Negative pressure cup, negative pressure cup cooling device and battery formation equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of battery processing, in particular to a negative pressure cup, a negative pressure cup cooling device and battery formation equipment, the negative pressure cup comprises a cup body and a condensation part, a buffer cavity is formed in the cup body, an air suction hole and an exhaust hole are formed in the cup body, and the air suction hole and the exhaust hole are respectively communicated with the buffer cavity; the condensation part is arranged on the side wall of the cup body, and the temperature of the buffer cavity is controlled within a preset range through heat exchange with the cup body. The condensation part is arranged on the side wall of the cup body, and the temperature of the buffer cavity is controlled within the preset range through heat exchange with the cup body, so that the negative pressure cup and the environment in the buffer cavity are cooled, and the temperature in the buffer cavity is lower than the electrolyte condensation temperature; therefore, the electrolyte steam pumped out along with the gas in the vacuumizing process can be condensed into a liquid state in the negative pressure cup again, so that the electrolyte steam flows back to the battery, the liquid loss amount of the electrolyte in the battery formation stage is ensured to meet the production requirement, the quality of the battery is not influenced, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery processing technology, and in particular to negative pressure cups, negative pressure cup cooling devices, and battery formation equipment. Background Technology

[0002] The pre-charging of the prismatic battery is carried out at 45°C. During the pre-charging process, the battery needs to be evacuated to remove the gas generated during the pre-charging process. However, due to the different saturated vapor pressures of the electrolyte, it is very easy to evaporate in the high temperature environment of 45°C. Therefore, the electrolyte in the battery will be carried out at the same time. The carried-out electrolyte will be temporarily stored in the negative pressure cup.

[0003] Traditional negative pressure cups in prismatic battery formation equipment are injection molded from Teflon or other materials. While they can buffer the electrolyte discharged during pre-charging, they cannot control the amount of electrolyte loss. This results in some electrolyte being carried out of the negative pressure cup with the gas, passing through the gas-liquid separator, and entering the waste liquid collection cup, leading to excessive electrolyte loss in the battery. Consequently, excessive electrolyte loss occurs during the battery formation stage, resulting in substandard battery quality. Furthermore, the high cost of electrolyte raw materials and excessive electrolyte loss also lead to production waste, high production costs, and failure to meet mass production requirements. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a negative pressure cup, a negative pressure cup cooling device, and a battery formation device to solve the problem in the prior art that the negative pressure cup cannot control the amount of electrolyte loss, resulting in some electrolyte being carried out of the negative pressure cup with the gas, leading to excessive electrolyte loss during the battery formation stage.

[0005] On the one hand, this application provides a negative pressure cup, comprising:

[0006] The cup body has a buffer cavity inside, and the cup body has an air intake hole and an air exhaust hole, which are connected to the buffer cavity.

[0007] The condenser is located on the side wall of the cup body and controls the temperature of the buffer chamber within a preset range through heat exchange with the cup body.

[0008] In one possible design, the condenser section includes:

[0009] The condenser tube is spirally wound around the side wall of the cup body and has a medium inlet and a medium outlet.

[0010] The cooling medium is placed inside the condenser tube and can flow from the medium inlet to the medium outlet.

[0011] In one possible design, the side wall of the cup is provided with a spiral groove, and the condenser tube is arranged in the spiral groove along the spiral groove.

[0012] In one possible design, a heat insulation section is also included, located on the side of the condenser section away from the cup body.

[0013] In one possible design, the insulation includes insulating cotton.

[0014] In one possible design, the cup body has a flow guide for allowing the electrolyte in the buffer chamber to flow back into the battery.

[0015] In one possible design, the cup body is made of stainless steel.

[0016] On the other hand, this application also provides a negative pressure cup cooling device, including the negative pressure cup as described above, and the negative pressure cup cooling device further includes:

[0017] The main inlet pipe has multiple branch outlets;

[0018] The water inlet branch pipe is connected at one end to the corresponding branch port and at the other end to the condenser section;

[0019] The main return water pipe has multiple return ports;

[0020] The return water branch pipe is connected to the medium outlet at one end and to the corresponding return port at the other end.

