Aging System

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aging system for aging a plurality of cells, comprising: a plurality of chambers configured in multiple stages, each stage housing a cell; and a crane unit provided adjacent to the chambers, for transporting and transferring the cells to each stage of the chambers, the crane unit including an upper frame, a lower frame, a pair of masts connecting the upper frame and the lower frame, and a lifting unit coupled to the masts so as to be guided by the masts and to be raised and lowered up and down, the crane unit further including at least one air conditioning fan for blowing air to circulate the air so as to uniformly distribute the temperature of each cell housed in the chamber.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aging system for aging a plurality of cells, and more particularly to an aging system that is adjustable so as to minimize temperature deviations among the plurality of cells contained therein during aging.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0161390 dated November 28, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art As the demand for high-performance mobile devices increases, the demand for improved performance of secondary batteries, in particular, improved performance of batteries, is rapidly increasing.

[0004] In particular, medium-sized or large-sized devices such as notebook computers, portable DVDs, small PCs, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles require the use of battery modules including a large number of battery cells due to issues of output and capacity.

[0005] Battery modules are manufactured through a process of assembling battery cells and a process of activating the batteries. In the battery activation stage, the battery cells are mounted on a specific jig and charged under the conditions required for activation. Conventional secondary batteries such as nickel-cadmium batteries and lead-acid batteries can be used immediately after production, so charging and discharging devices were only necessary for performance evaluation. However, in the case of lithium secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries that have been widely used in recent years, the performance of the battery is completed only after a process of performing specific charging and discharging after production, i.e., a chemical formation process, so charging and discharging devices have become essential equipment for secondary battery production lines.

[0006] The charger / discharger performs a function of giving the characteristics of a secondary battery by repeating a charging and discharging process several times so that the first battery assembled during the secondary battery manufacturing process can store electrical energy. As the supply of secondary batteries increases due to a sudden increase in demand, efficient control of chargers and dischargers that perform charging and discharging functions at the secondary battery production stage is required.

[0007] After the battery cells have been subjected to the process in such a charging / discharging device, they are moved to the next process by a stacker crane (hereinafter, referred to as a crane) that transports trays on which the battery cells are loaded.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a stacker crane 20 that moves a tray T, and a chamber 1 on which the tray T transported by the stacker crane 20 is loaded. As shown in FIG. 1, the stacker crane 20 is provided so as to be horizontally movable along guide rails R located side by side at the upper and lower parts, and raises and lowers a lifting unit 30 on which the tray T is seated, thereby transferring and loading the tray T to each stage of the desired chamber 1, or conversely, removing the loaded tray T.

[0009] As described above, the trays T loaded in the chamber 1 and the battery cells included in the trays T may undergo aging under various temperature conditions.

[0010] However, the generally used chamber 1 has a huge size, and a large number of trays T are loaded in each chamber 1, which may cause a problem of uneven temperature distribution depending on the area. That is, each tray T and battery cell is aged under uneven temperature conditions, and as a result, standardized battery cells may not be obtained. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0026521 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1998-0040131 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to minimize the temperature deviation between chambers in which each cell is housed during the aging process of multiple cells, thereby making the performance and quality of each cell uniform.

[0013] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it is easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as claimed in the claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] According to the present invention, there is provided an aging system for aging a plurality of cells, comprising: The aging system includes a plurality of chambers configured in multiple stages, with cells accommodated in each stage, and a crane unit provided adjacent to the chambers and transporting and transferring cells to each stage of the chambers, the crane unit including an upper frame, a lower frame, a pair of masts connecting the upper frame and the lower frame, and a lifting unit coupled to the masts so as to be guided by the masts and be able to rise and fall up and down, and the crane unit further includes at least one air conditioning fan that blows air to circulate the air so that the temperature distribution of the cells accommodated in the chambers is uniform.

[0015] The air conditioning fan is provided on the mast and can blow air horizontally.

[0016] A plurality of air conditioning fans may be coupled to one mast, and the air conditioning fans may be provided at predetermined intervals along the mast.

