Assembly equipment and battery production line

Abstract

The utility model discloses assembly equipment and a battery production line. The assembling equipment comprises a material winding roller; the conveying roller set comprises at least four conveying rollers used for conveying materials released by the material winding roller, at least three conveying rollers are heating rollers, at least one conveying roller is a transition roller located between every two adjacent heating rollers, at least one heating roller is a first heating roller, and at least one conveying roller is a second heating roller. The heating roller which is adjacent to the first heating roller and is positioned at the upstream of the first heating roller is a second heating roller, and the heating roller which is adjacent to the first heating roller and is positioned at the downstream of the first heating roller is a third heating roller; the number of the transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is larger than that of the transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller; and a forming mechanism. Therefore, the production efficiency of the battery monomer can be improved, and the energy consumption for heating the electrode assembly can be reduced, so that the production cost of the electrode assembly is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to assembly equipment and battery production lines. Background Technology

[0002] The application of new energy batteries in daily life and industry is becoming increasingly widespread. For example, new energy vehicles equipped with batteries are already widely used, and battery devices are also increasingly being applied in energy storage. In new energy vehicles equipped with batteries, the battery device can provide all or part of the power. In the field of energy storage, battery devices can be installed in energy storage boxes or directly on the user side.

[0003] In related technologies, a battery cell typically includes an electrode assembly. During the manufacturing process of the electrode assembly, the energy consumption for heating the electrode assembly is relatively high, resulting in a high production cost for the electrode assembly. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an assembly equipment and a battery production line to reduce the energy consumption of heating electrode components, thereby reducing the production cost of electrode components.

[0005] The embodiments of this application are implemented through the following technical solutions.

[0006] A first aspect of this application provides an assembly apparatus for assembling electrode assemblies. The assembly apparatus includes: a material roll for supporting a material wound into a roll to be assembled, wherein at least one material roll supports a spacer; a conveying roller group including at least four conveying rollers for conveying material released from the material roll, wherein at least three conveying rollers are heating rollers, at least one conveying roller is a transition roller located between two adjacent heating rollers, at least one heating roller is a first heating roller, a heating roller adjacent to and upstream of the first heating roller is a second heating roller, and a heating roller adjacent to and downstream of the first heating roller is a third heating roller, wherein the number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller; and a forming mechanism for receiving material conveyed by the conveying rollers and assembling the material into an electrode assembly, wherein the forming mechanism is located downstream of the conveying rollers.

[0007] Before the forming mechanism assembles the material into an electrode assembly, the spacer, which is as spread out as possible, is heated by a heating roller. The heat transfer path from the heating roller to the spacer is short, and the spacer, which is spread out as much as possible, can be heated quickly and evenly by the heating roller. Since the spacer in the electrode assembly assembled on the forming mechanism has been heated, after the forming mechanism assembles the spacer, positive electrode, negative electrode, and other materials into an electrode assembly, the assembled electrode assembly can be squeezed to make the spacer bond well with the positive electrode and / or negative electrode without further heating. This effectively alleviates the problem that the spacer far from the surface in the assembled electrode assembly needs to be heated for a long time for bonding, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency. The isolator is gradually heated from the second heating roller to the third heating roller. The number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is relatively large, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively sparsely distributed. The number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller is relatively small, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively densely distributed. This results in a smaller temperature rise of the isolator during the transport of the isolator on the sparsely distributed first and second heating rollers. This can alleviate the situation where the isolator is heated to a high temperature too quickly. During the transport of the isolator away from the second heating roller and the first heating roller of the forming mechanism, the temperature of the isolator is relatively low, and the temperature difference between the isolator and the surrounding environment is small. This helps to reduce the heat exchange between the isolator and the surrounding environment, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. During the conveying of the separator on the densely distributed first and third heating rollers, the preheated portion of the separator upstream of the first heating roller is further heated by the first and second heating rollers. The dense distribution of the first and third heating rollers helps maintain a high temperature for the separator, allowing it to enter the forming mechanism for assembly at this high temperature. During the extrusion of the assembled electrode assembly, the high temperature of the separator facilitates better adhesion between the adhesive-coated separator and the positive and / or negative electrode. In some embodiments, the number of transition rollers between two adjacent upstream heating rollers is greater than or equal to the number of transition rollers between two adjacent downstream heating rollers. Since the number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers upstream is greater than or equal to the number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers downstream, the number of heating rollers upstream of the conveying roller group can be set to be less, and the number of heating rollers downstream of the conveying roller group can be set to be more. Thus, upstream of the conveying material, the number of heating rollers heating the material is less, the temperature rise of the material is smaller, and the heat exchange between the material and the surrounding air due to the temperature difference during the conveying of the heating rollers is alleviated, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. Moreover, upstream of the conveying material, the number of heating rollers heating the material is greater, and the more heating rollers can heat the material, so that the material can maintain a higher temperature near the forming mechanism, and the material enters the forming mechanism for assembly when it is heated to a higher temperature.

[0008] In some embodiments, the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller.

[0009] Since the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller, the distance between adjacent heating rollers closer to the forming mechanism is smaller. Therefore, the heating rollers upstream of the conveying roller group can be arranged more sparsely, and the heating rollers downstream of the conveying roller group can be arranged more densely. This further reduces the temperature rise of the material away from the forming mechanism, alleviates the heat exchange caused by the temperature difference between the material and the surrounding air during the conveying process of the heating rollers, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. Moreover, it can further maintain a higher temperature for the material near the forming mechanism, allowing the material to enter the forming mechanism for assembly when heated to a higher temperature.

[0010] In some embodiments, the forming mechanism is a winder for winding material to form a wound electrode assembly, the winder being located downstream of the conveyor roller assembly.

[0011] Since the forming mechanism is a winder, it can wind materials to form a wound electrode assembly, so that the wound electrode assembly can be extruded to form a molded electrode assembly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the number of material rolls is at least two, each material roll corresponding to a conveyor roll group, and the assembly equipment further includes a converging roll for receiving and converging the material released from at least two material rolls, with the conveyor roll group located upstream of the converging roll.

[0013] Since there are at least two material rolls, each corresponding to a conveyor roller group, multiple materials can be heated simultaneously. This reduces the total heating time of the materials before winding the electrode assembly, increases the material heat treatment rate, and thus improves the manufacturing efficiency of the electrode assembly. Because the assembly equipment also includes a merging roller for receiving and combining materials released from at least two material rolls, and the conveyor roller group is located upstream of the merging roller, the merging roller can combine the heat-treated materials, facilitating the winding of the combined material.

