Device for laser welding of VDA battery pack

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of VDA batteries, and particularly relates to a VDA battery pack laser welding device which comprises a workbench bottom plate, a welding tool bottom plate, a module tray, an upper structure, a welding cutting board, a vertical driving mechanism and a transverse driving mechanism. Wherein the welding cutting board is used for carrying out compression joint on a battery cell pole of a battery pack and a connecting piece, and the welding cutting board is fixed on the upper structure; the upper structure is used for fixing the welding cutting board and is driven by the vertical driving mechanism to move up and down; the module tray is used for positioning a VDA battery pack, and the bottom of the module tray is in sliding connection with the welding tool bottom plate. The welding tool bottom plate is driven by the transverse driving mechanism to slide on the workbench bottom plate. The automatic feeding and discharging function can be achieved through signal interaction with the programmable controller, meanwhile, a plurality of welding devices can be arranged, welding production work can be conducted synchronously, the waiting time in the welding process is shortened, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of VDA batteries, and in particular relates to a device for laser welding of VDA battery packs. Background Art

[0002] The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has promulgated and formulated the size test conditions and size standards for power batteries based on the experience of well-known automobile companies with international influence, such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. Volkswagen assembled the square PHEV2 battery and soft-pack BEV1 battery specified by VDA to obtain modules, commonly known as VDA standard modules, which have the advantages of flatness, standardization, and scale, and have been recognized by the industry.

[0003] In the production process of VDA battery packs, the battery pack cell poles and connecting pieces (busbars) need to be laser welded. In order to improve the overall welding effect and avoid the occurrence of defective products such as explosion points and spatter, the connecting piece (busbar) and the surface of the cell pole need to be compacted before laser welding to ensure that there is no gap between the connecting piece (busbar) and the cell pole and to ensure a good welding appearance.

[0004] The existing laser welding equipment needs to be manually loaded and unloaded within the welding area, which poses certain safety hazards, and can only perform single-tool welding, which cannot meet production capacity requirements. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a device for laser welding of VDA battery packs to solve the problems of potential safety hazards and low production capacity in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical solutions: a device for laser welding of VDA battery packs, comprising a workbench bottom plate, a welding tool bottom plate, a module tray, an upper structure, a welding anvil, a vertical drive mechanism and a horizontal drive mechanism; wherein the welding anvil is used to crimp the battery cell pole and the connecting piece of the battery pack, and the welding anvil is fixed on the upper structure; the upper structure is used to fix the welding anvil, and is driven up and down by the vertical drive mechanism; the module tray is used to position the VDA battery pack, and its bottom is slidably connected with the welding tool bottom plate; the welding tool bottom plate is driven by the horizontal drive mechanism to slide on the workbench bottom plate. After the device drives the upper structure and the welding anvil to clamp and position the battery cell pole and the connecting piece of the battery pack through the vertical drive mechanism, it is driven by the horizontal drive mechanism to enter the welding machine for welding, so that the loading position is far away from the welding area, ensuring the safety of the operator's operation and improving the safety level; in addition, the device can be set to alternately weld at two workstations, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0007] Preferably, the lateral drive mechanism is two sets, which are respectively fixed on both sides of the workbench bottom plate. The lateral drive mechanism adopts a rodless cylinder, the movable end of the rodless cylinder is fixed to the welding tool bottom plate, a first slide rail is fixed on the workbench bottom plate, and the bottom of the welding tool bottom plate is slidably connected to the first slide rail through a slider. The two rodless cylinders can drive the welding tool bottom plate to move smoothly on the workbench bottom plate.

[0008] Preferably, a chassis is fixed to the bottom of the module tray, a second slide rail is fixed to the upper part of the welding tooling bottom plate, and the bottom of the chassis is slidably connected to the second slide rail via a slider. The module tray can be replaced according to the shape of battery packs of different specifications, and module trays of different models are fixed to the chassis by bolts, and the chassis drives the module tray to move smoothly on the welding tooling bottom plate.

