Battery cell shaping device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a battery cell shaping device, which comprises a stripping mechanism, the stripping mechanism comprises a pair of clamping assemblies arranged at an interval along a first direction, the pair of clamping assemblies can be close to or far away from each other along the first direction, and the stripping mechanism is used for enabling a battery cell to extend along the first direction; the extrusion mechanism comprises a pair of extrusion blocks which are arranged at intervals along a second direction, the pair of extrusion blocks can be close to or far away from each other along the second direction, and the extrusion mechanism is used for enabling the battery cell to contract along the second direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. According to the battery cell shaping device provided by the invention, the battery cell can be shaped before being disassembled, the battery cell cannot be damaged, and subsequent disassembling work is facilitated.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to the technical field of battery disassembly, in particular to a battery cell shaping device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the disassembly production process of a lithium ion battery cell, the clamping jaws of a disassembly device clamp and fix the battery cell, and then the positive and negative electrodes and the diaphragm are recycled through reverse winding. The existing clamping jaws are usually needle-shaped clamping jaws with sharp ends. Since the diaphragm and the electrode sheet are relatively thin, the needle-shaped clamping jaws are easy to cause damage to the diaphragm and the electrode sheet of the battery cell when clamping the battery cell. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0003] The battery cell shaping device provided by the application can shape the battery cell before disassembly, facilitate the fixation of the battery cell in the subsequent disassembly work, and reduce damage to the battery cell.

[0004] The battery cell shaping device provided by the application comprises a stripping mechanism and an extrusion mechanism. The stripping mechanism comprises a pair of clamping assemblies which are arranged at intervals along a first direction and can approach or move away from each other along the first direction, and the stripping mechanism is used for stretching the battery cell along the first direction. The extrusion mechanism comprises a pair of extrusion blocks which are arranged at intervals along a second direction and can approach or move away from each other along the second direction, and the extrusion mechanism is used for contracting the battery cell along the second direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0005] In the above embodiment, in the initial state, the battery cell has a flat structure. Through the shaping of the battery cell by the battery cell shaping device, the left and right sides of the battery cell gradually bend inward and approach each other, and the upper and lower sides gradually bend outward and gradually increase the distance, so that the gap width at the center position of the battery cell gradually increases and tends to be a circular hole, and the battery cell gradually tends to be a circular ring from the flat structure. The shaped battery cell tends to be a circular ring, and the circular hole at the center of the battery cell provides a larger fixing space for the battery cell, so that the battery cell is more easily fixed in the subsequent disassembly process, is not easy to cause damage to the electrode or the diaphragm, and is beneficial to the recycling and disassembly operation of the battery cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery cell;

[0007] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery cell shaping device provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0008] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the shaping of a battery cell by an extrusion mechanism and a stripping mechanism provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0009] Figure 4A structural schematic diagram of an extrusion mechanism provided for an embodiment of the application;

[0010] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of a clamping assembly provided for an embodiment of the application;

[0011] Figure 6 A side view of an electric core shaping device provided for an embodiment of the application.

[0012] Reference Signs:

[0013] 100 - electric core; 1 - clamping assembly; 2 - extrusion block; A - first direction; B - second direction; C - third direction; 21 - first extrusion block; 22 - second extrusion block; 210 - first arc surface; 220 - second arc surface; 221 - second groove; 3 - first driving assembly; 31 - first motor; 32 - first sliding rail; 222 - sliding block; 211 - connecting piece; 4 - second driving assembly; 41 - second motor; 42 - second sliding rail; 5 - first support; 101 - clamping jaw; 6 - third driving assembly; 61 - air cylinder; 62 - third sliding rail; 7 - fourth driving assembly; 8 - fifth driving assembly; 11 - first clamping assembly; 12 - second clamping assembly; 71 - fourth motor; 72 - fourth sliding rail; 73 - first sliding support; 731 - third side plate; 732 - fourth side plate; 9 - bracket; 91 - base plate; 92 - support frame; 81 - fifth motor; 82 - second support; 1011 - clamping jaw body; 1012 - stripping block; 10111 - first plate body; 10112 - second plate body; 10121 - contact part; 10122 - connecting part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the following further describes the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0016] Reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" or "the

[0017] In some related technologies, winding and lamination are the core links in the process of assembling the lithium battery cell. Among them, the winding process has higher automation degree, higher product yield and more number of pole pieces. The cell formed by winding is formed by arranging and stacking a positive pole piece, a separator, a negative pole piece and a piece of separator in turn and winding them up. During the winding process of the cell, a certain tension is applied to the separator to ensure the neatness between the positive pole piece, the separator and the negative pole piece. The cell prepared by the winding process has a flat structure as shown in Figure 1 Due to the tight winding, the wound cell has a certain hardness. The cell will form multiple gaps between the layers due to the winding of the separator and the electrode piece. When the cell is disassembled, the disassembly device is often equipped with a clamping needle to clamp the gap position at the center of the two ends of the cell, and then the reverse winding operation is performed. Since the clamping space of the gap is small, the end of the clamping needle is sharp, and the separator or the pole piece at the gap of the cell is easily punctured.