[0014] In some embodiments, at least one heating roller is a target roller, and the conveying rollers between the downstream of the target roller and the upstream of the converging roller are all heating rollers.

[0015] Since the conveying rollers downstream of the target roller and upstream of the merging roller are all heated rollers, the conveying rollers near the merging roller are all heated rollers. This allows the material to maintain a high temperature near the forming mechanism, enabling the material to enter the forming mechanism for assembly while being heated to a high temperature. In some embodiments, the merging roller includes: a first roller body; and a first heater located inside the first roller body, the first heater heating the first roller body.

[0016] Because the converging roller includes a first heater, it can further heat the converging materials, further enhancing the adhesion of the structural adhesive on the separator. This results in higher temperatures during the electrode assembly extrusion process, better adhesion of the structural adhesive on the separator, and improved bonding strength between the electrode and the separator. Alternatively, it can further cause the electrode to expand due to heat, further reducing the probability of cracking during electrode extrusion or charge / discharge. The converging roller, consisting of a first roller body and a first heater located within the first roller body, has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0017] In some embodiments, the heating roller includes: a second roller body; and a second heater located inside the second roller body, wherein the second heater heats the second roller body.

[0018] The heating roller has a simple structure consisting of a second roller body and a second heater located inside the second roller body, and has a low manufacturing cost.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second roller includes a roller sidewall that encloses the second heater and is used to contact the material conveyed by the conveying roller.

[0020] Because the second heater is enclosed on the side wall of the roller, and the side wall of the roller is used to contact the material conveyed by the conveying roller, the temperature of the side wall of the roller is more uniform, thereby making the material heat up evenly and reducing the negative impact of the local performance difference of the material on the overall battery cell.

[0021] In some embodiments, the second heater is an electromagnetic heater, and the sidewall of the roller is made of metal.

[0022] Because the second heater is an electromagnetic heater, the heating roller has a fast heating rate and strong heating uniformity, allowing for precise temperature control. Furthermore, the electromagnetic heater can flexibly adjust its heating power and frequency to adapt to materials with different properties. Since the roller's sidewalls are made of metal, the heat from the electromagnetic heater can be quickly and evenly transferred to the material, improving the material's heating rate.

[0023] The second aspect of this application provides a battery production line, which includes the assembly equipment provided in the first aspect.

[0024] Since the battery production line includes the aforementioned assembly equipment, it can improve the production efficiency of electrode components and enhance the adhesion between the separator and the electrode sheet.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this application include: before the forming mechanism assembles the material into an electrode assembly, the spacer, which is as spread out as possible, is heated by a heating roller. The heat transfer path from the heating roller to the spacer is relatively short, and the spacer, which is spread out as much as possible, can be heated relatively quickly and evenly by the heating roller. Since the spacer in the electrode assembly assembled on the forming mechanism has been heated, after the forming mechanism assembles the spacer, positive electrode, negative electrode, and other materials into an electrode assembly, the assembled electrode assembly can be squeezed to make the spacer bond well with the positive electrode and / or negative electrode without further heating. This effectively alleviates the problem that the spacer far from the surface in the assembled electrode assembly needs to be heated for a long time for bonding, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency. The isolator is gradually heated from the second heating roller to the third heating roller. The number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is relatively large, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively sparsely distributed. The number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller is relatively small, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively densely distributed. This results in a smaller temperature rise of the isolator during the transport of the isolator on the sparsely distributed first and second heating rollers, which can alleviate the situation where the isolator is heated to a high temperature too quickly. During the transport of the isolator away from the second heating roller and the first heating roller of the forming mechanism, the temperature of the isolator is relatively low, and the temperature difference between the isolator and the surrounding environment is small. This helps to reduce the heat exchange between the isolator and the surrounding environment, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. During the conveying of the separator on the densely distributed first and third heating rollers, the preheated portion of the separator upstream of the first heating roller is further heated by the first and second heating rollers. Due to the dense distribution of the first and third heating rollers, it is beneficial to maintain a high temperature for the separator. When the separator is heated to a high temperature, it enters the forming mechanism for assembly. During the extrusion of the assembled electrode assembly, the high temperature of the separator is beneficial to the good adhesion of the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagrams of the assembly equipment provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams of the assembly equipment provided for other embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of the structure of the heating roller provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 4 Provided for some embodiments of this application Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional structure;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of the confluence rollers provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 Provided for some embodiments of this application Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the BB cross-sectional structure;

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the assembly equipment provided for some further embodiments of this application.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0035] 10 Assembly equipment; 1 Material; 2 Material roll; 3 Conveying roll group; 31 Conveying roll; 311 Heating roll; 3111 First heating roll; 3112 Second heating roll; 3113 Third heating roll; 312 Transition roll; 313 Second roll body; 3131 Roll body sidewall; 314 Second heater; 4 Forming mechanism; 41 Winder; 5 Converging roll; 51 First roll body; 52 First heater. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application and are therefore merely examples, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification and the foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0039] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0040] In the description of the embodiments in this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0041] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "circumferential", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, operated or used in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0042] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" 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 the embodiments of this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the technical term "contact" should be interpreted broadly, and can be direct contact, contact through an intermediate medium layer, contact between two contacting parties with substantially no interaction force, or contact between two contacting parties with interaction force.

[0044] The following is a detailed description of this application.

[0045] In related technologies, electrode assemblies include a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. A separator is disposed between the positive and negative electrodes. At least one side of the separator along its thickness direction is coated with adhesive to bond the separator to the electrode sheet under heat. Before the electrode assembly is formed into a wound or stacked structure, the separator is not heated. During the hot pressing process of the formed electrode assembly, because the electrode assembly has already been formed into a wound or stacked structure, the inner separator, which is furthest from the surface, requires a longer heating time to ensure the adhesive coating on the separator has good adhesion, resulting in low production efficiency of the electrode assembly. Using all the upstream conveyor rollers of the forming mechanism for forming electrode assemblies as heating rollers to heat the isolator, heating the isolator before forming the electrode assembly, while the isolator is in an unfolded state, allows for relatively rapid and uniform heating of the isolator. Although this can improve production efficiency, heating the isolator with each conveyor roller will raise the isolator to a high temperature in a short time. The isolator may still be a long conveying distance from the forming mechanism, and may continue to be conveyed on the conveyor rollers. During the conveying process, the high-temperature isolator will exchange heat with the surrounding environment, consuming a large amount of heat. Subsequent conveyor rollers will then heat the isolator to maintain the required temperature, resulting in high energy consumption for the entire heating process of the isolator and high production costs for the electrode assembly.

