Welding tip, welding device and welding method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of photovoltaic devices, in particular to a welding head, a welding device and a welding method, which solve the problem that the traditional welding head causes the busbar to turn yellow. The welding head is applied to the welding device, the welding device comprises the welding head and a pressing needle assembly, and each of the plurality of cell pieces has at least one welding point. The welding head comprises a welding head body and a plurality of heating pieces. The welding surface of the welding head body has a plurality of welding areas arranged at intervals along a first direction, and each welding area is configured to correspond to one welding point. The plurality of heating pieces are arranged one by one corresponding to the plurality of welding areas, so that the plurality of heating pieces respectively provide target heat to each welding area, the heating temperatures of the plurality of welding areas can be different, the differential heating welding of the different welding areas of the busbar is realized, and the overheating and yellowing of the non-welding areas or the welding areas with lower heat demand of the busbar are avoided while the welding quality is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of photovoltaic equipment technology, specifically to a welding head, welding apparatus, and welding method. Background Technology

[0002] In the photovoltaic module manufacturing industry, multi-cell panel design has become one of the mainstream development directions due to its ability to effectively improve the power density of photovoltaic modules. However, the welding process of busbars faces many challenges in the production of multi-cell panel modules. In traditional welding processes, when welding busbars to the electrodes of multiple cell slabs, an integral heating welding head is usually used. The entire heating surface of the integral heating welding head is simultaneously at the set welding temperature, causing some areas of the busbar (especially non-welding contact areas or areas with lower heat requirements) to be exposed to high temperatures for a long time, resulting in metal oxidation, which manifests as yellowing of the busbar.

[0003] Yellowing of busbars not only severely affects the appearance quality of photovoltaic modules and reduces their market competitiveness, but also significantly impacts their electrical performance and reliability. Therefore, solving the yellowing problem of busbars while ensuring welding quality has become a critical technical bottleneck that urgently needs to be overcome in the photovoltaic module manufacturing industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a welding head, a welding apparatus, and a welding method, which solves the problem that traditional welding heads cause busbars to turn yellow.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a welding head applied to a welding apparatus. The welding apparatus includes the welding head and a pressure pin assembly. Multiple battery cells each have at least one welding point. The multiple battery cells and a busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure pin assembly, so that the welding apparatus welds the busbar to the respective welding points of the multiple battery cells. The welding head includes: a welding head body, the welding surface of which has multiple welding areas spaced apart along a first direction, each welding area being configured to correspond to one of the welding points; and multiple heating elements, each corresponding to one of the welding areas, the heating elements being configured to provide target heat to the corresponding welding area so that the corresponding welding area reaches a target temperature.

[0006] In some embodiments, the welding surface further has multiple isolation areas, with at least one isolation area disposed between adjacent welding areas, wherein the welding head further includes a heat-insulating coating disposed in the isolation area.

[0007] In some embodiments, a first distance between the welding area and the reference plane is greater than a second distance between the heat insulation coating and the reference plane, the reference plane being located on the side of the welding head body away from the welding surface, and the reference plane being parallel to the welding surface.

[0008] In some embodiments, the welding head body includes: a connecting portion capable of being detachably connected to a welding platform; and a welding portion connected to the side of the connecting portion away from the welding platform and extending along a first direction, wherein the surface of the welding portion away from the connecting portion includes the welding surface, wherein the dimension of the welding surface in a second direction is smaller than the dimension of the connecting portion in the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the welded portion has a plurality of through grooves extending along the second direction on the side away from the connecting portion, the plurality of through grooves being spaced apart along the first direction, at least one of the through grooves being between adjacent welded areas, and the isolation area being located at the bottom of the through groove.

[0010] In some embodiments, the welding platform has at least one threaded hole, the connecting portion has at least one elongated hole extending along the first direction, and the locking member is capable of pressing the side of the connecting portion away from the welding platform and threading through the elongated hole to the threaded hole.

[0011] In some embodiments, the thickness of the heat-insulating coating is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the welding head further includes: a plurality of temperature sensors electrically connected to the plurality of heating elements respectively and configured to detect the temperature of the heating elements; and / or a plurality of current detectors electrically connected to the plurality of heating elements respectively and configured to detect the current value flowing through the heating elements.

[0013] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a welding apparatus, including: a welding head mentioned in the above embodiments; a pressure needle assembly including a plurality of pressure needles; wherein, each of the plurality of battery cells has at least one welding point, and the plurality of battery cells and the busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure needle assembly, so that the welding apparatus welds the busbar to the welding point of each of the plurality of battery cells, wherein each welding point corresponds to at least one pressure needle.