[0018] To solve the above problems, the cell shaping device provided by the embodiments of the present application can shape the cell before the reverse winding operation. The cell shaped by the cell shaping device of the present application can have a large fixing space, which is conducive to fixing on the reverse winding device and performing subsequent reverse winding treatment process to disassemble and recycle the cell. The damage to the separator and the pole piece during the disassembly process of the cell can be reduced.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a cell shaping device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cell shaping by the extrusion mechanism and the peeling mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides an electric core shaping device, which comprises a stripping mechanism and a squeezing mechanism. The stripping mechanism comprises a pair of clamping assemblies 1 arranged at intervals along a first direction A, and the pair of clamping assemblies 1 can move away from or close to each other along the first direction A. The squeezing mechanism comprises a pair of squeezing blocks 2 arranged at intervals along a second direction B, and the pair of squeezing blocks 2 can move away from or close to each other along the second direction B. The first direction A is perpendicular to the second direction B, for example, the first direction A can be a longitudinal direction, and the second direction B can be a transverse direction. In operation, first, the clamping assemblies 1 of the stripping mechanism are inserted into the electric core 100 from the gap between the layers of the electric core 100, and then the pair of clamping assemblies 1 move away from each other along the first direction A to stretch the electric core 100 along the first direction A, and the electric core 100 is split into a first part and a second part from the position where the clamping assemblies 1 are inserted. Then, the pair of squeezing blocks 2 gradually move close to each other along the second direction B to apply pressure to the electric core 100 along the second direction B, so that the two sides of the electric core 100 shrink along the second direction B. The stripping and then squeezing method can avoid the center of the electric core 100 from deviating during the squeezing process, so that the shaped electric core 100 has a regular shape.

[0020] In the above embodiment, the electric core 100 has a flat structure in the initial state, and the electric core 100 is pulled apart from the position where the clamping assemblies 1 are inserted by the pulling of the stripping mechanism, so that the middle regions of the upper and lower sides move away from each other, and the electric core 100 is formed into a first part M and a second part N. It is worth noting that the pulling of the stripping mechanism changes the shape of the electric core 100, and the first part M and the second part N are not completely separated, and the two ends of the first part and the second part are still connected, only the middle regions move away from each other, that is, the upper surface and the lower surface of the electric core 100 change from a plane to a curved surface. The left and right sides of the electric core 100 gradually move towards the inside of the electric core 100 under the squeezing of the squeezing mechanism, the gap at the middle position of the electric core 100 gradually increases and approaches a circular hole, so that the shaped electric core 100 gradually approaches a circular ring shape. Since the shaped electric core 100 approaches a circular ring shape, the circular hole at the center is larger than the gap between the layers of the unshaped electric core 100, which provides a larger fixing space for the electric core 100, and the anti-winding mechanism can be fixed in the circular hole of the electric core 100, so that the electric core 100 is easier to be fixed, and the electrode or the diaphragm is not easily damaged during the fixing, which is beneficial to the subsequent recycling and disassembling operation of the electric core 100.

[0021] Figure 4 The structure diagram of the squeezing mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. The above description is combined with the structure diagram of the squeezing mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 and Figure 4In an embodiment, the pair of pressing blocks 2 can include a first pressing block 21 and a second pressing block 22. The first pressing block 21 has a first arc surface 210 on a side facing the second pressing block 22, and the second pressing block 22 has a second arc surface 220 on a side facing the first pressing block 21. The first arc surface 210 is curved towards the second pressing block 22, and the second arc surface 220 is curved towards the first pressing block 21. That is, the first arc surface 210 and the second arc surface 220 are respectively curved towards opposite sides. During the shaping process, the first and second portions of the battery cell 100 are continuously pressed by the first and second pressing blocks 21 and 22, and the curvature of the first and second portions of the battery cell 100 is continuously increased, the middle portion is continuously moved away, and the left and right sides are continuously moved closer. The first arc surface 210 and the second arc surface 220 can limit the deformation range of the battery cell 100, can make the battery cell 100 approach a circular ring, and can also provide a visual prompt to the operator. When the left and right sides of the battery cell 100 respectively abut against the first arc surface 210 and the second arc surface 220, it indicates that the battery cell 100 is shaped in place, and the over-shaping condition is avoided.