[0046] Based on this design concept, embodiments of this application provide an assembly device for assembling electrode assemblies. The assembly device includes: a material roll roller for supporting a material roll wound from the material to be assembled, wherein at least one material roll roller supports a spacer; a conveying roller group including at least four conveying rollers for conveying material released from the material roll roller, wherein at least three conveying rollers are heating rollers, and at least one conveying roller is a transition roller located between two adjacent heating rollers; at least one heating roller is a first heating roller, a heating roller adjacent to and upstream of the first heating roller is a second heating roller, and a heating roller adjacent to and downstream of the first heating roller is a third heating roller; the number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller; and a forming mechanism for receiving the material conveyed by the conveying rollers and assembling the material into an electrode assembly, wherein the forming mechanism is located downstream of the conveying rollers.

[0047] Before the forming mechanism assembles the material into an electrode assembly, the spacer, which is as spread out as possible, is heated by a heating roller. The heat transfer path from the heating roller to the spacer is short, and the spacer, which is spread out as much as possible, can be heated quickly and evenly by the heating roller. Since the spacer in the electrode assembly assembled on the forming mechanism has been heated, after the forming mechanism assembles the spacer, positive electrode, negative electrode, and other materials into an electrode assembly, the assembled electrode assembly can be squeezed to make the spacer bond well with the positive electrode and / or negative electrode without further heating. This effectively alleviates the problem that the spacer far from the surface in the assembled electrode assembly needs to be heated for a long time for bonding, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency. The isolator is gradually heated from the second heating roller to the third heating roller. The number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is relatively large, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively sparsely distributed. The number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller is relatively small, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively densely distributed. This results in a smaller temperature rise of the isolator during the transport of the isolator on the sparsely distributed first and second heating rollers, which can alleviate the situation where the isolator is heated to a high temperature too quickly. During the transport of the isolator away from the second heating roller and the first heating roller of the forming mechanism, the temperature of the isolator is relatively low, and the temperature difference between the isolator and the surrounding environment is small. This helps to reduce the heat exchange between the isolator and the surrounding environment, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. During the conveying of the separator on the densely distributed first and third heating rollers, the preheated portion of the separator upstream of the first heating roller is further heated by the first and second heating rollers. Due to the dense distribution of the first and third heating rollers, it is beneficial to maintain a high temperature for the separator. When the separator is heated to a high temperature, it enters the forming mechanism for assembly. During the extrusion of the assembled electrode assembly, the high temperature of the separator is beneficial to the good adhesion of the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode.

[0048] The battery production line provided in this application embodiment can be used, but is not limited to, for manufacturing battery devices or battery cells.

[0049] The battery apparatus mentioned in the embodiments of this application may include one or more battery cell assemblies for providing voltage and capacity. A battery cell assembly may include multiple battery cells connected in series, parallel, or mixed connections via a busbar.

[0050] In some embodiments, a battery cell assembly is typically formed by arranging multiple battery cells; as an example, a battery cell assembly can be a battery module, which is formed by arranging and fixing multiple battery cells together to form a single module. As an example, a battery module can be formed by bundling multiple battery cells together with cable ties.

[0051] In some embodiments, the battery device may be a battery pack, which includes a housing and one or more individual battery cells housed within the housing.

[0052] As an example, the battery cell assembly can be a battery module, which can be housed in a housing by fixing the battery module in the housing.

[0053] As an example, battery cell assemblies can also be housed in a housing by directly fixing multiple battery cells to the housing.

[0054] The battery cell can be a lithium-ion battery, sodium-ion battery, sodium-lithium-ion battery, lithium metal battery, sodium metal battery, lithium-sulfur battery, magnesium-ion battery, nickel-metal hydride battery, nickel-cadmium battery, lead-acid battery, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0055] A single battery cell typically includes an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. During the charging and discharging process of a single battery cell, active ions repeatedly insert and extract between the positive and negative electrodes. The separator, positioned between the positive and negative electrodes, prevents short circuits while allowing active ions to pass through. For example, the active ions can be lithium ions.

[0056] In some embodiments, the positive electrode can be a positive electrode sheet, which may include a positive current collector and a positive active material disposed on at least one surface of the positive current collector.

[0057] As an example, the positive current collector has two surfaces opposite each other in its own thickness direction, and the positive active material is disposed on either or both of the two opposite surfaces of the positive current collector.

[0058] As an example, the positive electrode current collector can be a metal foil or a composite current collector. For example, as a metal foil, silver-treated aluminum or stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, titanium, etc., can be used. The composite current collector may include a polymer material base layer and a metal layer. The composite current collector can be formed by forming a metal material on a polymer material substrate.

[0059] For example, the metallic material can be aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, silver and silver alloy, etc.

[0060] For example, the polymer material substrate can be a substrate of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc.

[0061] As an example, the positive electrode active material may include at least one of the following materials: lithium phosphate, lithium transition metal oxide, and their respective modified compounds. However, the embodiments of this application are not limited to these materials, and other conventional materials that can be used as positive electrode active materials for batteries may also be used. These positive electrode active materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of lithium phosphate may include, but are not limited to, at least one of lithium iron phosphate (such as LiFePO4 (also referred to as LFP)), lithium iron phosphate and carbon composites, lithium manganese phosphate (such as LiMnPO4), lithium manganese phosphate and carbon composites, lithium manganese iron phosphate, and lithium manganese iron phosphate and carbon composites.

[0062] In some embodiments, the positive electrode can be a foamed metal. The foamed metal can be foamed nickel, foamed copper, foamed aluminum, foamed alloys, etc. When foamed metal is used as the positive electrode, the surface of the foamed metal may or may not contain a positive electrode active material. As an example, lithium source material, potassium metal, or sodium metal can also be filled and / or deposited within the foamed metal, where the lithium source material is lithium metal and / or a lithium-rich material.

[0063] In some embodiments, the negative electrode can be a negative electrode sheet, and the negative electrode sheet can include a negative current collector.

[0064] As an example, the negative electrode current collector can be a metal foil, a foamed metal, or a composite current collector. For example, as a metal foil, it can be silver-treated aluminum or stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, titanium, etc. Composite current collectors can include a polymer material base layer and a metal layer. Foamed metal can be foamed nickel, foamed copper, foamed aluminum, foamed alloy, etc. Composite current collectors can be formed by forming a metal material on a polymer material substrate. In some embodiments, the positive electrode current collector can be made of aluminum, and the negative electrode current collector can be made of copper.