[0014] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a welding method applied to the welding head mentioned in the above embodiments. The welding method includes: controlling the current value flowing through the plurality of heating elements based on a preset target temperature corresponding to each of the plurality of welding areas of the welding head and a preset current value corresponding to each of the plurality of heating elements of the welding head, so that the welding areas corresponding to each of the plurality of heating elements reach the target temperature.

[0015] The welding head provided in this embodiment is applied to a welding apparatus. The welding apparatus includes a welding head and a pressure pin assembly. Multiple battery cells each have at least one welding point. The multiple battery cells and the busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure pin assembly, so that the welding apparatus welds the busbar to the respective welding points of the multiple battery cells. The welding head includes a welding head body and multiple heating elements. The welding surface of the welding head body has multiple welding areas spaced apart along a first direction, and each welding area is configured to correspond to a welding point. The multiple heating elements are arranged one-to-one with the multiple welding areas, so that the multiple heating elements provide target heat to each welding area respectively. This allows the heating temperature of the multiple welding areas to be different, realizing differentiated heating welding of different welding areas of the busbar. While ensuring welding quality, it avoids overheating and yellowing of non-welding areas or welding areas with lower heat requirements of the busbar. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of the embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to offer a further understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this disclosure to explain the disclosure and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts.

[0017] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding head provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding apparatus, a battery cell, and a busbar provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 The image shown is a top view of a welding head provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 The image shown is an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 The weld head shown is a cross-sectional view along the AA direction.

[0021] Figure 5 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of a busbar provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding head, welding platform, and locking component provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 The image shown is an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 6 The welding head, welding platform, and locking components shown are sectional views in the BB direction.

[0024] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a pressure needle assembly provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 13 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 14 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 15 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 16 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure label: 1. Welding device; 10. Welding head; 100. Welding head body; 101. Welding surface; 102. Welding area; 103. Isolation area; 104. Groove; 110. Connecting part; 111. Elongated hole; 120. Welding part; 121. Through groove; 200. Heating element; 300. Heat insulation coating; 20. Pressure needle assembly; 21. Pressure needle; 22. Pressure needle body; 30. Temperature sensor; 40. Current detector; 2. Battery cell; 201. Welding point; 3. Busbar; 4. Welding platform; 41. Threaded hole; 5. Locking element; 6. Controller; 7. Power supply unit; 1000. Welding equipment; 1100. Control unit; 1200. Receiving unit; 1300. Adjustment unit; 1400. Appearance inspection unit; 1500. Strength detection unit; 1600. Resistance detection unit; 1700. Pressure adjustment unit; 1800. Electronic equipment; 1801. Memory; 1802. Processor; 1803. Communication interface; 1804. Bus; P. Reference plane; X. First direction; Y. Second direction; D1. First distance; D2. Second distance. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0035] In the manufacturing process of photovoltaic (PV) modules, multi-segment panel designs have become one of the mainstream development directions in the industry due to their ability to effectively improve the power density of the modules. In multi-segment PV modules, the busbars electrically connect multiple solar cells, meaning that multiple cells need to be welded to a single busbar. Welding the busbars to multiple solar cells is a critical process in the production of multi-segment PV modules, and its welding quality directly affects the electrical performance and reliability of the module. Currently, the industry commonly uses traditional integral heating welding heads for welding busbars in multi-segment battery modules. Traditional welding heads have a single, integrated heating structure, meaning the entire heating surface of the welding head is simultaneously at the set welding temperature. The inventors discovered that in the design of multi-segment battery modules, busbars need to be welded to the electrodes of multiple battery cells, and the contact area and welding temperature required for different parts of the busbar differ from one part to another. During actual welding, because integral heating welding heads cannot provide differentiated heating according to the welding requirements of different parts of the busbar, some areas of the busbar (especially non-welding contact areas or areas with lower heat requirements) experience metal oxidation due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures, resulting in the busbar turning yellow. Yellowing of busbars not only severely affects the appearance quality of photovoltaic modules and reduces their market competitiveness, but more importantly, it alters the metallic properties of the busbars in the yellowed areas. This increases their resistivity, raising the series resistance of the battery module and leading to increased power loss. Furthermore, the yellowed areas of the busbars have reduced oxidation resistance, making them more susceptible to further corrosion during long-term use and shortening the module's lifespan. To address the yellowing issue of busbars, related technologies have attempted to improve the situation by lowering the overall welding temperature or shortening the welding time. However, lowering the overall welding temperature can lead to insufficient welding strength between the busbar and the cell electrodes, resulting in problems such as incomplete welds and open welds, affecting the electrical connection reliability of the battery module. Shortening the welding time, on the other hand, can prevent sufficient heat transfer, similarly compromising welding quality. Therefore, existing technologies cannot effectively solve the yellowing problem of busbars in multi-segment battery modules while ensuring welding quality, necessitating a new technological solution to overcome this bottleneck.

