Conductive tab positioning assembly and clamp apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a conductive tab positioning assembly and a clamp device. The conductive tab positioning assembly is used in combination with a battery module having a conductive tab with a weld point. The conductive tab positioning assembly includes a fixing member and a positioning member. The fixing member is fixed to the battery module. The positioning member is connected to the fixing member and extends to a side where the conductive tab is located and exerts a force on the conductive tab to position the conductive tab on the battery module, wherein the positioning member and the conductive tab are in contact while maintaining insulation. The clamp device includes the conductive tab positioning assembly. The fixing member and the positioning member in the present disclosure can fix the conductive tab on the battery module to avoid the conductive tab from moving and contacting other electrode posts to generate an electric arc or short circuit when milling the weld point. Thus, the accident rate of weld point milling is reduced and the efficiency of weld point milling is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of clamping technology, and in particular to conductive connector positioning components and clamping equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Power batteries are a new type of high-energy battery developed in the 20th century. The negative electrode of this battery uses materials such as graphite, while the positive electrode uses materials such as lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, and lithium titanate. Due to its advantages such as high energy density, high battery voltage, wide operating temperature range, and long storage life, it has been widely used in military and civilian small electrical appliances. Meanwhile, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries have been tested in electric vehicles and will become one of the main power sources for electric vehicles in the 21st century.

[0003] The lifecycle of a power battery includes production, use, recycling, and reuse. Recycling a power battery requires removing the welded conductive connectors, typically by milling the weld points. However, this method, due to the lack of securing the conductive connectors during milling, can easily lead to the following issues: milling vibrations causing poor contact between the separated connector and the electrode, resulting in electric arcs; displacement of the free end of the connector after weld removal due to cutting force, leading to short circuits with adjacent electrodes; and damage caused by the connector being ejected due to pressure from the rotating tool. This can result in accidents and reduced milling efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a conductive connector positioning assembly and a clamping device to solve the problems in the related art.

[0005] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a conductive connector positioning assembly, comprising:

[0006] The fastener is fixed to the battery module;

[0007] A positioning element connects to the fixing element and extends to the side where the conductive connecting piece is located, and applies force to the conductive connecting piece while avoiding the solder joint, so that the conductive connecting piece is positioned in the battery module;

[0008] The positioning element and the conductive connecting piece maintain an insulating contact.

[0009] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the fastener is located on a side other than the side where the conductive connecting piece is located.

[0010] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the fixing member cooperates with the surface on the battery module where the conductive connecting piece is mounted to form a clamping and positioning of the conductive connecting piece.

[0011] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the fastener directly forms a clamping and positioning mechanism for the conductive connecting piece.

[0012] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the positioning member extends on the side where the conductive connecting piece is located and covers the conductive connecting piece.

[0013] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the conductive connecting piece is covered with an insulating plate, and the positioning member applies pressure to the insulating plate to press the conductive connecting piece onto the battery module.

[0014] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the insulating plate body has a plurality of spaced-apart positioning strips on the wall surface that abuts against the conductive connecting piece.

[0015] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the positioning member has a resilient insulating element on the wall surface that abuts against the conductive connecting piece; and / or, the positioning member is configured to be made of an insulating material.

[0016] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the fixing method between the fastener and the battery module is implemented as snap-fit ​​or screw-fit.

[0017] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a clamping device including the conductive connecting piece positioning assembly.

[0018] As described above, this disclosure provides a conductive connector positioning assembly and a clamping device. The conductive connector positioning assembly is for attachment to a battery module, the battery module having conductive connectors with solder joints. The conductive connector positioning assembly includes a fixing member and a positioning member. The fixing member is fixed to the battery module. The positioning member connects to the fixing member and extends to the side where the conductive connector is located, applying force to the conductive connector while avoiding the solder joint, thereby positioning the conductive connector in the battery module; wherein the positioning member and the conductive connector maintain insulated contact. The clamping device includes the conductive connector positioning assembly. The fixing member and positioning member in this disclosure can fix the conductive connector on the battery module to prevent the conductive connector from moving and contacting other electrode posts during solder joint milling, thus avoiding arcing or short circuits. This reduces the accident rate of solder joint milling and improves the efficiency of solder joint milling. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic of the interaction between the conductive connector positioning assembly and the battery module in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic of the fixing member and the battery module being fixedly connected in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 3The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a fastener in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a fastener in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an embodiment of the present disclosure, including an insulating plate.

