A restraint device

Abstract

This application discloses a restraint device, relating to the field of battery assembly technology, aiming to solve the problem of how to improve the flatness of multiple battery cells in the height direction of a battery module. The restraint device includes a support device, a first restraint device, and a second restraint device. The support device supports multiple battery cells; the first restraint device restrains the multiple battery cells in the length and width directions of the battery module; the second restraint device includes a first restraint member and multiple second restraint members. The first restraint member is located above the multiple battery cells and can move towards them; the multiple second restraint members are all connected to the side of the first restraint member facing the multiple battery cells and can move relative to the first restraint member along the height direction of the battery module. Each second restraint member corresponds to one battery cell, and during the movement of the second restraint member relative to the first restraint member, it can generate a thrust on the terminal of the corresponding battery cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery assembly technology, and more particularly to a restraint device. Background Technology

[0002] A battery pack is typically formed by connecting multiple battery modules in series and / or in parallel. Each battery module includes multiple battery cells. When assembling multiple battery cells into a battery module, it is usually necessary to constrain the multiple battery cells using a clamping device. This involves pressing the multiple battery cells together along the length, width, and height of the battery module to ensure tight adhesion of the multiple battery cells and flatness of the terminal surface.

[0003] In the prior art, when multiple cells are constrained along the length of the battery module, the cells will arch along the height of the battery module. The degree and angle of arching of different cells are different, which will result in poor flatness of multiple cells along the height of the battery module. In addition, the terminals of the cells are located on one side of the cells along the height of the battery module, which will affect the welding quality of the terminals of multiple cells and the electrical connection pieces. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a restraint device designed to solve the problem of how to improve the flatness of multiple cells in the height direction of a battery module.

[0005] This application provides a restraint device for restraining multiple stacked battery cells to form a battery module. Along the height direction of the battery module, each battery cell has an electrode post at its upper end. The restraint device includes a support device, a first restraint device, and a second restraint device. The support device supports the multiple battery cells. The first restraint device restrains the multiple battery cells along the length and width directions of the battery module. The second restraint device includes a first restraint member and multiple second restraint members. The first restraint member is located above the multiple battery cells and can move towards them. Each of the multiple second restraint members is connected to the side of the first restraint member facing the multiple battery cells and can move relative to the first restraint member along the height direction of the battery module. Each second restraint member corresponds to one battery cell, and during its movement relative to the first restraint member, it can exert a thrust on the electrode post of the corresponding battery cell.

[0006] According to the restraint device provided in this application, by setting a first restraint member and a second restraint member, the first restraint member can move toward multiple battery cells, and the second restraint member can move relative to the first restraint member in the height direction of the battery module. During the movement of the second restraint member relative to the first restraint member, it can generate a pushing force on the corresponding battery cell. When the second restraint device restrains multiple battery cells, the first restraint member can drive multiple second restraint members to move toward multiple battery cells. At this time, the terminal post of the battery cell with a higher offset height (named the first terminal post for ease of description) will first contact the corresponding second restraint member. As the first restraint member continues to move, the first terminal post and the corresponding second restraint member generate an interaction force. The second restraint member corresponding to the first terminal post will move toward the first restraint member relative to the first restraint member. At the same time, the second restraint member will push the first terminal post, adjust the tilt degree of the first terminal post, and squeeze the first terminal post to reduce the offset height of the first terminal post.

[0007] As the first restraint continues to move, the cell containing the first electrode is compressed to a certain extent. The electrode of the cell with the lower offset height (referred to as the second electrode for ease of description) will also come into contact with the corresponding second restraint. As the first restraint continues to move, the second electrode and the corresponding second restraint will also generate an interaction force. The second restraint corresponding to the second electrode will also move towards the first restraint relative to the first restraint. At the same time, the second restraint will push the second electrode, adjust the tilt of the second electrode, and squeeze the second electrode to reduce the offset height of the second electrode.

[0008] Until the multiple second restraints move toward the first restraint relative to the first restraint to the point where they can no longer move, the tilt and offset height of the terminals of the multiple cells can be adjusted to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the offset error of the terminals of the multiple cells in the height direction of the battery module, improving the flatness of the terminals of the multiple cells in the height direction of the battery module, and improving the welding quality of the terminals of the multiple cells and the electrical connection pieces.

[0009] Optionally, the second restraint device further includes multiple sets of first guides, one set of first guides being connected between a second restraint and a first restraint to allow the second restraint to move relative to the first restraint.

[0010] Optionally, the first restraint member includes multiple sets of first guide holes, each set of first guide holes corresponding to a set of first guide members, and the first guide member in the set of first guide members is slidably connected to the first guide hole in the corresponding set of first guide holes.

[0011] Optionally, the second restraint device further includes a first driving member, which is connected to the first restraint member in a transmission manner and is used to drive the first restraint member to move.

[0012] Optionally, the first restraint device includes a length restraint component and a width restraint component. The length restraint component is used to restrain multiple battery cells along the length direction of the battery module, and the width restraint component is used to restrain multiple battery cells along the width direction of the battery module.

[0013] Optionally, the width restraint assembly includes a first fixing plate, a third restraint member, and a plurality of fourth restraint members. The first fixing plate is fixed to the bearing device and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the plurality of cells in the width direction of the battery module. The third restraint member is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the plurality of cells in the width direction of the battery module and is movable toward the plurality of cells. One fourth restraint member corresponds to one cell, and the plurality of fourth restraint members are all connected to the third restraint member and are movable relative to the third restraint member in the width direction of the battery module to restrain the corresponding cell.

[0014] Optionally, the third restraint member is provided with a receiving groove, which is recessed from the side surface of the third restraint member facing the first fixing plate away from the first fixing plate; the fourth restraint member is movable relative to the third restraint member between a first position and a second position. When the fourth restraint member is in the first position, the fourth restraint member is located within the receiving space. When the fourth restraint member is in the second position, at least a portion of the fourth restraint member is located outside the receiving space and is used to contact the battery cell.

[0015] Optionally, the length restraint assembly includes a second fixing plate, a fifth restraint member, and a fourth driving member. The second fixing plate is fixedly connected to the bearing device and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the multiple cells in the length direction of the battery module. The fifth restraint member is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the multiple cells in the length direction of the battery module and is capable of moving toward the multiple cells. The fourth driving member is connected to the fifth restraint member and is used to drive the fifth restraint member to move.

[0016] Optionally, the restraint device also includes a controller, which is configured to:

[0017] The fifth restraint member is controlled to move toward the fixed plate at a first speed to restrain the multiple cells for the first time until the sum of the dimensions of the multiple cells in the length direction of the battery module is the first length.

[0018] Obtain the constraint conditions of multiple battery cells in the width and height directions of the battery module, wherein the constraint conditions are the first distance that the first constraint member needs to move, the second distance that the third constraint member needs to move, and the third distance that the fourth constraint member needs to move when the multiple battery cells are constrained to meet the constraint requirements.

[0019] Control the first restraint member to move a first distance, the third restraint member to move a second distance, and the fourth restraint member to move a third distance.

[0020] Optionally, the restraint device further includes a first support frame and a detection component. The first support frame is connected to the bearing device, and the detection component is connected to the first support frame and is movable along the length of the battery module to detect the offset of multiple cells.

[0021] Optionally, the number of detection components is two, with one detection component located on one side of the multiple cells and the other detection component located on the other side of the multiple cells, along the width direction of the battery module.

[0022] Optionally, the controller is also configured as follows:

[0023] Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to the terminal of each cell;

[0024] The control detection component moves a preset distance along the length of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell. The preset distance is the length of the current battery module, and the offset is the first distance between the terminal post of each cell and the corresponding reference position in the height direction of the battery module, the first angle between the surface of the terminal post of each cell facing away from the cell body and the corresponding reference surface, and the second distance between each cell and the corresponding reference position in the width direction of the battery module.

