Battery cell folding device

Abstract

The application relates to an electric cell edge folding device. The device comprises an electric cell bearing mechanism, an electric cell pressing mechanism and an edge folding mechanism. The electric cell bearing mechanism is used for bearing an electric cell to be folded. The electric cell pressing mechanism is used for pressing the electric cell on the electric cell bearing mechanism. The edge folding mechanism is arranged on one side of the electric cell bearing mechanism. The edge folding mechanism comprises an upper edge folding structure and a lower edge folding structure. The upper edge folding structure and the lower edge folding structure are opposite in the vertical direction. The upper edge folding structure is connected with a first driving mechanism in transmission. The first driving mechanism is used for driving the upper edge folding structure to move away from or close to the lower edge folding structure. The aluminum plastic film edge of the electric cell is bent to a predetermined angle through the misalignment of the upper edge folding structure and the lower edge folding structure. The scheme provided by the application can not only accurately control the edge gap precision of the electric cell folding, but also improve the working efficiency of the electric cell folding operation.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Soft-pack batteries are the third generation of lithium batteries developed based on the original steel-cased, aluminum-cased, and plastic-cased batteries. They are widely favored by users at home and abroad for their advantages such as being lighter and thinner, having better safety performance, high appearance requirements, high energy density, stable discharge platform, excellent power performance, and being environmentally friendly and pollution-free.

[0003] Cell folding involves bending the edges of the outer coating film or aluminum-plastic film of the cell to ensure a tight fit with the cell body. However, the folding devices in related technologies struggle to improve the precision of the edge gap during folding, making it difficult to fully utilize space during cell assembly and thus affecting the battery's energy density. Furthermore, the folding devices in these technologies are difficult to implement for continuous batch processing of cell folding, resulting in low work efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] To solve or partially solve the problems existing in the related technologies, this application provides a battery cell folding device, which can not only accurately control the edge gap accuracy of battery cell folding, but also improve the working efficiency of battery cell folding operation.

[0005] This application provides a folding device, comprising: A cell support mechanism is used to support the cells to be folded. A cell clamping mechanism is used to clamp the cells on the cell carrying mechanism; A folding mechanism is provided on one side of the battery cell carrying mechanism. The folding mechanism includes an upper folding structure and a lower folding structure, which are opposite each other in the vertical direction. The upper folding structure is connected to a first driving mechanism, which drives the upper folding structure to move away from or closer to the lower folding structure. The aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell is bent to a predetermined angle through the misalignment of the upper and lower folding structures.

[0006] In one embodiment, the battery cell carrying mechanism includes a battery cell fixing part and a second driving mechanism for driving the battery cell fixing part to move. The battery cell fixing part is used to limit the battery cell to a position relative to the upper folded edge structure and the lower folded edge structure.

[0007] In one embodiment, the cell pressing mechanism includes a third driving mechanism and a pressure plate that is tractively connected to the power output end of the third driving mechanism. The pressure plate is disposed above the cell fixing part and is used to press the cell against the cell fixing part in the vertical direction.

[0008] In one embodiment, the upper folded edge structure includes a folded edge member that is driveably connected to the first driving mechanism; The lower folding structure includes a folding support surface that cooperates with the folding member. When the folding member is driven, it is used to bend the side of the battery cell to be folded along the plane direction of the folding support surface.

[0009] In one embodiment, the portion of the folding member facing the folding support surface is provided with a folding working surface for contacting one side of the battery cell to be folded. The folding support surface is used to support the side of the cell to be folded on the other side of the side to be folded; wherein, the folding working surface is arranged parallel to the folding support surface and forms a set angle with the plane direction where the cell is located.

[0010] In one embodiment, the included angle is 15° to 75°.

[0011] In one embodiment, the lower end of the folded edge member is provided with an adjacent first folding working surface and a second folding working surface. The lower folding structure includes two folding support members. The upper end of each folding support member is provided with the folding support surface. The folding support surfaces of the two folding support members correspond one-to-one with the first folding working surface and the second folding working surface. The first folding working surface and the second folding working surface have different inclination directions.

