Sealing nail welding and helium detection all-in-one machine

Abstract

The utility model relates to a sealing nail welding and helium detection all-in-one machine which comprises a rotating disc, a welding mechanism and a helium detection mechanism. And a feeding mechanism and a discharging mechanism are arranged on the outer side of the rotating disc. The welding mechanism is arranged on the outer side of the rotary disc and located between the feeding mechanism and the discharging mechanism. The helium detection mechanism is suspended above the rotating disc and located between the welding mechanism and the discharging mechanism, the helium detection mechanism comprises a pressing assembly, a sealing connector and a helium detector, the pressing assembly is connected with the end, away from the rotating disc, of the sealing connector, a through hole is formed in the sealing connector, and the through hole communicates with the helium detector. According to the sealing nail welding and helium detection all-in-one machine, the helium detection mechanism is improved, a cavity for containing a battery does not need to be arranged, the occupied space of the helium detection mechanism is greatly reduced, and the occupied space of the whole sealing nail welding and helium detection all-in-one machine is further reduced. And the welding mechanism and the helium detection mechanism are integrally arranged on the peripheral side of the rotating disc, so that the occupied space of a middle logistics line is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery production, and in particular to an integrated sealing pin welding and helium inspection machine. Background Art

[0002] In the current lithium battery production process, sealing pin welding and helium inspection are two separate processes. During production, the battery filling port is first sealed with sealing pins. After welding, the battery cell flows into the next process through the logistics line for helium inspection. The purpose of sealing pin welding is to seal the filling port. The battery is filled with helium, and the purpose of helium inspection is to detect whether the sealing pin welding completely seals the battery cell. Among them, a cavity is opened in the helium inspection equipment. During the helium inspection, the battery is first placed in the cavity, and then the cavity is sealed and vacuumed for helium inspection.

[0003] In the related technology, the size of the sealing nail welding equipment is about 4000 meters × 3200 meters × 2800 meters, and the size of the helium inspection equipment is about 4500 meters × 2600 meters × 2800 meters. The two equipment are connected by a logistics line with a length of about 1500 meters. The two processes together occupy a space of 4500 meters × 7300 meters × 2800 meters, which occupies a very large area and has a very high equipment cost. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine to address the problem that the two processes of sealing pin welding and helium inspection occupy a large area.

[0005] A sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine, the sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine comprising: a turntable, a feeding mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a welding mechanism and a helium inspection mechanism;

[0006] The turntable is used to operate the battery;

[0007] The feeding mechanism, the unloading mechanism, the welding mechanism and the helium detection mechanism are sequentially arranged on the periphery of the turntable along the circumference of the turntable;

[0008] The helium detection mechanism includes a pressing component, a sealing connector and a helium detector. The pressing component is connected to an end of the sealing connector away from the turntable. The pressing component is used to drive the sealing connector to move toward the battery so that the sealing connector is sealed and connected to the outer peripheral side of the sealing pin welding position. A through hole is opened in the sealing connector, and the through hole is connected to the helium detector.

[0009] In one embodiment, the sealing connector includes a shell and a seal, the seal is arranged at one end of the shell close to the turntable, the through hole is opened in the shell, and the pressing assembly is connected to one end of the shell away from the seal.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the sealing connector includes an elastic member, the elastic member is disposed in the housing, and the pressing assembly is connected to one end of the elastic member.

[0011] In one embodiment, the sealing pin welding and helium detection integrated machine includes a driving mechanism, which is located on one side of the turntable along the axial direction, and the pressing assembly is arranged on the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the pressing assembly to move in a first plane, and the first plane is perpendicular to the axial direction of the turntable.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the driving mechanism includes an X-axis moving module and a Y-axis moving module, the Y-axis moving module is arranged on the X-axis moving module, and the pressing assembly is arranged on the Y-axis moving module.

[0013] In one embodiment, the number of the helium detection mechanisms is at least two, and the at least two helium detection mechanisms are sequentially arranged along the circumference of the turntable.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the sealing pin welding and helium detection integrated machine comprises a clamp, and a plurality of clamps are sequentially arranged on the turntable at intervals, and each of the clamps has two placement cavities, and the placement cavities are used to place batteries.

[0015] In one embodiment, the clamp has an open state and a closed state, the clamp located at the unloading mechanism is in the open state, and the clamp located at the loading mechanism is in the closed state.