[0025] The restraint conditions are determined based on the detected offset, wherein a first distance for each cell is determined based on a first spacing and a first included angle, a second distance is determined based on a second spacing of multiple cells, and a third distance is determined based on the second spacing of each cell.

[0026] Optionally, the controller is also configured as follows:

[0027] Obtain a standard battery model and use a restraint device to restrain the standard battery model to a restraint state that meets the restraint requirements of the battery module;

[0028] The detection component detects the position of the terminal post of each cell in the standard battery model as a reference position, and also detects the upper surface of the terminal post of each cell in the standard battery model as a reference surface.

[0029] Optionally, the controller is also configured as follows:

[0030] The fifth restraint member is controlled to move toward the fixed plate at a second speed to restrain the multiple cells for the second time until the sum of the dimensions of the multiple cells in the length direction of the battery module is the second length, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed and the second length is less than the first length;

[0031] During the movement of the fifth restraint member, the restraint conditions of multiple cells in the width and height directions of the battery module are acquired multiple times.

[0032] Each time a restraint condition is acquired, the first restraint member is moved a first distance, the third restraint member is moved a second distance, and the fourth restraint member is moved a third distance once.

[0033] Optionally, the restraint device may also include a pressure sensor located on the length restraint assembly for detecting the restraint force exerted by the length restraint assembly on multiple battery cells.

[0034] The controller is also configured as follows:

[0035] Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to each battery cell;

[0036] The length restraint assembly can be configured to exert multiple different preset restraint forces on multiple battery cells.

[0037] Under each preset restraint force, the control detection component moves a preset distance along the length direction of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell and establish a first correspondence between different preset restraint forces and different offsets. The preset distance is the length of the current battery module, and the offset is the first distance between the terminal post of each cell and the corresponding reference position in the height direction of the battery module, the first angle between the surface of the terminal post of each cell facing away from the cell body and the corresponding reference surface, and the second distance between the terminal post of each cell and the corresponding reference position in the width direction of the battery module.

[0038] Determine the second correspondence between the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance and the preset restraint force based on the first correspondence;

[0039] The actual restraining force of the detection length restraint assembly on multiple battery cells is used to obtain a first distance, a second distance, and a third distance based on a second correspondence.

[0040] Optionally, before controlling the fifth restraint member to move toward the fixed plate at the first velocity, the controller is also configured to:

[0041] The third restraint member is controlled to move toward multiple battery cells to perform preliminary shaping of the multiple battery cells in the width direction of the battery module, and then the third restraint member is controlled to separate from the multiple battery cells.

[0042] The first restraint member is controlled to move toward multiple battery cells to perform preliminary shaping of the multiple battery cells in the length direction of the battery module, and then the first restraint member is controlled to separate from the multiple battery cells.

[0043] Optionally, the third restraint includes a restraint body and a mounting plate. The restraint body has a mounting hole that extends through the restraint body along the width direction of the battery module. The mounting plate is connected to the restraint body and blocks one end of the mounting hole facing away from the first fixing plate, so that the restraint body and the mounting plate define a receiving groove.

[0044] Optionally, the mounting plate includes multiple sub-boards arranged along the length of the battery module, and a fourth restraint member is connected to one of the sub-boards.

[0045] Optionally, the width restraint assembly may also include multiple sets of second guides, one set of which is connected between a fourth restraint and a third restraint to allow the fourth restraint to move relative to the third restraint.

[0046] Optionally, the width restraint assembly also includes a plurality of second driving members, each of which is connected to the third restraint member, and one second driving member is connected to a fourth restraint member for driving the fourth restraint member to move.

[0047] Optionally, the width restraint assembly also includes a third drive member connected to the third restraint member for driving the third restraint member to move. Attached Figure Description

[0048] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a restraint device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the load-bearing device in the restraint equipment;

[0051] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second restraint device in the restraint equipment;

[0052] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell in which the upper surface of the electrode post is tilted, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure when the electrode posts of multiple battery cells provided in this application have different heights in the height direction of the battery module;

[0054] Figure 6 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between a second restraint member and a set of first guide members in the second restraint device shown.

[0055] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first restraint device in the restraint device shown;

[0056] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the width restraint component in the first restraint device is shown.

[0057] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the third and fourth restraint members in the width restraint assembly shown;

[0058] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of multiple battery cells provided in this application embodiment when a battery cell is offset in the width direction of the battery module;

[0059] Figure 11 for Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the width restraint assembly after removing the fourth restraint member;

[0060] Figure 12 for Figure 11 A structural diagram from a relative perspective;

[0061] Figure 13 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the length restraint assembly in the first restraint device is shown;

[0062] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating how a restraint device restrains multiple battery cells, as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 15 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the detection component in the restraint device shown.

[0064] Figure label:

[0065] 100. Restraint device; 200. Battery cell; 200A. Terminal post;

[0066] 10. Supporting device; 10A. Machine base; 10B. Support plate;

[0067] 20. First restraint device; 1. Length restraint assembly; 11. Second fixing plate; 12. Fifth restraint member; 13. Fourth driving member;

[0068] 2. Width restraint assembly; 21. First fixing plate; 211. First plate portion; 212. Second plate portion; 22. Third restraint member; 221. Receiving groove; 222. Restraint member body; 2221. Mounting hole; 223. Mounting plate; 2231. Sub-plate; 23. Fourth restraint member; 24. Second guide member; 25. Second driving member; 26. Third driving member; 27. Third support plate; 28. Fourth guide member;

[0069] 30. Second restraint device; 301. First restraint member; 302. Second restraint member; 303. First guide member; 304. First drive member;

[0070] 40. Second support frame; 50. Second support plate; 501. Third guide component; 60. Detection assembly; 601. Camera; 602. Linear slide. Detailed Implementation

[0071] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," and "sixth" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," and "sixth" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0072] In embodiments of this application, 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. Without further limitation, 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 that element.

[0073] "A and / or B" includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, "parallel," "perpendicular," and "equal" include the described situation and situations similar to the described situation, where the range of similarity is within an acceptable deviation range, wherein the acceptable deviation range is determined by those skilled in the art taking into account the measurement under discussion and the error associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, wherein the acceptable deviation range for approximate parallelism may be, for example, a deviation within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, wherein the acceptable deviation range for approximate perpendicularity may also be, for example, a deviation within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, wherein the acceptable deviation range for approximate equality may be, for example, a difference between the two equals being less than or equal to 5% of either one.

[0075] Battery packs are commonly used in vehicles, ships, aircraft, and other electrical equipment to power these devices, facilitating their operation. A battery pack may include multiple battery modules connected in series and / or parallel to enhance its range. Each battery module may include multiple stacked battery cells. These cells can be electrically connected via connectors to allow the battery module to supply power to the equipment.

[0076] In some embodiments, a battery cell may include a cell body and terminals connected to the cell body. The terminals are used for electrical connection with electrical connectors; that is, the terminals of multiple cells are connected through electrical connectors. A single cell may have two terminals, designated as a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The positive terminals of multiple cells can be electrically connected through one electrical connector, and the negative terminal of a single cell can be electrically connected through another electrical connector.

[0077] The battery cell can be rectangular, and a battery module formed by stacking multiple cells can also be rectangular. The length direction of the battery module is the stacking direction of the multiple cells. The arrangement direction of the terminals and the cell body can be the height direction of the battery module, and the width direction of the battery module is perpendicular to both the length and width directions of the battery module.

[0078] When assembling a battery module, multiple battery cells need to be stacked and then constrained by a restraining device to ensure that the multiple battery cells fit tightly and the surface is flat. Finally, the multiple battery cells are fixed by a housing.

[0079] The tightness of the bonding of multiple battery cells refers to the need for multiple battery cells to be pressed together along the length of the battery module using a clamping device, and the degree of clamping must meet the clamping requirements of the multiple battery cells. The flatness of the multiple battery cells refers to the distance between the surfaces of the multiple battery cells in the width direction of the battery module being within tolerance, and the distance between the surfaces of the terminals of the multiple battery cells facing away from the cell body being within tolerance.

