wherein, Also include fixed bottom plate (3) and positioning cylinder (8), the middle part of fixed bottom plate (3) is through the through slot (30), the first sliding guide mechanism is arranged on the both sides of fixed bottom plate (3) of through slot (30), fixed bottom plate (3) is provided with positioning cylinder (8), positioning cylinder (8) is matched with the positioning shaft (101) corresponding arranged at the bottom of hoisting frame (100).

10. A modular forming method using the integrated modular forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: The battery cell is placed on the first clamping mechanism (7), and the first clamping mechanism (7) adjusts the battery cell to be stacked in the middle along the width direction of the fixed bottom plate (3); The separator is pre-bonded to the adjacent battery cell to form a module; The hoisting assembly (10) is hoisted, the second clamping assembly (102) extrudes the module along the length direction of the fixed bottom plate (3), and the downward pressing and adsorbing assembly (103) transfers the module.

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