Tab cutting device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a tab cutting device. The tab cutting device comprises a frame body, wherein a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism are assembled on the frame body; the cutting knife mechanism is mounted on the frame body, the cutting knife mechanism comprises at least one group of upper knife assembly and lower knife assembly, the power output end of the first driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the lower knife assembly, and the power output end of the second driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the upper knife assembly; the controller is electrically connected with the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism and used for controlling the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism to operate so as to drive the upper cutter assembly and the lower cutter assembly to move in the opposite direction or the reverse direction. According to the scheme provided by the invention, the cutting size of the tab can be more accurately controlled, and the tab tolerance is reduced, so that the risk of insufficient soldering of the tab in the battery manufacturing process is avoided, and the safety performance of the battery cell is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of new energy technology, and in particular to a tab cutting device. Background Technology

[0002] Soft-pack batteries are the third generation of lithium batteries developed from the original steel-cased, aluminum-cased, and plastic-cased batteries. They are widely favored by users both domestically and internationally due to their advantages such as being lighter, thinner, having better safety performance, meeting high aesthetic requirements, high energy density, stable discharge platform, excellent power performance, and being environmentally friendly and pollution-free. Soft-pack batteries are therefore widely used in electric vehicles, power banks, digital electronic products, smart wearable products, electric toys, and many other fields.

[0003] With the development of battery technology, the requirements for cell energy density are becoming increasingly stringent, and the dimensional accuracy requirements for the tabs during PACK welding are also becoming more stringent. However, the tab cutting methods of related technologies make it difficult to accurately control the dimensional accuracy of the tabs, resulting in large tolerances. This can easily lead to the risk of poor tab soldering during battery manufacturing, thereby affecting the safety performance of the cell. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address or partially address the problems existing in the related technologies, this application provides a tab cutting device that can more accurately control the cutting size of the tabs, reduce the tab tolerance, and thus avoid the risk of poor tab soldering during battery manufacturing, thereby improving the safety performance of the battery cell.

[0005] This application provides a tab cutting device, comprising:

[0006] A frame, on which a first drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism are mounted;

[0007] A cutting blade mechanism is installed on the frame. The cutting blade mechanism includes at least one upper blade assembly and a lower blade assembly. The power output end of the first drive mechanism is connected to the lower blade assembly, and the power output end of the second drive mechanism is connected to the upper blade assembly.

[0008] The controller is electrically connected to the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism, and is used to control the operation of the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism to drive the upper blade assembly and the lower blade assembly to move in opposite directions or in reverse.

[0009] The upper blade assembly includes a first cutting blade for cutting the positive electrode tab and a second cutting blade for cutting the negative electrode tab, and the lower blade assembly includes a third cutting blade for cutting the positive electrode tab and a fourth cutting blade for cutting the negative electrode tab.

[0010] The first cutting blade and the third cutting blade are facing each other in the vertical direction; the second cutting blade and the fourth cutting blade are facing each other in the vertical direction.

[0011] One implementation also includes:

[0012] The upper connecting plate is connected to the power output end of the second drive mechanism, and the first and second cutting blades are mounted on the upper connecting plate.

[0013] The lower connecting plate is connected to the power output end of the first driving mechanism, and the third and fourth cutting blades are mounted on the lower connecting plate.

[0014] One implementation also includes:

[0015] A first adjusting member is provided on the upper connecting plate for adjusting the distance between the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade in the length direction of the tab;

[0016] The second adjusting member, located on the lower connecting plate, is used to adjust the distance between the third and fourth cutting blades in the length direction of the tab.

[0017] In one implementation, a cell carrier is further included, the cell carrier having at least one cell fixing part, the cell fixing part being used to constrain the cell at a cutting position, the cutting position being opposite to the position between the upper and lower cutting assemblies in the length direction of the tab.

[0018] In one implementation, a lateral movement component electrically connected to the controller is further included. The controller is also used to control the operation of the lateral movement component to move the cutting blade mechanism closer to or further away from the cell carrier in the length direction of the tab.

[0019] In one implementation, the lateral movement component includes a drive element and a guide rail; the frame is movably mounted on the guide rail, and the drive element is used to drive the frame to move along the guide rail.

[0020] In one implementation, an image acquisition device is also included, installed above the cutting blade mechanism, for acquiring image information of the battery cell tabs to be cut or after cutting.

[0021] The image acquisition device is electrically connected to the controller and is used to send the image information to the controller. The controller is used to control the operation of the lateral movement component according to the image information.

[0022] In one implementation, the battery cell carrier is a fixedly mounted platform, and the battery cell fixing part includes a vacuum adsorption hole disposed on the platform.

[0023] In one implementation, the battery cell carrier is a turntable, which is rotatable relative to the cutting blade mechanism, and the turntable may have multiple battery cell fixing parts provided on the turntable along the rotation direction of the turntable.

