Vacuum drying device

Abstract

The utility model provides a vacuum drying device. The vacuum drying device is used for solving the technical problem that batteries are not dried thoroughly through an existing vacuum drying technology. The vacuum drying device comprises a box body, a vacuumizing assembly, a first pipeline and a second pipeline, the box body is provided with a cavity used for containing battery cells, the vacuumizing assembly is used for vacuumizing, the first end of the first pipeline is connected with the vacuumizing assembly, the second end of the first pipeline is communicated with the cavity, the first end of the second pipeline is connected with the vacuumizing assembly, and the second end of the second pipeline is communicated with the cavity. And the second end of the second pipeline is positioned in the cavity and is used for being connected with a liquid injection hole of the battery cell. According to the vacuum drying device, the exterior and the interior of the battery cell can be vacuumized at the same time through the first pipeline and the second pipeline, so that the battery cell is thoroughly dried, the quality and the performance of battery cell production are guaranteed, meanwhile, the exterior and the interior of the battery cell are vacuumized at the same time, and the production efficiency is improved. And the problem of deformation of the battery cell caused by overlarge voltage difference between the inside and the outside can also be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery production and manufacturing, and in particular to a vacuum drying device. Background Art

[0002] In the related technology, the vacuum drying technology is used to dry the battery, which can reduce the moisture and oxygen content of the battery in the vacuum environment, which can not only effectively prevent the problem of battery oxidation, but also facilitate the rapid evaporation of moisture, thereby ensuring the quality and performance of battery production. However, the existing vacuum drying technology cannot completely dry the battery, resulting in a great impact on various indicators such as the battery's energy density, cycle life, and safety performance. Utility Model Content

[0003] The present application provides a vacuum drying device, aiming to solve the technical problem of incomplete drying of batteries by existing vacuum drying technology.

[0004] In one embodiment of the present application, a vacuum drying device is provided, comprising:

[0005] A box body having a cavity for placing the battery cell;

[0006] A vacuuming component, used for vacuuming;

[0007] a first pipe, wherein a first end of the first pipe is connected to the vacuum pumping assembly, and a second end of the first pipe is connected to the cavity; and

[0008] A second pipe, wherein a first end of the second pipe is connected to the vacuum pumping assembly, and a second end of the second pipe is located in the cavity and is used to be connected to the liquid injection hole of the battery cell.

[0009] In one embodiment, the vacuum assembly includes a first vacuum pump and a second vacuum pump;

[0010] The first vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the first pipeline, and the second vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the second pipeline.

[0011] In one embodiment, the vacuum drying device further comprises a third pipeline;

[0012] The first end of the third pipeline is connected between the first end and the second end of the first pipeline, the second end of the third pipeline is connected between the first end and the second end of the second pipeline, and the third pipeline is provided with a third valve, and the third valve is used to control the opening and closing of the third pipeline.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second vacuum pump is a molecular pump.

[0014] In one embodiment, the vacuum drying device further comprises a first vacuum gauge and a second vacuum gauge;

[0015] The first vacuum gauge is disposed on the box body to detect the vacuum degree of the cavity, and the second vacuum gauge is disposed on the second pipe to detect the vacuum degree inside the battery cell.

[0016] In one embodiment, the vacuum drying device further comprises a gas homogenizing device disposed in the cavity;

[0017] The gas uniformizing device includes a shell and a partition, the shell has a gas uniformizing cavity, the shell is provided with a first suction port and a plurality of second suction ports, the partition is arranged in the gas uniformizing cavity and blocks the first suction port and the second suction port, the partition has a plurality of gas uniformizing holes, the second pipe is connected with the first suction port, the first suction port is connected with the second suction port through the gas uniformizing holes, and the plurality of second suction ports are used to be respectively connected with the injection holes of the plurality of battery cells.

[0018] In one embodiment, the gas homogenizing device comprises a plurality of the baffles;

[0019] A plurality of partitions are arranged in the gas uniformity chamber at intervals, and the gas uniformity holes between adjacent partitions are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0020] In one embodiment, the plurality of partitions include a first partition, a second partition and a third partition that are sequentially spaced apart;

[0021] The first partition has a plurality of first air-uniform holes, the second partition has a plurality of second air-uniform holes, and the third partition has a plurality of third air-uniform holes. The first air-uniform holes and the second air-uniform holes are staggered along a direction perpendicular to the partition, and the first air-uniform holes and the third air-uniform holes are aligned along a direction perpendicular to the partition.