[0016] In one embodiment, the welding mechanism includes a nailing component, a pre-welding component, a full welding component and a post-welding detection component. Along the rotation direction of the turntable, the nailing component, the pre-welding component, the full welding component and the post-welding detection component are arranged in sequence along the circumference of the turntable on the periphery of the turntable.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine includes a cleaning mechanism located between the feeding mechanism and the welding mechanism.

[0018] The above-mentioned integrated sealing pin welding and helium inspection machine, by improving the helium inspection mechanism, does not need to provide a cavity for placing the battery. It directly provides a pressing assembly and a sealing connector, drives the sealing connector to seal the welding position of the sealing pin through the pressing assembly, and then performs a vacuum helium inspection, which greatly reduces the space occupied by the helium inspection mechanism. At the same time, since there is no need to provide a cavity for placing the battery, the welding mechanism and the helium inspection mechanism can be integrated on the side of the turntable, which greatly reduces the space occupied by the intermediate logistics line. In addition, the helium inspection mechanism is suspended above the turntable, which can also reduce the space occupied by the integrated sealing pin welding and helium inspection machine on the ground. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine in one embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a helium detection mechanism in one embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clamp holding a battery in one embodiment.

[0022] Figure numerals: 10, turntable; 11, fixture; 20, welding mechanism; 21, nailing component; 22, pre-welding component; 23, full welding component; 24, post-welding inspection component; 30, helium inspection mechanism; 31, pressing assembly; 32, sealing connector; 33, through hole; 34, pipeline; 40, loading mechanism; 50, unloading mechanism; 60, cleaning mechanism; 70, battery; 71, sealing nail welding position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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. Therefore, 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, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , an integrated sealing pin welding and helium detection machine provided in one embodiment of the present application includes a turntable 10, a feeding mechanism 40, a welding mechanism 20, a helium detection mechanism 30, and a feeding mechanism 50. The turntable 10 is used to operate the battery 70, and the feeding mechanism 40, the welding mechanism 20, the helium detection mechanism 30, and the feeding mechanism 50 are sequentially arranged on the periphery of the turntable 10 along the circumference of the turntable 10. The helium detection mechanism 30 includes a pressing component 31, a sealing connector 32, and a helium detector. The pressing component 31 is connected to one end of the sealing connector 32 away from the turntable 10. The pressing component 31 is used to drive the sealing connector 32 to move toward the battery so that the sealing connector 32 is sealed and connected to the outer peripheral side of the sealing pin welding position 71 of the battery. A through hole 33 is opened in the sealing connector 32, and the through hole 33 is connected to the helium detector.

[0030] In actual use, the battery 70 is loaded onto the turntable 10 through the loading mechanism 40, and can first reach the welding mechanism 20 through the transfer of the turntable 10. After the welding is completed by the welding mechanism 20, it is moved to the helium inspection mechanism 30 through the turntable 10 again. During the helium inspection, the sealing connector 32 is first driven to move to the side close to the battery through the pressing component 31, so that the sealing connector 32 is sealed and connected to the outer periphery of the sealing pin welding position 71, thereby sealing the sealing pin welding position 71 in the through hole 33, and then the sealing pin welding position 71 is vacuumed by the helium detector, and the concentration of the helium gas extracted is measured by the helium detector, and then it is determined whether the sealing pin completely seals the battery cell. After the helium inspection is completed, the turntable 10 is rotated to the unloading mechanism 50 for unloading.

[0031] In this embodiment, by improving the helium inspection mechanism 30, there is no need to open a cavity for placing the battery 70, and the pressing assembly 31 and the sealing connector 32 are directly set. The pressing assembly 31 drives the sealing connector 32 to seal the welding position of the sealing pin, and then vacuum helium inspection is performed, which greatly reduces the space occupied by the helium inspection mechanism 30. At the same time, since there is no need to open a cavity for placing the battery 70, the welding mechanism 20 and the helium inspection mechanism 30 can be integrated on the side of the turntable 10, which greatly reduces the space occupied by the intermediate logistics line. In addition, the helium inspection mechanism 30 is suspended above the turntable 10, which can also reduce the space occupied by the sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine on the ground.

[0032] It should be noted that, compared with the solution of placing the battery in the cavity and vacuuming the entire cavity with helium inspection, the present application directly seals the welding position through the sealing connector 32 and only vacuums the sealing connector 32 with helium inspection. A single measurement only takes 3 seconds, which greatly reduces the vacuuming time and improves the helium inspection efficiency.

