A battery cell welding device

Abstract

The present application provides a battery cell welding device, including a battery cell supply mechanism, a welding tape laying mechanism, a first conveying mechanism, a welding bearing mechanism, a welding mechanism, a second conveying mechanism, a battery cell transfer mechanism and a glue applying mechanism, wherein: the welding tape laying mechanism lays the first welding tape group on the welding bearing mechanism; the first conveying mechanism stacks the battery cell on the first welding tape group; the welding tape laying mechanism stacks the second welding tape group on the battery cell; the welding mechanism welds the first welding tape group and the second welding tape group to the battery cell; the second conveying mechanism places the battery cell that has been welded on the battery cell transfer mechanism, and the glue applying mechanism applies glue to the battery cell when the battery cell transfer mechanism moves to the glue applying station, so that the first welding tape group and the second welding tape group are bonded to the battery cell. The present application automatically welds the welding tape group to the two surfaces of the battery cell, and automatically applies glue to the welding tape group welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of photovoltaic cell assembly production equipment, and specifically to a cell welding device. Background Art

[0002] In order to ensure the connection strength between the welding ribbon group and the busbarless battery cell (referred to as "battery cell"), a welding process for the busbarless battery string is to first weld the battery cells into a string through the welding ribbon group, and then apply glue to the welding ribbon group through a glue application device to make the welding ribbon group and the battery cell bonded.

[0003] When there is a defective battery cell to be replaced in the main-gridless battery string manufactured by the above process, it is necessary to cut off the connecting welding ribbon between the defective battery cell and its adjacent battery cell, then remove the defective battery cell from the battery string, and then place the replacement battery cell with the welding ribbon group to the position vacated after the defective battery cell is removed, and overlap-weld the welding ribbon group on the replacement battery cell with the welding ribbon group on the adjacent battery cell.

[0004] Before the busbarless battery string is formally repaired, the corresponding replacement battery cells need to be prepared in advance, that is, welding the welding ribbon group to both sides of the battery cell, and applying glue to the welding ribbon group on both sides of the battery cell. Due to the lack of such replacement battery cell preparation equipment, the welding ribbon group is generally welded to the battery cell manually and then glue is applied to both sides of the battery cell to obtain the replacement battery cell. The manual preparation of replacement battery cells is inefficient and it is difficult to meet the batch repair needs of busbarless battery strings. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the technical problem that traditional string welding equipment is difficult to implement welding of replacement battery cells, the present application provides a battery cell welding device, and its detailed technical solution is as follows:

[0006] A cell welding device comprises a cell supply mechanism, a welding strip laying mechanism, a first conveying mechanism, a welding bearing mechanism, a welding mechanism, a second conveying mechanism, a cell transfer mechanism and a glue applying mechanism, wherein:

[0007] The welding support mechanism is configured to reciprocate and translate along a first horizontal direction, and a first loading station, a welding station and a first unloading station are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the welding support mechanism;

[0008] The welding tape laying mechanism is used to lay the first welding tape group on the welding carrying mechanism located at the first loading station; the first transport mechanism is used to pick up the battery cell from the battery cell supply mechanism, and stack the picked-up battery cell on the first welding tape group; the welding tape laying mechanism is also used to stack the second welding tape group on the battery cell;

[0009] The welding mechanism is arranged at the welding station, and is used to weld the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group located on the welding bearing mechanism to the battery cell when the welding bearing mechanism moves to the welding station;

[0010] The second transport mechanism is arranged at the first unloading station, and is used to pick up the battery cell that has been welded from the welding carrier mechanism when the welding carrier mechanism moves to the first unloading station;

[0011] The cell transfer mechanism is configured to reciprocate and translate along a second horizontal direction, the second horizontal direction is parallel to or intersects the first horizontal direction, and a second loading station and a gluing station are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism;

[0012] The second transport mechanism is also used to place the picked-up welded battery cell onto the battery cell transfer mechanism located at the second loading station;

[0013] The glue applying mechanism is arranged at the glue applying station, and is used for applying glue to the battery cell when the battery cell conveying mechanism moves to the glue applying station, so that the first welding tape group and the second welding tape group are bonded to the battery cell.

[0014] The battery cell welding device provided in the present application can automatically weld the welding ribbon group to the two surfaces of the battery cell, and automatically apply glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell, thereby realizing the automatic preparation of replacement battery cells required for the repair of the main gridless battery string. The present application improves the preparation efficiency of replacement battery cells.

[0015] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a flipping mechanism arranged on the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism, and the flipping mechanism is arranged in front of the glue applying mechanism; the battery cell transfer mechanism is used to transfer the battery cell that has completed welding to the glue applying station, and the glue applying mechanism is used to apply glue to the second welding ribbon group welded to the first surface of the battery cell; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cell that has completed glue application on the first surface back to the flipping mechanism, and the flipping mechanism is used to flip the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism that has completed glue application on the first surface 180°, so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cell that has completed flipping to the glue applying station again, and the glue applying mechanism is used to apply glue to the first welding ribbon group welded to the second surface of the battery cell.

[0016] By setting up a flipping mechanism, the flipping of the battery cell is achieved, so only one gluing mechanism is required to successively complete the gluing of the two surfaces of the battery cell, thereby reducing the gluing cost. In addition, the length of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism is shortened, saving the installation space of the battery cell welding device of the present application.

[0017] In some embodiments, a curing station and a glue application detection station are further provided on the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism, and the battery cell welding device also includes a curing mechanism and a glue application detection mechanism; the curing mechanism is provided at the curing station, and the curing mechanism is used to cure the glue applied on the first surface or the second surface of the battery cell; the glue application detection mechanism is provided at the glue application detection station, and the glue application detection mechanism is used to detect the glue application quality of the first surface or the second surface of the battery cell.

[0018] By setting up a curing mechanism, the glue applied on the surface of the battery cell can be quickly cured to ensure the work rhythm of each processing station in the subsequent process. By setting up a glue application detection mechanism, the automatic detection of the glue application quality of the battery cell can be achieved.

[0019] In some embodiments, the flipping mechanism includes a flipping part and a pick-and-place part, wherein: the flipping part is used to absorb the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism that has completed the first surface glue application, and flip the battery cell on the first surface glue application 180° so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward; the pick-and-place part is used to absorb the battery cell that has completed flipping from the flipping part, and put the battery cell that has completed flipping back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism.

[0020] Through the cooperation of the turning part and the pick-and-place part, the turning mechanism realizes the automatic turning of the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism after the first surface glue application is completed.

[0021] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a tidying mechanism relatively arranged on both sides of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism. After the pick-up and placement part puts the flipped battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism, the tidying mechanism is used to correct the position of the flipped battery cell carried on the battery cell transfer mechanism.

[0022] When the pick-and-place part is picking up and placing the battery cells, and when the flipping part is flipping the battery cells, it is inevitable that the battery cells will be shifted in position. By providing a regularizing mechanism on both sides of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism, the position of the flipped battery cells that are returned to the battery cell transfer mechanism is corrected, thereby ensuring the subsequent glue application accuracy.

[0023] In some embodiments, the battery cell transfer mechanism includes a first movable module and a first supporting platform, wherein the first supporting platform is connected to the movable part of the first movable module, the first supporting platform is used to carry and adsorb the battery cells, and the first movable module is used to drive the first supporting platform to move back and forth.

[0024] A battery cell transfer mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which realizes the adsorption, carrying and transfer of the battery cells, so as to transfer the battery cells at the second loading station to the gluing station for gluing.

[0025] In some embodiments, the glue applying station includes a first glue applying station and a second glue applying station arranged along the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism, and a flipping station is also arranged between the first glue applying station and the second glue applying station; the battery cell welding device also includes a flipping mechanism arranged at the flipping station; the glue applying mechanism includes a first glue applying part arranged at the first glue applying station and a second glue applying part arranged at the second glue applying station; the battery cell transfer mechanism is used to transfer the battery cell to the first glue applying station, and the first glue applying part is used to apply glue to the second welding ribbon group welded to the first surface of the battery cell; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cell on which the glue application on the first surface has been completed to the flipping station, and the flipping mechanism is used to flip the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism on which the glue application on the first surface has been completed by 180°, so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the flipped battery cell to the second glue applying station, and the second glue applying part is used to apply glue to the first welding ribbon group welded to the second surface of the battery cell.