[0012] In one embodiment, the two support members have lateral support surfaces on the side facing the cell carrying mechanism, and the lateral support surfaces of the two support members correspond one-to-one with the adjacent sides of the cell; when the cell is positioned on the cell carrying member, the two adjacent sides of the cell abut against the lateral support surfaces of the two support members respectively.

[0013] In one embodiment, the lateral support surface is arranged in a vertical direction, and the lateral support surface intersects with the folded edge support surface at the end of the support member to form a support end, and the side of the battery cell is bent along the support end by the folded edge working surface.

[0014] In one embodiment, the device further includes a controller electrically connected to the drive source of the cell-bearing mechanism, the cell-pressing component, and the folding mechanism, for controlling the operation of the cell-bearing mechanism, the cell-pressing component, and the folding mechanism.

[0015] The technical solution provided in this application may include the following beneficial effects: The battery cell folding device of this application achieves fully automatic bending operation through the coordinated control of the battery cell carrying mechanism, the pressing mechanism and the folding mechanism; the first driving mechanism drives the upper folding structure to move, and the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell is bent to a predetermined angle through the misalignment of the upper folding structure and the lower folding structure, thereby improving the bending angle accuracy and bending efficiency of the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell.

[0016] Furthermore, the cell folding device provided in this application, since the folding member is driven to bend the side of the cell to be folded along the inclined direction of the folding support surface, and the support surface is a fixed inclined surface, can accurately control the edge gap accuracy of the cell folding, so that the cell can make full use of the space during subsequent assembly, improve the energy density of the battery, and meet the experience of small battery size and high energy density.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell folding device shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the folding mechanism of the battery cell folding device shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the battery cell installation of the battery cell folding device shown in the embodiments of this application.

[0020] Reference numerals: 100, Cell carrying mechanism; 110, Cell fixing part; 111, Stop block; 101, Second drive mechanism; 102, Vertical plate; 103, Guide rail; 120, Carrying platform; 200, Cell pressing mechanism; 201, Third drive mechanism; 210, Pressure plate; 211, Guide column; 300, Folding mechanism; 310, Upper folding structure; 320, Lower folding structure; 311, Folding piece; 3111, Folding working surface; 321, Support surface; 3211, Lateral support surface; 3212, Support end; 301, First drive mechanism; 330, Support platform; 400, Cell; 4001, Side of the cell to be folded. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0022] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0025] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] Existing folding devices in related technologies struggle to improve the edge gap accuracy of battery cell folding, resulting in insufficient space utilization during cell assembly and consequently affecting battery energy density. Furthermore, these folding devices are inefficient for continuous batch processing of battery cells, leading to low work efficiency. To address these issues, this application provides a battery cell folding device that not only precisely controls the edge gap accuracy of battery cell folding but also improves the work efficiency of the folding operation.

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell folding device shown in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the folding mechanism of the battery cell folding device shown in the embodiments of this application.

[0029] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a folding device, which includes a battery cell carrying mechanism 100, a battery cell pressing mechanism 200, and a folding mechanism 300. The battery cell carrying mechanism 100 is used to carry the battery cell to be folded. The battery cell pressing mechanism 200 is used to press the battery cell on the battery cell carrying mechanism 100. The folding mechanism 300 is disposed on one side of the battery cell carrying mechanism 100. The folding mechanism 300 includes an upper folding structure 310 and a lower folding structure 320, which are opposite to each other in the vertical direction. The upper folding structure 310 is connected to a first driving mechanism 301. The first driving mechanism 301 is used to drive the upper folding structure 310 to move away from or closer to the lower folding structure 320. The aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell 400 is bent to a predetermined angle through the misaligned cooperation of the upper folding structure 310 and the lower folding structure 320.