[0024] In one implementation, the first cutting blade, the second cutting blade, the third cutting blade, and the fourth cutting blade are made of ceramic.

[0025] The technical solution provided in this application may include the following beneficial effects:

[0026] In this application, the upper and lower cutting components of the cutting mechanism can move up and down synchronously, thereby cutting the tab simultaneously on both the upper and lower sides. This results in more even force distribution on the upper and lower sides of the tab during cutting, allowing for more precise control of the tab's cutting dimensions and reducing tab tolerance. For example, the tab tolerance accuracy can be improved from ±0.8mm in related technologies to ±0.3mm in this application, avoiding the risk of poor tab soldering during battery manufacturing and thus improving the cell's safety performance.

[0027] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the tab cutting device shown in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a front view of the tab cutting device shown in the embodiments of this application.

[0031] Reference numerals: 100, frame; 101, battery cell; 110, second drive mechanism; 120, cutting blade mechanism; 121, first cutting blade; 122, second cutting blade; 123, third cutting blade; 124, fourth cutting blade; 130, lower connecting plate; 111, upper connecting plate; 112, pressure head connecting plate; 113, pressure head; 140, servo motor; 150, lateral movement assembly; 160, image acquisition device; 200, battery cell carrier; 210, battery cell fixing part; 300, tab collection groove. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Preferred embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0033] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0036] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0037] Existing electrode cutting methods in related technologies struggle to accurately control the dimensional precision of the electrodes, resulting in large tolerances. This can easily lead to the risk of poor electrode soldering during battery manufacturing, thereby affecting the safety performance of the battery cell. To address these issues, this application provides an electrode cutting device that can more precisely control the cutting dimensions of the electrodes, reduce electrode tolerances, and thus avoid the risk of poor electrode soldering during battery manufacturing, thereby improving the safety performance of the battery cell.

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the tab cutting device shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a front view of the tab cutting device shown in the embodiments of this application.

[0040] Please see also Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a tab cutting device, including a frame 100, a cutting blade mechanism 120, and a controller; a first drive mechanism (not shown) and a second drive mechanism 110 are mounted on the frame 100; at least one set of cutting blade mechanisms 120 are mounted on the frame 100, and each cutting blade mechanism 120 includes at least one set of upper blade assembly and lower blade assembly; the power output end of the first drive mechanism is drivenly connected to the lower blade assembly, and the power output end of the second drive mechanism 110 is drivenly connected to the upper blade assembly; the controller is electrically connected to the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism 110, and is used to control the operation of the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism 110 to drive the upper blade assembly and the lower blade assembly to move in opposite directions or in reverse.

[0041] In this application, the upper and lower cutting components can move up and down synchronously, thus simultaneously cutting the upper and lower sides of the electrode. During the cutting process, the upper and lower sides of the electrode experience more even force, allowing for more precise control of the electrode's cutting dimensions and reducing electrode tolerance. For example, the electrode tolerance accuracy can be improved from ±0.8mm in related technologies to ±0.3mm in this application, avoiding the risk of electrode soldering defects during battery manufacturing and thereby improving the safety performance of cell 101.

[0042] In this application, the frame 100 is assembled from plate parts, and the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism 110 may include cylinders or motors. The cylinders or motors are fixedly installed on the frame 100. When the upper blade assembly and the lower blade assembly move towards each other and approach each other in the vertical direction Z, they can cut the electrode tabs. When the upper blade assembly and the lower blade assembly move in opposite directions in the vertical direction Z, they each return to their original positions.

[0043] See Figure 2In some embodiments, the upper cutting assembly includes a first cutting blade 121 for cutting the positive electrode tab and a second cutting blade 122 for cutting the negative electrode tab, and the lower cutting assembly includes a third cutting blade 123 for cutting the positive electrode tab and a fourth cutting blade 124 for cutting the negative electrode tab; the first cutting blade 121 and the third cutting blade 123 are opposite each other in the vertical direction Z; the second cutting blade 122 and the fourth cutting blade 124 are opposite each other in the vertical direction Z. With this configuration, the cutting blades for cutting the positive and negative electrode tabs are independently configured and controlled separately. This not only meets the different cutting requirements of the positive and negative electrode tabs, but also avoids the "blade collision" problem during tab cutting in related technologies.