[0026] With such an arrangement, the cell transfer mechanism does not need to turn back during the gluing process. It only needs to drive the cell to move a stroke in one direction. The gluing mechanism and the flipping mechanism can cooperate with each other to continuously complete the gluing operation on the first surface and the second surface of the cell, thereby improving the gluing efficiency of the cell.

[0027] In some embodiments, the battery cell supply mechanism includes a conveying mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a positioning mechanism, wherein: the conveying mechanism is arranged on one side of the welding support mechanism, and is used to convey the material box containing the battery cells toward the positioning mechanism; the transfer mechanism is located between the conveying mechanism and the positioning mechanism, and the transfer mechanism is used to pick up the battery cells from the material box, and transfer the picked up battery cells to the positioning mechanism; the positioning mechanism is configured to position the battery cells to obtain the position information of the battery cells; the first transport mechanism is used to pick up the positioned battery cells from the positioning mechanism, and stack the picked up battery cells on the first welding ribbon group according to the position information of the battery cells.

[0028] Through the cooperation of the conveying mechanism, the transfer mechanism and the positioning mechanism, the battery cell supply mechanism realizes the automatic feeding of the battery cells to be welded with the welding strips, and realizes the positioning of the battery cells, thereby ensuring that the first transport mechanism can accurately stack the battery cells on the first welding strip group according to the battery cell position information obtained from the battery cell supply mechanism.

[0029] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a second loading platform, which is used to carry tooling; the first conveying mechanism is also used to pick up the tooling from the second loading platform and place it on the second welding ribbon group at the first loading station to press the second welding ribbon group onto the battery cell.

[0030] By setting up a second carrying platform, the supply of tooling is realized, so that the first transport mechanism can pick up the tooling from the second carrying platform and place the tooling on the second welding ribbon group at the first loading station, ensuring that the second welding ribbon group can be pressed against the upper surface of the battery cell, avoiding misalignment of the second welding ribbon group and the battery cell during the movement of the welding carrying mechanism.

[0031] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a third conveying mechanism and a second movable module, wherein: a tool unloading station is also provided on the moving path of the welding supporting mechanism, between the welding station and the first unloading station; the second supporting platform is provided on one side of the welding supporting mechanism and installed on the driving end of the second movable module, and the second movable module is used to drive the second supporting platform to reciprocate and translate along the first horizontal direction; the first conveying mechanism is used to pick up tooling from the second supporting platform moved to the side of the first loading station; the third conveying mechanism is provided at the tool unloading station, and the third conveying mechanism is used to remove the tooling from the welding supporting mechanism when the welding supporting mechanism moves from the welding station to the tool unloading station, and put the removed tooling back on the second supporting platform moved to the side of the tool unloading station; the second supporting platform returns to the side of the first loading station after receiving the tooling returned by the third conveying mechanism.

[0032] It can be seen that by controlling the second carrying platform to move back and forth between the side of the first loading station and the side of the tooling unloading station, the caching and recycling of the tooling is achieved.

[0033] In some embodiments, a heating element is disposed in the second carrier, and the heating element is used to preheat the tooling carried on the tooling buffer table.

[0034] After the preheated tooling is pressed onto the second welding ribbon group, the second welding ribbon group and the battery cell can be heated, thereby shortening the welding time of the welding mechanism and improving the welding efficiency.

[0035] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device includes a tooling adjustment portion disposed on a moving path of the second carrier platform, and the tooling adjustment portion is used to adjust the position of the tooling placed back on the second carrier platform by the third transport mechanism.

[0036] The tooling regularization part arranged on the moving path of the second carrier is used to realize the position correction of the tooling placed back on the second carrier. It is ensured that after the second carrier moves to the side of the first loading station, the first handling mechanism can smoothly pick up the tooling from the second carrier and ensure that the tooling is accurately pressed and placed on the second welding ribbon group.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first transport mechanism includes a driving part, a first picking part and a second picking part, wherein: the first picking part and the second picking part are both installed at the driving end of the driving part; the driving part is used to drive the first picking part to pick up the battery cells from the battery cell supply mechanism, and stack the picked up battery cells on the first welding ribbon group; the driving part is also used to drive the second picking part to pick up the tooling from the second supporting platform, and to drive the second picking part to press the picked up tooling onto the second welding ribbon group.

[0038] By installing the first picking part and the second picking part together on the driving end of the driving part, the picking and placement of the battery cell and the picking and placement of the tooling are all driven by one driving part, which has a compact structure and reduces the cost of the battery cell welding device of the present application.

[0039] In some embodiments, the welding supporting mechanism includes a third movable module and a third supporting platform, wherein the third supporting platform is connected to the movable part of the third movable module, the third supporting platform is provided with adsorption holes for adsorbing battery cells, the first welding ribbon group, the battery cell and the second welding ribbon group are carried on the third supporting platform, and the third movable module is used to drive the third supporting platform to move back and forth.

[0040] A welding carrying mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which realizes the carrying and conveying of a first welding ribbon group, a battery cell and a second welding ribbon group, so that the stacked first welding ribbon group, the battery cell and the second welding ribbon group are conveyed to a welding station and a first unloading station in sequence.

[0041] In some embodiments, the solder tape laying mechanism includes a solder tape unloading portion, a solder tape pulling portion, a flux coating portion, a solder tape pressing portion and a solder tape cutting portion, wherein: the solder tape unloading portion is configured to provide multiple solder tapes; the solder tape pulling portion is configured to clamp the end of the solder tape, and pull the solder tape so that the solder tape passes through the flux coating portion, the solder tape pressing portion and the solder tape cutting portion in sequence; the flux coating portion is configured to apply flux to the solder tape; the solder tape pressing portion is configured to press the solder tape, and the solder tape cutting portion is configured to cut the pressed solder tape to obtain a first solder tape group or a second solder tape group; the solder tape pulling portion is also used to lay the first solder tape group onto the welding supporting mechanism, or to stack the second solder tape group onto the battery cell.

[0042] Through the cooperation of the solder ribbon unloading part, the solder ribbon pulling part, the flux coating part, the solder ribbon pressing part and the solder ribbon cutting part, the solder ribbon laying mechanism realizes the automatic preparation of the first solder ribbon group and the second solder ribbon group, and realizes the automatic laying of the first solder ribbon group and the second solder ribbon group.

[0043] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a battery cell receiving mechanism, which is arranged on the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism and is located behind the glue application mechanism; the battery cell receiving mechanism includes a lifting part, a docking conveying part and a basket conveying part, wherein: the basket conveying part is arranged at the output end of the battery cell transfer mechanism; the docking conveying part is connected to the movable part of the lifting part; the lifting part is configured to drive the docking conveying part to descend to the basket changing station so that the docking conveying part and the basket conveying part dock; the basket conveying part is used to transport the empty basket to the docking conveying part or receive the full basket full of battery cells output by the docking conveying part; the lifting part is also configured to drive the docking conveying part to rise to the cell receiving station, the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to extend into the empty basket located on the docking conveying part and insert the battery cells into the slots of the empty basket, and the lifting part is also configured to drive the docking conveying part to rise or fall, so that the battery cell transfer mechanism inserts the battery cells into the remaining slots of the empty basket in sequence.

[0044] Through the cooperation of the lifting part, the docking conveying part and the basket conveying part, the battery cell receiving mechanism can stack the battery cells that have been glued and output by the battery cell transfer mechanism into the basket in sequence, and the battery cell receiving mechanism can automatically realize the basket changing operation to improve the receiving efficiency.

[0045] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a detection mechanism and an NG material box; the detection mechanism and the NG material box are arranged on the moving path of the second conveying mechanism; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cells that have completed gluing back to the second loading station, and the second conveying mechanism is also used to remove the battery cells that have completed gluing from the battery cell transfer mechanism and transport them to the detection mechanism; the detection mechanism is used to perform quality inspection on the battery cells; the second conveying mechanism is also used to transport the battery cells that have passed the inspection to the battery cell transfer mechanism located at the second loading station, and to transport the battery cells that have failed the inspection to the NG material box; the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cells that have passed the inspection to the battery cell receiving mechanism.