[0080] The flatness of multiple battery cells ensures minimal deviation of their terminals in the height and width directions of the battery module. This facilitates better welding of the terminals to the electrical connectors, improving welding quality and ensuring conductivity. Furthermore, after the cells are bound together, adhesive is applied to their width-direction surfaces to bond them to the casing. Maintaining a tolerance between the width-direction surfaces of the cells ensures more uniform adhesive application, preventing adhesion clumping and improving the stability of the connection between the cells and the casing.

[0081] In related technologies, restraint equipment restrains multiple battery cells in the length, width, and height directions of a battery module. Typically, a restraint plate applies pressure to multiple cells simultaneously. However, due to the difficulty of restraining different cells in the battery module, arching occurs in the width and height directions. Furthermore, the degree and angle of arching vary among different cells, and processing errors between cells can prevent some cells from contacting the restraint plate. This results in some cells not being restrained, leading to poor flatness of multiple cells in the height and width directions of the battery module. Consequently, the welding quality of the terminals and connecting pieces of multiple cells is affected, as is the adhesion between the cells and the casing.

[0082] Based on this, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a restraint device 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The restraint device 100 may include a support device 10, a first restraint device 20, and a second restraint device 30. The first restraint device 20 is used to restrain the battery module along its length (e.g., in the longitudinal direction). Figure 1 The direction shown is X) and the width direction (e.g. Figure 1 The second restraint device 30 is used to constrain multiple battery cells in the direction Y shown in the battery module height direction (e.g., in the direction Y). Figure 1 Multiple battery cells 200 are constrained in the direction Z shown. The support device 10 is used to support the multiple battery cells 200, i.e., the multiple battery cells 200 are stacked and placed on the support device 10 so that the first constraining device 20 and the second constraining device 30 can constrain the multiple battery cells 200. It should be noted that after the multiple battery cells 200 are placed on the support device 10, the terminals of the battery cells 200 are located at the upper end in the height direction of the battery module, i.e., the terminals are located on the side of the battery cell body facing away from the support device 10, so as to contact the second constraining device 30 and be constrained by it.

[0083] In some examples, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the supporting device 10 in the restraint device 100. The supporting device 10 may include a machine base 10A and a supporting plate 10B disposed on the machine base 10A. The machine base 10A is the main support structure of the restraint device 100, used to support the supporting plate 10B, the first restraint device 20, and the second restraint device 30. The supporting plate 10B is used to support multiple battery cells 200, that is, multiple battery cells 200 are stacked and placed on the supporting plate 10B. The machine base 10A can be a frame structure, a box structure, etc.

[0084] In other examples, the support device 10 may also be other structures capable of supporting the support plate 10B, the first restraint device 20, and the second restraint device 30, such as a block structure.

[0085] Please continue reading his work. Figure 1 and Figure 3 , Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second restraint device 30 in the restraint device 100. The second restraint device 30 includes a first restraint member 301 and a plurality of second restraint members 302. For example, the first restraint member 301 and the second restraint member 302 can be plate-shaped structures, block-shaped structures, etc.

[0086] The first restraint member 301 is located above the plurality of battery cells 200 and can move toward the plurality of battery cells 200. A plurality of second restraint members 302 are connected to the side of the first restraint member 301 facing the plurality of battery cells 200 and can move relative to the first restraint member 301 along the height direction of the battery module. Each second restraint member 302 corresponds to one battery cell 200, and during the movement of the second restraint member 302 relative to the first restraint member 301, it can generate a pushing force on the corresponding battery cell 200.

[0087] It should be noted that, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, Figure 4 The upper surface of the electrode 200A in the plurality of battery cells 200 provided in the embodiments of this application ( Figure 4 The diagram shows a structural schematic of a cell 200 with a tilted surface (M). Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of multiple battery cells 200 provided in this application embodiment when the heights of the terminals 200A of the battery cells 200 differ along the height direction of the battery module. When multiple battery cells 200 are stacked and not constrained, they will contact each other. Due to friction between the cells 200, the heights of the terminals 200A of different cells 200 facing the first constraining member 301 will differ (e.g., ...). Figure 5 The height difference shown is the first gap H1), and the surface of the terminal post 200A of some cells 200 facing the first restraint member 301 may also be tilted relative to the reference plane (e.g. Figure 4 The tilt angle shown is the first included angle α.

[0088] Furthermore, after the first restraint device 20 restrains the multiple cells 200, the degree and angle of the arching of different cells 200 in the height direction of the battery module are also different. This will also cause the height of the terminal post 200A of different cells 200 facing the first restraint member 301 to be different, and the surface of the terminal post 200A of some cells 200 facing the first restraint member 301 may also be tilted relative to the reference plane.

[0089] The reference surface can be the upper surface (i.e., the surface facing the first restraint member 301) of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the standard battery model after the standard battery model is restrained according to the required restraint conditions. The standard battery model is a battery module in which the tightness of the multiple cells 200 is met and the surface flatness meets the requirements.

[0090] In this way, by setting a first restraint 301 and a second restraint 302, with the first restraint 301 capable of moving toward multiple battery cells 200 and the second restraint 302 capable of moving relative to the first restraint 301 in the height direction of the battery module, the second restraint 302 can generate a pushing force on the corresponding battery cell 200 during its movement relative to the first restraint 301. When the second restraint device 30 restrains multiple battery cells 200, the first restraint 301 can drive multiple second restraints 302 to move toward multiple battery cells 200. At this time, the offset height... The higher-position terminal 200A of the battery cell 200 (referred to as the first terminal for ease of description) will first contact the corresponding second restraint member 302. As the first restraint member 301 continues to move, the first terminal and the corresponding second restraint member 302 will generate an interaction force. The second restraint member 302 corresponding to the first terminal will move towards the first restraint member 301 relative to the first restraint member 301. At the same time, the second restraint member 302 will push the first terminal, adjust the tilt of the first terminal relative to the reference surface, and squeeze the first terminal, so that the upper surface of the first terminal gradually approaches the reference surface.

[0091] As the first restraint 301 continues to move, the cell 200 where the first electrode is located is compressed to a certain extent. The electrode 200A of the cell 200 with a lower offset height (named the second electrode for ease of description) will also come into contact with the corresponding second restraint 302. As the first restraint 301 continues to move, the second electrode and the corresponding second restraint 302 will also generate an interaction force. The second restraint 302 corresponding to the second electrode will also move towards the first restraint 301 relative to the first restraint 301. At the same time, the second restraint 302 will push the second electrode, adjust the tilt of the second electrode relative to the reference surface, and squeeze the second electrode so that the upper surface of the second electrode gradually approaches the reference surface.

[0092] Until the multiple second restraints 302 move toward the first restraint 301 relative to the first restraint 301 until they can no longer move, the tilt degree and offset height of the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 relative to the reference plane can be adjusted to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the offset error of the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 in the height direction of the battery module, improving the flatness of the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 in the height direction of the battery module, and improving the welding quality of the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 and the electrical connector.

[0093] In some embodiments, please continue reading Figure 3 and Figure 6 , Figure 6 for Figure 3 The diagram shows the connection relationship between a second restraint member 302 and a set of first guide members in the second restraint device 30. The second restraint device 30 also includes multiple sets of first guide members 303, one set of first guide members 303 being connected between a second restraint member 302 and a first restraint member 301, so that the second restraint member 302 can move relative to the first restraint member 301.

[0094] By setting the first guide member 303, the second restraint member 302 can be guided when it moves relative to the first restraint member 301, so as to ensure the smoothness and stability of the movement of the second restraint member 302, thereby ensuring the restraint effect of multiple second restraint members 302 with the corresponding battery cell 200.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first restraint member 301 includes multiple sets of first guide holes, each set of first guide holes corresponding to a set of first guide members 303. A first guide member 303 in the set of first guide members 303 is slidably connected to a first guide hole in the corresponding set of first guide holes. By allowing a first guide member 303 to slide within a first guide hole, the first guide hole can effectively limit the movement of the corresponding first guide member 303, ensuring the stability of the sliding of the first guide member 303, thereby ensuring the stability of the movement of the second restraint member 302 relative to the first restraint member 301.

