Integrated vacuum degassing device for soft package battery

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of soft package lithium battery production, in particular to an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft package battery. The device comprises a supporting mechanism, an upper sealing mechanism and a lower sealing mechanism. The upper sealing mechanism is composed of a fixing platform, an upper pressing mechanism and a pressing mechanism. The lower sealing mechanism comprises a bottom bearing plate, a driving module, a heat sealing assembly and a sliding assembly. A heating sealing assembly, a multi-point puncturing assembly and a downward pressing positioning assembly are arranged in the upper pressing mechanism, a driving unit drives a framed bent supporting plate to descend, multi-point puncturing exhaust of a battery air bag is achieved, and heat sealing and sealing are completed in a vacuum environment. According to the invention, the integrated treatment of the soft package battery in the vacuum degassing and edge sealing processes is realized, compared with the traditional step-by-step operation, the production efficiency is obviously improved, the manual intervention is reduced, the edge sealing damage risk is reduced, and the automation degree is relatively high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of soft-pack lithium battery production technology, specifically relating to an integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries. Background Technology

[0002] Pouch lithium-ion batteries are widely used due to their advantages such as light weight, high energy density, and flexible molding. However, the packaging process of pouch batteries, especially the degassing and sealing stages after liquid injection, often requires complex and highly precise process steps.

[0003] In the existing technology, the degassing and sealing of soft-pack batteries are often handled by different equipment or workstations. Degassing requires manually puncturing or puncturing at a single point to release the gas in a vacuum chamber, and then thermally sealing it by another device.

[0004] For example, in the Chinese invention with announcement number CN104201422A and patent name "A Vacuum Extraction Device and Method for Inner Membrane of a Soft Pack Battery", the device uses an annular upper suction cup and a lower suction cup to clamp the air bag area of ​​the battery and form a local sealed space. The gas and liquid inside the air bag are extracted by evacuating the local space, and finally heat-sealing is performed.

[0005] The above solution avoids the use of a large vacuum chamber and has a certain energy-saving effect; however, this method of localized sealed evacuation still has limitations: Firstly, it relies on the airbag's own sealing properties. For batteries in certain conditions (such as airbag wrinkles or uneven materials), it may be difficult to form an effective seal, resulting in unstable vacuuming efficiency. Secondly, the air extraction channel is relatively simple, which is not conducive to the rapid and uniform discharge of residual gas in various parts of the battery. In addition, the solution adopts a single-point puncture method, which has limited exhaust paths and the internal gas cannot be discharged quickly and completely, often leading to problems such as residual gas in the air bag or bulging of local sealing edges. Third, although the air extraction and heat sealing are done on the same equipment, the process connection may still involve station switching or mechanism action conversion. Such step-by-step operation is not only cumbersome, but also the connection error between each link can easily lead to poor battery sealing, poor air tightness, or even damage to the electrode sheets, thereby affecting the yield and battery life. In the pursuit of high efficiency and high consistency in fully automated production lines, there is still room for optimization.

[0006] To address these issues, an integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] One objective of this application is to provide an integrated vacuum degassing device for pouch batteries. By integrating multi-point puncture, vacuum degassing, heat sealing, and positioning mechanisms into a single device, a continuous and coordinated degassing and sealing process is formed, fundamentally solving the technical problems of dispersed processes, low efficiency, and unstable airtightness in existing equipment.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery, including a support mechanism and an upper sealing mechanism and a lower sealing mechanism respectively disposed above and below the support mechanism. The upper sealing mechanism includes a fixed platform and an upper pressing mechanism and a clamping mechanism disposed on both sides of the surface of the fixed platform; the upper pressing mechanism includes a heat sealing assembly, a multi-point puncture assembly and a lower pressing positioning assembly mounted on the bearing frame; The multi-point puncture assembly consists of a drive unit, a frame support plate, and a puncture knife. When the drive unit drives the frame support plate to descend, the puncture knife performs multi-point punctures on the air bag to form an exhaust channel.

[0009] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the support mechanism includes a base platform, a movable bearing component slidably disposed on the surface of the base platform, and a guide mechanism disposed at the bottom of the movable bearing component; the movable bearing component can reciprocate relative to the base platform through the guide mechanism; the guide mechanism includes sliders parallel to both sides of the bottom of the movable bearing component and a slide rail fixedly disposed on the surface of the base platform and cooperating with the sliders.

[0010] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the mobile support assembly includes a battery positioning platform and a support plate fixedly mounted on the battery positioning platform. The upper surface of the support plate is provided with a plurality of workstation slots for placing batteries, and a limit stop is provided on one side of each workstation slot. A positioning member is slidably mounted on one side of the support plate to ensure the precise positioning of the battery in the workstation slot. An encapsulation groove corresponding to the lower sealing mechanism is provided on the other side of the support plate. According to a specific embodiment of this application, the positioning component includes a lateral guiding mechanism, a longitudinal positioning mechanism, and an adjustment driving mechanism. The adjustment driving mechanism is connected to the lateral guiding mechanism and the longitudinal positioning mechanism respectively. The lateral guiding mechanism includes a lateral guiding bracket and a plurality of sliding pressure arms disposed on the lateral guiding bracket. The sliding pressure arms are disposed opposite to the limiting stop bar. The longitudinal positioning mechanism includes a longitudinal positioning plate and a plurality of stop support arms disposed on the longitudinal positioning plate. The longitudinal positioning mechanism is disposed above the lateral guiding mechanism.