[0024] Figure 6 The example shown is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a conductive connector positioning assembly in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Reference numerals: 100, conductive connecting piece positioning assembly; 110, fixing member; 111, fixing part; 112, clamping part; 1121, elastic member; 113, fixing plate; 114, screw; 120, insulating plate; 121, positioning strip; 200, battery module; 210, conductive connecting piece; 211, solder joint; 220, joint. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the information disclosed herein. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this disclosure can be modified or changed according to different viewpoints and application modules without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0027] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can readily implement it. This disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0028] In this disclosure, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic represented in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics represented may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or a group of embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples represented in this disclosure, as well as the features of those different embodiments or examples.

[0029] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the representation of this disclosure, "a set" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0030] For the purpose of clarity, devices unrelated to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components throughout the specification are given the same reference numerals.

[0031] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a device is "connected" to another device, this includes not only "direct connection" but also "indirect connection" by placing other components in between. Furthermore, when it is said that a device "comprises" a certain constituent element, unless otherwise stated otherwise, this does not exclude other constituent elements, but rather implies that other constituent elements may be included.

[0032] While the terms first, second, etc., are used in some examples herein to refer to various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, first interface and second interface, etc., are used. Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” indicate the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, module, item, kind, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, modules, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms “or” and “and / or” as used herein are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Thus, “A, B, or C” or “A, B, and / or C” means “any one of: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C.” Exceptions to this definition will only occur if the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0033] The technical terms used herein are for reference only to specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The singular form used herein includes the plural form unless the statement explicitly indicates otherwise. The word "comprising" as used in this specification means to specify a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and does not exclude the presence or addition of other characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0034] Although not explicitly defined, all terms, including technical and scientific terms used herein, shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be further interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the message of the present disclosure, and shall not be over-interpreted as having an ideal or overly formulaic meaning unless otherwise defined.

[0035] Power batteries are a new type of high-energy battery developed in the 20th century. The negative electrode of this battery uses materials such as graphite, while the positive electrode uses materials such as lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, and lithium titanate. Due to its advantages such as high energy density, high battery voltage, wide operating temperature range, and long storage life, it has been widely used in military and civilian small electrical appliances. Meanwhile, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries have been tested in electric vehicles and will become one of the main power sources for electric vehicles in the 21st century.

[0036] The lifecycle of a power battery includes production, use, recycling, and reuse. Recycling a power battery requires removing the welded conductive connectors, typically by milling the weld points. However, this method, due to the lack of securing the conductive connectors during milling, can easily lead to the following issues: milling vibrations causing poor contact between the separated connectors and electrodes, resulting in electric arcs; the free end of the connector shifting due to cutting force after the weld point is removed, causing a short circuit with adjacent electrodes; and the connector being thrown off by the rotating cutting tool after the weld point is removed, causing injury. This results in accidents and reduced milling efficiency.

[0037] To address the aforementioned issues, the fixing and positioning components in this disclosure can secure the conductive connecting pieces on the battery module, preventing them from contacting other electrode posts due to movement during solder joint milling, thus avoiding arcing or short circuits. This reduces the accident rate during solder joint milling and improves the efficiency of solder joint milling.