[0022] It is worth noting that any one of the above pressing blocks can be an arc structure as a whole, or only the surface in contact with the battery cell 100 can be arc-shaped.

[0023] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 To avoid the battery cell 100 sliding along the arc surfaces between the two pressing blocks 2 during the pressing process. The first arc surface 210 can be provided with a first groove (not shown in the figure), and the second arc surface 220 is provided with a second groove 221. Since the battery cell 100 is made of flexible material and is wound, the two sides of the unshaped battery cell 100 are arc-shaped. During the shaping of the battery cell 100, the two sides of the unshaped battery cell 100 can be respectively clamped in the first groove and the second groove 221. The width of the groove of the first groove and the second groove 221 is adapted to the thickness of the battery cell 100 or slightly larger than the thickness of the battery cell 100, so that the battery cell 100 can be clamped more firmly with the pressing blocks 2, and the shaking or sliding of the battery cell 100 along the arc surfaces of the first and second pressing blocks 21 and 22 is reduced.

[0024] In an embodiment, the pressing mechanism further comprises a first driving assembly 3, the first pressing block 21 is fixedly installed on the first driving assembly 3, and the second pressing block 22 is slidably installed on the first driving assembly 3. The first driving assembly 3 is used to drive the second pressing block 22 to move close to or away from the first pressing block 21. The first driving assembly 3 can be a servo motor driving mechanism, which can adjust the pressing speed and pressing force, and can reduce the damage to the battery cell 100. The servo motor driving mechanism comprises a first motor 31 and a first sliding rail 32 extending along the second direction B. The second pressing block 22 is installed on the sliding rail through a sliding block 222. Under the driving of the servo motor, the sliding block 222 can slide along the sliding rail, thereby driving the second pressing block 22 to slide. The first pressing block 21 is fixedly connected to the first driving assembly 3 through a connecting piece 211. In order to provide sufficient deformation space for the battery cell 100, the sliding block 222 and the connecting piece 211 can be L-shaped and extend to the side of the first driving assembly 3, so that the servo motor driving mechanism does not hinder the deformation of the battery cell 100.

[0025] In another embodiment, the second pressing block 22 can be fixedly installed on the first driving assembly 3, and the first driving assembly 3 is used to drive the first pressing block 21 to move close to or away from the second pressing block 22. The specific structure will not be described again.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the first driving assembly 3 can further comprise two motors (not shown in the figure) arranged side by side. Each motor is provided with a sliding rail, and the first pressing block 21 and the second pressing block 22 are slidably installed on the two motors, respectively. The first pressing block 21 and the second pressing block 22 can move towards each other.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 2 In an embodiment, the battery cell shaping device further comprises a second driving assembly 4, which is used to drive the pressing mechanism to move along the third direction C, and the first direction A, the second direction B and the third direction C are perpendicular to each other. In operation, after the battery cell 100 is placed on the bracket 9 (which will be described in detail below), the second driving assembly 4 drives the pressing mechanism to move to the position of the bracket 9, so that the first pressing block 21 and the second pressing block 22 are located on the two sides of the bracket 9, respectively. Specifically, the second driving assembly 4 can be a servo motor driving mechanism, and the pressing mechanism is installed on the second driving assembly 4 through the first support 5. The second driving assembly 4 comprises a second motor 41 and a second sliding rail 42 extending along the third direction C. The first support 5 can move along the second sliding rail 42, thereby driving the pressing mechanism to the working position of the bracket 9.

[0028] Figure 5 For the structure of a clamping assembly provided in the embodiment, please refer to the structure of the bracket 9Figure 2 and Figure 5 In an embodiment, each of the pair of clamping assemblies 1 comprises two clamping jaws 101 arranged opposite to each other along the third direction C and capable of moving towards or away from each other along the third direction C. The upper clamping jaw 101 is used to clamp and pull the upper first portion M of the battery cell 100, and the lower clamping jaw 101 is used to clamp and pull the lower second portion N of the battery cell 100.

[0029] In an embodiment, each clamping assembly 1 comprises a third driving assembly 6 for driving the two clamping jaws 101 to move along the third direction C. The third driving assembly 6 can comprise a pneumatic cylinder 61 and a third sliding rail 62 extending along the third direction C. The pneumatic cylinder 61 can be a parallel synchronous clamping pneumatic cylinder, and the two clamping jaws 101 are slidingly installed on the third sliding rail 62. The third driving assembly 6 drives the two clamping jaws 101 to move along the third sliding rail 62 to adjust the distance between the two clamping jaws 101 to adapt to the width of the battery cell 100.