[0011] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the heating and sealing assembly, the multi-point puncture assembly, and the downward positioning assembly are sequentially disposed on the top surface of the bearing frame; the bearing frame is fixedly disposed on the top surface of the fixed platform.

[0012] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the heat sealing assembly includes a drive cylinder, a transmission link, and an upper sealing strip; the drive cylinder is fixedly disposed on the upper surface of the support frame, the transmission link is connected to the output end of the drive cylinder and the transmission link is connected to the upper sealing strip, and is used to cooperate with the lower sealing mechanism to achieve heat sealing of the battery edge in the encapsulation groove.

[0013] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the pressing and positioning component includes a pressing guide and a driving unit. The pressing guide and the piercing knife are both disposed on the lower surface of the rack support plate. The pressing guide is disposed at the front end of the piercing knife and contacts the edge of the battery gas bag first, so as to maintain a constant pressing force and prevent damage to the battery seal during the piercing process. The driving unit is fixedly disposed on the surface of the bearing frame, and the output end of the driving unit passes through the bearing frame and the fixed platform in sequence and is drivenly connected to the rack support plate.

[0014] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the pressing mechanism is disposed at the front end of the upper pressing mechanism, and the pressing mechanism includes a pressing drive unit and an anti-slip pressing block; the output end of the pressing drive unit passes through the fixed platform and is connected to the anti-slip pressing block.

[0015] According to a specific embodiment of this application, the lower sealing mechanism includes a bottom support plate disposed at the bottom, a drive module, a heat sealing assembly, and a sliding assembly disposed at the bottom of the bottom support plate; the drive module is fixedly disposed on the bottom support plate, and the drive module includes a heat sealing driver and a sealing lifting driver; The heat sealing assembly includes a heat sealing platform connected to the output end of the heat sealing driver and a lower sealing strip disposed within the heat sealing platform, which cooperates with the upper sealing strip of the upper sealing mechanism to achieve heat sealing of the battery.

[0016] According to a specific embodiment of this application, it also includes a waste liquid collection tank. Both the upper sealing mechanism and the lower sealing mechanism are provided with a vacuum interface and a waste liquid discharge channel. The vacuum interface is connected to an external negative pressure source, and the waste liquid discharge channel is connected to the waste liquid collection tank.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the above-described solutions of this application have at least the following beneficial effects: This application integrates an upper sealing mechanism, a lower sealing mechanism, and a support mechanism into a single device, enabling the degassing and heat-sealing processes of the soft-pack battery to be completed continuously in the same vacuum environment. This effectively avoids the problems of air bag damage, contamination, or sealing deviation caused by equipment separation and handling in traditional processes. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 2 This is a front view schematic diagram of an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the movable support component in an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the pressing mechanism in an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the support mechanism in an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the lower sealing mechanism in an integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the upper pressing mechanism in an integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries according to this application.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 310. Base platform; 311. Slide rail; 312. Platform driver; 320. Fixed platform; 321. Fixed platform driver; 330. Mobile bearing assembly; 331. Battery positioning platform; 332. Bearing plate; 333. Adjustment drive mechanism; 334. Station slot; 335. Encapsulation groove; 336. Longitudinal positioning stop plate; 337. Lateral positioning bracket; 338. Stop support arm; 339. Limiting stop bar; 3310. Sliding pressure arm; 340. Lower sealing mechanism; 341. Heat sealing platform; 342. Sealing lifting drive; 343. Heat sealing drive; 344. Lower sealing pressure strip; 345. Bottom support plate; 350. Clamping mechanism; 351. Clamping driver; 352. Clamping mounting bracket; 353. Clamping push rod; 354. Sealing sleeve; 355. Anti-slip clamping block; 360. Upper pressing mechanism; 361. Bearing frame; 3621. Drive cylinder; 3622. Upper sealing strip; 3623. Transmission link; 3631. Drive unit; 3632. Frame support plate; 3633. Pressing guide bar; 3634. Piercing tool; 370. Waste liquid collection box. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or device that includes said element.

[0022] In existing technologies, pouch batteries require degassing and heat sealing after electrolyte injection to ensure the removal of internal gases and the integrity of the cell seal. However, due to the dispersed processes and inconsistent equipment, vacuum degassing is typically performed on a single machine before heat sealing. This method is not only complex and time-consuming, but also prone to problems such as contamination, edge misalignment, and incomplete gas removal during cell transfer, directly affecting battery consistency and airtightness. Especially in automated production lines for mass production of multiple cells, the single-station structure of existing equipment cannot meet the requirements for simultaneous degassing of multiple cells. The limited number of puncture points, slow degassing speed, and uneven heat distribution during sealing can easily lead to defects such as weak or incomplete sealing and edge bulging. Therefore, how to achieve integrated vacuum degassing and heat sealing within a single device while ensuring sealing quality and operational efficiency has become a pressing technical challenge in the current pouch battery manufacturing industry.

[0023] This application proposes an integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries, which addresses the technical problems existing in the production process of soft-pack lithium batteries, such as low degassing efficiency, unstable sealing quality, dispersed equipment structure and insufficient automation. It provides a technical solution with integrated structure, highly coordinated functions and stable operation.