[0046] By setting up the detection mechanism and NG material box, the inspection and classified collection of the battery cells that have been glued can be achieved. The qualified battery cells are collected into the battery cell collecting mechanism and can be supplied to multiple battery string repair machines in the subsequent process; the unqualified battery cells are collected into the NG material box.

[0047] In some embodiments, the battery cell welding device also includes a suction mechanism arranged above the NG material box, the suction mechanism includes a rotation drive unit and a suction unit, the suction unit is installed at the driving end of the rotation drive unit, and the rotation drive unit is used to drive the suction unit to rotate vertically; when the suction unit rotates to the adsorption surface facing upward, it adsorbs the battery cells that fail the inspection on the second conveying mechanism, and when the suction unit rotates to the adsorption surface facing downward, it releases the adsorbed battery cells into the NG material box.

[0048] In some application scenarios, it is only necessary to weld the solder ribbon assembly to the battery cell without the need for glue application. Therefore, after the second handling mechanism picks up the battery cell with the solder ribbon welded from the welding carrier mechanism, it directly transfers the battery cell to the inspection mechanism for inspection. For the battery cells that fail the inspection, the second handling mechanism needs to place them in the NG material box. However, the temperature of the welded battery cell is very high and it is easy to be stuck to the picking-up part (such as the suction cup) of the second handling mechanism, and it is difficult for the second handling mechanism to release the battery cell directly into the NG material box. By setting up a suction mechanism, the battery cell can be sucked off from the second handling mechanism and released into the NG material box.

[0049] In some embodiments, the detection mechanism includes at least one of an EL detection unit and an appearance detection unit, wherein the EL detection unit is used to perform EL detection on the battery cell, and the appearance detection unit is used to perform appearance detection on the battery cell.

[0050] By setting up the detection mechanism, the detection mechanism can realize the detection of cold solder joints, internal defects and appearance defects of battery cells. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell welding device in an embodiment of the present application at a first viewing angle;

[0052] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of area A;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell welding device in an embodiment of the present application at a second viewing angle;

[0054] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A local enlarged view of area B;

[0055] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application at a third viewing angle;

[0056] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A local enlarged view of the C region;

[0057] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A local enlarged view of the D region;

[0058] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second carrying platform, the second moving module and the tooling regularization part in the embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Fig. 9It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell transfer mechanism, the flipping mechanism and the arranging mechanism in the embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Fig.10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first transport mechanism in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figures 1 to 10 Included:

[0062] Cell supply mechanism 1: conveying mechanism 11, transfer mechanism 12, positioning mechanism 13, positioning platform 131, positioning camera 132;

[0063] The solder strip laying mechanism 2 includes a solder strip feeding part 21, a solder strip pulling part 22, a solder flux coating part 23, a solder strip pressing part 24, and a solder strip cutting part 25;

[0064] The first transport mechanism 3 includes a driving unit 31, a first picking unit 32, and a second picking unit 33;

[0065] Welding bearing mechanism 4;

[0066] Welding mechanism 5;

[0067] The second transport mechanism 6;

[0068] Cell transfer mechanism 7: first moving module 71, first carrying platform 72, telescopic driving member 73;

[0069] Glue application mechanism 8;

[0070] Flipping mechanism 9: flipping part 91, pick-and-place part 92, flip driving module 911, flip plate 912, moving module 921, adsorption plate 922;

[0071] Curing mechanism 10;

[0072] Glue application detection mechanism 110;

[0073] Regularization mechanism 120;

[0074] A second carrying platform 130;

[0075] A second mobile module 140;

[0076] A third transport mechanism 150;

[0077] Tooling and regularization department 160;

[0078] Cell receiving mechanism 170: lifting part 171, docking conveying part 172, basket conveying part 173, upper basket conveying part 1731, lower basket conveying part 1732;

[0079] Testing agency 180;

[0080] NG material box 190;

[0081] Suction mechanism 200. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0083] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application includes a cell supply mechanism 1, a welding ribbon laying mechanism 2, a first conveying mechanism 3, a welding carrying mechanism 4, a welding mechanism 5, a second conveying mechanism 6, a cell transfer mechanism 7 and a glue application mechanism 8, wherein:

[0084] The welding support mechanism 4 is configured to be arranged along a first horizontal direction (eg Figure 1 The welding support mechanism 4 reciprocates and translates (in the X-axis direction), and a first loading station E, a welding station F and a first unloading station G are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the welding support mechanism 4.

[0085] The welding ribbon laying mechanism 2 is used to lay the first welding ribbon group on the welding support mechanism 4 located at the first loading station E. The first handling mechanism 3 is used to pick up the battery cells from the battery cell supply mechanism 1 and stack the picked-up battery cells on the first welding ribbon group. The welding ribbon laying mechanism 2 is also used to stack the second welding ribbon group on the battery cells.

[0086] The welding mechanism 5 is disposed at the welding station F. The welding mechanism 5 is used to weld the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group on the welding carrier mechanism 4 to the battery cell when the welding carrier mechanism 4 moves to the welding station F.

[0087] The second transport mechanism 6 is disposed at the first unloading station G. The second transport mechanism 6 is used to pick up the welded battery cells from the welding carrier mechanism 4 when the welding carrier mechanism 4 moves to the first unloading station G.

[0088] The cell transfer mechanism 7 is configured to reciprocate and translate along a second horizontal direction, which is parallel to or intersects with the first horizontal direction. Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the second horizontal direction is parallel to the first horizontal direction and is on a different straight line. This arrangement can shorten the length of the battery cell welding device of the present application, making the structure of the battery cell welding device of the present application more compact. Of course, the second horizontal direction and the first horizontal direction can also be on the same straight line.

[0089] The second loading station H and the gluing station K are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism 7 .

[0090] The second transport mechanism 6 is also used to place the picked-up welded battery cells onto the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 located at the second loading station H.

[0091] The glue applying mechanism 8 is disposed at the glue applying station K. The glue applying mechanism 8 is used to apply glue to the battery cell when the battery cell conveying mechanism 7 moves to the glue applying station K, so that the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group are bonded to the battery cell.

[0092] The first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group each include a plurality of welding ribbons arranged at intervals and extending along a first horizontal direction. Usually, the number of welding ribbons in the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group is the same, the number of welding ribbons in the first welding ribbon group is equal to the number of welding ribbons connected to the lower surface of the defective battery cell in the battery string to be repaired, and the number of welding ribbons in the second welding ribbon group is equal to the number of welding ribbons connected to the upper surface of the defective battery cell in the battery string to be repaired.

[0093] The soldering strip is a copper strip with a coating, wherein the coating may be a tin coating layer, a SnBiAg (tin-bismuth-silver) alloy layer, or other metal layers or alloy layers.

[0094] The working process of the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0095] Firstly, the welding support mechanism 4 moves to the first loading station E.

[0096] The welding ribbon laying mechanism 2 lays the first welding ribbon group on the welding carrier mechanism 4. Then, the first transport mechanism 3 picks up the battery cell from the battery cell supply mechanism 1 and stacks the picked-up battery cell on the first welding ribbon group. Then, the welding ribbon laying mechanism 2 stacks the second welding ribbon group on the battery cell.

[0097] Next, the welding carrier mechanism 4 transports the stacked first welding ribbon group, the battery cell and the second welding ribbon group to the welding station F. The welding mechanism 4 welds the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group to the battery cell.

[0098] The welding carrier mechanism 4 continues to transport the battery cells with welded ribbons to the first unloading station G, and the second transport mechanism 6 picks up the welded battery cells from the welding carrier mechanism 4, and places the picked-up welded battery cells on the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 moved to the second loading station H. At the same time, the welding carrier mechanism 4 returns to the first loading station E again, ready to receive the next first welding ribbon group, battery cells and second welding ribbon group.

[0099] The battery cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the welded battery cell to the glue application station K, and the glue application mechanism 8 completes the glue application on the battery cell.

[0100] The battery cell welding device provided in the embodiment of the present application can automatically weld the welding ribbon group to the two surfaces of the battery cell, and automatically apply glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell, thereby realizing the automatic preparation of replacement battery cells required for the repair of the main gridless battery string. The present application improves the preparation efficiency of replacement battery cells.

