Top sealing head and packaging equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of battery packaging, in particular to a top sealing head and packaging equipment. Wherein the top sealing end socket comprises an end socket main body, a pressing surface is arranged on the end socket main body, the pressing surface is used for being in contact with the soft package battery, glue overflowing grooves are formed in the two ends, in the first direction, of the pressing surface, and a first step structure is arranged on the edge of the side, away from the tab, of the pressing surface so as to form a glue extruding notch. When the top sealing head is used for clamping, the top sealing head flattens the overflowing glue at the packaging position in the direction far away from the battery cell, so that the accumulation of the overflowing glue at the same position is reduced, the problems of battery edge voltage rise, aluminum plastic film damage and the like caused by the overflowing glue are solved, and the battery performance is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of battery packaging, in particular to a top sealing head and packaging equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, lithium batteries are widely used in various electronic devices due to their high energy density, long cycle life, and environmental friendliness. Soft-pack batteries, in particular, are packaged in aluminum-plastic film, making them less prone to explosion than hard-shell packaging. They are also 40% lighter than steel-cased lithium batteries of the same capacity and 20% lighter than aluminum-cased lithium batteries. However, lithium battery packaging technology is a critical step in the production process, directly impacting battery safety and reliability. The design of the top seal is a crucial component of the packaging process, determining the sealing quality and service life of the battery.

[0003] Currently, the top seal head used for packaging lithium batteries is generally a flat head, which is packaged using a simple pressing method. Although this method can effectively isolate the positive and negative electrodes of the battery from the electrolyte, preventing electrolyte leakage, thereby ensuring the safety of the battery, glue overflow will occur near the head in the pressing state during the packaging process. This not only affects the appearance of the battery, but may also cause problems such as increased battery edge voltage and damage to the aluminum-plastic film, affecting the battery performance. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a top sealing head for packaging batteries, which can solve the problem of glue overflow near the head and ensure the safety and stability of the battery.

[0005] As conceived above, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0006] A top seal head is used to encapsulate the protruding end of the tab of a soft-pack battery. The top seal head includes a head body, a pressing surface is provided on the head body, and the pressing surface is used to contact the soft-pack battery. Both ends of the pressing surface along the first direction are provided with glue overflow grooves, and the edge of the pressing surface on the side facing away from the tab is provided with a first step structure to form a glue extrusion gap.

[0007] As an optional solution for the top seal head, the size of the glue extrusion gap along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface is 0.2-0.5 times the thickness of the package glue extrusion.

[0008] As an optional solution for the top seal head, both ends of the head body along the first direction are connected to limiting portions, and along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface, the limiting portions protrude from the pressing surface.

[0009] As an optional solution for the top seal head, along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface, the height of the limiting portion protruding from the pressing surface is 0.2-0.5 times the packaging thickness of the soft-pack battery after packaging.

[0010] As an optional solution for the top sealing head, along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface, the size of the glue overflow groove is larger than the size of the glue extrusion notch.

[0011] As an optional solution for the top seal, a tab groove is provided on the pressing surface between the two glue overflow grooves, and the tab groove is used to accommodate the tab.

[0012] As an optional solution for the top seal, a second step structure is provided on one side edge of the pressing surface adjacent to the tab groove.

[0013] As an optional solution for the top sealing head, the top sealing head further includes a fixing portion, which is connected to the head body and is provided with a mounting hole.

[0014] As an optional solution for the top seal head, the head body and the fixing part are formed in one piece.

[0015] A packaging device includes a driving mechanism and two top sealing heads, the two top sealing heads are arranged opposite to each other, and the driving mechanism is connected to at least one of the top sealing heads to drive the two top sealing heads to move closer to or away from each other. The beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0016] When the top seal head proposed by the utility model is used to package the battery, the width direction of the battery is the first direction, and the battery is located between the two glue overflow grooves. The glue overflow grooves can provide a space for accommodating the glue overflow, protect the head and ensure the quality of the battery, and avoid the accumulation of glue overflow on the head to cause damage to the head. In addition, a large amount of glue overflow may corrode the battery and cause irreversible damage to the battery. A first step structure is provided on the side of the pressing surface away from the pole ear to form a glue squeezing notch. The glue squeezing notch can flatten excessive glue overflow, reduce the accumulation of glue overflow in the same place, and avoid problems such as increased battery edge voltage and damage to the aluminum-plastic film due to glue overflow. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a front view of the top seal head described in the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the top sealing head described in the utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 It is an axonometric view of the top seal head described in the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 The utility model Figure 3 Partial detail of point I in the middle.