[0024] This application establishes a dual-layer collaborative structure by setting an upper sealing mechanism above and a lower sealing mechanism below an integral support structure. This allows the battery degassing, edge sealing, and vacuum discharge processes to be completed continuously in the same space, fundamentally eliminating the connection errors caused by traditional step-by-step operations. The upper sealing mechanism consists of a fixed platform, an upper pressing mechanism, and a clamping mechanism. The heating and sealing component, multi-point puncture component, and lower pressing and positioning component inside the upper pressing mechanism work together to achieve multi-point puncture, rapid degassing, and synchronous heat sealing of the cell gas bag in a vacuum environment. The multi-point puncture component adopts a combination design of a frame support plate and multiple puncture blades. When the frame support plate is lowered by the drive unit, the puncture blades can simultaneously form multiple exhaust channels in the battery edge sealing area, allowing gas to be discharged from the cell cavity quickly and evenly. Compared with the traditional single-point puncture method, this application significantly improves the degassing speed and thoroughness through multi-point parallel exhaust, reduces the interference of residual gas in the gas bag on the edge sealing formation, and effectively avoids quality hazards such as edge sealing bubbling, gas retention, and uneven heat melting. Meanwhile, the pressure positioning component and the clamping guide apply a constant clamping force to the edge of the battery before puncture, which not only plays a positioning role, but also prevents the sealing material from tearing or misaligning due to puncture stress, making the entire degassing process more stable and reliable.

[0025] In the heat-sealing process, the upper and lower sealing mechanisms of this application work together through upper and lower pressure strips. The upper sealing pressure strip is driven by the heating and sealing assembly, while the lower sealing pressure strip is controlled by the heat-sealing actuator within the lower sealing mechanism. The two mechanisms cooperate to precisely heat-press and seal the battery edges within the encapsulation groove. This structure ensures uniform force and consistent heating at the sealing edge, avoiding problems such as weak sealing, over-melting, or insufficient sealing temperature caused by uneven pressure distribution in traditional equipment. Through the synergistic effect of the heat-sealing assembly and the vacuum interface, the device maintains a negative pressure state during sealing, effectively preventing gas backflow and bubble formation. This ensures complete venting of the battery interior before sealing, thereby significantly improving the product's airtightness and surface smoothness.

[0026] To meet the demands of batch processing of multiple battery cells, this application incorporates a movable carrier assembly on the support structure, with multiple workstation slots for placing multiple battery cells simultaneously. The movable carrier assembly is connected to the base platform via a bottom guide mechanism, enabling smooth reciprocating sliding. This allows the cells to sequentially enter the puncture, degassing, and heat-sealing stations, forming a continuous production flow and significantly improving production cycle time and equipment utilization. Each workstation slot has a limiting stop on one side and a sliding positioning component on the other. The positioning component consists of a lateral guiding mechanism, a longitudinal positioning mechanism, and an adjustment drive mechanism, achieving precise battery positioning through bidirectional lateral and longitudinal guidance. The adjustment drive mechanism automatically adjusts the positioning distance according to different cell specifications, ensuring consistent sealing edge position and process parameters for different cell models, effectively avoiding errors and instability caused by manual adjustments. This structural design gives this application extremely high flexible production capabilities and is widely applicable to the vacuum packaging process of multi-specification pouch batteries.

[0027] Furthermore, both the upper and lower sealing mechanisms are equipped with vacuum interfaces and waste liquid discharge channels, and are connected to an external negative pressure source and waste liquid collection tank. This allows for the simultaneous extraction of internal gas and residual electrolyte atomization during degassing, effectively preventing the backflow or accumulation of impurity gases that could contaminate the cell surface. This structure not only maintains the cleanliness and stable negative pressure environment of the vacuum chamber but also improves the safety and lifespan of the equipment. Compared to traditional independent vacuum chamber systems, the integrated vacuum discharge structure of this application is more compact, with shorter pipelines and faster response, reducing gas retention and uneven extraction, thereby further improving the consistency of degassing and sealing.

[0028] In summary, the technical solution of this application achieves integrated innovation in multiple key process steps during the manufacturing of pouch batteries, including degassing, edge sealing, vacuum maintenance, and positioning control. Through the synergistic design of structural optimization and automated control, it overcomes long-standing technical challenges in existing technologies, such as dispersed processes, unstable edge sealing, low efficiency, and insufficient airtightness. This results in superior technical effects, including improved degassing efficiency, enhanced sealing quality, improved product consistency, and reduced production costs. The implementation of this application makes the production process of pouch batteries more efficient, intelligent, and reliable, providing a new technical path and practical value for the upgrading of lithium battery manufacturing equipment and industrial automation, demonstrating significant technological advancement and broad application prospects.

[0029] Example 1 The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-7 Detailed description of optional embodiments of this application: like Figure 1As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries. The device mainly consists of a support mechanism, an upper sealing mechanism, and a lower sealing mechanism. The three are coordinated and cooperated through a precision drive system to realize the entire process of degassing and sealing of the soft-pack battery.

[0030] Among them, such as Figure 5 As shown, the support mechanism includes a base platform 310, a slide rail 311, and a platform driver 312.