[0036] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a welding head, a welding apparatus, and a welding method. The welding head provided in this disclosure is applied to a welding apparatus, which includes a welding head and a pressure pin assembly. Multiple battery cells each have at least one welding point. The multiple battery cells and a busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure pin assembly, allowing the welding apparatus to weld the busbar to the respective welding points of the multiple battery cells. The welding head includes a welding head body and multiple heating elements. The welding surface of the welding head body has multiple welding areas spaced apart along a first direction, each welding area being configured to correspond to a welding point. The multiple heating elements are arranged one-to-one with the multiple welding areas, thereby utilizing the multiple heating elements to provide target heat to each welding area. This allows for different heating temperatures in the multiple welding areas, achieving differentiated heating welding of different welding areas of the busbar. While ensuring welding quality, this avoids overheating and yellowing of non-welding areas or welding areas with lower heat requirements of the busbar.

[0037] The welding head, welding apparatus, and welding method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding head provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding apparatus, a battery cell, and a busbar provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 The image shown is a top view of a welding head provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4 The image shown is an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the weld head along the AA direction. Figures 1 to 4As shown, the welding head 10 is applied to the welding apparatus 1. The welding apparatus 1 includes the welding head 10 and the pressure needle assembly 20. Figure 2 As shown, each of the multiple solar cells 2 has at least one welding point 201. The multiple solar cells 2 and the busbar 3 can be placed between the welding head 10 and the pressure pin assembly 20 so that the welding device 1 can weld the busbar 3 to the respective welding points 201 of the multiple solar cells 2.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, the welding head 10 includes a welding head body 100 and multiple heating elements 200. For example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the welding surface 101 of the welding head body 100 has a plurality of welding areas 102 spaced apart along a first direction X. Each welding area 102 is configured to correspond to a welding point 201.

[0040] like Figure 4 As shown, multiple heating elements 200 are arranged one-to-one with multiple welding areas 102. The heating elements 200 are configured to provide target heat to the corresponding welding area 102 so that the corresponding welding area 102 reaches the target temperature.

[0041] For example, the heating element 200 can be a heating coil, heating rod, or other structure with a heating function; this disclosure does not impose specific limitations. For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the welding head body 100 has multiple grooves 104, and multiple heating elements 200 are respectively disposed in the multiple grooves 104, so that the heating elements 200 can provide heat to the corresponding welding area 102.

[0042] For example, the target temperature can be set according to actual needs. For example, the target temperature required for welding point 201 can be between 70°C and 130°C. For instance, for multiple welding points 201 corresponding to a busbar 3, the target temperature for some welding points 201 is 70°C, the target temperature for some welding points 201 is 90°C, and the target temperature for some welding points 201 is 130°C. For example, the target heat can be calculated backwards from the target temperature. For example, each target temperature corresponds to one target heat.

[0043] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple battery cells 2 are arranged sequentially along a first direction X and placed above the welding head 10. A busbar 3 is placed above the multiple battery cells 2, and a pressure pin assembly 20 is located above the busbar 3. After the welding head 10 is heated to the target temperature, the pressure pin assembly 20 presses down on the busbar 3 and the multiple battery cells 2, thereby welding the busbar 3 to the respective welding points 201 of the multiple battery cells 2. Exemplarily, the pressure pin assembly 20 can be driven by a robotic arm, lifting device, etc., to achieve up-and-down movement.

[0044] Multiple heating elements 200 are set one-to-one with multiple welding areas 102, so that the multiple heating elements 200 provide target heat to each welding area 102 respectively. This can make the heating temperature of the multiple welding areas 102 different, so that the busbar 3 and the battery cell 2 are heated and welded by different welding areas 102. While ensuring the welding quality, it avoids the non-welding areas of the busbar 3 or the welding areas with lower heat requirements from overheating and turning yellow.

[0045] Specifically, the non-welded areas of the busbar 3 are the areas of the busbar 3 that are not welded to the battery cell 2. The welded areas of the busbar 3 with lower heat requirements are the welded areas with lower heat requirements among the multiple areas of the busbar 3 that need to be welded to the battery cell 2. For example, if the busbar 3 has three areas that need to be welded to the battery cell 2, with required welding temperatures of 70°C, 80°C, and 90°C respectively, then the welded area of ​​the busbar 3 requiring a welding temperature of 70°C can be considered the welded area with lower heat requirements.