[0044] In some embodiments, the tab cutting device also includes an upper connecting plate 111 and a lower connecting plate 130. The power output end of the second drive mechanism 110 is connected to the upper connecting plate 111, and the first cutting blade 121 and the second cutting blade 122 are mounted on the upper connecting plate 111. The power output end of the first drive mechanism is connected to the lower connecting plate 130, and the third cutting blade 123 and the fourth cutting blade 124 are mounted on the lower connecting plate 130. With this configuration, when the upper connecting plate 111 moves, it can drive the first cutting blade 121 and the second cutting blade 122 to move synchronously, and when the lower connecting plate 130 moves, it can drive the third cutting blade 123 and the fourth cutting blade 124 to move synchronously. This not only meets the different cutting requirements of the positive and negative tabs, but also allows for the simultaneous cutting of the positive and negative tabs.

[0045] In some embodiments, the tab cutting device further includes a first adjusting member (not shown) and a second adjusting member (not shown). The first adjusting member is disposed on the upper connecting plate 111 and is used to adjust the distance between the first cutting blade 121 and the second cutting blade 122 in the tab length direction X. The second adjusting member is disposed on the lower connecting plate 130 and is used to adjust the distance between the third cutting blade 123 and the fourth cutting blade 124 in the tab length direction X. The first and second adjusting components can be screws. When the positive and negative electrodes need to be cut to different lengths, the distance between the first cutting blade 121 and the second cutting blade 122 in the electrode length direction and the distance between the third cutting blade 123 and the fourth cutting blade 124 in the electrode length direction X are adjusted to positions corresponding to the electrode length. In this way, the different lengths of the positive and negative electrodes can be adjusted by adjusting the distance of the cutting blades in the electrode length direction X. For example, electrodes of the same length for both positive and negative electrodes can be cut, electrodes with longer positive and negative electrodes and shorter negative electrodes can be cut, or electrodes with shorter positive electrodes and longer negative electrodes can be cut to meet the cutting requirements of irregularly shaped electrodes.

[0046] See Figure 1In this embodiment, the electrode cutting device further includes a cell carrier 200. The cell carrier 200 has at least one cell fixing part 210, which is used to fix the cell 101 at the cutting position. The cutting position is opposite to the position between the upper cutting assembly and the lower cutting assembly in the length direction X of the electrode. After the cell 101 is fixed to the cell carrier 200, the positive electrode and the negative electrode face the position between the upper cutting assembly and the lower cutting assembly. The upper cutting assembly and the lower cutting assembly can cut the electrode when they are running.

[0047] In some embodiments, the battery cell carrier 200 is a fixed platform, and the battery cell fixing part 210 includes a vacuum adsorption hole provided on the platform. The vacuum adsorption hole is connected to a vacuum pump and can adsorb the battery cell 101 onto the platform, so that the battery cell 101 remains stable during cutting.

[0048] It should be noted that the battery cell carrier 200 of this application is not limited to a platform. In other embodiments, the battery cell carrier 200 can also be a turntable. The turntable can rotate relative to the cutting blade mechanism. Multiple battery cell fixing parts are provided on the turntable along the rotation direction of the turntable. When the turntable rotates, the multiple battery cell fixing parts can rotate to the cutting blade mechanism in sequence. Alternatively, the battery cell carrier 200 can also be other conveying mechanisms that can convey and are provided with battery cell fixing parts. With such a configuration, continuous cutting operations can be realized, and work efficiency can be improved.

[0049] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the tab cutting device further includes a pressure head connecting plate 112. The pressure head connecting plate 112 is provided with a pressure head 113 opposite to the cell fixing part 210 along the vertical direction Z. During cutting, the pressure head 113 can press the cell 101 of the cell fixing part 210 tightly to prevent the cell 101 from being displaced during cutting, thereby further improving the accuracy of tab cutting.

[0050] In some embodiments, a tab collection groove 300 is provided below the cutting blade mechanism 120, which is used to collect the cut waste tabs.

[0051] In some embodiments, the electrode cutting device further includes a lateral movement assembly 150 electrically connected to a controller, which is also used to control the operation of the lateral movement assembly 150; the lateral movement assembly 150 includes a drive member and a guide rail, the drive member being a servo motor 140; the frame 100 is movably mounted on the guide rail, for example, by means of a slider, and the drive member is used to drive the frame 100 to move along the guide rail so that the cutting blade mechanism 120 approaches or moves away from the cell carrier 200 in a first direction, wherein the first direction is also Figure 1 The X direction in the coordinate system is also the length direction of the pole lug.

[0052] In the initial position, the frame 100 is located at the origin far away from the cell carrier 200. When cutting is required, the lateral moving component 150 drives the frame 100 to move along the guide rail toward the cell carrier 200 until the upper and lower cutting components are aligned with the electrode tab.

[0053] In this application, the upper cutting tool assembly and the lower cutting tool assembly are provided in at least one set, for example, there may be one set, two sets or more sets. Two or more sets of upper cutting tool assemblies and lower cutting tool assemblies are arranged along the second direction Y and can be connected to the upper connecting member together.