[0031] The base platform 310 serves as the load-bearing foundation of the entire machine. Its surface undergoes high flatness treatment to ensure motion accuracy and overall structural stability.

[0032] The slide rail 311 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base platform 310, providing smooth, low-friction motion guidance for the movable load-bearing component 330.

[0033] The platform driver 312 is located above the base platform 310. It drives the moving load-bearing component 330 to reciprocate linearly along the slide rail 311 via an electric push rod or servo drive, thereby enabling rapid switching between different workstations and providing a position reference for subsequent sealing and venting.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the movable support assembly 330 can slide relative to the base platform 310, and its core component is the battery positioning platform 331. The battery positioning platform 331 is used to support and position multiple pouch batteries to be processed, and a support plate 332 is fixedly installed on it. Several workstation slots 334 are evenly distributed on the support plate 332, and each workstation slot 334 is used to place a single pouch battery to ensure that the position of each battery is consistent and the posture is stable during the process.

[0035] A limiting strip 339 is provided on one side of the workstation slot 334 to position the battery and prevent it from shifting during sliding or vibration. A packaging groove 335 corresponding to the lower sealing mechanism 340 is provided on one side of the support plate 332 to accommodate the heat-sealing part of the lower sealing structure during the heat sealing process, so that the sealing area is stably supported.

[0036] To ensure the precise positioning of the battery on the carrier plate 332, the movable carrier assembly 330 is also equipped with an adjustment drive mechanism 333.

[0037] The adjustment drive mechanism 333 is connected to the lateral guiding mechanism and the longitudinal positioning mechanism, respectively. The lateral guiding mechanism consists of a lateral positioning bracket 337 and multiple sliding pressure arms 3310. The sliding pressure arms 3310 are opposite to the limit bars 339, and are driven by the adjustment drive mechanism 333 to achieve the lateral positioning of the soft-pack battery.

[0038] The longitudinal positioning mechanism includes a longitudinal positioning plate 336 and multiple stop support arms 338 distributed at its ends. The longitudinal positioning plate 336 is positioned above the transverse guiding mechanism to limit the movement of the battery in the longitudinal direction. The stop support arms 338 are evenly distributed on the longitudinal positioning plate 336 to provide stable front and rear positioning support. The transverse guiding mechanism and the longitudinal positioning mechanism can be activated by adjusting the drive mechanism 333 to ensure the battery is accurately positioned in the work station slot 334, thereby providing a precise reference for subsequent puncture, degassing, and heat sealing.

[0039] The upper sealing mechanism 360 is mounted above the fixed platform 320. The fixed platform driver 321 is located on one side of the fixed platform 320. The fixed platform 321 is used to support the upper sealing mechanism 360 and the clamping mechanism 350, and the actuator of the fixed platform driver 321 is connected to the fixed platform 320, thereby ensuring that the clamping mechanism 350 and the upper sealing mechanism 360 on the fixed platform 320 can reach the working position to perform clamping and sealing operations.

[0040] Example 2 Based on Example 1, this example further defines the upper sealing mechanism in the integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries in Example 1.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the upper pressing mechanism 360 includes a support frame 361, a heating and sealing assembly, a multi-point puncture assembly, and a lower pressing and positioning assembly.

[0042] The supporting frame 361 is a rectangular rigid structure, and the upper surface of the frame is equipped with a drive cylinder 3621, a transmission connecting rod 3623 and an upper sealing pressure strip 3622, which together constitute the upper heating and sealing assembly.

[0043] The drive cylinder 3621 is a high-precision cylinder or servo driver, and its output end is connected to the transmission link 3623. The other end of the transmission link 3623 is connected to the upper sealing strip 3622. The upper sealing strip 3622 is a long strip-shaped heating element. When the drive cylinder 3621 is activated, the transmission link 3623 drives the upper sealing strip 3622 to move up and down reciprocally, thereby cooperating with the lower sealing strip 344 in the lower sealing mechanism 340 to heat-seal the edge of the soft-pack battery.

[0044] A multi-point puncture component and a downward positioning component are also installed on the lower surface of the support frame 361 of the upper pressing mechanism 360.

[0045] The multi-point puncture assembly consists of a drive unit 3631, a support plate 3632, and a puncture tool 3634. The drive unit 3631 is fixed to the surface of the support frame 361, and its output end passes through the support frame 361 and the fixed platform 320, and is connected to the support plate 3632.

[0046] Multiple piercing blades 3634 are installed on the lower surface of the support plate 3632. The front end of each piercing blade 3634 is precision ground to ensure that the battery electrode is not damaged during piercing.

[0047] When the drive unit 3631 drives the support plate 3632 to descend vertically, the piercing tool 3634 pierces the battery gas bag located in the work station groove 334 on the support plate 332 at multiple points to form an exhaust channel so that the battery can quickly expel internal gas in a vacuum environment.

[0048] A clamping guide 3633 is mounted on the same plane as the puncture cutter 3634. The clamping guide 3633 is installed on the lower surface of the support plate 3632 and located at the front end of the puncture cutter 3634. When the drive unit 3631 lowers the support plate 3632, the clamping guide 3633 first contacts the edge of the battery gas bag, applying constant pressure to ensure that the battery film surface remains flat and does not warp during puncture, thereby effectively preventing the puncture cutter 3634 from deflecting or causing damage to the sealing edge. This downward positioning component ensures stability and accuracy during puncture, resulting in a uniform formation of the exhaust channel and improved degassing efficiency.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the clamping mechanism 350 is located at the front end of the upper pressing mechanism 360 and is used to provide auxiliary clamping force in the vertical direction before and after heat sealing and puncture.