[0030] In an embodiment, the pair of clamping assemblies 1 comprises a first clamping assembly 11 and a second clamping assembly 12. The first clamping assembly 11 can be located above the second clamping assembly 12. The first clamping assembly 11 comprises a fourth driving assembly 7 for driving the first clamping assembly 11 to move along the first direction A. The fourth driving assembly 7 can be fixed to an external mounting frame or a rack of an external device (not shown in the figure). The second clamping assembly 12 comprises a fifth driving assembly 8 for driving the second clamping assembly 12 to move along the first direction A. The fourth driving assembly 7 and the fifth driving assembly 8 in the present embodiment can have the same structure as the first driving assembly 3 in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can both be servo motor driving mechanisms. Specifically, the fourth driving assembly 7 comprises a fourth motor 71, a fourth sliding rail 72 extending towards the first direction A, and a first sliding bracket 73 in an L-shaped structure comprising a third side plate 731 and a fourth side plate 732 connected to each other, wherein the third side plate 731 is connected to the fourth sliding rail 72. The pneumatic cylinder 61 of the first clamping assembly 11 is fixedly installed on the fourth side plate 732. The fourth motor 71 drives the first sliding bracket 73 to move along the first direction A, thereby driving the first clamping assembly 11 to move along the first direction A.

[0031] Figure 6 A side view of a battery cell shaping device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown in Figure 2 and Figure 6In an embodiment, the cell shaping device further comprises a bracket 9 for carrying the cell 100, the bracket 9 is located between the first clamping assembly 11 and the second clamping assembly 12, and the bracket 9 is fixedly connected with the second clamping assembly 12. Specifically, the bracket 9 comprises a base plate 91 and a support frame 92, the support frame 92 and the air cylinder 61 of the second clamping assembly 12 are both fixedly installed on one side of the base plate 91 facing the first clamping assembly 11. The cell 100 is placed at an end of the support frame 92 away from the base plate 91. The base plate 91 is fixedly connected with the fifth driving assembly 8. The fifth driving assembly 8 comprises a fifth motor 81 and a second bracket 82, the fifth motor 81 is slidingly connected with the second bracket 82. The second bracket 82 can be installed on the rack of the cell shaping device, the position of the second bracket 82 is fixed, and the base plate 91 is fixedly connected with the fifth motor 81. The fifth motor 81 can slide along the second bracket 82, thereby driving the bracket 9, the cell 100 and the second clamping assembly 12 to slide in the first direction A.

[0032] Please continue to refer to Figure 5 In an embodiment, the clamping jaw 101 comprises a clamping jaw body 1011 and a stripping block 1012, the stripping block 1012 is fixedly connected with the clamping jaw body 1011. Specifically, the clamping jaw body 1011 comprises a first plate body 10111 and a second plate body 10112, the first plate body 10111 and the second plate body 10112 are arranged in an L shape. The first plate body 10111 is slidingly connected with the third sliding rail 62, and the stripping block 1012 is connected to an end of the second plate body 10112 away from the first plate body 10111. The stripping block 1012 has an L-shaped structure comprising a contact portion 10121 and a connecting portion 10122, the connecting portion 10122 is fixedly installed on the second plate body 10112, and the contact portion 10121 is perpendicular to the first direction A. The contact portion 10121 can extend into the interior of the cell 100, thereby being able to clamp the cell 100 and apply pressure to it in the first direction A, so that the first part M and the second part N of the cell 100 gradually move away.

[0033] When setting the pole piece, the pole piece is usually set in the middle part of the diaphragm, that is, the width of the pole piece in the third direction C is less than the width of the diaphragm, and when placing the pole piece, the pole piece is spaced apart from the edge of the diaphragm by a certain distance. In order not to damage the electrode piece when clamping the cell 100, in an embodiment, the length of the contact portion 10121 in the third direction C is a, that is, the length a of the contact portion 10121 extending into the interior of the cell 100 satisfies 1mm≤a≤2mm. In this way, when the contact portion 10121 applies pressure to the cell 100, it almost only contacts the diaphragm and does not contact the pole piece, reducing the situation that the pole piece is damaged by pressure.