[0017] The lifting unit may include a base plate and a support wall coupled to both sides of the base plate and slidably coupled to the mast, and the air conditioning fan may be coupled to both ends of the support wall.

[0018] The air conditioning fan may be coupled to a pair of support walls coupled to opposite sides of the base plate, respectively.

[0019] The air conditioning fan may be coupled to the upper frame.

[0020] The air conditioning fan may be coupled to the upper frame perpendicular to the extension direction of the mast so as to blow air in an up and down direction.

[0021] The air conditioning fan may be coupled to the upper frame so as to be horizontal in the extension direction of the mast to blow air horizontally.

[0022] The crane unit may be mounted to be horizontally movable to carry and transfer cells to each of the chambers.

[0023] A guide rail may be provided between the adjacent chambers so as to extend between the chambers, and the crane unit may be slidably coupled to the guide rail.

[0024] The chamber may further include a heating unit that applies heat to each contained cell. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, the temperature deviation between chambers housing each cell during the aging process of a plurality of cells is minimized, and the performance and quality of each cell are uniformized, thereby improving the efficiency and yield of the cell activation process, thereby achieving a reduction in the cost of the cells. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 shows a conventional aging system. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an aging system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a crane unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This shows a side view of the crane unit of Figure 3 above. [Diagram 5] This shows the movement of the crane unit between the chambers and the resulting air movement. [Figure 6] 13 illustrates a modified example of a crane unit included in the aging system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 7 is a simplified side view of the crane unit of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an aging system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 13 shows a side view of a crane unit included in an aging system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a crane unit included in an aging system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 11 shows a side view of the crane unit of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 13 shows a modified example of a crane unit included in the aging system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Before that, the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention based on the principle that an inventor can appropriately define the concept of a term to best describe his own invention.

[0028] Therefore, the embodiment described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0029] In addition, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a specific description of related publicly known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0030] Since the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or shown roughly for clearer explanation. Therefore, the sizes and proportions of each component do not completely reflect the actual sizes and proportions.

[0031] The present invention relates to an aging system for aging a plurality of cells, and the aging system of the present invention is characterized in that it minimizes the temperature deviation of each cell while aging the plurality of cells by applying an air conditioning fan 250 to a crane unit 200 that moves between each chamber 100 in which the cells are housed.

[0032] Figures 2 to 7 relate to an aging system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figures 8 to 9 relate to an aging system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 10 to 12 relate to an aging system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Hereinafter, the aging system of the present invention will be described in various forms with reference to the drawings.

[0034] The cell manufacturing process is roughly composed of the steps of electrode manufacturing, assembly, activation, and packaging / shipping. Among these, the activation process is a process in which the cells removed from the assembly process are stored for a certain period of time for aging, and then repeatedly charged / discharged to improve the battery performance. This activation process can be performed through a chamber 100 consisting of multiple stages as shown in FIG. 1. A number of trays containing cells arranged horizontally can be seated in one stage of the chamber 100.

[0035] The trays seated in each chamber 100 are transported by the crane unit 200. That is, when the crane unit 200 reaches a specific position, it operates the lifting unit 240 to transfer the tray to a specific stage of the chamber 100.

[0036] The tray may contain a plurality of cells, each of which may be in electrical communication with the tray.

[0037] The chamber 100 may have a structure capable of being electrically connected to the tray so that each cell accommodated in the tray can be charged and discharged.

[0038] (First embodiment) FIG. 2 shows an aging system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The aging system of the present invention includes a chamber 100 and a crane unit 200, as shown in FIG.

[0040] The aging system of the present invention includes at least one or more chambers 100, which are spaced apart at a predetermined interval so that a crane unit 200 can move and pass between the chambers 100.

[0041] Each of the chambers 100 is configured in multiple stages as shown in FIG. 2, and a plurality of trays including cells can be mounted in each stage.