[0050] The clamping mechanism 350 includes a clamping actuator 351, a clamping mounting bracket 352, a clamping push rod 353, a sealing sleeve 354, and an anti-slip clamping block 355. The clamping actuator 351 can be an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder, and its output end is connected to the clamping push rod 353. The clamping push rod 353 is guided and mounted on the clamping mounting bracket 352 through the sealing sleeve 354, and its end is fixed with the anti-slip clamping block 355. The anti-slip clamping block 355 is made of a high-friction elastic material, which can reliably adhere to the battery surface without damaging the film layer during clamping.

[0051] The clamping driver 351 drives the anti-slip clamping block 355 to apply pressure to the upper surface of the battery through vertical movement, thereby further stabilizing the battery position during sealing and puncture and preventing uneven force on the battery.

[0052] Example 3 Based on Example 1, such as Figure 1 and Figure 6As shown, this embodiment further defines the lower sealing mechanism 340 in the integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries in Embodiment 1.

[0053] like Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the lower sealing mechanism 340 is installed below the support mechanism, and its structure includes a heat sealing platform 341, a sealing lifting drive 342, a heat sealing drive 343, a lower sealing pressure strip 344, and a bottom support plate 345.

[0054] The bottom support plate 345 serves as the overall support base for installing the heat sealing platform 341 and the drive components, and a sliding assembly is provided at the bottom of the bottom support plate 345.

[0055] The sliding assembly includes a bottom slide rail fixedly installed below the bottom support plate 345 and a bottom slider installed on the bottom surface of the bottom support plate 345 and cooperating with the bottom slide rail, thereby enabling the lower sealing mechanism 340 to move on the bottom slide rail.

[0056] The heat sealing platform 341 is connected to the bottom support plate 345 through the sealing lifting driver 342. The sealing lifting driver 342 can drive the lower sealing mechanism 340 to move back and forth along the guide rail set at the bottom in the horizontal direction, so as to move synchronously with the base platform 310. A heat-sealing actuator 343 is positioned below the heat-sealing platform 341 to adjust the height of the heat-sealing platform 341 before and after heat sealing, maintaining an appropriate gap between the upper and lower sealing strips. The lower sealing strip 344 is embedded within the heat-sealing platform 341, corresponding to the position of the upper sealing strip 3622. When the heat-sealing actuator 343 is activated, the lower sealing strip 344 rises, contacting and clamping the battery sealing edge area with the upper sealing strip 3622. The heat and pressure from both strips combine to achieve heat sealing within the encapsulation groove 335.

[0057] To ensure the quality of the sealing edge after heat sealing, the surface of the heat sealing platform 341 is made of a high thermal conductivity material and can be kept at a constant temperature by a built-in temperature control element to prevent uneven sealing. The lower sealing mechanism 340 works in conjunction with the upper sealing mechanism 360 to heat seal the edge of the other battery that has not been punctured after the degassing and puncture are completed, effectively preventing air from re-entering the battery and thus improving the hermeticity of the encapsulation.

[0058] The overall movement of the support mechanism is controlled by the platform driver 312. Through the reciprocating motion of the platform driver 312, the moving carrier component 330 can move below the upper sealing mechanism 360 along with the lower sealing mechanism 340, realizing the automatic transfer of the battery from the loading station to the puncture sealing station. At each station, the battery is supported by the battery positioning platform 331 and the carrier plate 332. The adjusting drive mechanism 333, in conjunction with the transverse positioning bracket 337 and the longitudinal positioning abutment 336, ensures precise battery positioning, thereby achieving precise stability of the battery throughout the degassing and heat sealing process.

[0059] In addition, to ensure the clean and safe operation of the device, a waste liquid collection tank 370 is also provided. Both the upper sealing mechanism 360 and the lower sealing mechanism 340 are equipped with vacuum interfaces and waste liquid discharge channels. The vacuum interface is connected to an external negative pressure source, providing a vacuum environment during the puncture and degassing stage to facilitate the rapid discharge of gas from the battery exhaust channel. The released gas and a small amount of electrolyte released along with it flow into the waste liquid collection tank 370 through the waste liquid discharge channel, thereby preventing waste liquid leakage and pollution of the equipment and environment. The waste liquid collection tank 370 is equipped with a liquid level detection and filtration structure, enabling centralized collection and purified discharge of waste liquid.

[0060] Example 4 Based on Examples 1-3, this embodiment defines the working principle of the integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries.

[0061] The device comprises multiple functional modules, including a base platform 310, a slide rail 311, a platform driver 312, a fixed platform 320, a fixed platform driver 321, a moving support assembly 330, a lower sealing mechanism 340, a pressing mechanism 350, an upper pressing mechanism 360, and a waste liquid collection tank 370. Through precise coordination and control between the components, the entire working process is efficient, continuous, and stable, significantly improving the packaging quality and production efficiency of pouch batteries.