[0021] In the picture:

[0022] 1. Head body; 2. Limiting part; 3. Fixing part;

[0023] 11. Glue extrusion notch; 12. Tab groove; 13. Pressing surface; 14. Glue overflow groove; 15. Second step structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To make the technical problems solved by the present invention, the technical solutions adopted, and the technical effects achieved more clearly, the technical solutions of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the drawings only show portions relevant to the present invention, not all of them.

[0025] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0027] In the description of this embodiment, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used to refer to positions or locations based on those shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are intended solely to facilitate description and simplify operation, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and have no special meaning.

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0029] The packaging device provided in this embodiment can be used for packaging soft-pack batteries. Figure 1 As shown, the packaging equipment includes a drive mechanism and two top-sealing heads arranged opposite to each other. The drive mechanism is connected to one of the top-sealing heads to drive the top-sealing head toward or away from the other top-sealing head, so that the two top-sealing heads cooperate to package the protruding ends of the tabs of the soft-pack battery. In other embodiments, the drive mechanism is connected to each of the two top-sealing heads to drive the two top-sealing heads toward or away from each other, so that the two top-sealing heads cooperate to package the protruding ends of the tabs of the soft-pack battery.

[0030] In this embodiment, two top seals are arranged vertically. For ease of description, the top seal located above is the upper top seal, and the top seal located below is the lower top seal. A drive mechanism is connected to the upper top seal to drive the upper top seal up and down. When encapsulating the tab extensions of a soft-pack battery, the soft-pack battery is placed horizontally, with the tab extensions placed on the lower top seal. The drive mechanism drives the upper top seal down, allowing the upper and lower top seals to cooperate and press against the tab extensions of the soft-pack battery to achieve encapsulation.

[0031] Optionally, the driving mechanism may be a linear output mechanism, such as a screw-nut mechanism, which consists of a nut and a screw, and drives the nut to move along the axial direction by rotating the screw, thereby achieving linear motion of the upper sealing head.

[0032] Optionally, the driving mechanism may also be a rack and pinion mechanism, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or a linear motor, etc., as long as it can drive the upper sealing head to rise and fall.

[0033] Soft-pack batteries include battery cells and aluminum-plastic film that wraps the battery cells. The aluminum-plastic film is generally a multi-layer film structure consisting of an outer nylon layer, an adhesive, an intermediate aluminum foil, an adhesive, and an inner heat-sealing layer. The packaging of soft-pack batteries is to melt the inner heat-sealing layer and bond the intermediate aluminum foil. However, when packaging the soft-pack batteries, the inner heat-sealing layer may be over-melted, resulting in glue overflow, which in turn leads to problems such as increased battery edge voltage and damage to the aluminum-plastic film.

[0034] To solve the above problems, Figure 2 As shown, the top seal head provided in this embodiment includes a head body 1, a pressing surface 13 is provided on the head body 1, and glue overflow grooves 14 are provided at both ends of the pressing surface 13 along the first direction, and a first step structure is provided on the edge of the side of the pressing surface 13 away from the electrode ear to form a glue extrusion gap 11.

[0035] Combine Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, when the two top sealing heads cooperate for packaging, the pressing surfaces 13 are arranged opposite to each other, the battery to be packaged is located between the two pressing surfaces 13, the glue overflow grooves 14 at the corresponding ends of the two top sealing heads can be connected, and the glue extrusion notches 11 on the two top sealing heads are arranged opposite to each other.

[0036] Specifically, the head body 1 is roughly in the shape of an elongated strip, and the first direction is the length direction of the head body 1. The soft-pack battery includes a battery body and a tab extending from one end of the battery body. When packaged, the battery body and the tab are arranged along the second direction, which is the width direction of the package body. The battery body and the tab are roughly located on both sides of the package body. During packaging, the glue in the soft-pack battery flows under the action of the extrusion force. By setting the overflow glue groove 14, part of the overflow glue can flow to both sides along the first direction, and finally flow to the overflow glue groove 14 to reduce the accumulation of overflow glue at both ends of the soft-pack battery along the first direction, thereby protecting the head and ensuring the quality of the battery, avoiding the accumulation of overflow glue on the head to damage the head, and excessive accumulation of overflow glue may also corrode the battery and cause irreversible damage to the battery; by setting the glue squeezing notch 11, the overflow glue is flattened away from the battery cell at the packaging, reducing the accumulation of overflow glue in the same place, thereby solving the problems of increased battery edge voltage and aluminum-plastic film damage caused by overflow glue.

[0037] Specifically, the first step structure includes a first step surface and a second step surface connected approximately perpendicularly. The first step surface is approximately perpendicular to the pressing surface 13, and the second step surface is approximately parallel to the pressing surface 13. The first step surface and the second step surface form a glue squeeze notch 11. During packaging, excess glue enters the glue squeeze notch 11. The second step surface can limit the height of the overflowed glue and flatten the excess glue, thus playing a shaping role.

