Battery piece carrier and battery piece electroplating equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a battery piece carrier and battery piece electroplating equipment, and the battery piece carrier comprises a bearing frame and a clamp module; wherein the bearing frame is provided with at least one clamping position in a hollowed-out mode, the clamp module is installed on the bearing frame, the clamp module comprises at least one clamping assembly, each clamping assembly is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping parts, and the flexible clamping parts are arranged at intervals in the grid line interval direction of a battery piece; when the clamping assembly clamps the battery pieces to the corresponding clamping positions through the flexible clamping parts, the length, in the grid line interval direction, of the contact face of each flexible clamping part and the corresponding battery piece is larger than the grid line interval of the battery pieces, so that at least part of the flexible clamping parts are electrically connected with the battery pieces. And the bearing frame is electrically connected with the battery piece through the flexible clamping part on the flexible clamping assembly. According to the technical scheme, stable electric connection is established between the flexible clamping part and the battery piece, so that the quality of the electroplating grid line of the battery piece is improved, and the yield of the battery piece is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of cell electroplating, and in particular to a cell carrier and cell electroplating equipment. Background Art

[0002] Currently in the photovoltaic industry, screen printing or electroplating processes are usually used to prepare electrodes for solar cells. Among them, the screen printing process is simple and the most widely used, but the preparation cost is relatively high. The electroplating process has a lower preparation cost and is therefore widely studied and applied.

[0003] Compared with screen-printed electrodes, electroplated electrodes have thinner grid lines and better conductivity, which reduces the internal resistance of the cell and reduces losses such as shading, thereby further improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell.

[0004] During the electroplating process, the cell is usually clamped by a fixture on a cell carrier, and the electroplating circuit is turned on by accurately docking the fixture with the grid line. However, the grid lines of existing cells are small, so it is difficult for the fixture to dock with the grid line accurately, and the electroplating circuit cannot be turned on stably, which easily leads to a decrease in the quality of the grid line electroplating of the cell, seriously affecting the yield rate of the cell. Utility Model Content

[0005] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a cell carrier, which aims to solve the problem that the clamp and the grid lines on the cell are difficult to accurately connect in the cell carrier, and the electroplating circuit cannot be stably conducted, resulting in reduced quality of the electroplated grid lines on the cell.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application proposes a battery cell carrier, which includes a carrier frame and a clamp module; wherein:

[0007] The carrier frame is hollowed out to have at least one clamping position, the clamp module is mounted on the carrier frame, the clamp module includes at least one clamping assembly, each of the clamping assemblies is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping portions, and the plurality of flexible clamping portions are spaced apart along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell;

[0008] Among them, when the clamping assembly clamps the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position through the flexible clamping part, the length of the contact surface between each flexible clamping part and the battery cell in the grid line spacing direction is greater than the grid line spacing of the battery cell, so that at least part of the flexible clamping part is electrically connected to the battery cell, and the supporting frame is electrically connected to the battery cell through the flexible clamping part on the flexible clamping assembly.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, each of the clamping components includes two clamping members, which are arranged along a vertical interval, and each of the clamping members is provided with the multiple flexible clamping portions on one side facing the other clamping member. Each of the clamping components acts on the battery cell through the flexible clamping portions of the two clamping members to clamp the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, each of the clamping assemblies includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member, wherein the first clamping member is fixedly mounted on the carrier frame, and the second clamping member is movably mounted on the carrier frame, and the second clamping member can move relative to the first clamping member to clamp the battery cell together with the first clamping member.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, one side of the second clamping member is rotatably mounted on the supporting frame, so that the other side of the second clamping member can move in a direction away from or close to the first clamping member.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, each of the clamping assemblies includes a third clamping member and a fourth clamping member, the third clamping member is fixedly mounted on the carrier frame, and the fourth clamping member is detachably mounted on the carrier frame, wherein when the fourth clamping member is mounted on the carrier frame, the fourth clamping member and the third clamping member jointly clamp the battery cell, and when the fourth clamping member is removed from the carrier frame, the battery cell is unlocked.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the fourth clamping member is mounted on the carrier frame by means of a threaded connection;

[0014] Alternatively, the fourth clamping member is mounted on the supporting frame by means of a snap connection.

