Battery welding equipment and battery production line

Abstract

A battery welding device, characterized in that it comprises: a welding assembly (1); a first boundary assembly (2) comprising a first rolling element (21); a second boundary assembly (3) comprising a second rolling element (31); wherein the second rolling element (31) is spaced apart from the first rolling element (21), and a boundary space is defined between the first rolling element (21) and the second rolling element (31) for placing a battery (100); the first rolling element (21) and the second rolling element (31) are rollably connected to a side wall of the battery (100); and a rotating assembly (4); wherein the rotating assembly (4) is arranged on one side of the first boundary assembly (2), and the rotating assembly (4) is used to compress a housing and an end cap of the battery (100) and to drive the housing and the end cap so that they rotate synchronously about a central axis of the battery (100);the welded assembly (1) is arranged on one side of the battery (100) in a radial direction to enable the welded assembly (1) to weld a circumference of the housing and the end cap.

Description

Technical FieldThe present application relates to the technical field of batteries, and more particularly to a battery welding apparatus and a battery production line.Prior ArtDuring the battery manufacturing process, an end cap must be welded to a housing to seal a cell in the cavity of the housing. Currently, it is usually necessary to use a welding device to weld the end cap and the housing. During the welding operation, a clamping mechanism of the welding apparatus clamps the housing to limit the rotation and movement of the housing, and then welds the connection position of the housing and the end cap by a welding machine of the welding apparatus, and rotates the welding machine along the axis of the battery to complete the circumferential welding of the end cap of the battery. As the welding machine rotates along the battery periphery, the trajectory of the welding machine tends to be deviated, resulting in a reduction in welding precision. In addition, only the housing is fixed, and there is no compression between the end cap and the housing, which results in the end cap and the housing being able to rotate relative to each other by the influence of an external force during the welding operation, which impairs the quality of the weld.Content of the Present ApplicationFirst, the present application provides a battery welding apparatus comprising:a welding assembly;a first restraint assembly comprising a first rolling element;a second limiting assembly comprising a second rolling element; wherein the second rolling element is spaced apart from the first rolling element, and a limiting space is defined between the first rolling element and the second rolling element for placing a battery; the first rolling element and the second rolling element are rollably connected to a sidewall of the battery; anda rotation assembly; wherein the rotation assembly is disposed on a side of the first restriction assembly, and the rotation assembly is used to compress a housing and an end cap of the battery and drive the housing and the end cap to rotate synchronously about a central axis of the battery; the welding assembly is disposed on a side of the battery in a radial direction to enable the welding assembly to weld a periphery of the housing and the end cap.Secondly, the present application provides a battery production line comprising a transport assembly, a bracket, and the battery welding apparatus upwards; wherein the bracket is arranged on the transport assembly, and the bracket serves to hold the battery in place; the battery welding apparatus is arranged on one side of the transport assembly; the transport assembly is capable of conveying the bracket to below the welding assembly of the battery welding apparatus; the first rolling element of the battery welding apparatus is used to lift the battery located on the bracket upwards.The advantageous effects of the battery welding apparatus and the battery production line provided by the present application: In the battery welding apparatus of this embodiment, the first rolling element of the first limiting assembly and the second rolling element of the second limiting assembly both act on the side wall of the housing, and the first rolling element and the second rolling element may collectively define the limiting space, so that the battery located in the limiting space cannot be displaced but can be rotated about the central axis of the battery. The rotation assembly may press the end cap and the housing such that the end cap and the housing do not rotate relative to each other such that the welding assembly may accurately weld a connection position between the end cap and the housing, and under the synchronous rotation of the end cap and the housing driven by the rotation assembly, the welding assembly may weld the periphery of the end cap and the housing. By driving the entire battery along its central axis, the welding assembly is not required to rotate along the periphery of the battery during the peripheral welding, the precision of welding is higher, and the quality of welding of the battery is improved, thereby improving the sealing of the battery.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGFIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a battery welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part A illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a first pressing member according to some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a second pressing member according to some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 5 is a local schematic view of a battery production line in accordance with some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a bracket according to some embodiments of the present application.In the figures:100, Battery; 1, welding assembly; 11, welding machine; 12, fifth driving member; 2, first limiting assembly; 21, first rolling member; 211, first roller; 22, first driving member; 23, upper moving seat; 231, first mounting part; 2311, escape groove; 3, second limiting assembly; 31, second rolling member; 311, second roller; 32, second driving member; 33, press fit; 4, rotating assembly; 41, first pressing member; 411, third driving member; 412, rotating shaft; 413, clutch; 42, second pressing member; 421, fourth driving member; 422, moving seat; 423, sleeve; 424, limiter; 5, dedusting assembly; 51, dedusting seat; 511, recess; 52, dedusting pipe; 6, transport assembly; 61, mounting seat; 62, conveyor chain 7, bracket; 71, second mounting plate; 711, first plate; 712, second plate; 72, jaw.