[0096] In some examples, the first guide member 303 can be a cylindrical, cuboid, elliptical, or other shaped rod-like structure, or a plate-like structure, etc. In this case, the first guide hole can be matched with the shape of the first guide member 303.

[0097] In some examples, the number of first guide members 303 in a group of first guide members 303 can be one or more. When the number of first guide members 303 in a group of first guide members 303 is multiple, the multiple first guide members 303 can be arranged in a matrix. For example, if the second restraint member 302 is a plate-like structure, the multiple first guide members 303 can be distributed at the four corners of the second restraint member 302. The number of first guide holes in a group of first guide holes can be the same as the number of first guide members 303 in a group of first guide members 303.

[0098] In some examples, there may be a certain amount of friction between the first guide member 303 and the inner wall surface of the first guide hole, so that during the movement of the second restraint member 302 relative to the first restraint member 301, the friction between the first guide member 303 and the inner wall surface of the first guide hole causes the second restraint member 302 to generate a thrust on the corresponding battery cell 200.

[0099] In other examples, a cylindrical structure with a damping effect, such as a rubber sleeve, can be provided in the first guide hole, so that the first guide member 303 passes through the cylindrical structure. The damping effect of the cylindrical structure enables the second restraint member 302 to generate a thrust on the corresponding battery cell 200 during the movement of the second restraint member 302 relative to the first restraint member 301.

[0100] In some other embodiments, the first guide member 303 may also be a slide rail slider structure, etc., and this application does not make specific limitations again.

[0101] In some embodiments, please continue reading Figure 3 The second restraint device 30 further includes a first driving member 304, which is connected to the first restraint member 301 and is used to drive the first restraint member 301 to move. For example, the first driving member 304 can be an electric push rod, a linear cylinder, etc. As another example, the first driving member 304 can also be a motor, which can be connected to the first restraint member 301 through a transmission structure such as a gear rack, a lead screw, or a nut sleeve to drive the first restraint member 301 to move linearly.

[0102] By setting the first driving member 304, the first restraint member 301 can be easily driven to move, thereby facilitating the movement of multiple second restraint members 302, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the flatness of multiple cells 200 in the height direction of the battery module.

[0103] In some examples, please refer to Figure 1The restraint device 100 may further include a second support frame 40 and a second support plate 50. The second support frame 40 is connected to the bearing device 10. For example, the second support frame 40 is connected to a machine base 10A to support the second support frame 40. The second support plate 50 is connected to the top of the second support frame 40. A first drive member 304 is connected to the second support plate 50 to fix and support the first drive member 304 via the second support plate 50. A first restraint member 301 is connected to the second support plate 50 and is movable relative to the second support plate 50 in the height direction of the battery module, so that the first drive member 304 drives the first restraint member 301 to move toward or away from the multiple battery cells 200.

[0104] In some examples, please refer to Figure 3 A third guide 501 may also be provided between the first restraint member 301 and the second support plate 50. The third guide 501 is used to guide the first restraint member 301 to move relative to the second support plate 50. The structure of the third guide 501 can be the same as that of the first guide 303 shown in any of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0105] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7 , Figure 7 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the first restraint device 20 in the restraint device 100. The first restraint device 20 includes a length restraint component 1 and a width restraint component 2. The length restraint component 1 is used to restrain multiple battery cells 200 along the length direction of the battery module, and the width restraint component 2 is used to restrain multiple battery cells 200 along the width direction of the battery module.

[0106] By using the length restraint component 1 to restrain multiple battery cells 200 from the length direction of multiple battery modules, and by using the width restraint component 2 to restrain multiple battery cells 200 from the width direction of battery modules, multiple battery cells 200 can be restrained in both the length and width directions of battery modules, so as to facilitate the restraint of multiple battery cells 200 in both the length and width directions of battery modules.

[0107] In some other embodiments, the first restraint device 20 may further include an L-shaped fixed plate structure and an L-shaped movable plate structure. The fixed plate structure is fixed to the support device 10 and contacts and limits one side surface of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module, and contacts and limits the outermost battery cell 200 in the length direction of the battery module. The movable plate structure can move toward or away from the fixed plate structure. When the movable plate structure moves toward the fixed plate structure, it can contact and press against the other side surface of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module, and contact and press against the outermost battery cell 200 in the length direction of the battery module, so as to simultaneously restrain the plurality of battery cells 200 in the length and width directions of the battery module.

[0108] This application is illustrated by way of example with a first restraint device 20 including a length restraint component 1 and a width restraint component 2.

[0109] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 , Figure 8 for Figure 7 The diagram shows the structure of the width restraint component 2 in the first restraint device 20. Figure 9 for Figure 8 The diagram shows the connection relationship between the third and fourth restraint members in the width restraint assembly 2. The width restraint assembly 2 includes a first fixing plate 21, a third restraint member 22, and multiple fourth restraint members 23. The third restraint member 22 and the fourth restraint members 23 can be plate-like structures, block-like structures, etc.

[0110] The first fixing plate 21 is fixed to the supporting device 10 and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module. In some examples, the first fixing plate 21 can be an L-shaped plate, that is, the first fixing plate 21 includes a first plate portion 211 and a second plate portion 212, the first plate portion 211 being connected to one side of the second plate portion 212 in the thickness direction, so that the first plate portion 211 and the second plate portion 212 form an L-shaped structure. The first plate portion 211 is connected to the supporting device 10, and the second plate portion 212 is used to contact the plurality of battery cells 200 to cooperate with the third restraining member 22 and the fourth restraining member 23 to restrain the plurality of battery cells 200. In some examples, a reinforcing plate can also be connected between the first plate portion 211 and the second plate portion 212 to strengthen the structural strength of the first plate portion 211 and the second plate portion 212.

[0111] In other examples, the first fixing plate 21 can also be a cuboid structure, in which case the first fixing plate 21 can be connected to the bearing device 10 by means of snap-fit, screw connection, etc. Furthermore, a reinforcing plate can be connected between the upper surface of the bearing device 10 and the first fixing plate 21 to enhance the structural strength of the first fixing plate 21.

[0112] The third restraint member 22 is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the plurality of cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module, and is movable toward the plurality of cells 200; a fourth restraint member 23 corresponds to a cell 200, and the plurality of fourth restraint members 23 are all connected to the third restraint member 22, and are movable relative to the third restraint member 22 in the width direction of the battery module to restrain the corresponding cell 200.

[0113] It should be noted that you should refer to [link / reference]. Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of multiple battery cells 200 provided in this application embodiment when the battery cells 200 are offset in the width direction of the battery module. When multiple battery cells 200 are stacked and not constrained, the terminals 200A of the multiple battery cells 200 will also be offset relative to the terminals 200A of the standard battery model in the width direction of the battery module (e.g., ...). Figure 10 The offset distance (i.e., the second spacing L1) in the battery module results in a smaller welding area for the terminal 200A of different cells 200 when welding them to the electrical connector. This affects the welding quality. Furthermore, after the length restraint assembly 1 restrains multiple cells 200, the degree of arching of the cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module also varies, similarly causing the terminal 200A of different cells 200 to shift in the width direction of the battery module.

[0114] In this way, by setting the third restraint member 22 and the fourth restraint member 23, when multiple cells 200 are restrained in the width direction of the battery module, the third restraint member 22 can drive multiple fourth restraint members 23 to move toward the multiple cells 200. The third restraint member 22 generates a pushing force relative to the multiple cells 200 to push and press the multiple cells 200 onto the first fixing plate 21 to restrain the multiple cells 200. Then, the multiple fourth restraint members 23 generate a pushing force on the corresponding cells 200 to restrain the multiple cells 200 again, so as to ensure that each cell 200 can be restrained in the width direction of the battery module, reduce the offset of the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module, and improve the welding effect between the terminals 200A of the multiple cells 200 and the electrical connectors.