[0065] For example, the metallic material can be copper, copper alloys, nickel, nickel alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, silver and silver alloys, etc.

[0066] For example, the polymer material substrate can be a substrate such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc.

[0067] In some embodiments, the separator is a separator membrane. This application does not impose any particular limitation on the type of separator membrane; any known porous separator membrane with good chemical and mechanical stability can be selected.

[0068] As an example, the main material of the separator can be selected from at least one of glass fiber, non-woven fabric, polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinylidene fluoride, and ceramic.

[0069] In some embodiments, the separator is a solid electrolyte. The solid electrolyte is disposed between the positive and negative electrodes, serving both to transport ions and to isolate the positive and negative electrodes.

[0070] In some embodiments, the battery cell further includes an electrolyte, which acts as a conductor of ions between the positive and negative electrodes. This application does not impose specific limitations on the type of electrolyte; it can be selected according to requirements. The electrolyte can be liquid, gel, or solid.

[0071] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly is a wound structure. The positive electrode and the negative electrode are wound into a wound structure.

[0072] As an example, the separator can be continuously arranged between any adjacent positive or negative electrode plates by winding.

[0073] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly may be cylindrical, flat, or polygonal, etc.

[0074] In some embodiments, the electrode assembly has tabs that allow current to be drawn from the electrode assembly. The tabs include a positive tab and a negative tab.

[0075] In some embodiments, a single battery cell may include a casing. The casing encapsulates components such as electrode assemblies and electrolytes. The casing may be made of steel, aluminum, plastic, composite metal, or aluminum-plastic film, etc.

[0076] As an example, the battery cell can be a cylindrical battery cell, a prismatic battery cell, a pouch battery cell, or a battery cell of other shapes. Prismatic battery cells include prismatic battery cells, blade-shaped battery cells, and multi-prismatic battery cells, such as hexagonal prismatic battery cells. There are no particular limitations in the embodiments of this application.

[0077] In some embodiments, the housing includes an end cap assembly and a housing, the housing having an opening, and the end cap assembly closing the opening to form a sealed space for accommodating substances such as electrode assemblies and electrolytes. The housing may have one or more openings. The end cap assembly may also have one or more end cap assemblies.

[0078] In some embodiments, at least one electrode terminal is provided on the housing, and the electrode terminal is electrically connected to the tab. The electrode terminal can be directly connected to the tab or indirectly connected to the tab via an adapter. The electrode terminal can be provided on the end cap assembly or on the housing.

[0079] Below, refer to Figures 1 to 7Some embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0080] Figure 1 Schematic diagrams of the structure of an assembly equipment for which the material is a spacer are provided for some embodiments of this application; Figure 2 Schematic diagrams of an assembly device for electrode sheets provided for other embodiments of this application; Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of the structure of the heating roller provided for some embodiments of this application; Figure 4 Provided for some embodiments of this application Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional structure; Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of the confluence rollers provided for some embodiments of this application; Figure 6 Provided for some embodiments of this application Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the BB cross-sectional structure; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an assembly apparatus for a wound electrode assembly with a joining processing step for the electrode sheet and the separator, provided for some other embodiments of this application.

[0081] The first aspect of this application provides an assembly device 10, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the assembly equipment 10 is used to assemble electrode assemblies. The assembly equipment 10 includes a material roll 2, a conveying roller group 3, and a forming mechanism 4. The material roll 2 is used to support the material 1 to be assembled, which is wound into a roll. At least one material roll 2 is used to support a spacer. The conveyor roller assembly 3 includes at least four conveyor rollers 31 for conveying material 1 released from the material roll 2. At least three of the conveyor rollers 31 are heating rollers 311, and at least one conveyor roller 31 is a transition roller 312 located between two adjacent heating rollers 311. The at least one heating roller 311 is a first heating roller 3111, the heating roller 311 adjacent to and upstream of the first heating roller 3111 is a second heating roller 3112, and the heating roller 311 adjacent to and downstream of the first heating roller 3111 is a third heating roller 3113. The number of transition rollers 312 between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 is greater than the number of transition rollers 312 between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113. A forming mechanism 4 is located downstream of the conveyor rollers 31 for receiving the material 1 conveyed by the conveyor rollers 31 and assembling the material 1 into an electrode assembly.

[0082] At least one material roll 2 is used to support a separator, and a conveying roll 31 is used to convey the material released from the material roll 2. At least a portion of the conveying roll 31 is used to convey the separator.

[0083] The heating roller 311 can convey material 1 and has a heating function for heating the conveyed material.

[0084] The transition roller 312 can convey materials but does not have a heating function.

[0085] The heating roller 311 adjacent to and upstream of the first heating roller 3111 is the second heating roller 3112. Here, "adjacent" refers to the proximity of the heating rollers 311. There are no other heating rollers 311 between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112. The material released from the material roll roll 2 passes through the second heating roller 3112 and reaches the area between the first heating rollers 3111 without passing through any other heating rollers 311. However, the material released from the material roll roll 2, after passing through the second heating roller 3112, can pass through the transition roller 312 when reaching the area between the first heating rollers 3111.

[0086] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113 can be zero. In this case, there is no transition roller 312 between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113.

[0087] For example, there is no transition roller 312 between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113, such as Figure 1 As shown, the first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113 are arranged adjacent to each other. The material released by the material roll roller 2 passes through the first heating roller 3111 and then reaches the third heating roller 3113, without passing through other conveying rollers 31.

[0088] The first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113 are arranged adjacent to each other. Here, "adjacent" means that the two conveying rollers are adjacent to each other. There are no other conveying rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113.

[0089] For example, the assembly equipment 10 is used to assemble electrode assemblies, and the assembly equipment 10 can assemble a positive electrode, an insulator and a negative electrode into a stacked electrode assembly.

[0090] For example, the assembly equipment 10 can also assemble the positive electrode, the separator and the negative electrode into a wound electrode assembly.

[0091] For example, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, the material roll 2 is used to support the material 1 to be assembled, which is wound into a roll. The conveying roller group 3 is used to convey the material 1 supported by the material roll 2 to the forming mechanism 4. The forming mechanism 4 is used to assemble the material 1 conveyed by the conveying roller group 3 into a stacked electrode assembly or a wound electrode assembly.

[0092] For example, the material roll 2 can be a roller, which supports the material roll 1 to be assembled. That is, the material roll 1 to be assembled is placed on the material roll 2. For example, the material rolls made from the separator, positive electrode or negative electrode to be assembled can be placed on the material roll 2.