[0101] According to the position of the defective battery cell to be replaced in the battery string to be repaired (the head, middle or end of the string), the corresponding replacement battery cell is divided into the head replacement battery cell, the middle replacement battery cell and the tail replacement battery cell. The solder ribbon group on the three types of replacement battery cells may need to extend out of the battery cell, or may not need to extend out of the battery cell, and the length of the extended battery cell may not be the same. In order to meet the feeding requirements of the three types of replacement battery cells, the replacement battery cells prepared by the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application have solder ribbon groups on the upper and lower surfaces extending out of the battery cell with a uniform length. When the later stage implements the formal replacement and repair, the solder ribbon group on the replacement battery cell prepared by the device can be sheared as needed.

[0102] Optionally, the first handling mechanism 3 stacks the picked-up battery cell onto the first welding tape group, so that the first end of the first welding tape group extends outward toward the first side of the battery cell, and the second end of the first welding tape group is located below the battery cell and does not extend out of the battery cell. The welding tape laying mechanism 2 stacks the second welding tape group onto the battery cell, so that the first end of the second welding tape group is located above the battery cell and does not extend out of the battery cell, and the second end of the second welding tape group extends outward toward the second side of the battery cell. In this way, it can be ensured that one end of the first welding tape group and the second welding tape group welded to both sides of the battery cell extend outward from the first side and the second side of the battery cell, respectively. When the battery cell is subsequently supplied as a replacement battery cell to a later repair machine, at least one of the first welding tape group and the second welding tape group can be sheared according to the type of specific replacement battery cell required, so that the battery cell is sheared into the required head replacement battery cell, middle replacement battery cell or tail replacement battery cell.

[0103] Of course, the solder ribbon laying mechanism in the battery cell welding device of the present application can also be controlled to stack the first solder ribbon group and the second solder ribbon group that meet the above-mentioned length requirements on the upper and lower surfaces of the battery cell according to the length requirements of the first solder ribbon group and the second solder ribbon group in the head replacement battery cell, the middle replacement battery cell or the tail replacement battery cell, thereby preparing the head replacement battery cell, the middle replacement battery cell or the tail replacement battery cell that can be directly supplied to the rework machine.

[0104] Figures 1 to 5In the illustrated embodiment, the cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a flipping mechanism 9 arranged on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism 7, and the flipping mechanism 9 is arranged in front of the glue applying mechanism 8. After the second transport mechanism 6 places the cell that has completed welding on the cell transfer mechanism 7 that has moved to the second loading station H, the cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the cell to the glue applying station K, and the glue applying mechanism 8 applies glue to the second welding ribbon group welded on the first surface of the cell. The cell transfer mechanism 6 transfers the cell that has completed the glue application on the first surface back to the flipping mechanism 9, and the flipping mechanism 9 flips the cell that has completed the glue application on the first surface on the cell transfer mechanism 7 by 180°, so that the second surface of the cell faces upward. The cell transfer mechanism 7 again transfers the flipped cell to the glue applying station K, and the glue applying mechanism 8 applies glue to the first welding ribbon group welded on the second surface of the cell.

[0105] By setting up the flipping mechanism 9, the flipping of the battery cell during the gluing process is achieved. Therefore, only one gluing mechanism 8 is required to successively complete the gluing of the welding ribbon groups welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell, thereby reducing the gluing cost. In addition, the length of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 is shortened, saving the installation space of the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0106] The glue applying mechanism 8 can be a screen printing glue mechanism, and the mesh arrangement of the screen printing screen of the screen printing glue mechanism is consistent with the preset glue point arrangement on the battery cell. The screen printing glue mechanism is used to apply glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell by screen printing, which greatly improves the glue application efficiency. In addition, the glue applying mechanism 8 can also be a glue dispensing mechanism, which applies glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the surface of the battery cell through a plurality of glue dispensing heads arranged in a row.

[0107] Optionally, a curing station and a glue application detection station are further provided on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism 7, after the glue application station. Correspondingly, the cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a curing mechanism 10 and a glue application detection mechanism 110, wherein the curing mechanism 10 is provided at the curing station, and is used to cure the glue applied on the first surface or the second surface of the cell. The glue application detection mechanism 110 is provided at the glue application detection station, and the glue application detection mechanism 110 is used to detect the glue application quality of the first surface or the second surface of the cell.

[0108] The cell transfer mechanism 7, the glue application mechanism 8, the flip mechanism 9, the curing mechanism 10 and the glue application detection mechanism 110 cooperate with each other to implement the glue application, curing and glue application quality detection on the two surfaces of the cell. The specific process is as follows:

[0109] The second transport mechanism 6 places the welded battery cell onto the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 which moves to the second loading station H.

[0110] The cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the cell to the glue application station K, the curing station and the inspection station in sequence. When the cell arrives at the glue application station K, the glue application mechanism 8 completes the glue application on the second welding ribbon group welded on the first surface of the cell. When the cell arrives at the curing station, the curing mechanism 10 cures the glue applied on the first surface of the cell. When the cell arrives at the inspection station, the glue application inspection mechanism 110 completes the glue application quality inspection on the first surface of the cell.

[0111] Subsequently, the cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the cell back to the flipping mechanism 9 , and the flipping mechanism 9 flips the cell on the cell transfer mechanism 7 , on which the glue application on the first surface is completed, by 180°, so that the second surface of the cell faces upward.

[0112] Next, the cell transfer mechanism 7 again transfers the cell to the glue application station K, the curing station and the inspection station in sequence. When the cell arrives at the glue application station K, the glue application mechanism 8 completes the glue application on the first welding ribbon group welded on the second surface of the cell. When the cell arrives at the curing station, the curing mechanism 10 cures the glue applied on the second surface of the cell. When the cell arrives at the inspection station, the glue application inspection mechanism 110 completes the glue application quality inspection on the second surface of the cell.

[0113] By setting the curing mechanism 10, the glue applied on the surface of the cell is quickly cured, thereby ensuring the work rhythm of each processing station in the subsequent process. By setting the glue detection mechanism 110, the automatic detection of the glue quality of the cell is achieved.

[0114] According to different process requirements, the glue applied to the surface of the cell can be UV glue, hot melt glue, etc. When the glue is UV glue, the curing mechanism 10 is a UV light box that can emit UV light, and the UV glue on the cell is cured after being irradiated by the UV light box. When the glue is hot melt glue, the curing mechanism 10 can be an infrared heating light box or a hot air heater, etc.

[0115] Optionally, the glue application detection mechanism 110 may be a PL detection mechanism or a CCD visual detection mechanism.

[0116] like Figure 7 and Fig. 9 As shown, optionally, the flip mechanism 9 includes a flip part 91 and a pick-and-place part 92, wherein: the flip part 91 is used to absorb the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 that has completed the first surface glue application, and flip the battery cell on the first surface glue application by 180° so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward. The pick-and-place part 92 is used to absorb the flipped battery cell from the flip part 91, and put the flipped battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism 7.

[0117] like Fig. 9As shown, optionally, the flip part 91 includes a flip drive module 911 and a flip plate 912, wherein one end of the flip plate 912 is connected to the driving end of the flip drive module 911, and one of the surfaces of the flip plate 912 is an adsorption surface. After the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the battery cell to the flip mechanism 9, the flip drive module 911 drives the flip plate 912 to flip toward the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, so that the adsorption surface of the flip plate 912 faces the battery cell, thereby adsorbing the battery cell. Subsequently, the flip drive module 911 drives the flip plate to flip 180° away from the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward.

[0118] Optionally, the pick-and-place unit 92 includes a moving module 921 and an adsorption plate 922. After the flip unit 91 completes flipping the battery cell, the moving module 921 drives the adsorption plate 922 to move above the battery cell so that the adsorption plate 922 can adsorb the battery cell. Subsequently, the moving module 921 drives the adsorption plate 922 to move above the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, and the adsorption plate 922 releases the battery cell and puts the battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism 7.

[0119] Optionally, suction cups or suction holes for adsorbing the battery cells are provided on the flip plate 912 and the adsorption plate 922 .

[0120] When the placement unit 92 is placing or picking up the battery cell, and when the flip unit 91 is flipping the battery cell, it is inevitable that the battery cell will be displaced. Fig. 9 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application also includes a tidying mechanism 120 relatively arranged on both sides of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, and after the pick-up and placement portion 92 puts the flipped battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, the tidying mechanism 120 is used to correct the position of the flipped battery cell carried on the battery cell transfer mechanism 7.