[0115] Furthermore, reducing the offset of the terminals 200A of multiple cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module can also improve the flatness of the surface of multiple cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module. As a result, when applying adhesive between the casing and multiple cells 200, the adhesive can be distributed more evenly, thus improving the bonding effect.

[0116] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 11 , Figure 11 for Figure 9 The diagram shows the structure of the width restraint assembly 2 after removing the fourth restraint member 23. The third restraint member 22 has a receiving groove 221, which is recessed from the side surface of the third restraint member 22 facing the first fixing plate 21 away from the first fixing plate 21. The fourth restraint member 23 is movable relative to the third restraint member 22 between a first position and a second position. When the fourth restraint member 23 is in the first position, it is located within the receiving space. When the fourth restraint member 23 is in the second position, at least a portion of it is located outside the receiving space and is used to contact the battery cell 200.

[0117] When constraining multiple battery cells 200 using the width constraint assembly 2, multiple fourth constraint members 23 can be initially positioned in a first position. At this point, the third constraint member 22 simultaneously compresses the multiple battery cells 200, thus constraining them simultaneously. After the third constraint member 22 has constrained the multiple battery cells 200 to a certain extent, if any battery cell 200 still deviates from the required width direction of the battery module, the corresponding fourth constraint member 23 can be moved to a second position and contact the battery cell 200 to further compress it. This ensures that the offset of the terminal post 200A of the battery cell 200 from that of the standard battery model in the width direction of the battery module is within the error range. This further reduces the offset of the multiple battery cells 200 in the width direction, facilitating adjustment of the offset in this direction.

[0118] It should be noted that if, after the third restraint member 22 restrains multiple cells 200 to a certain extent, there are still cells 200 whose deviation in the width direction of the battery module does not meet the requirements, it can be understood that: due to the processing errors of different cells 200 and the placement errors after stacking, the compression and displacement of different cells 200 after being squeezed by the third restraint member 22 to a certain extent may be different. At this time, the error between the terminal post 200A of the cell 200 with smaller displacement and compression and the terminal post 200A of the standard battery model still does not meet the requirements.

[0119] For example, two of the multiple battery cells 200 are the first battery cell and the second battery cell, respectively. Due to processing errors, the size of the first battery cell is smaller than that of the second battery cell along the width direction of the battery module. After the multiple battery cells 200 are stacked, the offset of the second battery cell towards the third restraint member 22 in the width direction of the battery module is greater than that of the first battery cell. After the third restraint member 22 restrains the multiple battery cells 200 to a certain extent, the first battery cell may not be in contact with the third restraint member 22 or may only be pushed a small distance by the third restraint member 22. This results in the first battery cell's terminal post still having a large offset from the standard battery model's terminal post 200A in the width direction of the battery module. At this time, the first battery cell can be pushed by the fourth restraint member 23 corresponding to the first battery cell to further adjust the spacing between the first battery cell's terminal post 200A and the standard battery model's terminal post 200A in the width direction of the battery module, thereby reducing the offset of the first battery cell's terminal post 200A.

[0120] In other embodiments, the structure, connection method and engagement method of the third restraint member 22 and the fourth restraint member 23 may also refer to the first restraint member 301 and the second restraint member 302, and this application does not make specific limitations again.

[0121] This application is illustrated by way of example, with the third restraint member 22 having a receiving groove 221 and the fourth restraint member 23 being able to move between a first position and a second position.

[0122] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 , Figure 12 for Figure 11 A structural schematic diagram from a relative perspective. The third restraint member 22 includes a restraint member body 222 and a mounting plate 223. The restraint member body 222 has a mounting hole 2221 that extends through the restraint member body 222 along the width direction of the battery module. The mounting plate 223 is connected to the restraint member body 222 and blocks one end of the mounting hole 2221 that faces away from the first fixing plate 21, so that the restraint member body 222 and the mounting plate 223 define a receiving groove 221. That is, the mounting hole 2221, after being blocked by the mounting plate 223, forms a receiving groove 221.

[0123] In this way, when processing the receiving groove 221, it is only necessary to open the mounting hole 2221 on the third restraint member 22, and then seal the opening of the mounting hole 2221 facing away from the first fixing plate by the fixing plate, which facilitates the processing of the receiving groove 221.

[0124] In some embodiments, the mounting plate 223 includes a plurality of sub-plates 2231, which are arranged along the length of the battery module, and a fourth restraint member 23 is connected to one sub-plate 2231. In this way, the fourth restraint member 23 and the corresponding sub-plate 2231 can be assembled together and then mounted as a whole on the third restraint member 22. This reduces space constraints when installing the fourth restraint member 23, facilitating its installation and improving installation efficiency.

[0125] In some other embodiments, the mounting plate 223 may also be a single plate, which blocks one end of the mounting hole 2221 that faces away from the first fixing plate 21.

[0126] In some other embodiments, the mounting plate 223 may not be provided, and the receiving groove 221 may be directly formed on the third restraint member 22, which also makes it convenient to process the receiving groove 221.

[0127] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 12 The width restraint assembly 2 also includes multiple sets of second guides 24. One set of second guides 24 is connected between a fourth restraint 23 and a third restraint 22 to allow the fourth restraint 23 to move relative to the third restraint 22. The second guides 24 guide the fourth restraint 23 as it moves relative to the third restraint 22, making its movement more stable and improving the restraint effect on the battery cell 200.

[0128] In some examples, the structure of the second guide member 24 can be the same as that of the first guide member 303 in any of the above embodiments, and the arrangement and number of a group of second guide members 24 can also refer to the first guide member 303 in any of the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0129] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 12 The width restraint assembly 2 also includes a plurality of second drive members 25, each of which is connected to the third restraint member 22. For example, the plurality of second drive members 25 are all connected to the mounting plate 223. For instance, one second drive member 25 is connected to a sub-plate 2231.

[0130] A second driving member 25 is connected to a fourth restraining member 23 for driving the fourth restraining member 23 to move. The second driving member 25 facilitates the movement of the fourth restraining member 23, allowing the fourth restraining member 23 to adjust the offset of the corresponding cell 200 in the width direction of the battery module.

[0131] In some examples, the second drive member 25 may have the same structure as the first drive member 304 in any of the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0132] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 8 The width restraint assembly 2 further includes a third driving member 26, which is connected to the third restraint member 22 and is used to drive the third restraint member 22 to move. The structure of the third driving member 26 can be the same as that of the first driving member 304 in any of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0133] By setting the third driving member 26, the third restraint member 22 can be easily driven to move, thereby facilitating the movement of multiple fourth restraint members 23, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the offset of multiple cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module.

[0134] In some examples, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 8 The width restraint assembly 2 may further include a third support plate 27, which is fixed to the bearing device 10, and a third drive member 26 is connected to the third support plate 27. The third restraint member 22 is connected to the third support plate 27 and is movable relative to the third support plate 27 along the width direction of the battery module, so that the third drive member 26 drives the third restraint member 22 to move toward or away from the multiple battery cells 200.

[0135] In some examples, the structure of the third support plate 27 can be the same as that of the first fixing plate 21 in any of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0136] In some instances, a fourth guide 28 may be provided between the third restraint member 22 and the third support plate 27 to guide the movement of the third restraint member 22 and improve the stability of its movement. The structure of the fourth guide 28 can be the same as that of the first guide 303 in any of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0137] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 13 , Figure 13 for Figure 7 The diagram shows the structure of the length restraint assembly 1 in the first restraint device 20. The length restraint assembly 1 includes a second fixing plate 11, a fifth restraint member 12, and a fourth driving member 13. The second fixing plate 11 is fixedly connected to the bearing device 10 and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module. The fifth restraint member 12 is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module and is movable toward the plurality of battery cells 200; the fourth driving member 13 is connected to the fifth restraint member 12 and is used to drive the fifth restraint member 12 to move.