[0093] For example, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 7 As shown, the number of material rolls 2 can be one or more. For example, there can be one material roll 2, which is used to support the separator; or there can be four material rolls 2, which are used to support the separator, the positive electrode, and the material rolls made of the separator and the negative electrode, respectively. The relative positions of the multiple material rolls 2 are not specifically limited in this application, as long as they can transport the material 1 to the conveying roller 31 and then to the forming mechanism 4 to be assembled into an electrode assembly.

[0094] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the number of conveying rollers 31 is at least four. At least three of the conveying rollers 31 are heating rollers 311: one is a first heating roller 3111, another is a second heating roller 3112, and the third heating roller 3113. At least one conveying roller 31 is a transition roller 312, located between adjacent heating rollers 311 along the conveying direction of the material 1. The conveying direction of the material 1 refers to the direction in which the material 1 is conveyed from the material roll roller 2 via the conveying roller group 3 to the forming mechanism 4.

[0095] For example, the number of conveyor rollers 31 can be four, five, six, seven or more, etc.

[0096] For example, the number of heating rollers 311 can be three, four, five, six or more, etc.

[0097] For example, the number of transition rollers 312 can be one, two, three or more, etc. The number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 can be one, two, three or more, etc. Of course, no transition rollers 312 may be provided between two adjacent heating rollers 311.

[0098] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, there are four conveying rollers 31, three of which are heating rollers 311 and the other is a transition roller 312. The heating rollers 311, transition roller 312, heating roller 311 and heating roller 312 are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of material 1.

[0099] For example, such as Figure 2As shown, there are ten conveying rollers 31. Along the conveying direction of material 1, the rollers can be arranged as conveying roller 31, heating roller 311, transition roller 312, heating roller 311, transition roller 312 and heating roller 311, for example, three conveying rollers 31, one heating roller 311, two transition rollers 312, one heating roller 311, one transition roller 312 and one heating roller 311 are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of material 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The only example shown is the arrangement of the conveyor rollers 31 in the conveyor roller group 3. The specific arrangement of the conveyor rollers 31 can also be other arrangements.

[0100] For example, the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the second heating roller 3112 can be one, two, three, four or five, etc.

[0101] For example, the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113 can be zero, one, two, three or four, etc.

[0102] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the second heating roller 3112 can be one, and the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113 can be zero.

[0103] For example, the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the second heating roller 3112 can be four, and the number of transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113 can be one.

[0104] A forming mechanism 4 is provided downstream of the conveying roller 31. The conveying roller 31 conveys the material 1 to the forming mechanism 4, and the forming mechanism 4 assembles the material 1 into an electrode assembly.

[0105] For example, the separator has adhesive on at least one side along its thickness direction, and the adhesive-coated separator is bonded to the positive or negative electrode.

[0106] For example, the separator has adhesive on opposite sides along the thickness direction of the separator, and the adhesive-coated separator is bonded to the positive and negative electrodes.

[0107] For example, materials are assembled into corresponding electrode assemblies by a molding mechanism, and the assembled electrode assemblies are pressed to bond the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode. Bonding the separator reduces the phenomenon of the positive electrode extending beyond the negative electrode due to slippage between the positive and negative electrodes, which helps suppress lithium plating.

[0108] For example, the assembled electrode assembly can be pressed by the molding mechanism 4 to bond the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode.

[0109] For example, the forming mechanism can be a winder, and the winder can be a needle coil.

[0110] For example, the forming mechanism 4 can wind the material 1 into a wound electrode assembly and extrude the wound electrode assembly into a shaped electrode assembly, which can be installed into the casing of the battery cell.

[0111] For example, the assembly equipment also includes an extrusion device located downstream of the forming mechanism. The extrusion device can also assemble materials into corresponding electrode assemblies by winding or stacking in the forming mechanism 4. The extrusion device extrudes the assembled electrode assemblies to bond the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode. Bonding the separator reduces the phenomenon of the positive electrode exceeding the negative electrode due to slippage between the positive and negative electrodes, which helps suppress lithium plating.

[0112] For example, at least one material roll roller supports a spacer. The heating roller 311 can heat the spacer before stacking or winding. Structural adhesive can be applied to one or both sides of the spacer. The heating roller 311 can heat the spacer to give the structural adhesive on the spacer better adhesion. Moreover, since the spacer itself has a temperature, when the spacer is wound into an electrode assembly, the temperature of the spacer inside the electrode assembly is higher. This can preheat the temperature of the inner ring of the electrode assembly, reduce the extrusion time of the electrode assembly, and improve the manufacturing efficiency of the electrode assembly.

[0113] For example, the forming mechanism is used to assemble the separator, positive electrode and negative electrode into a stacked electrode assembly, wherein the positive electrode and negative electrode can be conveyed without passing through the conveyor roller group.

[0114] For example, the assembly equipment also includes a conveyor for conveying the positive and / or negative electrodes of the stacked electrode assembly.

[0115] In this embodiment, before the forming mechanism assembles the material into an electrode assembly, the spacer, which is as spread out as possible, is heated by a heating roller. The heat transfer path from the heating roller to the spacer is short, and the spacer, which is spread out as much as possible, can be heated relatively quickly and evenly by the heating roller. Since the spacer in the electrode assembly assembled on the forming mechanism has already been heated, after the forming mechanism assembles the spacer, positive electrode, negative electrode, and other materials into an electrode assembly, the assembled electrode assembly can be squeezed to make the spacer bond well with the positive electrode and / or negative electrode without further heating. This effectively alleviates the problem that the spacer far from the surface in the assembled electrode assembly needs to be heated for a long time for bonding, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency. The isolator is gradually heated from the second heating roller to the third heating roller. The number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is relatively large, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively sparsely distributed. The number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller is relatively small, and the first and second heating rollers are relatively densely distributed. This results in a smaller temperature rise of the isolator during the transport of the isolator on the sparsely distributed first and second heating rollers, which can alleviate the situation where the isolator is heated to a high temperature too quickly. During the transport of the isolator away from the second heating roller and the first heating roller of the forming mechanism, the temperature of the isolator is relatively low, and the temperature difference between the isolator and the surrounding environment is small. This helps to reduce the heat exchange between the isolator and the surrounding environment, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. During the conveying of the separator on the densely distributed first and third heating rollers, the preheated portion of the separator upstream of the first heating roller is further heated by the first and second heating rollers. Due to the dense distribution of the first and third heating rollers, it is beneficial to maintain a high temperature for the separator. When the separator is heated to a high temperature, it enters the forming mechanism for assembly. During the extrusion of the assembled electrode assembly, the high temperature of the separator is beneficial to the good adhesion of the adhesive-coated separator to the positive and / or negative electrode.