[0022] In one embodiment, the gas homogenizing device further comprises a vacuum nozzle;

[0023] The vacuum suction nozzle is connected to the housing and communicated with the second suction port, and the vacuum suction nozzle is used to be connected to the liquid injection hole of the battery core.

[0024] In one embodiment, the vacuum drying device further comprises a heating device disposed in the cavity;

[0025] The heating device is used to support the battery core and to heat the battery core.

[0026] According to the vacuum drying device in the above embodiment, the vacuum pumping component can vacuum the box through the first pipe, so that the cavity is in a vacuum state, thereby removing moisture and oxygen from the outside of the battery cell. The vacuum pumping component can also vacuum the interior of the battery cell through the second pipe, so that the interior of the battery cell is also in a vacuum state, thereby removing moisture and oxygen from the interior of the battery cell. Therefore, the vacuum drying device of the present application can thoroughly dry the outside and inside of the battery cell at the same time to ensure the quality and performance of the battery cell production. At the same time, since the outside and inside of the battery cell are both in a vacuum environment, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the battery cell is also reduced, thereby avoiding the deformation problem of the battery cell caused by excessive pressure difference between the inside and outside. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a vacuum drying device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the gas homogenizing device in a vacuum drying device;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of the gas homogenizing device;

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top view of the partition in the gas homogenizing device;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of the middle partition at point B;

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the top view of the battery cell.

[0033] in:

[0034] 1-vacuum drying device; 11-box; 110-cavity; 12-vacuum pumping assembly; 121-first vacuum pump; 122-second vacuum pump; 131-first pipeline; 132-second pipeline; 133-third pipeline; 141-first valve; 142-second valve; 143-third valve; 151-first vacuum gauge; 152-second vacuum gauge; 16-heating device; 2-gas equalizing device; 21-first suction port; 22-second suction port; 23-shell; 231-gas equalizing cavity; 24-partition; 241-first partition; 242-second partition; 243-third partition; 25-gas equalizing hole; 251-first gas equalizing hole; 252-second gas equalizing hole; 253-third gas equalizing hole; 26-vacuum suction nozzle; 3-battery cell; 30-liquid injection hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present application is further described in detail below by specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein similar elements in different embodiments adopt associated similar element numbers. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are for making the present application better understood. However, those skilled in the art can effortlessly recognize that some features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, and this is to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by too much description, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations according to the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0036] In addition, the features, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments, and the operation steps involved in each embodiment can also be replaced or adjusted in order in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specification and drawings are only for the purpose of clearly describing a certain embodiment, and do not mean that the composition and / or order are necessary.

[0037] The serial numbers of the components in this document, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the objects described and do not have any order or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0038] The present application provides a vacuum drying device 1, such as Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the vacuum drying device 1 may include a box body 11, a vacuum pumping component 12, a first pipe 131 and a second pipe 132. The box body 11 has a cavity 110 for placing the battery cell 3. The vacuum pumping component 12 is used for vacuuming. The first end of the first pipe 131 is connected to the vacuum pumping component 12, and the second end of the first pipe 131 is connected to the box body 11. The first end of the second pipe 132 is connected to the vacuum pumping component 12, and the second end of the second pipe 132 is located in the cavity 110, and is used to be connected to the injection hole 30 of the battery cell 3.

[0039] In this way, the vacuum component 12 can vacuum the box body 11 through the first pipe 131, so that the cavity 110 is in a vacuum state, thereby removing moisture and oxygen from the outside of the battery cell 3. The vacuum component 12 can also vacuum the inside of the battery cell 3 through the second pipe 132, so that the inside of the battery cell 3 is also in a vacuum state, thereby removing moisture and oxygen from the inside of the battery cell 3. Therefore, the vacuum drying device 1 of the present application can thoroughly dry the outside and inside of the battery cell 3 at the same time to ensure the quality and performance of the battery cell 3 production. At the same time, since the outside and inside of the battery cell 3 are both in a vacuum environment, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the battery cell 3 is also reduced, thereby avoiding the deformation problem of the battery cell 3 caused by the excessive pressure difference between the inside and outside.

[0040] Among them, Figure 1 As shown, in the drawings of the following embodiments, hollow parts such as cavities and holes are marked with arrows, and other parts are marked with arrows. For example, the marking lines shown in the cavity 110 in the figure will not be repeated below.

[0041] In more embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum assembly 12 may include a first vacuum pump 121 and a second vacuum pump 122 . The first vacuum pump 121 is connected to a first end of a first pipe 131 , and the second vacuum pump 122 is connected to a first end of a second pipe 132 .