[0033] Specifically, the sealing connector 32 is connected to the helium detector through a pipe 34. The pipe 34 is a hose, which is easy to bend. The turntable is placed in the horizontal direction, and the pressing component 31 can be a linear module, a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder arranged in the height direction, as long as it can drive the sealing connector 32 to move downward.

[0034] In some embodiments, the sealing connector 32 includes a housing and a sealing member, and the sealing member is disposed at one end of the housing close to the rotating disk 10. A through hole 33 is provided in the housing, and the pressing assembly 31 is connected to one end of the housing away from the sealing member.

[0035] In this embodiment, by setting a sealing member at one end of the housing close to the rotating disk 10, when the pressing assembly drives the housing to move downward, the sealing member can be in sealing contact with the surface of the battery 70, and the sealing member surrounds the sealing pin welding position 71 in the sealing cavity, which is convenient for vacuum helium inspection. The sealing member can be a sealing ring or an adsorbent, that is, as long as the housing and the battery 70 can be sealed. The housing is made of EPDM rubber.

[0036] Furthermore, the sealing connector 32 includes an elastic member, which is disposed in the housing, and the pressing assembly 31 is connected to one end of the elastic member. The elastic member may be a spring, a spring sheet, or an elastic rubber, and the elastic member is provided to play a buffering role to prevent the pressing assembly 31 from crushing the battery 70 when pressing down.

[0037] In some embodiments, the helium detection mechanism 30 includes a driving mechanism, which is disposed on one side of the turntable 10 along the axial direction, and the pressing assembly 31 is disposed on the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism is used to drive the pressing assembly 31 to move in a horizontal direction so as to align the sealing connector 32 with the sealing pin welding position 71.

[0038] Furthermore, the driving mechanism includes an X-axis moving module and a Y-axis moving module, the Y-axis moving module is arranged on the X-axis moving module, and the pressing assembly 31 is arranged on the Y-axis moving module. That is, when the X-axis moving module moves, it can drive the Y-axis moving module and the pressing assembly 31 to move along the X-axis, and when the Y-axis moving module moves, it can drive the pressing assembly 31 to move along the Y-axis. The X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction and the height direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0039] In some embodiments, the number of the helium detection mechanisms 30 is at least two, and the at least two helium detection mechanisms 30 are sequentially arranged along the circumference of the turntable 10 .

[0040] In this embodiment, the sealing pin welding speed is faster than the helium inspection speed, so the production efficiency of the battery 70 can be increased by increasing the number of helium inspection mechanisms 30. The specific number of helium inspection mechanisms 30 can be determined according to the time ratio required for the helium inspection process and the sealing pin welding process.

[0041] Specifically, taking the number of helium inspection mechanisms 30 as two as an example, the two helium inspection mechanisms 30 are respectively the first helium inspection mechanism and the second helium inspection mechanism. The batteries 70 are fed to the feeding mechanism 40 in groups of two. When the first group of batteries is moved to the welding mechanism 20, the welding of the sealing nails on the two batteries can be completed at the same time due to the high welding speed; then the turntable 10 drives the first group of batteries to rotate to the first helium inspection mechanism, and the second group of batteries rotates to the welding mechanism 20 at the same time. When the first helium inspection mechanism completes the helium inspection of the first battery in the first group of batteries, the welding mechanism 20 can complete the welding of the two batteries in the second group of batteries at the same time; then the turntable 10 drives the first group of batteries to rotate to the second helium inspection mechanism, and the second group of batteries rotates to the first helium inspection mechanism, and the third group of batteries rotates to the welding mechanism 20. At this time, when the second helium inspection mechanism completes the helium inspection of the second battery in the first group of batteries, the first helium inspection mechanism completes the helium inspection of the first battery in the second group of batteries, and the welding mechanism 20 completes the welding of the two batteries in the third group of batteries at the same time; the cycle is repeated in sequence.

[0042] In some embodiments, in conjunction with FIG. 3 , the integrated sealing pin welding and helium inspection machine includes a fixture 11 , and a plurality of fixtures 11 are sequentially arranged on the turntable 10 at intervals, and each fixture 11 has two placement cavities, and the placement cavities are used to place the battery 70 .