[0116] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located upstream is greater than or equal to the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located downstream.

[0117] For example, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located upstream is equal to the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located downstream.

[0118] For example, along the conveying direction of material 1, three heating rollers 311 are arranged in sequence. Among the three heating rollers 311, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located upstream can be one, and the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located downstream can also be one.

[0119] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located upstream is greater than the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located downstream.

[0120] For example, along the conveying direction of material 1, three heating rollers 311 are arranged sequentially. Among the three heating rollers 311, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located upstream can be three, and the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 located downstream can be two, one, or zero. The three heating rollers 311 can be the first heating roller 3111, the second heating roller 3112, and the third heating roller 3113 mentioned above, respectively. Of course, the three heating rollers 311 can also be other heating rollers.

[0121] For example, along the conveying direction of material 1, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 remains unchanged or decreases.

[0122] For example, along the conveying direction of material 1, the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 gradually decreases.

[0123] In this embodiment, since the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 upstream is greater than or equal to the number of transition rollers 312 between two adjacent heating rollers 311 downstream, the number of heating rollers 311 can be set according to actual needs. The heating rollers 311 upstream of the conveying roller group 3 that are conveying the material 1 can be arranged more sparsely, and the heating rollers 311 downstream of the conveying roller group 3 that are conveying the material 1 can be arranged more densely. Thus, upstream of the conveying material, the number of heating rollers 311 that are heating the material is smaller, the temperature rise of the material 1 is smaller, and the heat exchange between the material 1 and the surrounding air due to the temperature difference during the conveying of the heating rollers is alleviated, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. Moreover, upstream of the conveying material, the number of heating rollers 311 that are heating the material 1 is larger. The larger number of heating rollers 311 can heat the material, so that the material can maintain a higher temperature near the forming mechanism, and the material enters the forming mechanism for assembly when it is heated to a higher temperature. The number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers located upstream is equal to the number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers located downstream, and the density of the heating rollers in some locations can remain basically unchanged.

[0124] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 is greater than the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113.

[0125] The distance between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 refers to the sum of the distances between the central axes of adjacent conveying rollers 31 from the first heating roller 3111 to the second heating roller 3112 along the conveying direction of material 1. Figure 1 For illustrative purposes, the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 refers to the sum of the distance L1 from the central axis of the first heating roller 3111 to the central axis of the transition roller 312 located downstream and adjacent to it, and the distance L2 from the central axis of the transition roller 312 to the central axis of the second heating roller 3112 located downstream and adjacent to it. In other words, the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 refers to the sum of distances L1 and L2. The above is merely an illustrative example; of course, there may be multiple transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the second heating roller 3112.

[0126] The distance between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113 refers to the sum of the distances between the central axes of adjacent conveying rollers 31 from the first heating roller 3111 to the third heating roller 3113 along the conveying direction of material 1. Figure 1 For illustrative purposes, the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the second heating roller 3112 refers to the distance L3 from the central axis of the first heating roller 3111 to the central axis of the second heating roller 3112. The above is merely an illustrative example; of course, there may be one or more transition rollers 312 between the first heating roller 3111 and the third heating roller 3113.

[0127] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, along the conveying direction of material 1, the conveying distance from the first heating roller 3111 to the second heating roller 3112 is greater than the conveying distance from the first heating roller 3111 to the third heating roller 3113.

[0128] In this embodiment, since the distance between the upstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the downstream of the second heating roller 3112 is greater than the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller 3111 and the upstream of the third heating roller 3113, the distance between adjacent heating rollers 311 that are closer to the forming mechanism 4 is smaller. Therefore, the heating rollers 311 upstream of the conveying roller group 3 that are conveying the material 1 can be arranged more sparsely, and the heating rollers 311 downstream of the conveying roller group 3 that are conveying the material 1 can be arranged more densely. This further reduces the temperature rise of the material 1 at the position away from the forming mechanism 4, alleviates the heat exchange caused by the temperature difference between the material 1 and the surrounding air during the conveying process of the heating rollers 311, thereby reducing energy loss and energy consumption. Moreover, it can further maintain a higher temperature for the material near the forming mechanism, so that the material can be heated to a higher temperature before entering the forming mechanism for assembly.

[0129] In some embodiments, the forming mechanism 4 is a winder 41 for winding material 1 to form a wound electrode assembly, and the winder 41 is located downstream of the conveyor roller group 3.

[0130] The winder 41 is located downstream of the conveying roller group 3. The conveying roller group 3 can convey the preheated material 1 to the winder 41. The winder 41 can wind the material 1 to form a wound electrode assembly. The wound electrode assembly can be assembled into a housing to form a wound battery cell.

[0131] For example, the winder 41 can be a winding needle.

[0132] For example, the wound electrode assembly has a flat area and a corner area, with corner areas provided on opposite sides of the flat area.

[0133] For example, at least one material roll 2 supports material 1, which is a negative electrode. The negative electrode and other materials 1 are wound together to form an electrode assembly. After the electrode assembly is extruded, it is installed into a casing to form a battery cell. During the charging and discharging process of the battery cell, the negative electrode may crack due to stress concentration caused by the expansion of the lithium intercalation lattice due to heat. This is especially true for electrode assemblies located in corner areas. After thermal expansion, electrode assemblies located in corner areas not only have to withstand internal pressure but also friction caused by contact with the interior of the casing due to expansion, further increasing the probability of cracking of the negative electrode in corner areas. The heating roll 311 can heat the negative electrode before winding, causing the negative electrode to rebound due to heat before winding to form an electrode assembly. This increases the thickness of the negative electrode, pre-expands the negative electrode, releases the internal stress of the negative electrode, and reduces the risk of deformation or cracking due to thermal expansion in subsequent processes or during charging and discharging, thereby improving the quality of the finished product. Furthermore, since the negative electrode itself has a temperature, and the negative electrode is wound into an electrode assembly, the temperature of the negative electrode inside the electrode assembly is relatively high. Therefore, the temperature of the inner ring of the electrode assembly can be preheated, which can reduce the heating time of the electrode assembly and improve the manufacturing efficiency of the electrode assembly.

