Adjustable stick and sintering furnace

Abstract

The utility model relates to an adjustable stick and a sintering furnace. The adjustable stick comprises a supporting piece and a telescopic stick. The supporting piece is used for supporting the bottom edge of the battery piece. One end of the telescopic rod is arranged in the furnace body and is used for mounting and fixing the supporting piece; the other end of the telescopic rod is arranged outside the furnace body and used for driving the telescopic rod to stretch out and draw back in the first direction so as to drive the supporting piece to move. When the sintering furnace needs to produce battery pieces with different width specifications, only the telescopic stick needs to be operated outside the furnace body, so that the telescopic stick stretches out and draws back in the first direction, that is, the telescopic stick stretches out and draws back in the width direction of the battery pieces, and the supporting piece on the telescopic stick which stretches out and draws back moves to the edge of the bottom of a new battery piece needing to be produced. The position of the supporting piece can be adjusted outside the furnace body without replacing a roller way or even entering the furnace body for operation so as to adapt to different battery pieces, the operation process is simplified, the sintering furnace does not need to be shut down for cooling, debugging and resetting are not needed, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of solar cell production, and in particular to an adjustable stick and a sintering furnace. Background Art

[0002] In the production process of solar cells, the metallization process has an important impact on the performance and conversion efficiency of the cell. Screen printing and sintering furnaces are now often used to prepare the surface electrodes of the cell. In the related technology, a roller sintering furnace is usually used. In the furnace body, a number of rollers are arranged in sequence along the horizontal direction to realize the transmission of the cell. Usually, two sets of support members are set on the rollers, and the support members carry and transmit the cell at the edges of both sides of the cell.

[0003] The traditional roller sintering furnace can only sinter cells of one width. If you need to sinter cells of another width, you need to dismantle all the rollers and install the supporting parts that match the cell of another width. The temperature inside the roller sintering furnace is very high. The process of replacing the roller is not only cumbersome, but also requires stopping the machine for cooling and restarting, which seriously affects production efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an adjustable stick and a sintering furnace to solve the problem of replacing rollers when producing battery cells of different widths.

[0005] The embodiment of the first aspect of the present application provides an adjustable stick, comprising:

[0006] A support member, the support member is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell;

[0007] A telescopic stick, one end of which is arranged inside the furnace body and is used to install and fix the support member; the other end of the telescopic stick is arranged outside the furnace body and is used to drive the telescopic stick to extend and retract along a first direction to drive the support member to move.

[0008] In one embodiment, the telescopic stick comprises:

[0009] A locking sleeve, the locking sleeve being used for rotationally connecting to the furnace body;

[0010] A movable stick body, wherein the movable stick body is threadedly connected to the locking sleeve, and the movable stick body is provided with a mounting end and a driving end, wherein the mounting end is provided in the furnace body and used for mounting the support member; the driving end is provided outside the furnace body, and the driving end is rotated to drive the movable stick body to extend and retract along the first direction;

[0011] A locking assembly is arranged on the locking sleeve and can lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body to the locking sleeve.

[0012] In one embodiment, the locking sleeve is provided with a locking end, and the locking end is provided outside the furnace body;

[0013] The locking assembly is disposed outside the furnace body and locks and fixes the locking end and the driving end.

[0014] In one embodiment, the locking assembly includes:

[0015] A plurality of first locking holes, wherein the plurality of first locking holes are disposed at the locking end and arranged along the first direction;

[0016] A plurality of second locking holes, wherein the plurality of second locking holes are disposed at the driving end and arranged along the first direction;

[0017] A locking bolt, wherein the locking bolt can pass through one of the first locking holes and one of the second locking holes, and fix the locking end and the driving end to lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body to the locking sleeve.

[0018] In one of the embodiments, a first rotation groove is formed at the end of the locking bolt.

[0019] In one of the embodiments, a second rotation groove is formed at the end of the driving end.

[0020] In one of the embodiments, the support member includes a support sleeve, the support sleeve is provided with an inclined support outer wall, the support outer wall is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell, and the support outer wall is provided with an angle with the first direction.

[0021] In one embodiment, the support sleeve and the telescopic stick are detachably connected.

[0022] An embodiment of the second aspect of the present application provides a sintering furnace, comprising a furnace body and a plurality of adjustable sticks as described in any of the above embodiments arranged in the furnace body.

[0023] In one embodiment, the adjustable sticks are used in pairs; or

[0024] The sintering furnace also includes a fixed rod, and the fixed rod is used in pairs with the adjustable rod.