[0021] In one possible design, a first valve body and a flow meter are installed on the main inlet pipe;

[0022] And / or, a second valve body is installed on the inlet branch pipe;

[0023] And / or, a check valve is installed on the return water branch pipe.

[0024] In another aspect, this application also provides a battery formation device, including the negative pressure cup described above.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0026] The negative pressure cup of this application has a condenser section on the side wall of the cup body. Through heat exchange with the cup body, the temperature of the buffer chamber is controlled within a preset range, thereby cooling the environment inside the negative pressure cup and the buffer chamber. This ensures that the temperature inside the buffer chamber is lower than the condensation temperature of the electrolyte, allowing the electrolyte vapor extracted with the gas during the vacuuming process to re-condense into liquid in the negative pressure cup and flow back into the battery. This ensures that the electrolyte loss during the battery formation stage meets production requirements, does not affect battery quality, and reduces production costs.

[0027] The negative pressure cup cooling device provided in this application includes the negative pressure cup described in this application, and therefore also includes all the advantages of the negative pressure cup mentioned above.

[0028] The battery formation apparatus provided in this application incorporates the negative pressure cup described in this application, and therefore also incorporates all the aforementioned advantages of the negative pressure cup. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the negative pressure cup provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the negative pressure cup provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 3 A top view of the negative pressure cup provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the negative pressure cup cooling device provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0034] Figure label:

[0035] 100. Cup body; 110. Buffer chamber; 120. Suction port; 130. Exhaust port; 200. Condensation section; 210. Condensation tube; 211. Medium inlet; 212. Medium outlet; 300. Insulation section; 410. Main water inlet pipe; 420. Branch water inlet pipe; 430. Branch water return pipe; 440. Main water return pipe; 510. First valve body; 520. Flow meter; 530. Second valve body; 540. Check valve. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] The following is combined Figures 1-3 This describes the negative pressure cup provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0038] Reference Figure 1As shown, the negative pressure cup includes a cup body 100 and a condenser 200. A buffer chamber 110 is formed inside the cup body 100. An air intake hole 120 and an air exhaust hole 130 are provided on the cup body 100, and the air intake hole 120 and the air exhaust hole 130 are respectively connected to the buffer chamber 110. The condenser 200 is disposed on the side wall of the cup body 100, and the temperature of the buffer chamber 110 is controlled within a preset range by heat exchange with the cup body 100. In some specific embodiments, the cup body 100 has a cylindrical structure, the buffer chamber 110 has a cylindrical cavity, and the condenser 200 is installed on the outer side wall of the cup body 100; the suction port 120 is opened at the lower end of the cup body 100, and a lower connector is installed at the suction port 120, which can be connected to the electrolyte filling port of the battery; the exhaust port 130 is opened at the upper end of the cup body 100, and an upper connector is installed at the exhaust port 130, which can be connected to the negative pressure equipment through a pipe; during the battery formation stage, the negative pressure cup and the battery are placed in an environment of 45°C, and the negative pressure equipment is started to evacuate the battery. Since the electrolyte is very easy to evaporate in an environment of 45°C, some of the evaporated electrolyte vapor is drawn into the negative pressure cup along with the gas. In some specific embodiments, the condenser 200 includes a water-cooled or air-cooled structure. The condenser 200 can exchange heat with the cup body 100, controlling the temperature of the buffer chamber 110 at 0-10℃, so that the electrolyte vapor can be re-condensed into a liquid state in the negative pressure cup. In some specific embodiments, the cup body 100 includes a cup body and a cup lid. The cup body is integrally stamped, and the cup body and cup lid are connected by welding technology to ensure the sealing of the negative pressure cup and ensure that the vacuum leakage rate of the negative pressure cup meets the requirements for production and use. Both the cup body 100 and the cup lid are made of stainless steel. For example, both the cup body and the cup lid are made of 304 stainless steel. The thermal conductivity of 304 stainless steel is about 12W / (m·K), which has good thermal conductivity and makes it easier for the electrolyte to cool down and condense.