[0030] The cell support mechanism 100 is used to support and transfer the cell 400. The lower folding edge structure 320 is fixedly installed on the support platform 330, and the upper folding edge structure 310 is located directly above the support platform 330. The power output end of the first drive mechanism 301 can be connected to the upper folding edge structure 310 through a ball screw, thereby driving the upper folding edge structure 310 to move in the vertical direction to move away from or closer to the lower folding edge structure 320.

[0031] The folding device of this application achieves fully automatic bending operation through the coordinated control of the battery cell carrying mechanism 100, the pressing mechanism and the folding mechanism 300; the first driving mechanism 301 drives the upper folding structure 310 to move, and the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell is bent to a predetermined angle through the misaligned cooperation of the upper folding structure 310 and the lower folding structure 320, thereby improving the bending angle accuracy and bending efficiency of the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell.

[0032] In some embodiments, the battery cell carrying mechanism 100 is provided with a battery cell fixing part 110 and a second driving mechanism 101 for driving the battery cell fixing part 110 to move. The battery cell fixing part 110 is used to limit the battery cell to a position relative to the upper folded edge structure 310 and the lower folded edge structure 320.

[0033] The first drive mechanism 301 and the second drive mechanism 101 may include cylinders or motors. The battery cell carrying mechanism 100 may be a conveying platform or a turntable. The battery cell fixing part 110 is located on the support platform 120 of the turntable or conveying platform. The surface of the support platform 120 is machined with a rectangular positioning groove, and an array of vacuum suction holes are arranged in the groove. The vacuum suction holes are connected to a vacuum pump through vacuum pipelines. In this embodiment, the first drive mechanism 301, the vacuum equipment, and the second drive mechanism 101 realize data interaction through a bus. Equipped with a controller, the position and pressure parameters are adjusted synchronously, which can improve the folding accuracy and folding efficiency.

[0034] An adjustable stop 111 is provided on the side of the positioning groove. The stop 111 presses against the side of the battery cell 400 in the lateral direction, thereby improving the lateral positioning accuracy of the battery cell 400. The combination design of the positioning groove and vacuum suction holes solves the problem of horizontal displacement of the battery cell. The array of vacuum suction holes generates adsorption force. With the help of the adjustable stop, the positioning error is greatly reduced compared with traditional mechanical clamping, and the damage to the aluminum-plastic film caused by clamping marks is avoided.

[0035] See Figure 3 In some embodiments, the cell clamping mechanism 200 includes a third drive mechanism 201 and a pressure plate 210 that is tractively connected to the power output end of the third drive mechanism 201. The pressure plate 210 is located above the cell fixing part 110 and is used to clamp the cell to the cell fixing part 110 in the vertical direction. The third drive mechanism 201 may include a cylinder or a motor. The pressure plate 210 has guide posts 211 at its four corners or on both sides, which are tractively connected to the power output end of the cylinder through the guide posts 211, thereby realizing dynamic clamping control of the cell 400.

[0036] See Figures 1-3 In some embodiments, the upper folding structure 310 includes a folding member 311 that is connected to the first driving mechanism 301; the lower folding structure 320 includes a support surface 321 that cooperates with the folding member 311. When the folding member 311 is driven, it is used to bend the side 4001 of the cell 400 to be folded along the plane direction of the folding support surface 321.

[0037] The solution provided in this application, when the folding member 311 is driven, is used to bend the side of the cell 300 to be folded along the inclined direction of the folding support surface 321. Since the support surface 321 is a fixed inclined surface, the edge gap accuracy of the cell folding can be precisely controlled, which can reduce the width of the cell body by 0.1~0.8mm, so that the cell can make full use of space during subsequent assembly, improve the energy density of the battery, and meet the experience of small battery size and high energy density.

[0038] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the portion of the folding member 311 facing the support surface 321 is provided with a folding side 4001 for the battery cell 400. Figure 3 The folding working surface 3111 is in contact with one side of the cell 400 (shown in the figure); the folding support surface 321 is used to support the folding side 4001 on the other side of the cell 400; wherein, the folding working surface 3111 and the folding support surface 321 are arranged parallel to each other and form a set angle with the plane direction where the cell 400 is located, the angle being 15°~75°.