[0046] In some embodiments, the busbar 3 may be a bow-shaped busbar 3. Figure 5 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of a busbar provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 5 The bow-shaped busbar 3 is shown. Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the correspondence between the arc-shaped busbar 3 and the welding point 201, specifically, the recessed area of ​​the arc-shaped busbar 3 corresponds to the welding point 201. The recessed area of ​​the arc-shaped busbar 3 is welded together with the welding point 201 of the battery cell 2, reducing the contact area between the busbar 3 and the battery cell 2 and decreasing the probability of microcracks occurring at the welding point 201.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the welding surface 101 also has multiple isolation areas 103, with at least one isolation area 103 between adjacent welding areas 102. The welding head 10 also includes a heat-insulating coating 300. The heat-insulating coating 300 is disposed in the isolation areas 103. The heat-insulating coating 300 reduces heat transfer between adjacent welding areas 102, ensuring differentiated heating welding of different welding areas 102 of the busbar 3, and further preventing overheating and yellowing of non-welding areas or welding areas with lower heat requirements of the busbar 3.

[0048] In some embodiments, the material of the heat insulation coating 300 includes at least one of the following materials: polytetrafluoroethylene and zirconia ceramic.

[0049] In some embodiments, the thickness of the heat insulation coating 300 is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm. Exemplarily, the thickness of the heat insulation coating 300 is 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.3 mm, etc. This disclosure does not specifically limit the thickness of the heat insulation coating 300, as long as it is between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first distance D1 between the welding area 102 and the reference plane P is greater than the second distance D2 between the heat insulation coating 300 and the reference plane P. The reference plane P is located on the side of the welding head body 100 away from the welding surface 101. The reference plane P is parallel to the welding surface 101. In other words, the heat insulation coating 300 is located on the surface of the recessed structure, while the welding area 102 is located on the surface of the raised structure, thus avoiding interference from the heat insulation coating 300 to the welding area 102.

[0051] Figure 6 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding head, welding platform, and locking member according to an embodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the welding head body 100 includes a connecting portion 110 and a welding portion 120. The connecting portion 110 can be detachably connected to the welding platform 4. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 110 can be detachably connected to the welding platform 4 by means of bolt connection, magnetic attraction, snap-fit, etc.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, the welding portion 120 is connected to the side of the connecting portion 110 away from the welding platform 4 and extends along the first direction X. The surface of the welding portion 120 away from the connecting portion 110 includes a welding surface 101. The dimension of the welding surface 101 in the second direction Y is smaller than the dimension of the connecting portion 110 in the second direction Y, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X.

[0053] For example, the connecting part 110 and the welding part 120 can be integrally formed or separately provided.

[0054] The welding part 120 is in direct contact with the battery cell 2, so the welding surface 101 needs to have a high flatness to prevent microcracks in the battery cell 2. By making the dimension of the welding surface 101 in the second direction Y smaller than the dimension of the connecting part 110 in the second direction Y, that is, by minimizing the area of ​​the welding surface 101, it is easier to manufacture a welding surface 101 with a high flatness, thereby reducing microcracks in the battery cell 2.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown, the welding part 120 has a plurality of through grooves 121 extending along the second direction Y on the side away from the connecting part 110. The plurality of through grooves 121 are spaced apart along the first direction X. There is at least one through groove 121 between adjacent welding areas 102. The isolation area 103 is located at the bottom of the through groove 121, thereby isolating adjacent welding areas 102 by means of the through groove 121, further reducing heat transfer between adjacent welding areas 102, ensuring differentiated heating welding of different welding areas 102 of the busbar 3, and further avoiding overheating and yellowing of non-welding areas or welding areas with low heat demand of the busbar 3.

[0056] Figure 4 The illustration shows a case where a through-slot 121 exists between adjacent welding areas 102. Exemplarily, multiple through-slots 121 may also exist between adjacent welding areas 102 to further reduce heat transfer between adjacent welding areas 102.

[0057] Figure 7 The image shown is an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 6 The welding head, welding platform, and locking element shown are cross-sectional views in the BB direction. In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the welding platform 4 has at least one threaded hole 41, the connecting part 110 has at least one elongated hole 111 extending along the first direction X, and the locking member 5 is able to press the side of the connecting part 110 away from the welding platform 4 and screw it into the threaded hole 41 after passing through the elongated hole 111.

[0058] For example, the locking element 5 can be a bolt, screw, or other similar structure.

[0059] By setting an extension along the first direction X, before the locking member 5 passes through the elongated hole 111 and extends into the threaded hole 41, but before locking the welding head 10 and the welding platform 4, the welding head 10 can be moved relative to the welding platform 4 along the first direction X to adjust the relative position of the welding head 10 and the welding platform 4 in the first direction X. After the relative position of the welding head 10 and the welding platform 4 in the first direction X is adjusted, the locking member 5 can be further screwed into the threaded hole 41 to lock the welding head 10 to the welding platform 4.