[0042] A guide rail R may be installed between each of the chambers 100 as shown in the figure, and the guide rail R is extended to penetrate between a pair of adjacent chambers 100 facing each other.

[0043] A crane unit 200 can be guided and passed between the chambers 100 along the guide rails R.

[0044] The guide rail R may be formed so as to be connectable to at least one of the upper and lower parts of the crane unit 200.

[0045] The aging system of the present invention includes a pair of guide rails R coupled to both the upper and lower parts of the crane unit 200 so as to stably support and guide the crane unit 200. At this time, the pair of guide rails R maintain their horizontality with respect to each other based on the vertical direction.

[0046] The crane unit 200 is slidably coupled to the guide rail R and can move along the extension direction of the guide rail R.

[0047] The chamber 100 may further include a heating unit (not shown) that applies heat to the trays accommodated in each stage and the multiple cells contained in the trays.

[0048] In order to bring out the above-mentioned cell performance, the cell must be left at a high temperature for a specific period of time, and at this time, a heating unit is required to create the above-mentioned high-temperature environment.

[0049] The type of the heating unit is not particularly limited, and any device capable of transferring heat to each tray and cell via radiation can be used.

[0050] Since the chambers 100 included in the aging system of the present invention may be closely spaced, air circulation may not be smooth in the area where the chambers 100 are installed. This phenomenon may result in uneven heat transfer from area to area, making it impossible to leave the cells in the same environment. Therefore, multiple cells that are not aged in the same environment may have significant differences in cell performance.

[0051] The aging system of the present invention is characterized in that it controls the crane unit 200, which is a device that transports trays containing cells between the chambers 100, to induce air circulation between the chambers 100 and minimize temperature deviations between each chamber 100 or each tray.

[0052] The crane unit 200 is provided adjacent to the chamber 100 and serves to transport and transfer cells to each stage of the chamber 100 .

[0053] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a crane unit 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of the crane unit 200 of FIG.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the crane unit 200 includes an upper frame 210, a lower frame 220, a pair of masts 230 connecting the upper frame 210 and the lower frame 220, and a lifting unit 240 connected to the mast 230 so as to be guided by the mast 230 and be able to move up and down.

[0055] The upper frame 210 is slidably coupled to a guide rail R located at an upper portion of the crane unit 200, and the lower frame 220 is slidably coupled to a guide rail R located at a lower portion of the crane unit 200.

[0056] The pair of masts 230 are coupled to connect both ends of the upper frame 210 and the lower frame 220, respectively.

[0057] A driving device may be coupled to one side of the mast 230, which may drive the lifting unit 240 to be lifted or lowered.

[0058] The lifting unit 240 serves to seat a tray including cells, and to move the tray up and down to transfer it to each stage of the chamber 100 .

[0059] The lifting unit 240 and the driving device may be connected by a wire.

[0060] When the wire is wound by the operation of the driving device, the lifting unit 240 moves upward, and when the wire is unwound, the lifting unit 240 moves downward.

[0061] The lifting unit 240 is slidably coupled to the inner surfaces of a pair of masts 230 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

[0062] 4, the lifting unit 240 may reciprocate up and down along the mast 230. At this time, a separate lifting rail may be included on the inner surface of the mast 230 so that the lifting unit 240 can slide, and the lifting unit 240 is slidably coupled to the lifting rail included in the mast 230.

[0063] The lifting unit 240 includes a base plate 241 for supporting a lower portion of a tray as shown in the figure, and support walls 242 connected to both sides of the base plate 241 and connected to the mast 230 so as to be slidable relative to the mast 230 .

[0064] The support wall 242 is supported by and directly coupled to a lift rail included in the inner surface of the mast 230, and serves to support and protect both sides of the tray seated on the base plate 241.

[0065] The crane unit 200 included in the aging system of the present invention is characterized by further including at least one air conditioning fan 250 that blows air to circulate the air so that the temperature distribution of each cell accommodated in the chamber 100 is uniform.

[0066] The fan included in the air conditioning fan 250 is configured to blow air in one direction.