[0042] Therefore, according to the different vacuum requirements for drying the outside and inside of the battery cell 3, different vacuum pumps can be used to evacuate the box 11 and the battery cell 3 respectively, so that the cavity 110 and the inside of the battery cell 3 can reach the required vacuum degrees. Of course, in other embodiments, the same vacuum pump can be used to connect the first pipe 131 and the second pipe 132 at the same time, so that the vacuum pump can evacuate the box 11 and the battery cell 3 at the same time. The present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific number of vacuum pumps in the vacuum assembly 12.

[0043] Among them, Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum drying device 1 may further include a third pipeline 133, a first end of the third pipeline 133 is connected between the first end and the second end of the first pipeline 131, a second end of the third pipeline 133 is connected between the first end and the second end of the second pipeline 132, and the third pipeline 133 may be provided with a third valve 143, and the third valve 143 is used to control the opening and closing of the third pipeline 133.

[0044] In the subsequent process of the battery cell 3, it is usually necessary to inject electrolyte into the battery cell 3. Therefore, the drying requirement for the inside of the battery cell 3 is usually higher than the drying requirement for the outside of the battery cell 3. A third pipe 133 is provided between the first pipe 131 and the second pipe 132, so that the first vacuum pump 121 can simultaneously evacuate the box 11 and the battery cell 3 through the first pipe 131 and the second pipe 132. When the inside of the cavity 110 and the battery cell 3 reaches a certain vacuum degree, the third pipe 133 can be closed through the third valve 143, and the second vacuum pump 122 can be started to continue to evacuate the inside of the battery cell 3, so that the vacuum degree inside the battery cell 3 is greater than the vacuum degree of the cavity 110, so as to meet the drying requirement for the inside of the battery cell 3.

[0045] Specifically, the second vacuum pump 122 may be a molecular pump.

[0046] For example, Figure 1 As shown, the first vacuum pump 121 can be used as a front pump of the molecular pump, the front pump is connected to a first valve 141, the first valve 141 is used to control the on and off of the vacuum pump of the front pump, and the molecular pump is connected to a second valve 142, the second valve 142 is used to control the on and off of the vacuum pump of the molecular pump.

[0047] The molecular pump can provide an ultra-high vacuum degree, thereby ensuring that the interior of the battery cell 3 can be fully dried. During specific operation, the second valve 142 can be closed first, and the molecular pump can be stopped, the first valve 141 and the third valve 143 can be opened, and the front pump can be started to evacuate the box 11 and the battery cell 3 at the same time. When the vacuum degree of the cavity 110 reaches a certain vacuum degree (for example, 10Pa) or less, the third valve 143 can be closed, the second valve 142 can be opened, and the molecular pump can be started to evacuate the interior of the battery cell 3. At this time, the front pump can continue to maintain the vacuum degree of the cavity 110, including but not limited to intermittent starting of the front pump to save the energy consumption of the front pump. Alternatively, the front pump can also run continuously, and the present application does not impose any special restrictions on whether the front pump continues to run when maintaining the vacuum degree of the cavity 110. As a result, the interior of the battery cell 3 can be maintained in an ultra-high vacuum (for example, 10Pa) of the molecular pump. -5 Pa or less) for thorough drying.

[0048] Among them, the interior of the battery cell 3 is pre-evacuated by the front pump, which can form a pre-vacuum environment required for the subsequent vacuuming of the molecular pump to avoid the problem of the molecular pump breaking the pump. In addition, when starting the molecular pump, the front pump can be connected to the molecular pump through a pipeline, so that the front pump serves as a driving pump for the molecular pump. Of course, in other embodiments, the molecular pump can also be driven by other independent pumps, and this application does not impose any special restrictions on the driving pump of the molecular pump.

[0049] When evacuating the interior of the battery cell 3, the present application adopts a molecular pump with an ultra-high vacuum degree, which can greatly shorten the time for evacuating the interior of the battery cell 3 while ensuring that the interior of the battery cell 3 is fully dry, thereby not only ensuring the quality and performance of the battery cell 3 production, but also helping to improve the cycle efficiency of the battery cell 3 production.

[0050] In other embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum drying device 1 may further include a first vacuum gauge 151 and a second vacuum gauge 152 . The first vacuum gauge 151 may be disposed on the box body 11 to detect the vacuum degree of the cavity 110 , and the second vacuum gauge 152 may be disposed on the second pipe 132 to detect the vacuum degree inside the battery cell 3 .