[0039] The folding element 311 is a detachable metal pressure head, and the folding working surface 3111 is located at the lower end of the metal pressure head. During folding, the folding element 311 applies a pushing or pressing force to the side of the battery cell through the folding working surface 3111, causing the side of the battery cell 400 to change direction relative to the battery cell body. When the side is attached to the folding support surface 321, the folding working surface 3111 presses the aluminum-plastic film side tightly against the folding support surface 321, thereby forming a specific fold angle on the side of the battery cell 400.

[0040] During the folding process, the battery cell 400 is first placed in the battery cell support mechanism 100, which supports the battery cell body. The side 4001 of the battery cell 400 to be folded extends out of the battery cell fixing part 110 and is suspended in the air. At this time, the battery cell support mechanism 100 operates, so that the battery cell 400 is precisely positioned between the upper folding structure 310 and the lower folding structure 320. Then, the first drive mechanism 301 operates, and the folding member 311 slides the aluminum-plastic film side of the battery cell 400 along the folding working surface 3111 to form a shape, pressing it against the folding support surface to achieve the final folding angle (for example, the folding angle is 15°~75°). In this embodiment, the automatic and precise angle folding of the battery cell can be achieved through the coordinated movement of the first drive mechanism 301 and the battery cell support mechanism 100.

[0041] In some embodiments, the lower end of the folding member 311 is provided with an adjacent first folding working surface and a second folding working surface. The lower folding structure 320 includes two folding support members, each of which has a folding support surface at its upper end. The folding support surfaces of the two folding support members correspond one-to-one with the first folding working surface and the second folding working surface. The first folding working surface and the second folding working surface have different inclination directions. This allows the first folding working surface to bend the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge on one side of the battery cell, and the second folding working surface to bend the aluminum-plastic film sealing edge on the other adjacent side of the battery cell. This enables simultaneous folding of the aluminum-plastic film sealing edges on both adjacent sides of the battery cell within one stroke, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0042] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, two support members have lateral support surfaces 3211 on the side facing the cell support mechanism 100, and the lateral support surfaces 3211 of the two support members correspond one-to-one with the adjacent sides of the cell; when the cell is positioned on the cell support member, the two adjacent sides of the cell abut against the lateral support surfaces 3211 of the two support members respectively. The lateral support surfaces 3211 are arranged in the vertical direction, and the lateral support surfaces 3211 intersect with the folded edge support surface at the end of the support member to form a support end, and the side of the cell is bent along the support end by the folded edge working surface 3111.

[0043] When the cell-supporting mechanism 100 moves between the upward folding structure 310 and the downward folding structure 320, it presses the cell horizontally against the lateral support surface 3211. The lateral support surface 3211 and the folding support surface 321 intersect at the end of the support member to form a support end 3212. That is, the support surface 321 and the section of the lateral support surface 3211 form a geometric constraint boundary, which is the support end 3212. This restricts the bending area of ​​the aluminum-plastic film within a set width range, reducing the occurrence rate of folding wrinkles. As a rigid linear fulcrum, the support end 3212 effectively suppresses the stretching and springback of the aluminum-plastic film under the lateral pressing force applied by the cell positioning mechanism, meeting the long-term packaging reliability requirements of the power battery.

[0044] In some embodiments, two sets of upper folding structures 310 and two sets of lower folding structures 320 are provided. The two sets of upper folding structures 310 and lower folding structures 320 are located on both sides of the battery cell. The two sets of upper folding structures 310 and lower folding structures 320 can operate synchronously, realizing the simultaneous folding operation of the aluminum-plastic film sealing edges on both sides of the battery cell, thus improving the work efficiency of the folding operation. Specifically, the two sets of upper folding structures 310 are connected to the upper mounting plate, which is connected to the first drive mechanism 301, and the two sets of lower folding structures 320 are connected to the lower mounting plate, which can be fixedly installed.