[0015] The present application also proposes a cell electroplating device, the cell electroplating device comprising a device body and any one of the cell carriers described above; wherein:

[0016] The equipment body comprises a horizontal plating tank, a driving device, an anode assembly and a cathode assembly, wherein the anode assembly is disposed in the horizontal plating tank, the cell carrier is movably mounted on the equipment body, and the at least one clamping position of the cell carrier is located in the horizontal plating tank;

[0017] The driving device is drivingly connected to the battery cell carrier to drive the battery cell carrier to move along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the cathode assembly is electrically connected to the carrier.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the anode assembly includes two anode meshes, the two anode meshes are arranged at intervals in a vertical direction, and the clamping position of the supporting frame is located between the two anode meshes.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the supporting frame includes a hollow plate, two connecting plates and two driving plates, the hollow plate is provided with at least one clamping position, the two connecting plates are respectively connected to the opposite sides of the hollow plate and extended upward, the two driving plates are respectively connected to the corresponding connecting plates and are arranged parallel to the hollow plate, and the driving device is transmission-connected to the driving plate.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, the driving device includes two driving belts, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank and respectively extend along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the two driving belts are respectively connected to the corresponding driving plates to drive the battery cell carrier to move along the driving belts;

[0021] Alternatively, the cathode assembly includes two cathode guide rails, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank and respectively extend along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the two cathode guide rails are respectively slidably abutted against the corresponding driving plates.

[0022] The present application adopts the above technical solution, and each clamping assembly is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping parts, and the plurality of flexible clamping parts are arranged at intervals along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell. When the clamping assembly clamps the battery cell using the flexible clamping parts, the plurality of flexible clamping parts can act on the surface of the battery cell to clamp and fix the battery cell; the length of the contact surface between each flexible clamping part and the battery cell in the grid line spacing direction is greater than the grid line spacing of the battery cell, so when the clamping assembly clamps the battery cell using the flexible clamping parts, at least part of the flexible clamping parts will contact the grid line of the battery cell, so that the flexible clamping parts and the battery cell establish a stable electrical connection, so as to improve the quality of the electroplated grid line of the battery cell, and further improve the yield rate of the battery cell. And because the contact between the flexible clamping and the battery cell is a soft contact, when the plurality of flexible clamping parts act on the surface of the battery cell, the contact area of ​​the clamping assembly to the battery cell can be increased, and the stress concentration of the battery cell will not cause the battery cell to rupture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1This is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a cell electroplating device of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Another perspective of the cell electroplating equipment;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell carrier;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0028] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0029] 100. Cell electroplating equipment; 10. Cell carrier; 11. Carrier; 111. Hollow plate; 1111. Clamping position; 112. Connecting plate; 113. Driving plate; 12. Clamping assembly; 121. Third clamping piece; 122. Fourth clamping piece; 123. Flexible clamping part; 20. Equipment body; 21. Horizontal plating tank; 22. Driving device; 23. Anode assembly; 24. Cathode assembly.

[0030] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral 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 specific circumstances.

[0033] In addition, in this application, descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0034] The present application provides a cell carrier 10, which is applied to a cell electroplating device 100. Figures 1 to 4 In the embodiment of the present application, the battery cell carrier 10 includes a carrier frame 11 and a clamp module.

[0035] The carrier frame 11 is hollowed out to provide at least one clamping position 1111, and a clamp module is installed on the carrier frame 11. The clamp module includes at least one clamping assembly 12, and each clamping assembly 12 is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping portions 123, and the plurality of flexible clamping portions 123 are spaced apart along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell; wherein, when the clamping assembly 12 clamps the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position 1111 through the flexible clamping portions 123, the length of the contact surface between each flexible clamping portion 123 and the battery cell in the grid line spacing direction is greater than the grid line spacing of the battery cell, so that at least part of the flexible clamping portion 123 is electrically connected to the battery cell, and the carrier frame 11 is electrically connected to the battery cell through the flexible clamping portions 123 on the flexible clamping assembly 12.