[0060] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the welding head 10 also includes multiple temperature sensors 30. The multiple temperature sensors 30 are electrically connected to multiple heating elements 200 respectively and are configured to detect the temperature of the heating elements 200 so that the controller 6 can adjust the temperature of the welding area 102 of the welding head 10. Exemplarily, the multiple temperature sensors 30 can detect the temperature of the heating elements 200 in real time, so that the controller 6 can adjust the temperature of the welding area 102 of the welding head 10 in real time, achieving precise temperature control.

[0061] For example, the temperature sensor 30 may be an infrared temperature sensor, a fiber optic temperature sensor, a radiation temperature sensor, etc. This disclosure does not specifically limit the type of temperature sensor 30.

[0062] In some embodiments, the welding head 10 further includes a plurality of current detectors 40. The plurality of current detectors 40 are electrically connected to a plurality of heating elements 200 and are configured to detect the current value flowing through the heating elements 200. Exemplarily, a plurality of temperature sensors 30 can detect the current flowing through the heating elements 200 in real time, so that the controller 6 can adjust the current of the heating elements 200 in real time.

[0063] For example, the current detector 40 can be an ammeter, a multimeter, a current sensor, etc., and this disclosure does not specifically limit the type of the current detector 40.

[0064] For example, the controller 6 can be a programmable logic controller, a distributed control system, a data acquisition and monitoring system, etc., as long as it can receive the temperature data from the temperature sensor 30 and the current value from the current detector 40, and adjust the temperature of the welding area 102 of the welding head 10 based on the temperature data and the current value.

[0065] For example, multiple temperature sensors 30 can detect the temperature of the heating element 200 and the current passing through the heating element 200 in real time, so that the controller 6 can adjust the temperature of the welding area 102 of the welding head 10 in real time according to the actual temperature of the heating element 200 and the actual current passing through the heating element 200.

[0066] This disclosure also provides a welding apparatus 1, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the welding device 1 includes: the welding head 10 and the pressure needle assembly 20 in the above embodiment.

[0067] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a pressure needle assembly provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the pressure needle assembly 20 includes a plurality of pressure needles 21. Exemplarily, as... Figure 8 As shown, the pressure needle assembly 20 also includes a pressure needle body 22, and a plurality of pressure needles 21 are mounted on the pressure needle body 22.

[0068] Each of the multiple battery cells 2 has at least one welding point 201. The multiple battery cells 2 and the busbar 3 can be placed between the welding head 10 and the pressure pin assembly 20 so that the welding device 1 welds the busbar 3 to the respective welding points 201 of the multiple battery cells 2. Each welding point 201 corresponds to at least one pressure pin 21. Exemplarily, the pressure pin body 22 can be connected to a robot, a lifting device, etc., so as to achieve up and down movement under the drive of the robot, the lifting device, etc., to press the busbar 3 and the multiple battery cells 2.

[0069] Since the welding device 1 includes the welding head 10, the welding device 1 has all the technical features and effects of the welding head 10, which will not be described in detail here.

[0070] Figure 9 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in one embodiment of this disclosure. This disclosure also provides a welding method applied to the welding head 10 in the above embodiments, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the welding method includes the following steps.

[0071] Step 500: Based on the preset target temperature corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas 102 of the welding head 10 and the preset current value corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200 of the welding head 10, the current value flowing through each of the multiple heating elements 200 is controlled so that the welding areas 102 corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200 reach the target temperature. This achieves differentiated heating and welding of the busbar 3 and the battery cell 2 by different welding areas 102. While ensuring the welding quality, it avoids overheating and yellowing of the non-welding areas of the busbar 3 or the welding areas with lower heat requirements.

[0072] For example, the preset target temperature and preset current value can be set according to actual needs.

[0073] In some embodiments, the welding head 10 further includes a plurality of temperature sensors 30 and a plurality of current detectors 40, each of which is electrically connected to a plurality of heating elements 200. Figure 10 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 10 As shown, based on the preset target temperature corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas 102 of the welding head 10 and the preset current value corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200 of the welding head 10, the current value flowing through each of the multiple heating elements 200 is controlled, including the following steps.

[0074] Step 510: Based on the preset current values ​​corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200, control the power supply device 7 to supply power to the multiple heating elements 200 respectively.

[0075] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the heating element 200 is powered by the power supply device 7.

[0076] Exemplarily, the entity executing the welding method may be a controller 6 or another processor. Exemplarily, the entity executing the welding method is communicatively connected to a power supply device 7 that supplies power to the heating element 200. The entity executing the welding method is also communicatively connected to multiple temperature sensors 30 and multiple current detectors 40.

[0077] Step 520: Receive the actual temperature values ​​detected by the multiple temperature sensors 30 and the actual current values ​​detected by the multiple current detectors 40.