[0062] Before the equipment starts, the base platform 310 serves as the fundamental load-bearing structure of the entire device, supporting and mounting all moving components. The slide rail 311 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base platform 310, providing smooth and precise motion guidance for the movable load-bearing assembly 330. The platform driver 312, typically a servo motor or electric actuator, is mounted above the base platform 310. Its output is connected to the movable load-bearing assembly 330, driving the assembly to reciprocate along the slide rail 311, thereby achieving fully automatic cyclic transfer from the loading area to the degassing and sealing area.

[0063] When the equipment is in its initial state, the platform driver 312 moves the mobile support assembly 330 along the slide rail 311 to the loading position. The mobile support assembly 330 is a key support structure in the battery processing, mainly composed of a battery positioning platform 331 and a support plate 332. The battery positioning platform 331 is a high-strength structural component used to support the support plate 332 and various positioning and support components installed on it. The upper surface of the support plate 332 has multiple workstation slots 334, each of which is used to accommodate one soft-pack battery to be processed, ensuring that multiple batteries can be processed simultaneously. The size of the workstation slots 334 is slightly larger than the battery body to accommodate the dimensional tolerances of different battery models. A limit stop 339 is provided on one side of the support plate 332. This limit stop 339 forms a fixed reference edge for placing the battery tabs, which can effectively limit the initial positional displacement of the battery in the lateral direction. In addition, a sealing groove 335 is provided on the other side of the carrier plate 332. The shape of the sealing groove 335 matches the battery sealing area and is used to accommodate the heat sealing components of the sealing mechanism 340 in the subsequent heat sealing process to prevent uneven force or deformation of the sealing area.

[0064] During operation, after several batteries are sequentially placed into the workstation slots 334 on the support plate 332, the positioning mechanism of the equipment automatically activates to ensure that each battery is in the optimal processing position. At this time, the adjustment drive mechanism 333 is activated, driving the transverse positioning bracket 337 and the longitudinal positioning abutment 336 to move respectively. The longitudinal positioning abutment 336 moves forward under the drive of the adjustment drive mechanism 333. Multiple stop support arms 338 are installed on the front end face of the longitudinal positioning abutment 336, and these stop support arms 338 are arranged equidistantly along the longitudinal direction. When the longitudinal positioning abutment 336 moves into position, the stop support arms 338 come into contact with the front end face of the battery, thereby limiting the positional change of the battery in the longitudinal direction.

[0065] Subsequently, the lateral positioning bracket moves under the drive of the adjustment drive mechanism 333. The lateral positioning bracket 337 is equipped with multiple sliding pressure arms 3310, which can move laterally under the drive of the adjustment drive mechanism 333. When the sliding pressure arms 3310 push the battery, causing the battery tabs to gradually move to the limiting stop 339, the sliding pressure arms 3310 and the limiting stop 339 clamp the two sides of the battery, thereby achieving lateral positioning of the battery. The lower surface of the sliding pressure arms 3310 adopts an elastic anti-slip layer design, which can apply appropriate clamping force without damaging the battery outer film, completely fixing the battery in the lateral direction and eliminating displacement gaps.

[0066] The combined positioning structure, which uses the sliding pressure arm 3310 for lateral positioning and the stop support arm 338 for longitudinal positioning, can accurately fix the battery in a short time, ensuring that the spatial orientation of each battery is consistent. This positioning method not only significantly improves positioning accuracy, but also effectively avoids problems such as membrane stretching and corner lifting through structural elastic compensation, laying a precise foundation for subsequent puncture and heat sealing processes.

[0067] After battery positioning is completed, the platform driver 312 drives the movable support assembly 330 to move inward along the slide rail 311, while the sealing and lifting driver 342 drives the lower sealing mechanism and the movable support assembly 330 to move inward, so that both are located at the degassing station directly below the upper pressing mechanism 360. The upper pressing mechanism 360 is installed above the fixed platform 320. The upper pressing mechanism 360 mainly includes a support frame 361, a drive cylinder 3621, a transmission connecting rod 3623, an upper sealing pressure bar 3622, a drive unit 3631, a frame support plate 3632, a pressing guide bar 3633, and a piercing tool 3634, etc. The support frame 361 is a high-strength rigid structure used to install and support the multi-point piercing assembly and the heat sealing assembly.

[0068] Once the mobile support component 330 is in place, the upper sealing mechanism descends under the drive of the platform driver 321, thereby causing the mobile support component 330, the lower sealing mechanism 340, and the fixed platform 320 to enclose a degassing chamber.

[0069] At this point, the clamping mechanism 350 activates first. The clamping mechanism 350 includes a clamping driver 351, a clamping mounting bracket 352, a clamping push rod 353, a sealing sleeve 354, and an anti-slip clamping block 355. The output end of the clamping driver 351 is connected to the clamping push rod 353. Guided by the sealing sleeve 354, the clamping push rod 353 descends smoothly, causing the anti-slip clamping block 355 to descend and contact the upper surface of the battery. The pressure applied by the anti-slip clamping block 355 secures the battery without causing indentations on the membrane surface, and its surface anti-slip layer effectively prevents sliding friction. The purpose of this step is to ensure that the battery is subjected to stable force during the puncture stage, preventing membrane vibration from affecting puncture accuracy.