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSDuring the battery manufacturing process, an end cap must be welded to a housing to seal a cell in the cavity of the housing. Currently, it is usually necessary to use a welding device to weld the end cap and the housing. During the welding operation, a clamping mechanism of the welding apparatus clamps the housing to limit the rotation and movement of the housing, and then welds the connection position of the housing and the end cap by a welding machine of the welding apparatus, and rotates the welding machine along the axis of the battery to complete the circumferential welding of the end cap of the battery. As the welding machine rotates along the battery periphery, the trajectory of the welding machine tends to be deviated, resulting in a reduction in welding precision. In addition, only the housing is fixed, and there is no compression between the end cap and the housing, which results in the end cap and the housing being able to rotate relative to each other by the influence of an external force during the welding operation, which impairs the quality of the weld.Based thereon, embodiments of the present application disclose a battery welding apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery welding apparatus comprising a welding assembly 1, a first limiting assembly 2, a second limiting assembly 3, and a rotating assembly 4; the welding assembly 1 being used to weld a housing of the battery 100 and an end cap of the battery 100; the first limiting assembly 2 comprising a first rolling element 21; the second limiting assembly 3 comprising a second rolling element 31. The second rolling element 31 is spaced apart from the first rolling element 21, and a restriction space for placing the battery 100 may be defined between the first rolling element 21 and the second rolling element 31; the first rolling element 21 and the second rolling element 31 are rollably connected to a side wall of the housing; the rotation assembly 4 is disposed on a side of the first restriction assembly 2, and the rotation assembly 4 is used to compress the housing and the end cap and drive the housing and the end cap to rotate synchronously about a center axis of the battery; the welding assembly 1 is disposed on a side of the battery 100 in a radial direction to enable the welding assembly 1 to weld a periphery of the housing and the end cap.In the battery welding apparatus of this embodiment, the first rolling element 21 of the first restricting assembly 2 and the second rolling element 31 of the second restricting assembly 3 both act on the side wall of the housing, and the first rolling element 21 and the second rolling element 31 may collectively define the restricting space, so that the battery 100 located in the restricting space cannot be slid but can be rotated about the central axis of the battery 100. The rotation assembly 4 may press the end cap and the housing so that the end cap and the housing do not rotate relative to each other so that the welding assembly 1 can accurately weld a connection position between the end cap and the housing, and under the synchronous rotation of the end cap and the housing driven by the rotation assembly 4, the welding assembly 1 may weld the periphery of the end cap and the housing. By driving the entire battery 100 along its central axis, the welding assembly 1 is not required to rotate along the periphery of the battery during the peripheral welding, the precision of welding is higher, and the quality of welding of the battery 100 is improved, thereby improving the sealing of the battery.In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first restricting assembly 2 further includes a first driving member 22 and an upper moving seat 23. the upper moving seat 23 is connected to the first driving member 22, and the first rolling member 21 is disposed on the upper moving seat 23. The first driving member 22 is capable of driving the upper moving seat 23 to move toward the second limiting assembly 3 so that the first rolling element 21 can move the battery toward the second rolling element 31. It is to be understood that the battery is provided on a holder 7. A transport assembly 6 conveys the holder 7 from the previous process to the welding operation, and when the holder 7 moves with the battery to the receiving position of the welding operation, the first driving member 22 may drive the upward moving seat 23 upward to allow the first rolling member 21 to lift the battery from the holder 7 to support the battery.To prevent the battery from shaking during the welding operation, the second limit assembly 3 may push the battery 100 downward so that the central axis of the battery 100 is collinear with the rotational axis of the rotation assembly 4. In particular, the second limiting assembly 3 comprises a second driving element 32 and a press seat 33; the second driving element 32 is connected to the press seat 33, and the second rolling element 31 is rotatably arranged on the press seat 33; the second driving element 32 is capable of driving the press seat 33 to move towards the first limiting assembly 2 so that the second rolling element 31 presses against the housing. The second driving member 32 drives the press-fit 33 to move downward, and the press-fit 33 drives the second rolling member 31 to press downward on the housing. The first rolling element 21 and the second rolling element 31 push up and down on the battery 100 and confine the battery 100 to be on the same axis as the rotational axis, which results