[0043] Furthermore, the clamp 11 has an open state and a closed state. The clamp 11 located at the unloading mechanism 50 is in the open state, and the clamp 11 located at the loading mechanism 40 is in the closed state.

[0044] In actual use, when the clamp 11 rotates to the position of the unloading mechanism 50, it means that the sealing nail welding process and the helium inspection process have been completed. At this time, the clamp 11 is opened, which is convenient for the staff or the manipulator to clamp the completed battery 70. At the same time, after the completed battery 70 is clamped away, the unfinished battery 70 can be placed in the clamp 11, and then the clamp 11 is closed. At this time, when the turntable 10 drives the clamp 11 to rotate to the loading position, the clamp 11 is in a closed state. The battery 70 is clamped and fixed by the clamp 11, which is convenient for the staff to operate at each workstation.

[0045] Specifically, the opening and closing structure of the clamp 11 is prior art and will not be described in detail. Two battery 70 cavities are provided in each clamp 11 so as to place two batteries 70 at the same time, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery 70.

[0046] In some embodiments, the welding mechanism 20 includes a nailing component 21, a pre-welding component 22, a full welding component 23, and a post-welding detection component 24. Along the rotation direction of the turntable 10, the nailing component 21, the pre-welding component 22, the full welding component 23, and the post-welding detection component 24 are sequentially arranged on the periphery of the turntable 10 along the circumference of the turntable 10. . Among them, since the full welding process is more time-consuming than other processes, the number of full welding components 23 is two, which is used to improve the production efficiency of the battery 70.

[0047] In some embodiments, the sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine includes a cleaning mechanism 60, which is disposed on the periphery of the turntable 10 and between the feeding mechanism 40 and the welding mechanism 20. The cleaning mechanism 60 may be a laser cleaning mechanism 60. When the battery 70 is fed into the fixture 11 on the turntable 10 through the feeding mechanism 40, the welding position of the sealing pin is first cleaned by the laser cleaning mechanism 60, and then the sealing pin is welded.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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. A sealing nail welding and helium detection integrated machine, characterized in that: The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine comprises: a turntable, a feeding mechanism, a welding mechanism, a helium inspection mechanism and a unloading mechanism; The turntable is used to operate the battery; The feeding mechanism, the welding mechanism, the helium detection mechanism and the unloading mechanism are sequentially arranged on the periphery of the turntable along the circumference of the turntable; The helium detection mechanism includes a pressing component, a sealing connector and a helium detector. The pressing component is connected to an end of the sealing connector away from the turntable. The pressing component is used to drive the sealing connector to move toward the battery so that the sealing connector is sealed and connected to the outer peripheral side of the sealing pin welding position on the battery. A through hole is opened in the sealing connector, and the through hole is connected to the helium detector.

2. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealed connector includes a shell and a seal. The seal is arranged at one end of the shell close to the turntable. The shell is provided with the through hole. The pressing assembly is connected to one end of the shell away from the seal.

3. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing connector includes an elastic member, the elastic member is arranged in the housing, and the pressing assembly is connected to one end of the elastic member.

4. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing pin welding and helium detection integrated machine includes a driving mechanism, which is located on one side of the turntable along the axial direction. The pressing assembly is arranged on the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the pressing assembly to move in a first plane, and the first plane is perpendicular to the axial direction of the turntable.

5. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises an X-axis moving module and a Y-axis moving module, the Y-axis moving module is arranged on the X-axis moving module, and the pressing assembly is arranged on the Y-axis moving module.

6. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the helium detection mechanisms is at least two, and the at least two helium detection mechanisms are sequentially arranged along the circumference of the turntable.

7. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing pin welding and helium detection integrated machine comprises a fixture, and a plurality of fixtures are sequentially arranged on the turntable at intervals, and each of the fixtures has two placement cavities, and the placement cavities are used to place batteries.

8. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The clamp has an open state and a closed state. The clamp located at the position of the unloading mechanism is in the open state, and the clamp located at the position of the loading mechanism is in the closed state.

9. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding mechanism includes a nailing component, a pre-welding component, a full welding component and a post-welding detection component. Along the rotation direction of the turntable, the nailing component, the pre-welding component, the full welding component and the post-welding detection component are arranged in sequence along the circumference of the turntable on the periphery of the turntable.

10. The sealing nail welding and helium inspection integrated machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing pin welding and helium inspection integrated machine comprises a cleaning mechanism located between the feeding mechanism and the welding mechanism.

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