[0070] Next, the drive unit 3631 of the upper pressing mechanism 360 is activated. The drive unit 3631 drives the frame support plate 3632 to move downwards in the vertical direction. A clamping guide strip 3633 is installed at the front end of the lower surface of the frame support plate 3632, and multiple piercing blades 3634 are installed at the rear end. When the frame support plate 3632 descends, the clamping guide strip 3633 first contacts the edge area of ​​the battery air bag, applying a constant clamping force to it to make the film surface flat. At this time, the piercing blades 3634 continue to descend, simultaneously piercing the surface of the battery air bag under precise stroke control, forming exhaust channels at multiple locations.

[0071] As the multi-point puncture assembly operates, the external vacuum system begins evacuation through the vacuum interfaces on the upper sealing mechanism 360 and the lower sealing mechanism 340, creating a vacuum environment on the battery surface. Internal gas is rapidly extracted through the puncture holes. The residual gas and a small amount of electrolyte mixture inside the battery flow into the waste liquid collection tank 370 along the waste liquid discharge channel under vacuum suction. The waste liquid collection tank 370 has filtration and storage functions, effectively preventing waste liquid from spreading and polluting the environment. The entire degassing process lasts from several seconds to tens of seconds, with the specific time automatically adjusted according to the battery capacity and membrane thickness.

[0072] Once the gas inside the battery is completely expelled, the heating and sealing assembly and the lower sealing mechanism 340 immediately begin operation. The lower sealing mechanism 340 includes a heat-sealing platform 341, a sealing lifting driver 342, a heat-sealing driver 343, a lower sealing pressure strip 344, and a bottom support plate 345. The bottom support plate 345 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the support mechanism, providing a stable foundation for the heat-sealing operation. The heat-sealing platform 341 is connected to the bottom support plate 345 via the sealing lifting driver 342, enabling synchronous movement with the base platform 310. The heat-sealing driver 343 is connected to the bottom of the heat-sealing platform 341 and is used to drive the lower sealing pressure strip 344 to move vertically. The lower sealing pressure strip 344 is embedded in the upper surface of the heat-sealing platform 341, has a flat surface and high thermal conductivity, and is used to work with the upper sealing pressure strip 3622 to form a heat-sealing cavity during the heat-sealing process.

[0073] At this time, the drive cylinder 3621 and the heat-sealing actuator 343 start synchronously. The drive cylinder 3621 drives the upper sealing strip 3622 downward through the transmission link 3623, while the heat-sealing actuator 343 drives the heat-sealing platform 341 upward. As the upper sealing strip 3622 moves vertically to contact the battery air bag area, the lower sealing strip 344 gradually approaches the bottom of the battery. The two form a heating chamber, applying heat sealing to the unpunctured film surface under a set pressure. The upper sealing strip 3622 and the lower sealing strip 344 form a clamping structure for the battery sealing edge area. Under the action of the heating control system, the two heat-sealing strips heat up simultaneously, and the temperature gradually rises to the set value. Under the action of high temperature and pressure, the upper and lower sealing strips perform heat-melting bonding on the aluminum-plastic film at the battery sealing edge, forming a continuous sealing edge. The sealing pressure, temperature, and time are monitored and adjusted in real time by the central control system to ensure uniform sealing and firm adhesion. The heating system rapidly heats the upper sealing strip 3622 and the lower sealing strip 344 to a predetermined temperature, causing the upper and lower films of the battery to re-fuse and form a sealed area. This step ensures that the internal vacuum state of the battery is not disrupted and prevents gas backflow during subsequent handling.

[0074] After heat sealing is completed, the multi-point puncture assembly and the heat sealing assembly work together, the gas inside the battery is completely expelled, and the battery structure is sealed. At this point, the drive unit 3631 moves in the reverse direction, causing the support plate 3632 to rise and reset. After the clamping guide 3633 and the puncture tool 3634 are separated from the battery surface, the clamping driver 351 of the clamping mechanism 350 moves in the reverse direction, and the anti-slip clamping block 355 rises away from the battery surface, releasing the battery.

[0075] After sealing is completed, the drive cylinder 3621 and the heat-sealing driver 343 move in opposite directions, separating the upper and lower sealing strips and allowing the battery sealing edge to cool and solidify. Subsequently, the platform driver 312 starts again, driving the moving load-bearing assembly 330 to move forward along the slide rail 311 back to the loading station, preparing for the next cycle.

[0076] During this process, the waste liquid collection tank 370 operates continuously, collecting residual gas and liquid generated during the vacuum degassing and heat sealing stages into a sealed container. It is equipped with a filter element and a drain port to ensure a clean and safe operating environment.

[0077] Through this complete work cycle, the entire process of battery positioning, degassing, and heat sealing is completed under automated control. Lateral positioning is achieved by the sliding pressure arm 3310, and longitudinal positioning is achieved by the stop support arm 338, ensuring a stable and efficient positioning process. The coordinated action of the base platform 310, slide rail 311, and platform driver 312 ensures smooth reciprocating motion of the moving load-bearing component 330. The fixed platform 320 and fixed platform driver 321 provide stability for the upper structure. The upper pressing mechanism 360 consists of a load-bearing frame 361, drive cylinder 3621, transmission connecting rod 3623, upper sealing pressure bar 3622, drive unit 3631, frame support plate 3632, pressing guide bar 3633, and piercing blade 3634, forming the core operating components that achieve precise piercing and sealing. The lower sealing mechanism 340's heat sealing platform 341, sealing lifting drive 342, heat sealing drive 343, lower sealing pressure strip 344, and bottom support plate 345 ensure a firm and reliable sealing edge. The pressing mechanism 350's pressing drive 351, pressing mounting bracket 352, pressing push rod 353, sealing sleeve 354, and anti-slip pressing block 355 maintain a stable pressure state during the process, while the waste liquid collection tank 370's continuous collection function ensures environmental protection and safety in the operation.