[0025] The above-mentioned adjustable stick and sintering furnace, when the sintering furnace needs to produce battery cells of different widths, only needs to operate the telescopic stick outside the furnace body, so that the telescopic stick is extended and retracted in the first direction, that is, the telescopic stick is extended and retracted in the width direction of the battery cell, so that the support member on the telescopic stick after extension is moved to the bottom edge of the new battery cell to be produced. When producing battery cells of different widths, there is no need to replace the rollers, or even enter the furnace body for operation. The position of the support member can be adjusted outside the furnace body to adapt to the use of different battery cells, which simplifies the operation process, does not require the sintering furnace to be shut down for cooling, and does not require debugging and restarting, thereby improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an adjustable stick and a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an adjustable stick according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a partial schematic diagram of an adjustable stick according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] 1. Sintering furnace;

[0033] 10. Adjustable stick; 11. Support member; 111. Support sleeve; 1111. Support outer wall; 112. Disassembly sleeve; 1121. Disassembly bolt; 12. Telescopic stick; 121. Locking sleeve; 1211. Locking end; 122. Moving stick body; 1221. Mounting end; 1222. Driving end; 1222a. Second rotation groove; 123. Locking assembly; 1231. First locking hole; 1232. Second locking hole; 1233. Locking bolt; 1233a. First rotation groove;

[0034] 20. furnace body; 21. mounting hole;

[0035] 30. Gear drive mechanism; 31. Drive motor; 32. Drive main gear; 33. Drive slave gear;

[0036] 40. Fix the stick;

[0037] 2. Battery cells. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0039] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0040] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0041] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0043] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0044] Refer to FIG1 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an adjustable stick 10 and a sintering furnace 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. At least one embodiment of the present application provides an adjustable stick 10, including a support member 11 and a telescopic stick 12, wherein the support member 11 is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell 2. One end of the telescopic stick 12 is disposed in the furnace body 20 and is used to install and fix the support member 11; the other end of the telescopic stick 12 is disposed outside the furnace body 20 and is used to drive the telescopic stick 12 to extend and retract along a first direction to drive the support member 11 to move.

[0045] According to the adjustable stick 10 provided in the present application, when the sintering furnace 1 needs to produce battery cells 2 of different widths, it is only necessary to operate the telescopic stick 12 outside the furnace body 20 so that the telescopic stick 12 is telescoped in the first direction, that is, the telescopic stick 12 is telescoped in the width direction of the battery cell 2, so that the support member 11 on the telescopic stick 12 after telescoping is moved to the bottom edge of the new battery cell 2 to be produced. When producing battery cells 2 of different widths, there is no need to replace the rollers, or even enter the furnace body 20 for operation. The position of the support member 11 can be adjusted outside the furnace body 20 to adapt to the use of different battery cells 2, which simplifies the operation process, does not require the sintering furnace 1 to be shut down for cooling, and does not require debugging and restarting, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0046] Wherein, the support member 11 and the telescopic rod 12 can both be made of high temperature resistant ceramic material.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first direction is configured as the width direction of the battery cell 2, that is, the X direction in Figure 1, and the adjustable stick 10 can rotate as a whole and drive the battery tray to be transported in the furnace body 20 along its own length direction.

[0048] Refer to FIG2 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an adjustable stick 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, the telescopic stick 12 includes a locking sleeve 121, a moving stick body 122, and a locking assembly 123. The locking sleeve 121 is used to be rotatably connected to the furnace body 20; the moving stick body 122 is threadedly connected to the locking sleeve 121, and the moving stick body 122 is provided with a mounting end 1221 and a driving end 1222. The mounting end 1221 is provided in the furnace body 20 for mounting the support member 11; the driving end 1222 is provided outside the furnace body 20, and the driving end 1222 is rotated to drive the moving stick body 122 to telescope in the first direction; the locking assembly 123 is provided on the locking sleeve 121, and can lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body 122 with the locking sleeve 121.

[0049] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, specifically, a mounting hole 21 is provided on the furnace body 20, and the outer wall of the locking sleeve 121 passes through the mounting hole 21 of the furnace body 20 and is rotatably connected to the furnace body 20. The inner wall of the locking sleeve 121 is provided with an internal thread structure, and the outer wall of the moving stick body 122 is provided with an external thread structure. The moving stick body 122 is inserted into the locking sleeve 121 and is threadedly connected to the locking sleeve 121. By rotating the driving end 1222 of the moving stick body 122 disposed outside the furnace body 20, the moving stick body 122 is rotated relative to the locking sleeve 121 to realize the movement of the moving stick body 122 in the first direction, thereby driving the support member 11 installed on the moving stick body 122 to move to change the position of the supporting battery cell 2.

[0050] In some embodiments, if the moving stick 122 is rotated in the forward direction, the portion of the moving stick 122 inside the furnace body 20 is extended, thereby driving the support member 11 closer to the center of the furnace body 20 to match the battery cell 2 with a smaller width; if the moving stick 122 is rotated in the reverse direction, the portion of the moving stick 122 inside the furnace body 20 is shortened, thereby driving the support member 11 away from the center of the furnace body 20 to match the battery cell 2 with a larger width.