[0038] Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates the interaction between the conductive connector positioning assembly and the battery module in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 1 In this example, the conductive connector positioning assembly 100 is attached to the battery module 200. Those skilled in the art will understand that the battery module 200 is formed by combining multiple individual batteries in series, parallel, or series-parallel configurations, and encapsulating them together with necessary structural and electrical components (such as conductive connectors, wiring harnesses, and housings). In this embodiment, the battery module 200 can be implemented as a lithium-ion battery module, a lead-acid battery module, or a nickel-metal hydride battery module.

[0039] exist Figure 1 In the example, conductive connecting pieces 210 are welded to the surface of the battery module 200 forming electrode posts (e.g., Figure 1 (As shown by the dashed line), the conductive connecting piece 210 has solder joints 211 that connect to the electrode post. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The dashed lines shown are only a schematic diagram of the conductive connecting piece 210, and the shape of the conductive connecting piece 210 is arranged according to actual needs.

[0040] Exemplarily, the conductive connector positioning assembly 100 further includes a positioning member. The positioning member is connected to the fixing member 110 and extends to the side where the conductive connector 210 is located, applying force to the conductive connector 210 while avoiding the solder joint 211, so that the conductive connector 210 is positioned in the battery module 200. Further exemplaryly, the positioning member may be integrally formed with the fixing member to improve the overall strength of the fixing member 110 and the positioning member.

[0041] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the fixing member and the battery module fixedly connected in an embodiment of this disclosure. (In conjunction with...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As can be seen from the example, the conductive connecting piece positioning assembly 100 includes a fixing member 110. The fixing member 110 is fixed to the battery module 200.

[0042] exist Figure 2 In the example, a connecting portion 220 is provided on the outer side of the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located on the battery module 200. The connecting portion 220 can be formed in the outer shell of the battery module 200. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 220 can also be implemented as a honeycomb groove on the outer shell of the battery module 200 for heat dissipation. The fixing member 110 includes a fixing portion 111 for engaging with the connecting portion 220. As an example, Figure 2 The diagram shows that the connecting portion 220 is a groove, and the fixing portion 111 is a protrusion that engages with the groove. Therefore, during operation, the operator moves the fixing member 110 until the fixing portion 111 is inserted into the connecting portion 220. In other embodiments, the structures of the connecting portion 220 and the fixing portion 111 are interchangeable; that is, the connecting portion 220 is implemented as a protrusion, and the fixing portion 111 is implemented as a groove that engages with the protrusion.

[0043] Preferably, the cross-section of the groove and the protrusion is non-circular, such as rectangular or elliptical, to avoid the situation where the fixing member 110 cannot be effectively fixed to the battery module 200 due to relative rotation between them. In other embodiments, the fixing member 110 includes two fixing portions 111 for cooperating with two fixing portions 111 reserved on the battery module 200. In this way, the cross-section of the groove and the protrusion can be configured to be circular.

[0044] exist Figure 2 In the example, the fixing member 110 further includes a clamping part 112, which is implemented as the positioning member. When the fixing part 111 engages with the connecting part 220, the clamping part 112 can abut against the conductive connecting piece 210, and simultaneously cause the fixing part 111 to abut against the connecting part 220, so that the fixing member 110 is locked to the battery module 200.

[0045] An example illustrates how the fastener 110 is fixedly connected to the battery module 200. (See reference) Figure 2 As shown, the connecting portion 220 is formed on a side perpendicular to the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located. At least the portion of the clamping portion 112 that abuts against the battery module 200 is elastic. Therefore, when the fixing portion 111 engages with the positioning portion, the clamping portion 112 deforms due to the compression of the battery module 200, forming an elastic force that locks the fixing member 110 to the battery module 200 (the direction of the elastic force is perpendicular to the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located). Exemplarily, the clamping portion 112 abuts against the wall of the battery module 200 and is provided with an elastic element 1121, such as a rubber block, silicone block, or elastic plate. Preferably, the elastic element 1121 is detachably provided on the clamping portion 112 to facilitate replacement of worn or differently thick elastic elements 1121. For example, the clamping portion 112 is formed with a T-groove (e.g., Figure 5 In the example, the elastic element 1121 is provided with a T-shaped block (such as...) for sliding engagement with the T-slot. Figure 5 (As shown in the example). In other embodiments, the clamping part 112 is implemented as a rubber block, silicone block, or elastic plate, and is detachably connected to the end of the fixing member 110 away from the fixing part 111.