[0138] The second fixing plate 11 can limit the multiple battery cells 200 at one end along the length of the battery module. The fourth driving member 13 can drive the fifth restraining member 12 to squeeze the multiple battery cells 200 from the other end along the length of the battery module, thereby restraining the multiple battery cells 200 along the length of the battery module. The above structure of the length restraining device is relatively simple, easy to operate, and can improve work efficiency.

[0139] In some examples, the fifth restraint member 12 can be a plate-like structure, a block-like structure, a square cylindrical structure, etc. In some examples, the fourth driving member 13 can have the same structure as the first driving member 304 in any of the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0140] In some embodiments, the restraint device 100 further includes a controller that can be electrically connected to the first drive member 304, the second drive member 25, the third drive member 26, and the fourth drive member 13, for controlling the operation of the first drive member 304, the second drive member 25, the third drive member 26, and the fourth drive member 13.

[0141] Please see Figure 14 , Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating how the restraint device 100 provided in this embodiment restrains multiple battery cells 200. The controller is configured as follows:

[0142] S1: Control the fifth restraint member 12 to move toward the fixing plate at a first speed to restrain the multiple cells 200 for the first time until the sum of the dimensions of the multiple cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module is the first length.

[0143] The fifth restraint member 12 can be driven by the fourth drive member 13 to move at a first speed. The fourth drive member 13 can be a servo motor. The condition for ending the first restraint can be determined by the restraining force applied by the fifth restraint member 12 to the multiple battery cells 200. For example, a pressure sensor can be installed on the fifth restraint member 12 to detect the restraining force. When the restraining force reaches a first preset pressure, the first restraint ends. Since the dimensions of the multiple battery cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module will decrease after the first restraint, the overall length of the multiple battery cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module is now the first length.

[0144] In some examples, when the fifth restraint member 12 performs the first restraint on the multiple battery cells 200, the first restraint member 301 and the second restraint member 302 can press against the multiple battery cells 200, and the third restraint member 22 can also press against the multiple battery cells 200. However, the first drive member 304, the second drive member 25 and the third drive member 26 do not work. This can reduce the degree of arching of the battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module when the fifth restraint member 12 performs the first restraint on the multiple battery cells 200.

[0145] S2: Obtain the constraint conditions of multiple battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module, wherein the constraint conditions are the first distance that the first constraint member 301 needs to move, the second distance that the third constraint member 22 needs to move, and the third distance that the fourth constraint member 23 needs to move when the multiple battery cells 200 are constrained to meet the constraint requirements.

[0146] S3: Control the first restraint member 301 to move a first distance, the third restraint member 22 to move a second distance, and the fourth restraint member 23 to move a third distance.

[0147] By first constraining multiple battery cells 200 along the length of the battery module, and then obtaining a first distance, a second distance, and a third distance, the first constraining member 301 moves by the first distance, the third constraining member 22 moves by the second distance, and the fourth constraining member 23 moves by the third distance. This allows the first constraining member 301 to accurately constrain the multiple battery cells 200 along the height of the battery module, and the third and fourth constraining members 22 and 23 to accurately constrain the multiple battery cells 200 along the width of the battery module. This ensures the constraining effect and avoids excessive constraining force that could damage the battery cells 200.

[0148] In some examples, since the cell 200 may undergo compression deformation after being compressed, the position of the electrode 200A of the cell 200 may not reach the ideal position after the first restraint member 301 moves a first distance, the third restraint member 22 moves a second distance, and the fourth restraint member 23 moves a third distance. Therefore, steps S2 and S3 can be repeated multiple times, for example, 7-9 times, to ensure the restraint effect on the cell 200.

[0149] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 15 , Figure 15 for Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the detection component in the restraint device 100. The restraint device 100 also includes a first support frame (not shown) and a detection component 60. For example, the detection component 60 may be a camera 601. For instance, the detection component 60 may be a 3D camera. As another example, the detection component 60 may also be a distance sensor, etc. This application uses a camera as an example for illustration.

[0150] The first support frame is connected to the bearing device 10, and the detection component 60 is connected to the first support frame and can move along the length direction of the battery module to detect the offset of multiple cells 200. For example, by moving along the length direction of the battery module, the detection component 60 can acquire the position information of the terminal 200A of each cell 200 and the information of the upper surface of the terminal 200A of each cell 200. This information is then compared with the position information and upper surface information of the corresponding cell 200 in a standard electronic module of a standard battery model, provided that the constraint requirements are met, to determine the offset of each cell 200 in the battery module.

[0151] Specifically, the controller is further configured to: acquire a standard battery model and constrain the standard battery model to a constrained state that meets the battery module constraining requirements using the constraining device 100; detect the position of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the standard battery model using the detection component 60 as a reference position, and detect the upper surface of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the standard battery model using the detection component 60 as a reference surface. Thus, the offset of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the multiple cells 200 can be calculated using the reference position and reference surface of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the standard battery model as reference positions and reference surfaces, which can improve the accuracy of offset calculation, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance, and improving the constraining effect of the multiple cells 200.

[0152] The offset can be a first distance between the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 and the corresponding reference position in the height direction of the battery module, a first angle between the surface of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 facing away from the cell body and the corresponding reference surface, and a second distance between the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 and the corresponding reference position in the width direction of the battery module. Specifically, the second distance can be the distance between the axis of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 and the axis of the terminal post 200A in the corresponding cell 200 in the standard battery model.

[0153] In some embodiments, the number of detection components 60 is two. Along the width direction of the battery module, one detection component 60 is disposed on one side of the plurality of battery cells 200, and the other detection component 60 is disposed on the other side of the plurality of battery cells 200. In this way, the offset of the plurality of battery cells 200 can be detected from both sides of the plurality of battery cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module by two detection components 60 respectively, thereby improving the detection effect.

[0154] In some examples, a linear slide 602 can be provided at the upper end of the first support frame, and the detection component 60 can be disposed on the linear slide 602 so that the detection component 60 can be driven to move along the length direction of the battery module by the linear slide 602. In other examples, a guide rail slider structure can also be provided at the upper end of the first support frame, the detection component 60 can be disposed on the slider, and then the detection component 60 can be moved by an electric push rod.

[0155] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to:

[0156] Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to the terminal 200A of each cell 200.

[0157] The control detection component 60 moves a preset distance along the length of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell 200, where the preset distance is the current length of the battery module. It should be noted that, since the length of the battery module formed by the multiple cells 200 during the restraint process of the restraint device 100 may change to some extent, the length of the battery module detected by the detection component 60 may be different each time.

[0158] The restraint conditions are determined based on the detected offset, wherein a first distance for each cell 200 is determined based on a first spacing and a first included angle, a second distance is determined based on a second spacing of multiple cells 200, and a third distance is determined based on the second spacing of each cell 200.

[0159] When the length restraint assembly 1 restrains multiple battery cells 200, the first restraint member 301, the restraint member and the third restraint member 22 are all pressed against the multiple battery cells 200. Therefore, the first distance can be the distance between the lowest point of the upper surface of the battery cell 200 (i.e. the end closest to the reference surface) and the reference surface. The distance between the highest point of the upper surface of the battery cell 200 (i.e. the end furthest from the reference surface) and the lowest point can be calculated by the first included angle and named the deviation distance. The sum of the first distance and the deviation distance can be the distance A. The distance A ± m is the first distance, where m is the acceptable error between the terminal post 200A of the battery cell 200 and the reference position in the height direction of the battery module.

[0160] The largest of the multiple second spacings can be spacing B, and spacing B ± n is the second distance, where n is the acceptable error between the terminal post 200A of the cell 200 and the reference position in the width direction of the battery module. Each of the multiple second spacings can be spacing C, and spacing C ± n is the third distance, which is the corresponding distance that the multiple fourth restraint members 23 need to move.