in the rotating assembly 4 driving the end cap and the housing to stably rotate along the fixed axis.In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first rolling element 21 includes at least two first rollers 211 spaced apart from each other, the second rolling element 31 includes at least two second rollers 311 spaced apart from each other; the first rollers 211 are spaced below the second rollers 311, and all the first rollers 211 and all the second rollers 311 together form the boundary space therebetween. Specifically, all the first rollers 211 are rotatably disposed on the upper moving seat 23, and all the second rollers 311 are rotatably disposed on the press seat 33. The side walls of the first rollers 211 and the second rollers 311 are pressed against the housing, and the rotation assembly 4 rotates the housing to rotate the first rollers 211 and the second rollers 311 to reduce the friction between the housing and the first restriction assembly 2 and the second restriction assembly 3, thereby reducing the resistance so that the housing and the end cap can rotate in synchronization with each other.In an embodiment, two upper moving seats 23 are spaced apart from each other along the axial direction of the battery 100, and two first mounting parts 231 are spaced apart from each other at the upper end surface of each upper moving seat 23. The two first mounting parts 231 are spaced in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the battery 100, and an escape groove 2311 is formed between the two first mounting parts 231. The battery partially extends into the escape groove 2311 during the welding operation, and each of the first mounting parts 231 is provided with a corresponding first roller 211, so that the first limiting assembly 2 has four first rollers 211 for supporting and roll limiting the housing.In an embodiment, four of the second rollers 311 are arranged, and each of two second rollers 311 spaced along the axial direction of the battery 100 are as a group. The two groups of second rollers 311 are arranged symmetrically along the axis of the battery on one side of the press fit 33 towards the battery 100, so that the second limiting assembly 3 has four second rollers 311 for the downward pressure and roll limitation of the housing.Of course, in other embodiments, the numbers of the first rollers 211 and the second rollers 311 may be two, three, five, or other numbers, respectively, without being limited by this embodiment.In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotation assembly 4 includes a first pressing member 41 and a second pressing member 42 spaced apart from each other, and the first pressing member 41 and the second pressing member 42 are disposed at opposite ends in the axial direction of the battery 100; wherein the first pressing member 41 is used for connection with the housing and the second pressing member 42 is used for connection with the end cap; at least one of the first pressing member 41 and the second pressing member 42 serves to drive the end cap to rotate synchronously with the housing. In this embodiment, the first urging member 41 drives the end cap to rotate with the housing. It should be understood that the second urging member 42 and the first urging member 41 are disposed at both ends of the battery along the axis, and when the first restricting assembly 2 lifts the battery from the holder 7 and the second restricting assembly 3 presses the battery down to the stopper, the first urging member 41 and the second urging member 42 press the housing and the end cap against each other, and the first urging member 41 drives the end cap to rotate to drive the housing to rotate synchronously to improve the welding quality of the battery 100.In other embodiments, the second pusher 42 is used to drive the housing in rotation to rotate the end cap in synchronism with the housing. Alternatively, the first urging member 41 and the second urging member 42 simultaneously drive the housing and the end cap to rotate.As shown in FIG. 3, the first pressing member 41 includes a third driving member 411 and a rotating shaft 412. The third driving member 411 is connected to the rotating shaft 412, and an end of the rotating shaft 412 remote from the third driving member 411 is connected to the end cap, and the third driving member 411 drives the rotating shaft 412 to rotate about the central axis of the battery 100 to drive the end cap and the housing to rotate, so that the welding assembly 1 allows the end cap and the housing to circumferentially weld at the connection position of the end cap and the housing.In one embodiment, the third driving member 411 is a motor, and the output shaft of the motor is connected to the rotating shaft 412 via a clutch 413, so that the rotating shaft 412 can rotate synchronously and coaxially with the output shaft of the motor, and the motor can be protected when the motor is overloaded.As shown in FIG. 4, the second pressing member 42 includes a fourth driving member 421, a moving seat 422, and a sleeve 423. The fourth driving member 421 is connected to the moving seat 422, the sleeve 423 is rotatably disposed on the moving seat 422, and the rotation axis of the sleeve 423 is on the same straight line as the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 412. The sleeve 423 is for connection to a side of the housing remote from the end cap to ensure that the end cap and housing can rotate both coaxially and synchronously. The fourth driving member 421 drives the moving seat 422 toward the first pressing member 41 to drive the sleeve 423 and press the housing onto the end cap. In the working process, the first roller 211 and the second roller 311 may limit the battery 100 so that the central axes of the end cap, the housing, the rotation shaft 412, and the sleeve 423 are on the same straight line, and then the fourth driving member 421 drives the sleeve 423 to press the housing to put the housing and the end cap in a compressed state, at which time the rotation shaft 412 may drive the end cap and the housing to rotate together. In this embodiment, the fourth driving member 421 is a cylinder.In