[0045] In some embodiments, the battery cell folding device of this application further includes a base and an upper vertical plate 102 disposed on the base. The vertical plate is provided with a vertical guide rail 103, and an upper slider and a lower slider are provided on the vertical guide rail 103. An upper mounting plate is fixed to the upper slider, and a lower mounting plate is fixed to the lower slider. The upper slider is connected to a first driving mechanism 301. The first driving mechanism 301 can drive the upper slider to move along the guide rail. The lower slider can be fixed to a predetermined position on the guide rail by a positioning mechanism. This can further improve the vertical movement accuracy of the upper folding structure 310. The position of the lower slider can be adjusted by the positioning structure, thereby adapting to the folding operation of the battery cell at different heights.

[0046] The folding device provided in this application also includes a controller, which is the drive source for the battery cell carrying mechanism 100, the battery cell clamping component, and the folding mechanism 300. Specifically, the controller is electrically connected to the first drive mechanism 301, the second drive mechanism 101, and the third drive mechanism 101. The controller can control the operation of the battery cell carrying mechanism 100, the battery cell clamping component, and the folding mechanism 300. Through the coordinated control of the battery cell carrying mechanism 100, the clamping component, and the folding mechanism 300, fully automatic bending operations can be achieved, further improving the efficiency of the folding work.

[0047] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A folding device, characterized in that, include: A cell support mechanism is used to support the cells to be folded. A cell clamping mechanism is used to clamp the cells on the cell carrying mechanism; A folding mechanism is provided on one side of the battery cell carrying mechanism. The folding mechanism includes an upper folding structure and a lower folding structure, which are opposite each other in the vertical direction. The upper folding structure is connected to a first driving mechanism, which drives the upper folding structure to move away from or closer to the lower folding structure. The aluminum-plastic film sealing edge of the battery cell is bent to a predetermined angle through the misalignment of the upper and lower folding structures.

2. The folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell support mechanism includes a battery cell fixing part and a second driving mechanism for driving the battery cell fixing part to move. The battery cell fixing part is used to limit the battery cell to a position relative to the upper folded edge structure and the lower folded edge structure.

3. The folding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cell pressing mechanism includes a third driving mechanism and a pressure plate that is drivenly connected to the power output end of the third driving mechanism. The pressure plate is located above the cell fixing part and is used to press the cell against the cell fixing part in the vertical direction.

4. The folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper folded edge structure includes a folded edge component that is connected to the first driving mechanism for transmission; The lower folding structure includes a folding support surface that cooperates with the folding member. When the folding member is driven, it is used to bend the side of the battery cell to be folded along the plane direction of the folding support surface.

5. The folding device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The portion of the folding piece facing the folding support surface is provided with a folding working surface for contacting one side of the battery cell to be folded. The folding support surface is used to support the side of the cell to be folded on the other side of the side to be folded; wherein, the folding working surface is arranged parallel to the folding support surface and forms a set angle with the plane direction where the cell is located.

6. The folding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The included angle is 15° to 75°.

7. The folding device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower end of the folded edge component is provided with an adjacent first folding working surface and a second folding working surface. The lower folding structure includes two folding support components. The upper end of each folding support component is provided with the folding support surface. The folding support surfaces of the two folding support components correspond one-to-one with the first folding working surface and the second folding working surface. The first folding working surface and the second folding working surface have different inclination directions.

8. The folding device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The two support members have lateral support surfaces on one side facing the cell carrying mechanism, and the lateral support surfaces of the two support members correspond one-to-one with the adjacent sides of the cell; when the cell is positioned on the cell carrying member, the two adjacent sides of the cell abut against the lateral support surfaces of the two support members respectively.

9. The folding device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The lateral support surface is arranged vertically, and the lateral support surface and the folded edge support surface intersect at the end of the support member to form a support end. The side of the battery cell is bent along the support end by the folded edge working surface.

10. The folding device according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: It also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the drive source of the cell carrying mechanism, the cell clamping component and the folding mechanism, and is used to control the operation of the cell carrying mechanism, the cell clamping component and the folding mechanism.

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