[0046] Back to Figure 2 In the example, the fastener 110 includes a fixing plate 113, to which both the fixing part 111 and the clamping part 112 are detachably connected. For example, the detachable connection is implemented using screws. The advantage of this configuration is that worn or damaged fixing parts 111 and clamping parts 112 can be replaced, and different specifications of fixing parts 111 and clamping parts 112 can also be used, thereby improving the applicability of the fastener 110.

[0047] Figure 3 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a fastener in one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 Examples and Figure 2Compared to the example, the clamping part 112 is configured to be positioned close to or away from the fixing part 111. Exemplarily, an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the clamping part 112 and the fixing plate 113 is provided. The adjustment mechanism is implemented as a threaded connection. Specifically, the clamping part 112 is slidably coupled to the fixing plate 113 in a direction close to or away from the fixing part 111. The fixing plate 113 is threadedly connected to a screw 114 in the sliding direction, and the free end of the screw 114 is rotatably connected to the clamping part 112. When it is necessary to fix the fixing member 110 to the battery module 200, after the fixing part 111 engages with the positioning part, the screw 114 is rotated to bring the clamping part 112 close to and abut against the conductive connecting piece 210, and simultaneously, the fixing part 111 abuts against the connecting part 220. In other embodiments, the adjustment mechanism is implemented as a snap-fit ​​connection.

[0048] Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the example shown, the fastener 110 engages with the surface of the battery module 200 on which the conductive connecting piece 210 is mounted to form a clamping and positioning mechanism for the conductive connecting piece 210. Figure 3 In the example shown, the fixing part 111 can also be implemented to mate with the connecting part 220 formed on the side parallel to the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located (such as the bottom surface), so it will not be described in detail here.

[0049] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a fastener according to one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4 In the example, the fixing member 110 directly clamps and positions the conductive connecting piece 210. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 220 is formed on the side of the battery module 200 where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located. Both the connecting portion 220 and the fixing portion 111 are implemented as threaded holes. The fixing portion 111 of the fixing member 110 is connected to the connecting portion 220 by screws (not shown in the figure). When the fixing portion 111 is engaged with the connecting portion 220, the clamping portion 112 presses the conductive connecting piece 210 against the surface of the battery module 200.

[0050] In other embodiments, the fastener 110 may be directly fixed to the outer casing of the battery module 200, such as by welding. Alternatively, the fastener 110 may be slidably engaged with the outer casing of the battery module 200, the sliding direction being parallel to the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located. Alternatively, the fastener 110 may be bonded to the surface of the battery module 200 using high-temperature resistant adhesive.

[0051] Figure 5The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an embodiment of this disclosure, including an insulating plate. Figure 5 In this example, the conductive connector positioning assembly 100 further includes an insulating plate 120 covering the conductive connector 210. The clamping portion 112 applies pressure to the insulating plate 120 to press the conductive connector 210 into the battery module 200.

[0052] Preferably, the insulating plate 120 is made of a rigid insulating material, such as a plastic plate or a wooden board. This avoids the inability to effectively secure the conductive connecting piece 210 due to the elasticity of the insulating plate 120.

[0053] Exemplarily, the insulating plate 120 extends along the side where the conductive connecting piece 210 is located and covers the conductive connecting piece 210. Figure 2 Taking this as an example, after the insulating plate 120 covers the surface of the conductive connecting piece 210, when the fixing member 110 is fixed to the battery module 200, the clamping part 112 engages and applies force to the insulating plate 120, so that the insulating plate 120 presses the conductive connecting piece 210 against the surface of the battery module 200. This is to prevent the conductive connecting piece 210 from moving and contacting other electrode posts during the milling of the solder joint 211, thus avoiding the occurrence of arcing or short circuits. This reduces the accident rate of solder joint 211 milling and improves the efficiency of solder joint 211 milling.