[0051] The movable stick body 122 moves one pitch along the first direction for each rotation of the movable stick body 122. The size of the pitch can be designed according to specific usage requirements. In some embodiments, a marking scale can be set on the outer wall of the movable stick body 122, which provides a more accurate reference for adjusting the telescopic amount of the movable stick body 122.

[0052] Through the above configuration, the movable stick body 122 is connected to the locking sleeve 121 through a threaded structure to achieve telescopic adjustment of the telescopic stick 12. It is understandable that the telescopic adjustment of the telescopic stick 12 can also be achieved by slidingly connecting the movable roller body and the locking sleeve 121 along the first direction, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the locking sleeve 121 is provided with a locking end 1211, and the locking end 1211 is provided outside the furnace body 20. The locking assembly 123 is provided outside the furnace body 20, and locks and fixes the locking end 1211 and the driving end 1222. The locking assembly 123 is also provided outside the furnace body 20. After adjusting the relative positions of the locking sleeve 121 and the moving rod body 122, the locking end 1211 and the driving end 1222 can be fixed outside the furnace body 20 through the locking assembly 123, thereby fixing the position of the support member 11, further simplifying the operation process, without stopping the sintering furnace 1 to cool down, and without debugging and re-operating, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the locking assembly 123 includes a plurality of first locking holes 1231, a plurality of second locking holes 1232, and a locking bolt 1233. The plurality of first locking holes 1231 are disposed at the locking end 1211 and arranged along the first direction; the plurality of second locking holes 1232 are disposed at the driving end 1222 and arranged along the first direction. The locking bolt 1233 can pass through a first locking hole 1231 and a second locking hole 1232, and fix the locking end 1211 and the driving end 1222 to lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body 122 to the locking sleeve 121 after telescoping. The plurality of first locking holes 1231 and the plurality of second locking holes 1232 allow the telescopic stick 12 to have more possibilities for adjusting the travel, and also allow the telescopic adjustment of the telescopic stick 12 to be more precise, so as to match the battery cells 2 of different widths.

[0055] 2 , in some embodiments, a first rotation slot 1233a is formed at the end of the locking bolt 1233. The first rotation slot 1233a facilitates an operator to insert a tool and rotate the locking bolt 1233, making the locking operation of the locking assembly 123 easier to operate.

[0056] 2 , in some embodiments, a second rotation slot 1222a is provided at the end of the driving end 1222. The second rotation slot 1222a facilitates the operator to insert a tool and rotate the moving stick body 122, making the telescopic rod more convenient to operate.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the support member 11 includes a support sleeve 111, and the support sleeve 111 is provided with an inclined support outer wall 1111, and the support outer wall 1111 is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell 2, and the support outer wall 1111 is provided with an angle with the first direction. On the one hand, the contact area between the inclined support outer wall 1111 and the bottom edge of the battery cell 2 is small, which improves the sintering quality of the battery cell 2. On the other hand, the support outer wall 1111 of the support sleeve 111 is rubbed on the battery cell 2, and the support outer wall 1111 may have slurry and dirt. The inclined support outer wall 1111 reduces the contact area with the battery cell 2, which reduces the probability of damaging the battery cell 2.

[0058] Refer to FIG. 3 , which shows a partial schematic diagram of an adjustable stick 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, the support sleeve 111 is detachably connected to the telescopic stick 12. This makes it easy to separate the support sleeve 111 from the telescopic stick 12, facilitates the maintenance and replacement of the support sleeve 111 and the telescopic stick 12 separately, and facilitates the operator to remove the support sleeve 111 from the telescopic stick 12 to clean and polish the support sleeve 111 that is adhered with slurry and dirt, ensure the smoothness of the support sleeve 111, and stably support the battery cell 2.

[0059] Specifically, a disassembly sleeve 112 is provided on the support sleeve 111 and is sleeved on the moving stick body 122. A disassembly bolt 1121 is threadedly connected to the disassembly sleeve 112. The disassembly bolt 1121 extends into the disassembly sleeve 112 and is used to tightly abut against the moving stick body 122 to achieve a detachable connection between the support sleeve 111 and the telescopic stick 12.

[0060] Refer to Fig. 4, which shows a schematic structural diagram of a sintering furnace 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. At least one embodiment of the present application provides a sintering furnace 1, comprising a furnace body 20 and a plurality of adjustable sticks 10 arranged in the furnace body 20, such as any of the above embodiments.