[0161] By using a reference position and a reference plane as a reference, the offset of multiple battery cells 200 in the height and width directions of the battery module is detected, and the first distance, second distance and third distance are calculated based on the offset. The first distance, second distance and third distance can be calculated conveniently and accurately, so as to better constrain the multiple battery cells 200.

[0162] In some embodiments, please continue reading Figure 14 The controller is also configured as follows:

[0163] S4: Control the fifth restraint member 12 to move toward the second fixed plate 11 at a second speed to restrain the multiple cells 200 for the second time until the sum of the dimensions of the multiple cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module is the second length, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed and the second length is less than the first length.

[0164] S5: During the movement of the fifth restraint member 12, the restraint conditions of multiple cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module are acquired multiple times.

[0165] S6: Each time a restraint condition is acquired, control the first restraint member 301 to move a first distance, the third restraint member 22 to move a second distance, and the fourth restraint member 23 to move a third distance once.

[0166] In this way, since the fifth restraint member 12 has already tightly compressed the multiple battery cells 200 after the first restraint, controlling the fifth restraint member 12 to press the multiple battery cells 200 again at a second speed lower than the first speed can avoid damage to the battery cells 200 due to excessive pressing speed. Furthermore, during the second restraint process of the fifth restraint member 12, the offset of the multiple battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module is repeatedly detected, and then the multiple battery cells 200 are simultaneously restrained in the width and height directions of the battery module repeatedly. This reduces the degree of arching of the battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module caused by the second restraint, thus ensuring the restraint effect of the multiple battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module.

[0167] After repeating steps 2 and 3 multiple times, if the restraint effect of the multiple battery cells 200 meets the requirements, the restraint ends; otherwise, the restraint of the multiple battery cells 200 continues according to steps S5 to S6.

[0168] In some examples, during the second restraint of the multiple battery cells 200 by the fifth restraint member 12, the detection component 60 can detect the multiple battery cells 200 N times, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. The number of detections N by the detection component 60 of the multiple battery cells 200 can be calculated in the following way:

[0169] The control detection component 60 moves at a third speed V3 to detect multiple battery cells 200. The distance the detection component 60 moves each time is the total length H3 of the multiple battery cells 200 in the longitudinal direction of the battery module. The third speed V3 can be less than the second speed V2. Furthermore, since the total length of the multiple battery cells 200 in the longitudinal direction of the battery module changes very little during the second restraint process, H3 can be considered constant.

[0170] The fifth restraint member 12 moves at a second speed V2, and from the start of the second restraint to the end of the second restraint, the distance H2 that the fifth restraint member 12 moves is the difference between the first length and the second length.

[0171] Therefore, the time T3 for the detection component 60 to perform one detection is: T3 = H3 / V3, and the time T2 for the fifth restraint component 12 from the start of the second restraint to the end of the second restraint is: T2 = H2 / V2. Then N = T2 / T3 = (H2*V3) / (H3*V2).

[0172] Thus, the number of times the multiple battery cells 200 are restrained in the width and height directions of the battery module can be controlled by controlling the moving speed of the fifth restraint member 12 and the moving speed of the detection component 60, thereby ensuring the restraint effect and keeping the number of restraints within a reasonable range, thus improving restraint efficiency. In some embodiments, the restraint device 100 further includes a pressure sensor disposed on the length restraint component 1 for detecting the restraint force of the length restraint component 1 on the multiple battery cells 200. For example, the pressure sensor can be disposed on the fifth restraint member 12 or on the second fixing plate 11.

[0173] The controller is also configured as follows:

[0174] Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to each 200 battery cell;

[0175] The restraining force of the length restraint assembly 1 on the multiple cells 200 is a number of different preset restraining forces;

[0176] Under each preset restraint force, the control detection component 60 moves a preset distance along the length direction of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell 200 and establish a first correspondence between different preset restraint forces and different offsets. Here, the preset distance is the current length of the battery module, and the offsets are: a first distance between the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the height direction of the battery module and its corresponding reference position; a first angle between the surface of the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 facing away from the cell body and its corresponding reference surface; and a second distance between the terminal post 200A of each cell 200 in the width direction of the battery module and its corresponding reference position.

[0177] Determine the second correspondence between the first distance, the second distance, and the third distance and the preset restraint force based on the first correspondence;

[0178] The actual restraining force of the length restraint assembly 1 on multiple cells 200 is detected to obtain a first distance, a second distance, and a third distance according to a second correspondence.

[0179] In other words, a restraint device 100 can be used to restrain multiple cells 200 in a large number of battery modules under different preset restraint forces, thereby obtaining a large amount of data on preset restraint forces, first spacing, first angle and second spacing. From this large amount of data, the correspondence between different preset restraint force ranges and first spacing, first angle and second spacing can be derived. For example, if the preset restraint force is in the first range, then the first spacing can be the first preset spacing, the first angle can be the first preset angle, and the second spacing can be the second preset spacing; if the preset restraint force is in the second range, then the first spacing is the third preset spacing, the first angle is the second preset angle, and the second spacing is the fourth preset spacing.

[0180] Based on the relationship between the first spacing, the first included angle, the second spacing and the first distance, the second distance and the third distance, the correspondence between the preset restraint force and the first distance, the second distance and the third distance can be derived.

[0181] In this way, when subsequently restraining multiple cells 200 in the battery module, the actual restraining force of the multiple cells 200 along the length of the battery module can be detected, and then it can be determined which preset restraining force range the actual restraining force falls within. This allows for the determination of the corresponding first, second, and third distances. By controlling the first restraining member 301 to move the first distance, the third restraining member 22 to move the second distance, and the fourth restraining member 23 to move the third distance, the multiple cells 200 can be restrained. This method makes the restraint process of multiple cells 200 more convenient and improves restraint efficiency.

[0182] In some embodiments, before controlling the fifth restraint 12 to move toward the fixed plate at a first speed, the controller is further configured to:

[0183] The third restraint member 22 is controlled to move toward the multiple battery cells 200 to perform preliminary shaping of the multiple battery cells 200 in the width direction of the battery module, and then the third restraint member 22 is controlled to separate from the multiple battery cells 200.

[0184] The first restraint member 301 is controlled to move toward the multiple battery cells 200 to perform preliminary shaping of the multiple battery cells 200 in the length direction of the battery module, and then the first restraint member 301 is controlled to separate from the multiple battery cells 200.

[0185] Since the multiple battery cells 200 are stacked and then transferred to the carrier device 10 by a feeding component such as a robot, the offset of the multiple battery cells 200 in the width and height directions of the battery module is relatively large after they are placed on the carrier device 10. At this time, the multiple battery cells 200 are initially shaped by the third restraint member 22 and the first restraint member 301, which can initially reduce the offset of the multiple battery cells 200, thereby reducing the number of subsequent restraints on the multiple battery cells 200 and improving the restraint efficiency.

[0186] In the description of the embodiments of this application, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0187] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A restraint device for restraining a plurality of stacked battery cells (200) to form a battery module; wherein, along the height direction of the battery module, the upper end of each battery cell (200) is provided with an electrode post (200A), characterized in that, The restraint device includes: A support device (10) is used to support a plurality of the battery cells (200); A first restraint device (20) is used to restrain a plurality of the battery cells (200) in the length and width directions of the battery module; The second restraint device (30) includes a first restraint member (301) and a plurality of second restraint members (302), wherein the first restraint member (301) is located above the plurality of said battery cells (200) and is movable toward the plurality of said battery cells (200); Multiple second restraints (302) are connected to the side of the first restraint (301) facing the multiple battery cells (200), and can move relative to the first restraint (301) along the height direction of the battery module. One second restraint (302) corresponds to one battery cell (200), and the second restraint (302) can generate a thrust on the terminal post (200A) of the corresponding battery cell (200) during the movement of the second restraint (302) relative to the first restraint (301).

2. The restraint device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second restraint device (30) further includes a plurality of first guides (303), one set of first guides (303) being connected between the second restraint (302) and the first restraint (301) to allow the second restraint (302) to move relative to the first restraint (301).