[0036] It should be emphasized that when the cell carrier 10 is applied to the cell electroplating equipment 100, the clamping position 1111 of its support frame 11 needs to be immersed in the plating solution of the horizontal plating tank 21, and the support frame 11 will be electrically connected to the cathode assembly 24 of the cell electroplating equipment 100 to achieve conduction of the electroplating circuit.

[0037] It can be understood that the clamping assembly 12 corresponds to the clamping position 1111 one by one, that is, one clamping assembly 12 clamps the battery cell at a corresponding clamping position 1111 through the flexible clamping portion 123. The multiple flexible clamping portions 123 on the clamping assembly 12 can be evenly spaced along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell, or can be unevenly spaced, and the material of the flexible clamping portion 123 can be flexible conductive polymer, carbon-based material, flexible metal wire, conductive fabric, etc.

[0038] Typically, the main grid lines on a battery cell extend along a first direction on a horizontal plane, and are spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the horizontal plane. The grid line spacing direction refers to the second direction. A plurality of flexible clamping portions 123 are spaced apart along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell, that is, a plurality of flexible clamping portions 123 are spaced apart along the second direction. In this way, the distribution of the plurality of flexible clamping portions 123 can correspond one-to-one to the main grid lines of the battery cell.

[0039] In some examples, the clamping member may also be made of a flexible material so that the flexible clamping portion 123 can more easily contact the battery cell. In other examples, the clamping member may also be made of a rigid material, and the flexible clamping portion 123 on the clamping member may be made of a flexible conductive material.

[0040] The present application adopts the above-mentioned technical scheme, and each clamping component 12 is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping parts 123, and the plurality of flexible clamping parts 123 are arranged at intervals along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell. When the clamping component 12 clamps the battery cell using the flexible clamping parts 123, the plurality of flexible clamping parts 123 can act on the surface of the battery cell to clamp and fix the battery cell. The length of the contact surface between each flexible clamping part 123 and the battery cell in the grid line spacing direction is greater than the grid line spacing of the battery cell. Therefore, when the clamping component 12 clamps the battery cell using the flexible clamping parts 123, at least part of the flexible clamping parts 123 will contact the grid lines of the battery cell, so that the flexible clamping parts 123 establish a stable electrical connection with the battery cell, so as to improve the quality of the electroplated grid lines of the battery cell, and further improve the yield rate of the battery cell. Furthermore, since the contact between the flexible clamp and the battery cell is soft, when the multiple flexible clamping parts 123 act on the surface of the battery cell, the contact area of ​​the clamping assembly 12 on the battery cell can be increased, and the battery cell will not be broken due to stress concentration.

[0041] In some examples, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each clamping assembly 12 includes two clamping members, which are arranged along a vertical interval. A plurality of flexible clamping portions 123 are provided on one side of each clamping member facing the other clamping member. Each clamping assembly 12 acts on the battery cell through the flexible clamping portions 123 of the two clamping members to clamp the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position 1111.

[0042] With such a configuration, when the clamping assembly 12 clamps the battery cell through the flexible clamping portion 123, the flexible clamping portions 123 on the two clamping members respectively abut against the front and back sides of the battery cell to act on the surface of the battery cell to clamp the battery cell, and each clamping member is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping portions 123, which can disperse the force received by the battery cell and further reduce the possibility of the battery cell being crushed.

[0043] In some examples, each clamping assembly 12 includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member, the first clamping member is fixedly mounted on the carrier frame 11, the second clamping member is movably mounted on the carrier frame 11, and the second clamping member can move relative to the first clamping member to clamp the battery cell together with the first clamping member.

[0044] There are various ways to movably mount the second clamp on the support frame 11. In some embodiments, the second clamp is rotatably mounted on the support frame 11 via a rotating shaft, hinge, etc. In other embodiments, the second clamp is movably mounted on the support frame 11 via a rocker arm.

[0045] Such a configuration is intended to facilitate the loading and unloading equipment to operate the cell carrier 10, so as to improve the convenience of loading or unloading the cell carrier 10, thereby improving the efficiency of loading and unloading. Of course, the cell carrier 10 is also convenient for manual loading and unloading operations.