[0078] Specifically, the actual temperature values ​​detected by the multiple temperature sensors 30 are the actual temperature values ​​corresponding to the multiple welding areas 102.

[0079] Step 530: Based on the preset target temperature, multiple actual temperature values ​​and multiple actual current values ​​corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas 102, adjust the current value of the multiple heating elements 200 to supply power until the multiple welding areas 102 all reach their respective preset target temperatures.

[0080] Specifically, after powering multiple heating elements 200 with preset current values ​​corresponding to each heating element 200, the actual current value of the heating element 200 may differ from the preset current value, and the actual temperature value of the welding area 102 may also differ from the preset target temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the current value of powering multiple heating elements 200 based on the preset target temperature, multiple actual temperature values, and multiple actual current values ​​corresponding to each welding area 102 until all welding areas 102 reach their respective preset target temperatures.

[0081] For example, if the preset current value is 3 A and the preset target temperature is 110°, the actual current value is 3.1 A and the actual temperature value is 111°, then the current value supplied to multiple heating elements 200 can be reduced until the actual temperature value is 110°, that is, the actual temperature value reaches the preset target temperature, thereby achieving precise temperature control of multiple welding areas 102.

[0082] Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, such as Figure 11 As shown, the welding method also includes the following steps.

[0083] Step 610: Obtain an image of the welded busbar 3.

[0084] For example, the image of the welded busbar 3 can be captured by a camera, video camera, or other device and transmitted to the entity executing the welding method. For example, the entity executing the welding method can directly capture the image of the welded busbar 3, that is, the entity executing the welding method has both data processing and image acquisition functions. For example, the entity executing the welding method is a camera or video camera with data processing capabilities.

[0085] Step 620: Based on the image of the welded busbar 3, determine the welding effect, which includes at least one of the following effects: whether there is yellowing, whether there is a cold weld, and whether there is an empty weld.

[0086] For example, the entity executing the welding method can perform image data analysis on the image of the welded busbar 3 to determine the welding effect. For instance, regarding the presence or absence of yellowing during welding, the entity executing the welding method can analyze the color of the image of the welded busbar 3 and determine whether yellowing is present based on the presence or absence of yellow color.

[0087] For example, step 620 can also be done manually, that is, the staff can judge whether there is yellowing, poor welding, or empty welding based on the image of the welded busbar 3.

[0088] By acquiring images of the welded busbar 3 and determining the welding effect based on these images, the appearance inspection of the busbar 3 is achieved, thus identifying qualified and unqualified welded busbars 3.

[0089] Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, such as Figure 12 As shown, the welding method also includes the following steps.

[0090] Step 630: Receive the welding strength of busbar 3.

[0091] For example, the welding strength of the busbar 3 can be tested by a tensile testing device, and the tested welding strength of the busbar 3 can be sent to the body executing the welding method.

[0092] Step 640: Based on the welding strength of the busbar 3 and the preset strength value, determine whether the busbar 3 meets the welding strength requirements.

[0093] For example, the preset strength value can be set according to industry standards, such as a preset strength value of 15 N to 20 N.

[0094] For example, if the welding strength of the busbar 3 is greater than or equal to a preset strength value, it can be determined that the busbar 3 meets the welding strength requirements. If the welding strength of the busbar 3 is less than the preset strength value, it can be determined that the busbar 3 does not meet the welding strength requirements.

[0095] By receiving the welding strength of busbar 3 and determining whether busbar 3 meets the welding strength requirements based on the welding strength of busbar 3 and the preset strength value, the strength of busbar 3 is tested to identify qualified and unqualified welded busbar 3.

[0096] Figure 13 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, such as Figure 13As shown, the welding method also includes the following steps.

[0097] Step 650: Receive the series resistance value of busbar 3.

[0098] For example, the series resistance value of the busbar 3 can be detected by an electrical testing device, and the detected series resistance value of the busbar 3 can be sent to the execution body of the welding method.

[0099] Step 660: Based on the series resistance value of busbar 3 and the preset resistance value, determine whether there is any abnormality in the resistance of busbar 3.

[0100] For example, the preset resistance value can be the theoretical series resistance value of the busbar 3 after welding. For example, if the difference between the series resistance value of the busbar 3 and the preset resistance value is within a preset error range, the resistance of the busbar 3 can be considered normal. If the difference between the series resistance value of the busbar 3 and the preset resistance value exceeds the preset error range, the resistance of the busbar 3 can be considered abnormal.

[0101] By receiving the series resistance value of busbar 3 and based on the series resistance value of busbar 3 and the preset resistance value, it is determined whether the resistance of busbar 3 is abnormal, thus realizing the detection of the electrical performance of the battery assembly including busbar 3.