3. The restraint device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first restraint member (301) includes multiple sets of first guide holes, each set of first guide holes corresponding to a set of first guide members (303), and the first guide member (303) in the set of first guide members (303) is slidably connected to the first guide hole in the corresponding set of first guide holes.

4. The restraint device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second restraint device (30) further includes a first drive member (304), which is connected to the first restraint member (301) for driving the first restraint member (301) to move.

5. The restraint device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first restraint device (20) includes a length restraint component (1) and a width restraint component (2). The length restraint component (1) is used to restrain a plurality of the battery cells (200) along the length direction of the battery module, and the width restraint component (2) is used to restrain a plurality of the battery cells (200) along the width direction of the battery module.

6. The restraint device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The width restraint component (2) includes: A first fixing plate (21) is fixed to the bearing device (10) and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the width direction of the battery module; A third restraint (22) is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the width direction of the battery module and is movable toward the plurality of battery cells (200); Multiple fourth restraint members (23), one of the fourth restraint members (23) corresponds to one of the battery cells (200), and the multiple fourth restraint members (23) are all connected to the third restraint member (22) and can move relative to the third restraint member (22) in the width direction of the battery module to restrain the corresponding battery cell (200).

7. The restraint device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The third restraint member (22) is provided with a receiving groove (221), which is recessed from the side surface of the third restraint member (22) facing the first fixing plate (21) away from the first fixing plate (21); The fourth restraint (23) is movable relative to the third restraint (22) between a first position and a second position. When the fourth restraint (23) is in the first position, the fourth restraint (23) is located within the receiving space. When the fourth restraint (23) is in the second position, at least a portion of the fourth restraint (23) is located outside the receiving space and is used to contact the battery cell (200).

8. The restraint device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length restraint assembly (1) includes: The second fixing plate (11) is fixedly connected to the bearing device (10) and is adapted to be disposed on one side of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the length direction of the battery module; The fifth restraint (12) is adapted to be disposed on the other side of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the length direction of the battery module and is movable toward the plurality of battery cells (200); The fourth driving member (13) is connected to the fifth restraint member (12) and is used to drive the fifth restraint member (12) to move.

9. The restraint device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The restraint device further includes a controller, the controller being configured to: The fifth restraint member (12) is controlled to move toward the fixed plate at a first speed to restrain the plurality of cells (200) for the first time until the sum of the dimensions of the plurality of cells (200) in the length direction of the battery module is a first length; Obtain the constraint conditions of multiple battery cells (200) in the width and height directions of the battery module, wherein the constraint conditions are the first distance that the first constraint member (301) needs to move, the second distance that the third constraint member (22) needs to move, and the third distance that the fourth constraint member (23) needs to move when the multiple battery cells (200) are constrained to meet the constraint requirements; The first restraint (301) is controlled to move the first distance, the third restraint (22) is controlled to move the second distance, and the fourth restraint (23) is controlled to move the third distance.

10. The restraint device according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a first support frame and a detection component (60), the first support frame being connected to the bearing device (10), and the detection component (60) being connected to the first support frame and capable of moving along the length of the battery module to detect the offset of a plurality of the battery cells (200).

11. The restraint device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The number of detection components (60) is two. Along the width direction of the battery module, one detection component (60) is located on one side of the plurality of battery cells (200), and the other detection component (60) is located on the other side of the plurality of battery cells (200).

12. The restraint device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to: Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to the terminal (200A) of each cell (200); The control detection component (60) moves a preset distance along the length direction of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell (200). The preset distance is the length of the current battery module, and the offset is the first distance between the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) and the corresponding reference position in the height direction of the battery module, the first angle between the surface of the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) facing away from the cell (200) body and the corresponding reference surface, and the second distance between each cell (200) and the corresponding reference position in the width direction of the battery module. The restraint condition is determined based on the detected offset, wherein the first distance of each cell (200) is determined based on the first spacing and the first included angle, the second distance is determined based on the second spacing of the plurality of cells (200), and the third distance is determined based on the second spacing of each cell (200).

13. The restraint device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to: Obtain a standard battery model and constrain the standard battery model to a constrained state that meets the battery module constraining requirements using the constraining device; The position of the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) in the standard battery model is detected by the detection component (60) as a reference position, and the upper surface of the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) in the standard battery model is detected by the detection component (60) as a reference surface.

14. The restraint device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The controller is also configured as follows: The fifth restraint member (12) is controlled to move toward the fixed plate at a second speed to restrain the plurality of cells (200) for the second time until the sum of the dimensions of the plurality of cells (200) in the length direction of the battery module is a second length, wherein the second speed is less than the first speed and the second length is less than the first length; During the movement of the fifth restraint member (12), the restraint conditions of multiple cells (200) in the width and height directions of the battery module are acquired multiple times. Each time a restraint condition is acquired, the first restraint member (301) is moved by the first distance, the third restraint member (22) is moved by the second distance, and the fourth restraint member (23) is moved by the third distance once.

15. The restraint device according to claim 10, characterized in that, It also includes a pressure sensor, which is disposed on the length restraint assembly (1) and is used to detect the restraint force of the length restraint assembly (1) on the multiple cells (200); The controller is also configured as follows: Obtain the reference position and reference plane corresponding to each cell (200); The length restraint assembly (1) is controlled to exert a restraint force on the multiple battery cells (200) by a number of different preset restraint forces; Under each of the preset restraint forces, the control detection component (60) moves a preset distance along the length direction of the battery module to detect the offset of each cell (200) and establish a first correspondence between different preset restraint forces and different offsets. The preset distance is the length of the current battery module, the offset is the first distance between the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) and the corresponding reference position in the height direction of the battery module, the first included angle between the surface of the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) facing away from the body of the cell (200) and the corresponding reference surface, and the second distance between the terminal post (200A) of each cell (200) and the corresponding reference position in the width direction of the battery module. Based on the first correspondence, a second correspondence is determined between the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the preset restraint force; The actual restraining force of the length restraint assembly (1) on the plurality of cells (200) is detected to obtain the first distance, the second distance and the third distance according to the second correspondence.

16. The restraint device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Before controlling the fifth restraint member (12) to move toward the fixed plate at a first speed, the controller is also configured to: The third restraint member (22) is controlled to move toward the plurality of battery cells (200) to perform preliminary shaping of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the width direction of the battery module, and then the third restraint member (22) is controlled to separate from the plurality of battery cells (200); The first restraint member (301) is controlled to move toward the plurality of battery cells (200) to perform preliminary shaping of the plurality of battery cells (200) in the length direction of the battery module, and then the first restraint member (301) is controlled to separate from the plurality of battery cells (200).

17. The restraint device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The third restraint (22) includes a restraint body (222) and a mounting plate (223). The restraint body (222) has a mounting hole (2221) that extends through the restraint body (222) along the width direction of the battery module. The mounting plate (223) is connected to the restraint body (222) and blocks one end of the mounting hole (2221) that is opposite to the first fixing plate (21), so that the restraint body (222) and the mounting plate (223) define the receiving groove (221).

18. The restraint device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The mounting plate (223) includes multiple sub-plates (2231), which are arranged along the length of the battery module, and a fourth restraint member (23) is connected to one of the sub-plates (2231).

19. The restraint device according to any one of claims 6-18, characterized in that, The width restraint assembly (2) further includes multiple sets of second guides (24), one set of second guides (24) being connected between a fourth restraint (23) and a third restraint (22) to allow the fourth restraint (23) to move relative to the third restraint (22).

20. The restraint device according to any one of claims 7-18, characterized in that, The width restraint assembly (2) further includes a plurality of second driving members (25), all of which are connected to the third restraint member (22). One second driving member (25) is connected to one of the fourth restraint members (23) for driving the fourth restraint member (23) to move.

21. The restraint device according to any one of claims 6-18, characterized in that, The width restraint assembly (2) further includes a third drive member (26), which is connected to the third restraint member (22) and is used to drive the third restraint member (22) to move.

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