[0061] According to the sintering furnace 1 provided in the present application, there is no need to replace the rollers when producing battery cells 2 of different widths, and there is even no need to enter the furnace body 20 for operation. The position of the support member 11 can be adjusted outside the furnace body 20 to adapt to the use of different battery cells 2, which simplifies the operation process. There is no need to shut down the sintering furnace 1 to cool down, and there is no need to debug and restart the machine, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the adjustable rods 10 in the sintering furnace 1 are used in pairs. Specifically, the adjustable rods 10 in the sintering furnace 1 are placed in pairs on both sides of the battery cell 2. When it is necessary to produce battery cells 2 of different widths, the adjustable rods 10 on both sides can be adjusted synchronously so that the battery cell 2 is located in the center of the sintering furnace 1 and the sintering temperature is more uniform.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, when the adjustable sticks 10 are used in pairs, the outer wall of the locking sleeve 121 in each adjustable stick 10 can be connected to a set of driving mechanisms to drive the adjustable stick 10 to rotate, thereby driving the battery cell 2 to move in the furnace body 20 .

[0064] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism can be configured as a gear driving mechanism 30. Specifically, the gear driving mechanism 30 includes a driving motor 31, a driving main gear 32 and a driving slave gear 33, wherein the driving main gear 32 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 31, and the driving slave gear 33 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the locking sleeve 121. The driving main gear 32 is meshed with the driving slave gear 33, and the driving motor 31 is started, driving the locking sleeve 121 to which the driving slave gear 33 is fixed to rotate, thereby driving the adjustable stick 10 to rotate as a whole. It is understandable that each adjustable stick 10 can also adopt other driving structures that can drive the adjustable stick 10 to rotate as a whole.

[0065] In addition, when the adjustable sticks 10 are used in pairs, the adjustable sticks 10 used in pairs can share the same controller, and the controller sends synchronous driving instructions to the two adjustable sticks 10 so that their rotation speeds are the same, thereby improving the transportation stability of the battery cells 2.

[0066] Refer to Figure 5, which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a sintering furnace 1 of another embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, the sintering furnace 1 also includes a fixed rod 40, which is used in pairs with the adjustable rod 10. Specifically, the adjustable rod 10 and the fixed rod 40 in the sintering furnace 1 are placed in pairs on both sides of the battery cell 2. When it is necessary to produce battery cells 2 of different widths, the position of the adjustable rod 10 can be adjusted, and the support member 11 on the other side of the fixed rod 40 remains unchanged to adapt to the support and transportation of battery cells 2 of different widths.

[0067] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0068] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable stick, characterized in that: include: A support member, the support member is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell; A telescopic stick, one end of which is arranged inside the furnace body and is used to install and fix the support member; the other end of the telescopic stick is arranged outside the furnace body and is used to drive the telescopic stick to extend and retract along a first direction to drive the support member to move.

2. The adjustable stick according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic stick comprises: A locking sleeve, the locking sleeve being used for rotationally connecting to the furnace body; A movable stick body, wherein the movable stick body is threadedly connected to the locking sleeve, and the movable stick body is provided with a mounting end and a driving end, wherein the mounting end is provided in the furnace body and used for mounting the support member; the driving end is provided outside the furnace body, and the driving end is rotated to drive the movable stick body to extend and retract along the first direction; A locking assembly is arranged on the locking sleeve and can lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body to the locking sleeve.

3. The adjustable stick according to claim 2, characterized in that: The locking sleeve is provided with a locking end, and the locking end is arranged outside the furnace body; The locking assembly is disposed outside the furnace body and locks and fixes the locking end and the driving end.

4. The adjustable stick according to claim 3, characterized in that: The locking assembly comprises: A plurality of first locking holes, wherein the plurality of first locking holes are disposed at the locking end and arranged along the first direction; A plurality of second locking holes, wherein the plurality of second locking holes are disposed at the driving end and arranged along the first direction; A locking bolt, wherein the locking bolt can pass through one of the first locking holes and one of the second locking holes, and fix the locking end and the driving end to lock and fix the telescopic moving stick body to the locking sleeve.

5. The adjustable stick according to claim 4, characterized in that: A first rotation groove is formed at the end of the locking bolt.

6. The adjustable stick according to claim 2, characterized in that: A second rotation groove is formed at the end of the driving end.

7. The adjustable stick according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support member includes a support sleeve, the support sleeve is provided with an inclined support outer wall, the support outer wall is used to support the bottom edge of the battery cell, and the support outer wall is provided with an angle with the first direction.

8. The adjustable stick according to claim 7, characterized in that The support sleeve is detachably connected to the telescopic stick.

9. A sintering furnace, characterized in that: The invention comprises a furnace body and a plurality of adjustable sticks as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 which are arranged in the furnace body.

10. The sintering furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: The adjustable sticks are used in pairs; or The sintering furnace also includes a fixed rod, and the fixed rod is used in pairs with the adjustable rod.

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