[0078] Through the above process, residual gas inside the pouch battery is completely expelled, the battery edges are firmly heat-sealed, and the sealing area is uniform and flat, without bubbles or incomplete sealing. The entire process is highly automated and structurally coordinated, ensuring the stability of packaging quality and the continuity of production cycle.

[0079] Finally, it should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the systems or apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the descriptions are relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0080] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application 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 this application.

Claims

1. A vacuum degassing device integrated with a soft-pack battery, characterized in that, It includes a support mechanism and an upper sealing mechanism and a lower sealing mechanism respectively disposed above and below the support mechanism; The upper sealing mechanism includes a fixed platform and an upper pressing mechanism and a clamping mechanism disposed on both sides of the surface of the fixed platform; the upper pressing mechanism includes a heat sealing assembly, a multi-point puncture assembly and a lower pressing positioning assembly mounted on the bearing frame; The multi-point puncture assembly consists of a drive unit, a frame support plate, and a puncture knife. When the drive unit drives the frame support plate to descend, the puncture knife performs multi-point punctures on the air bag to form an exhaust channel.

2. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support mechanism includes a base platform, a movable bearing component slidably disposed on the surface of the base platform, and a guide mechanism disposed at the bottom of the movable bearing component; the movable bearing component can reciprocate relative to the base platform through the guide mechanism; the guide mechanism includes sliders arranged parallel to both sides of the bottom of the movable bearing component and a slide rail fixedly disposed on the surface of the base platform and cooperating with the sliders.

3. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mobile support assembly includes a battery positioning platform and a support plate fixedly mounted on the battery positioning platform. The upper surface of the support plate is provided with multiple workstation slots for placing batteries, and a limit stop is provided on one side of each workstation slot. A positioning component is slidably mounted on one side of the support plate to ensure the precise positioning of the battery in the workstation slot. An encapsulation groove corresponding to the lower sealing mechanism is provided on the other side of the support plate.

4. The integrated vacuum degassing device for soft-pack batteries according to claim 3, characterized in that, The positioning component includes a lateral guiding mechanism, a longitudinal positioning mechanism, and an adjustment driving mechanism. The adjustment driving mechanism is connected to the lateral guiding mechanism and the longitudinal positioning mechanism respectively. The lateral guiding mechanism includes a lateral guiding bracket and a plurality of sliding pressure arms disposed on the lateral guiding bracket. The sliding pressure arms are disposed opposite to the limiting stop bar. The longitudinal positioning mechanism includes a longitudinal positioning plate and a plurality of stop support arms disposed on the longitudinal positioning plate. The longitudinal positioning mechanism is disposed above the lateral guiding mechanism.

5. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heating and sealing assembly, the multi-point puncture assembly, and the downward positioning assembly are sequentially arranged on the top surface of the bearing frame; the bearing frame is fixedly arranged on the top surface of the fixed platform.

6. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, The heat sealing assembly includes a drive cylinder, a transmission link, and an upper sealing strip. The drive cylinder is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the support frame. The transmission link is connected to the output end of the drive cylinder and to the upper sealing strip, and is used to cooperate with the lower sealing mechanism to achieve heat sealing of the battery edge in the encapsulation groove.

7. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, The pressing and positioning assembly includes a pressing guide and a driving unit. Both the pressing guide and the piercing blade are disposed on the lower surface of the rack support plate. The pressing guide is disposed at the front end of the piercing blade and contacts the edge of the battery gas bag first, so as to maintain a constant pressing force and prevent damage to the battery seal during the piercing process. The driving unit is fixedly disposed on the surface of the support frame, and the output end of the driving unit passes through the support frame and the fixed platform in sequence and is drivenly connected to the rack support plate.

8. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressing mechanism is located at the front end of the upper pressing mechanism. The pressing mechanism includes a pressing drive unit and an anti-slip pressing block. The output end of the pressing drive unit passes through the fixed platform and is connected to the anti-slip pressing block.

9. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower sealing mechanism includes a bottom support plate, a drive module, a heat sealing assembly, and a sliding assembly disposed at the bottom of the bottom support plate; the drive module is fixedly disposed on the bottom support plate, and the drive module includes a heat sealing driver and a sealing lifting driver; The heat sealing assembly includes a heat sealing platform connected to the output end of the heat sealing driver and a lower sealing strip disposed within the heat sealing platform, which cooperates with the upper sealing strip of the upper sealing mechanism to achieve heat sealing of the battery.

10. The integrated vacuum degassing device for a soft-pack battery according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a waste liquid collection tank. The fixed platform and the bottom support plate together form a sealed chamber. The side wall of the chamber is provided with a vacuum interface and a waste liquid discharge channel. The vacuum interface is connected to an external negative pressure source, and the waste liquid discharge channel is connected to the waste liquid collection tank.

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