[0134] For example, when material 1 is the positive electrode, the positive electrode is wound with other materials 1 to form an electrode assembly. After the electrode assembly is extruded, it is installed into a casing to form a battery cell. During the extrusion molding of the electrode assembly, the positive electrode is prone to cracking due to its own material and manufacturing process. The heating roller 311 can heat the positive electrode before winding, increasing its thickness and pre-expanding it. This softens the positive electrode before it is wound to form the electrode assembly, improving its plasticity and ductility. This allows the positive electrode to withstand greater pressure during the extrusion process, reducing the risk of cracking. Furthermore, the positive electrode after being heated and rebounded has a lower rebound rate after being heated again due to the preheating and rebound. This reduces the contribution of the rebound to the expansion force of the electrode assembly, effectively reducing the expansion force and improving the battery cell life. Moreover, the positive electrode itself has a temperature after being preheated and rebounded, which can preheat the inner ring temperature of the electrode assembly, reducing the extrusion time and improving the manufacturing efficiency of the electrode assembly.

[0135] In this embodiment of the disclosure, since the forming mechanism 4 is a winder 41, it is possible to wind the material 1 to form a wound electrode assembly, so that the wound electrode assembly can be extruded to form a molded electrode assembly.

[0136] For example, the forming mechanism 4 is a stacker capable of assembling electrode assemblies into stacked electrode assemblies. For example, the forming mechanism 4 may include a robotic arm for gripping the positive or negative electrode.

[0137] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the number of material rolls 2 is at least two, and each material roll 2 corresponds to a conveyor roll group 3. The assembly equipment 10 also includes a converging roll 5 for receiving and converging the material 1 released from at least two material rolls 2, and the conveyor roll group 3 is located upstream of the converging roll 5.

[0138] For example, the number of material rolls 2 can be two, three or four, etc. In a specific embodiment, the number of material rolls 2 is four, and the four material rolls 2 are respectively used to support the material rolls wound by the positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode and the separator.

[0139] For example, each material roll 2 corresponds to each conveying roll group 3. Each conveying roll group 3 is used to convey the material 1 supported by each material roll 2. Each conveying roll group 3 conveys the material 1 to the converging roll 5, and the converging roll 5 merges the materials 1 into a whole. For example, the positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator wound on the converging roll 5 are stacked at the converging roll to form an unfolded electrode assembly. The positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator stacked on the converging roll are in an unfolded state. The converging roll 5 can convey the unfolded and stacked positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator to the winder 41. The winder 41 winds the stacked positive electrode, the separator, the negative electrode, and the separator into a wound electrode assembly.

[0140] For example, the converging roller 5 can be Figure 1 The roller shown is located on one side of material 1. Of course, the converging roller 5 can also be any other structure capable of converging multiple materials, as long as it can receive and converging material 1 released from at least two roll rollers 2.

[0141] In this embodiment, since there are at least two material rolls 2, and each material roll 2 corresponds to a conveying roller group 3, multiple materials 1 can be heated simultaneously, reducing the total heating time of the materials 1 before winding the electrode assembly, increasing the heat treatment rate of the materials 1, and thus improving the manufacturing efficiency of the electrode assembly. Since the assembly equipment 10 also includes a merging roller 5 for receiving and merging the materials 1 released from at least two material rolls 2, and the conveying roller group 3 is located upstream of the merging roller 5, the merging roller 5 can merge the heat-treated materials 1, fix the relative position of the materials 1, and facilitate the winding of the merged materials 1.

[0142] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, at least one heating roller 311 is the target roller, and the conveying rollers 31 between the downstream of the target roller and the upstream of the converging roller 5 are all heating rollers 311.

[0143] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, along the conveying direction of material 1, the several conveying rollers 31 near the confluence roller 5 are all heating rollers 311.

[0144] For example, the number of conveying rollers 31 between the downstream of the target roller and the upstream of the converging roller 5 can be zero, one, two, or three, etc.

[0145] For example, the target roller can be the first heating roller 3111, or the target roller can be the conveying roller 31 located downstream of the first heating roller 3111.

[0146] In this embodiment of the disclosure, since the conveying rollers 31 between the downstream of the target roller and the upstream of the converging roller 5 are both heating rollers 311, the material can maintain a high temperature near the forming mechanism, so that the material can be heated to a high temperature before entering the forming mechanism for assembly.

[0147] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the converging roller 5 includes a first roller body 51 and a first heater 52. The first heater 52 is located inside the first roller body 51 and heats the first roller body 51.

[0148] During the material 1 conveying process, the first roller 51 comes into contact with the material 1 and can heat the material 1.

[0149] For example, the first heater 52 can be an electromagnetic heater, or it can be other devices with heating functions.

[0150] In this embodiment, since the converging roller 5 includes a first heater 52, it can further heat the converging material 1, further enhancing the adhesion of the structural adhesive on the separator, thereby further increasing the temperature during the electrode assembly extrusion process, improving the adhesion of the structural adhesive on the separator, and increasing the bonding strength between the electrode and the separator; or further causing the electrode to expand due to heat, further reducing the probability of cracking during electrode extrusion or charging / discharging. The converging roller 5, consisting of a first roller body 51 and a first heater 52 located within the first roller body 51, has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0151] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the heating roller 311 includes a second roller body 313 and a second heater 314. The second heater 314 is located inside the second roller body 313 and heats the second roller body 313.

[0152] During the conveying process of material 1, the second roller 313 comes into contact with material 1 and can heat material 1.

[0153] For example, the second heater 314 can be an electromagnetic heater, or it can be other devices with heating functions.

[0154] In this embodiment, the heating roller 311 has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost, consisting of a second roller body 313 and a second heater 314 located within the second roller body 313.

[0155] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the second roller body 313 includes a roller body sidewall 3131, which encloses the second heater 314 and is used to contact the material 1 conveyed by the conveying roller 31.

[0156] The roller sidewall 3131 encloses the second heater 314. Only the sidewall of the second roller 313 is closed; the portion of the roller sidewall 3131 located outside and the portion located inside the second roller 313 are blocked by the roller sidewall 3131. That is, the roller sidewall 3131 does not have holes connecting its inner and outer sides. The area enclosed by the roller sidewall 3131 can communicate with the outside of the roller sidewall 3131 through openings at both ends of the roller sidewall 3131. This allows the second heater 314 to be assembled into the area enclosed by the roller sidewall 3131. The openings at both ends of the area enclosed by the roller sidewall 3131 can be closed.

[0157] In this embodiment, since the roller sidewall 3131 encloses the first heater 52 and is used to contact the material 1 conveyed by the conveying roller 31, the temperature of the roller sidewall 3131 is more uniform, thereby making the material 1 heat up evenly and reducing the negative impact on the battery cell as a whole caused by the difference in local properties of the material 1.