[0039] By utilizing the technical solution in the above embodiments, a condenser 200 is provided on the side wall of the cup body 100. The condenser 200 exchanges heat with the cup body 100, which can control the temperature of the buffer chamber within a preset range. This achieves cooling of the negative pressure cup and the environment inside the buffer chamber, making the temperature inside the buffer chamber 110 lower than the electrolyte condensation temperature. As a result, the electrolyte vapor extracted with the gas during the vacuuming process can be re-condensed into liquid in the buffer chamber 110 and then flowed back into the battery. This ensures that the electrolyte loss during the battery formation stage meets production requirements, does not affect battery quality, and reduces production costs.

[0040] Reference Figures 1-3As shown, in some embodiments provided in this application, the condenser 200 includes a condenser tube 210 and a cooling medium. The condenser tube 210 is spirally wound around the side wall of the cup body 100. The two ends of the condenser tube 210 are a medium inlet 211 and a medium outlet 212, respectively. The cooling medium is disposed inside the condenser tube 210 and can flow from the medium inlet 211 to the medium outlet 212. In some specific embodiments, the cooling medium is water, and the condenser tube 210 is made of copper to give it high heat transfer efficiency. The condenser tube 210 spirals downward from the upper end of the cup body 100 and wraps around the outer wall of the cup body 100. The cooling medium is cooling water at 7°C in the factory. The cooling water flows downward from the medium inlet 211 at the upper end under its own gravity, passing around the outer wall of the cup body 100 and heading towards the cut-off outlet. Thus, heat exchange occurs between the cooling water and the cup body 100, reducing the temperature of the environment inside the cup body 100 and the buffer chamber 110 to below 10°C. This allows the electrolyte vapor to re-condense into liquid in the negative pressure cup and flow back into the battery under its own gravity, effectively reducing the amount of electrolyte lost during the battery formation stage.

[0041] In some specific embodiments, a spiral groove is provided on the side wall of the cup body 100, and the condenser tube 210 is disposed in the spiral groove along the spiral groove. By providing a spiral groove on the side wall of the cup body 100, the spiral groove can be used to lock the condenser tube 210 in place, thereby preventing the condenser tube 210 from slipping off or becoming misaligned from the cup body 100. In some specific embodiments, the width of the opening of the spiral groove is slightly smaller than the diameter of the condenser tube 210, so that after the condenser tube 210 is locked into the spiral groove, it can be automatically limited to prevent it from slipping off the spiral groove.

[0042] In some embodiments provided in this application, the negative pressure cup further includes a heat insulation part 300, which is disposed on the side of the condenser 200 away from the cup body 100. Specifically, the heat insulation part 300 is sleeved on the outside of the condenser 200. It should be noted that during the battery formation stage, both the battery and the negative pressure cup are placed in an environment of 45°C. By sleeved with the heat insulation part 300 on the outside of the condenser 200, the heat exchange between the external environment and the condenser 200 is reduced, allowing the low temperature of the condenser 200 to exchange heat with the cup body 100 and the environment inside the buffer cavity as much as possible, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the internal environment of the buffer cavity. In some specific embodiments, the heat insulation part 300 includes heat insulation cotton, which wraps around the cup body 100. The heat insulation cotton has high heat insulation performance and can also absorb condensate on the condenser tube 210, preventing condensate from flowing down to the battery surface.

[0043] Reference Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments provided in this application, the cup body 100 has a flow guide portion for allowing the electrolyte in the buffer chamber to flow back into the battery. Specifically, the flow guide portion has a conical structure, with its inner diameter gradually decreasing from top to bottom. The lower end of the flow guide portion is connected to the battery's electrolyte filling port, thereby ensuring that the electrolyte after condensation can flow smoothly back into the battery along the inner wall of the flow guide portion.