[0121] The aligning mechanism 120, for example, includes aligning plates or aligning wheels arranged in pairs on both sides of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism 7. When the battery cell is moved between the aligning plates or aligning wheels on both sides by the battery cell transfer mechanism 7, the aligning plates or aligning wheels on both sides move closer to the middle, thereby correcting the position of the battery cell.

[0122] like Fig. 9 As shown, optionally, the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 includes a first movable module 71 and a first supporting platform 72, wherein the first supporting platform 72 is connected to the movable part of the first movable module 71, the first supporting platform 72 is used to carry and adsorb the battery cells, and the first movable module 71 is used to drive the first supporting platform 72 to move back and forth.

[0123] The first movable module 71 can adopt various existing linear drive modules, such as a synchronous belt drive module composed of a motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt and a slide rail, or a linear module composed of a motor, a screw, a screw nut, etc., as long as it can drive the first support platform 72 to reciprocate and translate between different workstations.

[0124] In another embodiment, the gluing station includes a first gluing station and a second gluing station arranged along the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism 7, and a flipping station is arranged between the first gluing station and the second gluing station. Correspondingly, the cell welding device in this embodiment also includes a flipping mechanism arranged at the flipping station, and the gluing mechanism 8 includes a first gluing part arranged at the first gluing station and a second gluing part arranged at the second gluing station.

[0125] After the second transport mechanism 6 places the battery cell that has completed welding on the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 that has moved to the second loading station. The battery cell transfer mechanism 7 is transferred to the first gluing station, the flipping station and the second gluing station in sequence. Among them, when the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 moves to the first gluing station, the first gluing unit completes the gluing of the second welding ribbon group welded on the first surface of the battery cell. When the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 moves to the flipping station, the flipping mechanism flips the battery cell on the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 that has completed the gluing of the first surface by 180°, so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward. When the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 moves to the second gluing station, the second gluing unit completes the gluing of the first welding ribbon group on the second surface of the welded battery cell.

[0126] With such arrangement, the cell transfer mechanism 7 does not need to turn back during the gluing process. It only needs to drive the cell to move a stroke in one direction. The gluing mechanism and the flipping mechanism can cooperate with each other to continuously complete the gluing operation on the first surface and the second surface of the cell, thereby improving the gluing efficiency of the cell.

[0127] Optionally, the first glue application unit and the second glue application unit have the same structure, and both can be screen printing glue mechanisms, and the mesh arrangement of the screen printing screen of the screen printing glue mechanism is consistent with the preset glue point arrangement on the battery cell. The screen printing glue mechanism is used to apply glue to the welding ribbon group on the two surfaces of the battery cell by screen printing, which greatly improves the glue application efficiency. In addition, the first glue application unit and the second glue application unit can also be glue dispensing mechanisms, which apply glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the surface of the battery cell through a plurality of glue dispensing heads arranged in a row.

[0128] In order to achieve rapid curing of the glue applied to the surface of the battery cell and to achieve automatic detection of the glue quality of the battery cell, optionally, a first curing station and a first detection station are sequentially arranged between the first gluing station and the flipping station, and a second curing station and a second detection station are arranged after the second gluing station. Correspondingly, a first curing mechanism is arranged at the first curing station, and a first detection mechanism is arranged at the first detection station, wherein the first curing mechanism is used to cure the glue applied to the first surface of the battery cell, and the first detection mechanism is used to detect the glue quality of the first surface of the battery cell. Similarly, a second curing mechanism is arranged at the second curing station, and a second detection mechanism is arranged at the second detection station, wherein the second curing mechanism is used to cure the glue applied to the second surface of the battery cell, and the second detection mechanism is used to detect the glue quality of the second surface of the battery cell.

[0129] According to different process requirements, the adhesive applied to the surface of the cell can be UV adhesive, hot melt adhesive, etc. When the adhesive is UV adhesive, the first curing mechanism and the second curing mechanism are UV light boxes that can emit UV light, and the UV adhesive on the cell is cured after being irradiated by the UV light box. When the adhesive is hot melt adhesive, the first curing mechanism and the second curing mechanism can be infrared heating light boxes, hot air heaters, etc.

[0130] Optionally, the first detection mechanism and the second detection mechanism may be a PL detection mechanism or a CCD visual detection mechanism.

[0131] like Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, optionally, the battery cell supply mechanism 1 includes a conveying mechanism 11, a transfer mechanism 12 and a positioning mechanism 13, wherein: the conveying mechanism 11 is arranged on one side of the welding carrier mechanism 4, and is used to convey the material box containing the battery cells toward the positioning mechanism 13. The transfer mechanism 12 is located between the conveying mechanism 11 and the positioning mechanism 13, and the transfer mechanism 12 is used to pick up the battery cells from the material box and transfer the picked battery cells to the positioning mechanism 13. The positioning mechanism 13 is configured to position the battery cells to obtain the position information of the battery cells.

[0132] The first transport mechanism 3 is used to pick up the positioned battery cells from the positioning mechanism 13, and stack the picked battery cells on the first welding tape group according to the position information of the battery cells, so as to achieve accurate stacking of the battery cells and ultimately ensure the position accuracy of each welding tape in the first welding tape group relative to the battery cells.

[0133] The conveying mechanism 11 may be, for example, a belt conveying mechanism, a roller conveying mechanism, or any other existing linear conveying mechanism. The transfer mechanism 12 may be, for example, a suction cup group driven by a robot arm or an XZ module.

[0134] like Figure 2As shown, optionally, the positioning mechanism 13 includes a positioning platform 131 and a positioning camera 132 disposed above the positioning platform 131, wherein the positioning platform 131 is used to carry the battery cells transported by the transport mechanism 12. The positioning camera 132 is used to implement the camera positioning of the battery cells located on the positioning platform 131.

[0135] Optionally, the positioning camera 132 is connected to the PLC controller. After the positioning camera 132 takes a picture of the battery cell on the positioning platform 131, the image of the battery cell is sent to the PLC controller. The PLC controller performs image analysis (such as grayscale value analysis) on the image to implement positioning of the battery cell.

[0136] like Figure 1 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a second carrier 130, and the second carrier 130 is used to carry the tooling. The first transport mechanism 3 is also used to pick up the tooling from the second carrier 130 and place it on the second welding ribbon group at the first loading station, so as to press the second welding ribbon group onto the battery cell.

[0137] The second carrying platform 130 realizes the supply of tooling, so that the first transport mechanism 3 can pick up the tooling and place the tooling on the second welding ribbon group at the first loading station, thereby ensuring that the second welding ribbon group can be pressed against the upper surface of the battery cell and preventing the second welding ribbon group from deviating from the battery cell when the welding carrying mechanism 4 moves.

[0138] like Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a third transport mechanism 150 and a second movable module 140, wherein: a tool unloading station is also provided on the moving path of the welding bearing mechanism 4, between the welding station and the first unloading station. The second carrier 130 is provided on one side of the welding bearing mechanism 4 and is installed at the driving end of the second movable module 140, and the second movable module 140 is used to drive the second carrier 130 to reciprocate along the first horizontal direction. The first transport mechanism 3 is used to pick up tooling from the second carrier 130 moved to the side of the first loading station. The third transport mechanism 150 is provided at the tool unloading station, and the third transport mechanism 150 is used to remove the tooling from the welding bearing mechanism 4 when the welding bearing mechanism moves from the welding station to the tool unloading station, and to put the removed tooling 4 back on the second carrier 130 moved to the side of the tool unloading station. After receiving the tooling put back by the third transport mechanism 150 , the second loading platform 130 returns to the side of the first loading station for next use.

[0139] It can be seen that by controlling the second carrying platform 130 to move back and forth between the side of the first loading station and the side of the tooling unloading station, the caching and recycling of the tooling is achieved.

[0140] The second moving module 140 can be any type of linear module, such as a linear module composed of a motor, a screw, and a screw nut, as long as it can drive the second carrier 130 to move back and forth between different stations. The third transport mechanism 150 can be, for example, a magnetic suction component or a suction cup component driven by a robot arm.

[0141] Optionally, a heating element is provided in the second carrier 130, and the heating element is used to preheat the tooling cached on the tooling cache table 8. After the preheated tooling is pressed onto the second welding ribbon group, the second welding ribbon group and the battery cell can be heated, thereby shortening the welding time of the welding mechanism 5 and improving the welding efficiency.