[0009] Preferably, the module tray comprises a tray and a positioning block, wherein the positioning block is formed into the shape of a VDA battery and is fixed on the tray. The positioning block can be set according to the shape of the VDA battery.

[0010] Preferably, a handle is installed on the side of the chassis to facilitate pushing and pulling the chassis.

[0011] Preferably, the upper structure includes a cover plate, a linear bearing and a guide rod. There are four linear bearings, which are respectively installed at the four angles of the cover plate. A guide rod is slidably connected in each linear bearing, and the bottom of the guide rod is fixed to the bottom plate of the welding tool. The cover plate moves smoothly on the guide rod through the four linear bearings, so that the welding anvil can press the battery cell pole and the connecting piece.

[0012] Preferably, the vertical drive mechanism is a cylinder, and two sets of cylinders are respectively fixed on both sides of the welding tooling bottom plate, and the piston rods of the cylinders are fixedly connected to both sides of the cover plate. The use of cylinders is low-cost and easier to install and fix.

[0013] Preferably, a hollow area is provided in the middle of the cover plate, and the welding anvil is fixed in the hollow area. The hollow area can facilitate the welding gun to pass through the welding anvil.

[0014] Preferably, the welding anvil includes a pressing block, a spring, an anvil and a long bolt. The anvil is provided with a plurality of sliding holes. A welding hole is provided in the middle of the pressing block. The upper part of the pressing block passes through the sliding hole and slides with the sliding hole. The long bolt passes through the upper part of the anvil and is threadedly connected to the side wing of the anvil. The spring is sleeved on the long bolt. The lower part of the spring is connected to the side wing of the pressing block, and the upper part of the spring is connected to the lower part of the anvil. While the pressing block presses the battery cell pole and the connecting piece, the welding gun can weld the two through the welding hole in the middle of the pressing block, thereby improving the welding quality.

[0015] Preferably, a buffer block is installed on one side of the workbench bottom plate and the welding tool bottom plate, and a buffer is installed on it, and two toggle clamps are fixed on the other side of the welding tool bottom plate. The buffer can play a limiting role on the one hand, and can buffer the welding tool bottom plate and the chassis on the other hand. The two toggle clamps can clamp the chassis to limit the position and prevent the chassis from moving in the working state.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows: compared with the prior art, the patent modifies the existing laser welding tooling, adds a cylinder and a guide rail at the chassis, and can realize the automatic loading and unloading function through signal interaction with the programmable controller. At the same time, multiple welding devices can be arranged to perform welding production work synchronously, reducing the waiting time during welding and improving production efficiency. At the same time, loading and unloading work can be carried out outside the welding area, and the battery pack to be welded can be automatically sent into the welding area through button control for welding work, thereby improving the safety factor of production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the upper part of the bottom plate of the workbench in the utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of the upper part of the bottom plate of the workbench in the utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the upper part of the bottom plate of the welding tool in the utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 It is an exploded view of the upper part of the bottom plate of the welding tool in the utility model;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the module tray in the utility model;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the upper structure of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 8 It is an exploded view of the welding anvil plate in the utility model;

[0025] Fig. 9 It is an assembly diagram of the pressure block in the utility model;

[0026] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the welding anvil in the utility model;

[0027] In the figure: 1. workbench bottom plate; 11. first slide rail; 12. polyurethane sleeve; 13. first buffer block; 14. first buffer; 15. pressure reducing valve; 16. solenoid valve; 17. solenoid valve island; 18. control button box; 2. welding tool bottom plate; 21. second slide rail; 22. second buffer block; 23. second buffer; 24. elbow clamp; 25. elbow clamp mounting plate; 26. pressure reducing valve; 27. hand valve; 3. module tray; 31. tray ;32. Positioning block;4. Upper structure;41. Cover plate;411. Hollow area;412. Fixing clamp;42. Linear bearing;43. Guide rod;5. Welding anvil;51. Pressure block;511. Welding hole;512. Side wing;52. Spring;53. Anvil;531. Sliding hole;54. Long bolt;6. Vertical drive mechanism;7. Horizontal drive mechanism;71. Cylinder connecting block;72. Cylinder fixing block;8. Chassis;81. Handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The specific implementation of the utility model is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, a device for laser welding of VDA battery packs includes a workbench base plate 1, a welding tool base plate 2, a module tray 3, an upper structure 4, a welding anvil 5, a vertical drive mechanism 6 and a horizontal drive mechanism 7; wherein the welding anvil is used to crimp the battery cell poles and the connecting pieces of the battery pack, and the welding anvil is fixed on the upper structure; the structure of the welding anvil can be set according to the specific battery pack structure, as long as it can weld the battery cell poles and the connecting pieces.