[0046] In some examples, one side of the second clamp is rotatably mounted on the carrier 11, so that the other side of the second clamp can move away from or toward the first clamp. This arrangement is intended to further facilitate the loading and unloading equipment to operate the battery cell carrier 10.

[0047] In some examples, the clamp module also includes a locking structure. When the first clamp and the second clamp jointly clamp the battery cell, the locking structure can act on the second clamp to prevent the second clamp from moving and causing the battery cell to loosen. In other examples, the second clamp can be installed on the support frame 11 through a rotating shaft or hinge with a damping effect.

[0048] In some examples, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each clamping assembly 12 includes a third clamping member 121 and a fourth clamping member 122, the third clamping member 121 is fixedly mounted on the carrier frame 11, and the fourth clamping member 122 is detachably mounted on the carrier frame 11, wherein when the fourth clamping member 122 is mounted on the carrier frame 11, the fourth clamping member 122 and the third clamping member 121 jointly clamp the battery cell, and when the fourth clamping member 122 is disassembled from the carrier frame 11, the battery cell is unlocked.

[0049] There are many ways to install the third clamping member 121 on the carrier 11 , such as bonding, welding, etc. Specifically, in one example, part of the third clamping member 121 is embedded in the carrier 11 .

[0050] Such a configuration is intended to facilitate the loading and unloading equipment to operate the cell carrier 10, so as to improve the convenience of loading or unloading the cell carrier 10, thereby improving the efficiency of loading and unloading. Of course, the cell carrier 10 is also convenient for manual loading and unloading operations.

[0051] In some examples, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the fourth clamping member 122 is installed on the carrier 11 by means of threaded connection; or, the fourth clamping member 122 is installed on the carrier 11 by means of snap connection. Such a configuration is intended to further facilitate the operation of the battery cell carrier 10 by the loading and unloading equipment.

[0052] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 The present application also proposes a cell electroplating device 100, which includes a device body 20 and a cell carrier 10. The specific structure of the cell carrier 10 refers to the above embodiment. Since the present cell electroplating device 100 adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here. Among them, the device body 20 includes a horizontal plating tank 21, a driving device 22, an anode assembly 23 and a cathode assembly 24. The anode assembly 23 is arranged in the horizontal plating tank 21. The cell carrier 10 is movably installed in the device body 20, and at least one clamping position 1111 of the cell carrier 10 is located in the horizontal plating tank 21. The driving device 22 is connected to the cell carrier 10 in a transmission manner to drive the cell carrier 10 to move along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank 21, and the cathode assembly 24 is electrically connected to the carrier 11.

[0053] In some examples, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the anode assembly 23 includes two anode nets, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and the clamping position 1111 of the carrier 11 is located between the two anode nets. Such an arrangement facilitates the anode assembly 23 and the cathode assembly 24 to form an electroplating loop to improve the electroplating effect of the battery cell, thereby further improving the yield rate of the battery cell.

[0054] In some examples, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the carrier 11 includes a hollow plate 111, two connecting plates 112 and two driving plates 113. The hollow plate 111 is provided with at least one clamping position 1111. The two connecting plates 112 are respectively connected to the two opposite sides of the hollow plate 111 and are extended upward. The two driving plates 113 are respectively connected to the corresponding connecting plates 112 and are arranged parallel to the hollow plate 111. The driving device 22 is connected to the driving plate 113 in a transmission connection. Such a configuration facilitates the installation of the cell carrier 10 in the cell electroplating equipment 100 and facilitates the transmission connection between the cell carrier 10 and the driving device 22.

[0055] It should be emphasized that the connecting plate 112 extends upward, and may extend upward in the vertical direction or extend upward at a certain angle to the vertical direction. Preferably, both connecting plates 112 extend upward in the vertical direction and are arranged perpendicular to the hollow plate 111.

[0056] In some examples, such as Figure 1 As shown, the driving device 22 includes two driving belts, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank 21 and respectively extend along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank 21. The two driving belts are respectively connected to the corresponding driving plates 113 to drive the cell carrier 10 to move along the driving belts. In this way, when the cell carrier 10 is installed in the cell electroplating equipment 100, the driving plate 113 can quickly and conveniently achieve transmission connection with the driving belt.