[0142] like Figure 8 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application includes a tooling adjustment section 160 arranged on the moving path of the second carrier platform 130, and the tooling adjustment section 160 is used to adjust the position of the tooling placed back on the second carrier platform 130 by the third conveying mechanism, to ensure that after the second carrier platform 130 returns to the side of the first loading station, the first conveying mechanism 3 can smoothly pick up the tooling from the second carrier platform 130, and ensure that the tooling is accurately pressed onto the second welding ribbon group.

[0143] like Fig.10 As shown, optionally, the first transport mechanism 3 includes a driving unit 31, a first picking unit 32 and a second picking unit 33, wherein: the first picking unit 32 and the second picking unit 33 are both installed at the driving end of the driving unit 31. The driving unit 31 is used to drive the first picking unit 32 to pick up the battery cell from the battery cell supply mechanism 1, and to stack the picked battery cell on the first welding ribbon group. The driving unit 31 is also used to drive the second picking unit 32 to pick up the tooling from the second carrier 130, and to drive the second picking unit 32 to press the picked tooling onto the second welding ribbon group.

[0144] Optionally, the first picking portion 32 includes a plurality of suction cups, and uses the suction force of the suction cups to pick up the battery cells; the second picking portion 33 includes a plurality of magnets, and uses the magnets to adsorb the frame of the tooling to pick up the tooling.

[0145] Optionally, the welding bearing mechanism 4 includes a third movable module and a third bearing platform, wherein the third bearing platform is connected to the movable part of the third movable module, the third bearing platform is provided with an adsorption hole for adsorbing the battery cell, the first welding ribbon group, the battery cell and the second welding ribbon group are carried on the third bearing platform, and the third movable module is used to drive the third bearing platform to move back and forth. The battery cell stacked on the first welding ribbon group is adsorbed through the adsorption hole, which ensures that the first welding ribbon group can be closely attached to the lower surface of the battery cell, and prevents the first welding ribbon group from deviating from the battery cell when the welding bearing mechanism 4 moves.

[0146] The third moving module can adopt various types of linear modules, such as a linear module composed of a motor, a lead screw, and a lead screw nut, etc., as long as it can drive the third supporting platform to reciprocate and translate between different workstations.

[0147] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, optionally, the solder strip laying mechanism 2 includes a solder strip feeding portion 21, a solder strip pulling portion 22, a flux coating portion 23, a solder strip pressing portion 24 and a solder strip cutting portion 25, wherein: the solder strip feeding portion 21 is configured to provide multiple solder strips. The solder strip pulling portion 22 is configured to clamp the end of the solder strip and pull the solder strip so that the solder strip passes through the flux coating portion 23, the solder strip pressing portion 24 and the solder strip cutting portion 25 in sequence. The flux coating portion 23 is configured to apply flux to the solder strip. The solder strip pressing portion 24 is configured to press the solder strip, and the solder strip cutting portion 25 is configured to cut the pressed solder strip to obtain a first solder strip group or a second solder strip group. The solder strip pulling portion 22 is also used to lay the first solder strip group on the welding carrier mechanism 4, or to stack the second solder strip group on the battery cell.

[0148] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the solder tape discharge part 21, the solder tape traction part 22, the flux coating part 23, the solder tape clamping part 24 and the solder tape cutting part 25, the solder tape laying mechanism 2 realizes the automatic preparation of the first solder tape group and the second solder tape group, and realizes the automatic laying of the first solder tape group and the second solder tape group.

[0149] In some repair applications, in order to reduce the fragmentation rate of the battery string in the subsequent lamination process, the solder ribbon segments between adjacent battery cells in the battery string to be repaired are flat solder ribbon segments. The solder ribbons on the defective battery cells cut off in such battery strings may have flat solder ribbon segments, so the solder ribbons on the replacement battery cells used to replace the defective battery cells also need to be flattened.

[0150] Therefore, optionally, when the weld ribbon released by the weld ribbon discharge portion 21 is a circular weld ribbon with a circular cross-section, the weld ribbon laying mechanism 2 also includes a weld ribbon flattening portion, which is located between the weld ribbon clamping portion 24 and the weld ribbon cutting portion 25, and the weld ribbon flattening portion is used to extrude a weld ribbon segment with a predetermined length on the weld ribbon into a flat weld ribbon segment before the weld ribbon cutting portion 25 cuts the weld ribbon.

[0151] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, optionally, the cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a cell receiving mechanism 170, which is arranged on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism 7 and located behind the glue application mechanism 8, and the cell receiving mechanism 170 includes a lifting part 171, a docking conveying part 172 and a basket conveying part 173, wherein:

[0152] The basket conveying unit 173 is disposed at the output end of the cell transfer mechanism 7. The docking conveying unit 172 is connected to the movable part of the lifting unit 171.

[0153] The lifting part 171 is configured to drive the docking conveying part 172 to descend to the basket changing station so that the docking conveying part 172 is docked with the basket conveying part 173.

[0154] The basket conveying section 173 is used to convey an empty basket to the docking conveying section 172 or to receive a full basket filled with battery cells output by the docking conveying section 172 .

[0155] The lifting part 171 is also configured to drive the docking conveying part 172 to rise to the film receiving station, and the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 is also used to extend into the empty material basket located on the docking conveying part 172 and insert the battery cells into the slots of the empty material basket. The lifting part 171 is also configured to drive the docking conveying part 171 to rise or fall, so that the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 inserts the battery cells into the remaining slots of the empty material basket in sequence.

[0156] Optionally, the material basket includes a bottom plate and a first side plate and a second side plate arranged relatively to the bottom plate, and horizontal slots are arranged one by one in the vertical direction on the relative inner walls of the first side plate and the second side plate, and each pair of slots can accommodate a battery cell.

[0157] The optional working process of the battery cell receiving mechanism 170 in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0158] First, the lifting part 171 drives the docking conveying part 172 to descend to the basket changing station and dock with the basket conveying part 173. The basket conveying part 173 conveys an empty basket to the docking conveying part 172.

[0159] Next, the lifting unit 171 drives the docking conveying unit 172 to rise to the cell receiving station. The cell transfer mechanism 7 extends into the top space of the empty basket on the docking conveying unit 172 .

[0160] The battery cell transfer mechanism 7 inserts the battery cells into the material basket one by one. Specifically, each time a battery cell is inserted into a slot in the material basket, the lifting part 171 drives the docking conveying part 172 to rise to a predetermined height (such as the distance between two adjacent slots), so that the output end of the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 is aligned with the next slot in the material basket, ultimately ensuring that the battery cells output by the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 can be inserted into the material basket in sequence until all the slots in the material basket are filled with battery cells.

[0161] When the basket is full of cells, the cell transfer mechanism 7 withdraws the basket to lift and dodge the basket. The lifting unit 171 drives the docking conveyor 172 to descend to the basket replacement station, so that the docking conveyor 172 docks with the basket conveyor 173 again.

[0162] Next, the docking conveyor section 172 conveys the full basket filled with battery cells to the basket conveyor section 173 , and receives an empty basket from the basket conveyor section 173 .

[0163] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the lifting part 171, the docking conveying part 172 and the basket conveying part 173, the battery cell collecting mechanism 170 can stack the battery cells that have completed glue application output by the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 into the basket in sequence, and enable the battery cell collecting mechanism to automatically realize the basket changing operation to improve the collecting efficiency.

[0164] As mentioned above, Fig. 9 The cell transfer mechanism 7 in the illustrated embodiment includes a first movable module 71 and a first carrier 72, wherein the first carrier 72 is connected to the movable part of the first movable module 71, the first carrier 72 is used to carry and adsorb the cell, and the first movable module 71 is used to drive the first carrier 72 to move back and forth so that the first carrier 72 can switch between different workstations. In order to enable the first carrier 72 to be inserted into the material basket, the cell transfer mechanism 7 optionally also includes a telescopic drive member 73, and the first carrier 72 is connected to the driving end of the first movable module 71 via the telescopic drive member 73. When the output end of the cell transfer mechanism 7 is aligned with a slot in the material basket, the telescopic drive member 73 can drive the first carrier 72 to be inserted into the material basket.