one embodiment, a restriction slot is disposed at an end of the sleeve 423 toward the housing, a portion of the housing is inserted into the restriction slot, and the slot wall of the restriction slot restricts the housing, such that the second pressing member 42 is better suited for pressing and restricting the housing and the end cap.Specifically, the second pressing member 42 further includes a first mounting plate, and the moving seat 422 is disposed on the first mounting plate; wherein the first mounting plate is provided with a guide rail, the moving seat 422 is provided with a slide groove corresponding to the guide rail, and the guide rail is inserted into the slide groove to allow the moving seat 422 to be moved in a longitudinal direction of the guide rail and to improve ease of movement of the moving seat 422.In one embodiment, a restrictor 424 is disposed at each of the opposite ends of the guide rail, and the restrictor 424 may be used to restrict excessive movement of the moving seat 422 so that the sleeve 423 is moved in a specified range and to prevent the sleeve 423 from squeezing the battery.In an embodiment, the second pressure member 42 further comprises a laser sensor, the laser sensor being attached to the first mounting plate. The laser sensor is used to detect whether the sleeve 423 is in the set position. If there is a deviation between the position where the sleeve 423 is located and the set position, a command may be sent to make adjustments to the position of the sleeve 423 or may warn an operator of a malfunction of the battery welding apparatus.In order to improve the quality of the weld and thus the tightness of the battery, the battery is freed of dust during or before the welding. In another embodiment, the battery welding apparatus further comprises a dust extraction assembly 5. the dust extraction assembly 5 is located below the welding assembly 1 and is used to remove dust from the welding position of the end cap and the housing to prevent the dust from degrading the quality of the weld.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dust extraction assembly 5 includes a dust extraction seat 51; wherein a side of the dust extraction seat 51 facing the welding assembly 1 is provided with a recess 511, a part of the battery is disposed in the recess 511, and a dust removal hole is disposed on a groove wall of the recess 511; a negative pressure can be generated in the dust removal hole. By providing the dust removing hole on the groove wall of the recess 511, the opening area of the dust removing hole can be increased, thereby increasing the area of the dust removing assembly 5 for dust removal from the batteries, thereby improving the dust removing effect. In this embodiment, the dust removing hole of the dust removing seat 51 is connected to a vacuum apparatus via a dust removing pipe 52.Specifically, the welding assembly 1 includes a welding machine 11 and a fifth driving member 12, the fifth driving member 12 is connected to the welding machine 11, and the fifth driving member 12 drives the welding machine 11 to move in the vertical direction, so that the fifth driving member 12 can drive the welding machine 11 to move downward to a position of the end cap and the housing to be welded.Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the present application discloses a battery production line including a transport assembly 6, a bracket 7, and a battery welding apparatus of any embodiment of the present application; wherein the bracket 7 is disposed on the transport assembly 6, and the battery welding apparatus is disposed on a side of the transport assembly 6; the transport assembly 6 is capable of conveying the bracket 7 to under the welding assembly 1 of the battery welding apparatus; the first rolling element 21 of the battery welding apparatus may lift up the battery disposed on the bracket 7 and move it into the restriction space, so that the first rolling element 21 and the second rolling element 31 may roll and restrict the battery; the rotating assembly 4 of the battery welding apparatus can press the end cap and the housing of the battery and drive the end cap and the housing to rotate synchronously, so that the welding assembly 1 can weld the periphery of the end cap and the housing, and no relative rotation takes place between the end cap and the housing during the welding process, so that the welding assembly 1 can accurately weld the end cap and the housing, thereby improving the welding quality of the battery, thereby improving the sealing of the battery, and thereby improving the yield of the battery manufactured by the battery manufacturing line using the battery welding apparatus.As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport assembly 6 includes a mounting seat 61 and a conveyor chain 62; the mounting seat 61 has an oval shape, and the conveyor chain 62 is disposed at a peripheral portion of the mounting seat 61. The bracket 7 includes a second mounting plate 71 and a jaw 72; wherein the second mounting plate 71 includes a first plate 711 and a second plate 712 disposed at a nip angle; the first plate 711 is connected to the conveyor chain 62, and the second plate 712 extends in a direction far from the conveyor chain 62. The jaw 72 is disposed on an upper end surface of the second plate 712, and the jaw 72 is used for gripping the battery. The conveyance chain 62 is capable of moving the bracket 7 to the storage position along the outer periphery of the mounting seat 61. The rotation assembly 4, the second restriction assembly 3, and the welding assembly 1 are disposed above the mounting seat 61, and the first restriction assembly 2 is disposed below the second plate 712. The second plate 712 is continuously provided with the escape groove 2311. When the holder 7 enters the receiving position, the first driving member 22 of the first restricting assembly 2 can drive the upper moving seat 23 through the escape groove 2311, so that the first roller 211 can lift the battery on the jaw 72 to release the gripping of the jaw 72, and then presses the second roller 311 downward to restrict the rolling of the battery.