[0030] The upper structure is used to fix the welding anvil, and the vertical drive mechanism drives it to move up and down; the upper structure can be a box structure, which fixes the welding anvil and is driven to move up and down by the vertical drive structure. The upper structure drives the welding anvil to move, and the welding anvil can be used to crimp the battery cell pole and the connecting piece.

[0031] The module tray is used to position the VDA battery pack, and its bottom is slidably connected to the welding tooling bottom plate. After the VDA battery pack is positioned by the module tray, the module tray is pushed under the welding anvil. After the welding is completed, the module tray is pulled out.

[0032] The welding tool base plate is driven by the lateral drive mechanism to slide on the workbench base plate. The lateral drive mechanism can be a rodless cylinder or an electric push rod, etc., as long as it can realize the movement of the welding tool base plate on the workbench base plate. By moving the welding tool base plate, the operator can load and unload the battery pack outside the welding area, improve the safety level and production efficiency, and automatically load and unload the battery pack as a whole to ensure the personal safety of the operator.

[0033] This solution can realize automatic control of loading and unloading, which is convenient to operate and increases the automatic control function. At the same time, according to the on-site conditions, the loading position is outside the welding area to ensure the safety of the operator's operation and improve the safety level. At the same time, according to this solution, a double-station layout can be carried out to alternately carry out the battery pack loading and unloading welding production tasks to improve production efficiency.

[0034] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, specifically, in this solution, the lateral drive mechanism 7 is composed of two sets, which are respectively fixed on both sides of the workbench bottom plate. In this preferred solution, the lateral drive mechanism adopts a rodless cylinder, and the movable end of the rodless cylinder is fixedly connected to the welding tool bottom plate. Specifically, the movable end of the rodless cylinder is fixed with a cylinder connecting block 71, and the cylinder connecting block is fixedly connected to the welding tool bottom plate through a cylinder fixing block 72. A first slide rail 11 is fixed on the workbench bottom plate, and polyurethane sleeves 12 are fixed at both ends of the first slide rail. The polyurethane sleeve is used to limit the slider, and the bottom of the welding tool bottom plate is slidably connected to the first slide rail through the slider. The use of two rodless cylinders can drive the welding tool bottom plate to move smoothly on the workbench bottom plate. A first buffer block 13 is also installed on the workbench bottom plate, and a first buffer 14 is installed on the first buffer block. The first buffer is used to buffer and position the welding tool bottom plate. The workbench bottom plate is also equipped with a pressure reducing valve 15, a solenoid valve 16, a solenoid valve island 17 and a control button box 18. The solenoid valve and the solenoid valve island are fixed to the workbench bottom plate by bolts. The control button box and the solenoid valve are connected to a programmable controller to realize the automatic forward and backward movement of the welding workbench bottom plate. It should be noted that in this device, the external air source is connected to one end of the pressure reducing valve, and the other end is connected to the solenoid valve island. The solenoid valve island is connected to the inlet and exhaust ports of the solenoid valve, which are respectively connected to the inlet and exhaust ends of the cylinder. The control button box and the solenoid valve are connected to the programmable controller through signals to control the inlet and exhaust of the solenoid valve, thereby controlling the reciprocating motion of the rodless cylinder.