[0165] Optionally, the basket conveyor 173 includes an upper basket conveyor 1731 and a lower basket conveyor 1732 arranged side by side at the same height. The battery cell receiving mechanism 170 also includes a translation drive unit, and the lifting unit 171 is connected to the movable part of the translation drive unit. The translation drive unit is used to drive the docking conveyor 172 located at the basket changing station to translate so that the docking conveyor 172 docks with the upper basket conveyor 1731 or the lower basket conveyor 1732. When the docking conveyor 172 docks with the upper basket conveyor 1731, the upper basket conveyor 1731 transports the empty basket to the docking conveyor 172. When the docking conveyor 172 docks with the lower basket conveyor 1732, the docking conveyor 172 transports the full basket full of battery cells to the lower basket conveyor 1732, and the lower basket conveyor 1732 transports the full basket to the basket unloading station in the back channel.

[0166] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a detection mechanism 180 and an NG material box 190. The detection mechanism 180 and the NG material box 190 are arranged on the moving path of the second conveying mechanism 6.

[0167] Optionally, the cell transfer mechanism 7 is also used to transfer the cell after glue application back to the second loading station H, and the second handling mechanism 6 is also used to take the cell after glue application from the cell transfer mechanism 7 and transfer it to the inspection mechanism 180. The inspection mechanism 180 is used to perform quality inspection on the cell.

[0168] After the quality inspection of the battery cell is completed, if the battery cell is a qualified battery cell, the second transport mechanism 6 will transport it to the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 located at the second loading station H, and the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 will transfer the qualified battery cell to the battery cell receiving mechanism 170.

[0169] In order to detect unqualified battery cells, the second transport mechanism 6 transports them to the NG material box.

[0170] It can be seen that by setting up the detection mechanism 180 and the cell receiving mechanism 170, the cell after glue application is detected, ensuring that the cells received by the cell receiving mechanism 170 are all qualified cells. The qualified cells collected by the cell receiving mechanism can be supplied to multiple battery string repair machines in the back-end.

[0171] It should be noted that the cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application can also only perform welding on the cell, that is, only weld the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group to the cell, without the need to perform gluing on the cell. In this case, the second transport mechanism 6 can optionally transfer the cell directly to the inspection mechanism 180 after picking up the cell with the welding ribbon welded from the welding support mechanism 4.

[0172] After the inspection mechanism 180 completes the inspection of the battery cell, if the battery cell is a qualified battery cell, the second transport mechanism 6 transports it to the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 located at the second loading station H, and the battery cell transfer mechanism 7 transfers the qualified battery cell and stores it in the battery cell receiving mechanism 170. During the transfer process, the glue application mechanism 8 does not perform the glue application action. If the battery cell is an unqualified battery cell, the second transport mechanism 6 transports it to the NG material box 190.

[0173] Since the temperature of the battery cell after welding the welding ribbon group is very high, it is easy to be stuck by the suction part (such as the suction cup) of the second conveying mechanism 6, so it is difficult for the second conveying mechanism 6 to directly release the battery cell into the NG material box 190. In order to solve this problem, Figure 1 As shown, optionally, the battery cell welding device in the embodiment of the present application also includes a suction mechanism 200 arranged above the NG material box 190, the suction mechanism 200 includes a rotation drive part and a suction part, the suction part is installed at the driving end of the rotation drive part, and the rotation drive part is used to drive the suction part to rotate vertically.

[0174] When the suction part rotates to face upward, it sucks the unqualified battery cells on the second conveying mechanism 6, so that the unqualified battery cells can be smoothly separated from the second conveying mechanism 6. When the suction part rotates to face downward, it releases the sucked battery cells into the NG material box 190.

[0175] Optionally, the detection mechanism 180 includes at least one of an EL detection unit and an appearance detection unit, wherein the EL detection unit is used to perform EL detection on the battery cell, and the appearance detection unit is used to perform appearance detection on the battery cell. With such a configuration, the detection mechanism 180 can detect cold solder joints, internal defects, and appearance defects on the battery cell that has completed the soldering of the solder strip.

[0176] Optionally, the EL detection unit includes an EL power-on component and an infrared camera. The EL power-on component powers the battery cell through the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group. The infrared camera obtains an infrared image of the battery cell in the power-on state. By performing image analysis on the infrared image, the cold solder joint and internal defect detection of the battery cell can be completed. The appearance detection unit can be various types of visible light imaging cameras, which take pictures of the battery cell in the non-powered state to obtain the appearance image of the battery cell. By performing image analysis on the appearance image of the battery cell, the appearance detection of the battery cell can be completed. Optionally, the infrared camera and the visible light imaging camera send the acquired infrared image and appearance image of the battery cell to the PLC respectively, and the PLC executes the image recognition algorithm stored therein to perform cold solder joint, internal defect detection and appearance detection of the battery cell.

[0177] The present application also provides a battery cell welding method, which includes the following steps:

[0178] The welding ribbon groups are laid on the lower surface and the upper surface of the single battery cell respectively.

[0179] The battery cell with the welding ribbon group laid thereon is heated to weld the welding ribbon group to the battery cell.

[0180] Glue points are applied to the welding ribbon groups on both sides of the welded battery cell, and the glue points are cured to bond the welding ribbon group to the battery cell.

[0181] The battery cell welding method of the embodiment of the present application can automatically weld the welding ribbon group to the two surfaces of the battery cell, and automatically apply glue to the welding ribbon group welded on the two surfaces of the battery cell, thereby realizing the automatic preparation of replacement battery cells required for the repair of the main gridless battery string. The present application improves the preparation efficiency of replacement battery cells.

[0182] The battery cell welding method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by the battery cell welding device in any of the above embodiments. The more detailed implementation process can refer to the relevant description in the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0183] The present application is described in sufficient detail above with certain particularity. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the description in the embodiments is merely exemplary, and all changes made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present application should fall within the scope of protection of the present application. The scope of protection claimed in the present application is defined by the claims, rather than by the above description in the embodiments.

Claims

1. A battery cell welding device, characterized in that: The cell welding device comprises a cell supply mechanism, a welding strip laying mechanism, a first conveying mechanism, a welding bearing mechanism, a welding mechanism, a second conveying mechanism, a cell transfer mechanism and a glue applying mechanism, wherein: The welding support mechanism is configured to reciprocate and translate along a first horizontal direction, and a first loading station, a welding station and a first unloading station are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the welding support mechanism; The welding tape laying mechanism is used to lay the first welding tape group on the welding carrying mechanism located at the first loading station; the first transport mechanism is used to pick up the battery cell from the battery cell supply mechanism, and stack the picked-up battery cell on the first welding tape group; the welding tape laying mechanism is also used to stack the second welding tape group on the battery cell; The welding mechanism is disposed at the welding station, and is used to weld the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group located on the welding bearing mechanism to the battery cell when the welding bearing mechanism moves to the welding station; The second transport mechanism is arranged at the first unloading station, and the second transport mechanism is used to pick up the battery cell that has been welded from the welding carrier mechanism when the welding carrier mechanism moves to the first unloading station; The cell transfer mechanism is configured to reciprocate and translate along a second horizontal direction, the second horizontal direction is parallel to or intersects the first horizontal direction, and a second loading station and a gluing station are sequentially arranged on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism; The second transport mechanism is also used to place the picked-up welded battery cell onto the battery cell transfer mechanism located at the second loading station; The glue applying mechanism is arranged at the glue applying station, and is used for applying glue to the battery cell when the battery cell conveying mechanism moves to the glue applying station, so that the first welding ribbon group and the second welding ribbon group are bonded to the battery cell.

2. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device further comprises a flipping mechanism arranged on the moving path of the battery cell conveying mechanism, and the flipping mechanism is arranged in front of the glue applying mechanism; The battery cell transfer mechanism is used to transfer the battery cell that has been welded to the glue application station, and the glue application mechanism is used to apply glue to the second welding ribbon group welded to the first surface of the battery cell; The cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the cell on which the glue application on the first surface is completed back to the flip mechanism, and the flip mechanism is used to flip the cell on which the glue application on the first surface is completed on the cell transfer mechanism by 180° so that the second surface of the cell faces upward; The battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the flipped battery cell to the glue application station again, and the glue application mechanism is used to apply glue to the first welding ribbon group welded to the second surface of the battery cell.