[0038] During the packaging process, the packaging glue extrusion thickness is the difference between the thickness of the two stacked aluminum-plastic films before normal packaging and the thickness of the two stacked aluminum-plastic films after normal packaging.

[0039] Specifically, along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13, the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 is not easy to be too small. If the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 is too small, the glue extrusion notch 11 area will have a serious over-sealing phenomenon, and the over-sealing phenomenon will make the glue overflow more serious. If it is a serious over-sealing phenomenon, it will directly cause leakage. Along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13, if the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 is too large, the glue extrusion notch 11 will lose the glue extrusion effect and will not be able to deal with the glue overflow. For this reason, in this embodiment, the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 is 0.2-0.5 times the thickness of the packaged glue extrusion. Exemplarily, the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 is 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 times the thickness of the packaged glue extrusion.

[0040] In this embodiment, along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13, the size of the glue extrusion gap 11 is 0.5 times the thickness of the package glue extrusion, which can avoid over-sealing due to the size of the glue extrusion gap 11 being too small, and avoid functional failure of the glue extrusion gap 11 due to the size of the glue extrusion gap 11 being too large.

[0041] More specifically, the size of the overflow groove 14 along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13 is larger than the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 along the direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13; the size of the overflow groove 14 along the first direction is larger than the size of the glue extrusion notch 11 along the second direction.

[0042] To define the position of the packaged soft-pack battery in the top seal head, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the top sealing head also includes a limiting portion 2, which protrudes from the pressing surface 13 in a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 13. During packaging, the driving mechanism drives the upper top sealing head to descend until the limiting portion 2 of the upper top sealing head abuts against the limiting portion 2 of the lower top sealing head. The two limiting portions 2 of the same top sealing head can also cooperate to limit the position of the soft-pack battery along the first direction, thereby limiting the position of the soft-pack battery during the packaging process; in addition, through the cooperation of the limiting portions in the two top sealing heads, the distance between the two pressing surfaces 13 can also be controlled, so that the distance between the two pressing surfaces 13 meets the space required for packaging, thereby avoiding over-sealing and causing greater losses.

[0043] More specifically, the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 should not be too large. If the size of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is too large, the top sealing head will lose its packaging function because the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is too high; the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 should not be too small. If the size of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is too small, over-sealing will occur because the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is too low, which will damage the performance of the battery.

[0044] Optionally, the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is 0.2-0.5 times the thickness of the package after packaging. Exemplarily, the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 times the thickness of the package after packaging.

[0045] In this embodiment, the height of the limiting portion 2 protruding from the pressing surface 13 is 0.5 times the thickness of the package after packaging, which can prevent the top sealing head from losing its packaging function and avoid over-sealing to damage the performance of the battery.

[0046] Furthermore, if Figure 2As shown, the glue overflow groove 14 extends to the limiting portion 2 along the first direction, so that part of the surface of the limiting portion 2 serves as the groove wall of the glue overflow groove 14. When the two top-sealing heads cooperate to package the soft-pack battery, the corresponding limiting portions 2 abut against each other, and the two corresponding glue overflow grooves 14 are connected to form a vertical groove. A horizontal groove is formed between the two pressing surfaces 13, and the two ends of the horizontal groove are connected to the vertical groove, so that the gap between the two top-sealing heads is H-shaped as a whole. During packaging, the glue overflow squeezed to the two ends along the first direction in the soft-pack battery will be accommodated in the glue overflow groove 14, and because the gap between the two top-sealing heads is H-shaped as a whole, the glue overflow will be better accommodated in the glue overflow groove 14, avoiding the leakage of glue overflow.

[0047] To ensure that the tabs can be extended naturally when the top seal is working, Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a tab groove 12 is opened between the two glue overflow grooves 14. The tab groove 12 is used to accommodate the tab. The size of the tab groove 12 is adapted to the tab, that is, the height of the tab groove 12 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the tab, and the width of the tab groove 12 is greater than or equal to the width of the tab to avoid damage to the tab.

[0048] More specifically, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, in order to ensure that the overflowing glue near the tab can be effectively handled, this embodiment provides a second step structure 15 on one side edge adjacent to the pressing surface 13 and the tab groove 12. The space enclosed by the second step structure 15 can accommodate the overflowing glue, thereby preventing the glue from adhering to the tab surface and affecting the performance of the soft-pack battery.