Claims

A battery welding apparatus characterized by comprising: a welding assembly (1); a first limiting assembly (2) comprising a first rolling element (21); a second limiting assembly (3) comprising a second rolling element (31); wherein the second rolling element (31) is spaced apart from the first rolling element (21), and a limiting space is defined between the first rolling element (21) and the second rolling element (31) for placing a battery (100); the first rolling element (21) and the second rolling element (31) are rollably connected to a side wall of the battery (100); and a rotating assembly (4); wherein the rotation assembly (4) is disposed on a side of the first restriction assembly (2), and the rotation assembly (4) is used to compress a housing and an end cap of the battery (100) and drive the housing and the end cap to rotate synchronously about a central axis of the battery (100); the welding assembly (1) is disposed on a side of the battery (100) in a radial direction to enable the welding assembly (1) to weld a periphery of the housing and the end cap.The battery welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first limiting assembly (2) further comprises a first driving member (22) and an upper moving seat (23); the upper moving seat (23) is connected to the first driving member (22), and the first rolling member (21) is disposed on the upper moving seat (23); the first driving member (22) is capable of driving the upper moving seat (23) to move toward the second limiting assembly (3) so that the first rolling member (21) can move the battery (100) toward the second rolling member (31).The battery welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second restricting assembly (3) comprises a second driving member (32) and a press seat (33); the second driving member (32) is connected to the press seat (33), and the second rolling member (31) is rotatably disposed on the press seat (33); the second driving member (32) is capable of driving the press seat (33) to move toward the first restricting assembly (2) so that the second rolling member (31) presses against the housing.The battery welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rolling element (21) comprises at least two first rollers (211) spaced apart from each other; the second rolling element (31) comprises at least two second rollers (311) spaced apart from each other; the first rollers (211) are spaced below the second rollers (311), and the first rollers (211) and the second rollers (311) together form the boundary space therebetween.The battery welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotation assembly (4) comprises a first pressing member (41) and a second pressing member (42) spaced apart from each other; the first pressing member (41) is used for connection to the housing, and the second pressing member (42) is used for connection to the end cap; at least one of the first pressing member (41) and the second pressing member (42) is used to drive the end cap to rotate synchronously with the housing.The battery welding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first urging member (41) comprises a third driving member (411) and a rotating shaft (412); the third driving member (411) is connected to the rotating shaft (412); an end of the rotating shaft (412) that is remote from the third driving member (411) is connected to the end cap; the third driving member (411) is used to drive the rotating shaft (412) to rotate about the central axis of the battery (100) to drive the end cap and the housing to rotate.The battery welding apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second urging member (42) comprises a fourth driving member (421), a moving seat (422), and a sleeve (423); the fourth driving member (421) is connected to the moving seat (422), and the sleeve (423) is rotatably disposed on the moving seat (422); the sleeve (423) is for connection to a side of the housing opposite to the end cap; the fourth driving member (421) is used to drive the moving seat (422) to move toward the first urging member (41) to drive the sleeve (423) to urge the housing against the end cap.The battery welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the battery welding apparatus further comprises a dust extraction assembly (5); the dust extraction assembly (5) is located below the welding assembly (1) and is used to remove dust from a welding position of the end cap and the housing.The battery welding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the dust extraction assembly (5) comprises a dust extraction seat (51); a side of the dust extraction seat (51) facing the welding assembly (1) is provided with a recess (511), a part of the battery (100) is disposed in the recess (511), and a dust removal hole is disposed on a groove wall of the recess (512); a negative pressure can be generated in the dust removal hole.A battery production line comprising a transport assembly (6), a holder (7) and the battery welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9; wherein the holder (7) is arranged on the transport assembly (6), and the holder (7) serves to hold the battery (100) in place; the battery welding apparatus is arranged on one side of the transport assembly (6); the transport assembly (6) is capable of conveying the holder (7) to under the welding assembly (1) of the battery welding apparatus; the first rolling element (21) of the battery welding apparatus is used to lift up the battery (100) located on the holder (7).

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