[0034] In one embodiment, the contact part 10121 of the stripping block 1012 of the clamping jaw 101 in the second clamping assembly 12 is spaced apart from the top of the bracket 9 by a preset distance, the thickness c of the battery cell 100, and the preset distance and the thickness of the battery cell 100 satisfy b = 1 / 2c. It is worth noting that the preset distance b can be completely equal to 1 / 2c or equal within an error range. That is, the stripping block 1012 of the second clamping assembly 12 is located at a position about one half of the thickness of the battery cell 100 in the initial position, so that the thicknesses of the first part M and the second part N are substantially equal, so that the battery cell 100 is reshaped, and the first direction A and the second direction B are stressed evenly.

[0035] Before reshaping, the two clamping jaws 101 of the first clamping assembly 11 and the second clamping assembly 12 are in an open state and are not in contact with the battery cell 100. When the battery cell 100 is started to be reshaped, the first clamping assembly 11 moves downward and contacts the second clamping assembly 12. The two clamping jaws 101 of each clamping assembly 1 approach each other and are inserted into the gap of the battery cell 100, so that the battery cell 100 is partially split, the first clamping assembly 11 clamps the first part M of the battery cell 100, and the second clamping assembly 12 clamps the second part N of the battery cell 100, so that the battery cell 100 is fixed. The first clamping assembly 11 moves away from the second clamping assembly 12 along the first direction A, so that the first part M and the second part N are separated to form a gap. At the same time, the extrusion mechanism performs an extrusion action.

[0036] The battery cell reshaping device of the present application can reshape the flat battery cell 100 into a circular ring-shaped battery cell 100, facilitate the fixation of the battery cell 100 and subsequent disassembly work, and reduce damage to the separator and the pole piece. The relative distances of the clamping mechanism and the stripping mechanism can be adjusted, which is suitable for the reshaping of a variety of specifications and sizes of the wound battery cell 100, and has a wide range of applications.

[0037] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A cell shaping device, characterized in that, include: A stripping mechanism includes a pair of clamping components spaced apart along a first direction, the pair of clamping components being able to move closer to or further away from each other along the first direction, the stripping mechanism being used to extend the battery cell along the first direction; An extrusion mechanism, comprising a pair of extrusion blocks spaced apart along a second direction, the pair of extrusion blocks being able to move closer to or further away from each other along the second direction, the extrusion mechanism being used to shrink the battery cell along the second direction; The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

2. The cell shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pair of extrusion blocks includes a first extrusion block and a second extrusion block. The first extrusion block has a first arc-shaped surface on the side facing the second extrusion block, and the second extrusion block has a second arc-shaped surface on the side facing the first extrusion block. The first arc-shaped surface bends toward the second extrusion block, and the second arc-shaped surface bends toward the first extrusion block.

3. The cell shaping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first arc-shaped surface is provided with a first groove, and the second arc-shaped surface is provided with a second groove, and the battery cell is snapped between the first groove and the second groove.

4. The cell shaping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The extrusion mechanism further includes a first drive assembly, wherein the first extrusion block is fixedly installed on the first drive assembly, and the first drive assembly is used to drive the second extrusion block to move closer to or away from the first extrusion block; Alternatively, the second extrusion block is fixedly mounted on the first drive assembly, and the first drive assembly is used to drive the first extrusion block to move closer to or away from the second extrusion block.

5. The cell shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cell shaping device further includes a second driving component, which drives the extrusion mechanism to move along a third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

6. The cell shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the pair of clamping assemblies includes two grippers disposed opposite each other along a third direction, the two grippers being able to move closer or further apart from each other along the third direction, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction being perpendicular to each other.

7. The cell shaping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the grippers includes a peeling block, which has an L-shaped structure including a contact portion and a connecting portion, the contact portion being perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The cell shaping device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length 'a' of the contact portion along the third direction satisfies 1mm ≤ a ≤ 2mm.

9. The cell shaping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the clamping components further includes a third drive component for driving the two grippers to move along the third direction.

10. The cell shaping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pair of clamping components includes a first clamping component and a second clamping component. The first clamping component includes a fourth driving component, which is used to drive the first clamping component to move along the first direction. The second clamping component includes a fifth driving component, which is used to drive the second clamping component to move along the first direction.

11. The cell shaping apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The cell shaping device further includes a bracket for supporting the cell. The bracket is located between the first clamping assembly and the second clamping assembly, and the bracket is fixedly connected to the second clamping assembly.

12. The cell shaping device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The gripper of the second clamping assembly includes a peeling block, which has an L-shaped structure including a contact portion and a connecting portion. The contact portion is perpendicular to the first direction, and the contact portion is spaced from the top of the bracket by a preset distance b. The preset distance b and the thickness c of the battery cell satisfy b = 1 / 2c.

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