[0049] To connect the top seal head to the packaging equipment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the top sealing head also includes a fixing part 3, which is fixedly connected to the head body 1 and the limiting part 2. A mounting hole is provided on the fixing part 3, and the mounting hole is used to fix the head to a specified position of the packaging equipment, such as connecting the upper top sealing head to the driving mechanism and fixing the lower top sealing head to the frame of the equipment.

[0050] Alternatively, as Figure 2 As shown, the mounting hole can be configured as a stepped hole. When the connector connects the fixing portion 3 to the device, the connector can be embedded in the stepped hole and does not protrude from the fixing portion 3, thereby preventing the protrusion of the connector from scratching the battery to be packaged. The connector can be a bolt and nut structure, a pin structure, a wiring harness clamp structure, etc.

[0051] Alternatively, as Figure 3 As shown, both ends of the fixing portion 3 along the second direction extend out of the head body 1 so that the fixing portion 3 and the head body 1 are T-shaped, and mounting holes are provided on both sides of the fixing portion 3 on the head body 1 to increase the fixing effect of the top seal head and the designated position.

[0052] Preferably, the fixing portion 3 is arranged axially symmetrically with respect to the head body 1, with the axis of symmetry extending along the first direction and passing through the midpoint of the fixing portion 3 along the second direction. In other words, the ends of the fixing portion 3 project out of the head body 1 by the same length in the second direction, and the mounting holes on both sides are symmetrically arranged. This design ensures that the fixing portion 3 is subjected to more uniform force, making the connection between the fixing portion 3 and the packaging device more stable and extending the service life of the top seal head.

[0053] Specifically, since there are many specifications of batteries, the sizes of the various tanks and components can be adjusted according to the specifications of the packaged batteries.

[0054] In this embodiment, the head body 1, the limiting portion 2 and the fixing portion 3 are fixedly connected. Therefore, in the process of manufacturing the top seal head, welding, bonding and one-piece casting can be used for connection. The top seal head of this embodiment is preferably made of one-piece casting. When the various components constituting the top seal head do not need to be disassembled, the one-piece casting can make the various components constituting the top seal head more tightly connected. Since the top seal head is used to encapsulate the aluminum film that wraps the battery cell, the aluminum film contains PP glue for connecting the two films to be connected, and the PP film needs to be pyrolyzed and melted before the two aluminum films can be connected, the material of the head should be selected from metal materials with good thermal conductivity, such as NAK80 mold steel, brass and beryllium copper, etc. In order to make the top seal head harder and more affordable, this embodiment uses a beryllium copper top seal head.

[0055] In this embodiment, the upper top sealing head and the lower top sealing head have the same structure, and the pressing surfaces 13 of the two are arranged relative to each other. In other embodiments, only the upper top sealing head or only the lower top sealing head can adopt the above-mentioned top sealing head. Obviously, the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention are only examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not limitations on the implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in the relevant field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made on the basis of the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A top seal head for encapsulating the tab extension of a soft-pack battery, characterized in that: The top seal head comprises a seal head body (1), a pressing surface (13) is provided on the seal head body (1), the pressing surface (13) is used to contact the soft-pack battery, glue overflow grooves (14) are provided at both ends of the pressing surface (13) along the first direction, and a first step structure is provided on the edge of the pressing surface (13) on the side away from the tab to form a glue extrusion notch (11).

2. The top seal head according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface (13), the size of the glue extrusion gap (11) is 0.2-0.5 times the thickness of the package glue extrusion.

3. The top seal head according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the sealing head body (1) along the first direction are connected to limiting portions (2), and along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface (13), the limiting portions (2) protrude from the pressing surface (13).

4. The top seal head according to claim 3, characterized in that: Along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface (13), the height of the limiting portion (2) protruding from the pressing surface (13) is 0.2-0.5 times the packaging thickness of the soft-pack battery after packaging.

5. The top seal head according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface (13), the size of the glue overflow groove (14) is larger than the size of the glue extrusion notch (11).

6. The top seal head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A tab groove (12) is provided on the pressing surface (13) between the two glue overflow grooves (14), and the tab groove (12) is used to accommodate the tab.

7. The top seal head according to claim 6, characterized in that: A second step structure is provided on one side edge of the pressing surface (13) adjacent to the tab groove (12).

8. The top seal head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The top sealing head further comprises a fixing portion (3), the fixing portion (3) being connected to the head body (1), and a mounting hole being provided on the fixing portion (3).

9. The top seal head according to claim 8, characterized in that: The head body (1) and the fixing portion (3) are integrally formed.

10. A packaging device, characterized in that: It comprises a driving mechanism and two top sealing heads according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the two top sealing heads are arranged opposite to each other, and the driving mechanism is connected to at least one of the top sealing heads to drive the two top sealing heads towards or away from each other.

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