[0158] In some embodiments, the second heater 314 is an electromagnetic heater, and the roller sidewall 3131 is made of metal.

[0159] The electromagnetic heater can be any commercially available electromagnetic heater.

[0160] For example, the sidewall 3131 of the roller can be made of metal materials such as iron or steel.

[0161] In this embodiment, since the second heater 314 is an electromagnetic heater, the heating roller 311 has a fast heating rate and strong heating uniformity, and the temperature of the heating roller 311 can be controlled more precisely. Moreover, the electromagnetic heater can flexibly adjust the heating power and frequency to adapt to materials 1 with different characteristics. Since the roller sidewall 3131 is made of metal, the heat from the electromagnetic heater can be quickly and evenly transferred to the material 1, thereby improving the heating rate of the material 1.

[0162] The second aspect of this application provides a battery production line, which includes the assembly equipment 10 provided in the first aspect above.

[0163] In this embodiment of the disclosure, since the battery production line includes the assembly equipment 10 described above, the production efficiency of the electrode assembly can be improved, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery cell. It can also reduce the probability of electrode sheet cracking in the battery cell and improve the quality of the battery cell.

[0164] In one specific embodiment, the conveying roller 31 through which the isolator passes in the conventional winding equipment is adjusted to a roller with a heating function, so that the adhesive on the isolator is preheated and melted during the winding process as it passes through the heating roller 311. This allows the adhesive to directly play a bonding role during the pre-pressing process of the winding electrode assembly when the electrode assembly is wound into a wound electrode assembly. After winding, the electrode assembly is formed after being compacted under a certain pressure, without the need for a heating and pressing shaping process.

[0165] During the preheating process, the adhesive on the surface of the separator plays a bonding role. After the electrode assembly is wound, it is directly die-cast. The original preheating and cold pressing processes can be eliminated, saving one process time. The manufacturing process of the electrode assembly is simplified from winding-pre-pressing-hot pressing / tunnel furnace cold pressing-ultrasonic welding to winding-hot pressing-ultrasonic welding. The electrode assembly is die-cast immediately after winding. The adhesive on the separator plays a bonding role, bonding the positive electrode, negative electrode and separator together. This reduces the potential for electrode slippage caused by the original process, which could lead to the positive electrode exceeding the negative electrode, causing lithium plating and affecting the performance of the battery cell. This solution can be achieved by directly modifying the existing winding machine's conveyor roller 31. No additional equipment or space is required, resulting in low equipment modification risk and a high success rate.

[0166] In another specific embodiment, the tension roller or other rollers passing through the negative electrode are adjusted to be heated rollers 311 with magnetic heating function. This can be achieved by directly modifying the conveyor rollers 31 in a conventional winding machine, without adding new rollers. However, if all rollers are modified to be heated rollers 311 with magnetic heating, the equipment and modification costs are high, and the internal temperature of the winding machine is very high, which is detrimental to process control and monitoring. Therefore, some conveyor rollers 31 can be modified to be heated rollers with magnetic heating. This allows the negative electrode to be heated and rebound earlier, and the negative electrode itself maintains a higher temperature. The increased temperature of the inner ring of the electrode assembly reduces the hot pressing time and improves process efficiency.

[0167] In another specific embodiment, the tension roller through which the positive electrode passes in the conventional winding machine is adjusted to a heating roller 311 with magnetic heating function. The positive electrode is heated during the process of passing through the roller, so that the positive electrode is softened by heat before being wound into an electrode assembly, which improves the plasticity of the positive electrode and allows the positive electrode to have greater elongation after being heated. During the extrusion process of the electrode assembly, the positive electrode can withstand greater pressure and reduce the probability of cracking of the positive electrode located in the corner area of ​​the innermost ring of the electrode assembly.

[0168] The modification can be directly applied to the existing rollers in a traditional winding machine, without the need for new rollers or equipment. The overall modification scheme is relatively simple. The positive electrode has low temperature requirements; it only needs to soften upon heating to improve plasticity. It has high compatibility with existing equipment and can be widely used. Pre-heating the positive electrode reduces its rebound during use, minimizing its contribution to the electrode assembly's expansion force, effectively reducing expansion force and improving cell lifespan. Under this scheme, the positive electrode maintains a higher temperature after pre-heating and rebounding, preheating the inner ring temperature of the electrode assembly and reducing the extrusion time.

[0169] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and all should be covered within the scope of this application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the embodiments can be combined in any way. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An assembly device, characterized in that, The assembly equipment is used for assembling electrode assemblies and includes: A material roll roller is used to support a roll of material to be assembled, wherein at least one of the material roll rollers is used to support a spacer. A conveyor roller assembly includes at least four conveyor rollers for conveying material released from the material roll rollers, at least three of the conveyor rollers are heating rollers, at least one conveyor roller is a transition roller located between two adjacent heating rollers, at least one heating roller is a first heating roller, a heating roller adjacent to and upstream of the first heating roller is a second heating roller, a heating roller adjacent to and downstream of the first heating roller is a third heating roller, and the number of transition rollers between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the number of transition rollers between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller; A forming mechanism is used to receive the material conveyed by the conveying roller and assemble the material into the electrode assembly. The forming mechanism is located downstream of the conveying roller.

2. The assembly equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers located upstream is greater than or equal to the number of transition rollers between two adjacent heating rollers located downstream.

3. The assembly equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the upstream of the first heating roller and the downstream of the second heating roller is greater than the distance between the downstream of the first heating roller and the upstream of the third heating roller.

4. The assembly equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The forming mechanism is a winder for winding the material to form a wound electrode assembly, and the winder is located downstream of the conveyor roller assembly.

5. The assembly equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of material rolls is at least two, and each material roll corresponds to one conveyor roll group. The assembly equipment also includes a merging roll for receiving and merging the material released from at least two of the material rolls, and the conveyor roll group is located upstream of the merging roll.

6. The assembly equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, At least one heating roller is a target roller, and the conveying rollers between the downstream of the target roller and the upstream of the converging roller are all heating rollers.

7. The assembly equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The converging roller includes: First roller body; A first heater is located inside the first roller body, and the first heater heats the first roller body.

8. The assembly equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The heating roller includes: Second roller body; The second heater is located inside the second roller body and heats the second roller body.

9. The assembly equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second roller body includes a roller body sidewall that encloses the second heater and is used to contact the material conveyed by the conveying roller.

10. The assembly equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second heater is an electromagnetic heater, and the sidewall of the roller is made of metal.

11. A battery production line, characterized in that, Includes the assembly equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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