[0067] The aging system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the air conditioning fan 250 is coupled to the support wall 242 of the crane.

[0068] Specifically, the crane unit 200 includes a pair of air conditioning fans 250 disposed on both ends of one of the support walls 242 so as to face each other.

[0069] It is preferable that the pair of air conditioning fans 250 are installed to blow air in an outward direction with respect to the crane unit 200 .

[0070] The air conditioning fan 250 coupled to the lifting unit 240 can blow air while moving up and down along the lifting unit 240 as shown in FIG.

[0071] The crane unit 200 blows air into each chamber 100 while moving between the chambers 100 along the guide rails R via the air conditioning fan 250 configuration described above.

[0072] More specifically, the crane unit 200 moves horizontally along the guide rail R, and blows air into each chamber 100 and between the chambers 100 using the air conditioning fan 250. Also, the crane unit 200 can blow air into the upper and lower parts of each chamber 100, for example, from the uppermost stage to the lowermost stage of the chambers 100, by raising and lowering the lifting unit 240 and the air conditioning fan 250 connected to the lifting unit 240 up and down.

[0073] That is, the air conditioning fan 250 induces convection circulation of air by blowing air between the chambers 100 located on both sides of the crane unit 200. By inducing such circulation of air, heat accumulated in a specific portion can be spread to the surroundings along the circulation, and as a result, the temperature deviation between the chambers 100 included in all areas where the crane unit 200 moves can be reduced.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the chamber 100 and crane unit 200 included in the aging system of the present invention, for the purpose of simply illustrating air movement Ma by the crane unit 200 moving between the chambers 100.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 5, a guide rail R is formed to extend across a plurality of chambers 100 arranged to face each other, and a crane unit 200 moves along the guide rail R.

[0076] The crane unit 200 blows air in both directions simultaneously using the air conditioning fans 250 while moving, and air circulation Ma is performed between the chambers 100 by the movement of the crane unit 200 and the operation of the air conditioning fans 250.

[0077] Therefore, the heat unevenly distributed to each zone in each chamber 100 or any one of the chambers 100 can be circulated and transferred to the lower temperature zone by the circulation of the air Ma.

[0078] FIG. 6 shows a modified example of the crane unit 200 included in the aging system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a simplified side view of the crane unit 200 of FIG.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 6, the crane unit 200 has air conditioning fans 250 coupled to both sides of a base plate 241.

[0080] Specifically, the air conditioning fans 250 are coupled to a pair of support walls 242 coupled to both sides of the base plate 241. At this time, each air conditioning fan 250 is coupled to both ends of each support wall 242.

[0081] The crane unit 200 having the structure shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is provided with air conditioning fans 250 at the front and rear, respectively, so that heat and air can be circulated more effectively between each chamber 100 or each tray.

[0082] Second embodiment The aging system of the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the aging system of the first embodiment in that the air conditioning fan 250 included in the crane unit 200 is installed in a lifting unit 240 that moves up and down, whereas the aging system of the second embodiment of the present invention is fixed and installed on a mast 230.

[0083] FIG. 8 shows an aging system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows a simplified side view of a crane unit 200 included in the aging system according to the second embodiment.

[0084] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lifting unit 240 has a plurality of air conditioning fans 250 coupled to the mast 230 in a row at predetermined intervals.

[0085] The air conditioning fan 250 coupled to the mast 230 as described above blows air horizontally.

[0086] A plurality of air conditioning fans 250 are connected to one mast 230, and the air conditioning fans 250 are installed along the mast 230 at predetermined intervals.

[0087] That is, the crane unit 200 of the aging system according to the second embodiment can induce air circulation by blowing wind at all heights even when the lifting unit 240 is not raised or lowered.

[0088] It is preferable that the air conditioning fans 250 coupled in sequence along the mast 230 are alternately coupled so that the air directions of the adjacent air conditioning fans 250 are opposite to each other.