[0044] Reference Figure 4As shown in the figure, this application embodiment also provides a negative pressure cup cooling device, which includes the negative pressure cup in the above embodiment. The negative pressure cup cooling device also includes a main water inlet pipe 410, a branch water inlet pipe 420, a main water return pipe 440, and a branch water return pipe 430. The main water inlet pipe 410 has multiple branch outlets; one end of the branch water inlet pipe 420 is connected to the corresponding branch outlet, and the other end is connected to the medium inlet 211; the main water return pipe 440 has multiple return outlets; one end of the branch water return pipe 430 is connected to the medium outlet 212, and the other end is connected to the corresponding return outlet. In some specific embodiments, the negative pressure cup cooling device is used to cool down the negative pressure cups in multiple storage locations. Each storage location is provided with a set of inlet branch pipes 420 and return branch pipes 430. Specifically, each storage location is provided with multiple negative pressure cups, which are installed at intervals on the support plate and are used to connect to the liquid injection ports of different batteries to form different batteries. Multiple connectors are installed on the side wall of the inlet branch pipes 420, which are used to connect to the medium inlet 211 of the condenser pipes 210 on different negative pressure cups. The inlet branch pipes 420 of all storage locations are connected to the corresponding branch ports on the main inlet pipe 410, and the return branch pipes 430 of all storage locations are connected to the corresponding return ports on the main return pipe 440. The cooling medium in the main inlet pipe 410 flows into the condenser pipe 210 in the corresponding storage location through each inlet branch pipe 420. After heat exchange with the cup body 100 in the condenser pipe 210, it flows back from the medium outlet 212 of the condenser pipe 210 to the return branch pipe, and then back to the return main pipe, thus realizing that one set of negative pressure cup cooling devices cools multiple sets of negative pressure cups in multiple storage locations. In some specific embodiments, a first valve body 510 and a flow meter 520 are installed on the main inlet pipe 410. The first valve body 510 is a manual valve, installed near the beginning of the main inlet pipe 410, and is used to control the opening and closing of the main inlet pipe 410. The flow meter 520 is installed downstream of the first valve body 510, and is used to measure the flow rate of the cooling medium in the main inlet pipe 410 in real time. If the flow rate of the cooling medium detected by the flow meter 520 is less than a critical value, an alarm can be triggered to remind relevant actions to avoid the negative pressure cup cooling effect failing to meet the requirements. In some specific embodiments, a second valve body 530 is installed on the inlet branch pipe 420; the second valve body 530 is a pneumatically controlled valve used to control the opening and closing of the inlet branch pipe 420 corresponding to the storage location. In some specific embodiments, a one-way valve 540 is installed on the return branch pipe to prevent the cooling medium in the return branch pipe 430 from flowing back.

[0045] It should be noted that the negative pressure cup cooling device includes the negative pressure cup, and therefore includes all the advantages of the negative pressure cup mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] This application also provides a battery formation device, including the negative pressure cup in the above embodiments.

[0047] It should be noted that the battery formation equipment includes a negative pressure cup, and therefore includes all the advantages of the negative pressure cup mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, 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.

[0049] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0050] In this application, 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, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between components; 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, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0051] In this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0052] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A negative pressure cup, characterized in that, include: The cup body has a buffer cavity inside, and the cup body has an air intake hole and an air exhaust hole, which are respectively connected to the buffer cavity; A condenser section is located on the side wall of the cup body, and controls the temperature of the buffer cavity within a preset range through heat exchange with the cup body.

2. The negative pressure cup according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condensation section includes: A condenser tube, which is spirally wound around the side wall of the cup body, has a medium inlet and a medium outlet; The cooling medium is disposed inside the condenser tube and can flow from the medium inlet to the medium outlet.

3. The negative pressure cup according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cup body has a spiral groove on its side wall, and the condenser tube is arranged in the spiral groove along the spiral groove.

4. The negative pressure cup according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: It also includes a heat insulation section, which is disposed on the side of the condensation section away from the cup body.

5. The negative pressure cup according to claim 4, characterized in that: The heat insulation component includes heat insulation cotton.

6. The negative pressure cup according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The cup body has a flow guide section, which is used to allow the electrolyte in the buffer cavity to flow back into the battery.

7. The negative pressure cup according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The cup body is made of stainless steel.

8. A negative pressure cup cooling device, characterized in that, The negative pressure cup according to any one of claims 1-7 further includes: The main inlet pipe has multiple branch outlets; One end of the water inlet branch pipe is connected to the corresponding branch port, and the other end is connected to the condenser section; The main return water pipe has multiple return ports; The return water branch pipe is connected at one end to the medium outlet and at the other end to the corresponding return port.

9. The negative pressure cup cooling device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The main inlet pipe is equipped with a first valve body and a flow meter; And / or, a second valve body is installed on the water inlet branch pipe; And / or, a one-way valve is installed on the return water branch pipe.

10. A battery formation apparatus, characterized in that: Includes the negative pressure cup according to any one of claims 1-7.

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