[0054] Figure 6 The example shown is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a conductive connector positioning assembly according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 6 In the example, the insulating plate 120 abuts against the conductive connecting piece 210 and has a plurality of spaced positioning strips 121 on its wall surface. These positioning strips 121 extend to press against the conductive connecting piece 210. Exemplarily, the positioning strips 121 are made of rubber or silicone to increase the friction between the insulating plate 120 and the conductive connecting piece 210, thereby improving the fixing effect of the insulating plate 120 on the conductive connecting piece 210. Preferably, the positioning strips 121 extend along the length of the battery module 200 to further improve the fixing effect of the insulating plate 120 on the conductive connecting piece 210.

[0055] In other embodiments, the insulating plate 120 may be implemented as a square plate, a sun plate, or an eye plate.

[0056] Exemplarily, the number of the fasteners 110 and the length of the insulating plate 120 are adapted to the length of the battery module 200. For example, when the battery module 200 is long, two fasteners 110 are implemented. The two fasteners 110 are respectively fixed at both ends of the battery module 200 along its length, and the two ends of the insulating plate 120 are respectively pressed against the two ends of the battery module 200 along its length. When the battery module 200 is short, one fastener 110 is sufficient to effectively fix the insulating plate 120 to the conductive connecting piece 210.

[0057] Another embodiment of this disclosure provides a clamping device. The clamping device includes the conductive connecting piece positioning assembly 100.

[0058] In summary, this disclosure provides a conductive connector positioning assembly and a fixture device. The conductive connector positioning assembly is for attachment to a battery module, the battery module having conductive connectors with solder joints. The conductive connector positioning assembly includes a fixing member and a positioning member. The fixing member is fixed to the battery module. The positioning member connects to the fixing member and extends to the side where the conductive connector is located, applying force to the conductive connector while avoiding the solder joints, thereby positioning the conductive connector in the battery module; wherein the positioning member and the conductive connector maintain insulated contact. The fixture device includes the conductive connector positioning assembly. The fixing member and positioning member in this disclosure can fix the conductive connector on the battery module, preventing the conductive connector from moving and contacting other electrode posts during solder joint milling, thus avoiding arcing or short circuits. This reduces the accident rate of solder joint milling and improves the efficiency of solder joint milling.

[0059] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this disclosure should still be covered by the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A conductive connector positioning assembly, characterized in that, For integration into a battery module, the battery module having conductive connecting pieces, the conductive connecting pieces having solder joints; The conductive connector positioning assembly includes: The fastener is fixed to the battery module; A positioning element connects to the fixing element and extends to the side where the conductive connecting piece is located, and applies force to the conductive connecting piece while avoiding the solder joint, so that the conductive connecting piece is positioned in the battery module; The positioning element and the conductive connecting piece maintain an insulating contact.

2. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fastener is located on the side other than the side where the conductive connecting piece is located.

3. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fastener engages with the surface on the battery module where the conductive connecting piece is mounted to clamp and position the conductive connecting piece.

4. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fastener directly clamps and positions the conductive connecting piece.

5. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning element extends to the side where the conductive connecting piece is located and covers the conductive connecting piece.

6. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive connecting piece is covered by an insulating plate, and the positioning member applies pressure to the insulating plate to press the conductive connecting piece into the battery module.

7. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The insulating plate has multiple positioning strips spaced apart from each other on its wall surface that abuts the conductive connecting piece.

8. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning element has an elastic insulating element on the wall surface that abuts against the conductive connecting piece; and / or the positioning element is configured to be made of insulating material.

9. The conductive connector positioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing method between the fastener and the battery module is either snap-fit ​​or screw-fit.

10. A clamping device, characterized in that, include: The conductive connector positioning assembly as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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