3. The battery cell welding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A curing station and a gluing detection station are also provided on the moving path of the cell transfer mechanism and located after the gluing station, and the cell welding device also includes a curing mechanism and a gluing detection mechanism; The curing mechanism is arranged at the curing station, and the curing mechanism is used to cure the glue applied on the first surface or the second surface of the battery cell; the glue application detection mechanism is arranged at the glue application detection station, and the glue application detection mechanism is used to detect the glue application quality of the first surface or the second surface of the battery cell.

4. The battery cell welding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flipping mechanism comprises a flipping part and a pick-and-place part, wherein: The flipping part is used to absorb the battery cell on which the glue application on the first surface is completed on the battery cell transfer mechanism, and flip the battery cell on which the glue application on the first surface is completed by 180° so that the second surface of the battery cell faces upward; The pick-and-place unit is used to absorb the flipped battery cell from the flipping unit and put the flipped battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism.

5. The battery cell welding device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device also includes a tidying mechanism relatively arranged on both sides of the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism. After the pick-up and placement part puts the flipped battery cell back onto the battery cell transfer mechanism, the tidying mechanism is used to correct the position of the flipped battery cell carried on the battery cell transfer mechanism.

6. The battery cell welding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The battery cell transfer mechanism includes a first movable module and a first supporting platform, wherein the first supporting platform is connected to a movable part of the first movable module, the first supporting platform is used to carry and adsorb the battery cells, and the first movable module is used to drive the first supporting platform to move back and forth.

7. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glue applying station comprises a first glue applying station and a second glue applying station arranged along the moving path of the battery cell transfer mechanism, and a flipping station is further arranged between the first glue applying station and the second glue applying station; The battery cell welding device also includes a flipping mechanism arranged at the flipping station; The glue applying mechanism comprises a first glue applying part arranged at the first glue applying station and a second glue applying part arranged at the second glue applying station; The battery cell transfer mechanism is used to transfer the battery cell to the first glue application station, and the first glue application part is used to apply glue to the second welding ribbon group welded to the first surface of the battery cell; The cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the cell on which the first surface glue is applied to the flipping station, and the flipping mechanism is used to flip the cell on which the first surface glue is applied on the cell transfer mechanism by 180° so that the second surface of the cell faces upward; The battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the flipped battery cell to the second glue application station, and the second glue application station is used to apply glue to the first welding ribbon group welded to the second surface of the battery cell.

8. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell supply mechanism includes a conveying mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a positioning mechanism, wherein: The conveying mechanism is arranged on one side of the welding carrying mechanism, and is used to convey the material box containing the battery cells toward the positioning mechanism; The transfer mechanism is located between the conveying mechanism and the positioning mechanism, and is used to pick up the battery cells from the material box and transfer the picked battery cells to the positioning mechanism; The positioning mechanism is configured to position the battery cell to obtain position information of the battery cell; The first transport mechanism is used to pick up the positioned battery cells from the positioning mechanism, and stack the picked battery cells on the first welding ribbon group according to the position information of the battery cells.

9. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device further includes a second carrying platform, and the second carrying platform is used to carry the tooling; The first transport mechanism is further used to pick up the tooling from the second carrying platform and place it on the second welding ribbon group at the first loading station to press the second welding ribbon group onto the battery cell.

10. The battery cell welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device further includes a third transport mechanism and a second moving module, wherein: A tooling unloading station is also provided on the moving path of the welding carrying mechanism, between the welding station and the first unloading station; The second bearing platform is arranged at one side of the welding bearing mechanism and installed at the driving end of the second moving module, and the second moving module is used to drive the second bearing platform to reciprocate and translate along the first horizontal direction; The first transport mechanism is used to pick up tooling from the second carrying platform moved to the side of the first loading station; The third transport mechanism is arranged at the tool unloading station, and is used to remove the tool from the welding carrying mechanism when the welding carrying mechanism moves from the welding station to the tool unloading station, and put the removed tool back onto the second carrying platform moved to the side of the tool unloading station; The second carrying platform returns to the side of the first loading station after receiving the tooling put back by the third transport mechanism.

11. The battery cell welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: A heating element is disposed in the second carrying platform, and the heating element is used to preheat the tooling carried on the tooling buffer platform.

12. The battery cell welding device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device includes a tooling aligning portion disposed on a moving path of the second carrier platform, and the tooling aligning portion is used to correct the position of the tooling placed back onto the second carrier platform by the third transport mechanism.

13. The battery cell welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first transport mechanism comprises a driving part, a first picking part and a second picking part, wherein: The first pickup portion and the second pickup portion are both mounted on a driving end of the driving portion; The driving unit is used to drive the first picking unit to pick up the battery cell from the battery cell supply mechanism, and stack the picked up battery cell on the first welding ribbon group; The driving unit is further used to drive the second picking unit to pick up the tooling from the second carrying platform, and to drive the second picking unit to press the picked up tooling onto the second welding ribbon group.

14. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding supporting mechanism includes a third movable module and a third supporting platform, wherein the third supporting platform is connected to the movable part of the third movable module, the third supporting platform is provided with adsorption holes for adsorbing battery cells, the first welding ribbon group, the battery cell and the second welding ribbon group are carried on the third supporting platform, and the third movable module is used to drive the third supporting platform to move back and forth.

15. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solder strip laying mechanism includes a solder strip unloading part, a solder strip pulling part, a solder flux coating part, a solder strip pressing part and a solder strip cutting part, wherein: The solder strip discharge portion is configured to provide a plurality of solder strips; The solder strip pulling portion is configured to clamp the end of the solder strip and pull the solder strip so that the solder strip passes through the flux coating portion, the solder strip pressing portion and the solder strip cutting portion in sequence; The soldering flux coating section is configured to coat the soldering flux onto the soldering ribbon; The welding strip pressing part is configured to press the welding strip, and the welding strip cutting part is configured to cut the pressed welding strip to obtain the first welding strip group or the second welding strip group; The welding ribbon pulling part is also used to lay the first welding ribbon group on the welding supporting mechanism, or to stack the second welding ribbon group on the battery cell.

16. The battery cell welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device further comprises a battery cell receiving mechanism, which is arranged on the moving path of the battery cell conveying mechanism and is located behind the glue applying mechanism; The battery sheet receiving mechanism includes a lifting part, a docking conveying part and a basket conveying part, wherein: The basket conveying unit is arranged at the output end of the battery cell transfer mechanism; The docking conveying part is connected to the movable part of the lifting part; The lifting part is configured to drive the docking conveying part to descend to the basket changing station so that the docking conveying part docks with the basket conveying part; the basket conveying part is used to convey an empty basket to the docking conveying part or receive a full basket full of battery cells output by the docking conveying part; The lifting part is also configured to drive the docking conveying part to rise to the film receiving station, and the battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to extend into the empty material basket located on the docking conveying part and insert the battery cells into the slots of the empty material basket. The lifting part is also configured to drive the docking conveying part to rise or fall, so that the battery cell transfer mechanism inserts the battery cells into the remaining slots of the empty material basket in sequence.

17. The battery cell welding device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device also includes a detection mechanism and an NG material box; The detection mechanism and the NG material box are arranged on a moving path of the second conveying mechanism; The cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the cell that has been glued back to the second loading station, and the second transport mechanism is also used to take the cell that has been glued from the cell transfer mechanism and transfer it to the inspection mechanism; The detection mechanism is used to perform quality detection on the battery cells; The second transport mechanism is also used to transport the battery cells that have passed the inspection to the battery cell transfer mechanism located at the second loading station, and to transport the battery cells that have failed the inspection to the NG material box; The battery cell transfer mechanism is also used to transfer the battery cells that have passed the inspection to the battery cell receiving mechanism.

18. The battery cell welding device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The battery cell welding device also includes a suction mechanism arranged above the NG material box, the suction mechanism includes a rotation drive unit and a suction unit, the suction unit is installed at the driving end of the rotation drive unit, and the rotation drive unit is used to drive the suction unit to rotate vertically; when the suction unit rotates to the suction surface facing upward, it suctions the battery cells that fail the inspection on the second conveying mechanism, and when the suction unit rotates to the suction surface facing downward, it releases the sucked battery cells into the NG material box.

19. The battery cell welding device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The detection mechanism includes at least one of an EL detection unit and an appearance detection unit, wherein the EL detection unit is used to perform EL detection on the battery cell, and the appearance detection unit is used to perform appearance detection on the battery cell.

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