[0035] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, specifically, in this solution, a chassis 8 is fixed to the bottom of the module tray, and a handle 81 is installed on the side of the chassis. The handle makes it easy to push and pull the chassis. A second slide rail 21 is fixed to the upper part of the welding tooling base plate 2, and the bottom of the chassis is slidably connected to the second slide rail through a slider. If there is no chassis 8, the slider can be fixed to the bottom of the module tray, so that the bottom of the module tray 3 is slidably connected to the second slide rail. The only advantage of setting up a chassis is that the module tray can be replaced according to the shape of battery packs of different specifications. Module trays of different models are fixed to the chassis by bolts, and the chassis drives the module tray to move smoothly on the welding tooling base plate. Furthermore, a second buffer block 22 is installed on the welding tooling bottom plate 2, and a second buffer 23 is installed on the second buffer block. The second buffer is used to buffer and position the chassis 8. A toggle clamp 24 is fixed on the welding tooling bottom plate on one side corresponding to the second buffer. The toggle clamp 24 is fixed on the welding tooling bottom plate through the toggle clamp mounting plate 25. The toggle clamp 24 is used to clamp and fix the other side of the chassis 8. A pressure reducing valve 26 and a hand-turned valve 27 are also installed on the welding tooling bottom plate. In specific implementation, an external gas source is connected to one end of the pressure reducing valve, and the other end is connected to the hand-turned valve. The inlet and outlet of the hand-turned valve are connected to the inlet and outlet of the vertical drive mechanism to control the up and down movement of the upper structure.

[0036] like Figure 6 As shown, specifically, in this solution, the module tray 3 includes a tray 31 and a positioning block 32, and the positioning block is formed into the shape of a VDA battery and fixed on the tray. The positioning block 32 is two long strips and four square structures. The two long strip positioning blocks are fixed on the front and back sides of the tray respectively, and the four small square positioning blocks are on both sides of the two long strip positioning blocks. The positioning blocks are provided with brackets, which can hold the battery pack and limit the position. The positioning blocks can be set according to the shape of the VDA battery.

[0037] like Figure 7 As shown, specifically, in this scheme, the upper structure 4 includes a cover plate 41, a linear bearing 42 and a guide rod 43. There are four linear bearings, which are respectively installed at the four angles of the cover plate. A guide rod is slidably connected in each linear bearing, and the bottom of the guide rod is fixed to the bottom plate of the welding tooling. Furthermore, the bottom of the guide rod has a hollow thread fixed to the bottom plate of the welding tooling by bolts, which is used to support the cover plate and guide. The cover plate moves smoothly on the guide rod through four linear bearings, so that the welding anvil can press the battery cell pole and the connecting plate of the battery pack. Furthermore, a hollow area 411 is provided in the middle of the cover plate 41, and the welding anvil is fixed in the hollow area. The hollow area can facilitate the welding gun to pass through the welding anvil. Fixed clamps 412 are also fixed on both sides of the cover plate, and the fixed clamps are used to connect with the movable end of the vertical drive mechanism.

[0038] like Figure 8-Figure 10 As shown, specifically, in this solution, the welding anvil 5 includes a pressing block 51, a spring 52, an anvil 53 and a long bolt 54. A plurality of sliding holes 531 are distributed on the anvil. A welding hole 511 is provided in the middle of the pressing block. The upper part of the pressing block passes through the sliding hole and slides with it. The pressing block is used to crimp the aluminum sheet for welding the battery pack with the battery pole to ensure that the welding work is carried out after the crimping is tight. The long bolt passes through the upper part of the anvil and is threadedly connected to the side wing of the anvil. The spring is sleeved on the long bolt, the lower part of the spring is connected to the side wing 512 of the pressing block, and the upper part of the spring is connected to the lower part of the anvil. The spring is compressed, and the elastic force is converted into the downward pressure of the pressing block to compact the pressing block with the surface of the battery pack with welding. While the pressing block presses the battery cell pole and the connecting piece of the battery pack, the welding gun can weld the two through the welding hole in the middle of the pressing block, thereby improving the welding quality.

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, specifically, in this solution, the vertical drive mechanism 6 is a cylinder, which has low cost and is easier to install and fix. A hydraulic cylinder or an electric push rod can also be used. Two sets of cylinders are respectively fixed on both sides of the welding tooling bottom plate, and the piston rod of the cylinder is provided with a quick connector 61, which is connected to the fixed clamping blocks 412 on both sides of the cover plate.