[0051] Thus, the operator can determine the vacuum degree of the cavity 110 through the first vacuum gauge 151, and determine the vacuum degree inside the battery cell 3 through the second vacuum gauge 152, so that the operator can control the operating state of the vacuum pumping assembly 12, the first valve 141, the second valve 142, and the third valve 143 according to the numerical values ​​of the first vacuum gauge 151 and the second vacuum gauge 152. Of course, the operator can also control the operating state of the first valve 141, the second valve 142, and the third valve 143 according to the operating time of the vacuum pumping assembly 12, and the present application does not impose any special restrictions on the way in which the operator controls the operation of the vacuum drying device 1.

[0052] In more embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum drying device 1 may further include a heating device 16 disposed in the cavity 110 , and the heating device 16 may be used to support the battery core 3 and to heat the battery core 3 .

[0053] On the one hand, the heating device 16 can support the battery cell 3, and on the other hand, the heating device 16 can promote the evaporation of water, thereby further improving the drying efficiency of the battery cell 3. The heating element in the heating device 16 can be a heating wire or a heat exchange tube, and the present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific structure of the heating device 16.

[0054] The above embodiment is a detailed description of the specific structure and working principle of the vacuum drying device 1. In order to enable the vacuum drying device 1 to dry multiple battery cells 3 at the same time, Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the vacuum drying device 1 can also include an air uniforming device 2 arranged in the cavity 110, and the air uniforming device 2 can include a shell 23 and a partition 24. The shell 23 has an air uniforming cavity 231, and the shell 23 is provided with a first suction port 21 and a plurality of second suction ports 22. The partition 24 is arranged in the air uniforming cavity 231 and blocks the first suction port 21 and the second suction port 22. The partition 24 has a plurality of air uniforming holes 25. The second pipe 132 can be connected to the first suction port 21, and the first suction port 21 can be connected to the second suction port 22 through the air uniforming holes 25. The plurality of second suction ports 22 can be used to be respectively connected to the injection holes 30 of the plurality of battery cells 3.

[0055] For example, the housing 23 can be set as a flat box structure, the first suction port 21 can be set on the surface of one side of the housing 23, and the plurality of second suction ports 22 can be set on the surface of the other side of the housing 23. The partition 24 is set in the gas-uniform cavity 231, and the gas-uniform cavity 231 can be divided into two chambers, and the chambers can be connected through a plurality of gas-uniform holes 25. In this way, when the second vacuum pump 122 is running, the second pipe 132 can simultaneously vacuum the interior of a plurality of battery cells 3 through the plurality of second suction ports 22 set on the gas-uniform device 2, so as to further improve the efficiency of the production of the battery cells 3.

[0056] Specifically, if Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the gas homogenizing device 2 may include a plurality of partitions 24 , and the plurality of partitions 24 may be arranged at intervals in the gas homogenizing chamber 231 , and the gas homogenizing holes 25 between adjacent partitions 24 may be arranged in a staggered manner.

[0057] Among them, the multiple partitions 24 can divide the uniform air cavity 231 into multiple chambers, and each chamber can be connected through multiple uniform air holes 25. The staggered uniform air holes 25 can not only play a role in uniform flow of the vacuum airflow, but also enable the multiple partitions 24 to form a filtering structure, thereby preventing excessive impurities such as dust in the cavity 110 of the box body 11 from entering the vacuum assembly 12.

[0058] In one embodiment, if Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the multiple partitions 24 may include a first partition 241, a second partition 242 and a third partition 243 which are arranged in sequence. The first partition 241 may have a plurality of first air-uniform holes 251, the second partition 242 may have a plurality of second air-uniform holes 252, and the third partition 243 may have a plurality of third air-uniform holes 253. The first air-uniform holes 251 may be staggered with the second air-uniform holes 252 in a direction perpendicular to the partition 24, and the first air-uniform holes 251 may be aligned with the third air-uniform holes 253 in a direction perpendicular to the partition 24.

[0059] In this way, the first uniform air hole 251 can face the surface of the second partition 242, and the second uniform air hole 252 can face the surface of the third partition 243. The partition 24 blocks the uniform air hole 25, so that the vacuum airflow can be evenly dispersed, so that the vacuum degree inside the multiple battery cells 3 can be kept consistent, so as to ensure the consistency of the quality and performance of the battery cells 3. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of partitions 24 can be more, and the first uniform air hole 251, the second uniform air hole 252 and the third uniform air hole 253 can be in a rectangular array, a plum blossom array or a ring array in the direction perpendicular to the partition 24. The present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific number of partitions 24 and the specific distribution positions of the uniform air holes 25 on the partitions 24.