[0057] In some examples, the driving belt is composed of a plurality of transmission teeth, and a transmission rack is provided on the driving plate 113 to cooperate with a transmission gear.

[0058] The cathode assembly 24 includes two cathode rails, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank 21 and respectively extend along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank 21. The two cathode rails are respectively slidably abutted against the corresponding driving plates 113. In this way, when the cell carrier 10 is installed in the cell electroplating equipment 100, the cathode assembly 24 can be quickly and conveniently electrically connected to the carrier 11.

[0059] The above description is only an optional embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present application, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A battery cell carrier, characterized in that: The battery cell carrier includes a carrier frame and a clamp module; wherein, The carrier frame is hollowed out to have at least one clamping position, the clamp module is mounted on the carrier frame, the clamp module includes at least one clamping assembly, each of the clamping assemblies is provided with a plurality of flexible clamping portions, and the plurality of flexible clamping portions are spaced apart along the grid line spacing direction of the battery cell; Among them, when the clamping assembly clamps the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position through the flexible clamping part, the length of the contact surface between each flexible clamping part and the battery cell in the grid line spacing direction is greater than the grid line spacing of the battery cell, so that at least part of the flexible clamping part is electrically connected to the battery cell, and the supporting frame is electrically connected to the battery cell through the flexible clamping part on the flexible clamping assembly.

2. The battery cell carrier according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the clamping components includes two clamping members, which are arranged along a vertical interval. Each clamping member is provided with multiple flexible clamping parts on one side facing the other clamping member. Each of the clamping components acts on the battery cell through the flexible clamping parts of the two clamping members to clamp the battery cell at the corresponding clamping position.

3. The battery cell carrier according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the clamping assemblies includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member, wherein the first clamping member is fixedly mounted on the carrier, and the second clamping member is movably mounted on the carrier, and the second clamping member is movable relative to the first clamping member to clamp the battery cell together with the first clamping member.

4. The battery cell carrier according to claim 3, characterized in that: One side of the second clamping member is rotatably mounted on the supporting frame, so that the other side of the second clamping member can move in a direction away from or close to the first clamping member.

5. The battery cell carrier according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the clamping assemblies includes a third clamping member and a fourth clamping member, wherein the third clamping member is fixedly mounted on the carrier, and the fourth clamping member is detachably mounted on the carrier, wherein when the fourth clamping member is mounted on the carrier, the fourth clamping member and the third clamping member jointly clamp the battery cell, and when the fourth clamping member is removed from the carrier, the battery cell is unlocked.

6. The battery cell carrier according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fourth clamping member is mounted on the supporting frame by means of threaded connection; Alternatively, the fourth clamping member is mounted on the supporting frame by means of a snap connection.

7. A cell electroplating device, characterized in that: The cell electroplating equipment comprises a device body and a cell carrier as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6; wherein: The equipment body comprises a horizontal plating tank, a driving device, an anode assembly and a cathode assembly, wherein the anode assembly is disposed in the horizontal plating tank, the cell carrier is movably mounted on the equipment body, and the at least one clamping position of the cell carrier is located in the horizontal plating tank; The driving device is drivingly connected to the battery cell carrier to drive the battery cell carrier to move along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the cathode assembly is electrically connected to the carrier.

8. The cell electroplating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The anode assembly comprises two anode nets, the two anode nets are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and the clamping position of the supporting frame is located between the two anode nets.

9. The cell electroplating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The supporting frame includes a hollow plate, two connecting plates and two driving plates. The hollow plate is provided with at least one clamping position. The two connecting plates are respectively connected to the two opposite sides of the hollow plate and extend upward. The two driving plates are respectively connected to the corresponding connecting plates and are arranged parallel to the hollow plate. The driving device is transmission-connected to the driving plate.

10. The cell electroplating equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: The driving device includes two driving belts, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank and are respectively extended along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the two driving belts are respectively connected to the corresponding driving plates to drive the battery cell carrier to move along the driving belts; Alternatively, the cathode assembly includes two cathode guide rails, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the horizontal plating tank and respectively extend along the length direction of the horizontal plating tank, and the two cathode guide rails are respectively slidably abutted against the corresponding driving plates.

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