[0054] Different groups of upper cutting components can be driven by the same second driving mechanism 110 or by different second driving mechanisms 110; different groups of lower cutting components can be driven by the same first driving mechanism or by different first driving mechanisms.

[0055] In some embodiments, an image acquisition device 160 is also included, which is installed above the cutting blade mechanism 120, for acquiring image information of the battery cell 101 tabs to be cut or cut; the image acquisition device 160 is electrically connected to the controller and is used to send the image information to the controller, which is used to control the operation of the lateral movement component 150 according to the image information.

[0056] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the image acquisition device 160 can be a CCD camera. The lens of the CCD camera faces the battery cell carrier 200. Before cutting, the CCD camera takes a picture to obtain the position image information of the electrode tab. After receiving the position image information of the electrode tab, the controller controls the operation of the lateral movement component 150 according to the position image information of the electrode tab, so that the frame 100 moves along the guide rail, thereby adjusting the position of the cutting knife mechanism 120 to realize the cutting positioning of the feeding machine.

[0057] After the tab is cut, the CCD camera takes another picture to obtain the image information of the tab. After receiving the image information of the tab, the controller determines whether the size of the tab meets the preset value. If it does not meet the preset value, it issues a size defect alarm. This not only enables higher precision cutting of the tab, but also effectively reduces cutting defects.

[0058] In this application, multiple image acquisition devices 160 can be provided, and the number of image acquisition devices 160 corresponds one-to-one with the multiple sets of upper and lower cutting assemblies arranged along the second direction Y. In some embodiments, multiple battery cell fixing parts 210 are provided, and the multiple battery cell fixing parts 210 are arranged along the second direction and correspond one-to-one with the image acquisition devices 160. Each image acquisition device 160 is used to acquire image information of the corresponding battery cell fixing part 210, thus enabling batch operation.

[0059] In this embodiment, the first cutting blade 121, the second cutting blade 122, the third cutting blade 123, and the fourth cutting blade 124 are made of ceramic. Ceramic materials do not cause short circuits during cutting, eliminating the need to distinguish between positive and negative terminals, making cutting more convenient and improving cutting safety.

[0060] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A tab cutting device, characterized in that, include: A frame, on which a first drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism are mounted; A cutting blade mechanism is installed on the frame. The cutting blade mechanism includes at least one upper blade assembly and a lower blade assembly. The power output end of the first drive mechanism is connected to the lower blade assembly, and the power output end of the second drive mechanism is connected to the upper blade assembly. The controller is electrically connected to the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism, and is used to control the operation of the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism to drive the upper blade assembly and the lower blade assembly to move in opposite directions or in reverse. The upper blade assembly includes a first cutting blade for cutting the positive electrode tab and a second cutting blade for cutting the negative electrode tab, and the lower blade assembly includes a third cutting blade for cutting the positive electrode tab and a fourth cutting blade for cutting the negative electrode tab. The first cutting blade and the third cutting blade are facing each other in the vertical direction; the second cutting blade and the fourth cutting blade are facing each other in the vertical direction.

2. The tab cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The upper connecting plate is connected to the power output end of the second drive mechanism, and the first and second cutting blades are mounted on the upper connecting plate. The lower connecting plate is connected to the power output end of the first driving mechanism, and the third and fourth cutting blades are mounted on the lower connecting plate.

3. The tab cutting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: A first adjusting member is provided on the upper connecting plate for adjusting the distance between the first cutting blade and the second cutting blade in the length direction of the tab; The second adjusting member, located on the lower connecting plate, is used to adjust the distance between the third and fourth cutting blades in the length direction of the tab.

4. The tab cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cell carrier, which has at least one cell fixing part for fixing the cell at a cutting position, which is opposite to the position between the upper and lower cutting assemblies in the length direction of the tab.

5. The tab cutting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a lateral movement component electrically connected to the controller, which is further configured to control the operation of the lateral movement component to move the cutting blade mechanism closer to or further away from the cell carrier in the length direction of the tab.

6. The tab cutting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lateral movement component includes a drive unit and a guide rail; the frame is movably mounted on the guide rail, and the drive unit is used to drive the frame to move along the guide rail.

7. The tab cutting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes an image acquisition device, installed above the cutting blade mechanism, for acquiring image information of the battery cell tabs to be cut or after cutting; The image acquisition device is electrically connected to the controller and is used to send the image information to the controller. The controller is used to control the operation of the lateral movement component according to the image information.

8. The tab cutting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The battery cell carrier is a fixed platform, and the battery cell fixing part includes a vacuum adsorption hole provided on the platform.

9. The tab cutting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The battery cell carrier is a turntable, which can rotate relative to the cutting blade mechanism. The turntable has multiple battery cell fixing parts along the rotation direction of the turntable.

10. The tab cutting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first, second, third, and fourth cutting blades are made of ceramic.

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