[0089] Third embodiment The aging system of the third embodiment of the present invention is different from the aging system of the first embodiment in that the air conditioning fan 250 included in the crane unit 200 is installed in a lifting unit 240 that moves up and down, whereas the air conditioning fan 250 is fixed and installed in an upper frame 210.

[0090] That is, the air conditioning fan 250 is coupled to the upper frame 210 so as to be perpendicular to the extension direction of the mast 230 to blow air in an up-down direction.

[0091] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a crane unit 200 included in an aging system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a simplified side view of the crane unit 200 of FIG.

[0092] The air conditioning fan 250 coupled to the upper frame 210 as described above blows air in an upward or downward direction.

[0093] FIG. 11 is an example showing that the air conditioning fan 250 is coupled to blow air downward, and the air moves downward by the air conditioning fan 250 and then spreads around.

[0094] The crane unit 200 moves horizontally around the chamber 100 along the guide rail R, and can effectively transfer heat accumulated in the upper portion downward, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the upper and lower portions of the chamber 100.

[0095] The air conditioning fan 250 coupled to the upper frame 210 may be coupled to blow air in a horizontal direction.

[0096] 12 shows a modified example of a crane included in the aging system according to the third embodiment, in which the air conditioning fan 250 is connected to the upper frame 210 so as to be horizontal in the extension direction of the mast 230 so as to blow air horizontally. In this case, the crane unit 200 can blow air only to the upper part of the chamber 100 so that heat accumulated in a specific area in the upper part of each chamber 100 can be quickly transferred to the surrounding area.

[0097] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, etc. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, and therefore there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1: (Conventional technology) Chamber 20: (Conventional technology) Stacker crane 30: (Conventional technology) Lifting unit 100: Chamber 200: Crane unit 210: Upper frame 220: Lower frame 230: Mast 240: Lifting unit 241: Base plate 242: Support wall 250: Air conditioning fan R: Guide rail Ma: Air movement (circulation)

Claims

1. An aging system for aging a plurality of cells, comprising: A plurality of chambers configured in multiple stages, each stage housing a cell; a crane unit provided adjacent to the chamber for transporting and transferring cells to each stage of the chamber; The crane unit includes: The upper frame and The lower frame and A pair of masts connecting the upper frame and the lower frame; a lifting unit coupled to the mast so as to be guided by the mast and be movable up and down; The aging system further includes at least one air conditioning fan configured to blow air to circulate the air so that the temperature distribution of each cell accommodated in the chamber is uniform.

2. The aging system according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning fan is provided on the mast and blows air in a horizontal direction.

3. A plurality of air conditioning fans are connected to one of the masts, The aging system according to claim 2 , wherein the air conditioning fans are provided at predetermined intervals along the mast.

4. The lifting unit includes a base plate and a support wall coupled to both sides of the base plate and coupled to the mast so as to be slidable relative to the mast; The aging system according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning fans are coupled to both ends of the support wall.

5. The aging system according to claim 4 , wherein the air conditioning fan is coupled to a pair of support walls coupled to both sides of the base plate, respectively.

6. The aging system of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning fan is coupled to the upper frame.

7. The aging system according to claim 6 , wherein the air conditioning fan is coupled to the upper frame so as to be perpendicular to an extension direction of the mast so as to blow air in an up-down direction.

8. The aging system according to claim 6 , wherein the air conditioning fan is coupled to the upper frame so as to be horizontal to an extension direction of the mast so as to blow air horizontally.

9. The aging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the crane unit is provided to be horizontally movable so as to transport and transfer cells to each of the chambers.

10. A guide rail is provided between the adjacent chambers so as to extend between the chambers. The aging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the crane unit is slidably coupled to the guide rail.

11. The aging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the chamber further includes a heating unit for applying heat to each of the contained cells.

12. Each stage of the chamber includes a tray space in which a plurality of trays each accommodating a plurality of cells are seated side by side, The aging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the tray is seated in the tray space so as to be electrically connected to the chamber.

13. The aging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of cells housed in a tray seated in the tray space are charged and discharged.

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