[0102] Figure 14 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a welding method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, such as Figure 14 As shown, before controlling the current flowing through the multiple heating elements 200 based on the preset target temperature corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas 102 of the welding head 10 and the preset current value corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200 of the welding head 10, so that the welding areas 102 corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements 200 reach the target temperature, the following steps are also included.

[0103] Step 410: Perform bow-shaped processing on busbar 3.

[0104] Figure 5 The bow-shaped busbar 3 is shown. Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the correspondence between the arc-shaped busbar 3 and the welding point 201, specifically, the recessed area of ​​the arc-shaped busbar 3 corresponds to the welding point 201. The recessed area of ​​the arc-shaped busbar 3 is welded together with the welding point 201 of the battery cell 2, reducing the contact area between the busbar 3 and the battery cell 2 and decreasing the probability of microcracks occurring at the welding point 201.

[0105] For example, the flat busbar 3 can be directly extruded using the molding setting to achieve the bow-shaped treatment of the busbar 3.

[0106] In some embodiments, such as Figure 14 As shown, after controlling the current values ​​flowing through the multiple heating elements 200 based on the preset target temperatures corresponding to the multiple welding areas 102 of the welding head 10 and the preset current values ​​corresponding to the multiple heating elements 200 of the welding head 10, so that the welding areas 102 corresponding to the multiple heating elements 200 all reach the target temperature, the following steps are also included.

[0107] Step 540: Welding is performed on the welding point 201 based on the preset needle pressure corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas 102.

[0108] For example, the preset pressure of each of the multiple welding areas 102 can be set according to actual needs. That is, different pressures can be set for the pressure pins 21 corresponding to each welding area 102 according to actual needs, reducing problems such as poor soldering and false soldering, and improving the electrical connection reliability and service life of the battery assembly including the busbar 3. For example, the preset pressure of each of the multiple welding areas 102 can be between ±0.2 N.

[0109] Figure 15 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a welding device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 15 As shown, the welding equipment 1000 is configured to control the current flowing through the multiple heating elements based on the preset target temperature corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas of the welding head and the preset current value corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements of the welding head, so that the welding areas corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements reach the target temperature.

[0110] In some embodiments, the welding equipment 1000 includes a control unit 1100, a receiving unit 1200, and an adjustment unit 1300. The control unit 1100 is configured to control a power supply device to supply power to the plurality of heating elements based on preset current values ​​corresponding to each of the plurality of heating elements. The receiving unit 1200 is configured to receive actual temperature values ​​detected by the plurality of temperature sensors and actual current values ​​detected by the plurality of current detectors. The adjustment unit 1300 is configured to adjust the current value supplying power to the plurality of heating elements based on preset target temperatures corresponding to the plurality of welding areas, the plurality of actual temperature values, and the plurality of actual current values, until all the plurality of welding areas reach their respective preset target temperatures.

[0111] In some embodiments, the welding equipment 1000 further includes an appearance inspection unit 1400, a strength inspection unit 1500, and a resistance inspection unit 1600. The appearance inspection unit 1400 is configured to acquire an image of the welded busbar; based on the image of the welded busbar, determine the welding effect, which includes at least one of the following: presence or absence of yellowing, presence or absence of incomplete welds, and presence or absence of open welds. The strength inspection unit 1500 is configured to receive the welding strength of the busbar; based on the welding strength of the busbar and a preset strength value, determine whether the busbar meets the welding strength requirements. The resistance inspection unit 1600 is configured to receive the series resistance value of the busbar; based on the series resistance value of the busbar and a preset resistance value, determine whether the resistance of the busbar is abnormal.

[0112] In some embodiments, the welding apparatus 1000 further includes a pressure adjustment unit 1700. The pressure adjustment unit 1700 is configured to weld the welding points based on preset needle pressures corresponding to each of the plurality of welding areas.

[0113] Figure 16 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the structure of an electronic device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. The electronic device 1800 (specifically, it may be a computer device) includes a memory 1801, a processor 1802, a communication interface 1803, and a bus 1804. The memory 1801, processor 1802, and communication interface 1803 are interconnected via the bus 1804.

[0114] The memory 1801 may be a read-only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 1801 may store a program, and when the program stored in the memory 1801 is executed by the processor 1802, the processor 1802 and the communication interface 1803 are used to execute the various steps in the welding method of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0115] The processor 1802 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), graphics processing unit (GPU), or one or more integrated circuits, for executing relevant programs to achieve the functions required by the various units of the welding apparatus of this disclosure embodiment.

[0116] The processor 1802 can also be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the welding method of this disclosure can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of the processor 1802 or by instructions in software form. The processor 1802 can also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 1801. The processor 1802 reads the information in the memory 1801 and, in conjunction with its hardware, performs the functions required by the units included in the welding apparatus of this disclosure embodiment, or performs the welding method of this disclosure embodiment.