[0040] When in use, place the VDA battery pack to be welded on the positioning block of the module tray, manually push the chassis to the welding position (by adjusting the buffer), and fix the chassis with the elbow clamp, turn the hand valve to move the welding anvil downward, press the battery pack cell pole and the connecting piece, and finally start the button on the button box to send the VDA battery to be welded into the welding machine for welding. This solution starts with a button and connects the solenoid valve, cylinder and programmable controller for signal interaction, which can realize automatic control of loading and unloading, is easy to operate, and increases the automatic control function; at the same time, according to the on-site use conditions, the loading position is outside the welding area to ensure the safety of the operator's operation and improve the safety level; at the same time, according to this solution, a double-station layout can be carried out to alternately carry out the battery pack loading and unloading welding production tasks to improve production efficiency.

[0041] It should be pointed out that the device can be used to transport semi-finished lithium batteries, provide vacuum or inert gas according to requirements, and select different accessories for combination to make full use of space and improve work efficiency. For ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the utility model, several improvements and modifications can be made, and these improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the utility model.

Claims

1. A device for laser welding of VDA battery packs, characterized in that: It includes a workbench bottom plate, a welding tool bottom plate, a module tray, an upper structure, a welding anvil, a vertical drive mechanism and a horizontal drive mechanism; The welding anvil is used to crimp the battery cell pole and the connecting piece of the battery pack, and the welding anvil is fixed on the upper structure; The upper structure is used to fix the welding anvil, and is driven by the vertical driving mechanism to move up and down; The module tray is used to position the VDA battery pack, and its bottom is slidably connected to the welding tooling bottom plate; The welding tool base plate is driven by the transverse driving mechanism to slide on the workbench base plate.

2. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transverse driving mechanism consists of two sets, which are respectively fixed on both sides of the workbench bottom plate. The transverse driving mechanism adopts a rodless cylinder, and the movable end of the rodless cylinder is fixed to the welding tooling bottom plate. A first slide rail is fixed on the workbench bottom plate, and the bottom of the welding tooling bottom plate is slidably connected to the first slide rail through a slider.

3. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: A chassis is fixed at the bottom of the module tray, a second slide rail is fixed at the upper part of the welding tooling bottom plate, and the bottom of the chassis is slidably connected to the second slide rail via a slider.

4. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The module tray comprises a tray and a positioning block, wherein the positioning block is formed into the shape of a VDA battery and is fixed on the tray.

5. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 3, characterized in that: A handle is installed on the side of the chassis.

6. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper structure includes a cover plate, a linear bearing and a guide rod. There are four linear bearings, which are respectively installed at four angles of the cover plate. A guide rod is slidably connected in each linear bearing, and the bottom of the guide rod is fixed on the bottom plate of the welding tooling.

7. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 6, characterized in that: The vertical driving mechanism is a cylinder, and two sets of cylinders are respectively fixed on both sides of the welding tooling bottom plate, and the piston rods of the cylinders are fixedly connected to both sides of the cover plate.

8. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 6, characterized in that: A hollow area is provided in the middle of the cover plate, and the welding anvil is fixed in the hollow area.

9. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 8, characterized in that: The welding anvil plate includes a pressure block, a spring, an anvil plate and a long bolt. A plurality of sliding holes are distributed on the anvil plate. A welding hole is provided in the middle of the pressure block. The upper part of the pressure block passes through the sliding hole and slides with the sliding hole. The long bolt passes through the upper part of the anvil plate and is threadedly connected to the side wing of the anvil plate. The spring is sleeved on the long bolt, the lower part of the spring is connected to the side wing of the pressure block, and the upper part of the spring is connected to the lower part of the anvil plate.

10. The device for laser welding of VDA battery packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: A buffer blocking block is installed on one side of the workbench bottom plate and the welding tool bottom plate, and a buffer is installed on the buffer. Two toggle clamps are fixed on the other side of the welding tool bottom plate.

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