[0060] In addition, if Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the gas homogenizing device 2 may further include a vacuum suction nozzle 26 , which is connected to the housing 23 and communicates with the second suction port 22 . The vacuum suction nozzle 26 may be used to connect to the liquid injection hole 30 of the battery cell 3 .

[0061] The gas uniforming device 2 can be inserted into the injection hole 30 of the battery cell 3 through the vacuum suction nozzle 26, so that the injection hole 30 can be used to evacuate the interior of the battery cell 3, so as to avoid the problem of opening a vacuum channel at other positions of the battery cell 3, which will cause the battery cell 3 to need to be blocked in subsequent processes, which is beneficial to ensuring the sealing performance of the battery cell 3 product.

[0062] Among them, the box body 11, the first pipe 131, the second pipe 132, and the third pipe 133 of the present application can be made of stainless steel or other alloy materials, and the box body 11 and each vacuum tube, the vacuum tube and the gas homogenizing device 2, and the vacuum nozzle 26 and the battery cell 3 can be sealed with fluororubber or other sealing materials to ensure the vacuum degree of the vacuum drying device 1. The present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific material selection of the vacuum drying device 1.

[0063] The above specific examples are used to illustrate the present invention, which are only used to help understand the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art of the present invention, some simple deductions, deformations or substitutions can be made based on the idea of ​​the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum drying device, characterized in that: include: A box body having a cavity for placing the battery cell; A vacuuming component, used for vacuuming; a first pipe, wherein a first end of the first pipe is connected to the vacuum assembly, and a second end of the first pipe is connected to the cavity; and A second pipe, wherein a first end of the second pipe is connected to the vacuum pumping assembly, and a second end of the second pipe is located in the cavity and is used to be connected to the liquid injection hole of the battery cell.

2. The vacuum drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum pump assembly includes a first vacuum pump and a second vacuum pump; The first vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the first pipeline, and the second vacuum pump is connected to the first end of the second pipeline.

3. The vacuum drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum drying device further comprises a third pipeline; The first end of the third pipeline is connected between the first end and the second end of the first pipeline, the second end of the third pipeline is connected between the first end and the second end of the second pipeline, and the third pipeline is provided with a third valve, and the third valve is used to control the opening and closing of the third pipeline.

4. The vacuum drying device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second vacuum pump is a molecular pump.

5. The vacuum drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum drying device also includes a first vacuum gauge and a second vacuum gauge; The first vacuum gauge is disposed on the box body to detect the vacuum degree of the cavity, and the second vacuum gauge is disposed on the second pipe to detect the vacuum degree inside the battery cell.

6. The vacuum drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The vacuum drying device further comprises a gas homogenizing device disposed in the cavity; The gas uniformizing device includes a shell and a partition, the shell has a gas uniformizing cavity, the shell is provided with a first suction port and a plurality of second suction ports, the partition is arranged in the gas uniformizing cavity and blocks the first suction port and the second suction port, the partition has a plurality of gas uniformizing holes, the second pipe is connected with the first suction port, the first suction port is connected with the second suction port through the gas uniformizing holes, and the plurality of second suction ports are used to be respectively connected with the injection holes of the plurality of battery cells.

7. The vacuum drying device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gas homogenizing device comprises a plurality of the partitions; A plurality of partitions are arranged in the gas uniformity chamber at intervals, and the gas uniformity holes between adjacent partitions are arranged in a staggered manner.

8. The vacuum drying device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The plurality of partitions include a first partition, a second partition and a third partition that are sequentially spaced apart; The first partition has a plurality of first air-uniform holes, the second partition has a plurality of second air-uniform holes, and the third partition has a plurality of third air-uniform holes. The first air-uniform holes and the second air-uniform holes are staggered along a direction perpendicular to the partition, and the first air-uniform holes and the third air-uniform holes are aligned along a direction perpendicular to the partition.

9. The vacuum drying device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gas homogenizing device also includes a vacuum nozzle; The vacuum suction nozzle is connected to the housing and communicated with the second suction port, and the vacuum suction nozzle is used to be connected to the liquid injection hole of the battery core.

10. The vacuum drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The vacuum drying device also includes a heating device disposed in the cavity; The heating device is used to support the battery core and to heat the battery core.

Images