[0117] The communication interface 1803 uses a transceiver device, such as, but not limited to, a transceiver, to enable communication between the electronic device 1800 and other devices or communication networks. For example, an image of the soldered busbar can be acquired through the communication interface 1803.

[0118] Bus 1804 may include a pathway for transmitting information between various components of electronic device 1800 (e.g., memory 1801, processor 1802, communication interface 1803).

[0119] It should be noted that, although Figure 16 The illustrated electronic device 1800 only shows the memory, processor, and communication interface. However, those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the electronic device 1800 may also include other devices necessary for normal operation. Furthermore, depending on specific needs, those skilled in the art should understand that the electronic device 1800 may also include hardware devices for implementing other additional functions. Moreover, those skilled in the art should understand that the electronic device 1800 may only include the devices necessary for implementing the embodiments of this disclosure, and may not necessarily include... Figure 16 All the devices shown.

[0120] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0122] In the embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0123] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0124] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0125] Embodiments of this disclosure can also be computer-readable storage media storing computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the methods described above according to various embodiments of this disclosure. If the functionality is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks. The computer-readable storage medium can be any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium can be, for example, including but not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof.

[0126] The terms "an embodiment" or "embodiment" used in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge scope of those skilled in the art.

[0127] It should be understood that “on,” “above,” and “on top of” in this disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest manner, such that “on” means not only “directly on something” but also “on something” with an intermediate feature or layer therebetween, and that “above” or “on top of” means not only “on top of something” but also “on top of something” without an intermediate feature or layer therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

[0128] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, spatial relative terms such as "below," "below," "under," "above," and "above" may be used to describe the relationship of a component or feature relative to other components or features as shown in the figures. Spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of components in use or operation other than those shown in the figures. Devices may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0129] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0130] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A welding head, characterized in that, The welding apparatus is applied to a welding device, which includes a welding head and a pressure pin assembly. Multiple battery cells each have at least one welding point. The multiple battery cells and a busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure pin assembly, so that the welding device welds the busbar to the respective welding points of the multiple battery cells. The welding head includes: The welding head body has a welding surface having a plurality of welding areas spaced apart along a first direction, each welding area being configured to correspond to a welding point. Multiple heating elements are provided, each corresponding to one of the welding areas. The heating elements are configured to provide target heat to the corresponding welding area so that the corresponding welding area reaches the target temperature.

2. The welding head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding surface also has multiple isolation areas, with at least one isolation area provided between adjacent welding areas, wherein the welding head further includes: A heat-insulating coating is applied to the isolation area.

3. The welding head according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first distance between the welding area and the reference plane is greater than the second distance between the heat insulation coating and the reference plane. The reference plane is located on the side of the welding head body away from the welding surface and is parallel to the welding surface.

4. The welding head according to claim 3, characterized in that, The welding head body includes: The connecting part can be detachably connected to the welding platform; A welding portion is connected to the side of the connecting portion away from the welding platform and extends along the first direction. The surface of the welding portion away from the connecting portion includes the welding surface, wherein the dimension of the welding surface in the second direction is smaller than the dimension of the connecting portion in the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The welding head according to claim 4, characterized in that, The welded portion has a plurality of through grooves extending along the second direction on the side away from the connecting portion. The plurality of through grooves are spaced apart along the first direction. There is at least one through groove between adjacent welded areas. The isolation area is located at the bottom of the through groove.

6. The welding head according to claim 4, characterized in that, The welding platform has at least one threaded hole, the connecting part has at least one elongated hole extending along the first direction, and the locking member is capable of pressing the side of the connecting part away from the welding platform and threading it through the elongated hole and then connecting it to the threaded hole.

7. The welding head according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The thickness of the heat-insulating coating is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm.

8. The welding head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Multiple temperature sensors are electrically connected to multiple heating elements and are configured to detect the temperature of the heating elements. And / or, Multiple current detectors, each electrically connected to a plurality of the heating elements, are configured to detect the current value flowing through the heating elements.

9. A welding apparatus, characterized in that, include: The welding head according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The pressure needle assembly includes multiple pressure needles; Each of the multiple battery cells has at least one welding point. The multiple battery cells and the busbar can be placed between the welding head and the pressure pin assembly so that the welding device welds the busbar to the welding point of each of the multiple battery cells. Each welding point corresponds to at least one pressure pin.

10. A welding method, characterized in that, The welding method, applied to the welding head according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprises: Based on the preset target temperature corresponding to each of the multiple welding areas of the welding head and the preset current value corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements of the welding head, the current value flowing through each of the multiple heating elements is controlled so that the welding areas corresponding to each of the multiple heating elements reach the target temperature.

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